Free trade agreements (FTAs) have a key role in the global value chain. In the meantime, these are also disturbing the environmental balance of the world. The objective of this study is to check whether the trade is good or bad for the environments of countries that are bonded by trade agreements. This study examines the impact of FTAs on bilateral carbon emissions within the gravity framework. We find a positive impact of FTA agreements on bilateral CO2 pollution. However, in an income-based country group analysis, we find mixed evidence regarding FTAs. The analysis concerning high income countries indicates that free trade agreements are beneficial for high income countries, while, in the case of upper middle income and lower middle income countries, we find that the free trade agreements are not beneficial for their environments. These results of the effects of FTAs on bilateral CO2 pollution imply that low income countries have a greater pollution effect even after the implementation of an FTA due to lenient environmental standards. There is a need for developing countries to learn from high income countries, as their FTAs are beneficial for decreasing pollution.
Industrialisation is a significant part of any country's economic development. This study discusses the relationship between industrialisation and carbon dioxide emissions for Asian economies. The industrialisation has a major impact on carbon emissions, but its relationship with the environment differs in various regions of Asia. The empirical results are obtained by models of panel regression, which divide a balanced panel dataset of 46 countries into five groups depending on their subregions over the period 1991-2017. The tests of panel cointegration estimation found a majority of the cointegrated variables and verified the long-run relationship between the variables. The long-run coefficients are estimated using a fully modified ordinary least-squares (FMOLS) method, and results conclude that industrialisation has a positive impact on the carbon dioxide emissions in the long run. These findings reveal that various industrialisation development strategies should be pursued in a bid to reduce emissions, depending on the levels of economic growth. Based on the findings, some policy suggestions are proposed for Asian economies.
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