Long-Term Increases and Recent Slowdowns of CO 2 Emissions in Korea

Wankeun Oh and Jonghyun Yoo
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Wankeun Oh: Department of Economics, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Seoul 02450, Korea
Jonghyun Yoo: School of the Environment, Yale University, 195 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06511, USA

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 17, 1-13

Abstract: Korea is one of the fastest-growing CO 2 -emitting countries but has recently experienced a dramatic slowdown in emissions. The objective of the study is to examine the driving factors of long-term increases (1990–2015) and their slowdown (2012–2015) in emissions of Korea. This study uses an extended index decomposition analysis model that better fits Korea’s emission trends of the last 25 years by encompassing 19 energy end-use sectors (18 economic sectors and a household sector) and three energy types. The results show that emission increases in the long term (1990–2015) come from economic growth and population growth. However, improvements in energy intensity, carbon intensity, and economic structure offset large portions of CO 2 emissions. The recent slowdown (2012–2015) mainly resulted from a decline in energy intensity and carbon intensity in the economic sectors. Among the different energy types, electricity has played a significant role in decreasing emissions because industries have reduced the consumption of electricity per output and the source of electricity generation has shifted to cleaner energies. These results imply that the Korean government should support strategies that reduce energy intensity and carbon intensity in the future to reduce CO 2 emissions and maintain sustainable development.

Keywords: CO 2 emission; index decomposition analysis; energy intensity; electricity; Korea (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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