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Right-wing and populist support for climate mitigation policies: Evidence from Poland and its carbon-intensive Silesia region Mahir YAZAR, Lukas HERMWILLE, Håvard HAARSTAD Regional Sustainability    2022, 3 (4): 281-293.   DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2022.11.001 Abstract （562）   HTML （6）    PDF（pc） （371KB）（55）       Knowledge map    Save Research on environmental behaviour is often overlooked in literature on regime destabilization in energy transitions. This study addresses that gap by focusing on socio-political and demographic factors shaping support for carbon regime destabilization policies in one of the most carbon-intensive regions of Europe. Carbon-intensive industries, especially coal mining and coal-based power generation, are often concentrated in a few carbon-intensive regions. Therefore, decarbonization actions will affect those regions particularly strongly. Correspondingly, carbon-intensive regions often exert significant political influence on the two climate mitigation policies at the national level. Focusing on Poland, we investigate socio-political and demographic factors that correlate with the approval or rejection of the two climate mitigation policies: increasing taxes on fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal and using public money to subsidize renewable energy such as wind and solar power in Poland and its carbon-intensive Silesia region. Using logistic regression with individual-level data derived from the 2016 European Social Survey (ESS) and the 2014 Chapel Hill Expert Survey (CHES), we find party-political ideology to be an important predictor at the national level but much less so at the regional level. Specifically, voting for right-wing party is not a divisive factor for individual support of the two climate mitigation policies either nationally or regionally. More interestingly, populism is a strong factor in support of increasing taxes on fossil fuel in the carbon-intensive Silesia region but is less important concerning in support of using public money to subsidize renewable energy in Poland overall. These results show the heterogeneity of right-wing party and populism within the support for the two climate mitigation policies. Socio-demographic factors, especially age, gender, education level, employment status, and employment sector, have even more complex and heterogeneous components in support of the two climate mitigation policies at the national and regional levels. Identifying the complex socio-political and demographic factors of climate mitigation policies across different national versus carbon-intensive regional contexts is an essential step for generating in situ decarbonization strategies. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics | Comments（0）

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A big-data approach for investigating destination image gap in Sanya City: When will the online and the offline goes parted? Lingkun Meng, Yi Liu, Yuanlei Wang, Xiaojuan Li Regional Sustainability    2021, 2 (1): 98-108.   DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2021.02.001 Abstract （465）   HTML （2）    PDF（pc） （1186KB）（86）       Knowledge map    Save Tourism destination images in terms of the gaps between the projected and perceived images are of great significance in the development of destinations. Additionally, the use of big-data in tourism studies remains under-utilized despite the boom in big-data applications and the increasing number of electronic User Generated Contents (UGC). Aiming to take advantage of tourism UGC to fully understand the destination image gap between official promotion materials and tourist perception of Sanya City in China, this study innovatively employed a big-data analysis technique, Tourism Sentiment Evaluation (TSE) model and proposed a new analysis framework integrating the “cognitive-affective” model with the gap analysis of projected and perceived destination image to explore the destination image gap of Sanya. It is found that Sanya’s perceptive destination image is overall consistent with its official positioning; however, there also exist image gaps between the two groups in terms of the impact of festival events and tourists’ attitude towards core scenic spots amongst others. This study’s findings are discussed in light of their methodological, theoretical, and practical implications for destination positioning, marketing, and management. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics | Comments（0）

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Digital mapping of soil salinization based on Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data combined with machine learning algorithms Guolin MA, Jianli DING, Lijng HAN, Zipeng ZHANG, Si RAN Regional Sustainability    2021, 2 (2): 177-188.   DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2021.06.001 Abstract （433）   HTML （8）    PDF（pc） （2338KB）（154）       Knowledge map    Save Soil salinization is one of the most important causes of land degradation and desertification, especially in arid and semi-arid areas. The dynamic monitoring of soil salinization is of great significance to land management, agricultural activities, water quality, and sustainable development. The remote sensing images taken by the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Sentinel-1 and the multispectral satellite Sentinel-2 with high resolution and short revisit period have the potential to monitor the spatial distribution of soil attribute information on a large area; however, there are limited studies on the combination of Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 for digital mapping of soil salinization. Therefore, in this study, we used topography indices derived from digital elevation model (DEM), SAR indices generated by Sentinel-1, and vegetation indices generated by Sentinel-2 to map soil salinization in the Ogan-Kuqa River Oasis located in the central and northern Tarim Basin in Xinjiang of China, and evaluated the potential of multi-source sensors to predict soil salinity. Using the soil electrical conductivity (EC) values of 70 ground sampling sites as the target variable and the optimal environmental factors as the predictive variable, we constructed three soil salinity inversion models based on classification and regression tree (CART), random forest (RF), and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost). Then, we evaluated the prediction ability of different models through the five-fold cross validation. The prediction accuracy of XGBoost model is better than those of CART and RF, and soil salinity predicted by the three models has similar spatial distribution characteristics. Compared with the combination of topography indices and vegetation indices, the addition of SAR indices effectively improves the prediction accuracy of the model. In general, the method of soil salinity prediction based on multi-source sensor combination is better than that based on a single sensor. In addition, SAR indices, vegetation indices, and topography indices are all effective variables for soil salinity prediction. Weighted Difference Vegetation Index (WDVI) is designated as the most important variable in these variables, followed by DEM. The results showed that the high-resolution radar Sentinel-1 and multispectral Sentinel-2 have the potential to develop soil salinity prediction model. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics | Comments（0）

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Spatial-temporal characteristics of the coupling coordination of social security and economic development in China during 2002-2018 Qiong LI, Yang ZHAO, Songlin LI, Lanlan ZHANG Regional Sustainability    2021, 2 (2): 116-129.   DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2021.04.001 Abstract （406）   HTML （10）    PDF（pc） （2575KB）（187）       Knowledge map    Save Clarifying the relationship between social security and economic development is helpful to realize the sustainable social security system and the stable function of sustainable economic development. In this paper, the entropy method, coupling coordination degree, standard deviation ellipse model, and spatial autocorrelation were used to study the spatial-temporal characteristics of coupling coordination of social security and economic development in China from 2002 to 2018. The results indicate that the relationship between social security and economic development in China has been gradually strengthened in the process of mutual adaptation and common development. The benign interaction between the two was unstable, though the coupling coordination degree gradually transitioned to the primary coupling coordination type. Besides, from a spatial perspective, first, the coupling coordination degree of social security and economic development in China contracted in the east-west and north-south directions, and the coupling coordination clustered in the central region in this period; second, the coupling coordination degree generally presented a positive spatial autocorrelation, and regions with similar coupling coordination degrees were in a state of agglomeration; finally, the hot spots clumped together to form a continuous area in the eastern coastal area while the cold spots expanded toward the northwest and northeast. Furthermore, the random distribution areas exhibited a trend of contraction. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics | Comments（0）

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Sustainable use of wildlife resources in Central Asia David BLANK, Yaoming LI Regional Sustainability    2021, 2 (2): 144-155.   DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2021.05.001 Abstract （405）   HTML （5）    PDF（pc） （316KB）（104）       Knowledge map    Save Initially, hunting was the primary means for getting food for the survival of ancient people. As time passed, people started to breed livestock and develop agriculture, gradually reducing their reliance on unpredictability of hunting. People, however, continued to hunt and, even though their survival did not depend on hunting. During the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) period, attitudes toward the use of natural resources fluctuated significantly, and after the establishment of new reserves for wildlife protection, the government soon weakened protections it had introduced. In the current, the organizations in dependent countries of the USSR that are chartered to protect areas with wildlife diversity are very weak and have no sufficient material resources to provide any real control of poaching, especially when hunting weapons and ammunition are easily available. Trophy hunting companies exploit wildlife resources but do not make protecting wildlife from poaching as a priority in their work; they just use whatever resources are available as if they are unlimited. To help solve this problem, we suggest to organize the local people to join the wildlife protection societies and give them official rights to benefit from the development of hunting tourism in the future. There are numerous examples of successful and very profitable hunting businesses in different countries in the world. In Central Asia, all the prerequisites exist for organizing highly effective trophy hunting tourism, maintaining the richness of biodiversity, and at the same time providing a sustainable and significant income for local communities as the country as a whole. The sustainable use of wildlife resources is a very tangible challenge in the countries of Central Asia, and the most important consideration is to establish and enforce hunting laws equally, irrespective of a person’s social status or financial assets, otherwise no laws will work. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics | Comments（0）

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From theme park to cultural tourism town: Disneyization turning of tourism space in China Zi’ang ZHANG, Zengxian LIANG, Jigang BAO Regional Sustainability    2021, 2 (2): 156-163.   DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2021.05.003 Abstract （403）   HTML （5）    PDF（pc） （774KB）（320）       Knowledge map    Save Theme park development has become an important choice for tourism space development in Chinese cities, and the theming of space as well as the implied consumption symbols and cultural implications are usually viewed as examples for the development of other urban spaces, such as cultural tourism towns. The result is the Disneyization of urban tourism space. With the construction of characteristic towns being vigorously promoted throughout China, cultural tourism towns are springing up. They are typical of the “Wuzhen Town Mode” and represent the process of the Disneyization of tourism space in China. This research reflects on the evolution of the characteristics of tourism space in China. Taking the Wuzhen Town Mode as an example, this study reveals the characteristics and conversion mechanism of the Disneyization of tourism space in Chinese cities. According to this research, the Wuzhen Town Mode of the Disneyization is characterized by theming, hybrid consumption, merchandising, and performative labor. Residential function is a unique characteristic of the Disneyization of cultural tourism towns in China. Moreover, the Wuzhen Town Mode of the Disneyization is jointly motivated by the driving force of local governments, the propulsive force of tourist demand, the attractive force of the social environment, and the driving force of capital. Finally, suggestions and policy proposals are provided for the Disneyization of tourism space in China. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics | Comments（0）

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Transaction costs for collaboration in the watershed management of the Cuyahoga River Area of Concern Scott Daniel HARDY Regional Sustainability    2022, 3 (2): 146-156.   DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2022.07.005 Abstract （403）   HTML （2）    PDF（pc） （281KB）（42）       Knowledge map    Save This study examines the transaction costs of collaborative watershed management in the Cuyahoga River Area of Concern (AOC)—one of the 43 geographic areas designated by the U.S. and Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA), where significant impairment of beneficial uses has occurred as a result of human activities. The Cuyahoga River is located in Northeast Ohio, the U. S. and flows through the City of Cleveland before draining into Lake Erie—one of the five Great Lakes of North America. The watershed is degraded due to municipal and agricultural discharges, streambank erosion, and contamination from urban and industrial sources. This research explores how a diverse group of stakeholders convened under the Cuyahoga River AOC Advisory Committee to share information, coordinate activities, agree on activities that restore beneficial uses, and support strategic management actions. In this study, 23 semi-structured interviews with members of the advisory committee were conducted between January 28, 2020 and April 20, 2020, with follow-up emails and phone calls as needed to corroborate information. A review of research articles and government documents supported the interviews, including United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and Ohio Environment Production Agency (OEPA) reports on the GLWQA and Cuyahoga River Remedial Action Plans. A third source of data is from direct participant observation at quarterly meetings of the advisory committee during 2017-2020, binational AOC conferences in 2017 and 2019, and other professional events geared towards restoring the Cuyahoga River AOC in 2016-2020. Results help to explain the collaborative process within the advisory committee and measure the institutional performance of the advisory committee in terms of efficiency, equitability, accountability, and adaptability. Results of this study include a set of recommendations to help guide group structure and decision-making processes, including (1) employing best available technology to organize AOC events and disseminate information; (2) supporting new members with an orientation and/or mentor to clearly define formal and informal committee rules; (3) assuring equal access to detailed information on management action plans with a real time dashboard; (4) updating voting procedures and the prioritization of management actions; and (5) better incorporating underrepresented local communities and high-level decision makers from municipalities, government agencies, and nongovernmental organizations located within the Cuyahoga River AOC. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics | Comments（0）

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Post-displacement status of climate migrants in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh Syed Mahbubur RAHMAN, Mahreen MAMOON, Md Shamimul ISLAM, Saif HOSSAIN, Rezwanul HAQUE, Abul Bashar Md ZUBAIR Regional Sustainability    2022, 3 (3): 183-187.   DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2022.09.002 Abstract （398）   HTML （10）    PDF（pc） （331KB）（42）       Knowledge map    Save Some big cities in Bangladesh have been experiencing a massive and rapid influx of rural people due to the impacts of climate change, and therefore the urban administration encounters enormous challenges. This study aims to investigate the drivers of climate-induced migration and the post-displacement status of the migrants living in the urban slum of Rajshahi City. Using a semi-structured questionnaire survey, this study conducted interviews with 50 migrants residing in two slums in Rajshahi City. An interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach was implemented to evaluate the survey data. This study finds that food insecurity and flood are the two significant climate drivers of migration. Among the non-climate drivers, lack of alternative livelihood is the major reason. It should be noticed that the climate migrants in many cases do not get the opportunity to improve their living standards; they are usually occupied with low-pay professions like maid, van and rickshaw puller, and scrap collector. The study also reveals that migrants, especially females and children, need several basic physiological, economic, social, and health services. Most children have no chance to attend school. Compared to males, females have more opportunities for some support and allowances. Overall, an inadequate level of change has taken place in the lives of migrants, which raises the concern if migration is ever a way to resolve a problem or the beginning of many other problems. Further researches may concentrate on the impact of migration on the dynamics of social capital among slum dwellers. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics | Comments（0）

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Export competitiveness of agricultural products and agricultural sustainability in China LONG Yulin Regional Sustainability    2021, 2 (3): 203-210.   DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2021.09.001 Abstract （398）   HTML （23）    PDF（pc） （9505KB）（80）       Knowledge map    Save The competitiveness of a country’s agricultural products is not only related to its capacity to export agricultural products, but also to the sustainability of its agricultural sector. How to improve the international competitiveness of a country’s agricultural products while maintaining the sustainability of its agricultural sector is a practical problem of great urgency for a country with a large agricultural sector such as China. With this in mind, this study should have a considerable policy and practical significance. We used two evaluation indices, namely trade competitiveness (TC) index and revealed comparative advantage (RCA) index, to measure and analyze the international competitiveness of six China’s representative agricultural products, i.e., live pigs, live chickens, live cattle, apples, tea, and beer, and to examine the changing trends of these products’ competitiveness during 1994-2013. The results indicate that the export competitiveness of China’s agricultural products is weak and likely to deteriorate further. However, some traditional agricultural products with distinctive regional characteristics, for example, tea and live pigs, are relatively strong internationally. To this end, China should vigorously promote the production and foreign trade in traditional agricultural products with distinctive regional characteristics. At the same time, comprehensive measures should be taken to enhance the international competitiveness of disadvantaged agricultural products. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics | Comments（0）

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Understanding the spatiotemporal patterns of nighttime urban vibrancy in central Shanghai inferred from mobile phone data ZHANG Yangfan, ZHONG Weijing, WANG De, LIN Feng-Tyan Regional Sustainability    2021, 2 (4): 297-307.   DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2021.11.006 Abstract （396）   HTML （12）    PDF（pc） （3263KB）（116）       Knowledge map    Save In recent years, major cities around the world such as New York in USA, Melbourne in Australia, and Shanghai in China, have planned to boost their nighttime urban vibrancy levels to spur the economy and achieve cultural diversity. The study of nighttime urban vibrancy from the perspective of spatiotemporal characteristics is increasingly being recognized as part of the essential work in the field of urban planning and geography. This research used mobile phone signaling records to measure urban vibrancy in central Shanghai and revealed its spatiotemporal patterns during nighttime. Specifically, this research explored the changes of urban vibrancy within a day, studied the distribution of urban vibrancy during the nighttime, and visually presented the spatiotemporal changes of nighttime urban vibrancy in central Shanghai. Moreover, on the basis of the behavior pattern of each mobile user, we classified nighttime urban vibrancy into three different types: nighttime working vibrancy, nighttime leisure vibrancy, and nighttime floating vibrancy. We then tried to determine how land use affected nighttime leisure vibrancy. The results showed that urban vibrancy in central Shanghai exhibits a periodic pattern over one-day period. A high-level nighttime urban vibrancy belt is present within central Shanghai. Business offices, hotels, entertainment and recreational districts, wholesale markets, and express services contribute most to the vibrancy at nighttime. In addition, the correlation analysis shows that public and commercial facilities generate high levels of nighttime leisure vibrancy than residential facilities. The mixed land use of public and commercial facilities and residential facilities within 500 m is more critical than the mixed use of a single land lot. The research can be a basis for supporting land use planning and providing evidence for policy-making to improve the level of nighttime urban vibrancy in cities. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics | Comments（0）

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Charging infrastructure planning for electric vehicle in India: Present status and future challenges Sulabh SACHAN, Praveen Prakash SINGH Regional Sustainability    2022, 3 (4): 335-345.   DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2022.11.008 Abstract （384）   HTML （3）    PDF（pc） （584KB）（159）       Knowledge map    Save The challenge to deal with environmental contamination along with national goals such as energy security, reliability, and self-dependency due to depleting fossil fuel resources has motivated researchers to find an alternate solution in the transport sector. Due to this, electrification of the transport sector has become an achievable solution that has caught attention with increasing penetration in the market share. India is a participant in the Paris Agreement which aims to curtail the production of greenhouse gases and limit the escalating temperature. Public intervention and changes in policy and regulations are the key aspects of technological transition. Compared to internal combustion engine (ICE)-based vehicles, the consumers’ frame of mind concerns about adapting to e-mobility is anxiety over charging times and driving range. Thus, the development of charging stations plays a crucial role in promoting electric vehicles (EVs). This study investigates to identify different barriers that exist in the Indian context related to the adoption of e-mobility. Furthermore, this work emphasizes the recent developments in charging infrastructure planning in India. Also, the status of installed charging stations is examined. Developing appropriate charging stations are associated with several challenges, which are also highlighted to provide guidance to public and private entities that can be adopted in their respective business model. As India has the second largest population and is the seventh largest country in the world, the EV adoption rate of India is considerably low compared to other countries; for India, there is a long way to match the growth rate of EV adoption. Hence it becomes essential to develop a robust and suitable charging infrastructure to promote the sale and use of EVs in India. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics | Comments（0）

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Assessment of ecosystem services value in response to prevailing and future land use/cover changes in Lahore, Pakistan Mobeen Akhtar, Yuanyuan Zhao, Guanglei Gao, Qudsia Gulzar, Azfar Hussain, Abdus Samie Regional Sustainability    2020, 1 (1): 37-47.   DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2020.06.001 Abstract （381）   HTML （3）    PDF（pc） （1137KB）（209）       Knowledge map    Save Land use/cover changes (LUCCs) significantly affect ecosystem services (ESs) and their corresponding monetary value. ESs can be evaluated to analyze the ecological and environmental changes caused by LUCCs. This research aims to estimate variations in the ecosystem services value (ESV) due to LUCCs in Lahore of Pakistan, and to offer information and recommendations to policy-makers concerned with the economic improvement of metropolis areas. We first investigated the historical LUCCs from 1990 to 2019, and then simulated the future land use/cover in 2030 and 2050 based on the CA-Markov model under three scenarios, including business-as-usual (BAU), rapid economic growth (REG), and coordinated environmental sustainability (CES). Subsequently, we evaluated the ESV from 1990 to 2050 and evaluated the historical and potential future ESV changes induced by LUCCs during 1990-2019 and 2019-2050, respectively. The results showed that, land use/cover exhibited an increase in built-up land and decreases in vegetation, water body, and unused land both in the past and future. The net ESV decreased from 58.26 million USD in 1990 to 50.31 million USD in 2019. In 2050, the decrease in ESV is most rapid under the REG scenario (decrease ESV of 7.13 million USD and decrease percentage of 14.18%), followed by the BAU (decrease ESV of 5.61 million USD and decrease percentage of 11.15%) and CES (decrease ESV of 5.18 million USD and decrease percentage of 10.30%) scenarios. For each ecosystem service type, the ESV of waste treatment decreased by 18.37% from 1990 to 2019, followed by soil formation and conservation (17.52%), biodiversity and maintenance (13.23%), climate regulation (11.80%), food production (11.69%), hydrological regulation (11.11%), and aesthetic value (3.07%). These outcomes indicate that continuous land use/cover planning should focus on regenerating aquatic areas and vegetation restoration. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics | Comments（0）

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Trade-offs and synergies of climate change adaptation strategies among smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review Devinia Princess AKINYI, Stanley Karanja NG’ANG’A, Evan GIRVETZ Regional Sustainability    2021, 2 (2): 130-143.   DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2021.05.002 Abstract （372）   HTML （214）    PDF（pc） （673KB）（167）       Knowledge map    Save Climate change adaptation strategies provide a cushion for smallholder farmers, especially in sub-Saharan Africa against the risks posed by climate hazards such as droughts and floods. However, the decision-making process in climate adaptation is complex. To better understand the dynamics of the process, we strive to answer this question: what are the potential trade-offs and synergies related to decision-making and implementation of climate adaptation strategies among smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa region? A systematic literature review methodology was used through the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement with the four-stage inclusion/exclusion criteria to identify the literature from selected databases (Scopus and Google Scholar). The climate adaptation strategies are organized into five broad categories (crop management, risk management, soil/land management, water management, and livestock management strategies). Evidence suggests that potential trade-offs may arise concerning added costs, additional labor requirements, and competition among objectives or available resources. The synergies, on the other hand, arise from implementing two or more adaptation strategies concurrently in respect of increased productivity, resilience, yield stability, sustainability, and environmental protection. Trade-offs and synergies may also differ among the various adaptation strategies with minimum/zero tillage, comparatively, presenting more trade-offs. The development and promotion of low-cost adaptation strategies and complementary climate adaptation options that minimize the trade-offs and maximize the synergies are suggested. Skills and knowledge on proper implementation of climate change adaptation strategies are encouraged, especially at the local farm level. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics | Comments（0）

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Evaluation of carbon emissions associated with land use and cover change in Zhengzhou City of China HE Jianjian, ZHANG Pengyan Regional Sustainability    2022, 3 (1): 1-11.   DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2022.03.002 Abstract （355）   HTML （13）    PDF（pc） （3234KB）（151）       Knowledge map    Save Studies on carbon emissions associated with land use and cover change (LUCC) are key to understanding the impact of human activities on regional sustainability. In this study, we analyzed the temporal and spatial changes in carbon emissions associated with LUCC for production, living, and ecological spaces in Zhengzhou City of China. Landsat remote sensing images were used to classify the land use and land cover (LULC) types in Zhengzhou City in 1988, 2001, 2009, and 2015. Carbon emissions associated with LUCC were evaluated using a spatial gradient model and the niche mechanism. It was found that during 1988-2015, carbon emissions associated with LUCC in Zhengzhou City increased by 17.1×106 t, while the carbon sink resulted from cultivated land, forests, water bodies, and unused land decreased significantly. Most of the increase in carbon emissions associated with LUCC occurred in the center of the city. The peak carbon emissions were located in the northeastern, southeastern, northwestern, and southwestern regions of Zhengzhou City, and carbon emissions varied considerably in the different spatial gradient rings over time. Among the three spaces, carbon emissions associated with LUCC were mainly affected by the living space. The population size and population urbanization rate were negatively correlated with the ecological space and positively correlated with the production and living spaces. Our results highlight that Zhengzhou City should take the new urbanization path of urban transformation development and ecological civilization construction to ensure the realization of the promised carbon emission reduction targets. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics | Comments（0）

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Exploration of the dynamic water resource carrying capacity of the Keriya River Basin on the southern margin of the Taklimakan Desert, China Shuhong Yang, Tao Yang Regional Sustainability    2021, 2 (1): 73-82.   DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2021.01.005 Abstract （352）   HTML （6）    PDF（pc） （934KB）（140）       Knowledge map    Save The water resource carrying capacity (WRCC) in river basin changes dynamically under climate change, economic development, and technological advancement. Climate change affects hydrological processes and spatial/temporal distribution of water resources; while economic development and technological advancement can also affect the balance of water resources systems. Under climate change, economic development, and technological advancement, it is of great significance to explore the dynamic behavior of WRCC in river basins. This will help to alleviate water resources security issues and build a sustainable water resources system. This study was carried out to evaluate the dynamic WRCC using the “climate, economics, and technology-control objective inversion model”, which used total water consumption, water-use efficiency, and restrained total pollutant control in the water functional area as boundary conditions. This study was conducted on the Keriya River Basin, a sub-catchment located in southern margin of the Taklimakan Desert. The WRCC in the Keriya River Basin in 2015 was calculated, and the trends in the short term (2020), middle term (2030), and long term (2050) were predicted. The results revealed that climate change factors have a positive effect on WRCC in the Keriya River Basin, which leads to an increase in total water resources. Economic and technological development exhibits an overall positive effect, while increasing in water consumption and sewage discharge exhibit a negative effect. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics | Comments（0）

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Purchase willingness of new energy vehicles: A case study in Jinan City of China Xueqing Tian, Qingling Zhang, Yuzhu Chi, Yu Cheng Regional Sustainability    2021, 2 (1): 12-22.   DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2020.12.003 Abstract （350）   HTML （7）    PDF（pc） （802KB）（186）       Knowledge map    Save Speeding up the promotion of new energy vehicles is an important measure to optimize the energy structure, promote energy conservation and emission reduction, and develop the economy sustainability. The research uses a questionnaire survey to analyze the residents’ willingness to purchase new energy vehicles in Jinan City of China, and utilizes the binomial logistic regression model and Global Moran’s I to explain the impact of three factors (including respondents’ personal characteristics and subjective cognition, products, and social environment) on the purchase willingness of new energy vehicles. According to the survey, 75.12% of the respondents consider buying new energy vehicles in the future, but only 11.66% of the respondents know new energy vehicles well. It can be seen that the respondents in Jinan City generally have an insufficient understanding of new energy vehicles. It may lead to a decline in residents’ trust in new energy vehicles, which will in turn affect their purchase willingness. Based on the survey, we find that women who live far from the city center enjoy high incomes and have a low-carbon awareness, generally exhibit a higher willingness to purchase new energy vehicles. Spatial distribution of the purchase willingness has certain aggregation characteristics, showing a positive spatial correlation pattern. Purchase willingness has a certain positive diffusion effect in space, and areas with a higher purchase willingness have a positive driving effect on their surrounding regions. Spatial distribution of the purchase willingness can be used as one of the breakthroughs in promoting new energy vehicles. In addition, safety, price, after-sales service, and infrastructure of new energy vehicles are important determinants of people’s purchase willingness. Among the types of subsidies, financial subsidy is most effective on the residents’ purchase willingness. Our research provides an important information for the promotion of new energy vehicles in the region. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics | Comments（0）

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Towards a sustainable campus-city relationship: A systematic review of the literature Ahmed Mohammed Sayed MOHAMMED, Tetsuya UKAI, Michael HALL Regional Sustainability    2022, 3 (1): 53-67.   DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2022.03.004 Abstract （349）   HTML （3）    PDF（pc） （1170KB）（123）       Knowledge map    Save The relationship between a university and its city is considered strategical to achieve university targeted ambitions and visions. The university-city relationship is also encouraged for the benefit of the city, as universities unleash their respective cities’ potentials to act as driving forces not only for their local communities, but also for the whole nation. Therefore, maintaining a mutual relationship between the university and the city is considered essential to accomplish strategic goals for both. However, the nature of this relationship is quite complex, overlapped, interconnected, and diverse. Therefore, this paper conducted a systematic review of the literature on university-city and campus-city relationships to evaluate recent research trends to uncover the aspects that connect universities with their respective cities. The search included articles published in 4 different databases from January 1990 to January 2021. A total number of 50 articles were selected in this review. The findings uncovered different aspects that could help or hinder university-city relationship based on the physical and functional linkage between the campus and the city. Moreover, findings have shown that it is necessary to understand universities according to their contextual differences, as universities have shown different impacts on their respective cities in terms of their sizes and locations. Results have also shown that the impact of the physical connection between the university and the city goes far beyond campus’s accessibility as it deeply affects students’ social life as well. Therefore, decision makers, stakeholders, and university administrators need to co-design campus development process especially in the early stages to maximize the mutual benefits of campus-city relationship. The main conclusions of this paper address several perspectives and lessons for a more sustainable campus-city relationship. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics | Comments（0）

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Characteristics and utilization of plant diversity and resources in Central Asia Yuanming Zhang, Daoyuan Zhang, Wenjun Li, Yaoming Li, Chi Zhang, Kaiyun Guan, Borong Pan Regional Sustainability    2020, 1 (1): 1-10.   DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2020.08.001 Abstract （336）   HTML （23）    PDF（pc） （1438KB）（247）       Knowledge map    Save The geographical region of Central Asia comprises Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. Central Asia’s temperate forests, steppes, and sandy deserts, including riparian tugai forests, have been identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature as Global 200 ecoregions, and the Mountains of Central Asia are considered biodiversity hotspots. Here, we describe and analyze the diverse characteristics and utilization of plant diversity and resources of the region. We confirm that there are 9520 species of higher plants, 20% of which are endemic species, belonging to 138 families and 1176 genera. The vegetation geography of Central Asia can be divided into 5 provinces and 33 districts, and more than 65% species have a Central Asian geographical distribution pattern. Plant resource utilization can be grouped into 5 categories and 31 subcategories, including food, medicine, industry, environmental protection, construction, and plant germplasm. In this review, we also discuss the principal threats to plant biodiversity in Central Asia posed by global climate change and offer recommendations for conservation strategies. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics | Comments（0）

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Spatio-temporal characteristics of regional sustainable economic growth drivers of China WANG Linchuan, WU Cisheng, ZHAO Xuyang, LIU Duanyong, ZHANG Tao Regional Sustainability    2021, 2 (3): 239-255.   DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2021.11.004 Abstract （333）   HTML （13）    PDF（pc） （1357KB）（68）       Knowledge map    Save Intellectual capital (IC) has become a universal performance indicator for the socioeconomic development of countries and regions. Based on a review of national intellectual capital (NIC) and regional intellectual capital (RIC) evaluation literature, we used the regional intellectual capital indicator (RICI) as a model for China’s RIC evaluation to indirectly understand China’s potential economic growth drivers. Specifically, we collected statistical data of 31 provinces (including municipalities and autonomous regions) in China from 2004 to 2016 to measure RICI and analyze its dynamic characteristics from temporal and spatial perspectives. In this paper, Delphi analysis was used to construct RICI model, and cluster analysis and exploratory spatial data analysis were used to analyze the temporal and spatial characteristics of RICI in China. The results showed that RICI, which represents China’s overall economic growth drivers, increases annually and is consistent with economic development level during the study period. Regarding the geo-spatial space, RICI follows the trend of “high in the east and low in the west”, gradually decreasing from eastern to western China. For RIC structure, the shape of the radar chart of IC structure located in the eastern coastal areas is usually biased towards strong external relational capital, while that in western China is generally biased towards structural capital. For spatial correlation, China’s RICI has dependence on geographical adjacent space and economic space. Our research can provide policy suggestions for the sustainable development of regional economy from an IC perspective. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics | Comments（0）

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Nexus between selected macroeconomic variables and carbon emission in Kenya James NJUMWA, Ernest SAINA, Alfred SEREM Regional Sustainability    2022, 3 (3): 233-243.   DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2022.10.003 Abstract （332）   HTML （2）    PDF（pc） （419KB）（29）       Knowledge map    Save Agriculture is not only influenced by climate change, but it is also one of the significant contributors of CO2 emission. Understanding CO2 emission and macroeconomic variables is critical to solving the challenges and threats faced by Kenya’s agriculture and environment. This study used the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis and the autoregressive distribution lag model (ADLM) to analyze the relationships of CO2 emission with agricultural output, government direct investment, trade openness, and inflation rate in Kenya from 1983 to 2019. The study found that there exists a positive (direct) relationship between CO2 emission and foreign direct investment in the long run in Kenya. Additionally, CO2 emission and trade openness have a negative (indirect) and statistically significant relationship after the error correction term adjustment in the long run. Moreover, the relationship between CO2 emission and agricultural output is positive (direct) and statistically significant in the long run. There is a positive (direct) and statistically insignificant relationship between CO2 emission and inflation rate in the short run. Notably, the EKC hypothesis indicated that the Kenya’s economy is still on the environmental degradation trade-off through the gradual increase of both CO2 emission and agricultural output. Our results are important to Kenya’s economy because the derived insights will assist in relevant departments to formulate sustainable strategies to minimize environmental degradation. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics | Comments（0）