JOURNAL: GVC participation and carbon emissions – A network analysis
Summary
Authors:
Matthew Smith
Dimitris Christopoulos
Edinburgh Napier University
Heriot-Watt University
GVC participation and carbon emissions – A network analysis
Ecological Economics
February 2025
This paper explores how a country’s involvement in global trade networks affects its carbon emissions. Using data from 2000 to 2014, it analyses the links between countries in Global Value Chain (GVC) and examines whether being more connected leads to higher emissions. The study finds only weak evidence that greater participation in these trade networks increases CO₂ emissions. It also challenges the idea that emissions naturally decline as economies grow (the EKC hypothesis). Additionally, the research investigates whether a country’s economic complexity influences its emissions but finds no significant link.