International Trade in Resources: A Biophysical Assessment - Summary for Policy Makers

This particular report was prepared by the IRP’s Working Group on Environmental Impacts, with the aim to enhance knowledge on the nature, location and size of the environmental impacts of trade. It provides a comprehensive synthesis of the latest scientific evidence on the ‘‘upstream resource requirements’’ of international trade. These refer to the materials, energy, water and land used along the production chain of traded commodities, and function as a proxy for the ecological effects of trade.