How natural disasters affect carbon emissions: the global case

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Economics
• Climate Change Research

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the significance of natural disaster impacts, yet their effect on environmental factors like CO2 emissions remains unclear.
• Existing literature has not settled the debate on the environmental consequences of natural disasters, necessitating further investigation into their relationship with CO2 emissions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of natural disasters on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions using a global dataset.
• To examine the asymmetric relationship between natural disasters and CO2 emissions across different country contexts.
• To explore the mediating role of energy consumption and the moderating role of technology in the natural disaster-CO2 emissions nexus.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a panel dataset encompassing 138 countries from 1990 to 2018.
• Employed dynamic panel estimation methods and panel quantile regression to analyze the data.
• Conducted robustness checks to ensure the stability and reliability of the findings.

Main Results:

• Natural disasters were found to significantly reduce CO2 emissions.
• The impact of natural disasters on CO2 emissions demonstrated asymmetry across different emission levels.
• Energy consumption was identified as a mediator, with natural disasters indirectly promoting carbon reduction by lowering energy use.
• Technological advancement was found to moderate the relationship between natural disasters and CO2 emissions.

Conclusions:

• Natural disasters have a direct and indirect effect on reducing CO2 emissions, primarily by curbing energy consumption.
• The relationship between natural disasters and CO2 emissions is complex and varies depending on a country's emission levels and technological capacity.
• Policy recommendations are provided to mitigate natural disaster damage and enhance CO2 emission reduction strategies.