GHG Emissions Mitigation in the European Union Based on Labor Market Changes

Mihaela Simionescu, Yuriy Bilan, Piotr Zawadzki, Adam Wojciechowski and Marcin Rabe
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Yuriy Bilan: Faculty of Management, Rzeszów University of Technology, Al. Powstańców Warszawy 12, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland
Piotr Zawadzki: Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, Lodz University of Technology, Stefanowskiego 1/15, 90-924 Lodz, Poland
Adam Wojciechowski: Institute of Information Technology, Lodz University of Technology, Wólczańska 215, 90-924 Lodz, Poland
Marcin Rabe: Institute of Management, University of Szczecin, 70-453 Szczecin, Poland

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 2, 1-13

Abstract: The effects of the labor market on environmental issues are an actual problem at the global level, and recommendations are required to achieve equilibrium between labor productivity and environmental protection. Considering the ecological limits of work and the necessity of reducing the working time to mitigate GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions, this paper aims to assess the impact of the labor market on GHG emissions in the EU-28 countries. Using panel data models for 2007–2019, a positive effect of working time for employed persons on GHG emissions was detected. Labor productivity has a positive impact on emissions for most of the developed countries in the EU (old member states), while the effect is negative in the case of most of the new member states, which suggests that more efforts should be made by old member states to correlate labor productivity with a sustainable level of GHG emissions. As a novelty for research in the field, we assessed also the effect of targeted labor utilization on GHG emissions in order to describe the context of a sustainable economy that is an objective for each country in the EU. These results suggest that progress in GHG emissions mitigation might be achieved by reducing the working time for employed persons, which will also improve well-being. These recommendations could be useful also for other developed countries outside the EU that encounter the same difficulties.

Keywords: GHG emissions; labor productivity; GDP; labor utilization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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