Assessment of the impact of climate change on cities livability in China

Li Liang; Xiangzheng Deng; Pei Wang; Zehao Wang; Lishuang Wang

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138339

Assessment of the impact of climate change on cities livability in China

Sci Total Environ. 2020 Jul 15:726:138339. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138339. Epub 2020 Apr 2.

Authors

Li Liang¹, Xiangzheng Deng², Pei Wang³, Zehao Wang⁴, Lishuang Wang⁵

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100149, China.
² Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China. Electronic address: dengxz@igsnrr.ac.cn.
³ Nanjing Agricultural University, College of Public Administration, College of Land Management, Nanjing 210095, China.
⁴ Shandong University of Science and Technology, College of Geomatics, Shandong 266590, China.
⁵ Southwest Forestry University, College of Economics and Management, Yunnan 650224, China.

PMID: 32325298
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138339

Abstract

As global warming worsens, climatic conditions in many regions are undergoing profound change, which could influence certain industries, such as agriculture and transportation, and affect the livability of cities. In this study, cities statistics and meteorological station data of the past decade in China were used to analyze the effect of climate change on cities livability. The livability of 288 Chinese cities during 2006-2016 was assessed using an analytic hierarchy process method. Results showed the mean cities livability index in China has improved about 12% throughout the past decade. Moreover, the Moran's I statistic and local indicators of spatial association revealed that the distribution of cities livability reflects a trend of gradual spatial agglomeration. In addition, geostatistical analysis was used to evaluate the impact of extreme weather events on cities livability. It was established that heatwaves and extreme precipitation events have significant impact on the livability of cities in southern China, whereas freezing weather drives the change of urban livability in northern areas. Combinations of different extreme weather conditions will have greater impact on urban livability. Based on mobile phone user data, the relationship between livability change and climate change in Chinese cities was elucidated to provide reference for urban environmental management.

Keywords: Climate change; Extreme weather; Geostatistical analysis; Livability; Spatial distribution.