Data Analysis and Applications 2

5 Monitoring the Compliance of Countries on Emissions Mitigation Using Dissimilarity Indices

The gaseous pollutant emissions are considered as one of the major environmental problems. The countries’ collective action on greenhouse gas emission mitigation is of crucial importance for climate sustainability. For a climate agreement to be effective, it has to inspire fairness and equity to its members. This sense of fairness is often suspended by the existing inequalities of carbon emissions between countries. The measurement of inequality of carbon emissions using dissimilarity indices is extensively studied in literature. This chapter contributes to the related literature by proposing a method for monitoring the compliance of countries on emission mitigation using dissimilarity indices. That method will not only examine the effective measurement of emissions’ dissimilarity among members, but it will also contribute to the identification of the “free rider” problem in climate coalitions.

5.1. Introduction

Climate change is the greatest environmental threat that humanity has ever faced. It is caused by the build up of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from burning fossil fuels. GHGs are the gases that trap heat into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide holds the largest proportion of GHGs. Thus, it is imperative for all countries to take collective action in the direction of carbon emission mitigation in order to moderate the consequences of climate change. Collective action could be taken through ...