Testing environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis: The role of renewable and non-renewable energy consumption and trade in OECD countries

This paper investigates the causal relationships between per capita CO₂ emissions, gross domestic product (GDP), renewable and non-renewable energy consumption, and international trade for a panel of 25 OECD countries over the period 1980–2010. Short-run Granger causality tests show the existence of bidirectional causality between: renewable energy consumption and imports, renewable and non-renewable energy consumption, non-renewable energy and trade (exports or imports); and unidirectional causality running from: exports to renewable energy, trade to CO₂ emissions, output to renewable energy. There are also long-run bidirectional causalities between all our considered variables. Our long-run fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) estimates show that the inverted U-shaped environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis is verified for this sample of OECD countries. They also show that increasing non-renewable energy increases CO₂ emissions. Interestingly, increasing trade or renewable energy reduces CO₂ emissions. According to these results, more trade and more use of renewable energy are efficient strategies to combat global warming in these countries.     

Testing Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis in Asian countries

The aim of this study is to test the Environmental Kuznet Curve (EKC) hypothesis for 14 Asian countries spanning the period 1990–2011. We focused on how both income and policies in these countries affect the income–emissions (environment) relationship. The GMM methodology using panel data is employed in a multivariate framework to test the EKC hypothesis. The multivariate framework includes: CO₂ emissions, GDP per capita, population density, land, industry shares in GDP, and four indicators that measure the quality of institutions. In terms of the presence of an inverted U-shape association between emissions and income per capita, the estimates have the expected signs and are statistically significant, yielding empirical support to the presence of an Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis.     

Investigating the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis by utilizing the ecological footprint as an indicator of environmental degradation

This study investigates the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis using a country’s ecological footprint as an indicator of environmental degradation. Ninety-three countries were examined, categorized by income. The fixed effects and the generalized method of moments results clearly showed an inverted U-shaped relationship between the ecological footprint and GDP growth, which represents the EKC hypothesis in upper middle- and high-income countries but not in low- and lower middle-income countries. This relationship only occurs in a stage of economic development in which technologies are available that improve energy efficiency, energy saving and renewable energy, which are not accessible for countries with low income due to their high cost. Moreover, energy consumption, urbanization, and trade openness increase environmental damage through their positive effect on the ecological footprint of most countries across all income groups. However, financial development reduces environmental degradation in lower middle-, upper middle- and high-income countries. This relationship confirms that loans from banks are primarily given to firms that establish investments in projects that are mostly environmentally friendly. From the results of this study, a number of recommendations can be provided for the investigated countries.     

Does income growth relocate ecological footprint?

The aim of this paper is to investigate whether countries tend to relocate their ecological footprint as they grow richer. The analysis is carried out for a panel of 116 countries by employing the production and import components of the ecological footprint data of the Global Footprint Network for the period 2004–2008. With few exceptions, the existing Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) literature concentrates only on the income-environmental degradation nexus in the home country and neglects the negative consequences of home consumption spilled out. Controlling for the effects of openness to trade, biological capacity, population density, industry share and energy per capita as well as stringency of environmental regulation and environmental regulation enforcement, we detect an EKC-type relationship only between per capita income and footprint of domestic production. Within the income range, import footprint is found to be monotonically increasing with income. Moreover, we find that domestic environmental regulations do not influence country decisions to import environmentally harmful products from abroad; but they do affect domestic production characteristics. Hence, our findings indicate the importance of environmental regulations and provide support for the “Pollution Haven” and “Race-to-the-Bottom” hypotheses.     

经济发展对环境质量的影响——环境库兹涅茨曲线国内外研究进展

“环境库兹涅茨曲线 (Environm ental Kuznets Curve)”是指环境破坏与收入水平之间成倒 U形曲线关系 ,即随着经济发展和收入水平的提高 ,环境质量先破坏后好转。 2 0世纪 90年代初 ,揭开了 EKC研究的序幕 ;之后涌现大量实证研究和理论解释模型的探索 ;近年来的研究在前人的基础上视野更加宽阔 ,更注重理论模型的完善。从实证研究、计量模型和解释理论等 3条线索回顾了近年来国内外的主要研究进展 ,认为现有研究在计量模型、数据处理、指标选取等方面虽然取得了巨大进展 ,但仍存在许多不足 ;EKC研究要得到更进一步发展必须突破这些局限     

A Computer Programme Package for the Statistical Analysis of Spatial Point Processes in a Square

A computer programme for the statistical analysis of point data in a square is described. Several tests for randomness of the distribution of points are possible. The most comprehensive of these are comparisons of the empirical distributions of the inter-point and closest neighbour distances with their respective expected distributions under complete randomness, and tests based on Ripley' L function; using these, significant aggregation or regularity can be identified. It is also possible to calculate statistics of properties (“attributes”) associated with each spatial point, as well as to compare statistics for sub-areas of the experimental square. Several measures of spatial autocorrelation are available, amongst them correlograms and variograms. The programme can also find the tesselation of the study area and correlate tile properties with the point attributes. The procedures are illustrated by references to the spatial distribution and mound heights of Trinevitermes trinervoides on a study area in South Africa. Although the programme was developed specifically for application in entomology, it could be used to analyse data from many other disciplines.     

EKC and the income elasticity hypothesis Land for housing or land for future?

This paper investigates the relationships between land consumption and per capita gross domestic product (GDP) for a panel of 20 Italian regions over the period 1980–2010. As proxy of land consumption, it uses the supply of new housing, being residential construction the main cause of soil sealing. To test this hypothesis it runs a panel data regression model. In the considered period, results show the existence of an inverted EKC whereas, on a longer period, a N-shaped curve may be inferred. Contrary to the EKC hypothesis, both fixed effect and random effect model estimates show that higher income does not induce greater environmental awareness or, in different words, that the income elasticity hypothesis holds for housing demand rather (or more) than for environment. According to these results, considering the specificity of the resource under consideration, the paper claims for a shift from market to public policy. A tighter urban planning and a higher “environmental” property taxation could be efficient strategies to combat land consumption.     

基于协整分析的安徽省能源消费碳排放库兹涅茨曲线

碳排放环境库兹涅茨曲线研究,能预判碳排放拐点出现时间,可揭示出经济发展与碳排放之间的动态关系。依据IPCC碳排放计算方法,以能源消费数据为基础,对安徽省1995—2010年碳排放及碳排放强度进行了动态测度,借助EKC模型简化式构建了安徽省碳排放总量、人均碳排放量、碳排放强度的EKC模型,基于协整OLS回归方法对安徽省碳排放、碳排放强度EKC曲线进行了探析。结果表明:安徽省碳排放总量由1995年的4420.58×104t增加到2010年的11913.32×104t,人均碳排放量由1995年的0.74t增加到2010年的1.74t,均呈持续增长态势,碳排放总量,而碳排放强度由1995年的每万元2.44t持续下降至2010年的0.97t。安徽省碳排放EKC曲线呈N型,通过作散点图并添加趋势线表明,N型关系非常微弱,短期内EKC曲线不存在拐点,拐点出现时间为2027年;安徽省碳排放强度EKC曲线也呈N型,通过作散点图并添加趋势线表明,N型关系也非常微弱,短期内EKC曲线不存在拐点,而呈递减趋势;安徽省人均碳排放量不支持EKC曲线。研究结果有利于了解未来碳排放态势,从而为制定出相应的减排政策提供依据。