The Impacts of Rural Population Growth, Energy use and Economic Growth on CO2 Emissions

Air pollution can have a repercussion on human health. Economic activity and non-renewable use can lead to pollution. CO2 emissions are widely used by previous studies as a proxy for environmental degradation. CO2 emissions exhibit upward trends in most countries including developing countries. The environmental issue has set alarm bells ringing; thus, this study embarks on an investigation into the impacts of energy use, economic growth and rural population growth on CO2 emissions. The novelty of this study is to explore the impact of rural population growth on CO2 emissions. The panel ARDL method is employed to analyze data from 1990 to 2015 in 9 selected developing countries with different geographical regions. The results disclose that in the long run, higher energy use and economic growth can increase CO2 emissions while rural population growth does not cause any change in CO2 emissions. Rural population growth does not also influence CO2 emissions in the short run. However, energy consumption and economic growth can be detrimental to the environment in the short run. Therefore, these findings are important for policymakers to formulate policies. More renewable energy sources, such as hydro and biofuel, should be used instead of non-renewable energy sources, such as oil and coal. This can reduce CO2 emissions.Keywords: Energy use, Population, Economic Growth, CO2 emissionsJEL Classifications: O11, Q43, Q53, Q56DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.11566