Estimating the Non-linear Impact of Environmental Degradation on Climate Vulnerability in Developed and Developing Economies: A Pathway to achieve Sustainable Development

Abstract

Climate change is a pressing issue in today’s world and is discussed in national
and international forums. Human activities are blamed as the primary forces behind
environmental degradation and climate issues. This study assesses the role of
environmental degradation on climate vulnerability from a global perspective. For
this purpose, panel data of countries are collected from 1990 to 2023. The empirical
results are estimated through panel quantile regression (PQR). Environmental
degradation is measured using ecological footprint, and climate vulnerability is
measured using the health vulnerability index by ND-GAIN. The empirical results
proved the U-shaped relationship between ecological footprint and health
vulnerability in different quantile groups. The further analysis explores that three
developed countries (Luxembourg, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates) have
achieved the threshold value of the U-shaped curve and lay on the right side. In
contrast, the remaining countries are located before maturity. The study warns that if
these countries deplete the natural resources at the same speed, they push toward the
right side of the U-shaped curve, which causes more health vulnerability. This study
suggests that the governments of all global countries should pay special attention to
the declining ecological footprint, which reduces climate vulnerability and improves
the health sector.