Measuring energy efficiency and its contribution towards meeting CO2 targets: estimates for 29 OECD countries

Joanne Evans, Massimo Filippini and Lester Hunt

No 135, Surrey Energy Economics Centre (SEEC), School of Economics Discussion Papers (SEEDS) from Surrey Energy Economics Centre (SEEC), School of Economics, University of Surrey

Abstract: Using results for 29 OECD countries from the estimation of an extended version of the model advocated by Filippini and Hunt (2011a), actual energy consumption and CO2 emissions are compared to notional energy consumption and CO2 emissions if the countries were energy efficient. This shows the contribution that improvements in energy efficiency can make towards the reduction in CO2 emissions. It is found that in many countries efficiency improvements alone are not likely to be sufficient to bring about reductions in CO2 emissions required to meet ambitious obligations. However, this is not the case across all countries included in the investigation. Moreover, it is shown that some of the world’s largest OECD emitters can make a significant contribution to CO2 reductions from becoming energy efficient. Therefore the negotiations of the new legally binding treaty agreed under the Durban Platform should promote emission reduction targets that incentivise national energy efficiency.

Keywords: emissions; energy efficiency; Durban Platform. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q41 Q48 Q50 Q54 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 42 pages
Date: 2011-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eff, nep-ene and nep-env
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Published in Fouquet, R. (Ed) Handbook on Energy and Climate Change, Edward Elgar, 2013. (Revised expanded version with different title)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sur:seedps:135

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