Evaluation of the Sustainable Development Capacity of Bay Cities in China in the Context of Blue Bay Remediation Action

In response to the urgent need for the sustainable development of the marine environment, the Chinese government initiated Blue Bay Remediation Action (BBRA) in 2016, piloting efforts in 16 bay cities. Recognizing that these areas function as integrated ecosystems, it is clear that solely addressing issues within the bays will not completely resolve the ecological challenges. Guided by the principles of comprehensive treatment and sustainable development inherent in the BBRA policy, this paper incorporates the ecological indicators of bays and the surrounding sea into a sustainable development framework for 52 bay cities. To identify a balanced approach for the development of the economy, ecology, and society, a three-component evaluation system with 39 indicators is established to assess the sustainable development levels of bay cities from 2015 to 2019 in China. According to the results of the principal component and coupling coordination degree analyses, they indicate that after BBRA, the change in the sustainable development levels of the pilot bay cities is not obvious. Significant disparities exist in the levels of sustainable development among the majority of the pilot cities, with imbalances observed across economic, ecological, and social dimensions. Consequently, in researching the balanced sustainable development of bay cities, it is essential to consider the unique development characteristics of each city during the implementation process of the BBRA.