The N-shaped environmental Kuznets curve: An empirical evaluation using a panel quantile regression approach

Journal article, 2018

We evaluate the N-shaped environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) using panel quantile regression analysis. We investigate the
relationship between CO2 emissions and GDP per capita for 74 countries over the period of 1994–2012. We include additional
explanatory variables, such as renewable energy consumption, technological development, trade, and institutional quality. We
find evidence for the N-shaped EKC in all income groups, except for the upper-middle-income countries. Heterogeneous
characteristics are, however, observed over the N-shaped EKC. Finally, we find a negative relationship between renewable
energy consumption and CO2 emissions, which highlights the importance of promoting greener energy in order to combat global
warming.