Key Influencing Factors Identification of the Urban and
Rural Environmental Injustice Problems based on Fuzzy
Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP)
S M Zhao, X Y Zhong, and J X Gao
Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045
Corresponding author’s e-mail:gjxin25@163.com
Abstract. In the society of sustainable development and the integration of urban and rural
economic, the urban and rural economic and environmental gap has been more and more
attention. How to solve the gap between urban and rural environment is a key step in building
a sustainable society. In this paper, the factors affecting the gap of urban and rural
environment are identified through literature analysis. Based on Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy
Process (FAHP), the identification model of the key influencing factors of urban and rural
environment gap was established. It provides a reference for identifying the key influencing
factors of the urban and rural environment gap, reducing the gap between the urban and rural
areas and constructing the harmonious and society.
1. Introduction
In China, the rapid economic development has raised the standard of living of the people and caused
environmental pollution problems. Nowadays, due to some reasons that are the unbalanced economic
development between urban and rural areas, the unequal investment in environmental protection and
the differences in environmental awareness among urban and rural areas, and so on, which makes the
situation of environmental pollution unsightly. [1] Foreign researches on the injustice of the
environment are earlier than China. The researches have focused on the environmental risks posed to
groups in some countries and regions where have ethnic conflicts and ethnic conflicts. [2] In China,
the urban-rural environment between the developed areas and the backward areas is mainly caused
by some reasons that are imbalances in regional development, urban-rural dual structure and so on.
The unfair environmental problems between urban and rural areas have seriously hampered China's
economic development and people's living standards. If not resolve, they will trigger even more
serious social problems. In this paper, through questionnaire and literature analysis of the factors that
cause urban and rural environment unfair carding. Using FAHP to classify the factors that cause the
unfairness of urban-rural environment and screen out the important factors to provide reference for
the governance of unfair urban and rural environment.
As the Chinese people's living standards improve, people pay more and more attention to the
living environment. In advocating the construction of environmentally friendly cities, eco-cities,
energy-saving cities and the sustainable development of the city, the urban environment has indeed
been greatly improved. However, the environment in rural areas is deteriorating day by day, and
696
Zhao, S., Zhong, X. and Gao, J.
Key Influencing Factors Identification of the Urban and Rural Environmental Injustice Problems Based on Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP).
In Proceedings of the International Workshop on Environmental Management, Science and Engineering (IWEMSE 2018), pages 696-702
ISBN: 978-989-758-344-5
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved
peasants whose health and safety are being endangered more and more. The unfair environment
between urban and rural areas has become a major obstacle to the coordinated development of urban
and rural areas. [3] Many scholars have also studied the issue of injustice in urban and rural areas.
According to the definition of environmental equality, Qian proposed that environmental equity
should become the basic idea of rural environmental protection law. [4] Jin pointed out that we can
achieve urban and rural environmental justice by resolving the urban-centrism in our environmental
law, realizing the equal political, economic and social rights of urban and rural residents and
guaranteeing the peasants' rights. [5] Shi et al. commented on the phenomenon of urban and rural
pollution transfer and attempted to find a legal countermeasure to prevent and control unreasonable
urban and rural pollution transfer from the legal point of view.[6] He pointed out that the injustice of
China's environmental rights and interests are inextricably linked with some factors that are the
development model based on comparative advantages of resource endowments, the special stage of
the ternary economic structure, the environmental injustice of market failure and market mechanism,
the public participation in the plight of public policies. [7] Peng analyzed the deep-rooted causes of
urban and rural environmental injustice and tried to build a fair environment in contemporary urban
and rural areas. [8] From the perspective of sociology, Ye explained the causes of rural pollution
problems with the dual structure of urban and rural areas and the unfairness of the environment, and
put forward corresponding prevention and control policies.
[9] Wei analyzed the current situation of
urban-rural pollution transfer in China with a large amount of data and examples, and summarized its
harm. [10] Wang explored the balance of urban and rural environment through the analysis of the
problem of rural environmental protection to show the imbalance of urban and rural environment in
China. [11] Yang et al. started from China's current rural environmental management status,
comparative analysis of urban and rural dual system structure led to the difference of management
system. [12] Based on the unfairness of the environment in China, Wen analyzed the deviation of the
current environmental policy on the value of environmental justice. [13]
2. Factors affecting the urban and rural environment
Based on questionnaire and literature analysis, the factors that cause urban and rural environmental
injustice are identified and classified
A total of 86 valid questionnaires were obtained by filling in the questionnaires on site, of which
32.4% were over the age of 30, 67.6% were from 20 to 30 years old, 16.4% had doctoral degrees,
68.3% were master's degree students and 15.3% had bachelor's degree students. A total of 21 kinds of
factors that affect the unfairness of urban and rural environment identified in the questionnaire and
the literature are classified into 6 categories according to their attributes:
(1) Conceptual gaps. Concept gap refers to the gap between urban and rural residents in
environmental awareness which caused different levels of environmental protection concerns,
different understanding of the harm of environmental damage and the importance of environmental
protection. That eventually led to a conscious discretion in participating in environmental protection.
[1]
(2) Political gaps. The current policy system was established on the basis of the serious urban
industrial pollution that took place in the process of modernization. Although it is striving for
comprehensive policies, the dual structure in urban and rural areas has caused the duality of
environmental protection policies.
(3) Social Causes. It mainly includes the apportionment of environmental pollution costs. The cost
of environmental pollution is generally transferred to the under-classes (most rural residents), the
economic income gap between urban and rural residents, and the unfair environmental rights and
interests brought about by the allocation of urban and rural environmental resources, and so on.
(4) Economic reasons. It mainly includes the unbalanced economic development in urban and
rural areas, the related costs of urban garbage disposal and transfer, the pollution treatment cost of
Key Influencing Factors Identification of the Urban and Rural Environmental Injustice Problems Based on Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy
Process (FAHP)
697
enterprises.
(5) Legal proceedings. Procedural justice means that the content of legislation and
decision-making is fair and carries out the principles of non-discrimination and the evaluation of
values. [14] In China, the legislative procedure of environmental protection is influenced by the
characteristics of industrial development and the dual structure of urban and rural areas. The
legislation and punishments of urban environmental protection are obviously superior to those of
rural areas.
(6) Pragmatic reasons. It is mainly reflected that urban elites occupy an overall predominance
position in environmental discourse rights, making it difficult for rural residents to realize the
existence of environmental justice problems in urban and rural areas, education gaps between urban
and rural residents, job gaps between urban and rural residents, relying solely on government
environmental governance.
3. Model establishment and analysis
3.1. Hierarchical model establishment
This paper identifies and classifies the factors which affect the unfairness of urban and rural
environment by questionnaire and literature analysis, and then establishes the AHP model of urban
and rural environmental injustice (A). Figure 1 is an AHP model of the influencing factors of urban
and rural environmental injustice.
IWEMSE 2018 - International Workshop on Environmental Management, Science and Engineering
698
Figure 1. AHP model of the influencing factors of urban and rural environmental injustice
3.2. Survey design
Through the questionnaire and literature identified 21 kinds of factors that affect the unfairness of
urban and rural environment to establish a hierarchical model, and then scale according to the nine
scale of the factors were scored. (Table 1). Experts compare the factors of C layer and D layer, and
then scoring according to their relative importance to get the corresponding fuzzy complementary
judgment matrix.
Table 1. Nine scales numerical scale.
Scale
Definition
0.5
Equally important
0.6
Slightly important
0.7
Obviously important
0.8
Much more important
0.9
Extremely important
0.1-0.4
Contrary to the above
Key Influencing Factors Identification of the Urban and Rural Environmental Injustice Problems Based on Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy
Process (FAHP)
699
3.3. Construct fuzzy complementary judgment matrix and test consistency
Through expert analysis and comparison of six factors of layer C, scoring is conducted according to
the method of nine scales numerical scale to obtain fuzzy complementary judgment matrixes B1 and
B2.
Let the above matrix be
, and sum the lines of the B1 and B2 matrices as follows:
The equation (1) is transformed according to the equation (2):
The fuzzy consistency matrix
is obtained and normalized according to the
equation (3) to obtain the factor ordering vector
，
，
，
. The proof process
of equation (3) is detailed in the reference. [15]
Get the weight vector of matrix B1 and B2:
Let
, Then determine the characteristic matrix of matrix B is
.
According to equation (4), calculate the compatibility between the complementary judgment
matrix and its feature matrix of
and
.
，
According to the above equation,
，
Since the above compatibility indices are all smaller than α (α is 0.1) [16], it is considered that the
weight distribution of B1 and B2 is reasonable. According to the same method, the complementary
fuzzy judgment matrixes of target layer A and C layer can be established and their respective weight
vectors can be calculated. The same method to calculate the compatibility of each complementary
judgment matrix and its characteristic matrix is less than α (α take 0.1), so we can show the
rationality of the weight vector.
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700
3.4. Sort of factors
From the calculated complementary judgment matrix and the weight vector of its eigenmatrix, the
relative weight values of the elements in the level relative to the previous level factors can be
obtained. And the corresponding weight values can be correspondingly labeled in the established
level mode.
Sort the vectors according to the importance of the probability of occurrence B1:
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
To sum up, get the vector of factors that affect the unfairness of urban and rural economy:
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
，
3.5. Results Analysis and Suggestions
According to the result of calculation, to get the order of importance of each factor under different
categories. According to the frequency of influencing factors, the key influencing factors are stronger
urban environmental law enforcement, urban residents have stronger awareness of environmental
protection, urban environmental laws and regulations are more comprehensive, etc. According to the
degree of influence, the key factor is that urban environmental law enforcement is stronger, urban
residents have a stronger environmental awareness, urban environmental laws and regulations are
more comprehensive, etc. Considering the occurrence frequency and influence degree, the key factor
is that urban environmental protection law enforcement is stronger, urban environmental laws and
regulations are more comprehensive, urban residents have strong environmental awareness, etc.
4. Conclusions
This paper identifies 21 kinds of factors that affect urban and rural environmental injustice through
questionnaire and literature analysis. According to different categories, the factors are divided into 6
categories, which are sorted by fuzzy analytic hierarchy process under different standards. Finally get
the key factors that affect urban and rural environmental injustice under different standards. All
regions can also set the weight reasonably according to the local conditions so as to identify the key
influencing factors for urban and rural environmental injustice that is suitable for the region so as to
make targeted decisions and suggestions.
References
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[2] Yan W J 2013 Inter-regional environmental unfair problems Nankai University
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protection law Contemporary Law (01): 77-80
[5] Jin H 2009 Urban and rural environmental justice - From the perspective of legal system
reform Law Journal (10): 74-77
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