VoxEU

Africa’s contribution to world CO2 emissions

Understanding the landscape and trends of emissions is essential if we are to reach ‘net zero’. GSEM members Honorary Professor Jaime de Melo and Postdoctoral Researcher Jean-Marc Solleder co-author a column examining patterns of CO2 equivalent emissions worldwide, with a focus on 49 African countries.

To meet the objectives of zero net CO2e (CO2 equivalent) emissions by 2050, high-emitting regions like Asia, Europe and the Americas will have to reduce emissions drastically, while low-income regions like Africa will be encouraged to slow down their CO2e emissions growth. Africa’s CO2e footprint, while following the worldwide downward trend, is still the highest in the world. At the same time, the continent’s share of global CO2e emissions is the lowest.

> Read Jaime de Melo and Jean-Marc Solleder’s CEPR Discussion Paper: The Landscape of CO2 emissions Across Africa: A Comparative Perspective.

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