Abstract
To take actions for the SDGs (Goals 6, 7, 9, 12, and 13), the world is undergoing intense industrial transformation and upgrading. However, there has been limited analysis of water-energy-carbon (WEC) nexus within regional trade network to uncover the effects of industrial restructuring. Here, this study explores the trade-related WEC flows in the Yangtze River Delta area (YRD) from 2012 to 2017 by four aspects (spatiotemporal status, sectors, WEC flowing synergies, and environmental-economic trade-off) based on an environmentally extended input-output analysis. The main results show that the resource supply network in the YRD has been optimized, with enhanced synergies of WEC flows. Resource trade in the YRD has shifted from traditional heavy industry (HV Ⅰ) to high-tech manufacturing industry (HV Ⅱ). The share of trade-related WEC in demand of HV Ⅱ among all sectors increased by 10, 5, and 15 percentages, while the share in demand of HV Ⅰ decreased by 15, 10, and 10 percentages during this transition period. This study also discloses an environmental-economic contradiction arising in regional trade: low-carbon and high-value-added economic development in some regions may be premised on relocating environmental resource pressures. Hence, this study could assist policymakers in analyzing sustainable industrial transition models for regional integration clusters and in formulating targeted interregional resource trade policies to alleviate development gaps.
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