物质流分析研究述评

物质流分析方法近年来在循环经济和可持续发展研究领域发展迅速。阐述了物质流分析的定义及其与自然生态系统物质流的区别，着重回顾了该研究方法的发展历程，阐明了物质流分析的主要观点、理论基础、研究思路及研究框架，详细阐译和对比分析了物质流分析的六大类指标及分析方法，并在物质流分析框架的基础上，建立循环经济及可持续发展的评价指标体系，并对物质流分析指标体系和方法学的研究意义及其在环境经济学中的地位进行了客观的评价，进而指出了物质流分析方法的不足之处。对物质流分析在不同层次的应用研究也进行了充分的阐述和分析。对物质流分析今后相关领域的进一步研究予以了讨论和展望。

A critical review of material flow analysis (MFA)

Material Flow Analysis (MFA) is a direct and useful tool for studying circular economy and sustainable development. At present, the study and practice of MFA have been spreading in some developed countries and are just beginning in China. In general, MFA can be applied at three levels: economy-wide, at the sector level and at the product level. This article comprehensively introduces the definition of MFA and explains its difference from the study of resource flows in natural ecosystems. The paper fully reviews the history of MFA and discribes its theoretical fundamentals, main viewpoints, research routes and framework. The most widely used categories of indicators and the analytic methods by which they are employed in MFA are presented in detail and compared. The significance of the research, the status of the indicator system and the methodology of MFA in environmental economics are evaluated objectively. MFA indicators can be used to characterize or improve the knewledge of the input, storage and reclamation of resources and the processes of waste generation and recycling. A MFA-based index system for assessing the circular economy and sustainable development can be established as well. Some weaknesses in MFA are also analysed including: (1) the lack of transparency in the relation between MFA and its environment impacts; (2) MFA's dependence on assessment of the total material flow through the boundary between the environmental and economic systems, thereby leaving research objects such as economic systems and industrial sectors as a "black box"; (3) the slow progress of MFA research in small scale regions; and (4) the questionable significance of treating TMR as total material flow because of the uncertainty of hidden flow coefficient. Moreover, the application of MFA at different levels of MFA was also explored and assessed in detail. Finally, research needs in MFA in relevant fields are discussed. These include: (1) futher understanding and elaboration of the environmental, economic and social significance and value of MFA results; (2) combination with land use analysis through a bridge such as "ecological footprint (EF)"; (3) exploration of input-output analysis in combination with monetary input-output tables (MIOTs); (4) further study of hidden flows and their coefficient needs efforts from all over the world.