Higher transport CO2 emissions linked to more wood panel imports
Comparing Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Transport (Energy) (Mt CO2e) with Wood-based panels — Import quantity across 169 countries, 2024–2024.
- Rank correlation
- +0.83
- Holding size constant
- +0.69
- Countries compared
- 169
- Period
- 2024–2024
What might link these
Countries with greater transport emissions may have larger construction sectors needing wood panels, or higher trade volumes overall. However, richer nations (with higher GDP) may import both more panels and have more transport emissions, so the partial correlation controls for this.
Why this is not proof of anything
This is a correlation across countries, not an experiment. It cannot show that either indicator causes the other, and both may simply follow a third thing. Correlation does not imply causation; other factors like trade policies or industrial activity could drive both.
The second figure above repeats the measurement with national population and income held constant. It is the more conservative number: a relationship that largely disappears there was mostly telling you that larger, richer countries have more of most things.
How this was measured
Both indicators were ranked across every country reporting each, and the two rankings compared — ranks rather than raw values, because a handful of very large countries can otherwise manufacture a relationship on their own. The calculation is arithmetic over figures already published on this site; the commentary above is drafted from the two indicator names and the resulting coefficients.