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Coupled Human and Natural Cube: A novel framework for analyzing the multiple interactions between humans and nature
LIU Haimeng, FANG Chuanglin, FANG Kai
Journal of Geographical Sciences ›› 2020, Vol. 30 ›› Issue (3) : 355-377.
PDF(4623 KB)
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Coupled Human and Natural Cube: A novel framework for analyzing the multiple interactions between humans and nature
({{custom_author.role_en}}), {{javascript:window.custom_author_en_index++;}}Understanding the interactions between humans and nature in the Anthropocene is central to the quest for both human wellbeing and global sustainability. However, the time-space compression, long range interactions, and reconstruction of socio-economic structures at the global scale all pose great challenges to the traditional analytical frameworks of human-nature systems. In this paper, we extend the connotation of coupled human and natural systems (CHANS) and their four dimensions—space, time, appearance, and organization, and propose a novel framework: “Coupled Human and Natural Cube” (CHNC) to explain the coupling mechanism between humans and the natural environment. Our proposition is inspired by theories based on the human-earth areal system, telecoupling framework, planetary urbanization, and perspectives from complexity science. We systematically introduce the concept, connotation, evolution rules, and analytical dimensions of the CHNC. Notably there exist various “coupling lines” in the CHNC, connecting different systems and elements at multiple scales and forming a large, nested, interconnected, organic system. The rotation of the CHNC represents spatiotemporal nonlinear fluctuations in CHANS in different regions. As a system continually exchanges energy with the environment, a critical phase transition occurs when fluctuations reach a certain threshold, leading to emergent behavior of the system. The CHNC has four dimensions—pericoupling and telecoupling, syncoupling and lagcoupling, apparent coupling and hidden coupling, and intra-organization coupling and inter-organizational coupling. We mainly focus on the theoretical connotation, research methods, and typical cases of telecoupling, lagcoupling, hidden coupling, and inter-organizational coupling, and put forward a human-nature coupling matrix to integrate multiple dimensions. In summary, the CHNC provides a more comprehensive and systematic research paradigm for understanding the evolution and coupling mechanism of the human-nature system, which expands the analytical dimension of CHANS. The CHNC also provides a theoretical support for formulating regional, sustainable development policies for human wellbeing.
Coupled Human and Natural Cube / human-environment systems / social-ecological systems / pericoupling and telecoupling / climate change / urbanization / human activity / complexity science / sustainability science {{custom_keyword}} /
Table 1 Comparison of different coupling types in the Coupled Human and Natural Cube |
| Conceptual framework | Analysis dimensions | Coupling type | Concept | Diagram | Research methods | Typical cases |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| “CHNC” | Space | Intracoupling | Interaction between subsystems, as well as the elements within the particular areal system. |         | Statistics, coupling degree, coupling coordination degree, etc. | Omitted |
| Telecoupling | Interaction between humans and nature in different remote areal systems, or in different spatial scales. Two categories: Multi- regional telecoupling (MRTC) and multi- scale telecoupling (MSTC). | Multi-region input-output model, spatial Durbin model, hierarchical spatial autoregressive model, network analysis, material flow analysis, energy flow analysis, etc. | MRTC: Water diversion, industry transfer, tourism, international trade, technology transfer, investment; MSTC: Local responses to climate change, global diffusion of local pollution | |||
| Time | Syncoupling | Interaction effect between humans and nature occurring in a similar time section. | Statistics, coupling degree, coupling coordination degree, time series analysis, etc. | Omitted | ||
| Lagcoupling | Interaction and feedback between humans and nature in different time periods; the causal chain has relative long time intervals. | Time-delay model, dynamic general equilibrium model, multi-level temporal autoregressive modeling, etc. | The time lag effect of environmental investment on local eco-environment; the 1.5 C global warming target in the Paris Agreement has important effect for current policy. | |||
| Appear- ance | Apparent coupling | Direct interaction between subsystems; elements within the CHANS and causal chain are A→B | Correlations analysis, linear regression analysis, coupling degree, coupling coordination degree, etc. | Omitted | ||
| Hidden coupling | Interaction between elements or systems is not direct, but works indirectly through a mediator or through an implied system or element, and the causal chain is A→C→B or A(C)→B. | Mediating effects model, multi-region input-output model, environmental footprint, life cycle assessment, etc. | A→C→B: Urbanization has indirect effects on carbon emissions by influencing the structure and intensity of energy consumption; A(C)→B: Pollutants, carbon emissions, virtual water hidden in international trade. | |||
| Organization | Intra- organizational coupling | Interaction between humans and nature in a particular organization. | Statistics, game theory, etc. | Omitted | ||
| Inter- organizational coupling | Complex interest game to tradeoff human development and environment between different organizations and stakeholders. | Game theory, multi-agent modeling, complex adaptive systems theory, multicenter self-organization theory, complex networks, big data analysis, etc. | Stakeholders such as government, farmers, medias and NGOs have different roles and behavioral responses in ecological compensation. |
Table 2 Human-nature coupling matrix |
| Analysis dimension | Space | Time | Appearance | Organization |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Space | Intracoupling or telecoupling | Intracoupling or telecoupling + syncoupling or lagcoupling | Intracoupling or telecoupling + apparent or hidden coupling | Intracoupling or telecoupling + intra-organizational or inter- organizational coupling |
| Time | Syncoupling or lagcoupling + intracoupling or telecoupling | Syncoupling or lagcoupling | Syncoupling or lagcoupling + apparent or hidden coupling | Syncoupling or lagcoupling + intra-organizational or inter-organizational coupling |
| Appearance | Apparent or hidden coupling + intracoupling or telecoupling | Apparent or hidden coupling + syncoupling or lagcoupling | Apparent or hidden coupling | Apparent or hidden coupling + intra-organizational or inter-organizational coupling |
| Organization | Intra-organizational or inter-organizational coupling + intracoupling or telecoupling | Intra-organizational or inter-organizational coupling + syncoupling or lagcoupling | Intra-organizational or inter- organizational coupling + apparent or hidden coupling | Intra-organizational or inter-organizational coupling |
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Global environmental change and sustainability science increasingly recognize the need to address the consequences of changes taking place in the structure and function of the biosphere. These changes raise questions such as: Who and what are vulnerable to the multiple environmental changes underway, and where? Research demonstrates that vulnerability is registered not by exposure to hazards (perturbations and stresses) alone but also resides in the sensitivity and resilience of the system experiencing such hazards. This recognition requires revisions and enlargements in the basic design of vulnerability assessments, including the capacity to treat coupled human-environment systems and those linkages within and without the systems that affect their vulnerability. A vulnerability framework for the assessment of coupled human-environment systems is presented.
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There is a need to find a comprehensive approach focusing on the conflicts between economical growth and environmental protection. Chinese scholars advocate a comprehensive ecosystem viewpoint named social-economic-natural complex ecosystem(SENCE). The kernel of the concept lies in the hierarchical structure of SENCE, through which methods from ecological network can be useful to the compound system. The author gives a schema depicting its structure, following a model analysis to help understand the reliance of economy on ecosystem. It is obvious that more actions should be done to strive for sustainable development.
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Health policy and systems research (HPSR) has changed considerably over the last 20 years, but its main purpose remains to inform and influence health policies and systems. Whereas goals that underpin health systems have endured - such as a focus on health equity - contexts and priorities change, research methods progress, and health organisations continue to learn and adapt, in part by using HPSR. For HPSR to remain relevant, its practitioners need to re-think how health systems are conceptualised, to keep up with rapid changes in how we diagnose and manage disease and use information, and consider factors affecting people's health that go well beyond healthcare systems. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent a shifting paradigm in human development by seeking convergence across sectors. They also offer an opportunity for HPSR to play a larger role, given its pioneering work on applying systems thinking to health, its focus on health equity, and the strength of its multi-disciplinary approaches that make it a good fit for the SDG era.Globally, population health is being challenged in different ways, from climate change and growing air pollution and toxic environmental exposure to food insecurity, massive population migration and refugee crises, to emerging and re-emerging diseases. Each of these trends reinforce each other and concentrate their harms on the most vulnerable populations. Multi-level governance, together with novel regulatory strategies and socially oriented investments, are key to successful action against many of the new challenges, with HPSR guiding their design and evolution.The HPSR community cannot be complacent about its successful, yet short, history. Tensions remain about how different stakeholders use HPSR such as the contrast between embedding research within government institutions versus independently evaluating and holding decision-makers accountable. Such tensions are inevitable in the boundary-spanning field that HPSR has become. We should strive to enhance the influence of HPSR by staying relevant in a changing world and embracing the strength of our diversity of disciplines, the range of problems addressed, and the opportunity of the SDGs to ensure that health and social benefits are more inclusive for people within and across countries.
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This paper examines local people's knowledge, attitudes and perceptions towards Wolong Biosphere Reserve (WBR) and its management policies. Pertinent data were collected through a questionnaire survey and group discussions. This study revealed that local people's perceptions were affected by many factors, including education, gender, residence location, household size and acreage of land owned. Although most respondents had limited knowledge about WBR because of their absence in WBR management, they held a positive attitude towards WBR. An in-depth analysis of their attitudes and perceptions showed that two potential conflicts might affect biodiversity conservation and protected area management. One of them was the imbalance between the limited cropland holding and the oversupply of the labor force, and the other one was the increase in electricity price versus the decrease in economic incentives for the Natural Forest Protection Project. The study also revealed that relocation was considered unacceptable to most respondents. However, those residing far from the main road were willing to relocate more than those near the main road. Based on our studies, some recommendations are given for improvement of WBR management.
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Although scientists have warned of possible social perils resulting from climate change, the impacts of long-term climate change on social unrest and population collapse have not been quantitatively investigated. In this study, high-resolution paleo-climatic data have been used to explore at a macroscale the effects of climate change on the outbreak of war and population decline in the preindustrial era. We show that long-term fluctuations of war frequency and population changes followed the cycles of temperature change. Further analyses show that cooling impeded agricultural production, which brought about a series of serious social problems, including price inflation, then successively war outbreak, famine, and population decline successively. The findings suggest that worldwide and synchronistic war-peace, population, and price cycles in recent centuries have been driven mainly by long-term climate change. The findings also imply that social mechanisms that might mitigate the impact of climate change were not significantly effective during the study period. Climate change may thus have played a more important role and imposed a wider ranging effect on human civilization than has so far been suggested. Findings of this research may lend an additional dimension to the classic concepts of Malthusianism and Darwinism.
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Water can be redistributed through, in physical terms, water transfer projects and virtually, embodied water for the production of traded products. Here, we explore whether such water redistributions can help mitigate water stress in China. This study, for the first time to our knowledge, both compiles a full inventory for physical water transfers at a provincial level and maps virtual water flows between Chinese provinces in 2007 and 2030. Our results show that, at the national level, physical water flows because of the major water transfer projects amounted to 4.5% of national water supply, whereas virtual water flows accounted for 35% (varies between 11% and 65% at the provincial level) in 2007. Furthermore, our analysis shows that both physical and virtual water flows do not play a major role in mitigating water stress in the water-receiving regions but exacerbate water stress for the water-exporting regions of China. Future water stress in the main water-exporting provinces is likely to increase further based on our analysis of the historical trajectory of the major governing socioeconomic and technical factors and the full implementation of policy initiatives relating to water use and economic development. Improving water use efficiency is key to mitigating water stress, but the efficiency gains will be largely offset by the water demand increase caused by continued economic development. We conclude that much greater attention needs to be paid to water demand management rather than the current focus on supply-oriented management.
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PDF(4623 KB)
Figure 1 Conceptual illustration of coupled human and natural systemsFigure 2 The conceptual illustration of Coupled Human and Natural CubeFigure 3 Evolution and nested-scaling of Coupled Human and Natural CubeFigure 4 Cross-scale telecouplingFigure 5 Syncoupling and lagcoupling of human-nature systemsFigure 6 A case of hidden telecouplings: Tele-connecting local primary PM2.5 emissions to global consumptionFigure 7 Inter-organizational couplings of human-nature systems
Table 1 Comparison of different coupling types in the Coupled Human and Natural CubeTable 2 Human-nature coupling matrix/
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