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Per capita resource consumption and resource carrying capacity: A comparison of the sustainability of 17 mainstream countries

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  • Lei, Kampeng
  • Zhou, Shaoqi

Abstract

Sustainability involves aspects of society, economy, and environment. Environmental sustainability is one of the most important factors to support global energy consumption and to absorb the pollution generated by human activities. Because emergy can be used to measure both money and energy flows in the same units, it provides a way to measure the real wealth of both natural and economic systems and the impact of human activities on these systems. A comparison of the carrying capacity of natural resources with the consumption of these resources at regional or global scales can provide a clear image of sustainability. To assess sustainability around the world, we used the National Environmental Accounting Database data for 102 nations (2008 data) to evaluate the resource consumption by 17 mainstream countries. Our results revealed that most of the countries consumed too many resources, thereby decreasing the overall global sustainability of the natural resources that sustain human society. Our results confirm previous predictions that to ensure long-term sustainability, it will be necessary to control population increases, reduce emergy consumption, and promote emergy efficiency.

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  • Lei, Kampeng & Zhou, Shaoqi, 2012. "Per capita resource consumption and resource carrying capacity: A comparison of the sustainability of 17 mainstream countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 603-612.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:42:y:2012:i:c:p:603-612
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2011.12.030
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Siche, J.R. & Agostinho, F. & Ortega, E. & Romeiro, A., 2008. "Sustainability of nations by indices: Comparative study between environmental sustainability index, ecological footprint and the emergy performance indices," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(4), pages 628-637, July.
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    2. Gengyuan Liu & Mark T. Brown & Marco Casazza, 2017. "Enhancing the Sustainability Narrative through a Deeper Understanding of Sustainable Development Indicators," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-19, June.
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    4. Giannetti, B.F. & Demétrio, J.F.C. & Bonilla, S.H. & Agostinho, F. & Almeida, C.M.V.B., 2013. "Emergy diagnosis and reflections towards Brazilian sustainable development," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 1002-1012.
    5. Takahashi, Tomoki & Sato, Toru, 2015. "Inclusive environmental impact assessment indices with consideration of public acceptance: Application to power generation technologies in Japan," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 64-72.
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    7. Xiaotong Xie & Xiaoshun Li & Weikang He, 2020. "A Land Space Development Zoning Method Based on Resource–Environmental Carrying Capacity: A Case Study of Henan, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-19, February.
    8. Liu, Xinyu & Liu, Gengyuan & Yang, Zhifeng & Chen, Bin & Ulgiati, Sergio, 2016. "Comparing national environmental and economic performances through emergy sustainability indicators: Moving environmental ethics beyond anthropocentrism toward ecocentrism," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 1532-1542.
    9. Wang, Ran & Cheng, Jinhua & Zhu, Yali & Lu, Peixin, 2017. "Evaluation on the coupling coordination of resources and environment carrying capacity in Chinese mining economic zones," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 20-25.
    10. Yuanmin Wang & Mingkang Yuan & Xiaofeng Zhou & Xiaobing Qu, 2023. "Evaluation of Geo-Environment Carrying Capacity Based on Intuitionistic Fuzzy TOPSIS Method: A Case Study of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-21, May.
    11. Yu, Xiaoman & Geng, Yong & Dong, Huijuan & Ulgiati, Sergio & Liu, Zhe & Liu, Zuoxi & Ma, Zhixiao & Tian, Xu & Sun, Lu, 2016. "Sustainability assessment of one industrial region: A combined method of emergy analysis and IPAT (Human Impact Population Affluence Technology)," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 818-830.

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