• Energy Research
• 8. Economic growth close
• GB close
• University of Leeds close

National exergy efficiency analysis relates the quality of primary energy inputs to an economy with end useful work in sectoral energy uses such as transport, heat and electrical devices. This approach has been used by a range of authors to explore insights to macroscale energy systems and linkages with economic growth. However, these analyses use a variety of calculation methods with sometimes coarse assumptions, inhibiting comparisons. Therefore, building on previous studies, this paper first contributes toward a common useful work accounting framework, by developing more refined methodological techniques for electricity end use and transport exergy efficiencies. Second, to test this more consistent and granular approach, these advances are applied to the US and UK for 1960 to 2010. The results reveal divergent aggregate exergy efficiencies: US efficiency remains stable at around 11%, while UK efficiency rises from 9% to 15%. The US efficiency stagnation is due to "efficiency dilution", where structural shifts to lower efficiency consumption (e.g., air-conditioning) outweigh device-level efficiency gains. The results demonstrate this is an important area of research, with consequent implications for national energy efficiency policies.

China and India are the world's largest developing economies and also two of the most populous countries. China, which now has more than 1.3 billion people, is expected to grow to more than 1.4 billion by 2050, and India with a population of I billion will overtake China to be the most populous country with about 1.6 billion population. These two countries are home to 37% of the world's population today. In addition, China and India have achieved notable success in their economic development characterised by a high rate of gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the last two decades. Together the two countries account already for almost a fifth of world GDP. The most direct and significant result of economic growth in India and China is the amazing improvement in quality of life (or at least spending power) for an increasing share of the population. The populations of both the countries have experienced a transition from 'poverty' to 'adequate food and clothing',- today growing parts of the population are getting closer to 'well to do lifestyles'. These seLyments of the society are not satisfied any more with enough food and clothes, but are also eager to obtain a quality life of high nutrient food, comfortable living, health care and other quality services. The theme of this paper is to analyse how the major drivers contributed to the environmental consequences in the past, and to take a forward look at the environmental impacts of these driving forces in China and India. The paper identifies population, affluence and technology to be the major drivina forces in environmental pollution for these two countries then applies the simple equation of Impact = Population x Affluence x Technology, or I = PAT to evaluate the effects of changes in these drivers on CO, emissions. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Significance Understanding the role of international trade in driving pressures on freshwater resources is key to meeting challenges at the water–energy nexus. A coupled trade and hydrological model is used to examine pressures on freshwater resources associated with energy production across the global economy. While the electric and gas sectors induce freshwater consumption predominantly within countries where demand originates (91% and 81%, respectively), the petroleum sector exhibits a high international footprint (56%). Critical geographic areas and economic sectors are identified, providing focus for resource-management actions to ensure energy and freshwater security. Our analysis demonstrates the importance of broadening the discourse on energy policy to address issues including freshwater scarcity, the role of international trade, and wider environmental and societal considerations.

Demand elasticity for petrol or diesel is an important policy parameter, both from energy security and global warming perspective. Despite an abundance of literature on petrol demand, there are few studies on diesel demand, and even fewer on demand by different vehicle types. This paper aims to model diesel demand for different freight duty vehicle types (e.g. heavy vs. light goods vehicles and rigid vs. articulated trucks) in the UK. We argue that the switch to diesel from petrol engines in the light vehicles sectors could have biased earlier petrol or diesel demand elasticities in Europe, and show that it was indeed the case for the light goods vehicle sector. Results show that both light and heavy goods vehicles have similar income elasticities, although within the heavy duty sector, articulated trucks are more elastic than rigid trucks. Overall, heavy goods vehicles were responsive to fuel prices, but light goods vehicles were not. Within the heavy duty sector, rigid trucks showed statistically significant price elasticity, but articulated trucks did not respond to changes in fuel prices. Our results show that price-based policies to curb fuel consumption from the light or heavy goods vehicles are unlikely to be effective.

Overcapacity is regarded as an inevitable problem for rapid economic developing countries like China, which also causes serious adverse impacts on the environment and public health. However, few studies have quantified the overcapacity feature and corresponding co-benefit from de-capacity policy. To fill such research gaps, this study constructed a comprehensive assessment model by combining the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model, the GAINS-China (Greenhouse gas - Air pollution Interactions and Synergies) model, and a meta-analysis and health impact assessment module, to measure the capacity utilization rate of 41 industrial sectors in 31 Chinese provinces and forecast the environmental and health co-benefits from de-capacity policy in 2050. Results showed that the capacity utilization rate of China's industry is 64.13% in 2018, which is much lower than the threshold value of 75%, indicating serious overcapacity in China's industry. Capacity utilization rates of light industries are higher (around 70%) than heavy industries (50%-60%), and the capacity utilization rate in East and South-Central China is higher (70%-96%) than West China (below 40%). Under a de-capacity scenario in 2050, China's CO2 and PM2.5 emissions are reduced by 1.05 billion tons (9.6%) and 57.8 kilotons (5.8%), respectively. This reduction in PM2.5 emissions results in a substantial health co-benefit, reducing national premature mortality cases by approximately 792,100 (1.6%). Finally, it is recommended that de-capacity priority be given to industries with low capacity utilization rate, as well as regions with intensive heavy industry or high levels of greenhouse gas emissions, severe air pollution, and dense population.

In the last few years, a number of studies have been presented that link material flow accounting and input–output analysis (based on monetary input–output tables) for the calculation of direct and indirect resource inputs for production and consumption activities. The compilation of the first physical input–output tables for some European countries in the 1990s opened new possibilities for linking physical accounting and input– output analysis. Physical input–output analysis has so far only been applied for selected materials, but it has not been used for comprehensive assessments of material requirements of economic activities. In this paper, possibilities and limits of this new input–output approach are clarified. We present and discuss a procedure similar to monetary input– output analysis and develop an alternative approach to account for primary inputs and waste otherwise not included in the analysis. Based on aggregated input–output tables for Germany, we present numerical examples intended to comp...

Ecological economists aim to transform our economic institutions so that society can flourish within planetary boundaries. The central message of this article is that private rent extraction forms a key barrier to the realisation of that goal. I define rent as an economic reward which is sustained through control of assets that cannot be quickly and widely replicated, and which exceeds proportionate compensation for the labour of the recipient. I argue that unless we close opportunities for rent extraction, and socialise unavoidable rents, our governments will be compelled to pursue output growth, regardless of its environmental consequences, in order to prevent spiralling inequality and unemployment. The positive proposition in this article is that the concept of rent can help us to identify, and build democratic support for, the institutional transformations necessary to prepare for a resource-constrained future. Measures to reduce and redistribute rentier power could be emancipatory for the poorest in society, whilst making more feasible many proposals that have been advocated already in this journal, including reduced working hours and resource caps. By contrast, if environmental protections are introduced before opportunities for private rent extraction are closed, we could see intensified rent-seeking, asset price bubbles, poverty and economic insecurity.