This study shows that neither decoupling CO2 emissions from production, consumption and GDP, nor reducing emission intensity is good per se. Instead of analyzing decoupling cases, it proposes two orderings: one that balances economy and carbon emissions and, if there is conflict, prioritizes GDP increase, and another that gives priority to the environment. Each country has its own 'rank'. The result is that even if the two orderings differ, there are no substantial differences between the decoupling ranking of countries based on production and consumption emissions, and between the ordering that gives priority to the economy over the environment.