Ecological economics: themes, approaches, and differences with environmental economics

This article provides a short overview of the main themes of ecological economics (EE). It is argued that EE provides a platform that fosters multidisciplinary environmental research by bringing together the core contributing disciplines – economics and ecology. In addition, EE is regarded as a pluralistic approach to environmental research that can be set opposite to, and has indeed developed as a response to, traditional environmental and resource economics. A comparison of the two fields is presented to clarify the essential differences between them. In addition, specific themes are examined in more detail. These include: sustainable development; the growth debate; international trade; dynamic processes; and behaviour and policy. Electronic Publication     

中国工业产品国际贸易的污染足迹分析

从“污染足迹”的概念出发,利用官方统计数据和投入产出分析方法,分析了中国各工业部门的污染状况,核算了1994～2001年间中国工业产品国际贸易的污染成本和收益.结果表明,中国工业产品出口的污染密度要小于进口的污染密度;1999～2001年中国虽然存在工业产品贸易顺差,实际上却向国外转移了污染足迹;化学工业的净进口帮助中国转移了最多的污染足迹,污染足迹的流入主要来自纺织业和机械工业的净出口.     

经济增长、国际贸易与污染排放的关系研究——基于美国和中国SO2排放的实证分析

在世界经济一体化进程中,国际贸易成为影响各国环境污染变化的重要因素,将其纳入经济增长与环境污染间关系的分析框架是环境学界关注的一个重要问题。本文基于联立方程模型,从经济产出、污染排放、污染治理和国际贸易等四个方面探讨了经济增长与污染排放的相互作用机理,并以美国、中国SO2排放为例进行了实证研究。结果表明:污染排放对经济产出有影响,且对美国和中国分别为正作用和负作用。经济增长增加了两国国内污染排放,且中国增加的相对更多。而污染治理均减少了国内污染排放,美、中的污染减排弹性系数分别为-0.277和-0.417。国际贸易对美国起到污染减排作用,对中国的影响不显著,考虑到贸易对中国经济增长的拉动作用,其经济规模间接污染效应不容忽视。对于中国而言,加大污染治理投资、改善贸易进出口状况、降低经济发展过程中的污染排放是实现经济与环境协调发展的有效途径。     

基于LMDI方法的中国国际贸易隐含碳分解

对国际贸易产生环境影响的定量研究正日益受到关注,特别是对隐含碳的研究.以中国2005年为例,对中国国际贸易隐含碳进行估算,应用对数平均D氏指数法(LMDI)对影响隐含碳净转移的因素进行分解分析.结果显示中国因生产排放碳量远大于其消费需要排放的碳量,从国外净转移到中国的隐含碳为395.66MtC;净转移隐含碳影响因素中强度效应(进出口商品完全碳排放系数差异)贡献率为60%,规模效应(进出额差异)贡献率为55%,结构效应(进出口结构差异)贡献率为-14%,此结果表明中国相比国外的高碳排放强度是造成目前碳转移额外增加的主要因素,分析结构效应发现中国主要净出口行业大部分不是高碳排放强度行业,而净进口行业却主要由高碳排放强度行业构成,特别是与碳排放密切相关的能源行业居净进口行业首位.     

构筑我国绿色贸易体系的对策研究

环境与贸易紧密联系相互影响。我国现行的贸易体系不仅使贸易不可持续．而且给资源环境带来了很大压力。要实现优化贸易增长和缓解资源环境压力的“双赢”目标,需要构筑绿色贸易体系。绿色贸易体系是指通过一定的环境管理政策手段来绿化或优化贸易结构、调控贸易总量、提高贸易的环境效率。最终能够减少并扭转我国贸易的资源环境逆差和促进绿色贸易发展的政策体系。绿色贸易体系的政策框架包括：从具体政策措施看．包括加征产品出口的资源环境关税、制定基于环保目的的市场准入与准出制度,设计投资的资源环境导向等环保“阀门”和手段;从政策的作用点看．包括从产品、企业、行业三个层面着手;从政策的管理看,依据环境影响的程度。对产品、企业和行业分别进行鼓励、许可、限制和禁止贸易的分类管理。     

农产品贸易中虚拟水流的驱动因素研究

经济发展中的虚拟水贸易实施受到多种要素的影响与制约。在回顾当前虚拟水研究进展的基础上,从自然、经济、社会、生态、技术和政策六个维度系统分析了以农产品为主要载体的虚拟水贸易实施的影响因素,进而收集32个典型的虚拟水贸易实施国家的横截面数据,利用多元逐步回归的方法,以虚拟水对外依赖程度为因变量,对部分影响因素进行了实证检验,并根据实证结果从资源优化配置与区域经济贡献的角度解释了国内学者研究得出的我国区际间农产品虚拟水的流动格局。研究表明:耕地资源及水资源的稀缺程度、区域经济发展水平、社会调适能力是虚拟水进口的正向驱动因素,而农业用水效率则是虚拟水进口的逆向驱动因素。     

Is pork trade good for China's greenhouse gas emissions?

China produces the largest amount of pork in the world, which emits the largest amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs). This paper calculates GHG emissions from China’s hog production at the provincial level using newly published emission factors. Empirical results show that GHG emissions from China’s hog production mainly respond to the scale intensity. Capital abundance and income contribute positively to GHG emissions from hog production. Pork trade increases GHG emissions from China’s hog production with a significantly direct effect, reduces GHG emissions through indirect technique effects.     

Carbon emissions of china’s industrial sectors based on input–output analysis

This study uses an input–output model presenting the embodied carbon emission in the import–export procedure, as well as the responsibility allocation between China’s 35 sectors and 7 main trade partners from 1995 to 2011. Results indicate that the amount of carbon emissions in China’s industrial sectors is immense and that the industrial sectors are in serious imbalance. Such imbalance exists mainly in textiles, basic and fabricated metal, electrical and optical equipment, and machinery, among others. Based on the consumer-responsibility principle, the responsibility of 29 departments is reduced. Correspondingly, foreign sectors become more responsible. America, as China’s largest trading partner, should account for most of the total responsibility, followed by developed countries such as Japan, South Korea, and Germany.     

The EU effect: does trade with the EU reduce CO2 emissions in the developing world?

The European Union (EU) is an important destination for developing country exports. Has the EU’s commitment to the Kyoto Protocol induced developing countries to reduce their carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions? Our analyses of 136 developing countries from 1981 through 2007 suggests that: developing countries’ export dependence on the EU is associated with CO₂ emission reductions post-Kyoto in relation to the pre-Kyoto time period; this also holds for SO_2, which, while not covered under Kyoto, is linked with CO₂ emission levels; this does not hold for PM₁₀, a pollutant which is not covered under Kyoto and is not directly associated with CO₂ emissions related to industrial activities; developing countries’ export dependence on non-EU developed countries and on the rest of the world is not associated with significant reductions in emissions between pre- and post-Kyoto for these pollutants . In sum, even in the absence of binding regulatory mandates, the EU appears to exert market leverage to project its regulatory preferences abroad.     

International trade causes large net economic losses in tropical countries via the destruction of ecosystem services

Despite the large implications of the use of tropical land for exports (“land absorption”) on ecosystem services (ES) and global biodiversity conservation, the magnitude of these externalities is not known. We quantify the net value of ES lost in tropical countries as a result of cropland, forestland and pastureland absorption for exports after deducting ES gains through imports (“land displacement”). We find that net ES gains occur only in 7 out of the 41 countries and regions considered. We estimate global annual net losses of over 1.7 x 10¹² international dollars (I$) (I$1.1 x 10¹² if carbon-related services are not considered). After deducting the benefits from agricultural, forest and livestock rents in land replacing tropical forests, the net annual losses are I$1.3 and I$0.7 x 10¹², respectively. The results highlight the large magnitude of tropical ES losses through international trade that are not compensated by the rents of land uses in absorbed land.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13280-016-0768-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.