Impact of Climate Initiatives on Emissions and Human Development in Africa

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2023-07-10

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en

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This is the first study that explores the impact of directly targeted mitigation climate initiatives on both emissions and human development in Africa between 1990 and 2019. The study is motivated by the urge of climate change mitigation policies that aim for net-zero emissions by 2050. Using an advanced quasi-experimental research design, the study finds that the adopting countries in Africa were able to prevent an additional 20% increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions five years after implementation, despite being insignificant relative to total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Furthermore, the climate initiatives appear to have a minimal positive effect on the human development index in the first two years after implementation, being 0.6%. Applying an instrumental variable estimation, the study shows that reduction in CO2 emissions through the implementation of climate policies has a positive significant effect on human development in African countries, implying a causal relationship. Key words: climate initiatives; mitigation policies; greenhouse gas emissions; human development; African continent; climate change

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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen