The present work tests the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis (EKC) in Italy for three air pollutants, namely CO2, NOx and SOx, using an emissions data-set disaggregated at the provincial level. An empirical investigation, conducted through both a panel data and a cross-section approach, suggests the existence of the EKC at the national level for CO2 and NOx, but not for SOx. Even more interestingly, the results achieved seem to be affected by the geographical dimension. When the data-set is split into two sub-samples of southern and central-northern provinces, the EKC is in fact found exclusively in the centre-north. This suggests that the inverted U-shaped relationship at the national level is mainly caused by the contribution of provinces that more than offset the environmental performance of their southern counterparts. The sub-sample estimation reveals that the geographical dimension also affects the inverted U-shaped relationship for SOx and income, which is found exclusively in the southern provinces of the peninsula, although it does not contribute towards the EKC at the national level.
Economic dualism and air quality in Italy: testing the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis
SICA, EDGARDO CRISTIANO
2014-01-01
Abstract
The present work tests the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis (EKC) in Italy for three air pollutants, namely CO2, NOx and SOx, using an emissions data-set disaggregated at the provincial level. An empirical investigation, conducted through both a panel data and a cross-section approach, suggests the existence of the EKC at the national level for CO2 and NOx, but not for SOx. Even more interestingly, the results achieved seem to be affected by the geographical dimension. When the data-set is split into two sub-samples of southern and central-northern provinces, the EKC is in fact found exclusively in the centre-north. This suggests that the inverted U-shaped relationship at the national level is mainly caused by the contribution of provinces that more than offset the environmental performance of their southern counterparts. The sub-sample estimation reveals that the geographical dimension also affects the inverted U-shaped relationship for SOx and income, which is found exclusively in the southern provinces of the peninsula, although it does not contribute towards the EKC at the national level.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
