159
© The Author(s) 2016
R. Clift, A. Druckman (eds.), Taking Stock of Industrial Ecology,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-20571-7_8
Chapter 8
Impacts Embodied in Global Trade Flows
Thomas Wiedmann
Abstract The steep and unprecedented growth of globalisation and trade over the
last few decades has led to accelerated economic activity with mixed outcomes.
Continued economic growth and alleviation of poverty in many countries has been
accompanied with an overall increase and shifting of environmental pressures
between countries. Industrial ecology research has contributed decisively to the
knowledge around impacts in trade. This chapter summarises the latest empirical
fi ndings on global change instigated by trade, discusses new methodological developments and refl ects on the sustainability of globalised production and consumption. Signifi cant proportions of up to 64 % of total environmental, social and
economic impacts can be linked to international trade. Impacts embodied in trade
have grown much more rapidly than their total global counterparts. Policies aimed
at increasing the sustainability of production and consumption need to go beyond
domestic regulation and seek international cooperation to target production practices for exports worldwide.
Keywords Trade-embodied impacts • Consumption-based accounting •
Environmental footprint • Global resource use • Multi-region input-output analysis
• Sustainability of trade
1 Introduction
The steep and unprecedented growth of globalisation and trade over the last few
decades has led to accelerated economic activity with mixed outcomes. Continued
economic growth and alleviation of poverty in many countries has been accompanied with an overall increase and shifting of environmental pressures between countries. Industrial ecology research has contributed decisively to the knowledge around
T. Wiedmann (*)
Sustainability Assessment Program (SAP), School of Civil and Environmental Engineering ,
University of New South Wales Australia , Sydney , NSW 2052 , Australia
ISA, School of Physics A28 , The University of Sydney , Sydney , NSW 2006 , Australia
e-mail: t.wiedmann@unsw.edu.au
© The Author(s) 2016
R. Clift, A. Druckman (eds.), Taking Stock of Industrial Ecology,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-20571-7_8
Chapter 8
Impacts Embodied in Global Trade Flows
Thomas Wiedmann
Abstract The steep and unprecedented growth of globalisation and trade over the
last few decades has led to accelerated economic activity with mixed outcomes.
Continued economic growth and alleviation of poverty in many countries has been
accompanied with an overall increase and shifting of environmental pressures
between countries. Industrial ecology research has contributed decisively to the
knowledge around impacts in trade. This chapter summarises the latest empirical
fi ndings on global change instigated by trade, discusses new methodological developments and refl ects on the sustainability of globalised production and consumption. Signifi cant proportions of up to 64 % of total environmental, social and
economic impacts can be linked to international trade. Impacts embodied in trade
have grown much more rapidly than their total global counterparts. Policies aimed
at increasing the sustainability of production and consumption need to go beyond
domestic regulation and seek international cooperation to target production practices for exports worldwide.
Keywords Trade-embodied impacts • Consumption-based accounting •
Environmental footprint • Global resource use • Multi-region input-output analysis
• Sustainability of trade
1 Introduction
The steep and unprecedented growth of globalisation and trade over the last few
decades has led to accelerated economic activity with mixed outcomes. Continued
economic growth and alleviation of poverty in many countries has been accompanied with an overall increase and shifting of environmental pressures between countries. Industrial ecology research has contributed decisively to the knowledge around
T. Wiedmann (*)
Sustainability Assessment Program (SAP), School of Civil and Environmental Engineering ,
University of New South Wales Australia , Sydney , NSW 2052 , Australia
ISA, School of Physics A28 , The University of Sydney , Sydney , NSW 2006 , Australia
e-mail: t.wiedmann@unsw.edu.au