Application of an evaluation method of resource and environment carrying capacity in the adjustment of industrial structure in Tibet

doi:10.1007/s11442-020-1730-y

Abstract

Abstract:

With the degradation of natural resources and environment caused by industrial development in some developing countries, the requirement of implementing a “social ecological” approach to development is imminent. Resource and environment carrying capacity provides a means of assessing regional development potential by measuring regional sustainable development in terms of economy, population and resources & environment. This study develops a conceptual framework for resource and environment carrying capacity estimation to support the co-development planning of industries, population and resources & environment. First, the framework constructs an index system for evaluating importance of industry or influence based on the role of industry played in the local socio-economic system. Then, the framework computes the quantitative relations through the importance of local industry, population size and resource utilization and environment effects, and subsequently estimates the resource and environment carrying capacity of the study area. With a particular attention to its land resources, water resources and environment, the Tibet case study shows that: the non-ferrous metal mining, tourism, liquor and refined tea industries play a pillar role in the Tibet’s socio-economic system; under each industrial structure, land resource carrying capacity is the weakest, and water resources carrying capacity is the strongest; to focus on tourism will improve local resource and environment carrying capacity. The research results provide a solid guide for Tibet government’s co-actions in industrial restructuring, ecological protection, and the pursuit of economic development. This study will contribute to bridge the gap between theoretical research and practical applications of resource and environment carrying capacity, and help local governments plan the regional “socio-ecological” sustainable development.

Key words: resource and environment carrying capacity, industrial structure, sustainability, Tibet

NIU Fangqu, YANG Xinyu, ZHANG Xiaoping. Application of an evaluation method of resource and environment carrying capacity in the adjustment of industrial structure in Tibet[J].Journal of Geographical Sciences, 2020, 30(2): 319-332.

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Industries	Output value	Influence coefficient	Response coefficient	Industrial potential
Industry 1	X₁₁	X₁₂	X₁₃	X₁₄
Industry 2	X₂₁	X₂₂	X₂₃	X₂₄
Industry 3	X₃₁	X₃₂	X₃₃	X₃₄
……	…	…	…	…
Industry m	X_m1	X_m2	X_m3	X_m4

Class	Industry type	Weight	Rank
First Class	Non-ferrous metal mining and dressing industry	0.617	1
	Tourism	0.333	2
	Wine and beverage and refined tea manufacturing industry	0.182	3
Second Class	Pharmaceutical industry	0.154	4
	Chemical raw materials and chemical products manufacturing industry	0.137	5
	Printing and recording media reproduction	0.132	6
	Paper and paper products industry	0.127	7
	Culture, education, arts & crafts, sports and entertainment products manufacturing industry	0.127	8
	Food manufacturing	0.118	9
	Agricultural and sideline food processing industry	0.116	10
Third Class	Electric power and thermal production and supply industry	0.078	11
	Non-metallic mineral products industry	0.074	12
	Ferrous metal mining and dressing industry	0.053	13
	Textile industry	0.047	14
	Wood processing and wood, bamboo, rattan, and brown grass products industry	0.033	15
	Electrical machinery and equipment manufacturing industry	0.030	16
	Non-metallic mining and dressing industry	0.017	17

Class	Industry type	Water consumption	COD discharge	Land consumption
Class	Industry type	m³/10⁴ yuan of GDP	kg/10⁴ yuan of GDP	ha/10⁸ yuan of GDP
First Class	Non-ferrous metal mining and dressing industry	106.5	4.88	112.63
	Tourism	24.63	9.85	2.88
	Wine and beverage and refined tea manufacturing industry	79.4	12.09	33.19
Second Class	Pharmaceutical industry	48.74	5.44	15.98
	Chemical raw materials and chemical products manufacturing industry	100.8	6.37	35.83
	Printing and recording media reproduction	19.8	0.32	1.27
	Paper and paper products industry	450.33	90.28	188.41
	Culture, education, arts & crafts, sports and entertainment products manufacturing industry	20.68	0.22	1.02
	Food manufacturing	60.72	6.44	20.82
	Agricultural and sideline food processing industry	93.73	12.46	30.59
Third Class	Electric power and thermal production and supply industry	908.46	0.69	200.00
	Non-metallic mineral products industry	43.62	0.93	71.01
	Ferrous metal mining and dressing industry	93.85	1.14	16.23
	Textile industry	160.44	7.02	31.51
	Wood processing and wood, bamboo, rattan, and brown grass products industry	34.32	1.54	12.85
	Electrical machinery and equipment manufacturing	11.89	0.18	0.12
	Non-metallic mining and dressing industry	133.53	1.75	36.58

Carrying capacities	Business as usual (Scenario 1)		Focus on developing pillar industries (Scenario 2)		Focus on developing tourism (Scenario 3)
Carrying capacities	Population (100 million)	Economy (trillion yuan)	Population (100 million)	Economy (trillion yuan)	Population (100 million)	Economy (trillion yuan)
WRCC	0.81	2.57	4.87	15.44	6.48	20.53
WECC	2.25	7.41	1.93	6.11	2.08	6.58
LRCC	0.04	0.12	0.05	0.17	0.25	0.79