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<p>Demographic change plays an important role in shaping environmental outcomes, yet the role of population aging remains relatively underexplored. This paper examines the relationship between population aging and CO₂ emissions and investigates whether this relationship depends on human capital, proxied by educational attainment, as well as the potential mechanisms through which these effects operate. Using a cross-country panel dataset, the results indicate that population aging is positively associated with CO₂ emissions, while human capital mitigates this effect. Further analysis suggests that population aging is linked to higher energy use, slower green technological progress, and weaker environmental regulation, with these effects attenuated at higher levels of human capital. Overall, the findings suggest that the environmental impact of population aging critically depends on the level of human capital, highlighting its role as a key factor in promoting environmental sustainability in aging societies.</p>

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Human capital, population aging and CO2 emissions: cross-country evidence

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月27日

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  • Dong-Hyeon Kim,
  • Shu-Chin Lin,
  • Peiyao Liu

摘要

Demographic change plays an important role in shaping environmental outcomes, yet the role of population aging remains relatively underexplored. This paper examines the relationship between population aging and CO₂ emissions and investigates whether this relationship depends on human capital, proxied by educational attainment, as well as the potential mechanisms through which these effects operate. Using a cross-country panel dataset, the results indicate that population aging is positively associated with CO₂ emissions, while human capital mitigates this effect. Further analysis suggests that population aging is linked to higher energy use, slower green technological progress, and weaker environmental regulation, with these effects attenuated at higher levels of human capital. Overall, the findings suggest that the environmental impact of population aging critically depends on the level of human capital, highlighting its role as a key factor in promoting environmental sustainability in aging societies.