The scientists examined China's natural resources from 2000 to 2018 using an updated ecological footprint model. They looked at things like energy use, water, pollution, and geographical differences in 31 Chinese areas. In 2018, China's footprint was 4.03 billion national hectares (nha), its capacity was 0.79 billion nha, and it had a deficit of -3.24 billion nha. Energy use made up the most of the footprint. Over time, per-person footprint and deficit went up, while carrying capacity went down. Overall, by 2018, the value of China's footprint was 18.09 trillion CNY, its capacity was 12.44 trillion CNY, and it had a deficit of -5.65 trillion CNY. Most of the value comes from biology. The study shows that China's ecosystems are under strain due to excessive consumption, with Tibet being the only region in surplus in 2018, and overall ecological pressures being the most in the East compared to the Central and Western regions.