There are various schools of thought regarding the relationship between the environment and economy. Ecological modernization argues that the harmful effects of economic growth and development on the environment decline through time, whereas the treadmill of production and ecologically unequal exchange postulate different perspectives. This study relies on World Bank and World Resources Institute data for the period of 1965–2010. Time‐series cross‐sectional Prais‐Winsten (PW) regression models with panel‐corrected standard errors (PCSE) are employed to examine whether economic growth and trade openness intensified or decoupled in relation to three measures of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions during this period. The findings of this study indicate that there has been a “tilt” in the treadmill of production—that is, the most environmentally degrading production processes have moved to less developed countries. Furthermore, integration into the world economy has been associated with an intensification in CO2 emissions for less developed countries. Surprisingly, however, this phenomenon does not seem to be driven by exports sent to high‐income nations, suggesting that there are mechanisms embodied within the global organization of production that require further exploration.

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This study advances research at the intersection of environmental degradation, social stratification, and population health in the United States. Expanding the theoretical principles of power, proximity, and physiology, we hypothesize that the harmful effect of fine particulate matter on life expectancy is greater in states with higher levels of income inequality and larger black populations. To test our hypothesis, we use two-way fixed effects regression analysis to estimate the effect of a three-way interaction between fine particulate matter, income share of the top ten percent, and the percent of the population that is black on state-level average life expectancy for all US states and the District of Columbia (2000Columbia ( -2014. The findings support our hypothesis: the estimated effect of the three-way interaction on average life expectancy is negative and statistically significant, net of various socioeconomic and demographic controls. Using post-estimation techniques, we visually illustrate that the harmful effect of fine particulate matter on life expectancy is especially pronounced in states with both very high levels of income inequality and very large black populations. We conclude by summarizing the theoretical and substantive implications of our findings, the limitations of the study, and potential next steps in this evolving area of interdisciplinary research. Recently, Hill and colleagues (2019) conducted a longitudinal analysis of US states and the District of Columbia

This cross-national study employs a time-series cross-sectional Prais-Winsten regression model with panelcorrected standard errors to examine the relationship between renewable energy consumption and economic growth, and its impact on total carbon dioxide emissions and carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP. FindingsDriven primarily by anthropogenic causes, the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is at levels not observed for at least the past 800,000 years, if not longer (IPCC 2014a: 4). The concentration of greenhouse gases (GHG), particularly CO2, will continue to alter the climate system, placing a disproportionate amount of stress on the poor and marginalized (IPCC 2014a:13). Fossil fuel combustion and industrial production are the largest contributors, leading many analysts to place a prodigious emphasis on decarbonizing the electricity and energy sector (IPCC 2014:28;Obama 2017; World Bank 2010:14). The ecological contradictions of fossil fuel use and production processes have been closely tied to a global, capitalist system that is based on exponential growth and profit accumulation (Foster, Clark, and York 2010). However, many policymakers and institutions have been reluctant to acknowledge or address the underpinnings and social relations of the macro-economic system on national and cross-national levels (see Obama 2017; OECD, World Bank, and United Nations 2012). In some quarters, promoting the deployment of renewable energy sources is a key strategy to mitigate carbon emissions (IPCC 2014b). However, scant attention has been given to macro-economic investigation of renewable energy and its relationship to various processes within the global economic system.