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Microplastics (MPs) are plastic fragments with particle sizes smaller than 5 mm that have potentially harmful effects on ecosystems and human health. The soil environment is not only the source but also the sink of MPs. Thus, it is necessary to fully understand the pollution and distribution of MPs in soils. In this study, Qinghai Province, northeast of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, was selected as the research area, and 22 soil samples were collected and analyzed to study the levels and distribution characteristics of MPs in grassland soils. MPs were obtained from the soils by using density separation, and a laser confocal micro Raman spectrometer was used for MP identification. The results showed that MPs were detected in all of the soil samples. The total abundances of MPs ranged from 1125 to 1329 items/kg, with a mean abundance of 1202 items/kg. Various types, shapes, sizes, and colors of MPs were observed. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was the dominant polymer in all the grassland soil samples. The size range of 10–50 μm accounted for 50% of all identified MPs. Pellets were the dominant MP shape, and colored MPs accounted for 64% of all MPs. The results revealed the presence of large quantities of MPs in the grassland soils of remote areas as well. This study can act as a reference for further studies of MPs in terrestrial systems. At the end of the paper, the prospects and suggestions for pollution control by soil MPs are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Balancing soil greenhouse gas emissions (SGE) with crop production is crucial for sustainable agriculture in China. Optimizing field management practices regionally can effectively promote carbon reduction and food security, given the varying SGE responses across agroecological regions. This study employed meta-analysis and machine learning techniques to assess SGE responses to nine different farming practices in seven distinct agroecological regions. It aimed to identify optimal management strategies for balancing SGE and crop production within each region. Findings underscore substantial spatial heterogeneity in the effects of management practices on SGE, with the combined use of organic and inorganic fertilizers (MOF-MF) demonstrating the most pronounced variability (standard deviation, SD = 1.80), where MOF resulted in SGE 610% of that with MF in the Southern China (SC) region, yet only 54% in Northwestern China (NWC). Conversely, straw incorporation exhibited the most minor variability (SD = 0.27), influencing SGE by 35%–62%. Additionally, the study reveals that soil and climatic conditions significantly modulate SGE responses. In scenarios characterized by humid and warm climates with soil pH ranging from 5.5 to 8.5 or initial SOC ≤10, the environmental impact on SGE was marginal. However, in highly acidic or alkaline soils or with initial SOC >10, SGE responses varied markedly with management practices in arid and cold conditions. The study further proposes agricultural management strategies to achieve the lowest SGE while maximizing crop yield. It recommends specific methods for fertilizer applications, straw management, irrigation, and tillage practices meticulously tailored to the unique conditions of each agroecological region. This research offers essential insights for agricultural stakeholders regarding cultivation strategies and delivers theoretical guidance for enhancing agricultural management and land-use planning throughout China's heterogeneous landscapes. • A total of 2221 observed values of cropland soil greenhouse gas emissions (SGE) were utilized in this study. • It highlighted the spatial heterogeneity of SGE in response to diverse management practices. • Investigating soil pH, SOC, humidity, and temperature's impact on SGE has deepened insights into environmental mechanisms. • It proposed region-specific management strategies for seven agroecological zones designed to optimize yields while minimizing SGE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to diverse methodologies and data sources, China's agricultural greenhouse gas (AGHG) emissions estimates demonstrate significant variability. A quantitative review was conducted on the prevalence and application of various accounting methods to clarify and reduce discrepancies in AGHG emissions estimation techniques and data application. Using a systematic PRISMA framework, 4257 global studies were analyzed, yielding 681 AGHG emission records from 57 papers and four databases explicitly focusing on China. The analysis reveals similarities between Chinese and global research trends, concentrating on environmental science, soil science, and ecology. Furthermore, the spatial scale and methodologies for China's AGHG emissions estimation are relatively centralized, with 53.21% of the research targeting site-specific scales and 74.12% employing inventory methods and statistical analysis. Regarding the variability in China's AGHG emission estimates between 1996 and 2020, estimates ranged from 100 to 800 Mt. C-eq, with the highest estimate being approximately 25 times the minimum within the same period. Notably, compared to the average AGHG emissions calculated for 1996–2020 (284.7 to 548.7 Mt. C-eq), estimates from the FAO and Our World in Data were higher by an average of 114.7% and 81.9%, respectively. These findings underscore the need to enhance remote sensing and survey data application and standardize AGHG emissions estimation methodologies and boundaries to ensure comparability across various accounting methods and datasets. This study conducts a quantitative analysis to identify and bridge the gaps in AGHG emission evaluation techniques, laying the groundwork for establishing a more comprehensive and resilient framework for AGHG emissions assessments. • An analysis of 4257 studies is conducted to assess uncertainties and discrepancies in AGHG emissions in China. • 53.21% of AGHG research targets site-specific scales; 74.12% uses inventory methods and statistical analysis. • The gap between different estimates of China's annual AGHG emissions is as high as 25 times. • Emissions estimates by the FAO and OWD exceed those from 57 scholarly articles by 114.7% and 81.9%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current complex and changeable external environment, the sustainable development of rural areas is the key to global economic and social transformation. Introducing the concept of resilience will help to tap the villages' internal potential and inject new vitality into realizing high-quality rural development. This study analyzes the rural system resilience (RRS) mechanism. It then constructs a village-scale resilience evaluation framework based on three dimensions: resources, morphology, and function. The combination of empirical research and field surveys verifies the feasibility of the analytical framework. This study constructed an analytical framework, used the catastrophe progression method and geo-detector to evaluate the RRS of 386 villages in Suining County, Jiangsu Province, and put forward a regional guidance scheme for RRS promotion based on factor characteristics. There are three key results and conclusions. First, the study combined system theory and adaptive circulation theory to analyze the connotations and mechanisms of RRS. Second, the empirical case study results show that the spatial differentiation of resilience in different dimensions is quite significant. For example, the overall resilience index is higher in the southern regions than in the northern regions of Suining County, and the polarization is obvious. Third, the study combined the dominant factors and their characteristics to construct a two-level rural zoning scheme to provide rural development strategies for different villages. The results can provide a potential approach to rural transformation development for cultivating resilient rural settlements and provide policy reference for rural land management and spatial planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis of land use efficiency (LUE) integrating stakeholders' vision for the coordinated development among agriculture, economy and ecology can provide a harmonized avenue for localized and efficient resource management strategies. In this research, a new analysis framework for LUE integrating stakeholders' vision was proposed, and further applied to Jiangsu Province, a typical region with rapid urbanization in eastern China, to systematically explore the coupling and coordination relationship among multiple land use efficiencies in agriculture, economy and ecology and its driving factors. Results showed that: (1) Most areas of Jiangsu failed to meet the land-use stakeholders' vision in terms of agricultural production, economic development, and ecological maintenance during 2000–2018, with an average improvement potential of 26.84%, 30.27% and 36.58% respectively at the township level; (2) Interactions among multiple land use efficiencies in 2000–2018 were developing towards coordination in terms of temporal evolution, spatial association, and interaction types and their spatial transformations, but overall they were still at a medium level of coordination; (3) Economic factors had a certain priority for the coordinated development of multiple efficiencies, but they mostly played negative roles, while both agricultural factors and ecological factors mostly played positive roles. This study should be useful in assisting stakeholders to proactively focus on specific solutions for more effective land resource management and decision-making, and identify which land use behaviors should be encouraged or prohibited for the future coordination among agriculture, economy and ecology. [Display omitted] • Propose a new analysis framework for land use efficiency integrating stakeholders' vision. • Reveal the spatio-temporal dynamics of multiple land use efficiencies. • Analyze the spatio-temporal changes of the coupling and coordination among multiple land use efficiencies. • Identify the factors that affect the coupling coordination status over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological transformation is an inevitable trend for the development of land consolidation (LC) worldwide, and the research on carbon effect of LC is an important theoretical basis for promoting the construction of Eco-LC. However, there is currently a lack of analysis of the carbon effect based on the whole process of LC, ignoring the stage elements and temporal factors. This study applied Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method to construct a research framework and accounting system for carbon footprint assessment of LC, and explored the carbon effect in a typical land consolidation project area (LCPA) of China. Results showed that: (a) The carbon effect of the project area was characterized as carbon emission during the whole life cycle of LC. Carbon footprint before and after LC was 3.251 tCE·ha−1·a−1 and 2.401 tCE·ha−1·a−1 respectively. The carbon storage reduced and the carbon footprint is declined by 0.850 tCE·ha−1·a−1. (b) Carbon effect varied among different stages of LC. The Benefit Period (BP) was the only stage that was manifested as carbon absorption (−14.65%), while all the other stages were manifested as carbon emission. Among them, as to the carbon emission, the Construction Period (CP) played a decisive role with the most proportion (102.74%), followed by DP and RP, and the carbon effect of PP was negligible. (c) The dominant factors of carbon effect at different stages were also different. During CP, cement contributed the most to the carbon emission in this case. During RP, carbon sequestration effect of cropland proved to be the most significant. During RP, the carbon sequestration effect of cultivated land and the carbon emission effect of unused land were the most prominent. During BP, the carbon sequestration capacity of farmland ecosystems proved to be greater than the carbon emissions from agricultural activities. This study contributes to providing certain theoretical guidance and method reference for the realization of Low-Carbon LC project planning, with this comprehensive and reliable method. Image 1 • LCA was applied to the research of carbon footprint assessment for LC, both at the whole life cycle of LC and the BP stage. • The research framework and accounting system of carbon footprint assessment for the whole life cycle of LC were constructed. • The carbon effect of the project area was characterized as carbon emission during the whole life cycle of LC. • Carbon effect and the dominant factors varied among different stages of LC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an in-depth study and analysis of the correlation between satisfaction with rural residents' income and mental health well-being in the context of industrial structure upgrading. Most of the studies on residents' subjective well-being from the perspective of relative income or income inequality have started from the happiness of rural residents and the satisfaction of rural residents' life, and few scholars have focused on the psychological health of rural residents. Subjective well-being is significantly related to external and internal goals in desire. Life satisfaction is significantly and positively correlated with external and internal goals, as well as the six dimensions of desire, except for social identity; positive emotions are significantly and positively correlated with internal goals; negative emotions are only negatively correlated with self-acceptance, and there is a significant positive correlation between income level and desire. In vertical income, there is also a process of judging whether the expected income is achieved. If the expected income growth level is achieved, the income satisfaction will increase. Desire mediates the effect of income level on subjective well-being. Income level influences subjective well-being through internal goals; income level influences life satisfaction and positive emotions through external goals. The relationship between income inequality and mental health is influenced by the characteristics of the population, with women and middle-aged people being the most negatively affected. This relationship is also influenced by income level, with the effect of income inequality on mental health showing a negative effect in the lower and middle-income groups but a positive effect in the higher income groups. Income inequality affects residents' mental health through the mediating effects of a sense of social justice, life stress, and trust in government. Inequality in household wealth can exacerbate the negative effects of income inequality on mental health., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Yile Wang et al.)