Title: Energy and CO₂ efficiency dynamics in world regions

Authors: Jari Kaivo-oja, Jyrki Luukkanen

Addresses: Finland Futures Research Centre, Turku School of Economics and Business Administration, Box 110, FIN-20521 Turku, Finland. Finland Futures Research Centre, Turku School of Economics and Business Administration, Box 110, FIN-20521 Turku, Finland

Abstract: Climate change has been described by scientists, environmentalists and politicians as a threat unprecedented in human experience. Emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities constitute the proximate cause. Greenhouse gas emissions are related to the efficiency developments of spatial energy systems. The study analyses the efficiency development in the global world economy. This study is a comparative analysis of energy and CO ₂ emission intensity effects in world regions from the years 1971-1999. The analysed regions are Latin America, USA, Africa, the Middle East, China, the rest of Asia and Europe. The comparative analyses are based on the complete decomposition methodology, from which the authors provide the analysis of dynamic changes of energy consumption and CO ₂ emission flows compared with economic performance in the larger regional economies of the world. In this article, the authors report the activity effects, the structural effects and the intensity effects in these different world regions.

Keywords: energy; carbon dioxide emissions; efficiency; climate policy; decomposition; historical trends; global economy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGEI.2002.000965

International Journal of Global Energy Issues, 2002 Vol.18 No.2/3/4, pp.274-293

Published online: 18 Aug 2003 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article