Towards the decarbonisation of Ecuador: a multisectoral and multiregional analysis of its carbon footprint.

Rocío Román-Collado,Cristian Loja Pacheco,María Teresa Sanz-Díaz

doi:10.1007/s11356-021-14521-1

Abstract

Globally, interest in the environment and its conservation is growing and primordial. Emissions abatement is one of the main challenges faced by different governments. Firstly, the emissions should be estimated, and two types of responsibilities or focuses stand out, the producer's and the consumer's. Based on the Multiregional Input-Output Methodology, this study determines Ecuador's responsibility in terms of CO2 emissions. It defines the economic sectors that have the greatest representation in these emissions, as well as establishing an assessment at the level of the Trade Balance. To do so, the EORA database was used. There has been a strong growth of Ecuador's Footprint of 145.26% from 2000 to 2015, with the transport and secondary sectors having the highest representation and the trade with the BRICS nations standing out. This result strengthens the need to foster a change in the consumption patterns of the population and the public administrations. It is therefore recommended that the authorities allocate part of the public budget to measures oriented to sustainable consumption. Amongst other measures, it would be advisable to extend the RENOVA Plan to private vehicles, as well as to launch awareness campaigns on the degree of sustainability of imported products. These types of measures could stop the strong growth in emissions per capita, essential to reduce the country's carbon footprint.

Highlights

Climate change has especially increased the vulnerability of Latin American countries in which, according to what the Corporación Andina de Fomento (Andean Development Corporation) (2014) considers, more than half of the region’s population lives in a high or extreme risk of susceptibility to climate change
Given that IO analysis takes into consideration the links existing between sectors and components of the final demand within a single economy to analyse the relations between various countries and/or regions, it is necessary to use multi-regional inputoutput (MRIO) analysis
The analysis of results has allowed us to present the evolution of the four magnitudes; that is, the Carbon footprint (CF), the Emissions based on the Production Principle (EPP), the Emissions Trade Balance (ETB) and the Emissions Embodied in International Trade (EEIT), both at the national level and in the country’s relation with the regions considered, and at the sectoral level, considering the links with the distinct regions

Summary

Introduction

Climate change has especially increased the vulnerability of Latin American countries in which, according to what the Corporación Andina de Fomento (Andean Development Corporation) (2014) considers, more than half of the region’s population lives in a high or extreme risk of susceptibility to climate change. According to the projection of the Red Iberoamericana de Oficinas del Cambio Climático (Ibero-American Network of Climate Change Offices) (RIOCC 2020) this vulnerability is on the rise. The first steps were taken by the Plan Nacional del Buen Vivir (National Plan for Wellbeing) (SENPLADES 2009 and 2013), after which a wide range of policies were articulated to attain climate-related aims. During these first years most of these policies were part of abstract plans, independently approved by the different ministries and without there being sufficient coordination. This highlighted a lack of effectiveness and the inexistence of specific measures (Buenaño 2017; Jakob 2017)

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Conclusion