Economic Development and/or Environmental Quality : Emissions of CO2 and SO2 in East Asia

Abstract

This paper deals with a question of how the economic development in East Asia has influenced on emissions of CO₂ and SO₂, thereby considering a larger question of whether or not economic development can coexist with environmental quality. Despite an increased scale of emissions. SO₂ has not so much increased as expected, and rising energy efficiency has made CO₂ emission intensity stabilized, or even declined like in China. These favorable facts are resulted from the efforts of East Asian countries to raise competitiveness in the world market, public awareness of environmental quality, and technology transfers through FDl and ODA. However, if the economic growth rate surpasses the rise in energy efficiency, CO₂ emissions as a whole would continue to increase.