Search Advanced

AIMS Energy

2022, Volume 10, Issue 4: 831-843. doi: 10.3934/energy.2022037
Previous Article Next Article
Research article

Investigating the determinants of ecological and carbon footprints. Evidence from high-income countries

  • 1.
    Faculty of Management & Social Sciences, Department of Economics, Lasbela University of Agriculture, water and marine Sciences, Balochistan, Pakistan
  • 2.
    Department of Business Administration, Sukkur IBA University, Sukkur, Pakistan
  • 3.
    School of Economics, Shandong Technology and Business University, Yantai, China
  • 4.
    Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Science, Chengdu, China
  • Received: 26 March 2022 Revised: 16 June 2022 Accepted: 06 July 2022 Published: 15 July 2022

  • High-income countries have experienced rapid economic growth, urbanization, consumption of renewable and non-renewable energy, increased trade dependency, and the attainment and maintenance of higher living standards over the last four decades, while also experiencing an increasing trend in environmental degradation. These experiences have fueled our desire to learn more about the factors that influence the ecological footprint and carbon footprint of high-income countries. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effects of natural resources, urbanization, GDP per capita, population, and fossil fuels on ecological and carbon footprint for 34 high-income countries over the period 2003–2015. Using the STIRPAT model, the results confirm the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis in the case of total ecological footprint while the link between economic growth and carbon footprint is in U-shape. In terms of total ecological footprint determinants, population reduction as well as efficient urban design, are viable solutions. The findings support the positive and statistically significant influence of population, urbanization, and fossil fuels on total ecological footprint, as well as the negative impact of ecological efficiency. The findings of the carbon footprint suggest that reduction in coal and oil consumption, as well as increasing the use of gas as a source of energy, are all viable choices to mitigate carbon footprint. Furthermore, increasing ecological efficiency could be a viable policy option for reducing high-income countries' footprints.

    Citation: Hazrat Yousaf, Azka Amin, Waqar Ameer, Muhammad Akbar. Investigating the determinants of ecological and carbon footprints. Evidence from high-income countries[J]. AIMS Energy, 2022, 10(4): 831-843. doi: 10.3934/energy.2022037

    Related Papers:

  • High-income countries have experienced rapid economic growth, urbanization, consumption of renewable and non-renewable energy, increased trade dependency, and the attainment and maintenance of higher living standards over the last four decades, while also experiencing an increasing trend in environmental degradation. These experiences have fueled our desire to learn more about the factors that influence the ecological footprint and carbon footprint of high-income countries. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effects of natural resources, urbanization, GDP per capita, population, and fossil fuels on ecological and carbon footprint for 34 high-income countries over the period 2003–2015. Using the STIRPAT model, the results confirm the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis in the case of total ecological footprint while the link between economic growth and carbon footprint is in U-shape. In terms of total ecological footprint determinants, population reduction as well as efficient urban design, are viable solutions. The findings support the positive and statistically significant influence of population, urbanization, and fossil fuels on total ecological footprint, as well as the negative impact of ecological efficiency. The findings of the carbon footprint suggest that reduction in coal and oil consumption, as well as increasing the use of gas as a source of energy, are all viable choices to mitigate carbon footprint. Furthermore, increasing ecological efficiency could be a viable policy option for reducing high-income countries' footprints.


    加载中


    [1] Abbasi KR, Hussain K, Haddad AM, et al. (2022a) The role of financial development and technological innovation towards sustainable development in Pakistan: Fresh insights from consumption and territory-based emissions. Technol Forecast Soc Change 176: 121444. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121444 doi: 10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121444
    [2] Amin A, Dogan E (2021a) The role of economic policy uncertainty in the energy-environment nexus for China: Evidence from the novel dynamic simulations method. J Environ Manage 292: 112865. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112865 doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112865
    [3] Amin A, Liu XH, Abbas Q, et al. (2021b) Globalization, sustainable development, and variation in cost of power plant technologies: A perspective of developing economies. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28: 11158-11169. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10816-x doi: 10.1007/s11356-020-10816-x
    [4] Amin A, Dogan E, Khan Z (2020a) The impacts of different proxies for financialization on carbon emissions in top-ten emitter countries. Sci Total Environ 740: 140127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140127 doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140127
    [5] Amin A, Altinoz B, Dogan E (2020b) Analyzing the determinants of carbon emissions from transportation in European countries: The role of renewable energy and urbanization. Clean Technol Environ Policy 22(8): 1725-1734. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-020-01910-2 doi: 10.1007/s10098-020-01910-2
    [6] Ameer W, Amin A, Xu H (2022a) Does institutional quality, natural resources, globalization, and renewable energy contribute to environmental pollution in China? Role of financialization. Front Public Health 10: 849946. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.849946 doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.849946
    [7] Ameer W, Xu H, Sohag K, et al. (2022b) Research methods in economics and its implications for capital formation. Econ Res-Ekon Istraz, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2022.2030244 doi: 10.1080/1331677X.2022.2030244
    [8] Amin A, Ameer W, Yousaf H, et al. (2022) Financial development, institutional quality, and the influence of various environmental factors on carbon dioxide emissions: Exploring the Nexus in China. Front Environ Sci, 755. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2021.838714 doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2021.838714
    [9] Aziz B, Iqbal Z, Amin A (2020) An investigation into fuel demand elasticities and economies of scale in Pakistan. FWU J Soc Sci 14: 14-24.
    [10] Ahmad M, Jiang P, Majeed A, et al. (2020) The dynamic impact of natural resources, technological innovations and economic growth on ecological footprint: An advanced panel data estimation. Resources Policy 69: 101817. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2020.101817 doi: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2020.101817
    [11] Chen Y, Lee CC (2020) Does technological innovation reduce CO2 emissions? Cross-country evidence. J Clean Prod 263: 121550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121550 doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121550
    [12] Chishti MZ, Ahmed Z, Murshed M, et al. (2021) The asymmetric associations between foreign direct investment inflows, terrorism, CO2 emissions, and economic growth: a tale of two shocks. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28: 69253-69271. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15188-4 doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-15188-4
    [13] Adebayo TS, Kalmaz BD (2021) Determinants of CO2 emissions: Empirical evidence from Egypt. Environ Ecol Stat 28: 239-262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10651-020-00482-0 doi: 10.1007/s10651-020-00482-0
    [14] Weimin Z, Chishti ZM (2021) Toward sustainable development: assessing the effects of commercial policies on consumption and production-based carbon emissions in developing economies. SAGE Open, 11. http://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211061580 doi: 10.1177/21582440211061580
    [15] Abbasi KR, Shahbaz M, Zhang J, et al. (2022b) Analyze the environmental sustainability factors of China: The role of fossil fuel energy and renewable energy. Renewable Energy 187: 390-402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2022.01.066 doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2022.01.066
    [16] Abbasi KR, Hussain K, Radulescu M, et al. (2022c) Asymmetric impact of renewable and non-renewable energy on the industrial sector in Pakistan: fresh evidence from Bayesian and non-linear ARDL. Renewable Energy 187: 944-957. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2022.02.012 doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2022.02.012
    [17] Abbasi K, Jiao Z, Shahbaz M, et al. (2020) Asymmetric impact of renewable and non-renewable energy on economic growth in Pakistan: New evidence from a nonlinear analysis. Energy Explor Exploit 38: 1946-1967. https://doi.org/10.1177/0144598720946496 doi: 10.1177/0144598720946496
    [18] Shah H, Ameer W, Jiao GW, et al. (2021) The impact of COVID-19 induced decline in consumer durables and mobility on NO2 emission in Europe. Global Econ Rev 50: 43-53. https://doi.org/10.1080/1226508X.2021.1877562 doi: 10.1080/1226508X.2021.1877562
    [19] Liska AJ, Yang H, Milner M, et al. (2014) Biofuels from crop residue can reduce soil carbon and increase CO2 emissions. Nat Clim Chang 4: 398-401.
    [20] Yousaf H, Amin A, Baloch A, et al. (2021) Investigating household sector's non-renewables, biomass energy consumption and carbon emissions for Pakistan. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28: 40824-40834. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-12990-y doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-12990-y
    [21] Yue S, Shen Y, Yuan J (2019) Sustainable total factor productivity growth for 55 states: an application of the new malmquist index considering ecological footprint and human development index. Resour Conserv Recycl 146: 475-483. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.03.035 doi: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.03.035
    [22] Rees W, Wackernage M (1996) Urban ecological footprint: why cities cannot be sustainable and why they are a key to sustainability. Urban Ecology, 537-555a.
    [23] Salman M, Zha D, Wang G (2022a) Interplay between urbanization and ecological footprints: differential roles of indigenous and foreign innovations in ASEAN-4. EnvironSci Policy 127: 161-180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2021.10.016 doi: 10.1016/j.envsci.2021.10.016
    [24] Bagliani M, Galli A, Niccolucci V, et al. (2008) Ecological footprint analysis applied to a sub-national area: The case of the Province of Siena (Italy). J Environ Manage 86: 354-364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2006.04.015 doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2006.04.015
    [25] Galli A, Iha K, Moreno Pires S, et al. (2020) Assessing the ecological footprint and biocapacity of Portuguese cities: Critical results for environmental awareness and local management. Cities 96:102442. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2019.102442 doi: 10.1016/j.cities.2019.102442
    [26] York R, Rosa EA, Dietz T (2003) Footprints on the earth: The environmental consequences of modernity. Am Sociol Rev 68: 279. https://doi.org/10.2307/1519769 doi: 10.2307/1519769
    [27] Destek MA, Sarkodie SA (2019) Investigation of environmental Kuznets curve for ecological footprint: The role of energy and financial development. Sci Total Environ 650: 2483-2489. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.017 doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.017
    [28] Lee J, Koo T, Yulisa A, et al. (2019) Magnetite as an enhancer in methanogenic degradation of volatile fatty acids under ammonia-stressed condition. J Environ Manage 241: 418-426. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.04.038 doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.04.038
    [29] Nathaniel SP, Nwulu N, Bekun F (2021) Natural resource, globalization, urbanization, human capital, and environmental degradation in Latin American and Caribbean countries. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28: 6207-6221. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10850-9 doi: 10.1007/s11356-020-10850-9
    [30] Sahoo M, Sethi N (2021) The intermittent effects of renewable energy on ecological footprint: evidence from developing countries. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28: 56401-56417. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-14600-3 doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-14600-3
    [31] Destek MA, Sinha A (2020) Renewable, non-renewable energy consumption, economic growth, trade openness and ecological footprint: evidence from organisation for economic Co-operation and development countries. J Clean Prod 242: 118537. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118537 doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118537
    [32] Usman A, Ozturk I, Hassan A, et al. (2021) The effect of ICT on energy consumption and economic growth in South Asian economies: An empirical analysis. Telemat Inform 58: 101537. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2020.101537 doi: 10.1016/j.tele.2020.101537
    [33] Ahmed Z, Wang Z, Mahmood F, et al. (2019) Does globalization increase the ecological footprint? Empirical evidence from Malaysia. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26: 18565-18582. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05224-9 doi: 10.1007/s11356-019-05224-9
    [34] Godil DI, Sharif A, Rafique S, et al. (2020) The asymmetric effect of tourism, financial development, and globalization on ecological footprint in Turkey. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27: 40109-40120. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-09937-0 doi: 10.1007/s11356-020-09937-0
    [35] Omoke PC, Nwani C, Effiong EL, et al. (2020) The impact of financial development on carbon, non-carbon, and total ecological footprint in Nigeria: new evidence from asymmetric dynamic analysis. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27: 21628-21646. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08382-3 doi: 10.1007/s11356-020-08382-3
    [36] Ahmed Z, Le HP (2021) Linking Information Communication Technology, trade globalization index, and CO2 emissions: evidence from advanced panel techniques. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28: 8770-8781. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11205-0 doi: 10.1007/s11356-020-11205-0
    [37] Kihombo S, Vaseer AI, Ahmed Z, et al. (2022) Is there a tradeoff between financial globalization, economic growth, and environmental sustainability? An advanced panel analysis. Environ Sci Pollut 29: 3983-3993. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15878-z doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-15878-z
    [38] Yang B, Usman M (2021) Do industrialization, economic growth and globalization processes influence the ecological footprint and healthcare expenditures? Fresh insights based on the STIRPAT model for countries with the highest healthcare expenditures. Sustainable Prod Consum 28: 893-910. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2021.07.020 doi: 10.1016/j.spc.2021.07.020
    [39] Danish, Zhaohua W (2019) Investigation of the ecological footprint's driving factors : What we learn from the experience of emerging economies. Sustainable Cities Society 49: 101626. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2019.101626 doi: 10.1016/j.scs.2019.101626
    [40] Ameer W, Amin A, Xu H (2022) Does institutional quality, natural resources, globalization, and renewable energy contribute to environmental pollution in China? Role of financialization. Front Public Health, 10. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.849946 doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.849946
    [41] Ameer W, Xu H, Sohag K, et al. (2022) Research methods in economics and its implications for capital formation. Econ Res-Ekon Istraz, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2022.2030244 doi: 10.1080/1331677X.2022.2030244
    [42] Abbasi KR, Shahbaz M, Jiao Z, et al. (2021) How energy consumption, industrial growth, urbanization, and CO2 emissions affect economic growth in Pakistan? A novel dynamic ARDL simulations approach. Energy 221: 119793. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2021.119793 doi: 10.1016/j.energy.2021.119793
    [43] Hassan ST, Xia E, Khan NH, et al. (2019) Economic growth, natural resources, and ecological footprints: evidence from Pakistan. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26: 2929-2938. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-3803-3 doi: 10.1007/s11356-018-3803-3
    [44] Kongbuamai N, Bui Q, Yousaf HMAU, et al. (2020) The impact of tourism and natural resources on the ecological footprint: a case study of ASEAN countries. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27: 19251-19264. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08582-x doi: 10.1007/s11356-020-08582-x
    [45] Tufail M, Song L, Adebayo TS, et al. (2021) Do fiscal decentralization and natural resources rent curb carbon emissions? Evidence from developed countries. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28: 49179-49190. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13865-y doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-13865-y
    [46] Wasif M, Anees S, Zaidi H, et al. (2019) The impact of natural resources, human capital, and foreign direct investment on the ecological footprint : The case of the United States. Resour Policy 63: 101428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2019.101428 doi: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2019.101428
    [47] de Souza ES, Freire F, de S, et al. (2018) Determinants of CO2 emissions in the MERCOSUR: The role of economic growth, and renewable and non-renewable energy. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25: 20769-20781. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-2231-8 doi: 10.1007/s11356-018-2231-8
    [48] Ibrahiem DM, Hanafy SA (2020) Dynamic linkages amongst ecological footprints, fossil fuel energy consumption and globalization: an empirical analysis. Manage Environ Qual 31: 1549-1568. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-02-2020-0029 doi: 10.1108/MEQ-02-2020-0029
    [49] Rehman MU, Rashid M (2017) Energy consumption to environmental degradation, the growth appetite in SAARC nations. Renewable Energy 111: 284-294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2017.03.100 doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2017.03.100
    [50] Sarkodie SA, Adams S (2018) Renewable energy, nuclear energy, and environmental pollution: Accounting for political institutional quality in South Africa. Sci Total Environ 643: 1590-1601. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.06.320 doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.06.320
    [51] Wang Y, Uddin I, Gong Y (2021) Nexus between natural resources and environmental degradation: Analysing the role of income inequality and renewable energy. Sustainability, 13. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158364 doi: 10.3390/su13158364
    [52] Salman M, Wang G, Zha D (2022b) Modeling the convergence analysis of sustainable production and consumption in terms of ecological footprints and human development index in Belt and Road Initiative countries. Sustain Prod Consum 30: 233-254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2021.12.008 doi: 10.1016/j.spc.2021.12.008
    [53] Wang P, Wu W, Zhu B, et al. (2013) Examining the impact factors of energy-related CO2 emissions using the STIRPAT model in Guangdong Province, China. Appl energy 106: 65-71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2013.01.036 doi: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2013.01.036
    [54] Ghazali A, Ali G (2019) Investigation of key contributors of CO2 emissions in extended STIRPAT model for newly industrialized countries: a dynamic common correlated estimator (DCCE) approach. Energy Rep 5: 242-252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2019.02.006 doi: 10.1016/j.egyr.2019.02.006
    [55] Chen J, Chen Y, Mao B, et al. (2022) Key mitigation regions and strategies for CO2 emission reduction in China based on STIRPAT and ARIMA models. Environ Sci Pollut Res 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19126-w doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-19126-w
    [56] Ulucak R, Bilgili F (2018) A reinvestigation of EKC model by ecological footprint measurement for high, middle and low income countries. J Clean Prod 181: 144-157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.03.191 doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.03.191
    [57] Galli A, Wackernagel M, Iha K, et al. (2014) Ecological footprint: Implications for biodiversity. Biol Conserv 173: 121-132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2013.10.019 doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2013.10.019
    [58] Zhang S, Zhu D, Zhang J (2020) Which influencing factors could reduce ecological consumption ? Evidence from 90 countries for the time period 1996-2015. Appl Sci http://doi.org/10.3390/app10020678 doi: 10.3390/app10020678
    [59] Rudolph A, Figge L (2017) Determinants of ecological footprints : What is the role of globalization ? Ecol Indic 81: 348-361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.04.060 doi: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.04.060
    [60] Ibrahiem DM (2020) Do technological innovations and financial development improve environmental quality in Egypt? Environ Sci Pollut Res 27: 10869-10881. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-07585-7 doi: 10.1007/s11356-019-07585-7
    [61] Charfeddine L, Mrabet Z (2017) The impact of economic development and social-political factors on ecological footprint : A panel data analysis for 15 MENA countries. Renewable Sust Energ Rev 76: 138-154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2017.03.031 doi: 10.1016/j.rser.2017.03.031
    [62] Ehrlich PM, Holdren JP (1971) Impact of population growth. American Association Advancement Sci 70: 1657-1664. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1731166%0D
    [63] Solarin SA, Al-Mulali U (2018) Influence of foreign direct investment on indicators of environmental degradation. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25: 24845-24859. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-2562-5 doi: 10.1007/s11356-018-2562-5
  • Reader Comments
  • © 2022 the Author(s), licensee AIMS Press. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
通讯作者: 陈斌, bchen63@163.com
  • 1. 

    沈阳化工大学材料科学与工程学院 沈阳 110142

  1. 本站搜索
  2. 百度学术搜索
  3. 万方数据库搜索
  4. CNKI搜索
AIMS Energy
1.8 3.8

Metrics

Article views(1578) PDF downloads(125) Cited by(0)

Preview PDF
Download XML
Export Citation
Article outline

Figures and Tables

Tables(4)

Other Articles By Authors

Related pages

Tools

/

DownLoad:  Full-Size Img  PowerPoint
Return
Return

Catalog