The Drivers of Long-run CO2 Emissions: A Global Perspective since 1800

Sofia Henriques and Karol Borowiecki

No 62, Working Papers from European Historical Economics Society (EHES)

Abstract: Fossil-fuel-related carbon dioxide emissions have risen dramatically since 1800. We identify the long-run drivers of CO2 emissions for a sample of twelve developed economies using an extended Kaya decomposition. By considering biomass and carbon-free energy sources along with fossil fuels we are able to shed light on the effects of past and present energy transitions on CO2 emissions. We find that at low levels of income per capita, fuel switching from biomass to fossil fuels is the main contributing factor to emission growth. Scale effects, especially income effects, become the most important emission drivers at higher levels of income and also dominate the overall long-run change. Technological change is the main offsetting factor. Particularly in the last decades, technological change and fuel switching have become important contributors to the decrease in emissions in Europe. Our results also individualize the different CO2 historical paths across parts of Europe, North America and Japan.

Keywords: CO2 emissions; Kaya decomposition; Energy transition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: N70 O44 Q40 Q5 Q54 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 47 pages
Date: 2014-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene, nep-env and nep-his
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Related works:
Working Paper: The Drivers of Long-run CO2 Emissions: A Global Perspective since 1800 (2014)
Working Paper: The Drivers of Long-run CO2 Emissions: A Global Perspective since 1800 (2014)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hes:wpaper:0062

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