Uneven effects of global trade on transportation industry sustainability

The global trade in transportation industry has complex socio-economic, resource, and environmental (SRE) footprints. Linking these footprints with sustainability frameworks is crucial for driving transportation industry sustainability (TI-S). Here, we analyze these footprints and develop a TI-S assessment system with 26 SRE indicators for 16 TI-S targets. We find that global trade increases TI-S scores; developed economies excel in resource and environmental targets, developing economies progress more in employment and tax targets. For South Africa, Russia, and Australia, improvements in the socio-economic target scores do not offset decreases in resource and environmental target scores. In terms of interaction between the targets, global trade enhances synergies among the 16 targets in developed economies; this is not consistently the case for developing economies. These findings highlight the heterogeneous impact of trade on TI-S. The paper closes by proposing measures to promote TI-S progress, which could help inform adjustments in industrial policies.