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In order to fully explore and realize the value of soil and water conservation carbon sink in the Yellow River Basin, and effectively promote its development and market trading, on the basis of clarifying the connotation and characteristics of soil and water conservation car- bon sink in the Yellow River Basin, its quality was evaluated from three dimensions; the contribution quality of new carbon storage, the contribution quality of sustainable development, and the quality of carbon sink production process. This paper built an evaluation index system composed of 3 first-level indicators, 14 second-level indicators and 47 third-level indicators, and pointed out the appropriate methods for determining the weights of indicators at all levels and the methods for calculating the carbon sink quality index of soil and water conservation. It suggests that: firstly, we should carry out a whole process pilot project in the Yellow River Basin including high-quality soil and water conservation carbon sink development, monitoring and accounting, carbon sink project rating, information disclosure, and market trading; secondly, we should strengthen international cooperation and exchanges, learn from the differentiated pricing mechanism of the international voluntary emission reduction market, and build a carbon sink pricing system for soil and water conservation in the Yellow River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to promote the green, low-carbon and high-quality development of agriculture, this paper adopted the super-efficiency SBM model and the entropy method to measure the agricultural carbon emission efficiency and the high-quality development level of agriculture in the Yellow River Basin, and discussed the interaction between the two by using VAR model. The results show that a) the agricultural carbon emission efficiency in the Yellow River Basin is on the rise as a whole. The agricultural carbon emission efficiency of Gansu and Shanxi, Sichuan, Shandong, Henan, Shaanxi and Qinghai, Ningxia and Inner Mongolia is at a lower, medium and higher level respectively. b) The overall level of high-quality agricultural development shows a fluctuating upward trend. Shaanxi, Shanxi, Ningxia and Inner Mongolia, Qinghai and Gansu, Henan, Sichuan and Shandong are at a lower, medium and higher level respectively. c) The improvement of agricultural carbon emission efficiency has a significant effect on the promotion of high-quality agricultural development, while the improvement of high-quality agricultural development has no significant effect on agricultural carbon emission efficiency. Based on the research results, some suggestions were put forward to improve the efficiency of agricultural carbon emissions and promote the high-quality development of agriculture in the Yellow River Basin from the aspects of green and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major national strategy of ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin has been proposed for nearly five years. During this period, the levels of ecological protection, governance, and development in the Yellow River Basin have been rapidly improved. However, the issues of the Yellow River are longstanding and highly complex, far from being resolved overnight. Given the current situation and unresolved challenges in the Yellow River Basin, there is an urgent need to systematically summarize the research and achievements of the past five years, and to provide prospects for future development. This article systematically summarized the research and contributions made by various sectors of society to the Yellow River since the proposal of the major national strategic plan, focusing on scientific research projects, academic papers, academic monographs, and research platforms. Based on in-depth study of the major national strategic ideology and theories such as systems theory, dialectical materialism, and the theory of harmony, and combined with the current situation of the Yellow River Basin and the urgent major issues that need to be addressed, the article presented five prospects for the future development of the Yellow River Basin; multi-disciplinary integration, multi-department collaborative governance, multi-level joint research, multi- platform talent training, multi-approach protection and governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the mother river of China, the Yellow River Basin serves as a crucial ecological domain and economic zone, as well as a vital source of food and energy. It plays an indispensable role in the political, economic, and cultural development of the nation. The ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin have become a major national strategy in China. Yet, the Yellow River is among the most complex and challenging rivers in the world. Throughout China's long history, especially since efforts began to regulate the river, significant achievements have been made in its management and ecological protection. However, many critical issues still need to be addressed. This paper explored the rich history of the Yellow River Basin management and successes, examined the current situation and challenges, and provided recommendations and strategies for achieving long-term stability, sustainability, and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin, such as constructing the water resources security system of the basin, realizing the restoration and protection of the ecological environment in the key areas in the basin, and improving the engineering system of flood control, ice-flood prevention and water-sediment regulation in the basin, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yellow River Basin plays a crucial role as both an ecological barrier and an economic development area in China. However, achieving synergistic development between the environment and industry in the coastal provinces remains challenging. Conducting in-depth studies on the synergy between these two aspects can provide valuable guidance for the development of each province. This paper employs the Topsis method to assess the development level of the industrial and environmental systems in the Yellow River Basin. Additionally, it utilizes the Harken model to analyze the synergy between the environment and industry in the coastal provinces of the Yellow River Basin from 2011 to 2021. Furthermore, the overall distribution of the level of synergistic development between the industry and environment in the Yellow River Basin is analyzed using kernel density estimation. The empirical findings reveal the following: 1. The development level of both environmental and industrial systems in each province of the Yellow River Basin has exhibited a consistent increase over the study period. 2. The average synergy between environment and industry in the Yellow River Basin has shown a declining trend from 2011 to 2021. In 2021, the synergy level follows the pattern of "upstream

By exploring the coupling and coordination relationship between high-quality agricultural development and ecological environment in the Yellow River Basin, and providing scientific reference for ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Ba- sin, this paper took nine provinces in the Yellow River Basin as the research object, and based on the panel data from 2012 to 2020, adopted the entropy value method, coupling coordination degree, spatial autocorrelation and spatial econometric model to study the coupling and coordination characteristics of high-quality agricultural development and ecological environment, and analyzed the spatial and temporal pattern evolution and driving factors of the coupling and coordination degree between them. The results show that the high-quality development level of agriculture and the ecological environment level in the Yellow River Basin are both on the rise, the regional pattern of the former is mainly "high in the upper and lower reaches and low in the middle reaches". The regional pattern of the latter is mainly "high in the middle and lower reaches and low in the upper reaches". The degree of coupling coordination between high-quality agricultural development and ecological environment is at a relatively low level, higher coupling coordination in the downstream than that of the middle and upper stream, there is a significant spatial agglomeration effect. Scientific and technological innovation and agricultural products trade play a significant role in the coupling and coordination level of high-quality agricultural development and ecological environment in the province (autonomous region), environmental regulation, scientific and technological innovation and agricultural trade have a significant positive space spillover effect, however, the spatial influence degree of each factor is different. In order to promote the improvement of coupling and coordination degree, the following suggestions are put forward; formulating development strategies in accordance with local conditions, strengthening interregional coordination and cooperation, and correctly playing the role of government and market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to provide theoretical support and decision-making basis for improving the level of industrial green development in the Yellow River Basin and promoting the transformation and building industrial green development in the Yellow River Basin, the panel data of nine provinces (regions) in the Yellow River Basin from 2012 to 2021 were used to calculate the level of industrial green development in the Yellow River Basin by using entropy weight-TOPSIS model. The differences were analyzed from spatial distribution, temporal characteristics and provincial levels, and the obstacle factor diagnosis model was used to explore the main obstacle factors affecting the green industrial development in the Yellow River Basin. The results show that the level of industrial green development in the Yellow River Basin shows an over- all upward trend from 2012 to 2021, with the value increasing from 0.378 in 2012 to 0.498 in 2021. The main obstacles to green industrial development in the Yellow River Basin are industrial environmental control and industrial innovation. The main obstacle factors are the proportion of industrial pollution investment in industrial added value, industrial labor productivity, the proportion of industrial wastewater treatment funds in industrial pollution control investment, the number of valid invention patents per household of industrial enterprises above designated size, and the level of innovation capital investment. Finally, the paper put forward some suggestions to improve the level of industrial green development in the Yellow River Basin from three aspects of optimizing industrial structure, strengthening environmental governance and building green innovation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to quantitatively evaluate the impact of inter-industry water rights transfer on economy and society in the main stream of the Yellow River in Inner Mongolia, the paper analyzed the impact of water rights transfer on agriculture, and the impact of water rights transfer on water use, production and operation, annual income, people's livelihood and economy of all industrial enterprises. The results show that the transfer of inter-industry water rights in the main stream of the Yellow River in Inner Mongolia in 2019-2021 has driven the total investment of industrial projects to 599.58 billion Yuan, created 122 145 new jobs, the gross regional product is 44.709 billion Yuan, the industrial added value is 238.821 billion Yuan, the annual tax revenue is 19.47 billion Yuan, the newly paved road area is 13.161 7 million km², and the new green area is 30.995 million km². The agricultural output value and farmers' income have been significantly increased, local livelihood issues have been effectively solved, and ecological protection and social and economic development along the Yellow River have been promoted. The transfer of water rights between industries in the main stream of the Yellow River in Inner Mongolia has alleviated the bottleneck of water resources of industrial enterprises along the Yellow River, realized the multi-win of farmers' production increase, economic efficiency increase and ecological restoration, and provided strong support for ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to promote the implementation of the action of deep water saving and control in the Yellow River Basin and improve the level of intensive utilization of water resources in Shaanxi Province, this paper discussed the definition of deep water saving, using the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) to establish the evaluation index system of deep water saving level, evaluated the deep water saving level of cities in the Yellow River Basin of Shaanxi Province, put forward the existing problems and countermeasures, and calculated the deep water saving potential according to the deep water saving goal, which had theoretical support for the implementation of deep water saving in Shaanxi Province. The results show that in the current year, the level of deep water saving in Xi'an, Xianyang, Yan'an, Tongchuan, Baoji, Hancheng, Yangling, Yulin, Shangluo and Xixian New District is strong, and the level of deep water saving in Weinan is general. The deep water saving potential of the Yellow River Basin in Shaanxi Province during the 14th Five-Year Plan period is 323.9 million m³, which can increase the water saving potential of 82.7 million m³ compared with the general water saving situation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dongping is an important area in the Yellow River Basin, with important geographical position and prominent ecological functions. Local cultural resources are extremely rich. In the context of the rural revitalization strategy, Dongping County vigorously develops cultural tourism and strengthens the construction of agricultural industry in order to achieve synergistic benefit between them. On the basis of phased results of Dongping cultural and tourism integration development to promote rural revitalization, this paper deeply explores the reasons behind the difficulties. Specific suggestions are put forward from the aspects of infrastructure construction, personnel training, experience projects, featured product development, to promote the implementation of rural revitalization strategy in Dongping County. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to quantify trade-associated virtual water flows and evaluate their impact on regional water systems, this paper used the multi-region input-output model to reveal the pattern and structure of the virtual water trade inside and outsided of the Yellow River Basin in 2012,2015 and 2017 and used LMDI method to analyze the impact of the virtual water net output of the watershed relative to others, and used the QAP model to analyze the impact factors of the virtual water trade among provinces within the watershed. The results show that a) the Yellow River Basin as a whole presents a virtual water net input state, but the Yellow River Basin net exports virtual water to Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and other 12 regions. b) The virtual water trade export industry is mainly the production and supply of agriculture, electricity, gas and water. c) Structure effect and intensity effect are important driving factors of virtual water net output in the watershed. d) QAP regression outcomes prove that economic development level, geographic distance and water use intensity differences are the main factors affecting the virtual water trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to provide reference for the institutional construction of ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin, from a methodological perspective, this paper analyzed the new institutional construction needs for ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin, and the contradiction of the overall requirements of basin governance between fragmented management in reality. On the premise of adhering to ecological priority and green development, and implementing tailored and classified policies, the above issues could be solved by finding the smallest tool unit that covered both ecological protection and high-quality development. Green credit is the minimum common multiple between ecological protection and high-quality development. Establishing a green credit system through laws, regulations and policy regulations is a necessary foundation and logical starting point for basin collaborative governance. Yellow River Conservancy Commission and the nine provinces (regions) in the Yellow River Basin can, in accordance with higher-level laws and relevant policies such as the Yellow River Protection Law, promptly introduce operational norms applicable to the basin and region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusive finance is an important way to promote farmers’ income increase and adjust farmers’ income structure. This paper uses the panel data of the Yellow River basin from 2011 to 2020 to explore the impact of inclusive finance on the income structure of farmers. The results show that:①The total inclusive financial index has a significant positive impact on the income of rural residents and income from all sources in the whole and all regions of the Yellow River basin, but only has a negative impact on property income in the upstream region, but the negative impact is not significant. ②The inclusive financial coverage index has a significant positive impact on the income of rural residents and income from all sources in the whole and all regions of the Yellow River basin, a significant negative impact on the income of downstream households, and a significant negative impact on downstream property income. ③The depth index of inclusive financial use has a significant positive impact on the per capita net income of rural households and the net income of household management in the whole Yellow River basin, but has no significant positive impact on wage income, while property income and transfer income have a significant negative impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the provincial panel data of the Yellow River basin from 2011 to 2020, this paper first calculates the agricultural modernization level of the Yellow River basin using entropy method, and then uses OLS model to empirically analyze the impact of agricultural scientific and technological innovation investment and agricultural modernization in the basin. The results show that:①The average agricultural modernization index of the Yellow River basin is 0. 399, which is in the initial stage, and shows an upward trend in 2011-2018; However, the decline occurred in 2018-2020, which cast a shadow on the development of agricultural modernization in the Yellow River basin. In all regions, the average value of the comprehensive index of agricultural modernization development in the downstream is significantly higher than that in the middle and upstream, and the development index in the upstream is the lowest. Among the provinces and autonomous regions, the average comprehensive development index of agricultural modernization in Shandong Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Henan Province is higher than that in other provinces (regions), while the average comprehensive development index of Gansu Province is the lowest. ②The scale of investment in agricultural scientific research has a significant positive impact on the overall and downstream agricultural modernization development of the Yellow River basin, and a significant negative impact on the upstream and midstream; The investment intensity of agricultural research funds has a significant positive impact on the development of agricultural modernization in the Yellow River basin, the upper and middle reaches, and a significant negative impact on the lower reaches; The impact of human investment in agricultural research on agricultural modernization in the Yellow River basin and the upper, middle and lower reaches is significantly positive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of carbon budget and carbon compensation zoning is of great significance in formulating strategies to adapt to the low-carbon development of each region, promoting synergistic management of regional ecological environment, and realizing high-quality develop‐ ment. This paper takes 56 municipal units in the Yellow River Basin as the study area, and by constructing a conceptual structure of carbon income and expenditure as well as carbon compensation zoning of the cities in the basin, it studies the spatio-temporal differentiation law of carbon income and expenditure as well as carbon compensation zoning of the urban agglomerations in the Yellow River Basin by using methods such as the centralization index and the location-con‐ strained multivariate spatial clustering, and then it provides constructive theoretical solutions for the low-carbon development strategy in the process of urbanization. The study shows that: (1) the cities in the Yellow River Basin from 2000 to 2020 are characterized by obvious geographical differentiation of carbon expenditure and revenue, specifically, the carbon expenditure and revenue centralization index of the study area fluctuates up and down around the warning line of 0. 4, and the overall curve shows an obvious fluctuating upward trend. (2) The spatial and temporal variation of carbon income and expenditure among cities in the Yellow River Basin is remarkable, and the data show that carbon emissions in the Yellow River Basin show a structure of "low in the west and high in the east and central parts of the country", with the high-value centres in Gansu, Shaanxi and Shandong provinces in 2000, and then the number of high-value areas of carbon emissions has increased year by year, while at the same time, the absorptive capacity of carbon sinks in each city is roughly equal. (3) Based on the framework of carbon offset zoning, the study area is divided into five types of carbon offset spatial optimization zones, and suggestions are made for green and low-carbon development planning in different types of zones. (4) In the future, the study will refine the spatial scale of the study area, explore the balance of carbon budget and carbon compensation of smaller units, and strive to explore the optimization of the green and low-carbon development mode of small areas, so that the energy conservation and emission reduction and green development of small areas can lead the cities in the region to achieve the dual-carbon goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has become an unavoidable problem in achieving sustainable development. As one of the major industries worldwide, tourism can make a significant contribution to mitigating climate change. The main objective of the paper is to assess the development level of low-carbon tourism from multi-aspect, using the Yellow River Basin as an example. Firstly, this study quantified tourism carbon dioxide emissions and tourism economy, and analyzed their evolution characteristics. The interaction and coordination degree between tourism carbon dioxide emissions and tourism economy were then analyzed using the improved coupling coordination degree model. Finally, this study analyzed the change in total factor productivity of low-carbon tourism by calculating the Malmquist–Luenberger productivity index. The results showed that: (1) the tourism industry in the Yellow River Basin has the characteristics of the initial environmental Kuznets curve. (2) There was a strong interaction between tourism carbon dioxide emissions and tourism economy, which was manifested as mutual promotion. (3) The total factor productivity of low-carbon tourism was increasing. Based on the above results, it could be concluded that the development level of low-carbon tourism in the Yellow River Basin has been continuously improved from 2000 to 2019, but it is still in the early development stage with the continuous growth of carbon dioxide emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to provide scientific and technological support for the implementation of major national strategies for ecological protection and high-quality development and rural revitalization in the Yellow River Basin, this paper systematically summarized the research results, key technologies and typical models of the coordinated development of ecological governance and ecological economy in the Yellow River Basin over the years, analyzed the current existing and outstanding issues, and put forward corresponding countermeasures and suggestions. Over the years, various regions in the Yellow River Basin have explored a variety of coordinated development models of ecological governance and ecological economy for serious soil erosion. It includes the comprehensive ecological and economic management model with high adaptability of soil and water conservation-geomorphology-ecological economy, the ecological agriculture economic model of soil and water conservation, the integrated development model of soil and water conservation and ecological economy in wind-sand area, the coordinated development model of ecological management and derivative industries in Pisha sandstone area, the virtuous cycle model of rural energy ecology in semi-arid areas, and the governance model of ecological and economic belt of soil and water conservation in the Loess Plateau. At present, the existing outstanding issues include the concept of coordinated development of ecological governance and ecological economy is weak, the synergy between the two is not high, the space for coupling and coordination is unbalanced, and the development model has a single structure and low scale efficiency. The suggestions: To innovate the theory and key technologies of coordinated development of ecological governance and ecological economy; To establish a diversified investment mechanism, create a new model of coordinated development of ecological governance and economy and its production and industrial system with the goal of high-quality development, and explore the promotion mechanism and model of “full trust and full chain”; To build an appropriate technical system, industrial system, management system and talent support system; To establish a pilot demonstration county for the coordinated development of ecological governance and ecological economy, lead and optimize the coordinated development of regional modern ecological governance and economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to evaluate the sustainable utilization level of water resources in the nine provinces (autonomous regions) of the Yellow River Basin, improve the status of water resources and realize the sustainable utilization of regional water resources, this paper proposed a comprehensive evaluation index of sustainable utilization of water resources suitable for the nine provinces (autonomous regions) of the Yellow River Basin based on the water footprint model. Spearman correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were used to analyze the driving factors of sustainable water resources utilization in the nine provinces of the Yellow River Basin. The results show that the water resources footprint of the nine provinces (autonomous regions) in the Yellow River Basin from 2010 to 2020 increases first and then decreases in a small amplitude, and the water environment footprint shows a decreasing trend, and the spatial distribution of water resources footprint and water environment footprint is very uneven. In the nine provinces (autonomous regions) of the Yellow River Basin, the level of sustainable utilization of water resources has increased to different degrees. The level of sustainable utilization of water resources in the upstream provinces (autonomous regions) is higher, while the level of sustainable utilization in the middle and downstream provinces (autonomous regions) is lower. The main driving factors of sustainable water resources use are population density, wastewater treatment rate and the proportion of secondary industry, followed by per capita water consumption and fertilizer application intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the dynamic evolution and regional differences of quaternity cooperation of water resources-ecology-city-industry in the Yellow River Basin, the paper adopted the synergy model, kernel density estimation, Dagum gini coefficient and its decomposition to estimate it based on the data of 76 major prefecture-level cities in the Yellow River Basin from 2016 to 2020. The results show that the number of cities in primary, intermediate and good coordination is 30, 33 and 13 respectively. The level of synergy among cities is on the rise, but the absolute difference between cities is expanding and the relative difference is narrowing. except for Hu-Bao-E-Yu urban agglomeration, the absolute difference of the coordination degree of the other six urban agglomerations all shows an expanding trend. The internal differences between the upper and lower reaches of the Yellow River show a downward trend, while the internal differences in the middle reaches show an upward trend. The difference between the upper and middle reaches is the largest, and it shows a further expansion trend, and the difference between the upper and lower reaches is gradually narrowing. The difference in Hu-Bao-E-Yu urban agglomeration is the smallest and the difference in Guanzhong urban agglomeration is the largest. The difference between Guanzhong urban agglomeration and Shandong peninsula urban agglomeration is the smallest, and the difference between Jinzhong urban agglomeration and Shandong peninsula urban agglomeration is the largest. In the future, we should further strengthen factor coordination and regional coordination, give play to the dynamic comparative advantages of various regions, and promote the in-depth implementation of ecological protection and high-quality development strategies according to local conditions in the Yellow River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the provincial panel data of the Yellow River basin from 2011 to 2020, this paper uses the entropy weight method to evaluate the overall and regional agricultural green development level of the Yellow River basin from four aspects of resource utilization, environmental impact, ecological conservation and economic benefits, and carries out regional difference analysis. The results show that: ① The overall agricultural green development level of the Yellow River basin is not high and shows an overall upward trend, only in 2018 did it decrease. From the perspective of classification indicators, the scores of each classification indicator are quite different. The score of resource utilization is the highest, the score of environmental impact is the lowest, and the score of ecological conservation and economic benefits is lower than that of resource utilization, but the difference between the three is not significant. ② The average comprehensive score of agricultural green development level in the downstream region is the highest, followed by the middle reaches, and the lowest in the upstream region. From the perspective of development trend, the upstream region shows an overall upward trend during the sample period, but there are still fluctuations. Although the average score of agricultural green development level in the relatively stable downstream region is the highest, the volatility of its development trend is significantly greater than that in the upstream and midstream regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities are the spatial carriers of ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin’s nine provinces（regions). With the help of eco-efficiency, we can reveal the coordinated development of ecology and economy. In the existing studies, urban eco-efficiency is usually measured under the same external conditions, but little consideration is given to the differences of cities. By constructing a three-stage super-efficiency SBM model after excluding external environmental factors, this paper calculated the ecological efficiency of 57 cities in nine provinces（regions） of the Yellow River Basin from 2010 to 2019, and further analyzed the spatial-temporal differentiation characteristics of urban ecological efficiency in nine provinces（regions） of the Yellow River. The results show that compared with the traditional super-efficiency SBM model, the three-stage super-efficiency SBM model is more reasonable. After excluding the influence of environmental variables such as income level, industrial structure, environmental policy and foreign direct investment, the urban eco-efficiency of nine provinces（regions） in the Yellow River Basin decreases slightly. In terms of time evolution characteristics, the eco-efficiency value of most cities in the nine provinces（regions） of the Yellow River Basin shows a fluctuating downward trend, and the eco-efficiency of cities in the upper reaches decreases significantly. In terms of spatial distribution characteristics, most cities in the nine provinces（regions） of the Yellow River Basin are concentrated in low eco-efficiency areas, showing an alternating spatial distribution trend of “low-high-low-high” from west to east. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction between water resources utilization and urban development in urban agglomerations in the Yellow River Basin is the key to the high-quality development of urban agglomerations in the basin. There is an urgent need to explore the coupling and coordination relationship between the two under the sustainable development goals, and provide new ideas for exploring the collaborative mechanism of ecological protection and high-quality development of urban agglomerations in the Yellow River Basin. Taking 72 cities and five urban agglomerations in the Yellow River Basin as examples, this paper established an analysis framework for the coupling of water footprint and city development index in 2010-2019 according to the sustainable development goal proposed by the United Nations and the difference of water resources utilization. The Theil variation index method was used to evaluate the spatial differences in coupling coordination results. The results show that the water footprint is decreasing year by year and the city development index is increasing year by year. The coupling relationship between water footprint and city development index is in an unstable state of “rising-falling-rising”. The difference in the level of urban water resources utilization within the urban agglomeration is the main reason for the difference in the level of development, and there are significant differences in the coordination relationship between water resources utilization and urban development in different urban agglomeration development stages. It suggested to build a trans-regional water resources co-governance system, give full play to the regulatory role of public water resources policies in urban agglomerations, and systematically plan the safety pattern of aquatic environment protection and water resources development and utilization among urban agglomerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing carbon productivity is an effective means to achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality. To coordinate the relationship between economic growth and carbon emissions reduction in the Yellow River Basin, the carbon productivity of 9 provinces（regions） in the Yellow River Basin from 2007 to 2017 is calculated. Based on DEA-Malmquist’s total factor carbon productivity model, the spatiotemporal evolution trajectory and spatial distribution pattern of total factor carbon productivity of 9 provinces（regions） is deduced. The potential improvement space of total factor carbon productivity is scientifically decomposed and the influencing factors of the spatiotemporal evolution of carbon productivity is identified. Based on this, the improvement path of carbon productivity in the Yellow River Basin is condensed. The results show that, 1) in the time dimension, the carbon productivity of 9 provinces（regions） rise steadily with the growth of per capita GDP,an increase of 283.3%, while the total factor carbon productivity remains at around 1.000. 2) In the spatial dimension, the regional heterogeneity of carbon productivity and total factor carbon productivity is relatively large affected by economic development and resource endowments, showing a spatial evolution pattern of “downstream significantly higher than midstream, and midstream slightly higher than upstream”. 3) From the point of influencing factors, the midstream and upstream belong to technical efficiency-driven, the role of technological progress is weak, while the downstream is a co-promotion type of technological progress and technological efficiency. Based on this, this paper proposes strategic suggestions such as innovating institutional mechanisms, promoting low-carbon development models, focusing on lowcarbon technology innovation, accelerating energy structure adjustment, strengthening regional integration cooperation, and improving factor allocation efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to clarify the current situation of digital economy and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin, explore the coupling coordination and interaction between these two aspects and provide a reference for implementing ecological protection and high-quality development strategies in the Yellow River Basin, the interactive mechanism between digital economy and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin was analyzed theoretically. Based on the panel data 2011 to 2020, a total of 64 prefecture-level cities in the Yellow River Basin were selected. This paper measured the development level of the digital economy and high-quality development level, empirically examined the coupling coordination relationship between these two dimensions by using coupling coordination degree model and explored the interactive relationship between the two through a PVAR model. The results of the study show that a) the development level of the digital economy in the Yellow River Basin has shown improvement during the research period, however, it remains generally lower with significant regional differences, which forms a circle distribution pattern with Jinan, Zhengzhou, Xi’an, Taiyuan and Hohhot as the core cities, and has the spatial distribution characteristics of high in the east and low in the west. b) The imbalance of high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin is prominent, characterized by the polarization and a distinct circle structure. This has resulted in the formation of a high-value area with Jinan, Zhengzhou, Taiyuan, Xi’an, Lanzhou and other provincial capitals as the core cities. c) The coupling coordination degree between the digital economy and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin has been increasing annually, but the overall coordination level remains insufficient. The current implementation only achieves the transition from the mild imbalance to near imbalance levels, and the coordination degree also illustrates a pattern of lower reaches＞middle reaches＞upper reaches. d) Both the digital economy and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin are characterized by self-reliance. High-quality development plays a significant role in promoting the digital economy, while the role of the digital economy in enhancing high-quality development needs to be reinforced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accelerating the enhancement of green technology innovation competitiveness is an inevitable requirement for achieving high-quality development in Yellow River Basin. Building upon a systematic evaluation of the green technology innovation competitiveness in Yellow River Basin from 2009 to 2020, using vertically and horizontally opening grade method, an in-depth analysis of its spatiotemporal distribution pattern and dynamic evolution features was further conducted through the utilization of kernel density estimation and spatial Markov chain; additionally, an obstacle degree model was employed to analyze the main factors hindering the improvement of green technology innovation competitiveness in Yellow River Basin. The results show that the overall development of green technology innovation competitiveness in Yellow River Basin exhibits a “W”-shaped trend with four stages, including decline period, ascendancy period, re-decline period, and revitalization period; the absolute differences in green technology innovation competitiveness between regions have diminished, yet a significant gradient development characteristic persists, with competitiveness increasing successively from upstream to downstream. There is a transfer inertia of green technology innovation competitiveness between different levels in Yellow River Basin; regions with low competitiveness face severe grade barriers, while regions with high competitiveness exhibit a club convergence phenomenon; under spatial effects, the probability of grade locking in the transfer of green technology innovation competitiveness decreases, but cross-level transitions remain elusive. The obstacles to green technology innovation competitiveness in Yellow River Basin mainly manifest in the aspects of inadequate green development and outcome transformation; factors such as unit GDP energy consumption, energy consumption structure, energy consumption, openness, and the number of green technological papers published are identified as the primary impediments to the enhancement of green technological innovation competitiveness in Yellow River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an essential way to enhance farmers’ self-development ability, off-farm employment plays an indispensable role in farmers’ multidimensional poverty reduction in many countries. Employing a survey of 1926 farmers in five provinces of the Yellow River Basin in China, this paper examined the multi-dimensional poverty reduction effect of off-farm employment and the heterogeneous influence of different dimensions of off-farm employment (modes, levels, distances and frequency). The results showed that (1) although absolute poverty in the income dimension was largely eliminated in the Yellow River Basin, the poverty in social resources, transportation facilities, employment security were the key bottlenecks restricting farmers’ self-development. (2) The province with the best multidimensional poverty reduction effect for non-farm employment was Shaanxi, with the largest contribution to employment security. (3) Improving off-farm employment level, distance and time can significantly alleviate the multi-dimensional poverty of farmers. Therefore, to lessen the multi-dimensional poverty of farmers in the Yellow River Basin, it is necessary to focus on the governance of multi-dimensional key poverty-stricken areas, such as the middle and upper courses of the Yellow River, adopting multidimensional poverty alleviation strategy of off-farm employment according to local conditions, working on the farmers’ deficiencies in social resources, mobility, employment security, and deepening the effect of off-farm employment on benefiting farmers and helping the poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digital economy (DIE), a new economic form with digitalization at its core, has become an important driving force for promoting regional economy development. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, exploring the impact path of the DIE on carbon emission efficiency (CEE) is conducive to giving full play to the "carbon-reduction-and-efficiency-enhancement" role of the DIE, and to promoting the realization the "dual carbon" goal of carbon peak and carbon neutrality. In this paper, the Yellow River Basin (YRB) and the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) are taken as study areas, the panel Tobit model is used to explore the impact of the DIE on CEE, and the intermediary-effect model and threshold-effect model are constructed to test the intermediary and threshold effects of technological innovation, respectively. The results show that the DIE has a U-shaped nonlinear impact on CEE in both the YRB and the YREB and that the impact has regional heterogeneity. Technological innovation can play a mediating effect between the DIE and CEE, whereas the mediating effect in the YRB is stronger than that in the YREB. Technological innovation has a threshold effect on the DIE to improve CEE, while the threshold value in the YREB is higher than that in the YRB. Furthermore, this paper proposes some suggestions to guide regional low-carbon and sustainable development. Impact path of digital economy (DIE) on carbon emission efficiency (CEE) in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) and Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB). [Display omitted] • The Super-SBM model is used to evaluate the urban carbon emission efficiency (CEE), and the entropy weight method is used to evaluate the development level of urban digital economy (DIE). • The DIE has a U-shaped nonlinear impact on CEE in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) and the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB). • The intermediary model and threshold model are used to test the intermediary effect and threshold effect of technological innovation between DIE and CEE. • Technological innovation can play a mediating effect between DIE and CEE, whereas the mediating effect in the YRB is stronger than that in the YREB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yellow River Basin (YRB) stands as a critical ecological barrier and a significant economic hub, bridging the western and eastern regions of China. To investigate the synergy of ecoefficiency within the industrial chain of the YRB, this paper introduces a novel research approach. By establishing an industrial technology similarity matrix, spatial econometric models can be employed to analyze spillover effects, which provides a new tool for related research and overcomes some drawbacks of previous studies. The study reveals that industrial ecoefficiency exhibits distinct interaction characteristics across different spatial dimensions. Specifically, the interaction effect within the province is notably superior to that observed within the YRB, as well as in the broader region encompassing the adjacent provinces of the YRB. The upstream and downstream provinces demonstrate a robust level of interaction within their local scopes. However, the middle reaches of provinces exhibit a weak link that undermines the spillover capacity of industrial ecoefficiency across the entire YRB. This finding suggests that hierarchical policy measures should be devised according to the characteristics of spillover effects across various spatial dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yellow River Basin (YRB) serves as a critical energy hub in China. Enhancing energy efficiency in cities across the YRB is pivotal for achieving high-quality development and meeting carbon peaking and neutrality targets. This paper proposes a multidimensional technology heterogeneity assessment framework to refine the classification of production technologies. It leverages this framework to develop a data envelopment analysis model for evaluating green total factor energy efficiency (GTFEE) in 78 cities within the YRB from 2006 to 2022. The key findings are as follows: (1) Grouping outcomes from the multidimensional heterogeneity framework significantly differ from existing literature. (2) GTFEE shows notable spatiotemporal variations within the YRB, with a substantial overall increase since 2011. However, cities in the central YRB exhibit lower GTFEE performance. (3) Energy inefficiency in groups 1, 2, and 3 is attributed to developmental inefficiency, management inefficiency, and practical inefficiency, respectively. (4) Evaluation of energy-saving potential reveals an average annual potential of around 8 million tce per city during 2006–2022. The study concludes with strategies for enhancing GTFEE based on dynamic GTFEE decomposition outcomes, supporting policy design for achieving dual-carbon goals through improved energy efficiency in the YRB region. • Technology heterogeneity grouping results differ from those in literature. • GTFEE within the Yellow River Basin exhibits significant spatiotemporal variations. • Sources of energy inefficiency vary among the groups. • Average annual energy-saving potential of approximately 8 million tce per city during 2006–2022. • GTFEE improvement path is devised according to the decomposition of MMGTFEEI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examining the interplay among water-energy-environment-economy in the Yellow River Basin holds paramount importance for ecological conservation and fostering the high-quality advancement in this region. This research establishes a theoretical framework for understanding the water-energy-environment-economy interplay and proposes a comprehensive evaluation index system targeting for holistic development of the water-energy-environment-economy system. Analyzing data from 57 cities in the Yellow River Basin in 2002–2022, this research employes the coupling coordination model, spatial autocorrelation model, and obstacle model for in-depth analysis. The findings indicate: (1) The overall development of water-energy-environment-economy in the Yellow River Basin demonstrates a steady upward trajectory, with distinct evolution patterns in each subsystem. (2) The coupling coordination degree in water-energy-environment-economy exhibits a gradual improvement, with the coupling coordination values showing the sequence of Lower reaches > Upper reaches > Total average > Middle reaches. (3) Coupling coordination degree reveals a spatial pattern of high values in peripheries and lower values in the central areas, suggesting a certain spatial agglomeration. (4) Water resources per capita emerges as the primary obstacle factor in the Yellow River Basin, with its obstacle degree on the rise. Building upon these insights, the paper presents targeted policy recommendations. • A theoretical framework for relationship among water, energy, environment, and economy is built. • Coupling coordination degree of WEEE in the YRB was evaluated. • Spatiotemporal evolution of WEEE coupling coordination was analyzed. • Obstacle factors of WEEE were identified in the YRB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Developed a method to assess synergy and competition in water-energy-food systems. • Energy and food industries face intense competition for water in the Yellow River Basin. • Considering water quality exacerbates competition for water between food and energy and diminishes synergy. • Resource endowment and technological level have significant impact on the degree of competition. Water, as an indispensable component of the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus, plays a pivotal role in shaping its stability and safety. The competition for water between the food and energy systems is accentuated in the concept of the nexus. However, existing quantitative frameworks and assessment mechanisms have limitations as they often neglect to consider water quality in water competition within the WEF nexus. Therefore, a WEF nexus synergy and competition assessment method was proposed by coupling water footprint theory and the Lotka-Volterra model in this paper. This method establishes two scenarios based on the water footprint perspective, namely, water quantity and water quality-quantity. It effectively addresses the deficiencies in quantitative analysis of WEF system trade-offs and synergies. To illustrate the application of the method, this study conducted a case study in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) of China, evaluating the complex competitive and synergistic mechanisms of water use in the energy and food industries. Compared to the water quantity scenario, the results reveals that the inclusion of gray water footprint intensifies the competition for water in the food and energy industries in the YRB from 2000 to 2020, particularly in resource-based and economically developed cities. The spatial distribution characteristics of water resource competition and synergy in the YRB's WEF system align with WEF endowment and economic technology levels. To address water conflicts in the WEF nexus and enhance nexus security, this study proposes a regulatory pathway for WEF system synergistic security based on two aspects (water competition and synergy characteristics and resource endowment). It contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of water competition and synergy in the WEF nexus and provides valuable insights for resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terrestrial gross primary production (GPP) changes due to impervious surfaces significantly impact ecosystem services in watersheds. Understanding the asymmetric response of vegetation GPP to impervious surface expansion is essential for regional development planning and ecosystem management. However, the asymmetric response of vegetation GPP to the impacts of impervious surface expansion is unknown in different watersheds. This paper selected the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins as case studies. We characterized the overall change in GPP based on changes in impervious surface ratio (ISR), determined impervious surface expansion's direct and indirect impacts on GPP in the two watersheds, and further analyzed the asymmetric response of the compensatory effects of indirect influences on the impervious surface expansion in different watersheds. The results showed that: (1) The vegetation GPP decreased with increasing ISR in the Yangtze River Basin, while that in the Yellow River Basin first increased and then reduced. (2) The direct impacts of increased ISR reduced vegetation GPP, while the indirect impacts both had a growth-compensating effect. Growth compensation stabilized at approximately 0.40 and 0.30 in the Yellow and Yangtze River Basins. (3) When the ISR was 0.34–0.56, the growth compensation could offset the reduction of GPP due to direct impact and ensure that the background vegetation GPP was not damaged in the Yellow River Basin. In contrast, the background vegetation GPP was inevitably impaired with increased ISR in the Yangtze River Basin. Therefore, this study suggests that the ISR should be ensured to be between 0.34 and 0.56 to maximize the impervious surface of the Yellow River Basin without compromising the background vegetation GPP. While pursuing impervious surface expansion in the Yangtze River Basin, other programs should be sought to compensate for the loss to GPP. [Display omitted] • Vegetation GPP decreases with an increase in the impervious surface ratio. • Indirect impacts in different watersheds have growth compensation effects. • Growth compensation can offset the reduction in GPP caused by direct impacts in the Yellow River Basin. • Background vegetation GPP inevitably impairs as impervious surfaces increase in the Yangtze River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper refines a comprehensive index of urban low-carbon innovation based on urban low-carbon innovation concept and an urban low-carbon innovation community structure and function. This index is complemented by an indicator reflecting equity in terms of urban-rural income gap, some indicators of low-carbon knowledge and technology innovation, as well as an indicator of the characteristics of a carbon circular economy, and a further refinement of the indicator of low-carbon innovation system. We use the entropy value method, kernel density analysis, gravity model, and social network analysis to study the low-carbon innovation spatial pattern in urban agglomerations (UAs) of the Yellow River Basin (YRB). Innovations in the findings are: (1) the low-carbon innovation level in the UAs in the YRB decreases in spatial distribution from the downstream to the midstream to the upstream UAs. (2) Reveal the spatial pattern laws of low-carbon innovation levels in different types of UAs in the YRB. The spatial pattern in regional level UAs is more complex and hierarchical than that in area level UAs; but there are still gaps in the hierarchy of spatial patterns of low-carbon innovation levels between UAs at the regional level, as well as between UAs at the area level. The spatial pattern of two regional-level UAs in the YRB is transitioning from a low-carbon innovation point-axis to a low-carbon innovation network structure, and the spatial pattern of one regional-level UAs is at the embryonic stage of the low-carbon innovation point-axis structure. The spatial pattern of one area-level UA is at the embryonic stage of a low-carbon innovation point-axis structure, and the spatial pattern of three area-level UAs is at the stage of low-carbon innovation pole. The spatial pattern of low-carbon innovation becomes more complex and hierarchical as we move from upstream to midstream to downstream UAs. (3) Use social network analysis and the study show that the low-carbon innovation network is dominated by the internal correlations among the UAs in the upstream, midstream, and downstream. The low-carbon innovation linkages between upstream, midstream and downstream UAs are weak. Finally, we put forward corresponding policy recommendations. • Improve concept and comprehensive evaluation index system of urban low-carbon innovation. • Reveal low-carbon innovation spatial patterns in different urban agglomerations in Yellow River Basin. • Using social network analysis study low-carbon innovation spatial correlation pattern in Yellow River Basin urban agglomerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The evaluation index system of water resources intensive use is constructed. • The potential for water conservation and purification phases needs to be tapped. • The structure of spatial association network is sparse on the whole. • The technological element is the main reason for the formation of a spatially linked. Achieving the efficient, synergistic and sustainable utilization of water resources is a necessary precondition and an important means through which to protect the ecological environment of the Yellow River Basin (YRB) and promote the high-quality development of the basin's economy. This paper innovatively defines water-intensive utilization efficiency (WIUE) and constructs an appropriate evaluation index system. A superefficiency network slacks-based measure (SBM) model is introduced for measurement. The gravity model is improved, and the spatial clustering and spatial association network characteristics of water use efficiency (WUE) and water conservation and purification efficiency (WCPE) are analysed using exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) and social network analysis (SNA). Finally, the formation mechanism of the spatial network of WCPE is explored by using quadratic assignment procedure (QAP) regression. The following conclusions are obtained. (1) The WIUE of the YRB shows a divergent trend over time, with fluctuations in the water conservation and purification stage being the main factors influencing WIUE changes in each province. (2) Currently, the spatial association network structures of WUE and WCPE are sparse. However, with the government's basin-wide water conservation policy, the spatial relationships within the basin have gradually become more closely linked. The local clustering effect of WUE in space and the communication of technical elements in the WCPE stage in the basin are the main reasons for this network formation. Focusing on the WCPE stage, this study not only proposes policy suggestions to improve the efficiency of water resource intensification in the YRB by promoting the exchange of factors but can also be used as a reference for other basins with great regional differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]