Impacts of carbon dioxide emissions on agricultural production indicators in Sub-Saharan African countries: New perspectives from static and dynamic panel models

Abstract

The ongoing crisis of climate change, caused by increased emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, has drawn attention from environmental activists to address its destructive effects on agricultural production and food security. This research examines the impact of CO₂ emissions on agricultural production indexes, considering renewable energy contributions, institutional quality, and technological advancements. The study utilizes panel data for Sub-Saharan African countries from 1996 to 2021 sourced from the World Development Indicator of the World Bank. Various static and dynamic panel models including OLS, fixed effects, difference, and system GMM were employed in this study. The results indicate that CO₂ emissions, gross capital formation, renewable energy, and arable land size contribute positively to the crop production index with statistical significance. Additionally, crop production index, Labor, and government effectiveness have a positive influence on livestock production. Conversely, the effect of government effectiveness and Labor on agricultural production remained inconclusive.CO₂ emission, gross capital formation, renewable energy consumption, and arable land size demonstrate a negative impact on livestock production. To achieve zero hunger as laid out in the UN Sustainability Development Goals, Sub-Saharan African countries must commercialize agricultural procedures, enforce property rights in land acquisition and utilization, and adopt more environmentally friendly practices.