Estimation for Environmental Kuznets Curve for CO 2 and SO 2 emissions in India during 1950–2000

An empirical consensus is still to be formed amongst the researchers that some pollutants follow an EKC (Environmental Kuznets Curve), depicting an inverted U-shaped relationship with economic growth, while others do not. This paper attempts to find out whether India has reached that level of economic development where it can have an inverted U-shaped EKC for CO₂ (carbon dioxide) and SO₂ (sulphur dioxide) emissions. Thus, to study the relationship between the economic growth and emissions, EKCs for CO₂ and SO₂ emissions during 1950–2000 have been statistically estimated and analysed. It was found that the Indian EKCs for CO₂ and SO₂ have recently started falling, and quadratic form of the EKC has provided the best fit to the observed data.