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This paper applied the Tapio and LMDI methods based on an extended Kaya identity, to evaluate the decoupling and factors that influenced the relationship between economic growth and CO2 emissions in Cameroon from 1990 to 2015. The analysis covered the two main sectors of Cameroon's economic activity, and the decoupling indicators were broken down into five factors. The results showed that Cameroon performed weak decoupling throughout this study period. A weak negative decoupling and a strong negative decoupling appeared during the periods 1990-1992 and 1993-1994, whereas a strong decoupling occurred only from 1994 to 1995 and between 2004 and 2006. From a general point of view, we found that demographic change, followed by energy intensity and economic activity, played a negative role in decoupling, while economic structure and emission factors had promoted the development of decoupling. A comparative analysis of the industrial and tertiary sectors revealed that industrial growth determined the degree of decoupling of CO2 emissions from Cameroon's economic growth. The policy will need to optimize and significantly adjust the energy and industrial structures if Cameroon's 2035 emission reduction targets are to be reached. This requires a change in Cameroon's energy consumption and economic development pathways for optimal outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To effectively combat global warming, an enormous reduction in CO 2 emissions is required. Cameroon, which is currently the largest emitter of CO 2 in the CEMAC subregion, has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 32% by 2035. However, previous studies in Cameroon have only addressed the relationship between economic growth, energy consumption, and CO 2 emissions without estimating all causal relationships at the same time. Moreover, no study has yet decomposed this country's CO 2 emissions to date. To fill these research gaps and further assess the determinants of these CO 2 emissions, an extended Kaya identity and the Logarithm Mean Divisia Index (LMDI I) have been applied in this paper to identify, quantify, and explain the main drivers of Cameroon's CO 2 emissions from 2007 to 2014. Seven effects were measured and the main findings show that carbon intensity and the emission factor increased by 0.57% and 107.50% respectively. Regarding contributions to the increase of CO 2 emissions, the population effect was the most positive followed by the activity effect, whereas the energy intensity, the substitution of fossil fuels and the penetration of renewable energies have contributed to reduce the CO 2 emission. To enable Cameroon to not only achieve the goals of its vision but also develop a low-carbon economy, this paper provides some proposed avenues that should be considered by policymakers.

This paper applied the Tapio and LMDI methods based on an extended Kaya identity, to evaluate the decoupling and factors that influenced the relationship between economic growth and CO 2 emissions in Cameroon from 1990 to 2015. The analysis covered the two main sectors of Cameroon's economic activity, and the decoupling indicators were broken down into five factors. The results showed that Cameroon performed weak decoupling throughout this study period. A weak negative decoupling and a strong negative decoupling appeared during the periods 1990-1992 and 1993-1994, whereas a strong decoupling occurred only from 1994 to 1995 and between 2004 and 2006. From a general point of view, we found that demographic change, followed by energy intensity and economic activity, played a negative role in decoupling, while economic structure and emission factors had promoted the development of decoupling. A comparative analysis of the industrial and tertiary sectors revealed that industrial growth determined the degree of decoupling of CO 2 emissions from Cameroon's economic growth. The policy will need to optimize and significantly adjust the energy and industrial structures if Cameroon's 2035 emission reduction targets are to be reached. This requires a change in Cameroon's energy consumption and economic development pathways for optimal outcomes.