Rapid Growth in Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Adoption of Industrial-Scale Aquaculture: The Pathway Towards a Blue Economy

Marine pollution is increasingly becoming a critical barrier to the sustainable development of the aquaculture sector and blue growth in the European Union (EU27) region. This study aims to analyze the impact of the aquaculture sector on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in both developing (EU13) and developed (EU14) countries within the European Union from 1990 to 2023. The study’s originality lies in its use of ordinary least squares (OLS), two-stage least squares (2SLS), and robust least squares (RLS) estimators to address the issue of endogeneity. The findings reveal that the aquaculture sector, fossil fuel consumption, and gross domestic product significantly drive CO2 emissions in EU14 developed countries, more so than in EU13 developing countries. Conversely, the analysis indicates that institutional quality is more effective in mitigating CO2 emissions in EU13 developing countries compared to EU14 developed countries. Based on these conclusions, the study recommends that policymakers focus on enhancing the efficiency and environmentally friendly development of the aquaculture sector, particularly in EU14 developed countries. This is especially crucial in regions with poor institutional quality, unplanned aquaculture expansion, and inefficiencies in the sector’s growth.