Understanding the linkages between production activities and ecosystem degradation in China: An ecological input-output model of 2012

The rapid economic growth of China is fueled by unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, which consequently impaired ecosystem integrity and affected the provision of ecosystem services (ES). To uncover the linkages between economic activities and ecosystem degradation, this study developed an ecological input-output model of the 2012 Chinese economy and established an emergy-based sectoral ES loss database. The annual output of industrial products has placed huge pressure on China's ecosystem, bringing about 1.03E+24 sej of ES loss. Construction and farm reclamation were the two most important interventions to ecosystem integrity, mainly through occupying such ES-rich ecosystems as wetlands. With regard to the overall supply chain, the products from the forestry and farming sectors was found to have the highest virtual ES loss (mainly from direct loss) due to sensitivity to intervention but low value-added production. Correspondingly, agriculture-related manufacturing sectors contribute to higher ES loss due to their close inter-industrial relationships with the forestry and farming sectors. The railway transport and storage service sectors, with their demand for developed land, have higher direct ES loss than the rest sectors. The modeling results highlight the policy changes needed to harmonize the conflict between economic production activities and sustainable provision of ES, among which efficient land use and avoiding occupying of ES rich areas are the most effective ways. Such transition should be achieved by the aid of industrial structure adjustment, technological progress, and global trade mechanisms. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.