This study empirically analyzes the relationship between human development and carbonization of economies using the environmental Kuznets curve framework. The study uses the human development index to measure human progress and a "carbonization index" to measure carbon emission efficiency. The major findings are: 1) The relationship between human development and carbonization follows an inverted-U shape, supporting the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis. 2) The relationships vary by income level. 3) The environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis is supported for many regions. 4) The relationships between components of the human development index and carbonization differ, with education level having the strongest inverted-U relationship. 5) Political liberty, population density, civil liberty, and trade openness