Search

To analyze the differences in the spatial and temporal distribution patterns of online attention to sudden torrential rain public events in Shanxi and Henan provinces in China, and their influencing factors, the Baidu index search platform was used to obtain the online attention of 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government) nationwide for the 20 July 2021 to 9 August 2021 Henan torrential rain and the 5 October 2021 to 25 October 2021 Shanxi torrential rain. The geographical concentration index, the coefficient of variation, the Moran index, and the Pearson correlation were used to analyse the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of the online attention of the floods in Shanxi and Henan and their influencing factors. The study shows that: (1) from a temporal perspective, the daily internet attention of both the Shanxi and Henan torrential rain reached its highest value on the third day, showing a sharp rise followed by a sharp fall in an inverted "V" pattern, and compared to the prolonged and continuous torrential rain in Shanxi, the short-lived precipitation and broken ring of the Henan torrential rain were seriously urgent, showing a higher internet attention. For example, the highest daily attention in Shanxi was only 73,643, while the highest daily attention in Henan was 56,054, which is 7.6 times higher than the former. The Geographical Concentration (G) index of internet attention for torrential rain in Shanxi increased from 1.55 to 8.25 within three weeks, with attention shifting from scattered to concentrated, while the G-index for torrential rain in Henan showed an inverted "V" shape; the Coefficient of Variation (CV) index for torrential rain in both provinces showed a downward trend within three weeks. (2) In terms of spatial distribution, the regional distribution of the network concern about the torrential rain in Shanxi and Henan is uneven. The provinces and cities with a higher concern about the torrential rain in Shanxi are mainly some eastern provinces and cities, such as Jiangsu, Beijing, Zhejiang, Fujian, Hainan, etc., who have signed coal protection agreements with Shanxi. The provinces and cities with a higher concern about the torrential rain in Henan are mainly the economically developed coastal provinces or provinces adjacent to Henan, such as Beijing, Zhejiang, Shandong, and Shaanxi, etc. The concern of each city for the torrential rain in the two provinces is in line with the law of distance decay. (3) In terms of influencing factors, the level of regional economic development, demographic factors, and Internet penetration and distance all have a certain influence on the level of attention to sudden torrential rain, and the study found that the level of economic development and demographic factors have the most significant influence on the level of internet attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important energy base in China, Shanxi Province, in its economic development, has depended heavily on coal resources. However, enormous coal consumption produces a large amount of carbon dioxide and an aggravated ecological problem. In this paper, the super efficiency slack-based measure and data envelopment analysis (SBM-DEA) model and Malmquist index were used to calculate the energy consumption and carbon emission efficiency of 11 prefecture-level cities in Shanxi in the period from 2000 to 2020. The results were as follows: (1) The primary form of energy consumption in Shanxi Province is the burning of coal, and the carbon emission efficiencies of the 11 prefecture-level cities are quite different. The technical efficiency, technological progress, and total factor productivity of Taiyuan and Shuozhou were found to be greater than 1 compared to other cities in Shanxi. (2) On the whole, although the carbon emission rate of Shanxi Province has slowed down, it still faces the problems of a large total emission base, high carbon emission intensity, and low efficiency of the unit carbon emission output. Industrial structure is the key factor restricting improvements in the efficiency of carbon emissions in Shanxi Province. (3) From the spatial and temporal evolution of the carbon emission efficiency in Shanxi Province, we can see that the carbon emission efficiency of the whole province gradually dispersed and improved from the central and northern regions to the southern regions during the period of 2000–2020. In order to achieve a low-carbon economy, Shanxi Province must optimize its industrial structure, accelerate research and development in low-carbon technologies, adjust the energy structure, and promote the construction of an energy supply system with clean low-carbon energy as the main source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines causal relationship between urbanization and coal consumption. By taking Shanxi Province, China, as a typical case area, a multivariate path analysis model is used to seek for the key driving factors of coal consumption throughout its urbanization during the period of 1978 to 2014. The result indicates that the key factors are urban household disposable income and residential area per capita, which are closely related to urban construction and household lifestyle. It is expected that the study may inform better policies on coal consumption reduction and energy structure improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]