The CO2 'trade balance' between Scotland and the rest of the UK: Performing a multi-region environmental input-output analysis with limited data

Citation

McGregor PG, Swales JK & Turner K (2008) The CO2 'trade balance' between Scotland and the rest of the UK: Performing a multi-region environmental input-output analysis with limited data. Ecological Economics, 66 (4), pp. 662-673. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2007.11.001

Abstract
In this paper we attempt an empirical application of the multi-region input-output (MRIO) method proposed by Turner, Lenzen, Wiedmann and Barrett [Turner, K., Lenzen, M., Wiedmann, T., Barrett, J., 2007. Examining the global environmental impact of regional consumption activities - part 1: a technical note on combining input-output and ecological footprint analysis. Ecological Economics 62 (1), 37-44] in a recent issue of this journal in order to enumerate the CO2 pollution content of interregional trade flows between Scotland and the rest of the UK (RUK). We extend the analysis to account for direct emissions generation by households, as final consumers, and to a social accounting matrix (SAM), where a more comprehensive account of incomes and expenditures is possible. While the existence of significant data problems mean that the quantitative results of this study should be regarded as provisional, the interregional economy-environment IO and SAM framework for Scotland and RUK allows an illustrative analysis of some very important issues in terms of the nature and significance of interregional environmental spillovers within the UK and the existence of a CO2 'trade balance' between Scotland and RUK.

Keywords
Multi-region input-output models; CO2 trade balance; Environmental responsibility

Journal
Ecological Economics: Volume 66, Issue 4

• Turner et al Ecological Economics 2008_Turner last version.pdf