Environmental Kuznets Curve: An Exploratory Analysis

The increase in the pace of globalization in recent decades has resulted in a world-wide increase in the productive activities and finally leading to more economic integration among different countries.In recent years, researchers have shown a growing concern across the developed and the developing countries for the issue of environmental damage arising out of more openness in capital flows, and trade in parts and components and finally growth which is not sustainable. It has been argued that growth in world output and trade seems to have coincided with an increase in the pace of environmental degradation. It is now widely accepted that human actions, resulting in for example, growing greenhouse gas emissions, have played a significant role, not only in global climate change but also in environmental pollution.In this aspect, the relation between economic growth and environmental pollution can be captured by the Environmental Kuznets Curve . This book delves into the exploratory analysis of such relationship and finally finds out using simple statistical tools, the shape of the Environmental Kuznets Curve for countries like India, China, USA, OECD and the European Union.