Analysis of Household Energy Use and CO2 Emission using Environmental Kuznets Curve

Abstract

This study examined the environmental Kuznet’s curve based on the household energy use and pollution of carbon dioxide in Nigeria as a means of identifying efficient energy for a sustainable environment. Secondary data sets obtained from National Bureau of Statistics on the General Household Survey (2010-11, 2012-13, 2015-16 and 2018-19) were utilized. The study employed descriptive statistics, Consumer Lifestyle Approach and the Econometric specification for income-pollution models. The result showed that the use of diesel and kerosene were declining over the years while Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), electricity and petrol recorded an increasing pattern. However, charcoal and fuelwood usage experienced some decline for the first three years of the survey and rose in 2019. The results also revealed that the total of 105674, 76329, 70006 and 47586 kg of carbon dioxide were emitted monthly based on the four data sets used respectively. With a total of 296064 and 303037 kg for rural and urban households respectively and on the average a household emits a total of 19 kg of carbon dioxide. With regards to the pollution-income relationship, the coefficients of income(y), (y2) and (y3) were all negative, although significant at 1% levels. Indicating that the Kuznets hypothesis was partially applicable to the Nigerian households, while educational level and sex were found to be negative but significant at 1% levels. On the contrary, the family size was positive and significant at 1% level but age of the household head was insignificant determinant of carbon dioxide emission. The paper recommended that the Nigeria government should improve electricity supply, LPG and the income of the households.