Research On The Impact Of Population Size And Consumption Structure On Environmental Efficiency

The expansion of population scale and the transformation of consumption structure are the key factors that affect the sustainable development of national economy and the sustainable use of resources in an all-round way.As the world’s largest populous country,problems such as energy shortage and environmental pollution brought about by the huge population size have become increasingly prominent,which seriously restricts the sustainable development of China’s economy.Population,consumption and the environment are mutually dependent ones,and consumption is a key variable between human activities and corresponding environmental results.Therefore,it is more fundamental to study the relationship between population and the environment from the perspective of consumption.The consumption structure has a profound influence on environmental efficiency.Then,how does the population size have different effects on environmental efficiency under different consumption patterns?What kind of consumption structure is most conducive to the improvement of China’s environmental efficiency?This is the core issue that this article will explore.This paper measured the environmental efficiency by super-efficiency DEA method,and studies the relationship of population size and consumption structure on environmental efficiency based on the STIRPAT model.The results show that:From 2000 to 2013,the environmental efficiency of China’s provinces emerged a trend of declining volatility with large regional differences.The environmental efficiency of the eastern region is obviously higher than that of the central and western regions.At this stage,the expansion of the population size has a negative impact on the environmental efficiency in China.Meanwhile,consumption structure,as an important intermediate variable in the interaction between population and environment,shows different relations according to different types.Specifically,the relationship between subsistence and enjoyment consumption with the environmental efficiency was U-shaped which has the inflection point of 60.18%and 29.20%,while the relationship between development consumption and the environmental efficiency showed a linear positive correlation.With the upgrading of consumption structure,especially the increase of development consumption,the negative impact of population size on environmental efficiency will be significantly improved.In addition,improving the technological level,industrial structure,and economic development can improve the environment efficiency also.Based on the research results,the paper finally gives four policy suggestions to improve the environmental efficiency caused by the development of China’s population size and consumption structure.Firstly,optimize population factors,control population size,and improve population structure;secondly,improve consumption structure and promote development-based consumption as a percentage of expenditures to improve the adverse effects of population size at the present stage on environmental efficiency;in addition,establish and improve environmental protection related laws and regulations;Finally,change the mode of economic production and promote the coordinated development of population,resources and the environment.