The “efficient frontier” between growth and CO2 emissions growth

We are building the “efficient frontier” between GDP growth and CO 2 emissions growth. This efficient frontier represents the situation of countries where an increase in GDP growth requires an increase in CO 2 emissions, i.e. these countries cannot reduce CO 2 emissions without a negative effect on GDP growth. The countries furthest from the efficient frontier in the most recent period have been Japan, Thailand, Italy, Mexico, Morocco and Indonesia. The countries closest to the efficient frontier in the most recent period have been the Netherlands, Poland, China and Vietnam. The efficient frontier does not refer to countries where CO 2 emissions are increasing least rapidly; it refers to countries that are best able to trade off GDP growth against growth in CO 2 emissions.