Invention and Transfer of Climate Change Mitigation Technologies on a Global Scale: A Study Drawing on Patent Data

49 Pages Posted: 5 Jun 2009 Last revised: 28 Aug 2012

See all articles by Antoine Dechezleprêtre

Antoine Dechezleprêtre

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE)

Matthieu Glachant

MINES ParisTech

Ivan Hascic

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Nick Johnstone

International Energy Agency - Energy Statistics Division

Yann Ménière

Mines ParisTech

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Date Written: January 11, 2010

Abstract

This paper uses the EPO/OECD World Patent Statistical Database (PATSTAT) to provide a quantitative description of the geographic distribution of inventions in thirteen climate mitigation technologies since 1978 and their international diffusion on a global scale.

Statistics suggest that innovation has mostly been driven by energy prices until 1990. Since then, environmental policies, and climate policies more recently, have accelerated the pace of innovation.

Innovation is highly concentrated in three countries - Japan, Germany and the USA—which account for 60% of total innovations. Surprisingly, the innovation performance of emerging economies is far from being negligible as China and South Korea together represent about 15% of total inventions. However, they export much less inventions than industrialized countries, suggesting their inventions have less value. More generally, international transfers mostly occur between developed countries (73% of exported inventions). Exports from developed countries to emerging economies are still limited (22%) but are growing rapidly, especially to China.

Keywords: climate change, innovation, technology diffusion, technology transfer

JEL Classification: O33, O34, Q54

Suggested Citation

Dechezleprêtre, Antoine and Glachant, Matthieu and Haščič, Ivan and Johnstone, Nick and Ménière, Yann, Invention and Transfer of Climate Change Mitigation Technologies on a Global Scale: A Study Drawing on Patent Data (January 11, 2010). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1414227 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1414227

Antoine Dechezleprêtre

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) ( email )

Houghton Street
London, WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom

Matthieu Glachant (Contact Author)

MINES ParisTech ( email )

60, boulevard Saint Michel
75272 Paris cedex 06, 75006
France
+33 1 40 51 9229 (Phone)

Ivan Haščič

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) ( email )

2 rue Andre Pascale
75775 Paris Cedex 16
France

Nick Johnstone

International Energy Agency - Energy Statistics Division ( email )

United States

Yann Ménière

Mines ParisTech ( email )

60, bd St Michel
Paris, 75006
France

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