The role of schooling in shaping the fishing footprint in Greece: evidence from an augmented ARDL approach

The fishing footprint, which reflects humanity’s demand on marine ecosystems and is closely linked to fisheries sustainability, serves as the main environmental indicator for marine resources. This study investigated the role of schooling as an indicator of human capital in shaping the fishing footprint in Greece over the period 1990-2022. The empirical analysis employed the Augmented ARDL (AARDL) approach, concentrating on the potential nonlinear relationship between human capital and environmental degradation in fishing grounds. The findings reveal the threshold effects of schooling: while lower levels of human capital increase environmental pressure, once a certain threshold is surpassed, human capital contributes to reducing environmental degradation in fisheries. Furthermore, the results validate the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) and Environmental Phillips Curve (EPC) hypotheses in the context of fishing grounds.