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The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has induced immense material consumption and environmental threats while fostering economic development along participating countries. Quantifying recent trends of the material footprint of BRI economies and identifying potential drivers are vital to inform sustainable resource use. However, an assessment on the determinants of BRI material consumption from an economic system viewpoint is lacking in the literature. To fill this gap, this study proposes a multi‐region structural decomposition analysis model to assess the drivers of material footprints in BRI economies. To scrutinize the effects of transitioning economic structures, the effects of domestic and cross‐border production activities are separated. The latter is further characterized by production technology and sourcing structure. Using global multi‐region input–output tables of 2005–2015, this study reveals that shifting international sourcing patterns boosted BRI material footprint, with rising intermediate goods and services sourced from BRI regions substituting those from North America and the European Union. Capital formation in the construction sector took the primary role in driving BRI material footprint growth, followed by manufacturing sectors, especially since 2013. Disparities in the key drivers of material footprints have been identified among developed, emerging, and least developed economies. The results have relevant policy implications regarding alleviating BRI material pressure, including fostering material‐efficient demand patterns, facilitating environmental technology improvements in local countries, and establishing stringent governance on material usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous expansion of regional trade, interregional teleconnections have an increasingly pronounced impact on the changes in carbon storage caused by land use in China. Current research in this area remains remarkably limited, however. This study employs land-use data, carbon density data, and a multiregional input–output model to precisely quantify the embodied flow and spatial patterns of land-use carbon storage in China. We found that the carbon storage embodied in interprovincial trade in China accounts for 34.9 percent of total carbon storage, with cropland (44.9 percent) and woodland (43.6 percent) representing the highest proportions within their land-use categories. Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, and Tibet were found to be the most externally driven in terms of land-use-related carbon storage, with outflows exceeding 2,000 Tg C. Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai, on the other hand, were shown to consume up to 90 percent of land-use-related carbon storage inflows, showcasing the strongest external dependence. Additionally, Hunan (1,300.5 Tg C), Hubei (863.4 Tg C), Henan (1,534.6 Tg C), and Shanxi (2,223.6 Tg C) are the provinces where changes in land-use carbon storage are most significant, exerting the greatest influence on changes in China's total carbon storage. China's international export of land-use-related embodied carbon storage decreased by 3,964.7 Tg C during the study period, with woodland (1,516.8 Tg C) and grassland (1,505.7 Tg C) being the primary declining land types. Interestingly, as land utilization efficiency continues to rise, over half of the provinces have seen an increase in export trade value, while their corresponding embodied carbon storage has declined. The findings not only unveil the complex dynamics and spatial distribution at work in China's embodied land-use-related carbon storage but also provide practical insights and directions for achieving carbon neutrality goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing the total energy cost burden of elderly people is essential for designing equitable and effective energy policies, especially in responding to energy crisis in an aging society. It is due to the double impact of energy price hikes on households-through direct impact on fuel bills and indirect impact on the prices of goods and services consumed. However, while examining the household energy cost burden of the elderly, their indirect energy consumption and associated cost burden remain poorly understood. This study quantifies and compares the direct and indirect energy footprints and associated total energy cost burdens for different age groups across 31 developed countries. It reveals that the elderly have larger per capita energy footprints, resulting from higher levels of both direct and indirect energy consumption compared with the younger age groups. More importantly, the elderly, especially the low-income elderly, have a higher total energy cost burden rate. As the share of elderly in the total population rapidly grows in these countries, the larger per capita energy footprint and associated cost burden rate of elderly people would make these aging countries more vulnerable in times of energy crises. It is therefore crucial to develop policies that aim to reduce energy consumption and costs, improve energy efficiency, and support low-income elderly populations. Such policies are necessary to reduce the vulnerability of these aging countries to the energy crisis., Competing Interests: Competing interests statement:The authors declare no competing interest.