International Comparison of trade embodied CO₂ emissions

Abstract

This report summarizes recent international transfer of CO₂ emission embodied in trade in Japan, China, US and UK. In particular we focused on the period after the year 2000, when drastic changes in trade structure has taken place since BRICS countries have emerged. We estimated net imports of CO₂ emission embodied in traded goods after 1991 based on aggregate data of each country, which have increased significantly after the year 2000. UK imported as much as 44%, Japan, 38%, US, 20%, respectively, of the domestic emission at 2005: meanwhile, 27% of domestic emission in China in 2004 was induced by its export. We estimated CO₂ emission embodied in trade of steel industry after 1990 as a typical energy-intensive industry. In Japan and China, CO₂ emission was driven by domestic production for exports. UK and the US, in contrast, increased much CO₂ emission abroad by their imports. Then, we also estimated CO₂ emission embodied in trade of textile industry after 1990 as a typical energy-non-intensive industry. The developed countries, Japan, the US and UK, induced more CO₂ emission abroad than that emitted at home. Accordingly, in 2004, China exports 33% of domestic CO₂ emission in textile industry.