This article links with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by addressing Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and Goal 15 (Life on Land), as it examines how urbanization affects biodiversity and the traits that enable bird species to adapt to urban environments. By developing a predictive framework for urban tolerance, the research contributes to conservation efforts aimed at preserving biodiversity in increasingly urbanized landscapes, thereby promoting sustainable coexistence between human populations and wildlife.

This study provides an assessment of land surface temperature across North, South, and Northwest China in relation to urbanization.

In this article, the authors used an Energy Transition Index to characterize the city-level energy transitions from energy system performance and transition readiness dimensions for 282 cities in China. They estimate that China’s energy and carbon intensity could decrease by 34% and 32%, respectively, and that carbon per capita could fall by 17% if each city modestly follows the sustainable development path forged by the best performing cities with similar economic structures.