影響生態足跡之環境政策因子效果探討

The Impact of Environmental Policy on Ecological Footprint

在進行環保政策效果評估時，生態足跡提供一個全面性的指標，因此本研究以OECD中30國家1994年至2006年為樣本，以分量迴歸方法探討課徵環境稅能否降低各國的生態足跡，提升地球生態永續性。並以此檢視環境顧志耐曲線（environmental Kuznets curve）理論及不平等生態交換理論（uneven ecological exchange theory）。研究結果顯示OECD國家課徵環境稅，在生態足跡於中度分量時，對減少資源消費以增加地球永續性有幫助，但在低分量時，影響力則不顯著。一國都市化程度越高，該國整體的資源消費水準會增加，與生態足跡呈現正相關，反面印證Jorgenson and Rice（2005）的看法，也肯定不平等生態交換理論。 Wackernagel and Rees (1996) introduced a new index, Ecological Footprint, to realize a particular region's resources usage pattern. In order to exactly figure out the relationship between environmental taxes and ecological footprints, we apply the panel data set of 30 OECD countries from 1994 to 2006 and use quantile regression to find the comprehensive relationship. We also add GDP per capita, GDP per capita square, urbanization and ratio of export to GDP to reexamined Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) and Uneven ecological exchange Theory. The empirical result shows that environmental tax exactly help OECD countries to get the purpose of sustainability if it is in medium-high quantile, but the effect is insignificant in low quantile. It also indicates that it is hard to maintain both economic growth and environmental quality in low and medium quantiles. However, the relationship between GDP square and ecological footprint only significant in low quantiles, which means EKC appears only in low quantiles. Besides, urbanization has positive effect to ecological footprint in all quantiles. The result also supports Uneven ecological exchange Theory which means export ratio has negative effect to national ecological footprint per capita.