Population Growth In China Research Articles

Changes and Solutions in the Education Market -- Economic Research Based on Era of Negative Population Growth in China

Abstract: Faced with the current negative population growth in China, the education market will face new challenges and changes. The top priority of the economic downturn in the education market is, first and foremost, to solve the problem of a decrease in the number of students. Based on the reduction of student sources, the supply-demand imbalance in the education market can be analyzed first, followed by several direct reasons, such as social pressure and government fiscal deficits. After identifying the problem, the root cause of the school's student population can be solved based on the problem, or corresponding measures can be taken to alleviate the surplus of teaching staff caused by negative population growth, such as providing no age-limitation or establishing international enrollment, adjusting regional development imbalance in the education field, adjusting teacher resources and the nature of work, and reallocating learning resources. These measures can promote the reform of the Chinese education market, alleviate the financial crisis caused by the decrease in enrollment in Chinese schools, and make the Chinese education market constantly full of vitality and vigor.

Low Residents’ Satisfaction with Wetland Leisure Demand in Typical Urban Areas of the Semi-Arid Region in Western China: Spatial Variations and Their Causes

Wetlands, as a crucial component of urban green spaces, provide important leisure services for residents. Construction of wetlands has increased with the rapid urban expansion and population growth in China over recent decades, especially in semi-arid regions with scarce water resources. However, the residents’ satisfaction with wetland leisure demand remains unclear. This study evaluated the residents’ satisfaction with wetland leisure demand by a framework of physical calculation, taking Yinchuan City, the capital city of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, in the semi-arid region of Western China as a case study area. Spatial variations in residents’ satisfaction and their causes were revealed by a supply–demand relationship between the population capacity of wetlands and the total population of communities under a framework of physical calculation. The results indicated that 4.22% of the study area, which covered 7.38% of the total population, was fully satisfied with wetland leisure demand. Residents’ satisfaction in the urban area as a whole is low at 0.49, with a concentric distribution pattern increasing as the distance from the central urban area increases. The high population density and scanty wetlands mainly induced a relative-low residents’ satisfaction in the central urban area, accounting for 12.02% of the area and 32.70% of the population. Meanwhile, a relative-high residents’ satisfaction in the outer ring of the central urban area accounting for 59.10% of the area and 20.63% of the population was primarily due to the adequate capacity of wetlands. Medium residents’ satisfaction was mainly attributed to the road network density, which partially transferred local wetland leisure demand to adjacent areas. Wetland constructions and internal structural optimization to improve the capacity for leisure in densely populated central urban areas could provide a feasible path to alleviate unbalanced conditions. These results could deepen the understanding of supply–demand dynamics in the wetland leisure service and provide valuable information for optimizing wetland allocation in urban construction in semi-arid regions.

Towards a greener aging society: A dynamic and multilevel analysis of consumption carbon emissions among China's aging population

Climate change and population aging are inevitably the two most significant global challenges. Senior population growth in China is accompanied by an increase in consumption-induced carbon emissions (CCEs). The study's contribution of a deeper understanding of the intertemporal relationship between senior characteristics and multi-category CCEs provides the theoretical foundation for the formulation of mitigation strategies. This study utilizes panel data obtained from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) surveys in 2013, 2015, and 2018 to compute the per capita CCEs for elderly adults across eight major consumption categories. It also exposes the dynamic influences of individual characteristics on CCEs by estimating the mixed effects model. Based on the findings, accommodation, transportation and communication, and food comprise the top three categories of CCEs. Furthermore, seniors’ consumption preferences have gradually drifted from basic necessities to pleasurable experiences and healthcare services. Notably, seniors’ characteristics (e.g., income, health, education, marital status, residential type, and the degree of urbanization) exert distinctively dynamic impacts on each type of CCEs over time. In pursuit of a greener aging society, this study proposes various implementation strategies for mitigating CCEs among different actors (the government, community, manufacturers, and older individuals) in light of the captured intricate mechanism.

A Challenge of Sustainable Urbanization: Mapping the Equity of Urban Public Facilities in Multiple Dimensions in Zhengzhou, China

The rapid urbanization and population growth in China have brought the issues of social equity and justice to the forefront. The supply and layout of public service facilities play a crucial role in determining the residents’ quality of life and have become a significant factor triggering social equity and justice concerns. This study took Zhengzhou’s urban core as an example. From the perspectives of regional equality, spatial equity, and social justice, the service area analysis and Gaussian two-step floating catchment area method were used to analyze the public service facilities’ layout situation and the equity and justice issue and to discuss the causes of the current situation. The study found that the social equity and justice of public facilities in Zhengzhou’s urban core were more prominent. The accessibility of public facilities inside and outside the 3rd ring road of the urban core exhibited marked differences, indicating a need for improvement in regional equality and spatial equity. Vulnerable groups lacked special care and public facilities lacked justice. Combined with the development process of urbanization in Zhengzhou, this paper argued that this was closely related to the government’s public policies.

Spatiotemporal Evolution and Influencing Factors of Population Growth Transition in China during the COVID-19 Pandemic

At present, China has lost its demographic dividend. Meanwhile, in the face of the twin challenges of rising living costs and the uneven distribution of educational resources, the fertility intentions of ordinary people are rapidly declining. In the background, China’s latest birth incentive policy has not had the desired effect. Especially with the COVID-19 pandemic, these issues have become more complicated, making it more difficult to achieve policy goals. Analysis of changing characteristics and influencing mechanisms in China’s current stage of population growth is therefore significant. Such analysis can help improve China’s population structure and preserve the advantage of human resource endowment. In this paper, we use data from 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 as made available from the resources of China’s National Bureau of Statistics and National Health Commission. These included annual macro statistics, seventh census data, and COVID-19 pandemic data, allowing us to analyze the influencing mechanism of China’s population growth by using the Geographic Detector Model. The research revealed the dependency ratio as the primary factor influencing spatial differentiation of population growth in China, indicating that the dependency burden plays a role in inhibiting population growth. The secondary factor showed different changes in stages. At the same time, any two factors showed more substantial explanatory power after the interaction, meaning the spatial distribution of China’s population growth results from the joint influence of many factors. The strong interaction was mainly concentrated around the dependency ratio and were with women’s political participation and internet coverage. However, under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the explanatory power of traditional factors was diluted, leading to a decline in the strength of interaction.

People and Places in the 2020 Census: New Geographies of Population Growth in China?

Did new geographies of population growth emerge in China? The answer, from recently released 2020 census main data, appears to be no. Between 2010 and 2020, population grew faster northwest of the Hu line than southeast of the line despite the former area’s harsher natural environment. In general, population still increased, and increased faster, in places that previously grew, and grew faster, despite China’s economic slowdown and restructuring. Areas hosting megacities were still largely more advantaged in population growth than those hosting large cities, which in turn were more advantaged than those hosting smaller cities, despite the converse being the plan of the state. These results imply that, compared to other factors, the natural environment had relatively limited impact on population growth in China over the past decade; that major cities might not necessarily decline in population as the country’s economy slows down and restructures; and that the ability of the Chinese state to reshape the geography of population growth might be restricted.

Understanding the Relationship between China’s Eco-Environmental Quality and Urbanization Using Multisource Remote Sensing Data

The rapid development of urbanization and population growth in China has posed a major threat to the green sustainable development of the ecological environment. However, the impact of urbanization on the eco-environmental quality (EEQ) in China remains to be developed. Understanding their interactive coupling mechanism is of great significance to achieve the urban sustainable development goals. By using multi-source remote sensing data and the coupling coordination degree model (CCDM), we intended to answer the question “What are the temporal and spatial characteristics of urbanization and EEQ in China on the pixel scale during 2000–2013, and what is the coupling mechanism between the urbanization and the EEQ?”. To answer these questions, we explored the coupling mechanism between urbanization and the EEQ in China with a combined mathematical and graphics model. The results show that the urbanization and the coupling coordination degree (CCD) of the whole region continually increased from 2000 to 2013, especially in the three major urban agglomerations, with a spatial distribution pattern that was “high in the east and low in the west”. Most importantly, from 2000 to 2013, the CCD type of cities in China gradually evolved from uncoordinated cities to coordinated cities. Additionally, the decisive factor affecting the CCD from 2000 to 2013 was the development of urbanization, and the degree at which urbanization had an impact on CCD was about 8.4 times larger than that of the EEQ. At the same time, the rapid urbanization that has occurred in some areas has led to a significant decline in the EEQ, thus indicating that China needs to increase its protection of the ecological environment while pursuing social and economic development in the future. This study makes up for the deficiencies in the existing literature and investigates the long-term coupling of the EEQ and urbanization in China, thereby providing a new research perspective for the sustainable development of China and even the world in the future.

Spatio-Temporal Heterogeneity of Urban Expansion and Population Growth in China.

Urbanization has become one of the hot issues of global sustainable development, and is mainly characterized by urban population growth and construction land expansion. However, the inharmonious development of urban expansion and population migration has brought serious challenges to urban planning and management. China is the largest developing country in the world, and the urbanization process has accelerated over the past decades. In this paper, decoupling analysis was used to demonstrate the spatio–temporal relationship between urban expansion and population growth in 321 prefecture–level cities in China, providing a reference basis for sustainable development. The results showed that China’s population, total GDP, and construction land area increased from 1990 to 2018. The rate of construction land expansion was larger in the eastern coastal and western regions than in the northeastern and central regions, but the population growth rate was not significantly different among these regions. According to the decoupling analysis, the relationships of population–GDP, construction land–GDP, and population–construction land were mainly weak decoupling, indicating that both the population growth and the construction land expansion lagged behind the economic development, and the population growth lagged behind construction land expansion. In addition, the results were analyzed based on China’s four economic regions. Population and construction land area changes in the northeastern provinces experienced a shift from weak decoupling to expansive negative decoupling, then presented a strong decoupling. The decoupling state of population–construction land in the west region was relatively stable. The relationship between population and construction land in the central regions was mainly weak decoupling, and some cities developed into strong decoupling. The relationship between population and construction land in the east region experienced a shift from strong decoupling to weak decoupling, then demonstrated expansive negative decoupling, mainly manifested in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, and Pearl River Delta urban agglomerations. Therefore, the northeast region should take measures to promote regional population growth while reasonably controlling the expansion of construction land, the west region should focus on ecological protection and moderately attract population, the central region should control their population development and reasonably allocate land, and the east region should pay attention to and solve the citizenship problem of migrant workers in second–tier and third–tier cities when promoting new urbanization.

Correlation Analysis of Social Transition, Economic Management and Educational Reform in China and Europe

In the context of social transformation in China and Europe, economic management reform in China and Europe is struggling, and education development is in urgent need of innovation. Based on the above situation, this article puts forward a study on the economic management and education reform of China and Europe. With the continuous deepening of social transformation and economic management reform in China and Europe, this article analyzes the correlation between social transformation and economic management reform in China and Europe, and constructs a correlation matrix of social transformation and economic management in China and Europe in the form of input value or output value. Favorable conditions for the rapid economic growth of Central European countries: establish a well-functioning market economy system, implement export-oriented economic policies, promote economic growth, make full use of the geographical advantages of China and Europe in social transformation and economic management reform, and population growth in China and Europe The slow characteristic is conducive to economic management reform. In the context of the social transformation of China and Europe, it puts forward suggestions on China-EU education reform to promote the sound development of European social education. In the year of economic recovery in Europe, the situation of economic management and social production in China and Europe has gradually improved. The GDPs of Central and European countries have got rid of negative growth, the inflation rate has continued to decline, and the development potential of social and economic management reform in China and Europe has gradually emerged. This is of great significance to promoting regional and global stability and development.

Managing the water-energy-food nexus in China by adjusting critical final demands and supply chains: An input-output analysis

The rapid population growth in China has increased the demand for limited water, energy and food resources. Because the resource supply is constrained by future uncertainties such as climate change, it is necessary to examine the connections among water, energy and food resources from the perspective of the relevant final demands. Based on an input-output model and structural path analysis, this study aims to explore the hidden connections among water, energy and food resources by identifying important final demands and examine how these resources are embodied in upstream production and downstream consumption processes along the supply chain. The water-energy-food nexus approach in this research identifies where and how these resources intersect in economic sectors. By simultaneously considering the water, energy and food footprints, synergistic effects can be maximized among these resource systems. The results reveal that urban household consumption and fixed capital formation have large impacts on water-energy-food resources. Besides, agriculture, construction and service sectors have the largest water-energy-food footprints. For each resource, we rank the top-20 supply chain paths from the final demands to the upstream production sectors, and six critical supply chain paths are identified as important contributors to the consumption of all these resources. Compared with independent approach to manage water, energy and food resources, the nexus approach identifies the critical linkages of the water, energy and food systems and helps to formulate integrated policies to effectively manage these resources across sectors and actors. Synergistic strategies for conserving water, energy, and food resources can be achieved through avoiding unnecessary waste in end uses and improving resource use efficiency along critical supply chains. This research can help consumers, industries and the government make responsible consumption and production decisions to conserve water, energy and food resources.

Beetle antennae search for neural network model with application to population prediction: An intelligent optimization algorithm

Traditional back-propagation (BP) neural networks can implement complex nonlinear mapping relationships, and solve internal mechanism problems. However, as number of samples increases, training BP neural networks may consume a lot of time. For this reason, to improve the efficiency as well as prediction accuracy of the neural network model, in this paper, we propose an intelligent optimization algorithm, by leveraging the beetle antennae search (BAS) strategy to optimize the weights of neural network model, and apply it to the population prediction. A series of experiments demonstrate the improved accuracy of the proposed algorithm over BP neural networks. In particular, the calculation time spent of neural network model via the proposed algorithm is only 20% of the one of BP neural network model. Finally, we present a reasonable trend of population growth in China, and analyze the causes of changes in population trends, which may provide an effective basis for the department to adjust population development strategies

Migrant housing choices from a social capital perspective: The case of Shenzhen, China

Rural to urban migrants are the dominant component of population growth in China's coastal cities. China's unique household registration system has excluded migrants from most public housing, resulting in pronounced housing segregation --a social phenomenon that has come to be China's greatest urban social planning challenge. In this paper, we analyze the determinants of migrant housing choices and migrant housing needs following the conventional utility-based approach, but we also emphasize the important role of social capital in migrant decision-making. A case study of Shenzhen shows that quantifiable measures of physical, locational, land use and economic attributes cannot fully explain the congregation of migrants in informal communities and that social capital plays an important role in their housing choices. Social networks, social norms, and trust among neighbors are key factors in the establishment of migrant communities. This study reveals a new aspect of migrant housing needs that will be useful to planners, by paying greater heed to social capital in urban regeneration and migrant housing provision. A more inclusive and humanistic approach to the housing of migrants is suggested.

Interactive Relationship among Urban Expansion, Economic Development, and Population Growth since the Reform and Opening up in China: An Analysis Based on a Vector Error Correction Model

Based on cointegration analysis, a vector error correction model (VECM), and the impulse response function method, this paper empirically analyses the interaction among urban expansion, economic development, and population growth in China from 1980 to 2016. The results show that (I) there is a long-term equilibrium relationship among urban expansion, economic development and population growth, but there is an imbalance in the short term. When urban expansion deviates from the long-term equilibrium, it cannot be restored to equilibrium in the short term. However, when economic development and population growth deviate from equilibrium, they will adjust back to equilibrium with strengths of −0.1770 and −0.0217, respectively. (II) From the results of the impulse response, there is an interactive statistical relationship between urban expansion, economic development, and population growth; In the short term, both economic development and population growth will cause urban expansion. In the long term, economic development will inhibit urban expansion, and economic development will be less dependent on land. Also, population growth has a long-lasting positive effect on urban expansion. (III) The results of variance decomposition show that urban expansion and economic development were most affected by the structural impact of population growth, and the relative variance contribution (RVC) rate was stable at 29.2% and 42%, respectively. However, economic development contributes the least to the RVC of urban expansion and population growth, and only stabilizes at 12.3% and 8.0% after 30 periods. Finally, the paper proposes that the Chinese government should maintain stable and healthy economic growth and promote sustainable land use in terms of improving land use efficiency, improving human capital levels, and promoting industrial structure.

An Integrative Framework to Control Nutrient Loss: Insights from Two Hilly Basins in China’s Yangtze River Delta

Rapid economic development and population growth in China’s Yangtze River Delta (YRD) are exerting significant environmental pressure on the region’s land and water, especially in hilly areas where many drinking water reservoirs have been constructed. These areas, which are characterized by steep slopes and thin soils, provide critical services, including flood control, water resource supply, food production, and recreational opportunities for nearby highly developed and heavily populated areas of the delta. We contrast two of these areas—the well-studied Tianmu Lake watershed and the much larger Qiandao Lake watershed. Both face similar challenges from nitrogen and phosphorus pollution due to rapid socio-economic development, but differences in watershed size and distinctions related to political boundaries influence the range of approaches available to maintain water quality. We review experiences of controlling nutrient pollution in these watersheds as case studies, and based on that information, propose an integrated framework to minimize nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in similarly challenged watersheds. The framework, which is designed to be generalizable rather than prescriptive, emphasizes source control, delivery interception, and fate management of nutrients.

The population structural transition effect on rising per capita CO2 emissions: evidence from China

ABSTRACTThe per capita CO2 emissions (PCCE) of many developing countries like China have been rising faster than total CO2 emissions, and display spatial divergence. Such temporal growth and spatial divergence will have a significant influence on efforts to mitigate CO2 emissions. Given the research gap on the impact of the structural transition in population on PCCE, we constructed an econometric model using the dynamic panel method. The results reveal that the population structural transition has a significant nonlinear impact on PCCE, as the rate of population growth in China decelerates. Both demographic ageing and urban-rural migration have a stronger impact on PCCE than other factors. This effect, however, decreases beyond a certain threshold. An increase in the number of households due to urbanization and family downsizing has resulted in a positive effect on PCCE, without a threshold turning point. The research also finds that an increased share of the service sector in employment can reduce PCCE only if the sector employs more than 31.56% of the total employed population. Overall, these findings indicate that policymakers should pay attention to the prominence of the demographic structural transition for effective climate policy.Key policy insightsPolicymakers should address rising per capita carbon emissions (PCCE) and their spatial divergence in future climate policies, not just total CO2 emissions.The transitioning demographics of ageing and urbanization in China show a nonlinear, inverted U-shaped effect on PCCE instead of a continuously positive effect.Based on the nonlinear effect of employment structure on PCCE, policymakers should focus on the relationship between the structural transition of the economy and PCCE in future climate mitigation policies.

BIRTH CONTROL IN BELARUS AND CHINA: CURRENT POLICY

Belarus and China are experiencing a decline of the total fertility rate (TFR). On the one hand, this was a natural response to the increasing role of women in society, labor market and increasing women's participation in education. As a result, marrying and having children later, as well as a decrease in the number of children born. On the other hand, scientists state the role of the policy on childbearing, the strength of which is difficult to calculate although. Today, one can observe a rapid strengthening of bilateral relations in economic, social and other areas of regulation Belarus and China had different birth control vectors. In the conditions of protracted depopulation in the Republic of Belarus, stimulation of the birth rate has become a priority goal of the state policy. Rapid population growth in China posed a threat to economic, food, and even environmental security. This led to the adoption of drastic measures to limit the number of children born in Chinese families. This paper focuses on how similar are birth control policies in Belarus and China. The choice of countries is also due to the fact that Today both countries set the goal to stabilize the population in order to ensure sustainable economic development and improvement in the quality of life. The paper presents a description and analysis of legal acts that regulate demographic processes, as well as specific areas of support for families with children. It was revealed that Belarus provides multilateral (mostly financial) assistance not only for the birth of a child, but also for his upbringing. The system is designed so that a woman cares for a child 3 years after his birth. In China, in the face of fierce competition in the labor market, women go to work after maternity leave. They are forced to use the services of pre-school education, even if they are expensive. As a result, the decision to give birth to a child is weighed in terms of the economic possibilities of families. In China, measures may vary depending on the territory; in Belarus, politics is one for all. It is difficult to assess in which country the policy is more effective. The total fertility rate for the past 25 years is very similar.

Spatio-temporal distribution of sewage sludge, its methane production potential, and a greenhouse gas emissions analysis

With ongoing economic development and population growth in China, large quantities of wastewater are discharged and substantial amounts of sewage sludge are generated, which is a potential biomass resource for methane production. This study used data from statistics yearbooks and literatures to evaluate the spatio-temporal distribution of sludge generation, potential and distribution of methane production from sludge, and the potential of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction (PGER) from sludge treatment and disposal in provinces in mainland China. The results showed that a total of 6.03 Mt of dry solids in 2015. The eastern part of the country produced more sludge than that the western part. The standard coal equivalence of sludge was 3.5 Mt, ranged from 0.7 to 399.8 Kt, among the 31 provinces of mainland China. Total sludge could produce 1.27 billion m 3 of methane per year through anaerobic digestion (AD). The distribution of methane density exhibited that the east part was higher than the west part in China. The GHG emissions totaled 18.82 Mt CO 2 -eq as a baseline for the current sludge disposal methods without AD technology. The PGER was 10.77 Mt CO 2 -eq for the sludge disposal routes with AD technology. The sludge disposal for the project route of building material exhibited the highest PGER of 4.24 Mt CO 2 -eq among the disposal methods. As the least GHG emissions method, sludge treated by AD and the residue disposed for land using as fertilizer should be recommended. Our findings provide a sludge disposal reference for the government and industries. For further study, it is suggested to take the co-digestion technology into consideration for sewage sludge to produce methane, which would perform a higher methane production and GHG emissions reduction potential. • A total of 6.03 Mt dry solids of sludge were generated in China in 2015. • Dry sludge with calorific value of 3.5 Mt was generated in 2015. • Methane production potential from sludge was estimated at 1.27 billion m 3 in 2015. • Land application after anaerobic digestion can reduce GHG by 177.7 Kt CO 2 -eq.

Sorting out a problem: A co-production approach to household waste management in Shanghai, China

Rapid urban population growth in China has resulted in significant challenges for Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management. To combat these challenges, Chinese authorities implemented a pilot program of MSW sorting in eight Chinese cities including Shanghai in 2000 but is yet to reach a widespread success. This paper uses a qualitative case-study approach to explore the potential of a community-based co-production strategy for household waste sorting as an alternative to the conventional top-down approach. Co-production implies the involvement of citizens, consumers, volunteers and/or community organizations in producing public service. We find two major drivers of the government-volunteer consortium and the peer-pressure effect help realize the potential of waste-management co-production at a lowered cost with improved efficiency and collaborative innovation. In addition, context-specific conditions including policy consistency, strong volunteer effort and compatibility with local culture to promote public participation must be present for further co-production application. We also acknowledge that the co-production approach would be most effective at the initial stage of policy implementation to foster the waste-sorting habit-formation in regions where the waste collection rates remain low.

Environmental burdens of groundwater extraction for irrigation over an inland river basin in Northwest China

Crop production is expected to increase by more than 50% to meet the demand of population growth in China in 2050 (FAO, 2017). Crop production in North China largely depends on irrigation, which is mainly from groundwater in Northwest China. Over-extraction of groundwater is decreasing groundwater levels, and threatening the fragile ecological systems of arid regions. How groundwater levels will change in order to meet the irrigation water requirement in Northwest China has not been extensively investigated to evaluate sustainability of agriculture and the cost to maintain groundwater levels. Here, we examine the dynamic relations between groundwater levels and the amount of irrigation water, by employing the Variable Infiltration Capacity model and an irrigation scheme, for the last three decades in Heihe River basin of China. The results show that on the average about 1.86 m decline of groundwater is attributable to the irrigation water consumption for the farmland area in Heihe River over the past three decades. In the scenario of ceasing irrigation activities, the groundwater level will be prevented to further decline about 3.06 ± 0.4 m under the future climate scenarios till 2050, but at the cost of crop production valued 64.2 ± 8.4 billion CNY. Effective water-saving measures and strategies are expected to adopt to maintain both groundwater levels and agricultural productivity for the coming decades.

Drivers of water use in China’s electric power sector from 2000 to 2015

This study, for the first time, investigates the historical changes of the water use in China’s electric power sector on a regional level and quantifies the impacts of four factors that have influenced the remarkable changes: population, power production per capita, power plants’ type and their cooling technology choice. From 2000 to 2015, water withdrawal and consumption in China’s electric power sector, excluding hydropower, have increased from 40.75 and 1.25 billion m3, respectively, to 124.06 and 4.86 billion m3. As population growth in China has stabilized, population no longer provides an upward pressure on power production and the corresponding water use. On the contrary, power production per capita has played the most significant role contributing to 103.40 and 3.84 billion m3 of water withdrawal and consumption increases respectively, though the effect is now leveling off. The electric power sector’s water use would have been much greater had it not been for changes in plant type and cooling water technology. Energy transformation to low-carbon sources has mitigated water withdrawals and consumption by 14.46 and 0.43 billion m3 respectively during the study period. This beneficial reduction in water use is a co-benefit of a series of policies primarily aimed to reduce carbon emissions and other air pollutants. Changing cooling technologies has offset 14.07 and 0.10 billion m3 of water withdrawal and consumption increases nationally, but the effects varied by region.