Assessing the role of education in promoting green growth in urban areas

Education is a powerful driver of sustainable development, yet its localized effects on green growth in developing countries remain underexplored. This study examines the impact of education on urban green growth in ten major Iranian cities from 2005 to 2019, using the Cross-Sectionally Augmented Autoregressive Distributed Lag (CS-ARDL) model. Findings reveal that a rise in the educated population significantly boosts green growth both in the short and long term, through heightened environmental awareness and behavioral change initially, and through innovation and sustainable infrastructure development over time. The analysis also highlights inflation as a key obstacle to achieving green growth, while rising incomes support the transition. Policy recommendations include embedding sustainability in education, encouraging private green initiatives, and expanding access to inclusive green finance.