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Municipal climate policies tie in closely with sustainable urban development. Land use has far-ranging impacts on carbon emissions from mobility, housing, and consumption; as well as climate resilience, carbon sinks, and biodiversity. While compact city is well-established as the dominant strategy for climate-wise planning, a parallel approach focused on greening and its climate advantages is gaining prominence. However, there is little empirical evidence on how municipal climate policies address the relationship between these often conflicting strategies. This study examines how compacting and greening are motivated and how greening is negotiated in relation to compacting in the six largest cities in Finland. Based on a qualitative content analysis of municipal climate action plans (CAP), we show that the primacy of compacting as a strategy is not questioned, however, the importance of greening is increasingly underlined. We demonstrate that the relationship between compacting and greening policies is framed by three main discourses: 1) compacting while protecting the green, 2) greening the built-up structure for adaptation purposes, and 3) greening as a multifunctional strategy parallel with compacting. The study contributes to the topical debate on the integration of compacting and greening and to the need for cross-sectoral and systemic climate-wise policies in general. • Compacting and greening policies are examined in municipal climate action plans. • Compacting is dominating climate actions, though greening is gaining ground. • The tension between compacting and greening is hidden and specifically reframed. • Three discourses are identified to negotiate greening in relation to compacting. • These are compacting while protecting, adaptive greening and multifunctional greening [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological carbon sinks play a crucial role in global carbon cycling and climate mitigation, making their effective management essential. This study develops a novel risk zoning and multifactor analysis framework for ecological carbon sink management in Yunnan Province, China, a region recognized for its ecological diversity and carbon sequestration potential. Our results reveal that high-priority ecological carbon sink zones, mainly in the southwest and western regions, cover 20% of the total area and contain over 60% of the province's carbon stocks. In contrast, high-risk zones, primarily in urbanized regions, show a reduction in carbon sequestration, with emissions exceeding 25.7 million kg due to urban development and landscape degradation. The analysis delineated five distinct risk zones; urgent intervention zones, risk control zones, priority restoration zones, long-term conservation zones, and integrated management zones. Notably, urgent intervention and priority restoration zones, while representing just 9.6% of the area, are critical for protecting over 40% of the carbon sequestration potential. The comprehensive risk zoning framework, combining principal component and canonical correspondence analysis (PCA-CCA), effectively integrates landscape indicators, socio-economic factors, and natural elements. Our innovative, data-driven approach offers strategic insights into managing carbon sinks while balancing ecological integrity and socioeconomic needs, providing a replicable model for ecosystem management. The framework presented in this paper. [Display omitted] • Created a zoning framework combining carbon sink priorities with landscape risks for precise ecological risk management. • Established a zoning matrix for differentiated strategies to enhance carbon sink conservation and mitigate ecological risks. • Integrated PCA and CCA for assessing ecological carbon sinks, revealing impacts from landscape and socio-economic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective municipal solid waste (MSW) management is a crucial component for sustainable cities, as inefficient waste disposal contributes to the release of about a billion tons of CO 2 -eq in greenhouse gases (GHG) annually. With escalating global waste generation, there is an untapped opportunity to integrate carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies into existing MSW management processes. This review explores current research on utilizing MSW for CDR, emphasizing its potential for both energy generation and carbon sequestration. The investigation covers three waste management practices: landfilling, waste-to-energy (WtE), and biochar production, revealing two paths for carbon sequestration. First, MSW serves as a feedstock in bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), acting as a carbon-neutral resource that avoids fossil fuel and energy crop use, reducing GHG emissions and generating value through energy production. Second, direct storage of organic MSW and its derivatives, like biochar, in various carbon sinks allows for extended sequestration, offering a comprehensive approach to address the challenges of waste management and climate change mitigation. Moreover, this review advocates for an extended exploration into several subjects including in-depth analysis of waste, research on MSW-derived biochar recalcitrance across different carbon sinks, and understanding the symbiotic connections with GHG-emitting sectors like agriculture and energy. Finally, this review emphasizes the necessity of conducting life-cycle assessment studies to fully discern the benefits and assess the impacts of any future endeavors exploring the role of MSW in carbon sequestration. [Display omitted] • Municipal solid waste (MSW) is an untapped resource for carbon dioxide removal. • Three strategies to utilize MSW for CO 2 removal include landfilling, waste-to-energy, and biochar production. • Carbon sequestration is achieved through MSW-burial and energy recovery with CCS. • Auditing carbon emissions and LCA are necessary to illuminate the impacts of MSW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 has been embraced by a variety of countries including South Korea. In South Korea, an increasingly vital neutrality strategy is enhancing carbon absorption through land use planning. A key consideration in these strategies is the comprehensive evaluation of carbon sinks present in various land cover categories. These carbon sinks—most notably forests, grasslands, and wetlands—play a critical role in mitigating the effects of climate change by locking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. However, forests and grasslands have long been prime avenues for new exurban development. This study analyzes the effects of large-scale development across several key carbon sinks for the Seoul Metropolitan Area of South Korea. Our findings indicate that the key carbon sinks increased from 2007 to 2021. Regardless, urban development has flourished where greenbelts were released, leading to significant depletion of forests, grasslands, and wetlands. However, converting farmland to New Town developments with massive park systems has contributed to an increase in carbon sinks in some parts of the region. In the perspective of South Korea's goals for carbon neutrality, absorption is insufficient. Therefore, it is necessary to reflect the loss of sinks as a cost of sprawl and frame policies to expand storage through afforestation or reassessment of idle, undeveloped land. • A considerable amount of carbon sinks was lost from developing New Towns on greenbelt lands. • Converting farmland to New Towns with large park systems contributed may increase carbon sinks. • Preserving existing natural carbon sinks and creating large urban park systems in new developments could promote sustainable development and climate mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Energy & chemical inputs, biogenic emissions, and product substitutions dominate environmental performance of biorefineries. • More transparency needed for product substitution modelling to avoid misleading conclusions. • Biogenic carbon capture use/storage could enhance future climate mitigation efficacy of biorefineries. • Accurate representation of biogenic carbon cycling essential to identify role of biorefineries in net zero strategies. Anaerobic digestion (AD) has gained attention in the last decade as a strategic component of the circular bioeconomy (CBE), and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been used to explore the environmental performance of prospective AD-biorefineries. A detailed review of 76 studies underpinned systematic evaluation of environmental hotspots and LCA modelling challenges for AD-biorefinery configurations. Crops constitute the most frequently used feedstocks, while electricity, bioethanol, digestate, animal feed, additives, and platform chemicals represent the most reported products. Feedstock cultivation, energy and chemical inputs, biogenic emissions, and avoided burdens due to product substitution are the main drivers of environmental performance. However, modelling of product substitution, biogas upgrading, digestate management and biogenic carbon cycling is patchy, inconsistent, and often inadequately evidenced. Prospective and dynamic LCA coupled with transparent scenario analysis could address some of these shortcomings, and better represent, inter alia , the climate mitigation efficacy of carbon capture use and storage technologies integrated into AD-biorefineries. These findings provide a guide for LCA practitioners and researchers engaged in the study of biorefinery systems and other CBE measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evapotranspiration (ET) is the main driver of the energy balance partitioning and influences hydrological and carbon cycles at global, regional and local scales. Furthermore, it is the main requirement for developing strategies to improve water use in agriculture. It is known that there is a close relationship between ET and rainfall, especially in tropical environments. Thus, the main goal of this article was to evaluate how ET and its controls (surface conductance - Gs; decoupling coefficient - Ω; Priestley-Taylor parameter - α) respond to the seasonal variability of meteorological forcing in tropical grazed pastures under the climatic conditions of Northeast Brazil. ET was measured using an Eddy covariance (EC) system and analyzed based on data from two agricultural years (2015–2016 and 2016–2017) with negative (-59 mm) and positive (356 mm) rainfall anomaly, respectively. ET exhibited pronounced seasonality, closely aligned with the seasonality of rainfall. Lower daily averages were observed during the dry season in both agricultural years (1.01 ± 0.60 and 0.89 ± 0.44 mm, respectively). On the other hand, higher daily averages were observed during the rainy season (2.44 ± 0.75 and 4.83 ± 0.96 mm, respectively). The Gs patterns and the significant correlation between Gs, Ω, and α (p < 0.01) indicate that surface control prevails over atmospheric control on an annual scale. This finding is confirmed by the annual mean values of Ω (0.27, 2015–2016) and α (0.38, 2016–2017). This relationship is likely induced by a vegetative stomatal control mechanism, which protects the vegetation against excessive water loss during periods of high temperatures and low humidity levels. These findings are crucial for understanding how droughts modulate components of the energy balance and water fluxes in pastures, especially given the intensification of these events. This has implications for the implementation of climate change mitigation policies and soil management. • The seasonality of grazing pasture ET was in line with the seasonality of rain. • On an annual scale, surface control over ET is more relevant than atmospheric control. • VPD is the main controlling factor of surface conductance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The 57.00% of the Yangtze River Economic Belt area exhibited a significant increase in annual NPP. • The response of NPP on climate factors was nonlinear, with greater sensitivity to temperature. • The impact of topographic factors on NPP changes had a threshold effect. Net primary productivity (NPP) of terrestrial ecosystems serves as a crucial carbon sink, playing a significant role in mitigating climate change. This study, focusing on the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB), a key area for both economic development and ecological conservation in China, evaluates the temporal and spatial changes in regional NPP and its responses to climatic factors against the backdrop of global change. Utilizing long-term NPP and meteorological grid data from 1981 to 2017, we analyzed the annual change patterns of NPP and its linear and nonlinear responses to climatic factors using copula functions. Our findings indicate that 57.00 % of the YREB has experienced a significant increase in NPP, with the most substantial decreases observed in Shanghai and its surrounding areas (P < 0.05). Temperature emerged as the primary climatic driver, positively correlating with NPP changes in over half of the study area (P < 0.05). Moreover, the nonlinear response of NPP to temperature and precipitation underscores the complex interactions between these factors, revealing a sensitivity to temperature variations that surpasses that to precipitation. The study also highlights the influence of solar radiation and topographic factors, with a significant positive correlation between NPP and solar radiation observed in 15.85 % of the area (P < 0.05). The practical significance of these findings lies in their implications for regional ecological management and climate resilience strategies. The positive correlation between temperature and NPP underscores the potential for targeted temperature management to optimize carbon sequestration across the YREB. Furthermore, the identified nonlinear responses and the role of solar radiation and topography in influencing NPP offer valuable insights for the formulation of adaptive strategies that enhance ecosystem productivity and contribute to achieving carbon neutrality goals. By elucidating the dynamics of NPP in response to a range of environmental factors, this study provides a foundation for informed decision-making in ecological conservation and climate change mitigation efforts within the YREB and similar regions globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The renewal of old bridges is sometimes restricted to avoid the high carbon emissions caused by materials and construction, which however might not be conductive to climate change mitigation due to their insufficient functions. In order to facilitate the optimization of renewal timing and strategy from the perspective of reducing the comprehensive global warming impacts, we put forward the low-carbon bridge renewal decision method referring to the ideas of consequential life cycle assessment (LCA) and dynamic LCA. In the proposed method, a comparative system boundary matching the bridge renewal characteristics is constructed, where the carbon emission reduction owing to the traffic efficiency improvement by functional updating is incorporated as the low-carbon benefits of renewal, and three types of time-dependent factors, i.e., time-dependent characterization factor, trend factors and changes of traffic demands, are introduced to characterize the influence of renewal timing. The proposed method provided guidance for the renewal of Maogang Bridge, the first long-span cable-stayed bridge in Shanghai. Results illustrate that the global warming impacts of renewal construction activities and the low-carbon benefits from functional updating decrease with the renewal timing. For Maogang Bridge, the rapidly increasing traffic demands inevitably advocated renewal in advance, and the reduction of global warming impacts from emission reduction or carbon uptake could be manifested for renewal in advance. Adopting material recycling in the disposal of old bridge helped reconstructing a new bridge while deconstructing the old one in 2019 becoming the finally selected low-carbon renewal strategy, which is expected to reduce 15.04 kt CO 2 e-2019 compared to the essential renewal in 2050 with the landfill disposal method. The robustness of the strategy choice has been justified, given the variations of analytical time horizon, expected emission trends and repair emissions. In this way, the low-carbon renewal decision method could build a quantitative basis for judging the urgency of functional updating and verifying the low-carbon benefits of immediate concrete recycling in up-coming urban renewals. • Low-carbon bridge renewal decision optimizes renewal timing and strategy. • System boundary is expanded for quantifying benefits from functional updating. • Emission trends and time-dependent characterization factors are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The nexus between forest-based climate mitigation and health is poorly researched. • This scoping review identified exposure pathways and health co-benefits from forests. • There is potential for synergies between forest management and health benefits. • Interdisciplinary efforts are required for advancement of research and understanding. Climate change is a pressing global challenge with profound implications for human health. Forest-based climate change mitigation strategies, such as afforestation, reforestation, and sustainable forest management, offer promising solutions to mitigate climate change and simultaneously yield substantial co-benefits for human health. The objective of this scoping review was to examine research trends related to the interdisciplinary nexus between forests as carbon sinks and human health co-benefits. We developed a conceptual framework model, supporting the inclusion of exposure pathways, such as recreational opportunities or aesthetic experiences, in the co-benefit context. We used a scoping review methodology to identify the proportion of European research on forest-based mitigation strategies that acknowledge the interconnection between mitigation strategies and human impacts. We also aimed to assess whether synergies and trade-offs between forest-based carbon sink capacity and human co-benefits has been analysed and quantified. From the initial 4,062 records retrieved, 349 reports analysed European forest management principles and factors related to climate change mitigation capacity. Of those, 97 studies acknowledged human co-benefits and 13 studies quantified the impacts on exposure pathways or health co-benefits and were included for full review. Our analysis demonstrates that there is potential for synergies related to optimising carbon sink capacity together with human co-benefits, but there is currently a lack of holistic research approaches assessing these interrelationships. We suggest enhanced interdisciplinary efforts, using for example multideterminant modelling approaches, to advance evidence and understanding of the forest and health nexus in the context of climate change mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The Carbon sink capacity of a typical ecotypic county was precisely estimated. • STARFM was employed to estimate interannual NEP at county scale. • The NEP dataset at a 30 m grid scale from 2000 to 2020 was generated. • Spatio-temporal dynamics of NEP in ecotype county were grasped. Net ecosystem productivity (NEP) serves as a pivotal metric for quantitatively elucidating the carbon sink function of terrestrial ecosystems. As a prototype county for the development of an ecological civilization in China, the quantitative estimation of the ecotypic county's ecosystem carbon sink capacity holds immense significance in comprehending the carbon cycle and facilitating the sustainable advancement of regional ecosystems. This study undertook the estimation of NEP in Wuning County from 2000 to 2020, employing a fusion of multi-source remote sensing data, the Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (STARFM), the improved Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach model, and the soil respiration model. Furthermore, we delved into the differences in NEP across various types of land cover. In addition, we employed the Theil-Sen Median trend analysis and Mann-Kendall test to discern the spatio-temporal trends of NEP. The findings indicated the following: (1) The downscaled NDVI generated by STARFM exhibited a remarkable consistency with Landsat NDVI overall (R 2 > 0.95, P < 0.01, 0 < RMSE < 0.1). (2) The gross NEP from 2000 to 2020 in the study area ranged from 542.78 to 720 Gg C, with a multi-year average NEP of 183.84 g C m−2 yr−1. The simulated NEP demonstrated higher accuracy when compared to the measured data (R 2 = 0.79, P < 0.01). (3) The NEP exhibited a spatial pattern characterized by lower values in the central area and higher values in the north and south. Approximately 89.60 % of the total area demonstrated an increase in NEP, with woodland acting as the primary contributor, while 4.50 % of the total area displayed a decreasing trend, predominantly due to the expansion of built-up land. (4) Notable variations in NEP existed among different types of land cover. In terms of vegetation types, the annual average NEP ranked as follows: woodland > grassland > cropland. The application of STARFM has provided valuable insights into the methodology for precise delineation of spatio-temporal dynamics of NEP at the county scale. The outcomes of this study have furnished support for implementing climate change mitigation strategies in ecologically-oriented counties and the bottom-up promotion of China's carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While carbon sequestration is significant to achieve the net zero and plays an important role in climate change mitigation, urbanization-led land use land cover (LULC) changes are causing significant impacts on the carbon stocks of terrestrial ecosystems. Despite rapid urbanization in Pakistan, previous studies focus solely on localized areas without documenting the influence of urbanization on carbon stock. Hence, insights regarding the carbon storage dynamics (CSD) in response to LULC changes become essential to drive informed decisions and policies. In this context, we leverage high-resolution (30 m) remote sensing data to evaluate and map the grid-level spatial-temporal interactions between urbanization and CSD at the national scale in Pakistan during 1990–2020. To do so, multi-sensor earth observation data are retrieved and processed using the Google Earth Engine and the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs models. Our findings indicate that urban areas have expanded exponentially (an increase of ∼1040%), resulting in reduced carbon storage (a decrease of ∼ − 5%). Major cities (e.g., Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad) showed less urban sprawl while emerging cities (e.g., Rawalpindi and Peshawar) demonstrated higher urban sprawl, primarily due to shifting patterns from rangeland (∼47%) and agriculture (∼35%) to built-up class. Though some afforestation projects have increased forest carbon stocks in the northern region, there is a large north-south spatial heterogeneity in carbon storage loss across Pakistan. The presented high-resolution mapping of CSD over the past three decades advances our understanding of where and how much urbanization has influenced carbon sequestration, nationally. Considering the results, this study emphasizes the need for policies and management approaches that support sustainable urbanization, which does not compromise carbon pools in the country. • Grid level impact of LULC transition and its influence on CSD is mapped. • Transition from green cover to built-up areas led to reduced carbon storage. • Sustainable land management is imperative to maintain carbon storage capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hundreds of millions of unstable croplands have been underutilized in the time series by repeated cultivation and abandonment, leading to threats to food security and loss of ecological benefits due to frequent disturbance on ecosystem restoration. Understanding unstable cropland and its connections to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is required in the context of increasing food demand and natural conservation. Here, we first investigate the global cropland instability and influencing factors, then simulate the stable utilization of unstable cropland and its ecological effects under different scenarios of maintaining crop production. 395 million hectares of croplands in 173 countries are found under unstable utilization, accounting for 22% of global croplands. Over three-quarters of unstable croplands are distributed in areas with unfavorable agricultural conditions or high conservation value, and countries experiencing high cropland instability share a common characteristic of climatic or terrain constraints on agriculture. According to the simulation results, 141 million hectares or 36% of the unstable croplands could be released for ecological restoration with 3.8 more billion tons of carbon sequestration, while the rest of the unstable croplands could be stably used to increase 3% of global total crop production. This study highlights the importance of managing unstable croplands in climate mitigation and natural conservation as well as reconciling crop production and other SDGs, with guiding significance for land-use management, climate action, and biodiversity conservation. • 395 million hectares of croplands in 173 countries are under unstable utilization. • Three quarters of unstable croplands are constrained by natural and socio-economic factors. • 36% of the unstable croplands could be released for durable ecosystem recovery by simulation. • Projected increase of 3.8 billion tons of carbon sinks with a 3% increase in crop production. • Stabilizing unstable croplands can benefit the SDG win-win by lasting ecosystem recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine primary productivity is a critical driver of functioning marine ecosystems, providing a foundation for biological diversity and associated economic productivity, and a key component of the oceanic carbon sink. However, it is largely under-represented within the global marine protected area estate and has been widely ignored in global priority assessments for marine conservation. Using global high-resolution data on marine primary productivity and human cumulative impact to marine systems, more than 18.6 million km² of high productivity-low impact areas in the global ocean were identified. These areas occur across all ocean basins and represent the vast majority of marine provinces and ecoregions. Over 80% of these highly productive waters with low levels of human impact lies within national jurisdictions and yet only 11% of the overall identified area is currently safeguarded within designated marine protected areas or sustainable management initiatives, leaving more than 16.5 million km2 of high productivity-low impact areas without those forms of formal protection. The multifaceted contribution of these areas to preserve biodiversity, support human welfare and help mitigating climate change suggest they are an essential, but currently overlooked, conservation priority for consideration in both global nature conservation and human wellbeing policy fora. ● Over 18 million km2 of highly productive waters with low human impact exist globally. ● These areas exist across all ocean basins and most marine provinces and ecoregions. ● Only 11% of these areas lie within marine protected areas and OECMs. ● Over 15 million km2 of these areas occur in waters of national jurisdiction. ● About 3.5 million km2 of these areas occur in areas beyond national jurisdiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cultivation of deep-rooted vegetation greatly alters the tradeoffs between water and carbon dynamics, yet their impact on microbial carbon sequestration (MCS) remains inadequately documented, particularly in thick vadose zones. This information is crucial for global climate mitigation and ecosystem service enhancement. As such, we collected triplicate samples for each land use type, exploring the abundance and structure of cbbL -harboring microbial communities within 10-m deep profiles under cultivated farmland and two apple orchards of varying ages (n = 72). Our findings indicated a shift from water-dominated (improved water retention at the expense of reduced carbon sequestration) to carbon-dominated benefits (enhanced carbon sequestration at the expense of decreased water retention) in deep soil layers (2–10 m) after the transformation from farmland to apple orchards. Despite the lack of significant differences among the three land use types, the gene abundances and microbial diversity indices reduced with soil depths because of variations in substrates, resources, and microenvironments. The cbbL -harboring microorganisms consisted of 5 phyla, 7 classes, 19 orders, 30 families, and 55 genera, with Proteobacteria as the predominant bacterial phylum. The relative contributions of different genera varied with soil depths, reflecting their distinct survival strategies. The microbial network was positively connected in various soil layers under farmland and apple orchards. Furthermore, the results of correlation, redundancy analysis, and structural equation modeling jointly indicated that plant roots and soil properties, including total nitrogen and organic carbon, governed MCS processes in deep unsaturated zones. Specifically, the low microbial variation between farmland and apple orchards can be attributed to the predominant effects of climatic and pedogenic factors on soil properties, the restricted contribution of plant roots to soil nutrient levels per unit depth, and the adverse effects of plant-induced ecohydrological consequences on root systems and microbial populations. This study offers new insights within thick vadose zones containing deep-rooted plants, thereby contributing to a better understanding of global terrestrial carbon cycle processes. [Display omitted] • Microbial carbon sequestration processes were explored in 10-m deep profiles. • The farmland-to-apple orchards conversion led to water-carbon tradeoffs. • Microbial carbon sequestration differed with depths rather than land use types. • Depth-dependent plant roots and soil nutrients affects carbon sequestration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • CO 2 fluxes were measured in three subtropical mangroves for 16 site years. • VPD stress inhibits mangrove productivity during both exposed and inundated periods. • Meteorological factors and VPD have interactive effects on mangrove productivity. • Tides have independent effects on mangrove productivity through salinity changes. • The threshold effect range of VPD stress on mangrove productivity is 2.50–2.95 kPa. Subtropical mangroves have great potential to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2) and thus significantly contribute to climate change mitigation. Meanwhile, the carbon cycling processes in subtropical mangroves are vulnerable to the changing climatic conditions, such as the warming-induced vapor pressure deficit (VPD) increases. However, the impacts of VPD on net ecosystem production (NEP) in subtropical mangroves remain poorly understood due to a lack of detailed assessment of NEP responses to VPD among different mangrove forests over a long-term observational period. In this study, we deployed eddy-covariance systems to measure net ecosystem CO 2 exchange at three subtropical mangrove forests for 16 site-years, comprising two natural and one artificial forests. We employed a state-of-the-art data-driven modeling approach (i.e., Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) framework based on extreme gradient boosting model), which enabled us to explore the interactive effects of meteorological and tidal factors (e.g. salinity) with VPD on the mangrove NEP. We revealed that air temperature, global solar radiation (GR) and wind speed have significant interactions on the response of NEP to VPD stress in subtropical mangroves. For instance, when GR was high, the SHAP interaction values of VPD and GR on NEP decreased with increasing VPD, but when GR was low, the trends were the opposite. However, instead of identifying interactive effects between tidal salinity and VPD on mangrove NEP, we came across potential independent influence of salinity on the same. SHAP analysis was also able to disentangle the impact of VPD from other abiotic drivers. Thus, we evaluated the threshold effect of VPD stress on NEP loss in subtropical mangroves and observed a range of 2.50–2.95 kPa. Above this range, VPD stress leveled off. The subtropical mangrove responses to VPD should be therefore considered in the dynamic global vegetation models to increase the accuracy in carbon cycle simulations in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-native species are expanding globally and can alter ecosystem functions, including food web dynamics, community structure and carbon storage. Seagrass are foundation species that contribute a variety of ecosystem services in near-shore coastal ecosystems, including a significant sink of carbon. In the Caribbean, the rapidly expanding non-native Halophila stipulacea has unknown impacts on carbon storage. To investigate the impacts on carbon storage, we quantified organic carbon (C org) content in sediment and seagrass tissues from monotypic H. stipulacea beds, mixed native seagrass beds dominated by Thalassia testudinum and Syringodium filiforme, and unvegetated substrate in St. John, USVI. We found native seagrass-vegetated sediment contained 1.3 times more C org than sediment covered by H. stipulacea , and 1.6 times more C org than unvegetated areas on average. Whereas, H. stipulacea -dominated substrate stored 1.2 times more C org than unvegetated substrate. Likewise, native species contained 2.2 times more aboveground biomass and 6.0 times more belowground biomass than H. stipulacea. Since seagrasses are critical sources of carbon sequestration, our results suggest that invading H. stipulacea is associated with lower carbon stocks which has potential implications for conservation activities and climate change mitigation. [Display omitted] • Non-native species are expanding globally and can alter ecosystem functions. • Our results suggest that invading H. stipulacea is associated with lower carbon stocks. • In the Caribbean, rapidly expanding Halophila stipulacea may reduce carbon storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With emphasis on constructing low-carbon cities, the renovation of old communities highlights the importance of renewing rainwater management facilities. Rain garden is an exceptional Nature-based Solution for rainwater management. When applying them to renovate old communities, the carbon footprint should be considered. This study focused on renovating facilities in the Greater Bay Area and utilized the Energy Expert platform to calculate rain garden carbon footprint with the Life Cycle Assessment. The carbon reduction benefits during the operation were estimated. This study accounting the life cycle carbon footprint of the 5455 m2 rain garden was 1117.42 tCO 2 e. The carbon footprint contribution, from highest to lowest was the end-of-life phase, materials production phase, construction phase, use and maintenance phase. Regarding carbon emission inventory, waste soil landfill, fertilizer acquisition, and waste soil recycling ranked high. Transportation also accounted for a remarkable carbon emission. The rain garden showed great potential for climate change mitigation, with a total and net carbon reduction of 1927.41 and 809.99 tCO 2 e, respectively. To reduce the carbon footprint of the rain garden, we should focus on waste soil treatment and transportation. Recommendations included increasing waste soil recycling, in situ recycling and green transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Stand spatial structure plays an important role in the fragile natural secondary forest. • Species diversity have a negative impact in changing restored woodlands, thereby reducing productivity. • Stand spatial structure has a stronger impact on forest carbon sink than species diversity. • Stand spatial structure is a prioritized indicator in the regulation of fragile forest ecosystems. Increasing attention for adjusting forest structural and species diversity has been paid to enhance carbon storage. However, the relative importance of stand spatial structural diversity and species diversity to restored stand carbon stocks remains unclear. To address this issue, we conducted a sample plot setup in the Loess Plateau with the aim of exploring the effects of stand spatial structural diversity and species diversity on forest carbon stocks. Therefore, we determined index parameters for species diversity (Simpson, Shannon-Wiener, and Pielou) and spatial structural diversity (Angular scale, Mingling, Aggregation, and Competition) within the oak forest ecosystem. We examined carbon storage in all vegetation organs and different soil layers. Additionally, we employed a structural equation model to develop a model that illustrates the effects of stand spatial structure and species diversity on ecosystem carbon storage. The results reveal that stand spatial structure and species diversity influence the ecosystem carbon storage through biomass (trees and litter) and soil carbon (0–100 cm). Stand spatial structure exhibits positive direct effects (path coefficients: 0.764 and 0.890), while species diversity shows negative direct effects (−0.320 and −0.206) on biomass and soil carbon, respectively. Finally, the total effect of spatial structure diversity on forest carbon storage surpasses that of species diversity. Therefore, stand spatial structure should be adjusted preferentially during forest management in fragile ecological environment. Our results provide important insights into the climate change mitigation potential associated with the structure-based management of forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon emission reduction in China matters to global climate change mitigation. China has been experiencing extensive land changes, which profoundly influence terrestrial ecosystem carbon storage (TECS) and carbon emissions. Scholars have predicted influences of land changes on TECS in China with scenarios obtained from global integrated assessment models (IAMs), which lack national details. Moreover, universally existing variations in land-use intensity have not been considered when estimating influences on TECS. This study simulated changes of land-use intensity of China from 2000 to 2050 using CLUMondo under China-specified policies for sustainable development modeled by a national IAM named Threshold21-China. We proposed a more precise TECS estimation method by distinguishing land-vegetation and land-soil types. Results demonstrated that under scenario with preceding policies, the total TECS can increase by 865.5 Tg C from 2000 to 2050. Through implementing preceding policies, TECS loss by conversions from cultivated land to artificial surfaces can decline by 82 Tg C, and new TECS accumulated by increased and densified forests can increase by 73 Tg C. Mountainous and rapidly urbanizing regions are sensitively influenced and need more restrict land change management policies. This study demonstrates the significance of sustainable development policies for TECS conservation and indicates specific critical regions. • Introducing national IAM into land change simulation. • Considering land-use intensities in land change simulation. • Proposing an improved TECS estimation method. • Estimating influences of land changes on China's TECS. • TECS accumulation could be improved under sustainable policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]