Environmental Inequity Hidden in Skewed Water Pollutant – Value Flows via Interregional Trade in China
Abstract
With the increasing frequency of commodity flows in China, pollutant leakage and the uneven distribution of economic benefits further enlarge the preexisting economic disparities among regions and trigger regional environmental inequities. To understand the status quo of the inequities in China, we calculated the regional environmental inequity index of thirty provinces in terms of water pollution and value added, and further investigated the flow and important paths across provinces and sectors by combining multi–regional input–output analysis and structural path analysis. The results showed northeastern and part of central and northwestern regions suffered from the most serious environmental inequity, while the eastern and southern coastal provinces benefited the most from interregional trade in 2015. Such inequities were driven by the inconsistent net flows of water pollutants and value added, and could be explained by the uneven spatial distribution of key sectors (i.e., agriculture, food and tobacco, construction and hotel and restaurant). Thereinto, the primary flowing path is that high water-polluting but low value-added agricultural products produced by inland provinces are processed for foods, ultimately consumed by developed southeastern region. Our results provide an empirical basis upon which policy makers can promote coordinated and sustainable development among regions in China.
Author(s)
| Name |
Affiliation |
|
Xin Tian
|
Beijing Normal University |
|
Yiling Xiong |
|
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