Testing environment Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis in different regions

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 28; no. 11; pp. 13581 - 13594
• Main Authors: Bibi, Fatima, Jamil, Muhammad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-03-2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Africa South of the Sahara; Africa, Northern; Air pollution; Aquatic Pollution; Asia; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Carbon dioxide; Carbon Dioxide - analysis; Carbon dioxide emissions; Caribbean Region; Earth and Environmental Science; Economic Development; Economic growth; Economics; Ecotoxicology; Emission analysis; Emissions; Enrollments; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental Kuznets curve; Environmental science; Europe; Far East; GDP; Gross Domestic Product; Hypotheses; Latin America; Longitudinal studies; Middle East; Regions; Research Article; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Africa, Northern; Middle East; Asia; Europe; Africa South of the Sahara; Caribbean Region; Far East; Latin America; Sub-Saharan Africa; Geographic analysis; O1; Q56; C23; Panel data estimation; Economic development; Environment Kuznets curve (EKC); Carbon dioxide emission
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-11516-2

This study examines the association between air pollution and economic growth based on the idea of environment Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis which suggests an inverted U-shaped link between air pollution and economic growth in six different regions including Latin America and the Caribbean, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa over the period 2000 to 2018. This regional classification is done to investigate the regional differences of the EKC relationship for carbon emissions. Models based on panel data econometric models are employed to obtain empirical results. Random effect and fixed effect models are used in the present study. A multivariate framework is used in which carbon dioxide emission, per capita gross domestic product, trade openness, foreign direct investment, primary school enrollment, financial development indicator, and institutional quality that is measured by six indicators are included. The result is that the EKC hypothesis is supported in all the abovementioned regions except in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. Thus, the hypothesis that different regions have dissimilar EKC relationships is supported through the results of this research study.