Many industrialized countries are net importers of embodied energy and emissions, while many developing countries are net exporters. We examine the role of specialization in driving these trade patterns by conducting a spatial index decomposition analysis on the embodied energy in net exports for 41 economies. The results reveal that industrialized countries have generally offshored energy intensive production, which many developing countries specialize in. We find that specialization, on average, makes the biggest contribution, accounting for roughly 50% of a country’s embodied energy in net exports. However, other factors, namely energy intensity and the trade balance, combine to make an equally important contribution. In summary, specialization, despite its significant role, is not the only cause of the embodied energy trade patterns observed between industrialized and developing countries. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd.

Fellow II Anwar is an energy and environmental economist with an engineering background and over a decade of research and advisory experience… Anwar is an energy and environmental economist with an engineering background and over a decade of research and advisory experience around the areas of energy demand, greenhouse gas emissions, energy price reform, and carbon pricing. He currently leads multiple cross-functional teams on key projects tackling these areas, with a proven track record of publishing high-impact papers, providing consulting services to policymakers, and building the capabilities of talent within the organization. Anwar’s research has been published in leading energy and environmental journals and has been picked up by leading news media. Anwar also has experience transforming organizations, having been a member of task forces responsible for refreshing organizational strategy and building human capital. Anwar is currently wrapping up a Ph.D. from UCL in Sustainable Resources (sub-specialization in Economics). He holds an M.Sc. from KAUST in Electrical Engineering and a B.Eng. from the University of Liverpool in Electronics and Communication Engineering.
Expertise
- Energy price reform; Energy demand; Measuring GHG emissions; Carbon pricing; Carbon markets
Publications See all Anwar Gasim’s publications

Methane Emissions Baseline Forecasts for Saudi Arabia Using the Structural Time Series Model and Autometrics
Many industrialized countries are net importers of embodied energy and emissions, while many developing countries…
14th September 2023
Aggregate Real Energy Price Index
Many industrialized countries are net importers of embodied energy and emissions, while many developing countries…
5th September 2023