Russia and China: comparative analysis of ecological and economic development trends

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to assess the development trends of Russia and China using the colors of growth framework. It allows us to characterize the dynamics of development as “green”, “brown” or “black” growth (or degrowth) in relation to the consequences of economic activity. Based on the data from the World Bank and National statistical services, we evaluated the development trends of these countries, taking into account the resource consumption and environmental pollution. The characteristic of the level of economic development in study is GDP based on purchasing power parity (PPP) in constant prices of 2011. Also, we used the following ecological-economic indicators: eco-intensity of carbon dioxide emission (CO2) and wastewater discharges; energy intensity level of primary energy. The results of calculations showed that both countries had generally “brown” growth in the context of energy consumption. In China, the situation is slightly worse than in Russia. A more positive dynamics is also observed in Russia in terms of CO2 emissions and wastewater discharge. It is shown that ecological-economic development trends of some Eastern border regions of Russia are much worse than at the national level. The results of this study can be used to determine priority directions for development at both the national and regional levels. They can also be taken into account in the process of discussing and making decisions on the implementation of investment projects, including Russian-Chinese initiatives.