The Trend in Environmental Load in the European Union during the Period of 2012–2022

Abstract

The environmental burden is a global problem affecting the European Union. A comprehensive analysis of the environmental burden is essential for creating strategies supporting sustainable economic development. This study attempts to answer the question of why, despite the continuously decreasing energy consumption of the EU, the environmental burden of this region is not substantially decreasing. This study provides novel insights into this research area by integrating EU economic dynamics and environmental efficiency indicators. In this study, we used the IPAT method. Before the main analysis, the researcher conducted cross-sectional dependence, slope heterogeneity, and Westerlund cointegration tests using the primary data. Based on the results, the EU member states were classified into clusters, and a linear trend model analysis was carried out. The results show that the total environmental load of the EU did not decrease significantly between 2012 and 2022. The fact that the environmental burden remained at the same level is explained by the fact that there were 16 member countries whose total environmental load increased but whose economic output was lower during this time period. This was offset by 11 member countries with high economic outputs, whose total environmental load decreased. This study proved that GDP growth was the main driving force maintaining the total environmental load at the same level. The EU should encourage member states to continue to implement environmental protection rules to limit and eliminate costly environmental burdens on their societies and economies. This study can be helpful to researchers, political decision-makers, and experts working on environmental public policies for the EU.