Transport energy consumption and environmental quality: Does urbanization matter?

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Economics
• Urban Studies

Background:

• Global environmental quality studies highlight transportation and urbanization's impact on carbon emissions.
• The specific relationship between transport energy, urbanization, and CO2 emissions in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) remains debated and unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the nexus between transport energy consumption, urbanization, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 19 SSA countries.
• To provide empirical evidence for the ongoing debate on sustainable transportation and urban development in the region.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an instrumental variable generalized method of moments (IV-GMM) estimator.
• Employed a panel dataset covering 19 SSA countries over a 31-year period (1980-2011).
• Accounted for endogeneity and cross-sectional dependence in the panel data.

Main Results:

• CO2 emissions were found to increase with transport energy consumption and decrease with urbanization.
• Electricity consumption and population growth rate were identified as contributors to increased CO2 emissions.
• Regulatory quality and foreign direct investment (FDI) were found to significantly reduce carbon emissions.
• The impact of urbanization and transport energy consumption on CO2 emissions varied considerably across SSA countries.

Conclusions:

• Urgent and tailored policy measures are required to mitigate carbon emissions in sub-Saharan Africa.
• The findings underscore the complex and country-specific dynamics of environmental quality in the region.