Urban Transport Pollution: Revisiting the Environmental Kuznets Curve

Liddle, Brantley (2013): Urban Transport Pollution: Revisiting the Environmental Kuznets Curve. Forthcoming in: International Journal for Sustainable Transportation No. DOI: 10.1080/15568318.2013.814077

Abstract

An inverted-U relationship between GDP per capita and three urban transport-related emissions is tested (using data from 84 cities). Per capita urban transport-related emissions of CO, VHC, and NOx increase and then decline at observed income levels—a result driven by a similar inverted-U relationship between income and emissions technology (i.e., emissions per passenger-km). However, for urban transport energy consumed, the estimated turning point was well beyond the sample bounds. Passenger-km per capita and car ownership both rise, and public transport’s share of those passenger-km falls monotonically with income.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: transport and urban environment; environmental Kuznets curve; city-based data; urban density
• Subjects: Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q53 - Air Pollution ; Water Pollution ; Noise ; Hazardous Waste ; Solid Waste ; Recycling; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q56 - Environment and Development ; Environment and Trade ; Sustainability ; Environmental Accounts and Accounting ; Environmental Equity ; Population Growth; R - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics > R4 - Transportation Economics > R40 - General

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