Empirical Analysis of the Environmental Kuznets Curve in Guangxi

The Environment Kuznets Curve(EKC) is often used to analyse the relationship between economic growth and environmental degradation.Based on the economic and environmental data from 1990 to 2005,the EKC model was setup to examine the relationship between economic growth and environmental degradation in Guangxi,China.The economic indicator GDP per capita is taken to measure the level of economic development.Six environmental indicators were considered in the EKC model.They are waste water,waste gas,solid waste,soot,SO2 and COD.From the examination of the EKC,the relationships between GDP per capita and the main environmental indicators present inverted-U or weak U+ inverted U pattern,and the peak turning points of EKC in these environmental indicators have not been reached.It is revealed that Guangxi is still at the early stage of industrialization process.Therefore,there may be a trend that the environmental quality will become worse while the GPD increases.Based on the research,it is considered that improper industrial structure,lack of investment in environmental protection are the main factors which lead to the environment degradation in Guangxi.