Search

Promoting the green development of resource-based cities is an essential way to achieve sustainable regional economic development. Based on 2009-2019 panel data of the Yellow River Basin cities, this study adopts the super-directional distance function model to measure the green development efficiency of these selected cities. Furthermore, based on the Malmquist-Luenberger index, this paper focuses on the dynamic change trend of green development efficiency and internal driving factors. Furthermore, the Tobit model is used to specifically explore the influencing factors affecting the green development of cities. The findings suggested that the green development efficiency of selected cities falls in the middle to high range and that the efficiency varies among all cities in the Yellow River Basin. Likewise, technical efficiency improvements and technological progress drive development efficiency, and the former contributes more to green development. However, financial development, energy structure adjustments, and environmental regulation can strongly contribute to the green development of cities, and each influencing factor has obvious temporal and regional differences. This paper proposes appropriate policy suggestions to promote the coordinated development of the economic development and environmental protection of the Yellow River Basin., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Examining the convergence characteristics of energy eco-efficiency in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) is of great significance for the sustainable development of China. It fulfills the international commitment to carbon peak and carbon neutrality. Based on the Super-EBM model and ML index, this paper measures the energy eco-efficiency of 60 cities in the YRB during 2006-2018, and then spatial and temporal patterns are both analyzed before the final investigation of the convergence in the YRB. The results show the following: (1) From 2006 to 2018, the energy eco-efficiency of the YRB showed a significant upward trend, but there was still a 25.61% improvement compared with the production frontier. (2) The spatial differentiation of the energy eco-efficiency in the YRB was significant, and the inter-regional differences were the main reason for this. (3) There was no σ -convergence in energy eco-efficiency in the YRB during 2006-2018, but absolute and conditional β -convergence did occur. (4) Although the significant factors in the convergences were different, the levels of energy eco-efficiency in the different reaches all developed towards stable levels, and the catch-up effects in the less-developed regions were significant.

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]

Investigating the spatiotemporal dynamics of vegetation net primary productivity (NPP) and its influencing factors are crucial for green and low-carbon development and facilitate human well-being in the Yellow River Basin (YRB). Although the research on NPP has advanced rapidly, in view of the regional particularity of the YRB, the persistence of its NPP change trend needs to be further discussed and more comprehensive impact factors need to be included in the analysis. Meanwhile, the spatial non-stationarity and scale effects of the impact on NPP when multiple factors are involved remain uncertain. Here, we selected a total of twelve natural and anthropogenic factors and used multi-scale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) to disentangle the spatial non-stationary relationship between vegetation NPP and related factors and identify the impact scale difference in the YRB. Additionally, we analyze the spatiotemporal variation trend and persistence of NPP during 2000–2020. The results revealed the following: (1) The annual NPP showed a fluctuating increasing trend, and the vegetation NPP in most regions will exhibit a future trend of increasing to decreasing. (2) The effects of different factors show significant spatial non-stationarity. Among them, the intensity of the impact of most natural factors shows a clear strip-shaped distribution in the east-west direction. It is closely related to the spatial distribution characteristics of natural factors in the YRB. In contrast, the regularity of anthropogenic influences is less obvious. (3) The impact scales of different factors on vegetation NPP were significantly different, and this scale changed with time. The factors with small impact scales could better explain the change in vegetation NPP. Interestingly, the impact size and scale of relative humidity on NPP in the YRB are both larger. This may be due to the arid and semi-arid characteristics of the YRB. Our findings could provide policy makers with specific and quantitative insights for protecting the ecological environment in the YRB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yellow River holds significant developmental and historical importance for China. Over the past decade, there has been a growing recognition of the river basin's complexity as a hydrological, ecological, economic, political, and social system. Therefore, analyzing its research hotspots and trends helps to anticipate future research directions. This study utilized bibliometric software (such as VOSviewer and CiteSpace) to analyze the articles and research trends related to the ecological environment of the Yellow River Basin over the past 11 years (2014–2024). The results indicate that a total of 2096 articles have been published on this topic, with an almost annual increase in publications. Keyword co-occurrence and clustering network analysis indicate that the middle and lower reaches of the Loess Plateau, the delta, and the water quality and flow changes in the Yellow River Basin have been long-term research focuses. Climate change plays a dominant role in Yellow River runoff variation. In recent years, water quality has steadily improved, although delta erosion issues remain unresolved. Research on the sustainable development and ecosystem services of the Yellow River Basin has become a recent trend. With continuous policy development, refinement, and advancements in research, significant progress has been made in enhancing ecosystem services and achieving sustainable development in the Yellow River Basin. Regarding international collaboration, China, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Germany rank among the top five, with the most intensive collaborations occurring between China and the US, the UK, and Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] This research aims to explore the temporal and spatial status of the ecological quality evolution and the main driving factors of its evolution in the Loess Plateau, and to provide the theoretical basis for the improvement of regional ecological quality and sustainable development in the Yellow River Basin. Methods] Based on the 'Driving Force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response' (DPSIR) model, 14 indexes reflecting the social and economic situations, natural environment and ecological governance were selected to build the comprehensive evaluation index system. The weight of each index was defined by the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), and the comprehensive evaluation indexes were calculated by the weighted average. The Ridge Regression Model was used to quantitively assess the driving factors of the ecological quality evolution. [Results] The ecological quality of the Loess Plateau in the Yellow River Basin exhibited a distinctive spatiotemporal heterogeneity, with the high-quality areas concentrating in the midstream and low quality areas in the upstream, showing the unique spatial pattern of high-quality in the southeast and low- quality in the northwest'. The medium-quality areas and above increased from 40.56% in 2000 to 70.36% in 2020. The ecologically improved areas in the past 2 decades took up 94.44% of the total research area, and the ecologically improved counties accounted for 91.57% of the total counties. The Ridge Regression Model explained 99.4% of the ecological evolution, demonstrating the relatively higher contributions from the vegetative cover and the annual precipitation to such evolution. [Conclusion] The ecological quality in the Loess Plateau was improved, and the spatiotemporal evolution of ecological quality was mainly driven by vegetative cover and annual precipitation. It is recommended that the spatial pattern of ecosystems is further optimized on the basis of a scientific and rational increase in vegetation cover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, non-point source pollution (NPSP) has become prominent in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) of China and seriously affects human survival and sustainable development. The Henan section was selected as an example region of the YRB in China, and the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model has been used to quantitatively evaluate nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). The results show that (1) the cultivated land (CL), grassland (GL), and unused land (UL) decreased, while forest land (FL), water areas (WAs), and built-up areas (BAs) increased in 2000-2020, and precipitation increased from the northeast to the southwest in 2000-2020; (2) the N export was much more than P export in 2000, 2010, and 2020, and the N and P exports increased in 2000-2020; the spatial distribution of N and P export changes was different in the whole basin in 2000-2010, 2010-2020, and 2000-2020; (3) the N and P exports decreased in 2000-2010, 2010-2020, and 2000-2020 with increasing precipitation; and (4) the N and P exports on CL and BAs were more than those on the other land-use types, and the overall change trends of N and P exports on all land-use types increased from 2000 to 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With rapid industrialization and urbanization, the contradiction between the human exploitation of land production and living functions and natural ecosystem service functions has intensified. The issues of how to coordinate the exploitation and conservation functions of land and guide the rational distribution of human activities have become important for global sustainable development, especially considering the realization that multifunctional land use is an effective way to relieve land pressure and improve land use efficiency, that land multifunction has significant spatio-temporal heterogeneity, and that there is a mutual promotion and stress relationship between multifunctional land use. However, few existing studies have discussed the decoupling relationship among land use functions. In this study, a system of 10 sub-functions and 25 indicators was established based on the production function (PDF), living function (LVF), and ecological function (ELF) for 59 cities in the Yellow River Basin (YRB). There are both subjective and objective procedures employed to determine the weights, while an exploratory spatial data analysis is used to analyze the time-based and territorial changes in various functions of land use in the study area from 2000 to 2020. The decoupling relationship between the three functions is detected utilizing the theoretical foundation of the decoupling analysis. The results show that land use is multifunctional, LUFs develop unevenly, and their spatial distribution varies substantially. The results of the decoupling analysis demonstrate that the predominant types of correlations among the land use ELF and PDF and LVF over the research period are strong decoupling and strong negative decoupling correlations, with the former being a dilemma and the latter being a sustainable type of development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important economic development area in China, the ecological environment quality of the Yellow River Basin not only supports its sustainable development, but also is related to the realization of the major national strategy of "ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin". Based on the spatial analysis function of geographic information systems, this study constructs an ecological environment quality evaluation index system and uses the spatiotemporal geographic weighted regression model, analyses time and space evolution of ecological environment quality index and its driving force at the city scale of the Yellow River from 2010 to 2020. The research results show that the ecological environment quality index (EI) of the Yellow River Basin increased from 54.41 to 55.48. EI in the middle reaches was higher than that in the upper and lower reaches, and the ecological environment of Gansu and Ningxia located in the central regions significantly improved. The distribution of ecological environment grades in the Yellow River Basin has significant spatial differences, and the quality index presents spatial agglomeration, with low and low agglomerations in the north and west, and high and high agglomerations in the south. Economy, population, industry, and policy factors jointly affect the ecological environment quality index of the Yellow River Basin. The urbanization rate of permanent residents, the density of permanent residents, the proportion of the primary industry and the proportion of the secondary industry are the main driving forces of the ecological environment quality index, but its driving force presents show a trend that the pressure of urbanization and environmental governance policies are gradually increasing, and the pressure of economic development and industrial structure transformation is gradually weakening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting green development (GD) is key for the Yellow River Basin (YRB) to step into the phase of high-quality development. This study constructs a green development level (GDL) evaluation system based on the PSR (Pressure-State-Response) model, and estimates the GDL of urban agglomerations (UAs) in the YRB from 2008 to 2019 using the entropy weight-TOPSIS model. Then the Moran'I and the Theil index are adopted to explore the spatio-temporal patterns of the GDL, and the Geo-detector is used to investigate the driving factors of the GDL. The results suggest that: (1) The GDL of UAs in the YRB is characterized by "low growth" and "unbalanced," with a general pattern of "east-west prominence but central collapse". (2) The GDL in the YRB shows significant spatial correlation characteristic. (3) The main sources of regional variation of the GDL in the UAs is inter-group differences in 2008–2013 and intra-group differences in 2014–2019. (4) The main driver of the differences of the GDL is economic development, and the effect of the interaction of any two driving factors is greater than that of the single factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the digital economy increasingly dominates a substantial portion of the national economy, comprehending its role in promoting sustainable development has become an imperative research question -- particularly in the context of the Yellow River Basin, where there exists an urgent need to shift toward more sustainable modes of economic growth. Utilizing panel data spanning from 1999 to 2020 for 114 cities in the Yellow River Basin, this study develops a comprehensive evaluation framework for sustainable development, incorporating economic, social, and ecological dimensions. The empirical findings reveal that the digital economy acts as a catalyst for sustainable development. Importantly, these results withstand both endogeneity tests and robustness checks. Further heterogeneity analysis indicates that the positive impact of the digital economy on sustainable development is more pronounced in regions directly traversed by the Yellow River and in areas with higher sustainability levels. Moreover, the enactment and implementation of the 13th Five-Year National Information Plan have emphasized the role of the digital economy in enhancing sustainable development. Mechanism tests also illustrate those elevated levels of personal digital acceptance and government intervention contribution to amplify the digital economy's positive impact on sustainable development. In conclusion, policy recommendations are put forward, including optimizing industrial structure, strengthening data governance and environmental monitoring, promoting innovation-driven development, and fostering collaborative growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water shortages are major constraints on economic development in water-deficient regions such as Inner Mongolia, China. Moreover, macroscale interactions between water resources and the regional economy remain unclear. This study addresses this problem by building a network-based hydro-economic model that integrates ecological, economic, social, and environmental data into a coherent framework. We assessed the relationship between water resources and economic performance under different water-saving and climate change scenarios. The results showed that both water-saving policies and increased water availability due to climate change can increase economic productivity. Water saving can also mitigate the negative impact of climate change-driven decreased rainfall by restoring the gross domestic product (GDP) to 97.3% of its former level. The interaction between water resources and economic productivity depends on specific factors that affect water availability. A trade-off relationship exists between economic development and water protection and was more discernible when the total GDP reached 10,250 billion CNY. When the trade-off ratio reaches 6:1, economic output decreases because of a lack of ecological water resources, even if further stress is placed on the objective. Thus, this study demonstrates the effect of water resources on economic growth and highlights the need for improved water management in water-deficient regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-quality development of socio-economic, ecological environment, tourism industry and natural resources in the Yellow River Basin is a major strategic task for national development. High-quality development in the Yellow River Basin still has a lot of room for improvement, so it is important for the coupled and coordinated development of water resources-socio-economic-ecological environment-tourism industry in the Yellow River Basin region. In this study, we focus on the major strategic issues of high quality development in the Yellow River Basin in the context of the above-mentioned background and the current forms and policies of sustainable development in China, and conduct research on the theory and methods of assessing the sustainable development of regional water resources-socio-economic-ecological environment-tourism industry. However, by analyzing the existing research literature on sustainable development assessment, we find that most of them focus on a single area or two combinations of modal development studies, and focus on exploring micro-coupling mechanisms, so the generality of macro policy support is rather mediocre, which we fill this gap through this study. The study relies on an innovative macroscopic research perspective that draws pioneeringly on the quality function deployment (QFD) theory in the field of product quality management in marketing, which, it is worth stating, allows for a framework of research perspectives from a systematic and holistic perspective. In this framework, we will propose a G1-entropy value method for indicator importance (weight) assessment. It is worth stating that the G1 method used in this paper is different from the traditional G1 method in that we will introduce the identity information weights of experts to improve the reliability of the subjective assignment method. We will also construct an indicator system for studying the regional sustainable development issues in the Yellow River Basin on this basis, so as to complete the ranking and analysis of the nine provinces and the importance of indicators in the Yellow River Basin. This study will provide a comprehensive theoretical basis for Chinese government and related departments to formulate policies for the high-quality development of water resources, socio-economic, ecological environment and tourism industry in the Yellow River Basin, and also provide theoretical and empirical references for the analysis and assessment of similar international regional sustainability cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of promoting high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) of China, urgent action is needed to achieve the “Dual Carbon” goal through energy savings, emission reductions, and industrial upgrading. This study measures carbon emissions from eight types of energy consumption across 43 industries from 2000 to 2019. Using the KayaLMDI model, factors affecting carbon emissions are analyzed, and the relationship between industrial structure and carbon emissions is explored through the coefficient of variation (CV). The findings reveal that coal consumption remains significantly higher than other energy sources, and the effect of energy structure adjustment on carbon emission reduction is limited compared to the impact of energy consumption increase on carbon emission growth. Moreover, the economic output effect is identified as the primary driving factor of carbon emissions, while energy utilization rate is crucial in achieving energy savings and emission reductions. Finally, the CV of carbon emissions across 43 industries is increasing. Based on these results, we suggest several policy recommendations, including prioritizing ecological concerns, developing comprehensive and scientifically sound plans, optimizing energy consumption structure, improving energy utilization efficiency, and adjusting industrial structure to promote sustainable development in the YRB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates the value of ecological products in the Yellow River Basin, China within the “Two Mountains” theory framework prioritizing ecological conservation and quality growth. Major basin cities were analyzed to quantify ecological product value flows from 2011 to 2020 using an entropy approach assessing rural dynamics, financing, governance, manufacturing, and economic structuring. Entropy valuations of datasets from 38 basin municipalities showed aggregated ecological product values increased from ¥5.73 trillion in 2011 to ¥6.54 trillion in 2020. Spatial disparities were observed with mid-upper basin regions exhibiting significantly higher valuations than lower basinal areas. The novel entropy valuation methodology provides localized quantification of ecological product values aligned with China's sustainability initiatives. The multivariate panel regression model shows that while rural development and agricultural fiscal support negatively impact ecological product value, environmental regulation and advanced industrial structures have a strong positive influence. Furthermore, quantile regression analysis reveals heterogeneities in the distribution of explanatory variables across different quantiles of ecological product value. This offers a comprehensive view of the various factors and dynamics influencing ecological product values in the Yellow River Basin. The study concludes by emphasizing the importance of balancing ecological value realization with economic growth, particularly in coastal cities of the Basin. These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing ecological value and advancing environmental protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin.

Understanding the spatial and temporal variations of CO2 column concentration (CO2-CCs) is crucial for tackling climate change and promoting sustainable human development. This study provides an in-depth analysis of CO2 dynamics in the Yellow River Basin, an area significantly affected by both natural and anthropogenic factors. Using data from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2) and the Fourier transformation spectrometer (FTS) of the GOSAT satellite remote sensing sensors, supplemented with ground station data from the Waliguan station, we scrutinized the CO2 levels in the region from 2013 to 2022. The regional CO2-CC displayed a 12-month cyclical variation and a continuous upward trend, escalating by approximately 4.26% over the 10-year period. Spatiotemporal differences were evident in the monthly variation of CO2-CC, with peak and minimum values occurring in May and August respectively. Geographically, the highest CO2-CC was found in the central part of the basin, while the lowest was in the northern part of Inner Mongolia. This study underscores the increased significance of the region's CO2-CC, which showed an increase from 17.0 ppm at the start of the period to 21.0 ppm by the end, representing an overall growth of between 4.35 and 5.25%. The findings highlight the urgency of targeted measures to mitigate CO2 emissions and adapt to their consequences in the Yellow River Basin, contributing to the global efforts against climate change and towards sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green development is an important path to achieve sustainable development, which has attracted worldwide attention. However, the evaluation system of green development efficiency (GDE) and the spatial-temporal heterogeneity of factors affecting GDE are still critical gaps that need to be filled. Here, based on the panel data of 59 prefecture-level cities in Yellow River Basin from 2007 to 2019, we improve the evaluation system to measure GDE, and explore the influencing factors of GDE and their spatial-temporal heterogeneity. From our results, the GDE of Yellow River Basin has improved from 0.56 to 0.87, but it still needs further improvement. Industrial upgrading, technological innovation and transport infrastructure are main factors affecting GDE. More importantly, the influence of these factors has significant time-lag effect and spatial differences. Therefore, the green development of Yellow River Basin should not only restore the ecological environment, but also take account of key factors affecting regional GDE according to local conditions, ultimately achieving a win-win situation between ecological environmental conservation and social-economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study conducted a comprehensive analysis of the spatial and temporal variations of water resource carrying capacity (WRCC) and its influencing factors in the significant Yellow River Basin in China. Combining the composite weighting TOPSIS method with geographic detector analysis, the water resource carrying capacity index for nine provinces within the Yellow River Basin was evaluated from 2005 to 2021. The results reveal a continuous upward trend in water resource carrying capacity in the Yellow River Basin, with significant improvements attributed to increased investment in scientific research, enhanced water use efficiency, proactive water resource management, and environmental protection measures. The study also identified differences in water resource carrying capacity among provinces, highlighting the significant impact of factors such as economic development, population density, industrial wastewater discharge, and precipitation. The findings underscore the importance of balancing economic growth with environmental protection. Specifically, Inner Mongolia and Ningxia provinces showed remarkable progress, while Qinghai and Sichuan provinces exhibited slower growth, primarily due to geographical location and industrial development status. Based on these findings, it is recommended that research investment be strengthened, economic structures be optimized, water resource management be improved, and environmental protection measures be enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land-use change is a crucial element influencing the patterns of carbon sinks/sources in the Yellow River Basin (YRB). Therefore, studying land-use carbon emissions (LUCE) in the YRB and the decoupling from economic development can help formulate emission reduction strategies. In order to explore the spatiotemporal characteristics of LUCE in the YRB, we estimated the LUCE in 69 cities in the YRB using the downscale energy balance table estimation method and land-use remote sensing data for seven phases from 1990 to 2020. The spatial and temporal features of LUCE were researched from three different spatial scales: the whole spatial scale of the YRB, the sub-basin level, and the city level. Furthermore, the Tapio decoupling model was utilized to research the decoupling state between LUCE and economic development using a multi-scale approach. The Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) model was employed to explore the influencing factors of LUCE in the YRB. These results showed the following: (1) The LUCE in the YRB went through two stages: "stable growth" (1990–2000) and "rapid growth" (2000–2020). The LUCE increased from 165 million tons in 1990 to 1.414 billion tons in 2020, and the average annual growth rate was 25.12%. The spatial pattern of LUCE in the YRB exhibited significant variations, with the LUCE showing a geographic differentiation of midstream > downstream > upstream. (2) Except for the expansive coupling state during 2000–2005 (e: 0.952) and the expansive negative decoupling state during 2015–2020 (e: 2.151), the YRB was in the weak decoupling state for the majority of the time periods. (3) Economic development was the major positive driving factor for the rise of LUCE in this basin, while energy consumption intensity was the primary inhibiting factor. Through a discussion of the features and influencing factors of LUCE, these results can be utilized to provide carbon emission reduction recommendations tailored to the characteristics of cities' resources and economic development, which will be helpful for achieving low-carbon and sustainable development in the YRB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the article, on the basis of quantifying the emergy water ecological footprint, a sustainability evaluation system for the overall water ecological economic system of the basin and each province (region) was proposed. And using the subjective and objective combination of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Entropy Weight Method (EWM) to determine the weight of the indicator system, a TOPSIS model for sustainability evaluation was constructed. And taking the Yellow River Basin as an example, the results indicate that (1) Throughout the entire basin, the sustainability of the water ecological economic system showed a fluctuating upward trend year by year during the study period, from 0.37 to 0.51. (2) In each province (region), the sustainability of the water ecological economic system had gathered in space. The overall sustainability level of the upstream Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu provinces is high, always at level (I). The overall sustainability level of the midstream Ningxia and Neimenggu was low, always at level (IV). The overall sustainability level of the downstream Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan and Shandong provinces is high, rising gradually over time, from level (III) to level (II) or (I). Against the backdrop of the rapid development of the economy and society, the contradiction between economic and social development, ecological environment protection, and sustainable utilization of water resources is becoming increasingly severe, which has become a key factor restricting the sustainable development of the ecological economic system in Yellow River Basin. Multidimensional comprehensive evaluation of the sustainability level of the regional water ecological economic system is a prerequisite for identifying sustainable development issues in the Yellow River Basin, and also the basis for formulating targeted policies for sustainable utilization of regional water resources and high-quality economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yellow River Basin (YRB) is the most important ecological barrier and economical area in China. A national strategy of China now encompasses the ecological preservation and high-quality development of the YRB. Environmental regulation is a key strategy to reduce the environmental resources consumption generated by economic expansion in the YRB and to achieve economic and environmental synergistic development. Provincial panel data from 2005 to 2020 of nine provinces in the YRB were utilized to construct an economic-water system in the YRB. Coupled and econometric models were combined to explore the relationship between economic development and greywater footprint loads (GWFL) in the YRB. Moreover, different types of environmental regulations variables were introduced into the model to reveal the moderating effect. The results showed that 1) Each province in the YRB exhibits a different level of coupling coordination and exhibits variability. 2) In the YRB, the association between GWFL and economic growth displayed an inverted “N” curve. The baseline regression results remain robust after controlling for the spatial spillover and time-lagged effects of economic development on GWFL. 3) Environmental regulations will accelerate the inhibitory effect of economic development on GWFL. This study can offer valuable policy insights in achieving the synergistic improvement of both environmental and economic quality.

It is essential to adhere to the optimization of national land use development patterns and the green development policy for achieving ecological conservation and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin. This paper used the undesirable output SBM model to measure the green development efficiency of 36 prefecture-level cities in the restricted development zones of the Yellow River Basin from 2010 to 2019. It also used the Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (FsQCA) method to explore the complex influence mechanism of the linkage of various influencing factors on the efficiency of green development. The results showed that: ① The green development efficiency of the restricted development zones in the whole basin showed an overall fluctuation and upward trend, and the green development efficiency of various regions in the basin varied significantly. The downstream restricted development zones had the highest green development efficiency, followed by the middle stream restricted development zones, with the upstream restricted development zones having the lowest efficiency. ② The areas with high green development efficiency in the restricted development zones of the whole basin changed from cluster distribution to contiguous distribution, the effective efficiency areas changed from being concentrated in the upper and middle reaches to the middle and lower reaches of the areas, and the green development efficiency of the restricted development zones on the southern bank of the Yellow River was significantly higher than that of the areas on the northern bank. ③ Each of these factors--the level of economic development, urbanization, environmental regulation, degree of trade openness, advanced industrial structure, and investment in science and education--could not singularly become a necessary condition for promoting the formation of high green development efficiency in the restricted development zone of the Yellow River Basin. ④ Four models were identified as those that could promote green development efficiency in the restricted development zones in the Yellow River Basin. In terms of the different types of cities, the 'environmental regulation + export-oriented economy' linkage model could promote the green development efficiency of agricultural cities in the restricted development zones of the Yellow River Basin. The linkage model of 'basic dynamic + environmental regulation + export-oriented economy + industrial upgrading' could promote the green development efficiency of resource-based cities in the restricted development zones of the Yellow River Basin. The two models of 'export-oriented economy + industrial upgrading' linkage and 'basic dynamic + industrial upgrading + science and education investment' linkage could promote the green development efficiency in the old industrial bases in the restricted development zones of the Yellow River Basin. Based on the perspective of configuration association, this paper provides policy suggestions for promoting green development in agricultural cities, resource-based cities, and old industrial base cities in the restricted development zones of the Yellow River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to raise the ecological compensation fund for the Yellow River Basin is one of the key difficulties for executing the ecological compensation mechanism and ensuring the high-quality development of the entire basin. This paper, which is based on systems theory, analyzes the social-economic-ecological compound system of the Yellow River Basin. It makes the point that the goals of human-water harmony, ecological compensation efficiency improvement, and coordinated regional development should be achieved in raising ecological compensation funds. Guided by the raising targets, a two-layer fundraising model based on efficiency and fairness is constructed for ecological compensation. The upper-level model is built to calculate the ecological compensation efficiency of each compensation subject from an input–output perspective. The initial fundraising scheme was further determined to implement the efficiency principle. Within the framework of sustainable development theory, the lower-level model adheres to the fairness principle based on efficiency. The social-economic development level of the compensation subject is considered to discriminate and optimize the initial scheme. Additionally, the two-layer model was utilized to conduct an empirical analysis with the data of the Yellow River Basin from 2013 to 2020. The results show that the optimized fundraising scheme is in line with the actual development level of the Yellow River Basin. This study can provide a reference for the fundraising of horizontal ecological compensation and promote the sustainable development of the whole basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resource-based cities (RBCs) in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) account for over half of the cities in the basin and constitute the main base for the basin' s sound and sustainable development. As ecological protection and high-quality development in the YRB become a national development strategy, it is currently part of the government' s agenda to scientifically evaluate RBCs' performance in industrial green transformation and identify weaknesses and key difficulties in their development and, in turn, the foundational consolidation of the development. Taking 41 RBCs in the YRB as research units, this article constructed an industrial green transformation evaluation index system along the dimension of development status and transformation and adopted the SBM-Undesirable model and Malmquist-Luenberger model to give a quantitative evaluation of the transforming performance of 41 RBCs from 2013 to 2019. It also made a comparison of the transforming performance among different types of cities and further classified the 41 RBCs into different types. The results showed that: 1 The industrial green development trend of RBCs in the YRB was far from effective, and large-scale agglomeration was an important guarantee for industrial green transformation. In terms of urban types, mature and oil-gas cities had better development trends. Moran' s I index results showed that there was a relatively obvious spatial dependency between the industrial green development of the cities, and that there were obvious signs of local spatial agglomeration. 2 The scope of the industrial green transformation of RBCs in the YRB was relatively large, and its improvement was mainly guaranteed by technological progress. Considering city types, recessional and oil-gas cities had significantly larger scopes of transformation than other types. The results under Moran' s I index showed that the scope of the industrial transformation had an arbitrary spatial distribution. 3 The performance of RBCs in the YRB tended to be different, and the difference in the development situation of RBCs was the main culprit. The RBCs could be further categorized into four types of areas: the industrial green transformation area, the development situation lag area, the transformation amplitude lag area, and the industrial green transformation lag area. Finally, some suggestions are brought up for RBCs in the YRB on their promotion of industrial green transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to achieve China's carbon peaking and carbon neutrality (double carbon) targets and to advance ecological conservation and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin, it is essential that China reduces its energy intensity and increases its energy efficiency. This research developed an evaluation index system for energy efficiency and green development in the Yellow River Basin based on panel data collected from 64 of its prefecture-level cities and covering the period from 2011 to 2020. Each city's energy efficiency and green development level index was calculated, and was analyzed together with the characteristics of its spatial pattern progression. The STIRPAT model was then used to investigate the influence mechanism of energy efficiency on green development. The final step in the analysis was to assess the process by which technical innovation influences the rise in energy efficiency from a green development point of view. The findings of this study indicate that: (1) There was a marked improvement in energy efficiency and green development levels across the Yellow River Basin over the study period of 2011 to 2020, but there are notable disparities among prefecture-level cities, with higher levels found in capital cities and cities in the lower reaches of the basin. (2) The improvement in energy efficiency has had a positive impact on the transition to green development, with factors such as human capital, urbanization levels, and the upgrading of industrial structures contributing significantly, while the level of foreign direct investment has had a limited impact. (3) Technological innovation plays a partial role in mediating the relationship between energy efficiency and green development in the Yellow River Basin, and passes the single-threshold test. When technological innovation surpasses the threshold value, the effect of energy efficiency on green development is significantly strengthened. This study indicates that improving energy efficiency, stimulating emerging industries, and enhancing technological innovation capabilities can significantly promote transformative green and high quality development in the Yellow River Basin of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological security is the state achieved once an ecosystem maintains its stability under external stress. The Yellow River Basin (YRB) is the largest river basin in northwest and north China and an important area for grain and energy production. The assessment and attribution of ecological security in the YRB are important for protecting the natural environment and ensuring sustainable development. Here, the ecological security of the YRB was assessed by the ecological security index (ESI), a comprehensive index based on the oxygen cycle, and its drivers were attributed to climate change, human activities, vegetation, and soil factors. The spatial pattern of ecological security in the YRB showed high heterogeneity. Ecological insecurity occurred mainly in the middle reaches and regions where the major stream of the Yellow River passes through. The ESI decreased at a rate of − 0.82/year since 2000, which indicated the natural environment continued to be improved in the YRB. Climate change dominated the evolution of ecological security in the upper reaches. The level of ecological security has been improved in the middle reaches after a series of ecological restoration projects conducted. With higher intensity of industrial activity, human activities played a more critical role in ecological security in the lower reaches. Our results suggested that government and local people need to adopt different strategies and actions based on the dominant drivers in the upper, middle, and lower reaches to ensure protection of the natural environment and achieve sustainable development targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Hydrogeology & Engineering Geology / Shuiwendizhi Gongchengdizhi is the property of Hydrogeology & Engineering Geology Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

High-quality utilization of land resources (HULR) is critical to the security of land ecosystem and sustainable socioeconomic development. To promote HULR, we explored the spatiotemporal differences and influencing factors of HULR in the Yellow River Basin (an important ecological barrier in China) by using entropy method, spatial panel regression model, and geographically and temporally weighted regression model. We found that the HULR values were 0.22 to 0.28 from 2008 to 2019, showing an increasing trend with obvious spatiotemporal differences. The spatial connectivity, technological innovation, industrialization, industrial upgrading, and marketization are important factors influencing HULR, and different factors have different spatial effects in different regions. Therefore, the important principle of HULR is to pursue the sustainable land utilization within the ecological environment carrying capacity, taking into account the unique ecological and socioeconomic conditions of each region. We hope that our study can provide references for HULR around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a complex system, the sustainability of basins is crucial for the development and stability of human society. This study creatively combined Otsu algorithm with analytic hierarchy process to determine the relative threshold of sustainable development of the Yellow River basin system, aiming to provide a new perspective for the application of threshold theory to the study of sustainable development. The results showed that among the 24 sustainable development evaluation indicators, the Per Capita Cultivated Area (F24) had the greatest impact, while the Ecological Water use (F2) and Agricultural Water use (F19) indicators had the greatest impact range. For different subsystems, the sustainable development indices of the eco-environment subsystem in the upstream of the Yellow River exhibited more significant changes, while that of the socio-economic subsystem exhibited more prominent changes in the midstream. However, the sustainable development indices of the water-sand subsystems in the upstream, midstream, and downstream fluctuated greatly, with a maximum value occurring downstream. The sustainable development threshold was further determined to be 0.408 for the complex system in the Yellow River Basin. The sustainable development thresholds differed in upstream, midstream, and downstream, which ranged from 0.4201 to 0.4524. Based on the sustainable development threshold, the sustainable development status of the Yellow River Basin had continued to improve since 2017, and a high level of sustainability had been maintained. However, the sustainable status is a dynamic process of change, and changes in natural conditions or policies may affect the state of sustainable development. [Display omitted] • Environmental degradation affects the sustainable development of the watershed. • Relative threshold of sustainable development was determined wiht AHP and Otsu. • Relative threshold of the Basin was 0.408, while there were regional differences. • Generally, Yellow River Basin maintained a high level of sustainability since 2017. • Water conservancy projects and natural changes might affect the relative threshold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is a regional phenomenon and progressive in specific dimensions of time and space, with significant continuity and dynamic characteristics on a spatiotemporal scale. The meteorological drought acts as a driving factor for vegetation drought, and studying the response characteristics of vegetation drought to meteorological drought is crucial for comprehending the mechanisms of drought evolution. In this study, based on a three-dimensional spatiotemporal clustering algorithm, meteorological and vegetation drought events in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) from 1982 to 2020 were identified, and the dynamic characteristics of typical drought events were depicted, elucidating the inherent correlations and propagation features between meteorological and vegetation drought events. Additionally, according to the spatiotemporal matching criteria of drought events, the meteorological-vegetation drought event pairs were successfully matched, which can reveal the lag time between meteorological drought and vegetation drought. From a three-dimensional perspective, we revealed the dynamic propagation characteristics of meteorological and vegetation drought events, which could provide an effective way for monitoring and mitigating regional vegetation drought, restoring ecosystem functionality, and promoting sustainable development of the ecological environment. [Display omitted] • There were 109 meteorological droughts and 53 vegetation droughts in the YRB. • Meteorological droughts exhibited higher severity, longer duration, and larger area. • A total of 16 meteorological-vegetation drought event pairs were matched. • The dynamic propagations were depicted from meteorological to vegetation drought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key issue in the ecological compensation mechanism in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) is the allocation of ecological compensation funds, which need to be optimized to maximize the comprehensive benefits of compensation. In this study, a comprehensive allocation model for ecological compensation funds in the YRB was constructed using the “doughnut” framework. A pre-allocation model was used to enhance the ecological benefits and quantifies the ecological value created by the compensated subjects. A pre-allocation scheme was then determined using the pre-allocation model. The optimal allocation model focuses on benefit sharing and sets a socioeconomic discrimination index system to optimize the pre-allocation scheme. Then, an empirical analysis was conducted using data from 28 regions in the upstream YRB from 2016 to 2020. The results showed that in the pre-allocation scheme, the proportion of funds was low in the west and high in the east. Each region received compensation funds based on the ecological benefits they provide. In the optimal allocation scheme, the proportion of funds received by the central and western regions in the upstream YRB should be higher, while the proportion of funds received by provincial capitals and economically strong cities should be lower, which is in line with the actual development situation in the upstream YRB. The final scheme can effectively meet the objectives of basin-wide sustainable development, ecological benefits enhancement, and benefit sharing in the YRB. This can help achieve basin-wide sustainable development and provide a reference for determining ecological compensation fund allocation schemes in other basins.

The urban agglomerations in the Yellow River Basin are important carriers for China’s high-quality development. It is an inevitable trend to promote sustainable development and people’s well-being in the urban agglomerations of the Yellow River Basin. A case study of 70 cities of seven urban agglomerations in the Yellow River Basin from 2011 to 2017 is presented. The two-stage super-efficiency network slacks-based measure (Super-NSBM) model considering undesirable outputs is adopted to measure the ecological well-being performance (EWP), and the spatial correlation analysis method is used to analyze the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics of the EWP. The results show that the average EWP of the seven urban agglomerations in the Yellow River Basin was less than 1, showing a trend of firstly rising and then slowly decreasing. The average EWP presents the distribution pattern of the highest in the middle reaches, followed by the upper reaches, and the lowest in the lower reaches of the Yellow River Basin, respectively. The average ecological economic efficiency in the first stage of urban agglomerations of the Yellow River Basin was greater than the average economic well-being efficiency in the second stage. The average EWP in the Yellow River Basin shows local spatial heterogeneity during the study period. Policy measures are proposed to promote the improvement of the EWP of urban agglomerations in the Yellow River Basin. This study can provide reference for the policy formulation of high-quality green development and sustainable construction of urban agglomeration in the Yellow River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water–energy–food nexus is a complex system where balancing the trade-offs across water, energy, and food sectors is especially difficult in resource-deficient areas. The Yellow River Basin is an area in which water shortages lead to conflicts among water, energy, and food resources. Thus, investigating the evolution state and spatial characteristics of the water–energy–food nexus in the Yellow River Basin is essential for the management of resources and sustainable development orientation of the region's water–energy–food nexus system. This study proposed an integrated assessment framework by using synergy theory and the integrated index system method. The improved Lotka–Volterra symbiotic model was used to elucidate the development and synergy evolution status of the water–energy–food nexus system in prefecture-level cities in the Yellow River Basin between 2004 and 2019. The results show that the order degree of the water and energy subsystems in the Yellow River Basin increased by an average of 0.12 and 0.42, on average respectively, from 2004 to 2019, whereas that of the food subsystem only increased by an average of 0.004 compared to the initial year. Furthermore, most prefecture-level cities experienced subsystem degradation of one or two subsystems during the evolution of the water–energy–food nexus system. Based on the uniqueness and evolution process of each city, there are eight possibilities for system evolution and three types of feedback state between each pair of subsystems, which may lead to a certain spatial aggregation. Additionally, the interaction and competition states are more common than synergy states in the water–energy–food nexus system of the Yellow River Basin. This study provides an important basis and suggestions for the internal relationship and sustainable orientation of water–energy–food nexus systems in such water-deficient areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dingxi City is located in the upper reaches of the Yellow River Basin, at the intersection between the Loess Plateau and West Qinling Mountains. The water and soil conservation function of Dingxi City is very important and have become key constraining factors for economic and social development. Due to the fragmented terrain and landscape patches, high spatial accuracy in the assessment of water and soil conservation is required for proper management. In this study, we introduced an index system for the evaluation of soil and water conservation functions, including various influencing factors. The results showed that area percentages of the five levels (lower, low, medium, high, and higher) in soil conservation were 6.24, 6.25, 23.49, 30.95, and 33.07, respectively, and the areas with higher soil conservation were mainly concentrated in the hilly and gully areas of the Loess Plateau with low vegetation coverage. The percentages of water conservation in the five levels (lower, low, medium, high, and higher) were 40.49, 21.78, 16.66, 7.9, and 13.11, respectively, and the areas with higher water conservation were concentrated in Min County and Zhang County, with the most abundant precipitation and highest vegetation coverage. In addition, functional areas of soil and water conservation had obvious spatial heterogeneity. Among them, the proportion of high-grade functional areas for soil conservation decreased with an increase in precipitation, whereas a high proportion of high-grade functional areas for water conservation was concentrated in areas with precipitation of more than 600 mm. The conflict between agricultural production and ecological protection of soil and water conservation is prominent, and areas with serious conflict are concentrated in the central and northern areas of Dingxi City. Based on this, we suggest a spatial layout guidance for agricultural production and ecological protection, providing a scientific basis for decision-making that supports ecological protection and high-quality sustainable development in Dingxi City. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Horizontal/interregional eco-compensation is an important policy to promote regional ecological and environmental cooperation and realize sustainable development for river basins. To solve these problems, a horizontal compensation framework based on integrated water rights (IWRs) transaction has been established. Taking the Yellow River basin as an example, the IWRs scheme realizes sustainable development, to a certain extent, improving the current issues of shortages, the low utilization efficiency of water resources, and weak water environmental carrying capacity. Evidence for this improvement includes: (1) an increased revenue of USD 244.71; (2) the water use efficiency in the middle and upper streams (Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Neimenggu, Shanxi) and the overall river basin being obviously improved (the maximum improvement value is 0.1273 m3/USD); (3) the overload situation of water resource carrying status being relieved in some subareas (Ningxia, Neimenggu, Henan, Shandong) and improved in the whole basin (from 0.6366 to 0.6124); (3) the water environmental carrying rate (COD and NH4+-N) of the middle and upper streams (Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Neimenggu, Shanxi) and the whole river basin obviously decreasing (with maximum decreasing values of 0.43 and 1.14, respectively). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yellow River is the mother river of the Chinese nation and the great cradle for its survival and development. Protecting the Yellow River and promoting the high‑quality development of the Yellow River Basin is a long‑term plan that concerns the great rejuvenation and sustainable development of the Chinese nation. The history of the governance of the Yellow River is also a history of state governance and a history of the development of Chinese civilization. This year marks the third anniversary of General Secretary Xi Jinping’ s September 18 speech at the Yellow River Basin Ecological Protection and High‑quality Development Symposium in Zhengzhou, Henan in 2019. It is also the first anniversary of his October 22 speech at the Symposium on the In‑depth Promotion of Ecological Protection and High‑quality Development of the Yellow River Basin in Jinan, Shandong in 2021. This paper explores how to continuously deepen the strategic understanding of promoting ecological protection and high‑quality development in the Yellow River Basin and better implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’ s series of important speeches on ecological protection and high‑quality development in the Yellow River Basin, as well as how to promote the provinces and regions in the Yellow River Basin to undertake the historical task of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation in the new era. The history, experience and enlightenment of the CPC (Communist Party of China)’ s century‑old Yellow River management, protection, and promotion of high‑quality development will help to open up thehistorical perspectives, continue the Party’ s spiritual characteristics, and let the Yellow River benefit the Chinese nation forever. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the coupling and coordinating relationship between technological innovation and green development (TI&GDC) from the perspective of system theory, this study attempts to investigate the driving effect of technological innovation on green development and the guiding effect of green development on technological innovation, which serve as the foundation for implementing the major national strategy of ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin. Based on the panel data of Chinese cities from 2004 to 2019, we discussed the TI&GDC in the Yellow River Basin by using the coupling and coordinating model and the DagumGini coefficient. It was found that the TI&GDC in the Yellow River Basin was only 0.3363, which was at a low level. During the sample period, the growth was relatively slow and showed a characteristic trend of high volatility, which was mainly caused by low-level green development. The improvement of the TI&GDC in the Yellow River Basin mainly depended on the unipolar effect of technological innovation, while green development had an inhibitory effect on the improvement of the TI&GDC. The spatial spillover effect of the TI&GDC in the Yellow River Basin was weak and fluctuated violently in value. The low spatial spillover seriously affected the TI&GDC in the Yellow River Basin. Furthermore, Zhengzhou and Jinan, two major cities in the Yellow River Basin, did not play their roles as leading cities. The Yellow River Basin did not yet form an endogenous development mechanism in which technological innovation and green development promoted each other. This was not conducive to the TI&GDC in the Yellow River Basin. Therefore, it is considered that a bottom line of green and sustainable development should be established to promote coordinated governance of ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin, and pattern of synergy and complementarity between technological innovation and green development should be formed among cities in the basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the current global goal of carbon neutrality, the relationship between cultivated land intensive use (CLIU) and carbon emission efficiency (CEE) should be explored to address the global climate crisis and move toward a low-carbon future. However, previous work in this has been conducted at provincial/regional scales and few have identified the spatial correlation between CLIU and CEE at the scale of large river basins. Therefore, this study explored the spatiotemporal characteristics of CLIU, cultivated land carbon emissions (CLCE), and CEE, as well as the spatial correlation between CLIU and CEE in the Yellow River Basin (YRB), China. A comprehensive evaluation model, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) coefficient methodology, existing data envelopment analysis model, and bivariate spatial autocorrelation models were used to analyze statistical data from 2005 to 2017. We found that the overall CLIU and CLCE values in the YRB exhibited a continuous increase; the average carbon emission total efficiency and carbon emission scale efficiency first decreased and then increased, and the average carbon emission pure technical efficiency gradually decreased. Areas of high CLCE were concentrated in eastern areas of the YRB, whereas those of high CLIU, carbon emission total efficiency, carbon emission scale efficiency, and carbon emission pure technical efficiency predominantly appeared in the eastern areas, followed by central and western areas of the YRB. Spatial analysis revealed a significant spatial dependence of CLIU on CEE. From a global perspective, the spatial correlations between CLIU and CEE changed from positive to negative with time. Moreover, the aggregation degree between CLIU and CEE gradually decreases with time, while the dispersion degree increases with time, and the spatial correlation gradually weakens. The local spatial autocorrelation further demonstrates that the number of high–low and low–high clusters between CLIU and CEE gradually increases over time, while the number of high–high and low–low clusters gradually decreased over time. Collectively, these findings can help policymakers formulate feasible low-carbon and efficient CLIU policies to promote win–win cooperation among regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yellow River is an important ecological shelter zone and economic belt in China. However, rapid urbanization and industrialization has produced a fragile ecological environment conditions and unbalanced economic development in the Yellow River Basin (YRB). Ecological protection and high-quality development of the YRB has been China's national strategy since 2019. As the only coastal province with the largest economy and population in the YRB, the sustainable development of Shandong Province is of great importance in the region. This study evaluated the dynamic trend of sustainability levels of the nine cities in Shandong Province in the YRB through emergy analysis. Emergy-based indicators were established and analyzed from 2010 to 2019, taking account of the ecological service emergy (ESE) needed to dilute pollutants and emergy equivalent loss (EEL) on ecosystem quality and human health damage. Results showed that emergy sustainable indicators (ESI) in Tai'an, Heze, Dezhou, and Liaocheng ranged from 1 to 10, which had the potential for sustainable development. The ESI value of Jinan, Jining, Zibo, Dongying, and Binzhou was less than 1, which indicated that these cities were under great ecological pressure. The value of emergy indicators for sustainable development (EISD) of the nine cities all declined from 2010 to 2016, but remained stable from 2017 to 2019. Based on findings from the emergy analysis regarding policy implications and local conditions, the study concludes by providing proposals to improve regional sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy structure transformation (EST) is crucial for achieving the "dual carbon" goals and enhancing regional productivity. Based on panel data from provinces along the Yellow River Basin (YRB) from 2005 to 2021, this study incorporates the energy structure into a restricted cost function to explore the allocative efficiency, spatial dynamic evolution trends, and input factor biases of productivity in the YRB in the context of EST. The analysis shows the following. (i) The average annual productivity growth in the YRB reaches 8.25%, which shows a "U" shaped trend from 11.66% to 8.43%. The scale effect is the main driving force of productivity growth and the contribution of the effect of energy consumption has been amplified in recent years. (ii) Sub-basin analysis shows that productivity growth has the pattern of downstream > midstream > upstream. Although the effect of technological change in the upstream of the YRB is greater than that in the midstream and downstream, its low energy efficiency drags down its development. (iii) Markov chain analysis shows that the development trend of productivity growth in the provinces along the YRB is relatively stable, and it is not easy for provinces to jump ranks. (iv) The analysis of factor input bias shows that technological progress tends to favour the use of capital and energy, while saving the labour. For EST, there is a factor-saving bias for all factors. On this basis, countermeasures to optimize sustainable economic development and EST in the YRB are proposed from a systemic perspective. • Construct simultaneous equations system for the measurement of productivity • Decompose and analyze the key factors of productivity changes • Compare productivity development trends and hindering factors in different regions • Analyze the biased factors of technological progress and energy structure adjustment • Propose strategies for energy structure transformation in the Yellow River Basin [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to achieve China’s carbon peaking and carbon neutrality (double carbon) targets and to advance ecological conservation and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin, it is essential that China reduces its energy intensity and increases its energy efficiency. This research developed an evaluation index system for energy efficiency and green development in the Yellow River Basin based on panel data collected from 64 of its prefecture-level cities and covering the period from 2011 to 2020. Each city’s energy efficiency and green development level index was calculated, and was analyzed together with the characteristics of its spatial pattern progression. The STIRPAT model was then used to investigate the influence mechanism of energy efficiency on green development. The final step in the analysis was to assess the process by which technical innovation influences the rise in energy efficiency from a green development point of view. The findings of this study indicate that: (1) There was a marked improvement in energy efficiency and green development levels across the Yellow River Basin over the study period of 2011 to 2020, but there are notable disparities among prefecture-level cities, with higher levels found in capital cities and cities in the lower reaches of the basin. (2) The improvement in energy efficiency has had a positive impact on the transition to green development, with factors such as human capital, urbanization levels, and the upgrading of industrial structures contributing significantly, while the level of foreign direct investment has had a limited impact. (3) Technological innovation plays a partial role in mediating the relationship between energy efficiency and green development in the Yellow River Basin, and passes the single-threshold test. When technological innovation surpasses the threshold value, the effect of energy efficiency on green development is significantly strengthened. This study indicates that improving energy efficiency, stimulating emerging industries, and enhancing technological innovation capabilities can significantly promote transformative green and high quality development in the Yellow River Basin of China.

This study used the Global-Luenberger index based on the MinDS model to calculate the urban green development performance of the cities in the Yellow River basin from 2005 to 2018. The Dagum Gini coefficient was used to investigate the size and specific sources of its spatial difference. With the aid of variance decomposition and quantile regression methods, the driving factors of the urban green development performance in the Yellow River basin were comprehensively analyzed from the internal and external sources. The study found that: ① During the sample survey period, the urban green development performance in the Yellow River basin grew at an average annual rate of 0.40%, and the performance of urban green development in upstream and downstream regions was significantly faster than that in midstream regions. ② The difference in urban green development performance was mainly derived from regional differences, and particular attention should be paid to the synergy of upstream and downstream regional development. The imbalance of green development performance in the region was also widespread. ③ From the perspective of internal power, the difference between the expected and undesired output productivity was higher than the input factor productivity difference. Among them, the difference in productivity growth of input factors was the most significant in downstream regions, and the difference in productivity growth of expected output and that of undesired output were relatively significant in the middle reaches and upstream regions, respectively. ④ From the perspective of external power, the impact of economic growth, education level and population density on the green development performance at different levels in the Yellow River basin all showed the 'Matthew Effect', resulting in significant differences in the green development performance across the cities. Among them, economic growth and industrial structure were the largest external sources of differences in the upstream region. Economic growth and education level led to the formation of polarization in the middle reaches. Economic growth and population density led to the expansion of regional differences in the green development performance of downstream cities. Based on this, this article puts forward relevant policy recommendations in terms of improving resource utilization efficiency, building joint prevention and control mechanisms, and improving the talent transportation system. It is required to prevent the recurrence of polarization problems while breaking the barriers of information overflow between cities, in order to provide a useful reference for promoting the coordinated improvement of the green development performance of the Yellow River basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Coal Science & Technology (0253-2336) is the property of Coal Science & Technology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Social and economic development processes require large amounts of natural resources and in some cases seriously deteriorate river water quality. Since the reform and expansion era began, China has vigorously pursued socioeconomic development but neglected environmental protection. However, in recent years, improvements in environmental awareness and the implementation of environmental protection measures have led to a balanced relationship between economic development and the environment. In this study, the Yangtze River Basin and the Yellow River Basin were selected as research areas. We used a combination of canonical correlation analysis (CCA) and a distance-based influence assessment method to quantitatively assess the influence of socioeconomic development on river water quality. The results revealed a strong correlation between socioeconomic development and river water quality. The degree of influence of socioeconomic development on water quality varied not only temporally but also spatially due to differences in socioeconomic development and hydrometeorology in the two basins in North and South China. The average degree of influence in the Yangtze River Basin was between 0.22 and 0.27, and that in the Yellow River Basin was between 0.2 and 0.36. Moreover, the degree of influence in the Yangtze River Basin in the wet season was greater than that in the dry season, whereas the opposite pattern was observed in the Yellow River Basin. The degree of influence in both basins gradually declined after 2011, indicating that the coupling and coordination between socioeconomic development and environmental protection have continuously improved and that the water quality has gradually improved. By analysing the influences of various socioeconomic indicators on water quality, we found that the main factors that influence water quality are per capita GDP and urbanization rate in the Yangtze River Basin and urbanization rate in the Yellow River Basin. The results provide a basis for future sustainable development in the Yangtze River Basin and the Yellow River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yellow River Basin has been one of the most important energy bases in China. The land green use efficiency of resource-based cities directly dominates the sustainable and high-quality development in this region. In this study, taking the resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin as the case study area, a novel index system of land green use efficiency was developed, where the resource and environmental consumption were as input indicators, while the economic, social, and environmental benefits as output indicators. SSBM model was also used to measure the land green use efficiency of resource-based cities in the study area from 2009 to 2018. A spatial autocorrelation and GTWR model were selected to analyze the spatial evolution characteristics and driving factors of land green use efficiency, respectively. The results showed that: 1) There was a trend of fluctuation on the land green use efficiency of resource-based cities in the study areas from 2009 to 2018. There was also a relatively low proportion of high-value cities in the land green use efficiency, where there was not a significant change over the past 10 years. Furthermore, there was a low growth rate of land green use efficiency with the insufficient rising power in the cities, due mainly to the regional restrictions and economic development. Specifically, the land green use efficiency increased the fastest in Henan and Shaanxi Provinces from 2009 to 2018. Ningxia, Shandong, and Inner Mongolia were in the slow growth stage, while Shanxi and Gansu showed a downward trend. 2) The Global Moran's I index of land green use efficiency was between-0.179 and 0.192 for the resource-based cities in the study area, indicating that the global spatial evolution was ranging from the relatively strong to weak correlation from 2009 to 2018. There were also the small-scale agglomeration and large-scale dispersion in the spatial distributions of land green use efficiency for the resource-based cities in the study area, according to the LISA index. As such, it is necessary to further strengthen the coordinated development among upper, middle, and lower reaches in the study areas. 3) There was spatial heterogeneity in the driving factors of land green use efficiency. The economic and industrial structure factors were consistently dominated the land green use efficiency in the study area. The most critical factor in the main driving factors was gradually shifted to the level of science and technology for different types of resource-based cities in 2018. Furthermore, the growing or declining resource-based cities depended strongly on the economy, industrial structure, and policy. The mature resource-based cities were mainly influenced by technology and urbanization. More importantly, technology and industrial structure posed a strong impact on renewable resource-based cities. Consequently, the finding can widely be used to guide the decision-making for better efficiency of land green use in various resource-based cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Remote Sensing for Natural Resources is the property of Remote Sensing for Natural Resources Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Improved land-use eco-efficiency promotes intensified low-carbon practices, directly reducing emissions and enhancing ecological protection, carbon sequestration, and carbon neutrality. The digital economy can potentially promote environmentally friendly, low-carbon growth while ensuring the ecological integrity of land use. However, insufficient consideration has been poured into the effect of digital-economy development on land-use eco-efficiency. Using city-level data from China's Yellow River Basin, this study reveals the digital economy's direct effect on land-use eco-efficiency while also examining its indirect and nonlinear effects. The baseline model suggests that the digital economy improves land-use eco-efficiency. However, considering the presence of a rebound effect, technological innovations driven by the digital economy have a mitigating influence on land-use eco-efficiency. Furthermore, industrial-structure consolidation creates a situation in which industrial improvements initiated by the digital economy do not significantly contribute to improving land-use eco-efficiency. What's more, there is a dynamic, nonlinear relationship between the digital economy and land-use eco-efficiency. Our research highlights the importance of the digital economy in shaping land-use eco-efficiency. Policymakers should consider such dynamics when promoting digital-economy growth and sustainable land-use practices. • Study the relationship between digital economy and land use efficiency in the Yellow River Basin, China. • Digital economy impacts land use efficiency directly and indirectly, with non-linear effects. • Initial gains from digital economy can be offset by rebound effect; and industrial structure affects eco-efficiency relationship. • Digital economy's impact on land efficiency changes dynamically, requiring nuanced policy adjustments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The study assesses ecological product values in the Yellow River Basin. • The entropy value method was used to assess the ecological product's value. • Results reveal ecological product value increased from ¥5.73 to ¥6.54 trillion. • Findings indicate rural development and agriculture lowered ecological values. • The study emphasizes balancing ecological and economic factors in policy-making. This study evaluates the value of ecological products in the Yellow River Basin, China within the "Two Mountains" theory framework prioritizing ecological conservation and quality growth. Major basin cities were analyzed to quantify ecological product value flows from 2011 to 2020 using an entropy approach assessing rural dynamics, financing, governance, manufacturing, and economic structuring. Entropy valuations of datasets from 38 basin municipalities showed aggregated ecological product values increased from ¥5.73 trillion in 2011 to ¥6.54 trillion in 2020. Spatial disparities were observed with mid-upper basin regions exhibiting significantly higher valuations than lower basinal areas. The novel entropy valuation methodology provides localized quantification of ecological product values aligned with China's sustainability initiatives. The multivariate panel regression model shows that while rural development and agricultural fiscal support negatively impact ecological product value, environmental regulation and advanced industrial structures have a strong positive influence. Furthermore, quantile regression analysis reveals heterogeneities in the distribution of explanatory variables across different quantiles of ecological product value. This offers a comprehensive view of the various factors and dynamics influencing ecological product values in the Yellow River Basin. The study concludes by emphasizing the importance of balancing ecological value realization with economic growth, particularly in coastal cities of the Basin. These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing ecological value and advancing environmental protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel coupled coordinated study on water resource, water environment, and water ecology is proposed. • A decision systematic analysis framework for Yellow River Basin is provided. • The intrinsic mechanism of influence of the "Three Waters" system is clarified. • Key factors affecting the coordinated and sustainable development of water system are identified. The interaction and mutual influence of water resources, water environment, and water ecology play a crucial role in integrated basin water system planning and the harmonious development of a high-quality economy. In this study, a coupling coordination model was established to assess the development of coupling and coordination among water systems in the Yellow River Basin (YRB). By applying a Vector Auto Regression (VAR) model, it explores the influence mechanisms of key indicators on the sustainable coordinated development of the "Three Waters" system (TWS). Findings from 2005 to 2021 indicate a positive trend in the comprehensive development level of the YRB's TWS. The degree of coupling ranges from good to high-quality, and the coupling and coordination level progresses from near-dysfunctional to highly coordinated. Moreover, the study highlights the alternating effects of 104 yuan of GDP water consumption and wastewater treatment rates on the water resources-water environment system (WRS-WES); Sewage treatment rates and the greening coverage of urban built-up areas have significant and enduring promotional effects on the water environment-water ecology subsystem (WES-WELS). These insights lay the groundwork for the development of innovative ideas and strategies aimed at promoting the integrated and coordinated advancement of the TWS in the YRB. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The analysis effect is most effective at the scale of 90 km × 90 km. • Landscape pattern exhibits increasing fragmentation, a decrease in the degree of aggregation and an increase in the heterogeneity of distribution. • Most of the landscape ecological risk levels have shifted from higher to lower levels. • The landscape ecological risk of the Yellow River Basin is in a better state. Rapid urbanization is a global phenomenon that has altered many ecosystems and created ecological risks. Landscape ecological risk (LER) reflects the extent to which ecosystems are threatened by human activities and environmental change. LER can be also employed to effectively monitor and assess environmental quality. A large number of studies have been conducted to explore the LER in the basin from the perspective of Land Use and Land Cover (LUCC). Ecological environmental issues such as land degradation have seriously hindered the sustainable development of the Yellow River Basin (YRB). Based on the LUCC data of the YRB in the four periods of 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020, this study aims to determine the most suitable spatial analysis scale using the coefficient of variation and semi-variogram, and analyzes the landscape pattern and LER of the YRB. We found that the landscape pattern of the YRB exhibits obvious scale dependence, and the analysis effect is most effective at the scale of 90 km × 90 km. Throughout the study period, the landscape pattern exhibited increasing fragmentation, a decrease in the degree of aggregation and an increase in the heterogeneity of distribution. In terms of LER, it is in a better state as most of the LER levels have shifted from higher to lower levels, and the proportion of lower and lowest risk is constantly increasing. This study improves the precision of spatial scale investigations and offers valuable insights for future studies on landscape pattern and LER in the basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]