Greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural ecosystem account for 7%–20% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, while approximately 17% of China’s carbon emissions are from agriculture. In this study, based on the scientific calculation system of carbon emissions in agriculture, we calculated the carbon emissions of agriculture in the Hotan prefecture between 1999 and 2013 and analyzed their spatial-temporal characteristics; next, we used the LMDI model to study the driving factors of agricultural carbon emissions. The results demonstrated the following: (1) in time series, the agricultural carbon emissions showed three stages of change, i.e., “decline, continued to rise and decline”, during the period of 1999 to 2013 in the Hotan prefecture; (2) In space, the carbon emissions from agricultural land use, paddy fields, enteric fermentation, and manure management were different due to the different sizes of cities and counties. The intensity of agricultural carbon emissions was varied and high, but the agricultural production structure, agricultural carbon emissions structure and other aspects had a high degree of consistency and homogeneity in the cities and counties of the Hotan prefecture; (3) Regarding the driving mechanism, the labor factor, agricultural labor productivity, and planting-animal husbandry carbon intensity are the main factors that increase agricultural carbon emissions in the Hotan prefecture. Compared with 1999, three major factors cumulatively achieved a 199.68% carbon emission increment from 2000 to 2013, of which the labor factor cumulatively increased by 120.04%, the agricultural labor productivity factor cumulatively increased by 54.94% and the planting-animal husbandry carbon intensity factor cumulatively increased by 24.70%. The agricultural production structure factor largely inhibited agricultural carbon emissions of the Hotan prefecture, which cut 99.74% of the carbon emissions from 2000 to 2013. Finally, we proposed policy recommendations, including the acceleration of labor transfer, the innovation and promotion of science and technology, the scientific breeding and rational disposal of livestock waste, and the adjustment and optimization of the agricultural industry structure.

Policy regarding the size of cities is an important component of China’s urban policy prescription. We used a curvilinear regression model in this study to identify the optimal function and conducted curve panel data regression analysis on the panel data of the benefits of the economy, ecosystem services, and city size in China. In doing so, we obtained the regression relationship between city size and the benefits of the economy, environment, and resources of a city. Our main findings are as follows: (1) city size is not the most important factor determining a city’s benefits. However, there is a significant difference in the average city benefit between cities of various sizes; (2) city per capita GDP increase exhibited an inverted-N-shaped relationship with increasing city size, initially decreasing but subsequently increasing. The city size corresponding to the maximum value was usually higher than or close to the actual city size. Thus, it can be concluded that when a city’s population is more than 1 million, its per capita output increases; (3) a city’s resource services benefits all exhibited the trend of improving with increasing city size. This trend was particularly pronounced among cities with a population of less than 1 million; and (4) a city’s environmental services benefits exhibited an inverted-U-shaped relationship with city size, initially increasing but subsequently decreasing.

The human welfare and sustainability of oases have received wide attention because of the fragility of the ecological environment and the instability of these systems. In this study, the sustainability level and the driving forces of emergy utilization in the Hotan Prefecture (in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China) from 2005 to 2015 were evaluated using the emergy approach combined with the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) method. The emergy analysis showed that non-renewable resources (N) accounted for a large proportion of net emergy (U). The Emergy Sustainability Index (ESI) continued to decline in the study period, implying increasing environmental stress. From a long-term perspective, the system’s development is not sustainable. According to the emergy analysis and the LMDI results, it is imperative to pursue the following aims: (1) increase the per capita gross domestic product (GDP) and labor productivity, (2) improve the efficiency of state investment and aid fund utilization, (3) enhance the area’s sustainability level and economic independence, and (4) protect the area’s fragile ecological environment.

Based on metacartography, this study establishes a model to convert the time distance of taking light rail to the spatial distance in meters. On this basis, this study uses the spatial transformation method of geographic information system (GIS) map projection to redefine the distance between two locations with the converted distance and transforms the original map into a time distance map. By spatializing the time distance, this study gives time distance a visual expression. The results show that the influence of light rail on urban form is affected by the distance between the station points and the selected center point; that is, that the transformation is greater when the station points are farther away from the center point, and vice versa. The impact of light rail on the layout of business centers is basically distributed in the shape of a circle. Time distance compresses the traditional urban form. There is still much room for the city to further compress the time distance, and the existing business centers should be upgraded.

Northwest China has been facing a contrast between water resource shortage and rapid economic and social development for a long time, and the enhancement of water resource carrying capacity (WRCC) is of strategic significance in solving this contradiction. In this study, a comprehensive evaluation system of water resource carrying capacity is constructed to define the characteristics of Northwest China, which innovatively integrates the four major systems of water resources, economy, society, and the ecological environment. The improved TOPSIS model is applied to systematically evaluate the dynamic evolution of WRCC in the five provinces (autonomous regions) of the Northwest region from 2000 to 2022. The obstacle degree diagnosis model is used to deeply analyze the spatiotemporal evolution of the main constraining factors. The study finds the following: (1) the Northwest WRCC grows slowly amidst fluctuations, with insignificant inter-regional differences, but at a much slower rate than GDP growth in the same period; (2) WRCC in the Northwest region exhibits significant regional differentiation, with Ningxia and Xinjiang maintaining steady upward trends, while Shanxi, Gansu, and Qinghai show a fluctuating upward trend; (3) the constraining factors for WRCC improvement exhibit obvious regional characteristics and time-stage characteristics, with a spatial mismatch of water resource supply and demand, and with low population and economic agglomeration being the core bottlenecks constraining WRCC improvement in the Northwest region. Based on empirical analysis, this study provides customized WRCC improvement strategies for each province (autonomous region), providing scientific decision-making support for the sustainable use of water resources in the Northwest region.

Targeted poverty alleviation is a major national initiative in China. The Hotan region, located within the four prefectures of Southern Xinjiang, is one of the 14 contiguous poverty-stricken areas in China as well as a quintessential inland arid zone. Water scarcity is the primary constraint on development in the Hotan region and a major bottleneck for Northwest China as a whole. However, previous assessments of the effectiveness of poverty alleviation measures have primarily focused on industrial growth itself, lacking an analysis of the adaptability between key regional resource elements and industrial poverty alleviation measures. The core of promoting targeted poverty alleviation in arid regions is properly managing the relationships within the “industry–water resources” system and achieving a balance between resource use, environmental capacity, and economic development. Focusing on the coordinated development of industry and water resources, this study evaluates the spatio-temporal evolution of the industry–water resource relationships in the Hotan region after the implementation of the targeted poverty alleviation policy with the aim of measuring the sustainability of industrial poverty alleviation outcomes in this arid region. The results indicate the following: (1) The targeted poverty alleviation policy has reduced industrial water consumption. Following the policy’s implementation, industrial water consumption decreased by 541 million m³, driven by improvements in water use intensity and shifts in the industrial structure. The primary contributor to this reduction was enhanced water use efficiency within the primary sector. (2) The policy exacerbated the misallocation of water resources relative to industrial output across the region. The Gini coefficient for water resources versus GDP across Hotan’s eight counties and cities rose from 0.26 to 0.32, indicating a shift from a ‘relatively balanced’ to a ‘moderately imbalanced’ allocation. Therefore, achieving sustainable poverty alleviation in this arid region necessitates enhanced coordination between industrial development and water resources.