Abstract
An extended Kaya identity and the Logarithm Mean Divisia Index approach were applied in this paper to identify, quantify and explain the main factors behind Cameroon’s CO2 emissions before, during and after the economic crisis of the years 1980. The analyses covered the period from 1971 to 2014 and the results showed that: (1) Cameroon’s carbon intensity increased by 75 and 47% during the periods before (1971–1984) and after (1984–1994) the economic crisis, while it decreased significantly by − 135% during the crisis period (1994–2014). At the same time, the country’s emission factor increased by 30% between 2007 and 2014. (2) The effect of the demographic change was the main driver of Cameroon’s CO2 emissions during the periods 1984–1994 and 1994–2014, whereas the effect of economic activity was the main driver of the increase in these emissions between 1971 and 1984. (3) The energy intensity effect contributed to the increase in CO2 emissions during the period 1984–1994 in the same way as the effect of demographic change. However, this factor helped reduce CO2 emissions in the other two periods. (4) Although the effect of substitution of fossil fuels and the effect of renewable energy all contributed to reducing CO2 emissions during the period of this study, we found that the effect of renewable energy behind CO2 emissions remains insignificant compared to the renewable energy potential available in Cameroon. Finally, policy recommendations aimed at enabling Cameroon to achieve its objectives of reducing CO2 emissions were formulated in this article.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to dedicate this work to Mrs. Zeh Engo Seraphine, Mrs Bissa Nti Elise, Mr. Ngbwa Samuel and Mr. Biya Bendele Emmanuel for their multiple support. We would also like to thank all those who are in charge of the scientific evaluation of this work and more particularly Editors and Reviewers.
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Hossain, M.A., Engo, J. & Chen, S. The main factors behind Cameroon’s CO2 emissions before, during and after the economic crisis of the 1980s. Environ Dev Sustain 23, 4500–4520 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-020-00785-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-020-00785-z