Beschreibung:
International trade disconnects distant consumers from impacts on ecosystem services embodied in agricultural production. In this communication, we present a first attempt to estimate the value of ecosystem services lost due to agricultural activities embodied in global trade. We report ecosystem services footprint for 49 countries and world regions based on a multi-regional input-output analysis. We found that international trade embodies a value of $3.7 trillion per year of ecosystem services lost due to agricultural activities. Consumption in China, United States and Middle East induce the highest absolute loss of value of ecosystem services. The main exporters include Asia and Pacific, Indonesia and Africa. The largest trade flow was identified between the Asia and Pacific region and Western Europe with an embodied value of ecosystem services of $397 billion per year. Quantification of the ecosystem services lost and embodied in international trade emphasizes the impacts of consumption as an important driver of ecosystem services loss. Making the ecosystem services value embodied in trade visible can stimulate and contribute to the design of strategies to reduce the impact of consumption and thus to lightening our footprint on natural ecosystems. Keywordsecosystem services; footprint; economic value; international trade; cropland; multi-regional input-output analysis; MRIO