Flattening the curve? The structure of the natural resource exchange network and CO2 emissions

Guns versus Climate: How Militarization Amplifies the Effect of Economic Growth on Carbon Emissions

“…6 Per capita emissions is commonly used as a measure of international inequality in emissions as it quantifies how nations are disproportionately responsible on a per person basis for the amount of carbon emitted into the atmosphere from human activities (e.g., IPCC 2013; Royal Society and U.S. National Academy of Sciences 2020). Consistent with other sociological research (e.g., Jorgenson and Clark 2012; Longhofer and Jorgenson 2017; Thombs 2018a; Vesia et al 2021), we also estimate models of total carbon dioxide emissions (measured in kilotons), which we report in the Appendix. Total emissions are analogous with the overall scale of emissions and are centrally relevant for climate mitigation concerns (IPCC 2013; Royal Society and U.S. National Academy of Sciences 2020).…”

“…A substantial body of sociological research consistently finds positive associations between nations’ carbon emissions and economic growth. Longitudinal studies indicate that the positive relationship increases in magnitude through time for less affluent nations, while remaining large and relatively stable for more affluent nations (Jorgenson 2014; Jorgenson and Clark 2012; Knight and Schor 2014; Thombs 2018a; Thombs and Huang 2019; Vesia, Mahutga, and Buì 2021; see also Adua, York, and Schuelke-Leech 2016; Burns, Davis, and Kick 1997; Greiner 2022; Huang 2018; Huang and Jorgenson 2018; Hyde and Vachon 2019; Kelly, Thombs, and Jorgenson 2021; Mejia 2021; Rosa et al 2004; Soener 2019; York 2012). This corpus of research supports the general arguments of the more critical sociological approaches, and it has gained increased recognition among the climate change mitigation community (e.g., Haberl et al 2020; IPCC 2022; Keyßer and Lenzen 2021).…”

“…National militaries propel these socio-environmental processes through attempts to sustain relative international stability (Cooley, Nexon, and Ward 2019; Hirst 2001). An absence of large-scale conflicts minimizes disruptions to global production and trade networks (Chase-Dunn, Kawano, and Brewer 2000; Kentor, Clark, and Jorgenson 2023), further contributing to fossil fuel consumption and economic growth (Clark and Mahutga 2013; Givens 2018; Mahutga and Smith 2011; Vesia et al 2021).…”

Cap. 20. Sistemas sociales y justicia. En: La Quinta Evaluación Nacional del Clima

“…Mediante el análisis de regresión, los investigadores también han identificado factores estructurales que determinan la relación entre el crecimiento económico y las emisiones de carbono. Por ejemplo, la relación entre las emisiones y el crecimiento económico es mayor en las naciones con mayores niveles de desigualdad de ingresos y riqueza o cuyas economías dependen más de las exportaciones de recursos naturales 42,43,44,45,46,47 . En igualdad de condiciones, los países con ejércitos más grandes y más intensivos en capital tienen mayores emisiones 48,49,50,51 , sobre todo Estados Unidos 52,53,54 .…”