The convergence of carbon dioxide emissions: a survey of the empirical literature

Purpose This survey of the literature on the convergence of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions informs researchers on areas for future research by summarizing the countries examined, the types of convergence tested and the methodological approaches undertaken. Design/methodology/approach This survey examines peer-reviewed empirical studies of CO2 emissions convergence with respect to country coverage and alternative approaches to test for various types of convergence. Findings For large multicountry studies, the support for convergence is quite limited. However, studies focused exclusively on a subset of countries defined by income classification, geographic region or institutional structure reveal the finding of convergence is more prevalent. Studies at the subnational level have primarily been in the cases of the US and China with the exception of two studies across industry sectors in Portugal and Sweden. Research limitations/implications This study focuses exclusively on peer-reviewed published studies. Practical implications This study is relevant to the design of mitigation strategies to reduce CO2 emissions and the assumption of convergence underlying climate change models. Social implications As a major component of greenhouse gas emissions, CO2 emissions is of global importance in its impact on the environment and climate change. Originality/value This study provides the most recent and comprehensive survey of the empirical literature on the convergence of CO2 emissions.