Analysis of China's regional differences in water consumption based on spatial structural decomposition analysis...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Economics
• Regional Science

Background:

• Effective water resource management in China requires understanding spatial variations in production water consumption.
• Previous studies have not fully elucidated the drivers behind these spatial differences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the factors influencing spatial differences in production water consumption across China.
• To identify the primary drivers of these spatial disparities for improved water management strategies.

Main Methods:

• Construction of water consumption-economy input-output tables for 31 Chinese provinces in 2017.
• Application of spatial structural decomposition analysis to assess the impacts of technology, economic scale, and regional characteristics.
• Decomposition of the final demand effect into sectoral structure, distribution structure, population scale, and consumption level.

Main Results:

• Production water consumption is significantly influenced by economic scale and regional characteristics.
• Provinces like Xinjiang, Jiangsu, Guangdong, and Heilongjiang exhibit above-average water consumption, while Beijing-Tianjin and Northwest regions show below-average consumption.
• Technical factors and final demand effects are identified as the principal drivers of spatial differences in water consumption.

Conclusions:

• Economic scale and regional characteristics are key determinants of China's production water consumption patterns.
• Technological advancements and shifts in final demand are the most critical factors explaining spatial variations.
• Population scale and consumption levels are major contributors to the final demand effect on water use.