The Pollution Haven Hypothesis and Environmental Kuznets Curve

The evidence on the environmental Kuznets curve indicates that national environmental policies differ between high-income and low-income countries, and that as a result of income growth pollution in the Northern hemisphere may be reduced over time at the cost of increasing pollution in the Southern hemisphere. There have been concerns that this process is reinforced by international trade of goods and by foreign direct investment between North and South. More stringent environmental policies in the North force pollution-intensive industries located in the North to raise their prices relative to the prices charged by firms in the South. (more…)

Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) – Energy and Environmental Policies

The EU has a set of common rules on industries environmental permissions for industrial installations, which extend also to cover future energy use at facilities. These rules are set out in the so-called IPPC Directive of 1996, http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ippc/index.htm. The IPPC stands for Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control. (more…)