Both economic globalization and population aging have given rise to changes in environmental quality, but the research that integrates these two crucial factors into the same environment policy framework is still a blank. Therefore, using panel data of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) over the period 1971–2016, this study examines the long-term impact of economic globalization and population aging on CO2 emissions. First, second-generation panel regression approaches are employed to verify the panel data, including unit root tests, cointegration tests and causality tests. Next, Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) and Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) are respectively used for empirical analysis of the long-term impact between variables. The augmented mean group (AMG) is also applied to ascertain the robustness results of the estimation coefficients. Finally, using Dumitrescu and Hurlin non-causality test to examine the causal associations between variables to avoid the contingency of the results. The overall results show that economic globalization and population aging decrease the long-term CO2 emissions. The inverted U-shaped relationship between economic growth and environmental pollution confirms the effectiveness of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) in OECD countries. In addition, unidirectional causal relationships have been found from economic globalization and population aging to CO2 emissions in this study. Policy suggestions in response to these findings are discussed. Display omitted •The effects of economic globalization and aging on CO2 emissions are explored.•Economic globalization and aging improve environmental quality.•Causal relationships between the variables of interest are verified.•Policy suggestions for promoting sustainable goals and mitigating climate change