**4.1 The impact of environmental change on spatial carrying capacity of River Basin**

Environmental changes have intensified the vulnerability and instability of the whole basin space, and the spatial carrying pressure in the basin is increasing. With the continuous development of the resources in the basin, the vulnerability of the basin environment is increasing. The reserve of resource elements in the basin has become a huge constraint on the carrying capacity of the basin, especially the shortage of water resources has a great impact on the development of the basin. As an important area of ecological security, energy security, food security and economic security in China, the Yellow River Basin has serious problems such as low water use efficiency, shortage of water resources and serious water pollution in some provinces and regions. The imbalance of water supply and demand has become a serious challenge to the sustainable economic and social development of some provinces [12].

From the perspective of water carrying capacity, the total water load of the basin is too large. Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia. The water carrying capacity of Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces is in the state of overload and serious overload. Except for Qinghai Province and Gannan Prefecture of Gansu Province, the per capita water resources of other cities are in low and very low levels. The water consumption of ten thousand yuan industrial added value, groundwater exploitation coefficient and ecological environment water use rate are all in low and very low levels. Among them, the groundwater in Inner Mongolia except Alxa League is in low and very low level. The exploitation coefficient is above 15. The development

**255**

*Spatial Carrying Capacity and Sustainability: Cities, Basins, Regional Transformation*

and utilization degree of groundwater is very high. The irrigation water takes up 72.5% of the total water, and the ecological environment water consumption rate is

In terms of water quality carrying capacity, the water quality of the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River is poor. The water quality carrying capacity of Qinghai Province is mostly in the state of overload, while Xining city is in the state of overload; the water quality carrying capacity of some cities in Ningxia, Inner Mongolia and Shanxi Province is seriously overloaded, and the water quality standard rate and per capita pollutant discharge of water functional areas are in low

**4.2 The unsustainable problems in the utilization of water resources in River** 

The lower reaches of the Yellow River are frequently cut off, resulting in serious water shortage. The Yellow River has been cut off since 1972, and the time and frequency of the water cut-off are getting higher and higher. The Yellow River almost becomes a seasonal river, and the supply of water resources has exceeded its carrying capacity. The Yellow River Basin is a typical monsoon climate region. The runoff is mainly formed by rainfall [14]. The temporal and spatial distribution is extremely uneven, and the rainfall in flood season is abundant, which makes the contradiction between supply and demand of water resources more prominent in

The phenomenon of waste and low utilization of water resources is prominent.

accounts for about 90% of the total water diversion in Shandong Province, and the main way is flood irrigation and string irrigation. The lining rate of the Yellow River diversion channel is only 7.5%. The irrigation area is short of supporting facilities and serious leakage. The irrigation water utilization coefficient is only about 0.4, compared with 0.7–0.8 in advanced countries, the waste is very serious [15]. The water ecosystem is destroyed, the water quality is deteriorated and the function of water body is reduced. With the continuous growth of population and the rapid development of industry and agriculture, the amount of sewage discharge has increased sharply. The increase of sewage discharge and the discharge of sewage exceed the standard, which makes the water pollution of the Yellow River become more and more serious. The pollution has developed from the tributary to the main stream, and the pollution of the main stream has also spread from the upper reaches

**4.3 Improvement of basin carrying capacity under sustainable development** 

with complementary advantages and high-quality development.

The natural ecological background of the Yellow River Basin is fragile and the amount of water resources is limited. Due to the sharing of water resources in the Yellow River Basin, the water resources carrying capacity of each city forms a common support and constraint, the total amount is fixed, and the relationship between this and the other is ebb and flow. Ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin is a major national strategy. In order to implement this strategy, we should give full play to the leading role of central cities in the Yellow River Basin, enhance the comprehensive carrying capacity and resource allocation efficiency of the Yellow River Basin, and form a regional layout

Taking Shandong as an example, the irrigation water from the Yellow River

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.94130*

only 4.7% [13].

and very low levels.

non-flood season.

to the middle and lower reaches.

**goals**

**Basin**

*Spatial Carrying Capacity and Sustainability: Cities, Basins, Regional Transformation DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.94130*

and utilization degree of groundwater is very high. The irrigation water takes up 72.5% of the total water, and the ecological environment water consumption rate is only 4.7% [13].

In terms of water quality carrying capacity, the water quality of the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River is poor. The water quality carrying capacity of Qinghai Province is mostly in the state of overload, while Xining city is in the state of overload; the water quality carrying capacity of some cities in Ningxia, Inner Mongolia and Shanxi Province is seriously overloaded, and the water quality standard rate and per capita pollutant discharge of water functional areas are in low and very low levels.

#### **4.2 The unsustainable problems in the utilization of water resources in River Basin**

The lower reaches of the Yellow River are frequently cut off, resulting in serious water shortage. The Yellow River has been cut off since 1972, and the time and frequency of the water cut-off are getting higher and higher. The Yellow River almost becomes a seasonal river, and the supply of water resources has exceeded its carrying capacity. The Yellow River Basin is a typical monsoon climate region. The runoff is mainly formed by rainfall [14]. The temporal and spatial distribution is extremely uneven, and the rainfall in flood season is abundant, which makes the contradiction between supply and demand of water resources more prominent in non-flood season.

The phenomenon of waste and low utilization of water resources is prominent. Taking Shandong as an example, the irrigation water from the Yellow River accounts for about 90% of the total water diversion in Shandong Province, and the main way is flood irrigation and string irrigation. The lining rate of the Yellow River diversion channel is only 7.5%. The irrigation area is short of supporting facilities and serious leakage. The irrigation water utilization coefficient is only about 0.4, compared with 0.7–0.8 in advanced countries, the waste is very serious [15].

The water ecosystem is destroyed, the water quality is deteriorated and the function of water body is reduced. With the continuous growth of population and the rapid development of industry and agriculture, the amount of sewage discharge has increased sharply. The increase of sewage discharge and the discharge of sewage exceed the standard, which makes the water pollution of the Yellow River become more and more serious. The pollution has developed from the tributary to the main stream, and the pollution of the main stream has also spread from the upper reaches to the middle and lower reaches.

#### **4.3 Improvement of basin carrying capacity under sustainable development goals**

The natural ecological background of the Yellow River Basin is fragile and the amount of water resources is limited. Due to the sharing of water resources in the Yellow River Basin, the water resources carrying capacity of each city forms a common support and constraint, the total amount is fixed, and the relationship between this and the other is ebb and flow. Ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin is a major national strategy. In order to implement this strategy, we should give full play to the leading role of central cities in the Yellow River Basin, enhance the comprehensive carrying capacity and resource allocation efficiency of the Yellow River Basin, and form a regional layout with complementary advantages and high-quality development.

*Environmental Issues and Sustainable Development*

nationally.

**Basin**

Technical Guidelines (Trial Version)" established standards of practice in provinces, cities (districts) in China. Delineate urban growth boundaries, baseline of farmland, resource and environment through the evaluation system to achieve management and control of urban units; through the economic scale, population forecast and demand update in urban development, and at the same time integrate ecosystem units to achieve urban identity flexible management and control; by responding to the spatial layout of various elements in different scales of space, it can be achieved to realized the carrying capacity and scale of elements to sustainable development

The technological innovation should be used to improve the carrying capacity of resources and environment. A basic assumption of economics is the scarcity of resources, as the supply of resources is limited to the needs of human beings, mainly including the limitation of quantity, quality, time, space, structure, capital and environmental capacity, there is no exception for both natural and social resources. However, technological innovation can improve the utilization efficiency of resources, which alleviating the scarcity of resources to a certain extent, reducing the dependence on natural resources, damaging to the ecological environment, and

**4. Environmental change and sustainable development of river basin**

ing the upstream and downstream subsystems and coordinating the resource elements of each unit. There is a close relationship between the fluctuations of water resources in the basin. Under the condition that the total amount of water resources is fixed, it is of great significance to play the role of overall planning and

**4.1 The impact of environmental change on spatial carrying capacity of River** 

Environmental changes have intensified the vulnerability and instability of the whole basin space, and the spatial carrying pressure in the basin is increasing. With the continuous development of the resources in the basin, the vulnerability of the basin environment is increasing. The reserve of resource elements in the basin has become a huge constraint on the carrying capacity of the basin, especially the shortage of water resources has a great impact on the development of the basin. As an important area of ecological security, energy security, food security and economic security in China, the Yellow River Basin has serious problems such as low water use efficiency, shortage of water resources and serious water pollution in some provinces and regions. The imbalance of water supply and demand has become a serious challenge to the sustainable economic and social development of some provinces [12]. From the perspective of water carrying capacity, the total water load of the basin is too large. Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia. The water carrying capacity of Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces is in the state of overload and serious overload. Except for Qinghai Province and Gannan Prefecture of Gansu Province, the per capita water resources of other cities are in low and very low levels. The water consumption of ten thousand yuan industrial added value, groundwater exploitation coefficient and ecological environment water use rate are all in low and very low levels. Among them, the groundwater in Inner Mongolia except Alxa League is in low and very low level. The exploitation coefficient is above 15. The development

As an important typical spatial unit, basin has the characteristics of coordinat-

improving the carrying capacity of resources and environment.

unified allocation for the basin as a whole and each economic unit.

**254**

Central cities play an important role in promoting regional development. Central cities and urban agglomerations have become the main spatial forms of carrying development elements. For example, with its unique geographical location, Jinan will play an important strategic role in the development of the central city of the Yellow River Basin, whether it is ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin or energy conversion, and its development vision will be highly consistent with the direction and implication of the national strategy. Therefore, it is an important way to promote the development of the carrying capacity of the Yellow River Basin. We should make use of the central city construction to improve the spatial ecological governance pattern of the Yellow River Basin. Taking the central city as the core, through coordinating the development orientation of the city, we can form an orderly urban development pattern and establish a multi-centers, network-based regional ecological governance structure. In this regional ecological governance structure, each region not only seeks its own interests independently, but also adjusts and adapts to each other under the framework of economic zone, realizing the coordination of economic boundary and governance boundary, thus promoting the optimization of spatial water resources governance pattern in the Yellow River Basin.

To promote the cooperation and linkage between the upper and lower reaches of the Yellow River Basin, and promote the urban water resources carrying capacity of the Yellow River Basin. We should strengthen the scientificity of the land and space planning of the central cities in the Yellow River Basin, make full use of the water resources to study and judge the future development direction of the city, promote the rational distribution of industry and population in the central city, and effectively play the role of scientific guidance and macro-control of urban planning. Promote the integration of multiple plans and establish a unified urban space planning system. In addition, it is also necessary to carry out accurate policies on the classification of different main functional areas such as key development areas, prohibited development areas and ecologically fragile areas, so as to continuously improve the spatial governance pattern of water resources in the Yellow River Basin. We should adhere to the principle of determining the city by water, land, people and production by water. The middle reaches of the region should further enhance the ability of energy development, utilization and allocation, strengthen the ecological environment governance and restoration, and actively cultivate the continuous alternative industries. The downstream areas should adhere to the intensive development, continuously transform the development momentum, and enhance the carrying capacity of population and industry. It is important to note, however, that the effectiveness of multi-level governance depends on the smooth realization of collaboration between governments and between governments and external actors, but there is a lack of analysis of how vertical and horizontal governance models empower each other rather than constrain each other.
