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The environmental and energy impacts of ICT were identified using a comparative life cycle assessment (CompLCA) focused on business invoicing processes comparing online to paper processes. There were net energy benefits from online billing. The potential impact across the economy and society is large, particularly as COVID-19 has forced many businesses and government services to shift to online service provision. For one million bills produced electronically and received by customers instead of a paper bill, 18.9 t CO2e is avoided, which translates to a national saving of 22,680 tCO2e, assuming 1.2 billion annual invoicing transactions. The impacts of CO2 are sensitive, however, to several assumptions. The study's originality was to show the range of invoicing variables that impact energy and the environment and to highlight which ones can be influenced. For example, the number of online bills produced was the most sensitive. However, the results are reversed under commonly occurring customer use situations. The study demonstrates the positive and negative impacts from the digitalisation of businesses. It suggests remedies based on the main drivers identified under company, contractor and customer control that led to energy consumption and environmental and land use impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes that the paradigm of relationality, engaged methodologically, can be the basis of praxis that purposefully moves away from business-oriented notions of "best practices" and toward education research that meets the needs of Indigenous and Black communities currently designing futures within settler colonial states during climate catastrophe. In so doing, the paper considers what a critical Indigenous research paradigm requires of researchers, what a critical Black epistemology requires, and what we can learn by bringing the two together in a relational approach to qualitative research. Relationality is defined and placed in historical context. The author's positionality is engaged by exploring his relationship to relationality through examination of the confluence of Black and Indigenous epistemologies in the United States. Through auto-reflection on a qualitative study of land-based education, this paper analyzes research "openings" as an example of relational methodology praxis. The paper offers a critical analysis of specific, detailed methodological actions undertaken to practice relationality in order to create cracks in existing educational research methodologies through which relationality can take root.

This replication study tests the repeatability of the study conducted by Adelaja and George (2019a) on the relation between Boko Haram related events of armed conflict and agricultural land use decisions. For the computational reproduction of the original results, we used the same datasets and the same methodological approach. Yet, our findings substantially deviate from the results in the original study. To test the robustness of our own results, we applied comprehensive robustness checks, such as using a different measure for armed conflict, including an additional survey wave of the GHS panel data, and applying two different timewise merging procedures. The results of the robustness checks were very sensitive to changes in the underlying data. Hence, we question the internal validity of the study's findings and argue that there is most likely a more general mismatch between the data, the methodology and the research questions. The bottom-line of this study is not that there are computable differences between Adelaja and George (2019a) and our estimations, but rather that caution should be taken in deriving policy implications from Adelaja and George (2019a) as their results lack internal validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on soil microplastics is currently at an early stage, and there is no widely approved sampling protocol. Even so, any basic research should minimize errors to ensure that they are not amplified in future research. This paper examines some weaknesses of the original research paper 'Soil microplastic pollution under different land uses in tropics, southwestern China' recently published in this journal. The authors neglected to report the equipment used for soil sampling and did not use field blank samples. There is also a soil layer that was incorrectly named. The type and pore size of filter paper used for filtration during pre-analytical soil sample preparation is very important. In this paper the nature of the filter paper used, and its larger pore sizes are questionable by today's scientists. In addition, the authors in the original paper also overlooked reporting the statistical package used for statical analysis and ensuring if all data sets obey normality, homogeneity, and equality before running the one-way ANOVA test. This statistical step is widely considered mandatory, especially in the soil science community. So, this makes it difficult to trust the results documented. Furthermore, in the original paper, the needle and stereo microscope instruments used to sort microplastic-like materials prior to proper analysis are not reliable. [Display omitted] • A dissecting needle and stereo microscope shouldn't be used to sort out soil microplastics. • Gold-coated filter paper with smaller pore size is better than nitrocellulose filter paper. • The 0–10cm is the top soil layer and 10–20cm is the subsoil layer not a deep soil layer. • The statistical package used for analysis must be documented accordingly. • If the dataset is a normal distribution prior to ANOVA testing, it must be confirmed and reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to promote urban–rural synergy in carbon reduction and achieve the dual carbon goal, reconstruct the low-carbon urban–rural spatial pattern and explore planning strategies for carbon mitigation in urban agglomerations. Design/methodology/approach: The authors propose the idea of land governance zoning based on low-carbon scenario simulation, using the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) urban agglomeration as the empirical research area. Specifically, the authors analyze its spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of carbon balance over the past two decades and simulate the land use pattern under the scenario of low-carbon emission in 2030. Furthermore, the authors create spatial zoning rules combined with land use transition characteristics to classify the urban agglomeration into carbon sink restoration zone, carbon sink protection zone, carbon control development zone and carbon transition agriculture zone and put forward corresponding targeted governance principals. Findings: The study findings classify the BTH urban agglomeration into carbon sink restoration zone, carbon sink protection zone, carbon control development zone and carbon transition agriculture zone, which account for 28.1%, 17.2%, 20.1% and 34.6% of the total area, respectively. The carbon sink restoration zone and carbon sink protection zone are mainly distributed in the northern and western parts and Bohai Rim region. The carbon transition agriculture zone and carbon control development zone are mainly distributed in the southeastern plain and Zhangjiakou. Research limitations/implications: The authors suggest restoring and rebuilding ecosystems mainly in the northwest and east parts to increase the number of carbon sinks and the stability of the ecosystem. Besides, measures should be taken to promote collaborative emission reduction work between cities and optimize industrial and energy structures within cities such as Beijing, Langfang, Tianjin and Baoding. Furthermore, the authors recommend promoting sustainable intensification of agriculture and carefully balance between both economic development and ecological protection in Zhangjiakou and plain area. Originality/value: The authors propose a zoning method based on the optimization of land use towards low-carbon development by combining "top-down" and "bottom-up" strategies and provide targeted governance suggestions for each region. This study provides policy implications to implement the regional low-carbon economic transition under the "double carbon" target in urban agglomerations in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implementing watershed carbon compensation under the constraint of fiscal imbalance is a crucial approach for China to achieve its "dual carbon" goals. Focusing on 257 counties within the Pearl River Basin (PRB), this paper first measured and modified the land use carbon emissions, carbon absorption, and the land use carbon budget (LUCB) from 2005 to 2020. Subsequently, their spatiotemporal patterns and the changes before and after the modifications were analyzed. Finally, this paper determined the subject–object, value, and priority order of carbon compensation using the modified LUCB as the baseline value, and a carbon compensation mechanism that combines vertical and horizontal directions was constructed. The following findings were obtained: (1) At the time scale, the proportion of construction land and forestland in the land use structure increased, and carbon emissions, carbon absorption, and the LUCB showed an overall upward trend from 2005 to 2020. (2) At the spatial scale, the areas with high carbon emissions and carbon deficits were mainly located in the lower reaches of the basin, whereas the areas with high carbon absorption and carbon surpluses were widely distributed in the upper and middle reaches. The carbon deficit in urban municipal districts and resource-based counties was relatively serious. (3) In 2020, the total amount of carbon compensation in the PRB was CNY −8088.61 million. The number of counties that needed to be paid and compensated was 75 and 182, respectively. The carbon compensation mechanism constructed in this paper can provide a reference for other countries and regions with financial imbalances to achieve regional carbon neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "Dasgupta Review" of the economics of biodiversity (Dasgupta 2021) identifies many factors that threaten the ecological sustainability of our economies. This article examines how two policy failures - the underpricing and underfunding of nature – influence global land use change and terrestrial biodiversity loss. If natural areas are priced too cheaply, then converting them to agriculture, forestry and other land uses is less costly than protecting or preserving habitats. Underfunding nature further reduces the incentives for conservation and restoration. The current global funding gap for biodiversity is just under $900 billion annually, and especially impacts developing countries. Ending the underpricing of natural landscape requires removing environmentally harmful subsidies and adopting policies that place an additional cost on the use of land and natural resources or on pollution. Overcoming the funding gap means expanding public and private sources of financing nature, particularly for poorer countries, such as biodiversity offsets, payments for ecosystem services, debt-for-nature swaps, green bonds, sustainable supply chains and international environmental agreements. Using the example of peatlands, the article shows how such a comprehensive global strategy can be built. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization is accelerating due to economic and societal development. The accurate identification of urban functional zones is significant for urban structure optimization, urban planning, and resource allocation. This paper reviews the scholarly literature on urban functional zone identification. Based on the retrieval results of databases, we analyzed the overview and current status. The identification methods and classification schemes are summarized from the existing research. The following results were obtained: (1) point of interest (POI) data are widely used for functional zone identification; (2) the block is the most common unit for functional zone identification; (3) cluster analysis is the main approach for urban functional zone identification; (4) most of the classification schemes are based on the dominant land use and characteristics of data sources. We predict future trends of urban functional zone identification based on the reviewed literature. Our findings are expected to be valuable for urban studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study abroad host families and communities in the Global South frequently provide learning experiences to study abroad programs in search of 'intercultural experiences' and 'global competency' to students from the Global North. This paper shares findings from a multi-sited ethnographic research project exploring cultural and economic impacts on host communities in Thailand who hosted U.S. study abroad programs and students. The study found that rather than participating solely for economic gain, host families participated in the global study abroad economy to preserve local knowledge, learn about cultural others, and leverage this knowledge and affiliations in negotiations with local government over land use and the right of communities remain in place. It also found that creation of systems of distributive benefit (systems that ensured transparency and equal sharing of economic benefits received from hosting students) by local government helped to mitigate unwanted impacts from outside visitors while allowing host communities opportunities to engage with the global study abroad economy.

China is facing a serious land resource mismatch problem, which will profoundly affect the acceleration of economic growth and technological innovation. Reform of the industrial land allocation system can solve the mismatch of land resources, and that also has an important impact on the promotion of economic and technological development. This paper selects the data of Chinese A-share listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen from 2007 to 2020 as the research sample, constructs a double machine learning model, and empirically investigates the impact of a new industrial land use policy on firms' green innovation behavior. The study shows that: (1) the new industrial land use policy significantly promotes firms' substantive and strategic green technological innovation, and the effect on substantive green technological innovation is greater than that on strategic green technological innovation. (2) The enhancement of R&D investment sustainability and the "talent pool" effect are important mechanisms through which the new industrial land use policy influences firms' substantive and strategic green technological innovation. Meanwhile, the new industrial land use policy is conducive to firms' green coinnovation. (3) There is heterogeneity in the effect of the new industrial land use policy, which can significantly promote green technological innovation of firms in the eastern region, while it does not play a significant role in the green innovation behavior of firms in the central and western regions. The above research results enrich the research in the field of industrial land and innovation, help to understand more comprehensively the mechanism of new industrial land affecting firms' green technological innovation, and provide policy insights for strengthening the application of industrial land allocation reform in firms' green innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 'Urban Interaction' project aims to develop an urban planning model system at the scale of towns or small cities consisting of three modules: growth forecast, land-use decision, and evaluation. This paper presents the framework of the model system to identify and discuss the assumptions and theoretical basis of the model system. The model system will be driven by scenario planning theory and sustainable urban development principles. It will export land-use planning based on selected urban development scenarios and urban planning theories. This paper takes Diao Town in Jinan as an example. Applying GIS spatial analysis and hierarchical analysis, this paper determines the suitability of land use and the weights of different influencing factors, combined with the land-use conflict identification model, for land-use decision-making. Finally, the assessment module verifies whether the planning scheme complies with laws and regulations to achieve an active, reactive response to uncertainty. The paper discusses the 'uncertainty' of urban planning and proposes a creative, flexible, and timely planning platform that allows planners and other participants to model and visualize their scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use conflicts (LUCs) have become a significant global issue. Accurately identifying potential LUCs is crucial for mediating these conflicts, optimizing land use structure, and enhancing land use function. The necessary conditions of LUCs are land use multi-suitability (LUMS), land resource scarcity (LRS), and diversity of demands (DD). However, few studies have approached LUC identification from these three dimensions simultaneously. In addition, when assessing the diversity of demand, only human needs are considered and wildlife needs are ignored. In order to address this gap in the research, this paper constructs a novel framework for LUC identification and proposes an induction-oriented governance path. LUMS was evaluated from three aspects: construction suitability, cultivation suitability, and ecological suitability. LRS is measured from three dimensions: construction land, cultivated land, and ecological land scarcity. The DD is expanded into human and wildlife demand diversity. By analyzing the combination of LUMS, LRS, and DD, LUCs are classified using the potential LUC identification Rubik's cube model, and corresponding governance paths are suggested. In Shandong Province, potential LUCs are relatively high, with strong, medium, and weak conflicts accounting for 27.39%, 57.10%, and 13.06%, respectively. Potential strong conflicts are mainly distributed in the metropolitan suburbs and in the western plain of Shandong Province. Cultivated land is the main potential land use conflict space. The new framework of LUC identification proposed in this paper can effectively identify potential LUCs. Our research provides scientific reference for sustainable land use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land intensive use reflects the spatial structure, agglomeration characteristics, and internal mechanisms of urban economic, social, and ecological system development, significantly impacting urban resilience. Based on panel data from 287 cities in China from 2010 to 2020, this paper measures the levels of land intensive use and urban resilience, and empirically examines the impact mechanism of land intensive use on urban resilience through baseline regression and panel quantile regression. The results reveal that: (1) During the study period, China's urban land intensive use level has significantly improved. The land intensive use level shows a trend of "the strong become stronger, and the weak are always weak" and "high in the east and low in the west" spatial differentiation, while the urban resilience level showed a trend of accelerated "catching up" of low-resilience cities towards high-resilience cities and "high in the east and low in the west" spatial differentiation as well. (2) Land intensive use significantly promotes effect on urban resilience, and the effect depends on different conditions. (3) Among all dimensions of land intensive use, both land input intensity and land use benefits significantly promote urban resilience, while land use intensity shows an insignificant effect. (4) The impact of land intensive use on urban resilience demonstrates significant scale heterogeneity and geographic regional heterogeneity. Based on these findings, the paper proposes relevant policy suggestions for land intensive use aimed at improving urban resilience, offering guidance for promoting high-quality land use and sustainable urban resilience development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: One common renewable energy source for substituting fossil sources is photovoltaic (PV) systems. However, installing PV systems in agricultural areas can lead to competition with other land uses. These projects, therefore, often encounter problems with social acceptance in affected communities. Especially from the perspective of nature conservation targets, conflicts can arise. These potential differences are still under-researched but represent important knowledge for the societally broadly accepted design of such facilities and their contribution to energy transformation. In this paper, we investigate the perspectives of nature conservationists on PV in the region of Brandenburg, Germany. We comparatively analyse attitudes towards ground-mounted photovoltaics (GM-PV) and agrophotovoltaics (APV). APV combines energy supply and agricultural production on the same land and could thus be a possible solution for mitigating land-use conflicts. Results: We investigated the degree of local acceptability and positive and negative influencing factors through a qualitative text analysis of ten interviews with local representatives and position papers by Nature Conservation Associations. Our findings show a growing consensus around basic assumptions of the need for renewable energies, the prioritised support for PV systems on rooftops over the installation on agricultural land (GM-PV and APV), and the necessity for PV systems to be compatible with nature conservation objectives. Regarding specific site decisions on agricultural land, we find diverging attitudes when comparing the content of position papers and the responses of interviewees. The interviewees advocate taking into account local interests and specific regional conditions, the effects of PV systems on the local environment, and the need for distributional justice. Large-scale plants are locally less accepted than smaller ones and there is a more open attitude towards the expansion of APV than of GM-PV on agricultural land. However, a range of concerns regarding consequences for landscape and biodiversity persists, and further research and clarification is required to address these issues. Conclusions: We conclude that basic ecological standards and the demands of local stakeholders and interest groups should be taken into account when planning, implementing and reviewing PV projects in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the paper is to analyze the land use as cultivated area and grasslands for producing animal feed in Romania in the interval 2013-2022 utilizing the data from National Institute of Statistics (NIS) and Eurostat. The dynamics was highlighted as graphical trend lines, regression equations and R square, fixed basis and structural indices reflecting the changes across the time. The results showed that the surface with green forages in arable land was 847,978 ha in 2022 representing 10.59% of the total cultivated area and also reflected a reduction by 1.26% versus 2013. The perennial forages covered 675,207 ha in 2022 (+3.7% vs. 2013). Alfalfa accounted for a larger surface with a share of 62.52% in 2022(vs. 52.39% in 2013), while the clover area decreased its weight from 18.5% to 14.2%. In 2022, annual green forages covered 179,952 ha, by 13.35% less than in 2023. Fodder maize was cultivated on only 48,634 ha in 2022 (-13.36% vs. 2013) and root crops on only 3,033 ha, a surface smaller by 79.32% in 2022. The declined is justify by the negative influence of climate change which reduced forage production and also by the decreasing trend in livestock. Romania has also 5,172,800 ha grasslands, coming on the 3rd position in the EU after France and Germany. This area plays an important role in animal nutrition at a lower cost, in soil conservation, mitigating the effects of climate change, preserving biodiversity and the beauty of the landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the meaning of education for reconciliation in the context of Canadian settler-colonialism. It captures an attempt to delve into the meaning of reconciliation as an experiential process, through learning on the land with the Tahltan People. We focus on reconciliation not as a theory or political discourse, but rather as a meeting point of theory and experience. We identify and discuss four main components of education for reconciliation: Land as educator, Indigenous knowledge and pedagogy, reciprocity, and sovereignty. We argue for the need to shift from superficial and theoretical discourses of reconciliation in the classrooms to deep engagement with Indigenous knowledge and ways of living on the land.

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Energy justice remains relatively under-researched outside of the Western context, especially in Asia. This paper addresses that gap by investigating the process of energy transition in Taiwan through the socio-spatial lens and institutional points of view. The paper underscores the urgency of recognizing and addressing the overlooked social injustices across different territories, advocating an integrated planning approach that incorporates a just energy transition perspective to reduce the uneven negative impacts of deploying renewable energies across communities and regional territories. Drawing on a case study of the Changhua region, the paper identifies conflicts arising from the rapid deployment of renewable energy, such as land use changes that displace farming activities and negatively affect rural stakeholders. The findings suggest the need to urgently address the gap between top–down goals in energy transition and bottom–up considerations to raise awareness and prevent injustices that risk deepening the existing socio-economic inequities. This paper also proposes a new framework for both new research and policy for (just) energy transition, incorporating distributional, procedural, and recognitional concerns together with a critical view on the cross-scale and cross-sectoral integration as part of the spatial planning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nature is undergoing a rapid decline, due to factors such as changes in land use, climate change and pollution, potentially leading to the sixth mass extinction of species. This process jeopardises ecosystem services and therewith the global economy. Over half of the global economy relies on nature and its degradation can affect supply chains, weather patterns, commodity prices and economic growth prospects. This paper finds that nature-related risks are in fact financial risks and offers empirical evidence that these risks are priced in corporate bonds, a relevant asset class for central banks. In light of this, central banks can acknowledge and evaluate the impact and dependency of their operations on nature, incorporating these considerations into their risk management framework, encompassing identification, assessment, mitigation and disclosure. This will help to ensure price stability and sustainable development, while enabling them to safeguard their balance sheets. The guidelines provided by this paper extend to other financial institutions, underscoring the need for a holistic approach to the challenges posed by nature loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use conflicts are intensifying in Northern Sweden due to the increasing global demand for resources coupled with the green transition. In line with this, a thorough understanding of land use conflicts in the area is becoming necessary as economic activities expand and newer ones are developed. Hence, this paper aims to provide a systematic literature review of research on land use conflicts specific to Northern Sweden, focusing on various economic activities such as forestry, mining, tourism, energy sector and reindeer husbandry. Additionally, we aim to determine lessons learned and suggested ways forward based on a systematic review. We used Scopus and Web of Science on June 2023 and through descriptive statistical analysis of 33 articles, we summarized research trends and gaps. We found three main typologies of conflicts and five main themes of suggested ways forward. Recommendations agree that there should be a broader understanding of the underlying interests of the stakeholders; and there should be an inclusive, more participatory approach to discussing potential solutions, not to create an agreement but to come to an understanding. Beyond academic insights, the findings hold practical relevance for shaping effective land use policies. This paper offers valuable lessons that extend beyond the local context, informing broader discussions and policy considerations for sustainable land management in the larger Arctic setting, where similar challenges and resource demands are unfolding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1990, global forest area has been reducing; tropical forests have suffered from different anthropogenic and natural factors that account for forest loss. Tropical deforestation is the second driver of anthropogenic emissions; increasing demand and investments in tropical forests drive these emissions. These forests attract significant foreign direct investments, but the effects of these investments on carbon emissions from land use, land-use change, and forestry are not well enshrined in the literature for the countries under study. This paper seeks to analyse the impact of foreign direct investments on carbon emissions from land use, land-use change, and forestry amongst 30 tropical forest countries from 1996 to 2019. The sampled countries were disaggregated by tropical blocs: Amazon, Congo basin, Australasia, and Southeast Asia, and by income levels; low-income, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high-income. The findings reveal a U-shape structure of the impact of FDI on carbon emissions from LULUCF within Congo basin and Amazon countries; at higher levels of FDI, emissions from LULUCF will increase while Australasia and Southeast Asian countries show an inverted U-shape impact, thus at higher levels of FDI, there will be a negative and significant impact on carbon emissions from LULUCF. The income levels reveal an inverted U-shape for low-income and high-income countries and a U-shape for upper-middle-income countries; the impact for lower-middle-income countries is not significant. Overall, for the whole sample, the impact depicts a U-shape. This paper proposes high-level development of environmental conditions for FDI for different sectors that align with country and regional green growth plans. Enhancing national and regional governance systems to enforce decisions and fight corruption effectively can significantly promote green FDI for green growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of pesticides in agriculture has raised concerns due to their potential impact on human, animal and ecosystem health. Within a collaborative research framework, a study was co-constructed between researchers and local stakeholders in rural communities of Nan province (Thailand) to assess pesticide exposure levels. A total of 1,023 human serum samples were collected from volunteer participants. The level of exposure to organophosphate compounds showed that 12 (1.1%) and 134 (13%) individuals had hazardous or risky conditions, respectively. Generalized linear modeling revealed that age (older participants), chemical usage (spraying pesticide), habitat landscape characteristics (i.e., villages surrounded by orchard, forest, teak, rubber and rain-fed rice) and soil erosion appeared significant factors to explain the level of exposure. In addition, domestic animals (dogs and cattle) and wildlife (rodents and fishes) living in the vicinity were also assessed for their level of exposure. Applying the One Health principle helps understand pesticide exposure in people, domestic animals and wildlife by linking environmental characteristics at the local scale and thereby developing appropriate policies and regulations to be implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In post-conflict Colombia, the government has prioritized resettlement of displaced people through development of strong rural livelihoods and the sustainable use of natural capital. In this paper, we considered government proposals for expanding payment for ecosystem services (PES) and sustainable silvopastoral systems, and private-sector investment in habitat banking. We coupled the Integrated Economic-Environmental Model (IEEM) with spatially explicit land use and land cover change and ecosystem services models to assess the potential impacts of these programs through the lens of wealth and sustainable economic development. This innovative workflow integrates dynamic endogenous feedbacks between natural capital, ecosystem services and the economic system, and can be applied to other country contexts. Results show that PES and habitat banking programs are strong investment propositions (Net Present Value of US$4.4 and $4.9 billion, respectively), but only when moving beyond conventional economic analysis to include non-market ecosystem services. Where a portfolio investment approach is taken and PES is implemented with sustainable silvopastoral systems, investment returns would reach US$7.1 billion. This paper provides a detailed evaluation of the benefits of investing in rural livelihoods and enhancing Colombia's natural capital base, with empirical evidence to inform the spatial targeting of policies to maximize economic, environmental and social outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the original RSEI model (including greenness index, humidity index, heat index and dryness index) and their contribution rate (%) are used to evaluate the change of ecological environment. To study how natural and anthropogenic changes in ecological environment affect ecosystem function and how these factors interact, CASA model was used to estimate the correlation between the net primary productivity of vegetation (NPP), population density and land use. This could reveal the influence factors of ecological environment change in the Wanjiang River Basin from 2000 to 2022. The results show that the combing RSEI and CASA models can effectively show the spatial-temporal variation and spatial distribution of NPP of vegetation in Wanjiang Basin. During this period, RSEI of the basin showed an overall upward trend, and the RSEI increased by about 0.1/ 10 a. The vegetation productivity in most areas was gradually improved, the ecological environment was restored, and the ecological environment quality was gradually improved. The average annual NPP simulated by CASA was 266.81 g C-m-2-a-1 The variation trend of NPP in vegetation showed a slight decrease, but the overall NPP level was basically unchanged. There is a significant correlation between NPP and population density, a negative correlation between NPP and population density areas such as city centers, and a positive correlation between NPP and population density in areas with frequent agricultural activities. From 2010 to 2020, there is a significant positive correlation between population density and land use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban growth and an increase in urban poverty are important drivers of disaster risk. However, to what extent these processes influence the dynamics of exposure and vulnerability remains uncertain. We hereby contribute to this discussion by presenting key lessons learned from the multi-hazard event that hit the North Coast of São Paulo (NCSP), Brazil, in February 2023. While the event was triggered by rainfall amounts of over 500 mm a day, urban development processes also influenced the impacts of the disaster. In this paper, we quantify these influences through a data integration approach combining empirical evidence on the historical evolution of urban settlements with damage mapping. We also evaluate the factors driving urban growth and spatial segregation in the region. We found that the impacts of the disaster were largely attributed to historical built-up land use changes, as 46 % fewer buildings would have been damaged if the same event had happened around 2 decades earlier, i.e., in 2001. Moreover, precarious urban settlements were considerably more exposed and vulnerable to the event, as evidenced by the density of damaged buildings, i.e., 12 times higher than in non-precarious settlements. We also observed strong patterns of spatial segregation in the NCSP. For instance, precarious settlements are much more frequent at hazardous locations, including on and at shorter distances from steep slopes. While this paper presents an analysis at the local level, the challenges of urbanization and growing intra-urban inequalities are global. Thus, these results reinforce the importance of accounting for such urban processes in disaster risk reduction interventions and the urgent need for research efforts that go beyond the hazard component, e.g., through an improvement of methods to simulate urban scenarios in the scope of disaster risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In remote sensing image processing, when categorizing images from multiple remote sensing data sources, the deepening of the network hierarchy is prone to the problems of feature dispersion, as well as the loss of semantic information. In order to solve this problem, this paper proposes to integrate a parallel network architecture HDAM-Net algorithm with a hybrid dual attention mechanism Hybrid dual attention mechanism for forest land cover change. Firstly, we propose a fusion MCA + SAM (MS) attention mechanism to improve VIT network, which can capture the correlation information between features; secondly, we propose a multilayer residual cascade convolution (MSCRC) network model using Double Cross-Attention Module (DCAM) attention mechanism, which is able to efficiently utilize the spatial dependency between multiscale encoder features: the spatial dependency between multiscale encoder features. Finally, the dual-channel parallel architecture is utilized to solve the structural differences and realize the enhancement of forestry image classification differentiation and effective monitoring of forest cover changes. In order to compare the performance of HDAM-Net, mountain urban forest types are classified based on multiple remote sensing data sources, and the performance of the model is evaluated. The experimental results show that the overall accuracy of the algorithm proposed in this paper is 99.42%, while the Transformer (ViT) is 96.92%, which indicates that the proposed classifier is able to accurately determine the cover type.The HDAM-Net model emphasizes the effectiveness in terms of accurately classifying the land, as well as the forest types by using multiple remote sensing data sources for predicting the future trend of the forest ecosystem. In addition, the land utilization rate and land cover change can clearly show the forest cover change and support the data to predict the future trend of the forest ecosystem so that the forest resource survey can effectively monitor deforestation and evaluate forest restoration projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conducting an assessment of ecosystem service values and examining the influence of changes in land utilization on these values in Chengdu City help to deepen our comprehension of the ecological and environmental impacts of such changes. This, in turn, provides valuable insights into the construction of an ecological civilization and the sustainable utilization of land resources in Chengdu City. Based on land-use data from 2005 to 2020, this paper employs a dynamic model of land-use change, the land-use structure change index method, and an ecosystem service value measurement model to analyze the impact of land-use change on ecosystem service value in Chengdu City. The results showed that (1) the area of construction land in Chengdu City increased and those of cultivated land and unused land decreased; (2) from 2005 to 2014, the ecosystem service value in Chengdu City witnessed a rise of 1.559 billion yuan, while from 2014 to 2020, it experienced a decline of 947.77 million yuan; and (3) the sensitivity index of the ecosystem value shows that forest land contributes the most to the total value of ecosystem services. This paper comprehensively analyzes the impact of land-use change in Chengdu City from 2005 to 2020 on the ecosystem service value. It offers a reference foundation for advancing the efficient allocation of land resources in Chengdu City and nurturing the balanced and sustainable development of the economy and ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of international climate agreements and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there is a growing need to enhance the understanding of the linkages among land use/cover change (LUCC) and its carbon effects (CEs), as well as human well-being (HW). While existing studies have primarily focused on the impacts of LUCC on CEs or ecosystem services, there remains a gap in systematically elucidating the complex relationships among LUCC, CEs, and HW. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the nexus between land-based CEs and HW, examining: (1) the correlation between LUCC and CEs, encompassing methodologies for investigating LUCC CEs; (2) the association between CEs and HW, introducing the concept of "low-carbon human well-being" and evaluation framework; and (3) the proposed framework of "LUCC-CEs-HW," which delves into the intricate connections among three elements. The study identifies research gaps and outlines potential future directions, including assessments of LUCC CEs and low-carbon HW, exploration of the "LUCC-CEs-HW" nexus, and the development of standardized measurement approaches. Key opportunities for further investigation include establishing a unified evaluation index system and developing scalable methods. This paper elucidates the relationships among LUCC, CEs, and HW, offering insights for future works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]