The effects of economic and political integration on power plants’ carbon emissions in the post-soviet transition nations

Abstract

The combustion of fossil fuels for electricity generation, which accounts for a significant share of the world's CO 2 emissions, varies by macro-regional context. Here we use multilevel regression modeling techniques to analyze CO 2 emissions levels in the year 2009 for 1360 fossil-fuel power plants in the 25 post-Soviet transition nations in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia. We find that various facility-level factors are positively associated with plant-level emissions, including plant size, age, heat rate, capacity utilization rate, and coal as the primary fuel source. Results further indicate that plant-level emissions are lower, on average, in the transition nations that joined the European Union (EU), whose market reforms and environmental directives are relevant for emissions reductions. These negative associations between plant-level emissions and EU accession are larger for the nations that joined the EU in 2004 relative to those that joined in 2007. The findings also suggest that export-oriented development is positively associated with plant-level CO 2 emissions in the transition nations. Our results highlight the importance in macro-regional assessments of the conjoint effects of political and economic integration for facility-level emissions.

The role of natural resources abundance and dependence in achieving environmental sustainability: Evidence from resource‐based economies

“…Accordingly, the level of pollution will increase because of more carbon‐intensive production which may negatively influence the environmental quality and it is due to the composite effect of globalization. This composite effect of globalization has been empirically shown in several papers (Cole, 2006; Feridun, Ayadi, & Balouga, 2006; R. Islam & Abdul Ghani, 2018; Jorgenson, Longhofer, Grant, Sie, & Giedraitis, 2017).…”

Renewable Energy Sources in a Post-Socialist Transitional Environment: The Influence of Social Geographic Factors on Potential Utilization of Very Shallow Geothermal Energy within Heating Systems in Small Serbian Town of Ub

“…It is also expected that post-socialist states reduce plant-level CO 2 emission during the transitional process [58]. Investing in RES can also be motivated by reducing citizens' energy bills [59].…”

“…The graph is altered by rounding up the values[87] (p. 234).The census data from 2011 show also sources of livelihood in Ub. Almost 40% of inhabitants of the urban settlement Ub are dependent persons, while around 35% of them have salary or other allowance based on work as primary source of livelihood, and around 18% has pension[89] (pp [58][59]…”

Social science perspectives on drivers of and responses to global climate change

“…Research in political sociology also shows the importance of governance structure. A recent study employs multilevel modeling techniques to analyze carbon emissions from fossil-fuel power plants in the 25 post-Soviet transition nations in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia (Jorgenson, Longhofer, Grant, Sie, & Giedraitis, 2017). Various plant-level factors are associated with higher emissions, including coal as the primary fuel source, plant size and age, capacity utilization rate, and heat rate.…”