Education and the environment: an international study

Abstract

More educated people typically care more about the environment and are more willing to support environmental policy than people with less formal education. However, the relationship between education and environmental outcomes at the population level has been less studied. Using international data and panel regression techniques, this paper shows that increases in national investment in education and access to education increase fossil fuel usage and greater access to education increases carbon dioxide emissions per person. This finding is net of the effects of economic development, democratic institutions, and export intensity.

Keywords:

• international comparison
• carbon dioxide emissions
• fossil fuel
• climate change
• education