Water Pollution and Decoupling Status in the Yangtze River Economic Belt

Abstract

Monitoring and reducing Water pollution is critical for the sustainable and green development of socio-economy. This paper combined the concept of Grey Water Footprint and Decoupling theory to evaluate the water pollution status in Yangtze River and the related Economic Belt from 2003 to 2018. By understanding the pollution status, a clearer insight into whether Yangtze River achieved decoupling and where to further improve water quality could be found. According to the result, although some regions, such as Yunnan and Jiangxi, did not display a descending pattern during the period, Yangtze River Economic Belt as a whole showcased a steady decline in total GWF since 2010. In regarding to the economic development, every region within Yangtze River Economic Belt significantly increased their GDP throughout the period. Therefore, according to Tapios decoupling model, it was always decoupling status for Yangtze River Economy from 2003 to 2018, and it has been strong decoupling status for 7 years. This paper provides some information and references for the formulation of water resources management policies, and finally promotes the green development of the areas in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.