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Burgeoning urbanization is a defining challenge for global carbon emissions mitigation in the coming decades. In this context, achieving low-carbon urbanization remains an urgent issue that demands prompt solutions. The coupling and decoupling relationships between urbanization and carbon emissions play an important role in the coordination of urbanization development and carbon emissions reduction, which has rarely been explored in existing studies, especially in China at the county level. To address this gap, the coupling and decoupling relationship between the urbanization level (UL) and carbon emissions density (CED) was explored using an improved coupling degree model and the Tapio decoupling method in China at the county level from 2000 to 2020. The results showed that the UL and CED of China both exhibited increasing trends, and the spatial distribution was quite similar, with the UL increasing from 0.018 in 2000 to 0.028 in 2020 and the CED increasing from 95.163 ton/km2 in 2000 to 295.746 ton/km2 in 2020. The spatial distribution of hotspots in the UL change differed with time, whereas that in the CED change was relatively stable. However, both of them were concentrated in eastern China. The coupling degrees of the UL and CED in China were 0.348, 0.355, 0.369, 0.370, and 0.338 in 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020, respectively, with the moderately unbalanced type (>35%) being dominant at the county level and mainly scattered in eastern China. The changes in the spatial distribution patterns of the 10 subcategories were quite limited, with the systematically balanced type being dominant (89%). The decoupling types of the UL and CED during 2000–2005, 2005–2010, and 2010–2015 were weak decoupling, while those in 2015–2020 were expansive negative decoupling. At the county level, the most significant transition occurred between expansive negative decoupling, strong decoupling, and strong negative decoupling. The proportion of strong decoupling type counties peaked in 2015–2020 (70.86%), whereas that of the strong negative decoupling type counties remained high (17.55%), scattering the country. These findings can advance policy enlightenment of low-carbon urbanization and green development for China against the backdrop of "30·60 dual carbon" goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The supply capacity of ecosystem services (ES) in the past decades has shown a significant decrease globally, while ES demand capacity has increased. Identifying the spatial mismatch of ES supply and demand (ES S&D) can provide valuable knowledge about where the gaps are. Existing studies, however, lack specifics about the spatial mismatch of ES S&D—that is, few studies consider the coupling and decoupling relationship of ES S&D at the national scale. This study tries to fill the gap by examining the spatiotemporal distribution of ES S&D capacity in China from 2000 through 2020 using the land use/land cover matrix method. The spatial mismatch between ES S&D was ultimately identified by using coupling and decoupling analysis models. A continuous increase was found in the ES demand capacity in China during the period studied, while a continuous decline was found in the ES supply capacity. The coupling degree of the ES S&D was relatively higher in the plains areas. The strong negative decoupling was the dominant relationship between ES S&D, which was widely distributed in eastern and southeastern China. The spatial mismatch of ES S&D in China has increased substantially from 2000 through 2020. The findings in this study provide important implications for ES management and effective allocation of resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sound ecosystems are a precondition for the sustainable survival and development of human society. However, ecological deterioration caused by socioeconomic activities can result in increasing pressure on ecosystems. Exploration of the spatial interaction between ecosystem and economic development under the background of high-quality and green development is, therefore, necessary. In this study, we analyzed the spatial interaction between the ecosystem services value (ESV) and economic development with the economic and ecological coupling index method based on high-resolution remote-sensing land-use data and socioeconomic statistical data in Hunan Province from 2000 to 2018. The results revealed that the ESV provided by the ecosystems in Hunan Province decreased by US$1256.166 million from 2000 to 2018. The areas with high ESV per unit area were distributed in the mountainous areas, while the areas with low ESV per unit area were distributed in the major cities and their surroundings. The bivariate spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that the ESV had significant spatial dependence on the economic development. In addition, the coupling analysis documented that the relationship between the ESV and economic density was mostly in the low conflict and potential crisis states. These results provide important guidance for the coordinated development of the regional economy and ecosystem conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The balance between economic growth and environmental protection has been a critical concern for sustainable urban development. However, among the multiple research efforts exploring the coordination between the two aspects, the widespread urban climate change has rarely been considered. This study encompasses urban climate change into the cross-system coupling analysis framework to assess its coordination with economic growth using the Coupling Coordination Degree (CCD) model. The two aspects are respectively represented using indicators of Surface Urban Heat Island Intensity (SUHII) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Specifically, China is selected as case study, and a total of 259 cities from the 2000–2015 period are analyzed. The spatio-temporal patterns of CCD are investigated through time series clustering to uncover its performance under diversified economic and climatic contexts. The regional inequality and spatial agglomeration effects are also examined. Results reveal significant spatio-temporal heterogeneity of CCD. Geographically, CCD varies from uncoordinated to high-level coordination. Wealthier cities in the eastern coastal region are significantly better coordinated than their inland counterparts. Temporally, the uptrend of CCD is not significant for most cities due to the relatively insufficient emphasis on urban heat island (UHI) mitigation in previous efforts. Evident spatial inequality and agglomeration patterns are also observed with slight downtrends. The spatio-temporal patterns of CCD revealed in this study indicate great necessity for the central government to develop policies suiting cities' special characteristics and contexts, and more efforts should be targeted on reducing regional imbalance. Hence, a nation-city-community policy skeleton is last outlined to enhance the pursuit of a more climate-friendly urban environment under rapid economic development. Overall, this study advances the understanding of economy-urban climate interactions and facilitates the future pursuit of better sustainable cities. The proposed workflow can be utilized for other countries with diversified urbanization processes and potentially used for comparison among different countries. Unlabelled Image • The coupling coordination between economy and urban climate is assessed. • GDP and SUHII demonstrate distinct spatio-temporal patterns. • CCD exhibits evident spatio-temporal heterogeneity and spatial inequality and agglomeration. • The uptrend of CCD is non-significant for most cities. • A nation-city-community policy skeleton is outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ongoing global urbanization is imposing tremendous pressure on the eco-environment. Research on the coupling of the eco-environment and urbanization has important significance for the sustainable development of urban metropolitan. Looking at the Wuhan Metropolitan Area, which includes nine cities, as a case study area, this paper describes an empirical study done to uncover the interactive coupling relationship between the eco-environment and new-type urbanization in the urban metropolitan area from the perspective of eco-environment carrying capacity. The eco-environment carrying capacity evaluation index system was set up using the pressure-state-response (PSR) model, and then the coupling model was built. The results indicate that the eco-environment carrying capacity in the Wuhan Metropolitan Area is generally sustainable and has three grades. The quality of new-type urbanization in the nine cities in the Wuhan Metropolitan Area shows clear spatial heterogeneity. There are five types of the coupling relationship including moderate coordinated development, elementary coordinated development, reluctant coordinated development, edge of maladjustment, and mild maladjustment between the eco-environment carrying capacity and new-type urbanization level in the Wuhan Metropolitan Area. Therefore, this paper proposes corresponding policies from the aspects of coordinating the industrial division of labor, focusing on the eco-environment carrying threshold and strengthening policy guidance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]