Sustainable Development of Energy Systems and Climate Systems:Key Issues and Perspectives

Climate change and energy security issues are prominent challenges in current energy system management,which should be governed synergistically due to the feedback relationships between them.The“Energy Systems Management and Climate Change”Special Collection Issue in the journal of Energy Engineering provide insights into the field of energy systems management and climate change.From an extended perspective,this study discusses the key issues,research methods and models for energy system management and climate change research.Comprehensive and accurate prediction of energy supply and demand,the evaluation on the energy system resilience to climate change and the coupling methodology application of both nature and social science field maybe the frontier topics around achieving sustainable development goals of energy systems.

Balancing Carbon Emission Reductions and Social Economic Development for Sustainable Development: Experience from 24 Countries

The impact of human carbon emissions on climate has generated widespread global concern. We selected 24 countries as research objects and analysed the changes in carbon emissions in different countries between the establishment of emission reduction actions in 1990 and 2014. Then, we selected 19 factors representing four categories(economy, population, technology and energy) to explore the key factors that led to changes in carbon dioxide(CO2) emissions in different countries. Emission reduction actions since 1990 did not lead to marked improvements, and only five countries(Russia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy and France) achieved reductions in carbon emissions. The factors that influenced CO2 emissions varied among countries. In most developing countries, reductions in CO2 emissions were caused by reductions in poverty and inherent natural conditions. Moreover, the extent of influence of a given factor on CO2 emissions differed among countries. The global economic crisis may cause similar fluctuations in CO2 emissions in many countries. Adjustments to energy and industrial structures are the main reason for the reduction in carbon emissions, whereas economic growth and urbanization are the two major contributors to the growth of carbon emissions. According to historical carbon emissions data, a green energy revolution must be implemented to address global climate change and ensure the sustainable development of human societies.

Identifying interlinkages between urbanization and Sustainable Development Goals

Urbanization and Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)are important global issues in the current“Anthropocene”.Climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated global urban problems and hindered the ability to meet SDGs on time,while the broad interlinkages between urbanization and the SDGs remain poorly understood.This study shows that among the interlinkages of urbanization with 17 SDGs,synergies are observed with 151 targets(89%),among which 67(40%)have stronger synergies,and trade-offs are observed with 66 targets(39%),among which 31(18%)have stronger trade-offs.Furthermore,the synergies and trade-offs between urbanization and the achievement of SDGs are specifically analyzed based on four fundamental interaction fields:(a)public health and social welfare equality;(b)energy consumption and economic growth;(c)natural resource use and ecological/environmental impacts;and(d)international cooperation for development.Finally,based on these analyses,we propose four recommendations for sustainable urbanization,including(a)shared well-being and spatial justice for urban and rural residents;(b)guiding green and low-carbon urban development;(c)building resilient cities;and(d)promoting multilateral cooperation in cities,which can contribute to the achievement of SDGs by 2030.

Prioritizing sustainable development goals and linking them to ecosystem services:A global expert’s knowledge evaluation

The implementation of strategies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)is frequently hindered by potential trade-offs between priorities for either environmental protection or human well-being.However,ecosystem services(ES)-based solutions can offer possible co-benefits for SDGs implementation that are often overlooked or underexploited.In this study,we cover this gap and investigate how experts from different countries value the SDGs and relate them with ES.A total of 66 countries participated to the survey,and answers were grouped into three macro-regions:Asia;Europe,North America,and Oceania(ENO);Latin America,Caribbean and Africa(LA).Results show that the most prioritized SDGs in the three macro-regions are usually those related to essential material needs and environmental conditions,such as SDG2(Zero Hunger),SDG1(No Poverty),and SDG6(Clean Water).At a global scale,the number of prioritized synergies between SDGs and ES largely exceeded trade-offs.The highest amount of synergies was observed for SDG1(No Poverty),mainly with SDG2,SDG3(Good Health),SDG5(Gender Equality),and SDG8(Economic Growth).Other major synergies among SDGs include SDG14-15(Life below water-Life on land),SDG5-10(Gender Equity-Reduced Inequality),and SDG1-2(No poverty-Zero Hunger).At a global scale,SDG15,SDG13,SDG14,and SDG6 were closely related to ES like climate regulation,freshwater,food,water purification,biodiversity,and education.SDG11(Sustainable Cities)and SDG3 were also relevant in Asia and in LA,respectively.Overall,this study shows the potential to couple future policies that can implement SDGs’strategies while adopting ES-based solutions in different regions of the world.

Integrate ecosystem services into socio-economic development to enhance achievement of sustainable development goals in the post-pandemic era

The COVID-19 pandemic has stalled and rolled back progress on Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).Ecosys-tem services(ESs),defined as the contributions of ecosystems to human well-being,underpin the achievement of SDGs.To promote SDG achievement in post-pandemic era,we teased out the links between ESs and SDGs while examining the impact of COVID-19.We found that ESs benefited all SDGs,yet man-made pressures led to degra-dation of ecosystems and their services.There is broad consensus that the virus lurks in degraded ecosystems and generates spillover due to human interference.The pandemic and global lockdown/restriction disrupted the flow of ESs and altered human ESs demand,threatening the efforts for the SDGs.We suggested:1)to study the association and traceability of ESs-SDGs under the pandemic;2)to prioritize pressing issues such as health care,livelihood,and resource security and in the long run,we should promote human-nature harmony to achieve the SDGs;and 3)to enhance ESs and to promote the SDGs through local community efforts,ESs accounting,and ecosystem restoration.This paper provides insights into the importance of ESs to the SDGs and the ways to integrate ESs into socio-economic development to promote the SDG achievement after the pandemic.

Vulnerability assessment of the Satluj catchment for sustainable development of hydroelectric projects in the northwestern Himalaya

Hydropower if scientifically developed is considered to be one of the clean and non-polluted renewable energy sources.But its impacts always exist on physical and social environment of the area.The present study was conducted in the River Satluj basin which is well known for its hydropower potential.The main objective of the study was to understand the vulnerability of the Satluj basin and to develop a strategy for the development of hydropower projects.This basin has been facing many problems relating to construction of haphazard development of hydropower projects.This has led multi-hazards like landslides,floods,earthquakes,etc.Here,vulnerability assessment index was assessed quantitatively and qualitatively.Geographical Information System and people’s perception were used to study these aspects in the basin.The parameters considered for vulnerability assessment were slope,slope profile,relative relief,curvature,slope aspect,soil texture,lithology,river morphometry,precipitation,hydroelectric projects,land use and land cover,mass-movement,flood,geological elements and earthquake occurrences.The highest vulnerability was found in the middle zone,and finally on the basis of parameters analyzed;the hydropower’s development strategy was developed.

Geography in the Anthropocene:Transforming our world for sustainable development

The world is changing at an accelerating pace due to increased human exploitation of the earth’s resources and the consequent climate change and biodiversity loss crises.As a transdisciplinary discipline studying the coupled human and nature systems and their interactions,Geography has natural advantages to promote sustainable development.With the aim of stimulating sustainable development in the Anthropocene,the International Geography and Sustainability Workshop 2021 was held virtually during 23-24 November 2021.This editorial briefly reviews the development history of Geography,summarizes the presentations of keynote speakers,outlines the overall research framework,and discusses the future directions by which the discipline of Geography can be harnessed to advance sustainable development.The key outcomes are as follows:(1)The research paradigms of Geography are shifting from basic knowledge acquisition to understanding of coupling patterns and processes,and to the simulation and prediction of complex human-earth systems;(2)Landscape sustainability science and the metacoupling concept are emerging as new comprehensive research perspectives,and the framework of“Pattern—Process—Service—Sustainability”can be used as a basis to underpin Geography’s role in sustainability;(3)Geography can support sustainable development in many ways,such as in agricultural development,disaster and risk monitoring and early warning,global climate change mitigation,and in helping to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).Future research directions include:integrated geographical research on climate change and sustainable resource utilization;integrated geographical research on social and economic sustainable development;sustainable cascades of ecosystem structure,functions,services,and human well-being;metacoupling for sustainability;safe and justice space boundaries;the classification-coordination-collaboration approach;and geographical education for sustainable development.

Forecasting of Cultivated Area in Egyptian Lands Using a Time Series Model for Sustainable Development

The cultivated area is an important component of land resources that has a direct impact on food security. Egyptian cultivated area was estimated to be 3.86 million hectares in 2020. Recently, there has been a decline in cultivated areas, which could be attributed to a number of factors, including climatic changes and urban sprawl, endangering Egyptian sustainable development. So, the aim of the current study was to forecast the values of cultivated areas in Egypt for the next five years using the ARIMA model based on data from 1990 to 2020. The model predicted a decrease in cultivated area in coming years of about 3.06, 3.19, 3.084, 3.082 and 3.21 million hectares, respectively, according to the results. This forecasting will aid the country’s policy development for future land using planning and agricultural production.

Coupling analysis of the major impact on sustainable development of the typical arid region of Turpan in Northwest China

Analyzing the sustainable development of a given region can provide an important reference and guide for future orientation.The study selects Turpan(including Gaochang District,Shanshan County,and Toksun County)in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of Northwest China as the study area and first investigates the essence of regional sustainable development.Based on the relevant data of the population,economy,and environment of Turpan from 2002 to 2018,we constructed an evaluation index system for three dimensions,namely,the population,economy,and environment,and analyzed them systematically.Specifically,we quantitatively calculated the comprehensive evaluation index,coupling degree,and coupling coordination degree of the sustainable development system of the study area.The study finds that Turpan has become increasingly sustainable and orderly;the development level has continually improved from near imbalance to positive coordination.During the study period,the government has adopted appropriate models and paths to promote positive interactions among the population,economy,and environment based on engineering techniques and ecological means.The results show that the coupling coordination degree has increased from 0.3692 to 0.8894 during the period 2002–2018,which reflects the actual situation of Turpan and indicates that the proposed analysis method can effectively measure and evaluate the level of sustainable development in this region.Moreover,the study also puts forward main functional zoning of Turpan(i.e.,Gaochang District as an optimized development zone,Shanshan County as a major agricultural production zone,and Toksun County as a key ecological function zone)and regional planning principles based on the population,economic,and environmental coupling analysis for the three jurisdictions in Turpan.

Research from global Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)to sustainability science based on the object-subject-process framework

Since United Nations adopted the global Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) for the next15 years(2016-2030), sustainable development will further become a core concept and main principle to guide global and national economic and social development. According to this background, strengthening the integrative research on the theories and methodologies of sustainable development has been a strategically important mission. This article provided an analytic framework for sustainability science, named the object-subject-process(OSP) framework for examining the key issues encountered during the theoretical research and policy analysis. This study emphasized that, on the object dimension, sustainable development means to seek for economic and social development within biophysical limits of the earth and the relationship of environment, society, and economy should be containing and complementary rather than parallel and substitute; on the process dimension, sustainable development should adopt both the responsive and proactive strategies for the whole process management which employing pressure-state-response(PRS) model rather than dealing with one part of them; on the subject dimension, sustainable development research should involve the key stakeholders who are kind of collaborate governance rather than separate each other. From the perspective of sustainability science, green economy was utilized as a case study to explore the issues of object, process and subject and also the significance of green economy was discussed in this study.

A Research on Problems for Sustainable Development of Mining Cities in China

As a significant issue, mining cities, especially the resource-exhausted mining cities have already been given intensive attention by academia and government. This article discusses the intrinsic and extrinsic reasons for problems of the mining cities from the perspective of sustainable development, quantitatively analyzes the economic benefit of the mining cities with statistical data, and presents the strategies and measures for sustainable development of the mining cities based on the theoretical discus- sion and empirical study of different types of mining cities. The research shows that: (1) the conflict between the mining cities and the mining enterprises which has been incorrectly dealt with for a long time is the primary reason for the problems of the mining cities. More seriously, the development gap between mining cities and non-mining cities is becoming larger than ever before, due to the domestic and international competition. (2) As a whole, the economic development level of the mining cities is lower than the average level of countrywide cities. The economic benefit of the mining cities is increasing owing to the economic scale, and the economic situations of oil-mining cites and iron-mining cites are relatively better than those of other types of mining cities. (3) The prerequisite of sustainable development of the mining cities is the realization of the transformation of capital superiority so as to promote non-mining economy and substitute the mining economy step by step.

What have We Done and Where will We Go? - Brief Review and Outlook of Education for Sustainable Development in China

Since the beginning of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development(DESD)(2005-2014)in 2005,Education for Sustainable Development(ESD)has been started a new era of educational innovation progress in China.Up to now,China has created a new history of ESD for 21 years,and ESD,the abstract conception from international academia has been became a leading thought of teaching and learning innovation for more and more teachers in China,and in 2010,ESD was been written in the Outline of the National Program for Medium and Long-term Education Reform and Development(2010-2020)by Chinese Ministry of Education as a strategic direction of education development for the coming ten years.Exactly,ESD has really played a positive role in educational reforni and innovation.

Twenty Years of China's Education for Sustainable Development(ESD) Program: Review and Prospect

The basic characteristics of China ESD program is:The dual attribute of the definition of ESD;A new interpretation of the subject-oriented education theory from the perspective of sustainable development;ESD is an Important Content of strengthening morality education;the"whole?school"model has become the norm;an international cooperation and exchange platform has been actively built.

CHINA’S POVERTY ELIMINATION A MAJOR STEP FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The idea of sustainable development imagines the whole world enjoying an economic system that is prosperous,fair,and environmentally sustainable.The idea of sustainable development combines economic objectives,social justice,and environmental sustainability.The concept seeks to enable everybody on the planet to enjoy a good life.China has made major contributions towards sustainable development:ending poverty within China and,most importantly,helping other countries acquire basic infrastructure through projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative.China’s very rapid growth,especially since 1978,has been based on three basic pillars:investing in health and education for the people,building infrastructure so that power,connectivity,roads,rail,and airports all drive up productivity,and enabling businesses to create new products and new markets.These are three kinds of investment:investment in people,investment in infrastructure。

Relationship between Sustainable Land Use and Rural Economic Development:A Case Study of Meining Village,Pingma Town in Guangxi

For a long time,rural economic development has put economic benefits in the first place,ignoring the impact of unreasonable land use on local land resources and ecological environment,which is not conducive to the long-term high-quality development of local economy and sustainable land use.There is an urgent need to study the relationship between sustainable land use and rural economic development in order to achieve the coordinated development of the two.By using the methods of literature research and field investigation,this paper studies Meining Village,Tiandong County,Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.The study found that farmers tend to plant pure eucalyptus forest,single land use structure,short-term rotation planting model and traditional afforestation and land preparation technology are not conducive to sustainable land use in forest areas,and affected by economic and educational factors,farmers livelihood is relatively simple,so the development of rural economy will be restricted.In view of the above problems,this paper puts forward the following solutions:changing the land use model of Meining Village to promote sustainable land use;introducing advanced science and technology and diversified livelihood ways to promote the sustainable development of rural economy;building a virtuous circle of sustainable land use and rural economic development.

Progress toward the sustainable development of world cultural heritage sites facing land-cover changes

The quantification of the extent and dynamics of land-use changes is a key metric employed to assess the progress toward several Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)that form part of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.In terms of anthropogenic factors threatening the conservation of heritage properties,such a metric aids in the assessment of achievements toward heritage sustainability solving the problem of insufficient data availability.Therefore,in this study,589 cultural World Heritage List(WHL)properties from 115 countries were analyzed,encompassing globally distributed and statistically significant samples of“monuments and groups of buildings”(73.2%),“sites”(19.3%),and“cultural landscapes”(7.5%).Land-cover changes in the WHL properties between 2015 and 2020 were automatically extracted from big data collections of high-resolution satellite imagery accessed via Google Earth Engine using intelligent remote sensing classification.Sustainability indexes(SIs)were estimated for the protection zones of each property,and the results were employed,for the first time,to assess the progress of each country toward SDG Target 11.4.Despite the apparent advances in SIs(10.4%),most countries either exhibited steady(20.0%)or declining(69.6%)SIs due to limited cultural investigations and enhanced negative anthropogenic disturbances.This study confirms that land-cover changes are among serious threats for heritage conservation,with heritage in some countries wherein the need to address this threat is most crucial,and the proposed spatiotemporal monitoring approach is recommended.

Integrating phosphorus management and cropping technology for sustainable maize production

Achieving high maize yields and efficient phosphorus(P)use with limited environmental impacts is one of the greatest challenges in sustainable maize production.Increasing plant density is considered an effective approach for achieving high maize yields.However,the low mobility of P in soils and the scarcity of natural P resources have hindered the development of methods that can simultaneously optimize P use and mitigate the P-related environmental footprint at high plant densities.In this study,meta-analysis and substance flow analysis were conducted to evaluate the effects of different types of mineral P fertilizer on maize yield at varying plant densities and assess the flow of P from rock phosphate mining to P fertilizer use for maize production in China.A significantly higher yield was obtained at higher plant densities than at lower plant densities.The application of single superphosphate,triple super-phosphate,and calcium magnesium phosphate at high plant densities resulted in higher yields and a smaller environmental footprint than the application of diammonium phosphate and monoammonium phosphate.Our scenario analyses suggest that combining the optimal P type and application rate with a high plant density could increase maize yield by 22%.Further,the P resource use efficiency throughout the P supply chain increased by 39%,whereas the P-related environmental footprint decreased by 33%.Thus,simultaneously optimizing the P type and application rate at high plant densities achieved multiple objectives during maize production,indicating that combining P management with cropping techniques is a practical approach to sustainable maize production.These findings offer strategic,synergistic options for achieving sustainable agricultural development.

Transition to Green,Low-Carbon Development

Regions across China are acting on the state’s call to shift to green development,with tangible progress made.AS climate change poses a growing threat to humanity,transitioning to a green,low-carbon economy has become the general global consensus.Thus far,193 parties to the Paris Agreement have submitted Nationally Determined Contributions(NDC),and more than 150 countries have set objectives for net-zero emissions,carbon neutrality or climate neutrality.

Sustainable Wetland Management Using the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework as a Guide in the Sierra Leone Case

The Sustainable Wetland Management adopted for this study depicts that, the identification of drivers and impacts is needed first, in other to get a clearer roadmap, after which the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework would come into play to serve as a pathway for Sustainability. The study evaluates how Sierra Leone might implement the Framework’s proposed strategies in National Wetland Management. As a result, the research tried to thoroughly examine the factors that contribute to wetland degradation as well as the effects they have on the people who live nearby. The purposive sampling method was used to administer 385 structured questionnaires to inhabitants. The data was then processed in an Excel spreadsheet. Microsoft Publisher was used to draw the framework and a descriptive analysis was done. Results indicated that;the majority of the inhabitants of Aberdeen Creek are traders/self-employed, furthermore, the majority chose the place because it’s less expensive and nearer to the workplace, settlement expansion and pollution are the two most common degrading activities, while flooding and health-related issues are some of the consequences, and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework is regarded to be a perfect tool for wetland management. It was concluded that to accomplish the objectives in the framework, it is necessary to have both political and social will. Satellite data and water quality research are further needed to validate the report.

Innovative approaches to the Sustainable Development Goals using Big Earth Data

A persistent challenge for the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)has been a lack of data for indicators to assess progress towards each goal and varying capacities among nations to con-duct these assessments.Rapid developments in big data,however,are facilitating a global approach to the SDGs.Tools and data products are emerging that can be extended to and leveraged by nations that do not yet have the capacity to measure SDG indica-tors.Big Earth Data,a special class of big data,integrates multisource data within a geographic context,utilizing the principles and methodologies of the established literature on big data science,applied specifically to Earth system science.This paper discusses the research challenges related to Big Earth Data and the concerted efforts and investments required to make and mea-sure progress towards the SDGs.As an example,the Big Earth Data Science Engineering Program(CASEarth)of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is presented along with other case studies on Big Earth Data in support of the SDGs.Lastly,the paper proposes future priorities for developments in Big Earth Data,such as human resource capacity,digital infrastructure,interoperability,and envir-onmental considerations.