Spatial analysis of environmental issues : applications and extensions of the environmental input-output model

The majority of environmental input-output studies focus on a single region or
country. Linking environmental input-output models to the space can provide a
better understanding on the spatial relationships of consumption and production
activities and associated environmental issues. This PhD thesis employs the
environmental input-output techniques using geo-demographic data bases to
explore spatio-environmental issues in the developed country, UK, and the
developing country, China. In this thesis, four case studies (Chapters 3, 4, 5 & 6)
were carried out on natural resources extraction and environmental pollution using
water consumption and CO2 emissions as environmental issues. Chapter 3 assessed
the UK production and consumption water footprints and found that the UK
consumption water footprint was more than three times bigger than its production
water footprints. About half of the UK consumption water footprints were imported
from Non-OECD countries, many of which were water scarce. Chapter 4 focused on
regional virtual water flows and water footprints in the Yellow River Basin (YRB),
China. The results show that the production and consumption activities outside of
the basin also contributed to the water stress in the YRB, particularly the water
scarce lower reach. Chapter 5 applied input-output structural decomposition
analysis (10 SDA) to identify the key driving forces for China's regional CO2 emissions
2002-2007 and found that increases of final consumption such as urban household
consumption, capital investment and export were the key driving forces for most of
China's regions. Chapter 6 assessed the distributional effects of climate change
taxation for the UK. The results showed that both CO2 and GHG taxes tended to be
regressive, while a GHG tax led to a more equal distribution of the tax burden across
income and lifestyle groups. This research concluded that linking environmental
input-output models to space could present the spatial relationships of different
regions in terms of environmental issues and build up consumption based spatio-
environmental inventory. Policy implications from the four case studies have also
been discussed.