Socio-economic parameters affect CO2 emissions and energy consumption - An analysis over the United Nations Countries

This article reviews data concerning the gross national income, the human development index, the coefficient of human inequality, CO2 emissions, and total energy consumption (reference year = 2019). The determination of the nexus among parameters quantifying the five factors above is crucial to provide guidelines for policy makers, to formulate effective policies concerning, e.g., the reduction of greenhouse gases emissions and the energy sources diversification to diminish the dependence on non-renewable sources. The work aims to provide an original contribution in determining analytical re-lationships among these parameters characterising all 193 Countries members of the United Nations. Reference to recent events (war and pandemic) are included in the literature review. Data highlight the socio-political responsibility that more developed Countries must have in pursuing green and sustainable chemistry approaches to mitigate global warming effects. The adopted empirical approach can provide quanti-tative data easily accessible to a wider audience, thus pro-moting a more effective communication channel between scientific community and policy makers.