Global Embodied Energy Flow and Stock Analysis with Endogeneous Fixed Capital

Fixed capital stock functions as an embodied energy storage system that connects economic activities which do not happen simultaneously. This paper constructs a dynamic energy input-output model to analyze embodied energy flows and stocks along both temporal and spatial dimensions from 2000 to 2014. The results show that 2043 exajoule of embodied energy was stored in the global fixed capital stock in 2014, which was about three times the world's direct energy use. Compared with those in developed countries, the gaps between the dynamic energy footprints and the traditional ones were larger in fast-developing countries. Net embodied energy usually flowed from high-intensity economies to lower-intensity economies, and around 10% of the energy embodied in trade came from depreciation. The dynamic embodied energy indicators provide information for improving energy efficiency and mitigating corresponding problems from the perspective of consumption.

Automated summary

This study constructs a dynamic energy input-output model to analyze the embodied energy flows and stocks from 2000 to 2014. The results show that the global fixed capital stock stored a significant amount of embodied energy, which was three times the world's direct energy use. The gaps between the dynamic energy footprints and the traditional ones were larger in fast-developing countries. Net embodied energy usually flowed from high-intensity economies to lower-intensity economies.