Loading...
Please wait, while we are loading the content...
Explaining Human Influences on Carbon Dioxide Emissions across Countries
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Peterson, Karin |
| Copyright Year | 2009 |
| Abstract | Global climate change is a vital issue facing the planet today, posing significant risks to both humans and the natural environment. This dangerous phenomenon is largely caused by the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, resulting from such activities as energy production and vehicle traveL This paper examines the factors leading to differences in carbon dioxide emissions among countries, including income, energy use, and government institutions. A cross sectional regression indicates that an inverted-U relationship exists between per capita income and carbon dioxide emissions, but that the turning point at which pollution begins to decrease occurs at a very high level of income, suggesting that increasing income does not present a feasible solution to the climate change problem. Several other variables, including political openness and coal dependency, are also found to have significant impacts in the modeL These results generate important conclusions, and lay ground for future studies analyzing impacts on climate change. In recent years, the theory of global climate change has raised rapidly growing concem throughout the world. It is now widely acknowledged that the warming of the Eatih is a well-founded, scientifically tested phenomenon, which has the potential to wreak serious havoc on natural systems and human populations alike. It is also evident that these changes are a result of anthropogenic impacts. Over the past 50 years, the average global temperature has increased at the fastest rate ever documented, and the consequences of this phenomenon are already becoming visible. In 2003, extreme heat waves caused over 20,000 deaths in Europe and over 1,500 deaths in India (Global Warming). It is estimated that the Arctic's polar ice cap is declining at a rate of 9 percent per decade, causing changes in sea levels and ocean currents that could trigger devastating damage throughout the world. Addressing this critical issue is complicated by the fact that climate change transcends national boundaries, affecting nations on opposite ends of the globe. However, although all countries are affected, they do not all contribute to the issue in the same way. It has become evident that certain countries release much more pollution in the form of heat-trapping greenhouse gases than others. An important component of tackling the issue of global climate change is investigating why these disparities exist. There are many factors that impact the emission of greenhouse gases at a country level. This paper aims to explore these factors, and how they have led to the current global pattern of carbon diox, ide emissions. The results provide an indication as to the most effective plan of action for international policy seeking to reduce the impacts of global wanning. This paper is structured as follows: Section I gives an overview of the presiding theory regarding detenninants of carbon dioxide emissions. Section I I explains the data and empirical model used in this study. Section I I I gives the results of the empirical model. Finally, Section IV provides concluding remarks and policy implications that may be drawn from this experiment, as well as suggestions for future avenues of research. I. Theory/Literature Review For years, economists, political scientists, and biologists alike have struggled to explain the factors that drive the course of man-driven environmental degradation. One of the first and most influential theoretical frameworks encompassing this issue was developed in the early 1970s by several researchers who hypothesized that environmental impacts were caused by three central variables: population, affluence, and technology (Commoner, 197 1). This was fonnulated into what became known as the IPAT equation, I=P x A x T, in which I represents impact, and P, A, and T represent population, affluence, and technology respectively. In this equation, population (P) accounts for the pressure a growing population may exert on the environment by increasing the frequency of activities leading to pollution and resource exhaustion, such as vehicle travel and energy consumption. Affluence (A), or income, which can be measured by gross domestic product (GDP), generally speaking has a positive relationship with pollution, due to the tendency of wealthier societies to consume more resources. However, income may have a much more complex impact on pollution, which is described in the following section. Finally, technology (T) represents the impact of varying production processes, tools, and machinery on the environment. |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1099&context=econ_honproj&httpsredir=1&referer= |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
