Carbon is a fundamental component of our economy, as well as a key element of greenhouse gas emissions. Tracking carbon flows captures energy, material, and climate impacts, and enables a direct examination of the link between material and energy transitions, indicating progress towards circular carbon and the net-zero target. This study presents a novel method for mapping carbon flows at the macro level using national accounts data, while also enabling granular analysis of carbon flows across different sectors. The analysis examined carbon flows across 11 main product flow categories and 7 subcategories, mapping them by source and destination, and across 12 transformation sectors. Applied to the Netherlands as a case study, the results reveal that the Dutch economy strongly relies on imports and exports of carbon, with net imports accounting for 131 Mt C yr−1 (82% of total carbon supply) and net exports for 89 Mt C yr−1 (83% of total carbon demand) in the year 2020. Furthermore, over 80% of the carbon supply is fossil-based. Therefore, to meet the Dutch government’s 2050 targets of climate neutrality and full circularity, i.e. relying solely on biogenic and other circular carbon sources, significant shifts in carbon supply and demand are urgently needed.
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