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 and Petar Sabev Varbanov

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2021, vol. 138, issue C

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.

Keywords: Carbon-water-energy flows; Embodied energy; Embodied CO2; Embodied water; EU27; Input-output model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2020.110550

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