The carbon emission and life expectancy nexus: mediating roles of agriculture and foreign direct investment in Nigeria

Abstract

PurposeThis study evaluates the impact of carbon emission on life expectancy in Nigeria. The study also investigates the mediating role of agricultural output and foreign direct investment as suggested by the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) and the pollution haven hypothesis (PHH), respectively.Design/methodology/approachThe hypotheses and theories were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). Primary data were collected using cross-sectional survey design. Questionnaires were distributed and responses were used to measure the latent variables of the study. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to evaluate the measurement models, while path analysis was used to estimate the coefficients of the structural equations.FindingsCarbon emission was found to have a negative and significant impact on life expectancy. This impact constituted both direct and indirect effects that were mediated by both foreign direct investment and agricultural output. Carbon emission and agricultural output were found to play significant roles that lead to a further negative- and significant-mediated relationship of carbon emission with life expectancy.Originality/valueUnlike many previous studies on air pollution, this study investigates carbon emission in particular as well as the mediating role of agricultural output and foreign direct investment in the carbon emission and life expectancy relationship. The use of SEM also fills a methodological gap as it computes coefficients of mediation and controls for measurement bias and multicollinearity.