Environmental Kuznets Curve in Greece in the Period 1960-2014 (original) (raw)

CO 2 emissions in Greece have increased significantly in recent decades. Many researches point out that Greek's economy structure is characterized by a strong interdependence of energy use and economic growth, so that any increase in national production leads to an increase in CO 2 emissions. In this sense, Greek's economy structure does not allow policies to de-escalate the level of CO 2 emissions without cost in terms of economic growth. This paper focuses on investigating the short and long term relationship between Gross National Product (GDP), CO 2 emissions and gross energy use over the period 1960-2014, using appropriate econometric tools. Additionally, the impact of the urbanization rate on CO 2 emissions is examined. The exploration of these relationships is part of the Kuznets Environmental Curve (EKC) theory that economic growth ultimately leads to a degradation of environmental degradation.