IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecomod/v482y2023ics0304380023001424.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Unfolding carbon inequality across Belt and Road Initiative countries and regions under a global trade network

Author

Listed:
  • Lin, Zekun
  • Meng, Fanxin
  • Wang, Dongfang
  • Liao, Danqi
  • Sun, Yutong
  • Hou, Jiaqi
  • Liu, Gengyuan
  • Giannetti, Biagio Fernando
  • Agostinho, Feni
  • Almeida, Cecília M.V.B.

Abstract

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has boosted global trade and economic development. Carbon inequality embodied in global trade may occur across BRI countries and regions in the world. How to quantify this inequality is the key to achieving the green development of the Belt and Road. In this study, we constructed a methodological framework to analyze carbon inequality across BRI countries and regions under the global trade network. Results showed that nearly half of BRI countries and regions exported net embodied carbon emissions while obtaining net economic benefits. The most severe bilateral trade carbon inequality existed between China and BRI West Asia, whose bilateral trade carbon inequality index (BCI) reached 2.76. Except for Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and BRI West Asia, BRI countries and regions were negatively affected by global trade carbon inequality, with China and India suffering the most, whose global trade carbon inequality indices (GCI) were -2.06 and -1.26, respectively. This methodological framework can be applied to analyze the inequality of other kinds of ecological impacts embodied in trade on any scale. Furthermore, this study can provide policy implications for the green development of the Belt and Road.

Suggested Citation

  • Lin, Zekun & Meng, Fanxin & Wang, Dongfang & Liao, Danqi & Sun, Yutong & Hou, Jiaqi & Liu, Gengyuan & Giannetti, Biagio Fernando & Agostinho, Feni & Almeida, Cecília M.V.B., 2023. "Unfolding carbon inequality across Belt and Road Initiative countries and regions under a global trade network," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 482(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:482:y:2023:i:c:s0304380023001424
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2023.110411
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304380023001424
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2023.110411?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gengyuan Liu & Asim Nawab & Fanxin Meng & Aamir Mehmood Shah & Xiaoya Deng & Yan Hao & Biagio F. Giannetti & Feni Agostinho & Cecília M. V. B. Almeida & Marco Casazza, 2021. "Understanding the Sustainability of the Energy–Water–Land Flow Nexus in Transnational Trade of the Belt and Road Countries," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-19, October.
    2. Weitzel, Matthias & Ma, Tao, 2014. "Emissions embodied in Chinese exports taking into account the special export structure of China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 45-52.
    3. Lu, Qinli & Fang, Kai & Heijungs, Reinout & Feng, Kuishuang & Li, Jiashuo & Wen, Qi & Li, Yanmei & Huang, Xianjin, 2020. "Imbalance and drivers of carbon emissions embodied in trade along the Belt and Road Initiative," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 280(C).
    4. Muhammad, Sulaman & Long, Xingle & Salman, Muhammad & Dauda, Lamini, 2020. "Effect of urbanization and international trade on CO2 emissions across 65 belt and road initiative countries," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    5. Chenchen Ding & Yong Xia & Yang Su & Feng Li & Changjiang Xiong & Jingwen Xu, 2022. "Study on the Impact of Climate Change on China’s Import Trade of Major Agricultural Products and Adaptation Strategies," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-21, November.
    6. Wang, Yihan & Xiong, Siqin & Ma, Xiaoming, 2022. "Carbon inequality in global trade: Evidence from the mismatch between embodied carbon emissions and value added," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    7. Lenzen, Manfred & Murray, Joy & Sack, Fabian & Wiedmann, Thomas, 2007. "Shared producer and consumer responsibility -- Theory and practice," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(1), pages 27-42, February.
    8. Arce, Guadalupe & López, Luis Antonio & Guan, Dabo, 2016. "Carbon emissions embodied in international trade: The post-China era," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 1063-1072.
    9. Fuzhong Chen & Guohai Jiang & Getachew Magnar Kitila, 2021. "Trade Openness and CO 2 Emissions: The Heterogeneous and Mediating Effects for the Belt and Road Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-16, February.
    10. Huang, Yiping, 2016. "Understanding China's Belt & Road Initiative: Motivation, framework and assessment," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 314-321.
    11. Bastianoni, Simone & Pulselli, Federico Maria & Tiezzi, Enzo, 2004. "The problem of assigning responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(3), pages 253-257, July.
    12. Zhang, Yu & Zhang, Sufang, 2018. "The impacts of GDP, trade structure, exchange rate and FDI inflows on China's carbon emissions," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 347-353.
    13. Wang, Xin & Yang, Jianxun & Zhou, Qi & Liu, Miaomiao & Bi, Jun, 2022. "Mapping the exchange between embodied economic benefits and CO2 emissions among Belt and Road Initiative countries," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 307(C).
    14. Yang, Lisha & Ni, Mengying, 2022. "Is financial development beneficial to improve the efficiency of green development? Evidence from the “Belt and Road” countries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Xu, Chengzhen & Zhu, Qingyuan & Li, Xingchen & Wu, Liangpeng & Deng, Ping, 2024. "Determinants of global carbon emission and aggregate carbon intensity: A multi-region input−output approach," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 418-435.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Shi, Qiaoling & Shan, Yuli & Zhong, Chao & Cao, Ye & Xue, Rui, 2022. "How would GVCs participation affect carbon intensity in the “Belt and Road Initiative” countries?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    2. Shi, Qiaoling & Zhao, Yuhuan & Qian, Zhiling & Zheng, Lu & Wang, Song, 2022. "Global value chains participation and carbon emissions: Evidence from Belt and Road countries," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 310(C).
    3. Lu, Cheng & Du, Qiang, 2024. "The heterogeneous effects of transportation infrastructure on trade-embodied CO2 transfer: A multi-scale perspective," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 302(C).
    4. Boya Zhang & Shukuan Bai & Yadong Ning & Tao Ding & Yan Zhang, 2020. "Emission Embodied in International Trade and Its Responsibility from the Perspective of Global Value Chain: Progress, Trends, and Challenges," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-26, April.
    5. Xiao, Zhaohua & Du, Limin & Wang, Zheng, 2023. "The Belt, the Road, and the carbon emissions in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    6. Xuemei Jiang & Quanrun Chen & Cuihong Yang, 2018. "A Comparison Of Producer, Consumer And Shared Responsibility Based On A New Inter-Country Input–Output Table Capturing Trade Heterogeneity," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 63(02), pages 295-311, March.
    7. Airebule, Palizha & Cheng, Haitao & Ishikawa, Jota, 2023. "Assessing carbon emissions embodied in international trade based on shared responsibility," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    8. Hayat Khan & Liu Weili & Itbar Khan, 2022. "Environmental innovation, trade openness and quality institutions: an integrated investigation about environmental sustainability," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 3832-3862, March.
    9. Karl Steininger & Pablo Munoz & Jonas Karstensen & Glen Peters & Rita Strohmaier & Erick Velazquez, 2017. "Austria’s Consumption-Based Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Identifying sectoral sources and destinations," EcoMod2017 10472, EcoMod.
    10. repec:grz:wpaper:2013-03 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Rui Xie & Chao Gao & Guomei Zhao & Yu Liu & Shengcheng Xu, 2017. "Empirical Study of China’s Provincial Carbon Responsibility Sharing: Provincial Value Chain Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-16, April.
    12. Ye, Li & Yang, Deling & Dang, Yaoguo & Wang, Junjie, 2022. "An enhanced multivariable dynamic time-delay discrete grey forecasting model for predicting China's carbon emissions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 249(C).
    13. Li, Jia Shuo & Zhou, H.W. & Meng, Jing & Yang, Q. & Chen, B. & Zhang, Y.Y., 2018. "Carbon emissions and their drivers for a typical urban economy from multiple perspectives: A case analysis for Beijing city," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C), pages 1076-1086.
    14. Wiedmann, Thomas, 2009. "A first empirical comparison of energy Footprints embodied in trade -- MRIO versus PLUM," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(7), pages 1975-1990, May.
    15. Springmann, Marco & Zhang, Da & Xiliang, Zhang & Karplus, Valerie J., 2013. "Incorporating consumption-based emissions accounting into climate policy in China: Provincial target setting and ETS baseline allocations," Conference papers 332341, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    16. Zhou, P. & Wang, M., 2016. "Carbon dioxide emissions allocation: A review," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 47-59.
    17. Francesco Ciardiello & Andrea Genovese & Andrew Simpson, 2020. "A unified cooperative model for environmental costs in supply chains: the Shapley value for the linear case," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 290(1), pages 421-437, July.
    18. Macarena Larrea Basterra & Roberto Alvaro-Hermana & Nuria Ceular-Villamandos & Noel M. Muniz, 2022. "A purposeful approach for measuring greenhouse gas emissions of material flow accounts for the accomplishment of territorial sustainable development and cultural economy goals on climate. The case of ," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(5), pages 6630-6654, May.
    19. Xu, Xueliu & Wang, Qian & Ran, Chenyang & Mu, Mingjie, 2021. "Is burden responsibility more effective? A value-added method for tracing worldwide carbon emissions," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    20. Zhang, Zengkai & Lin, Jintai, 2018. "From production-based to consumption-based regional carbon inventories: Insight from spatial production fragmentation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 211(C), pages 549-567.
    21. Zhang, Yang & Hu, Shan & Yan, Da & Jiang, Yi, 2023. "Proposing a carbon emission responsibility allocation method with benchmark approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:482:y:2023:i:c:s0304380023001424. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/ecological-modelling .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.