A Comprehensive Approach to CO 2 Emissions Analysis in High-Human-Development-Index Countries Using Statistical and Time Series Approaches

Hamed Khosravi, Ahmed Shoyeb Raihan, Farzana Islam, Ashish Nimbarte and Imtiaz Ahmed ()
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Hamed Khosravi: Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
Ahmed Shoyeb Raihan: Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
Farzana Islam: Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
Ashish Nimbarte: Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
Imtiaz Ahmed: Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 2, 1-35

Abstract: Reducing carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions is vital at both global and national levels, given their significant role in exacerbating climate change. CO 2 emissions, stemming from a variety of industrial and economic activities, are major contributors to the greenhouse effect and global warming, posing substantial obstacles in addressing climate issues. It is imperative to forecast CO 2 emissions trends and classify countries based on their emission patterns to effectively mitigate worldwide carbon emissions. This paper presents an in-depth comparative study on the determinants of CO 2 emissions in twenty countries with high Human Development Index (HDI), exploring factors related to economy, environment, energy use, and renewable resources over a span of 25 years. The study unfolds in two distinct phases: initially, statistical techniques such as Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), fixed effects, and random effects models are applied to pinpoint significant determinants of CO 2 emissions. Following this, the study leverages supervised and unsupervised time series approaches to further scrutinize and understand the factors influencing CO 2 emissions. Seasonal AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average with eXogenous variables (SARIMAX), a statistical time series forecasting model, is first used to predict emission trends from historical data, offering practical insights for policy formulation. Subsequently, Dynamic Time Warping (DTW), an unsupervised time series clustering approach, is used to group countries by similar emission patterns. The dual-phase approach utilized in this study significantly improves the accuracy of CO 2 emissions predictions while also providing a deeper insight into global emission trends. By adopting this thorough analytical framework, nations can develop more focused and effective carbon reduction policies, playing a vital role in the global initiative to combat climate change.

Keywords: CO 2 emissions; carbon footprint reduction; emission trend forecasting; CO 2 indicators; time series approaches; sustainable future (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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