First empirical comparison of energy footprints embodied in trade: MRIO versus PLUM

This research paper compares two methods for calculating energy footprints embodied in trade for the United Kingdom in 2002: the National Footprint Accounts' Product Land Use Matrix (NFA-PLUM) and a multi-region input–output model (MRIO). While total import and export figures are comparable between the two, the study finds significant discrepancies when results are broken down by economic sector.

• A comparison of energy footprints for the United Kingdom in 2002 shows that while total imports and exports are comparable between the NFA-PLUM and MRIO methods, there is little correlation and large differences when the data is analyzed by economic sector.
• The discrepancies in the NFA-PLUM method are attributed to the exclusion of trade in services (specifically transport), the omission of upstream impacts of fossil fuels, and the application of incorrect embodied energy factors.
• The author concludes that an input–output based approach is superior for comprehensive footprint accounting of trade, as MRIO models can track origins through international supply chains, inter-industry linkages, and multi-national trade flows.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2009). First empirical comparison of energy footprints embodied in trade: MRIO versus PLUM. https://www.sei.org/publications/first-empirical-comparison-energy-footprints-embodied-trade-mrio-versus-plum/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. First empirical comparison of energy footprints embodied in trade: MRIO versus PLUM. 2009. https://www.sei.org/publications/first-empirical-comparison-energy-footprints-embodied-trade-mrio-versus-plum/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=First empirical comparison of energy footprints embodied in trade: MRIO versus PLUM |date=1 May 2009 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/first-empirical-comparison-energy-footprints-embodied-trade-mrio-versus-plum/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2009first, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{First empirical comparison of energy footprints embodied in trade: MRIO versus PLUM}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2009}, month = may, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/first-empirical-comparison-energy-footprints-embodied-trade-mrio-versus-plum/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }