Research on China's Ecological Surplus and Deficit and Ecological Compensation Mechanism

In order to investigate the ecological surplus and deficit of each province in China and dissolve the ecological deficit, this paper uses the improved three-dimensional ecological footprint (EF) model to measure the ecological deficit in each province, estimates the value of ecological services by using the equivalent factor method, and measures the value of ecological services corresponding to inter-provincial trade by using the inter-provincial input-output table, and thus constructs two kinds of vertical and horizontal ecological compensation mechanisms. The research conclusion is as follows: ecological deficits exist in all provinces of China from 1990 to 2019, and the vast majority of provinces are experiencing an upward trend in ecological deficits. The footprint depths are all greater than 1, and there is always an overdraft of the ecological capital stock by economic development, particularly in the developed eastern regions. From the perspective of vertical compensation, the cumulative average number of overdraft years in each province during the study period is 87.3 years, which is very high, and the willingness and ability to compensate for future generations are limited. From the perspective of horizontal compensation, except for Tibet, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang, most provinces receive less compensation than they pay, which can be moderately compensated through central financial transfers payments.