Environmental kuznets curve
Published: December 4, 2007, 6:51 pm
Updated: December 4, 2007, 6:51 pm
This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor:
Cutler J. Cleveland
The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesizes that the relationship between per capita income and the use of natural resources and/or the emission of wastes has an inverted U-shape. According to this specification, at relatively low levels of income the use of natural resources and/or the emission of wastes increase with income. Beyond some turning point, the use of the natural resources and/or the emission of wastes decline with income. Reasons for this inverted U-shaped relationship are hypothesized to include income-driven changes in: (1) the composition of production and/or consumption; (2) the preference for environmental quality; (3) institutions that are needed to internalize externalities; and/or (4) increasing returns to scale associated with pollution abatement. The term EKC is based on its similarity to the time-series pattern of income inequality described by Simon Kuznets in 1955. A 1992 World Bank Development Report made the notion of an EKC popular by suggesting that environmental degradation can be slowed by policies that protect the environment and promote economic development. Subsequent statistical analysis, however, showed that while the relationship may hold in a few cases, it could not be generalized across a wide range of resources and pollutants.
Further Reading
Stern, David I. 2004. The rise and fall of the environmental Kuznets curve, World Development 32(8): 1419-1439.
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Citation
Amy Richmond (Lead Author);Eric Zencey (Contributing Author);Cutler J. Cleveland (Topic Editor) "Environmental kuznets curve". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth December 4, 2007; Last revised Date December 4, 2007; Retrieved June 19, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Environmental_kuznets_curve>
The Author
Dr. Richmond is an Assistant Professor of Geography at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. She applies her skills to understanding the interactions between environmental resources and economic systems. Specifically, she uses statistical models, GIS, remote sensing data, and economic data to research the interactions between marketed and non-marketed environmental resources and the economy. She is the author of several articles in professional journals and often presents ... (Full Bio)
The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesizes that the relationship between per capita income and the use of natural resources and/or the emission of wastes has an inverted U-shape. According to this specification, at relatively low levels of income the use of natural resources and/or the emission of wastes increase with income. Beyond some turning point, the use of the natural resources and/or the emission of wastes decline with income. Reasons for this inverted U-shaped relationship are hypothesized to include income-driven changes in: (1) the composition of production and/or consumption; (2) the preference for environmental quality; (3) institutions that are needed to internalize externalities; and/or (4) increasing returns to scale associated with pollution abatement. The term EKC is based on its similarity to the time-series pattern of income inequality described by Simon Kuznets in 1955. A 1992 World Bank Development Report made the notion of an EKC popular by suggesting that environmental degradation can be slowed by policies that protect the environment and promote economic development. Subsequent statistical analysis, however, showed that while the relationship may hold in a few cases, it could not be generalized across a wide range of resources and pollutants.
Further Reading
Stern, David I. 2004. The rise and fall of the environmental Kuznets curve, World Development 32(8): 1419-1439.
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