This paper provides new empirical evidence on the asymmetric reactions of the US natural gas market and US economy to its market fundamental shocks. We find that results based on a smooth transition vector autoregressive (STVAR) model provides a plausible and robust explanation to the behavior of the US natural gas market, which asymmetrically reacts in bad times and good times.

Vietnam’s economy is one of the most energy-intensive economies in the world, facilitated by long-standing government policies indirectly subsidizing energy prices through various state-owned enterprises in the energy sector. A consequence of this is that firms are using too much energy in production. This raises a crucial issue as to whether Vietnam can continue its development trajectory in the new era with rising energy prices and increased awareness of the use of fossil fuels and environmental pollution.

Residential electricity demand arises from the need for households to meet various end uses. This demand from residences has seen consistent growth over the last decade. In developing nations like India, this demand is also a significant contributor to greenhouse emissions, given that we are starting from a lower base compared to other countries. Our understanding in this space though is still limited.

Using data from the nearly 6000 households in the Nepal Living Standards Survey of 2010–11 we find that the mean reduction in household firewood collection associated with use of a biogas plant for cooking is about 1100 kg/year from a mean of ∼∼2400 kg/year. This estimate is derived comparing only households with and without biogas in the same village, thus effectively removing the influence of many potential confounders.