A nexus approach for sustainable development in Ningxia, China

The document analyzes the resource constraints and policy conflicts in Ningxia, China, using a nexus approach. It highlights severe water scarcity, rapid land-use changes through afforestation and urbanization, and a heavy reliance on coal despite renewable potential. The authors argue that current sectoral targets may generate negative externalities and that better coordination is needed to align water, land, and energy goals.

• Ningxia faces severe water scarcity with a per-capita water availability of 659 m3 per year, significantly lower than China's average of 2,100 m3 and the global average of 7,500 m3. This scarcity is compounded by the fact that 91% of the province's water comes from the Yellow River, which is already fully committed, meaning any increase in withdrawals would negatively impact downstream provinces and river sections.
• Land use in Ningxia has undergone rapid transformation; forest cover increased from 4.2% to 12.8% between 1995 and 2012 due to the 'Grain for Green' program, while grassland area decreased by approximately 8% (from 2.44 million to 2.25 million ha) between 2000 and 2012. The document notes that afforestation may exacerbate water scarcity because planted trees have higher water demands than other vegetation.
• Despite significant solar and wind potential, Ningxia's energy production remains dominated by coal, which was expected to account for 95% of primary energy production in 2015. Large-scale projects like the Ningdong Energy and Chemical Base are projected to increase water demand by at least 0.4 billion m3 by 2015, creating conflicts with sustainable water management and potentially harming aquatic ecosystems through the use of wet cooling technologies.
• Initial analysis suggests potential conflicts between Ningxia's water, land, and energy targets. While the government has set targets to increase energy efficiency by 15% and water use efficiency by 27% between 2010 and 2015, the authors argue that Ningxia currently acts as a net exporter of 'virtual water and land' to other regions, indicating that some other parts of China benefit from unsustainable resource use within the province.

APA

Hoff, H., Chen, H., & Han, G. (2014). A nexus approach for sustainable development in Ningxia, China. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Air-land-water-resources/SEI-DB-2014-Ningxia-nexus.pdf

Chicago

Hoff, Holger, Huiyi Chen, and Guoyi Han. A nexus approach for sustainable development in Ningxia, China. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2014. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Air-land-water-resources/SEI-DB-2014-Ningxia-nexus.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hoff |first1=Holger |last2=Chen |first2=Huiyi |last3=Han |first3=Guoyi |title=A nexus approach for sustainable development in Ningxia, China |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2014 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Air-land-water-resources/SEI-DB-2014-Ningxia-nexus.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hoff2014nexus, author = {Hoff, Holger and Chen, Huiyi and Han, Guoyi}, title = {{A nexus approach for sustainable development in Ningxia, China}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2014}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Air-land-water-resources/SEI-DB-2014-Ningxia-nexus.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }