Land-Based Carbon Effects and Human Well-Being Nexus

Abstract

In light of international climate agreements and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there is a growing need to enhance the understanding of the linkages among land use/cover change (LUCC) and its carbon effects (CEs), as well as human well-being (HW). While existing studies have primarily focused on the impacts of LUCC on CEs or ecosystem services, there remains a gap in systematically elucidating the complex relationships among LUCC, CEs, and HW. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the nexus between land-based CEs and HW, examining: (1) the correlation between LUCC and CEs, encompassing methodologies for investigating LUCC CEs; (2) the association between CEs and HW, introducing the concept of “low-carbon human well-being” and evaluation framework; and (3) the proposed framework of “LUCC-CEs-HW,” which delves into the intricate connections among three elements. The study identifies research gaps and outlines potential future directions, including assessments of LUCC CEs and low-carbon HW, exploration of the “LUCC-CEs-HW” nexus, and the development of standardized measurement approaches. Key opportunities for further investigation include establishing a unified evaluation index system and developing scalable methods. This paper elucidates the relationships among LUCC, CEs, and HW, offering insights for future works.