Impact of Indoor Energy Consumption on Environmental Degradation: Evidence from SAARC Countries

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of indoor energy consumption on the environment in the  SAARC countries over the period of 1995 to 2024.  The study used the fixed effect model, random effect model and hausman test to determine the impact of indoor energy consumption on environment in SAARC counties.   This study has taken CO2e as  dependent variable while access to clean fuel and technologies for cooking, renewable energy consumption, urban population and GDP per capita as independent variables. The results revealed that ACFTC and UPOP are significantly associated with CO2e. While variables REC and GDPPC are positive but not statistically significant. Based on these findings the study recommends that SAARC countries implement policies to promote clean cooking technologies and improve energy efficiency in households.