M. Ezzati et al., Towards an integrated framework for development and environment policy: The dynamics of environmental Kuznets curves, WORLD DEV, 29(8), 2001, pp. 1421-1434
Environmental Kuznets curves (EKCs) have recently received considerable att
ention in development and environment policy, But little is known on how th
e interaction between ecological and economic factors may result in an EKC
or other qualitatively different outcomes. We introduce a restricted class
of vector valued differential equations for representing the evolution of s
ocioeconomic and environmental variables which influence or are influenced
by the process of economic development. Our model includes not only the com
plete path of each variable over time but also the highly critical interact
ions among multiple variables. We demonstrate analytically and numerically
that among a multiplicity of possible outcomes, an inverted-U pattern can o
nly be obtained under specific circumstances, and requires attention to the
multiple factors which form the economic-environmental system, rather than
a single dominant one. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.