An analysis of coal consumption, CO₂ emissions and economic growth in Slovenia

The common characteristics and possible correlations between coal consumption, CO₂ emissions, emission productivity and economic growth in Slovenia are discussed in this article. The correlation between these variables was analysed by using the Pearson correlation coefficient, and we used linear regression and the least squares method to develop predictive mathematical models that can be used to estimate trends in coal consumption and CO₂ emissions in the future. The link between coal consumption, emissions, and emission productivity is significant, while the correlation between coal consumption and economic growth is minimal. Therefore, coal consumption and the resulting emissions do not have a significant impact on economic growth. Mathematical models show a good fit, which is a condition for the reliability of the prediction. Possible scenarios of the transition to carbon neutrality and the related problems of future electricity supply as a consequence of the cessation of coal mining and use are also discussed below.