Regional sustainability assessment based on long periods of ecological footprint: A case study of Zhejiang Province, China

Abstract

China has experienced unprecedented economic growth for three decades since the implementation of
economic reform. This paper argued that the capitalization of environment and resources fuel the
economic growth. It was documented through a case of Zhejiang Province based on long periods of
ecological footprint analysis. It concluded that: (1) ecological footprint per capita and ecological deficit
from 1990 to 2006 in Zhejiang Province is increasing year by year; (2) ecological footprint per 10000
GDP tends to decline and the economic capability grows in the past 17 years; (3) however, the
economic capability growth mainly depends on the expands of ecological footprint per capita, while
diversity index tends to decline. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the rapid economic growth of
Zhejiang Province relies on the capitalization of environment and resources. The Janus-faced nature of
industrial development indicated that ecological civilization should be given priority over industrial
civilization in China and other developing countries.