Multilevel analysis of copper resource reallocation in the anthroposphere through international trade

International trade forms a crucial component of copper utilization patterns in the anthroposphere and plays a key role in resource reallocation. In response to the gaps in current research, this study details the evolutionary characteristics of copper flows embedded in international trade from 2000 to 2020 at three scales, i.e., global, continental, and national, along the technological life cycle of copper and quantifies the redistribution of copper resource in the anthroposphere through trade. At the global level, the study highlights that copper volume contained in the international trade has risen from 21.9 Mt to 35.8 Mt during 2000–2020, but with a decreasing growth rate against the background of sluggish global economic growth. At the intercontinental level, natural resource endowments and development requirements determine the role in trade played by each region. Accumulatively, Asia imported a total of 134.2 Mt copper resources from other continents while South America met a total of 128.2 Mt copper demand from other continents. North America and Europe played an important role in both import and export of copper resources, but were basically net importers. At the national level, global copper trade was dominated by a few countries including China, the USA, Chile, Peru, etc., and the copper resource endowment of these countries has been greatly changed through international trade. With the possible tightening of global copper resources supply till 2050, resource competition could emerge among the major importing countries.