The relationship between agricultural technologies and carbon emissions in Pakistan: Peril and promise

The objective of the study is to investigate the influence of agricultural technologies on carbon emissions in Pakistan by using annual data from 1975 to 2010. Data is analyzed by some econometrics techniques including cointegration theory, Granger causality test, variance decomposition, etc. The results reveal that agricultural technologies act as an important driver for increase in carbon emissions in Pakistan. Results indicate that unidirectional causality runs from agriculture machinery to carbon emissions but not vice versa. Agricultural technologies are closely associated with economic growth and carbon emissions in Pakistan. Variance decomposition analysis shows that among all the agricultural technologies, granting subsidies to the agriculture sector have exerts the largest contribution to changes in carbon emissions. Conversely, agricultural irrigated land seems relatively the least contributors on changes in carbon emissions due to infertility of total irrigated land available in Pakistan.