Mapping the exchange between embodied economic benefits and CO2 emissions among Belt and Road Initiative countries

Abstract As a core channel of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), trade has great potential of boosting the economy but also triggers arguments about environmental impacts. However, the evidence for ecologically unequal exchange embodied in trade between China and BRI countries is rarely discussed. Based on the multiregional input–output analysis, we investigated the temporal changes of economic benefits and CO2 emissions embodied in trade between BRI countries and China in 2013–2015. The pollution terms of trade (PTT) indicator was computed to map unequal exchange between economic benefits and CO2 emissions embodied in trade. Results revealed that the final demand of China brought BRI countries 421.15–507.08 million US dollars and caused 379.84–438.60 Mt CO2 emissions. Most BRI countries (58–70%) which were in win–win situations of environment and wealth in the trade with China did not become pollution havens of China. Although ecologically unequal exchange did exist in 12–15 BRI countries, inequalities of some countries were being mitigated over time. Our findings are potential to provide valuable insights into mitigating the inequalities between China and BRI countries to support the sustainability of green BRI.