Tracing toxic chemical releases embodied in U.S. interstate trade and their unequal distribution

Toxic chemicals have severe impacts on ecosystem, climate change and human health, and the current toxic releases are inequitably distributed across regions. Investigating the toxic release embodied in final demand by states and income groups can reveal the responsibility transfer of different entit...

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Main Authors: Guangxiao Hu, Kuishuang Feng, Laixiang Sun, Giovanni Baiocchi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2023-01-01
Series:Environment International
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412022006080
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author Guangxiao Hu
Kuishuang Feng
Laixiang Sun
Giovanni Baiocchi
author_facet Guangxiao Hu
Kuishuang Feng
Laixiang Sun
Giovanni Baiocchi
author_sort Guangxiao Hu
collection DOAJ
description Toxic chemicals have severe impacts on ecosystem, climate change and human health, and the current toxic releases are inequitably distributed across regions. Investigating the toxic release embodied in final demand by states and income groups can reveal the responsibility transfer of different entities. In this paper, we extended the U.S. multi-regional input–output (MRIO) model with toxic chemical release data in 2017 to conduct the production- and consumption-based accounting of toxic release by each state, and the inter-regional transfer of embodied toxic release between states. In addition, this paper analyzed how the toxic releases and inter-state transfer of embodied toxic release have been driven by income groups across states. The results showed that the toxic release from production was highly concentrated on the central states and the Great Lakes Region, while the consumption-based accounting of toxic release was more equally distributed across regions in the US. The non-metallic and metallic products manufacturing sectors were the most important sectors for most states from both production and consumption-based perspectives and were also the most essential sectors for interregional flows of embodied toxic release from Great Lake Region to Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Our results also showed that the largest portion (41.88%) of embodied toxic releases were triggered by households’ final demand, and that the consumption of the richest 35% of households contributed to more than 50% of the total toxic chemical releases triggered by total final demand of all households.
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spelling doaj.art-4c4ac8a87fd141a9a64d306945e68a032023-01-19T04:16:13ZengElsevierEnvironment International0160-41202023-01-01171107681Tracing toxic chemical releases embodied in U.S. interstate trade and their unequal distributionGuangxiao Hu0Kuishuang Feng1Laixiang Sun2Giovanni Baiocchi3Department of Geographical Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USADepartment of Geographical Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Corresponding author.Department of Geographical Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; School of Finance & Management, SOAS University of London, London WC1H 0XG, UKDepartment of Geographical Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USAToxic chemicals have severe impacts on ecosystem, climate change and human health, and the current toxic releases are inequitably distributed across regions. Investigating the toxic release embodied in final demand by states and income groups can reveal the responsibility transfer of different entities. In this paper, we extended the U.S. multi-regional input–output (MRIO) model with toxic chemical release data in 2017 to conduct the production- and consumption-based accounting of toxic release by each state, and the inter-regional transfer of embodied toxic release between states. In addition, this paper analyzed how the toxic releases and inter-state transfer of embodied toxic release have been driven by income groups across states. The results showed that the toxic release from production was highly concentrated on the central states and the Great Lakes Region, while the consumption-based accounting of toxic release was more equally distributed across regions in the US. The non-metallic and metallic products manufacturing sectors were the most important sectors for most states from both production and consumption-based perspectives and were also the most essential sectors for interregional flows of embodied toxic release from Great Lake Region to Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Our results also showed that the largest portion (41.88%) of embodied toxic releases were triggered by households’ final demand, and that the consumption of the richest 35% of households contributed to more than 50% of the total toxic chemical releases triggered by total final demand of all households.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412022006080Pollution inequalityConsumption-based accounting of toxic releaseMulti-regional input-output modelToxic release inventory
spellingShingle Guangxiao Hu
Kuishuang Feng
Laixiang Sun
Giovanni Baiocchi
Tracing toxic chemical releases embodied in U.S. interstate trade and their unequal distribution
Environment International
Pollution inequality
Consumption-based accounting of toxic release
Multi-regional input-output model
Toxic release inventory
title Tracing toxic chemical releases embodied in U.S. interstate trade and their unequal distribution
title_full Tracing toxic chemical releases embodied in U.S. interstate trade and their unequal distribution
title_fullStr Tracing toxic chemical releases embodied in U.S. interstate trade and their unequal distribution
title_full_unstemmed Tracing toxic chemical releases embodied in U.S. interstate trade and their unequal distribution
title_short Tracing toxic chemical releases embodied in U.S. interstate trade and their unequal distribution
title_sort tracing toxic chemical releases embodied in u s interstate trade and their unequal distribution
topic Pollution inequality
Consumption-based accounting of toxic release
Multi-regional input-output model
Toxic release inventory
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412022006080
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AT kuishuangfeng tracingtoxicchemicalreleasesembodiedinusinterstatetradeandtheirunequaldistribution
AT laixiangsun tracingtoxicchemicalreleasesembodiedinusinterstatetradeandtheirunequaldistribution
AT giovannibaiocchi tracingtoxicchemicalreleasesembodiedinusinterstatetradeandtheirunequaldistribution