The Relationships between CO₂ Emissions, Economic Growth and Life Expectancy

The issue of the relationship between environmental degradation and human health has been widely addressed by medical doctors. However, economists have sparsely debated it. The release of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the air can cause several environmental problems and, thus, it can affect human health. Therefore, it is imperative to examine the effect of CO₂ emissions on life expectancy in the D-8 countries (Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey) from 1992 to 2017. The panel ARDL method is employed and, then, the PMG estimator is selected. The results show that economic growth, population growth and health expenditure can significantly and positively affect life expectancy, but CO₂ emissions can have a significant and negative effect on life expectancy. Since, the major findings reveal that life expectancy can be explained by CO₂ emissions. Hence, it is important to formulate policies on reducing CO₂ emissions so that life expectancy will not be affected. Energy diversification policies should be formulated or improved in some countries. This is to ensure that the countries are not highly dependent on non-renewable energy that can harm the environment. The government should increase its expenditure on the health sector to save more lives by extend human lifespan.