Exploring the nexus between energy consumption & pollution on environment quality and customer’s health: evidence from panel data analysis of developing nations

Environment and air pollution

Abstract

Purpose

Environmental protection has become a national issues as well as international issue in recent years. Creating a sustainable development must be implemented as a reactive plan. A society's health could suffer as a result of rising air pollution brought on by increased energy use. The main goal of this study is to examine the relationship between energy consumption and health problems (such as tracheal, bronchial, and lung cancer, respiratory diseases, the prevalence of undernourishment, and the death ratio due to exposure to both outdoor and household air pollution) for data from 18 Asian countries between 2000 and 2022.

Methodology

In a panel-gravity framework for analysing energy consumption, environmental pollution, and health problems among the 20 Asia-based developing countries that were chosen, the generalised method of moments (GMM) is used.

Findings

CO2 emissions are observed to have a favourable impact on lung and respiratory illness prevalence in developing Asian countries. The results show that the risk of lung and respiratory disorders is increased by the consumption of fossil fuels. The findings also show how significantly CO2 emissions and fossil fuel use affect the rate of undernourishment and mortality. Additionally, we find that health care spending and gross domestic product per capita may contribute to a decrease in the ratio of deaths and undernourishment. In order to boost developing Asian nations' national health security, the study suggests implementing quick energy transition programmes, enhancing energy efficiency, and lowering energy intensity.

Originality:

There are tremendous studies on energy consumption and use of sustainable solutions for reducing health impacts including the constructs of GMM but in the times of Covid-19, where it has become mandatory for all nations to use sustainable solutions to attain SDGs for survival of the green planet. The study is original and is an attempt to understand developing nations’ perspective towards usage of sustainable technologies and its effectiveness in creating sustainable environment. Sustainable solutions to overcome the environmental problems are put forth in the research paper.