• Energy Research
• 13. Climate action close
• 7. Clean energy close
• Frontiers in Environmental Science close

Climate change and land use/cover change (LUCC) have been widely recognized as the main driving forces that can affect regional hydrological processes, and quantitative assessment of their impacts is of great importance for the sustainable development of regional ecosystems, land use planning and water resources management. This study investigates the impacts of climate change and LUCC on variables such as streamflow (SF), soil moisture (SM) and evapotranspiration (ET) in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) by using Soil and Water Assessment Tools (SWAT) model under different scenarios during 1979–2018. The results show that the simulation performances were overall good, with Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency Coefficient (NSE) and coefficient of determination (R2) greater than 0.80 for the monthly-scale SF calibration and validation. According to the results of trend and change point tests of meteorological series, the baseline period (1979–1997) and the interference period (1998–2018) were determined. Interestingly, other land use types were basically converted to urban land, leading to a rapid urbanization in the GBA. Compared with the SF values of the eight estuaries of the Pearl River Basin in the baseline period, both climate change and LUCC has led to the decrease in the SF values in the interference period, and the combined effect of climate change and LUCC was slightly greater than their individual effect. Overall, climate change and LUCC both have important impacts on regional hydrological processes in the GBA.

The attainment of clean heating in the rural areas of northern China is of great significance for environmental governance and the realization of the dual carbon goal. Based on the evolutionary game theory, this study constructs a three-party evolutionary game model of the central government, local government, and farmers, introduces key parameters, such as the local government’s governance strength, central government’s inspection strength, and two levels of government subsidy strength, into the model, systematically deduces different possible strategy combinations of the three parties, and analyzes the possible scenarios and stability conditions of each scenario. Finally, the study numerically simulates each scenario and analyzes the influence of the key parameters on the strategies of the three parties. The study conclusions are as follows. 1) The system is optimized in Scenario 6 (1,1,0). 2) The strategy of the local government has a decisive influence on farmers, and the central government’s inspector strength has a weak effect on farmers. 3) The cost of clean heating over coal-fired heating has a significant effect on farm households but not on the two levels of government. 4) The low perception that farmers hold regarding the benefits of the indoor environment weakens the government’s subsidy effect. This study provides effective practical guidance and policy references for governments to promote clean heating in rural areas.

As the key object of carbon emission reduction, resource-based cities’ carbon emission problems are related to the achievement of China’s goals to peak carbon emission and achieve carbon neutrality. In this paper, 115 resource-based cities with abundant natural resources in China were studied, and spatial analysis techniques such as LISA (Local Indicators of Spatial Association) time path and spatial-temporal transition were used to explore their spatial divergence pattern and spatio-temporal evolution characteristics of carbon emission intensity from 2000 to 2019, while geodetector model was used further to reveal their drivers and impacts on the environment. It is found that 1) the carbon emission intensity of resource-based cities shows a significant decreasing trend, with significant differences in carbon emission intensity and its decreasing rate in different development stages and resource-type cities. The overall trend of growing cities, declining cities, mature cities and regenerating cities decreases in order. The carbon emission intensity of cities in the energy, forest industry, general, metal and non-metal categories gradually decrease. The spatial pattern of carbon emission intensity has strong stability, with an overall spatial distribution of high in the north and low in the south. 2) The spatial structure of carbon emission intensity in resource-based cities has strong stability, dependence and integration, with the stability gradually increasing from north to south and the path dependence and locking characteristics of the carbon emission intensity pattern slightly weakened. 3) The spatial divergence of carbon emission intensity in resource-based cities is the result of the action of multiple factors, among which the level of financial investment, urban economic density, urban population density, urban investment intensity and energy use efficiency are the dominant factors. 4) The leading drivers of carbon emission intensity are different in cities at different development stages and with various resources, and grasping the characteristics of carbon emission intensity changes and drivers of various resource-based cities can better provide targeted countermeasures for resource-based cities to achieve carbon emission reduction targets and sustainable development.

Drylands are a critical part of the earth system in terms of total area, socioeconomic and ecological importance. However, while drylands are known for their contribution to inter-annual atmospheric CO2 variability, they are sometimes overlooked in discussions of global carbon stocks. Here, in preparation for the November 2021 UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), we review dryland systems with emphasis on their role in current and future carbon storage, response to climate change and potential to contribute to a carbon neutral future. Current estimates of carbon in dryland soils and vegetation suggest they are significant at global scale, containing approximately 30% of global carbon in above and below-ground biomass, and surface-layer soil carbon (top 30 cm). As ecosystems that are limited by water, the drylands are vulnerable to climate change. Climate change impacts are, however, dependent on future trends in rainfall that include both drying and wetting trends at regional scales. Regional rainfall trends will initiate trends in dryland productivity, vegetation structure and soil carbon storage. However, while management of fire and herbivory can contribute to increased carbon sequestration, impacts are dependent on locally unique ecosystem responses and climate-soil-plant interactions. Similarly, while community based agroforestry initiatives have been successful in some areas, large-scale afforestation programs are logistically infeasible and sometimes ecologically inappropriate at larger scales. As climate changes, top-down prescriptive measures designed to increase carbon storage should be avoided in favour of locally-adapted approaches that balance carbon management priorities with local livelihoods, ecosystem function, biodiversity and cultural, social and economic priorities.

The purpose of this study is to determine the impacts of foreign direct investment (FDI), renewable energy (RE), energy consumption index (ECI), Globalization (GLO), and green technology innovation (GTI) on environmental pollution using a time series data from 1980 to 2019, using DARDL assessor to look at how markers with high levels of petroleum derivatives distorted the explanatory variable in China. The results showed that GTI contaminated environmental sustainability (ES). The polluted safe house notion claimed that FDI has a negative impact on the country’s inherent character. Finally, people are waking up to the importance of ES. Single-headed causalities from GTI to carbon emissions were detected in the middle of the other causes and fossil fuel byproducts need to change into green energy resources to reduce environmental pollution. Finally, the research proved that FDI is a major source of environmental pollution in China. According to the findings of the DARDL research, foreign direct investment and urbanization, green technological innovations, and China’s environmental pollution policy direction are all congruent with each other.

An evolving literature on the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus argues that there is a need to better understand the conditions under which nexus coordination may occur. A case in point are hydropower investments on shared rivers which might impact the provision of energy, water and food security across borders. In international basins, governing the WEF nexus impacts of hydropower relies on voluntary negotiations between the respective countries involved. It has been argued that such negotiations may be facilitated by regional organizations, such as international river basin organizations (IRBOs), but this claim has hardly been investigated systematically. Drawing on regime theory in international relations and the literature on benefit sharing, this paper asks what role regional organizations may play in governing hydropower-related WEF nexus impacts. It compares three cases of hydropower planning on shared rivers. The Rusumo Falls and the Ruzizi III hydropower projects (HPPs) are joint investments in Africa's Great Lakes region facilitated by an IRBO and a regional energy organization, respectively. On the Mekong, Laos is constructing the Xayaburi dam despite reservations by the Mekong River Commission and downstream riparians. The paper finds IRBOs and regional energy organizations may play a role in facilitating cross-border nexus governance by supporting benefit-sharing arrangements and by fostering the application of environmental and social safeguards and international law principles. However, it also shows that the influence of regional organizations varies, and how successfully they support nexus governance also depends on whether the HPP is planned unilaterally or jointly; the availability and consensus on data on nexus impacts; and the presence or absence of donors and private sector capital and investors.

To achieve its extraordinary goal of attaining the top carbon level in 2025 and eliminating carbon bias by 2045, Pakistan needs to focus on reducing carbon emissions in rural areas. Insurance for farmers is seen as a viable risk management and insurance strategy that might help spread the risk of agricultural activities and promote green rural development. In the present study, a multistage dynamic verified model was conducted from 2000 to 2019 in Pakistan, to assess the influence of a strategy of planned rural protection on green horticulture outcomes, fundamentally to characterize the unique impact system. The results indicate that rural fossil fuel byproducts are rising steadily, and implementing an agricultural protection plan significantly reduce these byproducts. In addition, this research provides practical ideas for a low-carbon rural turn of events and the formulation of vital macroeconomic horticulture techniques. It confirms the positive outcomes for strategically located agricultural insurance, and provides critical contract suggestions for reducing rural fossil fuel byproducts, and controlling initiatives in Pakistan and other countries.

Le delta du Mékong vietnamien a connu ces dernières années une transformation considérable de l'utilisation des terres agricoles, alimentée par un boom de l'exportation, une augmentation de la population, un accent mis sur les cultures intensives, mais aussi des facteurs environnementaux comme l'élévation du niveau de la mer ou la progression de la salinité des sols. Ces transformations ont toutefois été largement méconnues par les plans agricoles décennaux conçus au niveau provincial, sur la base desquels, cependant, la plupart des investissements à grande échelle (infrastructures d'irrigation, protection contre les inondations ou les intrusions de salinité, etc.) sont normalement planifiés. Cette situation soulève la question de savoir comment expliquer la divergence entre les prédictions utilisées comme base de ces plans et la situation réelle. Répondre à cette question pourrait, en fait, donner un aperçu de la dynamique en jeu et, espérons-le, permettre de les concevoir avec plus de précision. La dynamique du changement d'affectation des terres à l'échelle d'une région résulte des interactions entre des acteurs et des facteurs hétérogènes à différentes échelles, parmi lesquels les politiques institutionnelles, les choix agricoles individuels, le couvert végétal et les changements environnementaux, les conditions économiques, la dynamique sociale, pour n'en nommer que quelques-uns. Comprendre son évolution, par exemple, dans ce cas, pour mieux soutenir la planification agricole, nécessite donc l'utilisation de modèles pouvant représenter les contributions individuelles de chaque acteur ou facteur, et bien sûr leurs interactions. Nous abordons cette question à travers la conception d'un modèle hybride intégré de changement d'affectation des terres dans une étude de cas spécifique et soigneusement choisie, qui repose sur l'hypothèse centrale selon laquelle la principale force motrice du changement d'affectation des terres est en fait les choix individuels faits par les agriculteurs à leur niveau local. Les agriculteurs sont les acteurs qui décident (ou non) de passer d'une culture à une autre et les déplacements observés à des niveaux plus globaux (village, district, province, région) sont considérés, dans ce modèle, comme une conséquence de l'agrégation de ces d El delta del Mekong vietnamita ha experimentado en los últimos años una considerable transformación en el uso de la tierra agrícola, impulsada por un auge de la exportación, un aumento de la población, un enfoque en cultivos intensivos, pero también factores ambientales como el aumento del nivel del mar o la progresión de la salinidad del suelo. Sin embargo, estas transformaciones han sido en gran medida mal estimadas por los planes agrícolas decenales diseñados a nivel provincial, sobre cuyas predicciones, sin embargo, normalmente se planifican la mayoría de las inversiones a gran escala (infraestructuras de riego, protección contra inundaciones o intrusión de salinidad, etc.). Esta situación plantea la cuestión de cómo explicar la divergencia entre las predicciones utilizadas como base para estos planes y la situación real. Responderlo podría, de hecho, ofrecer algunas ideas sobre la dinámica en juego y, con suerte, permitir diseñarlas con mayor precisión. La dinámica del cambio de uso de la tierra a escala de una región es el resultado de las interacciones entre actores y factores heterogéneos a diferentes escalas, entre ellos las políticas institucionales, las opciones agrícolas individuales, los cambios en la cobertura de la tierra y el medio ambiente, las condiciones económicas, la dinámica social, por nombrar algunos. Comprender su evolución, por ejemplo, en este caso, para apoyar mejor la planificación agrícola, requiere, por lo tanto, el uso de modelos que puedan representar las contribuciones individuales de cada actor o factor y, por supuesto, sus interacciones. Abordamos esta cuestión mediante el diseño de un modelo híbrido integrado de cambio de uso de la tierra en un estudio de caso específico y cuidadosamente elegido, que se basa en la hipótesis central de que la principal fuerza que impulsa el cambio de uso de la tierra son en realidad las elecciones individuales realizadas por los agricultores a nivel local. Los agricultores son los actores que deciden (o no) cambiar de una cultura a otra y los cambios observados a niveles más globales (aldea, distrito, provincia, región) se consideran, en este modelo, como consecuencia de la agregación de estos individuos d The Vietnamese Mekong Delta has undergone in recent years a considerable transformation in agricultural land-use, fueled by a boom of the exportation, an increase of population, a focus on intensive crops, but also environmental factors like sea level rise or the progression of soil salinity. These transformations have been, however, largely misestimated by the ten-year agricultural plans designed at the provincial levels, on the predictions of which, though, most of the large-scale investments (irrigation infrastructures, protection against flooding or salinity intrusion, and so on) are normally planned. This situation raises the question of how to explain the divergence between the predictions used as a basis for these plans and the actual situation. Answering it could, as a matter of fact, offer some insights on the dynamics at play and hopefully allow designing them more accurately. The dynamics of land-use change at a scale of a region results from the interactions between heterogeneous actors and factors at different scales, among them institutional policies, individual farming choices, land-cover and environmental changes, economic conditions, social dynamics, just to name a few. Understanding its evolution, for example, in this case, to better support agricultural planning, therefore requires the use of models that can represent the individual contributions of each actor or factor, and of course their interactions. We address this question through the design of an integrated hybrid model of land-use change in a specific and carefully chosen case study, which relies on the central hypothesis that the main force driving land-use change is actually the individual choices made by farmers at their local level. Farmers are the actors who decide (or not) to switch from one culture to another and the shifts observed at more global levels (village, district, province, region) are considered, in this model, as a consequence of the aggregation of these individual d شهدت دلتا نهر الميكونغ الفيتنامية في السنوات الأخيرة تحولًا كبيرًا في استخدام الأراضي الزراعية، مدعومًا بازدهار التصدير، وزيادة عدد السكان، والتركيز على المحاصيل الكثيفة، ولكن أيضًا العوامل البيئية مثل ارتفاع مستوى سطح البحر أو تقدم ملوحة التربة. ومع ذلك، فقد أسيء تقدير هذه التحولات إلى حد كبير من خلال الخطط الزراعية العشرية المصممة على مستوى المقاطعات، والتي عادة ما يتم التخطيط لمعظم الاستثمارات واسعة النطاق (البنى التحتية للري، والحماية من الفيضانات أو تسرب الملوحة، وما إلى ذلك). ويثير هذا الوضع مسألة كيفية تفسير الاختلاف بين التنبؤات المستخدمة كأساس لهذه الخطط والوضع الفعلي. يمكن للإجابة عليه، في الواقع، أن تقدم بعض الأفكار حول الديناميكيات المعنية ونأمل أن تسمح بتصميمها بشكل أكثر دقة. تنتج ديناميكيات تغيير استخدام الأراضي على نطاق منطقة ما عن التفاعلات بين الجهات الفاعلة غير المتجانسة والعوامل على مستويات مختلفة، من بينها السياسات المؤسسية، وخيارات الزراعة الفردية، والغطاء الأرضي والتغيرات البيئية، والظروف الاقتصادية، والديناميكيات الاجتماعية، على سبيل المثال لا الحصر. إن فهم تطورها، على سبيل المثال، في هذه الحالة، لدعم التخطيط الزراعي بشكل أفضل، يتطلب بالتالي استخدام نماذج يمكن أن تمثل المساهمات الفردية لكل جهة فاعلة أو عامل، وبالطبع تفاعلاتها. نتناول هذا السؤال من خلال تصميم نموذج هجين متكامل لتغيير استخدام الأراضي في دراسة حالة محددة ومختارة بعناية، والتي تعتمد على الفرضية المركزية القائلة بأن القوة الرئيسية الدافعة لتغيير استخدام الأراضي هي في الواقع الخيارات الفردية التي يتخذها المزارعون على مستواهم المحلي. المزارعون هم الفاعلون الذين يقررون (أو لا يقررون) التحول من ثقافة إلى أخرى ويتم النظر في التحولات التي لوحظت على مستويات أكثر عالمية (القرية، المنطقة، المقاطعة، المنطقة)، في هذا النموذج، نتيجة لتجميع هؤلاء الأفراد