nÃo hà / Environment topic is increasingly at stake: it is simply of great significance especially insofar as its problems are mitigated by safeguard policies. These include the very source of them: economic growth which is closely related to environmental degradation. The impacts on nature are first and foremost caused by human behavior and its plea for economic growth. This study intends to determine in what extent there is actually a relationship between the emanations of CO2 and economic growth to the countries of South American concerning the 1980-2008Âs. That relation is described according to EKC or inverted - U developed by Kuznets. In that, one employes certain variables, indeed, they are functioning as variables of control and are the following: Economic opening, technological improvements, Scale Effect, Population density. With the descriptive statistics at hand, one ensures that the income (GDPpc) is in terms of variable of control the one which has the so-called higher correlation to the emanation of CO2pc. Furthermore that can be considered both the side effect and at the same time the solution to the environmental problem. In order one can measure this result, one estimates four panel data models, but only on the first one the relationship is perceived in terms of inverted - U. Yet one must be careful with the result mentioned, for the variables of control are not handled here. Indeed, one ends up by showing the EKC hypothesis is not reached achieved / Atualmente, o meio ambiente se constitui uma das grandes preocupaÃÃes dos entes pÃblicos e populaÃÃo, a rigor justificada pela relaÃÃo entre crescimento econÃmico e a degradaÃÃo ambiental. Uma vez que os impactos causados na natureza muitas vezes vÃm de aÃÃes humanas com o intuito do desenvolvimento da economia. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo verificar se existe uma relaÃÃo entre a emissÃo de CO2 e o crescimento econÃmico dos paÃses sul-americanos no perÃodo de 1980 a 2008 na forma de âUâ â invertido, como descrito pela Curva Ambiental de Kuznets (EKC). Para isto, utiliza-se como variÃveis de controle a abertura econÃmica, progresso tecnolÃgico, efeito escala e densidade populacional. A partir das estatÃsticas descritivas, verificou-se que a renda (PIBpc) à a variÃvel de controle que apresenta uma maior correlaÃÃo com a emissÃo de CO2pc, o que pode ser considerado tanto causa quanto soluÃÃo para o problema ambiental. Para aferir os resultados, estimam-se quatro modelos de dados em painel, sendo que somente no primeiro a relaÃÃo entre a emissÃo de CO2 e a renda ocorre o formato do âUâinvertidoâ, no entanto, este resultado deve ser visto com cautela em funÃÃo da ausÃncia de variÃveis de controle o que pode gerar estimativas enviesadas. Desse modo, conclui-se que a hipÃtese da Curva Ambiental de Kuznets, conforme proposta por Grossman e Krueger (1991), para os paÃses da AmÃrica do Sul, em relaÃÃo à emissÃo de CO2pc e o PIBpc, nÃo se verifica.

nÃo hà / O presente trabalho investigou a hipÃtese da Curva de Kuznets com o intuito de verificar se existe uma relaÃÃo de âU invertidoâ entre a desigualdade de renda e crescimento econÃmico no Brasil no perÃodo de 1981 a 2009. Por meio da econometria de dados em painel (efeitos fixos, efeitos aleatÃrios e primeira diferenÃa) e com a utilizaÃÃo da forma linear da renda domiciliar per capitamÃdia, como medida de crescimento econÃmico, e dos indicadores de Gini e Theil, para a mensuraÃÃo da desigualdade de renda, foram estimados dois modelos: a forma quadrÃtica usual de Ahluwalia (1976 b) e uma modificaÃÃo da forma cÃbica, de List e Gallet (1999). Para uma melhor compreensÃo acerca do vÃnculo entre estas duas variÃveis, a anÃlise foi subdividida em perÃodos e em regiÃes geogrÃficas brasileiras. As evidÃncias empÃricas revelaram, de uma forma geral, que a hipÃtese de Kuznets nÃo à corroborada. A partir de uma anÃlise teÃrica sobre o contexto polÃtico, econÃmico e social vivenciado pelo Brasil na contemporaneidade, acredita-se que polÃticas pÃblicas efetivas que ofereÃam serviÃos sociais bÃsicos de qualidade sÃo fundamentais para que um novo ciclo de ascensÃo da desigualdade nÃo se verifique. / The present study investigated the hypothesis of the Kuznets Curve in order to check if there is a"U Inverted" relationship between the income inequality and economic growth in Brazil in the period since 1981 to 2009. Through the econometrics of panel data (fixed effects, random effects and first difference), and using the linear form of average household income per capita, as a measure of economic growth, and the Gini and Theil indicators, for the measurement of income inequality, were estimated two models: the usual quadratic form,by Ahluwalia (1976 b), and a modification of the cubic form,by List and Gallet (1999). For a better understanding of the relationship between these two variables, the analysis was divided into periods and geographical regions. Empirical evidence showed that, in general, the Kuznets hypothesis isnât corroborated. From a theoretical analysis of the political, economic and social context experienced by Brazil in contemporaneity, it is believed that effective public policies that providequality in basic socialservices are essential to avoid a new cycle of rising inequality.

A relação entre economia e meio ambiente tem sido cada vez mais explorada, dado que o crescimento econômico pode ter efeitos prejudiciais sobre a natureza, contudo existe a possibilidade de conciliar crescimento com preservação do meio ambiente. A coleta e divulgação de indicadores ambientais permitiram relacioná-los com a renda per capita, o que motivou a investigação de uma hipótese conhecida como Curva Ambiental de Kuznets. O trabalho tem por finalidade estimar, através de dados em painel não estacionário, a relação entre o indicador de pressão ambiental e crescimento de renda per capita e, através da análise de dados em painel estático e dinâmico, a convergência da pegada ecológica entre os países como resultado da evidência direta e indireta, respectivamente, da existência de uma Curva Ambiental de Kuznets. A vantagem da análise está na abrangência da pegada ecológica como indicador ambiental em relação às emissões de poluentes, possuindo um caráter original por não ter sido empreendida anteriormente. Os fundamentos teóricos da análise de convergência estão no Modelo de Solow verde desenvolvido por Brock and Taylor (2010). / The relationship between economy and environment has more and more been explored, and given the potential harm that economic growth might have on nature there is a possibility to conciliate growth and environment preservation. The gathering and publishing of environmental measures allowed to establish their relationship with per capita income in an investigation of the hypothesis known as the Environmental Kuznets Curve. This work estimates the relation of environmental pressure and income per capita and also the convergence of the ecological footprint among countries, as a direct and indirect, respectively, result of the existence of a Environmental Kuznets Curve, by using static, dynamic and non-stationary panel data techniques. The advantage of this analysis is that the ecological footprint is a broader environmental index than pollution indexes. The theoretic foundation of the convergence analysis is the Green Solow model, presented by Brock and Taylor (2010).

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2017-04-03T18:25:50Z No. of bitstreams: 1 rejanecorreadeoliveira.pdf: 6128260 bytes, checksum: 15189c9967dc026ed861378d43cdbb89 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2017-04-03T19:11:19Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 rejanecorreadeoliveira.pdf: 6128260 bytes, checksum: 15189c9967dc026ed861378d43cdbb89 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-03T19:11:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 rejanecorreadeoliveira.pdf: 6128260 bytes, checksum: 15189c9967dc026ed861378d43cdbb89 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-12-16 / CNPq - Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / O desmatamento das florestas tropicais é um elemento importante na questão das mudanças climáticas. No Brasil, o desmatamento provocado por focos de calor torna o país um grande emissor mundial de dióxido de carbono, um dos gases causadores do efeito estufa. Há a preocupação de que, com o avanço do desenvolvimento, a pressão sobre as florestas tropicais aumente. Dentro deste contexto, esse trabalho investigou a hipótese da Curva de Kuznets Ambiental (CKA) para a região da Amazônia Legal, isto é, se existe uma relação na forma de “U” invertido entre um índice de degradação ambiental (área desmatada anual) e o crescimento econômico (indicado pelo PIB per capita), em nível municipal, no período 20012006, utilizando um modelo para dados em painel com dependência espacial. Variáveis explicativas adicionais foram incluídas, tais como: rebanho bovino, culturas agrícolas (soja e cana-de-açúcar), extração vegetal e silvicultura, densidade populacional, crédito rural e área de floresta pré-existente. Devido ao histórico de ocupação, extensão da área e características geográficas, existe a indicação de diferenças intrarregionais importantes. A heterogeneidade espacial do parâmetros foi tratada em conjuntos de modelos com regimes espaciais distintos (macrozonas e estados). A heterogeneidade espacial extrema foi tratada pela estimação de regressões ponderadas geograficamente (RPG). Os resultados da Análise Exploratória de Dados Espaciais sugerem a existência de “clusters” em um padrão Alto-Alto (municípios com altos valores de desmatamento próximos a municípios com desmatamento também elevado) na região do Arco do Povoamento Adensado e Amazônia Central. Os resultados econométricos indicam a presença de efeitos não-observados, sendo mais adequada a estimação por efeitos fixos. O modelo global que melhor se ajusta aos dados é o modelo de erro espacial com transbordamentos espaciais; para este, foi verificada a relação da CKA na forma de “N” invertido, indicando que a área desmatada anual é maior para baixos níveis de PIB per capita, sendo decrescente à medida que o PIB aumenta, depois volta a crescer, e para níveis de renda mais elevados, torna-se decrescente. As variáveis relacionadas ao rebanho bovino, crédito rural e a existência de floresta anterior são consideradas significativas em 5%. Para os diferentes regimes espaciais, os seguintes resultados são encontrados: a) no conjunto de modelos para as três macrozonas (Amazônia Ocidental, Amazônia Central e Arco do Povoamento Adensado), a CKA não é verificada em nenhuma de suas formas; b) no conjunto de modelos que considera um regime espacial para cada estado, a hipótese da CKA é verificada na forma de “U” invertido para Mato Grosso, e na forma de “U” para o estado do Pará e monotônica crescente para o Maranhão; nos demais estados, a hipótese da CKA não é verificada. No nível extremo de heterogeneidade espacial, a estimação por regressões ponderadas geograficamente resulta em parâmetros calculados para cada município, sendo possível representar em mapa as diferentes formas encontradas para a CKA, concentradas nas porções central e nordeste da Amazônia. Os resultados mostram diferentes relações entre desmatamento e PIB per capita municipal, assim como diferentes relações do desmatamento com as demais variáveis explicativas, revelando a heterogeneidade do espaço amazônico. / The tropical deforestation is a main issue on the global climate change discussion. In Brazil, the deforestation caused by hot spots is responsible for large emissions of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. There is always a concern about the increasing pressure over the forest as development advances. Within this context, this work aims to investigate the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis applied to Legal Amazon region: whether there is an inverted “U” relationship between an environmental degradation index (annually deforested area) and economic growth (GDP per capita) at municipal level from 2001 to 2006, using a panel data model with spatial dependence. Some other variables mentioned in the literature were considered to explain deforestation: cattle size, soybean and sugar cane crops, vegetal extraction and forestry products, population density, rural credit, and previous forest area. Additionally, there can be important intra-regional differences due to occupation history, large area and geographical aspects. The spatial heterogeneity of coefficients was considered by studying spatial regimes into two sets (macro-regions and states). The extreme coefficients spatial heterogeneity was considered by estimating the model using geographically weighted regressions (GWR). The Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) shows the presence of clusters in a High-High pattern (municipalities with high deforestation values near municipalities with high values for the deforested area also) in the Densely Populated Arch and Central Amazon. The econometric results reveal the presence of unobserved effects, being the fixed effects estimate the most appropriate one. The global model (considering the whole region) that fits the data well is the spatial error model with spillovers; for this model, the EKC relationship appears to have an inverted “N” shape, so the annual deforested area is higher for lower incomes, it decreases when GDP per capita increases, then it goes back to increase, and for higher income levels it decreases again. The variables related to cattle size, rural credit and previous forest area seems to affect the deforested area. When the spatial heterogeneity is considered by means of different spatial regimes, the following results are found: a) for the three macro-regions set of models (Occidental Amazon, Central Amazon and Densely Populated Arch), none of the shapes for the EKC relationship is verified; b) for the nine states set of models, the EKC hypothesis is found in an inverted “U” shape for Mato Grosso state, a “U” shape for Pará state and increasingly monotonic shape for Maranhão state, whereas for the other states the EKC is not found. For the extreme level of spatial heterogeneity, the geographically weighted regressions show local coefficients: it was possible to map the different shapes for EKC found mainly in central and northeastern portions of Amazon. The results show different local relationships between deforestation and GDP per capita at municipal level, and also different local relationships between deforestation and the additional variables.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2018 highlights the importance of short-lived greenhouse gasses to combat global warming. This study explores the relationship between Gross Domestic Product per capita and methane per capita. The relationship is explored in relation to the Environmental Kuznets Curve theory where the subjects to examination used are High Income Countries and Low Income Countries based on United Nation classifications in 2019. In total 47 countries are examined where 30 countries are High Income Countries and 17 are Low Income Countries. The relationships are examined for the time periods 1970 to 2017 through Fixed Effect Models. To improve accuracy additional control variables are added: Population in agriculture (% of total employment), balance of payments and forest areas. With the added control variables, the time frame used in Fixed Effect Models changes to 1991 to 2017. The different Fixed Effect Models provide inverted U-shaped relationships for Low Income Countries and uncertain results for High Income Countries according to the Environmental Kuznets Curve.

Halfway into its third decade, the debate surrounding the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis has stalled with political economists and socio-ecologists ascendant and modernization theorists scrambling to give their apparently moribund perspective new life. But beyond the rise and fall of the EKC, there remains a second-order question and decades of data: how do the theoretical perspectives of these contenders shape what their protagonists do and don't see? How have they mistaken episodes of "talking past each other" for genuine dialogue? Which perspective has had the biggest impact on the other’s way of thinking? A qualitative and quantitative analysis compares the top-ranking journals in economics with interdisciplinary journals of environmental economics revealing a categorical divergence in the types of critical thought deployed in the EKC debate over an almost 15 year period. The few articles appearing in the top ranking economic journals systematically fail to grasp the fundamentals of ecology which is evident in both their measurements and conclusions. I offer an abridged discussion of the critiques socio-ecology presents contemporary economics as what, in Kuhnian terminology, may well be described as a discipline in the crisis moment of a paradigm shift in no particular direction. I then conclude by siding with Habermas and Adorno against Popper's ideologically impoverished “falsifactionism”: progress in science depends as much on a theory of ideological critique as it does on the acquisition of technical knowledge. My intent has been to argue that ideological critique is empirically possible as the history of thought.

The study compares FIT (Feed-in tariff) and RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standard) as the two most commonly used support schemes for renewable energy sources (RES) in the EU. It examines a relationship of an Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) and by a practical experiment for public lighting in Prague the study proposes an ecological functioning of electricity grids in the EU with CO2 emissions reduction effect. The main contribution lies in the recency and originality of the econometric analysis and practical experiment. FIT and RPS analysis demonstrates that both schemes affect demand for electricity and increase its price. The econometric model was tested for 28 EU countries for 1990-2013. The results say that the EU is currently located on the downslope of the inverted U-shaped EKC with a turning point, after which the dependence begins to grow. Nevertheless, for the most of observations the turning point is too far to be a source of concern. Practical experiment has shown that installation of energy saving devices for electricity grids in the EU can bring satisfactory results in reducing CO2 emissions independently of state aid. More efficient use of existing energy sources, however, should rather serve as a complement to conventional support, phasing out with the development of RES technologies....

In the thesis, we examine the necessity and impacts of measures adopted under the greenhouse gas emissions target in the Europe 2020 growth strategy in the EU-15 states. For testing the necessity of the measures, we use the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as the theoretical framework, the Autoregressive distributed lag model as the econometrical technique and annual data from 1970 to 2010 (1991 to 2010 in the case of Germany). The existence of the EKC is detected in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. However, only in Denmark the EKC hypothesis is supported significantly (on ten percent level of significance). Following the main implication of the EKC hypothesis, only in Denmark is the economic development sufficient enough to safeguard environmental quality; therefore, no additional measures are needed. In the remaining states, we tested Granger causality using the Toda-Yamamoto procedure to inquire about the impacts of the measures on gross domestic product (GDP). Our results indicate that only in Austria, Germany (with caution due to a limited number of observations) and Ireland, the measures may impede economic development. In the remaining states, no causality or only a causality running from GDP...

No description available.

This thesis consists of four papers: two of them deal with the effects on the forest sector of an increase in the demand for forest fuels, and two of them concern the relation between economic growth and pollution. Paper [I] is a first, preliminary study of the potential effects on the Swedish forest sector of a continuing rise in the use of forest resources as a fuel in energy generation. Sweden has made a commitment that the energy system should be sustainable, i.e., it should be based on renewable resources. However, an increasing use of the forest resources as an energy input could have effects outside the energy sector. We consider this in a static model by estimating a system of demand and supply equations for the four main actors on the Swedish roundwood market; forestry, sawmills, pulpmills and the energy sector. We then calculate the industries' short run supply and demand elasticities. Paper [II], is a development of the former paper. In this paper, we estimate the dynamic effects on the forest sector of an increased demand for forest fuels. This is done by developing a partial adjustment model of the forest sector that enables short, intermediate, and long run price elasticities to be estimated. It is relevant to study the effects of increased demand for forest fuels as the Swedish government has committed to an energy policy that is likely to further increase the use of renewable resources in the Swedish energy system. Four subsectors are included in the model: forestry, sawmills, pulpmills and the energy industry. The results show that the short run elasticities are fairly consistent with earlier studies and that sluggish adjustment in the capital stock is important in determining the intermediate and long run responses. Simulation shows that an increase in the demand for forest fuels has a positive effect on the equilibrium price of all three types of wood, and a negative effect on the equilibrium quantities of sawtimber and pulpwood. In paper [III] a Shephard distance function approach is used to estimate time series of shadow prices for Swedish emissions of CO2, SO2, and VOC for the period 1918 - 1994. The shadow prices are in a next step regressed on GDP per capita. The objective of the study is closely linked to hypothesis of environmental Kuznets curves. We conclude that the time series of the shadow prices from this approach can not be used to explain the EKCs found for Swedish emissions. In paper [IV], we calculate time series of shadow prices for Swedish emissions of CO2, SO2, and VOC for the period 1918 - 1994. The shadow prices are in a next step related to income, to explain the EKCs previously found for Swedish data on the three emissions. Newly constructed historical emission time series enable studying a single country's emission paths through increasing levels of economic activity. A directional distance function approach is used to estimate the industry's production process in order to calculate the opportunity costs of a reduction in the emissions. The time series of the shadow prices show support for EKCs for the Swedish industry.