Teoretyczne rekonstrukcje środowiskowej krzywej Kuznetsa

The aim of the article is to review the economic environmental models of the Kuznets curve, which take into account constitutive phenomena of the contemporary economy. Reviewing the models, we answer the question how the change in the level of economic development, measured by the value of GDP per capita, may affect the degradation or improvement of the quality of the environment, and what other factors – related ndirectly to the level of economic development – can have a significant impact on the discussed relationship. Combination of various models is an attempt to multi-dimensional characterization of this problem, which allows defining a broader scope of research on this relationship and can contribute to a better understanding of its structural aspects. As a result of our study we state that relevant to verification of the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis are precise characteristics of the environmental degradation process on the one hand, that is the distinction between the pollution stock and flow, and on the other hand – the exact characteristics of several factors related to income (GDP per capita): income elasticity of demand for environmental quality; social inequalities; population growth; as well as trade liberalization.