Do CO2 Emissions, per Capita GDP and Health Expenditures Matter for Health of Older Adults: Empirical Evidence from the E7 Countries

Muhammet Ali Köroğlu¹GAMZE SART²YILMAZ BAYAR^3*Marina Danilina^4,5

• ¹Usak Universitesi, Usak, Türkiye
• ²Istanbul Universitesi-Cerrahpasa, Avcılar, Türkiye
• ³Bandirma Onyedi Eylül University, Bandirma, Türkiye
• ⁴Rossijskij ekonomiceskij universitet imeni G V Plehanova, Moscow, Russia
• ⁵Finansovyj universitet pri pravitel'stve Rossijskoj Federacii, Moscow, Russia

Background Improvements in life expectancy along with the decreases in fertility rates have caused the population ageing in many countries. However, environmental, economic, and social determinants of older adults' health have not sufficiently researched. Methods The objective of this research is to explore the effect of CO2 emissions, per capita GDP, public and private health expenditures on the health of older adults in the E7 countries during the period 2000-2021, using causality and cointegration methods. Results The findings of the JKS causality test indicate a reciprocal interaction among life expectancy at age 60 (LE60), healthy life expectancy at age 60 (HALE60), CO2 emissions, per capita GDP, public and private health expenditures. Furthermore, the findings of the long-term analysis reveal that CO2 emissions negatively impact LE60 and HALE60 while per capita GDP, public and private health expenditures positively influence LE60 and HALE60. Conclusion The findings of this research highlight that stringency of environmental policies, development of renewable energy technologies, income equality, and efficiency of health and social security systems are crucial for improving LE60 and HALE60.