Economists, ecologists, private industries and government decision-makers have long been interested in the relationships between economic growth and environmental quality. These relationships are often the subject of intense public policy debates such as the current debate surrounding global climate change issues. From an ecological or environmental perspective, the argument is often made that economic growth is bad for the environment. But, what story do the data tell? In order to address the question, a estimable model was used to analyze the effects between gross domestic product (GDP) and environmental indications for air pollution in over 100 metropolitan statistical areas in the United States from 2001-2005. The analysis is then expanded to... |