Coupling or Decoupling Relationship Between CO2 Emissions Related to Energy and Economic Growth: Middle East Selected Countries Evidence

The article purpose is analysis of decoupling relationship between CO2 emissions energy-related and economic growth in 6 Middle East countries in period 1990-2019. For this, CO2 emissions driving mechanisms were first quantified using Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) method, and then decomposed into factors of CO2 emission coefficient, energy intensity, economic activity and population. Next, the decoupling state of each country was analyzed using the Tapio model. The findings show that population and economic activities factors were main drivers of CO2 emissions in these countries. The results of decoupling elasticity showed that Iran was in a weak decoupling state in period of 1990-1999 and 2015-2019; It means the simultaneous increase of economic growth and carbon emissions, of course, by faster economic growth; Iran had also an expansive coupling state in period of 2000-2014, which indicates that CO2 emissions increase along economic growth. The UAE and Saudi Arabia have reached an ideal situation in recent years. These countries have moved from a negative decoupling and expansive coupling state to a strong decoupling state, where economic growth has been accompanied by a reduction in carbon emissions. The Kuwait and Turkey have been in a stable situation and have been in weak decoupling and negative expansive decoupling states in the last 3 decades, in which economic growth was accompanied by an increase in carbon emissions, but economic growth increased faster in Kuwait. At the beginning, the Egypt has changed to a weak decoupling state and then moved to an expansive negative decoupling state.