The role of low-carbon livelihoods in protecting the rural environment The case study : bagheran rural district , Birjand county

Subject Areas : Regional Planning

Reihaneh Soltani ¹ , Somayeh Khatami ²

1 - Assistant Professor, Geography department, Payame-Noor university, Tehran, Iran.
2 - Ph.d student of Ferdowsi university.

Received: 2019-01-28 Accepted : 2019-10-18 Published : 2020-07-22

Keywords: : low carbon consumption, environmental conservation, Bagheran district, Birjand county, PLS model,

Abstract :

The rural environment as a ground of agricultural activities has an impact on low-carbon livelihoods because the livelihoods of rural settlements are nature-based and are organized in accordance with the principles of environmental protection. Nowadays, unreleased energy use is one of the most important sources of carbon dioxide emissions that are led to climate change and environmental damages. Therefore, in order to achieve sustainable environmental goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it is necessary to tend to low carbon livelihood. For this purpose, the present research was conducted with the aim of studying the rural life status and role of low-carbon livelihoods in protecting the rural environment among 290 households living in rural areas of Bagheran district of Birjand. The analysis of the relationships between variables is done based on the PLS correlation model and path analysis in structural model shows that social low-carbon, the physical low carbon and the economic low-carbon environment have an effective and comprehensive role in environmental conservation. In this regard, in the social aspect, saving attitude with factor load of 263.967 ,in the economic environment, agent of green jobs (13.06), and in the physical environment, the widespread use of public transportation (25.459) have contributed in protecting the rural environment.Concerning the use of low-carbon energy in rural areas, the findings revealed that energy consumption is generally low in this rural region, but the expansion of low-carbon fields such as solar and natural fuels like biogas can expand the fields of low-carbon energy.Accordingly, in order to sustain the social dimension of low carbon consumption and to strengthen the economic and physical dimensions, some suggestions are represented such as includes the development of low carbon science, workshops and training classes for familiarizing low carbon consumption methods, adoption of the low carbon livelihood principles in terms of conducting rural projec Extended Abstract Introduction:            Rural settlements play an important role in the agricultural production system. Accordingly, the rural environment as a background of agricultural activities has an impact on low-carbon livelihoods because the livelihoods of rural settlements are nature-based and are organized in accordance with the principles of environmental protection. Therefore, stabilizing the rural environment is very important because the agricultural sector is closely linked to the environment and rural life is impossible without environmental protection. On the other hand, the idea of ​​sustainable development is based on the protection of the rural environment and without sustainable environmental resources, sustainable development is not possible. Although the ideas of green economics and environmental friendship are very much in line with the livelihoods of rural settlements, the excessive exploitation of natural resources has led to a reduction in biological capacity and ecological footprint, which has missed the opportunity to restore natural power. Increasing carbon dioxide emissions have added to the pollution and human and animal life bottlenecks, so that excessive carbon emissions reflect the expansion of consumerism that nowadays requires planning to expand public participation in environmental protection, thus promoting low carbon livelihoods. Creating areas with a sustainable energy system, environmental industry, transportation and green building. Low carbon livelihoods in the context of sustainable development provide a model of life that contributes to the creation of favorable habitat with low energy consumption and fossil fuel air pollutants. These include: 1.A low carbon management system and carbon monitoring stations have been established. 2. The rural community has developed a low-carbon local culture that includes information on low-carbon benefits, low-carbon family development. Finally, low-carbon economic projects such as zero-carbon farming and the expansion of internet-based activities have been encouraged. Also, the low dependence of the rural industry on fossil fuels and pollutants has created a more favorable environment for rural settlements. The present study was conducted in rural areas of South Khorasan province which face many limitations such as water resources limitation. Therefore, the inhabitants of rural settlements adapt to the environment and its resources for optimal utilization of resources and try to use methods that minimize damage to the environment. Their indigenous knowledge of drought-tolerant irrigation and planting practices indicates their continued efforts to protect the environment, as drought conditions need to be adapted to overcome the constraints and move towards sustainable development. Research methods:          The present study is applied and based on descriptive-analytical research. The statistical population of the present study consists of 5 villages of Bagheran district of Birjand. 290 individuals were selected as the sample to select the study sample - since the variables are qualitative - using Cochran formula and considering the statistical population size and error rate of 0.05. The investigated cases include low carbon economy, livelihood management, social and physical environment as well as low carbon environment preservation which are evaluated based on structural component approach, so that in this study, we investigate PLS structural equation modeling and path analysis to investigate hypotheses and analyze the relationships between variables. Findings:
        In the surveyed villages, green jobs (13.06%) economically show the highest tendency in rural areas, indicating the importance of agriculture and gardening in this area. In the social dimension, which is one of the most important dimensions, the attitude of saving with operational load of 263.967 and the attitude of less use of detergents with operating load of 185.919 has contributed to the expansion of low carbon livelihood. In the physical aspect, the importance of using public transport due to the shortage of personal vehicles in rural areas has led to low carbon and fuel consumption, as vehicles are responsible for greenhouse gas emissions and carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, the design of more efficient sunlight in housing and in the environmental dimension, the use of vegetable and fruit waste and the low use of plastic have played a major role in the development of low carbon livelihoods in the case study villages.According to the findings of the study, all variables have high correlation at 95% confidence level. The low-carbon social environment plays a major role in preserving the environment, while the low-carbon physical texture and low-carbon economy have also played a relatively minor role in shaping the low-carbon livelihood of the area under study. On this basis, the relationship between the low carbon environment and environmental protection has the highest impact. Economics, social attitudes, and the low-carbon physical context also play a key role in shaping low-carbon living. Conclusion:
         Rural settlements are nature-based livelihoods, but in recent years the expansion of environmental urbanization trends has hampered them. In this regard, adopting low carbon livelihoods in rural settlements will bring about their sustainability. In this regard, the findings of the study revealed that socially, the villagers were doing well in the low-carbon livelihoods of the villages under study, so that the lifestyle-saving attitude of many villagers was in Bagheran. Similar to the results of Liu et al.'s (2014) research on low-carbon housing, sunlight is favored and thick wall constructions are favorable, but the use of natural materials in this area is declining as a result of the principle planning for housing development. This dimension can be operated with low power consumption. On the other hand, similar to the study by Chaoqun et al. (2011) regarding the use of low carbon energy in rural areas, the findings revealed that in this rural area,the amount of energy consumption is low but with the expansion of low carbon fields such as solar and Natural fuels such as biogas can be developed in low carbon fields. The low carbon pattern is very broad and should be taken into account in all aspects of livelihood. Therefore, given the lack of previous studies on the status of low-carbon livelihoods in rural areas, this study showed that each individual resident in the low-carbon livelihoods model can play a role in protecting the environment and considering that in rural focuses, consumption Energy is scarce, with the physical and economic dimensions of low-carbon livelihoods being more effective in protecting the environment than in cities with low-carbon patterns. Accordingly, since the low carbon pattern has an important role to play in protecting the environment, it must be done by institutionalizing the social dimensions of low carbon consumption and enhancing its economic and physical dimensions by taking effective measures to protect the environment.

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