Drivers of eco-environmental quality in China from 2000 to 2017

Intense human activity and severe climate change in China have imposed significant burdens on ecoenvironmental quality (EEQ) and caused great challenge to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. However, the response mechanism of China's EEQ to natural factors and human activities in recent decades has remained unclear. Here, we combined multi-source remote sensing data, reanalysis data and model data, based on the Theil-Sen Median, TSS-RESTREND and Hurst index, to reveal the characteristics of past and future EEQ changes in China and to explore the driving factors of its changes from the perspective of natural factors and human activities. Over the last 18 years, the EEQ of more than 60% of the area has increased. Using TSSRESTREND analysis, we found that human activities and natural factors jointly dominanted about 58% of the EEQ in China. Natural factors simultaneously dominated the EEQ changes in more than 80% of the area, with climate water deficit being the most important. Three human activities of the population, gross domestic product, and electricity consumption have increased significantly in the past 18 years, simultaneously dominating the EEQ change in about 18% of the areas in China. Accordingly, in the context of global climate change, rational exploitation of human activities is essential to China's EEQ. Accordingly, a comparative analysis of the drivers of EEQ in China provides a scientific basis for understanding and optimising management policies.

Automated summary

In the past 18 years, the ecoenvironmental quality in more than 60% of China has improved, with natural factors and human activities jointly dominating 58% of the EEQ change. Climate water deficit is the most important natural factor. Human activities such as population, gross domestic product, and electricity consumption have significantly increased in the past 18 years, simultaneously dominating the EEQ change in about 18% of China's areas. Therefore, rational development of human activities is crucial for China's ecoenvironmental quality in the context of global climate change.