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�ENERGY CONSUMPTION, ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND HEALTH NEXUS IN WEST AFRICAN COUNTRIES: IMPLICATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

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ESTHER ADERINTO

Department of Economics, Lead City University, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.

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INTRODUCTION

  • Health is a crucial element for labour productivity, economic growth and sustainable development of countries across the world.
  • Human activities involving a high consumption of energy has led to environmental threats, resulting in poor health, which can reduce life expectancy and increase mortality rates.
  • Energy consumption can be divided into renewable and nonrenewable categories.
  • Although energy contributes to sustainable development, the net benefit of energy consumption depends on the type of energy consumed.
  • Renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, have the potential to mitigate the adverse health effects of energy consumption.
  • Approximately 84 percent of the world's energy consumption is comprised of fossil fuels, also known as nonrenewable energy, while renewable energy accounts for 16 percent.

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INTRODUCTION(cont)

  • Energy consumption in Africa remains dominated by fossil fuels, exposing the region to environmental degradation and consequently poor health conditions.
  • Electricity generation in West Africa continues to rely significantly on fossil fuels, with oil and gas accounting for a significant portion of total generation capacity, particularly in oil-rich nations like Nigeria.
  • Carbon dioxide emission, which is a major gaseous component of fossil fuel combustion has significantly contributed to climate change issues in West African nations.
  • Increasing temperature and irregular rainfall patterns are also being observed, which has a significant impact on human health in the region .
  • The review of literature suggests that the relationship among energy consumption, environmental degradation, and health is complex and multidimensional depending on the choice of energy adopted by various countries.

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METHODOLOGY

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METHODOLOGY(CONT.)

  • The Pooled Mean Group-Autoregressive Distributed Lag (PMG-ARDL) model was employed.

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RESULTS AND FINDINGS

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RESULTS AND FINDINGS

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RESULTS AND FINDINGS

  • Co-Integration Test

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RESULTS AND FINDINGS

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RESULTS AND FINDINGS

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RESULTS AND FINDINGS

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Recommendations

  • A substantial amount of renewable energy should be incorporated into the energy basket of West African countries
  •  Carbon tax policies to discourage excessive greenhouse gas emissions and promote cleaner production practices should also be implemented.
  • Government of West African countries should expand investment in clean water infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, through public-private partnerships (PPP). 
  • Budgetary allocation to the health sector should increase with a focus on disease prevention related to environmental pollution.