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Is the Discount Rate Relevant in Explaining the Environmental Kuznets Curve?

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  • Giuseppe Di Vita

    (Faculty of Law, University of Catania, Italy)

Abstract

In this paper we use Pindyck’s model (2002) to show that the discount rate may play an important role in explaining for the income-pollution pattern observed in the real world. Low levels of income involve high values of discount rate, that are obstacles to the adoption of a pollution abatement policy. Only when the discount rate falls, as a consequence of growth, will it be possible to implement measures for emissions reduction. Thus we are able to derive an inverse U-shaped income-pollution pattern, making use of an argument that has never yet been introduced in the economic debate on this issue.

Suggested Citation

  • Giuseppe Di Vita, 2003. "Is the Discount Rate Relevant in Explaining the Environmental Kuznets Curve?," Working Papers 2003.83, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    • Handle: RePEc:fem:femwpa:2003.83
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    2. Di Vita, Giuseppe, 2008. "Differences in pollution levels among civil law countries: A possible interpretation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(10), pages 3774-3786, October.
    3. Mazzanti, Massimiliano & Montini, Anna & Zoboli, Roberto, 2007. "Economic Dynamics, Emission Trends and the EKC Hypothesis New Evidence Using NAMEA and Provincial Panel Data for Italy," Climate Change Modelling and Policy Working Papers 10261, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    4. Sethi, Pradeepta & Chakrabarti, Debkumar & Bhattacharjee, Sankalpa, 2020. "Globalization, financial development and economic growth: Perils on the environmental sustainability of an emerging economy," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 520-535.
    5. Massimiliano Mazzanti & Anna Montini & Roberto Zoboli, 2008. "Environmental Kuznets Curves for Air Pollutant Emissions in Italy: Evidence from Environmental Accounts (NAMEA) Panel Data," Economic Systems Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(3), pages 277-301.
    6. Jeyhun I. Mikayilov & Marzio Galeotti & Fakhri J. Hasanov, 2018. "The Impact of Economic Growth on CO2 Emissions in Azerbaijan," IEFE Working Papers 102, IEFE, Center for Research on Energy and Environmental Economics and Policy, Universita' Bocconi, Milano, Italy.
    7. Di Vita, Giuseppe, 2009. "Legal families and environmental protection: Is there a causal relationship?," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 694-707, September.
    8. Mazzanti, Massimiliano & Musolesi, Antonio & Zoboli, Roberto, 2006. "A Bayesian Approach to the Estimation of Environmental Kuznets Curves for CO2 Emissions," Climate Change Modelling and Policy Working Papers 12057, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    9. Jihuan Zhang, 2021. "Environmental Kuznets Curve Hypothesis on CO 2 Emissions: Evidence for China," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-16, February.
    10. Halkos, George E., 2011. "Nonparametric modelling of biodiversity: Determinants of threatened species," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 618-635, July.
    11. Kijima, Masaaki & Nishide, Katsumasa & Ohyama, Atsuyuki, 2010. "Economic models for the environmental Kuznets curve: A survey," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 34(7), pages 1187-1201, July.
    12. Pal, Debdatta & Mitra, Subrata Kumar, 2017. "The environmental Kuznets curve for carbon dioxide in India and China: Growth and pollution at crossroad," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 371-385.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Discount rate; Environmental Kuznets Curve; Income; Stock pollutants;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q2 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation
    • D61 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Allocative Efficiency; Cost-Benefit Analysis

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