Analytical storytelling

The Carbon Footprint of Trade

A visualization and policy-oriented analysis of carbon emissions embodied in international imports and exports, with emphasis on OECD and non-OECD comparisons.

Data visualization OECD data Climate analysis Trade policy
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Project Goals

  • Measure the carbon footprint of trade activity between OECD and non-OECD countries.
  • Compare import- and export-related emissions across country groups.
  • Turn complex environmental data into a clearer policy-facing story.

Data and Sources

The analysis uses OECD greenhouse-gas emissions data, Global Carbon Project context, and country-level emissions indicators from 2008 to 2018.

Inputs included territorial CO2 emissions per capita, gross emissions embodied in imports and exports, and overall country-level emissions.

Analytical Approach

The project is structured as sustainability analytics rather than prediction. It compares country groups, separates import- and export-related emissions, and places trade emissions beside broader climate indicators such as CO2 concentration, surface temperature, and sea-level trends.

The strongest portfolio value is the translation from raw environmental indicators into charts a policy or business audience can scan quickly.

Key Findings

  • Non-OECD countries carried a much larger volume of export-related emissions.
  • OECD countries showed higher emissions per capita but lower export-related totals in the project comparison.
  • Korea, the United States, and Japan appeared among major OECD contributors.

Evaluation and Limitations

The analysis is evaluated through consistency, comparative clarity, and source-backed visualization rather than model accuracy. It does not claim causal attribution between individual trade flows and climate trends.

A stronger next pass would standardize time windows across all charts, add uncertainty notes, and connect country-level totals to per-capita and sector-level breakdowns.

What It Shows

This project is less about one model and more about judgment: selecting the right comparisons, making the story legible, and connecting data visualization to a real policy conversation.

Visual Evidence

OECD vs non-OECD gross export emissions
Gross export emissions comparison.
OECD vs non-OECD import emissions
CO2 emissions embodied in imports.
Top OECD CO2 emission contributors
Top OECD contributors in the project analysis.
Per capita CO2 emissions map
Global per-capita emissions map.
Sea level trend chart from the carbon footprint of trade project
Climate-context chart copied from the project source materials.