Volume 24 - Article 30 | Pages 749-770

Consumption-Driven Environmental Impact and Age Structure Change in OECD Countries: A Cointegration-STIRPAT Analysis


Date received:	17 Nov 2010
Date published:	27 May 2011
Word count:	4794
Keywords:	demography, environment, FMOLS panel cointegration, GHG emissions projections, IPAT, STIRPAT
DOI:	10.4054/DemRes.2011.24.30

Abstract

This paper examines two environmental impacts for which population has a substantial demonstrated influence: transport carbon emissions and residential electricity consumption. It takes as its starting point the STIRPAT framework and disaggregates population into four key age groups: 20-34, 35-49, 50-69, and 70 and older. Population age structure’s influence was significant and varied across cohorts, and its profile was different for two dependent variables. For transport, young adults (20-34) were intensive, whereas the other cohorts had negative coefficients. For residential electricity consumption, age structure had a U-shaped impact: the youngest and oldest had positive coefficients, while the middle cohorts had negative coefficients.