This document discusses the relationship between environmental pollution and socioeconomic development. It states that as economies develop, pollution increases up until a certain level of income is reached, after which pollution begins to decline. This occurs because early economic growth relies on heavy industry and manufacturing which produce large amounts of pollution, but at a higher level of income, economies shift away from heavy industry towards less polluting service industries. It also notes that countries can take steps to prevent pollution from rising to dangerous levels during early economic development by implementing environmental regulations and investing in clean technologies.