The regional determinants of per-capita CO$$_2$$ emissions growth in Europe

Abstract

Abstract We identify empirically the determinants of per-capita CO $$_2$$ emissions growth in 227 European NUTS-2 regions for the period 1995–2022. In order to account for geographical spillovers of unknown form, we employ Bayesian averaging of spatial autoregressive models, addressing uncertainty on the specification of spatial links across regions. Our results indicate that the initial level of emissions, the regional economic structure, population growth, the number of days requiring indoor cooling, as well as the number of cars per-capita, are robust determinants of per-capita emissions growth.