Abstract
Ecological Modernization Theory indicating that the environmental protection can coexist with the economic development is widely supported particularly in Europe. This study analyses whether this theory is applicable not only to developed countries but also to other countries/regions, using sulphur dioxide (SO2) as the indicator. First, the trends of economic growth and SO2 emission are compared in each region, and then the decomposition analysis is applied to identify the causes of the change. The results show that decoupling of the trends are observed in some of the non-developed regions, and SO2 reduction per supply of fossil fuel has been continued in most regions. Therefore, the theory seems to be applicable to those non-developed regions. However, the overall judgement may be dependent on the future trend of Asia where SO2 emissions are quite huge.
