Direct Carbon Emissions, Indirect Carbon Emissions, and International Trade: An Analysis of OECD Member Countries

This paper takes OECD member countries as the research object, and through the calculation of direct carbon emissions and indirect carbon emissions for each country, it discusses in depth the issue of carbon emissions transfer caused by international trade. The study found that global carbon emissions increased from 1995 to 2019, while those of OECD countries decreased. This paper analyzes the possibility that the reason for this phenomenon may be related to the relatively clean industrial structure of the countries within the organization. Over the past two decades, carbon intensity has declined across OECD countries, but there are significant differences between countries. The foreign trade volume of all OECD countries is on the rise, and the United States is the largest import and export country in the organization. Within the OECD, there is no significant transfer of carbon from developed to developing countries. Instead, the United States and Germany emit more carbon directly than indirectly. The study in this paper reveals the real carbon footprint behind the trade between OECD countries and provides indicators such as carbon intensity and transfer for similar studies, which can provide inspiration for policymakers to deal with global climate change.