• Energy Research
• Sustainability close
• Chinese Academy of Sciences close

China’s steel industry is an energy-intensive sector. Synergistic reduction of emissions of CO2 and air pollutants (SO2, NOx, and PM2.5) in the steel industry has an important practical significance for climate change and air pollution control. According to the CO2 emission reduction intensity targets (CERO) and air pollutant emission targets (PERO) for 2020 and 2030, 28 types of energy-saving and emission reduction technologies (20 types of carbon reduction technology and eight types of air pollution end-of-pipe technology) were selected for examination, and a two-stage dynamic optimization model with collaborative implementation of PERO and CERO was built to assess the near future (2015–2020) and long-term (2020–2030) implementation plans for synergistic emissions reduction of CO2 and air pollutants. The results show that in the near future, the implementation of PERO will have a greater synergistic effect on CO2 emission reduction. CO2 emission reduction under PERO in 2020 will be 97 million tons (Mt) higher than that of CERO, an increase of nearly 26%. However, the effects of implementing CERO are better in the long run. Under CERO, the emission reductions of SO2, NOx, and PM2.5 in 2030 are 2.44 Mt, 1.47 Mt, and 0.86 Mt, respectively, and 7%, 4%, and 5% higher than the implementation of PERO. As far as marginal abatement cost is concerned, in the near future, the marginal abatement costs of CO2 and air pollutant equivalents are 1.06 yuan/kgCO2 and 133 yuan/kg pollution equivalent (pe) under PERO, which are 23% and 11% lower than that of CERO, while in the long run, the marginal abatement costs of CO2 and pollutant equivalents under CERO are 0.025 yuan/kgCO2 and 2.73 yuan/kgpe, about 96% and 95% lower than that of PERO.

This study analyzes farmers’ perception of grazing restriction policies, grassland environment and ecological management following the implementation of environmental protection policies in northern China. Understanding farmers’ attitudes and their causes will hopefully aid in the creation and execution of future policies. One hundred and thirty-five households were surveyed at three occasions over the course of a decade to explore the causes and processes of farmers’ perception. Farmers’ ecological awareness tends to be short term. In areas with a degraded environment, farmers were eager to implement policies to improve the environment and recognized the positive impact of the grazing ban policy (GBP). However, as conditions improved, farmers’ recognition and acceptance of the GBP became negative. Although farmers recognized the benefits of the GBP, they showed little awareness of the long-term process of environmental governance. As can be seen from the farmers’ ecological awareness and their attitudes toward the GBP, they are more inclined to value short-term economic interest than ecological protection. We suggest that good environmental protection policy must take into account the ecological and economic interests of farmers.

Typhoons are a product of air-sea interaction, which are often accompanied by high winds, heavy rains, and storm surges. It is significant to master the characteristics and pattern of typhoon activity for typhoon warning and disaster prevention and mitigation. We used the Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) index as the hazard index; the probability of exceeding, or reaching, return period or exceeding a certain threshold was used to describe the probability of hazard occurrence. The results show that the overall spatial distribution of typhoon hazards conforms to a northeast-southwest zonal distribution, decreasing from the southeast coast to the northwest. Across the six typical provinces of China assessed here, data show that Hainan possesses the highest hazard risk. Hazard index is relatively high, mainly distributed between 0.005 and 0.015, while the probability of exceeding a hazard index greater than 0.015 is 0.15. In light of the four risk levels assessed here, the hazard index that accounts for the largest component of the study area is mainly distributed up to 0.0010, all mild hazard levels. Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Fujian, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu as well as six other provinces and autonomous regions are all areas with high hazard risks. The research results can provide important scientific evidence for the sustainable development of China’s coastal provinces and cities. The outcomes of this study may also provide the scientific basis for the future prevention and mitigation of marine disasters as well as the rationalization of related insurance.

Urban heat islands (UHIs) are an important issue in urban sustainability, and the standardized calculation of surface urban heat island (SUHI) intensity has been a common concern of researchers in the past. In this study, we used the administrative borders (AB) method and an optimized simplified urban-extent (OSUE) algorithm to calculate the surface urban heat island intensity from 2001 to 2017 for 36 major cities in mainland China by using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images. The spatiotemporal differences between these two methods were analyzed from the perspectives of the regional and national patterns and the daily, monthly, and annual trends. Regardless of the spatial or temporal scale, the calculation results of these two methods showed extremely similar patterns, especially for the daytime. However, when the calculated SUHI intensities were investigated through a regression analysis with multiple driving factors, we found that, although natural conditions were the main drivers for both methods, the anthropogenic factors obtained from statistical data (population and gross domestic product) were more correlated with the SUHI intensity from the AB method. This trend was probably caused by the spatial extent of the statistical data, which aligned more closely with the rural extent in the AB method. This study not only explores the standardization of the calculation of urban heat intensity but also provides insights into the relationship between urban development and the SUHI.

To meet the demand of talents in the rapid and sustainable development of the steel manufacturing industry and the needs of the local development of green and intelligent steel technology, this paper presented a reformed training program of intelligent manufacturing of universities for the steel industry. The training program explored the reform plan of talent training objectives, curriculum system, teaching mode, practical links, and operation mechanism of intelligent manufacturing engineering, and built a system with the goal of cultivating innovative ability covering green and intelligent concepts. A new mode of talent cultivation that covers the green and intelligent manufacturing concept and awareness, engineering knowledge, and innovation ability is built, to cultivate high-quality engineering talents who can adapt to the demand of green and intelligent development of steel and other industries. The innovative talent cultivation mode could reconstruct the steel intelligent manufacturing engineering education system and produce a demonstrative effect and good social benefits on the construction of intelligent manufacturing engineering specialty in the industry-featured colleges and universities.

Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is the essence of excellent traditional culture and the treasure of human civilization. At present, major countries pay more and more attention to the study of ICH. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the spatial distribution characteristics of ICH and to understand the factors affecting the development of ICH. Systematically studying the spatial distribution patterns, influencing factors, differentiation characteristics, and formation mechanisms of ICH is essential for effectively promoting its protection and development, guiding the planning of cultural tourism, and implementing cultural power strategies. There are clear differences between municipal and county-level ICH in Xinjiang. The overall distribution trend shows a spatial aggregation structure with more ICH in the north and fewer in the south. ICH resources are concentrated mainly in Kashgar, Yili, Tacheng, Bazhou, and Urumqi, where the Urumqi-Turpan-Korla region is the high-density core area for all types of ICH. Meanwhile, the Yining and Kashgar areas have a large number of non-relics. Ethnic distributions, cultural environments, policy supports, and other social and cultural factors have greater impacts on the spatial distribution of ICH in Xinjiang, while natural geographical environment factors such as runoff water systems and average precipitation have less influence. Interaction studies revealed that the synergistic effects of natural, economic, and social and cultural factors had a more profound influence on the spatial distribution of ICH. Lastly, to promote sustainable development, suggestions were made to optimize the spatial layout, protection, and development of Xinjiang ICH.

The study of natural resources and ecosystem service value assessments is crucial for understanding the direct economic benefits and potential ecological, environmental, and social benefits of these resources. Existing research lacks a comprehensive information management framework design and application exploration for the practice process, and a unified and standardized technical framework has not been established, which makes it difficult to expand the functions in the future. This study uses data from various aspects such as statistical yearbooks, remote sensing satellites, and field studies, and adopts the market value method and alternative cost method to construct a natural resources and ecosystem service value indicator system and a comprehensive evaluation information system, taking Shaanxi Province as an example. The total value of natural resources and ecosystem services in Shaanxi Province is CNY 107.67 trillion, of which the value of natural resources is CNY 105.11 trillion and the value of ecosystem services is CNY 2.56 trillion. This study makes up for the deficiencies in the realization path of the existing natural resources and ecosystem service value accounting studies, solves the problems of a large number of data collection sources, integration of accession criteria, integrated assessment methods, and synchronized assessment updates in natural resources management in Shaanxi Province, and realizes the visualization and information management of natural resources and ecosystem service value accounting.

In recent years, the conflicts of the human–land coupling system (HLS) in the cross-border transportation corridor areas have become increasingly severe, especially in the China–Mongolia–Russia Cross-Border Transportation Corridor (CMRTC). The vulnerability assessment of the HLS-CMRTC is the key scientific issue for regional sustainable development. Based on the nearly 20 years of a scientific expedition, we set the CMRTC as the study area, constructed the vulnerability assessment index system and quantitative model, assessed the vulnerability of the HLS-CMRTC, revealed the key influencing factors, divided vulnerability risk prevention zones, and proposed the targeted optimization countermeasures. This study found that: (1) The overall vulnerability pattern of the HLS-CMRTC showed a vulnerability level gradually increasing from south to north. (2) Permafrost instability risk, land desertification, temperature increase, and backward social development were key influences. (3) Vulnerability risk prevention zones were divided into four priority and two general zones. The targeted optimization countermeasures were proposed, such as establishing an ecological security barrier, carrying out collaborative ecological risk monitoring, and early warning. The conclusions could provide a decision-making basis for the study area to reduce the vulnerability of the HLS. They could also provide reference and scientific support for achieving sustainable development of the economy and environment in similar regions of the world.