The Climate Crisis and Export Intensity: A Comparative International Study of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Global South, 1990–2014

Abstract

The climate crisis is among the gravest threats to humanity and the planet. Combatting the climate crisis requires understanding of the sociostructural causes of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Social scientists have long debated the environmental implications of trade openness for developing countries, with world-systems analysis/dependency theory suggesting that trade openness is associated with increased environmental degradation. Conversely, neoliberal thought argues that trade openness is associated with decreased environmental harm. I use fixed effects panel regression models with heteroskedasticity-robust standard errors to estimate the effect of trade openness on carbon dioxide emissions, methane emissions, and nitrous oxide emissions. I find that trade openness positively affects carbon dioxide emissions, methane emissions, and nitrous oxide emissions, which supports world-systems analysis/dependency theory expectations. This analysis underscores the need to consider the extent to which international trade contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases.