Title: Environment and economic growth in the Russian Arctic

Authors: Dmitry Rudenko

Addresses: Department of International Economics and Business, Tyumen State University, 6 Volodarskogo Street, 625003 Tyumen, Russia

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to examine the hypothesis of the inverted U-shaped interdependence between environmental damage from air pollutant emissions and economic growth measured by gross regional product (GRP) per capita in the Arctic regions of Russia. Using the panel data for the period of 2000-2014, we apply FM-OLS panel long-run estimates proposed by Pedroni to investigate the existence of environmental Kuznets curve. Various panel data unit root and co-integration tests are also applied. We examine the stationary properties of individual series in panel datasets using different panel unit root tests. According to the concept of the environmental Kuznets curve all regions of the Russian Arctic are on the increasing branch of the curve. The economic growth is found to have no beneficial effect on the environment in the Arctic. We actualise the need of concentrated policies and incentives to reduce air pollutant emissions in the Russian Arctic.

Keywords: Arctic; environmental Kuznets curve; EKC; environment; economic growth; Russia.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGENVI.2018.091471

International Journal of Global Environmental Issues, 2018 Vol.17 No.2/3, pp.163 - 174

Received: 06 Nov 2016
Accepted: 29 May 2017
Published online: 01 May 2018 *

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