The Environmental Quadrupole: Forest Area, Rainfall, CO2 Emissions and Arable Production Interactions in Cameroon
Epule Terence Epule *
Institute of Environmental Sciences, University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM), Case postale 8888, succ Centre-Ville, Montréal (QC), H3C 3P8, Canada.
Changhui Peng
Institute of Environmental Sciences, University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM), Case postale 8888, succ Centre-Ville, Montréal (QC), H3C 3P8, Canada.
Laurent Lepage
Institute of Environmental Sciences, University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM), Case postale 8888, succ Centre-Ville, Montréal (QC), H3C 3P8, Canada.
Zhi Chen
Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University, 1515 St Catherine West, Montreal (QC), H3G 2W1, Canada.
Balgah Sounders Nguh
Department of Geography, Faculty of Social and Management Sciences, University of Buea, P.O Box 63 Buea, Cameroon.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: This paper evaluates the interactions between forest area, CO2 emissions, rainfall and arable production at a national scale in Cameroon.
Methodology: The data used for this analysis was essentially time series data for all the variables spanning the period 1961-2000. It uses regression analysis to determine the most important of these variables that affects CO2 emissions and uses correlation analysis and coefficient of determination to verify the nature of the interactions between the variables.
Results: The results show that as forest area reduces there is an increase in CO2 emissions concentration in the air in Cameroon. On the other hand, as forest area and rainfall reduce arable production also reduces but forest area is seen to be more responsible for changes in arable production than rainfall.
Conclusion: The study concludes that the interactions between CO2 and forest area, arable production and forest area seem to be the most significant while rainfall is denoted as very variable from year to year.
Keywords: Forest area, CO2 emissions, rainfall, arable production