Estimating the Material Footprint at the National Level from 1993 to 2022 Based on Multi-Feature CNN-BiLSTM

Global environmental issues are becoming increasingly serious. As a comprehensive indicator of environmental pressure, the material footprint reflects changing pressures amidst sustainable resource utilization. In this research, we conducted a time series prediction of material footprint using the Multi-Feature CNN-BiLSTM model and analyzed the material footprints of 77 countries or regions as well as four types of influencing factors from 1993 to 2022. The research results showed that: (1) The CNN-BiLSTM model (R2 = 0.861, Adjusted R2 = 0.860, NRMSE = 0.063) demonstrates excellent predictive performance. (2) From 2013 to 2022, the Chinese mainland reported the highest total material footprint, whereas Iceland had the least. Qatar had the highest per capita material footprint, and Pakistan had the lowest. Among the top 50% of countries or regions by average annual per capita material footprint during this period, 12 economies are G20 members, including all G7 nations except Italy. (3) The research results showed that among the top 20 economies, 18 economies are members of the G20, while Argentina and South Africa ranked 24th and 31st, respectively. The accurate spatiotemporal prediction of future material footprints can delineate the trajectory of human activities on the environment, enhance environmental management strategies, and advance sustainable development initiatives.