Unsustainable imbalances and inequities in Carbon-Water-Energy flows across the EU27

Xue Chao Wang; Jiří Jaromír Klemeš; Yutao Wang; Aoife Foley; Donald Huisingh; Dabo Guan; Xiaobin Dong; Petar Sabev Varbanov

doi:10.1016/j.rser.2020.110550

Unsustainable imbalances and inequities in Carbon-Water-Energy flows across the EU27

Xue Chao Wang^*, Jiří Jaromír Klemeš, Yutao Wang, Aoife Foley, Donald Huisingh, Dabo Guan, Xiaobin Dong, Petar Sabev Varbanov

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

24 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The EU27 countries exert significant influence on the global patterns of the CO₂-Emissions-Water-Energy (CWE) nexus. However, whether the associated benefits are similar for all countries is unclear. In this paper, an EU27 multiregional input-output model, at a sector level to identify the inter-regional and -sectoral CWE flows, and clarify the regional, sectoral and worldwide patterns of EU27 CWE network is presented. The results revealed an environmental inequality across the EU27 and impacts on the rest of the world. The EU27 countries contributed 1.4 Gt less CO₂ emissions, 64.5 Gm³ less water utilisation and 49 EJ less energy consumption, compared to the rest of the world while generating the equivalent economic output in 2014. This has dramatic effects upon the global environment. Germany, France and Italy are the biggest beneficiaries in the CWE nexus in the EU27. It is recommended that the EU27 provide more technical support to upstream countries in the EU and elsewhere to strive to improve their resource utilisation efficiencies.

Original language	English
Article number	110550
Number of pages	16
Journal	Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
Volume	138
Early online date	10 Nov 2020
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2020.110550
Publication status	Published - Mar 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This study is funded by the EU project “Sustainable Process Integration Laboratory – SPIL”, project No. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/15_003/0000456 funded by EU “CZ Operational Programme Research, Development and Education”, Priority 1: Strengthening capacity for quality research under the collaboration agreement with Fudan University and Beijing Normal University , as well as the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 71961137009 ; No. 71774032 ) and Newton Advanced Fellowship from the British Academy and the Newton Fund ( NAFR2180103 ).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020

Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

Keywords

Carbon-water-energy flows
Embodied CO
Embodied energy
Embodied water
EU27
Input-output model

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.rser.2020.110550Licence: Unspecified

Cite this

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title = "Unsustainable imbalances and inequities in Carbon-Water-Energy flows across the EU27",

abstract = "The EU27 countries exert significant influence on the global patterns of the CO2-Emissions-Water-Energy (CWE) nexus. However, whether the associated benefits are similar for all countries is unclear. In this paper, an EU27 multiregional input-output model, at a sector level to identify the inter-regional and -sectoral CWE flows, and clarify the regional, sectoral and worldwide patterns of EU27 CWE network is presented. The results revealed an environmental inequality across the EU27 and impacts on the rest of the world. The EU27 countries contributed 1.4 Gt less CO2 emissions, 64.5 Gm3 less water utilisation and 49 EJ less energy consumption, compared to the rest of the world while generating the equivalent economic output in 2014. This has dramatic effects upon the global environment. Germany, France and Italy are the biggest beneficiaries in the CWE nexus in the EU27. It is recommended that the EU27 provide more technical support to upstream countries in the EU and elsewhere to strive to improve their resource utilisation efficiencies.",

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note = "Funding Information: This study is funded by the EU project “Sustainable Process Integration Laboratory – SPIL”, project No. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/15_003/0000456 funded by EU “CZ Operational Programme Research, Development and Education”, Priority 1: Strengthening capacity for quality research under the collaboration agreement with Fudan University and Beijing Normal University , as well as the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 71961137009 ; No. 71774032 ) and Newton Advanced Fellowship from the British Academy and the Newton Fund ( NAFR2180103 ). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.",

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AU - Huisingh, Donald

AU - Guan, Dabo

AU - Dong, Xiaobin

AU - Varbanov, Petar Sabev

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N2 - The EU27 countries exert significant influence on the global patterns of the CO2-Emissions-Water-Energy (CWE) nexus. However, whether the associated benefits are similar for all countries is unclear. In this paper, an EU27 multiregional input-output model, at a sector level to identify the inter-regional and -sectoral CWE flows, and clarify the regional, sectoral and worldwide patterns of EU27 CWE network is presented. The results revealed an environmental inequality across the EU27 and impacts on the rest of the world. The EU27 countries contributed 1.4 Gt less CO2 emissions, 64.5 Gm3 less water utilisation and 49 EJ less energy consumption, compared to the rest of the world while generating the equivalent economic output in 2014. This has dramatic effects upon the global environment. Germany, France and Italy are the biggest beneficiaries in the CWE nexus in the EU27. It is recommended that the EU27 provide more technical support to upstream countries in the EU and elsewhere to strive to improve their resource utilisation efficiencies.

AB - The EU27 countries exert significant influence on the global patterns of the CO2-Emissions-Water-Energy (CWE) nexus. However, whether the associated benefits are similar for all countries is unclear. In this paper, an EU27 multiregional input-output model, at a sector level to identify the inter-regional and -sectoral CWE flows, and clarify the regional, sectoral and worldwide patterns of EU27 CWE network is presented. The results revealed an environmental inequality across the EU27 and impacts on the rest of the world. The EU27 countries contributed 1.4 Gt less CO2 emissions, 64.5 Gm3 less water utilisation and 49 EJ less energy consumption, compared to the rest of the world while generating the equivalent economic output in 2014. This has dramatic effects upon the global environment. Germany, France and Italy are the biggest beneficiaries in the CWE nexus in the EU27. It is recommended that the EU27 provide more technical support to upstream countries in the EU and elsewhere to strive to improve their resource utilisation efficiencies.

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KW - Embodied CO

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KW - Embodied water

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Unsustainable imbalances and inequities in Carbon-Water-Energy flows across the EU27

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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