Index decomposition analysis applied to CO2 emission studies

Index decomposition analysis (IDA) was first extended from energy consumption to energy-related CO2 emission studies in 1991. Since then many studies have been reported covering various countries and emission sectors. However, unlike the case of energy consumption studies, a comprehensive literature survey that focuses specifically on emission studies has so far not been reported. In this paper, we attempt to fill this gap by reviewing 80 papers appearing in peer-reviewed journals from 1991 to 2012 in this application area. The first part of this paper deals with the developments with regard to the IDA approaches used by researchers, and the scope and focus of their studies. In the second part, the empirical results reported in the surveyed studies are analyzed, consolidated, and presented by emission sector. The objective is to reveal the relative contributions of key effects on changes in the aggregate carbon intensity, and this is done by emission sector and by country. The findings of both parts are useful in understanding the development of IDA in the application area of emission study, as well as the key drivers of aggregate carbon intensities in the past and their possible future developments.