Changes of eco-efficiency under green GDP and ecological footprints: A dynamic analysis in Jiangxi Province

Ecological efficiency (Eco-efficiency) is considered to be the effective tool of circular economy and sustainable development,and researches have been mostly focusing on the analytical approach of its measurement. While green GDP indicates the net income of a nation, the ecological footprint (eco-footprint) evaluates the materials and energy consumed in the process of economic development as well as the environmental impact. Based on the definition of ecological efficiency and the accounting method proposed by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), this study adopts the improved eco-efficiency model which accommodates the ratio of green GDP and the eco-footprint to analyze the changes and driving factors of eco-efficiency during 2000 to 2015 of Jiangxi Province, China. The results show that: (1) In general, the eco-efficiency of Jiangxi Province presents a rising trend and increases by 4.57 times between 2000 and 2015. In addition, the values of the green GDP and eco-footprint have been moving upward fluctuately, and the growth rate of green GDP is significantly higher than that of the eco-footprint. (2) The proportion of green GDP in Jiangxi Province is irregularly fluctuated between 2000 and 2015 with an average value of 84.61%. Among the components of green GDP, the values of natural resource consumption, environmental degradation, as well as the benefit of resource and environmental improvement also irregularly fluctuate and all exhibit a downward trend after several years of rising. Moreover, natural resource consumption has considerable impacts on green GDP. (3) The value of the eco-footprint of Jiangxi Province has been continuously increasing during the period 2000 to 2015 while the total value of the eco-footprint increases by 83.6% over the past 15 years with an average annual growth rate of 4.26%. From the view of the composition of the eco-footprint, all the land type eco-footprints generally show a fluctuately upward trend, and among which the change of the grassland footprint is the most significant. (4) The main types of eco-footprint in the Jiangxi Province are grassland footprints followed by arable land footprints, and fossil energy footprints. The proportion of grassland footprints to the total value of footprints is the largest, with an upward trend. The footprints associated with cultivated land and fossil energy show a slight decline. Finally, the innovation, adaptability, and possible enhancements of eco-effi