Carbon Emissions, Agricultural Output and Life Expectancy in West Africa

Abstract

Carbon emissions are basically gaseous substances that are generated from human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, into the atmosphere, and these emissions affect agricultural output and human health. The rising level of carbon emissions into the atmosphere has become a problem worldwide. Thus, this study examined the effect of carbon emissions on agricultural output and life expectancy in West Africa using data that spanned the period between 2000 and 2018. The study employed the Two Stage Least Squares (2SLS) econometric technique. The findings from the study revealed that a one percent increase in carbon emissions bring about a 3.818 percent reduction in agricultural output, that is, carbon emissions adversely affect agricultural output in West Africa. Also, a one percent increase in carbon emissions bring about a 0.123 percent increase in life expectancy, that is, carbon emissions boost life expectancy in West Africa. Therefore, this study recommends that the governments of the West African countries should formulate environmental policies that will help mitigate the adverse impact of carbon dioxide emissions on the agricultural sector, and also improve on healthcare delivery in the hospitals so as to reduce the mortality rate, this will help increase life expectancy in West Africa.Keywords: Carbon Emissions, Agricultural Output, Two Stage Least Squares, West Africa JEL Classifications: Q4, R11, L98.DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.9177