Spatial–temporal variations of embodied carbon emission in global trade flows: 41 economies and 35 sectors

The spatial–temporal variations of embodied carbon emissions in international trade at global scope are still unclear. This paper studies the variations of outflows and inflows of embodied carbon emissions at a disaggregated 35 sector level of 41 countries and regions, and an integrated world input–output model is employed. It also examines what would happen if there were no international trade flows in China, USA and Finland, the representatives of three different levels of the global balance of embodied carbon. We find the following: (1) Embodied carbon in global trade increases at about 3 % per year since 1995 World Trade Organization was founded, and East Asia tend to burden more from the net increase in the balance of embodied carbon. (2) China’s export has the largest and increasing outflow of carbon burden, USA’s import the largest and increasing inflow of carbon burden, and Finland’s export and import the decreasing carbon burden. (3) The global trade structure tends to be not so much carbon intensive. BRIIAT (Brazil, Russia, India, Indonesia, Australia and Turkey) has the largest embodied carbon intensity in export (about 7.35 kg/$) while NAFTA (USA, Canada and Mexico) the largest embodied carbon intensity in import (about 10.32 kg/$). (4) There existed some inclination of embodied carbon flows including neighbor-centered outflows and country-centered inflows.