With growing economic policy uncertainty (EPU) and the importance of protecting the natural environment worldwide, the relationship between EPU and carbon emissions should be investigated further. However, conclusions in the existing literature on the relationship between EPU and carbon emission are inconclusive. This paper aims to examine the influence of EPU on carbon emissions according to the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology (STIRPAT) model. To investigate such essential issues, we conduct GMM estimations by utilizing cross-country data covering 137 countries during the period 1970–2018, obtained from World Bank and OECD statistics. Our empirical estimations support that EPU would bring about more carbon emissions, while we conduct empirical analysis by changing the system of measurement, employing alternative estimation and constructing new samples. Our study provides substantial policy implications for government participation in international treaties on environmental protection to mitigate environmental degradation.

This study aims to examine the impact of globalization on environmental performance by employing panel data for 148 countries from 2001 to 2018, via the indicator of Environmental Performance Index to capture the overall environmental quality and KOF index to measure the multi dimensions of globalization. The empirical results suggest that globalization is critical to environmental performance, which is reliable while we conduct several robustness tests. Furthermore, if globalization increases, it would be beneficial for the environmental performance; moreover, among specific dimensions of globalization, economic globalization, social globalization and political globalization would bring about better environmental performance. Besides, the improvement of globalization, social globalization and political globalization would bring about better environmental performance, while that of economic globalization cannot change the overall environmental performance. Our study offers more insight into the relationship between globalization and environmental performance.

This paper aims to examine the influence of Economic Policy Uncertainty (EPU) on environmental performance, as well as the moderating effect of social development and the political regimes in EPU’s influence on environmental performance. To investigate such essential issues, we conducted Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimations by utilizing cross-country data covering 137 countries during the period of 2001–2018, according to the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology (STIRPAT) model. Our empirical estimations support that EPU negatively affects environmental performance; this idea was still supported when we conducted an empirical analysis by changing the measurements, employing alternative estimations and constructing new samples. Furthermore, not only would the absolute level of EPU bring worse environmental performance, but so would an increase in EPU. Moreover, higher economic performance, globalization and a high quality of governance can help countries to alleviate the adverse environmental effect of EPU. Additionally, EPU’s negative effect on environmental performance is stronger in right-wing countries, autocracies and non-OECD countries, compared to their counterparts. Our study provides substantial policy implications for governments participating in the international treaties of environmental protection, to mitigate environmental degradation.