ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Earth Sci.
Sec. Geoscience and Society
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feart.2025.1570713
Water-Energy-Carbon Coupling Relationships and Barrier Analysis: An Empirical Study Based on China
Provisionally accepted
Jinhua Liu*
Pei Pan- China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, China
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Exploring the synergistic development of water resources, energy, and carbon dioxide (CO₂)-the WEC nexus-is essential for promoting regional sustainable development. Using an obstacle degree model, this study identifies key barriers affecting the WEC nexus in China and predicts the future trend of its coupling coordination degree. The findings reveal: (1) From 2008 to 2022, the integrated development level of the WEC nexus in China exhibited a fluctuating upward trend, led by the carbon system and hindered by the energy system. (2) The coupling coordination degree improved from 0.47 in 2008 to 0.53 in 2022, shifting from near imbalance to marginal coordination. Spatially, the southeast outperformed the northwest, and the overall pattern displayed inertial dependence. (3) The main obstacle factors remained relatively stable over time. Specifically, water development was limited by per capita water resources and groundwater proportion; energy by per capita energy production and self-sufficiency; and carbon by investment in environmental governance and green space availability. (4) Projections for 2026-2035 indicate continued improvement in coupling coordination, although enhanced integration policies in water management, energy transition, and carbon reduction are required. This study contributes actionable insights for policy-making and supports ecological-economic synergies through spatial and obstacle-based analysis.
Keywords: WEC nexus, Coupling coordination degree, Obstacle degree model, China, implications
Received: 11 Feb 2025; Accepted: 04 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liu and Pan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jinhua Liu, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, China
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