1. Introduction
In contemporary times, environmental concerns have taken on leading discussions in both emerging and developed economies as a result of environmental degradation. This also raises questions about global warming and climate change, primarily caused by greenhouse gas emissions, sometimes linked to natural causes (i.e., continental drifts, volcanic activity, and solar radiation and ocean currents) and direct and indirect human activity that affect the global atmospheric make-up and the variability of the environment. The researchers have, nevertheless, argued that the acceleration of human activities as a result of the advent of industrialization, the growth of the global population and the need to address such transformations are the principal causes of climate change. Furthermore, human activities such as agricultural and commercial deforestation, fossil fuel combustion, and land-use changes due to population growth contribute significantly to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions [
1].
Therefore, Yildirim [
2] noted that insufficient energy would have a negative effect on economic performance in various sectors such as transport and the social life of a nation. The rise in energy demand, however, represents a challenge to the global environment. This has led to longer drought, rising sea levels, and the emergence of heatwaves that have serious negative environmental impacts. While the effects of human activity are known, Urry [
3] found that greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide (CO
2), have increased into the atmosphere.
The relationship between economic development, nonrenewable energy, and CO
2 emissions, which is essential to the understanding and refinement of development models in developing countries, has been highlighted in several research studies. Fossil imports and carbon dioxide emissions can be effectively mitigated by societies that have contributed abundant natural resources. Ajmi, Hammoudeh [
4] stated that the energy strategy’s implementation is validated to reduce dependence on nonrenewable energy sources. The energy mix is still strongly influenced by nonrenewable energy sources. This explains the long-term sustainability of both energy sources, such as renewables and non-renewables. Emissions of carbon dioxide have increased since 1960 due to coal, oil, gas, and fossil fuels. The use of fossil fuels for transport generates 14% of CO
2 emissions (IPCC, 2007). According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the US, Europe, and China are the main producers of carbon dioxide.
The relationship between health and environment is a prolonged story by default. Health indicators and environmental factors depend on each other by nature and are natural in their functions. Sinha [
5] studied India’s causal relationship between carbon emission and mortality rates. An increase in CO
2 emissions causes mortality rates to rise. To run the industrial sector, human force is a compulsory input. Shortage of human capital for a long time can cause a decline in the export sector in any country.
The Organization [
6] investigated CO
2 consumption, which, nowadays, is critical for human life in the form of electricity and heating. Consumption of energy from fossil fuels has alarming impacts on health indicators.
To the best of our knowledge, no other studies have used CO
2 emissions, energy consumption, fossil fuel energy consumption, mortality rate, life expectancy, and GDP to find structural breaks of the selected sample countries. Mostly, studies used CO
2 emissions with economic growth, health expenditures, and urbanization to find causality between variables [
5,
7]. The approaches were used for investigations of the perception of ecological constituents of well-being [
8,
9,
10].
The main objective of our research is to test the cointegration relationship between variables using the cointegration equation and to investigate the short-run and long-run relationship of variables. Various researchers have established that environmental pollution is caused in developing countries by the use of nonrenewable energy and economic development. By monitoring the model for energy usage, economic growth, and CO2 emissions, this research study will help clarify the difference between early investigations. This study will also investigate the structural breaks of health indicators and environmental variables and review the policies adopted in the sample countries using structural breaks.
A closer convergence of the two fields of science and policy requires a deep relation between climate change and human health. The connections are basically triple. First, the effects of climate change, including heat waves, hurricanes, floods, droughts and fires, altered trends of infectious diseases, air pollution, and food shortages, will raise demand for health services. Second, cobenefits to the environment combine long-term benefits from decreased greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) with tangible and short-term public health benefits [
11]. The changes in diets, in particular, reduction in meat intake, changes in modal division and, in particular, a transition from private motorized transport to active mobility are two strong leverage points for integrated prevention and public health policies. Third, healthcare is a large and socio-economic field and is itself a major cause of CO
2 emissions. Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) invested on health care an average of nine percent of GDP [
12]. In recent decades, spending on health care has always outpaced economic development, driven by ageing populations, noncommunicable diseases in the population’s life, and rapid medical care developments. Direct emissions are relatively low compared to other industries in the health sector as well as in other service sectors in general. However, emissions across the supply chain, as a result of purchases of healthcare products and services, can represent a substantial proportion of national CO
2 footprints.
In contemporary times, environmental concerns have taken on leading discussions in both emerging and developed economies due to environmental degradation. This also raises questions about global warming and climate change, primarily caused by greenhouse gas emissions, and sometimes linked to natural causes (i.e., continental drifts, volcanic activity, and solar radiation, and ocean currents) and direct and indirect human activity that affect the global atmospheric make-up and the variability of the environment. Researchers have, nevertheless, argued that the acceleration of human activities as a result of the advent of industrialization, the growth of the global population, and the need to address such transformations are the principal causes of climate change. Furthermore, human activities such as agricultural and commercial deforestation, fossil fuel combustion, and land-use changes due to population growth contribute significantly to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Despite industrialization’s contribution to boosting economic growth by increasing the volume of products and services generated, shaping life, and enhancing society, it left us with an issue of growing greenhouse emissions. In the world today, energy demand is rising due to the growing population and urbanization. This is vital to keep pace with the rapid upheavals and transformations in global economies. Energy is central to human life and the global economy’s social, economic, and environmental growth. Without energy consumption, it is likely difficult to generate, deliver, or use mainstream goods. Therefore, Yildirim (2020) noted that insufficient energy would have a negative effect on economic performance in various sectors such as transport and the social life of a nation. The rise in energy demand, however, represents a challenge to the global environment. This has led to longer droughts, rising sea levels, and the emergence of heatwaves that have serious negative environmental impacts. While the effects of human activity are known, Sinha [
5] found that greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide (CO
2), have increased into the atmosphere.
Economic growth has often contributed to environmental destruction, mostly as a result of development and industrialization, in both developing and industrialized countries. Any country’s economic growth depends on various factors which can have a negative environmental impact, such as unsustainable extraction of natural resources, contamination of the atmosphere, and climate change. Furthermore, in many countries, the rapid rise in urbanization leads to rapid economic growth, resulting in an increase in energy usage. The main problem facing many countries is the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which is dramatically rising because of energy use and economic development. Energy sources are fossil fuels such as coal and natural oil and gas, resulting in an increased amount of CO2 emissions. This led scientists to argue that CO2 emissions are invisible and that their impact would take several years to materialize. Even if the reasons identified for the growth in the overall emissions level include numerous factors, such as population size, energy intensity, economic growth, clean nuclear energy use, fossil fuels use, renewable energy, urbanization, and other air pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NO2, CO, B(a)P), the aim of this study is to understand the effect of energy inconveniences. In light of the rapid global economic growth that results in increased energy consumption, it is important to consider the relationship between these factors in order to achieve a balance between energy consumption, economic growth, and CO2 emissions. Furthermore, it would help to directly resolve the risks (i.e., avoid a 40th century world) posed by global climate change.
2. Literature Review
Global health indicators are strongly affected by energy use and CO
2 emissions. Domen [
13] investigated the per capita CO
2 emissions from cities and the average of those cities in which they are located. Agricultural activities supported 14% in emissions, while the biggest share goes to the industrial sector by supporting 19%. According to Domen [
13], per capita emissions were different from the average of cities in US and Japan. Domen [
13] also reported that developed nations are the big reason behind the highest CO
2 emissions. Domen [
13] also reported the results of high and low earning income groups and the figures were shocking. GHG emissions were 4.52 tons per annum with Rs. 30,000 income per month, while it was just 1.11 tons with income less than Rs. 30,000. Nejat, Jomehzadeh [
14] reviewed the top ten countries producing two-third of the world’s CO
2 emissions by residential energy use. The U.S. and Japan were the big pillars of the increasing trend of CO
2.From 1980 to 2013, [
15] examined the association between oil consumption, economic growth, and environmental degradation in three Asian countries by applying the Johansen cointegration test to check the relationship between the variables in the study. The results examined showed that unidirectional causality runs from oil consumption to economic growth in China and Japan, while oil consumption in South Korea leads to CO
2 emissions. From 1992 to 2016, Bhat [
16] examined the effect of energy use and economic growth on carbon dioxide by using the Panel ARDL model to verify the relation between the variables of the analysis. The findings reviewed showed that resources, labor, population, per capita income, and nonrenewable energy consumption positively affect CO
2 emissions.
Between 1975 and 2015, Sulaiman, Muniyan [
17] investigated the relation between CO
2 pollution, energy use, and the economy in Malaysia using the ARDL model. The results of the review showed that economic growth is not affected by energy consumption and CO
2 emissions, while CO
2 emissions are positively affected by energy consumption and economic growth. By using the autoregressive vector (VAR) model and the Wald test for causality testing, Chen [
18] examined the impact of gasoline energy consumption on economic growth in Cameroon. The projected results showed that there is no long-term relationship between the variables in the sample. There is a bidirectional causal link between gasoline consumption and economic development in Cameroon. The estimated results showed that reducing the consumption of gasoline is not a possible solution to maintaining Cameroon’s economic growth without appropriate and established energy policies.
Many studies have been found on CO
2 emissions and mortality rates, some on energy consumption and health indicators, while some have studied the use of energy and mortality rates in the perspective of economic growth. Some papers explored the relationship between life expectancy, CO
2, GDP, and the growth of the country. Many other papers explored the relationship between CO
2 emissions and health indicators [
19], while some have studied the impact of urbanization, income level, life expectancy, energy consumption, and economic growth. Some studies had explored Causality and structural breaks between health and environmental variables [
20].
A report on the topic of life expectancy declines in the U.S. Rogers [
21] has been published. According to the report, since 1993, American life expectancy is declining drastically without identification of any health disease. In 1993, America suffered high mortality rates due to HIV. The death rate in America has increased by 1.2% in 2015 with respect to 2014 [
22]. What policy measures are taken from America after this decline and how those policies would be useful is the concern of our study. The following study represented a 0.20% increase in carbon emission with an increase of 1% urbanization process. Khalid, Dincer [
23] investigated environmental factors’ effects on African countries’ health indicators. The paper indicated that environmental factors such as carbon emission, urbanization, land under cereal production [
24], and water and sanitation facilities effected health indicators of African countries. Countries paid more health expenditures on health services to get fit and healthy.
Engle, Mei [
25] calculated direct and indirect carbon emissions from urban and rural households. The input–output method was used to calculate the results for the data set from 1996 to 2012 in China. The causal relationship was found between carbon emissions and rural urban household activities to produce emissions. The study used the causality test and cointegration technique. The study explored the unidirectional relationship of urbanization with direct and indirect carbon emissions from households. Hasan, Bègue [
26] explored the relationship of urbanization, energy, and carbon emissions in MENA countries for the time period of 1980–2009. MENA countries are Middle East and North African countries. The study was held to find the effects of urbanization in this region. This study found the bidirectional relation between variables. Urbanization positively impacts carbon emissions and has a positive link with energy use. Panel unit root and Panel Granger causality tests were applied to find the long-run and short-run causal relation among the three variables.
Aydin, Casey [
27] conducted the most recent study to access the relationship among buildings and carbon emissions. The study found an increase in carbon emissions with the construction of more buildings. Use of air conditioners, cooling refrigerators, and other electrical appliances to maintain the cleanness of buildings increased with the number of buildings. Building material is another reason to produce more emissions. Nilsson and Brose Olsen [
28] studied the health effects of business cycles in 15 Europion Union (EU) countries. Business cycles strongly impact unemployment, affecting mortality rates in return. Unemployment is linked with the earnings of a man and his health level. The study period included the 2008 recession and discussed the results with respect to mortality rates. It reported that at the time of unemployment, mortality rates goes down.
Ilhan and Yobas [
29] confirmed the causal relationship of economic and environmental variables of Tunisia for the period of 1971–2012. The ARDL approach was used for long-run relationships among the variables, while the CUSUM test was used for the instability of variables. This study found no support for the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC). York [
30] considered 14 EU countries for a period of 40 years. The study estimated the energy consumption of 14 countries from 1960 to 2000 and estimated the future consumption of energy in 2015. The study used demographic factors such as population size and age structure in the area of study. Economic trends were used to predict energy consumption using cross sectional time series data. The study established 14 panels and 41 time periods for this estimation purpose. The study reported that low fertility rates lead to low population size in EU countries. Badulescu, Badulescu [
31] found that the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis is confirmed in most of the European Union economies for the period of 1995−2013. However, deeper analyses at country level displayed different situations and sometimes a negative relation between GDP and government environmental protection.
Payne, Scarborough [
32] highlighted that foods with low carbon emissions have better nutritional quality than food having more carbon emissions. He considered dietary items with the permission of the World Health Organization (WHO) and concluded that micronutrients are a key to good health. Shahbaz, Sbia [
33] investigated the relationship among CO
2 emissions and energy intensity per capita in South Africa for 1980–2012. The study used the panel cointegration technique to explore the long-run relationship, for the short-run test it used the ADF unit root test and the Johansen cointegration test. Energy has no significant impact in the short run, while it has long-run impacts in continent. Africa is a coal-rich country and heavily relies on using coal and burning fossil fuels. In burning more fuel and coal, they emit a big share of CO
2. The environmental Kuznets curve fails in the case of many countries, but it really works in the case of Africa.
Sadorsky [
34] presented urbanization’s effects on emerging economies’ carbon emissions. Panel data was collected from 1971 to 2009 for sixteen (16) emerging countries. The study indicated that if the urbanization process has stopped or been controlled, this variable has a lower impact on carbon emissions. The study indicated that charging high taxes to fossil fuel users will reduce emissions and economies can enjoy efficient energy use.
A study on the impacts of urbanization in developing countries was conducted by [
35]. The study presented how urbanization affects energy, food system, infrastructure, and the level of production in a given area of study. If the population increases by 10%, it would increase energy consumption from 4.5 to 4.8% of GDP. Aloui, Hammoudeh [
36] investigated the relationship between GDP and CO
2 emissions in the G7 (Canada, Italy, France, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, and United States of America) countries, excluding Germany. The study used annual time series data from the world development indicator (WDI). Bidirectional causality was found between energy consumption and GDP. A univariate relationship for Canada and no causal relationship existed between variables for France. The U.K., the U.S., and France experienced the neutrality hypothesis. The study concluded that the G7 countries are highly energy dependent countries.
Rafindadi, Yusof [
37] studied the relationship between air pollution, fossil fuel energy, and water resources in Asia-Pacific countries. The study used data from 1975 to 2012 published by the [
38]. The study used individual analysis as well as cross-sectional analysis to identify results. The study used the panel least square technique and two panel least square regression. This study presented that there was significant relationship between variables, but all variables had some variations with respect to time.
Our study uses two different models for each country. We use mortality rate and life expectancy to estimate cointegration equations and structural breaks. Furthermore, we use comparative analysis and study why the structural breaks occur in mortality and life expectancy in the selected sample countries. The names of the selected countries are China, the U.S., India, Russia, and Japan. Mortality rates under age five are getting attention due to the importance of human capital in all the sectors of an economy. It is rate of death per 1000 lives.
Research Gap
When we talk about carbon emissions, it means we are concerned about CO2 emissions, the most abundant gas from all greenhouse gases. It is colorless, nonpoisonous, and odorless greenhouse gas (GHG). The main sources of carbon emission are human activities and the natural environment. Humans cause CO2 by burning fossil fuel, coal, oil, and natural gas. Animals and plants create CO2 by the process of respiration and photosynthesis, respectively. Plants absorb CO2 in photosynthesis, and the remaining CO2 is used in oceans and lakes. The problem occurs when humans burn more fossil fuels and more transportation facilities.
More CO
2 is produced in the environment to get used by plants and animals. Industrial revolution since 1980 is a strong reason for increased levels of CO
2 emission. Burning fuel, deforestation, use of cement in building infrastructures, transport vehicles, and the making of furniture play their role in the whole process. As the amount of carbon and energy use is increasing around the globe, the temperature is getting hotter and harsher in different regions. The World Bank Group [
38] reported the facts about GHG emissions, which said CO
2 is the principal gas causing hot climatic changes. Production competition is causing pollutants for health indicators of the globe. The United States Environmental Protection Agency presented that 35% of GHG emissions have increased from 1990 to 2010. The global temperature rise is causing several floods and storms in developing nations and developed nations. Sea level is rising, and glaciers are melting fast. This hot climate is causing mortality which is directly concerned to heat.
Health is a mandatory tool to enjoy the lavish lifestyle and a greater source to get wealthy. Global health indicators taken in this paper are life expectancy at birth, mortality with CO
2 emissions, and energy use. In need of a relationship between energy consumption, carbon emission, and health variables, a study of China on energy consumption and economic growth has been found by Zhang and Cheng [
39] which highlighted that economic growth is independent of both energy consumption and CO
2 emissions by using the multivariate model of economic growth. For the search of a relation between CO
2 and health, the study found the with better air quality and reduction of fine-particulate matter in air, life expectancy should increase. Badulescu, Badulescu [
31] support the necessity and opportunity of large-scale national and regional policies focused on the beneficial influence of national happiness, healthcare, and environmental expenditure on certain sectors (such as tourism tourism arrivals and receipts) but also on the economy as a whole in the long run.
The current study uses carbon-emitting countries, which are also major users of energy consumption, fossil fuel energy consumption, and also have strong economies. The study uses health indicators defined by millennium development goals to test the structural breaks of health indicators with the relation of CO2 emissions and energy consumption in five major emitters. In our research, the main research questions are as follows.
Does a structural break in time series data have some relevance with policy changes or not?
Do CO2 emissions and energy consumption have any causal relationship with health indicators?
5. Conclusions and Policy Implications and Limitations
The primary objective of this paper was to investigate the relationship between energy use, economic growth, and CO2 emissions between 1965 and 2015 in developed countries. The augmented Dickey–Fuller (ADF) and some other tests were used to verify the stationary existence of each time sequence. The augmented Dickey–Fuller (ADF) and Phillips–Perron (PP) unit root test results suggested that all-time series are stationary at the level and first difference and there is no second difference in either of the series. Autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) was applied to control cointegration between the sequences. Long-term results from ARDL pointed out that energy consumption in developed countries has a positive effect on CO2 emissions. The coefficient of economic growth indicated a positive short-term and long-term impact on CO2 emissions in developed countries.
This paper’s major goal was to analyze the connection between energy use, GDP growth, and CO2 emissions in LDCs between 1965 and 2015. The time series were tested for stationarity using the Phillips–Perron (PP) and augmented Dickey–Fuller (ADF) unit root tests. All-time series were level and first difference stationary, and none were at the second difference, as determined by the augmented Dickey–Fuller (ADF) and Phillips–Perron (PP) unit root tests. Cointegration among the series was tested using autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL). The results from ARDL showed that long-term energy use had a favorable influence on CO2 emissions in developing nations. Long-term and short-term effects of economic expansion on CO2 emissions in developing countries are both favorable, according to the coefficient.
Policy Implications and Limitations
This study’s findings suggest that to slow environmental deterioration in developing nations, governments should promote forest-related education and training for locals in cooperation with their respective forest departments. Based on these estimates, it is proposed that developing nations adjust their economic growth policies to better regulate environmental degradation. It is advised that developing nations choose energy sources that generate the least amount of environmental damage, as nonrenewable sources are widely used for fuel, industrial production, and residential energy consumption. Policymakers are urged to adopt measures that promote the use of environmentally friendly equipment, machinery, vehicles, and utilities if they are serious about preventing and reversing environmental damage over the long term.
Based on the results of this report, it is recommended that developed countries’ governments should educate local people to enable them to prepare with the Department of Forests to increase the proportion of forests in developed countries to monitor environmental degradation. The projected results show that environmental degradation is the key cause of economic growth, so it is recommended that developed countries’ economic growth strategies be revised in order to monitor environmental degradation. In developed countries, nonrenewable energy sources are used as fuel and for industrial production and household energy consumption, so it is recommended that certain sources of energy be adopted that cause minimal environmental degradation. Policymakers are urged to implement certain policies that promote the use of environmentally friendly equipment, machinery, automobiles, and services to reduce environmental degradation in order to monitor environmental degradation in the long term.