Browsing by Author "Gunawardena, V"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6

Open Access
Carbon emissions across income groups: exploring the role of trade, energy use, and economic growth
(Springer Nature, 2025-07-10) Dharmapriya, N; Gunawardena, V; Methmini, D; Jayathilaka, R; Rathnayake, N
This study investigates the interplay of trade openness, energy consumption, and gross domestic product (GDP) on carbon emissions across different income groups, analysing data from 163 countries from 2000 to 2019. Using panel regression and multiple linear regression techniques, the findings highlight energy consumption as the principal driver of carbon emissions across all income categories, underscoring its central role in environmental sustainability challenges. High-income countries, despite technological advancements, continue to exhibit substantial emissions due to their reliance on fossil fuels. In contrast low-income nations face difficulties in balancing economic growth with environmental sustainability, often lacking the resources to adopt cleaner energy alternatives. The study emphasises the urgent need for income-specific strategies to reduce carbon emissions, advocating for the widespread adoption of renewable energy sources and tailored policy interventions. These insights align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 13 (Climate Action), by promoting the integration of economic development with environmental stewardship. By addressing disparities across income levels, this research offers actionable recommendations for policymakers to support equitable and sustainable practices globally.
Open Access
Economic and trade determinants of carbon emissions in the American region
(Elsevier, 2025-06) Methmini, D; Dharmapriya, N; Edirisinghe, S; Gunawardena, V; Jayathilaka, R; Wickramaarachchi, C; Dharmasena, T
Balancing economic growth with sustainability has been a significant challenge over the past decades, largely due to the environmental damage caused by carbon emissions. This study investigates the relationship between energy consumption, gross domestic product (GDP), and trade openness and their impact on carbon emissions in 28 countries in the American region from 2000 to 2022. Using a multiple linear regression model for country-level analysis, the findings reveal diverse trends across the region. For instance, countries such as Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, and Guatemala demonstrate a strong link between economic growth and increased carbon emissions. In contrast, developed nations such as the United States and Canada show signs of decoupling GDP growth from emissions, supporting the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis, which suggests that higher income levels lead to reduced environmental degradation. The study highlights the importance of tailored, country-specific strategies to reduce emissions while promoting sustainable economic growth. A thorough understanding of the complex relationships between gross domestic product, energy consumption, trade openness, and carbon emissions will enable policymakers to devise strategies that balance ecological sustainability with socio-economic objectives.
Open Access
Enhancing the Understanding of climate dynamics: analysis of global warming’s influence on Climatic changes across continents
(Springer, 2025-07-14) Dharmapriya, N; Edirisinghe, S; Gunawardena, V; Methmini, D; Rathnayake, N; Jayathilaka, R
Global warming, primarily due to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide, poses a significant threat to climate stability, yet research on its combined effects across different geographical areas is limited. In order to fill that gap, this study examines how carbon emissions (CE) are impacted by greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), agricultural nitrogen oxide (ANO), urban population (UP), and fossil fuel consumption (FFC) in 185 different nations between 2000 and 2019. With the exception of urban population, which was expressed as a percentage, all variables were standardised to metric tonnes per capita using panel regression analysis. The results draw attention to geographic disparities. Africa has the lowest carbon and greenhouse gas emissions due to its extensive forest cover and minimal industrial production. Although Oceania’s greenhouse gas emissions have decreased, the region continues to emit high amounts of agricultural nitrous oxide. Rapid industrialisation is the primary cause of Asia’s growing consumption of fossil fuels. Agricultural nitrous oxide and carbon emissions have a negative correlation in Asia, Oceania, and the globe, but a positive correlation in Africa, America, and Europe. Carbon emissions and the use of fossil fuels are strongly positively correlated in every region but Asia. These results highlight the complex, location-specific factors affecting carbon emissions. For policymakers to effectively cut emissions, they must develop customised, geographically specific initiatives. In order to accomplish Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action by 2030, emission controls should be strengthened, and sustainable practices should be encouraged, particularly in the use of fossil fuels and farming.
Open Access
Impact of economic growth, energy consumption, and trade openness on carbon emissions: evidence from the top 20 emitting nations
(Taylor and Francis, 2024-07-08) Methmini, D; Dharmapriya, N; Gunawardena, V; Edirisinghe, S; Jayathilaka, R; Wickramaarachchi, C
The study focuses on the top 20 carbon emission-increasing nations across continents from 2000 to 2021 and the effects of gross domestic product, energy consumption, and trade openness on carbon emissions. The study uses a panel dataset and multiple linear regression analysis to pinpoint the significant factors influencing each nation’s carbon emissions. The findings indicate that China, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea in Asia; Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, and the Seychelles in Africa; Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Chile, and Panama in America; Albania, Belarus, Lithuania, and Russia in Europe; and Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu in Oceania have a highly significant impact on carbon emissions in their respective regions. Energy consumption significantly increases carbon emissions in all countries except Panama and Kazakhstan, where it only significantly impacts GDPrelated carbon emissions. These insights lay the groundwork for policymakers to prioritise sustainable development, reduce carbon emissions in their decision-making processes, and establish comprehensive strategies that reconcile ecological concerns with socioeconomic goals by understanding the intricate dynamics between gross domestic product, energy use, trade openness, and carbon emissions.
Open Access
The Role of Social Media in shaping Customary International Law: Opportunities and Challenges
(School of Law, Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, 2025-10-10) Ekanayake, L; Gunawardena, V
This article examines the potential and pitfalls of using social media, specifically platforms like Twitter, to identify and shape Customary International Law (CIL). Traditionally, CIL is established through consistent state practice and a legal conviction known as opinio juris. The global shift to digital communication offers a new opportunity: public statements by states and their officials on social media could potentially serve as contemporary evidence of this required legal conviction. However, the analysis concludes that the risks associated with social media currently outweigh its potential benefits for CIL formation. Several critical challenges cloud its utility. These include the difficulty in distinguishing between a state official's personal and institutional legal views and the serious risks of misinformation stemming from hacking, diplomatic catfishing, and other forms of digital manipulation. Furthermore, social media inherently introduces biases, particularly by favouring Western democracies that have high digital adoption. This can lead to the strategic manipulation of legal narratives online. Without the implementation of robust verification mechanisms, the role of social media in articulating CIL remains fraught with ambiguity and is too unreliable to be a primary source for international law.
Open Access
Towards a greener future: examining carbon emission dynamics in Asia amid gross domestic product, energy consumption, and trade openness
(Springer Nature, 2024-02-10) Dharmapriya, N; Edirisinghe, S; Gunawardena, V; Methmini, D; Jayathilaka, R; Dharmasena, T; Wickramaarachchi, C; Rathnayake, N
The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of gross domestic product, energy consumption, and trade openness on carbon emission in Asia. Among the 48 countries in Asia, 42 were included in the analysis, spanning a period of 20 years. Given that Asia is the predominant contributor, accounting for 53% of global emissions as of 2019, a comprehensive examination at both continental and individual country levels becomes imperative. Such an approach aligns with local, regional, and global development agendas, contributing directly and indirectly to climate change mitigation. The analytical techniques employed in this study encompassed panel regression and multiple linear regression, illuminating the specifc contributions of each country to the study variables and their impact on carbon emissions. The fndings suggest that gross domestic product (13 out of 42 countries), energy consumption (21 out of 42 countries), and trade openness (eight out of 42 countries) have a highly signifcant impact (p<0.01) on carbon emissions in Asia. Energy consumption plays a vital role in increasing carbon emissions in Asia, driven by rising populations, urbanisation, and oil and gas production. Policymakers can take several actions such as adopting a carbon pricing system, using sustainable transportation, renewable energy development,and international cooperation within Asia to reach the goal of being carbon neutral by 2050.