The global metabolic transition: Regional patterns and trends of global material flows, 1950–2010

Highlights • We use a consistent inventory of methods and data to model global material flows.• We cover material flows for 177 countries (by world region) from 1950 to 2010.• We discuss patterns and trajectories of domestic extraction, imports, and exports.• Our data cover a period of rapid industrialization and globalization.• The shift from a biomass- to a minerals-based metabolism can be observed globally.

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