IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/streco/v70y2024icp233-244.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

International inequality in energy use and CO2 emissions (1820–2020)

Author

Listed:
  • Malanima, Paolo

Abstract

Global inequality is made up of two components: inequality within countries and between countries. Over the last two centuries, the second component has strongly shaped global inequality. However, little is known about its evolution over time, and nothing at all about inequality in energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This article presents a comprehensive reconstruction of international divergence and convergence from the side of energy consumption and CO2 emissions over two centuries. From 1820 to 1919, inequality between countries increased and so did inequality in GHG emissions. This increase was followed by ups and downs until the 1970s, when a decline of international inequality began. Convergence in both energy consumption and GHG emissions accelerated after 2000.

Suggested Citation

  • Malanima, Paolo, 2024. "International inequality in energy use and CO2 emissions (1820–2020)," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 233-244.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:streco:v:70:y:2024:i:c:p:233-244
    DOI: 10.1016/j.strueco.2024.02.005
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0954349X24000183
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.strueco.2024.02.005?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lucas Chancel & Thomas Piketty, 2015. "Carbon and inequality: From Kyoto to Paris Trends in the global inequality of carbon emissions (1998-2013) & prospects for an equitable adaptation fund World Inequality Lab," Working Papers halshs-02655266, HAL.
    2. Gregor Semieniuk & Isabella M. Weber, 2019. "Inequality in Energy Consumption: Statistical Equilibrium or a Question of Accounting Conventions?," Working Papers 228, Department of Economics, SOAS University of London, UK.
    3. Christopher A. Kennedy, 2023. "Biophysical economic interpretation of the Great Depression: A critical period of an energy transition," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 27(4), pages 1197-1211, August.
    4. Sala-i-Martin, Xavier X, 1996. "The Classical Approach to Convergence Analysis," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 106(437), pages 1019-1036, July.
    5. Sam H. Schurr, 1982. "Energy Efficiency and Productive Efficiency: Some Thoughts Based on American Experience," The Energy Journal, , vol. 3(3), pages 3-14, July.
    6. Paolo Malanima, 2020. "The limiting factor: energy, growth, and divergence, 1820–1913," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 73(2), pages 486-512, May.
    7. Gregor Semieniuk & Victor M. Yakovenko, 2020. "Historical Evolution of Global Inequality in Carbon Emissions and Footprints versus Redistributive Scenarios," Papers 2004.00111, arXiv.org.
    8. Peter J. G. Pearson & Roger Fouquet, 1996. "Energy Efficiency, Economic Efficiency and Future CO2 Emissions from the Developing World," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 4), pages 135-160.
    9. Roine, Jesper & Waldenström, Daniel, 2014. "Long-Run Trends in the Distribution of Income and Wealth," Working Paper Series 1021, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    10. Saunders, Harry & Roy, Joyashree & Azevedo, Inês M.L. & Chakravarty, Debalina & Dasgubta, Shyamasree & de la Rue du Can, Stephane & Druckman, Angela & Fouquet, Roger & Grubb, Michael & Qiang Lin, Bo &, 2020. "Energy Efficiency: What has it Delivered in the Last 40 Years?," FCN Working Papers 16/2020, E.ON Energy Research Center, Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN), revised Apr 2021.
    11. François Bourguignon & Christian Morrisson, 2002. "Inequality Among World Citizens: 1820-1992," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(4), pages 727-744, September.
    12. Deininger, Klaus & Squire, Lyn, 1996. "A New Data Set Measuring Income Inequality," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 10(3), pages 565-591, September.
    13. Yannick Oswald & Anne Owen & Julia K. Steinberger, 2020. "Publisher Correction: Large inequality in international and intranational energy footprints between income groups and across consumption categories," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 5(4), pages 349-349, April.
    14. Branko Milanovic, 2012. "Global inequality recalculated and updated: the effect of new PPP estimates on global inequality and 2005 estimates," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 10(1), pages 1-18, March.
    15. Gales, Ben & Kander, Astrid & Malanima, Paolo & Rubio, Mar, 2007. "North versus South: Energy transition and energy intensity in Europe over 200 years," European Review of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 11(2), pages 219-253, August.
    16. Duro, Juan Antonio & Alcántara, Vicent & Padilla, Emilio, 2010. "International inequality in energy intensity levels and the role of production composition and energy efficiency: An analysis of OECD countries," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(12), pages 2468-2474, October.
    17. Duro, Juan Antonio & Padilla, Emilio, 2011. "Inequality across countries in energy intensities: An analysis of the role of energy transformation and final energy consumption," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 474-479, May.
    18. Ozturk, Ilhan, 2010. "A literature survey on energy-growth nexus," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 340-349, January.
    19. Groot, Loek, 2010. "Carbon Lorenz curves," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 45-64, January.
    20. Deininger, Klaus & Squire, Lyn, 1996. "A New Data Set Measuring Income Inequality," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 10(3), pages 565-591, September.
    21. Malanima, Paolo, 2021. "Energy, productivity and structural growth. The last two centuries," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 54-65.
    22. Thomas Goda & Alejandro Torres García, 2017. "The Rising Tide of Absolute Global Income Inequality During 1850–2010: Is It Driven by Inequality Within or Between Countries?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 130(3), pages 1051-1072, February.
    23. Yannick Oswald & Anne Owen & Julia K. Steinberger, 2020. "Large inequality in international and intranational energy footprints between income groups and across consumption categories," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 5(3), pages 231-239, March.
    24. Lucas Chancel, 2022. "Global carbon inequality over 1990–2019," Post-Print halshs-04157767, HAL.
    25. Frankema, Ewout, 2021. "Why Africa is not that poor," African Economic History Working Paper 61/2021, African Economic History Network.
    26. Milanovic, Branko, 2009. "Global inequality and the global inequality extraction ratio: the story of the past two centuries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5044, The World Bank.
    27. Sudhir Anand & Paul Segal, 2008. "What Do We Know about Global Income Inequality?," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 46(1), pages 57-94, March.
    28. Robert E. Hall & Charles I. Jones, 1999. "Why do Some Countries Produce So Much More Output Per Worker than Others?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 114(1), pages 83-116.
    29. Lant Pritchett, 1997. "Divergence, Big Time," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 11(3), pages 3-17, Summer.
    30. Jan Luiten Zanden & Joerg Baten & Peter Foldvari & Bas Leeuwen, 2014. "The Changing Shape of Global Inequality 1820–2000; Exploring a New Dataset," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 60(2), pages 279-297, June.
    31. Patterson, Murray G, 1996. "What is energy efficiency? : Concepts, indicators and methodological issues," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 24(5), pages 377-390, May.
    32. Charlie Wilson & Arnulf Grubler, 2011. "Lessons from the history of technological change for clean energy scenarios and policies," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 35(3), pages 165-184, August.
    33. Astrid Kander & Paolo Malanima & Paul Warde, 2013. "Power to the People: Energy in Europe over the Last Five Centuries," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 10138.
    34. Ang, B. W., 2004. "Decomposition analysis for policymaking in energy:: which is the preferred method?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(9), pages 1131-1139, June.
    35. Christian MORRISSON & Fabrice MURTIN, 2011. "Average income inequality between countries (1700-2030)," Working Papers P25, FERDI.
    36. Wang, Chunhua, 2013. "Changing energy intensity of economies in the world and its decomposition," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 637-644.
    37. Lucas Chancel, 2022. "Global carbon inequality over 1990–2019," PSE-Ecole d'économie de Paris (Postprint) halshs-04157767, HAL.
    38. Goldstone, Jack A., 2021. "Dating the Great Divergence," Journal of Global History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 16(2), pages 266-285, July.
    39. Fagerberg, Jan, 1994. "Technology and International Differences in Growth Rates," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 32(3), pages 1147-1175, September.
    40. Robert E. Lucas, 2000. "Some Macroeconomics for the 21st Century," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 14(1), pages 159-168, Winter.
    41. Theil, Henri & Finke, Renate, 1983. "The distance from the equator as an instrumental variable," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 357-360.
    42. Victor Court, 2018. "Energy Capture, Technological Change, and Economic Growth: An Evolutionary Perspective," Biophysical Economics and Resource Quality, Springer, vol. 3(3), pages 1-27, September.
    43. Milanovic, Branko, 2011. "A short history of global inequality: The past two centuries," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 48(4), pages 494-506.
    44. Sam H. Schurr, 1982. "Energy Efficiency and Productive Efficiency: Some Thoughts Based on American Experience," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 3), pages 3-14.
    45. Allen, Robert C., 2012. "Technology and the great divergence: Global economic development since 1820," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 1-16.
    46. Lucas Chancel, 2022. "Global carbon inequality over 1990–2019," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 5(11), pages 931-938, November.
    47. Theil, Henri & Galvez, Janet, 1995. "On Latitude and Affluence: The Equatorial Grand Canyon," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 163-166.
    48. Kander, Astrid & Warde, Paul & Teives Henriques, Sofia & Nielsen, Hana & Kulionis, Viktoras & Hagen, Sven, 2017. "International Trade and Energy Intensity During European Industrialization, 1870–1935," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 33-44.
    49. Paolo Malanima, 2016. "Energy consumption in England and Italy, 1560–1913. Two pathways toward energy transition," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 69(1), pages 78-103, February.
    50. Elias, J. & Grabik, V., 1980. "A comparison of energy consumption in eastern and western Europe," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 2(4), pages 237-242, October.
    51. Westoby, Richard & Pearce, David, 1984. "Energy consumption in eastern europe : A cross-sectional analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 6(1), pages 2-4, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Federica Cappelli, 2024. "Unequal contributions to CO2 emissions along the income distribution within and between countries," Working Papers 2024.06, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    2. Cappelli, Federica, 2024. "Unequal contributions to CO2 emissions along the income distribution within and between countries," FEEM Working Papers 341641, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    3. Facundo Alvaredo & Leonardo Gasparini, 2013. "Recent Trends in Inequality and Poverty in Developing Countries," CEDLAS, Working Papers 0151, CEDLAS, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
    4. Miguel Niño‐Zarazúa & Laurence Roope & Finn Tarp, 2017. "Global Inequality: Relatively Lower, Absolutely Higher," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 63(4), pages 661-684, December.
    5. Missbach, Leonard & Steckel, Jan Christoph, 2024. "Distributional impacts of climate policy and effective compensation: Evidence from 88 countries," EconStor Preprints 296491, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    6. Crafts, Nicholas & O’Rourke, Kevin Hjortshøj, 2014. "Twentieth Century Growth*This research has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) / ERC grant agreement no. 249546.," Handbook of Economic Growth, in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 6, pages 263-346, Elsevier.
    7. Malanima, Paolo, 2021. "Energy, productivity and structural growth. The last two centuries," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 54-65.
    8. Okushima, Shinichiro, 2024. "Measuring energy sufficiency: A state of being neither in energy poverty nor energy extravagance," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 354(PA).
    9. Pinkovskiy, Maxim L., 2013. "World welfare is rising: Estimation using nonparametric bounds on welfare measures," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 176-195.
    10. Thomas Goda & Alejandro Torres García, 2017. "The Rising Tide of Absolute Global Income Inequality During 1850–2010: Is It Driven by Inequality Within or Between Countries?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 130(3), pages 1051-1072, February.
    11. Paolo Malanima, 2020. "The limiting factor: energy, growth, and divergence, 1820–1913," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 73(2), pages 486-512, May.
    12. Hana Nielsen, 2018. "Industrial Intensification and Energy Embodied in Trade: Long‐Run Energy Perspective of the Planned Economy of Czechoslovakia," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 22(6), pages 1436-1450, December.
    13. Zhong, Honglin & Zhang, Xinyu & Shao, Xuan & Xiao, Jingyi & Tian, Peipei, 2024. "Dissecting household carbon and energy inequality: A decade's insight into regional disparities and urban-rural dynamics in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    14. Guillermo Lezama & Henry Willebald, 2020. "Inequality in Pre‐Income Survey Times: A Methodological Proposal," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 66(4), pages 931-957, December.
    15. Leandro Prados de la Escosura, 2023. "Inequality Beyond GDP: A Long View," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 69(3), pages 533-554, September.
    16. Gradín, Carlos, 2024. "Revisiting the trends in global inequality," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    17. Malerba, Daniele & Roscioli, Federico & Gaentzsch, Anja & Ward, Hauke, 2024. "Changing carbon footprints and the consequent impacts of carbon taxes and cash transfers on poverty and inequality across years: A Peruvian case study," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    18. Jimenez, Raul & Mercado, Jorge, 2014. "Energy intensity: A decomposition and counterfactual exercise for Latin American countries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 161-171.
    19. Roope, Laurence & Niño-Zarazúa, Miguel & Tarp, Finn, 2018. "How polarized is the global income distribution?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 86-89.
    20. Robert J. Sonora, 2022. "A panel analysis of income inequality and energy use," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 40(1), pages 83-97, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Energy; Inequality; Divergence; Convergence; CO2 emissions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N50 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries - - - General, International, or Comparative
    • N70 - Economic History - - Economic History: Transport, International and Domestic Trade, Energy, and Other Services - - - General, International, or Comparative
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • O44 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Environment and Growth
    • Q40 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - General
    • Q50 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:streco:v:70:y:2024:i:c:p:233-244. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/525148 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.