Spatial–Temporal Evolution and Factor Decomposition for Ecological Pressure of Carbon Footprint in the One Belt and One Road

• Main Authors: Qipeng Sun, Yafang Geng, Fei Ma, Chao Wang, Bo Wang, Xiu Wang, Wenlin Wang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018-08-01
• Series: Sustainability
• Subjects: ecological pressure; energy consumption; spatial-temporal evolution; LMDI
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/9/3107

Low-carbon and green development is important to promote the sustainable economic and social development of countries along the One Belt and One Road. These countries have distinct differences in their ability to withstand carbon emission pressures and their driving factors, due to different stages of development and economic characteristics. This paper presents a model of ecological pressure of the carbon footprint in energy consumption (EPcfec), defined by three states: light, balanced, and heavy pressure. The EPcfec was calculated from data on 56 countries along the One Belt and One Road from 1994–2014, and analysis of the data’s temporal and spatial evolutionary rules was conducted. Furthermore, we used the LMDI method to extract the driving forces of EPcfec and evaluated the contribution of these factors to the overall region and seven sub-regions. The results showed that EPcfec growth slowed over time, with the value of EPcfec reaching 3190.51 in 2014. Resource-rich countries have a greater value of EPcfec and are mainly distributed in parts of West Asia, North Africa, and Southeast Asia. The per capita export of goods and services, and the population density on productive land contribute to ecological pressure on the carbon footprint. Energy structure, the influence of international trade on GDP, and energy intensity exerted an inhibitory effect on the ecological pressure of the carbon footprint. This paper proposes mitigation measures for optimizing energy structure, improving energy efficiency, developing low energy consumption, and promoting green international trade. Our results provide support for countries along the One Belt and One Road to mitigate ecological pressures resulting from their carbon footprint.