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Agricultural primary commodity export and environmental degradation: what consequences for population's health?

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  • Alassane Drabo

    (CERDI - Centre d'Études et de Recherches sur le Développement International - UdA - Université d'Auvergne - Clermont-Ferrand I - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

In the economic literature it is generally found that trade openness affects environment through various channels. While the mechanisms through which trade is associated with pollution are largely investigated theoretically and empirically, the role played by each trade component has not yet received enough attention. This paper attempts to bridge this gap by examining the consequences of agricultural primary commodity export on population's health via physical environment degradation. Using panel data from 1991 to 2009, and instrumental variables technique, the findings suggest that agricultural primary commodity export increases agricultural methane and nitrous oxide emissions as well as water pollution (biological oxygen demand). This environmental degradation from trade worsens population's health (infant and child mortality rates, and life expectancy at birth). These results are robust to different subcomponents of primary agricultural export, to African sample, and to other environmental variables considered.

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  • Alassane Drabo, 2011. "Agricultural primary commodity export and environmental degradation: what consequences for population's health?," Working Papers halshs-00586034, HAL.
  • Handle: RePEc:hal:wpaper:halshs-00586034
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00586034
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    Cited by:

    1. Debashis Chakraborty & Sacchidananda Mukherjee, 2013. "Do Trade and Investment Flows Lead to Higher CO2 Emissions? Some Panel Estimation Results," Working Papers 1321, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade.
    2. Florent Venayre, 2012. "Protection du marché agricole et qualité sanitaire en Polynésie française," Post-Print halshs-00785749, HAL.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    primary commodity; agriculture; Trade; environment; health; instrumental variables technique;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q5 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics
    • Q17 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agriculture in International Trade
    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health
    • F18 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Environment
    • C3 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables

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