Factors affecting CO2 emissions in top countries on renewable energies : a LMDI decomposition application

Abstract

This study breaks down carbon emissions into six effects considering the current Top 23 countries group on renewable energies, afterwards divided into two different groups (the TOP countries in Europe and the remaining group entering into the Top 23 countries included in the category Rest of the World). It analyses the effects evolution using a larger available data span that runs from 1985 until 2011, to determine which of the effects had more impact over changes of CO2 emissions. The complete additive decomposition technique was used to examine carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and its components. Moreover, it is performed a comparative analysis to contrast their performance, and a decoupling analysis is presented. For the 1985–2011 period results point for different positive and negative impacts in the behavioral change of CO2 emissions throughout Europe as compared to the Rest of the World. Moreover, the productivity of renewable sources and the financial development effect in renewable electricity generation per GDP are the main responsible for the total and negative changes of CO2 emissions in the last decade; whereas an increase in total changes of emissions are observed due to the fossil fuel energy consumption effect. The multiplicative cross effect, into these two important effects in CO2 emissions decomposed, indicate an aggregate proxy effect of the energy technology level of a country's economy.