Nigeria: Is There an Environmental Kuznets Curve for Fluorinated Gases?

Abstract The environmental Kuznets curve is a relationship between various indicators of environmental degradation and income per capita. Empirical studies have produced mixed results concerning Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis given the different indicators of environmental degradation used. But there has not been any validation of Environmental Kuznets Curve for powerful greenhouse gases like fluorinated gases that have a global warming effect up to 23 000 times greater than carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), and their emissions are rising strongly. This paper aimed to test the applicability of the Environmental Kuznets Curve in Nigeria from 1970-2018 by deploying the Auto Regressive Distributed Lag methodology, the bounds test shows that there’s a long-run equilibrium relationship between Gross Domestic Product per capita, square of Gross Domestic Product per capita, alternative and nuclear energy, combustible renewable and waste, and adjusted savings: net forest depletion. Nonetheless, the results do not support the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis both in the short-run and long-run and inverted U-shaped relationship was not found between fluorinated greenhouse gas emissions and growth in Nigeria. However, adopting fluorinated gas recycling and destruction processes, optimizing production to minimize emissions, and replacing these gases with alternatives are suggested for industrial users.