Does Education Make a Difference in Combating Climate Change? Analyzing Its Impact on CO 2 Emissions in the South-East European, Nordic, and Baltic Regions

Adela Bâra, Irina Alexandra Georgescu and Simona-Vasilica Oprea ()
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Adela Bâra: Department of Economic Informatics and Cybernetics, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010552 Bucharest, Romania
Irina Alexandra Georgescu: Department of Economic Informatics and Cybernetics, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010552 Bucharest, Romania
Simona-Vasilica Oprea: Department of Economic Informatics and Cybernetics, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010552 Bucharest, Romania

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 11, 1-35

Abstract: In this paper, we compare the determinants of CO 2 emissions: GDP per capita, energy production from renewable sources (EPREN), secondary school enrollment (SI) and urbanization (URB) for three groups of countries: SEE (South-Eastern European), Nordic, and Baltic countries during 1990–2022 by means of panel ARDL. The long-term analysis indicates that in SEE countries, URB significantly reduces CO 2 emissions (4.54%). In contrast, GDP (0.46%) and SI (0.54%) slightly increase CO 2 emissions. In the case of Baltic countries, GDP positively correlates with CO 2 (1.65%), while URB (29.27%), EPREN (0.03%), and SI (6.22%) negatively correlate with CO 2 . In the case of Nordic countries, GDP (0.59%), EPREN (0.14%), and URB (18.02%) negatively impact CO 2 emissions. Regarding the Error Correction Term (ECT) dimension, the Nordic countries exhibit the fastest adjustment to shocks (−0.67), succeeded by the SEE countries (−0.44), while the Baltic countries display the slowest response (−0.27). This sequence indicates varying degrees of efficiency and speed at which each region can address fluctuations impacting CO 2 emissions. These differences may reflect variations in policy execution, infrastructure adaptability, and the general development of environmental governance across the three regions. Our research contributes by offering a comparative, region-specific econometric analysis of the long-run and short-run dynamics of CO 2 emissions in European subregions, revealing the nuanced roles of education, urbanization, and RES in shaping environmental outcomes and providing empirical evidence to inform targeted climate and development policies.

Keywords: climate change; education; CO 2 emissions determinants; renewables; urbanization; economic growth (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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