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Abstract Unequal outcomes resulting from urbanization can pose a significant challenge to sustainable development. Vehicles are an important urbanization dimension as a critical component of urban infrastructure by providing mobility and accessibility to social services. China’s vehicle ownership (referred to as in-use vehicle stocks) has been growing quickly since 2000, but its per capita stocks are still much lower than that in developed economies. This raises the question of whether and when China’s vehicle stocks will reach a peak level close to that in the developed countries. By analyzing vehicle stocks in 283 Chinese cities during 2001–2018, we have the following findings: (1) vehicle stocks are predominantly distributed in northern and eastern coastal cities and provincial capital cities; (2) inequality in vehicle ownership rates between cities shows a declining trend at both national and region scales; (3) the growth of vehicle ownership rates follows an S-shape curve and most cities are still at the early stage of motorization; (4) China is likely to have a lower saturation level of vehicle ownership rate. These results could help to accurately forecast future vehicle demand in China, estimate the resulting environmental impacts, and explore strategies to achieve carbon neutrality in transportation.

Summary: Pesticides may help safeguard food security but endanger the local ecosystem and farmer health. The globalization of the food trade is masking such impacts by separating production from consumption, and its effects on pesticide use and their related risks remain unclear. Here, we provide a map of the environmental and health risks associated with pesticide footprints along the soybean trade across 197 countries. We find that approximately 64% of soybeans were traded globally, embodying ∼55% of environmental-health risks linked to ∼108 kt of pesticide use. Notably, trade soybean pesticide footprints and their associated environmental-health risks are concentrated in a few hotspot nations, including the USA, Brazil, and Argentina. About 30 kt of future increase in soybean pesticide use and ∼6% of their related environmental-health risks can be offset by reducing 80% of soybean traded from high-pesticide-use-intensity nations to lower ones. Our results highlight the necessity of rethinking the role of agricultural trade in global pesticide management. Science for society: The widespread use of pesticides in food production systems impacts human, animal, and ecosystem health. Food trade complicates the issue, as it can separate consumption from production, shifting pesticide-related burdens from consumers to producers across regions. However, there is a lack of clarity on pesticide footprints and their associated impacts embodied in the global food trade, impeding sustainable pesticide management. Our research develops an integrated framework to assess nation-specific environmental and health burdens linked to pesticide use along the global soybean trade. Our study identifies a concentrated pattern of embodied soybean pesticide footprints and their related risks, as well as a declining contribution of trade to overall pesticide-related risks. Our findings reveal the potential of trade in reducing environmental-health risks associated with soybean pesticides and underscore the need to rethink the role of agricultural trade in global pesticide management.

Droughts and floods in 2022 and 2023 have compounded stress on Chinese food security. China’s northeast region is a major grain-producing powerhouse, but recent climatic extremes combined with EI Niño effects have exposed vulnerabilities in its agricultural landscape. To address these challenges, flood relief infrastructure, protection of major croplands, and climate projection strategies must be implemented to safeguard food security.

Lithium (Li) has been widely recognized as an essential metal for clean technologies. However, the environmental impacts and emission reduction pathways of the lithium supply chain have not been clearly investigated, especially between Australia and China, where most lithium ore are mined and produced. This study analyzed and compared the environmental and human health implications of six key cross-border Li supply chains from Australia to China through material flow analysis (MFA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) methods. Key findings include: (1) approximately 30% of total Li extraction is lost in the beneficiation stage due to low recovery rates; (2) the Cattlin–Yaan routes exhibit superior environmental and human health performances than other routes attributed to lower diesel consumption, reduced electricity use, and a high chemical conversion rate; (3) the Wodgina production routes have a higher carbon footprint mainly due to low ore grade and significant diesel consumption; (4) the dominant environmental implications in the supply chain are associated with refining battery-grade lithium carbonate, driven by energy use (electricity, coal and natural gas), sulfuric acid, soda ash, and sodium hydroxide. In addition, lithium carbonate refining has the highest water consumption. Overall, the analysis highlights opportunities to improve environmental performance, advance data-poor environmental assessments, and provide insights into sustainable Li extraction.