An Analysis of Environmental Effects of Energy Intensive Economic Activities in Khorasan Razavi Province: Using RAS Regional Input-Output Model

Energy is one of the main factors of production in various economic activities. The development of economic activities in different countries and regions leads to higher energy consumption and production of environmental pollutants. This study uses an Input-Output model based on the CHARM RAS method to investigate the role of economic activities in Khorasan Razavi province in the production of environmental pollutants, CO2 and CO emissions, in response to various policy scenarios (changes in government spending, household costs, and capital formation). The results showed that a 10 percent increase in household spending, government spending, and capital formation increased CO2 emissions by  58.3 percent, 71.4 percent, and 12.5 percent, respectively, and increased CO emissions by 125.5 percent, 165.5 percent, and  25.6 percent respectively. These results indicate the role and importance of government policies in environmental pollutants. The industrial sector was also identified as the main producer of environmental pollutants, accounting for 97% of the increase in pollution in various scenarios. The results also showed that the provincechr('39')s key polluting activities include "manufacturing coke and petroleum products", "extracting crude oil, natural gas and mining support services", "manufacturing chemicals and chemical products", "Electricity transmission and distribution", and "ground transportation". JEL Classification: Q43, Q5, R15 Keywords: Energy, Environmental pollutants, Input-Output model, CHARM RAS, Khorasan Razavi province