بررسی ارتباط بین صادرات محصولات پتروشیمی و آلودگی محیط زیست

Abstract
Given the oil wealth of certain countries, the export of petrochemical products is crucial for nations like Iran. However, this export, particularly of oil and gas, can have detrimental effects on the environment. Recognizing the significance of the environment in people's lives, this study aims to explore the relationship between petrochemical exports and environmental pollution, specifically investigating the impact of these products on environmental degradation. The research examines the environmental effects of export-oriented products such as paraffin, sulfur, hydrocarbons, alcohols, and bitumen, using a modified least squares model over the period from 1992 to 2020. The findings indicate a positive and significant relationship between the export of petrochemical products and environmental pollution. As the export of these products increases, so does their production, leading to greater environmental harm. In summary, the growth in production and exports necessitates more energy and resources, which in turn accelerates environmental pollution.
Introduction
Most production of institutions are supplied with resources by the environment. The production path has both desirable outputs, which are consumer goods, and undesirable outputs, such as environmental pollutants. If the number of undesirable outputs is disproportionate and not controlled, the benefits of production will be less than these outputs, causing irreparable damage to the environment. Many scientists believe that higher levels of economic activity require more energy and raw materials, which creates more secondary waste. Increased extraction of natural resources increases the accumulation of waste materials and the concentration of pollutants beyond the carrying capacity of the biosphere, leading to environmental degradation.
 
Methods and Material
Considering the relationships and foundations that exist around the research topic and according to the existing standard models, variables and modelling are introduced and the research model is estimated. The research data and information required for this research have been collected through the methods of Internet databases, the Iranian statistical portal, and libraries. The data required for the research are time series and cross-sectional data from 1992 to 2020, which are extracted from the Statistical Center of Iran, the Central Bank, and as needed from international statistics and the World Bank. To estimate the research model, Eviews and related econometric software are used as needed. In this research, a method called Fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) is used. In this research, the amount of environmental pollution in Iran is a dependent variable and the independent variables include the following:
 
EP = F (Para, Hid, Alc, Sul, Tar)
 
Export of paraffin and its derivatives, Export of hydrocarbons, Export of alcohols, Export of sulfur, Export of bitumen and its derivatives. The relationship between independent and dependent variables is introduced in a functional form in the following form, and then the stability test of the variables (Dickie-Fuller unit root test) and model estimation have been performed.
Results and Discussion
The results of this study show that in the process of exporting petroleum products, if the export of paraffin and sulfur increases by one percent, given that this activity requires primary energy, then this fact will increase natural resources and the emission of pollutants resulting from their consumption and ultimately increase environmental pollution by 0.045. With an increase in demand for the export of alcohol products by one percent, the production of this product will increase, and because this activity requires energy, the increase in demand for alcohols will cause more fossil fuels to be consumed and ultimately cause the emission of pollutants and an increase in environmental pollution by about 6 percent. In oil-rich countries, if the export of petrochemical products such as hydrocarbons increases by one percent, due to their dependence on oil and petroleum products in the production and consumption sectors and the lack of financial policies to improve the efficiency of energy consumption from their production, the increase in gas emissions will be accompanied by the increase in energy consumption. Therefore, it will cause biodiversity loss, climate change, soil degradation, and ultimately environmental pollution by more than 8%. This means that the economy of oil-producing countries, due to its dependence on oil and oil revenues, including the export of petrochemical products such as hydrocarbons in production and consumption structures, as well as the lack of a fiscal policy to improve the efficiency of energy consumption from their production, has accompanied the trend of increasing gas emissions with the trend of increasing energy consumption and income. This event causes the loss of biodiversity, climate change, soil degradation, and as a result, environmental pollution. Also, if the export of the chemical product bitumen increases by one percent, it increases environmental pollution by approximately 0.0003. Increasing bitumen exports increases economic growth. Rapid economic growth due to the increase in natural resources and the emission of a larger volume of pollutants usually causes irreparable damage to the environment. Therefore, there is a direct relationship between the ecosystem and the export of petrochemical products, and excessive extraction and export of natural resources and increased emissions of waste and pollution will threaten the national economy.
Conclusion
The results of this study indicate that there is a relationship between the variables of the number of petrochemical products produced and pollution emissions. The results of this study are consistent with the research literature on the effect of the level of petrochemical products on pollution emissions in all economic sectors, and this issue can be affected by the channel of energy consumption intensity, economic growth, etc. The results of this study also indicate that the factors affecting pollution emissions are consistent with the results of many studies in this field