Beyond carbon: LMIC exports embed 27× greater ecological harm than HICs

Using environmentally extended multi-regional input-output data, this brief compares the ecological intensity of exports from high-income (HIC) and low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) per €1 million of exports. The results reveal that LMIC exports embed on average 27 times more non-emissions ecological harm per unit value than HIC exports. These findings shed light on the substantial scale of largely overlooked environmental costs in climate and green transition debates, metrics and policies. It highlights the urgent need to tackle an ‘ecological division of labour ’ and expand sustainability metrics beyond current carbon-centric approaches to address a broader range of primarily localized ecological damages associated with global value chains.