The connection between environmental degradation and life expectancy in South Africa remains underexplored, particularly due to the limited use of environmental measures and non-linear approaches in existing studies. The primary objective of this study is to analyze the impact of environmental degradation on life expectancy in South Africa. To achieve this goal, secondary time series data ranging from 1983 to 2024 is used. Furthermore, the study employed cointegration while catering for the asymmetric effect between variables, and the study employs a non-linear ARDL (NARDL) model. The results indicate that there is a long-run non-linear relationship between life expectancy and environmental degradation, male life expectancy and environmental degradation and female life expectancy and environmental degradation in South Africa. Further, the null hypothesis of ‘no asymmetry’ in the long run is rejected for life expectancy and environmental degradation, male life expectancy and environmental degradation and female life expectancy and environmental degradation. The findings suggest that the government may adopt a ‘tax and subsidy’ approach where the returns from taxing high-emission behaviours are directly reinvested into subsidies for green technologies to enhance life expectancy.
Matlou et al. (Tue,) studied this question.