Chinese Journal of Population Resources and Environment最新文献

China is experiencing rapid population aging. The one contributing factor affecting senior citizens’ lives is the disconnect between the built environment in urban and rural areas and the behavioral preferences of older adults. However, research on the relation between the built environment and the behavior of older individuals has been limited. Thus, this paper uses the most recent health tracking data on factors influencing aging in China released in 2020 (China Senior Health Survey Tracking Survey). Applying traditional regression, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression, and two decision tree optimization models from machine learning, a comprehensive comparative study is carried out to investigate the correlation between the built environment and the physical activity, dietary habits, and social interactions of older age groups. The findings reveal that built environment variables most significantly impact physical activity, accounting for 52.525%, followed by social interaction behaviors at 50.202% and dietary intake at 47.991%. Furthermore, the authors identify population density and greenness rate as the built environment factors having considerable effects on the behavior of older adults. Thus, this study establishes a theoretical foundation for developing age-friendly community environments for older adults.

To clarify the connotations and extensions of urban resilience, this study focuses on the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle with 16 cities as research subjects. A comprehensive evaluation index system was constructed to measure the resilience of each city from 2003 to 2020. The spatial-temporal evolution characteristics were analyzed using Kernel density estimation, standard deviation ellipse, and spatial Markov chain analysis, and the spatial Tobit model was introduced to discover the influencing factors. The results indicate the following: ① Urban resilience in the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle displays an upward trend, with the center of gravity moving to the southwest, and the polarization phenomenon intensifying. ② The urban resilience level in a region has certain spatial and geographical dependence, while the probability of urban resilience transfer differs in adjacent cities with different resilience levels. ③ Urban centrality, economic scale, openness level, and financial development promote urban resilience, whereas government scale significantly inhibits it. Finally, this paper proposes countermeasures and suggestions to improve the urban resilience of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle.

To address climate change, the world needs deep decarbonization to achieve carbon neutrality (CN), which implies net-zero human-caused CO₂ emissions in the atmosphere. This study used emission-side drivers, including socioeconomic and net primary productivity (NPP)-based factors, to determine the changes in CN based on vegetation carbon sequestration in the case of China during 2001–2015. Spatial exploratory analysis as well as the combined use of production-theoretical decomposition analysis (PDA) and an econometric model were also utilized. We showed that CN was significantly spatially correlated over the study period; Yunnan, Heilongjiang, and Jilin presented positive spatial autocorrelations, whereas Guizhou showed a negative spatial autocorrelation. More than half of CN declined over the period during which potential energy intensity (PEIE) and energy usage technological change were the largest negative and positive drivers for increasing CN. PEIE played a significantly negative role in increasing CN. We advise policymakers to focus more on emission-side drivers (e.g., energy intensity) in addition to strengthening NPP management to achieve CN.

The disposal of contaminated water from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant is a significant international nuclear safety issue with considerable cross-border implications. This matter requires compliance not only with the law of the sea but also with the principles of nuclear safety under international law. These principles serve as the overarching tenet of international and China’s domestic nuclear laws, applicable to nuclear facilities and activities. The principle of safety in nuclear activities is fully recognized in international and domestic laws, carrying broad legal binding force. Japan’s discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea violates its obligations under the principle of safety in nuclear activities, including commitments to optimum protection, as low as reasonably practicable, and prevention. The Japanese government and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have breached the obligation of optimum protection by restricting the scope of assessments, substituting core concepts, and shielding dissenting views. In the absence of clear radiation standards, they have acted unilaterally without fulfilling the obligation as low as reasonably practicable principle. The discharge of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water poses an imminent and unpredictable risk to all countries worldwide, including Japanese residents. Japan and the IAEA should fulfill their obligations under international law regarding disposal, adhering to the principles of nuclear safety, including optimum protection, the obligation as low as reasonably practicable, and prevention through multilateral cooperation. Specifically, the obligation to provide optimum protection should be implemented by re-evaluating the most reliable disposal technologies and methods currently available and comprehensively assessing various options. The standard of the obligation as low as reasonably practicable requires that the minimization of negative impacts on human health, livelihoods, and the environment should not be subordinated to considerations of cutting costs and expenses. Multilateral cooperation should be promoted through the establishment of sound multilateral long-term monitoring mechanisms for the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water, notification and consultation obligations, and periodic assessments. These obligations under international law were fulfilled after the accidents at the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl nuclear power plants. The implications of the principles of nuclear safety align with the concept of building a community of shared future for nuclear safety advocated by China. In cases of violations of international law regarding the disposal of nuclear-contaminated water that jeopardize the concept of a community of a shared future for nuclear safety, China can also rely on its own strength to promote the implementation of due obligations through self-help.

Micro-energy systems contribute significantly to environmental improvement by reducing dependence on power grids through the utilization of multiple renewable energy sources. This study quantified the environmental impact of a micro-energy network system in an industrial park through a life cycle assessment using the operation of the micro-energy network over a year as the functional unit and “cradle-to-gate” as the system boundary. Based on the baseline scenario, a natural gas generator set was added to replace central heating, and the light pipes were expanded to constitute the optimized scenario. The results showed that the key impact categories for both scenarios were global warming, fine particulate matter formation, human carcinogenic toxicity, and human non-carcinogenic toxicity. The overall environmental impact of the optimized scenario was reduced by 68% compared to the baseline scenario. A sensitivity analysis of the key factors showed that electricity from the power grid was the key impact factor in both scenarios, followed by central heating and natural gas. Therefore, to reduce the environmental impact of network systems, it is necessary to further optimize the grid power structure. The research approach can be used to optimize micro-energy networks and evaluate the environmental impact of different energy systems.

Creditors, such as banks, often use disclosed environmental information to assess a company’s environmental risk and ensure the safety of debt funds. Consequently, carbon disclosures have become an important consideration for creditors when making investments. This study explores the relationship between carbon disclosure and debt financing costs using data on listed companies from 2008 to 2019. The results show that carbon disclosure can reduce the debt financing costs of enterprises, and that this influence is more significant for private companies than for state-owned enterprises. Instrumental variables and Propensity Score Matching (PSM) were used to evaluate the robustness of negative relationships. Furthermore, carbon disclosure has a more significant impact on debt costs with less environmental supervision pressure, weak residents’ environmental awareness, and weak product market competition. These findings provide guidance for companies’ carbon information disclosure and support the establishment of official carbon disclosure standards.

Smart cities are a way for China to construct an innovative and environmentally conscious nation. The paper examines the impact of smart cities on corporate green governance and provides a theoretical foundation for formulating and executing smart city policy in China. Based on panel data from Chinese A-share listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen from 2008 to 2020, this study constructs a multiperiod double-difference model to examine the influence of smart cities on corporate green governance. Additionally, it uses a spatial double-difference model to investigate the spatial spillover effect of smart cities on neighboring areas. The findings indicate that smart cities effectively enhance corporate green governance. Analyzing the influencing mechanisms reveals that resource allocation efficiency, technological innovation, management environmental awareness, and regional environmental enforcement efforts act as mediators. Furthermore, the study reveals that the impact of smart cities on promoting corporate green governance is more pronounced in regions with lower levels of marketization and resource-based cities. Moreover, the research explores the spatial spillover effects of smart cities, with an effective radius of approximately 350 km. The optimal spatial correlation zone for green governance of businesses in neighboring areas in relation to smart cities is within a range of 250–350 km. This is manifested by the significant promotion of green governance in neighboring area businesses facilitated by smart cities.

The promotion of energy efficiency (EE) helps address energy constraints and promote environmental sustainability. This study comprehensively explores the spatiotemporal variations, influencing factors, and configuration promotion paths of EE in 284 Chinese cities during 2003‒2019 using the global super-efficiency minimum distance to strong efficient frontier (G-S-MinDS), exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA), multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR), and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) methods. The findings are: ① China’s cities have an annual average EE of 0.658 with a growth rate of 0.53%, showing considerable promotion potential. ② Industrial structure optimization, population agglomeration, economic development, and increased green coverage contribute positively, while government intervention and openness hinder China’s urban EE. ③ Four configurational promotion paths for enhancing China’s urban EE are identified, where among those paths population density is a core condition, while government intervention is not. This study provides valuable insights into substantially improving urban EE, emphasizing the need for targeted policies to address energy and environmental crises in China.

Carbon peak and carbon neutrality (dual-carbon) are important targets for the international response to climate change. The Silk Road Economic Belt is a strategic resource region and is important for future ecological environment and tourism development. Based on the “dual-carbon” targets, the Single index quantification, Multiple index synthesis, and Poly-criteria integration evaluation model were used in this study to measure the coordinated development index of the ecological environment, public service, and tourism economy along the Silk Road Economic Belt and to analyze its spatial and temporal evolution. Further, it explores the dynamic evolution and development trend of the three systems using the Kernel Density and Grey Markov Prediction Model. The results show that the coordinated development index along this region needs to be improved during the study period. Furthermore, the coordinated development index of the Southwest region is relatively higher than that of the Northwest region. From the development trend of the three systems, all of them develop in a stable manner; however, the tourism economy system is easily affected by external disturbances. The coordinated development index of the three systems changes dynamically and tends to be in a good state of coordination. There is a certain spatial and temporal heterogeneity. The gravity center of the coordinated development index has been in the Southwest region. During the forecast period, the coordinated development index along this region will improve significantly, while insufficient and unbalanced development will continue.

The discharge of nuclear-contaminated water containing radionuclides into the ocean by Japan will lead to its integration into the entire ecosystem through processes of circulation and biomagnification, eventually entering the human body via the food chain. This poses a substantial risk of irreversible damage to both the ecosystem and human health, a situation that will worsen with the ongoing discharge of such water. The respect and protection of human rights represent an international consensus, and safeguarding fundamental human rights is a substantial obligation that states must undertake in accordance with both international and domestic law. Since the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan has continuously violated its international legal obligations to protect human rights in several areas, including the resettlement of disaster victims, the reduction of nuclear radiation levels, and the handling of contaminated water. Such actions have compromised and will continue to compromise the basic human rights of not only its citizens but also those of people worldwide, including environmental rights, the right to life, development rights, and food rights. In the aftermath of the Fukushima meltdown, the public and workers involved in handling nuclear contaminants have been continually exposed to high radiation levels, endangering their rights to life, development, and health. Japan’s inadequate efforts in victim resettlement and environmental restoration have jeopardized the environmental and food rights of its citizens to live healthily and access food in an environment unaffected by nuclear radiation. The release of nuclear-contaminated water poses a risk of Japan’s nuclear pollution to the people of neighboring countries and the global population at large. The principle of human rights underpins the theory of a community with a shared future for humanity, and human rights are a crucial area of China’s active participation in United Nations affairs and global governance. By voicing concerns over Japan’s potential human rights violations globally, China demonstrates its role as a responsible major country. In response to Japan’s breach of legal obligations and human rights violations, China can adopt a reasoned and beneficial approach, including calling on the international community to hold Japan criminally accountable for crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute and advancing scholarly discussions on ecocide and crimes against the marine environment. Furthermore, China should persist in seeking advisory opinions from the International Court of Justice and strive for substantive accountability, utilizing the mechanisms of international human rights organizations to make its voice heard.