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Abstract
Addressing global climate change through obligation assignment of region-specific emissions reduction needs to measure not only direct carbon emissions of a particular region but also indirect carbon emissions, which are increasingly raised by interregional transfer of carbon emissions. With the literature on carbon emissions expanding substantially, emission transfers at both international and national levels have attracted a growing attention in the past years. This study provides an overview of the theoretical basis for, and empirical evidence on interregional emission transfers from three perspectives: transfer levels, transfer drivers and shared responsibility. We emphasize the contribution of such research to our understanding of global carbon emissions and regional responsibilities of emissions reduction. The discrepancies with previous studies are discussed in relation to the various theoretical arguments and empirical methods. Finally, based on the literature review, the study discusses theoretical and practical implications for scholars and practitioners, and highlights possible new directions for future research.
Highlights
The 2015 Paris Agreement calls for international community to pursue efforts to limit global-mean temperature rise by reducing carbon dioxide emissions
Industrial scale, production efficiency, and technological differences among countries, the issue of carbon transfer triggered by international trade and international industrial transfer plays a crucial role in global carbon emissions
The objective of this study is, firstly, to survey the theory and evidence on interregional emission transfers to obtain a comprehensive assessment of carbon emissions, secondly, to distinguish main factors driving interregional emission transfer in a non-cooperative globalized world and, to provide a comparison of emission responsibilities based on different principles, including producer responsibility, consumer responsibility and shared responsibility
Summary
The 2015 Paris Agreement calls for international community to pursue efforts to limit global-mean temperature rise by reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Moving to a low carbon economy have attracted economists to explore the economic characteristics of carbon emissions since the late 20th century. Industrial scale, production efficiency, and technological differences among countries, the issue of carbon transfer triggered by international trade and international industrial transfer plays a crucial role in global carbon emissions. As the importance of cross-regional trade and industrial transfer within a country is increasing recognized in the international climate change discussion, there is a growing literature on the carbon transfer within a nation as well (Yao & Liu, 2010; Zhang, 2016; Liao & Xiao, 2017)
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