A qualitative analysis of geo-environmental pressure caused by economic growth in China from 1995 to 2016

Abstract

Qualitative evaluation of the geo-environmental pressure and its variations caused by economic activities has become increasingly important for promoting the geo-environmental management and balancing economic growth and environmental goals. Economic activities exert pressure on the geo-environment through material inputs resulting from resource development and material outputs resulting from waste emission. The geo-environmental pressures can be measured according to the amount of material flow per unit bio-productive land area. A geo-environmental pressure assessment index system and an assessment method are established by coupling material flow analysis with ecological footprint approach. The geo-environmental pressures in China from 1995 to 2016 were calculated and analysed using the method. The material input from the geo-environment to the economy was on the rise as a whole, and the material output from the economy to the geo-environment was transiting from a rising trend to a stable, and then a declining trend. After 10 years of rapid growing, on the national scale, the geo-environmental pressure exerted by the economy had a tendency of stabilizing at a high level and then turning downward. Large differences in material inputs and material outputs can be observed among 31 provincial districts due to various natural backgrounds and varying paces of economic development. Altogether, material flows in the eastern region were higher than the other regions. Centered on the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the geo-environmental pressure decreased spatially from east to west and from north to south. From 1997 to 2013, the geo-environmental pressure increased to varying degrees on a provincial scale. The geo-environmental pressure in the eastern region was high but declined a little in recent years, while the geo-environmental pressure in the western region was relatively low but rose rapidly.