Environmental Kuznets Curve

Sustainability consists of fulfilling the needs of current generations without compromising the needs of future generations, while ensuring a balance between economic growth, environmental care and social well-being. Sustainability includes three environmental, economic and social dimensions; whose environmental dimension has a decisive weight in sustainability. Many empirical sustainability-related researches have been carried out in the 2000s and 2010s, and the empirical model used in these studies was based on the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC). Also, the two concepts of human development and sustainability have been widely used in development literature in the past years, and humans have been considered as an important factor in the development of different societies in various studies. Composite index of human development includes various dimensions that can affect sustainability and especially environmental sustainability. Also, the influence of large oil revenues in the oil-owning and exporting countries on human development in these countries has played a prominent role, and has categorized the countries into three groups: oil-producing countries with high human development, oil-producing countries with medium human development, and oil-producing countries with low human development. This study has used the panel data method and the Kuznets function in the period of 2010-2019 to investigate the effect of the human development index in 35 major oil exporting countries in the world. According to the result of model estimation by econometric method, environmental sustainability in these countries increases with the increase in the human development index (HDI).

The article examines the nature of the relationship between environmental pollution and economic growth in Ukraine. An Data intelligence analysis of the dependence of pollutant emissions on GDP per capita and other factors of Ukraine's economy for the period from 1996 to 2018. The results of the econometric analysis confirm the theory of the Environmental Kuznets Curve. To prevent environmental and economic catastrophes, it is necessary to increase the gross regional product per capita, and this should be done by diversifying the economy, investing in clean production, and modernized equipment.

This paper examines the non-linear relationship between CO2 emissions and economic development using an innovative dynamic panel threshold technique. The sample consists of 35 developed countries over the period 2003-2010. The empirical results indicate that there is a threshold effect in the relationship between economic growth and pollutant emissions as suggested by the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC). In particular, at the early stage of economic development below the estimated threshold value, more growth deteriorates the environmental problems. However, after this threshold value further growth serves as a solution to the environmental problems. Accordingly, promoting economic growth and becoming rich in the long run, is necessary to solve the environmental problems arising from greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In the short run and in the early stage of economic growth, focus on investments in environmentally friendly technology and on the use of renewable energy is necessary for mitigating the pollution effects of economic progress.