Search

China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is very significant project owing to its development in Pakistan and China. It is evident that this project is promoting sustainable development in both countries in many ways. The objective of this research paper is to study about the sustainability of CPEC in adopting the environment related initiatives. It has been argued that CPEC is a difference maker in terms of improving infrastructure, protecting environment and boosting of the trade between Beijing and Islamabad. That is why, both nations have adopted multi-dimensional initiatives to save the environment. However, there is need to improve this process. Still there are many environmental challenges to this significant project. Considering the development under this project both Pakistan and China aspire to engage in clean energy cooperation to ensure sustainable environment. Both countries need to formulate guidelines and protocols for a green investment project roadmap to address the challenges of sustainable environment which are still missing at the policy level. By employing qualitative methods based on research material from secondary sources, this research aims to study the initiatives taken by Pakistan to make CPEC an ecofriendly and environmentally sustainable project. This is evident that CPEC project experience moderate but short term environment challenges due major infrastructure reforms. Furthermore, these environmental challenges are stern and can create hindrance in economic development for Pakistan and China if certain environmental regulations could not be adopted. This paper recommends that both states needs to adopt concrete, composite, bilateral environmental cooperation for the sustainability of CPEC project for durable time frame. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China introduced sponge city development (SCD) as a policy initiative to address the complex, interlinked water challenges, such as urban pluvial flooding and water pollution, faced by urban development under climatic change and rapid urbanization. The initiative relies on low‐impact development (LID) techniques to integrate ecosystem conservation and urban development, with the aim to maintain or restore natural landscapes and their water regulating capacity as a way to mitigate urban flooding and associated pollution while augmenting water supply. While the country prepares for SCD demonstration and upscaling after pilot implementation since 2014, the initiative is subject to a design deficit in policy implementation that has received little consideration in both the literature and the policy arena but that negatively affects the effectiveness of SCD and its long run impact as intended by the policy. In this paper, we examine the design deficit by mapping and analyzing the policy implementation for SCD in the framework of theory of change (TOC). We present key conditions for individual components in SCD implementation to deliver causal pathways from program inputs to long‐term impacts, with identified issues characterizing the design deficit. We provide an overview of the literature on SCD to shed some light on current research while identifying knowledge gaps. The paper proposes and justifies the framework of ecosystem services as an innovative design tool to deliver a systematic approach needed to address the design deficit, paving the pathways for SCD from inputs to impacts fully developing the policy potential for green urban transition with resilience and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bioeconomy model provides an alternative view of global economic systems by putting sustainable practices combined with digital approaches at the forefront to tackle issues such as climate change. To address this new business trends, financial institutions began to set up the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) business units to evaluate their business strategies. This paper is aimed at examining the nonfinancial effect created by the digital transformation (DT) activities, highlighting the role of enterprise heterogeneity after the implementation of Environmental Protection Law (EPL) in China. We employ the panel data of A-share listed companies from 2010 to 2020, selecting DT and ESG indicators as the important representations of "Industry 5.0." Our empirical results demonstrate a positive impact of EPL on the ESG performance in sight of resource enterprises (REs), environmental enterprises (EEs), and polluting enterprises (PEs), but a negative impact of EPL on the DT indicators among those environmental related industries. Additional causal relationship regression reveals that enterprise DT has an intrinsic promoting effect on the ESG performance, emphasizing on the high risk of digitization process being the shock transmitters to enterprise nonfinancial indices. Notably, the connectedness of environmental policy illustrates dynamic patterns by parallel trend test and propensity score matching (PSM) DID regression. This paper is prone to benefit lawmakers, regulators, and firm executives responsible for analyzing and assessing enterprise digitization behavior by exploring the influence of macrolevel environmental policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the fact that green insurance makes up a significant portion of green finance, there is a lack of systematic understanding and analysis on the international green insurance market in the literature. In this paper, we study how the market for green insurance has evolved and discuss the current challenges. The important elements promoting sustainable growth in the market include universal consensus on the definition of green insurance, an optimal regulatory framework, technological advancement, and talent nurturing, and rising social acceptance. We apply the institutional framework to explore the future direction of market reform for a sustainable market. Reinforcing the three institutional pillars will help to address the current deficiencies in the market. The pollution liability market in China is examined as a case study. This paper gives insight to both academic and industry fields on drivers and challenges in the increasingly complex and fast-growing green insurance market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While post-disaster rebuilding is an urgent task for affected areas, an approach without consideration for climate protection will probably lead to another disaster of carbon lock-in. Therefore, policymaking and implementation are critically important. This paper takes the Guangyuan prefecture as a case study, where the local government took the lead in low-carbon initiative and made a great contribution to low-carbon development. Based on long-term field investigations and semi-structured interviews, using the theory of multi-level governance, it discusses policy formation and implementation in the Guangyuan prefecture, and how the governance system promoted an environment-and-climate-friendly rebuilding. The results demonstrate the urgency of carbon decoupling in post-disaster-rebuilding and the significance of an effective governance system. This provides insight to the contemporary world that post-disaster rebuilding is not only a revitalization of the affected areas, but a comprehensive undertaking to avoid other possible disasters and ensure a sustainable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper has reviewed the international research on the terms "climate change" and "human migration" from 1999 to 2019. To this end, a bibliometric and a cluster analysis by fractional accounting have been carried out using two of the most important databases: Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus. The research found and studied 140 documents from WoS Core Collection and 193 from Scopus.Results: The results show a continual increase in the number of articles published and citations received during the whole period studied. The U.S., U.K., Germany and China have been shown to be the most productive countries and there is a predominance of North American organizations supporting and fostering research on these topics.Conclusions: The main contribution of this article is the analysis of new tendencies. The trend shows a transition from concepts such as vulnerability, climate change, land degradation, refugees and security to others such as concepts such as international migration, climate justice, sustainability, human rights and disaster risk reduction. Future research in this field should address the comparison of results from research focused on human beings to a focus on other living beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Security: Theory & Practice / Bezpieczeństwo.Teoria i Praktyka is the property of Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University, AFM Publishing Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study explores the evolution of the climate discourses of China's flagship party paper People's Daily. Climate reports during COP1-24 (1995–2018) are analyzed in terms of the underlying development ideas and framings of climate change. It is found that climate change received increasing attention, with the years 2007 and 2015 representing two historical hallmarks of reporting. In tandem, the official discourses underwent noticeable shifts, treating climate action no longer as a hindrance to economic growth, but an opportunity for healthier and more sustainable economic development. What remained unchanged was the persistent emphasis on economic growth, the resort to technology as an ultimate solution, and the attribution of most responsibilities to the developed countries. The findings suggest that China's approach to addressing climate change fits in with the development trajectory of an authoritarian emerging economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partnerships emerge as part of an environmental governance paradigm shift towards less hierarchical, more collaborative, and non-regulative steering arrangements. This paper examines the prevalence of partnerships in environmental governance on an urban level in a semi-authoritarian setting, by exploring climate initiatives in cities in China. The paper presents exploratory qualitative analysis of governance in urban China through analysis of a database of 150 climate initiatives in 15 cities, which are seen at the forefront of climate protection. The analysis suggests that climate partnerships are used as a governance strategy in China. Moreover, partnerships perform a range of essential governance functions, from rule-setting and provision of public infrastructure and services, to supporting technology development and low carbon demonstration projects. The results indicate that partnerships can facilitate local climate action by creating access to resources, such as information, technology, and funding, as well as contribute to introduction of emission reduction technology and new policy approaches. However, the inclusion of non-state actors in the formulation and delivery of climate mitigation projects redefines the lines of authority over public issues. This draws attention to two key governance challenges in the context of a comparatively state-controlled, top-down political system: skewed participation and lack of deliberative opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the significance and importance of urban sustainability in China and China's history of rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, this paper aims to incorporate the investigation of climate change and air pollution in urban sustainability research in China through a driver-pressure-state-impact-response model. The model has 12 indices: population, enterprise, registered vehicles, energy consumption, emissions and concentrations of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide, land use change, annual temperature, tropical nights and reforestation were selected. It was used in the analysis of 14 cities in the Liaoning Province. The results show that the model is an effective tool for urban sustainability research, allowing for the investigation of interactions of climate change and air pollution and contributing to the body of knowledge by aiding generation of realistic and practical measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the impact of political uncertainty on sustainable urban development by examining carbon emission trading systems (ETS) in four major markets in China (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, and Hubei) from 2014 to 2022. As an alternative to carbon taxes, carbon ETS markets have become increasingly popular due to their success in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, their effectiveness is often hindered by political instability and uncertainty. Utilising logistic regression and AR(1)-GARCH estimations, we identify a negative relationship between political uncertainty and carbon trading volume. Our study also reveals significant variations in the responses of these markets to political uncertainty. The paper contributes to the understanding of how ETS markets operate in a complex and constantly changing political environment. We suggest that policymakers need to consider the impact of political uncertainty on carbon trading when designing and implementing urban policies that promote sustainable development. Additionally, our research contributes to the development of urban policies that can be effectively implemented in both developed and developing regions. • Local government official turnovers are used as the measurement of political uncertainty. • Daily transaction data from four carbon ETS markets (Beijing, Shanghai, Hubei and Guangdong) in China • Considered the probability and proportion of zero transaction day • Logistic regression and AR(1)-GARCH estimations • A negative relationship between political uncertainty and carbon transaction volume [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether trade wars are beneficial or hurtful for the countries involved has been widely debated, particularly with respect to the U.S. China Trade War that began in 2018 to the present. In this paper, we provide an overview of some of the theoretical literature for the expected economic and ecological effects of trade wars and provide a case study presenting the events of the U.S. China Trade War to compare theoretical views to actual net economic and sustainability effects occurring in the U.S., with a short overview of aftermath effects during the Covid19 pandemic in 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abalone species are economically important shellfish in China's aquaculture industry. In 2020, China's abalone aquaculture production was 203,500 tonnes, accounting for nearly 90% of total global production. However, many problems have accompanied the rapid development of this industry, including a reduction in near‐shore space suitable for culture and the risk of exposure of farms to natural disasters such as typhoons and red tides. In addition, high temperatures and low oxygen levels resulting from global climate change are causing increased abalone mortality in summer. In this review, the culture patterns and characteristics used in different countries are compared with respect to larvae nurseries, intermediate juvenile culture and the grow‐out phase. Next, the transitions and challenges in China's abalone culture industry over the past 60 years are summarized. Finally, a coordinated land‐sea program for reducing solid waste emissions into the water and increasing carbon sinks is suggested based on the 'Carbon Neutrality' theory. Under the framework of the program, new facilities, technologies and models should be created to achieve increased mechanization and a greater understanding of the abalone aquaculture industry as soon as possible. This review provides references and data to support the scientific planning and mapping of China's abalone culture industry as well as the transition of China's perceived identity from a major fishery country to a strong fishery power with an awareness of environmental protection and resource use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nations participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) are particularly vulnerable to the challenges posed by climate change due to their extensive trading activities. The need to protect the environment and mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change in these countries is of utmost importance. Therefore, this study contributes to the scientific understanding of this issue by examining the relationship between trade openness and environmental sustainability in 89 BRI countries from 1990 to 2020. Additionally, control variables, including economic growth, energy consumption, urbanization, industrialization, and foreign direct investment, are considered to address omitted variable bias issues. The study utilizes the Augmented Mean Group (AMG) and Common Correlated Effects Mean Group (CCEMG) regression estimators, and the findings reveal that trade openness improves environmental sustainability. However, economic growth, energy consumption, urbanization, and industrialization degrade environmental sustainability. Interestingly, the results affirm foreign direct investment as a trivial determinant of environmental sustainability. Regarding causal relationships, reciprocal causalities are observed between trade openness and carbon emissions, energy consumption and carbon emissions, and urbanization and carbon emissions. Furthermore, one-way causalities exist from economic growth to carbon emissions and from carbon emissions to foreign direct investment. Nevertheless, no causal relationship is identified between industrialization and carbon emissions. Based on these significant findings, it is recommended that China, as a prominent player in the BRI, takes further steps to enhance and promote energy-efficient practices in BRI countries. One practical approach is the establishment of energy efficiency standards for the goods and services traded with these countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, and reducing carbon emissions in this sector is essential for mitigating global warming. To achieve China's targets of carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060, promoting low-carbon agricultural technology (LCAT) is fundamental. This study examines the impact of farmers' risk perception on LCAT adoption behavior and its productivity effects with the Ordered Probit regression method, using micro survey data from 531 farmers in Shaanxi Province, China. The results show that farmers with stronger risk perceptions were more likely to adopt LCAT, based on their loss aversion characteristics. Additionally, farmers' perceptions of yield, market, and climate risks positively influence the adoption of LCAT, with market risk perception having the strongest effect. Adopting LCAT has significant production and spillover effects, improving the output rate of farmers' operating farmland and neighboring plots by 2.4% and 1.2%, respectively, for each additional measure adopted. This study contributes to the perception and loss aversion literature by examining farmers' adoption of low-carbon agricultural practices. This study sheds light on the importance of risk perception in the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices and can inform policies aimed at promoting the adoption of LCAT for achieving sustainable agriculture and mitigating climate change, highlighting the crucial role of sustainable environmental management in the agricultural sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the 1990s, environmental degradations received ample attention both in the academic community and the general public in China. However, these issues had appeared before over the past two millennia. Indeed, over the course of Chinese history, there were several "golden periods" such as the Han, the Tang, and the Ming and the Qing. Yet looking closely at their accomplishments, one can see that these glories, often built on marked agricultural expansion, caused serious detriments (loss of water source and forests, etc.) to the Chinese environment. In order for China to achieve a sustainable development into the future, one needs to draw historical lessons from the past and balance between the needs for economic growth and environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• COVID-19 presents unprecedented challenge to all facets of human endeavour. • A critical review of the negative and positive impacts of the pandemic is presented. • The danger of relying on pandemic-driven benefits to achieving SDGs is highlighted. • The pandemic and its interplay with circular economy (CE) approaches is examined. • Sector-specific CE recommendations in a resilient post-COVID-19 world are outlined. The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on the 11th of March 2020, but the world is still reeling from its aftermath. Originating from China, cases quickly spread across the globe, prompting the implementation of stringent measures by world governments in efforts to isolate cases and limit the transmission rate of the virus. These measures have however shattered the core sustaining pillars of the modern world economies as global trade and cooperation succumbed to nationalist focus and competition for scarce supplies. Against this backdrop, this paper presents a critical review of the catalogue of negative and positive impacts of the pandemic and proffers perspectives on how it can be leveraged to steer towards a better, more resilient low-carbon economy. The paper diagnosed the danger of relying on pandemic-driven benefits to achieving sustainable development goals and emphasizes a need for a decisive, fundamental structural change to the dynamics of how we live. It argues for a rethink of the present global economic growth model, shaped by a linear economy system and sustained by profiteering and energy-gulping manufacturing processes, in favour of a more sustainable model recalibrated on circular economy (CE) framework. Building on evidence in support of CE as a vehicle for balancing the complex equation of accomplishing profit with minimal environmental harms, the paper outlines concrete sector-specific recommendations on CE-related solutions as a catalyst for the global economic growth and development in a resilient post-COVID-19 world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Great difficulty in characterizing the spatial pattern and scale of regional surface urban heat islands (RSUHIs) over urban agglomerations is mainly attributed to the RSUHI extent exceeding urban boundaries and strong variations in the background climate state and land cover. A new method that successfully addresses these problems by applying the spatial similarity of the land surface temperature (LST) annual cycle in urban agglomerations is proposed to characterize the RSUHI spatial pattern and scale in the Yangtze River Delta of China. This method has good adaptability to complex terrain and climate variations and simultaneously identifies the RSUHI spatial pattern and scale. The RSUHI spatial extent averaged 3.7 × 104 km2 in 2003–2020, which is 1.5–2.0 times the urban extent, and had a fluctuating but increasing tendency. Rapid urbanization and the spatial pattern‐shifting LST anomalies were mainly responsible for the fluctuating RSUHI extent during 2003–2020. Plain Language Summary: In contrast with a single city, urban agglomerations can create regional urban heat islands and threaten environmental sustainability, biodiversity, and resource and energy consumption on a regional scale. Accurately quantifying the spatiotemporal variations of regional urban heat islands is of practical importance to urban planning and environmental management in terms of shaping rational urban clusters, mitigating heat‐related health risks and improving human comfort in urban agglomerations. We propose a new method that reasonably identifies the urban–rural cliff of the land surface temperature in urban agglomerations using a spatial similarity algorithm, and we simultaneously identify the spatial pattern and scale of regional urban heat islands in the Yangtze River Delta of China. The proposed method has great potential in mitigating heat‐related health risks and improving urban design owing to its good adaptability to complex terrain, land cover and climate variations. Key Points: Rapid urbanization leads to strong differences in the annual cycle of the land surface temperature (LST) between urban and nonurban areasA new method based on the similarity of annual cycles of the LST is proposed to quantify regional heat island effectsThis method adapts well to complex terrain, land‐cover changes and climate variations and has great potential in urban planning [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regrowth of forests is expected to be an important driver in the large uptake of anthropogenic CO2 emissions by the terrestrial biosphere. Yet estimates of carbon sink capacity in mid-high latitude regrowth forests still remain unclear. The Loess Plateau (LP), a key region of the Grain to Green Program (GTGP), leads in the greening of China, while China leads in the greening of the world. For the sake of global ecological sustainability and accurate global carbon sink evaluation, the detection and attribution of vegetation growth on the LP requires further research after 20 years of ecological restoration. In this study, significant continuous rises (increases of 7.45 gC·m−2·a−2, R2 = 0.9328, p < 0.01) in net primary production (NPP) have occurred in the past 20 years. Rapid growth of forest NPP and expansion of forested areas in the southeastern regions has led to vegetation restoration on the LP. Human activities contributed 64.2% to the NPP increases, while climate variations contributed 35.8%. NPP in forests and croplands was dominated by human activities, while grassland NPP was mainly influenced by climate variations on the LP. Meanwhile, a strong El Niño event exacerbated the obstruction of large-scale ecological restoration. These conclusions can provide theoretical support for carbon-cycle assessment and the evaluation of sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous development of industry, the massive emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) has become a global challenge that cannot be ignored due to its nature as the primary driver of global climate change and environmental crisis. Carbon neutrality is proposed as a global initiative to mitigate climate change. As a developing industrial country, China provides about one-third of global carbon emissions and has set a carbon-neutral goal by 2060. To achieve this goal, continuous efforts across the country are required. In this review, Zhejiang Province, one of the most developed regions in China, is set as a model for analysis. We first summarize the current situation of carbon emission in Zhejiang Province. Then, corresponding sustainable approaches such as ecological and industrial solutions for the reduction of future carbon emissions are introduced for Zhejiang Province. We also provide a direction for the realization of carbon neutrality, focusing on the most promising solutions for Zhejiang Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to climate change and rapid urbanization, contemporary cities face the dual challenges of providing sufficient stormwater management and adequate park services, which potentially conflict over limited space and resources. To solve these problems, cities are increasingly combining stormwater infrastructure with park space in ways that create new efficiencies. To date, most research has focused on the stormwater management performance aspect of these combinations and not the techniques employed to achieve the combined goals. To fill this gap, 23 sponge city parks in Shanghai were investigated to examine the combination of stormwater and park services. Our findings show that stormwater techniques were primarily combined with the park facilities of water areas, paved open spaces, and pathways. Additionally, we found that larger parks employed a wider range of techniques for managing stormwater runoff and supported broader sets of park activities, while those at smaller scales prioritized infiltration, detention, and purification measures, as well as concentrated on social and economic activities. This study is the first to explore SPC parks that integrate stormwater management and park services, thereby providing implications for SPC development in China and insights into the ways that the two properties can be combined in other cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agroforestry systems are widely promoted for their economic and environmental benefits. Food, energy, water and land resources in agroforestry systems are inextricably intertwined and expected to be severely impacted by climate change. Socioeconomic development and increasing populations have posed unique challenges for meeting the demand for food, energy, water and land, and the challenge will become more pressing under projected resource shortages and eco-environmental deterioration. Thus, a method of optimizing and sustainably managing the water-land-food-energy nexus in agroforestry systems under climate change must be developed. This paper develops an optimization model framework for the sustainable management of limited water-land-food-energy resources in agroforestry systems under climate change. The aims are to (1) quantify the interactions and feedbacks within water, land, food and energy subsystems; (2) provide trade-offs among water and energy utilization efficiency, economic benefits and environmental protection in agroforestry systems; and (3) generate optimal policy options among water and land resources for different crops and woodlands in different regions under different climate change patterns. The model framework is based on multiobjective fractional programming, and compromise programming is used to solve it. Climate change patterns are obtained from atmospheric circulation models and representative concentration pathways. The above aims are investigated through an actual nexus management problem in northeast China. Spatiotemporal meteorological and report-based databases, life cycle assessments, Pearson correlation analyses, data envelopment analyses and analytic hierarchy processes are integrated to realize practical application. The results show that climate variation will change the water and land allocation patterns and these changes will be more pronounced for major grain-producing areas. The optimized water allocation decreased (especially for rice, e.g., the optimal average value of the irrigation quota of rice was 4226 m3/ha, while the corresponding actual irrigation requirement of rice was [4200–7200] m3/ha) to improve the water use efficiency, and surface water allocation accounted for two-thirds. Maize had the largest planting area, although planting soybean generated the most greenhouse gases (greenhouse gas emissions from field activities for rice, maize, and soybean were 43.46%, 84.06% and 91.16%, respectively); However, these gases can be absorbed by forests. The model improved the harmonious degree of the resource-economy-environment system from 0.24 to 0.56 after optimization. Integrated models contribute to the sustainable management of water, food, energy and land resources and can consider the complex dynamics under climate change. It can be used as a general model and extended to other agroforestry systems that show inefficient agricultural production. [Display omitted] • Food, energy, water and land resources in agroforestry systems are inseparable and are impacted by climate change. • A cooperative optimization model is proposed to manage water-land-food-energy nexus (WLFEN) and cope with climate change. • Resources reallocation in WLFEN improve synergy of resource use efficiency, economic benefit and environmental impacts. • Inner linkage and synergy exist among resources in WLFEN in agroforestry systems and they are sensitive to climate change. • We put forward a quantitative way to assist managing agricultural resources sustainability in a change environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hundreds of millions of smallholders in emerging countries substantially overuse nitrogen (N) fertilizers, driving local environmental pollution and global climate change. Despite local demonstrationscale successes, widespread mobilization of smallholders to adopt precise N management practices remains a challenge, largely due to associated high costs and complicated sampling and calculations. Here, we propose a long-term steady-state N balance (SSNB) approach without these complications that is suitable for sustainable smallholder farming. The hypothesis underpinning the concept of SSNB is that an intensively cultivated soil-crop system with excessive N inputs and high N losses can be transformed into a steadystate system with minimal losses while maintaining high yields. Based on SSNB, we estimate the optimized N application range across 3,824 crop counties for the three staple crops in China. We evaluated SSNB first in ca. 18,000 researcher-managed on-farm trials followed by testing in on-farm trials with 13,760 smallholders who applied SSNB-optimized N rates under the guidance of local extension staff. Results showed that SSNB could significantly reduce N fertilizer use by 21 to 28%while maintaining or increasing yields by 6 to 7%, compared to current smallholder practices. The SSNB approach could become an effective tool contributing to the global N sustainability of smallholder agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article uses recursivity theory to examine the emerging nature and position of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) from four different perspectives. Part one describes important domestic drivers within China providing motives for the AIIB initiative. These include domestic overinvestment in infrastructure and construction, combined with environmental stresses compelling the shift towards a more sustainable economy. Part two examines regional networks and linkages that the AIIB is becoming part of. These include China's 'one belt, one road' initiative, and various collective initiatives based around ASEAN. In part three, this article explores the AIIB's appearance on the development finance scene as an example of 'contested multilateralism'--where a new multilateral institution emerges to challenge the rules and practices of existing institutions. The AIIB has entered into co-financing agreements with many of its multilateral development bank peers. Its standards and procedures are strongly influenced by existing ones, even while it begins to influence the practices of its partner multilateral development banks. Part four examines the potential influence of a future alliance between the AIIB and the UNCCC's Green Climate Fund. Such an alliance would require an even greater degree of compliance by the AIIB with global standards of transparency and good governance, as well as expanding the scope for the AIIB to influence regional climate change adaptation and mitigation infrastructure initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's large population and deteriorating environment have created great concern related to the sustainability of food production, especially since details related to this topic remain poorly studied. Thus, an integrated analysis of both crop yield and cultivated area is essential for gaining a better understanding of cereal grain production in China and for making corresponding policies designed to achieve food security. In this study, we adopt trend analysis of both provincial yield and cultivated area to assess the subsequent provincial-level cereal production sustainability between 1980 and 2011 with the goal of providing a better understanding of regional agricultural development. The results indicate that while maize shows the most promise for yield improvement, rice and wheat production is experiencing substantial yield stagnation among most provinces across mainland China. In addition, the trends in spatial patterns are prominently different from those of yields. The sizes of the main rice- and wheat-growing areas in China have declined greatly, suggesting that the related production of these cereals should attract more attention from land management planners and farmers. Specifically, the south-eastern coastal provinces have largely failed to sustain both crop yield and area, while the north-eastern provinces have witnessed thriving agricultural production during the last three decades. Moreover, we find that cereal production in China is significantly affected by governmental policies related to the agricultural sector. Thus, this analysis of food production in China will help policymakers to better understand how the potential implications of food security in China may be applicable to countries worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and help mitigate climate change, urban water systems need to be adapted so that electrical energy use is minimised. In this study, energy data from 2011 was used to quantify energy use in China's urban water supply sector. The objective was to calculate the energy co-benefits of urban water conservation policies and compare energy use between China and other countries. The study investigated influencing factors with the aim of informing the development of energy efficient urban water infrastructure. The average energy use per cubic metre and per capita for urban water supply in China in 2011 was 0.29 kWh/m and 33.2 kWh/cap year, respectively. Total GHG emissions associated with energy use in the urban water supply sector were 7.63 MtCOe, or carbon dioxide equivalent. Calculations using these indicators showed significant energy savings could result from water conservation measures. A comparison between provinces of China showed a direct correlation between energy intensity of urban water supply and the population served per unit length of pipe. This may imply energy and emission intensity can be reduced if more densely populated areas are supplied by a corresponding pipe density, rather than by a low-density network operating at higher flow rates. This study also found that while the percentage of electrical energy used for urban water supply tended to increase with the percentage of population served, this increase was slower where water supply was more energy efficient and where a larger percentage of population was already supplied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid population growth and increased economic activity impose an urgent challenge on the sustainability of water resources in Beijing. Water resources system is a complex uncertain system under climate change which is of vulnerability. But water resources system vulnerability research is relatively weak. In this study, we present a multifunctional hierarchy indicator system for the performance evaluation of water resources vulnerability (WRV) under climate change. We established an evaluation model, i.e., analytic hierarchy process combining set pair analysis (AHPSPA) model, for assessing WRV, in which weight is determined by the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method and the evaluation degrees are determined by the set pair analysis (SPA) theory. According to the principle of scientificalness, representative, completeness and operability, the index systems and standard of water resources vulnerability evaluation are established based on the analysis of sensibility and adaptability which include five subsystems: climate change, water resources change, social and economic infrastructure, water use level and water security capability. The AHPSPA model is used to assess water resource vulnerability in Beijing with 26 indexes under eight kinds of future climate change scenarios. Certain and uncertain information quantity of the WRV is calculated by connection numbers in the AHPSPA model. Results show that the WRV of Beijing is in the middle vulnerability (3 or III) under above-mentioned different climate change scenarios. The uncertain information is between 37.77 and 39.99 % in the WRV evaluation system in Beijing. Compared with present situation, the WRV will become better under scenario I and III and will become worse under scenario II, scenario IV, scenario representative concentration pathways (RCP)2.6, scenario RCP4.5, scenario RCP6.0 and scenario RCP8.5. In addition, we find that water resources change and water use level factors play more important role in the evaluation system of water resource vulnerability in Beijing. Finally, we make some suggestions for water resources management of Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable management of water for human uses and maintaining river health requires reliable information about the future availability of water resources. We quantified the separate and combined impacts of climate and land cover changes on runoff for the historical record and for modelled future scenarios in the upper Han River and Luan River, supply and demand zones respectively of the middle route of the South to North Water Transfer Project in China, the world's largest inter-basin water transfer project. We used a precipitation-runoff model, averaged multiple climate model predictions combined with three emissions scenarios, a combined CA-Markov model to predict land cover change, and a range of statistical tests. Comparing baseline with 2050: climate change would cause an average reduction in runoff of up to 15 % in the upper Han River and up to 9 % in the Luan River catchment; a scenario involving increased forest cover would reduce runoff by up to 0.19 % in the upper Han River and up to 35 % in the Luan River; a scenario involving increased grass cover would increase runoff by up to 0.42 % in the upper Han River and up to 20 % in the Luan River. In the lower Luan River, the mean annual flow after 1998 fell to only 17 % of that of the baseline period, posing a serious threat to river health. This was explained largely by extraction of surface water and groundwater, rather than climate and land use change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in rainfall and streamflow due to climate change have an adverse impact on hydropower generation reliability and scheduling of cascade hydropower stations. To estimate the impact of climate change on hydropower, a combination of climate, hydrological, and hydropower scheduling models is needed. Here, we take the Jinsha River as an example to estimate the impact of climate change on total power generation of the cascade hydropower stations and residual load variance of the power grid. These two goals are solved by applying an improved multi-objective cuckoo search algorithm, and a variety of strategies for the optimal dispatch of hydropower stations are adopted to improve the efficiency of the algorithm. Using streamflow prediction results of CMIP5 climate data, in conjunction with the Xinanjiang model, the estimated results for the next 30 years were obtained. The results indicated that the negative correlation between total power generation and residual load variance under the RCP 2.6 scenario was weaker than that under the RCP 8.5. Moreover, the average power generation and the average residual load variance in RCP 2.6 was significantly larger than that in RCP 8.5. Thus, reducing carbon emissions is not only beneficial to ecological sustainability, but also has a positive impact on hydropower generation. Our approaches are also applicable for cascade reservoirs in other river catchments worldwide to estimate impact of climate change on hydropower development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]