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The last decades have shown that human activities damaged environmental quality and biodiversity. As accepted the need of sustainable development, there should be balance between economic, social and environmental issues in the long term. Ecological footprint is an important indicator that shows how human activities reduce environmental quality among a specific region or country. In addition, human capital is mostly used indicator to estimate economic and environmental development level. In this study, it is aimed to explore the effect of human capital on fishing footprint for 10 Mediterranean Countries during the period 1995–2018. According to empirical evidences, it is concluded that for relatively low human capital level, human capital has negative effect on sustainability and in the relatively high level, it has positive effect on sustainability. • The significant link between human development and fishing footprint is explored. • Up-to-date panel cointegration method, CCE (the Common Correlated Effects) and PMG (Pooled Mean Group) are used. • The human capital reduces fishing footprint • It is proven that human capital is an important tool to reduce environmental pollution [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human capital investments have a vital role in economic growth. Therefore the effects of human capital on the environment should be analyzed for sustainable economic growth. This paper contributes to the debate on the nexus between human capital and environmental degradation. Based on 21 EU countries' panel data over the period 1994–2018, this study aims to analyze the relationship between human capital and environmental pollution in different financial development levels. We employed the panel smooth transition regression model (PSTR) to assess the nexus between the variables. According to the estimation results, human capital decreases carbon emissions in the low growth regime whereas increases in the high growth regime. Besides, human capital increases carbon emissions in both low regimes of financial development and human capital, and decreases in high regimes. The analysis indicated that as human capital improves, there will be more innovation to protect the environment, and thus there is less environmental degradation. • Impacts of human capital on environment as economy grows. • 21 EU countries over the period 1994–2018. • Panel Smooth Transition Regression Model. • Human capital increases carbon emissions in both low regimes of financial development. • Human capital decreases carbon emissions in high regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]