title: The impact of CO2 emissions on economic growth: evidence from selected higher CO2 emissions economies.
abstract: The main purpose of this work is to analyze the impact of environmental degradation proxied by CO2 emissions per capita along with some other explanatory variables namely energy use, trade, and human capital on economic growth in selected higher CO2 emissions economies namely China, the USA, India, and Japan. For empirical analysis, annual data over the period spanning between 1971 and 2013 are used. After using relevant and suitable tests for checking data properties, the panel fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) method is employed as an analytical technique for parameter estimation. The panel group FMOLS results reveal that almost all variables are statistically significant, whereby test rejects the null hypotheses of non cointegration, demonstrating that all variables play an important role in affecting the economic growth role across countries. Where two regressors namely CO2 emissions and energy use show significantly negative impacts on economic growth, for trade and human capital, they tend to show the significantly positive impact on economic growth. However, for the individual analysis across countries, the panel estimate suggests that CO2 emissions have a significant positive relationship with economic growth for China, Japan, and the USA, while it is found significantly negative in case of India. The empirical findings of the study suggest that appropriate and prudent policies are required in order to control pollution emerging from areas other than liquefied fuel consumption. The ultimate impact of shrinking pollution will help in supporting sustainable economic growth and maturation as well as largely improve society welfare.
authors.affiliation: School of Economics, Finance & Banking, College of Business, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Kedah, Malaysia. drazam75@yahoo.com.|Department of Management Sciences, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, KP, Pakistan. drazam75@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Azam
authors.affiliation: Department of Management Sciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Wah Cantt Campus, Islamabad, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Abdul Qayyum
authors.initials: AQ
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: School of Economics, Finance & Banking, College of Business, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Kedah, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Hussin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bin Abdullah
authors.affiliation: APCOMS, University of Engineering and Technology, Taxila, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Muhammad Ejaz
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Qureshi
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000191:economics*; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis / Q000191:economics*; D002681:China; D057217:Economic Development; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000032:analysis / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007564:Japan; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D002245:Carbon Dioxide
keywords: CO2 emissions; Economic growth; Higher CO2 emitting economies