Search Results (155)

Rural development significantly contributes to global carbon emissions. While China’s dual-carbon goals are critical for global climate mitigation, surging rural emissions and regional disparities challenge their realization. Implementing village-scale horizontal carbon compensation zoning offers a strategic solution, though empirical evidence at this granularity remains scarce. Addressing this gap, this study conducts an empirical analysis of Laiyuan County in North China, integrating field data with village-scale carbon budget accounting. A multi-dimensional evaluation system was developed to classify and refine compensation zones. The results showed that (1) Laiyuan County exhibits a distinct “core–periphery” carbon budget pattern, with overall emissions exceeding carbon sinks. 46.6% of villages and 61.1% of townships are net carbon sources. Human respiration and domestic waste dominate the emission structure, while forests, grasslands, and shrublands provide the overwhelming majority of carbon sinks. Farmland contributes only limited sequestration, indicating an urgent need to enhance its sink capacity. (2) The multidimensional framework that incorporates Economic Contribution Coefficient (ECC), Carbon Emission Intensity (CEI), Ecological Support Coefficient (ESC), and Territorial Development Intensity (TDI) effectively guides compensation zoning, revealing positive CEI-TDI/ESC-ECC and U-shaped CEI-ECC/CEI-ESC relationships. These patterns underscore the necessity of integrated ecological–economic planning. (3) Villages can be systematically categorized into Payment Zones, Recipient Zones, and Equilibrium Zones. Integration with territorial planning further delineates 11 functional subregions, highlighting critical conflicts in subregions of Payment Zone-Permanent Basic Farmland and Payment Zone-Ecological Conservation Redline. This study advances methodologies for village-scale carbon management and provides actionable insights for achieving dual-carbon goals in rural areas of North China and beyond. Full article

(1) Background: A blockchain-based framework for distributed agile Open-Source Software for Archaeological Photogrammetry (OSSAP) testing life cycle is an innovative approach that uses blockchain technology to optimize the Open-Source Software for Archaeological Photogrammetry process. Previously, various methods have been employed to address communication and collaboration challenges in Open-Source Software for Archaeological Photogrammetry, but they were inadequate in aspects such as trust, traceability, and security. Additionally, a significant cause of project failure was the non-completion of unit testing by developers, leading to delayed testing. (2) Methods: This article discusses the integration of blockchain technology in Open-Source Software for Archaeological Photogrammetry and resolves critical concerns related to transparency, trust, coordination, testing and communication. A novel approach is proposed based on a blockchain framework named Open-Source Software for Archaeological Photogrammetry Testing-Plus. (3) Results: The Open-Source Software for Archaeological Photogrammetry Testing-Plus framework utilizes blockchain technology to provide a secure and transparent platform for acceptance testing and payment verification. Moreover, by leveraging smart contracts on a private Ethereum blockchain, Open-Source Software for Archaeological Photogrammetry Testing-Plus ensures that both the testing team and the development team are working towards a common goal and are compensated fairly for their contributions. (4) Conclusions: The experimental results conclusively show that this innovative approach substantially improves transparency, trust, coordination, testing and communication and provides security for both the testing team and the development team engaged in the distributed agile Open-Source Software for Archaeological Photogrammetry (Open-Source Software for Archaeological Photogrammetry) testing life cycle. Full article

River source areas often face stricter environmental protection requirements, leading to external cost and development opportunity losses. Quantifying such losses is essential for designing ecological compensation mechanisms (payment for ecological services). Existing methods often lack scientific rigor and practical feasibility. A method based on the comparison of Cumulative Growth Rates of Per Capita GDP (CGR-PCGDP) is proposed and applied to the water source area of the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project (MR-SNWDP) in China. The method quantifies the fiscal opportunity losses by comparing the CGR-PCGDP between the water source area and a reference area, and deducting growth rate differences before the baseline year. Regions in closer proximity to the Danjiangkou Reservoir—the source point of water diversion—have been found to be more markedly affected by stricter protection policies, resulting in greater development opportunity losses. Shiyan City and Nanyang City experienced annual average fiscal opportunity losses of CNY 569 million and 371 million, respectively, whereas cities farther from the reservoir, such as Hanzhong City, Ankang City, and Shangluo City, incurred lower losses. Compared to traditional approaches, this method avoids overestimation and offers practical, evidence-based results. How factors like geographical location, economic structure, fiscal compensation, and economic transformation capacity affect losses is further discussed, and strategies for balanced development and effective ecological compensation are proposed. The study offers methodological and referential support for the establishment of ecological compensation standards in river source areas. Full article

To address the challenges of multiple cost-influencing factors, high risks, and difficult control in highway construction projects, this study conducts a cost risk assessment based on the full-process perspective of project owners. Considering the long duration and distinct phases of highway construction projects, the study employs a literature-based statistical method to identify the factors influencing cost risks and establishes an evaluation index system for cost risk factors throughout the entire construction process. Based on questionnaire surveys, the study applies the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to calculate the initial weights of the cost risk factors. Then, the improved entropy weight method is used to compute the correction coefficients for the initial weights and determine the final weight of each influencing factor. By integrating the results from AHP, the comprehensive weights of all factors are obtained, thereby identifying the key factors affecting cost risks throughout the entire highway construction process. Additionally, cost risk prevention and control measures are proposed. The research findings indicate that among the 42 evaluation factors, the ten factors with the greatest impact on project cost risks are project positioning changes, price inflation, unclear or erroneous contract terms, lack of supervision by design units, delayed compensation payments, collusion in bidding (including bid-rigging and cover bidding), lack of coordination among different departments leading to schedule risks, construction claims risks, risks associated with bidding methods, and financing risks. These ten key factors are analyzed in detail, and corresponding risk prevention and control measures are proposed. Full article

The Central Appalachian region, where family forest landowners (FFLs) control much of the carbon sequestration potential, holds the potential for forest-based climate solutions. Despite this, participation in carbon offset programs remains low, largely due to the disconnect between small landowner needs and program structure. This study examines FFL preferences for carbon programs in Central Appalachia. Utilizing a panel-data mixed logit model, we evaluated the effects of contract length, payment amount, harvest requirements, and program administration on participation decisions. Our results indicate that higher payments significantly increase program participation. Furthermore, contract lengths of at least 15 years and restrictive harvests negatively influence program participation. Program administration played a significant role, with government-administered programs being less preferred, with odds 48% lower than privately administered programs. Landowner characteristics such as carbon-oriented ownership, education, and income also influence participation. The willingness-to-accept analysis shows high compensation demands for less favorable terms: $107–$397/ha/year for longer contracts and $104–$173/ha/year for harvest restrictions. Additionally, landowners require an extra $66/ha/year for government administration. The findings underscore the importance of designing carbon offset programs that are flexible, offer adequate compensation, and foster trust, while aligning with landowners’ management objectives. Full article

Establishing scientifically sound and equitable compensation standards is crucial for effective ecological compensation. This study focuses on the quantitative assessment of ecological compensation standards in the water-source areas of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. Based on the dual perspective of cost and benefit, we embed a three-dimensional dynamic adjustment coefficient—water volume, water quality, and payment capacity—and fully considered spillover effects. Using the AHP-Entropy Method, the allocation ratio of the water-receiving area was scientifically divided, achieving differentiated distribution and dynamic adaptation of the compensation mechanism. The compensation allocation ratio for water-receiving areas was determined, ensuring differentiated distribution and dynamic adaptability in the compensation mechanism. The results show the following: (1) In 2023, the ecological compensation amount for Yangzhou, based on the cost method and the equivalent factor method, ranges from CNY 1.21 billion to 2.53 billion. The amount of compensation after the dynamic game between both parties can avoid the waste of resources caused by over-compensation, and at the same time make up for the shortcomings of under-compensation due to the current water price. (2) Ecological compensation is measured only from the single perspective of the water-source area, without considering the differences in the receiving area. This paper uses the AHP-entropy value method to combine and assign weights, and calculates the apportionment ratio of the main water-receiving areas of Shandong Province in the east line of the South-to-North Water Diversion: for the Jiaodong line, these are Qingdao 20.97% and Jinan 14.53%, and for the North Shandong line, they are Dongying 23.98%, Dezhou 13.68%, Liaocheng 9.47%, and Binzhou 17.37%. (3) The dynamic correction coefficient and game model can effectively balance the cost of protecting the water-source area and the receiving area’s ability to pay, and combination with the empowerment method enhances the regional difference in suitability. Full article

Payments for Watershed services (PWSs) have been emerging as a critical tool for environmental governance in watershed, yet their comparative effectiveness across implementation models has remained poorly understood. Based on a comparative analysis of Eco-Compensation (EC) and Payments for Ecosystem Services (PESs) frameworks, examining both theoretical foundations and implementation practices, this study aims to quantitatively assess and compare the effectiveness of two dominant PWSs models—the EC-like model (Phase I: October 2008–April 2017) and the PESs-like model (Phase II: 2017–December 2021). Using the Liaohe River in China as a case study, utilizing ecosystem service value (ESV) as an indicator and employing the corrected unit-value transfer method, we compare the effectiveness of different PWSs models from October 2008 to December 2021. The results reveal the following: (1) Policy Efficiency: The PESs-like model demonstrated significantly greater effectiveness than the EC-like model, with annual average increases in ESV of 3.23 billion CNY (491 million USD) and 1.79 billion CNY (272 million USD). (2) Functional Drivers: Water regulation (45.1% of total ESV growth) and climate regulation (24.3%) were dominant services, with PESs-like interventions enhancing multifunctionality. (3) Stakeholder Impact: In the PESs-like model, the cities implementing inter-county direct payment showed higher growth efficiency than those without it. The operational efficiency of PWSs increases with the number of participating stakeholders, which explains why the PESs-like model demonstrates higher effectiveness than the EC-like model. Our findings offer empirical evidence and actionable policy implications for designing effective PWSs models across global watershed ecosystems. Full article

Research on ecosystem carbon sequestration services and ecological compensation is crucial for advancing carbon neutrality. As a public good, ecosystem carbon sequestration services inherently lead to externalities. Therefore, it is essential to consider externalities in the flow of sequestration services. However, few studies have examined intra- and inter-regional ecosystem carbon sequestration flows, making regional ecosystem carbon sequestration flows less comprehensive. Against this background, the research objectives of this paper are as follows. The flow of carbon sequestration services between Henan Province and out-of-province regions is studied. In addition, this study clarifies the beneficiary and supply areas of carbon sink services in Henan Province and the neighboring regions at the prefecture-level city scale to obtain a more systematic, comprehensive, and actual flow of carbon sequestration services for scientific and effective eco-compensation and to promote regional synergistic emission reductions. The research methodologies used in this paper are as follows. First, this study adopts a meta-coupling framework, designating Henan Province as the focal system, the Central Urban Agglomeration as the adjacent system, and eight surrounding provinces as remote systems. Regional carbon sequestration was assessed using net primary productivity (NEP), while carbon emissions were evaluated based on per capita carbon emissions and population density. A carbon balance analysis integrated carbon sequestration and emissions. Hotspot analysis identified areas of carbon sequestration service supply and associated benefits. Ecological radiation force formulas were used to quantify service flows, and compensation values were estimated considering the government’s payment capacity and willingness. A three-dimensional evaluation system—incorporating technology, talent, and fiscal capacity—was developed to propose a diversified ecological compensation scheme by comparing supply and beneficiary areas. By modeling the ecosystem carbon sequestration service flow, the main results of this paper are as follows: (1) Within Henan Province, Luoyang and Nanyang provided 521,300 tons and 515,600 tons of carbon sinks to eight cities (e.g., Jiaozuo, Zhengzhou, and Kaifeng), warranting an ecological compensation of CNY 262.817 million and CNY 263.259 million, respectively. (2) Henan exported 3.0739 million tons of carbon sinks to external provinces, corresponding to a compensation value of CNY 1756.079 million. Conversely, regions such as Changzhi, Xiangyang, and Jinzhong contributed 657,200 tons of carbon sinks to Henan, requiring a compensation of CNY 189.921 million. (3) Henan thus achieved a net ecological compensation of CNY 1566.158 million through carbon sink flows. (4) In addition to monetary compensation, beneficiary areas may also contribute through technology transfer, financial investment, and talent support. The findings support the following conclusions: (1) it is necessary to consider the externalities of ecosystem services, and (2) the meta-coupling framework enables a comprehensive assessment of carbon sequestration service flows, providing actionable insights for improving ecosystem governance in Henan Province and comparable regions. Full article

Infrastructure facility development and modernization highly contribute to national economic growth, but at the same time, such development also causes local negative impacts on the use of specific land plots, creating losses for their right holders. In Russia, some prerequisites have already been laid down on the issue of compensation for the losses associated with restrictions on the rights and prohibitions of economic activity within zones with special territory use conditions (ZSTUCs). However, the impacts of such facilities lead to environmental pollution and land use disadvantages, such as irregular parcels. The aim of this work is to substantiate a set of approaches to compensating for the cumulative negative impact of infrastructure facilities. The factors causing the negative impacts of infrastructure facilities are grouped into three areas: rights restrictions, territorial deficiencies and environmental pollution. This work uses the SWOT analysis method with the possibility of element-by-element analysis, as a result of which the approaches to the compensation for negative impacts under different external and internal conditions are determined. As a result of this study, a justification for a set of approaches to compensating for the negative impacts of infrastructure facilities on land use was executed, and a new algorithm to compensate the right holders of the land, industry sector or state for such negative impacts was developed. The following approaches to compensating for negative impacts were identified: loss assessment; the establishment of environmental payments; cadastral value adjustment; compensation for industry sector losses; and the use of state regulation tools. The first two approaches were identified as the main ones. The proposed algorithm can be realized only with the help of the abovementioned methodological approaches, which form a basis for further research. Full article

Revolutionizing distributed agile software testing, we propose BCTestingPlus, a groundbreaking blockchain-based platform. In the traditional distributed agile software testing lifecycle, software testing has suffered from a lack of trust, traceability, and security in communication and collaboration. Furthermore, developers’ failure to complete unit testing has been a significant bottleneck, causing delays and contributing to project failures. Introducing BCTestingPlus, a transformative blockchain-based architecture engineered to overcome these challenges. This framework integrates blockchain technology to establish an inherently transparent and secure environment for software testing. BCTestingPlus operates on a private Ethereum blockchain network, offering superior control and privacy. By implementing smart contracts on this network, BCTestingPlus ensures secure payment verification and efficient acceptance testing. Crucially, it aligns development and testing teams toward shared objectives and guarantees equitable compensation for their efforts. The experimental results and findings conclusively show that this innovative approach demonstrates that BCTestingPlus significantly enhances transparency, bolsters trust, streamlines coordination, accelerates testing, and secures communication channels for all parties involved in the distributed agile software testing lifecycle. It delivers robust security for both development and testing teams, ultimately transforming the efficiency and reliability of distributed agile software testing. Full article

Over the past decade, the Chongqing land ticket model has played a pivotal role in the market-oriented reform of rural land factors and serves as a representative practice of the TDR program in China. This paper constructs a systematic evaluation framework from two perspectives—policy effectiveness and citizen feedback—to comprehensively understand the policy effect of this model. The study employs methods of policy texts bibliometrics and content analysis based on big data. The results indicate that the effectiveness of land ticket policies exhibit significant fluctuations, with peaks aligning with milestones in the model’s development. Policy measures are well-aligned with the goals set forth. However, policymakers in Chongqing have historically focused more on institutional construction within the land ticket model, only recently shifting attention to the protection of farmers’ rights and interests. This imbalance may have led to potential risks regarding the loss of farmers’ property rights. The analysis of citizen feedback from the online space further took into account the impact of policy content on its audience (farmers), revealing that shortening the compensation payment time rather than increasing the compensation amount is the most common and critical demand among farmers. This underscores the urgent need for a policy-related response from the government to meet farmer’s demands for “procedural justice”. Our conclusions address a gap in the existing literature by integrating policy text analysis with public opinion, thereby offering referential insights into understanding the evolutionary process, policy features, and implementation effects of TDR program in China. Full article

The transmission of vibrations generated by high-powered machines to the hands can lead to serious health problems and various work-related difficulties for the operators. These issues result in a loss of workforce and increased operational costs due to compensation payments made to affected workers. Exposure to hand–arm vibration can be controlled through the use of vibration damping gloves. In this study, the hand–arm vibration exposure of operators using a jackhammer in three different mines was measured with and without gloves, and the vibration damping ratio of each glove was calculated. One-way analysis of variance was performed to determine the difference between the vibration damping ratios (%) obtained from three separate field measurements of 12 different gloves, and significant differences were detected. In addition, vibration exposure was measured with and without gloves for operators using a vibrating sieve set with standard vibration in a laboratory environment. From both the field and laboratory measurements, the gloves made of chloroprene rubber provide the most effective protection. Full article

Under the global climate governance framework, advancing China’s “Dual Carbon” goals within the context of sustainable development requires detailed, micro-level research. While existing studies predominantly focus on national or provincial macro scales, there remains a critical gap in county-level analyses that account for regional heterogeneity—particularly in geographically and economically transitional provinces like Shaanxi. This study focuses on 107 counties in Shaanxi Province, using land-use data from 2000 to 2022 to construct carbon emission and carbon compensation accounting models. We measure horizontal carbon compensation standards, examine spatiotemporal patterns of carbon emissions, delineate compensation zones, and propose regional low-carbon development strategies to inform sustainable development planning. The results show the following: (1) They reveal a steady increase in CO₂ emissions over the period (from 940 million tons in 2000 to 2.089 billion tons in 2022), highlighting an ongoing challenge for sustainability, with a spatial pattern of “high in the north, low in the south, and outward expansion from the center.” (2) In 2022, carbon payments across the province totaled CNY 1.068 billion, while compensation reached CNY 670 million, with significant spatial heterogeneity: 87 counties identified as payers (66 heavy) and 20 as receivers (17 heavy). (3) By integrating the Economic Contribution Coefficient, Ecological Support Coefficient, and Carbon Offset Rate with Major Function-oriented Zoning, we classify the counties into 12 carbon compensation subregions and recommend gradient-based development strategies. This refined zoning framework provides a clear operational framework for formulating differentiated low-carbon land-use optimization strategies and regional carbon compensation policies tailored to the characteristics of different functional zones. The research findings offer differentiated compensation standards and low-carbon land-use planning guidelines to support Shaanxi Province’s transition towards sustainable development, serving as a reference for carbon governance and sustainable development practices in China’s provinces with transitional geographical features and promoting the realization of China’s “Dual Carbon” targets as integral components of national sustainable development. Full article

China has effectively safeguarded biodiversity by building the world’s largest system of nature reserves, but the livelihoods of farmers near the reserves are often not guaranteed. This paper aimed to deeply explore the intrinsic relationship between the geographical location of households and their livelihood outcomes within seven nature reserves across three provinces in China. Innovatively, this study subdivided households’ livelihood outcomes into four patterns: high well-being with high dependency (H-H), high well-being with low dependency (H-L), low well-being with high dependency (L-H), and low well-being with low dependency (L-L), in order to comprehensively analyze the diversity of households’ livelihoods and further reveal the spatial logic and mechanisms underlying regional development imbalances. Methodologically, a combination of quantitative analysis and qualitative research was adopted. Representative villages in the protected area and outside the protected area were selected for semi-structured interviews with the village heads. Meanwhile, farmers were randomly selected in the villages for structured interviews and 1106 questionnaires were collected. Through variance analysis, the study first identified the unique advantages of H-H-pattern households in natural resource utilization. Subsequently, a multinomial logistic model was used to deeply analyze how geographical location (including whether a household was located within a protected area and the distance to markets) affected the transition mechanisms of the other three livelihood outcomes towards the H-H pattern. Based on this, marginal effect analysis was employed to further delineate the specific influence pathways of geographical factor changes on households’ livelihood outcome selection probabilities. The results showed that the geographical location of households’ residences had a significant impact on their livelihood outcomes. For households in the L-L and H-L patterns, proximity to markets could significantly increase the probability of their livelihood transitioning to the H-H pattern. Meanwhile, residing within protected areas significantly promoted the transition of L-L and H-L households to the H-H pattern but showed a certain inhibitory effect on L-H households. Marginal effects analysis further shows that both living in protected areas and reducing distance to markets increase the tendency of households to be highly dependent on natural resources for livelihood outcomes. Compensation policies should be designed according to local conditions, and subsidies for the development of ecotourism and other service industries should be increased for rural households in protected areas to ensure sustainable development rather than transfer payments. Full article

Demand response (DR) has high regulation potential, which can reduce the power supply–demand imbalance caused by extreme disasters. However, its actual effectiveness still needs to be improved because of low user willingness and incomplete compensation mechanisms. To address this issue, a symmetrical incentive mechanism for DR is proposed. Building upon this mechanism, a bi-level load restoration optimization model under extreme events is proposed. The upper-level model minimizes grid-side costs during load restoration, determining load restoration ratios and incentive coefficients transmitted to the lower level. The lower-level model maximizes user profits while considering comfort-level losses from DR participation, solving for actual response quantities that are fed back to the upper level. To efficiently solve the proposed load restoration model, an iterative mixed-integer load restoration solver is proposed. Case studies demonstrate that the proposed symmetrical mechanism achieved an 89.6% participation rate, showing a 2.46% improvement over fixed incentive schemes. Grid payment costs were reduced by CNY 365,400, achieving incentive compatibility that facilitates rapid load restoration post extreme disasters. Full article