An Estimate of the Age Distribution's Effect on Carbon Dioxide Emissions

39 Pages Posted: 24 Dec 2013

See all articles by Richard A. Jensen

Richard A. Jensen

University of Notre Dame - Department of Economics

Steven Lugauer

University of Kentucky - Department of Economics

Clayton Sadler

University of Notre Dame - Department of Economics

Date Written: July 2013

Abstract

We estimate the age distribution's impact on carbon dioxide emissions from 1990 to 2006 by exploiting demographic variation in a panel of 46 countries. To eliminate potential bias from endogeneity or omitted variables, we instrument for the age distribution in a country's current population with lagged birth rates, and the regressions control for total population, total output, and country and year fixed effects. Carbon dioxide emissions increase with the share of the population aged 35 to 49, and this result is statistically significant and quantitatively large.

Keywords: CO2 Emissions, Demographics, Environment

JEL Classification: Q4, J1

Suggested Citation

Jensen, Richard A. and Lugauer, Steven and Sadler, Clayton, An Estimate of the Age Distribution's Effect on Carbon Dioxide Emissions (July 2013). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2334365 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2334365

Richard A. Jensen

University of Notre Dame - Department of Economics ( email )

Notre Dame, IN 46556
United States

Steven Lugauer (Contact Author)

University of Kentucky - Department of Economics ( email )

Lexington, KY 40506
United States

Clayton Sadler

University of Notre Dame - Department of Economics ( email )

Notre Dame, IN 46556
United States

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