A Water–Energy–Carbon–Economy Framework to Assess Resources and Environment Sustainability: A Case Study of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China

Abstract

Developing a comprehensive research framework that integrates the water–energy–carbon (WEC) system with economic development is crucial to fostering sustainable development. However, common evaluation indicators for sustainable development fail to cover the most up-to-date climate objectives and policies comprehensively and also lack a decoupling analysis between various subsystems and economic development. By incorporating the Tapio model and the coupling coordination degree model (CCDM), we introduce a novel water–energy–carbon–economy (WECE) framework to evaluate the sustainability of regional resources and the environment. Taking the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) as an example, we have constructed a comprehensive water–energy–carbon (WEC) indicator system that aligns with China’s sustainable development objectives and its most recent carbon emission reduction strategies. Employing the indicator system, we conducted an assessment of the sustainable development within the YREB from 2010 to 2019. The results reveal that the YREB has yet to achieve full decoupling between water use, energy consumption, carbon emissions, and economic development, with a prevailing trend towards weak decoupling (WD). The WEC system within the YREB exhibited coordination from 2010 to 2019. Notably, only the WEC system in Sichuan attained good coordination in 2019, indicating the imperative for more extensive initiatives in resource and environmental development to realize sustainable objectives. Finally, we delve into the driving mechanism of the coupling coordination degree (CCD) of the WEC system. Our findings suggest that, from the perspective of system collaborative management, the integrated approach of the WEC system offers superior benefits compared to individual management components. Consequently, it is imperative to bolster collaboration and institute a comprehensive set of policies to ensure sustainable development within the region.