Trade openness and environmental quality: evidence from 24 Asia-Pacific economies (1995-2016)

Aiming at analysing the environmental influence of trade openness in 24 Asia-Pacific economies over the period 1995-2016, this research found no strong ev-idence from the extended STIRPAT model for either gains-from-trade effect or race-to-the-bottom effect across all trade openness proxies upon examination of the direct connection between international trade openness and carbon dioxide emissions. Other more relevant determinants of carbon dioxide emissions for the region are urbanization, per capita income, renewable energy consumption, capital abundance, and financial development.