Carbon Colonialism in Global Trade: Linking Knowledge Production and Embodied Emissions
Year: 2026
Type: dataset
Abstract: Carbon colonialism reflects a structural imbalance in which carbon-intensive production is concentrated in the Global South to support consumption in the Global North, while analytical authority remains unevenly distributed. Although multi-regional input–output (MRIO) studies quantify trade-embodied carbon emissions and bibliometric analyses map research networks, these approaches are rarely integrated. Consequently, the relationship between material carbon transfers and the geography of knowledge production remains insufficiently understood. This study addresses this gap by developing an integrated bibliometric–MRIO framework to examine carbon colonialism as a coupled material and epistemic system. Using environmental extended MRIO data from the UNCTAD–Eora database, we quantify embodied CO2 flows in Global North–Global South trade from 2000 to 2021. This is complemented by a bibliometric analysis of 495 journal articles indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection (2000–2025), focusing on authorship patterns, institutional collaboration, and citation influence. Linking these two dimensions enables a direct comparison between emission burdens and scholarly authority. The results reveal a persistent asymmetry. The Global South’s net exports of embodied carbon increased by 68.8%, driven mainly by energy-intensive, export-oriented sectors. In contrast, research output is dominated by institutions in the United States, Western Europe, and China, while Africa and Latin America remain marginal despite their material importance in global carbon flows. Overall, the findings show that carbon colonialism is sustained through mutually reinforcing material outsourcing and epistemic concentration, with implications for trade-related climate policy and carbon accounting.
Source: Figshare
Author: Gedefie, Gizachew
Language: English
Subfield: Environmental Engineering
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: green
Award: G6909868965
OpenAlex ID: W7154412922