Pub Date : 2025-09-01Epub Date: 2025-04-08DOI: 10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100222
Meng Li , Huijun Wu , Hongrong Huang , Jie Gao , Pute Wu , La Zhuo
Global food trade has been growing and diverse with environmental burden shifting across the trade bilateral partners. However, the temporal evolution of the environmental impacts and resources degradations embedded in food trade remains unclear for the recent decades. This study analyzes China’s food supply and trade relationships of 71 food items with 174 countries and territories from 2010 to 2020, examining the associated water, land, carbon footprint (WF, LF and CF) based on the bottom-up method, as well as the corresponding virtual water, land, carbon flows and resources saving. Results show that WF and LF of Chinese food consumption increased while CF decreased over the period. National net virtual water, land and carbon imports more than doubled, mainly due to the import of legumes and nuts from Latin America. Trade conserved 56.6 Mha/yr of land but consumed 30 Gm3/yr of water and raised net carbon emissions by 56 Mt/yr in 2020. This analysis shows a crucial view on the non-negligible role of a certain country’s food trade network changes on global environmental degradations though worldwide food productivity improvements.
{"title":"Food trade of China saved global land but increased water appropriation and carbon emissions from 2010 to 2020","authors":"Meng Li , Huijun Wu , Hongrong Huang , Jie Gao , Pute Wu , La Zhuo","doi":"10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100222","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100222","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Global food trade has been growing and diverse with environmental burden shifting across the trade bilateral partners. However, the temporal evolution of the environmental impacts and resources degradations embedded in food trade remains unclear for the recent decades. This study analyzes China’s food supply and trade relationships of 71 food items with 174 countries and territories from 2010 to 2020, examining the associated water, land, carbon footprint (WF, LF and CF) based on the bottom-up method, as well as the corresponding virtual water, land, carbon flows and resources saving. Results show that WF and LF of Chinese food consumption increased while CF decreased over the period. National net virtual water, land and carbon imports more than doubled, mainly due to the import of legumes and nuts from Latin America. Trade conserved 56.6 Mha/yr of land but consumed 30 Gm<sup>3</sup>/yr of water and raised net carbon emissions by 56 Mt/yr in 2020. This analysis shows a crucial view on the non-negligible role of a certain country’s food trade network changes on global environmental degradations though worldwide food productivity improvements.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34479,"journal":{"name":"Resources Environment and Sustainability","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100222"},"PeriodicalIF":12.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143807102","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01Epub Date: 2025-04-11DOI: 10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100225
Hong-tao Liu , Jia-yi Hou , Min Deng , Zhi-gang Sun
The Yellow River Delta, characterized by intense land-sea interactions, has a highly sensitive and fragile environment. Livestock residue, transported through runoff and infiltration, exacerbates soil and water contamination, posing a threat to offshore waters. Thus, mitigating the environmental risks associated with livestock residue in the delta is urgent. This study integrated field measurements and model analysis to provide new insights into livestock residue pollution control. It examined discharge characteristics in soil and aquatic environments and assessed the spatial distribution of pollution potential. In the Yellow River Delta, total nitrogen and total phosphorus levels in livestock residue exceeded the Ministry of Ecology and Environment’s limits by 3–6 times and 7.2 times, respectively. Large-scale breeding primarily reduced pollutant loads by increasing flushing. Shortening the distance between farms and rivers, along with adopting wet cleaning methods, mitigated nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic matter pollution risks. Compared to anaerobic digestion, aerobic composting reduced pollutant levels in manure but increased organic matter in slurry. Soil pollution was severe near farms, with total nitrogen and organic matter concentrations 2.0 and 2.1 times higher than those along the vertical transect from farms to rivers, while water pollution was relatively benign. High-risk non-point source pollution areas were concentrated in the northwest and south of the Yellow River Delta. Even low-risk waterways, such as the Yellow River and Xianxian Ditch, posed potential threats to the Bohai Sea. Optimizing breeding scale, flushing intensity, manure cleaning and treatment methods, and farm-river distances can effectively reduce pollution risks.
{"title":"Characteristics and influencing factors of livestock residue nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic matter discharge and spatial distribution of pollution potential: Case study in the Yellow River Delta, China","authors":"Hong-tao Liu , Jia-yi Hou , Min Deng , Zhi-gang Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100225","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100225","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Yellow River Delta, characterized by intense land-sea interactions, has a highly sensitive and fragile environment. Livestock residue, transported through runoff and infiltration, exacerbates soil and water contamination, posing a threat to offshore waters. Thus, mitigating the environmental risks associated with livestock residue in the delta is urgent. This study integrated field measurements and model analysis to provide new insights into livestock residue pollution control. It examined discharge characteristics in soil and aquatic environments and assessed the spatial distribution of pollution potential. In the Yellow River Delta, total nitrogen and total phosphorus levels in livestock residue exceeded the Ministry of Ecology and Environment’s limits by 3–6 times and 7.2 times, respectively. Large-scale breeding primarily reduced pollutant loads by increasing flushing. Shortening the distance between farms and rivers, along with adopting wet cleaning methods, mitigated nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic matter pollution risks. Compared to anaerobic digestion, aerobic composting reduced pollutant levels in manure but increased organic matter in slurry. Soil pollution was severe near farms, with total nitrogen and organic matter concentrations 2.0 and 2.1 times higher than those along the vertical transect from farms to rivers, while water pollution was relatively benign. High-risk non-point source pollution areas were concentrated in the northwest and south of the Yellow River Delta. Even low-risk waterways, such as the Yellow River and Xianxian Ditch, posed potential threats to the Bohai Sea. Optimizing breeding scale, flushing intensity, manure cleaning and treatment methods, and farm-river distances can effectively reduce pollution risks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34479,"journal":{"name":"Resources Environment and Sustainability","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100225"},"PeriodicalIF":12.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143834691","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01Epub Date: 2025-06-04DOI: 10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100241
Sara Auriemma , Atif A. Chowdhury , Alessandro Sorze , Francesco Valentini , Federica Piergiacomo , Andrea Dorigato , Lorenzo Brusetti
Worsening water shortages due to climate change have underscored the need for sustainable agricultural practices, including mulching, to restore soil moisture and health. Environmental concerns associated with plastic mulching materials in agriculture have prompted the adoption of biodegradable alternatives. Topsoil cover (TSC), developed through the valorization of wood industry by-products and xanthan gum, offers a sustainable solution. Indigenous microbiomes, predominantly Proteobacteria (e.g., Pseudomonas spp.), Firmicutes (e.g., Staphylococcus spp.), and Aspergillus spp., can biodegrade TSC under controlled condition. Germination tests confirm its effectiveness in weed control. A greenhouse experiment using tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) demonstrated that TSC enhances shoot and root length by 50 and 100%–160% and overall biomass by 30%–50%, without altering rhizosphere soil physicochemical properties or microbial community structure. Additionally, the reversible effect of TSC can enhance the early soil nitrogen pool by 20% through microbial interactions. It also increases soil microbial metabolic diversity, highlighting its potential for agricultural use. Our findings establish TSC as an innovative product that closes the loop on timber industry waste while enhancing soil fertility, promoting plant health, and enabling medium-term carbon storage in wood.
{"title":"Wood-derived topsoil cover positively influences the diversity and activity of tomato plant rhizobacteria","authors":"Sara Auriemma , Atif A. Chowdhury , Alessandro Sorze , Francesco Valentini , Federica Piergiacomo , Andrea Dorigato , Lorenzo Brusetti","doi":"10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100241","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100241","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Worsening water shortages due to climate change have underscored the need for sustainable agricultural practices, including mulching, to restore soil moisture and health. Environmental concerns associated with plastic mulching materials in agriculture have prompted the adoption of biodegradable alternatives. Topsoil cover (TSC), developed through the valorization of wood industry by-products and xanthan gum, offers a sustainable solution. Indigenous microbiomes, predominantly Proteobacteria (e.g., <em>Pseudomonas</em> spp.), Firmicutes (e.g., <em>Staphylococcus</em> spp.), and <em>Aspergillus</em> spp., can biodegrade TSC under controlled condition. Germination tests confirm its effectiveness in weed control. A greenhouse experiment using tomato (<em>Solanum lycopersicum</em>) demonstrated that TSC enhances shoot and root length by 50 and 100%–160% and overall biomass by 30%–50%, without altering rhizosphere soil physicochemical properties or microbial community structure. Additionally, the reversible effect of TSC can enhance the early soil nitrogen pool by 20% through microbial interactions. It also increases soil microbial metabolic diversity, highlighting its potential for agricultural use. Our findings establish TSC as an innovative product that closes the loop on timber industry waste while enhancing soil fertility, promoting plant health, and enabling medium-term carbon storage in wood.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34479,"journal":{"name":"Resources Environment and Sustainability","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100241"},"PeriodicalIF":12.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144254510","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01Epub Date: 2025-07-10DOI: 10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100247
Hanyou Xie , Weiyan Wang , Ping He , Wencheng Ding , Xinpeng Xu , Xuelian Tan , Xiaowei Liu
Sustainable agricultural production encounters significant challenges in balancing economic returns with environmental sustainability, particularly in the ecologically fragile dryland regions of Northwest China. This study employed life cycle assessment (LCA) and comprehensive evaluation index (CEI) to identify the optimal cropping system among potato continuous cropping (PC), wheat/green manure-potato (WgP), pea/green manure-potato (PgP), and wheat/green manure-pea/green manure-potato (WgPgP) in the study region. Furthermore, the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) was used to optimize regional cropping structure. The results indicated that crop rotations improved the soil health index by 13.1%–63.4%, increased the potato yield by 15.0%–38.2%, enhanced net economic benefits (NEB) by 30.6%–41.9%, and boosted net ecological economic benefits (NEEB) by 36.3%–47.6% compared to PC. Additionally, crop rotations reduced water consumption by 11.2%–26.1% and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 33.6%–59.3%, while improving the potato nutrient use efficiency by 12.8%–38.4%. The CEI rankings indicated that PgP (41.5%) was the highest, followed by WgPgP (33.2%), WgP (17.3%), and PC (9.7%). Expanding the PgP rotation in Northwest China could significantly reduce nutrient and water inputs, decrease GHG and reactive nitrogen (Nr) emissions, and enhance productivity and profitability. This study provides a practical pathway for sustainable food production in dryland agricultural regions by emphasizing the pivotal role of crop rotation in improving soil health and mitigating GHG and Nr emissions.
{"title":"Rotation reshapes sustainable potato production in dryland by reducing environmental footprints synergistically enhancing soil health","authors":"Hanyou Xie , Weiyan Wang , Ping He , Wencheng Ding , Xinpeng Xu , Xuelian Tan , Xiaowei Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100247","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100247","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sustainable agricultural production encounters significant challenges in balancing economic returns with environmental sustainability, particularly in the ecologically fragile dryland regions of Northwest China. This study employed life cycle assessment (LCA) and comprehensive evaluation index (CEI) to identify the optimal cropping system among potato continuous cropping (PC), wheat/green manure-potato (W<sub>g</sub>P), pea/green manure-potato (P<sub>g</sub>P), and wheat/green manure-pea/green manure-potato (W<sub>g</sub>P<sub>g</sub>P) in the study region. Furthermore, the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) was used to optimize regional cropping structure. The results indicated that crop rotations improved the soil health index by 13.1%–63.4%, increased the potato yield by 15.0%–38.2%, enhanced net economic benefits (NEB) by 30.6%–41.9%, and boosted net ecological economic benefits (NEEB) by 36.3%–47.6% compared to PC. Additionally, crop rotations reduced water consumption by 11.2%–26.1% and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 33.6%–59.3%, while improving the potato nutrient use efficiency by 12.8%–38.4%. The CEI rankings indicated that P<sub>g</sub>P (41.5%) was the highest, followed by W<sub>g</sub>P<sub>g</sub>P (33.2%), W<sub>g</sub>P (17.3%), and PC (9.7%). Expanding the P<sub>g</sub>P rotation in Northwest China could significantly reduce nutrient and water inputs, decrease GHG and reactive nitrogen (Nr) emissions, and enhance productivity and profitability. This study provides a practical pathway for sustainable food production in dryland agricultural regions by emphasizing the pivotal role of crop rotation in improving soil health and mitigating GHG and Nr emissions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34479,"journal":{"name":"Resources Environment and Sustainability","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100247"},"PeriodicalIF":12.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144631363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01Epub Date: 2025-04-19DOI: 10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100228
Jinhui Xiong , Wenze Yue , Haoxuan Xia , Tianyu Wang , Yong Liu , Bryan C. Pijanowski
Land use sustainability (LUS) has exhibited profound impacts on addressing global change and achieving sustainable development. Although numerous policies have been implemented to improve LUS, their effectiveness remains unclear. This study builds an integrated assessment to model LUS dynamics in China for 2035 under nine scenarios, combining Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs), Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs), and three land use policy-oriented scenarios: Business As Usual (BAU), Biodiversity and Agricultural Adaptation (BAA), and Chinese Territorial Spatial Planning (TSP). Using the global change analysis model and future land use simulation model, we quantify changes and interactions among Ecological Sustainability (ES), Production Sustainability (PS), and Living Sustainability (LS). Under BAU, ES declines are predominant – with improvements observed in only 5 provinces under SSP126 and SSP245, and 3 provinces under SSP460 – while significant trade-offs emerge between ES-PS and PS-LS, with modest ES-LS synergy. In contrast, BAA outperforms enhancing average LUS, while TSP yields the most optimal outcomes. Specifically, under SSP126-TSP, up to 22 provinces show highest ES and LS, and PS peaks in 24 provinces. Meanwhile, Pearson correlation coefficient between ES-LS synergy reaches 0.46 under SSP126-TSP. Overall, TSP markedly reduces trade-offs and fosters synergies across all dimensions. These findings highlight TSP’s critical role in sustainable land use and provide actionable insights for policymaking to achieve sustainable development goals in China and globally.
{"title":"Will China’s territorial spatial planning policies enhance land use sustainability? An integrated assessment under global environmental change","authors":"Jinhui Xiong , Wenze Yue , Haoxuan Xia , Tianyu Wang , Yong Liu , Bryan C. Pijanowski","doi":"10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100228","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100228","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Land use sustainability (LUS) has exhibited profound impacts on addressing global change and achieving sustainable development. Although numerous policies have been implemented to improve LUS, their effectiveness remains unclear. This study builds an integrated assessment to model LUS dynamics in China for 2035 under nine scenarios, combining Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs), Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs), and three land use policy-oriented scenarios: Business As Usual (BAU), Biodiversity and Agricultural Adaptation (BAA), and Chinese Territorial Spatial Planning (TSP). Using the global change analysis model and future land use simulation model, we quantify changes and interactions among Ecological Sustainability (ES), Production Sustainability (PS), and Living Sustainability (LS). Under BAU, ES declines are predominant – with improvements observed in only 5 provinces under SSP126 and SSP245, and 3 provinces under SSP460 – while significant trade-offs emerge between ES-PS and PS-LS, with modest ES-LS synergy. In contrast, BAA outperforms enhancing average LUS, while TSP yields the most optimal outcomes. Specifically, under SSP126-TSP, up to 22 provinces show highest ES and LS, and PS peaks in 24 provinces. Meanwhile, Pearson correlation coefficient between ES-LS synergy reaches 0.46 under SSP126-TSP. Overall, TSP markedly reduces trade-offs and fosters synergies across all dimensions. These findings highlight TSP’s critical role in sustainable land use and provide actionable insights for policymaking to achieve sustainable development goals in China and globally.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34479,"journal":{"name":"Resources Environment and Sustainability","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100228"},"PeriodicalIF":12.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143870135","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01Epub Date: 2025-06-12DOI: 10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100242
Christopher E. Ndehedehe , Oluwafemi E. Adeyeri , Vagner G. Ferreira , Wen Zhou
A large proportion of human population could be exposed to future risks from compound climate extremes, which are threatening food and water security. To understand the far-reaching impacts of these extremes on the livelihoods of current and future generations, we need models that are less ambiguous, better suited for impact studies, and more capable of advancing our understanding of future climatic conditions (e.g., rainfall and temperature). To advance such modelling capabilities for impact assessment of compound extremes in Australia, we develop a new framework to combine satellite gravity data with in-situ data and outputs from hydrological models to adjust for biases in the latest Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase general circulation models’ projections of water budget parameters. The impacts of compound climate extremes under different climate scenarios on the freshwater derived from these parameters were then assessed. Our findings show that the Australian east coast will experience a rise in compound hot and wet extremes, and changes to these compound extremes under different climate scenarios will drive freshwater deficits in Australia. The consequences of limiting global warming to different levels (historical, SSP 245, 370, and 585) on freshwater were also identified. We found significant freshwater declines over Australia with Western Australia being the most affected by compound climate extremes (wet and hot extremes) across all global warming scenarios. Considerable percentage changes exceeding -125% in freshwater have been linked to these compound extremes. Our results also reveal that evapotranspiration will emerge as a more crucial indicator to freshwater availability, and that atmospheric dynamics and moisture transport are expected to contribute to considerable changes in freshwater availability.
{"title":"Terrestrial water storage in Australia under stress from compound climate extremes","authors":"Christopher E. Ndehedehe , Oluwafemi E. Adeyeri , Vagner G. Ferreira , Wen Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100242","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100242","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A large proportion of human population could be exposed to future risks from compound climate extremes, which are threatening food and water security. To understand the far-reaching impacts of these extremes on the livelihoods of current and future generations, we need models that are less ambiguous, better suited for impact studies, and more capable of advancing our understanding of future climatic conditions (e.g., rainfall and temperature). To advance such modelling capabilities for impact assessment of compound extremes in Australia, we develop a new framework to combine satellite gravity data with in-situ data and outputs from hydrological models to adjust for biases in the latest Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase general circulation models’ projections of water budget parameters. The impacts of compound climate extremes under different climate scenarios on the freshwater derived from these parameters were then assessed. Our findings show that the Australian east coast will experience a rise in compound hot and wet extremes, and changes to these compound extremes under different climate scenarios will drive freshwater deficits in Australia. The consequences of limiting global warming to different levels (historical, SSP 245, 370, and 585) on freshwater were also identified. We found significant freshwater declines over Australia with Western Australia being the most affected by compound climate extremes (wet and hot extremes) across all global warming scenarios. Considerable percentage changes exceeding -125% in freshwater have been linked to these compound extremes. Our results also reveal that evapotranspiration will emerge as a more crucial indicator to freshwater availability, and that atmospheric dynamics and moisture transport are expected to contribute to considerable changes in freshwater availability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34479,"journal":{"name":"Resources Environment and Sustainability","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100242"},"PeriodicalIF":12.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144307921","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01Epub Date: 2025-04-11DOI: 10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100226
Xinlai Tan , Hongyan Zou , Zhong-Liang Wang , Jing Shui , Yidong Wang , Chang-Er Chen , Danyang Li , Dongmei Xue , Meng Hu , Zhanyun Wang
Since China’s import ban, there has been a stimulated global interest in the international trade of plastic wastes, but with a limited focus on the impact of such downstream events on the trade of primary plastics. Thus, this study focuses on analyzing the global trade of primary plastics from 1988 to 2022 to understand the effects of different events on the trade and offer policy implications. Specifically, we reconstruct relevant trade data from the UN Comtrade database using a rigorous method to handle data reporting issues in the database. The results show that the cumulative global trade of primary plastics reached 3,411 megatonnes over the past 35 years. The global trade boosted after 2017 as a result of China’s increasing import to mitigate the raw material shortages brought by its import ban of plastic wastes. A first negative growth of the global primary plastic trade in a decade showed up in 2022 due to China’s shrinking demand. This study also offers a detailed analysis about the current policy landscape, urgently calling for a well-designed policy framework aiming at sustainability throughout the entire plastic life cycle.
{"title":"Deep dive into the global primary plastic trade over the past thirty-five years and its policy implications","authors":"Xinlai Tan , Hongyan Zou , Zhong-Liang Wang , Jing Shui , Yidong Wang , Chang-Er Chen , Danyang Li , Dongmei Xue , Meng Hu , Zhanyun Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100226","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100226","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Since China’s import ban, there has been a stimulated global interest in the international trade of plastic wastes, but with a limited focus on the impact of such downstream events on the trade of primary plastics. Thus, this study focuses on analyzing the global trade of primary plastics from 1988 to 2022 to understand the effects of different events on the trade and offer policy implications. Specifically, we reconstruct relevant trade data from the UN Comtrade database using a rigorous method to handle data reporting issues in the database. The results show that the cumulative global trade of primary plastics reached 3,411 megatonnes over the past 35 years. The global trade boosted after 2017 as a result of China’s increasing import to mitigate the raw material shortages brought by its import ban of plastic wastes. A first negative growth of the global primary plastic trade in a decade showed up in 2022 due to China’s shrinking demand. This study also offers a detailed analysis about the current policy landscape, urgently calling for a well-designed policy framework aiming at sustainability throughout the entire plastic life cycle.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34479,"journal":{"name":"Resources Environment and Sustainability","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100226"},"PeriodicalIF":12.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143839427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01Epub Date: 2025-04-23DOI: 10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100232
Julia Gickel , Christian Visscher
Efforts to minimize the environmental impact of livestock production are essential for sustainable agriculture. Immunocastration, using products like Improvac®, offers an alternative to surgical castration, enabling the physiological advantages of rearing entire male pigs while addressing issues such as boar taint and animal welfare. This review analyzes the effects of immunocastration on the performance and carbon footprint of fattening pigs compared to entire males, gilts, and surgically castrated males. Data from 39 trials reported in research articles were used to extract information on average daily gain (ADG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and mortality. The means of these parameters were used to calculate the carbon footprint. Results showed that immunocastrated males had a higher mean ADG and a lower mean FCR compared to gilts and surgically castrated males, resulting in 7.1% and 6.8% lower carbon footprints, respectively. However, entire males had a slightly lower carbon footprint than immunocastrated males due to a more favorable FCR, although differences were not statistically significant. The findings underscore the ecological advantage of immunocastration over surgical castration, driven by improved feed efficiency and growth rates. From a sustainability perspective, boar fattening offers the lowest environmental impact, but practical challenges like boar taint and behavioral issues remain. If boar fattening is not feasible, immunocastration emerges as the preferable alternative to surgical castration, aligning with ecological and animal welfare goals. This review highlights the potential of immunocastration to balance productivity and sustainability in fattening pigs while addressing consumer and regulatory concerns.
{"title":"Carbon footprint of immunocastrated male fattening pigs compared to entire males, gilts, and surgically castrated males","authors":"Julia Gickel , Christian Visscher","doi":"10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100232","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100232","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Efforts to minimize the environmental impact of livestock production are essential for sustainable agriculture. Immunocastration, using products like Improvac®, offers an alternative to surgical castration, enabling the physiological advantages of rearing entire male pigs while addressing issues such as boar taint and animal welfare. This review analyzes the effects of immunocastration on the performance and carbon footprint of fattening pigs compared to entire males, gilts, and surgically castrated males. Data from 39 trials reported in research articles were used to extract information on average daily gain (ADG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and mortality. The means of these parameters were used to calculate the carbon footprint. Results showed that immunocastrated males had a higher mean ADG and a lower mean FCR compared to gilts and surgically castrated males, resulting in 7.1% and 6.8% lower carbon footprints, respectively. However, entire males had a slightly lower carbon footprint than immunocastrated males due to a more favorable FCR, although differences were not statistically significant. The findings underscore the ecological advantage of immunocastration over surgical castration, driven by improved feed efficiency and growth rates. From a sustainability perspective, boar fattening offers the lowest environmental impact, but practical challenges like boar taint and behavioral issues remain. If boar fattening is not feasible, immunocastration emerges as the preferable alternative to surgical castration, aligning with ecological and animal welfare goals. This review highlights the potential of immunocastration to balance productivity and sustainability in fattening pigs while addressing consumer and regulatory concerns.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34479,"journal":{"name":"Resources Environment and Sustainability","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100232"},"PeriodicalIF":12.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143878868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01Epub Date: 2025-05-08DOI: 10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100236
Guogan Peng , Ciara Chun Chen , Linjia Zhou , Qiaoguo Tan , Lingfeng Huang , Jianjie Fu , Guibin Jiang
Addressing the growing threat of harmful algal blooms driven by eutrophication and climate change, biomanipulation via fish has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance water quality in lake ecosystems. While biomanipulation is often evaluated by its impact on algal control, the influence of food web structure and function on water quality requires further mechanistic understanding. This study pioneers a 22-year ecosystem-scale analysis using Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) model to quantify how a dual biomanipulation strategy involving filter-feeding fish and piscivorous fish reshapes energy flow pathways and nitrogen cycling dynamics in a subtropical eutrophic lake. The findings indicate that the introduction of filter-feeding fish (silver carp, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, and bighead carp, Aristichthys nobilis) suppress cyanobacterial blooms by redirecting 52.7% of nitrogen to fisheries, while piscivorous fish (bass, Lateolabrax japonicus, and eel, Anguilla japonica) amplify trophic cascades, enhancing zooplankton-mediated microalgal regulation. Food web connectivity increased (connectance: 0.12 to 0.21), minimizing nitrogen flux to detritus and improving water quality by 38%, driven by cyanobacterial biomass suppression, enhanced energy transfer efficiency, and fish-mediated nitrogen removal. These results demonstrate that integrated biomanipulation balances fishery yields with eutrophication control, offering a climate-resilient framework for restoring subtropical lakes globally. This work advances mechanistic insights into nutrient-energy synergies and provides actionable strategies for sustainable aquatic management in warming ecosystems.
为了解决富营养化和气候变化导致的有害藻华日益严重的威胁，鱼类生物操纵已成为改善湖泊生态系统水质的一种有前途的策略。虽然生物操作通常通过其对藻类控制的影响来评估，但食物网结构和功能对水质的影响需要进一步的机理理解。本研究利用Ecopath with Ecosim （EwE）模型进行了为期22年的生态系统尺度分析，量化了滤食性鱼类和鱼食性鱼类的双重生物操纵策略如何重塑亚热带富营养化湖泊的能量流动途径和氮循环动力学。结果表明，滤食性鱼类（鲢鱼，Hypophthalmichthys molitrix和鳙鱼，Aristichthys nobilis）的引入通过将52.7%的氮重定向到渔业中来抑制蓝藻华，而鱼食性鱼类（鲈鱼，Lateolabrax japonicus和鳗鱼，Anguilla japonica）的引入放大了营养级联，增强了浮游动物介导的微藻调节。食物网连通性增加（连接度从0.12到0.21），在蓝藻生物量抑制、能量传递效率提高和鱼类介导的氮去除的推动下，将氮通量降至最低，水质改善了38%。这些结果表明，综合生物操纵平衡了渔业产量和富营养化控制，为全球亚热带湖泊的恢复提供了一个气候适应型框架。这项工作推进了对营养-能量协同作用的机制见解，并为变暖生态系统中的可持续水生管理提供了可行的策略。
{"title":"Enhancing water quality through biomanipulation: Insights into energy flow and nitrogen cycling from a subtropical eutrophic lake for sustainable management","authors":"Guogan Peng , Ciara Chun Chen , Linjia Zhou , Qiaoguo Tan , Lingfeng Huang , Jianjie Fu , Guibin Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100236","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100236","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Addressing the growing threat of harmful algal blooms driven by eutrophication and climate change, biomanipulation via fish has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance water quality in lake ecosystems. While biomanipulation is often evaluated by its impact on algal control, the influence of food web structure and function on water quality requires further mechanistic understanding. This study pioneers a 22-year ecosystem-scale analysis using Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) model to quantify how a dual biomanipulation strategy involving filter-feeding fish and piscivorous fish reshapes energy flow pathways and nitrogen cycling dynamics in a subtropical eutrophic lake. The findings indicate that the introduction of filter-feeding fish (silver carp, <em>Hypophthalmichthys molitrix</em>, and bighead carp, <em>Aristichthys nobilis</em>) suppress cyanobacterial blooms by redirecting 52.7% of nitrogen to fisheries, while piscivorous fish (bass, <em>Lateolabrax japonicus</em>, and eel, <em>Anguilla japonica</em>) amplify trophic cascades, enhancing zooplankton-mediated microalgal regulation. Food web connectivity increased (connectance: 0.12 to 0.21), minimizing nitrogen flux to detritus and improving water quality by 38%, driven by cyanobacterial biomass suppression, enhanced energy transfer efficiency, and fish-mediated nitrogen removal. These results demonstrate that integrated biomanipulation balances fishery yields with eutrophication control, offering a climate-resilient framework for restoring subtropical lakes globally. This work advances mechanistic insights into nutrient-energy synergies and provides actionable strategies for sustainable aquatic management in warming ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34479,"journal":{"name":"Resources Environment and Sustainability","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100236"},"PeriodicalIF":12.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143943118","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01Epub Date: 2025-07-10DOI: 10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100249
Muhammad Rahil Afzal , Misbah Naz , Youbo Yu , Lisha Yan , Peiyi Wang , Janaki Mohotti , GeFei Hao , Jing-Jiang Zhou , Zhuo Chen , Libo Zhang , Qian Wang
Root exudates (REs), a diverse array of bioactive metabolites secreted by plant roots in response to environmental stimuli, serve as key mediators of rhizosphere ecology and plant defense responses, offering a promising avenue for sustainable pest management and eco-friendly plant protection. While earlier reviews primarily focus on root exudates in the context of general rhizosphere dynamics and plant-microbial interactions, critical knowledge gaps persist in REs-plant-pest tripartite interactions, the mechanistic basis of REs-mediated plant defense, and their practical integration with integrated pest management (IPM) frameworks. This review provides a synthesis of the latest literature on the biochemical diversity and functions of REs, their environmentally-driven exudation dynamics, and their roles in induced systemic resistance (ISR) in plants and disrupting pest communication and development. Furthermore, we highlight their translational potential-including advances in RE-inspired green pesticide development, and emerging strategies that employ beneficial microorganisms to modulate REs profile for enhanced plant protection. By integrating these insights, this review underscores the potential of REs to redefine modern pest management strategies. We advocate for interdisciplinary research to further explore the ecological and evolutionary roles of REs, ultimately contributing to more resilient and sustainable agricultural systems.
{"title":"Root exudates: The rhizospheric frontier for advancing sustainable plant protection","authors":"Muhammad Rahil Afzal , Misbah Naz , Youbo Yu , Lisha Yan , Peiyi Wang , Janaki Mohotti , GeFei Hao , Jing-Jiang Zhou , Zhuo Chen , Libo Zhang , Qian Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100249","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100249","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Root exudates (REs), a diverse array of bioactive metabolites secreted by plant roots in response to environmental stimuli, serve as key mediators of rhizosphere ecology and plant defense responses, offering a promising avenue for sustainable pest management and eco-friendly plant protection. While earlier reviews primarily focus on root exudates in the context of general rhizosphere dynamics and plant-microbial interactions, critical knowledge gaps persist in REs-plant-pest tripartite interactions, the mechanistic basis of REs-mediated plant defense, and their practical integration with integrated pest management (IPM) frameworks. This review provides a synthesis of the latest literature on the biochemical diversity and functions of REs, their environmentally-driven exudation dynamics, and their roles in induced systemic resistance (ISR) in plants and disrupting pest communication and development. Furthermore, we highlight their translational potential-including advances in RE-inspired green pesticide development, and emerging strategies that employ beneficial microorganisms to modulate REs profile for enhanced plant protection. By integrating these insights, this review underscores the potential of REs to redefine modern pest management strategies. We advocate for interdisciplinary research to further explore the ecological and evolutionary roles of REs, ultimately contributing to more resilient and sustainable agricultural systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34479,"journal":{"name":"Resources Environment and Sustainability","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100249"},"PeriodicalIF":12.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144623433","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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