1. Socioeconomic metabolism: Drivers of resource productivity.
- Author
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Cunha, Sónia, Hertwich, Edgar, and Ferrão, Paulo
- Subjects
NATURAL resources ,ECONOMIC structure ,GROSS domestic product ,RECESSIONS ,ECONOMIC sectors - Abstract
• Countries with the same GDP/cap presented different levels of resource use. • The domestic extraction of natural resources impacted the socioeconomic metabolism. • Low population density was linked to higher levels of resource use per capita. • Economic crisis was particularly impactful in the use of non-metallic minerals. • Services were associated with higher resource productivity. The use of natural resources drives socioeconomic metabolism (SEM) and has been rising as economies develop, but not all countries present the same trends. Understanding how key aspects of the SEM relate to resource use and productivity is critical for promoting sustainable development. This paper analyses 15 years of the SEM dynamics in four European countries by quantifying gross domestic product (GDP) and resource use per capita. The monetary and material flows of Estonia, Croatia, Finland, and the United Kingdom were quantified in monetary and physical input-output tables, enabling the characterization of the flows between the economic sectors and of their cross-correlation indicators, namely through resource productivity. Key findings included the observation of a correlation between high productivity and more developed economies, where infrastructure has been developed for high-productivity services, the effects of economic structure on resource productivity, and on how the SEM developed after an economic recession. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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