The Bulletin of the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences № 1/2024. Publications of young authors.
Yulia D. Sokolova
research engineer at the Laboratory of the Natural Resources Policy at the Graduate School of Economics and Management, assistant and postgraduate student at the Department of Economics at the Graduate School of Economics and Management, Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin, Yekaterinburg, Russia
ORCID: 0000-0002-5991-3061
THE IMPACT OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITY ON THE ENVIRONMENT: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM BRICS COUNTRIES
Abstract
The research is devoted to the nexus between economic development and environmental pollution in the BRICS countries. Within the framework of the study, the hypothesis of the Kuznets environmental curve was not verified, but Russia and China have the greatest potential to reach the income level where economic growth is able to "take care" of the environment. Applying the advanced econometric method of Driscoll–Krayy panel data analysis, we found that GDP per capita growth, industrialization and urbanization are the factors most responsible for environmental degradation in the BRICS countries, while the inflow of foreign direct investment, developed financial sector, active integration into the global space, environmental policy and the use of alternative energy sources contribute to environmental improvement. As for the policy implications, the BRICS countries should direct their efforts to create the most favourable conditions for FDI, deepen the financial sector, intensify environmental policy and develop the alternative energy sector.
Keywords: BRICS, economic growth, environment, environmental Kuznets curve, Driscoll–Krayy.
JEL: O44, Q56, R11
EDN: WMTHDC
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52180/2073-6487_2024_1_154_176
References
- Balyhin M., Shajlieva M., Tsypin A. Statistical analysis of the economic development of the BRICS countries // Statistics and Economics. 2020. No. 2 (17). Pp. 18–28. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.21686/2500-3925-2020-2-18-28
- Tian X., Sarkis J., Geng Y., Bleischwitz R., Qian Y., Xu L., Wu R. Examining the role of BRICS countries at the global economic and environmental resources nexus // Journal of Environmental Management. 2020. Vol. 262. No 110330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110330
- Chakravarty D., Mandal S. Estimating the relationship between economic growth and environmental quality for the economies – a dynamic panel data approach // The Journal of Developing Areas. 2016. No. 5 (50) Pp. 119–130. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26415567
- Panayotou T. Empirical tests and policy analysis of environmental degradation at different stages of economic development // Working Paper. 1993. No. WP238. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-24245-0_2
- Grossman G., Krueger A. Environmental impact of a North American Free Trade Agreement // NBER Working paper. 1991. No. 3914. https://doi.org/10.3386/w3914
- Caglar A., Zafar M., Bekun F., Mert M. Determinants of CO2 emissions in the BRICS economies: The role of partnerships investment in energy and economic complexity // Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments. 2022. Vol. 51. No. 101907. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seta.2021.101907
- Tamazian A., Chousa J., Vadlamannati K. Does higher economic and financial development lead to environmental degradation: Evidence from BRIC countries // Energy Policy. 2009. No. 1 (37). Pp. 246–253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2008.08.025
- Naseem S., Mohsin M., Zia-UR-Rehman M., Baig S., Sarfraz M. The influence of energy consumption and economic growth on environmental degradation in BRICS countries: an application of the ARDL model and decoupling index // Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2022. Vol. 29. Pp. 13042–13055. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16533-3
- Ganda F. The non-linear influence of trade, foreign direct investment, financial development, energy supply and human capital on carbon emissions in the BRICS // Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2021. Vol. 28. Pp. 57825–57841. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-14704-w
- Aydin M., Turan Y. The influence of financial openness, trade openness, and energy intensity on ecological footprint: revisiting the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis for BRICS countries // Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2020. Vol. 27. Pp. 43233–43245. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10238-9
- Rafique M., Li Y., Larik A., Monaheng M. The effects of FDI, technological innovation, and financial development on CO2 emissions: evidence from the BRICS countries. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2020. Vol. 27. Pp. 23899–23912. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08715-2
- Azevedo V., Sartori S., Campos L. CO2 emissions: A quantitative analysis among the BRICS nations // Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 2018. Vol. 81. Pp. 107–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2017.07.027
- Hussain M., Dogan E. The role of institutional quality and environment-related technologies in environmental degradation for BRICS // Journal of Cleaner Production. 2021. Vol. 304. No. 127059. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.127059
- Li X., Ozturk I., Majeed M., Hafeez M., Ullah S. Considering the asymmetric effect of financial deepening on environmental quality in BRICS economies: Policy options for the green economy // Journal of Cleaner Production. 2022. No. 10 (331). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129909
- Hasan M., Wieloch J., Ali M., Zikovic S., Uddin G. A new answer to the old question of the environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC). Does it work for BRICS countries? // Resources Policy. 2023. Vol. 87. No. 104332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.104332
- Zhou X., Tang X., Zhang R. Impact of green finance on economic development and environmental quality: a study based on provincial panel data from China // Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2020. Vol. 27. Pp. 19915–19932. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08383-2
- Chishti M., Sinha A. Do the shocks in technological and financial innovation influence the environmental quality? Evidence from BRICS economies // Technology in Society. 2022. Vol. 68. No. 101828. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2021.101828
- Zakarya G., Mostefa B., Abbes S., Seghir G. Factors affecting CO2 emissions in the BRICS countries: a panel data analysis // Procedia Economics and Finance. 2015. Vol. 26. Pp. 114–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2212-5671(15)00890-4
- Mariev O., Davidson N..,Emelyanova O. The impact of urbanization on carbon dioxide emissions in Russian regions // Journal of Applied Economic Research. 2020. No. 3 (19). Pp. 286–309. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.15826/vestnik.2020.19.3.014
- Rahman H. Zaman U., Górecki J. The role of energy consumption, economic growth and globalization in environmental degradation: empirical evidence from the BRICS region // Sustainability. 2021. No. 4 (13). Pp. 1924–1944. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13041924
- Zameer H., Yasmeen H., Zafar M., Waheed A., Sinha A. Analyzing the association between innovation, economic growth, and environment: divulging the importance of FDI and trade openness in India // Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2020. Vol. 27. Pp. 29539–29553. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-09112-5
- Ojekemi O., Rjoub H., Awosusi A., Agyekum E. Toward a sustainable environment and economic growth in BRICS economies: do innovation and globalization matter? // Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2022. Vol. 29. Pp. 57740–57757. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19742-6
- Mariev O., Davidson N., Borzova I. Modeling the impact of urbanization on air pollution in Russian regions // Journal of Economic Theory. 2021. No. 4 (18). Pp. 627–641. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.31063/2073-6517/2021.18-4.11
- Pata U. Linking renewable energy, globalization, agriculture, CO2 emissions and ecological footprint in BRIC countries: A sustainability perspective // Renewable Energy, 2021. Vol. 173. Pp. 197–208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2021.03.125
- Mahalik M., Mallick H., Padhan H. Do educational levels influence the environmental quality? The role of renewable and non-renewable energy demand in selected BRICS countries with a new policy perspective // Renewable Energy. 2021. Vol. 164. Pp. 419–432. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2020.09.090
- Ahmad M., Ahmed Z., Yang X., Hussain N., Sinha A. Financial development and environmental degradation: Do human capital and institutional quality make a difference? // Gondwana Research. 2022. Vol. 105. Pp. 299–310. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2021.09.012
- Shahbaz M., Nuta A., Mishra P., Ayad H. The impact of informality and institutional quality on environmental footprint: The case of emerging economies in a comparative approach // Journal of Environmental Management. 2023. Vol. 348. No. 119325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119325
- Maksimova A., Nikolaeva N., Saliy S., Semina I. Assessing the influence of economic and institutional factors on CO2 emissions // Scientific research of the Faculty of Economics. Electronic journal. 2020. No 4 (12). Pp. 51–69. (In Russ.)
- Dario C., Iacoviello M. Measuring geopolitical risk // American Economic Review, 2022. No. 4 (112). Pp. 1194–1225. https: //doi.org/10.1257/aer.20191823
- Pesaran M. General diagnostic tests for cross-section dependence in panels // Journal of Econometrics. 2004. No. 7 (69). https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.572504
- Pesaran M. A simple panel unit root test in the presence of cross-section dependence // Journal of Applied Econometrics. 2007. Vol. 22. Pp. 256–312. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.457280
- Driscoll J., Kraay A. Consistent covariance matrix estimation with spatially dependent panel data // The Review of Economics and Statistics. 1998. No. 4 (80). Pp. 549–560. https://doi.org/10.1162/003465398557825
- Mozias P., Shcherbakova A. Prospects for the transition of the BRICS countries to a model of sustainable development (on the example of Brazil and China) // Russia and the world in the 21st century. 2023. Vol. 4. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.31249/rsm/2023.04.04.
- KurbatskiyА.,Shakleina E. Economic growth and environmental pollution in the USA and Russia: Comparative spatial-econometric analysis. Economic and Social Changes: Facts, Trends, Forecast. 2022. No. 2 (15). Pp. 92–107. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.15838/esc.2022.2.80.6. (In Russ.)
- Grigoriev L., Makarov I., Sokolova A., Pavlyushina V., Stepanov I. Climate change and inequality: potential for joint problem solving // Bulletin of International Organizations. 2020. No. 1 (15). Pp. 7–30. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.17323/1996-7845-2020-01-01.
- Sukharev O. Economic growth and decarbonization policy // Problems of market economy. 2022. No. 1. Pp. 43–57. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.33051/2500-2325-2022-1-43-57.
- Sohag K., Davidson N., Mariev O. Revising environmental Kuznets curve in Russian regions: role of environmental policy stringency. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2021. No. 38 (28). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-14515-z
- Tcvetkov P., Andreichyk, A., Kosarev O. The impact of economic development of primary and secondary industries on national CO2 emissions: The case of Russian regions // Journal of Environmental Management. 2024. Vol. 351. No. 119881. https://doi.org/110.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119881
- Chen L., Gozgor G., Mahalik M., Pal S., Rather K. How does geopolitical risk affect CO2 emissions? The role of natural resource rents // Resources Policy. 2023. Vol. 87. No. 104321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.104321
Manuscript submission date: 22.01.2024
For citation:
Sokolova Y.D. The impact of economic activity on the environment: empirical evidence from BRICS countries // Vestnik Instituta Ekonomiki Rossiyskoy Akademii Nauk. 2024. № 1. Pp. 154-176. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.52180/2073-6487_2024_1_154_176 EDN: WMTHDC
Creative Commons 4.0