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Population aging and carbon emissions in OECD countries: Accounting for life-cycle and cohort effects

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  • Menz, Tobias
  • Welsch, Heinz

Abstract

This paper investigates the relationship between emissions of carbon dioxide and the ongoing process of demographic transition in OECD countries. Our research is motivated by suggestions in the literature that emission-relevant consumption patterns may depend on the position in the life cycle and on the birth cohort to which people belong. We augment standard macroeconomic emission regressions by including the age and cohort composition of the population. Our estimation results on a panel of data for 26 countries, spanning the period 1960–2005, suggest that both life-cycle and cohort effects belong in a macroeconomic emission function for carbon dioxide. We find that shifts in both the age and the cohort composition have contributed to rising carbon emissions in OECD countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Menz, Tobias & Welsch, Heinz, 2012. "Population aging and carbon emissions in OECD countries: Accounting for life-cycle and cohort effects," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 842-849.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:34:y:2012:i:3:p:842-849
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eneco.2011.07.016
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Wen Guo & Tao Sun & Hongjun Dai, 2016. "Effect of Population Structure Change on Carbon Emission in China," Sustainability, MDPI, Open Access Journal, vol. 8(3), pages 1-20, March.
    2. Zhang, Chuanguo & Tan, Zheng, 2016. "The relationships between population factors and China's carbon emissions: Does population aging matter?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 1018-1025.
    3. KPEMOUA, Palakiyem, 2016. "Analyse Du Lien Entre Les Emissions De Co2, Leur Restriction Et La Croissance Economique Du Togo
      [Analysis Of The Nexus Between Co2 Emission, Their Restriction And Economic Growth Of Togo]      ," MPRA Paper 77624, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 10 Oct 2016.
    4. repec:eee:rensus:v:77:y:2017:i:c:p:731-747 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Sambit Bhattacharyya & Maurizio Intartaglia & Andy McKay, 2016. "Does Climate Aid Affect Emissions? Evidence from a Global Dataset," CSAE Working Paper Series 2016-09, Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford.
    6. Sarah Harper, 2013. "Population–Environment Interactions: European Migration, Population Composition and Climate Change," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 55(4), pages 525-541, August.
    7. Liddle, Brantley, 2014. "Impact of population, age structure, and urbanization on carbon emissions/energy consumption: Evidence from macro-level, cross-country analyses," MPRA Paper 61306, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Day, Rosie, 2015. "Low carbon thermal technologies in an ageing society – What are the issues?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 250-256.
    9. Liddle, Brantley, 2015. "What Are the Carbon Emissions Elasticities for Income and Population? Bridging STIRPAT and EKC via robust heterogeneous panel estimates," MPRA Paper 61304, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Hasanov, Fakhri J. & Bulut, Cihan & Suleymanov, Elchin, 2016. "Do population age groups matter in the energy use of the oil-exporting countries?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 82-99.
    11. Zoundi, Zakaria, 2017. "CO2 emissions, renewable energy and the Environmental Kuznets Curve, a panel cointegration approach," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 1067-1075.
    12. repec:gam:jsusta:v:8:y:2016:i:3:p:225:d:65145 is not listed on IDEAS

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Carbon emissions; Population aging; Demographic transition; Environmental Kuznets curve; Climate change;

    JEL classification:

    • Q40 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - General
    • Q25 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Water
    • J11 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Demographic Trends, Macroeconomic Effects, and Forecasts

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