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The material flow analysis (MFA) method is widely used in the fields of resource management, environmental governance, and sustainable development evaluation, but the progress of its international research and the paths to support carbon neutrality are still unclear. Therefore, following the logic of ' sorting-integration - expansion,' this study first analyzed 2 148 documents included in the core database of Web of Science from 2000 to 2022 by using CiteSpace bibliometric tools, captured the key knowledge base and topic evolution of the international MFA research, and conducted a detailed review and comprehensive analysis of the MFA frontier application research. Second, by integrating the current status of international MFA research and the paths to carbon neutrality, this study constructed an integrated MFA research framework towards carbon neutrality. Finally, this paper summarized the support paths of MFA application research for the four important carbon reduction sectors and proposed current research deficiencies and future development directions. The main findings include: (J) The key studies in the fields of ' resource management,' ' environmental accounting,' and ' indicators ' could serve as a methodological and theoretical basis for MFA to perform its management, accounting, and evaluation functions. © With the support of the basic research topics of 'industrial ecology,' 'material flow analysis,' and 'material flow management, ' the application research topics of MFA had gradually evolved from the outdated topics of ' nitrogen,' ' Tarragona province,' ' heavy metals,' and ' alloying elements' to the frontier topics of ' municipal solid wastes,' ' iron,' ' circular economy,' ' exposure,' and ' renewable energy,' and the integrated application of MFA with the methodologies of scenario analysis, life-cycle assessment, and input-output modeling had become a mainstream trend. © The integrated MFA research framework towards carbon neutrality consisted of three modules, i.e., theoretical and methodological basis, application research paradigm, and supporting pathway for carbon neutrality, of which the structure of the application research paradigm reflected the core functions of the MFA, i.e., accounting material stocks and flows, assessing material demand and recycling potential, and developing the material management system. The elements of the application research paradigm covered the metabolic object, spatial scale, application triggers, main content, and application purpose of MFA research. ® The studies of MFA application supported the four important carbon reduction sectors in heterogeneous ways, and their relevance to the goal of achieving carbon neutrality needed to be further improved. In future research, MFA can be applied to account for the resource demand and waste generation of specific zero-carbon technologies in the energy production sector, to assess the resource and environmental impacts of end-use electrification, efficiency, and cleaner technologies in the energy consumption sector, to measure the environmental exposures and economic feasibility of the technologies for decarbonization and solid-waste utilization in the industrial and commercial sectors, and to evaluate the metabolic efficiency of nutrients and the performance of biological carbon fixation in the agriculture and forestry sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the official launch of China's unified carbon market, the potential for carbon emission reduction is huge. The pilot regional markets urgently need to be connected with the national carbon market to form a regional synergy and linkage mechanism and further promote the development of a unified carbon market. Spillover effects can be used to analyze the interaction between multiple markets. In this context, this study focuses on the overall spillover relationship among regional carbon trading markets. Using the VAR-GARCH-BEKK model and social network analysis (SNA), this study empirically analyzes the mean spillover effect and volatility spillover effect of regional carbon markets, and it establishes a spillover network between markets. The results show that the spillover effect of China's regional carbon markets is widespread. Among them, the mean spillover effect is weak, and the impact period is short;. The volatility spillover effect is strong and has various directions; the spillover network connection between regional carbon markets is strong, but the spillover intensity is weak. Spillover effects will spread to the overall carbon market through information spillover paths and risk spillover paths. The stronger spillover effect and the stronger linkage between markets can bring more resource integration and unified supervision. Finally, we put forward policy recommendations, such as improving the carbon market mechanism and enhancing the maturity of carbon market development, increasing the participation and activity of the carbon market to encourage more participants to join the carbon market, improving the institutional system of the carbon market, and effectively supervising the process of information and risk spillover between carbon markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• GHG emissions from China's waste treatment are estimated from 2010 to 2060. • A two-layer scenario framework was designed for carbon neutrality projection. • Economic development was the primary driving force of GHG emissions. • The highest GHG emissions appear under the fossil-fueled development pathway. • Only scenarios with MSW sorting and recycling can realize carbon neutrality by 2060. To mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from municipal solid waste (MSW) sector, it is crucial to describe its GHG emission patterns and propose suitable mitigation measures. Therefore, this study forecasts GHG emissions from MSW treatment by combining IPCC, logarithmic mean divisia index and machine learning models. Carbon neutrality potentials of China towards 2060 are analyzed under assumed policy scenarios and shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs). Results showed that GHG emissions from China's MSW treatment increased nearly 37 megatons in the past decade, with incineration emissions increasing fast. Economic development was the dominant and positive driving force of MSW GHG emissions. Scenario analysis revealed that carbon neutrality from MSW treatment could be achieved only after implementing MSW classification, reducing approximately 125 megatons GHG emissions. Fossil-fueled development pathway (SSP5) will generate the most GHG emissions among SSPs. Finally, policy recommendations on priority regions, MSW treatment transition and circular economy schemes are proposed. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]