Environmental performance, biocapacity, carbon & ecological footprint of nations: Drivers, trends and mitigation options

The long-run effect of the synergy between natural resource consumption and environmental sustainability varies across countries depending on the economic structure. However, the transboundary effect of natural resource capital underscores the importance of environmental convergence. Here, wemap ecological performance, biocapacity, and carbon footprint of nations. We assess the socio-economic drivers of environmental performance and convergence using novel cross-country time series techniques. We find that the expansion of biocapacity of nations has an ameliorating effect on ecological performance. The hotspot countries of environmental performance include Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, India, Japan, Russia, and the US. We confirm the existence of environmental convergence across nations - implying that the disparity in carbon and ecological footprint between higher-income and lower-income countries will converge in the long-run. This accentuates the need for global partnership towards achieving environmental sustainability. (C) 2020 The Author. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Automated summary

The synergy between natural resource consumption and environmental sustainability has varied long-term effects across countries depending on economic structure. However, the transboundary effect of natural resource capital highlights the importance of environmental convergence. Evaluating ecological performance, biocapacity, and carbon footprint can reveal the socio-economic drivers of environmental performance and convergence. Research confirms the presence of environmental convergence among nations, implying that the gap in carbon and ecological footprint between higher-income and lower-income countries will narrow in the long term, underscoring the necessity of global cooperation towards achieving environmental sustainability.