Characterizing the Difference between Indirect and Direct CO2 Emissions: Evidence from Korean Manufacturing Industries, 2004–2010

Abstract

This study measures and decomposes green productivity growth of Korean manufacturing industries between 2004 and 2010 using the Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index. We focus on differences in the measures of productivity growth by distinguishing carbon emissions from either end-user industries or the electricity generation industry. Empirical results suggest three main findings. First, the efficiency of total emissions is higher than that of direct emissions except for the shipbuilding industry. Second, green productivity in the manufacturing sector increased during the study period. Finally, green productivity depends on the indirect emissions of each industry. These results indicate that policymakers need to deliberately develop policy tools for mitigating carbon emissions of the manufacturing industrial sectors based on our empirical findings.