Vertical specialisation measurement of energy embodied in international trade of the construction industry

Due to the conflict between economic development and environmental preservation, energy consumption in the construction industry has become an urgent concern. This research aims to measure the interaction between imports and exports in relation to the embodied energy that accompanies international trade from the perspective of vertical specialisation. The energy embodied in the imports and exports of the construction industry is measured and the net embodied energy use is used to identify the level of dependence of the construction industry on international trade. For the construction industries in the selected countries, the share of imported energy embodied in exports is used to show the degree of participation in the global production chain. The construction industries had greater degrees of participation in the international trade of embodied energy from the demand perspective, than from the supply perspective. The findings of this research help to identify the role and position of national construction industries and are beneficial to the design of strategies for the international market. References are also provided to assist policymakers in adjusting natural resource consumption and production structures in the international trade of construction goods and services.