An Analysis of the Relationship among Environment, Economy, and Population for Chinese Provinces

• In Event: 103 - Regular Session. Environmental Sociology 2

Abstract

Growing evidence has shown substantial threats to the sustainability of China’s environment. China became the largest CO2 emitter in 2006, and the country accounted for 29 percent of global CO2 emissions in 2013. In this paper, I examine multiple environmental sociology theories concerning the human-environment interactions by analyzing data of 30 Chinese provinces between 1997 and 2009. From a temporal perspective, the findings suggest that economic development and population growth are accompanied with environmental disruption. The concomitant increase in CO2 emissions, GDP per capita, and population can affect the future evolution of China’s society and threaten the well-being of the general public. From a spatial perspective, GIS analysis displays the overlapping of high CO2 emission, GDP per capita, and population in East China in comparison with Central China and West China. The findings support arguments of the “Treadmill of Production” theory and the human ecology theory. Existing studies on the human dimensions of climate change were based on cross-national analyses. I contribute to this endeavor by taking the temporal and spatial nuances of Chinese provinces into consideration. The findings can complement the cumulative nature of scientific inquiry about climate change and expand literature about the anthropogenic impact on the environment.

Author

• Feng Hao, University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee