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A CO 2 emissions assessment of the green economy in Iran
Author(s) -
Solaymani Saeed
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
greenhouse gases: science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.45
H-Index - 32
ISSN - 2152-3878
DOI - 10.1002/ghg.1969
Subject(s) - energy intensity , per capita , energy consumption , greenhouse gas , economics , emission intensity , econometric model , intensity (physics) , econometric analysis , economy , consumption (sociology) , fossil fuel , secondary sector of the economy , real gross domestic product , natural resource economics , agricultural economics , econometrics , chemistry , engineering , demography , ion , ecology , population , physics , social science , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , sociology , electrical engineering , biology
This study aims to provide an assessment of total and sectoral CO 2 emissions of Iran using a macroeconomic climate analysis. It uses two quantitative approaches (i.e., energy–economy–environment indicators and econometric analysis) that complement each other. According to the latest accessible data (1971–2016), evidence shows that, first, the change in Iran's total primary energy supply can significantly explain the variation of CO 2 emissions in Iran, while energy intensity and CO 2 intensity cannot significantly explain its variability. Second, CO 2 emissions in Iran are increasing rapidly and the country is not moving toward the green economy situations. Third, the increase in energy intensity is mostly related to significant increases in energy consumption rather than increases in economic activity. This evidence shows that Iran's CO 2 intensity highly depends on the consumption of fossil fuels. Fourth, the econometric estimates suggest that CO 2 emissions, in comparison with other examined variables, change significantly in response to changes in per capita GDP, energy intensity, and carbon intensity. Fifth, the main contributors to industrial CO 2 emissions are industrial per capita GDP and energy and carbon intensities, while in the transport sectors, the main contributors are the number of vehicles, transport energy intensity, and carbon intensity. Sixth, further decomposition analysis shows the positive impact of per capita GDP and the negative impacts of energy structure and energy efficiency on total CO 2 emissions in Iran. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.