Abstract
The world has experienced increased impacts of anthropogenic global warming due to increased emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), which include carbon dioxide (CO2). Anthropogenic activities that contribute to CO2 emissions include deforestation, usage of fertilizers, and activities related to mining and energy production. The main objective of this paper was to assess the impacts of agriculture and energy production on CO2 emissions in Zambia. This research used econometric analysis, specifically the Autoregressive-Distributed Lag (ARDL) Bounds Test, to analyze the relationship between CO2 emissions and GDP, electricity consumption, agricultural production, and industry value added. The results showed the presence of cointegration, where the variables of CO2 emissions, GDP, electricity, and agriculture converge to a long-run equilibrium at the rate of 74%. Further, there was a short-run causality towards CO2 emissions running from agriculture and the consumption of energy as indicated by the Wald test. This is the first study of its kind that empirically shows the impact of agricultural activities and energy consumption on the Zambian environment through their contribution to CO2 emissions at a macro (country) level. This paper also presents recommendations that are pertinent to mitigate these effects. To deescalate environmental degradation, we propose increasing the number of access points for multiple renewable energy sources across the country; discouraging deforestation, the usage of conventional fertilizers, and the burning of vegetation for fertilizers; encouraging afforestation and reforestation, in addition to providing subsidies, training, and financial support to farmers and entrepreneurs who decide to use environmentally friendly agricultural methods and renewable energy. This research highlights the serious impacts of anthropogenic activities on CO2 emissions. The study was intended to assist Zambian policymakers in formulating and implementing environmentally friendly policy measures or systems that will contribute towards environmental protection commitments and sustainable economic development.
Highlights
The world has experienced increased impacts of anthropogenic global warming, resulting mainly from increased emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), including carbon dioxide (CO2 )
The main objective of this study was to assess the impact of agriculture and energy production on the Zambian environment, where the environment was quantified using CO2 emissions
Bounds Test was used, and the results indicated that the variables of CO2 emissions, GrossDomestic Product (GDP), electricity, and agriculture converge to a long-run equilibrium at a rate of 74.27% (Table 3)
Summary
The world has experienced increased impacts of anthropogenic global warming, resulting mainly from increased emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), including carbon dioxide (CO2 ). The surge in GHG emissions has contributed to climate change and has adverse impacts on societies and the environment. The contribution of different economic sectors to GHG emissions and climate change mitigation is an issue that has come under increasing scrutiny [2]. Energy or electricity consumption and agricultural production play a key role in increasing economic development. They have been highlighted as important contributors to environmental degradation [4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13]
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