Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Economics, University of Lagos, Akoka, Nigeria.
School of Foundation, Lagos State University, Badagry, Nigeria.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2021 Feb;28(5):6207-6221. doi: 10.1007/s11356-020-10850-9. Epub 2020 Sep 29.
The world is increasingly getting urbanized and globalized, and the increase in natural resource exploration could have a far-reaching impact on environmental quality. Since most Latin American and Caribbean countries (LACCs) have proximity to the Amazon, they, therefore, rely heavily on agriculture and mining which develop via deforestation which could exacerbate the already increasing carbon dioxide emissions (CO emissions). Therefore, to the best of our knowledge, this study becomes the first to investigate the link between natural resources, globalization, urbanization, and environmental degradation in LACCs countries from 1990 to 2017 with advanced panel data econometric techniques. The unit root tests affirm all the variables to be stationary at first difference, and the Westerlund (Oxf Bull Econ Stat 69(6):709-748, 2007) cointegration test confirms the long-run relationship among the variables. The augmented mean group (AMG) and the common correlated effects mean group (CCEMG) results affirm that the aforementioned variables add to CO emissions, while human capital mitigates it. Further findings reveal that human capital performs a moderating role in promoting urbanization sustainability. The country-specific results confirm that economic growth adds to emissions in all the countries, except in the Dominican Republic. A feedback causality exists between economic growth, globalization, urbanization, and CO emissions. This study argues for the development of human capital, a gradual transition to sustainable growth-driven and knowledge-based industries, and the introduction of sustainability practices in the natural resource sector to mitigate CO emissions in LACCs.
世界正日益城市化和全球化，自然资源的勘探增加可能对环境质量产生深远影响。由于大多数拉丁美洲和加勒比国家（LACCs）靠近亚马逊地区，因此它们严重依赖农业和矿业，而这些行业的发展需要通过砍伐森林来实现，这可能会加剧已经在增加的二氧化碳排放（CO 排放）。因此，据我们所知，这项研究首次利用先进的面板数据计量经济学技术，调查了 1990 年至 2017 年期间 LACCs 国家自然资源、全球化、城市化和环境退化之间的联系。单位根检验证实所有变量在一阶差分上都是平稳的，而 Westerlund（Oxf Bull Econ Stat 69(6):709-748, 2007）协整检验证实了变量之间的长期关系。增强型均值组（AMG）和共同相关效应均值组（CCEMG）的结果证实，上述变量会增加 CO 排放，而人力资本则会减轻其影响。进一步的研究结果表明，人力资本在促进城市化可持续性方面发挥了调节作用。特定国家的结果证实，除了多米尼加共和国以外，经济增长在所有国家都增加了排放量。经济增长、全球化、城市化和 CO 排放之间存在反馈因果关系。本研究主张发展人力资本，逐步向可持续增长驱动和基于知识的产业过渡，并在自然资源部门引入可持续性实践，以减轻 LACCs 的 CO 排放。
