Gender Equality and CO2-Emissions: A Panel Data Study
Abstract: There is an acute need to combat global warming, of which carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are the key driver. Climate policy makers so far have assumed that CO2-emissions and gender equality are closely related. However, despite a rapidly growing literature on women and CO2-emissions, no link between gender equality and CO2-emissions has yet been established in economic research. To bridge this gap, this study addresses the question whether gender equality correlates with CO2-emissions and hypothesize that they are negatively correlated. Supported by a theoretical framework based on demand theory, we test the hypothesis by using a two-way fixed effect regression analysis, and panel data for 139 countries over the period of 1995 to 2014. To measure gender equality, the Gender Inequality Index (GII) covering a broader spectrum of gender equality, is used. The results show a significant and negative correlation between gender equality and CO2-emissions, which seems to be driven by developing countries. Our finding supports the belief that gender equality and CO2-emissions are linked and thus contribute to the scientific foundation for climate change policy.
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