Influencia de la diversificación en las emisiones de C02 de los países latinoamericanos: ¿existe la hipótesis de Kuznets?

Abstract

Abstract: The present study focuses on defining the relationship between the diversification of economies and carbon dioxide emissions in Latin American economies. In particular, it is proposed to analyze whether the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis, a theory that postulates a non-linear relationship between economic growth and CO2 emissions, can be applied to Latin American countries through the lens of economic diversification. As the methodology of this study, a panel data model is applied with data from nine Latin American countries: Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Mexico, Bolivia, Chile and Costa Rica. This during a period between 1990 and 2014, with data from the World Bank on CO2 Emissions (metric tons per capita), Electrical Energy Consumption (kWh per capita) and the Herfindahl and Hirschman Index to measure economic and other diversification control variables. The main results of the study indicate that in the countries analyzed, economic diversification, understood as the expansion of productive sectors in an economy, can generate an increase in CO2 emissions due to the intensification of industrial activity.