Promoting Environmental Quality in Cameroon: Can Female School Enrollment Be Part of the Solution?

This article examines the impact of female education on environmental quality in Cameroon. Specifically, we analyze how female education influences the growth rate of CO₂ emissions and deforestation rates. Using World Bank data from 1980 to 2021, we estimate an Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model. The results indicate that female school enrollment reduces CO₂ emissions and deforestation in the long term; however, this effect becomes significant only at the secondary education level. In contrast, the results show that when males attain tertiary education, their education appears to harm environmental quality. Furthermore, in the short term, the education of both males and females does not significantly affect environmental quality. Based on these findings, it is crucial to promote female education, particularly in rural areas where school enrollment remains low and where women play a central role in interacting with natural resources. Additionally, integrating education for sustainable development into the education system is essential to enhance awareness at all levels of decision-making about the need to protect the environment.