Pressure-State-Response Model Research Articles

Assessment and Prediction of Coastal Ecological Resilience Based on the Pressure–State–Response (PSR) Model

Coastal zones are facing intensive ecological pressures and challenges, which could vary over a wide range of spatiotemporal scales. Our limited capability to understand and especially predict this variability can lead to the misinterpretation of coastal ecological resilience. Therefore, the assessment and prediction of ecological resilience are particularly important. In this study, a new approach based on the Pressure–State–Response model is developed to assess and predict pixel-scale multi-year ecological resilience (ER) and then applied to investigate the spatiotemporal variations of ER in the China’s coastal zone (CCZ) in the past few decades and predict future ER trend under various scenarios. The results show that ER in the CCZ displayed a general spatial distribution pattern of “higher in the southern half and lower in the northern half” from 1995 to 2020. Over the 25-year period, ER exhibited a declining trend. Specifically, the eastern provinces experiencing the most significant decline. The ER levels across scenarios ranked from high to low as follows: SSP1-2.6 > SSP4-3.4 > SSP2-4.5 > SSP3-7.0 > SSP5-8.5. The assessment and prediction methods designed can be applied to ER studies in other coastal zones, making it a valuable approach for broader applications.

Resilience Assessment of Flood Disasters in Zhengzhou Metropolitan Area Based on the PSR Model

Flood disasters occur frequently and cause great losses. Improving the resilience of urban flood disasters is of great significance to improving disaster prevention and mitigation in the region. The metropolitan area is the center of regional economic development and the key to strengthening the construction of local resilience. However, there is little research on resilience in the metropolitan area. Taking nine cities in the Zhengzhou metropolitan area as the research object, this paper uses the pressure state response (PSR) model to build the evaluation system of the Zhengzhou metropolitan area’s flood disaster resilience and comprehensively uses the entropy weight method, analytic hierarchy process, kernel density estimation method, and factor contribution model to measure the temporal and spatial evolution characteristics of Zhengzhou metropolitan area’s flood disaster resilience from 2010 to 2022, excavating the development trend of the level of flood disaster resilience of members in the Zhengzhou metropolitan area, and explore the driving factors affecting the resilience of the Zhengzhou metropolitan area’s flood disaster. The results show that (1) from 2010 to 2022, the development trend of flood disaster resilience among the Zhengzhou metropolitan area members has obvious differences, the change of pressure resilience is stable, and the state resilience and response resilience increase as a whole; (2) the results show that the resilience of flood disaster in the Zhengzhou metropolitan area has obvious change characteristics in time and space, and the overall trend is to take Zhengzhou as the core to drive the surrounding members’ upward development; (3) in the driving factor analysis, the number of ordinary colleges and universities and the proportion of public security expenditure in fiscal expenditure are the main influencing factors in the resilience evaluation index. The Zhengzhou metropolitan area is the key area of economic development in Henan Province. The research results provide a reference for improving the resilience level of the Zhengzhou metropolitan area and strengthening the prevention and control of flood disasters.

Assessment of mangrove health based on pressure–state–response framework in Guangxi Beibu Gulf, China

Mangroves, primarily found along tropical and subtropical coastlines, are crucial ecosystems that offer significant ecological services, including coastal protection, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity support. However, these ecosystems are under severe threat from human activities such as aquaculture, agriculture, and urban development, leading to deforestation and degradation. This study aims to develop a comprehensive framework for assessing the health of mangrove ecosystems using the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) model with annual temporal resolution from 2019 to 2023. It consists of three dimensions: Pressure (human activities and natural factors affecting the ecosystem), State (current condition of the ecosystem), and Response (efforts to mitigate adverse effects and restore health). This study incorporates innovative physical and structural parameters alongside traditional indicators to improve the accuracy of the assessment. The method offers advantages such as ease of measurement, low cost, early warning capabilities for ecosystem damage, and high sensitivity to ecological changes. It provides valuable insights for decision-makers and enhances the ability to detect trends in mangrove health over time through a large-scale, multi-temporal analysis. Using remote sensing techniques and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), we identified 12 key indicators. The AHP method was used to determine the weight of each indicator, achieving a consistency ratio (CR) of less than 0.1, which ensures the reliability of the assessment. The evaluation included calculating and analysing the Comprehensive Health Index (CHI), Pressure (PHI), State (SHI), and Response (RHI) health indices. Results indicated that the mangrove ecosystems in the Beibu Gulf region were “healthy” state by 2019 through 2022. However, in 2023, the health status declined to “relatively healthy,” indicating a downward trend. In conclusion, this study presents a robust framework for assessing mangrove ecosystem health using the PSR model. The findings underscore the urgent need for conservation efforts to reverse the declining health trend and ensure the long-term sustainability of mangrove ecosystems in the Beibu Gulf.

Comprehensive evaluation of rural entrepreneurial environment based on Pressure-State-Response model -evidence from China

Background and aimsThe study of rural entrepreneurial environment is one of the key issues in rural entrepreneurship research.The rural entrepreneurship environment plays a key role in increasing the success rate of farmers' entrepreneurship and promoting their employment. Scientific evaluation of the rural entrepreneurial environment is important for governments to formulate relevant policies and optimize the rural entrepreneurial environment. Methods and resultsThis paper constructs a rural entrepreneurship environment evaluation index system based on PSR (Pressure-State-Response) model.The entropy Weight-TOPSIS method was used to measure the rural entrepreneurship environment in 30 provinces in China, the Gini coefficient was used to explore the regional differences, and the barrier degree model was used to diagnose the barrier factors. The results of the study show that: China's rural entrepreneurship environment has a ladder, the rural entrepreneurship environment is divided into four tiers, Guizhou is in the leading tiers, Shandong and other 13 provinces are in the challenging tiers, Inner Mongolia and other 11 provinces are in the catching-up tiers, and Hainan and other 5 provinces are in the improving tiers. Provincial differences are large, and the regional rural entrepreneurship environment is obviously unbalanced. ConclusionThis paper applies the PSR ("Pressure State Response") model to rural entrepreneurship environment evaluation, analyzes the relationship between the indicators according to the relationship structure of the sub-models in the model, and provides a theoretical basis for the rural entrepreneurship environment evaluation system and scientific evaluation. The rural entrepreneurship evaluation index system is regarded as an ecosystem, and the nonlinear effect between the elements is considered.

Water resource safety assessment of the Hexi inland river of China based on the PSR model

ABSTRACT The Hexi Corridor is located in northwest China, and its water resources mainly rely on meltwater from the Qilian Mountains and limited precipitation. The Hexi Corridor is an important regional population center and grain production area. However, limited rainfall restricts regional development due to inadequate water resources. Assessing water resource security in the Hexi region and providing targeted recommendations are crucial for rational planning and utilization of water resources, protecting the ecological environment, and promoting development. This study employs the entropy weight method to construct a pressure-state-response (PSR) system, assessing the water resource security of various river basins in the Hexi inland area. The evaluation results indicate that since the 21st century, the comprehensive water resource security scores of the three river basins have shown an upward trend. Specifically, the economic and social systems of the Shule River Basin and Heihe River Basin are improving, while their natural systems are declining; all three systems in the Shiyang River Basin are improving. Based on these results, targeted recommendations for different areas are proposed, providing a basis for enhancing water resource security in the region.

Integrated Benefits of Sustainable Utilization of Construction and Demolition Waste in a Pressure-State-Response Framework

This study presents the first application of the pressure-state-response (PSR) model in the comprehensive assessment of construction and demolition waste (CDW) recycling benefits. Unlike traditional methods, the PSR model provides a multi-dimensional analysis that integrates economic, environmental, and social factors, offering a more holistic approach to evaluating the impact of CDW recycling strategies. This model enables stakeholders to better understand the pressures, states, and responses involved in CDW management, providing actionable insights to optimize recycling efforts and support sustainable urban development. Using the pressure-state-response (PSR) logical framework of sustainable economics, this paper systematically analyzed the comprehensive benefit mechanism of the recycling of construction and demolition waste (CDW), and designed a comprehensive benefit evaluation model for CDW recycling. At the same time, taking Chongqing as an example, the management status of construction and demolition waste, the supply and demand matching of sustainable recycling products, and the impact of the input and output of CDW management were analyzed. The results were as follows: (1) The recovery rate of urban manure fluctuated between 0.13 and 0.17, mainly in temporary landfill. (2) Based on the latest market demand data of CDW recycled products, the supply–demand ratio of recycled products fluctuated between 0.11 and 0.21. This change in the supply–demand ratio reflects improvements in recycling technologies, such as the introduction of C2CA technology, which has greatly increased the supply of high-quality recycled materials. In addition, government policies encouraging the use of recycled products in public projects have contributed to this shift, further aligning supply with market demand. (3) The benefit–cost ratio of CDW management reflects new recycling technologies and the improved efficiency of CDW management. The benefit–cost ratio, which currently fluctuates between 0.32 and 0.39, more accurately reflects the current state of CDW management, which is increasingly adopting advanced technologies, resulting in increased efficiency and reduced costs. Based on this, this paper discusses the supply–demand relationship and benefit–cost ratio in CDW management from supply-side and demand-side perspectives, and puts forward corresponding countermeasures and suggestions. The research results provide a clear reference for improving the efficiency of building demolition waste resource utilization, especially in optimizing the balance of market supply and demand, and improving the economic benefits of recycled products. By analyzing the balance between the supply and demand ratio and the benefit–cost ratio, this study helps inform policy makers, businesses, and investors, to promote the sustainable development of CDW recycling projects to maximize resource efficiency, while reducing environmental pressures. These results not only provide practical guidelines for the implementation of CDW recycling projects, but also lay a foundation for future policy formulation and the setting of industry standards.

Assessment of Effectiveness and Suitability of Soil and Water Conservation Measures on Hillslopes of the Black Soil Region in Northeast China

There are four sizable black soil regions throughout the world, all of which are valuable natural resources. The black soil region in Northeast China is a major foundation for grain production. Serious risks of soil erosion do exist, and they have an immediate impact on both the country’s food security and future ecological security. Many soil and water conservation measures have been put in place to control soil erosion. However, how effective and suitable are these measures? Currently, systematic analyses and assessments are lacking. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness and suitability of soil and water conservation measures on hillslopes using the comprehensive index method and the Pressure–State–Response model. The categorization of effectiveness and suitability of these measures were similar for both methods: that is, very effective and suitable measures included no-tillage + straw mulch and ridge belt or contour ridge. The two methods validated one another. Thus, this categorization standard is useful for choosing the best soil and water conservation measures for different soil erosion regions.

Warming planet and expanding wallets: Climate risk and managerial moral hazard

As global climate change intensifies, its potential risks have captured international scrutiny. This paper systematically analyzes the relationship and influence mechanism between climate risk and managerial self-interested behavior by constructing the PSR (Pressure-State-Response) model and the theoretical framework of internal and external perspectives of agency theory. The results of empirical tests using a sample of Chinese listed companies from 2010 to 2020 reveal that there is a U-shaped relationship between climate risk and managerial self-interest, implying that this will intensify managerial self-interested behavior as climate risk continues to increase to a certain stage. We also identify management discretion and donation income as internal and external influencing mechanisms. In addition, this U-shaped relationship is particularly significant in non-state-owned firms as well as in the non-energy sector. Overall, our study provides new theoretical and empirical insights into the relationship between climate risk and internal managerial behaviors of firms, and it also has important implications for both firm practice and policy making.

The coordination of technological and financial innovation concepts on the marine economy and its ecological development

This study first constructs an evaluation index system based on the pressure state response model, and assigns weights through entropy method and coefficient of variation method, providing theoretical and methodological support for comprehensive measurement and evaluation. Second, the least squares decision model is introduced and the PVAR model is used to analyze the development level of China's marine economy, ecology, and technological and financial innovation. The results indicated that from 2012 to 2022, the marine economic development level, marine ecological development level, and marine technology and financial innovation development level of 9 coastal provinces in China all showed a certain growth trend. However, in terms of the level of marine ecological development, various provinces had shown a downward trend, with Hebei performing the best, with an average of 0.230. Although various regions have achieved significant development in marine economy, ecology, and technological and financial innovation, the level of development varies among regions, and some regions have relatively low levels of technological innovation. The pressure and challenges between the marine economy and ecological environment protection caused by these real environments remain significant.

Precise Identification of Site Characteristics and Risk Management of Ningdong Coal Power Base

With the active development of coal-related industries in Ningdong, problems such as land degradation caused by coal-based site expansion and soil pollution caused by coal-based solid waste discharge are getting progressively worse. The identification of space types and the proposal of risk management are the key basic issues of regional energy resource low-carbon development and ecological protection. This article proposes an index system for feature extraction at the regional and site scales. The spatial–temporal evolution trends and differences in Ningdong coal power base from 2003 to 2021 were identified and interpreted through feature recognition based on Landsat images at the regional scale. Accurate site type recognition was conducted based on 10 m resolution Sentinel-2 images from 2021. We utilized the PSR (pressure–state–response) model for a comprehensive assessment of risk management in Ningdong. The results of this study show that the coal site > the coal chemical site > the coal power site, and the risk of the coal power base is in a controllable state; thus, we put forward a zoning control strategy. Our data on the pollution risk management of large-scale coal-fired power generation complexes are of significant importance for site remediation and regional ecological restoration.

A Hybrid DEMATEL and Bayesian Best–Worst Method Approach for Inland Port Development Evaluation

Inland ports are gaining more and more attention as important hubs for inland cities to promote foreign trade. However, studies on the evaluation of inland ports are lacking. In this work, we aim to construct an index system and propose a multi-criteria group decision-making method to comprehensively evaluate the development of inland ports. Unlike previous studies, using pressure–state–response model as a reference, we built up a demand–risk–power–potential framework for the index system proposed in this study. To determine the different weights for each indicator, which is a typical multi-criteria decision-making problem, we innovatively combined the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) and the Bayesian best–worst method (BBWM) based on their distinct advantages in dealing with data coupling and group decision-making. In addition, this work introduces a case study of inland ports in the Huaihai Economy Zone to validate the efficacy of the proposed evaluation model and method. After calculating and obtaining the comprehensive scores and rankings of each inland port in this case, we compared the evaluation results with those under the BBWM, TOPSIS, and CRITIC methodologies, and found that the results under the DEMATEL–BBWM methodology can provide better differentiation for inland port evaluation results. Moreover, based on the evaluation results, a performance–importance matrix is formulated to identify the areas requiring attention in the development process of each inland port. Subsequently, rational managerial insights are put forward to achieve the sustainable development of inland ports in the Huaihai Economy Zone.

Sustainability Assessment of Bus Low-Fare Policy Considering Three Stakeholders of the Public, Bus Enterprises and Government: A Case Study of Shenzhen, China

In order to quantitatively evaluate the sustainability of bus low-fare policy, this study establishes a sustainability evaluation index system for bus low-fare policy by using the PSR (Pressure–State–Response) model. Based on the matter–element extension model and entropy weight method, the sustainability evaluation model of bus low-fare policy is constructed. Finally, taking Shenzhen as an example, this study compares and analyzes the sustainability changes of bus fare policy in 2006, 2012 and 2016. The results show that the sustainability of the bus fare policy does not depend on the attribute of the fare (profit-making fares or public welfare fares): the sustainability of bus low-fare policy is closely related to the supporting fiscal subsidy system. Compared with the cost regulation subsidy system, the quota subsidy system is more conducive to the sustainability of bus low-fare policy. This study provides a decision-making reference for the sustainable development of urban bus low-fare policy.

Construction of ecological security evaluation model of healing landscape based on deep learning

With the rapid growth of the global population and the increasing urbanization, the urban landscape in China is gradually enriched, and the scale of the landscape that plays a healing role is expanding. However, curing the problem of landscape ecological security is an important part of Homeland security, economic and social sustainable development. We must deal with the relationship between high-quality social development and ecological environment protection on the basis of scientific evaluation. To address this issue, research has provided better data support for feature extraction through image preprocessing. Then the Convolutional neural network in deep learning is trained through a large number of collected measured data. Finally, the pressure state response model is used to evaluate the ecological security of the healing landscape. The results show that the average error of the ground class in 2010 was 13.65%, and the fitting accuracy reached 86.35%, indicating that this method has high accuracy and can be effectively applied in evaluation. Meanwhile, in 2010 and 2019, the average landscape ecological security levels of City A were 7.27 and 6.65, both at a “safe” level, but the overall security level showed a downward trend. It is recommended to optimize the land use pattern in future urban planning and construction, improve the urban landscape ecological security index value, and maintain consistency with the actual situation of the city. This can provide reference for the evaluation model of urban landscape ecological security, and further provide scientific basis and guidance for the ecological civilization construction of urban agglomerations. In subsequent research, the evolution trend of urban landscape ecological security can be taken as the research goal, and finally, guidance on optimizing urban landscape ecological security can be provided.

Cloud model assessment of urban flood resilience based on PSR model and game theory

The frequency of urban floods is increasing due to extreme precipitation events, necessitating urgent improvements in urban flood resilience (UFR). To effectively assess the level of UFR, this contribution proposes an improved cloud model UFR assessment model based on pressure-state-response (PSR) model and game theory. A UFR index system is constructed based on the PSR model, incorporating urban constituent elements, resilience characteristics and resilience realization process. Based on game theory, the analytic hierarchical process (AHP) and entropy weight method (EWM) are combined to build an improved cloud assessment model of UFR. Taking Zhengzhou City as an example, the assessment results show that with nine years of continuous efforts, the UFR of Zhengzhou has improved year by year from 2012 to 2020 and reached medium resilience level III from lower resilience level II. The pressure layer is found to be risky, the state layer is moderate resilience, and the response layer is more responsive. The assessment model is feasible, and the results are consistent with the actual situation. Optimization suggestions are made in terms of infrastructure and ecological environment, early warning and emergency management, and flood resilience knowledge learning, respectively, to provide theoretical support and decision-making reference for the improvement of the UFR management level.

Spatio-Temporal Patterns and Driving Factors of Green Development Level of Urban Agglomerations in the Yellow River Basin

ABSTRACT Promoting green development (GD) is key for the Yellow River Basin (YRB) to step into the phase of high-quality development. This study constructs a green development level (GDL) evaluation system based on the PSR (Pressure-State-Response) model, and estimates the GDL of urban agglomerations (UAs) in the YRB from 2008 to 2019 using the entropy weight-TOPSIS model. Then the Moran’I and the Theil index are adopted to explore the spatio-temporal patterns of the GDL, and the Geo-detector is used to investigate the driving factors of the GDL. The results suggest that: (1) The GDL of UAs in the YRB is characterized by “low growth” and “unbalanced,” with a general pattern of “east-west prominence but central collapse”. (2) The GDL in the YRB shows significant spatial correlation characteristic. (3) The main sources of regional variation of the GDL in the UAs is inter-group differences in 2008–2013 and intra-group differences in 2014–2019. (4) The main driver of the differences of the GDL is economic development, and the effect of the interaction of any two driving factors is greater than that of the single factor.

Spatiotemporal evolution of ecological entropy in an ecologically vulnerable area

Abstract The spatiotemporal evolution of ecological entropy (EE) reflects the differences and correlations among the different elements (roads, rivers, land, etc.) and regions in an ecosystem. In this study, an index system for evaluating the EE in an ecologically vulnerable area in China from 2005 to 2020 is constructed according to the pressure–state–response model. Models of the EE and its gradient are constructed, and they are evaluated using GIS and remote sensing. The results show that except for the utilization rate of solid waste, the index values of EE have increased dramatically in the past 16 years. Investment in waste pollution control, GDP per capita, vegetation index in July, and utilization rate of solid waste make large contributions to the EE. The EEs on the edge of the ecologically vulnerable area increased from 2005 to 2020, indicating that the ecological environment in these areas has deteriorated year by year. The regions with the largest outflow of EE indicate that the EEs of these regions had a large impact on those of their surrounding regions. The regions with the largest inflow of EE indicate that the ecological security of these regions is relatively stable to the surrounding regions. Large EE gradients existed between adjacent regions show large rate of change and inflow and outflow of EE. The results contribute to alleviating the high entropy, reversing the ecological imbalance, enhancing the ecological benefits, and improving the environmental quality in an ecological entropy system. The present results offer decision support for ecological evaluation, protection, restoration, compensation, and security.

A sustainable solution to manage ecosystem health of wetlands in urban and peri-urban areas of Lucknow district, India using geospatial techniques and community based pragmatic approach

Wetlands are multi-functional landscapes between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems that provide habitat for wildlife, support groundwater recharge, moderate climate, control flood and fulfil the livelihood of the communities. Rapid population growth, urban expansion, and industrialization have caused the degradation of wetlands over the last few decades. The wetlands located in the urban and peri-urban areas are generally the most threatened ecosystems globally. The present study assessed the ecosystem health of urban and peri-urban wetlands of Lucknow district in India and recommended a sustainable solution for their management. Remote sensing data derived from the normalized difference vegetation index, modified normalized difference water index, and land use/land cover change were utilized for analyzing the spatiotemporal change in areas under wetlands, from 1989 to 2018. Site-specific indicators on pressure, state and response were integrated in FRAGSTATS-based assessment to construct a Pressure-State-Response (PSR) model. A qualitative field survey has been conducted through focus group discussion and expert opinion to validate the result from the PSR model. The results revealed that the overall health of the wetlands has deteriorated drastically in these peri-urban areas owing to anthropogenic activities. The wetland ecosystem's health is significantly correlated with land transformation. The study recommended community participation, and involvement of local authorities in storing rainwater, constructing culverts and channels, and interlinking them with wetlands for sustainable conservation and effective management of the wetland ecosystem.

Ecological security assessment and ecological management zoning based on ecosystem services in the West Liao River Basin

Ecological security (ES) can express the health and integrity of regional ecosystems; hence, a better understanding of regional ES levels and their influencing factors can help to specify sustainable ecological management policies. Levels of ES in the West Liao River Basin were computed for the years of 2000 to 2020 at both the grid and county scale by using the pressure–state–response model, with ecosystem services also included in the assessment system. From 2000 to 2020, the area of both the forests and grasslands increased, due to the Grain for Green Project, which augmented net primary productivity (NPP), an ecosystem production service, and enhanced the overall habitat quality of the basin and promoted improvements to the regional ecological environment. The ES levels in most areas of the West Liao River Basin were improved over time, in that >90% of its area was above the middle level in 2020. The coordinates of “very insecure” moved to the basin's southeast, while “very secure” moved to its northwest, which indicated serious ES problems in the southeast of the basin. When compared with the most economically developed areas or remote areas having societal progress and human activities, generally the moderately developed areas have better ES levels. Further, human factors are more important to ES than natural factors, though all driving factors had enhanced impacts on the change in ES via their interactive effects. By determining the ES levels of the basin, four ecological management zones were then derived for it. We identified the main environmental problems in each ecological management zones and put forward the corresponding management measures, which would make the results more useful for supporting resource management and ecological protection of ecologically fragile areas in the agriculture and pasture interlaced landscape of northern China.

Construction and Application of a Groundwater Overload Evaluation System Based on the PSR Model

Groundwater assessment has several technical deficiencies, especially because the decision-making platform for basic data collection, analysis, and evaluation has not been established. Based on the computer architecture theory and business processing logic, we designed a set of groundwater resource overload evaluation systems using the ArcGIS platform and Python language based on the comprehensive analysis of many research schemes. According to the pressure–state–response (PSR) theoretical programming model, the system pre-sets the evaluation index from three aspects: overexploitation, bearing capacity, and overload. The entropy weight method was used to determine the factor weight. The system was used to evaluate and analyze the groundwater overload in Xi’an, and the performance and accuracy of the system were also verified. The results showed that the serious overload area of groundwater in Xi’an was located in the alluvial fan area of Yanliang District, Gaoling District, and Huyi District, and the alluvial fan area of Lintong District, City Six Districts, and Zhouzhi County. The general overload area was located in the alluvial plain area of City Six Districts, Chang’an District, the flood plain and the first terrace of Huyi District, the loess tableland area of Zhouzhi County, and the alluvial fan area of Lantian County. The remaining areas were not overloaded. The evaluation results matched the study, which confirmed that the evaluation system was stable and that the results were reliable.

Ecological Environmental Quality in China: Spatial and Temporal Characteristics, Regional Differences, and Internal Transmission Mechanisms

In recent years, ecological environmental problems such as the greenhouse effect, soil erosion, climate change, and biodiversity reduction have become more and more salient, and ecological environmental quality has gradually become a research hotspot. This paper constructs an index system for evaluating ecological environment quality based on the pressure–state–response (PSR) model, which contains three elemental layers, natural resources, ecological environment, and government inputs, measures the ecological environment quality index by using the “vertical and horizontal layer by layer” scatter degree method, and discusses the spatial and temporal evolution trends of ecological environment quality in each province and six regions in China during 2005–2020. This paper further measures the regional ecological environment quality differences by using the Thiel index and analyzes the transmission mechanism within the pressure–state–response model by using the mediation models. The results show that the ecological environment quality of all Chinese provinces and six regions has improved significantly during the period under study, the response system and state system scores have improved significantly, the unbalanced development of ecological environment quality within north China has improved the most, and there are significant direct and mediation effects among the subsystems within the ecological environment quality with high system transmission efficiency. Therefore, the government should improve the quality of the ecological environment by seeking cross-provincial linkage development, improving the level of pollution control, and formulating relevant standards and laws and regulations.