Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP14125
Authors: Octavio Fernández-Amador; Joseph Francois; Doris Oberdabernig; Patrick Tomberger
Abstract: We develop a global dataset of methane inventories derived from production, sup-ply use (final production), and consumption activities for 1997–2014, disaggregated to 78 countries/regions. Our dataset extends existing data on methane emissions to 2014 and allows to trace emissions embodied in international trade in intermediates and in final goods. Anthropogenic emissions are quantitatively important for global warming and increased by about 18% from 1997 to 2014. The bulk of produced emissions is attributable to developing economies, though a considerable amount is exported mainly via manufactured goods to high income countries, which are net-importers of methane. Trade-embodied emissions increased by 8% more than nationally produced emissions during 1997–2014, with the strongest increase experienced by China, India, and Indonesia. Decompositions of the growth rate of emissions over this period suggest that methane efficiency improved but that it was outweighed by the effect of economic and population growth in low- and middle-income countries. In high-income countries, however, methane efficiency gains outweighed the effect of economic and population growth.
Keywords: methane emissions; MRIO analysis; production-based inventories; methane footprints; decomposition analysis; emissions embodied in trade
JEL Codes: F18; F64; O44; Q54; Q56
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Economic growth in low and middle-income countries (O54) | Increased methane emissions (Q54) |
| Population growth in low and middle-income countries (O15) | Increased methane emissions (Q54) |
| Efficiency gains in low and middle-income countries (O57) | Decreased impact on methane emissions (F69) |
| Economic growth in high-income countries (O52) | Decreased per capita methane emissions (Q54) |
| Trade-embodied emissions increase (F19) | Increased methane emissions compared to nationally produced emissions (H59) |
| High-income countries (O57) | Net importers of methane emissions (Q37) |
| Efficiency gains in high-income countries (O57) | Decreased per capita methane emissions (Q54) |