Malik Arunima, Lafortune Guillaume, Mora Camille J, Carter Sarah, Lenzen Manfred
ISA, School of Physics, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia; Discipline of Accounting, Governance and Regulation, Sydney Business School, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia; Sydney Nano Institute, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), Paris Office, France.
J Environ Manage. 2024 Oct;369:122291. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122291. Epub 2024 Sep 4.
Fossil and mineral raw materials cause unintended and detrimental environmental and social impacts via extraction, production and combustion processes. In this study, we analyse how consumer demand in the European Union (EU) drives environmental and social impacts in mining sectors worldwide. We employ multi-regional input-output analysis to quantify positive (i.e., income, female and male employment) and negative (greenhouse gas emissions, accidents at work, and modern slavery) impacts of raw materials. We trace these environmental and social impacts across the EU's trading partners to identify sectoral and regional hotspots of international spillovers embodied in the EU's consumer demand. We estimate that the EU's consumption is associated with significant spillover impacts primarily in Central Asia, Asia Pacific, and Africa. We contextualise these results within a three-pillar framework to highlight the importance of a comprehensive and partnership-based approach to curbing environmental and social spillovers embodied in the EU's consumption of raw materials. Specifically, we highlight three potential practical policy strategies: leveraging EU domestic instruments and regulations, strengthening the Green Deal and SDG diplomacy and financing, and promoting responsible consumption, recycling and innovation. Our results underline the need for further reforms in mining industries and trade policies to reduce adverse social and environmental impacts.
化石和矿物原材料在开采、生产和燃烧过程中会造成意外的有害环境和社会影响。在本研究中，我们分析了欧盟（EU）的消费者需求如何推动全球采矿业的环境和社会影响。我们采用多区域投入产出分析来量化原材料的积极影响（即收入、女性和男性就业）和消极影响（温室气体排放、工作事故和现代奴隶制）。我们追踪欧盟贸易伙伴之间的这些环境和社会影响，以确定欧盟消费者需求中体现的国际溢出效应的部门和区域热点。我们估计，欧盟的消费主要在中亚、亚太地区和非洲产生了重大的溢出效应。我们将这些结果置于一个三支柱框架内，以突出采取全面的、基于伙伴关系的方法来遏制欧盟原材料消费中体现的环境和社会溢出效应的重要性。具体而言，我们强调了三种潜在的实际政策策略：利用欧盟国内工具和法规、加强绿色协议和可持续发展目标外交及融资，以及促进负责任的消费、回收利用和创新。我们的结果强调了采矿业和贸易政策进一步改革以减少不利的社会和环境影响的必要性。
