Assessing the Green Total Factor Productivity of Water Use in Mainland China

The significance of high-quality development and green total factor productivity has attracted widespread attention and research, while few studies on green total factor productivity that considers the use of water resources have been conducted in the context of water shortages and water stress. In this study, the green total factor productivity of water use from 2005 to 2015 in mainland China is evaluated based on the global Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index. Results show that: (1) China's green total factor productivity of water use has been improving since 2005 with an annual global Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index of 1.0104. (2) At the regional level, the eastern zone in mainland China owns the highest green total factor productivity of water use, while that in the intermediate zone ranks last. (3) The green total factor productivity of water use in the southern region (1.0113) significantly higher than that in the northern region (1.0095), and also higher than the national average level in the same period. BPC index has been the most important incluencing factor of green total factor productivity of water use at both national level and regional level since 2011.