The phenomenon of mass incarceration has dramatically altered the economic and infrastructural la... more The phenomenon of mass incarceration has dramatically altered the economic and infrastructural landscape of the United States. These changes have numerous implications regarding the use of fossil fuels, which are the single largest contributor to climate change. The present study argues that mass incarceration creates three social patterns that result in significant increases in industrial emissions. (1) Mass incarceration incentivizes further industrial development through the construction of new prisons and the continued maintenance of existing prisons to house prisoners. (2) The needs of the millions of individuals currently incarcerated in the United States incentivize industrial expansion through the production of goods and materials used inside prisons. (3) Incarcerated individuals are being used to reduce the cost of labor, which expands economic growth. We construct several fixed-effects panel regression models with robust standard errors predicting industrial emissions for U.S. states from 1997 to 2016 to assess how increases in the number of individuals in U.S. state, federal, and private prisons is correlated with industrial emissions over time. We find that increases in incarceration within states are associated with increases in industrial emissions, and that increases in incarceration lead to a more tightly coupled association between gross domestic product per capita and industrial emissions.
A key concern when crafting sustainable development policy is maximizing the benefits that derive... more A key concern when crafting sustainable development policy is maximizing the benefits that derive from economic growth, such as increases in life-expectancy, while also reducing the negative impact that such growth has on environmental systems. In order to explore such tradeoffs research in environmental sociology has focused on a measurement of socio- environmental intensity known as the carbon intensity of well-being (CIWB). We explore the asymmetrical relationship between economic activity and CIWB for 153 nations from 1961–2013, as well as the theoretical implications of such a relationship. We initially find that in developed nations economic growth has no significant relationship to CWIB, however, declines in economic activity do significantly reduce CIWB. In less developed nations we find that increases and decreases in economic development are both significantly associated to CIWB and have associations which are not distinguishable from one another in magnitude. In an attempt to better understand these differences, we take financial processes into account, finding that such considerations account for the finding of asymmetry. Taken together, the findings of this study demonstrate the importance of considering the possibility of directional asymmetry, as well as the theoretical implications of such asymmetry, when specifying statistical models for regression analyses.
We explore how national income inequality moderates the relationship between renewable energy con... more We explore how national income inequality moderates the relationship between renewable energy consumption and CO 2 emissions per capita for a sample of 175 nations from 1990 to 2014. We find that, independent of income inequality and other drivers of emissions, increases in renewable energy consumption reduce emissions. However, when national income inequality is considered, we find that as inequality increases renewable energy consumption is associated with a much larger decrease in emissions. We also find that when fossil fuel energy is controlled for, inequality does not significantly moderate the association between renewable energy and emissions. These results suggest that fossil fuel consumption is the main vector through which inequality moderates the relationship between renewable energy and emissions. Drawing on previous work from energy poverty scholars, we theorize that national inequality influences the way renewables are deployed. Specifically, our findings suggest that renewable energy displaces more fossil fuel energy sources when inequality is increasing , while-conversely-fewer existing fossil fuel energy sources are displaced when inequality is decreasing. In additional analyses, we find that as the top 20 percent of income earners' share of income grows, the association between renewable energy consumption and emissions decreases in magnitude. We conclude by arguing that efforts aimed at increasing renewable energy consumption should adopt policies that ensure the effective displacement of fossil fuels and reduce inequality.
The environmental implications of racial inequality have been discussed by sociologists almost ex... more The environmental implications of racial inequality have been discussed by sociologists almost exclusively as matters of environmental justice or injustice, where scholars analyze how racial inequality affects a community's rate of exposure to environmental hazards. The present study seeks to assess how race and income independently and synergistically affect the emission of carbon dioxide (CO 2) from on-road travel across and within counties, using longitudinal data from 3,079 counties in the continental United States. We incorporate these data into a hybrid panel model to test the effect of racial composition over time and across space. We find that, over time, as the percentage of White individuals living in a county increases, the county emits less CO 2 from on-road transportation. Across space, counties with more Black residents (as a percentage of total population) emit more on-road CO 2 than other counties. To connect our findings with the broader environmental sociological literature, we also explore the interaction of race and affluence, finding that the effect of racial composition is influenced by variation in local affluence across space. Specifically, affluence reduces the correlation between percentage of Black residents and emissions. Conceptually, we argue that through the process of subnational uneven development, environmental privilege manifests as a distinct dimension of environmental racism that affects how specific racial groups experience environmental degradation.
Asymmetric relationship of urbanization and CO2 emissions in less developed countries, 2018
Understanding the relationship between carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions and the urbanization of na... more Understanding the relationship between carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions and the urbanization of national populations has been a key concern for environmental scholars for several decades. Although sophisticated modeling techniques have been developed to explore the connection between increases in urban populations and CO 2 emissions, none has attempted to assess whether declines in urbanization have an effect on emissions that is not symmetrical with that of growth in urbanization. The present study uses panel data on CO 2 emissions and the percentage of individuals living in urban areas, as well as a variety of other structural factors, for less-developed countries from 1960–2010, to empirically assess whether the effect of growth in urban populations on emissions is symmetrical with the effect of decline. Findings indicate that the effect of growth/decline in urban populations on CO 2 emissions is asymmetrical, where a decline in urbanization reduces emissions to a much greater degree than urbanization increases emissions. We hypothesize that this is at least in part because deurbanization is connected with disruptions to the production and distribution of goods and services and/or access to electricity and other energy sources. Our finding suggests that not only the absolute level of urbanization of nations matters for emissions, but also how the patterns of migration between rural and urban areas change over time. Future research should be mindful of the processes behind deurbanization when exploring socioeconomic drivers of CO 2 emissions.
In the past two decades, income inequality has steadily increased in most developed nations. Duri... more In the past two decades, income inequality has steadily increased in most developed nations. During this same period, the growth rate of CO2 emissions has declined in many developed nations, cumulating to a recent period of decoupling between economic growth and CO2 emissions. The aim of the present study is to advance research on socioeconomic drivers of CO2 emissions by assessing how the distribution of income affects the relationship between economic growth and CO2 emissions. The authors find that from 1985 to 2011, rising income inequality leads to a tighter coupling between economic growth and CO2 emissions in developed nations. Additionally, the authors find that increases in the top 20 percent of income earners’ share of national income have resulted in a larger association between economic growth and CO2 emissions, while increases in the bottom 20 percent of income earners’ share of national income reduced the association between economic growth and CO2 emissions.
The authors examine the effect of a country’s placement in the world system in 1960 on its abilit... more The authors examine the effect of a country’s placement in the world system in 1960 on its ability to use wealth to mitigate environmental impacts. They use random-coefficients models to examine if countries belonging to core, semiperiphery, and periphery categories are able to use growth in gross domestic product (GDP) per capita to reduce CO2 emissions per capita. The findings indicate that core nations have an attenuated relationship between GDP per capita and carbon dioxide emissions per capita at higher levels of economic activity. However, nations in the semiperiphery have a relationship between GDP per capita and CO2 per capita that approximates the curve of a U. Furthermore, the authors highlight the ability of random-coefficients models to examine which levels of analysis variation in the dependent variable is most associated with. They find that the majority of variation in CO2 emissions is correlated with time-invariant variables, not with time-variant predictors, such as GDP.
Since natural gas emits less carbon than does coal per unit of electricity generation, some analy... more Since natural gas emits less carbon than does coal per unit of electricity generation, some analysts suggest natural gas will help to mitigate climate change. However, sociological research has found that the substitution of one natural resource for another often does not happen as anticipated because of political and economic factors. Here, we analyze cross-national time-series data to examine the connection between growth in emissions from natural gas consumption and changes in emissions from coal use, controlling for several structural factors. We find that carbon dioxide emissions from natural gas sources do not displace carbon dioxide emissions from coal. These results cast doubt on whether the growing use of natural gas is likely to help substantially reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Many proponents of organic farming claim that it is a sustainable alternative to conventional agr... more Many proponents of organic farming claim that it is a sustainable alternative to conventional agriculture due to its reliance on natural agro-inputs, such as manure based fertilizers and organic pesticides. However, in this analysis we argue that although particular organic farming practices clearly benefit ecosystems and human consumers, the social context in which some organic farms develop, limit the potential environmental benefits of organic agriculture. Specifically, we argue that certified organic farming's increased reliance on agro-inputs, such as organic fertilizers and pesticides, reduces its ability to decrease global water pollution. We review recent research that demonstrates the environmental consequences of specific organic practices, as well as literature showing that global organic farming is increasing its reliance on agro-inputs, and contend that organic farming has its own metabolic rift with natural water systems similar to conventional agriculture. We use a fixed-effects panel regression model to explore how recent rises in certified organic farmland correlate to water pollution (measured as biochemical oxygen demand). Our findings indicate that increases in the proportion of organic farmland over time increases water pollution. We conclude that this may be a result of organic farms increasing their reliance on non-farm agro-inputs, such as fertilizers.
There is considerable debate about the connections between efficiency and levels of resource cons... more There is considerable debate about the connections between efficiency and levels of resource consumption, particularly about the Jevons paradox and the rebound effect. To help clarify a variety of misunderstandings, we distinguish between the empirical claim that efficiency is often associated with rising resource consumption and the causal claim that efficiency leads to greater resource use. We show that at a variety of levels, a positive correlation between efficiency and resource consumption is common, suggesting that there is something to be explained. We then present various reasons that may explain these associations, some of which do not suggest a direct causal link between efficiency and consumption, but rather a connection through other mediating factors, and some of which do suggest a causal connection. We note that political economic theories propose that the effect of efficiency on consumption levels is not necessarily immediate and direct, but rather due to how it affects developmental pathways. We present an empirical analysis, using panel data on nations, which shows that more efficient nations tend to have higher rates of growth in electricity
The STochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology (STIRPAT) model has ... more The STochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology (STIRPAT) model has become a widely employed methodological approach within social science research, largely used to understand the complex relationships between human social systems and the non-human environment. The general assumption of the model is that anthropogenic environmental impacts are a multiplicative function of population, affluence, and technology. While previous STIRPAT research has examined the impact of technology in terms of urbanization, estimating the specific effect of urban population, we argue that this measure is better understood as a proxy for modernization. As an alternative, we frame urbanization as a multidimensional driver of environmental change, and we operationalize the technology dimension through cross-national data on impervious surface area, or what we call ‘terrestrial technology’. To demonstrate the potential of this example for environmental sociology, we draw from political economy to show how operationalizing technology offers a stronger, more nuanced understanding of the socioeconomic drivers of environmental degradation. Analytically, we employ a spatial regression model that estimates the effect of terrestrial technology on total carbon emissions for 173 countries. Our results show that impervious surface area is positively related to total carbon output and thus should be considered an operational measure of technology in future STIRPAT analyses.
The increasing prevalence of ecologically sustainable products in consumer markets, such as organ... more The increasing prevalence of ecologically sustainable products in consumer markets, such as organic produce, are generally assumed to curtail anthropogenic impacts on the environment. Here I intend to present an alternative perspective on sustainable production by interpreting the relationship between recent rises in organic agriculture and greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural production. I construct two time series fixed-effects panel regressions to estimate how increases in organic farmland impact greenhouse gas emissions derived from agricultural production. My analysis finds that the rise of certified organic production in the United States is not correlated with declines in greenhouse gas emissions derived specifically from agricultural production, and on the contrary is associated positively overall agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. To make sense of this finding, I embed my research within the conventionalization thesis. As a result I argue that the recent USDA certification of organic farming has generated a bifurcated organic market, where one form of organic farming works as a sustainable counterforce to conventional agriculture and the other works to increase the economic accessibility of organic farming through weakening practice standards most conducive to reducing agricultural greenhouse gas output. Additionally, I construct my own theoretical framework known as the displacement paradox to further interpret my findings.
Despite the social forces behind the introduction of invasive species, as well as their immense e... more Despite the social forces behind the introduction of invasive species, as well as their immense environmental and economic impacts, scholars of animals and society and environmental sociology have so far largely ignored ecological invasions. This study is intended to address this lacuna through a cross-national empirical analysis of invasive species and economic development in 186 nations. We contextualize this study within appropriate historical, ecological and social literature and integrate this analysis into the long standing and important debate in environmental sociology between treadmill of production theory and ecological modernization theory. We develop a negative binomial regression model to examine the relationship between population, GDP per capita, urban development and the presence of invasive species taxa in nations. Our findings support treadmill of production theory, showing that economic development contributes to the establishment of invasive species.
The phenomenon of mass incarceration has dramatically altered the economic and infrastructural la... more The phenomenon of mass incarceration has dramatically altered the economic and infrastructural landscape of the United States. These changes have numerous implications regarding the use of fossil fuels, which are the single largest contributor to climate change. The present study argues that mass incarceration creates three social patterns that result in significant increases in industrial emissions. (1) Mass incarceration incentivizes further industrial development through the construction of new prisons and the continued maintenance of existing prisons to house prisoners. (2) The needs of the millions of individuals currently incarcerated in the United States incentivize industrial expansion through the production of goods and materials used inside prisons. (3) Incarcerated individuals are being used to reduce the cost of labor, which expands economic growth. We construct several fixed-effects panel regression models with robust standard errors predicting industrial emissions for U.S. states from 1997 to 2016 to assess how increases in the number of individuals in U.S. state, federal, and private prisons is correlated with industrial emissions over time. We find that increases in incarceration within states are associated with increases in industrial emissions, and that increases in incarceration lead to a more tightly coupled association between gross domestic product per capita and industrial emissions.
A key concern when crafting sustainable development policy is maximizing the benefits that derive... more A key concern when crafting sustainable development policy is maximizing the benefits that derive from economic growth, such as increases in life-expectancy, while also reducing the negative impact that such growth has on environmental systems. In order to explore such tradeoffs research in environmental sociology has focused on a measurement of socio- environmental intensity known as the carbon intensity of well-being (CIWB). We explore the asymmetrical relationship between economic activity and CIWB for 153 nations from 1961–2013, as well as the theoretical implications of such a relationship. We initially find that in developed nations economic growth has no significant relationship to CWIB, however, declines in economic activity do significantly reduce CIWB. In less developed nations we find that increases and decreases in economic development are both significantly associated to CIWB and have associations which are not distinguishable from one another in magnitude. In an attempt to better understand these differences, we take financial processes into account, finding that such considerations account for the finding of asymmetry. Taken together, the findings of this study demonstrate the importance of considering the possibility of directional asymmetry, as well as the theoretical implications of such asymmetry, when specifying statistical models for regression analyses.
We explore how national income inequality moderates the relationship between renewable energy con... more We explore how national income inequality moderates the relationship between renewable energy consumption and CO 2 emissions per capita for a sample of 175 nations from 1990 to 2014. We find that, independent of income inequality and other drivers of emissions, increases in renewable energy consumption reduce emissions. However, when national income inequality is considered, we find that as inequality increases renewable energy consumption is associated with a much larger decrease in emissions. We also find that when fossil fuel energy is controlled for, inequality does not significantly moderate the association between renewable energy and emissions. These results suggest that fossil fuel consumption is the main vector through which inequality moderates the relationship between renewable energy and emissions. Drawing on previous work from energy poverty scholars, we theorize that national inequality influences the way renewables are deployed. Specifically, our findings suggest that renewable energy displaces more fossil fuel energy sources when inequality is increasing , while-conversely-fewer existing fossil fuel energy sources are displaced when inequality is decreasing. In additional analyses, we find that as the top 20 percent of income earners' share of income grows, the association between renewable energy consumption and emissions decreases in magnitude. We conclude by arguing that efforts aimed at increasing renewable energy consumption should adopt policies that ensure the effective displacement of fossil fuels and reduce inequality.
The environmental implications of racial inequality have been discussed by sociologists almost ex... more The environmental implications of racial inequality have been discussed by sociologists almost exclusively as matters of environmental justice or injustice, where scholars analyze how racial inequality affects a community's rate of exposure to environmental hazards. The present study seeks to assess how race and income independently and synergistically affect the emission of carbon dioxide (CO 2) from on-road travel across and within counties, using longitudinal data from 3,079 counties in the continental United States. We incorporate these data into a hybrid panel model to test the effect of racial composition over time and across space. We find that, over time, as the percentage of White individuals living in a county increases, the county emits less CO 2 from on-road transportation. Across space, counties with more Black residents (as a percentage of total population) emit more on-road CO 2 than other counties. To connect our findings with the broader environmental sociological literature, we also explore the interaction of race and affluence, finding that the effect of racial composition is influenced by variation in local affluence across space. Specifically, affluence reduces the correlation between percentage of Black residents and emissions. Conceptually, we argue that through the process of subnational uneven development, environmental privilege manifests as a distinct dimension of environmental racism that affects how specific racial groups experience environmental degradation.
Asymmetric relationship of urbanization and CO2 emissions in less developed countries, 2018
Understanding the relationship between carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions and the urbanization of na... more Understanding the relationship between carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions and the urbanization of national populations has been a key concern for environmental scholars for several decades. Although sophisticated modeling techniques have been developed to explore the connection between increases in urban populations and CO 2 emissions, none has attempted to assess whether declines in urbanization have an effect on emissions that is not symmetrical with that of growth in urbanization. The present study uses panel data on CO 2 emissions and the percentage of individuals living in urban areas, as well as a variety of other structural factors, for less-developed countries from 1960–2010, to empirically assess whether the effect of growth in urban populations on emissions is symmetrical with the effect of decline. Findings indicate that the effect of growth/decline in urban populations on CO 2 emissions is asymmetrical, where a decline in urbanization reduces emissions to a much greater degree than urbanization increases emissions. We hypothesize that this is at least in part because deurbanization is connected with disruptions to the production and distribution of goods and services and/or access to electricity and other energy sources. Our finding suggests that not only the absolute level of urbanization of nations matters for emissions, but also how the patterns of migration between rural and urban areas change over time. Future research should be mindful of the processes behind deurbanization when exploring socioeconomic drivers of CO 2 emissions.
In the past two decades, income inequality has steadily increased in most developed nations. Duri... more In the past two decades, income inequality has steadily increased in most developed nations. During this same period, the growth rate of CO2 emissions has declined in many developed nations, cumulating to a recent period of decoupling between economic growth and CO2 emissions. The aim of the present study is to advance research on socioeconomic drivers of CO2 emissions by assessing how the distribution of income affects the relationship between economic growth and CO2 emissions. The authors find that from 1985 to 2011, rising income inequality leads to a tighter coupling between economic growth and CO2 emissions in developed nations. Additionally, the authors find that increases in the top 20 percent of income earners’ share of national income have resulted in a larger association between economic growth and CO2 emissions, while increases in the bottom 20 percent of income earners’ share of national income reduced the association between economic growth and CO2 emissions.
The authors examine the effect of a country’s placement in the world system in 1960 on its abilit... more The authors examine the effect of a country’s placement in the world system in 1960 on its ability to use wealth to mitigate environmental impacts. They use random-coefficients models to examine if countries belonging to core, semiperiphery, and periphery categories are able to use growth in gross domestic product (GDP) per capita to reduce CO2 emissions per capita. The findings indicate that core nations have an attenuated relationship between GDP per capita and carbon dioxide emissions per capita at higher levels of economic activity. However, nations in the semiperiphery have a relationship between GDP per capita and CO2 per capita that approximates the curve of a U. Furthermore, the authors highlight the ability of random-coefficients models to examine which levels of analysis variation in the dependent variable is most associated with. They find that the majority of variation in CO2 emissions is correlated with time-invariant variables, not with time-variant predictors, such as GDP.
Since natural gas emits less carbon than does coal per unit of electricity generation, some analy... more Since natural gas emits less carbon than does coal per unit of electricity generation, some analysts suggest natural gas will help to mitigate climate change. However, sociological research has found that the substitution of one natural resource for another often does not happen as anticipated because of political and economic factors. Here, we analyze cross-national time-series data to examine the connection between growth in emissions from natural gas consumption and changes in emissions from coal use, controlling for several structural factors. We find that carbon dioxide emissions from natural gas sources do not displace carbon dioxide emissions from coal. These results cast doubt on whether the growing use of natural gas is likely to help substantially reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Many proponents of organic farming claim that it is a sustainable alternative to conventional agr... more Many proponents of organic farming claim that it is a sustainable alternative to conventional agriculture due to its reliance on natural agro-inputs, such as manure based fertilizers and organic pesticides. However, in this analysis we argue that although particular organic farming practices clearly benefit ecosystems and human consumers, the social context in which some organic farms develop, limit the potential environmental benefits of organic agriculture. Specifically, we argue that certified organic farming's increased reliance on agro-inputs, such as organic fertilizers and pesticides, reduces its ability to decrease global water pollution. We review recent research that demonstrates the environmental consequences of specific organic practices, as well as literature showing that global organic farming is increasing its reliance on agro-inputs, and contend that organic farming has its own metabolic rift with natural water systems similar to conventional agriculture. We use a fixed-effects panel regression model to explore how recent rises in certified organic farmland correlate to water pollution (measured as biochemical oxygen demand). Our findings indicate that increases in the proportion of organic farmland over time increases water pollution. We conclude that this may be a result of organic farms increasing their reliance on non-farm agro-inputs, such as fertilizers.
There is considerable debate about the connections between efficiency and levels of resource cons... more There is considerable debate about the connections between efficiency and levels of resource consumption, particularly about the Jevons paradox and the rebound effect. To help clarify a variety of misunderstandings, we distinguish between the empirical claim that efficiency is often associated with rising resource consumption and the causal claim that efficiency leads to greater resource use. We show that at a variety of levels, a positive correlation between efficiency and resource consumption is common, suggesting that there is something to be explained. We then present various reasons that may explain these associations, some of which do not suggest a direct causal link between efficiency and consumption, but rather a connection through other mediating factors, and some of which do suggest a causal connection. We note that political economic theories propose that the effect of efficiency on consumption levels is not necessarily immediate and direct, but rather due to how it affects developmental pathways. We present an empirical analysis, using panel data on nations, which shows that more efficient nations tend to have higher rates of growth in electricity
The STochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology (STIRPAT) model has ... more The STochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology (STIRPAT) model has become a widely employed methodological approach within social science research, largely used to understand the complex relationships between human social systems and the non-human environment. The general assumption of the model is that anthropogenic environmental impacts are a multiplicative function of population, affluence, and technology. While previous STIRPAT research has examined the impact of technology in terms of urbanization, estimating the specific effect of urban population, we argue that this measure is better understood as a proxy for modernization. As an alternative, we frame urbanization as a multidimensional driver of environmental change, and we operationalize the technology dimension through cross-national data on impervious surface area, or what we call ‘terrestrial technology’. To demonstrate the potential of this example for environmental sociology, we draw from political economy to show how operationalizing technology offers a stronger, more nuanced understanding of the socioeconomic drivers of environmental degradation. Analytically, we employ a spatial regression model that estimates the effect of terrestrial technology on total carbon emissions for 173 countries. Our results show that impervious surface area is positively related to total carbon output and thus should be considered an operational measure of technology in future STIRPAT analyses.
The increasing prevalence of ecologically sustainable products in consumer markets, such as organ... more The increasing prevalence of ecologically sustainable products in consumer markets, such as organic produce, are generally assumed to curtail anthropogenic impacts on the environment. Here I intend to present an alternative perspective on sustainable production by interpreting the relationship between recent rises in organic agriculture and greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural production. I construct two time series fixed-effects panel regressions to estimate how increases in organic farmland impact greenhouse gas emissions derived from agricultural production. My analysis finds that the rise of certified organic production in the United States is not correlated with declines in greenhouse gas emissions derived specifically from agricultural production, and on the contrary is associated positively overall agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. To make sense of this finding, I embed my research within the conventionalization thesis. As a result I argue that the recent USDA certification of organic farming has generated a bifurcated organic market, where one form of organic farming works as a sustainable counterforce to conventional agriculture and the other works to increase the economic accessibility of organic farming through weakening practice standards most conducive to reducing agricultural greenhouse gas output. Additionally, I construct my own theoretical framework known as the displacement paradox to further interpret my findings.
Despite the social forces behind the introduction of invasive species, as well as their immense e... more Despite the social forces behind the introduction of invasive species, as well as their immense environmental and economic impacts, scholars of animals and society and environmental sociology have so far largely ignored ecological invasions. This study is intended to address this lacuna through a cross-national empirical analysis of invasive species and economic development in 186 nations. We contextualize this study within appropriate historical, ecological and social literature and integrate this analysis into the long standing and important debate in environmental sociology between treadmill of production theory and ecological modernization theory. We develop a negative binomial regression model to examine the relationship between population, GDP per capita, urban development and the presence of invasive species taxa in nations. Our findings support treadmill of production theory, showing that economic development contributes to the establishment of invasive species.
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Papers by Julius McGee
industrial emissions.
the growth rate of CO2 emissions has declined in many developed nations, cumulating to a recent period of decoupling
between economic growth and CO2 emissions. The aim of the present study is to advance research on socioeconomic
drivers of CO2 emissions by assessing how the distribution of income affects the relationship between economic
growth and CO2 emissions. The authors find that from 1985 to 2011, rising income inequality leads to a tighter coupling
between economic growth and CO2 emissions in developed nations. Additionally, the authors find that increases in the
top 20 percent of income earners’ share of national income have resulted in a larger association between economic
growth and CO2 emissions, while increases in the bottom 20 percent of income earners’ share of national income
reduced the association between economic growth and CO2 emissions.
about the Jevons paradox and the rebound effect. To help clarify a variety of misunderstandings, we distinguish between the empirical claim that efficiency is often associated with rising resource consumption and the causal claim that efficiency
leads to greater resource use. We show that at a variety of levels, a positive correlation between efficiency and resource
consumption is common, suggesting that there is something to be explained. We then present various reasons that may
explain these associations, some of which do not suggest a direct causal link between efficiency and consumption, but rather a connection through other mediating factors, and some of which do suggest a causal connection. We note that political
economic theories propose that the effect of efficiency on consumption levels is not necessarily immediate and direct, but
rather due to how it affects developmental pathways. We present an empirical analysis, using panel data on nations, which shows that more efficient nations tend to have higher rates of growth in electricity
employed methodological approach within social science research, largely used to understand the complex relationships
between human social systems and the non-human environment. The general assumption of the model is that anthropogenic
environmental impacts are a multiplicative function of population, affluence, and technology. While previous STIRPAT
research has examined the impact of technology in terms of urbanization, estimating the specific effect of urban population,
we argue that this measure is better understood as a proxy for modernization. As an alternative, we frame urbanization as a
multidimensional driver of environmental change, and we operationalize the technology dimension through cross-national data on impervious surface area, or what we call ‘terrestrial technology’. To demonstrate the potential of this example for environmental sociology, we draw from political economy to show how operationalizing technology offers a stronger, more nuanced understanding of the socioeconomic drivers of environmental degradation. Analytically, we employ a spatial regression model that estimates the effect of terrestrial technology on total carbon emissions for 173 countries. Our results show that impervious surface area is positively related to total carbon output and thus should be considered an operational measure of technology in future STIRPAT analyses.
industrial emissions.
the growth rate of CO2 emissions has declined in many developed nations, cumulating to a recent period of decoupling
between economic growth and CO2 emissions. The aim of the present study is to advance research on socioeconomic
drivers of CO2 emissions by assessing how the distribution of income affects the relationship between economic
growth and CO2 emissions. The authors find that from 1985 to 2011, rising income inequality leads to a tighter coupling
between economic growth and CO2 emissions in developed nations. Additionally, the authors find that increases in the
top 20 percent of income earners’ share of national income have resulted in a larger association between economic
growth and CO2 emissions, while increases in the bottom 20 percent of income earners’ share of national income
reduced the association between economic growth and CO2 emissions.
about the Jevons paradox and the rebound effect. To help clarify a variety of misunderstandings, we distinguish between the empirical claim that efficiency is often associated with rising resource consumption and the causal claim that efficiency
leads to greater resource use. We show that at a variety of levels, a positive correlation between efficiency and resource
consumption is common, suggesting that there is something to be explained. We then present various reasons that may
explain these associations, some of which do not suggest a direct causal link between efficiency and consumption, but rather a connection through other mediating factors, and some of which do suggest a causal connection. We note that political
economic theories propose that the effect of efficiency on consumption levels is not necessarily immediate and direct, but
rather due to how it affects developmental pathways. We present an empirical analysis, using panel data on nations, which shows that more efficient nations tend to have higher rates of growth in electricity
employed methodological approach within social science research, largely used to understand the complex relationships
between human social systems and the non-human environment. The general assumption of the model is that anthropogenic
environmental impacts are a multiplicative function of population, affluence, and technology. While previous STIRPAT
research has examined the impact of technology in terms of urbanization, estimating the specific effect of urban population,
we argue that this measure is better understood as a proxy for modernization. As an alternative, we frame urbanization as a
multidimensional driver of environmental change, and we operationalize the technology dimension through cross-national data on impervious surface area, or what we call ‘terrestrial technology’. To demonstrate the potential of this example for environmental sociology, we draw from political economy to show how operationalizing technology offers a stronger, more nuanced understanding of the socioeconomic drivers of environmental degradation. Analytically, we employ a spatial regression model that estimates the effect of terrestrial technology on total carbon emissions for 173 countries. Our results show that impervious surface area is positively related to total carbon output and thus should be considered an operational measure of technology in future STIRPAT analyses.