Assessing Income, Population, and Technology Impacts on CO sub(2) Emissions in Canada: Where's the EKC?

The macroeconomic forces underlying carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel use in Canada were analyzed. In keeping with the relevant literature on environmental degradation, three forces were expected to influence carbon dioxide emission: gross domestic product per capita (GDP/capita), population and technological change. The study tested a more flexible model using a five-regional panel data set in Canada over the period 1970-2000. Findings indicated that GDP/capita was unrelated to carbon dioxide, that an inverted U-shaped relationship existed with population, and that a U-shaped relationship existed with technology. Technological and population changes were supported over the commonly hypothesized environmental Kuznets curve for affecting carbon dioxide emission from fossil fuel use in Canada.