Yingjie Li

All Publications

• Transboundary flows in the metacoupled Anthropocene: typology, methods, and governance for global sustainability ECOLOGY AND SOCIETY Li, Y., Jia, N., Yu, X., Manning, N., Lan, X., Liu, J. 2023; 28 (3)

  View details for DOI 10.5751/ES-14351-280319

  View details for Web of Science ID 001075157700001

• SDGdetector: an R-based text mining tool for quantifying efforts toward Sustainable Development Goals Journal of Open Source Software Li, Y., Frans, V. F., Song, Y., Cai, M., Zhang, Y., Liu, J. 2023; 8 (84): 5124

  View details for DOI 10.21105/joss.05124

• Satellite prediction of coastal hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT Li, Y., Robinson, S. J., Nguyen, L. H., Liu, J. 2023; 284

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.rse.2022.113346

  View details for Web of Science ID 001013412200002

• Synthesizing social and environmental sensing to monitor the impact of large-scale infrastructure development ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & POLICY Li, Y., Zhang, Y., Tiffany, L., Chen, R., Meng, C., Liu, J. 2021; 124: 527-540

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.envsci.2021.07.020

  View details for Web of Science ID 000691599800003

• Assessing progress towards sustainable development over space and time (vol 577, pg 74, 2020) NATURE Xu, Z., Chau, S. N., Chen, X., Zhang, J., Li, Y., Dietz, T., Wang, J., Winkler, J. A., Fan, F., Huang, B., Li, S., Wu, S., Herzberger, A., Tang, Y., Hong, D., Li, Y., Liu, J. 2021; 592 (7856): E28

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41586-021-03479-2

  View details for Web of Science ID 000640199200008

  View details for PubMedID 33854242

• Impacts of irrigated agriculture on food-energy-water-CO2 nexus across metacoupled systems NATURE COMMUNICATIONS Xu, Z., Chen, X., Liu, J., Zhang, Y., Chau, S., Bhattarai, N., Wang, Y., Li, Y., Connor, T., Li, Y. 2020; 11 (1): 5837

  Abstract

  Irrigated agriculture has important implications for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. However, there is a lack of systematic and quantitative analyses of its impacts on food-energy-water-CO2 nexus. Here we studied impacts of irrigated agriculture on food-energy-water-CO2 nexus across food sending systems (the North China Plain (NCP)), food receiving systems (the rest of China) and spillover systems (Hubei Province, affected by interactions between sending and receiving systems), using life cycle assessment, model scenarios, and the framework of metacoupling (socioeconomic-environmental interactions within and across borders). Results indicated that food supply from the NCP promoted food sustainability in the rest of China, but the NCP consumed over four times more water than its total annual renewable water, with large variations in food-energy-water-CO2 nexus across counties. Although Hubei Province was seldom directly involved in the food trade, it experienced substantial losses in water and land due to the construction of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project which aims to alleviate water shortages in the NCP. This study suggests the need to understand impacts of agriculture on food-energy-water-CO2 nexus in other parts of the world to achieve global sustainability.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41467-020-19520-3

  View details for Web of Science ID 000594728700014

  View details for PubMedID 33203840

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC7672069

• Spatially explicit quantification of the interactions among ecosystem services LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY Li, Y., Zhang, L., Qiu, J., Yan, J., Wan, L., Wang, P., Hu, N., Cheng, W., Fu, B. 2017; 32 (6): 1181-1199

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10980-017-0527-6

  View details for Web of Science ID 000401663900005

• Mapping the hotspots and coldspots of ecosystem services in conservation priority setting JOURNAL OF GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCES Li Yingjie, Zhang Liwei, Yan Junping, Wang Pengtao, Hu Ningke, Cheng Wei, Fu Bojie 2017; 27 (6): 681-696

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s11442-017-1400-x

  View details for Web of Science ID 000398212600003

• Assessment of forest disturbance and soil erosion in wind farm project using satellite observations RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING Xia, Z., Li, Y., Guo, S., Zhang, X., Pan, X., Fang, H., Chen, R., Du, P. 2025; 212

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.resconrec.2024.107934

  View details for Web of Science ID 001329252700001

• Balancing photovoltaic development and cropland protection: Assessing agrivoltaic potential in China SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION Xia, Z., Li, Y., Guo, S., Jia, N., Pan, X., Mu, H., Chen, R., Guo, M., Du, P. 2024; 50: 205-215

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.spc.2024.08.001

  View details for Web of Science ID 001291776900001

• Prospects for global sustainable development through integrating the environmental impacts of economic activities. Nature communications Han, S., Li, C., Li, M., Lenzen, M., Chen, X., Zhang, Y., Li, M., Yin, T., Li, Y., Li, J., Liu, J., Li, Y. 2024; 15 (1): 8424

  Abstract

  Human economic activities drive the production and consumption of goods and services, contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, the extent of economic growth's influence on the SDGs remains unclear. To fill this knowledge gap, here, we quantified the environmental effects of economic activities and explored correlations between environmental effect and achieving SDGs. We developed six Environmental Footprint Indices, with a higher score indicating better efficiency or lower burden. Here we show that the various Environmental Footprint Indices had synergistic and trade-off effects on most SDG targets indices, but the synergistic effects prevailed. As income increased, the correlation between Environmental Footprint Indices and SDG target indices gradually strengthened. improved production efficiency and consumption changes notably advance SDGs, especially in low-income group countries. Our work provides scientific insights into the impact and prospects of environmental regulation required for achieving the SDGs by 2030.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41467-024-52854-w

  View details for PubMedID 39341803

  View details for PubMedCentralID 7592180

• Floating solar power as an alternative to hydropower expansion along China's Yellow River RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING Chen, K., Jin, Y., Feng, Y., Song, W., Li, Y., Zhou, Y., Guo, X., Li, Y., Kou, X., Zhu, A., Chen, R. 2024; 207

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.resconrec.2024.107689

  View details for Web of Science ID 001266348300001

• Satellites Reveal Spatial Heterogeneity in Dryland Photovoltaic Plants' Effects on Vegetation Dynamics EARTHS FUTURE Xia, Z., Li, Y., Guo, S., Chen, R., Zhang, W., Guo, X., Zhang, X., Du, P. 2024; 12 (6)

  View details for DOI 10.1029/2024EF004427

  View details for Web of Science ID 001239020700001

• Assessment of the coupling coordination relationship between the green financial system and the sustainable development system across China. Scientific reports Li, C., Bao, Y., Li, Y., Yue, M., Wu, L., Mao, Y., Yang, T. 2024; 14 (1): 11534

  Abstract

  Green finance (GF) is recognized as a key driver of sustainable development. While existing studies have extensively discussed the relationship between GF and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), few have explored the coupling coordination relationship between GF and SDGs. In this paper, we use data from thirty Chinese provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions) from 2008-2021 to examine the degree of coupling coordination development (CCD) between GF and the SDGs systems using the CCD model. We find that most SDGs and their sub-goals exhibit a significant upward trend, except for SDG8, 14-16. GF presents a fluctuating upward trend, with a significant decline in 2010 and 2019. The CCDs between GF and SDGs and their sub-goals generally show an M-shaped upward trend in most regions, with most of them experiencing a synchronous decline in 2011-2012 and 2019. In the analysis of regional heterogeneity, the eastern region performs better in SDG8-9, the central region performs better in SDG3, 14-15, while the western region performs better in SDG7. This paper provides empirical evidence for a further in-depth understanding of the relationship between GF and SDGs, which can contribute to advancing GF development and the SDG process.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41598-024-62471-8

  View details for PubMedID 38773254

  View details for PubMedCentralID 9257218

• Intranational synergies and trade-offs reveal common and differentiated priorities of sustainable development goals in China. Nature communications Xing, Q., Wu, C., Chen, F., Liu, J., Pradhan, P., Bryan, B. A., Schaubroeck, T., Carrasco, L. R., Gonsamo, A., Li, Y., Chen, X., Deng, X., Albanese, A., Li, Y., Xu, Z. 2024; 15 (1): 2251

  Abstract

  Accelerating efforts for the Sustainable Development Goals requires understanding their synergies and trade-offs at the national and sub-national levels, which will help identify the key hurdles and opportunities to prioritize them in an indivisible manner for a country. Here, we present the importance of the 17 goals through synergy and trade-off networks. Our results reveal that 19 provinces show the highest trade-offs in SDG13 (Combating Climate Change) or SDG5 (Gender Equality) consistent with the national level, with other 12 provinces varying. 24 provinces show the highest synergies in SDG1 (No Poverty) or SDG6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) consistent with the national level, with the remaining 7 provinces varying. These common but differentiated SDG priorities reflect that to ensure a coordinated national response, China should pay more attention to the provincial situation, so that provincial governments can formulate more targeted policies in line with their own priorities towards accelerating sustainable development.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41467-024-46491-6

  View details for PubMedID 38480716

• Distinguishing Trajectories and Drivers of Vegetated Ecosystems in China's Loess Plateau EARTHS FUTURE Wang, Z., Fu, B., Wu, X., Wang, S., Li, Y., Feng, Y., Zhang, L., Hu, Y., Cheng, L., Li, B. 2024; 12 (2)

  View details for DOI 10.1029/2023EF003769

  View details for Web of Science ID 001153584900001

• Three main dimensions reflected by national SDG performance. Innovation (Cambridge (Mass.)) Wu, X., Fu, B., Wang, S., Liu, Y., Yao, Y., Li, Y., Xu, Z., Liu, J. 2023; 4 (6): 100507

  Abstract

  Unraveling the complexity of the 17 interacting sustainable development goals (SDGs) is crucial for their achievement. Empirically revealing the dimensions of the SDGs helps generalize the dominant features of SDGs and better understand their drivers. Here, using a database of 166 countries' progress toward achieving each individual SDG, we found that about 70% of the variability of national SDG performance can be captured by three dimensions: socioeconomic development at the expense of resource and climate, the environment, and development at the expense of equality. Moreover, these dimensions are mainly affected by the economy; as gross domestic product (GDP) per capita increases, the first dimension increases monotonically, the environment dimension decreases and then increases, and the inequality dimension increases and then decreases. Our findings indicate a dim prospect of eventually achieving all SDGs because of the conflicts between economic growth and resource and climate goals under the current development paradigm, highlighting the importance of sustainable transformation.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.xinn.2023.100507

  View details for PubMedID 37744178

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC10514454

• Mapping global water-surface photovoltaics with satellite images RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS Xia, Z., Li, Y., Guo, S., Chen, R., Zhang, W., Zhang, P., Du, P. 2023; 187

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.rser.2023.113760

  View details for Web of Science ID 001083395800001

• Vegetation resilience does not increase consistently with greening in China's Loess Plateau COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT Wang, Z., Fu, B., Wu, X., Li, Y., Feng, Y., Wang, S., Wei, F., Zhang, L. 2023; 4 (1)

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s43247-023-01000-3

  View details for Web of Science ID 001073675800001

• Escaping social-ecological traps through ecological restoration and socioeconomic development in China's Loess Plateau PEOPLE AND NATURE Wang, Z., Fu, B., Wu, X., Li, Y., Wang, S., Lu, N. 2023

  View details for DOI 10.1002/pan3.10513

  View details for Web of Science ID 001022423300001

• Quantitatively distinguishing the impact of solar photovoltaics programs on vegetation in dryland using satellite imagery LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT Xia, Z., Li, Y., Zhang, W., Guo, S., Zheng, L., Jia, N., Chen, R., Guo, X., Du, P. 2023

  View details for DOI 10.1002/ldr.4783

  View details for Web of Science ID 001002170100001

• Global decadal assessment of life below water and on land. iScience Zhang, Y., Li, Y., Liu, J. 2023; 26 (4): 106420

  Abstract

  The United Nations (UN) has adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aiming to provide human welfare and conserve the planet, now and into the future. Two of the SDGs directly address biodiversity conservation and sustainable development- SDG 14 (life below water) and SDG 15 (life on land). Although the UN has issued annual reports on SDGs, the reports did not consistently reveal the progress over time, because of inconsistent methods such as estimation based on different indicators across years. Our research examined the dynamics of the same 10 indicators for SDGs 14 and 15 between 2010 and 2020. Results indicate that the overall SDG 14 scores had a small growth between 2010 and 2020, whereas the substantial increase in SDG 15 scores spotlighted the conservation efforts and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystem services, especially in countries with biodiversity hotspots. Globally, there was more progress in terms of SDG 15 scores during 2015-2020 than during 2010-2015 (before the UN adopted SDGs in 2015). Surprisingly, SDG 14 score had smaller progress during 2015-2020 than during 2010-2015. Special attention should be given to low-income countries lagging in sustainable development performance when implementing the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106420

  View details for PubMedID 37035006

• Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus Pollution Reshaped the Relationship Between Water Supply and Demand in the Huaihe River Watershed, China CHINESE GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCE Lu, Y., Liu, L., Qin, F., Wang, J., Liu, J., Li, Y., Wan, L. 2023

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s11769-023-1350-4

  View details for Web of Science ID 000946963800002

• Broader applicability of the metacoupling framework than Tobler's first law of geography for global sustainability: A systematic review GEOGRAPHY AND SUSTAINABILITY Manning, N., Li, Y., Liu, J. 2023; 4 (1): 6-18

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.geosus.2022.11.003

  View details for Web of Science ID 000990070900001

• Urbanization does not endanger food security: Evidence from China's Loess Plateau. The Science of the total environment Li, S., Ji, Q., Liang, W., Fu, B., Lü, Y., Yan, J., Jin, Z., Wang, Z., Li, Y. 2023: 162053

  Abstract

  The expansion of construction land due to urbanization is the most rapid land use change in contemporary human history and has always occupied high-quality cropland, posing a severe threat to cropland and food security, it's essential to clarify the impact of urbanization on cropland and food security. This study proposed a research framework based on the regulating role of human activities, used quantifiable complex network analysis to uncover the vital role of urbanization in the evolution of land systems, and combined trajectory analysis of crop yield change to explore the impact of different urbanization modes (urban, town, and township mode) on food security through a continuous observation on 4259 township-level administrative regions of the Loess Plateau from 1990 to 2020. The findings proved that urbanization occupied the greatest land use area of cropland, and the town mode occupied 58.62 % of all urbanization modes encroaching on cropland, which has become a new pattern for advancing the urbanization development in the Loess Plateau. Construction land is more likely to be transferred in than out in the land use transfer network, while other land use types converted to construction land will be difficult to reverse. The Chinese government has implemented pragmatic policies, improved agricultural production techniques, and promoted agricultural intensification, resulting in a considerable increase in crop productivity and crop yield and the achievement of basic crop yield self-sufficiency of the Loess Plateau, so urbanization would not endanger food security. This study not only provides a more systematic research framework for related studies but also provides a theoretical basis for securing food security in other rapidly urbanizing regions of the world.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162053

  View details for PubMedID 36758697

• Mapping 21st Century Global Coastal Land Reclamation EARTHS FUTURE Sengupta, D., Choi, Y., Tian, B., Brown, S., Meadows, M., Hackney, C. R., Banerjee, A., Li, Y., Chen, R., Zhou, Y. 2023; 11 (2)

  View details for DOI 10.1029/2022EF002927

  View details for Web of Science ID 000935036800001

• Exploring the interaction between renewables and energy storage for zero-carbon electricity systems ENERGY Li, C., Chen, D., Li, Y., Li, F., Li, R., Wu, Q., Liu, X., Wei, J., He, S., Zhou, B., Allen, S. 2022; 261

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.energy.2022.125247

  View details for Web of Science ID 000879004800001

• Mapping the rapid development of photovoltaic power stations in northwestern China using remote sensing ENERGY REPORTS Xia, Z., Li, Y., Chen, R., Sengupta, D., Guo, X., Xiong, B., Niu, Y. 2022; 8: 4117-4127

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.egyr.2022.03.039

  View details for Web of Science ID 000794015500006

• Solar photovoltaic program helps turn deserts green in China: Evidence from satellite monitoring. Journal of environmental management Xia, Z., Li, Y., Zhang, W., Chen, R., Guo, S., Zhang, P., Du, P. 2022; 324: 116338

  Abstract

  Solar energy is considered one of the key solutions to the growing demand for energy and to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Thanks to the relatively low cost of land use for solar energy and high power generation potential, a large number of photovoltaic (PV) power stations have been established in desert areas around the world. Despite the contribution to easing the energy crisis and combating climate change, large-scale construction and operation of PV power stations can change the land cover and affect the environment. However, few studies have focused on these special land cover changes, especially vegetation cover changes, which hinders understanding the effects of the extensive development of solar energy. Here, we used Continuous Change Detection and Classification - Spectral Mixture Analysis (CCDC-SMA) based on Landsat images to monitor changes in vegetation abundance before and after the PV power stations deployment. To reduce the interference of PV shading on vegetation abundance estimation, we improved the vegetation (VG) fraction from SMA and developed the Photovoltaics-Adjusted Vegetation (PAVG) fraction for vegetation abundance measurements in PV power stations. Results show that PV power stations in China's 12 biggest deserts expanded from 0 to 102.56 km2 from 2011 to 2018, mainly distributed in the central part of north China. The desert vegetation in the deployment area of PV power stations presented a significant greening trend. Compared to 2010, the greening area reached 30.80 km2, accounting for 30% of the total area of PV power stations. Overall, the large-scale deployment of PV power stations has promoted desert greening, primarily due to government-led Photovoltaic Desert Control Projects and favorable climatic change. This study shows the great benefits of PV power stations in combating desertification and improving people's welfare, which bring sustainable economic, ecological and social prosperity in sandy ecosystems.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116338

  View details for PubMedID 36208517

• Ecosystem service assessments across cascade levels: typology and an evidence map ECOSYSTEM SERVICES Wang, Z., Fu, B., Zhang, L., Wu, X., Li, Y. 2022; 57

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.ecoser.2022.101472

  View details for Web of Science ID 000851101000002

• Unraveling human drivers behind complex interrelationships among sustainable development goals: a demonstration in a flagship protected area ECOLOGY AND SOCIETY Yang, H., Dietz, T., Li, Y., Dou, Y., Wang, Y., Huang, Q., Zhang, J., Songer, M., Liu, J. 2022; 27 (3)

  View details for DOI 10.5751/ES-13275-270315

  View details for Web of Science ID 000879545700005

• Bundling regions for promoting Sustainable Development Goals ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS Wu, X., Liu, J., Fu, B., Wang, S., Wei, Y., Li, Y. 2022; 17 (4)

  View details for DOI 10.1088/1748-9326/ac5c9d

  View details for Web of Science ID 000770431200001

• Global impacts of future urban expansion on terrestrial vertebrate diversity NATURE COMMUNICATIONS Li, G., Fang, C., Li, Y., Wang, Z., Sun, S., He, S., Qi, W., Bao, C., Ma, H., Fan, Y., Feng, Y., Liu, X. 2022; 13 (1): 1628

  Abstract

  Rapid urban expansion has profound impacts on global biodiversity through habitat conversion, degradation, fragmentation, and species extinction. However, how future urban expansion will affect global biodiversity needs to be better understood. We contribute to filling this knowledge gap by combining spatially explicit projections of urban expansion under shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) with datasets on habitat and terrestrial biodiversity (amphibians, mammals, and birds). Overall, future urban expansion will lead to 11-33 million hectares of natural habitat loss by 2100 under the SSP scenarios and will disproportionately cause large natural habitat fragmentation. The urban expansion within the current key biodiversity priority areas is projected to be higher (e.g., 37-44% higher in the WWF's Global 200) than the global average. Moreover, the urban land conversion will reduce local within-site species richness by 34% and species abundance by 52% per 1 km grid cell, and 7-9 species may be lost per 10 km cell. Our study suggests an urgent need to develop a sustainable urban development pathway to balance urban expansion and biodiversity conservation.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41467-022-29324-2

  View details for Web of Science ID 000773315800021

  View details for PubMedID 35338145

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC8956596

• Decoupling of SDGs followed by re-coupling as sustainable development progresses NATURE SUSTAINABILITY Wu, X., Fu, B., Wang, S., Song, S., Li, Y., Xu, Z., Wei, Y., Liu, J. 2022; 5 (5): 452-459

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41893-022-00868-x

  View details for Web of Science ID 000780305100002

• High-resolution mapping of water photovoltaic development in China through satellite imagery INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED EARTH OBSERVATION AND GEOINFORMATION Xia, Z., Li, Y., Guo, X., Chen, R. 2022; 107

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jag.2022.102707

  View details for Web of Science ID 000765292800001

• Global red and processed meat trade and non-communicable diseases BMJ GLOBAL HEALTH Chung, M., Li, Y., Liu, J. 2021; 6 (11)

  Abstract

  Rapid increases in the trade of global red and processed meat impede international efforts toward sustainable diets by increasing meat consumption. However, little research has examined cross-country variations in diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) because of meat trade. We aimed to examine the impact of red and processed meat trade on diet-related NCDs and to identify which countries are particularly vulnerable to diet-related NCDs due to red and processed meat trade.By selecting 14 red meat and six processed meat items, we investigated bilateral meat trade flows across 154 countries. Then, we integrated health data and information on red and processed meat trade to quantify the country-specific burden of diet-related NCDs attributable to the meat trade using a comparative risk assessment framework.Results show that global increases in red and processed meat trade contributed to the abrupt increase of diet-related NCDs, and the attributable burden of diet-related NCDs had large geographical variations among countries. We also identified responsible exporting countries that increase diet-related NCD risks in importing countries. Over the period from 1993 to 2018, island countries in the Caribbean and Oceania were particularly vulnerable to diet-related NCD incidents and mortality due to large meat imports. In addition, countries in Northern and Eastern Europe have exceedingly increased attributable death and disability-adjusted life year rates via meat imports.Our findings suggest that both exporters and importers must urgently undertake cross-sectoral actions to reduce the meat trade's health impacts. To prevent unintended health consequences due to red and processed meat trade, future interventions need to integrate health policies with agricultural and trade policies by cooperating with both responsible exporting and importing countries.

  View details for DOI 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-006394

  View details for Web of Science ID 000714166200003

  View details for PubMedID 34782356

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC8559104

• Integrating ecosystem service supply and demand into ecological risk assessment: a comprehensive framework and case study LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY Wang, Z., Zhang, L., Li, X., Li, Y., Fu, B. 2021; 36 (10): 2977-2995

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10980-021-01285-9

  View details for Web of Science ID 000667133100001

• Ecosystem Services under Climate Change Impact Water Infrastructure in a Highly Forested Basin WATER Li, X., Zhang, L., J. O'Connor, P., Yan, J., Wang, B., Liu, D., Wang, P., Wang, Z., Wan, L., Li, Y. 2020; 12 (10)

  View details for DOI 10.3390/w12102825

  View details for Web of Science ID 000585415400001

• A network perspective for mapping freshwater service flows at the watershed scale ECOSYSTEM SERVICES Wang, Z., Zhang, L., Li, X., Li, Y., Frans, V. F., Yan, J. 2020; 45

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.ecoser.2020.101129

  View details for Web of Science ID 000577345300001

• Impacts of international trade on global sustainable development NATURE SUSTAINABILITY Xu, Z., Li, Y., Chau, S. N., Dietz, T., Li, C., Wan, L., Zhang, J., Zhang, L., Li, Y., Chung, M., Liu, J. 2020; 3 (11): 964-971

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41893-020-0572-z

  View details for Web of Science ID 000548446500002

• Assessing progress towards sustainable development over space and time NATURE Xu, Z., Chau, S. N., Chen, X., Zhang, J., Li, Y., Dietz, T., Wang, J., Winkler, J. A., Fan, F., Huang, B., Li, S., Wu, S., Herzberger, A., Tang, Y., Hong, D., Li, Y., Liu, J. 2020; 577 (7788): 74-+

  Abstract

  To address global challenges1-4, 193 countries have committed to the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)5. Quantifying progress towards achieving the SDGs is essential to track global efforts towards sustainable development and guide policy development and implementation. However, systematic methods for assessing spatio-temporal progress towards achieving the SDGs are lacking. Here we develop and test systematic methods to quantify progress towards the 17 SDGs at national and subnational levels in China. Our analyses indicate that China's SDG Index score (an aggregate score representing the overall performance towards achieving all 17 SDGs) increased at the national level from 2000 to 2015. Every province also increased its SDG Index score over this period. There were large spatio-temporal variations across regions. For example, eastern China had a higher SDG Index score than western China in the 2000s, and southern China had a higher SDG Index score than northern China in 2015. At the national level, the scores of 13 of the 17 SDGs improved over time, but the scores of four SDGs declined. This study suggests the need to track the spatio-temporal dynamics of progress towards SDGs at the global level and in other nations.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41586-019-1846-3

  View details for Web of Science ID 000505617400029

  View details for PubMedID 31894145

• The NPP-Based Composite Indicator for Assessing the Variations of Water Provision Services at the National Scale WATER Zheng, H., Zhang, L., Wang, P., Li, Y. 2019; 11 (8)

  View details for DOI 10.3390/w11081628

  View details for Web of Science ID 000484561500102

• Interactive national virtual water-energy nexus networks SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT Xu, Z., Li, Y., Herzberger, A., Chen, X., Gong, M., Kapsar, K., Hovis, C., Whyte, J., Tang, Y., Li, Y., Liu, J. 2019; 673: 128-135

  Abstract

  Across the globe, many regions import virtual resources to support their development. Although many researchers have studied transfers of a single virtual resource, interactions across two types of virtual resource transfer networks - energy and water, for example - have rarely been explored simultaneously. To address these knowledge gaps, we constructed and analyzed interprovincial virtual water and energy transfer networks, using China (the largest energy consumer and is undergoing severe water scarcity) as a demonstration. The results unexpectedly showed that more than 40% of provinces gained one kind of resource (either water or energy) through trade at the expense of losing the other kind of internal resource (energy or water), and 20% of provinces suffered a double loss of both water and energy. The remaining provinces gained both water and energy. Surprisingly, approximately 40% of transferred water/energy was from relatively water/energy-scarce provinces to water/energy-abundant provinces, further deepening resource inequality. Moreover, 33.3% and 26.7% of the provinces relied more on cross-border trade than on internal resources to support their water and energy consumption, respectively. Furthermore, in terms of total trade volume, 83.3% and 73.3% of provinces depended more on distant provinces via trade than adjacent ones to support their water and energy consumption, respectively. Overall, virtual water-energy networks tended to enhance each other. Trade largely shaped the nexus relationship between water and energy consumption in provinces. Our study suggests that there is an urgent need to assess multiple virtual resource networks simultaneously in other countries to uncover unintended consequences and to develop cross-sectoral and holistic policies to achieve global sustainability and human well-being.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.298

  View details for Web of Science ID 000466418300015

  View details for PubMedID 30981920

• Evolution of multiple global virtual material flows SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT Xu, Z., Chau, S. N., Ruzzenenti, F., Connor, T., Li, Y., Tang, Y., Li, D., Gong, M., Liu, J. 2019; 658: 659-668

  Abstract

  The world is connected through multiple flows of material, but a comprehensive assessment of their temporal dynamics and interactions is rare. To address this knowledge gap, we assessed the evolution and interactions of global flows of virtual water, energy, land, CO2, nitrogen as well as financial capital embodied in international trade from 1995 to 2008. We found that the volumes of all these flows, except for land flow, increased over time. Financial capital flows increased most (188.9%), followed by flows of CO2 (59.3%), energy (58.1%), water (50.7%) and nitrogen (10.5%), while land transfer decreased by 8.8%. Volumes of virtual material flows among distant countries were much higher than those among adjacent countries. The top five countries accounted for a surprisingly large proportion (47% to 80%) of total flow volumes. Different kinds of virtual material flows tended to enhance each other through synergistic effects, and CO2 and nitrogen flows tended to have stronger positive synergetic impacts on the other virtual material flows. Our results suggest that it is important to pay particular attention to such fast-growing material flows, promote cooperation between distant countries, and target countries with the largest flows to achieve global sustainable development goals.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.169

  View details for Web of Science ID 000456175700063

  View details for PubMedID 30580220

• Telecoupling Research: The First Five Years SUSTAINABILITY Kapsar, K. E., Hovis, C. L., Bicudo da Silva, R., Buchholtz, E. K., Carlson, A. K., Dou, Y., Du, Y., Furumo, P. R., Li, Y., Torres, A., Yang, D., Wan, H., Zaehringer, J. G., Liu, J. 2019; 11 (4)

  View details for DOI 10.3390/su11041033

  View details for Web of Science ID 000460819100093

• Toward Rigorous Telecoupling Causal Attribution: A Systematic Review and Typology SUSTAINABILITY Carlson, A. K., Zaehringer, J. G., Garrett, R. D., Bicudo Silva, R., Furumo, P. R., Raya Rey, A. N., Torres, A., Chung, M., Li, Y., Liu, J. 2018; 10 (12)

  View details for DOI 10.3390/su10124426

  View details for Web of Science ID 000455338100092

• Spatio-temporal variations of the flood mitigation service of ecosystem under different climate scenarios in the Upper Reaches of Hanjiang River Basin, China JOURNAL OF GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCES Wang Pengtao, Zhang Liwei, Li Yingjie, Jiao Lei, Wang Hao, Yan Junping, Lu Yihe, Fu Bojie 2018; 28 (10): 1385-1398

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s11442-018-1551-4

  View details for Web of Science ID 000442748400002

• A graded index for evaluating precipitation heterogeneity in China JOURNAL OF GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCES Liu Yonglin, Yan Junping, Cen Minyi, Fang Qunsheng, Liu Zhengyao, Li Yingjie 2016; 26 (6): 673-693

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s11442-016-1292-1

  View details for Web of Science ID 000375111200003