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Diversity of greenhouse gas emission drivers across European countries since the 2008 crisis

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  • Quentin Perrier
  • Céline Guivarch
  • Olivier Boucher

Abstract

In the context of climate change mitigation and the Paris Agreement, it is critical to monitor and understand the dynamics of greenhouse gas emissions over different regions of the world. In this study, we quantify the contributions of different drivers behind the observed emission decrease in Europe between 2009 and 2014. To this end, we build a novel dataset of deflated input–output tables for each of the 28 EU countries. This dataset enables us to conduct the first Structural Decomposition Analysis of emissions in European countries since the economic crisis. Our results show that the largest drivers of emissions have been the improvement in carbon intensity (−394 MtCO$_{2}$2e), largely offset by the economic recovery (+285 MtCO$_{2}$2e). However, other less intuitive drivers also played a significant role in the emission decline: changes in the production system (−104 MtCO$_{2}$2e), mostly driven by an increase in imports; the evolution of final demand patterns (−101 MtCO$_{2}$2e); a decrease in emissions due to household heating (−83 MtCO$_{2}$2e) and private transport (−24 MtCO$_{2}$2e), with a small offset from population growth (+39 MtCO$_{2}$2e). However, these aggregate figures mask significant variations between EU countries which we also document. This study highlights the importance of including changes in consumption patterns, trade and temperature anomalies in tracking and fostering progress towards the Paris Agreement goals.Key policy insights The largest drivers of EU greenhouse gas emissions changes between 2009 and 2014 have been improved carbon intensity and economic recovery.Changes in imports, production technologies, consumption patterns and household heating also played a significant role.Dynamics of change varied significantly from one country to another.Tracking these drivers is essential to monitor progress towards the Paris Agreement goals and increase ambition.

Suggested Citation

  • Quentin Perrier & Céline Guivarch & Olivier Boucher, 2020. "Diversity of greenhouse gas emission drivers across European countries since the 2008 crisis," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(9), pages 1067-1087, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:tcpoxx:v:19:y:2020:i:9:p:1067-1087
    DOI: 10.1080/14693062.2019.1625744
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    Cited by:

    1. Alkan, Ayla & Oğuş-Binatlı, Ayla, 2021. "Is Production or Consumption the Determiner? Sources of Turkey’s CO2 Emissions between 1990-2015 and Policy Implications," MPRA Paper 111635, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 11 Feb 2021.
    2. Ajibike Eunice Akin-Ponnle & Felisberto Sequeira Pereira & Raquel Castro Madureira & Nuno Borges Carvalho, 2022. "From Macro to Micro: Impact of Smart Turbine Energy Harvesters (STEH), on Environmental Sustainability and Smart City Automation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-18, February.
    3. Škare, Marinko & Porada-Rochoń, Małgorzata, 2023. "Are we making progress on decarbonization? A panel heterogeneous study of the long-run relationship in selected economies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    4. María T. Álvarez-Martínez & Alfredo J. Mainar-Causapé, 2021. "The GHG Emissions Generating Capacity by Productive Sectors in the EU: A SAM Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-14, February.
    5. Miguel A. Martínez & Ángeles Cámara, 2021. "Environmental Changes Produced by Household Consumption," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-16, September.
    6. Andrzej Czyżewski & Mariola Michałowska, 2022. "The Impact of Agriculture on Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Visegrad Group Countries after the World Economic Crisis of 2008. Comparative Study of the Researched Countries," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-18, March.
    7. Lauri Peterson, 2021. "Silver Lining to Extreme Weather Events? Democracy and Climate Change Mitigation," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 21(1), pages 23-53, Winter.
    8. Mariano González-Sánchez & Juan Luis Martín-Ortega, 2020. "Greenhouse Gas Emissions Growth in Europe: A Comparative Analysis of Determinants," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-22, January.

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