Evaluation of regional sustainability through emergy analysis: a case study of nine cities in the Yellow River Basin of China

The Yellow River is an important ecological shelter zone and economic belt in China. However, rapid urbanization and industrialization has produced a fragile ecological environment conditions and unbalanced economic development in the Yellow River Basin (YRB). Ecological protection and high-quality development of the YRB has been China's national strategy since 2019. As the only coastal province with the largest economy and population in the YRB, the sustainable development of Shandong Province is of great importance in the region. This study evaluated the dynamic trend of sustainability levels of the nine cities in Shandong Province in the YRB through emergy analysis. Emergy-based indicators were established and analyzed from 2010 to 2019, taking account of the ecological service emergy (ESE) needed to dilute pollutants and emergy equivalent loss (EEL) on ecosystem quality and human health damage. Results showed that emergy sustainable indicators (ESI) in Tai'an, Heze, Dezhou, and Liaocheng ranged from 1 to 10, which had the potential for sustainable development. The ESI value of Jinan, Jining, Zibo, Dongying, and Binzhou was less than 1, which indicated that these cities were under great ecological pressure. The value of emergy indicators for sustainable development (EISD) of the nine cities all declined from 2010 to 2016, but remained stable from 2017 to 2019. Based on findings from the emergy analysis regarding policy implications and local conditions, the study concludes by providing proposals to improve regional sustainability.