Decomposition and attribution analysis for assessing the progress in decoupling industrial development from wastewater discharge in China

China's strategy of greening industrial development aims to decouple industrial growth from industrial wastewater discharges (IWDs). This study combines decoupling analysis, decomposition analysis, and attribution analysis to support this goal. First, the decoupling analysis is employed to explore the degree of decoupling between industrial growth and IWDs in China, as well as across 30 provinces, from 2000 to 2015. Next, a decomposition analysis focusing on the change in industrial wastewater discharge intensity (IWDI) is performed to reveal the factors influencing decoupling trends. Then, attribution analysis is used to attribute contributions of these factors to different regions. Our decoupling results indicate an increasing decoupling trend between industrial output and IWDs in China in the past 15 years. Meanwhile, there is a convergence in decoupling degrees among provinces. Decomposition results reveal that water intensity plays a dominant role in promoting decoupling, while the wastewater discharge coefficient negatively impacted decoupling before 2005 but contributed to decoupling later on. Regional attribution results indicate provinces in South China have exerted more efforts in both water saving and wastewater treatment during the study period. Water scarce provinces in North China performed better in terms of water saving, while more developed and water-rich provinces in South China performed better in wastewater treatment. This paper suggests targeted policy methods at province level

Spatio-temporal analysis of driving factors of water resources consumption in China

Abstract(#br)China is the largest consumer of water resources in the world, the total consumption of water resources is still increasing year by year. What are the main reasons for rising water resource consumption? This paper constructs China’s spatio-temporal LMDI (the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index) model to decompose water resources consumption into twelve driving factors with panel data from 2000 to 2015 and explores the main factors driving the rising water resource consumption. The results are summarized as following: (1) The intensity effect is the most important driving factor decreasing water resources consumption; (2) The loss of farmers reduces the water resources consumption in the agricultural sector, and the increase of urban population drives the rising water resource consumption in the residential sector; (3) The effect of industrial structure is different depending on regions; (4) In the agricultural sector, the driving factors have their own characteristics in each region

'Sustainability' of what, for whom? Unfolding China's sustainability transitions and green modernisation

Today, we face two widespread crises: the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. Tackling these twin threats requires extensive cooperation and system change. The crisis is also a catalyst for reforms toward more 'sustainable' futures. However, most discussion of transiting to a more sustainable future is theoretical or niche-based. Moreover, the consensus has not been reached on many fundamental transition questions such as what is the future after transition, how we transit, and is the proposed transition desirable for everyone. Many studies also end up by underscoring the need for collective actions to tackle complex, dynamic and diverse socio-ecological challenges in sustainability transition. To fill the gaps outlined above, this research aims to focus on China, the pioneer of practising sustainability transition and uncover the structural changes during sustainability transitions. This research asked 'What sustainability is China building? And whom do China's sustainability transitions benefit?' To answer these questions, this thesis by compilation followed the grounded theory to examine China's sustainability from international-national scale, regional scale to local scale. At the international-national scale, this research assesses the integration and interplay of sustainability transitions in China's national development strategies and discusses how do sustainability transitions support China's global ambitions. On an international platform, China's eco-development and eco-civilisation logics help China take more and increasingly prominent roles in UN sustainability councils and other global environmental and developmental organisations. At the national level, China values natural resources based on its nation-state and party's interests. By over-emphasising a shared bright future or great mission, the task of solving individual problems and concerns of specific groups is overlooked. At a regional scale, this research examines China's adjustments and changes in policy in coordinating regional development and transitions. In China, radical policy reform triggered by external perturbations and shocks is competing with incremental policy change through policy-oriented learning. An "double-mountain" theory has been proposed by Xi Jinping since 2005 and has become the dominant strategy instructing China's sustainable development plans. Empirical research was undertaken at the local scale discovering the outcomes and effects of sustainability transitions on local people. China's logic of sustainability transitions has unified complicated relations and interactions among different groups in a society under a single set of all-encompassing terms and principles. By overlooking social differentiation, the Chinese Communist Party can avoid solving tricky problems. In China, sustainability transitions are integral to nation-state stability and party legitimacy rather than a sustainable development of a broad community as envisioned by many other sustainability agendas, such as the sustainable development goals. China's case reminds us that the broader the concepts of sustainability transitions are, the more space powerful stakeholders have to manipulate development to favour their demands. However, there do not have to be negative consequences from sustainable development transitions. Politicisation and pluralisation of sustainability transitions could diminish perverse outcomes and unlock positive social outcomes. The key to sustainable development is not co-developing humans and nature because this has happened for millions of years. To live more sustainably, we need to first figure out how humans can live longer, better and happier without depriving everyone's inalienable rights to own life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Sustainability transitions should be human-centred and the management of competing values among actors in transitions should be decided through a just and transparent approach

Sustainability in China: Bridging Global Knowledge with Local Action

China’s road to sustainability has attracted global attention. Since the “Reform & Opening Up” policy, China’s rapid pace of both urbanization and industrialization has made its being the second largest economy but meantime a heavy environmental price has been paid over the past few decades for addressing the economic developmental target. Today, as the biggest developing country, China needs to take more responsibilities for constructing its local ecological-civilization society as well as for addressing the global challenges such as climate change, resources scary and human beings well-fare; therefore, we need to have deeper understandings into China’s way to sustainability at very different levels, both spatially and structurally, concerns ranging from generating sustainable household livelihoods to global climate change, from developing technological applications to generate institutional changes. In this spirit, this publication, “Sustainability in China: Bridging Global Knowledge with Local Action” aims to investigate the intended and spontaneous issues concerning China’s road to sustainability in a combined top-down and bottom-up manner, linking international knowledge to local-based studies

Green Economy and Sustainable Development

Considering the importance of the challenges for sustainable development, this Book is intended to disseminate the results of cutting-edge research and broadcast the opinions of scientists from around the world, providing technological breakthroughs in green energy and urbanism, recycling and modernization of basic industries, conducting fundamental research on the economic problems of the transition to sustainable development

Low Energy Architecture and Low Carbon Cities: Exploring Links, Scales, and Environmental Impacts

Projected population growth and urbanization rates will create a huge demand for new buildings and put an unprecedented pressure on the natural environment and its limited resources. Architectural design has often focused on passive or low-energy approaches to reduce the energy consumption of buildings but it is evident that a more holistic, whole-life based mindset is imperative. On another scale, the movement for, and global initiatives around, low carbon cities promise to deliver the built environment of tomorrow, in harmony with the natural boundary of our planet, the societal needs of its human habitants, and the required growth for economic prosperity. However, cities are made up of individual buildings and this intimate relationship is often poorly understood and under-researched. This multi-scale problem (materials, buildings, and cities) requires plural, trans-disciplinary, and creative ways to develop a range of viable solutions. The unknown about our built environment is vast: the articles in this special issue aim to contribute to the ongoing global efforts to ensure our built environments will be fit for the challenges of our time

A Sustainable Revolution

The parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) attained the Paris Agreement to tackle climate change and to strengthen the actions required for a sustainable transition towards an environmentally friendly future. This transition will involve holistic approaches and multifaceted societal shifts, requiring answers and collaboration between private, public, and academic sectors. This book gathers together contributions which study the transition towards a more sustainable future, involving and identifying the development and implications of more sustainable alternatives, in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders (e.g. communities, firms, policy makers, researchers, etc.), to achieve this transition. The approaches proposed are all concerned with a common perspective: imaging our globe with a greener picture, built upon a transversal sustainable revolution to clean up the Earth