Evaluating urban resource and environment carrying capacity by using an innovative indicator system based on eco-civilization-a case study of Guiyang

Innovation policy and ecological welfare performance: evidence from a quasi-natural experiment of China

The National Innovative City Pilot Policy (NICPP) is a policy implemented by the Chinese government to create an environment conducive to innovation, optimize industrial structure, promote economic development, and stimulate green innovation. The impact of this policy on ecological welfare performance is a question worth exploring. Based on panel data from 285 cities from 2007 to 2021, this paper uses the multi-period difference-in-difference (DID) model, propensity score matching method, and spatial DID model to study the impact of NICPP on ecological welfare performance and spatial spillover effects. The results show that (1) NICPP can significantly improve ecological welfare performance. (2) The mechanism analysis found that NICPP mainly improves ecological welfare performance through technological innovation investment, industrial structure upgrading, and increasing government attention. (3) The heterogeneity analysis found that NICPP has a more substantial driving effect on the ecological welfare development of cities in the eastern and western regions, cities with higher administrative levels, and cities with lower secondary industry agglomeration. (4) Further research has found that NICPP not only promotes the development of local ecological welfare but also has a positive spatial spillover effect on the ecological welfare performance of neighboring regions. This paper enriches the research on the effects of NICPP and provides policy references for the sustainable development of cities.

Innovation city and low-carbon future: a quasinatural experiment from China

Using the difference-in-difference model and panel data from 283 Chinese cities from 2006 to 2019, this study assesses the effect on CO2 emissions of an innovative city pilot policy and analyzes its mechanism using the mediation effect model. The findings demonstrate that the pilot policy significantly reduces urban carbon emissions overall, and this finding holds even after conducting several stability tests. Innovative pilot cities can cut carbon emissions by 11.5% compared to nonpilot cities and thus significantly impact carbon reduction. Reducing carbon emissions is possible through three mechanisms. These are the enrichment of cultural resources, the development of technological innovation levels, and the optimization of industrial structure. There is a significant lag in how the innovative city pilot policy affects this reduction. The emission reduction effects of innovative pilot policies on different pollution levels, regions, and cities of various sizes are heterogeneous. In the long run, the scope of pilot projects needs enlargement in an orderly manner, and specific policies should be implemented according to local conditions. Meanwhile, advanced technologies are required in cities of different scales to build innovative development mechanisms for carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, and environmental regulations should be strengthened to implement in urban areas the concept of green and sustainable ecological development.

On the urban resource and environment carrying capacity in China: A sustainable development paradigm

As urbanization progresses, the number of resource and environmental problems that impede sustainable growth in cities is increasing. The urban resource and environment carrying capacity (URECC) serves as a crucial indicator for understanding the interaction between human activities and urban resource and environmental systems, guiding the practice of sustainable urban development. Thus, accurately comprehending and analyzing the URECC and coordinating the balanced growth of the economy and the URECC is essential to ensure cities' sustainable development. In this research, we combine DMSP/OLS and NPP/VIIRS night-time light data to assess the economic growth of Chinese cities using panel data for 282 prefecture-level cities in China from 2007 to 2019. The findings reveal the following outcomes: (1) Economic growth significantly contributes to the enhancement of the URECC, and the economic expansion of neighboring areas also promotes the URECC within the region. Economic growth can indirectly improve the URECC by fostering internet development, industrial upgrading, technological progress, opening up opportunities, and educational advancements. (2) The results from the threshold regression analysis suggest that as the level of internet development improves, the influence of economic growth on the URECC is initially constrained and then facilitated. Similarly, as financial development improves, the effect of economic growth on the URECC is initially constrained and subsequently promoted, with the promotion effect gradually increasing. (3) The relationship between economic expansion and the URECC varies across regions with different geographic locations, administrative levels, scales, and resource endowments.

Spatial distribution characteristics of natural ecological resilience in China

High-intensity exploitation of land resources and the natural environment can upset the balance of ecosystems, causing multiple ecological problems and affecting regional sustainable development. Recently, China has carried out integrated regional ecosystem protection and restoration governance. Ecological resilience (ER) is the foundation of and key to achieving sustainable regional development. Based on the significance of ER in ecological protection and restoration efforts and the necessity of conducting large-scale studies, we conducted relevant research on the ER in China. In this study, we selected typical impact factors to construct an assessment model of ER in China and quantitatively measured its large-scale spatial and temporal distribution characteristics, while also exploring the relationship between ER and land-use types. The country was zoned according to the ER contributions of each land-use type, and ER enhancement and ecological protection were discussed based on the characteristics of different regions. The ER in China shows clear spatial heterogeneity and spatial agglomeration, roughly represented by high and low ER in the southeast and northwest regions. The mean ER values of woodland, arable land, and construction land were all greater than 0.6, with more than 97% of the ER values at levels of medium or above. The country can be divided into three regions based on the degree of ER contributions of various land-use types, each with different ecological problems. This study provides a detailed understanding of and explores the important role of ER on the regional development process, and provides support and reference for regional ecological protection and restoration as well as sustainable development.

Land-Use Planning Serves as a Critical Tool for Improving Resources and Environmental Carrying Capacity: A Review of Evaluation Methods and Application

Research on resources and environmental carrying capacity (RECC) has been expanding since the early 20th century, and RECC has become a global concern and criterion for measuring regional sustainable development. Land-use planning (LUP) serves as a key tool of socioeconomic-ecological coordinated development and is deeply associated with RECC. In China, the newly established spatial planning system of 2019 identifies RECC assessment as the basis for spatial planning. However, after systematically reviewing the research history, conceptual evolution, and evaluation methods of RECC, we found that the existing approach of RECC has not addressed the impacts of stakeholders' behavior on RECC, in other words, the governance perspective has not been sufficiently discussed. Further, research on the interaction between RECC and LUP has been far from sufficient, hampering our deep understanding of the roles of LUP in improving RECC. In order to fill this gap, a new framework is proposed to explain the formation mechanism of RECC combining the governance considerations based on the social-ecological system (SES) framework, which has made contributions to enrich the research perspective of RECC and its theoretical and methods system. In addition, the interaction path between RECC and LUP is constructed according to the new RECC framework and a policy toolbox for improving RECC, which will provide a comprehensive and systematic practical application path for improving RECC and promoting regional socioeconomic-ecological coordinated sustainable development. The conclusion part discusses the future research topics and limitations for RECC and LUP.

Evaluating the corresponding relationship between the characteristics of resource utilization and the level of urbanization: a case study in Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, China

The Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle is an important center for promoting economic growth in the western region. Clarifying the driving force and restrictive factors of the urbanization development in Chengdu-Chongqing area is conducive to the further development of the region. Firstly, this study uses geospatial information to describe the resource consumption characteristics of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle. Then, Moran index has been used to test the spatial agglomeration relationship. Finally, the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle is classified according to the characteristics of natural resource utilization and spatial relations. The results show that (1) the relationship between the comprehensive utilization of natural resources and urbanization in the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle is high in the east and low in the west, and the two places jointly drive the development of the north and the south. (2) From 2015 to 2020, the comprehensive utilization capacity of natural resources in the core area on the west side decrease, and the core area on the east side increase. Urbanization in the north and south is slow, and the direct utilization capacity of natural resources needs to be improved. (3) The city with the best coordination relationship between comprehensive utilization of natural resources and urbanization is on the periphery of the core cities of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, and the protection and management measures of the core cities for natural resources do not match their urbanization level.

Assessing the Spatiotemporal Development of Ecological Civilization for China’s Sustainable Development

The ecological civilization strategy in China has accelerated its national sustainability. However, few systematic evaluations of Chinese Ecological Civilization Construction (ECC) have provided detailed and timely information regarding estimations of the sustainable development levels. Here, we combined indicators and policies of the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals (SDGs) with Chinese ecological civilization and built an integrated assessment system with mixed indicators for evaluating the sustainable development levels in five dimensions (i.e., economy, society, ecology, culture, and institutions). Based on the acquired sustainability index from the system, we revealed the spatiotemporal transitions at the national and provincial levels from 2005 to 2019 in China. Specifically, both the national and provincial ECC temporally increased in this period, while spatially, the development performance of ECC was differentiated across provinces and regions. In particular, sustainable trajectories in east China and coastal regions presented better than the west and inland. Moreover, we identified the different dimensional contributions between the top and bottom provinces in ECC development. The results showed that the institutional, social, and cultural dimensions created more effects than the economic and ecological dimensions. By analyzing the provincial development patterns, we recommend the comprehensive development of ECC across the five dimensions and suggest that addressing weak dimensions is a priority. The proposed system will elevate the sustainable development strategies and pave the way for the broadening of the framework’s application to other regions and countries in the future.

Civilisation and Its Environmental Consequences

This work is devoted to examining civilisation's environmental consequences and the military confrontation between civilised and barbaric societies. The authors examine antique and ancient Chinese ideas about the phenomenon of barbarism, and also highlight common cultural features inherent in the Germans and Celts and opposed to Rome, and the Far Eastern nomads who were adjacent to imperial China. Moreover, the authors seek to analyse the substantial effects of civilisation on the environment and ecosystem. Having analysed the military potential of civilised societies, the authors come to the conclusion that the victory of barbarism is possible only in the case of civilisation internal collapse. The article outlines other important aspects, including the relationships between civilisation and war and between civilisation and the environment. It concludes with a discussion about rethinking and restructuring some of our perspectives on civilisation.

An integrated importance-performance analysis and modified analytic hierarchy process approach to sustainable city assessment

Sustainable urban development has been a popular subject in urban studies and related disciplines. Owing to the challenges faced by cities worldwide to accommodate the growing urban populations, it is becoming ever more important for innovative research on sustainable urban development to be performed to help cities achieve sustainability. This study develops and tests an integrated approach to sustainable city assessment, which is a combination of importance-performance analysis (IPA) and modified analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Questionnaires designed following the IPA concept were distributed to residents of three cities. The importance scores from the collected data were factorized and the factors' relative scores were then calculated using a formula developed in this study to represent pairwise comparisons. The derived criteria weights were applied to the performance scores to evaluate the cities' relative overall sustainability performance. This approach replaces the AHP's 1-9 scale with the IPA's importance rating scale, which is a Likert scale, in the questionnaire. Based on the findings, implications and future research suggestions were provided.

Risk Assessment of Hazmat Road Transportation Considering Environmental Risk under Time-Varying Conditions

Hazardous materials shipments are integral to the development of industrial countries. Significant casualties and severe environmental pollution quickly ensue when accidents occur. Currently, relevant research on risk assessment of hazardous materials’ road transportation remains limited when both the population exposure risk and environmental risk are considered, especially in regard to analyzing the differences of accident impacts in different populations and environments. This paper adopts a Gaussian plume model to simulate dynamic areas at three levels of population exposure and assesses the pollution scope of air, groundwater, lakes, and rivers with a variety of diffusion models. Then, we utilize various costs to analyze the differences of accident impacts in population exposure and environmental pollution. Finally, a risk assessment model of hazardous materials road transportation under time-varying conditions is presented by considering the bearing capacity of the assessed area. Furthermore, this model is applied to a case study involving a risk assessment of hazardous materials transportation of a highly populated metropolitan area of Shanghai, China. The resulting analyses reveal that the safety of hazardous materials transportation could be effectively improved by controlling certain model parameters and avoiding road segments with a high risk of catastrophic accident consequences.