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Aims: To describe weight management and perceptions in China. Materials and methods: Data were from the Adelphi Real World Obesity Disease Specific Programme™, a cross-sectional survey between April and July 2022 of physicians managing people with obesity or overweight (PwO) and PwO in real-world clinical practice in China. At data collection, eligible PwO were aged ≥18 years, under weight management and/or had a body mass index (BMI) ≥28 kg/m2. Results: In total, 100 physicians and 801 PwO were enrolled. More than two thirds of PwO (70.7%; 531/751) were not diagnosed with obesity until a BMI ≥30 kg/m2. Most PwO (78%; 625/801) were on treatment for at least one obesity-related complication (ORC). Physicians commonly initiated weight loss discussions with PwO who already had an ORC (48.0%; 48/100). According to physicians and PwO, the mean target BMI was set at 25.8 kg/m2 and 24.3 kg/m2, and the mean target percentage weight loss was 19.6% and 23.7%, respectively. Over a median 6.4 months of weight management, the mean percentage weight loss was 4.1%. Few PwO achieved the weight loss target set by their physician (9.9%; 69/695) or themselves (2.0%; 14/696). Most physicians and PwO were unsatisfied with the current weight loss (92.3% [739/801] and 82.0% [650/793], respectively). Conclusions: These findings suggest that earlier intervention may be needed to address obesity as a disease. Most physicians and PwO recognized the importance of normal weight, but few PwO achieved weight loss targets, which may suggest an unmet need for improved weight management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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To realize the emission reduction targets, it is essential to understand how technical and structural variations of an economy can lead to emission changes. This paper establishes the carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions elasticity indicators of technical and final demand coefficients from the demand perspective as well as allocation and primary input coefficients from the supply perspective, based on the input–output technique combined with sensitivity analysis. We apply these indicators to the Chinese economy for the year 2012. The results show that with every 1% decrease of self-supplied intermediate products in the Production and supply of electricity and heat and Smelting and pressing of ferrous metals (the two largest CO 2 emitting sectors) could reduce CO 2 emissions from the whole economy by 20.6 Mt and 11.3 Mt from the demand perspective, accounting for 0.22% and 0.12% of the national total CO 2 emissions, respectively. It could also mitigate 22.2 Mt and 8.7 Mt from the supply perspective, accounting for 0.24% and 0.09% of the national total, respectively. In addition, 1% decrease of final demand coefficient of the Construction in Capital Formation could exert great indirect effects on many sectors, and lead to 37.4 Mt (0.40%) emission reduction from the whole economy. The absolute reduction due to the variation of primary input coefficients is relatively small. By analyzing these important intersectoral linkages of CO 2 emissions within the economy from both demand and supply perspectives, the most important economic transactions between sectors as well as supply and demand patterns to reduce emissions are identified. These results can help guide the development of potential effective emission mitigation policies and the methods can also be applied to other countries and regions. Unlabelled Image • Sensitivity analysis is carried out under both demand and supply perspectives. • Most promising transactional relationships to reduce CO 2 emissions are identified. • Reduction of investment on Construction may reduce emissions in many other sectors indirectly. • Elasticity values of both structural coefficients are lognormal distributed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract As a main destination for recycling, reuse and disposal of solid waste in the global circular economy, China has recently issued a new regulation on its imports, banning 24 types of solid waste in 4 categories, including waste plastics, unsorted scrap papers, discarded textile materials, and vanadium slags. Bans on additional types of solid waste will take effect soon. Here we discuss the possible profound effects of such policy changes on the global circular economy of solid waste. Recycling industries in developed countries will face challenges in the short run, due to their limited capacity and past reliance on exporting, but also opportunities in the long run. Furthermore, developing countries currently without stringent environmental regulations will likely become the new "pollution haven" of solid waste from developed countries and even emerging economies such as China itself. To truly reap the benefits from China's new policies which are originally designed for environmental sustainability and social justice, the global community needs to develop appropriate policy framework to prevent the unintended consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With depleted coal resources or deteriorating mining geological conditions, some coal mines have been abandoned in the Fengfeng mining district, China. Water that accumulates in an abandoned underground mine (goaf water) may be a hazard to neighboring mines and impact the groundwater environment. Groundwater samples at three abandoned mines (Yi, Er and Quantou mines) in the Fengfeng mining district and the underlying Ordovician limestone aquifer were collected to characterize their chemical and isotopic compositions and identify the sources of the mine water. The water was HCO3·SO4-Ca·Mg type in Er mine and the auxiliary shaft of Yi mine, and HCO3·SO4-Na type in the main shaft of Quantou mine. The isotopic compositions (δD and δ18O) of water in the three abandoned mines were close to that of Ordovician limestone groundwater. Faults in the abandoned mines were developmental, possibly facilitating inflows of groundwater from the underlying Ordovician limestone aquifers into the coal mines. Although the Sr2+ concentrations differed considerably, the ratios of Sr2+/Ca2+ and 87Sr/86Sr and the 34S content of SO42− were similar for all three mine waters and Ordovician limestone groundwater, indicating that a close hydraulic connection may exist. Geochemical and isotopic indicators suggest that (1) the mine waters may originate mainly from the Ordovician limestone groundwater inflows, and (2) the upward hydraulic gradient in the limestone aquifer may prevent its contamination by the overlying abandoned mine water. The results of this study could be useful for water resources management in this area and other similar mining areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serious air pollution has caused about one million premature deaths per year in China recently. Besides cross-border atmospheric transport of air pollution, trade also relocates pollution and related health impacts across China as a result of the spatial separation between consumption and production. This study proposes an approach for calculating the health impacts of emissions due to a region's consumption based on a multidisciplinary methodology coupling economic, atmospheric, and epidemiological models. These analyses were performed for China's Beijing and Hebei provinces. It was found that these provinces' consumption-based premature deaths attributable to ambient PM 2.5 were respectively 22,500 and 49,700, which were 23% higher and 37% lower than the numbers solely within their boundaries in 2007. The difference between the effects of trade and trade-related emissions on premature deaths attributable to air pollution in a region has also been clarified. The results illustrate the large and broad impact of domestic trade on regional air quality and the need for comprehensive consideration of supply chains in designing policy to mitigate the negative health impacts of air pollution across China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study constructs a China High Resolution Emission Database (CHRED), including point emission sources, gridded emission data (with the spatial resolution of 1 km and 10 km), and supplementary socioeconomic data. This database responses to the growing and urgent demands of high-quality, fine-grained environmental emission data to support China’s sustainable development at various spatial scales. The CHRED is derived from bottom-up, enterprise-level point sources. It covers emission sources of the whole Mainland China. It can be used for spatial analysis of emissions in China, validation and inversion of remote sensing data from carbon observation satellites, and spatially explicit environmental footprint analysis. It lays a solid foundation for studies on environmental emissions and emission mitigation policies in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmentally extended input-output (EEIO) databases are increasingly used to examine environmental footprints of economic activities. Studies focusing on China have independently, repeatedly developed EEIO databases for China. These databases are usually not publicly available, leading to repeated efforts, inconsistent with one another using different approaches, of limited environmental accounts, and lacking transparency, preventing continuous updating. We developed a transparent, comprehensive, and consistent Chinese EEIO database covering a wide period of time (currently 1992, 1997, 2002, and 2007 for which benchmark input-output tables [IOTs] are available), sector classifications (original sector classifications in benchmark IOTs, a 45-sector classification commonly used in China's environmental and energy statistics, and a 91-sector classification with maximized sector resolution ensuring temporal consistence), and environmental satellite accounts for 256 types of resources and 30 types of pollutants in this study. Moreover, the environmental satellite accounts cover households in addition to sectors, allowing developing closed models. We make this database publicly available with open access for broader dissemination (). We demonstrate the database by evaluating environmental pressures of Chinese products in 2007. Comparisons of our database with previous studies validate its rationality and reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Established holistic urban metrics tailored to China's context referring to the SDG framework. • Systematically investigated China's sustainable development at the city level. • Cohered the scaling patterns with downscaled sustainable development indicators. • Decoupled the remaining effect of population on urban sustainability indicators. Urban society, infrastructures, and their energy and water systems are interconnected, whose performance can be measured by United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6–13. However, few studies have systematically investigated sustainable development at the city level, especially in China. To fill this gap, we adopted the SDG framework to establish holistic urban metrics tailored to China's context. We empirically examined the city-level scaling effects and found that the urban metrics of China's prefectural cities basically fit into the scaling theory, that socioeconomic attributes are in super-linear relations with population while urban infrastructures show sub-linearity. Moreover, when the effects of per capita built-up area and GDP are controlled, the population still correlates to many metrics. This study provides a more nuanced understanding of urban scaling patterns, considering China's unique city governance regime and land-centered urbanization pathway when evaluating their sustainable development progress, which helps inform custom-fit planning strategies for a better future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sudden Coronavirus Disease reported at the end of 2019 (COVID-19) has brought huge pressure to Chinese Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PEVs) industry which is bearing heavy burden under the decreasing fiscal subsidy. If the epidemic continues to rage as the worst case, analysis based on System Dynamics Model (SDM) indicates that the whole PEVs industry in China may shrink by half compared with its originally expected level in 2035. To emerge from the recession, feasible industrial policies include (1) accelerating the construction of charging infrastructures, (2) mitigating the downtrend of financial assistance and (3) providing more traffic privilege for drivers. Extending the deadline of fiscal subsidy by only 2 years, which has been adopted by the Chinese central government, is demonstrated to achieve remarkable effect for the revival of PEVs market. By contrast, the time when providing best charging service or most traffic privilege to get the PEVs industry back to normal needs to be advanced by 10 years or earlier. For industrial policy makers, actively implementing the other two promoting measures on the basis of existing monetary support may be a more efficient strategy for Chinese PEVs market to revive from the shadow in post-COVID-19 era. • The impact of COVID-19 on Chinese PEVs industry is investigated based on SDM. • Three bailing measures are put forward and tested for policy makers through scenario analysis. • The proposed coping strategy is obtained by comparing the effect of incentives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Present the first high-resolution map of sustainability in China. • The assessed index integrates social, economic, and environmental aspects. • Maps reveal large variations in sustainability across administrative units in China. • High-resolution sustainability assessment can guide future interventions. Achieving sustainability is the key to a better future, which requires an accurate assessment of current and historic levels of sustainability at scales that can help targeted interventions. Yet, current assessments of sustainability are mostly focused at national and subnational levels that often fail to capture local and regional variations, especially in regions where management interventions are most needed. A grid-cell level analysis that can yield high-resolution maps of sustainability indices could address this challenge. This study aims to present the first high-resolution map of China's sustainability which integrates the social, economic, and environmental dimensions. The grid level sustainability maps reveal over 1.23 billion Chinese have been free from low sustainability area. There are large variations in sustainability across China with only 2.3% of the country in high sustainability zone and over 140 million, mostly in the northern and northeastern regions, inhabiting under low sustainability conditions. A lower sustainability index within each province is usually accompanied by higher variations of the index suggesting a lack of coordination and greater inequality between and within provinces. Our high-resolution maps of China's sustainability index provide valuable insights into the spatial distribution of sustainability in the country and could help policymakers identify regions to implement targeted interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The influences of LWSR on China's inter-provincial trade system are measured. • A method for quantifying WSR to inter-provincial trade system is proposed. • Provinces and sectors that exert and receive water scarcity risks are identified. • Policy recommendations for mitigating WSR to inter-provincial trade are provided. China's rapid economic growth has exerted great pressures on water resources. Since local water scarcity risk (LWSR, representing potential production losses in water-dependent sectors due to water scarcity) can be transmitted to downstream sectors via the economic trade system, this study measures the influences of LWSR on inter-provincial trade system using China's multi-regional input–output (MRIO) data including 31 provinces with 42 sectors in 2012. Top province-sectors in virtual water scarcity risk exports (VWSR exports, indicating the LWSR of one province being transmitted to other provinces via exports) and virtual water scarcity risk imports (VWSR imports, implying the vulnerability of the provinces to water scarcity risk in other provinces via imports) are identified. Top VWSR exporters, such as Chemical Industry in Shanghai and Anhui, Agriculture in Hebei and Heilongjiang, and Textile in Jiangsu, are important to the resilience of the national economic system to water scarcity due to the high levels of water stress in these provinces. Top VWSR importers, such as Chemical Industry in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Shandong, Communication Equipment, Computers, and Other Electronic Devices in Jiangsu and Guangdong, and Food processing and tobaccos in Shandong, are particularly vulnerable to water scarcity in other provinces. The results show that it is necessary for provinces to cooperatively manage water resources in upstream sectors and provide references for decision-makers in highly vulnerable province-sectors to formulate strategies to mitigate virtual water scarcity risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hazardous substances are used as additives in many products. It is a challenge to monitor hazardous substance flows through complex economic systems. This study seeks to derive these hazardous material flow networks based on material flow analysis and a lower resolution monetary input-output table. The lead material flow networks for China in 2012 is studied as a representative case. Using adjusted input-output material flow networks (AIO-MFN), a complete and more accurate picture of lead flow networks in China is presented. Some previously unavailable lead material critical sector and flows are identified: 1) The specific lead material domestic demands, inflows, and outflows of 34 critical economic sectors in China during 2012 are found; 2) It is found that 74 intersectoral lead flows which are more than 5 k tons; 3) The flows from refined lead to batteries (containing lead-acid battery), chemicals for painting (containing lead oxides), nonferrous metal processing (containing lead alloy), and cable electrical materials (containing lead sheathing) sectors are 3,671, 364, 434, and 41 k tons, respectively. The lead dissipation from the critical sectors to the environment is estimated and potential environmental risks are indicated. This method can be used to approach the complete flow picture of typical hazardous materials (non-bulk materials) by using the lower resolution IOT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study models previously unknown domestic geographical transfers of toxic substances in waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) by using the minimum distance and maximum flow (MDMF) algorithm. Using lead scrap as a typical case, the results present a complete picture of domestic geographical transfers in China: (1) the total interprovincial transfer of lead scrap is 996 k tonnes, accounting for 63% of total lead recycled; (2) lead scrap transfers between 4 pairs of provinces are more than 100 k tonnes with an average distance per k tonne of lead scrap transferred of 967 km; and (3) using outdated processing technology, national pollutant emissions of lead, CO 2 and SO 2 resulting from these transfers can reach 50, 497, and 105 k tonnes, respectively. In addition, if provinces recycle locally generated and imported LAB at a ratio below 1:1, or 50% imported LAB, using the advanced process, emissions can be reduced. The domestic geographical transfer model has the following advantages: (1) it is helpful for the geographic distribution and capacity planning of WEEE recycling plants; and (2) it provides a method that may be less time-consuming in estimating the external quantified environmental responsibility of the WEEE generating provinces. Highlights • Modeling domestic geographical transfers of toxic substances in WEEE using the MDMF algorithm. • Results present a complete picture of domestic geographical transfers of lead scrap in China. • Offer potential to facilitate the geographic distribution and capacity planning of recycling plants. • Quantify environmental responsibilities of exporting provinces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China faces increasingly severe water stress from its limited, unevenly distributed water resources and rapid economic growth. Interregional trade of goods and services within China further leads to a redistribution of water resources through virtual water transfers. Such virtual transfers are subject to constant changes due to the temporal variabilities in driving factors such as production efficiency, consumption patterns and population. Here we use the most recent public data to measure the water footprints of 31 provincial-level regions in China and virtual water transfers among these regions in 2012. We find that virtual water transfer plays a significant role in regional water footprints and greatly changes the allocation of water resources towards regional consumptions. Already water-scarce north China regions benefit from virtual water transfer by outsourcing water-intensive products from other regions. However, the water-scarce Northwest China suffers from virtual water transfer by exporting water-intensive products. We suggest policy makers pay attention to demand-side measures to incentivize parties to improve water efficiency in their production and reduce the consumption of water-intensive goods. Policymaking should consider economic policy and water conservation policy together to alleviate regional water stress through virtual water transfers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has built the world’s largest High Speed Rail (HSR) network. Its environmental impacts have been examined by the means of life cycle assessment (LCA) which describes the whole picture of the HSR system instead of single stages, with a case study for the high-speed railway that links Beijing and Shanghai. The research employs the China-specific life cycle inventory database Chinese Core Life Cycle Database (CLCD). Vehicle operation dominates most impact categories, while vehicle manufacturing/maintenance/disposal and infrastructure construction contribute mostly to mineral consumption (43% and 38%) and organic compounds in water (54% for infrastructure construction). Several scenarios are developed to explore effects of changes in HSR development, utilization, electricity mix, and infrastructure planning and construction. Suggestions are provided for improving the life cycle environmental performance of China’s HSR systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy security is important for the economic and social development of a country, especially for China, because it has become one of the biggest energy consumers in the world and the energy security varies greatly in different regions. However, most existing studies evaluate China's energy security from the perspective of the whole country, while few studies from the perspective of different regions within the country. So this paper aims to evaluate China's provincial energy security from 2010 to 2016, not only identify the problems but also provide policy strategies. Firstly, a comprehensive evaluation system of energy security is established including availability and stability of energy supply dimension, sustainability and acceptability of energy use dimension, and external influences of policies and market dimension. Secondly, the combination method of the order relation and the entropy method is utilized to evaluate the provincial energy security in 30 provinces, which considers both subjective and objective information. Thirdly, according to the changes in the ranking of provincial energy security between the 30 provinces over the 7 years, this paper analyzes the reasons and put up corresponding suggestions. The results show that there is still a huge gap among different regions and some provinces changes greatly in the ranking. The most energy-secure provinces are mainly in the northwest and northeast provinces with abundant natural resources such as Shanxi, Shaanxi and Sichuan, the least energy-secure provinces are mainly in the resource-deficient regions such as Zhejiang, Guangxi and Jiangxi. And in order to beef up the provincial energy security, suggesting that some provinces should develop clean energy, optimize the structure of terminal energy consumption and improve energy efficiency according to the changes in the ranking. • We developed a provincial energy security evaluation system from 3 dimensions. • Analysis and policy recommendations in different provinces of China is conducted. • The most energy-secure provinces are mainly in the northwest and northeast provinces. • The least energy-secure provinces are mainly in the resource-deficient regions. • Some provinces changed greatly in energy security performance from 2010 to 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]