Does it matter where emissions come from?

Using the Theil index and EDGAR database, the authors analyze the spatial dispersion of CO2 and CH4 emissions. They find that within-country inequalities are two to three times larger than between-country inequalities and are rising due to urbanization and specialization. While between-country inequalities are decreasing as emerging economies like China and India catch up, the disparity between emission sources and future climate damages remains more pronounced within countries than between them, suggesting significant internal social tensions.

• Within-country spatial inequalities in greenhouse gas emissions are significantly more pronounced than between-country inequalities, with the former being two to three times larger. This indicates that comparing emission densities solely across nations captures less than one-third of total spatial inequalities.
• Between-country emission inequalities are decreasing, primarily because emerging economies such as China and India are increasing their consumption and economic activity. Conversely, within-country inequalities are increasing globally, a trend attributed to specialization and increased urbanization.
• Spatial inequality is approximately 50% higher for CO2 than for CH4. This is because CO2 sources, such as transport, manufacturing, and electricity/heat production, are more concentrated than CH4 sources, which include waste management, cattle, and coal/gas production.
• Analysis of the correlation between emissions and a proxy for future damages (estimated hot days multiplied by population in 2050) suggests that disparities and associated social tensions are more significant within countries than between countries.

APA

Grether, J.-M., Mathys, N. A., & Sauter, C. (2015). Does it matter where emissions come from? World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/does-it-matter-where-emissions-come-from/

Chicago

Grether, Jean-Marie, Nicole A. Mathys, and Caspar Sauter. Does it matter where emissions come from? World Economic Forum, 2015. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/does-it-matter-where-emissions-come-from/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Grether |first1=Jean-Marie |last2=Mathys |first2=Nicole A. |last3=Sauter |first3=Caspar |title=Does it matter where emissions come from? |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=2 February 2015 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/does-it-matter-where-emissions-come-from/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{grether2015does, author = {Grether, Jean-Marie and Mathys, Nicole A. and Sauter, Caspar}, title = {{Does it matter where emissions come from?}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2015}, month = feb, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/does-it-matter-where-emissions-come-from/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }