Examining the dynamics between economic development, tourism, renewable energy and life expectancy in the Nordic economies

• Published in: Environmental research 2024-07, Vol.252 (Pt 2), p.118900-118900, Article 118900
• Main Authors: Dai, Baozhen, Amarteifio, Edwina Naa Amerley, Kyere, Francis, Kwasi Sampene, Agyemang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Economic growth; Human capital; Life expectancy; Natural resource management; Renewable energy use
• ISSN: 0013-9351; 1096-0953
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118900

As the world struggles with pressing issues like climate change and sustainable development, affecting health outcomes and environmental quality, the Nordic regionsare at the forefront of major global challenges. This paper investigates the role of human capital, renewable energy use, tourism, natural resources, and economic growth in shaping life in the Nordic region i.e., Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland).Utilizing panel data spanning from 1990 to 2020, the Driscoll and Kraay standard error (DSK) technique is employed to analyze this intricate interplay. The study reveals that in the Nordic context, sustainable economic growth, bolstered by investments in human capital and the widespread acceptance of renewable energy sources, has been positively associated with increased life expectancies. Furthermore, prudent management of natural resources has helped mitigate adverse health effects related to depletion, maintaining environmental and public health standards. The thriving tourism industry has also been shown to influence lifespan in this region positively. On the contrary, the empirical finding contended that an adverse correlation exists between carbon emissions and LEX. This research underscores the importance of a comprehensive and balanced approach that considers economic development, sustainable development, and public health in pursuing longer and healthier lives, providing valuable insights for policymakers and regions seeking to replicate these positive outcomes.The findings of this study are both conceptually reliable and empirically robust, providing important insights for the formulation of environmental and health policy. •Sustainable economic growth, bolstered by investments in human capital positively increases life expectancies.•Environmental problems account for 23 percent of global mortality.•The study examined the long-run connection between ECG, CEM, NRR, TOU, HUC, REU, and LEX among the Nordic Regions.•Grossman's healthcare model influences health economics, explaining people's choices for a better demand of healthcare services•Cross-sectionalDependency Test, slope homogeneity test (SHT), adopting the Driscoll-Kraay Standardized (DSK) panel estimation approach.