Inequalities in per capita CO2 emissions in European Union, 1990–2020

Abstract

This paper analyzes the inequality of per capita GDP and of per capita CO 2 emissions across countries in the European Union in the period from 1990 to 2020 by applying the Gini index. It examines the relationship between the per capita CO 2 emissions and the per capita GDP. The future evolutions of these inequalities are projected under two scenarios. First, the Business-As-Usual projection of CO 2 emissions to the year 2020 is generated with the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology model (STIRPAT). Second, the 2020 climate and energy package of reducing 20% (to 30%) emissions for the member countries in European Union is analyzed. The results show that the per capita GDP inequality across countries is followed by an important inequality in the distribution of per capita CO 2 emissions. And the political mitigation targets will help to decrease the per capita CO 2 emissions inequalities in European Union.