The impacts of COVID-19 measures on global environment and fertility rate: double coincidence

Anser, Muhammad Khalid; Yousaf, Zahid; Khan, Muhammad Azhar; Voo, Xuan Hinh; Nassani, Abdelmohsen A.; Alotaibi, Saad M.; Abro, Muhammad Moinuddin Qazi; Zaman, Khalid

The study aims to examine the effects of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) measures on global environment and fertility rate by using the data of 1980 to 2019. The results show that communicable diseases including COVID-19 measures decrease carbon emissions and increase the chances of fertility rates in an account of city-wide lockdown. The knowledge spillover substantially decreases carbon emissions, while high energy demand increases carbon emissions. Poverty incidence increases fertility rate in the short-run; however, in the long-run, the result only supported with vulnerable employment and food prices that lead to increase fertility rates worldwide. The study concludes that besides some high negative externalities associated with COVID-19 pandemic in the form of increasing death tolls and rising healthcare costs, the global world should have to know how to direct high mass carbon emissions and population growth through acceptance of preventive measures, which would be helpful to contain coronavirus pandemic at a global scale. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s11869-020-00865-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.