Sustainability, Vol. 12, Pages 2640: Financial Development and CO2 Emissions in Post-Transition European Union Countries (Sustainability)

Carbon dioxide emissions are on the rise, posing a serious global issue. Therefore, it is important that policymakers identify the exact causes of these emissions. This paper investigates the influence of financial development, primary energy consumption, and economic growth on CO2 emissions in 11 post-transition European economies. The assessment was made for the 1995–2017 period using panel cointegration and causality analyses. The causality analyses did not reveal significant connection between financial sector development and CO2 emissions, but rather a two-way causality between primary energy consumption and economic growth, on one hand, and CO2 emissions on the other. Meanwhile, long-run analysis disclosed that financial sector development and primary energy consumption positively affected CO2 emissions. Our results seek to grab the attention of policy makers, who could work towards creating country-specific strategies that balance the relationship between financial development and CO2 emissions. These long-term policies could ensure both development of the financial sector and environmental protection.