Trends in Per Capita Household Expenditure and Its Implications on Carbon Emissions in Developed versus Developing Countries

The objective of this study is to determine the nature of household consumption of goods and services and its implications in terms of differences in carbon emissions between developed and developing countries. In this study twelve consumption categories were ranked according to CO2 emission intensities (Kg/USD) and per capita household consumption expenditure (in USD) in 1995 and for the period 2004- 2011. These rankings revealed that in both developed and developing countries, ‘housing' was the most harmful consumption category, followed by ‘food and non- alcoholic beverages' and ‘transport' in developed countries and ‘clothing and footwear' and ‘transport' in developing countries