Economic growth and methane emission: testing the EKC hypothesis in ASEAN economies

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to analyze the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis within the methane (CH4) emission–economic growth nexus among the six Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries from 1985 to 2012.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs dynamic panel data estimation approaches such as mean group (MG) and pooled MG (PMG) techniques.FindingsThe findings reveal that the EKC hypothesis for the CH4 emission in these economies proves to be valid. In other words, economic growth causes CH4 emissions to decrease. Nevertheless, energy consumption is deteriorating the environment by enhancing CH4 emissions in these countries.Originality/valueThe ASEAN region has experienced substantial economic growth over the previous few decades. Nevertheless, pollution has also increased manifolds in this region. Methane is a more potent greenhouse gas (GHG) as compared to carbon dioxide (CO2) and a major source of socio-economic issues in the ASEAN region. This study is the first in the existing literature on the EKC hypothesis examining the role of economic growth on CH4 emissions in the selected ASEAN countries. The outcomes of this study could be really beneficial for the policymakers in this region regarding sustainability and economic development.

Energy use and the role of per capita income on carbon emissions in African countries

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Renewable Energy Use and Ecological Footprints Mitigation: Evidence from Selected South Asian Economies

“…Against this backdrop, this study aims to explore the renewable energy use-environmental quality nexus in the context of four fossil fuel-dependent South Asian countries: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The empirical analysis is structured as per the theoretical underpinnings of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis, which postulates economic growth to initially degrade the environment while improving it later on [11][12][13]. However, the relationship between economic growth and environmental quality is said to be determined by several variables, including energy.…”

Investigating Growth-Energy-Emissions Trilemma in South Asia

“…Further, the study interrogates whether economic growth boosts or slows the impact of energy (both renewable and nonrenewable) on carbon emissions. It becomes necessary to separate these two energy variants and examine their overall impact on emissions because of the preponderance of literature reporting a possible association between energy use and emissions level (Adeel-Farooq et al, 2020;Jiao, 2020;Khan et al, 2020;Nasreen et al, 2020;Nathaniel et al, 2020a;Parker and Bhatti, 2020;Rahman and Velayutham, 2020;Shaari et al, 2020;Udemba et al, 2020). We obtain the results ( From column [1] of the main results, the coefficient of PC is positive and statistically significant at the 1% level.…”