IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/rim/rimwps/12_13.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

A New Index of Environmental Quality Based on Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Author

Listed:
  • Elettra Agliardi

    (University of Bologna, Italy)

  • Mehmet Pinar

    (Edge Hill University, UK)

  • Thanasis Stengos

    (University of Guelph, Canada)

Abstract

A weighting scheme is proposed to construct a new index of environmental quality based on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for different countries using an approach that relies on consistent tests for stochastic dominance (SD) efficiency. The benchmark is an index that is based on the average actual contributions of the respective GHG emission types to the total. Our index stochastically dominates the chosen benchmark and allows us to figure out the "worst" and "best" case scenarios, where environmental degradation is at its maximum and minimum, respectively. If a common global action were to be taken by all countries involved, these scenarios would correspond to the most and least effective possible actions, respectively, that could be undertaken when compared to the benchmark. Then, countries are ranked and their rankings are compared with alternative rankings (e.g., the Kyoto Protocol, Annex I, and the Environmental Sustainability Index, ESI). The test statistics and the estimators are computed using mixed integer programming methods. Then, employing a complementary SD approach, pairwise SD tests are employed to examine the dynamic progress of each separate GHG emission (i.e.,CO2, methane, nitrous oxide, and other GHG emissions) over time, from 1990 to 2005, within 5-year horizons. Pairwise SD tests are used to examine the major industry contributors to the GHG emissions at any given time and to uncover the industry which contributes the most to total emissions.

Suggested Citation

  • Elettra Agliardi & Mehmet Pinar & Thanasis Stengos, 2013. "A New Index of Environmental Quality Based on Greenhouse Gas Emissions," Working Paper series 12_13, Rimini Centre for Economic Analysis.
    • Handle: RePEc:rim:rimwps:12_13
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.rcea.org/RePEc/pdf/wp12_13.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hamilton, Kirk & Clemens, Michael, 1999. "Genuine Savings Rates in Developing Countries," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 13(2), pages 333-356, May.
    2. Mehmet Pinar & Thanasis Stengos & Nikolas Topaloglou, 2013. "Measuring human development: a stochastic dominance approach," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 69-108, March.
    3. Kenneth Arrow & Partha Dasgupta & Lawrence Goulder & Gretchen Daily & Paul Ehrlich & Geoffrey Heal & Simon Levin & Karl-Göran Mäler & Stephen Schneider & David Starrett & Brian Walker, 2004. "Are We Consuming Too Much?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 18(3), pages 147-172, Summer.
    4. Garry F. Barrett & Stephen G. Donald, 2003. "Consistent Tests for Stochastic Dominance," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 71(1), pages 71-104, January.
    5. Arrow, Kenneth J. & Dasgupta, Partha & Goulder, Lawrence H. & Mumford, Kevin J. & Oleson, Kirsten, 2012. "Sustainability and the measurement of wealth," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 17(3), pages 317-353, June.
    6. Yan, Xiaoyu & Crookes, Roy J., 2009. "Reduction potentials of energy demand and GHG emissions in China's road transport sector," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 658-668, February.
    7. repec:oup:renvpo:v:6:y::i:1:p:45-64 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Elettra Agliardi, 2011. "Sustainability in Uncertain Economies," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 48(1), pages 71-82, January.
    9. Palmer, Karen & Burtraw, Dallas, 2005. "Cost-effectiveness of renewable electricity policies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(6), pages 873-894, November.
    10. Scaillet, Olivier & Topaloglou, Nikolas, 2010. "Testing for Stochastic Dominance Efficiency," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, American Statistical Association, vol. 28(1), pages 169-180.
    11. Richard Schmalensee, 2012. "Evaluating Policies to Increase Electricity Generation from Renewable Energy," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 6(1), pages 45-64.
    12. Russell Davidson & Jean-Yves Duclos, 2000. "Statistical Inference for Stochastic Dominance and for the Measurement of Poverty and Inequality," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 68(6), pages 1435-1464, November.
    13. Agliardi, Elettra & Agliardi, Rossella & Pinar, Mehmet & Stengos, Thanasis & Topaloglou, Nikolas, 2012. "A new country risk index for emerging markets: A stochastic dominance approach," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 19(5), pages 741-761.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. E. Agliardi & M. Pinar & T. Stengos, 2014. "Assessing temporal trends and industry contributions to air and water pollution using stochastic dominance," Working Papers wp981, Dipartimento Scienze Economiche, Universita' di Bologna.
    2. Elettra Agliardi & Mehmet Pinar & Thanasis Stengos, 2015. "An environmental degradation index based on stochastic dominance," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 48(1), pages 439-459, February.
    3. Mehmet Pinar & Thanasis Stengos & Nikolas Topaloglou, 2022. "Stochastic dominance spanning and augmenting the human development index with institutional quality," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 315(1), pages 341-369, August.
    4. Agliardi, Elettra & Pinar, Mehmet & Stengos, Thanasis, 2014. "A sovereign risk index for the Eurozone based on stochastic dominance," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 11(4), pages 375-384.
    5. Tahsin Mehdi, 2019. "Stochastic Dominance Approach to OECD’s Better Life Index," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 143(3), pages 917-954, June.
    6. Mehmet Pinar & Thanasis Stengos & M. Ege Yazgan, 2018. "Quantile forecast combination using stochastic dominance," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 55(4), pages 1717-1755, December.
    7. Mehmet Pinar, 2015. "Measuring world governance: revisiting the institutions hypothesis," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 48(2), pages 747-778, March.
    8. Tahsin Mehdi, 2019. "Stochastic Dominance Approach to Measuring Child Development," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 12(5), pages 1567-1588, October.
    9. Pinar, Mehmet & Stengos, Thanasis & Topaloglou, Nikolas, 2020. "On the construction of a feasible range of multidimensional poverty under benchmark weight uncertainty," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 281(2), pages 415-427.
    10. Jesus Gonzalo & Jose Olmo, 2014. "Conditional Stochastic Dominance Tests In Dynamic Settings," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 55(3), pages 819-838, August.
    11. Grönqvist, Charlotta, 2009. "Empirical studies on the private value of Finnish patents," Bank of Finland Scientific Monographs, Bank of Finland, volume 0, number sm2009_041.
    12. Miguel A. Delgado & Juan Carlos Escanciano, 2013. "Conditional Stochastic Dominance Testing," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(1), pages 16-28, January.
    13. Mehmet Pinar & Thanasis Stengos & M. Ege Yazgan, 2012. "Is there an Optimal Forecast Combination? A Stochastic Dominance Approach to Forecast Combination Puzzle," Working Paper series 17_12, Rimini Centre for Economic Analysis.
    14. Duc Khuong Nguyen & Nikolas Topaloglou & Thomas Walther, 2020. "Asset Classes and Portfolio Diversification: Evidence from a Stochastic Spanning Approach," Working Papers 2020-009, Department of Research, Ipag Business School.
    15. Grönqvist, Charlotta, 2009. "Empirical studies on the private value of Finnish patents," Scientific Monographs, Bank of Finland, number 2009_041.
    16. Canepa, Alessandra & Chersoni, Giulia & Fontana, Magda, 2023. "The role of environmental and financial motivations in the adoption of energy-saving technologies: Evidence from European Union data," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 1-14.
    17. Rintaro Yamaguchi & Masayuki Sato & Kazuhiro Ueta, 2016. "Measuring Regional Wealth and Assessing Sustainable Development: An Application to a Disaster-Torn Region in Japan," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 129(1), pages 365-389, October.
    18. Shunsuke Managi & Shuning Chen & Pushpam Kumar & Partha Dasgupta, 2024. "Sustainable matrix beyond GDP: investment for inclusive growth," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-10, December.
    19. Eoin McLaughlin & Cristián Ducoing & Les Oxley, 2024. "Tracing Sustainability in the Long Run: Genuine Savings Estimates 1850–2018," NBER Chapters, in: Measuring and Accounting for Environmental Public Goods: A National Accounts Perspective, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    20. Koji Tokimatsu & Rintaro Yamaguchi & Masayuki Sato & Rieko Yasuoka & Masahiro Nishio & Kazuhiro Ueta, 2012. "Measuring sustainable development for the future with climate change mitigation; a case study of applying an integrated assessment model under IPCC SRES scenarios," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 14(6), pages 915-938, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Environmental Quality; Emissions; Nonparametric Stochastic Dominance; Mixed Integer Programming;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C4 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods: Special Topics
    • C5 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling
    • C14 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Semiparametric and Nonparametric Methods: General
    • Q01 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - General - - - Sustainable Development
    • Q5 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics
    • Q51 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Valuation of Environmental Effects

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:rim:rimwps:12_13. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Marco Savioli (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/rcfeait.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.