Structural path analysis of ecosystem networks

Synergistic disparities of pollution reduction and carbon mitigation in the industrial chain: Evidence from China's industrial sector

The synergistic enhancement of pollution reduction and carbon mitigation (PRCM) is an inevitable requirement for China's ecological civilization construction. Existing studies primarily focus on macro-level research, and there is a relative lack of research specifically addressing the micro-level of industrial chains. Based on non-competitive IO tables, this study employed the structural path decomposition analysis method to analyze the synergistic disparities of the PRCM industry chain and its driving factors. The findings reveal: (1) The crucial emission industrial chains for CO2, SO2, and PM show a high overlap degree, accounting for 46.67 %, 46.67 %, 60.00 %, 50.00 %, and 56.67 % during 2002-2020. The PRCM industrial chains are operating at a low synergistic level, with proportions of only 13.33 %, 23.33 %, 20.00 %, and 16.67 %. PRCM exhibits a "similar origin with different paths" phenomenon. (2) China's carbon mitigation policies can reduce pollution, whereas pollution reduction policies have limited carbon mitigation effects. (3) The emission control effect is the primary disparate factor in PRCM synergy, while other factors exhibit consistent impact direction to three emissions. The study's conclusions and corresponding policy suggestions hold significant theoretical and practical implications for relevant authorities to systematically plan synergistic emission reduction pathways and establish targeted synergistic policies.

How to improve the energy-saving performance of China's transport sector? An input-output perspective

The transport sector proves a major energy consumer in China, but improving energy-saving performance in China's provincial transport sector from the lifecycle perspective remains unresolved. Thus, this study employs the environmentally extended multi-region input-output (MRIO) method, structural path analysis, and the newest MRIO table of China from 2017, to investigate how to improve the energy-saving performance from final demand structure, supply chain, and pathway perspectives. The relevant results are threefold. (1) Regarding the final demand structure level, the embodied energy consumption of China's transport sector is predominantly driven by investment from the production side, while that of the consumption side is primarily caused by exports. (2) At the supply chain level, production-side embodied energy consumption primarily occurs along a three-echelon supply chain, while that from the consumption side mostly occurs via a two-echelon supply chain. (3) At the pathway level, the production-side energy-saving performance of China's provincial transport sector is dominated by two pathways along the construction sector, including transport sector → construction sector → final demands, and transport sector → intermediate inputs → construction sector → final demands, while that of the consumption side is chiefly determined by three pathways along internal transportation chains.

Contributions of cleaner production and end-of-pipe treatment to NOx emissions and intensity reductions in China, 1997-2018

The Chinese experience of economic development and environmental protection provides an important reference for developing countries. Although changes in aggregate NO_x emissions have been widely studied, there is a relative lack of studies analysing NO_x intensity changes and their related development strategies in China. This study attempts to identify the socioeconomic drivers and change patterns for both NO_x emissions and intensity considering the cleaner production and end-of-pipe treatments. Both structural decomposition analysis and structural path analysis were used to analyse the NO_x emissions/intensity changes at different levels and transmission layers in China in the last two decades (1997-2018). The results indicate that construction contributes the most to NO_x emissions/intensity, followed by transportation. The emission intensity effect is the primary driver of NO_x emissions/intensity reduction, which mainly benefits from end-of-pipe treatment and energy efficiency improvement. Especially, during 2012-2018, they decreased 11,916 Kt-NO_x and 8,103 Kt-NO_x emissions and aggregate embodied intensity by 43.2% and 29.8%, respectively. The final demand effect is the primary deterrent, which is attributed to investment and consumption effects. The critical sectors for future NO_x reduction are the construction and building materials industry, transportation and other services industry. The policy implications and recommendations for the future developments are discussed based on the study findings.

Weighing China's embodied CO2 emissions and value added under global value chains: Trends, characteristics, and paths

With the accelerated expansion of global value chains (GVCs), China occupies an increasingly important position in the global production division system, which has important impacts for its economy and environment. Comprehensively measuring the economic benefits and emissions costs of China's participation in GVCs, and striving to achieve a mutually beneficial state of GVC upgrade and low-carbon economic development, are critical issues for China. This study applies the accounting framework of value-added trade and embodied CO₂ emission trade to measure the potential CO₂ emissions cost of China's value-added gains through traditional trade, simple GVC, and complex GVC from 2000 to 2014. The findings are fourfold. (1) Compared with traditional trade, GVC-related activities require higher carbon emissions costs to obtain value added, which exacerbates China's economic-environmental imbalance. (2) Electricity, Metals, and Non-metallic mineral industries are the primary sectors of embodied CO₂ emissions exports, and they bear heavy emissions pressure while obtaining limited value added. (3) China's embodied CO₂ trade and value-added trade with developing countries through GVCs are rising, whereas the trade with developed countries reveals a downward trend. (4) The characteristics of China's industrial paths under different trade routes vary considerably. CO₂ emissions in the industrial path of GVC-related activities are more hidden, and comprehensive management must be carried out throughout the entire industrial chain from production to consumption. This study proposes policy recommendations for the coordinated development of economic and environmental relations, such as reducing the carbon intensity of key industries, strengthening trade cooperation with emerging economies, and enhancing China's position in GVCs.

Characteristics Analysis and Identification of Key Sectors of Air Pollutant Emissions in China from the Perspective of Complex Metabolic Network

Presently, China is in a critical period of economic transformation and upgrading. At the same time, it is also facing the pressure of serious atmospheric environmental pollution, which seriously threatens human health and hinders the sustainable economic development. Air pollutants are closely related to economic sectors, which together constitute a complex network. Air pollutants form an input–output ecological metabolic relationship among different sectors. Therefore, from the perspective of complex metabolic network, this study first constructs an environmental input–output model and then comprehensively uses the relevant methods of ecological network analysis and complex network analysis to analyze the characteristics of China’s air pollutant emission system. Secondly, the key joint sectors of NO_x and PM emissions are determined from the supply side and the demand side, respectively. Finally, the corresponding emission reduction measures are proposed for the identified key sectors.

Interprovincial Metal and GHG Transfers Embodied in Electricity Transmission across China: Trends and Driving Factors

With the increasing proportion of low-carbon power in electricity generation mix, power generation will be transformed from carbon-intensive to metal-intensive. In this context, metal and GHG transfers embodied in electricity transmission of China from 2015 to 2019 are quantified by the Quasi-Input-Output model. Combined with complex network theory, we have distinguished whether metal and GHG transfers show different trends as electricity trade changes. Driving factors contributing to forming the metal and GHG transfers are also explored based on the Quadratic Assignment Procedure. The results show that the electricity trade change has strengthened the metal transfer network significantly, while several key links in the GHG transfer network have weakened. Moreover, we find provincial differences in low-carbon electricity investment contributing to the metal transfer while affecting the GHG transfer little. The above facts imply an expanding embodied metal transfer in the future and shed light on policy making for power system decarbonization.

An Impact Path Analysis of Russo–Ukrainian Conflict on the World and Policy Response Based on the Input–Output Network

With the outbreak of the Russo–Ukrainian conflict, serious economic and financial sanctions have been initiated against Russia by many nations led by the United States and Europe. In the age of economic globalization, no countries can stand or fall alone. Which countries and industries will the economic shocks caused by the sanctions affect? How will the shocks propagate through the global economic system? In this paper, we adopt the input–output analysis and complex network methods to explore an impact path analysis of the Russo–Ukrainian conflict on the world from the regional, industrial, and critical path perspectives. The results show that (1) Russian economic development tends to depend more on the interaction among domestic industries, so it has a certain compressive capacity against sanctions. (2) There is a high economic interdependence between Russia and China, Germany, the United States, France, and South Korea. Sanctions against Russia will cause quite direct and serve economic shocks on these countries alongside Russia. (3) Industries such as Mining and quarrying, energy production, Coke and refined petroleum products, Chemical and chemical products, and Construction in Russia that are acting as either the center of transforming resources, as important suppliers or consumers for adjacent industries, or with weak symmetry and strong clustering, should be particularly analyzed. (4) Key industries in Russia play an important role as consumers of German machinery and equipment; the United States’ professional, scientific, and technical activities; and as suppliers for Chinese coke and refined petroleum products and the Japanese construction industry. Finally, corresponding policy suggestions are put forward.

Shared network and supply chain features for synergetic control of carbon and air pollutant emissions

The synergetic control of carbon and air pollutant emissions will be an unflagging effort for China in its dual pursuit of air quality improvement and carbon neutrality. The shared features of sectoral emissions from network and supply chain perspectives, as well as the evolution of these features under policy intervention remain to be investigated. This study develops four ecological networks for CO₂ and SO₂ emissions targeting the period 2010-2015 with strengthened emission control implemented. By fusing input-output analysis, Ecological Network Analysis and Structural Path Analysis, the shared intersectoral linkages of emissions are examined, and the key supply chains are identified. The results indicate that most sectors have control over Transportation Equipment, Electronic Equipment, and Construction, and almost all sectors have dependence on Power and Heat. Exploitative relationships induced by emission flows along supply chains are predominant, accounting for over 60% for four emission flow networks. Eight shared supply chains are identified among the top 20 that generally induce larger than 50% emissions in both 2010 and 2015. The one with the largest emissions is "Total capital formation → Construction → Nonmetals". During 2010-2015, the critical evolution of network features is the decrease in the economy's control over Construction, dependence on Fossil Energy Mining, and emissions contained in the paths associated with exports. The findings help to more pertinently strategize on prescient regulation of key supply chains for a more effective carbon-pollution synergetic control.

Revealing Virtual Water Transfers and Imbalanced Economic Benefits Hidden in China’s Interprovincial Trade

Interprovincial trade has expanded China’s virtual water consumption and economic development. This study uses an environmental–economic inequality index to calculate the virtual water and economic benefit transfer imbalances in interprovincial trade and applies a structural path analysis (SPA) model to find the imbalances on the key virtual water supply chain paths between provinces. The findings are fourfold. (1) The developed provinces, such as Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Shandong, had more virtual water on the consumption side from 2002 to 2017 and had the most value added on the consumption and production sides. (2) The developing provinces in northwest and central China suffered from net virtual water outflows and negative value-added gains in bilateral trade with developed provinces. (3) The developed provinces, such as Beijing, acquired more virtual water from other provinces in 0–5 production tiers, but only a small part of the value added was transferred out. (4) All of the four top ranking virtual water supply chain paths of Beijing came from other provinces, accounting for 28.22% of the total virtual water flowing to Beijing, but their value added only accounted for 1.44%. It is suggested that provinces adopt differentiated water-use systems to reduce virtual water transfer imbalances and provide subsidies to the nodes to compensate the economic benefits on key virtual water supply chain paths.

Global Supply Chain Drivers of Agricultural Antibiotic Emissions in China

Antibiotic pollution causes serious environmental and social issues. China is the largest antibiotic producer and user in the world, with a large share of antibiotics used in agriculture. This study quantified agricultural antibiotic emissions of mainland China in 2014 as well as critical drivers in global supply chains. Results show that China's agriculture discharged 4131 tons of antibiotics. Critical domestic supply chain drivers are mainly located in Central China, North China, and East China. Foreign final demand contributes 9% of agricultural antibiotic emissions in mainland China and leads to 5-40% of emissions in each province. Foreign primary inputs (e.g., labor and capital) contribute 5% of agricultural antibiotic emissions in mainland China and lead to 2-63% of emissions in each province. Critical international drivers include the final demand of the United States and Japan for foods and textile products, as well as the primary inputs of the oil seeds sector in Brazil. The results indicate the uniqueness of supply chain drivers for antibiotic emissions compared with other emissions. Our findings reveal supply chain hotspots for multiple-perspective policy decisions to control China's agricultural antibiotic emissions as well as for international cooperation.

Relieving the water-energy nexus pressure through whole supply chain management: Evidence from the provincial-level analysis in China

Water-energy nexus (WEN) is an international hot-spot issue, while more attentions have been paid to the direct nexus effect resulting from production activities. In this context, this study firstly used the multiregional input-output (MRIO) analysis to offer a full spectrum of water and energy usage throughout the whole supply chain in China, considering production-based perspective and betweenness-based and consumption-based perspectives. And then the principal components analysis (PCA) was applied to further target the critical WEN sectors in Chinese's 30 provinces. The results show that: (1) For most of these provinces, the direct WEN pressure caused by production activities can be found in several traditional resource-intensive sectors, especially in S22 (Production and supply of electric power and steam) and S14 (Smelting and pressing of metals). (2) The most critical transmission sectors with WEN pressure was S12 (Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products), followed by S14 in most of these province. S22 was the key transmission center in several provinces, and S7 (Manufacture of textile) in Fujian and Hubei and S10 (Papermaking and printing) in Zhejiang and Hainan should also be highly-concerned. (3) For all of these provinces, the indirect WEN pressure driven by final consumption appeared in S24 (Construction industry). In addition, S16 (Manufacture of general and special-purpose machinery) and S17 (Manufacture of Transport equipment) were the other two key consumption-based WEN sectors in some provinces. Overall, the WEN pressures in Jiangsu were relatively great in China, and S12 in Hubei was the only sector facing great WEN pressure from all three perspectives. Our results can draw implications for regional sustainable development in China.

Identifying the critical transmission sectors with energy-water nexus pressures in China's supply chain networks

Energy and water resources are drawing increasing attention in China as indispensable elements of economic development and social stability. Energy and water are interconnected in economic systems. Although the nexus between them has been widely studied, few insights can be acquired by the intermediate transmission pressures across supply chains. Combing betweenness-based method and multi-regional input-output (MRIO) analysis, we, in this study, identified critical transmission sectors and main driving factors resulting from the usage structure. In details, we found that Metallurgy (S14) in Shandong, Henan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Sichuan, Zhejiang, Hunan, and Jiangsu, Electricity and hot water production and supply (S22) in Beijing and Guizhou, and Nonmetal production (S13) in Henan are the most critical transmission sectors bearing energy-water nexus pressures, ranking at the top 100 in China's supply chain networks. Roughly, the usage structure was mainly dominated by fixed capital formation, urban household consumption and trade export, and therefore should be given priority to mitigate environmental pressures. Our study provides a novel perspective of sector-specific and province-typical policy recommendations for mitigating energy-water nexus pressures in China's supply chain networks.

Critical supply chains for mitigating PM2.5 emission-related mortalities in India

Air pollution and its health-related effects are a major concern globally, and many people die from air pollution-related diseases each year. This study employed a structural path analysis combined with a health impact inventory database analysis to estimate the number of consumption-based PM_2.5 emission-related deaths attributed to India's power supply sector. We identified critical supply chain paths for direct (production) electricity use and indirect (consumption) use. We also considered both domestic and foreign final demand and its effect on PM_2.5 emission-related deaths. Several conclusions could be drawn from our results. First, the effect of indirect electricity usage on PM_2.5 emission-related deaths is approximately four times larger than that for direct usage. Second, a large percentage of pollution-related deaths can be attributed to India's domestic final demand usage; however, electricity usage in the intermediate and final demand sectors is inextricably linked. Third, foreign final demand sectors from the Middle East, the USA, and China contribute indirectly toward PM_2.5 emission-related deaths, specifically in the rice export supply chain. The results show that the Indian government should implement urgent measures to curb electricity use in rice supply chains in order to reduce the number of PM_2.5 emission-related deaths.

Evolutionary path and driving forces of inter-industry transfer of CO2 emissions in China: Evidence from structural path and decomposition analysis

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions are currently a hot topic of global concern. It is of great significance for reducing CO₂ emissions to fully understand the transfer pattern of CO₂ emissions among industries and the key factors affecting CO₂ emissions. This paper uses the structural path analysis model to explore deeply the main paths of inter-industry transfer of CO₂ emissions in China from 2002 to 2017 and applies the structural path decomposition model to analyze the main factors affecting CO₂ emissions in specific paths from the perspectives of CO₂ emission intensity, intermediate product input structure, final demand structure, per capita final demand, and population size. The results show that: (1) China's CO₂ emissions increased from 3500.41 million tons (Mt) in 2002 to 9475.66Mt in 2017, with an average annual growth rate of 6.86%. The growth rate of China's CO₂ emissions slowed down after 2012. (2) Non-metallic mineral industry\electricity industry\metal products industry→(intermediate sector)→investment demand and electricity industry→(intermediate sector)→consumption demand are two types of key paths that affect China's CO₂ emissions, and these paths remain basically unchanged during the study period. (3) The CO₂ emission intensity effect is the main factor in restraining the growth of emissions, and the per capita final demand effect and intermediate product structure effect are the main promoting factors. The effect of driving factors on different industrial paths is different, and the offsetting effect of the driving factor in different paths may lead to the insignificant effect of this factor in the overall decomposition. To effectively reduce CO₂ emissions, China should focus on specific industrial paths and implement upstream and downstream comprehensive governance to achieve a low-carbon industrial chain throughout the whole process.

Industrial polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) emissions embodied in domestic trade in China in 2012

Atmospheric Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) emissions cause non-negligible damage to human health and well-being. Effective regional cooperation is urgently required to mitigate PAHs emissions to maintain satisfactory air quality. This study quantified and tracked China's PAHs emissions flows embodied in interprovincial trade. A production-based emissions inventory of 16 U.S. EPA priority PAHs based on commercial energy consumption in China in 2012 was compiled using the emissions factor approach. Then, a multiregional input-output model was constructed to reveal consumption-based emissions and to track the PAHs emissions embodied in the trade of 27 major sectors across 30 regions in China. Key structural paths were also identified using structural path analysis (SPA). In 2012, the total industrial energy-derived PAHs emissions were estimated to be 47.7 tons of BaP-toxic equivalents (8032.7 tons of mass). Shandong, Hebei, and Hubei accounted for more than 24.0% of the production-side PAHs emissions in the whole country. Approximately 30.8% of China's PAHs emissions were embodied in goods consumed outside of the province in which they were produced. PAHs flow tended to start in the western regions and ended in the eastern regions along the coast. The results of the SPA showed that critical paths, such as from the Metallurgy sector to the Construction sector, embodied a large amount of emissions and had the potential to affect the performance of the entire system. By paying attention to the consumption-based accounting as well as the production-based accounting of emissions and by focusing on vital transfer paths, policymakers can devise effective and targeted environmental protection and sustainable development policies in China.

Identifying the key sectors for regional energy, water and carbon footprints from production-, consumption- and network-based perspectives

Energy consumption, water use and carbon emission targets are important for promoting sustainable development. This study presents a multi-goal analytical framework based on an environmental input-output analysis, structural path analysis and correspondence analysis to identify the key sectors for energy, water and carbon footprints. Using Guangdong Province as a case study, the energy, water and carbon footprints are modelled from production-based, consumption-based and network (betweenness)-based perspectives. The results show that (1) the construction sector is a key sector for energy use/water use/carbon emissions from the three perspectives. The electricity and heat power production and supply sector emitted the most production-based CO₂ (283.4 Mt), accounting for 52.3% of the total CO₂ emissions. (2) The key sectors in terms of energy, water and carbon differ. The transport, storage and post sector is an important sector for energy consumption, and the agriculture sector and food and tobacco sector are important sectors for freshwater withdrawal. (3) The key sectors differ according to the three perspectives. For example, the energy production sector ranked first in production-based CO₂ emissions (286.2 Mt), but heavy manufacturing ranked first in consumption-based CO₂ emissions (146.3 Mt). This study recommends paying more attention to the abovementioned sectors, specifically concerning the transmission role of light manufacturing in freshwater withdrawal, and reducing energy consumption-intensive but low value-added exports (such as metal smelting and pressing). The findings highlight the need to consider multiple angles and elements to identify the key sectors and help decision makers better understand the relationships and flows among the industries.

Unveiling Carbon Emission Attributions along Sale Chains

Substantial anthropogenic emissions have resulted in serious environmental problems in China. Direct emissions and demand-pulled emissions along the supply chains have been extensively investigated. However, understanding the mechanism of how the sectoral emission is transferred through production activities along the sale chains at different production layers remains a challenge. In this paper, a top-down multilayer emission attribution model is developed to unveil the metabolism of multilayer input-driven emissions. For the first time, a diagramming approach enables the exhaustive depiction of the connections between primary input attributions and final production attributions, which allows accurate reallocation of the emission responsibilities to sectors at different production layers. Individual sale chain paths and supply chain paths have been extracted and ranked according to the contributions of emissions. A four-perspective comparison of sectoral emissions (i.e., direct emissions along sale chains, enabled emissions, direct emissions along the supply chains, and embodied emissions) is assessed. We find that at multiple production layers, sectoral direct emissions along the sale chains differ greatly from direct emissions along the supply chains. By comprehensively considering providers, consumers, and producers within a metabolic system, policy-makers should encourage upstream sectors to improve their cleaner production technologies and downstream sectors to adjust their industrial structures.

Examining Supply Chain for Seafood Industries Using Structural Path Analysis

The present study investigates the supply chain for seafood industries in Korea. Unlike previous studies, which analyze the supply chain from input users’ perspective only, the present study examines the supply chain from both input users’ (backward linkage) and input suppliers’ (forward linkage) perspectives. In doing so, this study utilizes structural path analyses (SPAs) to scrutinize the specific paths along which the effects of a shock to a seafood industry are transmitted in both backward and forward directions. This study executes these two types of SPAs (backward linkage and forward linkage SPAs) for three seafood industries in Korea that include wild fisheries, aquaculture, and seafood processing, thus depicting a more detailed and complete picture of the mechanisms through which the influences of the seafood industries spill over to the rest of the economy. One important finding is that our SPAs are able to identify a number of seemingly unlikely non-seafood industries that play a critical role in transmitting the effects of a shock to a seafood industry.

What Induces the Energy-Water Nexus in China's Supply Chains?

Given energy and water scarcity, it is necessary to develop an in-depth understanding of the energy-water nexus in China for its sustainable development. Previous studies have focused on nexus accounting, synergy conservation, and system optimization, but its induction mechanism along the supply chains has not been uncovered. This paper proposes a top-down structural path analysis (SPA) and combines it with an environmental input-output model (EIOM) to identify the critical final demand, consumption sectors, and supply chain paths inducing the energy-water nexus. The results show that the largest final demand of water for energy production (WFE) is capital formation, while the largest final demand of energy for water supply (EFW) is urban consumption. The distribution of WFE at different production layers shows an inverted U shape. Most WFE is indirectly consumed by other sectors, such as construction, through three-step supply chain paths. In contrast, the distribution of EFW shows a L shape, and most EFW is directly consumed by the final demand. In addition, some critical supply chain paths inducing more WFE and EFW are identified. Finally, some policies targeting the energy-water nexus management are proposed, which are conducive to resource conservation and the sustainable supply of energy and water.

Depicting Flows of Embodied Water Pollutant Discharge within Production System: Case of an Undeveloped Region

Water pollution is still an obstacle on the way towards sustainable development, especially for some undeveloped regions in China. To formulate policies for water pollution control from multiple perspectives, it is significant to holistically investigate how final demand purchases trigger water pollutant discharge in the production process. With Jilin Province as an empirical study area, the final production and consumption attributions of chemical oxygen demand (COD) discharge within the input–output framework are measured. By employing structural pass analysis and mapping approaches, the supply chain linkages between the two attributions of COD discharge are illustrated. The embodied flows of COD discharge across sectors through the supply chains are exhaustively revealed. The results show that the exports drive 70.23% of the total COD discharge. Animal production (S2) is the dominant contributor to COD discharge from both production and consumption perspectives. Final demand on the products of Foods & tobacco products (S8), Sawmills & furniture, and Construction largely induces COD discharge at higher production layers. In contrast, final demand on S2’s products mainly drives direct COD discharge (96.04%). S2 and S8 are the two key sectors in the supply chains, which provide other sectors with pollution-intensive products as intermediate inputs. The findings indicate that the export of S2’s products should be largely cut down, along with adjustment of the export structure. Innovations of production technologies and improvement of end-of-pipe abatement abilities for S2 and S8 should be facilitated. Besides, cutting capacity or reducing investment on these two sectors should be propelled.

Quantifying the Urban Food-Energy-Water Nexus: The Case of the Detroit Metropolitan Area

The efficient provision of food, energy, and water (FEW) resources to cities is challenging around the world. Because of the complex interdependence of urban FEW systems, changing components of one system may lead to ripple effects on other systems. However, the inputs, intersectoral flows, stocks, and outputs of these FEW resources from the perspective of an integrated urban FEW system have not been synthetically characterized. Therefore, a standardized and specific accounting method to describe this system is needed to sustainably manage these FEW resources. Using the Detroit Metropolitan Area (DMA) as a case, this study developed such an accounting method by using material and energy flow analysis to quantify this urban FEW nexus. Our results help identify key processes for improving FEW resource efficiencies of the DMA. These include (1) optimizing the dietary habits of households to improve phosphorus use efficiency, (2) improving effluent-disposal standards for nitrogen removal to reduce nitrogen emission levels, (3) promoting adequate fertilization, and (4) enhancing the maintenance of wastewater collection pipelines. With respect to water use, better efficiency of thermoelectric power plants can help reduce water withdrawals. The method used in this study lays the ground for future urban FEW analyses and modeling.

Evolution of the Scientific Literature on Input–Output Analysis: A Bibliometric Analysis of 1990–2017

This study attempts to characterize the literature related to input–output analysis between 1990–2017 through bibliometric analysis technology based on the Science Citation Index and Social Sciences Citation Index databases. By means of bibliometric tools, this paper provides deep insights on the patterns of these articles, the most influential works and authors, and the emerging research topics. The results imply that China and the United States (USA) are the leading countries in terms of publication output. The Chinese Academy of Sciences is the most productive research institution, followed by Beijing Normal University and the University of Sydney. The Journal of Cleaner Production, Ecological Economics, and Energy Policy are the top mainstream journals in the input–output analysis-related field. Based on network analysis, this paper also discovers the hidden collaboration patterns and interrelations of countries, institutions, and authors. The bibliographic coupling and keywords concurrence networks are adopted to illustrate the input–output analysis evolution over time, and identify the current key research hotspots. The obtained results will help scientific researchers better understand the research status and frontier trends in this field, permit researchers to know the current research interests in the input–output analysis field, and provide useful information for further investigation and publication strategies.

Towards economic geographies beyond the Nature-Society divide

This article suggests an approach to economic-geographic quantification that is relevant to engaging the socionatural blurring of an Anthropocene. It develops representations of commodities and of economies that draw upon concepts of absolute, relative, and relational space to help move beyond legacies of the Nature-Society divide in economic-geographic thought. To supplement familiar ways of knowing commodities as bounded objects with associated single values (prices), the piece rereads input-output approaches, providing accounts of how commodities enfold relations among socionatural phenomena. It quantifies and maps the activities and flows of the global economy in 2007 in terms of their embodied carbon emissions, labor times, and harvested land areas alongside their monetary values. Comparing the perspectives that result, it identifies empirical and theoretical challenges that a political-industrial ecology could help address.

Betweenness-Based Method to Identify Critical Transmission Sectors for Supply Chain Environmental Pressure Mitigation

To develop industry-specific policies for mitigating environmental pressures, previous studies primarily focus on identifying sectors that directly generate large amounts of environmental pressures (a.k.a. production-based method) or indirectly drive large amounts of environmental pressures through supply chains (e.g., consumption-based method). In addition to those sectors as important environmental pressure producers or drivers, there exist sectors that are also important to environmental pressure mitigation as transmission centers. Economy-wide environmental pressure mitigation might be achieved by improving production efficiency of these key transmission sectors, that is, using less upstream inputs to produce unitary output. We develop a betweenness-based method to measure the importance of transmission sectors, borrowing the betweenness concept from network analysis. We quantify the betweenness of sectors by examining supply chain paths extracted from structural path analysis that pass through a particular sector. We take China as an example and find that those critical transmission sectors identified by betweenness-based method are not always identifiable by existing methods. This indicates that betweenness-based method can provide additional insights that cannot be obtained with existing methods on the roles individual sectors play in generating economy-wide environmental pressures. Betweenness-based method proposed here can therefore complement existing methods for guiding sector-level environmental pressure mitigation strategies.

Structural Path Analysis of Fossil Fuel Based CO2 Emissions: A Case Study for China

Environmentally extended input-output analysis (EEIOA) has long been used to quantify global and regional environmental impacts and to clarify emission transfers. Structural path analysis (SPA), a technique based on EEIOA, is especially useful for measuring significant flows in this environmental-economic system. This paper constructs an imports-adjusted single-region input-output (SRIO) model considering only domestic final use elements, and it uses the SPA technique to highlight crucial routes along the production chain in both final use and sectoral perspectives. The results indicate that future mitigation policies on household consumption should change direct energy use structures in rural areas, cut unreasonable demand for power and chemical products, and focus on urban areas due to their consistently higher magnitudes than rural areas in the structural routes. Impacts originating from government spending should be tackled by managing onsite energy use in 3 major service sectors and promoting cleaner fuels and energy-saving techniques in the transport sector. Policies on investment should concentrate on sectoral interrelationships along the production chain by setting up standards to regulate upstream industries, especially for the services, construction and equipment manufacturing sectors, which have high demand pulling effects. Apart from the similar methods above, mitigating policies in exports should also consider improving embodied technology and quality in manufactured products to achieve sustainable development. Additionally, detailed sectoral results in the coal extraction industry highlight the onsite energy use management in large domestic companies, emphasize energy structure rearrangement, and indicate resources and energy safety issues. Conclusions based on the construction and public administration sectors reveal that future mitigation in secondary and tertiary industries should be combined with upstream emission intensive industries in a systematic viewpoint to achieve sustainable development. Overall, SPA is a useful tool in empirical studies, and it can be used to analyze national environmental impacts and guide future mitigation policies.

Virtual atmospheric mercury emission network in China

Top-down analysis of virtual atmospheric mercury emission networks can direct efficient demand-side policy making on mercury reductions. Taking China-the world's top atmospheric mercury emitter-as a case, we identify key contributors to China's atmospheric mercury emissions from both the producer and the consumer perspectives. China totally discharged 794.9 tonnes of atmospheric mercury emissions in 2007. China's production-side control policies should mainly focus on key direct mercury emitters such as Liaoning, Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, Hunan, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Inner Mongolia provinces and sectors producing metals, nonmetallic mineral products, and electricity and heat power, while demand-side policies should mainly focus on key underlying drivers of mercury emissions such as Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Guangdong provinces and sectors of construction activities and equipment manufacturing. China's interregional embodied atmospheric mercury flows are generally moving from the inland to the east coast. Beijing-Tianjin (with 4.8 tonnes of net mercury inflows) and South Coast (with 3.3 tonnes of net mercury inflows) are two largest net-inflow regions, while North (with 5.3 tonnes of net mercury outflows) is the largest net-outflow region. We also identify primary supply chains contributing to China's virtual atmospheric mercury emission network, which can be used to trace the transfers of production-side and demand-side policy effects.