Exploring the spatial heterogeneity of ecosystem services (ESs) and their driving factors under various interaction patterns is essential for informing sustainable development policies. Using Northeast China as a case study, this research investigates eight key ESs, including water yield (WY), carbon storage (CS), food provision (FP), habitat quality (HQ), soil conservation (SC), wind-break and sand-fixation (WS), water purification (WP) and aesthetic landscape (AL). The study examines the complexity of ESs from three dimensions: individual ES, ES pairs and ES bundles, and further evaluates their spatial heterogeneity and socio- ecological drivers. The results indicate that the spatial distribution of ESs remained relatively stable from 2000 to 2020. During this period, WY and FP increased significantly, CS and HQ remained relatively unchanged. SC, WS and AL followed an “increase-decrease-increase” trend, and WP exhibited a “decrease-increase” fluctuation. Overall, synergistic relationships among ES Pairs were more prevalent than trade-offs. Notably, CS showed trade-offs with over 70% of the other ESs, while HQ exhibited trade-offs with SC, WS, WP, and AL. The FP-HQ synergy bundle, primarily located in the Greater Hinggan Mountains and eastern regions, emerged as the dominant ES bundle. Ecological factors—such as solar radiation, temperature, slope, DEM, and NDVI—exerted a stronger influence on ES patterns than social factors like GDP and population density. Furthermore, these ecological drivers had a greater impact on individual ESs compared to ES pairs or ES bundles. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers to understand the complex interrelationships among ESs and to design more effective and regionally tailored management strategies.

Understanding the characteristics and driving factors behind changes in vegetation ecosystem resilience is crucial for mitigating both current and future impacts of climate change. Despite recent advances in resilience research, significant knowledge gaps remain regarding the drivers of resilience changes. In this study, we investigated the dynamics of ecosystem resilience across China and identified potential driving factors using the kernel normalized difference vegetation index (kNDVI) from 2000 to 2020. Our results indicate that vegetation resilience in China has exhibited an increasing trend over the past two decades, with a notable breakpoint occurring around 2012. We found that precipitation was the dominant driver of changes in ecosystem resilience, accounting for 35.82% of the variation across China, followed by monthly average maximum temperature (Tmax) and vapor pressure deficit (VPD), which explained 28.95% and 28.31% of the variation, respectively. Furthermore, we revealed that daytime and nighttime warming has asymmetric impacts on vegetation resilience, with temperature factors such as Tmin and Tmax becoming more influential, while the importance of precipitation slightly decreases after the resilience change point. Overall, our study highlights the key roles of water availability and temperature in shaping vegetation resilience and underscores the asymmetric effects of daytime and nighttime warming on ecosystem resilience.

Green roofs play a vital role in promoting sustainable urban development and achieving carbon neutrality by enhancing carbon sequestration, oxygen release, and efficiency of land use. Despite these benefits, living roof coverage in China remains limited. To address the challenges in policy formulation, operational monitoring, and the absence of multi-scale retrofit strategies supported by robust assessment methods, this study develops a comprehensive evaluation framework. The framework integrates vector data, building age information, and point-of-interest (POI) data, and applies an optimized Prophet model to classify six major climate zones. This approach facilitates the selection of appropriate plant species and substrates while quantifying the potential for carbon sequestration and oxygen release. An assessment of 90 cities reveals approximately 1.3861 billion square meters of rooftop area suitable for green roof implementation, with an estimated annual carbon sequestration potential of 67.30 million tons and oxygen release of 30.36 million tons. Commercial buildings contribute significantly, comprising 65% of the total suitable area. Climate zones 2 and 3 exhibit the most favorable outcomes. The current study provides a reliable quantitative reference for evaluating the carbon sequestration and oxygen release capacities of green roofs and supports the formulation of effective retrofit policies.

Administrative division adjustments serve as crucial policy tools for spatial governance, significantly impacting regional resource allocation, economic development, and administrative governance. However, the impact of administrative division adjustment policies (ADAPs) on air quality is often overlooked. Can these policies improve air quality? By what mechanisms do they achieve this? To address this research gap, in this study, we used a two-way fixed-effects difference-in-differences model to analyze panel data from 192 prefecture-level cities in China from 2000 to 2021 in an effort to examine the effects of China’s ADAPs on haze pollution, utilizing actual implementation as empirical evidence. We analyzed the impact mechanisms from the perspectives of regional industrial structure transformation, technological innovation, and governmental regulatory capacity. We found that first, the implementation of China’s ADAPs significantly improved urban haze pollution, with varying effects observed across different types of policies. Second, ADAPs promote the upgrading of the industrial structure, technological innovation, and the enhancement of governmental regulatory capacity, thereby ameliorating urban haze pollution in China. Third, the influence of ADAPs on urban haze pollution exhibits significant spatial heterogeneity, with differing outcomes observed in regions of varying development levels. Therefore, achieving the dual goals of spatial optimization and environmental improvement necessitates the flexible application of ADAPs tailored to regional realities.

A comprehensive understanding of urbanization impacts on landscape dynamics, eco-environmental consequences, and advancements in human habitation is paramount for effectively advancing urbanization-related sustainable development goals. This study predicted the urbanization process within the Hohhot-Baotou-Ordos-Ulanqab (HBOU) region and its projected implications for ecology, human settlement, and energy consumption in 2020-2050 using multi-source data and models under Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs). The results revealed that the HBOU region’s urban area grew by 624.66 km² between 1990 and 2020. By 2050, it is expected to reach 1793.49±169.30 km², mainly expanding into cropland (58.95%) and natural ecological land (31.79%). Urban greening is projected to enhance, with the highest urban green space (UGS) predicted under SSP1 (32.42%). Under this scenario, the per capita urban area (PCUA) and per capita urban green space area (PCUGA) are projected to reach 172.66 and 55.63 m²/person in 2050, respectively. Furthermore, the ecological and energy utilization impacts are anticipated to decrease by 3.99% to 37.52% relative to alternative scenarios. Our projections suggest that limiting urbanization area in the HBOU region to 1500-1600 km² would significantly enhance the settlement environment and mitigate ecological and energy consumption effects. These results guide urban strategies balancing ecology, energy use, and habitation in arid regions.

This study proposes a framework for the concept of “new quality productive forces” in the ice and snow economy (ISE) as a strategic response to global climate change and the demands of technological and industrial transformation for high-quality development. These new quality productive forces in the ISE have developed alongside the zonal distribution of natural resources, strictly adhere to ecological principles, and integrate value transformation mechanisms specific to ice and snow resources. Their development is projected to generate multiple benefits across ecological, economic, and social dimensions. The new quality productive forces in the ISE are characterized by technology-driven resource development, synergistic integration across the entire ice and snow industry value chain, and a focus on high-quality, green growth. Grounded in geography and economics, the new quality productive forces in the ISE link scientific innovation, the reallocation of productive factors, and industrial upgrading within the context of resource constraints. Furthermore, they expand the growth potential of the ISE by fostering new production relations through digital, intelligent, and green integration, while advancing low-carbon, sustainable development under the guiding principle that “ice and snow landscapes are also mountains of gold and silver.” For China’s ISE, these new quality productive forces emphasize rigorous resource protection, balanced human-environment relationships, a resilient integrated supply chain framework, and an efficient “dual circulation” economic model. Practical strategies include integrating production factors, optimizing spatial resource allocation, fostering industrial synergy, and adapting production relations, all aimed at advancing the sustainable and high-quality development of China’s ISE.

Focusing on investment security along the Belt and Road (B&R) routes, this study analyzes the geopolitical environment (GE) of countries (regions) along the B&R routes from two dimensions: political and business environment (PBE) and political orientation. The results show that since the proposal of the B&R Initiative in 2013, the PBE of these countries (regions) has shown slight improvement but with significant spatial disparities, presenting a pattern of better conditions in the eastern and western regions and poorer conditions in the central regions. There is no strong spatial dependence in the PBE among these countries (regions), but a weak homogenization trend toward improvement is observed. Low-scoring countries (regions) are mainly located in former Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Middle East, and the Indochina Peninsula. These countries (regions) exhibit weak interconnections, demonstrating a characteristic of “similarity without harmony.” (a Confucian concept describing nations sharing superficial traits but lacking substantive cooperation). Therefore, the B&R construction should adopt a clustered and contiguous breakthrough strategy. The evaluation of political orientation reveals significant political divergence among B&R countries (regions), with varying attitudes toward China. Moreover, as pro-China sentiment increases, the PBE tends to deteriorate. This negative correlation suggests that countries (regions) actively engaging in the B&R Initiative generally face political instability and economic underdevelopment, and seek to leverage the B&R Initiative for domestic growth. Consequently, while prioritizing investment security, it is important for the B&R construction to actively promote Chinese values in order to garner support and participation from countries (regions) with more favorable PBE. Given the generally underdeveloped PBE and political polarization among B&R countries (regions), China urgently needs to develop a geopolitical theory aligned with the B&R’s geopolitical model to safeguard its advancement. Simultaneously, China should reshape geopolitical narratives to reclaim discourse power in political interpretation. This study provides preliminary insights into cross-country (regional) political polarization and contributes to advancing GE research.

Vernacular marine knowledge that is originally created by, and circulated among, the indigenous groups is usually appropriated and adapted by authorities and markets to achieve various geopolitical, economic, and social ends. This phenomenon is particularly pronounced in the territorially contested South China Sea (SCS). Folk and indigenous heritage, customs, rituals, and knowledge in relation to the maritime space are utilized and proclaimed as historical evidence to boost maritime sovereignty claims. This research investigates and interrogates the geopolitical relevance and resonance of the continuing evolution of the Chinese marine knowledge record Genglubu, a living part of seacraft and guides written by the Chinese fishermen in Hainan Island recording navigation routes, meteorological, hydrological, and other information for fishing in the SCS. Drawing from assemblage approach, we see Genglubu as an assemblage of marine knowledge (re)production which is engaged and shaped by multiple actors possessing diverse desires and constituted by complex, intertwined processes of human-sea-land interactions. The emergence of Genglubu originates from Hainan fishermen’s daily encounters and use of the SCS, while the transformation and evolution of Genglubu are intimately embroiled in the fierce, dynamic territorial rivalry in the SCS. We also find that the changes to Genglubu risk may alienate local fishermen. By focusing on the relationship between vernacular marine knowledge and the territorial geopolitics playing out across multiple scales, this research advances understanding of the complex geopolitical entanglements surrounding maritime knowledge.

Morphologies of deltaic strandplains are the result of multiple sedimentary dynamics interacting with climate, neotectonic and anthropic impacts. They record long-term evolution of coastal areas but also reveal past and present hazards that can be essential to better predict risks in urbanised deltas. This paper aims to identify the effect of a long-term evolution of the prograded plain of the Tiber Delta in using current ground surface variations and geohistorical data. This study applies GIS (Geographic Information System) tools to LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging)-derived DEM (Digital Elevation Model) data combined with stratigraphical data, aerial photography interpretation and old maps. The main outcome shows areas of subsidence are primarily located in the central part of the Tiber Delta. Lower heights at the river mouth are due to subsidence and specific lower morphologies associated with fast progradation phases, while similar low heights just north in the area of the international airport of Rome are due to subsidence alone. Subsidence under the airport is associated with the compaction of the silty clay infill of the Late Pleistocene Tiber Valley mostly deposited during the Holocene transgressive period. Only observed in the airport area, the presence of washover fans and the large extent of paleolagoons reveal the kind of risks that are increased by this subsidence. This study demonstrates that the densely urbanised central part of the Tiber Delta faces higher risks of marine submersion and coastal flooding considering ongoing relative sea level change. It also contributes to show the importance to better characterise past coastal morphologies to identify areas prone to subsidence.

The thawing of ice-rich permafrost leads to the formation of thermokarst landforms. Precise mapping of retrogressive thaw slumps (RTSs) is imperative for assessing the degradation and carbon exchange of permafrost at both local and regional scales on the Tibetan Plateau (TP). However, previous methods for RTSs mapping rely on a large number of samples and complex classifiers with low automation level or unnecessary complexity. We propose an automatic mapping network (AmRTSNet) for producing decimeter-level RTSs maps from GaoFen-7 images based on deep learning. Both the quantitative metrics and qualitative evaluations show that AmRTSNet trained in the Beiluhe offers significant advantages over previous methods. Without further fine-tuning, we conducted RTSs automatic mapping based on AmRTSNet in the Wulanwula, Chumarhe, and Gaolinggo. Over 141,312 ha on the TP have been automatically mapped, comprising 926 RTS regions with a total RTS area of 2318.72 ha. The average statistics of the mapped RTSs show low roundness (0.38), moderate rectangularity (0.61), and high convexity (0.79). About 90% of the RTSs are smaller than 6 ha. The average aspect ratio is 2.18. RTSs are unevenly distributed in belt-like aggregations with dominant density peaks. RTSs often concentrate in hillslopes and along lateral streams, with more dense areas more likely to have larger RTSs.