Does democracy help reduce environmental degradation?
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Does democracy help reduce environmental degradation? Guray Akalin 1 & Sinan Erdogan 2 Received: 28 August 2020 / Accepted: 1 October 2020 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract The main purpose of this study is to examine the democracy–environmental degradation nexus in 26 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries from 1990 through 2015 by using panel data estimation methods, performing well under cross-sectional dependence. Empirical results are as follows: (i) Tests show that cross-section dependence exists among panel members, and slope coefficients are heterogeneous, respectively, and (ii) long-term coefficient estimation results with Augmented Mean Group estimator show that democracy, non-renewable energy consumption, and real income per capita have statistically significant negative effects on environmental quality, whereas renewable energy consumption has a positive effect. There is also no statistically significant relationship between urbanization and environmental quality. These findings show the poor functioning of democracy in addressing environmental issues among OECD countries; therefore, raising environmental quality conflicts with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of creating strong institutions and economic growth targets. Moreover, promoting renewable energy consumption may be an effective alternative in reducing environmental degradation; therefore, it can be said that promoting clean energy use and raising the SDG environmental quality targets are in harmony. Keywords Environmental quality . Renewable energy . Non-renewable energy . Ecological footprint . Democracy . Sustainable development goals
Introduction To discuss the future of global development policies, the United Nations Sustainable Development Conference was held in Rio de Janeiro in 2012. The primary objective of the conference was to find sustainable solutions for urgent environmental, political, and economic issues affecting povertyreducing Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which had been only partially successful (United Nations 2019a). To fully achieve the MDGs and make those gains sustainable and to establish a better quality of life in underdeveloped countries, 17 key topics were introduced as SDGs, which Responsible Editor: Nicholas Apergis * Sinan Erdogan [email protected] Guray Akalin [email protected] 1
Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Kutahya Dumlupınar University, 43000 Kutahya, Turkey
2
Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, 31060 Hatay, Turkey
planned to be replaced with MDGs. As in the original MDGs, these SDGs focused on ensuring environmental protection and combating climate change, with Goal 13 emphasizing that climate change has affected every country in the world and that environmental degradation and emissions have risen to historically high levels. Without action against environmental degradation and c
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