A Mechanism for Digital Finance to Drive Green and Low-Carbon Development

Given the global focus on green and low-carbon development and the increasing prominence of digital finance,it is particularly important to explore how to leverage digital finance to achieve these environmental goals.This study,through mechanism analysis,deeply examines how China’s digital finance promotes green and low-carbon development and elucidates the positive interaction between digital finance and the green industry.The study found that digital finance,through more flexible and efficient financial functions,alters the cost structure of carbon emissions,and reduces the risks and costs of green investments,thereby creating a cooperative green mechanism benefiting all parties,and guiding social groups toward a green and low-carbon transformation.Additionally,the rapid development of digital finance has strengthened the implementation of environmental protection policies,effectively promoted the expansion of the environmental protection industry,and established the green ethos as a mainstream concept in financial development.This study aims to provide reference perspectives and suggestions,assist policymakers in promoting the green and lowcarbon development of digital finance,and offer insights into the integrated development of digital finance and the green environmental protection industry.

Dilemma and Solution of Green Transportation Construction under the Background of Urban Development

With the development of the city and the increase of the population, the demand for transportation is increasing. The increases in transportation ways and demand have also brought certain energy and environmental problems to transportation construction. A good transportation environment and green travel experience have an important role in promoting the happiness of urban life and the sustainable development of society. Based on this, the following solutions are proposed for the construction and development of urban green transportation. First, as a guiding role, the government should formulate active transportation and green transportation policies to promote the reform of multiple public transportation methods. Second, as a leading role, the market can support a variety of the construction of green travel modes, which could encourage the development of shared bicycles and new energy vehicles. Third, as the main role of city, the citizens would like to choose green travel tools with the guidance in the conscious level. If we built green behavior into a fashionable business card of the city, green behavior will lead the city’s transportation construction and development.

Urban Planning and Greening Practices: A Case For Neighborhood Development in a Typical Urban Area

The work that follows aims at evaluating the urban area/neighborhood of“Agios Konstantinos”in the city of Larissa to the extent that it meets the criteria of green-sustainable design,as these criteria are included in the LEED-Neighborhood Development system methodology.The above methodology encodes the most important elements for green urban planning and provides a quantitative assessment system with key axes those of“smart location and connectivity”,“neighborhood model and plan”and“green infrastructure and buildings”.Nowadays,there is an ongoing debate on urban space and its problems.All urban elements,such as those of the built-structured environment,its open-public areas and its natural elements formulate the urban plot.At the same time,human activities greatly affect both the plot and the living conditions.Environmental issues are often disregarded in urban space and its planning process with damaging effects on cities and,more general,on urban settlements.The advantages and benefits of formally including environmental considerations in urban planning and integrating them into urban development strategies are many,as two of the most important“urban problems”are those of the gradual deterioration and degradation of the area’s microclima and the excessive consumption of energy resources.

Green Urban Development

AS a German proverb says,“Friendship ends with money.”Well,that can also be applied to other areas of society,for example,environmental protection.

Development of green urbanization under the guidance of deep ecology

At present, green urbanization process is in the initial state in China. In the process of development, how to promote urban development and urbanization will highly integrated. And the ecological environment protection and economic development is an urgent problem to be solved. Based on the guidance of deep ecology, this paper studies the development process of green urbanization; and literature review method and exemplification method are adopted. Firstly, the concept of green urbanization is demonstrated. Secondly, combined with the current situation of green urbanization in China, guided by analysis of deep ecology, the challenge for the development of urbanization is analysed. Finally, based on the deep ecology guided by revelation, the green urbanization path is put forward.

Analysis on the green development of urban agglomeration in the Yellow River basin

After the ecological protection and high quality development of the Yellow River basin became the national strategy,the new idea of river basin development with urban agglomeration as the main body was clarified.Promoting high-quality development of urban clusters in the Yellow River Basin is not only an important practice of the concept of harmonious coexistence between man and nature,but also conducive to exploring new paths of high-quality development that can be copied and popularized.In the process of promoting development,we should adhere to the principle of overall planning and differentiated development.On the basis of constantly improving cross-regional environmental administrative coordination,strengthening the radiation driving role of central cities,and establishing and improving the cross-regional ecological compensation mechanism,we should adopt different measures according to the requirements of ecological priority and green development,so as to form a new competitive advantage that is both unified and distinctive.

Development Experience of Foreign Green Shipping and Its Enlightenment to China

Based on analysis of green shipping practices of foreign ships manufacturers, ocean carriers ad port countries, their advanced experience was summarized, and its enlightenment to China＇s ＂green shipping＂ was analyzed to realize China＇s dream of becoming ＂ a strong shipping country＂ eady.

Study on Ecological Development of Urban Parks

Research background,significance,characteristics and planning methods of the ecological development of urban parks were elaborated.This paper took green space planning of Xishan Park in Qianxi City for example,explored the application of ecological development theories in green space planning of urban park.

The Current Status and Prospects of China’s Low- Carbon Economic Development

This paper aims to explore the importance of developing a low-carbon economy in China and presents a series of key recommendations.Firstly,it emphasizes the adverse impact of economic development on the natural environment and highlights the unsustainable nature of China’s previous pursuit of economic growth at the expense of its ecological surroundings.Subsequently,the paper provides specific recommendations in response to the pressing resource and environmental challenges in current economic and social development,along with the urgent need to accelerate the transition towards a greener,low-carbon economy to achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals.The key recommendations include continually enhancing the legal framework for a low-carbon economy,optimizing the energy structure,improving energy efficiency,and optimizing the industrial structure.These proposals aim to offer concrete actions to support the development of a low-carbon economy in China,encompassing legal support,energy transformation,and industrial upgrading.Ultimately,this paper underscores China’s potential in developing a low-carbon economy and calls for resolute actions to strengthen legal frameworks,foster technological innovation,and promote industrial restructuring.These actions will guide China towards a more sustainable and environmentally conscious economic future,aligning its growth trajectory with the global imperative to reduce carbon footprints.

Does urban technological innovation and cooperation promote its green development?Evidence from cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration,China

The internal technological innovation(IT)and external technological cooperation(ET)of a city are crucial drivers for its green development(GD).Although previous studies have extensively explored the effect of IT on GD,IT,ET and GD have not been integrated into the same framework to explore their relationship.Using panel data of 13 cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration,this study revealed the spatio-temporal evolution of GD and analyzed the effects of IT and ET on GD from the perspective of baseline impact,spatial effect and synergy effect.Empirical results demonstrate that the level of urban GD has upgraded and the difference in GD between cities has been narrowed though it decreases from the middle to both ends.IT significantly promotes the growth of GD while ET has an inverted U-shaped effect on GD.Under the influence of spatial spillover,IT has a U-shaped effect on the GD of neighboring cities while the effect of ET on neighboring GD is not significant.Additionally,the interaction between IT and ET has not been effective,leading to an insignificant synergy effect on GD.These findings will provide reference for taking rational advantage of IT and ET to facilitate urban GD.

Beyond skyline and borders: Unraveling the evolution and drivers of tourism green development efficiency in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration, China

Green development is a critical component of sustainable tourism, which prioritizes a comprehensive, ecologically-friendly, and people-oriented approach to development. This study presents a case study of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei(BTH) urban agglomeration from 2001 to 2021 to analyze the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics and influencing factors of tourism green development efficiency(TGDE). The study defines the concept of tourism green development and constructs an evaluation system, which is used to explore the internal differences and spatial patterns of TGDE within the urban agglomeration. The methodological approach includes the SBM–Undesirable model, kernel density estimation, Markov chain, and spatial gravity model. The findings indicate that the TGDE in the BTH urban agglomeration is generally favorable, displaying a temporal phase of “rising–declining–rising.” However, the study observes lower TGDE in tourism node cities compared to tourism regional center cities and tourism core hub cities. The non-equilibrium degree of each region indicates significant spatio-temporal evolution patterns and internal differences among the three regions, with a spatially decreasing distribution of “core hub-regional center-node city.” The TGDE in the urban agglomeration experienced an evolutionary trend of “first decreasing and then increasing” with apparent endogenous evolution characteristics. The linkage pattern of green development efficiency in the tourism industry between cities is relatively stable. Furthermore,neighboring cities generally exhibit a higher spatial connectivity strength of green development efficiency in the tourism industry compared to non-neighboring cities. Economic development level, industrial structure, and science and education level are identified as key factors that affect TGDE. However, the study finds that the factors influencing TGDE in tourism core hub cities, tourism regional center cities, and tourism node cities differ somewhat. Economic development level, industrial structure, science and education level, openness, and government regulation impact TGDE in tourism core hub cities and tourism regional center cities, while economic development level, industrial structure, and tourism resource endowment are the primary factors affecting TGDE in tourism node cities. The study provides policymakers and tourism practitioners with valuable insights into enhancing the green development of the tourism industry in the BTH urban agglomeration and other similar regions.Corresponding policy recommendations based on the results are proposed to improve the TGDE of the tourism industry in these regions, promote sustainable tourism development,improve the quality of life of local residents, and protect the ecological environment.

Taking Coordinated and Joint Action to Promote the Green Development of the Economy and the Society

The green development is the latest economic and social development philosophy that is proposed to cope with the gradual deterioration of current ecological environment, and it aims to achieve the comprehensive greenization of the economy and the society. To promote the green development of the economy and the society, we must look far and aim high, and we must take a holistic approach, coordinate the strategic measures in the fields of the economy, the politics, the culture, the society, the natural environment, and international cooperation, as well as emphasize the logic, the connection, and the hierarchy of different systems, then establish a synergetic mechanism of the green development so that various measures will be coordinated and brought forward to maximize the effect in the joint effort of promoting the green transformation of the economy and the society.

Exploring the Promises and Challenges of Urban Air Mobility (UAM)

This paper is focused on a higher-level report of a new generation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technologies. Starting from the structural scalability of civil tiltrotors, design strategy and requirements for UAVs, and advanced composite materials, the increased speed and productivity requirements for tiltrotors have spawned several investigations associated with proprotor aero elastic stability augmentation and aerodynamic performance enhancements. The research emphasized the Large Civil Tilt Rotor as the configuration with the best potential to meet the technology goals, and the design, including the challenges of the Large Civil Tilt Rotor (LCTR). The design presented was economically competitive, with the potential for substantial impact on the air transportation system. The research includes some manufacturers of helicopters, drones and tiltrotors carrying out design studies and production of prototypes, as well as research projects aimed at designing, manufacturing, qualifying, and flight-testing the new wing of the Next-Generation Civil Tiltrotor Technology Demonstrator. Promises of Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft, UAVs, Digitalization of Urban Air Mobility (UAM), and the “U-space” concept are discussed in the paper. The eight SUMP principles and possibilities of future advancements are emphasized.

Construction of Economic Urban Green Spaces with a Case Study of Shijiazhuang City

The accelerating urbanization has brought various problems in environment, land, fund and so on. With the guidance of market economy, economic urban green spaces have become the optimal choice in urban landscaping of China, which can not only improve urban landscapes, ecological environment, satisfy higher spiritual and cultural demands of people, but also create considerable economic benefits, and enhance the coordinated development of economy, society and environment. With Shijiazhuang City as an example, the approaches of constructing economic urban green spaces fit for Shijiazhuang City were analyzed in this study, to provide references for the construction of economic urban green spaces in other cities.

Urban water system theory and its model development and application

The urban water system theory is an extension of the basin water system science on an urban scale, providing a new systematic solution for the unbalanced human-water relationship and severe water challenges, such as waterlogging, black and odorous water, and ecological degradation caused by urbanization. Most existing studies on urban water systems have focused on individual water cycle processes linked with water supply and sewage treatment plants, but mutual feedback between the water cycle and its associated material circulation and water ecology, as well as human processes, still needs further exploration. In this paper, the concept, theory, and technical methodology of the urban water system were developed based on the water cycle and basin water system science. The Urban Water System 5.0(UWS 5.0) model was developed by integrating the Time Variant Gain rainfall-runoff Model with Urban water system(TVGM_Urban) in different underlying surface conditions for analyzing the natural-social water cycle processes and their associated water environmental and ecological processes and the influence of multiscale sponge measures. Herein, five major simulation functions were realized: rainfall-runoff-nonpoint source pollutant load,water and pollutant transportations through the drainage network system, terminal regulation and purification, socioeconomic water cycle, and water system assessment and regulation. The location for the case study used in this paper was Wuhan City. The findings showed that the entire urban water system should consider the built-up area and its associated rivers and lakes as the research object and explore the integrations among the urban natural-social water cycle and river regulations inside and outside of the city as well as the effects of socioeconomic development and sponge measures on the water quantity-quality-ecology processes. The UWS 5.0 model efficiently simulated the urban rainfall-runoff process, total nitrogen(TN) and total phosphorus(TP) concentrations in water bodies, and characteristic indicators of socioeconomic development. For the rainfall-runoff simulations, the correlation coefficient and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency(NSE) fall under the excellent and good classes, respectively. For the TN and TP concentration simulations, results exhibited good bias and the correlation coefficients exceeded 0.90 for 78.1% of the sampled sites. The simulation of 18 socioeconomic indicators provided excellent bias, correlation coefficient, and NSE values of 100%, 83.3%, and 69.4% to total indicators, respectively. Based on the well-calibrated UWS 5.0 model, the source sponge,artificial enhancement, and source reduction-path interception-terminal treatment measures were optimized, which considerably mitigated waterlogging, black and odorous water, and lake eutrophication, respectively. The mitigation performance revealed that the maximum inundated area for a once-in-10-year rainfall event was reduced by 32.6%, the removal ratio of the black and odorous water area was 65%, the comprehensive trophic state index of water bodies was reduced by 37%, and the green development level of Wuhan City in 2020 increased from 0.56 to 0.67. This study is expected to advance the intersection and development of multidisciplinary fields(e.g., urban hydrology, environmental science, and ecology) and offer an important theoretical and technical basis for solving urban complex water issues and promoting green development of cities.

Green infrastructure： a planning concept for the urban transformation of former coal-mining cities

Green infrastructure is a concept aimed at realizing a strategically planned network of valuable natural and seminatural areas, designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services and to protect biodiversity in rural and urban settings. In the general post-mining context of China and Germany, this paper suggests and outlines an approach that combines green infrastructure with specific concepts of post-mining landscapes. While Germany has a long tradition of post-mining restoration, concepts of green infrastructure are still poorly developed. China, on the other hand, has taken its first steps in the restoration of coal regions, and could profit from the new concepts while drawing on Germany＇s experience. The potentials of relevant strategies are investigated here through two case studies from Germany and China. Although there are significant differences in the post-mining development strategies of these two countries, it is clear that the green infrastructure concept can contribute significantly to a growth in ecosystem services. Four advantages of the green infrastructure concept are seen： First, it enables a systematic and highly objective assessment of mining impacts on the ecosystem. Second, the concept assists in the implementation of urban sustainability goals. Third, it is rooted in the local characteristics of landscapes. And finally, the green infrastructure concept seems to be highly compatible with tools of landscape and regional planning.

TOPSIS-based Measurement and Analysis on Dynamics of Smart Lowcarbon Development for Major Chinese Cities

The smart low-carbon development of modern cities has become one of the academic hotspots.However,the dynamics is rarely involved.Therefore,TOPSIS method was used to take a quantitative study on the dynamics of smart low-carbon development for major Chinese cities.The results showed that:(1) 3 main dynamics of smart lowcarbon city development in China are institution and culture conditions,facility and function conditions and economy and industry conditions,but the overall utility is relatively low;(2) the level of dynamic operation mechanism of smart low-carbon development for major Chinese cities is distinct between regions,indicating a spatial law of diminishing from the east to the west and differing within regions;(3) the imbalance of comprehensive dynamic mechanism and operation state between major cities is prominent,showing an urban scale law of decreasing from big to small and differing within each scale and an administration hierarchy law of descending from high to low and differing within each class;(4) 7 basic development patterns can be obtained,and most of the cities take the external strong internal weak mode,which basically matches with its development realities.

Stormwater Management Practices and Green-Blue Infrastructure in Urban Areas: an Overview

Water quality,flooding risk,and water consumption in urban areas are emerging issues.Urban impervious surfaces increase stormwater runoff,affecting ecosystems and leading to hydrogeological instability and flooding risk.Sustainable urban design strategies can contribute to counteract the negative impact of anthropic activities both at city-scale and global scale.Green and Blue Infrastructure(GBI)approaches,in particular,are an alternative to stormwater traditional management.In Europe,Sustainable Drainage System implementation copes with impervious surfaces to achieve water quality,amenity,and biodiversity increase.Best Management Practices,developed mainly in the USA,focus on specific measures for sustainable stormwater treatment.Water Sensitive Urban Design,spread in Australia and England,also aims to minimise the impact of developed areas preventing flood risk,limiting water consumption and enhancing environmental quality.In the USA and Canada,Low Impact Development offers design strategies to manage runoff and deliver structural practices to mimic predevelopment processes of infiltration,filtration and detention.

Measurement on the Construction Level of China's Green, Low-Carbon, and Circular-Development Economic System

This study aims to measure how well China's green,low-carbon,and circulardevelopment economic system(theGLCCD Economic System)is being developed.By establishing the indicator system and indicators,the spatiotemporal range entropy weight method,Gini coefficient,Theil index,convergence model,and national and provincial data from 2012 to 2017 are employed.The construction level of almost all GLCCD Economic Systems at national and provincial levels has shown improvement during the study period.Among them,a significant boost is only observed in the development power indicator;improvement in the production system indicator and development benefit indicatorismild,andthelifesystemindicator sees a decline year by year.The construction level of the GLCCD Economic System throughout China is generally balanced but tends to expand in scale.However,the inter-regional developmenttbenefit indicator showsaconvergence trend.Based on the analysis of the similarities and differences between greenandlow-carboncircular development,the development power and development benefit,production system,and life system are incorporated into a unified logical framework.The construction level of the GLCCD Economic System is measured as a whole in a holistic manner.This study finds out the scientific connotation oftheGLCCD Economic System.The changing trends and regional differences in the construction level of the GLCCD Economic System are revealed.These findings provide a clear and reliable decision-making basis for the construction of the GLCCD Economic System.

Basic Path and System Construction of Green and Low-Carbon Agricultural Development with Respect to the Strategic Target of Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality

The Dual Carbon strategy,which is aimed at achieving carbon peaking and carbon neutrality,is one of China's major strategiesinthecomingperiod.Agriculture is both an important source of greenhouse gas and a huge carbon sink system.To promote the Dual Carbon strategy,it is crucial for China to lay emphasis on green and low-carbon agricultural development.To achieve carbon peaking,agricultural carbonreduction and sequestration are significant means and haveegreat potential.Thisspaper firstly reviews the current situation of green and lowcarbon agricultural developmen.t.At present,the total agricultural carbon emissions in China are approaching the peak smoothly,and the proportion of carbon emissionsSgenerated by the use of such modern agricultural inputssas fertilizer and on-farm energy increases.Meanwhile,the operation of agricultural ecosystems in China demonstrates the strong capacity to absorb carbon.Then,the paper analyzes the main problems existing in green and low-carbon agricultural development,including excessive agricultural inputs and excessive consumption of fossil energy,the low utilization rate of agricultural resources,insufficient technical reserves for green and low-carbon agricultural development,and a weak supporting system.In the next part,the paper elaborates on the basic path and measures to realize green and low-carbon agriculturalddevelopment,such as strengthening the conservation of agricultural resources and improving the efficiency of resource utilization;enhancing the comprehensive treatment of agricultural non-point source pollution,realizing the reduction and efficiency of fertilizer and pesticide,resource utilization of agricultural wastes,and effective control of white agricultural pollution;cultivating,expanding and strengthening green and low-carbon agricultural industries,and greening the whole industrial chain of agricultural products from production,processing tocirculation;increasing scientific and technological innovation and building a scientific and technological support systems for green and low-carbon agricultural development.Finally,an institutional system to promote green and low-carbon agricultural development is constructed from the aspects of fiscal and taxation system,financial system,land management system,value realization mechanism of ecological products,and constraint and incentive mechanism,etc.This study provides a scientific basis for the further formulation of green and lowcarbon agricultural development policies and measures and relevant research.