Social Determinants of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Top 100 Developed and Developing Emitting Countries

Abstract

This chapter investigates the social determinants (urbanisation, population, literacy and corruption) of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the top 100 developed and developing emitting countries. The data were collected from central repositories for the different variables explored for the period 2012–2020 in a cross-country analysis. Fixed effects ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was used to analyse the data. The results for all top 100 countries and developing countries show that urbanisation and corruption are significantly positive and negative determinants of GHG emissions, respectively. In addition, literacy is a significant positive determinant of GHG emissions in developing countries but not in the top 100 and developed countries. Population is not significant in the top 100 developed and developing countries. The results for the control variables suggest that primary energy consumption is a positive significant determinant of GHG emissions in the top 100 developed and developing countries. However, gross domestic product (GDP) is not a significant determinant of GHG emissions. The findings have important policy implications.

Citation

Tauringana, V., Achiro, L. and Oyewo, B. (2023), "Social Determinants of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Top 100 Developed and Developing Emitting Countries", Tauringana, V. and Moses, O. (Ed.) Green House Gas Emissions Reporting and Management in Global Top Emitting Countries and Companies (Advances in Environmental Accounting & Management, Vol. 11), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 127-158. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-359820230000011007