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The land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector, as a source and a sink of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, is critical for achieving carbon neutrality. Many academic journals have published papers on land use carbon emission or sink (LUCES), but LUCES reviews are relatively rare, which poses great challenges in accurately understanding the research progress and future prospects. This work analyzes the research characteristics, hotspots and future perspectives of LUCES research by using a bibliometric analysis (such as DDA, VOSviewer, CiteSpace software) and a review based on the data (6115 scientific papers) during 1991–2023 from the Web of Science (WoS) platform. We found that (1) over the past 33 years, it first presented a steady growth, then fluctuating growth, and finally a rapid growth trend in the yearly number of publications in LUCES research. The USA (17.31%), China (14.96%), and the UK (7.37%) occupy a dominant position in this research field. (2) The related LUCES research is interdisciplinary, which mainly cover science and technology, meteorology and atmospheric sciences, geology, and environmental sciences and ecology disciplines. (3) The research hotspot analysis on LUCES shows that these articles mostly covered the follow three aspects: ecosystem services, climate change, and carbon neutrality. (4) A review of the past LUCES literature suggests that it is mainly focused on exploring the forefront issues in terms of the definition and boundaries, evaluation method and influencing factors, etc. This work suggests that further research could explore the main scientific problems on quantification of land-based carbon neutrality, quantitative analysis of the impact mechanisms, as well as interdisciplinary research and collaborative governance needed for carbon neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The local land use carbon budget (LUCB) balance is an important factor in achieving regional carbon neutrality. As the basic unit of China's economic development and social governance, the county level is an important part of the realization of the "double carbon" goal. This paper focuses on 1069 county units within the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB). It utilizes data on land use, nighttime light, energy consumption, and social and economic factors to construct carbon emission models. The spatiotemporal characteristics of LUCB in these county units are analyzed using standard deviational ellipse (SDE) and spatial autocorrelation methods. Additionally, a zoning study is conducted by examining the economic contribution coefficient (ECC) of carbon emissions, the ecological support coefficient (ESC), and their coupling relationship. The results show that (1) the total land use carbon emissions (LUCE) increased significantly during the research period, and the total carbon sink was relatively stable. (2) The LUCB is spatially high in the east and low in the west, with the center of gravity moving to the southwest as a whole. (3) The LUCB shows positive spatial autocorrelation and has significant spatial agglomeration characteristics, which are mainly high–high and low–low regional agglomeration types. (4) The ECC is high in the east and low in the west, the ESC is high in the west and low in the east, and the coordination and coupling degrees of the two are low. (5) According to the ECC and ESC, the county unit is divided into a low-carbon conservation area, an economic development area, a carbon sink development area, and a comprehensive optimization area. This study is helpful in promoting the sustainable development of carbon neutrality and low carbon in the YREB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development mode of expanding agricultural scale will inevitably lead to an increase in agricultural carbon emissions but the impacts of agricultural technology progress on agricultural carbon emission and carbon sink are still not quite clear. This paper firstly discuss the definition of agricultural technology level. Then the estimating methods of agricultural technology, agricultural carbon emission and carbon sink are introduced. Based on the China's provincial panel data with 31 province from 2000 to 2019, the indicators are calculated and statistically analysed. After that, the representativeness of the three secondary classifications of the agricultural technology is empirically checked. Panel data regression models especially the fixed effect model is employed to estimate the effects of agricultural technology level as well as its components on agricultural carbon emission and carbon sink. Results show that the agricultural carbon sink is approximately 10 times higher than agricultural carbon emission. Agricultural technology level in general has significant effect on the carbon emission rather than the carbon sink. Our suggestion is that (1) it is not necessary to worry about the agricultural carbon emission since the net effect of agriculture is carbon neutrality; (2) the development of agricultural production technology and agricultural management technology needs strong support, and the two need to develop coordinated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land-use transition (LUT) refers to the change in the land-use form corresponding to the regional economic and social development. At different stages of LUT, changes in the land-use scale and structure may lead to carbon source transfer by affecting industrial transfer and carbon sinks, resulting in changes in the total carbon emission transfer (CET) from the land use in the whole region. The clarification of the relationship between LUT and CET is of great importance for the sustainable development of the regional economy and society and the realization of carbon peak and carbon neutrality. In this paper, we firstly conducted a theoretical analysis of the nonlinear relationship between LUT and CET, then took the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River in China as an example to explore the characteristics of LUT and CET, and finally constructed a threshold regression model to verify their nonlinear relationship. The following main findings were obtained. (1) From 2000 to 2020, profound LUT had occurred in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, with continuous decreases in farmland, substantial increases in construction land, and a first decrease and then increase in forest land; farmland is the main contributor to construction land and forest with a contribution rate exceeding 60%. (2) During the study period, the CET in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River exhibited certain regular characteristics. The phase characteristics of the carbon sink changes follow an intensification–moderation–reintensification–remoderation pattern, and those of the carbon source transfer and net carbon emissions follow an intensification–reintensification–moderation–remoderation pattern. In addition, carbon sink changes are far from enough to offset the effect of carbon source transfer. (3) The nonlinear relationship between LUT and CET was confirmed by the threshold effect at the economic development level, industrial optimization level, and technological progress level. The nonlinear relationship between the LUT and the carbon sink changes in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River is on the left side of the U-shaped curve and that between the LUT and the carbon source transfer or net carbon emissions is on the left side of the inverted U-shaped curve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the global context of carbon neutrality, higher education parks are an important strategic position for achieving China's goal of carbon peaking and carbon neutralization. Strategies from the perspective of life cycle to guide early low-carbon planning and design are an effective way to achieve carbon emission reduction goals. As the scale of university construction gradually expands, the "urban" attributes of them are becoming prominent. However, there is no quantitative study on analyzing the life cycle carbon emission strategies at both the building and urban scale based on sustainability rating systems. This study first extracts the design strategies according to BREEAM, LEED, DGNB and relative assessment standards for campuses and cities in China at the building and urban scale based on the 7-dimensional low-carbon strategy framework, then sorts out and compares the proportions of carbon-emission-related strategies across various dimensions and life cycle stages. It then summarizes the applications and concerns of low-carbon design strategies at different design scales. Finally, the weighting and calculation methods of life cycle carbon emissions in different sustainability rating systems are compared, the scope and methods of carbon emission benchmarks under different standards are compiled, and the evaluation method for locally applicable carbon emission benchmarks in China is proposed in light of China's national conditions, which provides guidance for the design process and standard formulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a gradual decline in rural population due to urbanization, as of 2022, approximately 35% of China's total population still resides in villages. Over a span of 40 years, carbon emissions from villages have significantly surged, with a sevenfold increase from energy consumption and a 46% rise from agriculture. Consequentially, the development of low-carbon villages is imperative. A comprehensive understanding of the primary sources of carbon emissions in villages is crucial for implementing practical and effective strategies towards low-carbon development. However, limited research has been conducted on quantifying carbon emissions and sinks for Chinese villages. This study aims to address this gap by proposing a methodology for assessing carbon emissions in villages, including the emissions of CO2, CH4 and N2O. Inspired by the IPCC standard methodology for greenhouse gas emissions at national levels and provincial greenhouse gas inventory guidelines customized for China's context incorporating localized characteristics, this approach has been applied to seven villages in Northern China based on field investigations. Employing a range of methods including field surveys, questionnaires, statistical records and big-data platforms, we collected the carbon emission activity levels of the seven villages using the most up-to-date carbon emission factors. Subsequently, the collected data and facts are quantitatively processed to generate results that are compared among the seven villages. These findings are also compared with those from other studies. The analysis indicates that the primary industries in these villages significantly influence the total carbon emissions. Moreover, the study reveals that energy consumption in buildings, agriculture, transportation and waste disposal are the most influential emission sources. These findings provide valuable insights into the carbon emission landscape of villages and can serve as a guide for implementing strategies and policies aimed at promoting low-carbon development in the rural areas of Northern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the pursuit of carbon neutrality, state-owned forests are prime candidates for carbon offset projects due to their unique tenure and management characteristics. Employing methodologies endorsed by the International Panel on Climate Change and logistic growth curves, this study assesses the carbon stocks and sequestration potential of established state-owned plantation forests across 31 Chinese provinces from 2023 to 2060, encompassing seven forestry industry groups. This study projects that by 2060, these forests will amass a carbon stock of 558.25 MtC, with the highest stock in Northeast China (122.09 MtC) and the lowest in Northwest China (32.27 MtC), notably showing the highest growth rate at 91.15%. Over the forecast period, they are expected to accumulate a carbon sink of 637.07 MtCO2e, translating to an average annual carbon sink of 17.22 MtCO2e and an average annual carbon sink per unit of 1.41 tons of CO2 per hectare per year. Additionally, state-owned forests have the potential to offset approximately 0.15%–0.17% of annual carbon emissions, aligning with international climate goals. However, it is essential to note that the conversion of these carbon sinks into tradable carbon credits is subject to specific methodology requirements. Therefore, the future development of carbon offset projects in China's state-owned forests should consider the advancement of carbon market mechanisms, including the Chinese Certified Emission Reduction and the introduction of a carbon inclusion mechanism and natural forest methodology, to fully realize their potential contributions to carbon neutrality. In summary, these findings offer valuable insights for shaping the future of carbon offset initiatives within China's state-owned forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climate and ecological problems caused by excessive carbon dioxide emissions are attracting more and more attention, and the need for carbon reduction has reached a consensus. Carbon peak and carbon neutrality is a solemn commitment made by China to the world and a strategic arrangement to achieve economic and social transformation. This study focused on Shanxi Province, a base of power source and heavy chemical industry in China. Based on energy consumption data, carbon emission data set at the county level, land use data and socioeconomic data, we built a carbon ecological pressure index in order to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of the carbon footprint, carbon carrying capacity and carbon ecological security status of each county in Shanxi Province from 2000 to 2020. The results showed that: (1) the total carbon footprint of Shanxi Province increased, and the number of high carbon emission counties showed an increasing trend. The largest part of carbon footprint was coal. (2) The vegetation carbon-carrying capacity showed an increasing trend in general, and forest land was the main contributor to the carbon-carrying capacity. (3) The carbon deficit of Shanxi Province was greater than 0 and behaved as a carbon source. The carbon ecological security decreased from a relatively safe level to a general safe level. (4) The carbon ecological pressure index gradually increased. It was predicted that the carbon ecological security level of each county will remain basically unchanged by 2025 and some will still be at a carbon ecological insecurity level. In general, the carbon ecological pressure index of some counties was still large. It is necessary to strengthen the use of clean energy, optimize the industrial structure and increase the carbon sink of forest land in order to reduce carbon emissions and increase the carbon sink, so as to ensure carbon ecological security and realize the goal of a low-carbon economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on China's goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, this study focused on its coal gasification in 2010–2019. Carbon emissions were calculated from industrial data, and an LMDt model was established to analyze the influencing factors of carbon emissions. Through scenario analysis, the paths of carbon emission reductions in the chemical industry were analyzed, and their emission reduction potential was estimated. The results showed that the carbon emissions in the chemical industry increased rapidly in 2010–2019, reaching 196 million tons in 2019. The emission structure was the most important factor in mitigating carbon emissions, and the emission intensity, industrial structure, economic development level, and labor force scale had different degrees of promotion effects, of which emission intensity was the strongest. The chemical industry can reach a carbon peak before 2030 under the three analyzed scenarios, and the emission reduction potential is the largest under the landing policy scenario. The results showed that carbon capture, usage, and storage (CCUS) technology is key for carbon emission reductions and that it is necessary to adjust the industrial structure, reduce emission intensity, and increase forest carbon sink to achieve carbon neutrality in the chemical industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Net biome productivity (NBP), which takes into account abiotic respiration and metabolic processes such as fire, pests, and harvesting of agricultural and forestry products, may be more scientific than net ecosystem productivity (NEP) in measuring ecosystem carbon sink levels. As one of the largest countries in global carbon emissions, in China, however, the spatial pattern and evolution of its NBP are still unclear. To this end, we estimated the magnitude of NBP in 31 Chinese provinces (except Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan) from 2000 to 2018, and clarified its temporal and spatial evolution. The results show that: (1) the total amount of NBP in China was about 0.21 Pg C/yr1. Among them, Yunnan Province had the highest NBP (0.09 Pg C/yr1), accounting for about 43% of China's total. (2) NBP increased from a rate of 0.19 Tg C/yr1 during the study period. (3) At present, NBP in China's terrestrial ecosystems is mainly distributed in southwest and south China, while northwest and central China are weak carbon sinks or carbon sources. (4) The relative contribution rates of carbon emission fluxes due to emissions from anthropogenic disturbances (harvest of agricultural and forestry products) and natural disturbances (fires, pests, etc.) were 70% and 9.87%, respectively. This study emphasizes the importance of using NBP to re-estimate the net carbon sink of China's terrestrial ecosystem, which is beneficial to providing data support for the realization of China's carbon neutrality goal and global carbon cycle research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]