Towards a Single Integrative Metric on the Dynamics of Social-Environmental Systems

Jiquan Chen, Ranjeet John, Changliang Shao, Zutao Ouyang, Elizabeth A. Mack, Geoffrey M. Henebry, Gang Dong, Ginger R. H. Allington, Amber L. Pearson, Fangyuan Zhao, David P. Roy, Peilei Fan, Gabriela E. Shirkey, Li Tian, Maira Kussainova, Jingyan Chen, David E. Reed and Michael Abraha
Additional contact information
Jiquan Chen: Center for Global Change and Earth Observations, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
Ranjeet John: Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA
Changliang Shao: National Hulunber Grassland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100875, China
Zutao Ouyang: Earth System Science Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
Elizabeth A. Mack: Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Geoffrey M. Henebry: Center for Global Change and Earth Observations, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
Gang Dong: School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
Ginger R. H. Allington: Department of Geography, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
Amber L. Pearson: Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Fangyuan Zhao: National Hulunber Grassland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100875, China
David P. Roy: Center for Global Change and Earth Observations, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
Peilei Fan: Center for Global Change and Earth Observations, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
Gabriela E. Shirkey: Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Li Tian: Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Maira Kussainova: Sustainable Agriculture Center, Kazakh National Agrarian University, Almaty 050010, Kazakhstan
Jingyan Chen: Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
David E. Reed: Department of Environmental Science, University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, Chickasha, OK 73018, USA
Michael Abraha: Center for Global Change and Earth Observations, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 20, 1-17

Abstract: Integrating the dynamics and interconnections of natural and human system properties into a single measure would make it simpler to reliably and repeatedly assess and compare different social-environmental systems (SES). We propose a novel metric to assess the magnitudes and variations in SES dynamics by integrating longitudinal gross domestic product, population, and ecosystem net primary production. We use annual public data across the Asian Drylands Belt (ADB) from 1992 through 2016 for 18 political entities as our testbed for assessing the efficacy of the metric. We perform cross-comparisons with existing natural and social science metrics to demonstrate the validity of the proposed metric, including the Human Development Index and the Palmer Drought Severity Index. The new metric demonstrates notable and meaningful differences in trends among the political entities that reflect major social, economic and environmental events over the 25-year period. It provides unique perspectives about the three pillar components (social, economic and environmental systems) in each of the 18 political entities (PE) of the ADB. The metric also shows meaningful associations with key economic and environmental indicators and great potential for broader application and evaluation, given additional testing in other countries, regions, and biomes.

Keywords: Asian Drylands Belt; social-environmental system; quantitative measure; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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