Search Results (156)

China’s rapid urbanization and ecological civilization initiatives have intensified land space governance challenges. This paper introduces a novel integrated framework to investigate the bidirectional interactions among land space conflicts (LSC), urbanization level (UL), and eco-environment level (EL) in Jiangsu Province (2000–2020). Using a combination of landscape risk indices, TOPSIS, coupling coordination, geographic detector, and Tapio decoupling models, we analyze the spatiotemporal dynamics and underlying mechanisms. Key findings show the following: LSC intensity escalated continuously, with the highest levels in Southern Jiangsu. UL grew steadily, while EL exhibited fluctuations. UL-EL coordination significantly improved, with notable spatial clustering. Decoupling analysis indicates a weakening influence of UL on LSC, but with growing pressure from the EL. Importantly, cross-system UL-EL interactions amplified LSC intensity more than internal subsystem effects. Based on coupling–decoupling patterns, cities were classified into five typologies, providing a clear basis for targeted spatial governance strategies. This research provides both a theoretical advancement and practical insights for balancing urbanization and ecological sustainability in rapidly developing regions. Full article

The global integration of digital technologies into energy systems constitutes a critical pathway for achieving sustainable and intelligent energy governance. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the energy digital transformation policies across eighteen major economies through a comprehensive four-dimensional framework, which encompasses policy objectives, intensity, instruments, and stakeholder engagement. Through the application of the entropy-weighted TOPSIS method, our comparative analysis identifies a distinct hierarchy in national policy performance. The first tier, including the United Kingdom, the United States, South Korea, Australia, China, and Germany, demonstrates high coherence, enforceable mechanisms, and multi-actor coordination. The second tier, comprising Saudi Arabia, France, Turkey, Russia, Canada, and India, exhibits partial alignment with notable strengths in selected dimensions yet significant gaps in enforceability or stakeholder integration. The third tier, featuring Italy, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Japan, and Indonesia, is characterized by fragmented approaches and aspirational goals lacking implementation specificity. Stakeholder inclusiveness emerges as the most influential dimension, accounting for 38.3% of total weighting and substantially accounting for variations in efficacy. Moreover, nonlinear threshold effects are identified, indicating that subcritical performance in any dimension leads to disproportionate declines in overall outcomes. These findings underscore that synergistic policy design, which entails balancing objectives, governance capacity, instruments, and actors, is indispensable for effective energy digitalization. Full article

Urban traffic congestion and carbon emissions pose significant challenges to the sustainable development of megacities. Traditional single-policy interventions often fail to simultaneously mitigate congestion and reduce emissions effectively. This study employs a system dynamics approach to construct a multidimensional dynamic model that analyzes the feedback mechanisms and dynamic interactions of policy variables within the urban traffic system. Furthermore, a TOPSIS multi-criteria decision-making framework is integrated to quantitatively evaluate the overall effectiveness of multiple policy combinations, exploring optimization pathways for achieving synergistic governance. Using Shanghai’s traffic system as a case study, simulation analyses under six policy scenarios reveal significant discrepancies in short- and long-term policy performance. Results demonstrate that traffic congestion, carbon emissions, and environmental pollution are tightly coupled, forming a non-coordinated feedback loop that challenges single-policy solutions. For example, the “two-license-plate restriction” policy reduces traffic congestion by 2.72%, carbon emissions by 10.37%, and pollution by 2.47% compared to the baseline scenario, achieving the highest TOPSIS score of 0.68. The “new energy vehicle promotion” policy significantly contributes to long-term emission reduction; however, its overall effectiveness score is relatively low at 0.5. These findings underscore the need for a systematic approach to urban traffic governance, providing actionable insights for balancing short-term effectiveness and long-term sustainability through dynamic policy integration. Full article

Active distribution systems (ADS) are increasingly strained by rising energy demand and the widespread deployment of distributed energy resources (DERs) and electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS), which intensify voltage deviations, power losses, and peak demand fluctuations. This study develops a coordinated optimization framework for Mobile Battery Energy Storage Systems (MBESS) and Dynamic Feeder Reconfiguration (DFR) to enhance network performance across technical, economic, and environmental dimensions. A Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm III (NSGA-III) is employed to minimize six objectives the active and reactive power losses, voltage deviation index (VDI), voltage stability index (FVSI), operating cost, and CO₂ emissions while explicitly modeling the MBESS transportation constraints such as energy consumption and single-trip mobility within coupled IEEE 33-bus and 33-node transport networks, which provide realistic mobility modeling of energy storage operations. The Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is applied to select compromise solutions from Pareto fronts. Simulation results across six scenarios show that the coordinated MBESS–DFR operation reduces power losses by 27.8–30.1%, improves the VDI by 40.5–43.2%, and enhances the FVSI by 2.3–2.4%, maintaining all bus voltages within 0.95–1.05 p.u. with minimal cost (0.26–0.27%) and emission variations (0.31–0.71%). The MBESS alone provided limited benefits (5–12%), confirming that coordination is essential for improving efficiency, voltage regulation, and overall system sustainability in renewable-rich distribution networks. Full article

A novel bio-gelatin fiber-reinforced composite (BFRC) was first developed by incorporating industrial bone glue/gelatin as the matrix, magnesium oxide (MgO) as an additive, and natural or synthetic fibers as reinforcement. Systematic tests evaluated mechanical, impact, and thermal performance, alongside microstructural mechanisms. Results showed that polyethylene (PE) fiber-reinforced composites achieved a tensile strength of 3.40 MPa and tensile strain of 10.77%, with notable improvements in compressive and flexural strength. PE-based composites also showed excellent impact energy absorption, while bamboo fiber-reinforced composites exhibited higher thermal conductivity. Microstructural analysis revealed that coordination between Mg²⁺ ions and amino acids in gelatin formed a stable cross-linked network, densifying the matrix and improving structural integrity. A multi-criteria evaluation using the TOPSIS model identified the BC-PE formulation as the most balanced system, combining strength, toughness, and thermal regulation. These findings demonstrate that ionic coordination and fiber reinforcement can overcome inherent weaknesses of gelatin matrices, offering a sustainable pathway for building insulation and cushioning packaging applications. Full article

With the surge in urban logistics demand, traditional surface transportation faces challenges, such as traffic congestion and environmental pollution. Leveraging metro systems in metropolitan areas for both passenger commuting and underground logistics presents a promising solution. The metro-based underground logistics system (M-ULS), characterized by extensive coverage and independent right-of-way, has emerged as a potential approach for optimizing urban freight transport. However, existing studies primarily focus on single-line scenarios, lacking in-depth analyses of multi-tier network coordination and dynamic demand responsiveness. This study proposes an optimization framework based on mixed-integer programming and an improved ICSA to address three key challenges in metro freight network planning: balancing passenger and freight demand, optimizing multi-tier node layout, and enhancing computational efficiency for large-scale problem solving. By integrating E-TOPSIS for demand assessment and an adaptive mutation mechanism based on a normal distribution, the solution space is reduced from five to three dimensions, significantly improving algorithm convergence and global search capability. Using the Nanjing metro network as a case study, this research compares the optimization performance of independent line and transshipment-enabled network scenarios. The results indicate that the networked scenario (daily cost: CNY 1.743 million) outperforms the independent line scenario (daily cost: CNY 1.960 million) in terms of freight volume (3.214 million parcels/day) and road traffic alleviation rate (89.19%). However, it also requires a more complex node configuration. This study provides both theoretical and empirical support for planning high-density urban underground logistics systems, demonstrating the potential of multimodal transport networks and intelligent optimization algorithms. Full article

Against the background of increasingly scarce water resources and intensifying water use conflicts, achieving the scientific and optimized allocation of water resources has become crucial to ensuring regional sustainable development. Based on the traditional water resource optimization models that consider social, economic, and ecological objectives, this study introduces a spatial equilibrium level as a fourth optimization objective, constructing a multi-objective water resource allocation optimization model. The model simultaneously incorporates constraints on water supply, water demand, and decision variable non-negativity, as well as coupling coordination constraints among the water resources, socio-economic, and ecological subsystems within each water use unit. The NSGA-III algorithm is employed to obtain the Pareto front solution set for the four objectives, followed by a comprehensive ranking of the Pareto solutions using an entropy-weighted TOPSIS method. The solution exhibiting the best trade-off among the four objectives is selected as the decision basis for the water allocation scheme. Taking Jiuquan, Jiayuguan, and Zhangye cities in western Gansu Province as the study area, the results indicate that the optimal allocation scheme can guide the cities to shift from “water-deficit usage” toward “water-saving usage,” achieving a reasonable balance between meeting water demand and water conservation requirements. This promotes coordinated development among the water resource, socio-economic, and ecological subsystems within each city as well as among the cities themselves, thereby facilitating sustainable utilization of water resources and sustainable development of socio-economics and the ecological environment. The findings can serve as a reference for water resource allocation strategies in the study region. Full article

In recent years, urban risk incidents have become more common. Enhancing infrastructure resilience is not only crucial for adapting to climate change and addressing natural disasters but also serves as a key cornerstone for sustaining urban sustainable development. The research objects for this study are 17 coastal cities in the Bohai Rim region of China. Based on the Complex Adaptive System (CAS) theory, from the multi-dimensional perspective of urban sustainable development, a resilience evaluation index system covering five subsystems, namely transportation, water supply and drainage, energy, environment, and communication, is constructed. Employing panel data from 2013 to 2022, this study develops the entropy weight–TOPSIS model to quantify resilience levels, and applies the obstacle degree model, geographical detector, and Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression (GTWR) model to analyze influencing factors. The main research results are as follows: (1) The regional infrastructure resilience shows a slow upward trend, but the insufficient synergy among subsystems restricts urban sustainable development; (2) The primary barrier is the drainage and water supply system, and the environmental and communication systems’ notable spatial heterogeneity will result in uneven regional sustainable development; (3) The influence of driving factors such as economic level gradually weakens over time. Based on the above research results, the following paths for resilience improvement and urban sustainable development are proposed: Improve the regional coordination and long-term governance mechanism; Focus on key shortcomings and implement a resilience enhancement plan for water supply and drainage systems; Implement dynamic and precise policy adjustments to stimulate multiple drivers; Enhance smart empowerment and build a digital twin-based collaborative management platform. Full article

Water resource carrying capacity is a key measure of sustainability, commonly employed to evaluate how well water resources can sustain economic and social growth. With China’s rapid economic growth and modernization, water resources in certain regions are now being used at or beyond their sustainable threshold. This study evaluates the present state of water resource carrying capacity in Taizhou City, located in southeastern China. Using relevant data from 2012 to 2022 on society, economy, water resources, and ecology, the weights of the evaluation indicators were determined using both the entropy weight method and principal component analysis. Subsequently, a comprehensive evaluation model for water resource carrying capacity was developed by applying the TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution) method. The comprehensive proximity index for water resource carrying capacity in Taizhou City averaged 0.4864 between 2012 and 2022, indicating a moderate level overall but exhibiting a declining trend, suggesting an approaching threshold of utilization limits. The range was between 0.3461 and 0.7143. In 2017, the comprehensive proximity index was 0.3461 (low water resource carrying capacity level, with water resources already suffering damage and various subsystems developing uncoordinatedly). However, the comprehensive proximity index for water resource carrying capacity improved significantly from 2018 to 2022. A combination of rising industrial water demand and a decrease in both the absolute volume and proportional allocation of water for ecological purposes drove the overall decline in the progress rate in 2017. Taizhou City has formulated strict water resource management policies and measures, resulting in a decrease in indicators such as industrial water consumption, residential water consumption, and industrial wastewater discharge, as well as an increase in indicators such as ecological water consumption and ecological water utilization rate. As a result, the comprehensive water resource carrying capacity saw a notable rise during 2018–2019. The study results provide a reference for the rational use of water resources in Taizhou City and are of certain significance for promoting the coordinated economic and social development of Taizhou City. Full article

According to the “Five Development Concepts” of the new national development plan, the study of inclusive green development in the petroleum and gas sector (IGDPG) is crucial for enhancing production efficiency and safeguarding the environment and resources. This study constructs the IGDPG indicator system from industrial development, social opportunity equity, poverty and income inequality reduction, and green ecology dimensions, and the CRITIC Portfolio empowerment-TOPSIS method was used to measure the level of IGDPG in the eastern, central, and western regions using panel data. The Dagum Gini coefficient method was applied to analyze regional disparities and their causes, while the obstacle degree model and the Tobit model were used to identify internal and external factors of IGDPG. We found that IGDPG levels in the three regions showed fluctuating growth, and the eastern region (0.394) had much higher IGDPG levels than the central (0.337) and western (0.355) regions. The overall Gini coefficient for IGDPG is small, while inter-regional disparities are the primary source of overall disparities, and the intra-regional disparities of the three main areas exhibit a declining tendency. In terms of internal factors, social opportunity equity has been identified as the primary obstacle constraining IGDPG. Externally, factors such as industrial cluster, industrial upgrading, urbanization rate, and digital economy exhibit a facilitative effect on IGDPG, whereas environmental burdens exert an inhibitory influence. Moreover, all of these internal and external drivers demonstrate significant regional variations. Therefore, breaking regional restrictions and promoting the coordinated development of IGDPG so as to improve China’s IGDPG level as a whole is the forecasted trend. Full article

The integration of renewable energy into distribution networks has led to voltage violations and increased network losses. Traditional control devices, with slow response, struggle to precisely control power flow in active distribution networks (ADNs). Optimizing from both supply and demand sides, an ADN power flow optimization method is proposed for accurate and dynamic power flow regulation to address these issues. On the demand side, the peak, valley, and flat periods are divided by the fuzzy transitive closure method. Balancing user satisfaction maximization and load fluctuation minimization, time-of-use (TOU) prices are solved by the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II). On the supply side, operating cost and voltage deviation minimization are objectives, with a proposed optimization method coordinating precise continuous regulation devices and low-cost discrete ones. After second-order cone programming and linearization, the multi-objective model is solved via the normalized normal constraint (NNC) algorithm to get a solution set, from which the optimal solution is selected using Entropy Weight and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (EW-TOPSIS). The results indicate that, in comparison with the proposed method, ADN not implementing demand-side TOU pricing strategies exhibits an increase in operating costs by 13.83% and a rise in voltage deviation by 4.14%. Meanwhile, ADN utilizing only traditional discrete control devices demonstrates more significant increments, with operating costs increasing by 182.40% and voltage deviation rising by 113.02%. Full article

The Chengdu–Chongqing Economic Mega Region (CCEMR), as a strategic economic hub in Western China, is increasingly facing challenges in balancing urban growth, agricultural stability, and ecological conservation within its territorial spatial planning framework. This study addresses the critical need to integrate multidimensional resilience assessment into China’s territorial spatial planning system. A framework for functional resilience assessment was developed through integrated GIS spatial analysis, with three resilience dimensions explicitly aligned to China’s “Three Zones and Three Lines” (referring to urban, agricultural, and ecological space and spatial control lines) territorial planning system: urban resilience was evaluated using KL-TOPSIS ranking, where weights were derived from combined Delphi expert consultation and AHP; agricultural resilience was quantified through the entropy method for weight determination and GIS raster calculation; and ecological resilience was assessed via a Risk–Recovery–Potential (RRP) model integrating Ecosystem Risk, Recovery Capacity (ERC), and Service Value (ESV) metrics, implemented through GIS spatial analysis and raster operations. Significant spatial disparities emerge, with only 1.29% of CCEMR exhibiting high resilience (concentrated in integrated urban–ecological zones like Chengdu). Rural and mountainous areas demonstrate moderate-to-low resilience due to resource constraints, creating misalignments between resilience patterns and current territorial spatial zoning schemes. These findings provide scientific evidence for optimizing the delineation of the Three Major Spatial Patterns: urbanized areas, major agricultural production zones, and ecological functional zones. In this research, a transformative methodology is established for translating resilience diagnostics directly into territorial spatial planning protocols. By bridging functional resilience assessment with statutory zoning systems, this methodology enables the following: (1) data-driven resilience construction for the Three Major Spatial Patterns (urbanized areas, major agricultural production zones, and ecological functional zones); (2) strategic infrastructure prioritization; and (3) enhanced cross-jurisdictional coordination mechanisms. The framework positions spatial planning as a proactive tool for adaptive territorial governance without requiring plan revision. Full article

Agriculture is fundamental to food security and environmental sustainability. Advancing its holistic ecological transformation can stimulate socioeconomic progress while fostering human–nature harmony. Utilizing provincial data from mainland China (2013–2022), this research establishes a multidimensional evaluation framework across four pillars: agricultural ecology, low-carbon practices, modernization, and productivity enhancement. Through comprehensive assessment, we quantify China’s low-carbon green agriculture (LGA) development trajectory and conduct comparative regional analysis across eastern, central, and western zones. As for methods, this study employs multiple econometric approaches: LGA was quantified using the TOPSIS entropy weight method at the first step. Moreover, multidimensional spatial–temporal patterns were characterized through ArcGIS spatial analysis, Dagum Gini coefficient decomposition, Kernel density estimation, and Markov chain techniques, revealing regional disparities, evolutionary trajectories, and state transition dynamics. Last but not least, Tobit regression modeling identified driving mechanisms, informing improvement strategies derived from empirical evidence. The key findings reveal the following: 1. From 2013 to 2022, LGA in China fluctuated significantly. However, the current growth rate is basically maintained between 0% and 10%. Meanwhile, LGA in the vast majority of provinces exceeds 0.3705, indicating that LGA in China is currently in a stable growth period. 2. After 2016, the growth momentum in the central and western regions continued. The growth rate peaked in 2020, with some provinces having a growth rate exceeding 20%. Then the growth rate slowed down, and the intra-regional differences in all regions remained stable at around 0.11. 3. Inter-regional differences are the main factor causing the differences in national LGA, with contribution rates ranging from 67.14% to 74.86%. 4. LGA has the characteristic of polarization. Some regions have developed rapidly, while others have lagged behind. At the end of our ten-year study period, LGA in Yunnan, Guizhou and Shanxi was still below 0.2430, remaining in the low-level range. 5. In the long term, the possibility of improvement in LGA in various regions of China is relatively high, but there is a possibility of maintaining the status quo or “deteriorating”. Even provinces with a high level of LGA may be downgraded, with possibilities ranging from 1.69% to 4.55%. 6. The analysis of driving factors indicates that the level of economic development has a significant positive impact on the level of urban development, while the influences of urbanization, agricultural scale operation, technological input, and industrialization level on the level of urban development show significant regional heterogeneity. In summary, during the period from 2013 to 2022, although China’s LGA showed polarization and experienced ups and downs, it generally entered a period of stable growth. Among them, the inter-regional differences were the main cause of the unbalanced development across the country, but there was also a risk of stagnation and decline. Economic development was the general driving force, while other driving factors showed significant regional heterogeneity. Finally, suggestions such as differentiated development strategies, regional cooperation and resource sharing, and coordinated policy allocation were put forward for the development of LGA. This research is conducive to providing references for future LGA, offering policy inspirations for LGA in other countries and regions, and also providing new empirical results for the academic community. Full article

Global policy actions to reduce the environmental and social impacts of natural gas flaring are primarily derived from voluntary arrangements. This paper evaluates stakeholder preferences amongst competing policies and regulatory options, optimizing environmental governance to eliminate routine gas flaring by 2030 and achieve net-zero greenhouse emissions by 2050, whilst addressing questions of justice and fair implementation. Using a mixed-methods social scientific approach, incorporating literature and document review, interviews, expert surveys, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (G-TOPSIS), we derive two competing perspectives on gas flaring policy strategy, with differences revealed through the AHP ranking process of individual criteria. All identified criteria and sub-criteria were integral to achieving the flaring and emissions targets, with “policy and targets” and “enabling framework” being the most important individual criteria. The “background and the role of reductions in meeting environmental and economic objectives” and ‘’nonmonetary penalties” were the key emergent sub-criteria. G-TOPSIS showed that fully implementing gas flaring policies and regulatory framework criteria to limit warming to 1.5 °C is the most effective policy alternative. Globally coordinated, uniform, and reciprocal legally binding agreements between countries to supplement national initiatives are imperative for improving the effectiveness of country-specific gas flaring policy strategies. Full article

Rapid regional development and intensified human activities increasingly disturb ecosystems, posing substantial threats to the integrity of large-scale ecological zones. As a World Natural Heritage site and a crucial national ecological zone, the Zhangjiajie Scenic Area plays a pivotal role in China’s environmental conservation efforts. To comprehensively assess tourism ecological security in the Scenic Area and strengthen the scientific basis for resource management and policymaking, this study developed a multi-dimensional ecological security evaluation system covering 2010–2024, incorporating dynamic changes in perturbation, reaction, and governance. Using entropy weight–TOPSIS and coupling coordination models, combined with obstacle degree analysis, we examined the temporal trajectory of ecological security and analyzed its underlying driving mechanisms. The study also examined factors influencing the sustainable development of the ecosystem. The results indicate the following: (1) Tourism ecological security in the Scenic Area followed a V-shaped trajectory of “rapid degradation—steady recovery—impact and rebound.” It declined sharply to an unsafe level between 2010 and 2014, steadily recovered from 2015 to 2019, briefly dropped in 2020, and then rebounded, reaching a peak evaluation value of 0.519 in 2024. (2) The co-evolution of perturbation, reaction, and governance subsystems has matured: their coupling coordination degree has increased annually and has remained at the level of “intermediate coordination” since 2020. The reaction subsystem plays a central role, serving as a bridge between perturbation and governance. (3) The driving factors exhibit a phased evolutionary pattern of “elements—facilities—structure—function.” Cultivated land area, total road mileage, and artificial afforestation area constitute the main long-term constraints. This research provides important insights for strengthening ecological security and sustainability in the Scenic Area while advancing regional ecosystem development. It also offers valuable guidance for ecological security management and policymaking in similar nature reserves. Full article