Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of air pollutants including carbon dioxide emissions (CO2), Nitrogen oxides (NOx) and nitrous oxide (NO2) over the period 1975 to 2020 on ecological footprint, Forest area and cropland. The study used GDP and trade openness as control variable in establishing the long run and short relationship between air pollutants and ecological footprint and its sub-components. The study used Johannsson co-integration and error correction model co-integrating relationship and elasticities. The study found that there exist at least three cointegrating equations for ecological footprint and forest area while four cointegrating equation for cropland. The results shows that model CO2, NO2 and TOP reduces the pressure on EF in long run while NOx and GDP damage the EF by utilizing more natural resources during production of goods and services. However, CO2 concentration increases as forest area increases while NOx damage the cropland. The ECM shows that speed of adjustment is 90% for forest area and 50% and 40% for EF and cropland respectively. Carbon overdose is mainly caused by fossil fuel burning and forest destruction, which continuously accumulates as a result of industrialization. The study found that pollutants, such as CO2, NO2 and NOx also potential to damage ecosystems and only clean air is a desirable policy option for green economy.
Highlights
Environmental pollution refers to the chemical process in which certain biological and physical components in the atmosphere are changed from the natural beauty of air to hazardous contamination
Pakistan was studied to identify the key environmental pollutants and growth factors that contributed to diminishing forest area and increasing pressure on ecological footprint for the study period of 1975-2020
A variety of indicators were used in order to track ecological footprint, forest area and cropland
Summary
Environmental pollution refers to the chemical process in which certain biological and physical components in the atmosphere are changed from the natural beauty of air to hazardous contamination. There are several types of environmental pollution, including (i) soil pollutants caused mainly by poor agricultural practices and industrial waste disposal. (ii) air pollutants are mainly caused by industrial activities and transportation (Bhuiyan et el., 2018). Particulate matter Carbon dioxide (CO2), Sulfur dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen oxide (N2O), Nitrous oxide (NOx) and lead are the most common air pollutants caused by disposal of industrial wastes in the water, septic systems, and illegal dumping of solid waste of mercury, phosphorus, and bacterial pollution. Methane (CH4) emissions are primarily associated with the transportation and production of natural gas, coal, and oil while NOx is linked with high use of pesticides and fertilizers in agricultural. There are numerous unhygienic man-made activities that cause the toxicological effects of notorious pollutants, including (i) Massive population growth enabled by inadequacy of healthcare Housing construction is considered another potential source of environmental pollution that depletes forestry, wildlife activities, and various plant species (Lvovsky et al, 2000).
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