Discerning which sources contribute most to differences in per capita carbon emissions and why presents a daunting task for analysts, since several underlying factors affect emissions from hundreds of end-uses. This paper provides details of an international comparison methodology and carries out the comparison on a number of International Energy Agency (IEA) member countries. These calculations show where differences in the components of emissions lead to large gaps among countries. The data, from national sources, are the most extensive and disaggregated ever compiled for this kind of international analysis. Overall, activity differences account for the largest part of the gap in per capita emissions among IEA countries. If we normalize emissions to GDP, then transport activity levels, energy intensities, and utility carbon intensity share about equally in explaining the differences in carbon/GDP ratios among countries. Most of the structural variations arise in the freight, services, and household sectors—sectors less sensitive to international competition than manufacturing.
DavisS.C. (1999). Transportation Energy Data Book: Edition 19. Oak Ridge, TN: Oak Ridge National Laboratory. ORNL-6958.
2.
GaleottiM.LanzaA.. (1999). Desperately Seeking (Environmental) Kuznets. Fondazione ENI Enrico Mattei, Nota di lavoro N.2/99.
3.
GentryW. (1994). “Residential Energy Demand and the Taxation of Housing.” The Energy Journal15 (2): 89-105.
4.
GreeningL.DavisW.B.SchipperL.J. (1996). “Decomposition of Aggregate Carbon Intensity for the Manufacturing Sector: Comparison of Declining Trends from Ten OECD Countries for the Period 1971 to 1991.” Energy Economics18(1): 43-65.
5.
GreeningL.A.DavisW.B.SchipperL.J.KhmshchM. (1997). “Comparison of Six Decomposition Methods: Application to Aggregate Energy Intensity for Manufacturing in Ten OECD Countries.” Energy Economics19(3): 375-390.
6.
IEA [International Energy Agency] (2000). Energy Statistics and Balances of OECD Countries. (diskette service). Paris: IEA/OECD.
7.
INSEE [Institut National de la Statistique et Etudes Economiques] (2000). Les Transports en 1999. Paris: INSEE.
8.
IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] (1996). Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Greenhouse Gas Inventory Reference Manual. Geneva: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
9.
JohanssonO.SchipperL.J. (1997). “Measuring Long-Run Automobile Fuel Demand: Separate Estimations of Vehicle Stock, Mean Fuel Intensity, and Measured Annual Driving Distances.” Journal of Transport Economics and Policy31(3): 277.
10.
JorgensonD.W.GoettleR.J.WilcoxenP.J.HoM.S. (2000). The Role of Substitution in Understanding the Costs of Climate Change Policy. Pew Center on Global Climate Change. http://www.pewclimate.org/projects/substitution.pdf
11.
KrackelerT.SchipperL.SezgenO. (1999). “Carbon Dioxide Emissions in OECD Service Sectors: The Critical Role of Electricity Use.” Energy Policy26(15): 1137-1152.
12.
KhrushchM. (1997). Masters Thesis. Energy and Resources Group. Berkeley: Univ. of California OECD [Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development] (1997). Indicators of Energy Use and Efficiency. Understanding the link between energy and human activity.Paris: OECD.
13.
ParikhS.C.RothkopfM. (1980). “Long-mn elasticity of U.S. energy demand.” Energy Economics2(1): 31-36.
14.
RoseA.CaslerS. (1995). “Input-Output Structural Decomposition Analysis: A Critical Appraisal.” Economic Systems Research8(1): 33-62.
15.
SchipperL.KetoffA.KahaneA. (1985). “Explaining Residential Energy Use by International Bottom-Up Comparisons.” Annual Review of Energy10: 341-405.
16.
SchipperL.BartlettS.HawkD.VineE. (1989). “Linking Life-Styles and Energy Use A Matter of Time?” Annual Review of Energy14: 273-320.
17.
SchipperL.FigueroaM.J.GorhamR. (1995). People on the Move: A Comparison of Travel Patterns in OECD Countries. Berkeley, CA: Institute of Urban and Regional Development, University of California.
18.
SchipperL.J.HaasR.SheinbaumC. (1996). “Recent Trends in Residential Energy Use in OECD Countries and Their Impact on Carbon Dioxide Emissions: A Comparative Analysis of the Period 1973-1992.” Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change1(2): 167-196.
19.
SchipperL. (1997). Indicators of Energy Use and Efficiency: The Link Between Energy Use and Human Activity. Paris: International Energy Agency.
20.
SchipperL.J.SchollL.PriceL. (1997). “Energy Use and Carbon from Freight in Ten Industrialized Countries: An Analysis of Trends from 1973 to 1992.” Transportation Research-Part D: Transport and Environment2(1): 57-76.
21.
SchipperL.J.TingM.KhrushchM.GoloveW. (1997). “The Evolution of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Energy Use in Industrialized Countries: An End-Use Analysis.” Energy Policy25(7-9): 651-672.
22.
SchipperL.MarieC. (1999). “Energy Saver or Energy Waster? The Use of Diesel Cars in Europe.” In New Equilibria in the Energy Markets, proceedings of the 22nd IAEE International Conference (Rome). Cleveland, OH: International Association for Energy Economics.
23.
SchipperL.Marie-LilliuC. (1999). Carbon Emissions from Transport in IEA Countries: Recent Lessons and Long-Term Challenges. Stockholm: Swedish Board for Communications and Transportation Research.
24.
SchipperL.GrubbM. (2000). “On the Rebound: The Interaction of Energy Use and Energy Efficiency.” Energy Policy28(6-7): 367-88.
25.
SchipperL.Marie-LilliuC.LandwehrM.FultonL. (2000). 7he Road from Kyoto: Current Transport And C02 Policies in the IEA. Paris: International Energy Agency.
26.
SchipperL.UnanderF., (2000). Energy Use in New Zealand in an International Perspective: Comparison of Trends Through the Mid-1990s. Paris: International Energy Agency.
27.
SchipperL.UnanderF., (2001). Energy Use in Australia in an International Perspective: Comparison of Trends Through the Mid-1990s. Canberra: Dept. of Industry, Science &Resources. Gov't of Australia. Paris: International Energy Agency.
28.
SchipperL.MurtishawS.KhrushchM.TingM.KarbuzS.UnanderF. (2001). “Carbon Emissions from Manufacturing Energy Use in Thirteen IEA Countries: Long Term Trends through 1995.” Energy Policy (forthcoming).
29.
SchmalenseeR.StokerT.JudsonR. (1998). “World Carbon Dioxide Emissions: 1950-2050.” Review of Economics and Statistics80(1): 15-27.
30.
UnanderF.KarbuzS.SchipperL.KhrushchM.TingM.(2000). “Manufacturing Energy Use in OECD Countries: Decomposition of Long-term Trends.” Energy Policy27(13): 769-778.
31.
UnanderF.SchipperL. (2000).Trends in Norwegian Stationary Energy Use: An International Perspective. NVE-report 2000/2 Oslo. OECD/IEA and the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE).
