Escaping the poverty-environment trap: exploring the nonlinear relationship between poverty and environmental concern in the Southern African Development Community Countries

The relationship between environmental degradation and poverty has gained importance in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals. While poverty is known to drive environmental degradation, environmental degradation disproportionately affects the poor and reinforces the poverty-environment trap. However, some argue that the poor often display pro-environmental behaviors, environmental stewardship and pro-environmental attitudes that challenge this notion. Understanding how poverty influences individual environmental attitudes is crucial for breaking this cycle. In this study, we examine the non-linear relationship between poverty and environmental concern in Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, hypothesizing an inverted U-shaped Poverty Environmental Concern Kuznets Curve (PECKC). Utilizing data from the Afrobarometer Round 7 and employing fixed effect polynomial regression model, we confirm that the poverty-environmental concern relationship conforms to an inverted U-shaped PECKC. Specifically, environmental concern is high at low levels of poverty but reaches a poverty threshold beyond which further impoverishment leads to reduced environmental concern. These findings offer policymakers critical insight for designing environmental policies tailored to varying levels of poverty and provide new insight into the poverty reduction and environment degradation discussion.