MANAGING SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL RISKS IN E7 COUNTRIES: THE IMPACT OF PM2.5, ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES, AND ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION ON LIFE EXPECTANCY

Strengthening health resilience is essential for sustainable development, particularly in emerging economies where rapid industrialization and urban expansion create complex socio-ecological challenges.Among these challenges, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has emerged as a critical threat, linking environmental degradation to adverse health outcomes.This study investigates how PM2.5 air pollution, economic complexity, human capital development, health expenditure, environmental taxation, and urbanization interact to affect life expectancy across the E7 economies (Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, and Turkey) over the period 2000-2022.Advanced second-generation panel econometric techniques are employed, including the Cross-Sectionally Augmented Autoregressive Distributed Lag (CS-ARDL) model, supported by Augmented Mean Group (AMG) and Common Correlated Effects Mean Group (CCEMG) estimators, to capture both short-and long-run effects while addressing cross-sectional dependencies.The findings reveal that rising PM2.5 concentrations significantly decrease life expectancy, demonstrating that ecological stress directly undermines human well-being.Conversely, higher health expenditure, stronger human capital development, environmental taxation, and economic diversification enhance resilience by improving health outcomes.Rapid, unplanned urbanization intensifies PM2.5 exposure, amplifying socio-ecological risks.These results underscore the urgent need for integrated strategies that combine strict air quality management, sustainable urban planning, and social investments to reduce ecological pressures and build health-resilient societies in the face of accelerating environmental and demographic transitions.