Abstract

The interplay between economic growth and environmental degradation has been a central concern in sustainable development research particularly in the context of climate change air and water pollution and resource depletion. The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis posits an inverted-U-shaped relationship suggesting that pollution initially increases with economic growth but after reaching a certain income threshold environmental quality improves as countries adopt cleaner technologies and implement environmental regulations. This research aims to test the EKC hypothesis empirically by analyzing a wide range of countries at different stages of development over multiple decades. Using panel data techniques cross-sectional analysis and econometric modelling this study evaluates the validity of the EKC across various pollutants including CO2 emissions particulate matter and water contamination levels. It further investigates the influence of factors such as energy intensity indust