event 10 Aug 2022

Research Article // Synergies evaluation and influencing factors analysis of the water–energy–food nexus from symbiosis perspective: A case study in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region

By Yong Wang and colleagues. This study uses symbiosis theory, the evaluation index system of WEF nexus synergies for this study involved applying three criteria: symbiotic units, symbiotic relationships, and symbiotic environments. The set pair analysis-variable fuzzy sets model was applied to calculate synergy grade eigenvalues and evaluate the WEF nexus synergy grades for 2005–2017 in the BTH.

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Graphical Abstract (Wang et al., 2022)

Abstract

In the context of global population growth and environmental degradation, research on the synergies of the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus is important for sustainable regional development. Using symbiosis and synergy theories, the authors constructed a synergy evaluation index for the WEF nexus and used the set pair analysis-variable fuzzy sets model to analyze the WEF nexus synergies in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region (BTH) of China, from 2005 to 2017. The main factors affecting WEF nexus synergies were also analyzed, with results indicating that: 1) the WEF nexus synergies were the best in Beijing, followed by the BTH as a whole, Tianjin, and then Hebei. We also found that WEF nexus synergy grades have been gradually improving over time, with Beijing improving the most, and Tianjin the least. 2) The WEF nexus synergy grades in each region, for symbiotic units, symbiotic relationships, and symbiotic environments, have also gradually improved. And symbiotic relationship synergies were better than symbiotic environment synergies than symbiotic unit synergies. 3) The WEF nexus symbiotic unit synergies were strongest in Tianjin, followed by Beijing, the BTH as a whole, and then Hebei. The symbiotic relationship synergies were strongest in Beijing, followed by Hebei, the BTH as a whole, and then Tianjin. The symbiotic environment synergies were also strongest in Beijing, followed this time by the BTH as a whole, Tianjin, and then Hebei. 4) Economic factors and symbiotic unit synergies were found to be the aspects most influential on WEF nexus synergies in each region. In addition, symbiotic relationship synergies were found to have important impacts on the WEF nexus synergies in Hebei and the BTH as a whole. Overall, we were able to conclude that the methodology developed in this study provided a scientific basis for synergy optimization in the context of a regional WEF nexus

Published

November 2021

By

STOTEN | Science of The Total Environment | Journal | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier

Citation

Wang, Y., Xie, Y., Qi, L., He, Y., & Bo, H. (2022). Synergies evaluation and influencing factors analysis of the water–energy–food nexus from symbiosis perspective: A case study in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region. Science of The Total Environment, 818, 151731.

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Synergies evaluation and influencing factors analysis of the water–energy–food nexus from symbiosis perspective: A case study in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region

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