Decoupling of wastewater eco-environmental damage and China's economic development

Abstract

Wastewater pollution has been considered as a prominent bottleneck restricting global sustainable development. China is one of the largest discharges and eco-environmental damages of wastewater in the world. Through analyzing wastewater discharge data using emergy method in China from 2011 to 2017, the wastewater eco-environmental damage of 31 provinces is calculated with GDP and area to reveal the fundamental origins of inflection point of wastewater discharge in China. Studies results show that, (i) Chinese "12th Five-Year Plan" (2011-2015) is a watershed in wastewater discharge, and the eco-environment damages caused by China's wastewater accounted for more than 1/4 of GDP; (ii) China has the great potential to reduce eco-environment damages of 1.73 trillion $/year; (iii) In 2016 and 2017, wastewater eco-environmental damage has decreased by about 50% compared with that in 2015, and the effect of government policies was remarkable. We conclude that decoupling of China's economic development form eco-environmental damages of wastewater is began to appear, the strict formulation and implementation of China's environmental policies and the green upgrading of industrial structure are main driving forces, and it is little correlation with economic slowdown. This study offers the detailed list of China wastewater pollution and reveals the relationship between wastewater eco-environmental damages and economic development, and shows the experience and achievements of the Chinese government in the treatment of wastewater pollution, which provides a useful reference for the treatment of wastewater pollution in the world.

Keywords: Eco-environmental damage; Economic development; Emergy; Wastewater.