Spatial-temporal evolution and driving factors of environmental quality in the central Yunnan urban agglomeration from 2000 to 2020

With the continuous urbanization, global environment is facing escalating degradation and growing threats. The central Yunnan urban agglomeration has undergone rapid urbanization in recent years, giving rise to a range of environmental challenges. In this context, it is essential to quantitatively assess changes in environmental quality in this region. Here we obtained Landsat series remote sensing imagery via the Google Earth Engine platform, developed the remote sensing-based ecological index, and analyzed its spatial and temporal dynamics. We further applied the geodetector model to identify driving factors that affect environmental quality. The maining fingdings are: (1) the quality of the study region has generally improved, exhibiting a steady upward trend; (2) The main factors shaping environmental quality include annual temperature, annual precipitation, elevation and so on. The interactive effects were stronger than the influence of any single factor, suggesting that the maximum impact of an individual driver is often amplified through its interaction with other factors. The future development of this region should be guided by the principles of sustainable urbanization to ensure a balanced integration of environmental protection and socio-economic growth.