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This paper proposes a novel aviation CO 2 emissions reduction method by introducing a market-based incentive mechanism. An aviation carbon emissions prediction model is proposed to characterize both the microscopic flight dynamics and the macroscopic air traffic demand trend. Based on emissions prediction, a linear climate response model is applied to evaluate the environmental impact of the aviation carbon emissions. Finally, a market-based framework for aviation CO 2 emissions reduction is established based on a two-phase carbon trading model, which provides a piecewise charge method through emission taxation and cap-and-trade. A case study is carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework using a real-world dataset from the Hefei Air Traffic Control Zone in China. Three scenarios are defined to describe the possible development speed of sustainable aviation fuel application in the future: not applied, medium-speed development, and high-speed development. The results show that the carbon peak will be reached in 2025 in the high-speed development scenario, when the emission amount and associated environmental impact will be reduced by 23.7% and 22.3%, respectively. Thus, the market-based framework proposed in this paper can effectively reduce aviation CO 2 emissions and mitigate the effects of global warming. • An aviation CO 2 emissions prediction model is proposed considering both microscopic flight dynamics and macroscopic traffic demand. • A more efficient market-based CO 2 emission reduction framework is developed based on a two-phase carbon trading model by means of taxation and cap-and-trade. • Case study shows that the proposed method has a more optimal incentive for CO 2 emission reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of climate change, innovative financing solutions and the rapid development of financial technology (fintech) offer great potential for the growth of renewable energy. Based on panel data from 30 provinces in China, this paper explores the impact of fintech on renewable energy growth by employing the instrumental variable-generalized method of moments (IV-GMM). We also pay attention to the nexus between fintech and renewable energy growth at different quantiles. This paper also explores the moderating role of the digital economy and the mediating role of green technological innovation. The main results indicate that (1) fintech positively affects renewable energy growth in China; (2) the positive effect between fintech and renewable energy is stronger in provinces with lower levels of renewable energy growth; (3) the digital economy, on the one hand, can significantly accelerate renewable energy growth; on the other hand, under the help of the digital economy, fintech can play a more effective role in increasing renewable energy growth; and (4) fintech indirectly promotes renewable energy growth by increasing the level of green technology innovation. The findings provide meaningful references for governments and policymakers and encourage the accelerated adoption of fintech in the sustainable energy sectors. • The role of financial technologies "fintech" on renewable energy growth is explored. • Fintech successfully stimulates the development of renewable energy. • The impact of fintech on renewable energy growth is asymmetric. • Digital economy facilitates the positive role of fintech in increasing renewable energy growth. • Green technology innovation is the path through which fintech affects renewable energy growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric vehicles (EVs) are widely recognized as low-carbon transportation that adopts green and clean technology with contributing to mitigating global climate change. However, it appears that the practice in using EVs has not gained widespread popularity despite the promotion of various incentives with the presence of various restricting factors and challenges. In conducting this study in the context of China, we hypothesize that restricting factors have varying impacts on promoting EVs in China, where the adoption of EVs is of great potential. This paper identifies these restricting factors by applying AHP-FCE integrated approach, and these factors are classified into five dimensions, namely, technical, infrastructural, economic, governance and social. The results indicate that the top five restricting factors are security issues, limited driving range, long charging time, improper distribution of charging stations and lack of sharing between charging piles respectively. Our research contributes to a better understanding of EV restricting factors and their significance, which offers the assistance in the formulation of policies and decisions in order to promote effectively EVs in China. • The promotion of EVs is of great potential in China for mitigating global climate change. • Explore the RFPEVs in China using AHP-FCE integrated approach. • The RFPEVs in China can be classified into five dimensions, namely, technical, infrastructural, economic, governance and social. • The technical and infrastructural related are the most important constraints. • The main three important restricting factors are security issues, limited driving range, long charging time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How various peoples crossed geographical barriers, were affected by climate change and human-made technologies comprise some of the most interesting quandaries in the history of cultures. This paper considers the Hu line, which is a major boundary between population centres and different environments in China. The boundary became evident approximately 11,400 years ago; however, evidence suggests that people crossed through at 5200, 3800, and 2800 cal a BP, facilitating the increases of the trans-Eurasian exchange. The timings of the crossings correspond to the weakening of the East Asian summer monsoon that triggers seesaw changes of precipitation in western and eastern China. This analysis demonstrates that climate change on a millennial-to-centennial scale can have a profound influence on population distribution with long-term consequences., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Science China Press. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This paper presents projections of climate extremes over China under global warming of 1.5, 2, and 3 °C above pre-industrial (1861-1900), based on the latest Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 (CMIP6) simulations. Results are compared with what produced by the precedent phase of the project, CMIP5. Model evaluation for the reference period (1985-2005) indicates that CMIP6 models outperform their predecessors in CMIP5, especially in simulating precipitation extremes. Areal averages for changes of most indices are found larger in CMIP6 than in CMIP5. The emblematic annual mean temperature, when averaged over the whole of China in CMIP6, increases by 1.49, 2.21, and 3.53 °C (relative to 1985-2005) for 1.5, 2, and 3 °C above-preindustrial global warming levels, while the counterpart in CMIP5 is 1.20, 1.93 and 3.39 °C respectively. Similarly, total precipitation increases by 5.3%, 8.6%, and 16.3% in CMIP6 and by 4.4%, 7.0% and 12.8% in CMIP5, respectively. The spatial distribution of changes for extreme indices is generally consistent in both CMIP5 and CMIP6, but with significantly higher increases in CMIP6 over Northeast and Northwest China for the hottest day temperature, and South China for the coldest night temperature. In the south bank of the Yangtze River, and most regions around 40°N, CMIP6 shows higher increases for both total precipitation and heavy precipitation. The projected difference between CMIP6 and CMIP5 is mainly attributable to the physical upgrading of climate models and largely independent from their emission scenarios., (Copyright © 2021 Science China Press. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions and climate change risk have become constraints on global economic sustainable development. Environmental regulation (ER) is a key method for achieving synergy in CO 2 and pollution reduction in China. This paper is the first study to explore the effects of ER on CO 2 emissions by exploiting the National Environmental Protection 11th Five-Year Plan (NEP11-FYP). The implementation of the NEP11-FYP significantly decreases CO 2 emissions by 19.73% in key environmental cities relative to other cities. Heterogeneity analyses suggest that this negative impact is larger in western cities and cities with more pressure to reduce CO 2 emissions. Scale effects, structural effects, and technical effects might be three potential influencing channels through which ER contributes to the CO 2 reduction effect. In addition, the results of the spatial externality of the NEP11-FYP demonstrate a positive spillover effect in neighboring cities within a distance of 300 km and a negative spillover effect in cities more than 500 km away. Our empirical findings provide policy implications for implementing low-carbon transition strategies and reducing CO 2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of extreme precipitation on Chinese industrial output and its total factor productivity (TFP) using data from the annual survey of industrial firms (ASIF) and daily weather data. The findings demonstrate a significant reduction in industrial firm output as a result of precipitation, with extreme daily precipitation decreasing output by approximately 1.22%. We provide an explanation for this precipitation-industrial output relationship from four perspectives: per capita wages, labor productivity, inventory, and depreciation. The effects of extreme precipitation are more pronounced in high-income and high-precipitation regions, as well as among foreign firms and low-technology firms. Our research suggests that extreme daily precipitation poses a serious obstacle to the development of the manufacturing industry. These results are crucial for understanding the economic impact and concealed costs of climate change, highlighting that extreme precipitation should be recognized as one of the primary sources of damage associated with climate change in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change induced by carbon emissions has received extensive global attention. However, with the ever-increasing environmental attention from governments, whether firms, as main contributors to carbon emissions, have responded to the government's call to achieve carbon abatement target is uncertain. To answer this question, we manually collected urban government work reports from 2007-2016 and extracted environment-related textual content to quantify government environmental attention (GEA). Employing firms' carbon emission data from National Tax Survey Database (NTSD), this paper explores the impact of GEA on firms' carbon emissions governance. We observe that the increase in GEA cuts firms' carbon emissions. The results remain solid after using the instrumental variable method to alleviate endogeneity problems. The mechanism analysis reveals that GEA reduces firms' carbon emissions via three environmental-related decision-making behaviors of government: environmental regulations, fiscal expenditure and subsidy policies, and energy structure transformation strategies. Heterogeneity analysis shows that GEA notably reduces firms' carbon emissions from burning coal and oil energy. Moreover, firms in eastern-north, central, and western regions are more susceptible to GEA, while the impact is insignificant for firms in eastern regions. Furthermore, the carbon reduction performance is more pronounced for enterprises in capital-intensive, technology-intensive, and high polluting industries. This study provides a reference for policymakers to ensure the enforcement of carbon emissions governance of firms and to reach carbon abatement targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable agriculture and rural development (SARD) plays a crucial role in maintaining natural resources, protecting the ecological environment, enhancing global food security, eradicating poverty, and even promoting rural revitalization. To understand the degree of implementation of SARD in the Shenfu coalfield under climate change, three villages that had different levels of energy development were selected. The linear trends and the Mann-Kendall method were used to analyse the climate change characteristics in the study area and a coordinated development model was employed to measure both the SARD coordination and its coordination degree and to analyse the perceptions of farmers, the adaption strategies they have employed, and the factors influencing the success of SARD. The results demonstrate that the climate in the study area has generally become warmer and drier, and this change has increased the vulnerability of the ecological environment and has had adverse impacts on local SARD. Farmers' perceptions of climate change are in line with climate records, but their perceptions of temperature change exhibit a certain time lag. In addition, their adaptation strategies are conducted autonomously, and they vary among the three villages. Based on these results, it is recommended that the local government implement additional policies relating to carbon capture and storage technologies to reduce the adverse effects of climate change. Factors influencing the success of SARD in the three villages are as follows: rapid urbanization; low incomes provided from crop farming; the outflow of primary and middle school students together with the accompanying population; climate warming and the increased frequency of extreme weather events; and environmental pollution and secondary geological disasters caused by coal mining. For all three villages, only by ensuring the synchronization of energy development and environmental protection can SARD be realized in the study area. Countermeasures that can be used to promote SARD in the Shenfu coalfield are proposed in this paper, and they include adjusting the industrial structure in the study area with respect to water conditions, selecting appropriate crop varieties, and accelerating the development of the alfalfa industry in response to national initiatives. • In the study area, the annual mean temperature increased while annual mean precipitation decreased, and this change has increased the vulnerability of the ecological environment while causing adverse impacts on local SARD. Farmers' perceptions about climate change are in basic agreement with climate records, although their perception of the temperature mutation slightly lags behind the one recorded. • Farmers' perceptions of climate change are in line with climate records, but their perceptions of temperature change exhibit a certain time lag. In addition, their adaptation strategies are conducted autonomously, and they vary among the three villages. Based on these results, it is recommended that the local government implement additional policies relating to carbon capture and storage technologies to reduce the adverse effects of climate change. • Factors influencing the success of SARD in the three villages are as follows: rapid urbanization; low incomes provided from crop farming; the outflow of primary and middle school students together with the accompanying population; climate warming and the increased frequency of extreme weather events; and environmental pollution and secondary geological disasters caused by coal mining. • For all three villages, only by ensuring the synchronization of energy development and environmental protection can SARD be realized in the study area. • Countermeasures that can be used to promote SARD in the Shenfu coalfield are proposed in this paper, and they include adjusting the industrial structure in the study area with respect to water conditions, selecting appropriate crop varieties, and accelerating the development of the alfalfa industry in response to national initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change leads to the frequent occurrence of natural disasters. It has had a severe impact on agricultural economic growth in China. Based on data in China from 2004 to 2020, this paper uses a fixed-effect model to discuss the effects of natural disasters on agricultural economic growth. The empirical results are as follows. (1) Natural disasters negatively affect agricultural economic growth. The regression coefficient of natural disasters on agricultural economic growth is −0.1183. (2) The inhibition of agricultural economic growth by natural disasters is more prominent in areas with low government attention and average agricultural production conditions. (3) The mechanism analysis shows that natural disasters inhibit agricultural economic growth through channels that cause the spread of diseases and pests. (4) Expanding the scale of agricultural insurance can prevent the impact of natural disasters on agricultural economic growth. This research provides policy recommendations for preventing the negative impacts of natural disasters. Agricultural producers should raise awareness of disaster management and improve the accuracy of disaster warning mechanisms. • This paper measures the level of natural disasters in China. • This paper expands the application field of functional data analysis methods. • This paper examines the mechanism of natural disasters affecting agricultural economic growth. • This paper provides policy suggestions for ensuring agricultural economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preventing the impact of natural disasters on urban-rural income inequality helps to achieve shared prosperity. This paper uses the functional entropy weight method to calculate the level of natural disasters from 2004 to 2020. Then, this paper discusses the impact of natural disasters on the urban-rural income gap. The empirical results are as follows. (1) Natural disasters have expanded the urban-rural income gap. The regression coefficient is 0.2663, which is significant at the 1% level. (2) In areas with a high proportion of the rural population, the impact of natural disasters is more prominent. (3) Mechanism analysis indicates that natural disasters have widened the urban-rural income gap by restraining rural investment and agricultural production. Finally, this paper suggests strengthening investment in the agricultural sector to mitigate the negative impact of natural disasters. • This paper uses the functional entropy weight method to calculate the level of natural disasters. • This paper quantitatively measures the impact of natural disasters on the urban-rural income gap. • This paper examines the mechanism of the impact of natural disasters on the urban-rural income gap. • This paper provides policy suggestions for narrowing the urban-rural income gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking China's provincial panel data from 2010 to 2020 as an example, this paper verifies that climate change, especially extreme climate change, can destabilize China's financial stability and explores the transmission path of climate risks with meteorological disaster losses as the channel variable. Our empirical results demonstrate that: (a) only after the extreme climate change breaks through a certain threshold, thus causing a significant impact on the financial system; (b) we cannot ignore the improvement of disaster prevention and reduction ability brought by the improvement of social and economic development level; (c) the impact of extreme climate change will spread to the financial system through the economic losses caused by meteorological disasters; (d) there is obvious regional heterogeneity in the spread of meteorological disaster losses to the financial system. Our results are robust to a wider battery of checks and have important policy implications. • This paper empirically tests the impact of climate change on financial stability. • Extreme climate change will damage China's financial stability. • The economic losses caused by climate disasters will spread to the finance. • The transmission of such losses has obvious regional heterogeneity. • This paper provides policy implication for coping with climate risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decentralization has always been considered the reason local governments in China lack incentives for green development. Whether conferring honorary titles can motivate the competition mode of local governments to shift to low-carbon sustainable development is a scientific problem worth studying. In this paper, the civilized city policy is taken as a quasi-experiment, and its effect is evaluated using the method of difference-in-differences. The results show that civilized city policy can effectively promote the improvement of green total factor carbon efficiency. The mechanism is that the policy encourages local governments to mobilize multiple actors to participate in green development practices including strengthening local governments' environmental control, promoting the technological innovation of enterprises, and increasing public participation in environmental affairs. Heterogeneity analysis of local government incentives shows that the civilized city policy is more effective in cities where local officials are less than 54 years old and the city GDP growth rate is midstream in the province. The study confirms that awarding honorary titles to cities in China can effectively guide local governments toward a sustainable development model and provides new ideas for other countries in the world to use local policies to address global climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The influences of the geometric parameters of the reactor on the SCPP-HPCR are investigated. • A formula is proposed to calculate the CO 2 emissions reduction of the system. • The optimal operating conditions of the SCPP-HPCR is analyzed. • 2.38 kg of CH 4 is degraded and 375.52 kg of CO 2 is reduced through the system one day. The increase of 1.09 °C in global temperature resulted in significant catastrophes because of the extreme climate. The climate change rate can be slowed down by reducing the levels of CH 4 and CO 2 in the atmosphere. The solar chimney power plant integrated with a honeycomb photocatalytic reactor (SCPP-HPCR) uses the photocatalytic technology to remove atmospheric CH 4. In addition, CO 2 emissions can be reduced from coal fired power plant due to the generating capacity of the system. In this paper, the influence of the geometric parameters of the reactor and turbine on the overall performance of the SCPP-HPCR is studied by numerical simulation. The obtained results showed that the flow resistance inside the system was mostly caused by the HPCR at low turbine speed, and primarily by the turbine at high turbine speed. Reducing the pore diameter of the reactor could improve the photocatalytic performance of the SCPP-HPCR more than increasing the turbine speed. The SCPP-HPCR having a pore diameter of 3 mm, porosity of 0.85, and constant turbine speed of 180 rpm, built in Qianyanzhou, China, could remove 2.38 kg of CH 4 and reduce 375.52 kg of CO 2 in one day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A revised temperature model is built to study the thermal stratification. • The reservoir has a reverse thermal stratification and two overturning in a year. • Low water level can weaken the stability and lengthen the spring overturning. • High inflow volume can strength the stability and defer the spring overturning. Thermal structure plays a significant role in the aquatic ecosystem of reservoirs. In this paper, thermal structure of a large reservoir for water supply in northeast China has been studied. Considering the reservoir has a 150 days icebound period and the ice cover can affect the heat transfer process, we built a revised numerical simulation model based on EFDC to study the temporal and spatial variation of thermal stratification. The absolute mean error (AME) and mean absolute relative error (MARE) between modeled and observed water temperature are 0.40 °C and 7.15%, respectively. The results indicate that the validated model can successfully reproduce the temporal and spatial variation of water temperature. The model results indicate that the reservoir has a reverse thermal stratification in icebound season and there are two over-turning events in a year. Six hypothetical scenarios including the extreme change in the air temperature, inflow discharge, and the water level had been built to quantify the influences of changes in climate and hydrology conditions on the thermal structure. This paper provides a simplified method for the simulation of the water temperature in the reservoir with an icebound season, which can provide a reference for other reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is currently facing a critical challenge in completing its second radical energy transition from fossil to zero-carbon energy amidst the impacts of climate change and the international landscape. In order to clarify the concept of energy transition and the challenges facing China's energy transition, this paper adopts a research framework with Multi-Level Perspective to sort out China's energy history. Drawing on China's energy transition experience, this paper derives four key conclusions. Firstly, the energy transition is a comprehensive transformation of the energy system, which is influenced by the macro landscape, socio-technical regime and innovation niche. Secondly, based on the intensity of the transition, the historical energy transitions can be divided into two categories: incremental energy transitions and radical energy transitions. Thirdly, China's past energy transitions are mainly incremental energy transitions. Influenced by the macro environment and socio-technical regime, the transition process is mostly iterative and tortuous. Fourthly, China's energy transition is facing significant challenges in the current stage, with a tight schedule and heavy tasks, and a lack of basic scientific and technological theories and niche innovations. Building on these findings, specific recommendations to policy makers are provided. • The energy transition is a comprehensive transformation of the energy system. • China's past energy transitions are mainly incremental energy transitions. • China's energy transition faces great difficulties at this stage. • China must champion robust institutional reforms and expedite niche innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A dengue model is proposed with parameters linked to climate and human factors. • Both local and global stability of the disease-free equilibrium are analyzed. • Sensitive analysis reveals a decisive role of temperature in dengue spread. • Sensitive analysis discloses a local role of precipitation and human population. • Climate changes aggregate dengue burden more than human population. Dengue fever (DF) is a re-emerging disease spread by mosquitoes. It is primarily found in the tropics and subtropics, and its prevalence is heavily influenced by global warming. A comprehensive understanding of how the changes in climate and human population affect future dengue epidemics is crucial for effective prevention and control. In this paper we extend a mechanistic compartmental model for mosquito dynamics of immature and mature stages, coupled with human population dynamics. Stability analysis of the disease-free equilibrium is carried out analytically, and the basic reproduction number is derived. Model parameters are explicitly linked to climatic variables and human population density. Model validation suggests that the basic reproduction number acts as a reliable measure of the spread ability of DF in response to future scenarios of climate and human population change. Our model predicts that the risk area of DF will expand considerably in mainland China, and the expansion fronts are mainly extended in the center and east. Most importantly, sensitivity analysis and model prediction both show that while temperature is critical in determining the threshold suitability for DF transmission, precipitation and human population density act locally to regulate the spreading DF patterns, where high values of these two factors may significantly accelerate the spreading process. Our results indicate a strong call for increased attention in the areas that are currently safe from DF, but climatically suitable for DF spread as consequence of the fast-economic growth and rapid urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The silicon (Si) cycle is intimately interlinked with other biogeochemical cycles (e.g., carbon and nitrogen) and plays an important role in regulating long-term global climate change and biotic evolution in Earth's history. The abundance of cherts in Mesoproterozoic shallow-marine carbonates implies unique environmental conditions for silica precipitation, but the driving mechanism behind the Si cycle in Mesoproterozoic oceans remains unclear. In this paper, we report an integrated study of the cherts from the ∼1.48 Ga Wumishan Formation of North China. The Wumishan cherts predominantly consist of microquartz (∼90%), with some silica-replaced carbonate (∼5%) and minor pyrite (∼1%) grains, indicating that the cherts were largely formed through primary silica precipitation. High germanium/silicon molar ratios (Ge/Si = 0.71–19.1 μmol/mol; mean = 8.83) and positive europium anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.41–2.42; mean = 1.41) of the cherts suggest a considerable contribution from hydrothermally derived Si. Diverse microbial components, including organic-rich filaments, EPS (extracellular polymeric substances) relics, mat fragments and picocyanobacteria fossils, are observed in the Wumishan cherts. These components, together with abundant organominerals resulted from the interactions of microbes and dSi in ambient environments, imply that microbial activities played critical roles in silica deposition. The Si liberated from degraded EPS or EPS-Si complex may have locally increased the dSi concentrations and changed chemical conditions in the substrate and pore-waters, promoting silica precipitation. Given that picocyanobacteria and some other prokaryotes can accumulate significant amounts of silica in their cells and EPS, biogenic silica from decomposed microbial biomass may have exerted an important influence on silica precipitation in shallow-marine environments of the Mesoproterozoic ocean. [Display omitted] • Chert deposition in the ∼1.48 Ga Wumishan Fm was promoted by decomposed EPS-Si. • Si primarily sourced from seawater with a low contribution of hydrothermal-fluid silica. • The dSi concentrations of ∼0.67–1.0 mM estimated for the chert deposition lower than previous estimates for Precambrian oceans. • Microbial processes played critical roles in silica polymerization and the chert formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Holocene Temperature Conundrum refers to the mismatch between proxy-based temperature records and those based on climate model simulations. A possible reason for this mismatch is a putative proxy-based bias in reconstructed summer temperatures, and therefore, regional reconstructions of seasonal temperature are crucial for resolving the conundrum. In this paper, we reconstruct vegetation and climate changes over the last ∼10,000 years BP based on a high-resolution pollen record from Gushantun peatland, Changbai Mountains, Northeast China. Multiple quantitative reconstruction approaches were used and weighted averaging partial least squares regression (WAPLS) was found to be the most appropriate method for reconstructing Holocene temperature and precipitation. The reconstructed climate record shows that the Holocene Climate Optimum occurred between 8 ka and 6 ka and exhibited a cold month mean temperature that was 3 °C warmer than modern temperatures. Climate gradually cooled during late Holocene with a minimum cold month temperature of −19.6 °C. Four prominent cold events occurred around 8.7 ka BP, 7.8 ka BP, 5.7 ka BP, and 2.5 ka BP with an amplitude variation up to 3 °C. The synthesized seasonal temperature time series and a comparison with other proxies show that the decreasing trend in mean annual temperature is not a seasonal bias caused by summer temperature change. This study provides evidence of a Holocene seasonal temperature change at a regional scale and insights for further understanding of the Holocene Temperature Conundrum. • Reconstructed seasonal temperature changes based on a new high-resolution fossil pollen record in the Changbai Mountains • Synthesized climatic series in Northeast China to investigate the characteristics of regional temperature changes and their driving factors • Reconstructed winter temperature as evidence to address the alleged seasonal bias for the Holocene temperature conundrum [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic fluctuations in sea surface temperature within the North Atlantic Ocean (NA-SST) exert a pivotal influence on global climate change. Yet, the specific impacts of these variations on the temperature shifts within the Qinling-Bashan Mountains (QBM) of China, remain to be fully elucidated. Furthermore, a debate surrounding the manifestation of the Little Ice Age (LIA) within the QBM is ongoing, primarily due to the scarcity of reliable, long-term, and high-resolution temperature records. To bridge these knowledge gaps, in this paper, we present a ∼ 250-year temperature reconstruction (Tmax 11 – 7) developed based on a tree-ring-width chronology from the QBM. The new reconstruction not only aligns with a local winter temperature reconstruction based on historical document evidence, but also reveals robust regional and hemispheric temperature signals. Intriguingly, the study shows that the warming trend observed in the QBM since the Industrial Era is less pronounced than that witnessed across China and the Northern Hemisphere. The Tmax 11 – 7 reconstruction provides a glimpse into the final stages of the LIA, highlighting a relatively colder 19 th century followed by a warmer 20 th century. Notably, the warming trend post-1970s remains within the bounds of the 250-year temperature framework. The research further uncovers that NA-SST has predominantly governed the QBM's temperature fluctuations over the past centuries, as evidenced by the tight positive correlation between Atlantic multidecadal Oscillation (AMO)/Atlantic multidecadal variability (AMV) and Tmax 11 – 7. However, this dominant influence of NA-SST was temporarily subdued between 1900 and 1930 CE due to the interference of Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). This finding serves as a reminder that future temperature projections for the QBM must account not only for the primary role of NA-SST but also the modulating effects of the PDO. The study is essential for shaping effective environmental management and adaptation strategies in the region. • A ∼ 250-year temperature reconstruction is developed using tree rings from the QBM. • The QBM saw the last stage of the LIA and recent warming is within historical frame. • North Atlantic SST (NA-SST) played a positive and dominant role on QBM'S temperature changes. • Weakened NA-SST's impact on temperature in 1900–1930 CE was due to PDO's interference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming has aroused the attention all over the world, because not only can it directly damage the living environment, but it can also impact on the social and economic development, of a region in an obvious and far-reaching way. In this paper, we builded a trans-log production function model incorporating variables, such as rainfall, labor force, technology and temperature to simulate how climate changes impacted on the regional economics. Time series data of the domestic economy of Nanjing, a city in the southeast China, between 1996 and 2017, were used to verify the production theory of trans-log production frontier. The results showed that: with the rainfall increased and the temperature declined, the climate impact on the economy and the absolute value of the output elasticity of the frontier diminished. In addtion, the climate change was also positively related to the capital investment. The larger variation of temperature negatively impacted on the economic development. • This paper builds a trans-log production function model. • Time series data are used to verify the production theory of trans-log production frontiers. • Analyzing the effect of climate change on the regional economy. • The larger variation of temperature negatively impacted on the economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to globally uneven distribution of forest resources and timely difference of supply and demand, forest products are difficult to achieve market equilibrium among neighboring countries. The global forest product trade not only alleviates the contradiction of supply and demand, but also ensures the sustainable development of the economic construction for each country. Previous literature analyzed the structure and evolution mechanism of forest product trade from different perspectives, but ignored the competitive relationships among forest product importers. Based on complex network theory, this paper selected global wood forest product trade data from 2004 to 2016. Then we constructed global unweighted and weighted wood-forest-product competitive network from import perspective, and three indicators (density, average path length, and clustering coefficient), core–periphery model and two indicators of competitive intensity were introduced to study the spatial competitive evolution of global wood forest product trade among countries. The results showed that there was wide competition in global wood forest product trade among continents, and the tightness of competitive relationships gradually decreased with time. Secondly, core countries and periphery countries were clearly identified in the competitive network, and China, Japan, the U.S., were the main core countries influencing the evolution of core–periphery structure. Finally, the U.S. played an important role in the global competition system. But with the increment of demand for Asian market, China and other Asian countries gradually became the center of wood-forest-product competition. The research tried to provide some references for importers to follow the laws of global wood forest product trade, and formulate the corresponding policy under constructing sustainable society and facing climate change. • The paper considered the competitive relationship of global wood forest product trade. • TThe paper constructed global unweighted and weighted wood-forest-product competitive network, and studied spatial competitive evolution of global wood forest product trade. • The U.S. played an important role in the global competition system, but China and other Asian countries gradually became the center of global wood-forest-product competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yiluo region in the middle Yellow River has been a core area of archaeological inquiry for understanding the origins of the first dynastic states in China. In order to investigate the social changes on a regional scale, a systematic full-coverage regional survey project was carried out from 1997 to 2018, covering an area of 1183 km2 in the Yiluo region. This paper analyzes the settlement patterns of 451 sites of the Neolithic and Bronze Ages (ca. 6000–200 cal. BC), providing the most comprehensive pictures yet, of the spatial and temporal relationships of settlement distribution during a nearly 6000-year time span. The paper demonstrates a developmental trajectory from a landscape dotted with scattered, small Neolithic villages to a highly centralized dynastic heartland in early Chinese civilization. The evolutionary pathways were not straightforward, but were characterized by episodic fluctuations in population density, and the rise and fall of complex societies. Holocene climatic fluctuations may have played significant roles affecting human activities, but it is the human responses to external challenges in various ways that ultimately determined the trajectories of social evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to evaluate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of a Chinese highway tunnel in the life cycle. Life cycle assessment (LCA) method is adopted in the paper. Based on rock mass classification and pavement categories, five different functional units have been proposed for the first time. The system boundaries, processes and assumptions are defined. The study results indicate: 1) the GHG emissions of a double-track four-lane Chinese highway tunnel in 100 years can be up to 375.5 thousand tons of CO 2 eq. Cement and electricity contribute to more than 80% of the total emissions in all functional units. 2) The construction stage, operation stage and maintenance stage emit 30.89%, 56.12% and 12.99% of the total GHG respectively. During the construction stage, casting and lining, rock support and road work are the top three GHG emission processes. 3) Rock conditions are discovered to be an important factor of affecting GHG emissions in tunnels. The GHG emissions of the 1-m Chinese highway tunnel are between 82 t to 113 t CO 2 eq. With the increase of rock mass grades, GHG emissions rapidly rise if the pavement design stays the same. The emission differences among the functional units are mainly from materials. 4) Asphalt pavements tend to generate more GHG emissions than concrete pavement due to the more frequent replacements of asphalt pavements. This paper investigates the influences of rock conditions and pavement types on the GHG emissions of Chinese tunnels in the life cycle, which can provide a scientific reference for policy making of the Chinese government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Cities do play significant roles in tackling global environmental changes. Decoupling economic growth from environmental pressures is critical for global sustainable development, however, few studies pay attention to the decoupling analysis at city level. This paper conducts a comparative study of the decoupling performance of economic output from CO 2 emissions between Beijing and Shanghai, the top two cities in China. In this paper, the decoupling trends and the decoupling effects are explored from a sectoral perspective, by combining the Tapio decoupling elasticity and the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) model. The results show that Beijing and Shanghai both experienced weak decoupling in construction, expansive negative decoupling in transport, expansive coupling in trade, and weak decoupling in others over the period 2000–2015. Moreover, agriculture appeared strong decoupling in Beijing, and recessive decoupling in Shanghai; industry showed strong decoupling in Beijing, and weak decoupling in Shanghai. The decoupling effects showed different magnitudes and patterns in industrial sectors between Beijing and Shanghai. Overall, per-capita GDP and population growth inhibited the decoupling, while energy intensity, industrial share, energy mix accelerated the decoupling process. Highlights • The decoupling of sectoral economic output from carbon emissions in Beijing and Shanghai are investigated. • Beijing's industry enjoyed better decoupling performance than Shanghai's industry. • Transport should be put more emphasis in further decoupling efforts. • Energy intensity is crucial effect accelerating the decoupling process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Global climate change is a significant environmental problem. A major trigger of climate change is the excess carbon emissions. Based on 44 scenarios in the second generation of new dry cement technology systems, this paper establishes IPSO-BP model to forecast the carbon emissions peak of China's cement industry for 2016–2050 years. The results indicate that China's cement industry only implements capacity reduction plans and the second generation of new dry cement technology systems, so that carbon emissions can reach the peak before 2030. It is up to 19 years ahead of the carbon emissions peak of the basic scenario and the carbon emissions peak is reduced by 38 Mt. Moreover, this paper analyzes the technical combination of the earliest carbon emissions and the lowest carbon emissions. As for the earliest carbon emissions technical combination, China's cement industry carbon emissions will peak at 789.95 Mt in 2021. According to the lowest carbon emissions technical combination, China's cement industry carbon emissions will peak at 742.37 Mt in 2025. Accordingly, the conclusions will be helpful for making carbon emissions reduction policies for China's cement industry. Highlights • Carbon emission levels were reviewed from industrial output and technologies. • The prediction model of carbon emissions was built with improved PSO and BPNN model. • The scenarios were set to analyze carbon emission peak in China's cement industry. • Importance of technique and capacity reduction in China's cement industry is defined. • The best carbon emission peak plan for China's cement industry is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The periodicities of the climate change have long been explored by researchers not only because they reflect the inherent characteristics of the climate systems, but also because they are the foundations of climate-change predictability. This paper reports the periodicities of the hydroclimate variations reconstructed from a lacustrine sequence at Tiancun section (TC section) in the Luoyang Basin within the Central Plains of China and the sequence covers the first half of the Holocene. Our reconstruction shows that the hydroclimate variations at the TC section during the period from ∼10,135 and ∼ 5890 cal. yr BP were well corresponding with the effective soil moisture variations recorded by the stalagmite δ13C sequence at the Magou Cave. This corresponding relationship suggests that when the effective soil moisture increases (i.e., more negative δ13C values), the ratio of evaporation over precipitation in the paleolake at the TC section decreased, resulting in lower CaCO 3 content. It also suggests that when the effective soil moisture increases, more inflowing water entered the paleolake, resulting in coarser sediments. Our reconstruction also shows that the hydroclimate variations or lake level variations in the Luoyang Basin were characterized by millennial-scale quasi-periodicities that were most likely paced by the changes in ITCZ (Inter-tropical Convergent Zone) position and also by alterations in ENSO-like phase. And, both (ITCZ and ENSO) were most likely regulated by the solar activity. Our further analysis shows that the hydroclimate in the Luoyang Basin also experienced centennial-scale variations. Specifically, the grain size data express the following cycles: 692-year, 538-year, 217-year, 170-year and 123-year, all at the 99% confidence level. And, the CaCO 3 content data express the following cycles: 202-year, 184-year, 169-year and 85-year, all at the 99% confidence level. These cycles are approximately coincident with the widely-reported solar-activity cycles. • This paper reports the periodicities of the hydroclimate variations reconstructed from a lacustrine sequence in the Central Plains of China and the sequence covers the first half of the Holocene. • The hydroclimate variations were primarily paced by changes in ITCZ position and also by alterations in ENSO-like phase. And, both (ITCZ and ENSO) were most likely regulated by solar activity. • The centennial-scale hydroclimate variations were approximately coincident with the widely-reported solar-activity cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synergistic governance of emission reduction between pollutants and CO2 (hereinafter referred to as synergistic governance) reflects China's proactive response to climate change and will become a central task in China's environmental governance over the next decade and beyond. Given this, this paper aims to systematically understand why synergistic governance is possible and what China has achieved in synergistic governance. In order to achieve these aims, this paper constructs a scientific indicator system based on synergistic governance theory and applies the composite system synergy model to assess the level of synergistic governance in China. The results show that China has made great progress in synergistic governance in the past decade, achieving a leaping development from mild non-synergy to moderate synergy. The achievement mainly comes from the efforts of nearly 1/3 of Chinese provinces in advancing synergistic governance, and the improvement direction of synergistic governance in these provinces is consistent with the national level, jumping from mild non-synergy to moderate synergy. However, the level of synergistic governance in some provinces has decreased rather than increased. It is worth noting that the widening gap in the level of synergistic governance within China's regions may become a vital factor that hinders the sustainable promotion of synergistic governance. This paper clarifies the operational logic of synergistic governance and provides a comprehensive evaluation method, which is beneficial to provide some references for other countries that intend to work on synergistic governance. • Theoretical explanation on synergistic governance from resource flow and energy flow. • A composite system synergy model for the synergistic governance is developed. • Spatial-temporal evolution of synergistic governance in Chinese regions is analyzed. • Widening differences will constrain the sustainability of synergistic governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are still many uncertainties regarding the possible influences of global climate change in the mid-latitude regions, owing to rather limited research and lack of empirical evidence. This paper systematically evaluates the economic impact of climate variation by constructing a 27-year panel dataset of 274 prefecture cities and 816 weather stations in China. Our results document some significant climate–economic relationships, with the increase of 1 °C-temperature, 100 mm-rainfall, and 1%-humidity associated with a 0.78% decrease, 0.86% increase and 1.34% decrease in output, respectively. Higher temperature damages are reflected in less-developed regions, while the positive impact of rainfall mainly appear in more-developed regions. Using integrated assessment models, we project that the model-average climate damage of China may account for up to 4.23 percent of GDP by 2100, based on a nonlinear historical climate–economic interaction. [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]

Terrestrial vegetation plays pivotal roles on land-atmosphere interactions, and even global climate change. However, limited attempts have been taken to elucidate the responses of vegetation activity to weather-related drivers (e.g., droughts, floods). This is especially in China with vast area and changeable meteorological conditions. In this paper, the performance of two satellite-based indices, namely vegetation condition index (VCI) and vegetation health index (VHI) were analyzed to detect the vegetation responses to weather-related variations. The dynamics of vegetation activity in China were further examined for the period 1982–2013. We found widely-distributed vegetation stresses in the entire country for a long period (about an average of two months per year) from the VCI and the VHI. In addition, both the two indices indicated increasing vegetation activities over most parts of China during 1982–2013. However, there is no consensus between the two indices at spatial pattern and regional totals. This discrepancy can be due to the negative-correlation assumption of the VHI between the VCI and bright temperature. However, we found that the relationship between the VCI and temperature could be changeable in different regions, especially in China with complex topography, diverse climate conditions and different vegetation types. The findings of this paper highlight the necessity to account for dominant controls on vegetation growth when using the VCI and the VHI to analyze vegetation activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the background of climate change, the haze days in China have increased significantly, which seriously hinders the sustainable development of society and arouses wide attention from the public. However, the researches on the effect of air pollution on the stock yield of heavy pollution enterprise in key control cities are quite limited, This paper collects the Air Quality Index (AQI) from key control cities above prefecture level in China as well as the stock yield data of these cities’ heavy pollution enterprises in December from 2014 to 2016 and through multi-discontinuities regression model, testes the effect of air pollution on the stock yield of heavy pollution enterprise. The results show that: (1) Heavy air pollution (AQI = 300) has negative influence on the stock yield. (2) There exists time effect of air pollution on stock yield. Since the year 2014, heavy air pollution has exerted significantly negative influence on the stock yield in that 2013 may be the “first year” when the Chinese society began to take air pollution seriously. This paper gives a brief discussion on the cause of it and suggests that severe air pollution should be strictly controlled. Only by facing air pollution seriously, can we eliminate air pollution with collective wisdom and concerted efforts and achieve the sustainable development of city. Being the first study to look into the effect of air pollution on stock yield in key control cities in China, this paper provides empirical reference for government supervision departments, stock investors as well as enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme weather, especially typhoons, frequently impacts port operations, causing substantial economic losses. Thus, it has become vital to quantitatively evaluate the resilience of ports to typhoon disasters. This paper offers a comprehensive examination of the current evaluation methods used in assessing the resilience of ports and develops a quantitative port typhoon resilience assessment model based on the 4R (i.e., Reliability, Redundancy, Robustness, and Recoverability) framework. Ports' overall resilience to typhoon disasters can be assessed by integrating the analytic hierarchy process method, fuzzy logic, and the evidence reasoning approach. Four representative coastal ports in China were selected as case studies to examine the suitability and efficacy of the suggested model. This study provides innovative theoretical insights and empirical evidence to advance port resilience research, with a valuable reference for port administrators and policymakers, equipping them to address forthcoming challenges of climate change efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the importance of pastoralism, as an alternative or adjunct to farming in China's long history, a clear understanding of the spreading routes and mechanisms of pastoralism in China is lacking. Fungal spores can be a useful addition to zooarchaeological evidence and have been widely used to explore the origins and development of pastoralism in different regions of the globe. The northern Loess Plateau is one of the most important areas for the emergence and development of pastoralism in early China. The aim of this paper was to take the fungal spores in the Baihemiao (BHM) core that we extracted from a site in the Yulin region, combine them with the zooarchaeological records to explore their relationship with climate and environmental changes, and reconstruct the evolution of animal husbandry in the northern Loess Plateau since the mid-Holocene. The results indicate that the climatic conditions in the northern Loess Plateau during the first period of 6–4.2 ka were relatively humid, the number of domesticated herbivores was small, animal husbandry was not developed, and the spores of coprophilous fungi in the sediments mainly originated from wild herbivores. Fungal spores as well as zooarchaeological evidence reveal that cattle and sheep grazing developed rapidly in the region during the second period, c. 4.2–3 ka. We suggest that the arid climatic conditions during this period facilitated the development of pastoral activities in the northern Loess Plateau. However, this pastoral economy gradually weakened after 1.2 ka. • Sporormiella suggests a high volume of herbivore activities in the Baihemiao area in 6–4.2 ka. • Fungal spores and zooarchaeological record from the archaeological sites indicate that grazing activity was strong in 4.2-3 ka. • Arid climatic conditions facilitated the development of pastoral activities in the northern Loess Plateau in 4.2–3 ka. • Pastoralism weakened and declined during the period from 3 ka to 1.2 ka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The food industry accounts for 25% of global carbon emissions, of which animal food accounts for 57%. Therefore, the reduction of carbon emissions from meat products consumption is one of the important issues of global climate governance. This study calculates and compares the carbon footprints of major meat products in China at various stages of production and consumption and the trends of their development based on life cycle assessment and questionnaires, which will help to understand the emission characteristics and reduction potential of the food sector in China. The results show that the main stages of the life cycle and the size of the total carbon footprint of the meat category for the same unit standard exhibit the following order: beef > mutton > pork > poultry (chicken and duck) > seafood (fish and shrimp); the farming factor has a greater impact on carbon emissions, followed by transportation and a smaller impact at the meal-making stage; from 2010 to 2021, China's total meat products consumption and carbon emissions continue to increase, but the structure of meat consumption is gradually diversified and balanced, and the trend of carbon emissions shows a slowdown in growth with structural changes. Finally, based on the results of the study, this paper proposes countermeasures for meat production and consumption. • Designed a unique meat consumption life cycle carbon footprint inventory and carbon emission calculation example diagram. • Measured the carbon footprint of different meat products and their life cycle phases in Chinese household meat consumption. • Analyzed the development trend of carbon emissions caused by the total and structural changes in China's meat consumption. • Identified potential opportunities for carbon emission reduction in meat consumption and propose targeted countermeasures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tackling climate change crises needs intelligent manufacturing and effective business models. This paper uses the adaptive structuration theory (AST) and configuration perspective to investigate the effects of digital infrastructure, digital orientation, top management team heterogeneity, servitization, government support, and customer demand uncertainty on the business model of intelligent manufacturing enterprises in China. The fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was employed to analyze the data. The study found that there were five configurations of business model formation, which classified business models into five types: executive-led enhanced, digital leadership-enhanced, adaptive, extended, and complex business models. There was an intrinsic relationship between the five models with respect to the dimensions of digitalization and servitization. Further analysis revealed that executive-led, digital leadership-enhanced, and adaptive business models were positively associated with enterprise performance. The paper discusses the potential implications of these findings. • There are five formation pathways of the business model. • An interrelated relationship among the models regarding the digitalization and servitization • Business models influenced by digitization make enterprises more sensitive to climate change. • Enhanced and adaptive business models are associated with enterprise performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, the surface solar radiation data from 1960 to 2000 gathered from 40 weather stations over China were reexamined, and the relationship of long-term trends of the solar radiation and climate factors were analyzed. The results indicate that the surface solar radiation in most regions of China begins to increase after 1990. Decreases in cirrus and cirrostratus clouds, which account for a larger percentage of the total cloud amount over China, have an important contribution to the increasing trend of the surface solar radiation. Further examination of the surface water vapor changes reveals that the surface solar radiation negatively correlates with the near surface water vapor in most region of China, and this negative correlation is more pronounced in higher latitudes of China where the atmosphere is compared to regions in southern China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

City water utilities are increasingly integrating climate uncertainties into planning process. Considering our current scientific understanding of climate change have been developed into a new level, traditional water utility planning methods, based on an assumption of stationarity, are being fundamentally challenged. It is encouraging that many water utilities, recognizing the limitations of stationarity, are broadening their perspective on climate issues and deliberating new planning methods to deal with conditions of pervasive climatic uncertainty. This paper elaborates steps and processes of a water utility planning approach which is incorporated into water sector (water supply and drainage) of Wuhan. With the Asian Development Bank's financial fund in 2010, the city water utility planners developed a framework and a series of investment decisions through a “bottom-up” method involving Wuhan staff and stakeholders in workshops. An essential lesson draw from this case study is that initiative to increase climate resilience does not need to wait for advancements of future climate conditions study or detailed climate scenarios to be developed or for those scenarios to be incorporated into utility plans. The framework for ranking and identifying impacts and vulnerabilities was derived from widely accepted international methodologies and tailored to suit local conditions. In this way, it takes account of the situation on the ground, including the local perceptions of both conditions and needs, the existing plans, and the need to achieve consensus for investments in climate change adaptation. Finally this paper emphasizes that in order to meet specific needs, decision makers have to select appropriate methodology to suit the circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The allowance mechanism is one of the core and sensitive aspects in the design of a carbon emissions trading scheme and affects the compliance cost for each entity covered under the scheme. By examining China’s allowance mechanism from two aspects-allowance allocation and allowance distribution, this paper compares China’s carbon trading pilots with the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and California Cap-and-Trade Program. The comparison identifies the unique features in allowance mechanism and particular issues that affect the efficiency of the pilots. The paper also recommends courses of action to strengthen China’s existing pilots and to build valuable experiences for the establishment of the national cap-and-trade system in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses pork as a lens on China's rural transformations. Taking the industrialization of pig farming in the reform era as a trace on broader processes of social and environmental change, it advances three arguments. First, the massive increase in pork production and consumption since 1978 has been propelled by an industrial meat regime. A party-state led and agribusiness-operated regime, it articulates modernist notions of meat-as-progress with the relentless drive for capital accumulation. Second, using Marx's concept of metabolic rift, the paper examines how processes of concentration in the industrial meat regime are at the same time processes of separation. This dialectical approach highlights the contradictions inherent in ongoing attempts to disembed capitalist production from biological and social relations. Finally, while official party-state discourse conceptualizes "the rural" as a production base for surplus value, and/or as a site for preserving environmental integrity, the paper's analysis reveals a further unofficial recasting of the rural: in the process of agroindustrialization, the rural is also a sink for offloading capitalist crises. Between the rivers of manure that flow from industrial livestock operations and contaminate rural waterways; the loss of soil nutrients and food calories in the inefficient conversion of grains and oilseeds into industrial meat; the erosion of agricultural knowledge and practice that accompanies the dispossession of China's farmers; and the shifting values of pigs, pork, and manure, this is a system that "wastes" the rural in service of capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Offshore aquaculture plays an important role in alleviating the pressure of coastal aquaculture and promoting the sustainable development of fisheries. And changes in ocean conditions caused by climate change will have a huge impact on mariculture. Considering the conditions of climate change, this study took the main mariculture fishes in China as the research object, used a species distribution model (SDM) to predict the potential mariculture areas of each fish under the current and different future (2040–2050) climate scenarios, divided the mariculture areas into three potential levels by natural breaks classification method, and calculated the area of different levels potential areas of each fish through the grid number and grid unit area. Additionally, this paper compares the potential area variation of different fishes under different climate scenarios. The results indicate that: (1)In the current climate, the potential area of Yellowtail kingfish(Seriola lalandi) is the largest among seven fishes, estimated at 1,288,500 km2. And the number of varieties suitable for aquaculture in the East China Sea and the South China Sea is more than that in the Bohai and Yellow Seas. (2)Compared with the high potential area of current and future climate scenarios, Large yellow croaker(Larimichthys crocea) has the largest increase, Yellowtail kingfish(Seriola lalandi) decreases under all four future climate scenarios, and both Cobia(Rachycentron canadum) and Allied Kingfish(Seriola dumerili) has small changes. (3)In the future climate scenarios, the number of species potentially suitable for culturing increases significantly in the Bohai and Yellow Sea area, and in the South China Sea, the suitable areas for cultured Large yellow croaker(Larimichthys crocea), gold pompanos(Trachinotus ovatus), Cobia(Rachycentron canadum) and Allied Kingfish(Seriola dumerili) decrease significantly. Overall, the potential areas of each fish show a northward trend. • We forecasted the potential areas of offshore finfish aquaculture in China • Mapping the distribution of offshore finfish aquaculture in China under current and future climate scenarios • Provides information for the selection of the offshore aquaculture species and the sea area planning in China • Provides information on the development direction for China's offshore aquaculture in response to climate change [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of dry ports has reshaped the international freight shipping market, introducing both competition pressure (i.e., the common hinterland) and cooperation opportunities (sea-rail intermodal) for seaports. This is more evident in China with the development of the China Railway Express. Unlike dry ports, seaports are more vulnerable to climate change-related disasters, calling for investment in adaptation measures. This paper examines how co-opetition with the dry port affects seaport adaptation investment using a two-stage game-theoretical economic model. Results indicate that cooperation leads to more seaport adaptation investment, while competition results in reduced investment. When compared to the social optimal level of adaptation investment, the seaport tends to under-invest (over-invest) when the cooperation (competition) market size is larger. We also analyze how government subsidies in the seaport's adaptation help achieve optimal social adaptation and how the Knightian uncertainty of the disaster occurrence affects seaport adaptation investments. The relevant policy implications are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sedimentary sequences of the Yangtze River delta comprise important Quaternary records of tectonics, sea-level oscillation, and climatic change; however, analysis is hampered by a lack of a reliable chronological framework. In this paper, we present an integrated chronology for two sedimentary sequences (core ZKW2 and ZKW4) on the southern side of the Yangtze River delta, based on magnetostratigraphy and absolute methods (OSL, 14C, and ESR dating). The basal ages of the core ZKW2 and ZKW4 are ca. 2.25 Ma and 2.96 Ma, respectively. The integrated chronology indicates significant increases in the sedimentary accumulation rate at ∼0.15 Ma, rather than the Matuyama-Brunhes boundary as indicated by magnetostratigraphy alone. The observed sedimentary transition is possibly controlled by regional subsidence of the Zhe-Min Uplift, and climate evolution during the last interglacial period. • High-quality magnetostratigraphy is obtained for the Quaternary sediments in the YRD. • The SARs of the YRD sediments significantly enhanced since ∼0.15 Ma. • Tectonics and climate factors jointly control the sedimentary evolution in the YRD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Transition zones are the hotspots of bioclimatic changes under global warming. • Global warming extends growing season lengths but increases heat and water stresses. • Sustainable grasslands in China shrink and shift northwestward with global warming. Bioclimatic response to global warming is a key linkage between anthropogenic climate change and ecosystem sustainability, particularly for the impact-prone climate transition zones. This paper examines changes in heat-water conditions from 2006 to 2100 across China, using the fifth generation climate reanalysis from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ERA5) and bias-adjusted climate projections by the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5). We then assess the effects of these changes on habitat suitability for responsive ecosystems using a species distribution model. The results reveal significant changes in bioclimatic environments across dry–wet climate transition zones under the present-day climate and the RCP8.5 scenario. By the end of the 21st century, local growing season length (GSL) could extend by 60 days and 30 % of the GSL could be under heat stress. Water conditions worsen overall in both the air and the soil, despite some improvements in the middle parts of transition zones. With altered heat-water conditions, sustainable grasslands shift northwestward, with a reduction of approximately 131 million km2 (46.6 % relative to 2006–2010) in total area. These changes primarily arise from alterations in winter and spring heat-water conditions. Our findings highlight the climate transition zones as hotspots of ecosystem vulnerability demanding particular attention in impact assessment and adaptation studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intensification of global climate change has led to a widespread consensus on carbon reduction, with the power industry being the principal contributor to carbon emissions necessitating an inevitable transition of its energy structure. Concomitantly, the escalating frequency of natural disasters caused by extreme weather presents formidable challenges to both secure power supply and the low-carbon transition of the power system. To fulfill the developmental requirements of a low-carbon power system and address the carbon emission risks imposed by natural disasters, this paper proposes a bi-level model for generation expansion planning (GEP) that incorporates constraints on the carbon emission trajectory and the influence of natural disasters. The planning-level model optimizes investment costs of various generation technologies and energy storage (ES), as well as the overall operational expenses over the planning period, with an objective to minimize them. It incorporates carbon emission trajectory constraints and policy constraints, such as carbon peaking, carbon neutrality and renewable energy (RE) penetration rates, in order to optimize the planning installed capacity of power sources. The operational-level model aims to minimize typical daily operating costs while also simulating power unit outputs in routine and disaster scenarios. A case study is conducted in a disaster-prone province in southern China to analyze the power generation expansion planning and the trajectory of carbon emissions from 2020 to 2060 under different scenarios. The simulation results show that compared to thermal power, the planning scheme mainly focused on RE with ES is better suited to achieve the goal of a low-carbon transition of the power grid. Moreover, after considering natural disasters, the cost and carbon emissions of power system planning are higher, and the risk of carbon emissions increases with the severity of disasters. • A multi-time scale bi-level low-carbon GEP model is proposed. • Natural disaster scenarios and low-carbon policy constraints are considered in the GEP model. • Carbon emission trajectory of the planned power system is estimated and introduced as a constraint into the GEP model. • Evaluation indicators that comprehensively consider low-carbon performance and economic feasibility are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to diverse methodologies and data sources, China's agricultural greenhouse gas (AGHG) emissions estimates demonstrate significant variability. A quantitative review was conducted on the prevalence and application of various accounting methods to clarify and reduce discrepancies in AGHG emissions estimation techniques and data application. Using a systematic PRISMA framework, 4257 global studies were analyzed, yielding 681 AGHG emission records from 57 papers and four databases explicitly focusing on China. The analysis reveals similarities between Chinese and global research trends, concentrating on environmental science, soil science, and ecology. Furthermore, the spatial scale and methodologies for China's AGHG emissions estimation are relatively centralized, with 53.21% of the research targeting site-specific scales and 74.12% employing inventory methods and statistical analysis. Regarding the variability in China's AGHG emission estimates between 1996 and 2020, estimates ranged from 100 to 800 Mt. C-eq, with the highest estimate being approximately 25 times the minimum within the same period. Notably, compared to the average AGHG emissions calculated for 1996–2020 (284.7 to 548.7 Mt. C-eq), estimates from the FAO and Our World in Data were higher by an average of 114.7% and 81.9%, respectively. These findings underscore the need to enhance remote sensing and survey data application and standardize AGHG emissions estimation methodologies and boundaries to ensure comparability across various accounting methods and datasets. This study conducts a quantitative analysis to identify and bridge the gaps in AGHG emission evaluation techniques, laying the groundwork for establishing a more comprehensive and resilient framework for AGHG emissions assessments. • An analysis of 4257 studies is conducted to assess uncertainties and discrepancies in AGHG emissions in China. • 53.21% of AGHG research targets site-specific scales; 74.12% uses inventory methods and statistical analysis. • The gap between different estimates of China's annual AGHG emissions is as high as 25 times. • Emissions estimates by the FAO and OWD exceed those from 57 scholarly articles by 114.7% and 81.9%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A CGE model elaborately depicting six CCS technologies was developed. • Impacts of four CCS incentive scenarios on decarbonization pathways were simulated. • CCS can sequester 960 ∼ 1,604 MtCO 2 annually in China by 2060 with policy incentives. • CCS incentives can reduce China's future primary energy demand by 7.7 ∼ 17.4 %. • CCS incentives can increase GDP by 5.64 ∼ 6.59 % compared to no policy scenario. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, considered as a pivotal tool in mitigating climate change within the fossil energy system, particularly in China, has experienced slower development than expected. The exploration of direct incentive policies to facilitate its growth remains relatively underdeveloped. This study developed a hybrid dynamic computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to simulate the substantial impacts of CCS incentive policies on China within the context of carbon neutrality target. Two potential incentive policies, carbon emission trading system (ETS) and 45Q tax credit, were simulated, with different sectoral coverage. The results indicate that CCS technologies can reduce carbon emissions by 960 ∼ 1,604 MtCO 2 annually by 2060 through the strategic implementation of these incentive policies. The 45Q tax credit demonstrates its effectiveness in promoting early-stage research and development (R&D) and demonstration of CCS, while the ETS policy facilitates the commercial development of CCS in the later stage of development. By 2060, the implementation of CCS incentive policies could potentially result in 7.7 ∼ 17.4 % reduction in China's primary energy consumption, 71.2 ∼ 82.7 % decrease in the carbon price of ETS and 5.64 ∼ 6.59 % increase in the GDP compared with the no-policy scenario. In addition, the sectoral output in various sectors and the welfare of urban and rural households also increase. This paper provides an important reference for the realization of China's carbon neutrality goal and the model framework can be applied to other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-carbon technology has become the focus of addressing global climate challenges but is facing the supply restriction of critical high-tech metals. Recycling has become a powerful measure to solve this issue. In the paper, a comprehensive recycling potential index (RPI) is constructed to evaluate the recycling potential of high-tech metals for low-carbon energy technologies in China from 2020 to 2050, and development strategies are proposed based on the evaluation results. The results indicate that the future trends of recycling potential show four evolution modes – either reaching or rapidly rising to a high level, increasing to the middle and middle-high level, unsteadily staying at the low and middle-low level, or remaining at a low and continuously decreasing level. According to the evolution trend, different strategies, including key development, reserves, digestion, and transfer, should be adopted in different stages. Co, Li, Dy, Nd, Tb, and Eu should be the focus of technology, funds and policy from both the government and enterprises due to their high recycling potential in the long term. Moreover, measures should be taken to encourage recycling and mitigate the supply risk of high-tech metals for low-carbon energy technologies, including tracking the development of low-carbon energy technologies, adjusting the list of critical high-tech metals, promoting recycling technology, and exploring substitute resources. [Display omitted] • A comprehensive recycling potential index is constructed to evaluate the recycling potential of high-tech metals. • The future trends of recycling potential of high-tech metals show four evolution modes. • Strategies like key development, reserves, digestion, and transfer should be adopted in different stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services and understanding their response to past climatic changes may help predict their possible future responses. In this paper, we obtained records of pollen, algae, sediment grain-size, and other environmental proxies, from a late Holocene sediment core (CFD-E) from the Caofeidian area, on the northwest coast of the Bay of Bohai, China. Our results indicate three major stages of environmental change. During Stage I (3500–2800 cal yr BP), arboreal pollen content was high (mostly >60%), especially for Pinus and Quercus , and the PCA sample scores on Axis 1 were negative indicating that regional vegetation was temperate broadleaved forest and the climate was wet. During Stage II (2800–2350 cal yr BP), the arboreal pollen content decreased substantially (mostly <40%), and the PCA Axis 1 sample scores were positive indicating a decrease in forest vegetation, grassland expansion, and a drier climate. During Stage III (2350–1400 cal yr BP), the arboreal pollen content increased again (mostly >40%), although it remained lower than during Stage I, indicating that forests expanded under a relatively humid climate while the wetland area decreased slightly. Our results also record the 2.8 ka and 2.4 ka events of monsoon weakening, which were characterized by increases in herbaceous pollen (indicating grassland expansion) and the drying of the regional climate. There are several differences in the regional expression of these two climatic events. During the 2.4 ka event, Chenopodiaceae pollen increased substantially (average of 42.0%), indicating the expansion of halophytes; whereas during the 2.8 ka event, an increase in Artemisia indicates the occurrence of a dry climate throughout the region. We suggest that the aridity during the 2.8 ka event was triggered by decreased solar activity and the resulting changes in the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, which weakened the East Asian summer monsoon. However, we suggest that the 2.4 ka event was driven by the weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. • Significant increase in halophytic vegetation during 3500–1400 cal yr BP • The 2.8 ka and 2.4 ka events were characterized by climate drying lasting ∼150 years. • During these two events the area of forest decreased and grassland expanded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The extent of flooding in China is greater than in any other country. • Nearly 66% of China's landmass is submerged by flooding. • Financial toll of flooding accounts for approximately 1.42% of the annual GDP. • Various forms of climatic change contribute to flooding. The extent of flooding in China is more significant than in any other country. Our research reveals that approximately 66 % of China's landmass is submerged by flooding, affecting about 50 % of the population. Furthermore, the financial toll of flooding now accounts for approximately 1.42 % of the annual gross domestic product (GDP), which is almost 40 times higher than the corresponding figure for the United States. We have observed that Zhengzhou city in Henan province, which faced a devastating flood in 2021, received a significant amount of rainfall, specifically a total of 552.5 mm within a 24-hour period. The floods in Henan province in 2021 caused considerable damage, including impacting nearly 15 million people, resulting in almost 400 deaths, damaging over 10,000 square kilometers of agricultural land, causing almost $19 billion in economic losses, and leading to the collapse of over 35,000 households and damage to various properties. In a similar manner, the significant flooding that occurred in southern China in 2020 impacted approximately 7.1 million individuals across eight provinces and resulted in 54 fatalities, the collapse of 6,700 houses, and incurred a direct economic loss of US$3.33 billion. We found that rainstorms have significantly increased to 10 % in the last 60 years in China. In this paper, we delved into exploring the existing published articles, reports, and government and authoritative legal texts to analyze the causes and impacts of flooding in China's flood-prone regions and potential mitigation strategies to reduce the repercussions of distressing flood events. We believe this study will help policymakers by providing new insights while formulating policy to reduce the loss caused by high-level flooding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]