Wood Fuel Consumption and Environmental Degradation in Nigeria: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract

This study examines the effect of wood fuel usage on environmental damage in Nigeria, using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) estimator and annual data spanning 1990 to 2024. The bounds test for cointegration results reveals evidence of a long-run relationship among the parameters. The long-run outcome indicates that increased wood fuel use and population growth exert positive effects on environmental damage, whereas economic growth has a negative impact. In the short run, wood fuel usage continues to increase environmental degradation, while economic growth and population growth exhibits negative effects. Based on these findings, policies aimed at mitigating environmental degradation caused by wood fuel use in Nigeria require expanding access to cleaner energy sources, including electricity, LPG, and biogas, while promoting energy-efficient cooking and heating technologies.