Step 1 — Introduction to the concept:
The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) is an economic hypothesis that explains the relationship between environmental degradation and economic development. It is modeled after the original Kuznets Curve, which described an inverted U-shaped relationship between income inequality and economic growth. The EKC applies this same inverted U-shape to pollution and growth.
Step 2 — The shape of the curve:
The EKC suggests that in the early stages of economic growth, pollution and environmental damage increase as industrialization, urbanization, and energy use rise. However, after a certain income threshold is reached, pollution levels decline because societies begin to invest in cleaner technologies, enforce environmental regulations, and prioritize sustainability. This gives the EKC its bell-shaped form (also called an inverted U-shape).
Step 3 — Explanation of the stages:
1. Early growth stage: Low-income countries industrialize quickly, leading to high emissions, deforestation, and pollution.
2. Turning point stage: Middle-income nations reach a level where citizens and governments begin to care about the environment. Policies and technologies improve.
3. High-income stage: Wealthy nations adopt renewable energy, green innovations, and strict environmental laws, resulting in declining pollution levels.
Step 4 — Examples and evidence:
- Countries like the US, Japan, and many in Europe once faced severe air and water pollution during industrialization. Over time, as incomes rose, emissions of pollutants like sulfur dioxide declined due to environmental policies and clean technologies.
- However, the EKC does not always apply. For global pollutants like carbon dioxide, emissions have continued to rise despite higher incomes in many countries.
Step 5 — Criticisms of EKC:
- It oversimplifies reality: environmental improvement depends not only on income but also on political will, international cooperation, and cultural priorities.
- Some rich countries reduce domestic pollution by outsourcing dirty industries to developing nations, which hides their true environmental impact.
Step 6 — Conclusion:
The Environmental Kuznets Curve suggests that there is a bell-shaped relationship between pollution emissions and per-capita GDP. At first, pollution rises with economic growth, then after reaching a certain income level, pollution falls as societies shift towards cleaner, sustainable development.
Answer: The correct option is (D): suggest a bell-shaped relationship between the concentration of certain pollution emission and per-capita real GDP.