The environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) is a hypothesized relationship between various indicators of environmental degradation and per capita income. In the early stages of economic growth, pollution emissions increase and environmental quality declines, but beyond some level of per capita income the trend reverses, so that at high income levels, economic growth leads to environmental improvement.
This implies that environmental impacts or emissions per capita are an inverted U-shaped function of per capita income.
The proponents of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis advocate that growth is actually a cure for environmental problems, rather than being a cause of it.
Environmental Kuznet Curve