Following a regional-level study conducted in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan (Wang et al., 2014 [1]), this paper presents an approach for municipal renewable energy planning and its experimental application in a Japanese municipality using a Geographic Information System (GIS). The proposed approach is comprised of local issue identification, renewable energy potential evaluation and visualization, site comparison and scenario analysis. GIS was used to analyze and visualize solar, wind and biomass (forest and agriculture residue) potential within Kawamata Town, Fukushima, Japan. According to local conditions, all potential sites were coded and then compared based on different criteria, such as solar radiation, wind speed, slope and land uses, among others. In the scenario analysis section, two scenarios, “renewable energy prioritized” and ”evacuation area prioritized”, were adopted and compared. The scenarios are altered in terms of placement and the number of renewable energy facilities inside and outside evacuation areas within the town. The results generated through the proposed approach can provide information on local potentials of renewable energy resources, as well as renewable energy development alternatives at the municipal level. They can be used in the interactive dialogue for the municipal renewable energy planning process, to help to fulfill the municipality’s post-earthquake energy developmental vision.

Ecosystem services (ESs) assessment plays a significant role in managing ecological resources. Uncovering the complex interdependencies between ESs and their key drivers is an essential preliminary step toward the coordinated management of ESs. Currently, a major challenge lies in precisely evaluating trade-offs and synergies among ESs across different spatial and temporal scales, particularly in capturing their dynamic evolution and determinants. This study focuses on the Tuo River Basin in China, quantifying four key ESs, namely, habitat quality (HQ), nitrogen export (NE), soil conservation (SC), and water yield (WY), and assessing their interactions from 2000 to 2020 at both grid and county scales. Moreover, this study explored the social-ecological driving factors influencing these ESs. The results showed that (1) SC and WY in the region exhibited an increasing trend, HQ and NE declined, and ESs at the county scale showed a central collapse feature; (2) synergies between HQ–NE, HQ–WY, and SC–WY pairs generally increased, the relationships between NE–SC and NE–WY pairs showed slight fluctuations, and there was a decline in the synergies within the HQ–SC pair; and (3) the interplay of all drivers positively affected ESs, with land use/land cover being the most significant and GDP exerting a lower influence. ES assessment results exhibited distinctive characteristics at two scales. Based on these findings, management strategies that incorporate both scales and cross policy boundaries are proposed to effectively meet management objectives. These results can facilitate improved synergy between regional ecological protection and economic development.

A comparative review of the alignment between climate adaptation policies and studies helps identify and narrow their gaps, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of climate adaptation actions in the human settlements. This study systematically traced the development of policies and studies to reveal the evolution of their interactions. An analytical framework for assessing alignment was constructed across four dimensions—level of attention, adaptation target, adaptation action, and adaptation scale—to evaluate the alignment within core concerns. The results indicate that climate adaptation policies have embraced global coordination, while studies have gradually shifted from a theoretical focus to applied practice. The policy–research relationship has evolved from study-led development through parallel advancement to bidirectional interaction, though the efficiency and depth of their synergy remain limited. Across core concerns, overall alignment was relatively strong. Higher alignment was observed in cities and built environments, climate risk and disaster management, and water resource management; coastal areas and health and well-being showed moderate alignment; and ecosystems and biodiversity exhibited relatively low alignment. Alignment is generally strong in terms of adaptation target and action, but weak in regard to adaptation scale, with future scenario simulations and studies at regional and community scales remaining insufficient. Future studies should move beyond “outcome alignment” to “mechanism alignment” by optimizing policy–research bidirectional feedback mechanisms, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and exchange mechanisms, and enhancing coordinated support through resource allocation and governance mechanisms. These findings contribute to the climate adaptation governance theory and provide insights and guidance for the future development of both policies and studies.