title: Globalization and pollution: tele-connecting local primary PM2.5emissions to global consumption.
abstract: Globalization pushes production and consumption to geographically diverse locations and generates a variety of sizeable opportunities and challenges. The distribution and associated effects of short-lived primary fine particulate matter (PM2.5), a representative of local pollution, are significantly affected by the consumption through global supply chain. Tele-connection is used here to represent the link between production and consumption activity at large distances. In this study, we develop a global consumption-based primary PM2.5emission inventory to track primary PM2.5emissions embodied in the supply chain and evaluate the extent to which local PM2.5emissions are triggered by international trade. We further adopt consumption-based accounting and identify the global original source that produced the emissions. We find that anthropogenic PM2.5emissions from industrial sectors accounted for 24 Tg globally in 2007; approximately 30% (7.2 Tg) of these emissions were embodied in export of products principally from Brazil, South Africa, India and China (3.8 Tg) to developed countries. Large differences (up to 10 times) in the embodied emissions intensity between net importers and exporters greatly increased total global PM2.5emissions. Tele-connecting production and consumption activity provides valuable insights with respect to mitigating long-range transboundary air pollution and prompts concerted efforts aiming at more environmentally conscious globalization.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China; School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7JT, UK.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences , Peking University , Beijing , People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Junfeng
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7199-6357
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography and Resource Management and Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability , The Chinese University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong , People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: School of International Development , University of East Anglia , Norwich NR4 7TJ , UK.
authors.forename: Dabo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.affiliation: Resnick Sustainability Institute , California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125 , USA.
authors.forename: Zhu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China; Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Centre d'Etudes Orme des Merisiers, 91191 Gif sur Yvette, France.
authors.forename: Ye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences , Peking University , Beijing , People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tao
keywords: PM2.5 emissions; globalization; multi-region input–output analysis