ABSTRACT
This study evaluated the influence of carbon emission, population growth, economic growth and human capital on food security (FOS) among five selected African nations (Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania) by analyzing panel data from 1990 to 2021. Moreover, the study evaluated the moderation effect of human capital on the connection between carbon emission and food security. The study's initial findings confirm that the countries selected were interdependent, and the models' parameters were stationary and co-integrated. The empirical analysis from the cross-sectionally augmented autoregressive distributed lag (CS-ARDL) indicated that (1) carbon emission and population growth have an inverse connection with FOS. (2) In contrast, the results revealed that human capital and economic growth improve FOS. (3) The study outcome proved that human capital moderates the interplay between carbon emission and food security. This result means that the association between carbon emission and food security can be enhanced through the iterative role of human capital. (4) The causality analysis revealed a unidirectional connection between economic growth, population growth, human capital and food security. (5) A bidirectional causality exists between carbon emission and food security. The current analysis enriches literature studies on FOS and environment nexus by providing new insight from the five selected African countries. The study proposes an investment into human capital by African countries because it can complement and solidify the interaction between carbon emissions and food security.
ABSTRACT
One essential component that reflects the development of society and the economy of most countries is life expectancy (LEXP). Nevertheless, LEXP can be influenced by varying factors, including socioeconomic and medical factors. Therefore, this analysis's focal point and motivation is to explore how socioeconomic factors such as economic growth, technological innovation, carbon emission, human capital, and renewable energy affect LEXP. The study utilized panel data from 1990 to 2020 from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which consists of the USA, Mexico, and Canada. The initial test confirmed that the research series were stationary and cointegrated. Therefore, the research applied the cross-sectional autoregressive distributed lag (CS-ARDL) model to predict the paper's short- and long-term estimates. The empirical estimated model concluded that human capital, renewable energy, technological innovation, and economic growth boost life expectancy. Contrarily, the outcome espoused that carbon emission has an inverse association with LEXP. The causality test confirmed a unidirectional interaction between human capital, economic growth, technological innovation, and life expectancy. On the other hand, there is a bidirectional connection between carbon emission, renewable energy, and life expectancy. The research suggests that stakeholders and policy-makers strengthen and enforce air quality standards to reduce pollution from industrial emissions and vehicle exhaust and encourage using cleaner technologies to promote LEXP. The research outcome is empirically and theoretically consistent, providing an essential breakthrough for environment-health-energy and economic development policies.
