Impact of population, age structure, and urbanization on carbon emissions/energy consumption: Evidence from macro-level, cross-country analyses

Brantley Liddle

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: This review summarizes the evidence from cross-country, macro-level studies on the way demographic factors and processes—specifically, population, age structure, household size, urbanization, and population density—influence carbon emissions and energy consumption. Analyses employing time-variant data have produced great variance in population elasticity estimations—sometimes significantly greater than one, sometimes significantly less than one; whereas, cross-sectional analyses typically have estimated population elasticities near one. Studies that have considered age structure typically have used standard World Bank definitions, and mostly have found those variables to be insignificant. However, when researchers have considered levels of disaggregation that approximate life-cycle behavior like family size, they have uncovered relationships that are complex and nonlinear. Average household size has a negative relationship with road energy use and aggregate carbon emissions. Urbanization appears positively associated with energy consumption and carbon emissions. Higher population density is associated with lower levels of energy consumption and emissions.

Keywords: STIRPAT; IPAT; urbanization and energy/carbon emissions; age structure and environment; cross-country analyses (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q4 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene and nep-env
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (84)

Published in Population and Environment 3.35(2014): pp. 286-304

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pra:mprapa:61306

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