Carbon Emission Metrics in South-eastern Europe: Empirical Analysis of Trade and Economic Indicator Effects

In recent years, the rising industrialization, trade, urbanization, and energy demand have affected the environment through carbon dioxide gas (CO 2 ) emission, which is a significant parameter known to impact air pollution directly.Consequently, many governments and international organizations conducted policies and regulations to address environmental degradation to pursue economic development.In Southeast European countries (SEE), the CO 2 emission calculated in metric tons per capita has increased by 19% in the last 20 years.This study examines the impact of trade development and further economic factors on the environmental indicator of CO 2 emission for the SEE region for the previous two decades.Data proceedings in this study are time series indicators for SEE, with an annual frequency of 2002 -2021/2022.The statistical approach in the panel data model is used to find statistical significance, direct on-driven fixed factors, etc. CO 2 emission is investigated by factors such as trade openness, gross domestic product (GDP) growth, fossil fuel energy consumption, domestic credit to the private sector by banks, and urban population growth.The significance of trade openness and other economic variables on carbon emission is studied in this paper, focusing on formulating conclusions and recommendations to address mitigating these effects on environmental pollution.