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Sustainability and the Environmental Kuznets Curve Conjecture
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Sustainability and the Environmental Kuznets Curve Conjecture

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2022) | Viewed by 18526

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Bertrand Hamaide

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Economics, Université Saint-Louis – Bruxelles, 43 boulevard Botanique, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Interests: nature reserve selection and design, climate change, biodiversity, ecosystem services, growth and environment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis implies the existence of an inverted U-shaped relation between environmental damage (generally represented by emission or concentration of various pollutants) and economic development (generally represented by per capita income).  If true, this would imply that higher levels of economic growth might lead to environmental improvement and enhance sustainability. However, such a relation between environment and development remains a conjecture, and the virtuous path of sustainable growth is far from being proved.

This Special Issue will help to nourish the debate around sustainability and the EKC by concentrating on (albeit not limited to those) various issues. 

First, knowing that environmental regulations in developed countries might further encourage displacement of polluting activities toward developing countries, is that Pollution Haven Hypothesis (PHH) visible in specific countries? Additionally, what is the sustainability impact of trade, economic policies or environmental policies?

Second, EKC analyses with country comparisons for specific pollutants or EKC analyses comparing various pollutants for the same country, or concentrating on one pollutant and a specific methodology, or examining the turning point and its level of income may help to enlighten knowledge about the sustainability of public policies.

Empirical papers (original research) in those (non-exclusive) areas are welcome, and so are reviews and opinions.

Prof. Dr. Bertrand Hamaide
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Environmental Kuznets Curve
  • Pollution Haven Hypothesis
  • growth and environment
  • developing countries and environmental pressure
  • developed countries and environmental regulation

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Editorial

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4 pages, 191 KiB  
Editorial
Sustainability and the Environmental Kuznets Curve Conjecture: An Introduction
by Bertrand Hamaide
Sustainability 2022, 14(12), 7372; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127372 - 16 Jun 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1443
Abstract
In December 1954, Simon Kuznets delivered his Presidential Address at the American Economic Association about economic growth and income inequality [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and the Environmental Kuznets Curve Conjecture)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

17 pages, 2315 KiB  
Article
Estimating Long-Run Relationship between Renewable Energy Use and CO2 Emissions: A Radial Basis Function Neural Network (RBFNN) Approach
by Pradyot Ranjan Jena, Babita Majhi and Ritanjali Majhi
Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5260; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095260 - 27 Apr 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1773
Abstract
The long-run relationship between economic growth and environmental quality has been estimated within the framework of the environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC). Several studies have estimated this relationship by using statistical models such as panel regression and time series regression. The current study argues [...] Read more.
The long-run relationship between economic growth and environmental quality has been estimated within the framework of the environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC). Several studies have estimated this relationship by using statistical models such as panel regression and time series regression. The current study argues that there is a nonlinear relationship between environmental quality indicators and economic and non-economic predictors and hence an appropriate nonlinear model is required to predict it. An adaptive and nonlinear model, namely radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) has been developed in this study. CO2 emission is used as the target output and renewable energy consumption share, real GDP, trade openness, urban population ratio, and democracy index are used as the predictors to estimate the EKC relationship for nineteen major CO2 emitting countries that account for 78% of the global emissions. The model developed in this study could predict the CO2 emissions of all the countries with more than 95% accuracy. This finding underlines the usefulness of the RBFNN model which can be used to predict emission levels of other pollution indicators at the global level. Further, comparing two models, one with all the predictors and the other excluding the renewable energy share, it was found that the model with renewable energy share predicts CO2 emissions more accurately. This reinforces the already strengthening campaign to encourage industries and governments to increase the share of renewable energy in total energy use. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and the Environmental Kuznets Curve Conjecture)
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18 pages, 1167 KiB  
Article
Re-Examining the Income–CO2 Emissions Nexus Using the New Kink Regression Model: Does the Kuznets Curve Exist in G7 Countries?
by Pei-Zhi Liu, Seema Narayan, Yi-Shuai Ren, Yong Jiang, Konstantinos Baltas and Basil Sharp
Sustainability 2022, 14(7), 3955; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14073955 - 27 Mar 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2153
Abstract
More countries have made carbon neutral or net zero emission commitments since 2019. Within this context, re-examining the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis plays an essential role in sizing up the global economic development situation and realizing the global carbon emission reduction target. [...] Read more.
More countries have made carbon neutral or net zero emission commitments since 2019. Within this context, re-examining the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis plays an essential role in sizing up the global economic development situation and realizing the global carbon emission reduction target. A methodological challenge in testing the EKC hypothesis, which states that increasing income makes CO2 emissions begin to decline beyond a turning point, lies in determining if this benchmark point exists. The EKC hypothesis between income and CO2 emissions is reassessed by applying a new kink regression model for the G7 countries from 1890 to 2015. Results reveal the inverted U-shaped nexus does not exist for US, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan. For these five countries, the EKC curve has a turning point, but the positive impact of incomes on CO2 emissions becomes significantly smaller after the turning point. We describe this relationship as a pseudo-EKC. K.U.K. and France are the only exceptions, fitting the EKC hypothesis. Further analysis indicates that the relationship between income and SO2 emissions presents an inverted U-shaped curve. Moreover, we observe that the turning point occurs at different points in time for the different G7 countries. Therefore, environmental policies targeting pollutant emission reduction should consider the different characteristics of different pollutants and regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and the Environmental Kuznets Curve Conjecture)
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16 pages, 612 KiB  
Article
How Does the Carbon Tax Influence the Energy and Carbon Performance of China’s Mining Industry?
by Runqing Zhu and Boqiang Lin
Sustainability 2022, 14(7), 3866; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14073866 - 24 Mar 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3017
Abstract
As the world’s largest energy consumer, China’s CO2 emissions have significantly risen, owing to its rapid economic growth. Hence, levying a carbon tax has become essential in accelerating China’s carbon neutralization process. This paper employs the two-stage translog cost function to calculate [...] Read more.
As the world’s largest energy consumer, China’s CO2 emissions have significantly risen, owing to its rapid economic growth. Hence, levying a carbon tax has become essential in accelerating China’s carbon neutralization process. This paper employs the two-stage translog cost function to calculate the price elasticity of the mining industry’s energy and input factors. Based on the price elasticity, the carbon tax’s influence on the mining industry’s energy and carbon performance is estimated. In the calculation of energy efficiency, the non-radial directional distance function is adopted. The results express that the carbon tax significantly decreases the mining industry’s CO2 emissions and promotes its energy and carbon performance. In addition to levying a carbon tax, the government should also strengthen the market-oriented reform of the oil and power infrastructure to optimize the mining industry’s energy structure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and the Environmental Kuznets Curve Conjecture)
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24 pages, 1402 KiB  
Article
The Role of Education and Income Inequality on Environmental Quality: A Panel Data Analysis of the EKC Hypothesis on OECD Countries
by Paolo Maranzano, João Paulo Cerdeira Bento and Matteo Manera
Sustainability 2022, 14(3), 1622; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031622 - 30 Jan 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3874
Abstract
This study examines the impact of education on the pollution–income relationship, controlling for income inequality in 17 European OECD countries over the period 1950–2015. We developed a novel two-stage algorithm, whose first step consists in applying clustering techniques to group countries according to [...] Read more.
This study examines the impact of education on the pollution–income relationship, controlling for income inequality in 17 European OECD countries over the period 1950–2015. We developed a novel two-stage algorithm, whose first step consists in applying clustering techniques to group countries according to the income inequality temporal pattern. In the second step, we estimate the educational-mitigated EKC hypothesis (Educational EKC) by employing panel regression techniques accounting for endogeneity issues. The clustering findings suggest the existence of high variability in income inequality levels across countries and heterogeneous development patterns. Empirical estimates highlight that, for high income inequality countries, the Educational EKC hypothesis holds, and that the emissions–income elasticity appears to decline when including the schooling level. In the low income inequality cluster, these effects are not clear-cut. For these countries, we propose a different specification of the EKC, which substitutes the income per capita term with the years of schooling. The new specification is statistically validated for both high income inequality and low income inequality countries. In conclusion, we can state that education should be addressed as a crucial cornerstone to shaping the EKC curve. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and the Environmental Kuznets Curve Conjecture)
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12 pages, 300 KiB  
Article
Impact of Institutions and Human Capital on CO2 Emissions in EU Transition Economies
by Yilmaz Bayar, Vladimir Smirnov, Marina Danilina and Natalia Kabanova
Sustainability 2022, 14(1), 353; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010353 - 29 Dec 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 1921
Abstract
Environmental degradation is one of the most significant problems of the globalized world. This paper explores the impact of institutional development and human capital on CO2 emissions in 11 EU transition economies over the period of 2000–2018 through co-integration analysis. The co-integration [...] Read more.
Environmental degradation is one of the most significant problems of the globalized world. This paper explores the impact of institutional development and human capital on CO2 emissions in 11 EU transition economies over the period of 2000–2018 through co-integration analysis. The co-integration analysis revealed that human capital negatively affected CO2 emissions in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovenia, and that institutions had a negative impact on CO2 emissions in the Czech Republic. However, both institutions and human capital positively affected CO2 emissions in Latvia and Lithuania. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and the Environmental Kuznets Curve Conjecture)
24 pages, 1663 KiB  
Article
Asymmetric Impact of Institutional Quality on Environmental Degradation: Evidence of the Environmental Kuznets Curve
by Farrah Dina Abd Razak, Norlin Khalid and Mohd Helmi Ali
Sustainability 2021, 13(22), 12507; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212507 - 12 Nov 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1657
Abstract
This paper aims to discover the asymmetry impacts and co-integration between gross domestic product, financial development, energy use and environmental degradation by featuring institutional quality covering the Malaysia economy during the period from 1984 until 2017 using a nonlinear auto-regressive distributed lag model. [...] Read more.
This paper aims to discover the asymmetry impacts and co-integration between gross domestic product, financial development, energy use and environmental degradation by featuring institutional quality covering the Malaysia economy during the period from 1984 until 2017 using a nonlinear auto-regressive distributed lag model. The results confirm the existence of the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis for both linear and nonlinear analyses, thus verifying the relevance of symmetric and asymmetric EKC hypotheses for Malaysia. Further, this study verifies the attributes of financial development and institutional quality that mitigates the concern on CO2 emissions, but contradicting results were produced on energy use. The implication of this finding provides new guidelines for Malaysia authorities to consider the asymmetries in formulating environment-related policies to maintain environmental quality and achieve their sustainable development goals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and the Environmental Kuznets Curve Conjecture)
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14 pages, 603 KiB  
Article
Analysing the Pattern of Productivity Change in the European Energy Industry
by Djula Borozan and Dubravka Pekanov Starcevic
Sustainability 2021, 13(21), 11742; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132111742 - 24 Oct 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1758
Abstract
For an industry to succeed in a competitive market, it should continuously take care of not only its stakeholders but also its technical efficiency and productivity. In this paper, data envelopment analysis was combined with Malmquist productivity analysis to investigate the pattern of [...] Read more.
For an industry to succeed in a competitive market, it should continuously take care of not only its stakeholders but also its technical efficiency and productivity. In this paper, data envelopment analysis was combined with Malmquist productivity analysis to investigate the pattern of multifactor productivity changes in the European energy industry over the period from 2005–2016. The results showed that the whole industry was technically inefficient and had large potential for improvement. A slight average increase in productivity that was observed over the studied period proved to be sensitive to the financial and economic situation and equally sensitive to technological and efficiency advances. As for efficiency gains, they reflected the nature of the energy industry, implying that they were due to scale efficiencies rather than human resource improvements. Although technological innovation and the optimal scale of production increased productivity, the slow pace at which this occurred and the negative outlook highlighted by the observed trends call for more serious consideration of the future productivity deployment of the European energy industry, particularly in the context of its decarbonisation, diversification, and modernisation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and the Environmental Kuznets Curve Conjecture)
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