Space launches and the environment: As the earth orbit level matters, what can be done?

Ficawoyi Donou-Adonsou

Journal of Policy Modeling, 2024, vol. 46, issue 2, 369-390

Abstract: We investigate the impact of U.S. space activity on the environment by Earth orbit level. We exploit the environmental Kuznets framework and apply the two-stage least squares method to time series data collected between 1981 and 2021. The results demonstrate that, while the orbit level does not matter for the launch, the impact on the environment, however, seems to be more notable the higher the orbit level. The results suggest that payloads and rocket bodies degrade the quality of the environment and therefore increase demand for natural resources, contribute to climate change, and increase pollution at all Earth orbit levels.

Keywords: Space activity; Environment; Earth orbits; Two-stage least squares (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L9 O30 Q50 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jpolmo:v:46:y:2024:i:2:p:369-390

DOI: 10.1016/j.jpolmod.2024.01.010

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