Dynamic Approach to Study Relationship Among Carbon Dioxide Emissions, Urbanization, and Economic Growth in BRICS Countries

Economic and social progress is reflected in urbanization. Understanding the relationship between urbanization, economic growth, and carbon dioxide emissions will help the BRICS countries achieve their pollution reduction targets. The cointegration between urbanization, economic growth, and carbon dioxide emissions in the BRICS countries from 1971 to 2022 is examined using an autoregressive distributed lag-bound testing approach in the study. In India and South Africa, there is evidence of a long-term association between carbon dioxide emissions, urbanization, and economic growth. Brazil, Russia, and China show no evidence of cointegration. Long-term estimates demonstrate that urbanization has a negative and significant impact on carbon dioxide emissions in India, proving that it has no negative effects on the environment. On the other hand, urbanization in South Africa has a positive short- and long-term effect on carbon dioxide emissions. Economic growth has a positive impact on carbon dioxide emissions in both countries in the short and long runs. The results show significant effects of both urbanization and economic growth on carbon dioxide emissions in South Africa due to their direct impact on those emissions, whereas in India, economic growth rather than urbanization is having significant impacts on carbon dioxide emissions. Policymakers will benefit from taking the study’s conclusions into account when making decisions, particularly those involving the environment and development. Additionally, for the positive long-run impact of urbanization and economic growth on carbon dioxide emissions, a paradigm shift in policies related to production, consumption, and environmental preservation is desired.