Impact of economic capabilities and population agglomeration on PM 2.5 emission: empirical evidence from sub-Saharan African countries

The utilization of economic capabilities to raise production in the economy enhances the industrial activities and use of transportation. These activities deteriorate the quality of the environment and raise the level of particulate matter (PM 2.5 ). The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of economic capabilities and population agglomeration on PM 2.5 emissions for the sample of 23 sub-Saharan African countries—a highly polluted region of the world. The study used panel regression from 2007 to 2015 and found that production capabilities are highly significant and directly effecting PM 2.5 emissions. The Kuznets hypothesis does not hold in this region, and the concentration of population in urban areas is also significant. To avoid the problem of possible endogeneity in the empirical model and for robustness check, the study also utilized system GMM and found consistent results. The findings of the study are highly valuable to reduce PM 2.5 and propose that the policymakers in Sub-Saharan African countries should opt for industrial specialization rather than economic complexity and ensure that the proper measures are taken to control PM 2.5 . Moreover, population concentrations should not be taken place in a few main urban cities.