A Contribution to Comparison Different Countries Regarding Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Abstract

The paper discusses the problem of objectively comparing different countries in terms of their carbon dioxide emissions, in the light of climate and environmental justice. Applied methodology represents the combination of analytical method and comparative method. Two traditional and two untraditional indicators are considered. The indicators are applied to a selected group of countries that includes part of the BRICS countries and the G7 countries. The ratio of the share of carbon dioxide emissions of a country in the global emission and the share of its population in the global population gives the same distribution of countries from the selected group as the ratio of the carbon dioxide emissions of a country and its population. On the other hand, the observation of carbon dioxide emissions together with carbon dioxide absorption by the forests in relation to the country’s population shows a different distribution of the observed countries. The paper also reviews the possibilities of further improvement in the definition of appropriate indicators for an advanced comparison of different countries in terms of their carbon dioxide emissions. Complex indicators that comprise anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions, forest absorption capacity and population can contribute to objective comparison of different countries regarding their carbon dioxide emissions, from the climate and environmental justice point of view.