| China is facing serious water resource problems which are closely related to economic development and household consumption.As a key driving factor of economic growth,the direct and indirect impacts of household consumption on water consumption cannot be ignored.In the past decade,the rapid expansion of China’s middle(lower-middle-income,middle-income,and higher-middle-income)and rich(high-income)classes’population has promoted an increase in consumption and changes in consumption patterns,which in turn has greatly influenced production and water usage across various industries.However,previous studies have mainly focused on the patterns of water consumption changes driven by total population growth,and the impact of population expansion and changes in the consumption patterns of specific income groups on the water footprint has not yet been quantitatively evaluated.Therefore,based on the China Family Panel Studies(CFPS),we quantified the characteristics of the water footprint of people with different income groups in various regions of China in 2012 and 2015.Then using structural decomposition analysis(SDA)methods,we calculated the impact of different factors on the water footprint,revealed the impact of each group’s consumption patterns and population-income structure on water use changes of various sectors in eight regions.The results are as follows:(1)From 2012 to 2015,the total population in China remained relatively stable,increasing by only 22.99 million people.However,there were significant changes in the population structure during this period,with increase in the number of lower-middle income,higher-middle income,and high-income groups populations,while the number of low-income and middle-income groups populations decreased.Among them,the middle and rich classes increased by 36.5 million and 34.1 million,respectively.(2)The water footprint consumed by various income groups was 264.03 billion m~3and 266.13 billion m~3in 2012 and 2015,respectively.The water footprint consumed by various income groups mainly concentrated in the East Coast,Central China,South Coast,and Southwest regions.The middle and rich classes contributed82.7%and 89.2%of total water use in 2012 and 2015,respectively,and are the main contributors to water consumption in various regions.The water footprint generated by consumption by various income groups has significant spatial differences,showing a spatial pattern where coastal areas(South Coast,East Coast,and North Coast)are higher than inland areas(Northeast,Beijing-Tianjin,and Central China).(3)During this study period,the water footprint consumed by various income groups increased by 2.1 billion m~3,and the role of each driving factor to this changes varied significantly.Specially,the direct water use intensity effect has a significant inhibitory effect on the growth of water use,and the industrial structure effect also plays an inhibitory role.In comparison,the consumption pattern effect,population-income structure effect,and total population effect all play a positive role,leading to an overall upward trend in the water footprint.(4)The effects of consumption patterns have led to an increase of 15.4 billion m~3in total water use across the country,with middle and rich classes contributing 10.4billion m~3and 10.8 billion m~3,respectively.The change in consumption patterns has led to an increase in water use in Central China,Southwest,and Northwest regions,while water use in the remaining regions has decreased.Changes in the consumption patterns of middle-income,higher-middle-income,and high-income groups have a significant driving effect on the growth of sectoral water use.Agriculture(AGR),Food,tobacco and beverages(FAB),Wood and Paper(WAP),Petroleum,Chemical and Non-Metallic Mineral Products(PCN),Electricity,Gas,and Water(EGW)sectors are the main sectors that have led to the increase in water use.(5)The population-income structure effect has led to an increase of 12.4 billion m~3in total water use,with middle and rich classes contributing 5.4 billion m~3and 7.0billion m~3,respectively.The change in population size has led to a significant increase in water use in all regions except the Northwest.Among them,water consumption in South Coast,East Coast,and Central China has increased significantly.The expansion of the population of higher-middle income and high-income groups is an important driving force of increased water use in the sector.Agriculture(AGR),Electricity,Gas and Water(EGW),Others(OTH),Wood and Paper(WAP),Petroleum,Chemical and Non-Metallic Mineral Products(PCN)sectors are the main sectors leading to increased water use.Based on the results of this study,this paper reveals the contribution of different income groups to water footprint changes in various regions,focusing on quantifying the driving factors and main contributing sectors of water footprint changes consumed by middle and rich classes,and providing suggestions for China to reduce water use reasonably. |
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