The Dynamic Analysis and Comparison of Emergy Ecological Footprint for the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau: A Case Study of Qinghai Province and Tibet

Wei Wei, Wenlong Li, Yu Song, Jing Xu, Wenying Wang and Chenli Liu
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Wei Wei: State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China
Wenlong Li: State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China
Yu Song: State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China
Jing Xu: School of Agriculture and Forestry Economic and Management, Lanzhou University of Finance and Economics, Lanzhou 730020, China
Wenying Wang: Department of Life Sciences, Qinghai Normal University, Xining 810008, China
Chenli Liu: State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 20, 1-19

Abstract: The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau is experiencing rapid urbanization and ecological degradation, which have led to unsustainable development. It is urgent to conduct a scientifically rigorous study to evaluate its sustainability. Emergy ecological footprint (EEF) is a new modification of ecological footprint based on ecological thermodynamics. This study applied a modified EEF model and three indicators to analyze the sustainability using data collected from Tibet and Qinghai Province during 1995 to 2014. The grey model (GM) was applied to simulate and predict the ecological status of Qinghai and Tibet. Results showed that: (1) the emergy ecological footprint and ecological deficit of Qinghai province increased in general from 1995 to 2014, while Tibet was still sustainable during this period despite the fact that its ecological surplus decreased; (2) the three sustainability indicators indicate that Qinghai and Tibet are moving away from sustainability; (3) the ecological deficit of Qinghai will keep increasing and the ecological surplus of Tibet will keep decreasing from 2015 to 2024. Finally, several suggestions were proposed to protect the local environment and restore ecological functions in these regions.

Keywords: emergy ecological footprint; emergy carrying capacity; sustainability indicators; grey model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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