Ecological Footprint Reduction Research Articles

Evaluation of water resource balance in the Urmia Lake Basin: Integrating carrying capacity and water footprint model for sustainable management

Given the scarcity of water resources and the ever-growing demand, effective water flow management becomes crucial. The Lake Urmia Basin, a critical region in Iran, faces severe water scarcity exacerbated by climatic changes, land use alterations, over-extraction of groundwater, and mismanagement. This study evaluates the water resource balance by integrating carrying capacity and water footprint models to assess sustainable water management practices. Utilizing the InVEST model, water provisioning ecosystem services have been estimated as the supply, while the ecological footprint method quantifies water demand across various sectors. Three scenarios are evaluated: continuation of the current situation, an ideal scenario with substantial reductions in water consumption and pollution, and implementation of operational programs. The findings reveal significant water deficits in certain sub-basins, highlighting the need for a fundamental revision of resource allocation based on each region’s ecological capacity. Lake Urmia, the central nucleus of the basin, has experienced a significant size reduction, approximately 10 % of its original size, from the early 1990s to 2018, due to climatic changes, land use alterations, over-extraction of groundwater, and mismanagement. The environmental deficit in some sub-basins raises serious concerns, even in the best scenario where ecological footprint reduction is considered. These results underscore the effectiveness of ecosystem-based comprehensive capacity analysis for sustainable watershed development. This research offers a unified spatial system for quantifying ecological footprints and land resilience, providing critical insights into addressing water scarcity and supporting holistic regional planning.

Enhancing Ecological Footprint Awareness among Academic Staff at Gazi University: A Sustainability Communication Approach

Sustainability communication is vital in informing, inspiring, and mobilizing individuals and organizations to take collective actions that contribute to environmental protection, social justice, and economic prosper-ity. A crucial aspect of sustainability, ecological footprint awareness assesses the consciousness of the im-pact of individuals or communities on the environment. This research investigates the level of ecological footprint awareness among academic staff at Gazi University, Turkey, using a comprehensive scale. Find-ings indicate varying levels of awareness across dimensions influenced by gender, marital status, academic title, and income, suggesting potential implications for policymakers and university administrators. The efficacy of sustainability and ecological footprint reduction initiatives can be increased among heteroge-neous cohorts of academic personnel by implementing customized communications and awareness initia-tives. Additional investigation may further elucidate the precise determinants underlying these disparities and scrutinize the most efficacious modes of communication for each faction, thereby augmenting the sus-tainability discourse at Gazi University and in the broader context.

Improvement and application of the ecological footprint calculation Method—A case study of a Chinese university

The Ecological Footprint (EF) model is an effective tool for determining the resource consumption demand of human activities and whether natural assets are overutilized. The EF calculation method has certain theoretical and methodological importance for low-carbon campus construction. With the development of science and technology, some parameters in traditional EF calculation methods need to be modified. Based on the definition of fossil energy land and the latest average grain yield, this paper revised the calculation parameters of the EF method in six aspects: absorbed gas, electricity, agricultural products, aquatic products, livestock products, and paper. This paper applied the calculation method before and after improvement to Henan Polytechnic University. The EF of the campus according to calculations was 28,358.41 gha, and the per capita EF was 0.657 gha/person using the improved calculation method. Compared with the unimproved method, the improved method resulted in a substantial decrease in EFs, which can be explained by three reasons. First, the fossil energy land was divided into forestland and pasture land. Second, the average yield was recalculated using the latest statistical database of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Finally, the utilization of waste pulp in the paper industry was considered. The calculated results were also analyzed and compared with those of other universities, Worldwide Fund for Nature and Enhancing Universities’Sustainability Teaching and Practices through Ecological Footprint. The improved calculation results can better reflect the actual situation of the campus, improve the rationality of EF calculation, and provide a reference for EF at the campus level. Accordingly, the current situation of campus resource consumption can be explained, further providing a basis for proposing an EF reduction scheme for green campus construction.

Environmental footprint impacts of green energies, green energy finance and green governance in G7 countries

The demand for resources and energy increases as the global population grows, leading to increased ecological and carbon footprints. This study aims to contribute to the global sustainability agenda by assessing the impact of green energy projects, green energy finance, and green governance on reducing ecological and carbon footprints in G7 countries from 1990 to 2020. The findings reveal that there is a noteworthy negative association between ecological footprint, green governance, geothermal energy consumption, hydro-power consumption, and green energy finance. However, a significant positive correlation exists between ecological footprint and biofuels. Additionally, the outcomes lend support to the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) theory in G7 nations. Carbon footprints are evaluated in this study as an alternate measure, and the results are similarly robust. These insights hold the potential to guide policy decisions and investment strategies, and promote the shift to a low-carbon economy by highlighting the connections between the adoption of green energies, green energy finance, green governance, and carbon and ecological footprint reduction, thus paving the way for a more equitable and sustainable future for all.

Greening the globe: Uncovering the impact of environmental policy, renewable energy, and innovation on ecological footprint

This study examines the effectiveness of environmental policy in reducing ecological footprint while considering the roles of renewable energy and innovation. We employ a cross-sectional autoregressive distributed lags to analyze panel data of 29 OECD countries from 1990 to 2020. Our results indicate that environmental policy significantly reduces ecological footprint among OECD countries, with its efficacy contingent upon bio-capacity surplus/deficit and the level of industrialization. We also find that renewable energy has a favourable impact on ecological footprint reduction, while innovation improves the environmental quality of OECD countries. However, population density and industrialization were found to decrease and increase ecological footprint, respectively. The study reveals bi-directional causation between ecological footprint and all variables except for economic growth. Our findings are robust under the conditions of short-run heterogeneity, long-run homogeneity, and cross-sectional dependence.

Relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean diet, sustainable and healthy eating behaviors, and awareness of reducing the ecological footprint

ABSTRACT This study evaluated the relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD), sustainable and healthy eating behaviors, and awareness of reducing the ecological footprint. It was conducted with 1333 adults (38.2% male, 61.8% female, mean age 24.2 ± 7.5 years). The questionnaire included socio-demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, the Awareness Scale for Reducing Ecological Footprint (ASREF), the Sustainable and Healthy Eating (SHE) Behaviors Scale, and Mediterranean Diet Adherence Scale (MEDAS). 40.2% of the participants adhered to the MD (≥7 scores). Obese individuals’ total scores on MEDAS, SHE Behaviors Scale, and ASREF were the lowest (p < 0.05). In regression analysis, education duration, SHE Behaviors Scale total score, and BMI affected the ASREF score (p < 0.05). The education duration, SHE Behaviors Scale scores, and ASREF scores were higher in those in MD-adherence group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, adherence to the MD was associated with higher sustainable and healthy eating behaviors and higher awareness of ecological footprint reduction.

Ecological Footprint Reduction Behaviors of Individuals in Turkey in the Context of Ecological Sustainability

While people consume natural resources by interacting with the environment, they also cause some environmental changes. Environmental pollution and construction are among the most important reasons for these changes. In addition, the rate of renewal of natural resources remains slow while consumption is increasing. Thus, biocapacity is slow to renew itself compared to consumption, leading to the emergence of an ecological deficit. The largest share in the ecological deficit belongs to personal consumption. Based on this, the attitudes and behavior of individuals in Turkey to reduce their ecological footprint were examined in the context of ecological sustainability. The survey model was adopted in the study. The data collected from 773 people via the scale and various forms were analyzed. The results of the analysis show that the ecological footprint size in Turkey is above the world average in personal consumption. It has been determined that the participants have significant behavioral deficiencies in the behaviors towards reducing the ecological footprint, such as recycling, reusing the product by repairing, composting, not wasting water, food and clothing, and they tend to use packaged products excessively.

Heading towards sustainable environment: does renewable and non-renewable energy generation matter for the effect of industrialization and urbanization on ecological footprint? Evidence from China.

This study examines how renewable and non-renewable energy generation interacts with both to affect the ecological footprint in China during 1990-2019 by using FMOLS, DOLS, and CCR estimation techniques and ARDL simulation models to assess the impact of industrialization and urbanization on environmental sustainability based on the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis model framework. Firstly, the findings verify the applicability and validity of the EKC hypothesis in China. Secondly, renewable energy generation, industrialization, and urbanization facilitate the reduction of ecological footprint and the improvement of environmental quality in the long run, while non-renewable energy generation increases the ecological footprint and leads to the intensification of ecological pollution. However, the short-term estimates give evidence that industrialization, urbanization, and renewable and non-renewable energy generation can all increase the ecological footprint, which is not conducive to ecological sustainability. Thus, from the perspective of ecological sustainability in China, our findings are important in that they provide clear directions for ecological policy formulation, and we also provide some targeted policy recommendations for them to promote sustainable development as a goal.

Fintech Services and the Drivers of Their Implementation in Small and Medium Enterprises

Fintech has been one of the biggest agents of change in the financial sector worldwide, deserving an in-depth analysis as the aim of this study (including factors leading to its adoption, consequences, etc.). During the COVID-19 pandemic, the financial area and Fintech services allied to technology has increased efficiency, convenience, and security. To better understand this type of service, the research follows a quantitative methodology. The quantitative method included a questionnaire survey of companies that are Fintech customers, totaling 49 valid responses from firms (collected over a three-month period and which involved sending over a thousand emails to numerous companies). The response rate was low due to both the pandemic and the conjuncture with major war, which are generating uncertainty in business. The analysis was based on descriptive statistics, an assessment of the metric qualities of the scales, reliability and an Exploratory Factor Analysis, Pearson correlations and Hypothesis testing. The positive and significant effect of the technological context (perceived convenience, usefulness and effectiveness and perceived safety and trust) and the organizational context (ecological footprint reduction and internal cost reduction) on Fintech service adoption intention was confirmed. Hypothesis Three was partially confirmed since only consumer trends and reputation perception have a positive and significant effect on the intention to adopt Fintech by SMEs. The moderating effect of the environmental context in the relationship between the technological context and the intention to adopt Fintech by SMEs was partially proven, but the same was not verified in the relationship between the organizational context and the intention to adopt Fintech by SMEs. Portugal seems to be on the same adoption path as the rest of the western world, and Fintech services will undoubtedly increase, in a kind of revolution in which the strongest and those able to adapt to the markets and their needs will survive.

Life Cycle Ecological Footprint Reduction for a Tropical Building

Rapid urbanization significantly impacts natural resource demands and waste management in the construction sector. In this study, a novel methodology has been developed that could assess the overall environmental impact of a building during its lifespan by considering resources such as building materials, energy use, emissions, water, manpower, and wastes. The proposed method can estimate the life cycle ecological footprint (EFT) of a building. The result indicates that 957.07 global hectares (gha) of bioproductive land are required during the lifespan of the case building. The CO2 absorption land is the most significant bioproductive land in the EFT of the building. The low environmental impact of building materials may reduce the ecological footprint (EF) of buildings, and using renewable energy can also reduce the operational EF of a building. The proposed building materials and solar PV systems have the potential to reduce the building’s life cycle environmental impact by up to two‐thirds. The EF assessment of all existing and proposed buildings may be examined in order to execute strategies for a sustainable construction sector.

The nexus between environmental regulations, economic growth, and environmental sustainability: linking environmental patents to ecological footprint reduction in South Asia.

Environmental sustainability has become a major concern for policymakers across the globe. In this regard, understanding the factors responsible for environmental degradation is particularly important for developing nations. Against this backdrop, this study aims to evaluate the impacts of environmental regulations and other vital macroeconomic aggregates on the ecological footprints in the context of four fossil fuel-dependent South Asian countries: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The major findings from the econometric analysis, accounting for cross-sectional dependency, slope heterogeneity, and structural break issues in the data, reveal that environmental regulations portray significant roles in directly and indirectly reducing the ecological footprints across South Asia. Besides, the elasticity estimates verify the authenticity of the environmental Kuznets curve and the pollution haven hypotheses. On the other hand, non-renewable and renewable energy consumptions are found to increase and decrease the ecological footprints, respectively. Moreover, renewable energy use and environmental regulations are found to jointly reduce the ecological footprints further. More importantly, environmental regulations are predicted to reduce the adverse environmental impacts of economic growth, non-renewable energy use, and foreign direct investment inflows while increasing the favorable environmental impacts associated with renewable energy use. Furthermore, the country-specific impacts of environmental regulations on the ecological footprintsare found to be more or less homogeneous to the corresponding panel estimates. The environmental Kuznets curve and pollution haven hypotheses are evidenced to hold for the majority of the four South Asia nations. In line with these findings, several relevant policy-level suggestions are put forward.

The Impact of Energy Consumption on the Three Pillars of Sustainable Development

The paper analyzes the impact of energy consumption on the three pillars of sustainable development in 74 countries. The main methodological challenge in this research is the choice of a single integral indicator for assessing the social component of sustainable development. Disability-adjusted life year (DALY), ecological footprint, and GDP (Gross domestic product) are used to characterize the social, ecological, and economical pillars. The concept of physics, namely the concept of density (specific gravity), is used. It characterizes the ratio of the mass of a substance to its volume, i.e., reflects the saturation of a certain volume with this substance. Thus, to assess the relationship between energy consumption and the three foundations of sustainable development, it is proposed to determine the energy density of the indicators DALY, the ecological footprint, and GDP. The reaction to changes in energy consumption is described by the elasticity of energy density functions, calculated for each of the abovementioned indicators. The state of the social pillar is mostly dependent on energy consumption. As for the changes in the ecological pillar, a 1% reduction in energy consumption per capita gives only a 0.6% ecological footprint reduction, which indicates a low efficiency of reducing energy consumption policy and its danger for the social pillar. The innovative aspect of the research is to apply a cross-disciplinary approach and a calculative technique to identify the impact that each of the pillars of sustainable development imposes on energy policy design. The policy of renewable energy expansion is preferable for all sustainable development pillars.

The Impact of Kuzbass Industrial Enterprises on Environmental Safety

This study aims to assess the impact of Kuzbass industrial enterprises on the region’s environment, as well as to determine a modern ecological maintenance strategy. The authors reviewed statistical data on the ecology of the Kemerovo region (Russia), analyzing the data dynamically and structurally. Moreover, the authors examined the natural-anthropogenic complexes using sampling observation. The findings show that the leading cause of ecological problems in the Kemerovo region is a high volume of anthropogenic stress per unit of land. Environmental security is crucial to the development of the regional economic, scientific, and investment potential. In conclusion, the authors propose a series of measures aimed at environment conservation and ecological footprint reduction. The authors of the study devised new aspects for the regional environmental policy and defined the term “ecology protection investment.”

Threshold Effects of Restraining Factors on China's Provincial Ecological Footprint in the Process of Urbanization.

This study uses a panel threshold model to explore the nonlinear relationship between restraining factors and ecological footprint (EF) evolution from 2003 to 2015 in China. In addition, the heterogeneity of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis is identified. The results show that the four regime-dependent variables, i.e., technology level, openness, industrial structure and energy efficiency, have significant single-threshold effects on the EF in China, and the negative correlations between these variables and EF are significantly enhanced when the threshold variable urbanization exceeds 86.20%, 68.71%, 86.20% and 47.51%, respectively. As the urbanization level increases, more factors begin to play a high restraining role on the EF. The single-threshold effects on the EKC are significant under the threshold variables of urbanization and industrial structure. Meanwhile, the significant inverted-U relationship trends emerge when the two variables exceed the thresholds of 86.2% and 69.1%, respectively. Based on an empirical study, to restrain the EF of China’s 30 provinces more effectively, the urbanization process should be accelerated, while energy efficiency, foreign capital investment, technology level and service sector proportion should be promoted according to the urbanization level. Compared to other studies, this study is more focused on EF restraining factors and it contributes to the identification of the heterogeneity of EF’s restraining factors and EKC hypothesis, which would be useful for the EF reduction policy in the case of China.

Ecological footprint assessment and its reduction for industrial food products

ABSTRACT The food processing industries significantly contribute to the consumption of fossil energy, materials, and other resources with commensurate GHG emissions. In this study, the Ecological Footprint (EF) assessment of four different food products (Pickles, Jams, Honey and Chutney) manufactured in a food processing industry (Merry Foods) in India has been presented. Simultaneously, the reduction potential in terms of the EF of the food products has also been estimated by suggesting the installation of some sustainable technologies. The ecological footprint of packaged pickle, jam, honey and chutney products have been estimated as 1.67, 0.54, 15.94 and 2.18 gha/ton, respectively. The overall bio-productive land that had the maximum involvement for the food products’ processing at the industry was Cropland (85.7%) followed by CO2 absorption land (11.2%). The life cycle EF of suggested sustainable systems such as grid connected rooftop solar PV system, biogas plant, and rooftop rainwater harvesting system has been estimated as 56.18 gha, 1.33 gha, and 2.92 gha, respectively. Hence, the EF reduction potential of the food products by using all the suggested sustainable technologies was estimated as 99.6 gha. This study is a step towards the sustainability of industrial food products. Abbreviations: EF: Ecological footprint; GRSPV: Grid-connected rooftop photovoltaic; C&D: Construction and demolition; RRH: Rooftop rainwater harvesting; LCEF: Life-cycle ecological footprint; GDP: Gross domestic product; gha: Global hectare; ei: Equivalence factor; LCA: Life cycle analysis; EFfood product: Ecological footprint of food products; EFe: Ecological footprint of energy consumption; EFw: Ecological footprint of water consumption; EFt: Ecological footprint of transportation; EFwe: Ecological footprint of C&D waste disposal; EFm: Ecological footprint of manpower; EFdirect: Ecological footprint of direct land consumption; GHG: Greenhouse gas; LPG: Liquefied petroleum gas; EFme: Ecological footprint of material consumption; HDV: Heavy duty vehicle.

Implementing Pedagogical Approaches for ESD in Initial Teacher Training at Spanish Universities

Within the framework of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, four case studies of the degree in Primary Education at three Spanish universities are analyzed. The aim is to study the suitability of three different active teaching-learning strategies: problem-based learning (PBL), project-oriented learning (POL), and a cross-disciplinary workshop. Another goal is to promote the integration of education for sustainable development (ESD) and measure the level of acquisition of several competencies of sustainability and the change in consumption habits of future teachers after implementing those pedagogical approaches. Initial and final ecological footprint (EF) as well as a rubric to measure the level of acquisition of competencies of sustainability were used as data collection instruments. The conclusions related to the research objectives show that when sustainability is implemented in the curriculum through active teaching-learning strategies, future teachers acquire competencies of sustainability. They also reveal that said strategies contribute to a change in consumption habits as a reduction in the EF is observed. There exists a relation between EF reduction and high levels of acquisition of competency in sustainability.

Ecological footprint reduction of built envelope in India

Built envelope significantly influences the environment during construction as well as the operational phase of the building. The present study examines environmental impact reduction of a building in tropical climate through low environmental impact materials and the reflective roof. Ecological Footprint (EF) analysis has been done for two different design models: (1) Model I based on conventional design, (2) Model II based on modified design. It has been observed that modified design reduces the EF of the built envelope significantly, simultaneously, improved the thermal comfort inside the built envelope. In this study, experimentally has been examined the thermal characteristics of the external wall/roof structure as well as analyze the EF (constructional & operational) of the built envelope in the different climatic zone of India.The constructional EF of the external wall surface of Model I and Model II are 0.0074 and 0.0053 gha/m2, respectively. However, roof constructional EF of both models does not significantly differ, it's 0.0074 and 0.0073 gha/m2 for Model I and Model II, respectively. The annual operational EF reduction potential of the external wall and roof of the Model II as compared to Model I are 21.9% & 15.5%, respectively. The constructional cost per unit external wall surface area of the Model II is 3.6% lower than the cost of the conventional external wall (Model I), while the constructional cost of reflective roof (Model II) does not significantly high than conventional roof (Model I).

Ecological Footprint Reduction of Building Envelope in a Tropical Climate

Built envelope (external wall and roof) significantly influences the environment during construction as well as operational phase of the building. The present study examines environmental impact reduction of a building in tropical climate through low-impact materials and green roof. Ecological footprint (EF) is a globally recognized assessment tool that assesses the environmental impact of the human activities. EF tool was used in this study on two different design models: conventional design (Model I) and modified design (Model II). It was observed that modified design reduces the EF of the built envelope significantly. By taking the built envelope as the research object, this study experimentally examines the thermal characteristics of the external wall/roof structure and analyzes the materials used in Indian buildings for a modified design. For external wall surface area, the constructional EF of the Model I and Model II is 0.0091 and 0.0049 gha/m2, respectively. For roof surface area, the constructional EF of the Model I and Model II is 0.0064 and 0.0071 gha/m2, respectively. The monthly operational EF reduction potential of external wall and roof of the Model II as compared to Model I is in the range of 25–30.1% and 61.9–67.1%, respectively. The constructional cost per unit external wall surface area of the Model II is 10% higher than the cost of conventional external wall (Model I), while the constructional cost per unit green roof surface area of the Model II is 15.6% higher than conventional roof of the Model I.

Ecological Footprint as a sustainability indicator to analyze energy consumption in a Portuguese textile facility

The main objective of this paper is to apply Ecological Footprint methodology as a tool to analyze the Portuguese textile industry. This analysis is related to energy and resources consumption in dyeing, printing and finishing processes. It also includes identification of mitigation measures to increase energy efficiency, promoting at the same time the reduction of CO2 emissions and consequently the decrease in industry’s Ecological Footprint. Moreover, the analysis presents the Ecological Footprint reduction potential for each mitigation option proposed for an important textile facility located in the North Region of Portugal, used as a case study in this work. The results for the case study showed that the total Ecological Footprint accounted, for the year 2016, summed up to 4890 gha. Furthermore, the energy category corresponds to more than 50% of the total Ecological Footprint estimation, and natural gas was the most required fuel for the processes. The calculation of the Ecological Footprint in the textile facilities can be used as a tool to analyze the processes’ energy efficiency and to quantify the global impact of the implementation of mitigation measures in the energy field. The result is an indicator shown in a common unit, gha (global hectare) and it can be easily used to compare energy-intensive processes and industrial sectors. In addition, it can be used to analyze how each sector can impact the country’s total demand for resources.

中国人均灰水生态足迹变化驱动效应测度及时空分异

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 中国人均灰水生态足迹变化驱动效应测度及时空分异 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201706221136 作者: 作者单位: 辽宁师范大学城市与环境学院,辽宁师范大学 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家社会科学基金重点项目（16AJY009） Driving effect measurements and spatial-temporal variation of the per capita gray water ecological footprint in China Author: Affiliation: College of Urban and Environment,Liaoning Normal University,College of Urban and Environment,Liaoning Normal University Fund Project: Key Projects of National Social Sci-ence Fund, No. 16AJY009. 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:将传统灰水足迹和水生态足迹方法相结合，运用扩展的Kaya恒等式和LMDI指数分解方法对中国各省市的人均灰水生态足迹变化的驱动因素进行测度分析，充分考虑了资本和劳动力因素，选取经济活度效应，资本深化效应，资本效率效应，足迹强度效应，环境效率效应5个效应对人均灰水生态足迹变化的影响，结合ISODATA聚类模型对各效应进行空间聚类，从而分析各效应的空间特征。结果显示：中国人均灰水生态足迹产出变化是这5种因素共同作用的结果，资本深化效应和经济活度效应具有增量效应特点，而环境效率效应、足迹强度效应、资本效率效应呈减量效应特点；在各驱动效应的的强弱对比中，资本深化效应和足迹强度效应的特征较为明显。经济发展带动了科技进步也使得用水效率不断提高是足迹强度效应呈减量效应的主要原因；而工业化阶段经济向资本密集型转变是资本效率下降的主要原因。研究对中国灰水生态变化与资本要素之间的关系进行了探讨，对环保政策的调整及水资源可持续利用研究具有一定的参考价值。 Abstract:In this study, the authors apply water ecological footprint measurement methods to the field of gray water footprint research and provide a method for calculating gray water ecological footprints. Based on the extended Kaya identity and the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) technique decomposition methods, we calculated the gray water ecological footprint of 31 provinces and the per capita gray water ecological footprint in China from 2000 to 2014. We then measured and decomposed the values of the driving effects of per capita gray water ecological footprint change. From these results, we selected five of the more important economic and environmental factors to apply as capital factors to gray water research. This method included measurements of the effects of the working population, capital stocks, capital output coefficients, water ecological footprint intensity, and gray water ecological footprint emission coefficients. The five driving effects were economic activity, capital deepening, capital efficiency, footprint intensity, and environmental efficiency. The values of the driving effects on changes during the time period are discussed and analyzed based on the Iterative Self-Organizing Data Analysis Techniques Algorithm (ISODATA) clustering model for spatial clustering of the effects. The results showed that the Chinese per capita gray water ecological footprint output changed because of the interaction of these five factors. Among them, the incremental capital deepening effect was obvious, as a large amount of capital has been invested to promote rapid development of the regional economy and to employ a rapidly growing population. Economic activity can also promote the characteristics and the size of regional economies as population growth will increase regional demands for water. The other capital deepening effect is a decline in the output efficiency of capital. With the rapid development of its economy, China is in a period of industrialization and urbanization. The economic structure has gradually changed from a population-intensive to a capital-intensive structure. Industry, especially heavy industry, had a higher initial investment and a lower output efficiency, which is why the effect of capital efficiency continues to decrease. The most obvious effect on footprint intensity was the effect of per capita gray water ecological footprint reduction. With the improvement of economic activity and advances in science and technology, the water ecological footprint intensity has been greatly reduced. As a result of the effective control of pollutant emissions, the per capita gray water ecological footprint in most provinces and cities has shown a decreasing trend. A reduction in environmental efficiency is an inevitable consequence of a decrease in the water ecological footprint intensity. With a decrease in water ecological footprint intensity, more water is reused and we can improve water efficiency in most provinces to reduce the gray water ecological footprint. This study discusses the relationship between gray water ecological changes and capital factors; the reported results have value as a reference for the adjustment of environmental policies and the sustainable utilization of water resources. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献