Green Growth, Green Technology, and Environmental Health: Evidence From High-GDP Countries

Front Public Health. 2022 Jan 14:9:816697. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.816697. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Green growth is an exceptional strategy for sustainable development. It provides a pathway to combat environmental issues and the use of natural resources. This study investigates the effects of green technology and environmental factors on green growth in high-gross domestic product (GDP) countries from 2000 to 2020. In addition, it also probes the linear and nonlinear effects of GDP on green growth. To do so, we employ an advanced econometric approach, e.g., a cross-sectional autoregressive distributed lags estimator for long and short runs. The outcomes demonstrate that the linear effect of GDP is positive for green growth. On the contrary, the nonlinear effect of GDP has a negative magnitude for green growth. Besides, green technology substantially increases green growth. Energy consumption is found to be an important influencer, and it decreases green growth. Environmental factors such as emissions, according to the findings, also reduce green growth in the sample countries. It is worth noting that the joint effects of energy consumption and emissions deteriorate green growth in countries. Based on empirical findings, for policy makers, this study suggests that high-GDP countries should manage their economic and environmental activities in order to increase the amount of green growth that may protect the ecological environment.

Keywords: GDP; energy consumption; environment; green growth; green technology.

MeSH terms

  • Carbon Dioxide*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Economic Development*
  • Environmental Health
  • Gross Domestic Product
  • Technology

Substances

  • Carbon Dioxide