Embodied Carbon Flows among Belt and Road Countries: An Environmentally Extended Multi-Regional Input–Output Analysis

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-825-2_36How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Belt and Road Initiative; embodied carbon flows; environmentally extended multi-regional input–output model; consumption-based emissions; production-based emissions

Abstract

The expansion of trade and production networks under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has strengthened economic cooperation while redistributing carbon emissions across national borders. This study quantifies embodied carbon flows among 60 BRI countries using environmentally extended multi-regional input–output models for 2015 and 2023. The analysis draws on the EMERGING V2 database (245 economies, 133 sectors) and its corresponding sector-level CO₂ emissions inventory. Consumption-based emissions (CBE), production-based emissions (PBE), and national net embodied carbon balances are calculated to identify the distribution of carbon responsibilities within BRI supply chains. The results show that intra-BRI embodied carbon was highly concentrated in a few large economies. The results reveal that intra-BRI embodied carbon was highly concentrated. China recorded the highest CBE and PBE in both years, followed by India and Russia, with the emission levels of several major economies increasing markedly by 2023. Most countries were net embodied carbon importers, although their share remained broadly stable, declining from 78.3% in 2015 to 76.7% in 2023. China remained a central node in the regional carbon network: India and Russia were among its most important embodied carbon partners, while India was its largest export destination. Moreover, the declining domestic-demand share of China’s PBE indicates the growing influence of final demand from other BRI countries. These findings provide evidence for differentiated mitigation responsibilities and stronger low-carbon cooperation along BRI supply chains.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Sicheng Zhao
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/11/10
TI  - Embodied Carbon Flows among Belt and Road Countries: An Environmentally Extended Multi-Regional Input–Output Analysis
BT  - Proceedings of the 2026 5th International Conference on Public Service, Economic Management and Sustainable Development (PESD 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 364
EP  - 374
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-825-2_36
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-825-2_36
ID  - Zhao2026
ER  -