Search Results (93)

Investigating the coevolution between ecosystem services (ES) and human well-being (HWB) holds significant implications for achieving the sustainable operation of human–environment systems. However, limited research has focused on ES-HWB interactions in ecotourism-dominated counties. To address this gap, this study takes Chun’an County in Zhejiang Province, China, as a case study, with the research objective of exploring the processes, patterns, and mechanisms of the coevolution between ecosystem services (ES) and human well-being (HWB) in ecotourism-dominated counties. By integrating multi-source heterogeneous data, including land use data, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and statistical records, and employing methods such as the dynamic equivalent factor method, the PLUS model, the coupling coordination degree model, and comprehensive evaluation, we analyzed the synergistic evolution of ES-HWB in Chun’an County from 2000 to 2020. The results indicate that (1) the ecosystem service value (ESV) fluctuated between 30.15 and 36.85 billion CNY, exhibiting a spatial aggregation pattern centered on the Qiandao Lake waterbody, with distance–decay characteristics. The PLUS model confirms ecological conservation policies optimize ES patterns. (2) The HWB index surged from 0.16 to 0.8, driven by tourism-led economic growth, infrastructure investment, and institutional innovation, facilitating a paradigm shift from low to high well-being at the county level. (3) The ES-HWB interaction evolved through three phases—disordered, antagonism, and coordination—revealing tourism as a key mediator driving coupled human–environment system sustainability via a pressure–adaptation–synergy transmission mechanism. This study not only advances the understanding of ES-HWB coevolution in ecotourism-dominated counties, but also provides a transferable methodological framework for sustainable development in similar regions. Full article

Enhancing the resilience of the oil and gas industry chain is essential for achieving sustainable energy development amid global industrial restructuring and the accelerating low-carbon transformation. This study identifies the core contradictions in the development of China’s OGI and constructs a comprehensive evaluation index system to assess the resilience of the industry from the four sustainability-aligned dimensions of resistance, recovery, innovation, and transformation. Using the entropy weight comprehensive evaluation model, obstacle degree model, and coupling coordination degree model, the resilience performance of China’s OGI chain is evaluated from 2001 to 2022. The results show a significant upward trend in overall resilience, with evident stage characteristics. Resistance remains relatively stable, recovery shows the most improvement, innovation steadily increases, and transformation accelerates after 2019, particularly in response to China’s dual carbon goals. Key barriers include limited CCUS deployment and insufficient downstream innovation capacity. The improved coupling coordination among resilience subsystems highlights enhanced systemic synergy. These findings offer valuable implications for strengthening the sustainability and security of energy supply chains under climate and geopolitical pressures. Full article

This study investigates the coupling coordination between carbon emission efficiency (CEE) and carbon balance (CB) in the Yellow River Basin (YRB), aiming to support high-quality regional development and the realization of China’s “dual carbon” goals. Based on panel data from 74 cities in the YRB between 2006 and 2022, the Super-SBM model, Ecological Support Coefficient (ESC), and coupling coordination degree (CCD) model are applied to evaluate the synergy between CEE and CB. Spatiotemporal patterns and driving mechanisms are analyzed using kernel density estimation, Moran’s I index, the Dagum Gini coefficient, Markov chains, and the XGBoost algorithm. The results reveal a generally low and declining level of CCD, with the upstream and midstream regions performing better than the downstream. Spatial clustering is evident, characterized by significant positive autocorrelation and high-high or low-low clusters. Although regional disparities in CCD have narrowed slightly over time, interregional differences remain the primary source of variation. The likelihood of leapfrog development in CCD is limited, and high-CCD regions exhibit weak spillover effects. Forest coverage is identified as the most critical driver, significantly promoting CCD. Conversely, population density, urbanization, energy structure, and energy intensity negatively affect coordination. Economic development demonstrates a U-shaped relationship with CCD. Moreover, nonlinear interactions among forest coverage, population density, energy structure, and industrial enterprise scale further intensify the complexity of CCD. These findings provide important implications for enhancing regional carbon governance and achieving balanced ecological-economic development in the YRB. Full article

Complex feedback mechanisms and interdependencies exist among the water–energy–food–ecosystems (WEFE) nexus. In water-scarce regions, fluctuations in the supply or demand of any single subsystem can destabilize the others, with water shortages intensifying conflicts among food production, energy consumption, and ecological sustainability. Balancing the synergies and trade-offs within the WEFE system is therefore essential for achieving sustainable development. This study adopts the natural–social water cycle as the core process and develops a coupled simulation model of the WEFE (CSM-WEFE) system, integrating food production, ecological water replenishment, and energy consumption associated with water supply and use. Based on three performance indices—reliability, coupling coordination degree, and equilibrium—a coordinated sustainable development index (CSD) is constructed to quantify the performance of WEFE system under different scenarios. An integrated evaluation framework combining the CSM-WEFE and the CSD index is then proposed to assess the sustainability of WEFE systems. The framework is applied to the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region, a representative water-scarce area in China. Results reveal that the current balance between water supply and socio-economic demand in the BTH region relies heavily on excessive groundwater extraction and the appropriation of ecological water resources. Pursuing food security goals further exacerbates groundwater overexploitation and ecological degradation, thereby undermining system coordination. In contrast, limiting groundwater use improves ecological conditions but increases regional water scarcity and reduces food self-sufficiency. Even with the full operation of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project (Middle Route), the region still experiences a 16.4% water shortage. By integrating the CSM-WEFE model with the CSD evaluation approach, the proposed framework not only provides a robust tool for assessing WEFE system sustainability but also offers practical guidance for alleviating water shortages, enhancing food security, and improving ecological health in water-scarce regions. Full article

With the increasingly urgent demand for the localization of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs), the construction of an evaluation system and the practice paths of counties, as important spatial units of China’s sustainable development, urgently need to be deepened. Based on the articulation of the SDGs and China’s national conditions, this study innovatively designed an indicator delivery framework covering the United Nations level to the county level; constructed a county-level sustainable development evaluation indicator system that includes three dimensions, including economic development, social culture, and ecological environment; adopted the entropy weight method to determine the weights of indicators; and introduced a dynamic evaluation and analysis model utilizing three analytical methods, namely coupling coordination analysis, obstacle analysis, and Dagum decomposition, to evaluate the level of sustainable development of 76 counties in the 2010–2021 period considering both time and space. The results show that (1) the national county sustainable development index (CSDI) was significantly improved, regional differences were narrowed, the central region has the best overall performance, and the western region has the fastest growth rate; (2) economic development has become the main driving force, and the economic gap between regions has gradually narrowed, but the spatial heterogeneity of the environmental and social dimensions is still prominent; (3) the eastern region has generated positive spillover effects on the central and western regions through industrial transfer and technology diffusion, while the northeastern region develops relatively slowly due to the lagging industrial transformation; and (4) the degree of coupling coordination rises as a whole, but the differences in synergistic ability between regions are obvious. This study provides a scientific basis for the formulation of differentiated sustainable development policies for counties and emphasizes the key role of regional synergy mechanisms in narrowing the development gap. Full article

Amid global rural tourism growth and rural revitalization policies, traditional villages’ resource protection and tourism development have drawn international academic attention. To guide villages’ resource planning and management, this study constructed an evaluation index system of cultural, ecological, industrial, talent, and organizational amenities in traditional villages from the perspective of tourists’ perceptions using grounded theory and measured the spatial agglomeration differences, synergistic effects and their influencing factors of traditional village amenities by using location entropy, spatial autocorrelation, and gray correlation degree analysis. The results show that (1) the spatial distributions of cultural, ecological, industrial, and organizational amenities are more balanced, while talent amenities exhibit a more concentrated distribution. (2) The spatial concentration of amenities in traditional villages has a strong positive spatial correlation, the agglomeration level of the high-high type of concentration is distributed in clusters, the low–low type tends to be contiguous, and the low–high type is distributed sporadically around the high–high type; significant synergy between ecological and industrial amenities, and organizations play a supportive role in the spatial agglomeration of cultural, ecological, ecological and talent amenities. (3) Gross regional product, slope, and distance to 3A and above scenic spots significantly influence the spatial agglomeration of amenities. This study provides reference for the sustainable development of traditional villages from the perspectives of exerting agglomeration and radiation effects, synergistically promoting villages’ development, constructing the memory symbol system, and integrating the resource structural system based on the spatial agglomeration difference characteristics of traditional village amenities. Full article

Existing research on the vulnerability of knowledge innovation networks (KINs) primarily falls into two categories: random attacks and deliberate attacks. This study introduces a novel centrality-based attack framework for the deliberate attack group and systematically examines the impact of different attack mechanisms (such as loss of connectivity, propagation delays, and structural fragmentation) on KINs. Using SCI/SSCI co-authorship data across 286 Chinese cities, this research evaluated network resilience through six key metrics, average clustering coefficient, average degree, average path length, global efficiency, isolated nodes ratio, and largest connected component ratio, thus revealing three key conclusions: First, network density and regional integration surged after 2015, peaking in localized clustering during 2021–2022; yet, post-2022, structural fragmentation and efficiency declines exposed critical vulnerabilities. Second, network disruption simulations revealed that attacks based on structural fragmentation mechanisms have the most significant impact, demonstrating the need to promote polycentric development to reduce core dependency risks and highlighting the importance of protecting high-centrality nodes such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. Third, the inhibitory effect of economic proximity weakened significantly by 2024, suggesting reduced economic disparity barriers to collaboration. Notably, emerging synergies between geographic and economic proximity enhanced innovation cooperation potential, emphasizing spatial–economic coordination as a crucial factor in development-stage planning. By integrating spatiotemporal dynamics with attack taxonomy, our framework advances network theory and equips policymakers with actionable strategies to optimize knowledge flows and mitigate systemic risks. Bridging structural resilience with innovation-driven development, this study offers new insights into China’s urban knowledge networks. Full article

Rapid economic development has exacerbated environmental degradation, particularly because of carbon dioxide emissions. To address these issues, China has proposed economic transformation from high-speed to high-quality development to achieve carbon peak and neutrality. Regional collaborative carbon emission reduction is critical for sustainability. Therefore, measuring regional carbon emission reduction capacity and the collaborative development level is imperative. This study employed provincial- and city-level data (2014–2023) from the Yangtze River Delta to assess regional collaborative carbon emission reduction capacity. Evaluation model of carbon emission reduction capacity was constructed based on five perspectives: economic development, carbon emission, carbon transfer, carbon sink, and industrial development. The entropy weighting method was employed to assign index weights, which was then integrated with a composite system synergy degree model. The subsystem order parameters and the composite system’s order degree were utilized to assess carbon emission reduction and collaborative trends. Results revealed that (1) overall carbon emission reduction capacity in the Yangtze River Delta constantly improved; (2) provincial economic development strengthened while carbon emissions declined; (3) carbon transfer fluctuations decreased; (4) technology and carbon sinks improved; (5) industrial development fluctuated or declined; and (6) interregional carbon emission reduction cooperation remained stable and improved. This research offers a theoretical and scientific reference for formulating low-carbon development strategies in similar regions. Full article

Background/Objective: Sarcopenic obesity (SO), a pathological syndrome characterized by the co-existence of diminished muscle mass and excessive adipose accumulation, significantly compromises the quality of life in older adults. The purpose of this study was to systematically evaluate the efficacy of exercise, nutritional interventions, and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) in preventing and managing SO in middle-aged and older adults. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, and CNKI for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) until January 2025. Meta-analyses were performed using the random-effects model and fixed-effects model based on the degree of heterogeneity and calculating the mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Subgroup analyses compared the intervention types. Results: Twenty-nine RCTs (1622 participants) were included. Exercise interventions significantly reduced the body fat percentage (MD = −2.79%, 95% CI: −3.94, −1.64, p < 0.001, I² = 74%), fat mass (MD = −6.77 kg, 95% CI: −11.48, −2.06, p = 0.005, I² = 98%), waist circumference (MD = −2.05 cm, 95% CI: −3.64, −0.46, p = 0.01, I² = 0%) and LDL-C (MD: −7.45 mg/dL, 95% CI: −13.82, −1.07, p = 0.02, I² = 0%), while improving handgrip strength (MD = 2.35 kg, 95% CI: 1.99, 2.70, p < 0.001, I² = 52%) and gait speed (MD = 0.19 m/s, 95% CI: 0.13, 0.24, p < 0.001, I² = 89%). Mixed training outperformed resistance-only regimens in reducing the body fat percentage and enhancing functional outcomes. NMES reduced the body fat percentage (MD = −2.01%, 95% CI: −3.54, −0.48, p = 0.01, I² = 93%) and waist circumference (MD = −1.72 cm, 95% CI: −2.35, −1.09, p < 0.001, I² = 0%) while increasing the Skeletal Muscle Index (MD = 0.26 kg/m², 95% CI: 0.22, 0.29, p < 0.001, I² = 38%). Synergy with nutritional supplementation amplified these effects. Nutritional interventions modestly improved total fat-free mass (MD = 0.77 kg, 95% CI: 0.04, 1.50, p = 0.04, I² = 0%) and handgrip strength (MD = 1.35 kg, 95% CI: 0.71, 2.00, p < 0.001, I² = 0%) but showed no significant impact on the metabolic markers (TG, TC, glucose, hemoglobin, and HOMA-IR). Conclusions: Exercise, particularly multimodal regimens combining aerobic and resistance training, is the cornerstone for improving body composition and physical function in SO. NMES serves as an effective adjunct for accelerating fat loss, while nutritional strategies require integration with exercise or prolonged implementation to yield clinically meaningful outcomes. Future research should prioritize standardized diagnostic criteria and long-term efficacy assessments of multimodal interventions. Full article

Research on woodland ecosystem services is the premise of the formulation of regional woodland policies and ecological protection measures in a new round of woodland protection utilization planning. Based on remote-sensing images and socioeconomic data, this study used the InVEST model, geographical detectors, Spearman correlation analysis, and a coupling coordination degree model to evaluate the spatiotemporal changes, driving factors, and trade-off/synergies relationship of habitat quality (HQ), soil conservation (SC), water conservation (WC), and carbon storage (CS) in the woodland of Zhangjiajie City in 1995, 2005, 2015, and 2022. The results show the following: (1) HQ significantly decreased, SC and WC fluctuated and decreased, and CS continued to increase. (2) Natural factors were predominant, and other factors and natural factors interact to increase the driving effect. (3) The four services were dominated by weak synergy, but SC and CS turned into weak trade-offs in 2022. These research results can provide theoretical support for the optimization of the tourism development model, the formulation of ecological compensation policies, and the high-quality sustainable development of woodland in Zhangjiajie City, and provide a case study of the ecological management of world natural heritage sites. Full article

Against the background of global climate change, agricultural ecosystems face extreme weather, resource shortages, and carbon emission pressures, necessitating green transitions. Rural tourism, a key driver of rural revitalization, injects momentum into green agriculture through ecological resource monetization, low-carbon technology adoption, and industrial restructuring. This study evaluates rural tourism and agricultural green development levels in Jiangxi Province (2008–2022) using the entropy weight method and explores their spatiotemporal coordination via a coupling coordination degree model and spatial autocorrelation analysis. The study reveals the following: (1) Rural tourism and agricultural green development in Jiangxi Province demonstrate an upward trend overall, though with significant regional disparities. Regions such as Nanchang and Jiujiang exhibit higher coordination levels, while areas like Pingxiang and Xinyu persistently cluster in low-value agglomerations. (2) The coupling coordination degree transitions from “marginal imbalance” to “intermediate coordination”, with Nanchang City achieving “good coordination” status in 2022, forming a high-value radiation zone encompassing Nanchang, Jiujiang, and Yichun. Low-value regions remain constrained by inadequate resource exploitation and technological lag. (3) Global spatial autocorrelation analysis reveals significant positive agglomeration effects (Moran’s I values range from 0.148 to 0.312). Local spatial associations show coexisting patterns of ‘high-high’ synergy and ‘low-low’ lock-in”. The study proposes targeted policy interventions, industrial convergence enhancement, and regional coordination mechanism optimization to mitigate spatial disparities and foster high-quality synergetic development. This study establishes theoretical foundations for agricultural green transition integrated with rural tourism development while offering referential pathways for analogous regions confronting climate change challenges. Full article

Protecting ecological sources and restoring ecological stepping stones (ESSs) are key to constructing ecological security patterns (ESPs) in small-scale rural areas. Ecosystem services (ESs) associated with Water–Energy–Food (W-E-F) influence the ecological security of rural areas. However, how to construct rural ESPs to enhance the synergy and connectivity of W-E-F systems remains unclear. This study thus proposes a framework of rural ESP construction and optimization based on the coupling coordination analysis of ESs related to W-E-F, including Water yield, Carbon storage, and Food production. Using the Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan Green Heart region as a case, it identifies ecological sources and corridors through the coupling coordination degree (CCD) model and circuit theory. Moreover, it optimizes the ESP by incorporating the optimal ESS plan to improve source connectivity. The results show 14 ecological source patches covering a total area of 86.73 km² and 117.21 km of ecological corridors. Three ESS plans are evaluated, with Option II proving optimal, increasing corridor length by 31.02% and source connectivity by 57.10%, which is based on the high CCD of three ESs. The “One Core, Three Zones, Four Corridors, and Multiple Points” scheme was defined as the ESP. This study underscores the significance of small-scale ecological restoration and advocates a shift from a “single ES” to a “coupled ESs” perspective. And it offers new insights aiming to enhance the source connectivity from the “patch–corridor–matrix” paradigms to the “patch–stepping stone–matrix” framework. It also provides feasible suggestions for balancing ecological protection and resource sustainability in rural areas. Full article

Determining the optimal vegetation cover threshold in a region for facilitating both high levels of ecosystem services (ESs) supply and synergistic sustainable development among different ESs is crucial. This study delineated the nonlinear relationship between the fractional vegetation cover (FVC) and the integrated synergy–supply capacity of ESs in Ji County, on China’s Loess Plateau (2000–2023). The FVC was quantified using Landsat remote sensing data. Assessments of carbon storage, soil conservation, water conservation, and habitat quality were conducted based on multi-source remote sensing datasets and the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model, which subsequently informed the evaluation of the integrated synergy–supply capacity of ESs. Spatial–temporal distribution characteristics were assessed via trend analysis methods and the spatial correlation relationship was assessed via bivariate local spatial autocorrelation analysis. The constraint line analysis and the restricted cubic spline method were combined to analyze the nonlinear relationship between the two and to quantify the FVC threshold. The results revealed that the spatial distribution of both the FVC and the integrated synergy–supply capacity of ESs was higher in the north, with a growth trend observed respectively. A highly significant positive spatial correlation existed between the two (Moran’s I > 0.6520, p < 0.01), dominated by the High–High agglomeration type (55.71%). The relationship between the regional FVC and the ISSC of ESs, the forest land FVC and the ISSC of ESs, and the grassland FVC and the ISSC of ESs all exhibited a positive convex function constraint line. The regional FVC threshold was 0.5, the forest land FVC threshold was 0.28, and the grassland FVC threshold was 0.77. When the FVC value was above the threshold, its facilitating effect on the ISSC of ESs diminished. This study advances vegetation threshold research by integrating the supply levels and synergy degrees of multiple ESs, providing a scientific foundation for formulating strategies for regional ecological restoration and adaptive management, and offering a reference for high-quality vegetation restoration in global arid, semi-arid, and erosion-prone regions. Full article

This study focuses on the coupling and coordination between China’s new-type urbanization (NU) and transportation carbon emission efficiency (CET), revealing its spatial and temporal evolution patterns and driving factors. In recent years, the rapid rise of the digital economy has profoundly reshaped traditional industrial structures. It has catalyzed new forms of production and consumption and opened up new pathways for carbon reduction. This makes synergies between NU and CET increasingly important for realizing a low-carbon transition. In addition, digital infrastructures such as 5G networks and big data platforms promote energy efficiency and facilitate industrial upgrading. It also promotes the integration of low-carbon goals into urban governance, thus strengthening the linkages between NU and CET. The study aims to provide a scientific basis for regional synergistic development and green transformation for the goal of “dual carbon”. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2004 to 2021, the study adopts the entropy weight method and the super-efficiency SBM model to quantify NU and CET, and then analyzes their spatial and temporal interactions and spatial spillovers by combining the coupled coordination degree model and the spatial Durbin model. The following is found: (1) NU and CET show a spatial pattern of “leading in the east and lagging in the west”, and are optimized over time, but with significant regional differences; (2) the degree of coupling coordination jumps from “basic disorder” to “basic coordination”, but has not yet reached the level of advanced coordination, with significant spatial clustering characteristics (Moran’s I index between 0.244 and 0.461); (3) labor force structure, transportation and energy intensity, industrial structure and scientific and technological innovation are the core factors driving the coupled coordination, and have significant spatial spillover effects, while government intervention and per capita income have limited roles. This paper innovatively reveals the two-way synergistic mechanism of NU and CET, breaks through the traditional unidirectional research framework, and systematically analyzes the two-way feedback effect of the two. A multidimensional NU evaluation system is constructed to overcome the limitations of the previous single economic or demographic dimension, and comprehensively portray the comprehensive effect of new urbanization. A multi-dimensional coupled coordination measurement framework is proposed to quantify the synergistic evolution law of NU and CET from the perspective of spatio-temporal dynamics and spatial correlation. The spatial spillover paths of key factors are finally quantified. The findings provide decision-making references for optimizing low-carbon policies, promoting green transformation of transportation, and taking advantage of the digital economy. Full article

In the U.S., the retention of students in STEM degree pathways has been an issue that many higher education institutions have and continue to face. Many of us in the chemistry education community have been reflecting on our own roles and responsibilities to create a more inclusive learning environment for all students in chemistry. Culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) and culturally responsive teaching (CRT) are two influential frameworks that informed efforts in promoting inclusivity in chemistry classrooms. However, the current literature focuses primarily on isolated interventions, highlighting a need for theoretical development that articulates the synergy between the two frameworks and synthesizes them in the context of chemistry education. In this essay, we present a framework for re-envisioning chemistry classroom culture consisting of four tenets: culturally relevant chemistry knowledge, cultural validation, collectivist cultural orientations, and humanized chemistry learning environments. We identified five course redesign entry points: amplifying student voice, emphasizing group work, contextualizing content knowledge, scaffolding technical language, and revising assessment structures. We hope to present both a framework and a set of course redesign entry points for chemistry educators interested in re-envisioning their classroom culture. We will also discuss the evaluation plan of this project and future work to sustain student cultural assets in chemistry classrooms. Full article