This study investigates the impact of human activities on groundwater storage (GWS) using carbon emissions (CE) as an indicator of human activity intensity. By analyzing CE and GWS data across 17,152 grid cells in four basins (Yangtze River Basin, Pearl River Basin, Great Lakes Basin, and Rhine Basin) over 16 years, the research reveals that human activities significantly influence GWS. While agriculture and aviation have positive impacts on GWS, energy, chemical production, and petroleum processing emissions are strongly negatively correlated with GWS. The study also highlights that high-quality economic development areas tend to have favorable conditions for GWS. The findings demonstrate that human activities play a crucial role in GWS dynamics, both temporally and spatially. The study introduces a quantitative modeling framework based on CE to explore the relationship between human activities and GWS, providing insights for effective groundwater management and emission reduction strategies. The results show that the impact of human activities on GWS can persist for several years, with aviation and agriculture having the longest positive effects. The study also emphasizes the importance of considering spatial heterogeneity and long-term effects in groundwater management. Overall, the research fills a critical gap in hydrological studies by quantifying the impact of human activities on GWS and offering a framework for sustainable groundwater management.This study investigates the impact of human activities on groundwater storage (GWS) using carbon emissions (CE) as an indicator of human activity intensity. By analyzing CE and GWS data across 17,152 grid cells in four basins (Yangtze River Basin, Pearl River Basin, Great Lakes Basin, and Rhine Basin) over 16 years, the research reveals that human activities significantly influence GWS. While agriculture and aviation have positive impacts on GWS, energy, chemical production, and petroleum processing emissions are strongly negatively correlated with GWS. The study also highlights that high-quality economic development areas tend to have favorable conditions for GWS. The findings demonstrate that human activities play a crucial role in GWS dynamics, both temporally and spatially. The study introduces a quantitative modeling framework based on CE to explore the relationship between human activities and GWS, providing insights for effective groundwater management and emission reduction strategies. The results show that the impact of human activities on GWS can persist for several years, with aviation and agriculture having the longest positive effects. The study also emphasizes the importance of considering spatial heterogeneity and long-term effects in groundwater management. Overall, the research fills a critical gap in hydrological studies by quantifying the impact of human activities on GWS and offering a framework for sustainable groundwater management.