Balancing sustainable economic growth and environmental protection in developing countries is an important way to mitigate climate change. Based on panel data from nine provinces along the Silk Road Economic Belt between 2004 and 2021, this paper takes Chongqing, a pilot city for carbon trading rights, as the experimental group and the remaining eight provinces as the control group; we mainly analyze the impact of the carbon emissions trading policy on Chongqing’s carbon emissions and economic development after its implementation in 2013 using the difference-in-differences method (DID) and propensity score matching difference-in-differences method (PSM-DID). Then we use the synthetic control method (SCM) to test its robustness. The results showed that while maintaining the economic development speed, carbon trading helps to reduce carbon emissions. In addition, we also found that the economic activity effect and the energy intensity effect are the mediating effects of the carbon emissions reduction. Finally, taking the policy effect of the carbon emissions trading in Chongqing as a reference, this article confirmed the importance of aligning the carbon trading pathway with targeted green policies from the government. The government should drive the establishment of a regional carbon market in the nine provinces along the Silk Road Economic Belt, which could help to achieve sustainable development.

As a major resource region, Xinjiang is both China’s energy security base and an important hub connecting Asia and Europe. Following the country’s call for carbon emission reduction, the Xinjiang government proposes to accelerate the construction of eight major industrial clusters in 2023. The concept of sustainable development is also reflected in the industrial clusters in areas such as new energy. In this study, we combined panel data from 14 regions and cities in Xinjiang from 2006 to 2020 and analyzed the synergy between the development of industrial clusters, carbon emissions, and economic growth using a coupling coordination degree model. Subsequently, we used the super-efficiency slack-based measure (SE-SBM) and Dagum’s Gini coefficient to analyze the spatial disequilibrium of efficiency measures and efficiency cases. The results show the following: (1) Overall, the industrial clusters, carbon emissions, and economic growth in the 14 regions and cities of Xinjiang are not well coordinated. The best reported level has been medium coordination, but there exists a certain degree of correlation among the three. (2) Low-carbon economic efficiency under the influence of industrial clusters in the 14 regions and cities shows significant regional differences. The regions and cities with low-carbon economic efficiency greater than 0.8, which is significantly better than the other regions in terms of efficiency, are all located in northern Xinjiang. (3) During the study period, the overall regional difference in low-carbon economic efficiency under industrial clusters in Xinjiang decreased from 0.183 to 0.17. However, the regional differences were still large. The conclusions indicate that policies for industrial clusters in Xinjiang can promote industrial development, and there may be a correlation between them and the low-carbon economy. This will effectively contribute to local sustainable development. However, overall regional differences are significant, and the degree of coordination is low. Therefore, we suggest that the government can share the advantages of development by constructing cross-regional cooperation platforms. At the same time, the Xinjiang government should make full use of the rich local wind and solar energy resources and explore a low-carbon path toward transforming the traditional energy industry. It can also be seen that industrial clusters in Xinjiang can effectively promote local sustainable development.

At present, single parameters for characterizing reservoir heterogeneity are commonly used in oilfield exploration and development, such as the permeability coefficient of variation, permeability inrush coefficient, and extreme difference, which have problems such as characterization blind spots. The heterogeneity of thick-bedded sand and conglomerate reservoirs is affected by various factors due to their thick layer characteristics, and it is difficult to effectively evaluate the heterogeneity of thick-bedded sand and conglomerate reservoirs with a single parameter. According to the characteristics of the thick sandy conglomerate reservoir, a comprehensive index calculation method of heterogeneity based on the combination weighting TOPSIS evaluation model is developed to comprehensively evaluate the heterogeneity of the sandy conglomerate reservoir by synthesizing the parameters affecting the heterogeneity of the reservoir, such as porosity, permeability, thickness of the sand layer, effective thickness coefficient, permeability variation coefficient, permeability rush coefficient, permeability contrast, and mudstone content. This approach is conducive to the normalized evaluation of complex reservoirs, and the quantitative characterization is more accurate and comprehensive. Based on the former classification scheme and the geologic characteristics of the study area, the evaluation criteria of the heterogeneity of the sandstone conglomerate reservoir are determined according to the comprehensive heterogeneity index. The research indicates that the objective weights of each indicator parameter of reservoir heterogeneity can be reasonably calculated by improving the criteria importance though intercrieria correlation weighting method, and the combined weights reflecting the importance of the indicators can be obtained by modifying the objective weights through the analytic hierarchy process. The calculated heterogeneous comprehensive index can be used to quantitatively characterize the heterogeneity of sand conglomerate reservoirs and solve the problems existing in conventional single parameters. The heterogeneous synthetic index has a good correlation with conventional parameters and has a good positive correlation with productivity. The weaker the heterogeneity is, the higher the productivity.

Against the background of China’s “dual carbon” goals and the continued advancement of the green and low-carbon transformation of resource-based industries, resource-based enterprises urgently need to rely on green innovation to overcome development constraints characterized by high resource dependence, strong environmental pressures, and mounting transformation challenges. Patient capital, with its long-term orientation, stable support, and risk-sharing characteristics, can provide sustained financial backing and governance support for green innovation in resource-based enterprises; however, its underlying mechanism remains to be further explored. Drawing on patient capital theory, this study constructs a “capital–ESG–innovation” analytical framework to examine the impact of patient capital on green innovation in resource-based enterprises and its mechanism of action. Using Chinese A-share listed resource-based enterprises from 2014 to 2023 as the research sample, this study measures patient capital from two dimensions, namely stable equity and relational debt, and conducts empirical analysis through panel regression and multiple robustness tests. The results show that patient capital significantly promotes green innovation in resource-based enterprises, with both relational debt and stable equity playing positive roles. Mechanism tests reveal that ESG performance serves as an important mediating channel through which patient capital promotes green innovation. Further analysis indicates that the level of regional marketization strengthens the green innovation effect of patient capital, and this effect is more pronounced in large enterprises, enterprises subject to stronger media supervision, and enterprises whose executives have higher green cognition. This study enriches the literature on the relationship between patient capital and green innovation and provides empirical evidence for cultivating long-term capital and promoting the green and low-carbon transformation of resource-based enterprises.

In order to identify the degree of water flooding in a reservoir and to discover any remaining oil-enriched areas, in this paper, a systematic study on the water flooding of cores in obturated coring wells is carried out. With observations and testing data of the cores, based on the notion of sedimentary facies, the water-flooding degrees of 4–7 sand groups in member one of the Paleogene Sanduo Formation (E₂s₁^4–7) of the Zhenwu area in the Gaoyou Sag are determined. Overall, the results show that the study area is formed under the background of lake regression, with various sedimentary systems, mainly including delta facies, braided fluvial facies, and meandering fluvial facies. The degree of water flooding is determined using a point-by-point drip experiment of the core. Combined with the testing results of the core, the water-flooding degrees of the different sedimentary facies are quantitatively determined. Identification standards for the water-flooding degree of delta facies, braided river facies, and meandering river facies are established. The water-flooding degree of the delta sand body is generally weak, with an oil saturation rate of 24.1–40.2%, essentially indicating no water flooding or weak water flooding. The water-flooding degree of the braided fluvial sand body significantly changes, and the variation range of the oil and water saturation measurement results is also large. The water-flooding degree of the meandering fluvial sand body is weaker than that of the braided fluvial sand body, which is mostly not flooded or weakly flooded. The water-flooding degree is obviously controlled by the sedimentary rhythm and the sedimentary type. The top of the positive rhythm, the bottom of the sludge bed in the braided fluvial point bar, the deltaic front subaqueous distributary channel, and the point bar in the meandering fluvial have relatively low water-flooding degrees. They are the subjects of subsequent development adjustment and the remaining oil potential tapping.