The Role of Natural Gas in Mitigating Greenhouse Gas Emissions: The Environmental Kuznets Curve Hypothesis for Major Gas-Producing Countries

Since global warming has become a serious threat and GHG emissions are one of the main causes it, analyzing interactions between variables related to climate change gained importance. This study investigates nexus per capita CO2 emissions, real GDP or income, natural gas consumption, urban population, trade openness by examining validity environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for panel selected gas-producing countries over period 1990–2020. To these data, slope homogeneity test, Granger causality in panels, stationarity tests, cointegration tests applied. A particular focus is on procedures that enable cross-sectional dependence. Admitting heterogeneity, estimators provide mixed results. The findings, however, do evidence favor EKC at least some our sample countries. Furthermore, there important policy implications must be taken into consideration. includes investing clean technologies reduce accelerating reform fossil fuel subsidies.