The coordination evaluation of ecological environment-economic development-carbon emission and spatiotemporal evolution in the important ecological functional area —A case study in the Yellow River Basin
摘要
Ecology, economy, and carbon emissions (CE) constituted a complex system that interacted, restricted, and promoted each other. Understanding the relationships among these elements was crucial for grasping the interplay between nature, society, and human activities. The Yellow River Basin was a significant ecological security barrier and commercial center in China. Exploring the coupling relationships among the ecological environment (EE), economic development (ED), and CE within the Yellow River Basin (YRB) was essential for its sustainable development. This study used principal component analysis and the coupling coordination degree (CCD) model to assess the interactions between EE, ED and CE from 2001 to 2020 and investigate the causes of their differentiation pattern. The findings revealed that from 2001 to 2020, the coordinated development areas of EE and ED expanded from the downstream to the intermediate and upper reaches, indicating a substantial coordinated development tendency in the west. ED and CE developed gradually and slowly in harmony, and the degree of coupling coordination between CE and EE was the highest. In addition, most of the coupling coordination types among EE, ED and CE changed from dysfunctional decline to coordinated development. From the spatial distribution, the CCD of the lower reaches, middle reaches, and upper reaches all showed an upward trend. The framework of this research could provide a valuable reference for exploring the sustainable development of the social economy at the basin scale and comprehensively evaluating the coordination degree of ecological and economic systems.