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Evaluation of the resource-environmental pressure based on the three-dimensional footprint family model: a case study on the Pearl River Delta in China

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  • Ziheng Li

    (Hohai University)

  • Yinying Hu

    (Hohai University)

Abstract

The Pearl River Delta is one of the most economically dynamic regions in the world, and assessing its resource-environmental pressure of the urban agglomeration is of great importance to the ecological well-being and sustainable development of this region. To systematically assess the impact of human activities on the environment, we established a three-dimensional footprint family model that incorporates the ecological footprint (EF), carbon footprint (CF) and water footprint (WF), and improved the model in which the occupation of natural resources under ecological surplus is represented by the footprint depth, while the footprint size is dispensed with. The improved model addressed the problem that the conventional 3D footprint family model would remain a 2D plane state under ecological surplus, which could thereby distinguish natural capital flows from stocks, and deliver reliable prediction of the human demand for natural capital and the supply of natural environment to natural capital. Based on the improved model, we proposed the resource-environmental pressure (REP) evaluation system. As the proposed system incorporates multiple types of footprints related to ecological resources, water resources and carbon emissions, the assessment will not rely on one single type of footprint and free from subjective judgments, which promotes the shift of resource-environmental pressure research from single-dimensional and descriptive studies to multi-dimensional, prospective, and integrated research. In the present work, we evaluated the REP of the urban agglomeration in the Pearl River Delta in 2000 ~ 2015 and made a quantitative analysis of the three members of the footprint family. The research shows that the major contributors to the increasing REP in the study area from 2000 to 2015 were ecological footprint depth (EFdepth) and carbon footprint depth (CFdepth), which grew rapidly at an annual growth rate of 7.09 and 18.9%, respectively, and the situation is getting worse. Besides, there was a substantial regional difference in the distribution of REP, with the value in the central region significantly higher than in other regions of the study area. These research findings could provide new inspirations for optimization of regional resource utilization and regulation of urban resource-environmental pressure; the research is also expected to provide a scientific basis for decision-makers to systematically evaluate the impact of human activities on the environment and assess resource-environmental pressure in other urban agglomerations.

Suggested Citation

  • Ziheng Li & Yinying Hu, 2022. "Evaluation of the resource-environmental pressure based on the three-dimensional footprint family model: a case study on the Pearl River Delta in China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(5), pages 6788-6803, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:endesu:v:24:y:2022:i:5:d:10.1007_s10668-021-01726-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s10668-021-01726-0
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ye-Ning Wang & Qiang Zhou & Hao-Wei Wang, 2020. "Assessing Ecological Carrying Capacity in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Based on a Three-Dimensional Ecological Footprint Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-18, November.
    2. Niccolucci, V. & Bastianoni, S. & Tiezzi, E.B.P. & Wackernagel, M. & Marchettini, N., 2009. "How deep is the footprint? A 3D representation," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 220(20), pages 2819-2823.
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