This study analyses CO2 emission flows and energy use in the Latin American countries of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela from the years 1971-2001. Results for the selected Latin American countries reveal that the changes in CO2 intensities were quite similar in these countries. However, the energy use varied slightly, indicating differences in the energy utilization in the analysed countries. Examining the changes on energy use suggests that there were no significant changes in any of these countries' energy utilization during that period, but the energy markets are growing quite rapidly in all of these Latin American countries. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.