Exploring the impacts of agricultural emissions from natural gas on ecological footprint

Abstract

Abstract Background This study investigates the long-term effects of agricultural natural gas emissions on ecological footprints across 19 European countries from 2006 to 2020. Employing Cross-Sectional Distributed Lag and Cross-Sectional Autoregressive Distributed Lag models, the research aims to deepen the understanding of agricultural emissions’ dynamics and their impact on ecological sustainability. Results The study reveals that reductions in renewable energy consumption negatively affect ecological footprints, indicating the crucial role of renewable energy adoption in environmental sustainability. The findings emphasize the need for policies that promote renewable energy and address barriers to its adoption. Additionally, the research identifies significant correlations between population growth and ecological footprints, demonstrating the influence of demographic factors on environment. The analysis highlights significant correlations between population growth and ecological footprints, underscoring the importance of demographic trends in shaping environmental policy. Conclusions The policy implications of this study include advocating for sustainable urban planning and incentivizing eco-friendly agricultural practices to mitigate emissions and promote environmental sustainability. By enhancing our understanding of the relationship between agricultural emissions and ecological footprints, this research provides valuable insights for evidence-based environmental policymaking in European countries.

Keywords

• CS-DL model
• CS-ARDL model
• Agricultural emissions
• Ecological footprint
• European countries