Relationship between CO₂ Emissions from Concrete Production and Economic Growth in 20 OECD Countries

Abstract

Many production activities contribute to environmental degradation by emitting greenhouse gases. The construction sector, one of the main sectors contributing to a country’s economic growth, also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions (especially CO2). Concrete, one of the most commonly used materials in this sector, is a source of CO2 emissions due to its cement content. The purpose of this article is to examine the decoupling status between environmental degradation caused by CO2 emissions from ready-mixed concrete production and the economic growth of 20 OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries. This study consists of four stages and three periods. In the first stage, the variables are selected; in the second stage, the data are created; and in the third stage, data analysis is performed. In the final stage, the type of decoupling between economic growth and environmental degradation is separately determined for 20 OECD countries. These stages were completed for the pre-commitment period (2000–2007) of the Kyoto Protocol, the first commitment period (2008–2012), and the second commitment period (2013–2019). According to our findings, during the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, only Switzerland and Belgium achieved absolute decoupling between the environmental degradation caused by CO2 emissions from concrete production and economic growth.

Keywords

• construction sector
• sustainability
• concrete
• CO₂ emissions
• decoupling
• OECD countries