Spatiotemporal Pattern of Fine Particulate Matter and Impact of Urban Socioeconomic Factors in China

Frequent hazy weather has been one of the most obvious air problems accompanying China’s rapid urbanization. As one of the main components of haze pollution, fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)), which severely affects environmental quality and people’s health, has attracted wide attention. This study investigated the PM(2.5) distribution, changing trends and impact of urban factors based on remote-sensing PM(2.5) concentration data from 2000 to 2015, combining land-use data and socioeconomic data, and using the least-squares method and structural equation model (SEM). The results showed that the high concentration of PM(2.5) in China was mainly concentrated in the eastern part of China and Sichuan Province. The trends of the PM(2.5) concentration in eastern part and Northeast China, Sichuan, and Guangxi Provinces were positive. Meanwhile, the ratios of increasing trends were strongest in built-up land and agricultural land, and the decreasing trends were strongest in forest and grassland, but the overall trends were still growing. The SEM results indicated that economic factors contributed most to PM(2.5) pollution, followed by demographic factors and spatial factors. Among all observed variables, the secondary industrial GDP had the highest impact on PM(2.5) pollution. Based on the above results, PM(2.5) pollution remains an important environmental issue in China at present and even in the future. It is necessary for decision-makers to make actions and policies from macroscopic and microscopic, long-term and short-term aspects to reduce pollution.