Analysis of spatial distribution of global energy-related CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> emissions

The purpose of this paper is to use the gravity theory to study the spatial distribution and centers of gravity for the global energy-related CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> emissions and to determine how they have changed over time. The main results are as follows: (1) In 2011, global energy-related CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> emissions reached 34,032.74 Mt, and Asia was the largest CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> emitter, which accounted for 45.25 % of total CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> emissions in the world. (2) Since 2006, China has exceeded the USA and become the biggest CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> emissions country. (3) In terms of the annual growth speed of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> emissions, China is the fastest, followed by India, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and South Africa. (4) During the study period, the center of gravity for CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> emissions is an overall movement toward the southeast, and Asia has become the center of gravity for CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> emissions. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014