Resource use in small island states: : material flows in Iceland and Trinidad and Tobago, 1961-2008

摘要: Iceland and Trinidad Tobago are small open, high-income island economies with very specific resource-use patterns. This article presents a material flow analysis (MFA) for the two countries covering time period of nearly five decades. Both have narrow domestic resource base, their economy being largely based on exploitation one or key resources export production. In case Tobago, physical is dominated by oil natural gas extraction petrochemical industries, whereas Iceland's centuries has been fisheries. More recently, abundant hydropower geothermal heat were basis establishment large export-oriented metal processing which fully depend imported raw materials make use renewable electricity. highly dependent these vulnerable to overexploitation price developments. We show how industries lead high growing levels per capita energy carbon dioxide emissions resulting from amounts wastes consumption in production processes. The example open an industrial system focused few, but abundant, comparatively low complexity provides interesting insights endowment paired availability absence infrastructure institutional arrangements drives also contributes better understanding interpretation MFA indicators, such as consumption.