Cross-country polarisation in CO2 emissions per capita in the European Union : changes and explanatory factors
Duro, Juan Antonio (Universitat Rovira i Virgili. Departament d'Economia)
Padilla, Emilio (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament d'Economia Aplicada)

Date:	2013
Abstract:	We analyse the degree of polarisation in the international distribution of CO2 emissions per capita in the European Union. It is analytically relevant to examine the degree of instability inherent to a distribution and, in the analysed case, the likelihood that the distribution and its evolution will increase or decrease the chances of reaching an agreement on climate policy. Two approaches were used to measure polarisation: the endogenous approach, in which countries are grouped according to their similarity in terms of emissions, and the exogenous approach, in which countries are grouped geographically. Our findings indicate a clear decrease in polarisation since the mid-1990s, which can essentially be explained by the fact that the different groups have converged (i. e. antagonism among the CO2 emitters has decreased) as the contribution of energy intensity to between-group differences has decreased. This lower degree of polarisation in CO2 distribution suggests a situation more conducive to the possibility of reaching EU-wide agreements on the mitigation of CO2 emissions. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.
Grants:	Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación ECO2010-18158 Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación ECO2009-10003 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2009/SGR-600
Rights:	Tots els drets reservats.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió acceptada per publicar
Subject:	Distribution of emissions ; European Union ; Mitigation agreements ; Polarisation ; SDG 13 - Climate Action
Published in:	Environmental and Resource Economics, Vol. 54 Núm. 4 (2013) , p. 571-591, ISSN 1573-1502

DOI: 10.1007/s10640-012-9607-x

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