IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jecomi/v13y2025i4p89-d1621462.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Triple Threat to Our Environment: Economic, Non-Economic, and Demographic Factors Driving Ecological Footprint in Nuclear-Power Countries

Author

Listed:
  • Hamza Akram

    (School of Economics and Management, North China Electric Power University, Changping, Beijing 102206, China)

  • Tuba Rasheed

    (Department of Economics and Commerce, Superior University Lahore, Lahore 54000, Pakistan)

  • Md Billal Hossain

    (Sustainability Competence Centre, Széchenyi Istvàn University, 9026 Győr, Hungary)

Abstract

This study examines how economic growth, travel, global connection, and changes in population impact the environmental footprint in seven countries, including Russia, the US, China, France, the UK, Pakistan, and India, from 1995 to 2023. The results show a significant link between Granger’s environmental impact and some economic, non-economic, and population factors in these countries. According to the study, environmental impacts result primarily from economic expansion and tourism revenue generation. The essential activities in economic development frequently result in significant ecological deficits through natural resource depletion, land alterations, and environmental releases. Business enlargement and tourism income commonly bring about deforestation while causing both pollution and habitat damage, thus showing why sustainable practices must exist to protect nature during economic development. We also have to consider factors other than economics, such as total income from natural resources and using nuclear power early. Additionally, how many people live in a particular area and the number of children born contribute to these footprints. Also, this study shows how economic, non-economic and demographic issues can indicate what harm the environment might face later. This is especially important in countries that use nuclear energy extensively. The report suggests different ways to solve this problem. These include advocating for sustainable tourism practices, directing research efforts towards nuclear energy, supporting renewable energy initiatives, promoting family planning and education, and raising public awareness. The aim is to reduce the environmental harm caused by nuclear energy and promote a more sustainable future.

Suggested Citation

  • Hamza Akram & Tuba Rasheed & Md Billal Hossain, 2025. "The Triple Threat to Our Environment: Economic, Non-Economic, and Demographic Factors Driving Ecological Footprint in Nuclear-Power Countries," Economies, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-18, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jecomi:v:13:y:2025:i:4:p:89-:d:1621462
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7099/13/4/89/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7099/13/4/89/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Raihan, Asif, 2023. "Economy-energy-environment nexus: The role of information and communication technology towards green development in Malaysia," Innovation and Green Development, Elsevier, vol. 2(4).
    2. Maximilian Kotz & Anders Levermann & Leonie Wenz, 2024. "The economic commitment of climate change," Nature, Nature, vol. 628(8008), pages 551-557, April.
    3. Liam Downey & Brian Hawkins, 2008. "Single‐Mother Families and Air Pollution: A National Study," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 89(2), pages 523-536, June.
    4. Grossman, G.M & Krueger, A.B., 1991. "Environmental Impacts of a North American Free Trade Agreement," Papers 158, Princeton, Woodrow Wilson School - Public and International Affairs.
    5. Wang, Jiacheng & Yang, Jianchao & Yang, Li, 2023. "Do natural resources play a role in economic development? Role of institutional quality, trade openness, and FDI," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    6. Wu Xiaoman & Abdul Majeed & Dinara G. Vasbieva & Claire Emilienne Wati Yameogo & Nazim Hussain, 2021. "Natural resources abundance, economic globalization, and carbon emissions: Advancing sustainable development agenda," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(5), pages 1037-1048, September.
    7. Im, Kyung So & Pesaran, M. Hashem & Shin, Yongcheol, 2003. "Testing for unit roots in heterogeneous panels," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 115(1), pages 53-74, July.
    8. Maximilian Kotz & Anders Levermann & Leonie Wenz, 2024. "Author Correction: The economic commitment of climate change," Nature, Nature, vol. 631(8020), pages 9-9, July.
    9. He, Junming & Iqbal, Wasim & Su, Fangli, 2023. "Nexus between renewable energy investment, green finance, and sustainable development: Role of industrial structure and technical innovations," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 715-724.
    10. Huo, Jie & Peng, Chen, 2023. "Depletion of natural resources and environmental quality: Prospects of energy use, energy imports, and economic growth hindrances," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(PA).
    11. Le, Thai-Ha & Chang, Youngho & Park, Donghyun, 2016. "Trade openness and environmental quality: International evidence," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 45-55.
    12. Sher Khan & Muhammad Tariq Majeed, 2023. "Toward economic growth without emissions growth: the role of urbanization & industrialization in Pakistan," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 13(1), pages 43-58, March.
    13. Zafar, Muhammad Wasif & Zaidi, Syed Anees Haider & Khan, Naveed R. & Mirza, Faisal Mehmood & Hou, Fujun & Kirmani, Syed Ali Ashiq, 2019. "The impact of natural resources, human capital, and foreign direct investment on the ecological footprint: The case of the United States," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 1-1.
    14. Lau, Lin-Sea & Choong, Chee-Keong & Ng, Cheong-Fatt & Liew, Feng-Mei & Ching, Suet-Ling, 2019. "Is nuclear energy clean? Revisit of Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis in OECD countries," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 12-20.
    15. Levin, Andrew & Lin, Chien-Fu & James Chu, Chia-Shang, 2002. "Unit root tests in panel data: asymptotic and finite-sample properties," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 108(1), pages 1-24, May.
    16. Breitung, Jorg & Candelon, Bertrand, 2006. "Testing for short- and long-run causality: A frequency-domain approach," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 132(2), pages 363-378, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jian Xue & Zeeshan Rasool & Raima Nazar & Ahmad Imran Khan & Shaukat Hussain Bhatti & Sajid Ali, 2021. "Revisiting Natural Resources—Globalization-Environmental Quality Nexus: Fresh Insights from South Asian Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-19, April.
    2. Okelele, Daniel Ochudi & Lokina, Razack & Ruhinduka, Remidius Denis, 2021. "Effect of Trade Openness on Ecological Footprint in Sub-Saharan Africa," African Journal of Economic Review, African Journal of Economic Review, vol. 10(01), December.
    3. Chen, Chaoyi & Pinar, Mehmet & Stengos, Thanasis, 2022. "Renewable energy and CO2 emissions: New evidence with the panel threshold model," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 117-128.
    4. Wang, Wei & Rehman, Mubeen Abdur & Fahad, Shah, 2022. "The dynamic influence of renewable energy, trade openness, and industrialization on the sustainable environment in G-7 economies," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 484-491.
    5. Jahanger, Atif & Hossain, Mohammad Razib & Usman, Muhammad & Chukwuma Onwe, Joshua, 2023. "Recent scenario and nexus between natural resource dependence, energy use and pollution cycles in BRICS region: Does the mediating role of human capital exist?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    6. Ulucak, Zübeyde Şentürk & İlkay, Salih Çağrı & Özcan, Burcu & Gedikli, Ayfer, 2020. "Financial globalization and environmental degradation nexus: Evidence from emerging economies," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    7. repec:zbw:bofitp:urn:nbn:fi:bof-201505061169 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Wilman-Santiago Ochoa-Moreno & Byron Alejandro Quito & Carlos Andrés Moreno-Hurtado, 2021. "Foreign Direct Investment and Environmental Quality: Revisiting the EKC in Latin American Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-18, November.
    9. Maranzano, Paolo & Cerdeira Bento, Joao Paulo & Manera, Matteo, 2021. "The Role of Education and Income Inequality on Environmental Quality. A Panel Data Analysis of the EKC Hypothesis on OECD," FEEM Working Papers 310225, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    10. Luzzati, T. & Orsini, M., 2009. "Investigating the energy-environmental Kuznets curve," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 291-300.
    11. Armenia Androniceanu & Irina Georgescu, 2023. "The Impact of CO 2 Emissions and Energy Consumption on Economic Growth: A Panel Data Analysis," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-17, January.
    12. Atif Jahanger & Muhammad Usman & Daniel Balsalobre‐Lorente, 2022. "Linking institutional quality to environmental sustainability," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(6), pages 1749-1765, December.
    13. Ramesh Chandra Das & Tonmoy Chatterjee & Enrico Ivaldi, 2022. "Nexus between Housing Price and Magnitude of Pollution: Evidence from the Panel of Some High- and-Low Polluting Cities of the World," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-18, July.
    14. Thian-Hee Yiew & Chin-Yu Lee & Lin-Sea Lau, 2021. "Economic growth in selected G20 countries: How do different pollution emissions matter?," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(8), pages 11451-11474, August.
    15. Pao, Hsiao-Tien & Tsai, Chung-Ming, 2011. "Multivariate Granger causality between CO2 emissions, energy consumption, FDI (foreign direct investment) and GDP (gross domestic product): Evidence from a panel of BRIC (Brazil, Russian Federation, I," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 685-693.
    16. Manel Kamoun & Ines Abdelkafi & Abdelfetah Ghorbel, 2019. "The Impact of Renewable Energy on Sustainable Growth: Evidence from a Panel of OECD Countries," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 10(1), pages 221-237, March.
    17. Hakimi, Abdelaziz & Hamdi, Helmi, 2016. "Trade liberalization, FDI inflows, environmental quality and economic growth: A comparative analysis between Tunisia and Morocco," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 1445-1456.
    18. Kentaka Aruga, 2019. "Investigating the Energy-Environmental Kuznets Curve Hypothesis for the Asia-Pacific Region," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-12, April.
    19. Manel Kamoun & Ines Abdelkafi & Abdelfetah Ghorbel, 2020. "Does Renewable Energy Technologies and Poverty Affect the Sustainable Growth in Emerging Countries?," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 11(3), pages 865-887, September.
    20. Hossain, Md. Emran & Islam, Md. Sayemul & Bandyopadhyay, Arunava & Awan, Ashar & Hossain, Mohammad Razib & Rej, Soumen, 2022. "Mexico at the crossroads of natural resource dependence and COP26 pledge: Does technological innovation help?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    21. Nizar Harrathi & Ahmed Almohaimeed, 2022. "Determinants of Carbon Dioxide Emissions: New Empirical Evidence from MENA Countries," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 12(1), pages 469-482.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jecomi:v:13:y:2025:i:4:p:89-:d:1621462. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.