Determinants of Household Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the European Union Countries

Abstract

Global climate change is mainly caused by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities. Household consumption activities contribute to GHG emissions both directly, i.e., transportation, heating/cooling, etc., and indirectly, i.e., consumption of goods and services other than energy. Recognizing the responsibilities of households; therefore, an analysis of the determinants of the household GHG emission is crucial for carbon reduction efforts and future policy implications in order to fight against climate change. This study aims to investigate the determinants of the household GHG emissions in the European Union. To this end, we employ panel data estimation techniques for the period 2008-2016 and for 24 member countries. We obtained the necessary data from Eurostat (Air Emission Accounts database, European Union Labor Force Survey database, Energy Balances dataset) and World Bank (Climate Change Knowledge Portal). Our findings mainly in line with the related literature and suggest that income, education, energy consumption, July temperature, and the number of children affect direct household GHG emissions positively in the European Union countries. On the other hand, employment and the number of elder people have a negative impact on household emissions.