Consumption‐Based Carbon Emissions of 85 Federal Entities in Russia

Abstract

Abstract As the fourth largest CO2 emitter, Russia's constituent entities collectively contribute with vast territory and regional heterogeneity. Existing studies only present production‐based inventories; state‐level consumption‐based emissions patterns and driving forces remain rare. Here, we built the Russia state‐level Multi‐regional input‐output table to ascertain heterogeneity in consumption‐based emissions and track carbon flows in the inter‐state. We found that 60% of consumption‐based emissions coming from affluent areas (top 20% of the GRP), including Moscow (139.1 Mt) and St. Petersburg (50.5 Mt). Energy‐intensive regions also had huge consumption‐based emissions (31.6 Mt in Khanty‐Mansi Autonomous Okrug and 29.4 Mt in Republic of Tatarstan). Household consumption emissions accounted for 41%–73% of consumption‐based emissions in the 83 regions, except for Tula and Lipetsk, where fixed capital formation dominated. In addition, the major contributor of embodied emissions in households were power and services sectors, which contributed about 8%–61% (0.03 Mt–12.7 Mt) and 12%–40% (0.1 Mt–20.1 Mt). In Russia's low carbon transition, policymakers should not only focus on a local mitigation policy in developed states (such as Moscow and St. Petersburg), but on key sectors to curb the consumption. Regions with high carbon intensity should switch to renewable energy and implement cleaner production techniques in high‐emission industries.

Keywords

• Russia
• carbon flows
• multi‐regional input‐output
• consumption‐based emissions