Analysis of the coupled relationship between grain yields and agricultural labor changes in China

In this paper we establish a model that expresses the coupled relationship between grain yield and agricultural labor changes in China, and present a preliminary discussion of the coupled processes involved in changes in these factors at the county level. Thus, we develop two coefficients on the basis of county-level statistical data for grain yield and agricultural labor for the years 1991, 2000, and 2010, namely, the grain-labor elasticity coefficient (GLEC) and the agricultural labor-transfer effect coefficient (ALTEC). The results of this study show that during the transformation process of agricultural development in China, different kinds of coupled relationships between grain yield and agricultural labor changes co-existed at the same time. For example, between 1991 and 2010, counties characterized by three different coupled modes (i.e., increasing grain yield and decreasing agricultural labor, increasing grain yield and agricultural labor, and decreasing grain yield and agricultural labor) account for 48.85%, 29.11%, and 19.74% of the total across the study area, respectively. Interestingly, a coupled relationship between increasing grain yield and decreasing agricultural labor is mainly concentrated in the traditional farming areas of China, while a coupled relationship between increasing grain yield and agricultural labor is primarily concentrated in pastoral areas and agro-pastoral ecotones in underdeveloped western China. At the same time, a coupled relationship between decreasing grain yield and agricultural labor is concentrated in areas that have experienced a rapid development transition in agriculture, especially the developed southeastern coast of China. The results of this study also show that between 1991 and 2010, 1961 counties experienced a decline in the proportion of agricultural labor; of these, 1452 are also characterized by increasing grain yield, 72.38% of the total. This coupled relationship between grain yield and changes in the proportion of agricultural labor shows a stepped fluctuation and has continually strengthened over time. Data show that mean values for the GLEC and ALTEC increased from–0.25 and–2.93 between 1991 and 2000 to–0.16 and–1.78 between 2000 and 2010, respectively. These changes in GLEC and ALTEC illustrate that the influence of agricultural labor changes on increasing grain yields has gradually diminished. Finally, the results of this study reveal that the ‘Hu Huanyong Line’ is a significant boundary sub-dividing this coupled relationship between grain yield and changes in agricultural labor.     

Characterizing mixed-use buildings based on multi-source big data

To-date few research has successfully integrated big data from multiple sources to characterize urban mixed-use buildings. In this paper, we introduce a probabilistic model to integrate multi-source and geospatial big data (social network data, taxi trajectories, Points of Interest and remote sensing images) to characterize urban mixed-use buildings. The usefulness of our model is demonstrated with a case study of the Tianhe District in megacity Guangzhou, China. The model predicted building functions at 85% accuracy based on ground truth data from field surveys. We further explored the spatial patterns of the identified building functions. Most mixed-use buildings are located along major streets. Our proposed model can identify mixed-use buildings in a city; information is useful for planning evaluation and urban policymaking.     

Combating Desertification and Improving Local Livelihoods through the GGWI in the Sahel Region: The Example of Senegal

The Great Green Wall Initiative (GGWI) has an overall objective of fighting desert encroachment through proven practices of sustainable management of land, and the reinforcement and protection of natural resources and systems of production and transformation, while also ensuring socio-economic development of local communities through multi-purpose activity platforms. The activities described in the present study are designed to accomplish several goals: (1) generate wealth, (2) strengthen access to basic social services, (3) manage the transition to a green economy as a means of creating suitable conditions for the emergence of rural production centers, (4) integrate sustainable development in order to eradicate poverty and food insecurity, and (5) strengthen adaptation and resilience capacities of local populations. The present study was undertaken on the basis of a wide variety of available publications and documentation, including articles and scientific papers, thesis, meeting summaries and reports, concerning the implementation of the Great Green Wall Initiative/GGWI in Senegal.     

Is Larger Scale Better? Evidence from Rice Farming in Jianghan Plain

Small-scale household agricultural production has been in conflict with China’s agricultural modernization. In the context of vigorously promoting rural land circulation and moderate scale management nationwide, research on the relationship between farm size and scale efficiency has become increasingly important. In this paper, we use the “DEA-OLS” two stage method to analyze data from 368 surveys of rice farming households in the Jianghan Plain. The scale efficiency of rice farming was calculated, and the relationship between farm size and scale efficiency investigated. The results indicate that (1) the rice farm size is generally small in Jianghan Plain, with an average of 0.77 ha. The average scale efficiency is 0.88, and it is the main factor limiting an increase in comprehensive technical efficiency. Moreover, 88.32% of households are in the stage of increasing returns to scale. (2) There is a stable inverted “U” type relationship between rice farm size and scale efficiency. Considering characteristics of the householder, the household and land quality, the maximum scale efficiency corresponds to a household with 5 ha of rice farm. (3) Among householder characteristics, age has a significant negative influence on scale efficiency, and scale efficiency is lower for a household whose householder is engaged in non-farm work than for one whose householder is devoted to farming. As for land quality, there was a significant positive effect of irrigation on scale efficiency. Among family characteristics, the application of a machine during the seeding process increased scale efficiency by 3.07%. Therefore, we suggest that local government should actively promote rural land circulation, implement a staged-scale management subsidy, and other forms of support for the purchase of agricultural machinery and technical popularization. Increased investment in irrigation improvements and mechanical facilities and encouragement of farmers to enlarge their farm size could improve scale efficiency and farming profit and lead to the development of moderate scale management.     

Budgeting for climate change: obstacles and opportunities at the US state level

State governments in the United States are well placed to identify opportunities for mitigation and the needs for adaptation to climate change. However, the cost of these efforts can have important implications for budgets that already face pressures from diverse areas such as unfunded pensions and growing health care costs. In this work, the current level of spending on climate-related activities at the state level are evaluated and policy recommendations are developed to improve financial management practices as they relate to climate risk. An examination of state budgets reveals that climate mitigation and adaptation activities represent less than 1% of spending in most states. The data collection highlights the obstacles to collecting accurate spending data and the lack of budgetary and accounting procedures in place. More importantly, the difficulty in benchmarking these activities poses challenges for the analysis of state-level policies as well as planning and modelling future climate-related spending. Other policy contexts, including public pensions and infrastructure, can provide guidance on budgetary and accounting tools that may help states prepare for and more efficiently manage climate-related expenditures.

Key policy insights

• Climate change mitigation and adaptation will require substantial investments across many levels of government on a wide range of activities.

• Currently, US states are not clearly demarcating climate expenditures, hindering the identification of climate-related budgetary risks.

• In the absence of guidelines, these longer term fiscal outlays may remain chronically underfunded in favour of more near-term spending priorities.

• Establishing appropriate financial management and data collection practices is important for more sophisticated cost-effectiveness and policy analyses.

     

Empirical calibration of climate policy using corporate solvency: a case study of the UK’s carbon price support

Emission reductions improve the chances that dangerous anthropogenic climate change will be averted, but could also cause some firms financial distress. Corporate failures, especially if they are unnecessary, add to the social cost of abatement. Social value can be permanently destroyed by the dissolution of organizational capital, deadweight losses paid to liquidators, and unemployment. This article proposes using measures of corporate solvency as an objective tool for policy makers to calibrate the optimal stringency of climate change policies, so that they can deliver the least loss of corporate solvency for a given level of emission reductions. They could also be used to determine the generosity of any compensation to address losses to corporate solvency. We demonstrate this approach using a case study of the UK’s Carbon Price Support (a carbon tax).

Key policy insights

• Solvency metrics could be used to empirically calibrate the optimal stringency of climate policies.

• An idealized solvency trajectory for firms affected by climate change policy would cause corporate solvency to initially decline – approaching but not exceeding ‘distressed’ levels – and then gradually improve to a new ‘steady state’ once the low-carbon transition had been achieved.

• In terms of the UK’s Carbon Price Support, corporate solvency of energy-intensive industries was found to be stable subsequent to its introduction. Therefore, the available evidence does not support its later weakening.

     

区域生态承载力预警评估方法及案例研究

本文针对国家资源环境承载能力监测预警评估中生态承载力评估的需求,探讨了生态承载力及预警的定义与内涵,从预警角度提出区域生态承载力评价的内容与方法,并以京津冀地区为例开展了案例研究。主要结论为：生态承载力是指生态系统提供服务功能、预防生态问题、保障区域生态安全的能力。生态承载力预警评估的实质是评估人类活动是否及在多大程度上影响生态系统在水源涵养、水土保持、防风固沙等主要服务功能的提供,是否产生了生态环境问题,是否影响到区域的生态安全。其评价流程主要包括：区域生态承载力评价指标选取及评价方法和阈值的确定、生态承载力预警状况及变化趋势分析、成因解析等内容。本文提出的生态承载力预警评价的方法及案例,可为全国及区域生态承载力的评估提供基础。     

鄂尔多斯市生态系统服务权衡与协同分析

鄂尔多斯市是中国北方农牧交错带的中心,经济快速发展的同时带来生态环境巨大的压力,该区域生态系统服务及其相互关联的变化对半干旱地区的可持续发展具有重要意义。本文基于2000、2010年鄂尔多斯市的食物供给、碳储存、产水量以及土壤保持4种关键生态系统服务供给核算,采用相关分析探究栅格尺度上4种服务之间的权衡与协同关系,并引入玫瑰图对比不同土地利用类型的生态系统服务关联特征差异。研究结果表明：①2000-2010年鄂尔多斯市生态系统服务整体增强,平均食物供给量由99.5 kg·hm^-2增至224.2 kg·hm^-2,碳储存量由8.32 t·hm^-2增至8.41 t·hm^-2,平均产水量由153.64 mm增至291.90 mm,土壤保持量平均值由47.79 kg·hm^-2增至59.04 t·hm^-2;②产水与土壤保持之间存在协同关系(相关系数分别为0.972和0.771),食物供给与土壤保持之间存在协同关系(相关系数分别为0.505、0.736),食物供给和碳储存之间存在权衡关系(相关系数分别为-0.584、-0.512);③多重生态系统服务供给的热点区主要分布在鄂尔多斯市东部;④产水量和土壤保持、碳储存在耕地和林地中呈现此消彼长的变化方式,而在草地中4种生态系统服务同时增加。     

省级气象云资源管理平台设计与应用

基于OpenStack架构建立省级云资源管理平台,通过整合省级各类硬件资源,将计算、存储、网络等硬件资源纳入统一资源池管理,在此基础上将省级原有的多套虚拟化系统软硬件资源纳入平台统一管理。平台投入使用后资源有效利用率大幅提升,实现硬件资源动态、弹性、可回收利用,能够更好地为各业务部门提供硬件资源服务。通过接管省级VMware、OS等虚拟化系统,平台可以根据业务需求快速部署交付业务系统,大幅提高对气象业务的服务和支撑能力,提高了系统运维的水平和效率。该平台的建成和应用对省级云计算发展和应用具有示范、服务、探索等多重作用,特别是对带动省级信息化建设进入新阶段,探寻省级新的信息化建设模式具有现实意义。     

尺度理论视角下的“一带一路”战略解读

目前,“一带一路”已成为中国的核心发展战略之一。借鉴尺度重构和尺度政治理论,分析“一带一路”战略的内涵、影响和风险。研究发现“一带一路”战略重构了现有的国家角色和地域形式,催生了以跨国基础设施为基础、以资本和经贸合作为支撑的新尺度。该尺度一方面被国际和国内的资本和权力关系不断重构,另一方面也在重构着现有的权力关系和资本积累过程。还从尺度政治视角出发探讨了“一带一路”战略中的风险因素。在国际层面,中国既面临着基于多边国际关系和地方抵抗的尺度上推力量,也面临着基于旧有边界和尺度化表达的尺度下推因素。在国内,“一带一路”战略既面临着地方政府基于政策争夺和地方保护主义产生的重复建设问题,也存在疆独势力等通过国际联系复杂化地方趋势的风险。为了更好地推行“一带一路”战略,中国必须积极应对这些尺度政治的挑战,深入研究尺度政治的机制和破解之道,努力化解海外投资、国际合作和地方治理中的风险。