What environmental pressures are a region's industries responsible for? A method of analysis with descriptive indices and input-output models

A method to analyse the ecological sustainability of a regional economy is presented. It uses input-output models for evaluation of the region together with descriptive indices of the environmental pressures caused by the region. Environmental pressures considered are those that can be described as material flows from the anthroposphere to the ecosphere. The dissipation area index is introduced as a tool for an aggregated evaluation of these flows. The index evaluates the flows of different substances based on reference systems of the natural environment. In order to allow a clear and consistent evaluation with these instruments, a typology of a region's responsibility for environmental pressures is proposed. It distinguishes responsibility for direct and indirect environmental pressures and for environmental pressures inside and outside the boundaries of the region. The implications of various principles of regional responsibility are discussed. A case study of a small Austrian region illustrates the application of the methodology. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.