Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 2017, 5, 92-100 http://www.scirp.org/journal/gep ISSN Online: 2327-4344 ISSN Print: 2327-4336 DOI: 10.4236/gep.2017.510008 Oct. 25, 2017 92 Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection Environmental Pollution and Economic Growth in China: A Test of the Environmental Kuznets Curve Jiaqi Hu, Adrian Hernandez-del-Valle, Miguel A. Martinez-Garcia SEPI-ESE-Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico Abstract We apply a two pronged approach to analyze the presence of Environmental Kuznets Curve, EKC, in three types of emissions in the People’s Republic of China from 1994 to 2014: a structural breakpoint analysis and a model based test. We apply it to PM 2.5 , industrial waste and domestic water pollution time series, and find evidence of EKC in all three types of emissions that require appropriate policy. Keywords Economic Growth, Environmental Kuznets Curve, PM 2.5 , Domestic Water Pollution, Industrial Waste, China 1. Introduction This paper examines the relationship between economic growth and environ- mental sustainability in the People’s Republic of China, PRC, by empirically es- timating environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) models using national data from 1994 to 2014. The results show that there exists an inverted-U shaped relation- ship as hypothesized by the EKC model between per capita GDP and per capita emissions (or discharges) of domestic water pollution, PM 2.5 microparticle emis- sions and industrial waste. Specifically, we find that PM 2.5 has an N shape curve with two breakpoints (also found in literature as turning points, structural breakpoints, regime switches), SBs, at 9786.425 Yuan and 19880.32 Yuan. The EKC test applied to an interpolated PM 2.5 series indicates a Normal N type curve. Industrial waste, IW, has what could become a two breakpoint EKC. The first breakpoint happens at 35300.37 Yuan with a pronounced change in slope going How to cite this paper: Hu, J.Q., Hernan- dez-del-Valle, A. and Martinez-Garcia, M.A. (2017) Environmental Pollution and Eco- nomic Growth in China: A Test of the Envi- ronmental Kuznets Curve. Journal of Geos- cience and Environment Protection, 5, 92-100. https://doi.org/10.4236/gep.2017.510008 Received: September 11, 2017 Accepted: October 22, 2017 Published: October 25, 2017 Copyright © 2017 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Open Access