The iron and steel industry and cement industry, as prominent energy consumers, display dissimilar CO2 emission profiles, requiring differentiated strategies for low-carbon transition. Within the iron and steel industry, fossil fuels are the source of roughly 89% of the direct CO2 emissions. Enhancing immediate energy efficiency is recommended, subsequently followed by process innovations such as oxy-blast furnaces, hydrogen-based reduction, and scrap-based electric arc furnaces. Carbonate decomposition is a major source of direct CO2 emissions in the cement industry, accounting for around 66%. Carbon reduction's most effective approach involves process innovation focused on CO2 enrichment and recovery. The paper concludes by introducing staged low-carbon policies for the three CO2-intensive industries, which are projected to yield a 75-80% reduction in CO2 emission intensity in China by the year 2060.

Wetlands, a globally productive ecosystem, are important to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). learn more Sadly, global wetlands have experienced considerable damage as a consequence of rapid urbanization and climate change. From 2020 to 2035, four scenarios guided our prediction of forthcoming wetland modifications and assessment of land degradation neutrality (LDN) in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) to facilitate wetland protection and SDG reporting. A simulation model integrating random forest (RF), CLUE-S, and multi-objective programming (MOP) was constructed to predict wetland patterns across diverse scenarios, encompassing natural increase (NIS), economic development (EDS), ecological protection and restoration (ERPS), and harmonious development (HDS). Simulation data demonstrated a strong performance from the RF and CLUE-S integration, achieving an OA greater than 0.86 and a kappa index surpassing 0.79. learn more Across the period from 2020 to 2035, all scenarios exhibited an increase in mangrove, tidal flat, and agricultural pond areas, contrasted by a simultaneous decline in coastal shallow water. A reduction in the river's flow was observed during periods of NIS and EDS, in contrast to the increase brought on by ERPS and HDS. Reservoir levels decreased under NIS, but rose under all other contemplated situations. Of the presented scenarios, the EDS had the largest total area of developed land and agricultural ponds, with the ERPS having the largest total forest and grassland expanse. Economic development and ecological preservation were seamlessly interwoven within the HDS scenario. This region's natural wetlands mirrored those of ERPS, and its built-up areas and agricultural lands closely resembled those of EDS. The LDN target was supported by calculations of land degradation, as well as determinations of SDG 153.1 indicators. During the period 2020 to 2035, the HDS, EDS, and NIS outperformed the ERPS, which exhibited the smallest deviation from the LDN target, measuring 70,551 square kilometers. The ERPS saw the least favorable outcome for the SDG 153.1 indicator, standing at 085%. Our investigation's results could significantly bolster sustainable urban development and SDG reporting efforts.

Tropical and temperate waters worldwide are home to short-finned pilot whales, cetaceans that frequently strand collectively, the reasons for which remain unknown. Within Indonesian waters' SFPW, no reports provide details about the contamination status and bioaccumulation of halogenated organic compounds, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Our investigation into the status of PCB contamination, including the identification of congener profiles, assessment of potential hazards to cetaceans, and the determination of unintentionally produced PCBs (u-PCBs), involved the examination of all 209 PCB congeners in the blubber of 20 SFPW specimens stranded along the coast of Savu Island, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, in October 2012. Concentrations of 209PCBs, 7in-PCBs, 12dl-PCBs, and 21u-PCBs in lipid weight (lw) were found to be between 48 and 490 ng/g (mean 240 ± 140), 22 and 230 ng/g (mean 110 ± 60), 26 and 38 ng/g (mean 17 ± 10), and 10 and 13 ng/g (mean 63 ± 37), respectively. Profiles of PCBs, specific to each congener, were noted in various sex and age categories; juvenile specimens displayed relatively high levels of tri- to penta-CBs, and sub-adult females showed high concentrations of highly chlorinated, recalcitrant congeners within specific structure-activity groups (SAGs). DL-PCBs' estimated toxic equivalency (TEQs) values ranged from 22 to 60 TEQWHO pg/g lw, with juvenile specimens exhibiting higher TEQ values compared to sub-adult and adult counterparts. Although the measured TEQs and PCB concentrations in stranded SFPW off the Indonesian coast were lower than those reported for analogous whale species in other North Pacific regions, comprehensive further research is needed to assess the long-term effects of exposure to halogenated organic pollutants on their survival and health status.

Recent decades have seen a rise in awareness regarding the contamination of aquatic ecosystems by microplastics (MPs), recognizing the potential risks involved. The limitations of conventional MP analysis methods obscure our knowledge of the size distribution and abundance of full-size MPs, encompassing sizes from 1 meter to 5 millimeters. Throughout the late wet (September 2021) and dry (March 2022) seasons, the present study performed a quantification of marine phytoplankton (MPs), with size ranges of 50 micrometers to 5 millimeters and 1 to 50 meters, respectively, across twelve coastal Hong Kong locations using fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. Twelve marine surface water sample sites showed varying microplastic (MP) concentrations depending on the season. MPs, sized between 50 meters and 5 millimeters, and 1 to 50 meters, had wet season counts ranging from 27 to 104 particles/liter and 43,675 to 387,901 particles/liter, respectively. Dry season counts, in contrast, were lower, ranging from 13 to 36 particles/liter and 23,178 to 338,604 particles/liter, respectively. The estuary of the Pearl River, coupled with sewage discharge points, land formations, and anthropogenic influences, is anticipated to lead to fluctuations in the abundance of small MPs at the sampling points across both time and space. Ecological risk assessment, undertaken using the abundance data provided by MPs, concluded that microplastics, specifically those smaller than 10 m, found in coastal marine surface waters, could pose a potential threat to the health of aquatic life. Determining the public health implications of MPs' exposure mandates additional risk assessments.

Water intended for environmental sustainability in China is now the fastest-growing area of water use. Beginning in 2000, 'ecological water' (EcoW) has expanded to encompass 5 percent of the total water allocation, which is approximately 30 billion cubic meters. This paper critically examines the history, definition, and policy implications of EcoW in China, enabling a comparative assessment with other similar initiatives around the world and highlighting unique characteristics of the Chinese program. As is often the case in numerous nations, the expansion of EcoW is a reaction to the excessive allocation of water resources, acknowledging the broader significance of aquatic ecosystems. learn more Unlike other nations, the majority of EcoW resources are primarily devoted to supporting human values rather than environmental ones. EcoW projects, the earliest and most acclaimed, were designed to curtail dust pollution originating from rivers in arid zones and impacting northern China. Across international borders, environmental water, often appropriated from users within a watershed (commonly irrigators), is then released as a quasi-natural river flow from a reservoir. The EcoW diversion, a prominent example of environmental flows from dams, exists in the Heihe and Yellow River Basins of China. While other programs might, the largest EcoW programs do not replace current usage. Instead, they elevate the movement of water through substantial trans-basin transfers. The South-North Water Transfer project's excess water provides the foundation for the largest and fastest-growing EcoW program in China, located on the North China Plain (NCP). To expound upon the intricacies of EcoW projects in China, we delve into two specific case studies: the well-established Heihe arid-zone EcoW program and the more recent Jin-Jin-Ji EcoW program situated on the NCP. China's water management, highlighted by its ecological water allocation, showcases a substantial development and an evolving emphasis on comprehensive water management.

The relentless expansion of urban areas detrimentally affects the viability of land-based plant life. The underlying mechanics of this impact are not yet understood, and no rigorous investigation has been performed to date. We develop a theoretical framework to understand the distress from regional disparities by cross-linking urban areas and longitudinally assess the effect of expanding cities on net ecosystem productivity (NEP). Analysis reveals a 3760 104 square kilometer increase in global urbanized land between 1990 and 2017, which is implicated in the observed decline of vegetation carbon. Consequently, urban growth, coupled with certain modifications in the climate (specifically, rising temperatures, increasing CO2 levels, and nitrogen deposition), inadvertently fostered the potential of plants to absorb carbon, attributable to the augmented photosynthetic rates. The 179% rise in NEP due to indirect impacts is offset by the direct reduction caused by urban sprawl, which occupies 0.25% of Earth's surface area. Understanding the uncertainties of urban expansion's journey to carbon neutrality is enhanced by our research, offering a scientific basis for sustainable urban development worldwide.

China's wheat-rice cropping system, a smallholder-based practice reliant on conventional methods, is notably high in energy and carbon consumption. Cooperative endeavors in scientific resource management demonstrate potential to augment resource use, while lessening the adverse effects on the environment.