The biophysical perspective of a middle income economy: Material flows in Mexico

被引:38
作者
Citlalic Gonzalez-Martinez, Ana [1 ,2 ]
Schandl, Heinz [3 ]
机构
[1] Autonomous Univ Barcelona, Dept Econ & Econ Hist, E-08193 Barcelona, Spain
[2] Autonomous Univ Barcelona, Inst Environm Sci & Technol, E-08193 Barcelona, Spain
[3] CSIRO Sustainable Ecosyst, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
关键词
Natural resources; Resource use patterns and dynamics; Physical accounting; Material flows; Resource use efficiency; Mexico;
D O I
10.1016/j.ecolecon.2008.03.013
中图分类号
Q14 [生态学(生物生态学)];
学科分类号
071012 ; 0713 ;
摘要
We analyse natural resource use dynamics in the Mexican economy during the last three decades. Despite low and uneven economic growth, the extraction and use of materials in the Mexican economy has continuously increased during the last 30 years. In this period, population growth rather than economic growth was the main driving force for biophysical growth. In addition, fundamental changes have taken place in the primary sectors, in manufacturing, and in household consumption and these are reflected in an increasing emphasis on the use of fossil fuels and construction materials. Mexico's economy has been strongly influenced by international tirade since the country commenced competing in international markets. In the 1970s, Mexico mainly exported primary resources. This pattern has changed and manufactured goods now have a much greater importance due to a boom in assembling industries. In contrast with other Latin American countries, Mexico has achieved a diversification of production, moving towards technology-intensive products and a better mix in its export portfolio. However, crude oil exports still represent the single most important export good. Mexico's material consumption is still well below the OECD average but is growing fast and the current resource use patterns may well present serious social and environmental problems to the medium and long-term sustainability of Mexico's economy and community. information on natural resource use and resource productivity could provide valuable guidance for economic policy planning in Mexico. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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页码:317 / 327
页数:11
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