Burke, Paul2015-12-100140-9883http://hdl.handle.net/1885/52062This paper presents evidence on a national-level electricity ladder which sees countries transition toward coal and natural gas, and finally nuclear power and modern renewables such as wind power, for their electricity needs as they develop. The extent to which countries climb the electricity ladder is dependent on energy endowments. The results imply that the environmental implications of economic development differ in countries with different energy resource endowments. An effective global carbon mitigation strategy will require developing countries to leapfrog the middle rungs of the electricity ladder.Copyright Information: © 2010 Elsevier B.V. http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/issn/0140-9883/..."Authors pre-print on any website, including arXiv and RePEC" from SHERPA/RoMEO site (as at 23/11/15).Keywords: Carbon mitigation; Economic development; Environmental implications; Nuclear power; Renewables; Developing countries; Energy resources; Ladders; Wind power; Electricity; alternative energy; coal-fired power plant; developing world; economic development; e Economic development; Electricity mix; Energy; Substitution; Transition201010.1016/j.eneco.2010.01.0122016-02-24