Structural Decomposition Analysis of Global Metal Footprint Change, 1995–2013

With the increasing competition for limited metal ore resources, the impact of capital formation on nations’ metal footprints have been studied broadly. However, the driving forces and pathways of metal footprint change still haven’t been fully understood. Therefore, in the present study, the additive structural decomposition analysis is adopted to decompose the world metal footprint from 1995 to 2013 into five major driving factors. The obtained results indicate that: i) the modern production structure has been becoming increasingly dependent upon metal resources; ii)the production structure effect and consumption volume effect are dominant factors driving the metal footprint increase, yet the intensity effect is the main force offsetting this inclining trend; iii) all the driving factors in developing countries tend to be more divergent comparing with developed countries consistent with their economic growth characteristics. The findings of this study are significant for policy makers to understand the deep causes for domestic metal footprint change and propose proper relevant polices.