Environmental-social-economic footprints of consumption and trade in the Asia-Pacific region

Asia-Pacific (APAC) has been the world's most dynamic emerging area of economic development and trade in recent decades. This study reveals the significant and imbalanced environmental and socio-economic effects of the region's growth during 1995–2015. Owing to intra-regional trade, APAC economies became increasingly interdependent in resource use, emissions, and labor, while environmental and economic disparity widened. APAC played a significant role in globalization, engaging in 50–71% of virtual flows embodied in international trade by 2015. While the region's final demand and trade became less resource- and emissions-intensive, predominantly due to China's transformations, APAC still lagged behind global averages. More joint efforts and attention to sustainable transformation are needed.

Lan Yang, Yutao Wang, Ranran Wang, Jiří Jaromír Klemeš, Cecília Maria Villas Bôas de Almeida, Mingzhou Jin, Xinzhu Zheng, Yuanbo Qiao