Research on Resources and Environmental Carrying Capacity

This paper, in the context of resources and environmental carrying capaci-ty, systematic reviewed resources and environmental carrying capacity in monitoring, evaluation and early warning, and then putted forward the development direction for promoting the sustainable development of China’s social and economic environment.

Comprehensive Measurement for Carrying Capacity of Resources and Environment of City Clusters in Central China

Studying the carrying capacity of resources and environment of city clusters in the central China has important practical guidance significance for promoting the healthy, sustainable and stable development of this region. According to their influencing factors and reciprocity mechanism, using system dynamics approaches, this paper built a SD model for measuring the carrying capacity of resources and environment of the city clusters in the central China, and through setting different development models, the comprehensive measurement analysis on the carrying capacity was carried out. The results show that the model of promoting socio-economic development under the protection of resources and environment is the optimal model for promoting the harmony development of resources, environment, society and economy in the city clusters. According to this model, the optimum population scale of the city clusters in 2020 is 42.80×106 persons, and the moderate economic development scale is 22.055×1012 yuan (RMB). In 1996-2020, the carrying capacity of resources and environment in the city clusters took on obvious phase-change characteristics. During the studied period, it is basically at the initial development stage, and will come through the development process from slow development to speedup development.

The Progress of Resources and Environment Carrying Capacity: from Single-factor Carrying Capacity Research to Comprehensive Research

As a concept to describe development restrictions,resources and environment carrying capacity（RECC）research has developed over more than 100 years since it was first proposed at the beginning of the 20th century.It is now regarded as a significant factor in evaluating the level of cooperation between regional population,resources,and environment;and it is currently used as an effective and operational tool to guide regional sustainable development.This article first reviews the origin of RECC and its early headway.It then reviews the historical development of RECC from single factors,such as land resources carrying capacity,water resources carrying capacity and environmental carrying capacity（environmental capacity）,to more comprehensive research,such as comprehensive evaluation,emergy analysis,and ecological footprint analysis.In general,it appears that comprehensive research will become increasingly important in RECC research.However,there are several deficiencies in the current state of comprehensive research.Firstly,comprehensive RECC research lacks a common measurement standard,though some scholars have attempted to create one.Secondly,the RECC evaluation of open systems and dynamic studies should be strengthened.Thirdly,more attention should be paid to standardization,digitalization,and systematization to promote the applicability of RECC research to national practical demands.

Land Resource Carrying Capacity in Xilin Gol Grassland Transects: A Perspective on Food Nutritional Demand

Food safety is an important issue for the development of the national economy and society.Studying regional food supply and demand from the perspective of land resource carrying capacity can provide new references for regional resource sustainability.This study uses the data from farmer and herdsmen household questionnaires,statistical data,land use data,and other sources to construct a land resource carrying capacity(LCC)assessment framework,targeting the food supply and demand of residents in representative areas,specifically the typical grassland pastoral areas,sandy pastoral areas and agro-pastoral areas on the Xilin Gol grassland transects.The three food nutritional indicators of calories,protein and fat were selected for analyzing the balance of land resource carrying capacity.We found that:1)Along the Xilin Gol grassland,the main local food supply showed a shift from meat and milk to grains,vegetables and fruits.2)From north to south along the grassland transects,the calorie intake increased gradually,while the intake of protein and fat was highest in pastoral areas and lowest in agricultural areas.3)The overall land resource carrying capacity of the Xilin Gol grassland transects was in a surplus state,but the land carrying capacity of typical grassland pastoral area was higher than the two other types of areas.This study provides an empirical reference for the sustainable development of regional food nutrition.

Application of an evaluation method of resource and environment carrying capacity in the adjustment of industrial structure in Tibet

With the degradation of natural resources and environment caused by industrial development in some developing countries,the requirement of implementing a“social ecological”approach to development is imminent.Resource and environment carrying capacity provides a means of assessing regional development potential by measuring regional sustainable development in terms of economy,population and resources&environment.This study develops a conceptual framework for resource and environment carrying capacity estimation to support the co-development planning of industries,population and resources&environment.First,the framework constructs an index system for evaluating importance of industry or influence based on the role of industry played in the local socio-economic system.Then,the framework computes the quantitative relations through the importance of local industry,population size and resource utilization and environment effects,and subsequently estimates the resource and environment carrying capacity of the study area.With a particular attention to its land resources,water resources and environment,the Tibet case study shows that:the non-ferrous metal mining,tourism,liquor and refined tea industries play a pillar role in the Tibet’s socio-economic system;under each industrial structure,land resource carrying capacity is the weakest,and water resources carrying capacity is the strongest;to focus on tourism will improve local resource and environment carrying capacity.The research results provide a solid guide for Tibet government’s co-actions in industrial restructuring,ecological protection,and the pursuit of economic development.This study will contribute to bridge the gap between theoretical research and practical applications of resource and environment carrying capacity,and help local governments plan the regional“socio-ecological”sustainable development.

Land development suitability analysis for transport planning evaluation and optimization in mountainous ecological region

Transportation planning is a critical component for creating an orderly,intensive,and sustainable pattern of land development.By comprehensively considering the potential and suitability of transport construction,a comprehensive method combining resources and environmental carrying capacity(RECC)and land development suitability(LDS)was developed by using techniques of GIS,analytic hierarchy process(AHP)and threedimensional magic cube.Taking Aba prefecture in Sichuan Province of Southwest China as a case study,LDS for transportation was analyzed from three aspects,including overall planning layout,different transport modes,and transportation projects.The results showed that the transport planning scales of most counties in Aba were suitable,and the order of LDS of different transport modes was railway>highway=superhighway>tourism track,which already included 42 new transportation projects.We found that two counties(Maoxian County and Jiuzhaigou County)should improve the ecological protection level of transportation,in which the railway network construction should be encouraged,and some transportation projects with low LDS should be postponed or constructed harmlessly.We suggest the combination of RECC and LDS for transportation could enhance the territorial space optimization and sustainable transport construction.

Economic sustainability of China's growth from the perspective of its resource and environmental supply system:National scale modeling and policy analysis

Since the implementation of the economic reform and opening up policy in 1978,China has miraculously created long-term high-speed economic growth,but has also had to face the problem of excessive consumption of resources as well as an intensification of environmental pollution.As a result,China is now facing a slowdown in development.China must maintain a certain speed of development to realize its goal of being a powerful nation,and becoming a developed country by 2050.To this end,China is facing a transformation of its economic development.There is a need to agree on an expected economic growth rate,along with the corresponding development modes or means of regulation in the medium-and long-term periods.This study developed a systematic-dynamic model to simulate the coupling relationship between economic growth,development modes,and the environmental supply system,and explored the possible options for future economic growth as well as the resource use and environmental protection requirements(the main factors).The results showed that to achieve the development goal of becoming a developed country by 2050,while maintaining a good ecological environment,the suitable growth rate for China's economy is 3.8%–6.3%.Within this range,a growth rate of 3.8%–4.4%was found to be relatively safe,while a growth rate of 4.4%–6.3%required further technical progress.This study provides an early warning in regard to China's environmental and development status.The study was a response to the"Future Earth"framework document and,in terms of development speed,it developed a theoretical system for the determination of resource and environmental carrying capacity(RECC).

The theory and method research on the double evaluation of land and space:A survey

By reviewing the theories and methods of resource and environmental carrying capacity evaluation and suitability evaluation of land and space development,it provides theoretical and technical support for rational layout and optimization of land and space development pattern.From the aspects of resource carrying capacity,environmental carrying capacity,the importance of ecological protection,the suitability of agricultural production,and the suitability of urban construction,we sort out domestic and foreign documents.The evaluation of resource carrying capacity has changed from single-factor evaluation to multi-factor comprehensive evaluation.At present,the optimization of land use pattern based on the“three-generation”space is still under exploration,it is not enough to systematize and summarize the thought of optimizing the spatial pattern of the national territory.The theoretical framework,model,method and index of“dual evaluation”of territorial space need to be improved continuously,it also needs the scientific analysis and cognition from the natural direction to the human location direction and the spatial equilibrium state as the new driving force.

Evaluation, simulation, and optimization of land use spatial patterns for high-quality development: A case study of Zhengzhou city, China

High-intensity land use and resource overloaded-induced regional land use spatial pattern(LUSP)are essential and challenging for high-quality development.The empirical studies have shown that a scientific land uses spatial layout,and the supporting system should be based on a historical perspective and require better considering the double influence between the current characteristics and future dynamics.This study proposes a comprehensive framework that integrates the resource environment carrying capacity(RECC)and land use change(LUC)to investigate strategies for optimizing the spatial pattern of land use for high-quality development.China’s Zhengzhou city was the subject of a case study whose datasets include remote sensing,spatial monitoring,statistics,and open sources.Three significant results emerged from the analysis:(1)The RECC has significant spatial differentiation but does not follow a specific spatial law,and regions with relatively perfect ecosystems may not necessarily have better RECC.(2)From 2020 to 2030,the construction land and farmland will fluctuate wildly,with the former increasing by 346.21 km^(2) and the latter decreasing by 295.98 km^(2).(3)The study area is divided into five zones,including resource conservation,ecological carrying,living core,suitable construction,and grain supply zones,and each one has its LUSP optimization orientation.This uneven distribution of RECC reflects functional defects in the development and utilization of LUSP.In addition,the increase in construction land and the sharp decline of farmland pose potential threats to the sustainable development of the study area.Hence,these two elements cannot be ignored in the future high-quality development process.The findings indicate that the LUSP optimization based on dual dimensions of RECC and LUC is more realistic than a single-dimension solution,exhibiting the LUSP optimization’s effectiveness and applicability.

Measuring the Effect of Foreign Direct Investment on CO2 Emissions in Laos

This paper aims to explore the determinants of C〇2 emissions in Laos by accounting for the significant role played by foreign direct investment(FDI)in influencing C 02 emissions during the period 1990-2017.We apply a Johansen co-integration testing approach to investigate the presence of co-integration,and the empirical findings underscore the presence of a long-run co-integration relationship between CO2 emissions,FDI,per capita GDP,and industrial structure.We also employ an error-correcting model to examine the short-term dynamic effect of FDI on CO2 emissions.The empirical results show that FDI has a significant short-term dynamic effect on changes in CO2 emissions,indicating that the relationship between FDI and CO2 emissions is an inverted U-shaped curve.This is a validation of the EKC.Changes of FDI,per capita GDP,and industrial structure increase CO2 emissions.Based on the analysis results,this paper puts forward policy suggestions emphasizing the need for both Laotian policymakers and Chinese investors to improve eco-environmental quality.