CO2-Index: Atmospheric Gas Emission Index in the Legislative Activity of Brazilian Deputies (2019-2022)

Resumo: About – What It Is The CO2-Index is an atmospheric gas emission index in legislative activity. We estimate the atmospheric impact of Brazilian federal deputies by assigning emission sector weights to their votes, bills, and speeches. First, we classify legislative actions as either emitting or mitigating. Then, using data from the Greenhouse Gas Emission and Removal Estimating System (SEEG), we associate each legislative action with an emission sector and assign it the weight of that sector’s carbon emissions in the year of the action. The subtraction of total emitting weights from mitigating weights forms our index. About – How It Is Done To calculate the CO2-Index, we consider roll-call votes, speeches delivered in plenary sessions, and bills proposed by deputies in the 56th Legislature (2019-2022). Each of these actions is classified as either emitting or mitigating. We then associate the actions with one or more emission sectors: Agriculture, Energy, Land Use Change and Forestry, Industrial Processes, and Waste. Next, we assign each action the net emissions weight of the relevant sector in the year the legislative action took place. Finally, we subtract emitting weights from mitigating weights. Deputies with a positive score are more emission-intensive, while those with a negative score are mitigators.