Take a Deep Breath! The Role of Meeting SDGs With Regard to Air Pollution in EU and ASEAN Countries

In this analysis we investigate the relationship between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and air pollution in 37 countries of the European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). By using an extensive panel data set covering the time span from 2000 to 2019, we employ correlation analysis, principal component analysis, and econometric fixed effects modeling. The results reveal several findings, most importantly that we can see several different dynamics between when comparing the EU to the ASEAN region. This indicates that the design of meeting the SDG, could be misleading, at least in some respects. The study contributes to the literature by considering the hardly investigated relationship between air pollution and the SDGs