{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,21]],"date-time":"2026-04-21T06:37:19Z","timestamp":1776753439145,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":63,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,21]],"date-time":"2026-04-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776729600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This research investigates the critical, under-examined nexus of geopolitical risk, environmental quality (CO2 emissions), and public health in BRICS countries. Employing pooled and quantile regression estimators for panel data, the study reveals that geopolitical risk is positively associated with environmental quality, in turn, exacerbating PM2.5 concentrations. Notably, the interaction between geopolitical risk and environmental quality amplifies the negative impact on public health and life expectancy. This highlights a precarious synergy: geopolitical instability intensifies the adverse health effects of environmental pollution. The study\u2019s novelty lies in its comprehensive, integrated approach to this complex relationship. Our findings highlight the urgent need for policymakers to adopt holistic strategies that integrate geopolitical stability with environmental and public health agendas, particularly in these rapidly emerging economies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1703933","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,21]],"date-time":"2026-04-21T05:37:39Z","timestamp":1776749859000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Cascading effects of geopolitical risk on environmental quality and public health in BRICS"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Menghao","family":"Wen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Economics and Management Hanshan Normal University","place":["Choazhou Guangdong Province, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Muhammad Wasif","family":"Hanif","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Economics and Management Hanshan Normal University","place":["Choazhou Guangdong Province, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Muhammad Asim","family":"Afridi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Economics, COMSATS University Islamabad","place":["Abbottabad, Pakistan"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zukhruf","family":"Zahra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Economics, COMSATS University Islamabad","place":["Abbottabad, Pakistan"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Shanwei","family":"Lin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Economics and Management Hanshan Normal University","place":["Choazhou Guangdong Province, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1194","DOI":"10.1257\/aer.20191823","article-title":"Measuring geopolitical risk","volume":"112","author":"Caldara","year":"2022","journal-title":"Am Econ Rev"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"78","DOI":"10.1007\/s43621-025-00872-z","article-title":"The growth\u2013environment nexus amid geopolitical risks: cointegration and machine learning algorithm approaches","volume":"6","author":"Ali","year":"2025","journal-title":"Discov Sustain"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"265","DOI":"10.1108\/IJESM-07-2021-0013","article-title":"Does wastophobia bring sustainability in consumers\u2019 responsible behavior? 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