The relevance of multi-country input-output tables in measuring emissions trade balance of countries: the case of Spain

Abstract

As part of national accounts, input-output tables are becoming crucial statistical tools to study theeconomic, social and environmental impacts of globalization and international trade. In particular,global input-output tables extend the national dimension to the international dimension by relatingindividual countries’ input-output tables among each other, thus providing an opportunity to bal-ance the global economy as a whole. Concerning emissions of greenhouse gases, the relativeposition that countries hold among their main trade partners at the global level is a key issue interms of international climate negotiations.With this purpose, we show that (official) Multi-countryinput-output tables are crucial to analyse the greenhouse gas emission trade balance of individualcountries. Spain has a negative trade emissions balance for all three gases analysed, being themost negative balances those associated to the bilateral trade with China, Russia, United Statesand the rest of the European Union as a whole.