Quantification method of water environmental value loss caused by water pollution based on emergy theory

Abstract

Water pollution is one of the main manifestations of environmental pollution. Scientific evaluation of the value loss of water environment pollution is the basis for the formulation of water environment policy. The current method of quantifying water pollution loss is economic, which makes better result relatively, but there are difficulties in quantifying social loss and ecological environmental loss. The main manifestation of water pollution is the excessive concentration of pollutants in water. Dilution is the most direct way to reduce the concentration of pollutants in water, which should be lower than standard for the treatment of water pollution. Therefore, the eco-economic value of the water resource for dilution can reflect the environmental loss of water pollution indirectly. A quantification method for the water environmental value loss caused by water pollution is established based on the ecological economics emergy theory. Taking Zhengzhou city as an example, the results showed that the average water environmental value loss caused by water pollution is as high as 5.948 billion Yuan during 2000–2015, accounting for 1.28% of gross domestic product, and indicated that the water pollution loss in Zhengzhou is serious, and its economic development is at the expense of water pollution to a certain extent. With the development of “National Water Pollution Control and Treatment Science and Technology Major Project” since 2005, the value loss of water environmental pollution in Zhengzhou has been decreasing year by year, and the water pollution treatment has achieved remarkable results.