To read this content please select one of the options below:

Revisiting Environmental Kuznets Curve in Sub-Sahara Africa: Evidence from deforestation and all GHG emissions from agriculture

Kolawole Ogundari (Department of Applied Economics and Statistics, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA)
Adebola Abimbola Ademuwagun (Department of Basic Science and General Studies, Federal College of Forestry, Ibadan, Nigeria)
Olajide Abraham Ajao (Department of Agricultural Economics, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Ogbomoso, Ogbomoso, Nigeria)

International Journal of Social Economics

ISSN: 0306-8293

Article publication date: 13 February 2017

746

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to revisit the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) model in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries by focusing on two indicators of environmental change (EC), namely rate of deforestation (RD) and all greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture (Agric_GHG) with aim of addressing two key objectives in the study. First, to investigate whether the EKC hypothesis exists for both indicators considered in the region. Second, to examine the effects of macroeconomic and institutional variables on both indicators in the study.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors employ a balanced panel data covering 43 countries from 1990-2009 in the study. Subsequently, the study uses serial correlation/autoregressive order one corrected cross-section time series model based on Feasible Generalized Least Square method.

Findings

The empirical results show that the EKC exists (i.e. as inverted U-shaped) only for all GHG emissions from agriculture. Agricultural production and trade openness increase significantly both indicators of EC considered in the study. Other results show that, population growth reduces significantly Agric_GHG, while economic growth increases significantly RD in SSA.

Originality/value

This is the very first study to investigate the applicability of EKC hypothesis to emissions from non-oil sector such as agriculture (i.e. all GHG emissions from agriculture) in the region.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the reviewers for their thoughtful comments and suggestions on the earlier draft of this paper. The authors equally thank Professor Adebayo Aromolaran for reading and discussing earlier draft of the paper. The views in this paper are the authors’ own and do not necessarily represent those of the affiliated institutions.

Citation

Ogundari, K., Ademuwagun, A.A. and Ajao, O.A. (2017), "Revisiting Environmental Kuznets Curve in Sub-Sahara Africa: Evidence from deforestation and all GHG emissions from agriculture", International Journal of Social Economics, Vol. 44 No. 2, pp. 222-231. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSE-02-2015-0034

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited

Related articles