IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i12p4937-d1411530.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Trend Changes and the Driving Forces of Environmental Indicators in Countries Worldwide: A Structural Change Analysis of Variations in CO 2 Emissions and Eco-Efficiency

Author

Listed:
  • Yasunori Ito

    (Graduate School of Economics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan)

  • Hidemichi Fujii

    (Faculty of Economics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan)

Abstract

Many authors state that climate change is driven by increasing CO 2 emissions worldwide. An understanding of the major driving forces affecting emissions over time in both developed and developing countries is important. Thus, in this study, structural break analysis is used to identify when the trends of environmental indicators—CO 2 emissions and environmental efficiency (EE)—across countries worldwide change. Our findings revealed notable structural breaks occurring in countries in 1994, coinciding with ballooning fossil energy prices. Regarding CO 2 , 55 of 143 countries experienced a structural break. Furthermore, another wave of structural breaks emerged in 2014, corresponding to the implementation of CO 2 emission reduction plans by certain nations. For CO 2 , 64 of 143 countries experienced a structural break. Upon detecting breakpoints and their trends, we utilized LMDI factor decomposition analysis to discern their driving factors, thereby elucidating the underlying dynamics. In Latin America and the Caribbean, most breakpoints were undesirable shifts, but recently, desirable shifts have increased in North America, Oceania, and Europe, which include many countries with high economic levels, improving energy-related factors. Sub-Saharan Africa can also be said to have undergone an undesirable shift regarding energy-related factors. This study clarifies the precise influences on the trend of CO 2 emissions at the global level by identifying the point in time when there is a significant statistical, rather than a subjective, breakpoint.

Suggested Citation

  • Yasunori Ito & Hidemichi Fujii, 2024. "Trend Changes and the Driving Forces of Environmental Indicators in Countries Worldwide: A Structural Change Analysis of Variations in CO 2 Emissions and Eco-Efficiency," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-16, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:12:p:4937-:d:1411530
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/12/4937/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/12/4937/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Schymura, Michael & Voigt, Sebastian, 2014. "What drives changes in carbon emissions? An index decomposition approach for 40 countries," ZEW Discussion Papers 14-038, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    2. Jiaxiong Yao & Mr. Yunhui Zhao, 2022. "Structural Breaks in Carbon Emissions: A Machine Learning Analysis," IMF Working Papers 2022/009, International Monetary Fund.
    3. Sadorsky, Perry, 2009. "Renewable energy consumption, CO2 emissions and oil prices in the G7 countries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 456-462, May.
    4. Xu, X.Y. & Ang, B.W., 2013. "Index decomposition analysis applied to CO2 emission studies," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 313-329.
    5. Corinne Le Quéré & Jan Ivar Korsbakken & Charlie Wilson & Jale Tosun & Robbie Andrew & Robert J. Andres & Josep G. Canadell & Andrew Jordan & Glen P. Peters & Detlef P. van Vuuren, 2019. "Drivers of declining CO2 emissions in 18 developed economies," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 9(3), pages 213-217, March.
    6. Wang, H. & Zhou, P., 2018. "Assessing Global CO2 Emission Inequality From Consumption Perspective: An Index Decomposition Analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 257-271.
    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. Weihua Su & Yuying Wang & Dalia Streimikiene & Tomas Balezentis & Chonghui Zhang, 2020. "Carbon dioxide emission decomposition along the gradient of economic development: The case of energy sustainability in the G7 and Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(4), pages 657-669, July.
    2. Baran Doda, 2018. "Tales From The Tails: Sector-Level Carbon Intensity Distribution," Climate Change Economics (CCE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 9(04), pages 1-27, November.
    3. Jana, Sebak Kumar & Lise, Wietze, 2023. "Carbon Emissions from Energy Use in India: Decomposition Analysis," MPRA Paper 117245, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Wang, Zhen & Yan, Haoben & Gao, Xue & Liang, Qiaomei & Mi, Zhifu & Liu, Lancui, 2024. "Have consumption-based CO2 emissions in developed countries peaked?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    5. Gao, Shuaizhi & Zhou, Peng & Zhang, Hongyan, 2023. "Does energy transition help narrow the urban-rural income gap? Evidence from China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    6. Presno, María José & Landajo, Manuel & Fernández González, Paula, 2018. "Stochastic convergence in per capita CO2 emissions. An approach from nonlinear stationarity analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 563-581.
    7. Kazemzadeh, Emad & Fuinhas, José Alberto & Koengkan, Matheus & Shadmehri, Mohammad Taher Ahmadi, 2023. "Relationship between the share of renewable electricity consumption, economic complexity, financial development, and oil prices: A two-step club convergence and PVAR model approach," International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 260-275.
    8. Saidi Kais & Ben Mbarek Mounir, 2017. "Causal interactions between environmental degradation, renewable energy, nuclear energy and real GDP: a dynamic panel data approach," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 37(1), pages 51-67, March.
    9. Ling Yang & Michael L. Lahr, 2019. "The Drivers of China’s Regional Carbon Emission Change—A Structural Decomposition Analysis from 1997 to 2007," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-18, June.
    10. Amine Lahiani & Sinha Avik & Muhammad Shahbaz, 2018. "Renewable energy consumption, income, CO2 emissions and oil prices in G7 countries: The importance of asymmetries," Post-Print hal-03677233, HAL.
    11. Sohail Abbas & Shazia Kousar & Amber Pervaiz, 2021. "Effects of energy consumption and ecological footprint on CO2 emissions: an empirical evidence from Pakistan," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(9), pages 13364-13381, September.
    12. Xu, Chong & Wang, Bingjie & Chen, Jiandong & Shen, Zhiyang & Song, Malin & An, Jiafu, 2022. "Carbon inequality in China: Novel drivers and policy driven scenario analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    13. Kaivo-oja, J. & Luukkanen, J. & Panula-Ontto, J. & Vehmas, J. & Chen, Y. & Mikkonen, S. & Auffermann, B., 2014. "Are structural change and modernisation leading to convergence in the CO2 economy? Decomposition analysis of China, EU and USA," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 115-125.
    14. Wanbei Jiang & Weidong Liu, 2020. "Provincial-Level CO 2 Emissions Intensity Inequality in China: Regional Source and Explanatory Factors of Interregional and Intraregional Inequalities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-16, March.
    15. Ang, B.W. & Goh, Tian, 2019. "Index decomposition analysis for comparing emission scenarios: Applications and challenges," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 74-87.
    16. Xuankai Deng & Yanhua Yu & Yanfang Liu, 2015. "Effect of Construction Land Expansion on Energy-Related Carbon Emissions: Empirical Analysis of China and Its Provinces from 2001 to 2011," Energies, MDPI, vol. 8(6), pages 1-22, June.
    17. Shiraki, Hiroto & Matsumoto, Ken'ichi & Shigetomi, Yosuke & Ehara, Tomoki & Ochi, Yuki & Ogawa, Yuki, 2020. "Factors affecting CO2 emissions from private automobiles in Japan: The impact of vehicle occupancy," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 259(C).
    18. Jialing Zou & Weidong Liu & Zhipeng Tang, 2017. "Analysis of Factors Contributing to Changes in Energy Consumption in Tangshan City between 2007 and 2012," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-14, March.
    19. Umut Uzar, 2022. "The connection between freedom of the press and environmental quality: An investigation on emerging market countries," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 46(1), pages 21-38, February.
    20. Francesco Gangi & Eugenio D'Angelo & Lucia Michela Daniele & Nicola Varrone, 2021. "Assessing the impact of socially responsible human resources management on company environmental performance and cost of debt," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(5), pages 1511-1527, September.

    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:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:12:p:4937-:d:1411530. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.