Dynamic Linkages between Environmental Factors and Carbon Emissions in Thailand

Thailand is a tourist destination country experiencing continuous economic growth, rapid urbanization, industrialization, and agricultural production, which is causing higher energy consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This study aims to investigate the dynamic effects of economic growth, renewable energy use, urbanization, industrialization, tourism, agricultural productivity, and forest area on CO2 emissions in Thailand. The Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach and the Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) methodology were used to analyze time series data from 1990 to 2020. According to the estimates, a 1% rise in economic growth, urbanization, industrialization, and tourism will raise CO2 emissions by 0.97%, 0.17%, 0.06%, and 0.05%, respectively. Furthermore, a 1% increase in renewable energy use, agricultural productivity, and forest area may result in reductions in CO2 emissions of 0.71%, 0.22%, and 0.69%, respectively. This article makes policy recommendations on low-carbon economies, renewable energy use, sustainable urbanization, green industrialization, eco-friendly tourism, climate-smart agriculture, and sustainable forest management, all of which could help ensure environmental sustainability by lowering emissions. Furthermore, the findings of the study may guide other developing nations seeking to implement effective environmental sustainability approaches while also increasing climate change mitigation and adaptation measures.

Automated summary

This study investigates the dynamic effects of various factors on CO2 emissions in Thailand, including economic growth, renewable energy use, urbanization, industrialization, tourism, agricultural productivity, and forest area. The findings show that economic growth, urbanization, industrialization, and tourism contribute to increased CO2 emissions, while renewable energy use, agricultural productivity, and forest area contribute to reduced CO2 emissions. The article provides policy recommendations for low-carbon economies, sustainable energy use, urbanization, industrialization, tourism, agriculture, and forest management to promote environmental sustainability.