Abstract:
The convergence of air pollutants is a major concern for policymakers
since all the countries pursue the goal of allocating the emissions equally
internationally in the future. Hence, the examination of the existence of
convergence is important for the climate change protection of the earth. In
this article, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions convergence among the G7
countries for the period between 1990 and 2011 is examined using the
pairwise testing technique proposed by that aims to analyse probabilistic
convergence across a large number of cross-sectional units. Next, we
proceed with multivariate tests for stability and the existence of unit
roots. Finally, the analysis is complemented by the use of the panel
stationarity test accounting for structural changes as proposed by
Carrion-i-Silvestre et al. (2005) test. Overall, the results do not confirm
the hypothesis of convergence for the countries in question, although,
more recently, the countries have shown a small decline in their GHG
emissions.