Abstract: IPAT model and its variants could describe the quantitative relationships between human driving force and the environmental pressure, benefit fundamental understanding of the dynamics of coupled human and natural systems, and are regarded as effective tools in solving the environmental problems caused by the social and economic development. In this paper, the fundamental concepts of IPAT model and its variants were discussed including definitions, historical developments and the hot issues in their applications. The future research trends were put forward aiming to further expand the use of IPAT models in the sustainable development of environment and social decisionmaking.