This volume applies the science of complexity to study coupled human-environment systems (CHES)
and integrates ideas from the social sciences of climate change into a study of rural
development amid flooding and urbanization in the Poyang Lake Region (PLR) of China. Author
Qing Tian operationalizes the concept of sustainability and provides useful scientific analyses
for sustainable development in less developed rural areas that are vulnerable to climatic
hazards. The book uses a new sustainability framework that is centered on the concept of
well-being to study rural development in PLR. The PLR study includes three major analyses: (1)
a regional assessment of human well-being (2) an empirical analysis of rural livelihoods and
(3) an agent-based computer model used to explore future rural development. These analyses
provide a meaningful view of human development in the Poyang Lake Region and illustrate some of
the complex local- and macro-level processes that shape the livelihoods of rural households in
the dynamic process of urbanization. They generate useful insights about how government policy
might effectively improve the well-being of rural households and promote sustainable
development amid social economic and environmental changes. This case study has broader
implications. Rural populations in the developing world are disproportionally affected by
extreme climate events and climate change. Furthermore the livelihoods of rural households in
the developing world are increasingly under the influences of macro-level forces amid
urbanization and globalization. This case study demonstrates that rural development policies
must consider broader development dynamics at the national (and even global) level as well as
specific local social and environmental contexts. By treating climate as one of many factors
that affect development in such places we can provide policy recommendations that
synergistically promote development and reduce climatic impacts and therefore facilitate
mainstreaming climate adaptation into development.
