The Effect of Exports on Carbon Dioxide Emissions: Policy Implications

The purpose of this study is to explore long run affiliations between exports and carbon dioxide emissions. This paper examines thirty-seven countries over the period 1960 to 2010 and uses the Toda and Yamamoto causality approach to investigate the direction of causal links. The results reveal that carbon dioxide emissions Granger cause exports in the following economies: Bolivia, Canada, Costa Rica, Morocco, Austria and Ireland. Nonetheless, the reverse causality proved that exports Granger cause carbon dioxide emissions in twelve economies. Furthermore, the study registered bidirectional causal links between exports and carbon dioxide emissions in the USA and Burkina Faso. We conclude that countries should consider exports market demand, energy consumption and economic growth in their attempts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.