Ecosystem carbon storage is an important index to measure regional carbon cycle and ecosystem service function. How to accurately quantify the ecosystem carbon storage of the ecological restoration project on the Loess Plateau has become a key issue in scientifically evaluating the effectiveness of regional ecological restoration and serving the country’s “double carbon” strategy. In the study, to provide a scientific basis for the evaluation of carbon storage of ecological restoration projects,the Yanhe River Basin was used as the research area, and three machine learning algorithms, support vector regression (SVR), random forest(RF) and extreme gradient boosting(XGBoost), were used to analyze the pixel-by-pixel inversion of ecosystem carbon storage from 2000 to 2020, and the driving factors combined with field sampling data and multi-source remote sensing data. The results show that: the XGBoost model can effectively capture the spatial heterogeneity of ecosystem carbon storage under complex terrain conditions, and its verification accuracy R² of vegetation and soil reaches 0.80 and 0.74, respectively. In terms of spatial pattern, the distribution of carbon density showed a trend of diffusion from the middle to the southeast and northwest. From 2000 to 2020, the ecosystem carbon storage in the study area showed an overall increasing trend, with an average annual increase of 0.077 kg C/(m²∙a), and the positive growth area accounted for as high as 98.4%. Geodetector analysis showed that NDVI was the dominant driving force for the spatial differentiation of carbon storage (q=0.42), and there was a significant interaction between multiple factors. The research can provide an evaluation paradigm for carbon neutrality targets in the Loess Plateau.

Constructing an effective evaluation model for tourism resource competitiveness and revealing its spatiotemporal differentiation patterns and regional transmission mechanisms are key pathways to address the common challenges of coordinated resource development in river basin economic zones.Taking the nine provinces (or regions) in the Yellow River Basin as the study object, the tourism resource competitiveness and effectiveness levels in 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022 are examined quantitatively by using the entropy-weight TOPSIS method and effectiveness model. Additionally, Kernel density estimation and Theil index decomposition are employed to explore the spatiotemporal evolution and underlying causes of differences in effectiveness. The results show that: during the observation period, 77.8% of the provinces (regions) along the Yellow River Basin experienced negative fluctuations in tourism resource competitiveness, with the overall mean competitiveness declining by 7.26%. Spatially, a “weak-moderate-strong” three-level gradient was observed from the upper to the lower reaches, forming a spatially locked pattern characterized by “higher in the east and lower in the west”. The competitiveness effectiveness of tourism resources in the nine provinces (regions) exhibited a steady upward trend, although the overall effectiveness value remained below 1, indicating room for improvement in resource conversion efficiency. Spatially, effectiveness levels showed a “low-moderate-high” distribution from the upper to the lower reaches. Although inter-segment differences were significant, they tended to narrow over time, while intra-segment disparities remained the primary source of overall variation, particularly in the upper reaches. During the observation period, the spatiotemporal evolution of tourism resource competitiveness effectiveness exhibited a trend of initial convergence followed by divergence, with a multipolar development pattern emerging by 2022. Overall, the Yellow River Basin has entered a stage of deepening differentiation in resource development, highlighting the urgent need to strengthen regional resource integration and coordination mechanisms to promote high-quality development across the basin.

As an important ecological security barrier and key economic development belt in China, the vulnerability research of human settlements in the Yellow River Basin holds critical significance for analyzing the risks of the human-land system and promoting high-quality development in the basin.An evaluation system for human settlement vulnerability is constructed based on the “pressure-state-response”(PSR) model, the urban human settlement vulnerability in the Yellow River Basin from 2010 to 2023 is assessed by using the entropy method, and then the dynamic changes in the urban human settlement vulnerability index and the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of its influencing factors are analyzed by using methods such as natural breaks, Markov chains, and geographically and temporally weighted regression(GTWR). The results show that: the overall human settlement vulnerability index in the Yellow River Basin exhibits a good trend of fluctuating decline, with a distribution characteristic of upstream>midstream>downstream.The spatial differentiation characteristics of the human settlement vulnerability index in the Yellow River Basin are significant, with high-value areas mainly distributed in a spotty manner in the upstream and midstream regions of the basin, and low-value areas clustered in a patchy manner in the downstream region. The type evolution demonstrates a development trend of “overall stability with gradual, stepwise convergence towards lower values.”The human settlement vulnerability index in the Yellow River Basin is the result of multi-dimensional factor interactions, where urbanization rate, industrial agglomeration degree, environmental regulation intensity, and technological innovation capability have a negative impact, while land use intensity has a positive impact. In terms of space, the spatial heterogeneity of each influencing factor is significant, specifically manifested as a clustered or strip-like distribution pattern.

To understand the public’s behavior, perception and attitude towards the use of takeaway plastic tableware in China, explore its influencing factors, and provide references for improving the current situation of the use of takeaway plastic tableware, a statistical analysis was done based on 23 087 questionnaires from 34 provinces in China. The results show that the public in China generally has a low awareness level of the hidden dangers of takeaway plastic tableware.However,usage is frequent,there is a high level of concern regarding the environmental impact of such tableware,and the majority are willing to pay extra for eco-friendly alternatives.Groups with underlying medical conditions use plastic takeaway tableware less frequently and reuse the tableware less frequently. About 2/3 of the public believe that plastic takeaway tableware does not have a significant impact on human health. There is a difference between the public’s self-perceived knowledge of the hazards of takeaway plastic tableware and their true knowledge, which is reflected in the fact that the deeper the public’s knowledge of the health hazards of takeaway plastic tableware is, the less frequently they consider the health hazards of takeaway plastic tableware, and the less hazardous substances released by takeaway plastic tableware are perceived to be. The majority of respondents were willing to pay an additional price to use environmentally friendly tableware, but 91.16% of the public accepted a price increase in the range of less than 2 RMB.The study suggests strengthening the popularization of plastic tableware for students, farmers and other groups with weak knowledge of the hazards of plastic tableware, using video software to provide targeted guidance in the form of popular science videos, and optimizing the tableware recycling system.

Children’s health is related to family happiness and the future of the nation, and is an important guarantee for sustainable social development. However, the accumulation of microplastics released during the use of plastic feeding utensils in the body can pose significant health risks to children. Therefore, this study adopted a combination of questionnaire surveys and scientific experiments, using random sampling, snowball sampling, and judgmental sampling methods to select samples and conduct a survey on 12 168 childcare families and key groups nationwide, analyzing the cognitive and behavioral status of relevant childcare subjects on microplastics and their influencing factors. Meanwhile, we did experiment and risk assessment and proposed scientific feeding countermeasures. The results showed that the release of microplastics from plastic feeding utensils poses a certain ingestion risk to children and there is a significant mismatch between the risk of microplastic ingestion in plastic feeding utensils and blind use, and the scientific feeding and health awareness of childcare subjects is generally weak, failing to use feeding utensils scientifically. Based on this, this study proposed thinking and solutions from three levels of government,society and industry,providing scientific basis for reducing the risk of microplastic intake in children’s plastic feeding utensils and supporting the implementation of the Healthy China strategy.

The ecological environment of small watersheds in arid sandy lands is fragile, and research on microplastic(MPs) pollution remains insufficient.To investigate soil MPs pollution, the Hailiutu River Basin, an upper reach of the Wuding River and a typical small watershed in the Mu Us Sandy Land was selected as the study object.MPs were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed using stereomicroscopy and confocal laser Raman microscopy, and the risks were assessed using the pollution load index (PLI) and potential ecological risk index (PERI). The results showed that soil MPs had an average abundance of 818.18±295.45 n/kg, dominated by transparent film-shaped particles smaller than 50 μm. Polyethylene(PE) and polybutene (PB) were the major polymers, primarily sourced from agricultural activities and domestic inputs.Land use types significantly influenced MPs distribution: sandy land showed the highest abundance, attributed to enhanced photodegradation due to low vegetation coverage (<30%) and limited migration caused by low human disturbance. Vegetation restoration projects effectively reduced MPs abundance over time, linked to tree species selection, increased coverage, and improved soil structure. The PLI revealed that the overall pollution level was grade Ⅰ(low risk), while PERI highlighted extremely high risks (grade Ⅴ) in sites with toxic polymers like polyvinyl chloride(PVC). The study clarified MPs distribution patterns and their coupling mechanisms with land use and vegetation restoration, providing scientific foundations for arid-region pollution control and ecological risk management.

The rapid development of the takeaway industry has brought convenience, but also brought problems such as food safety. The health problem of takeaway plastic tableware has gradually become the focus. Based on the evaluation of scientific experiments,‘research+publicity’, Pearson correlation coefficient and integrated Dagum Gini coefficient, this research studied the cognitive status and spatial heterogeneity of health risks of takeaway plastic tableware in 128 cities (counties, districts, autonomous prefectures) and 645 counties (cities, districts, banners) of 33 provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions) in China, involving 531 streets and 543 townships. A total of 23 088 people from various groups contributed their cognitive status to health risks of takeaway plastic tableware and the spatial heterogeneity of influencing factors, of which 21 876 valid questionnaires were collected. Because the number of respondents in Shaanxi Province is far more than those in other provinces, a random sampling method was used to randomly sample the valid questionnaires in Shaanxi Province. Correspondingly, a total of 4 893 valid questionnaires were determined nationwide. The results found that: 1) Polypropylene (PP) released 4 363 microplastics/L when used once and 12 880 microplastics/L when used twice. After using it once, 7 225 microplastics/L was released under high temperature condition, 21 991 microplastics/L was released under microwave condition, and 9 110 microplastics/L was released under freeze-thaw condition. Polystyrene (PS) released 19 792 microplastics/L at room temperature. 2) The public’s cognitive about the release of harmful substances from takeaway plastic tableware in 33 provinces reveals the unbalanced characteristics of their cognitive level, showing significant regional differences between the eastern and western regions as well as within the south China regions.The hypervariable density and inter-regional gap are the main reasons for the difference in the health risk perception level of takeaway plastic tableware between the eastern and western regions. 3) Education background is related to the health risk perception level of takeaway plastic tableware, and it is statistically significant (P<0.05). The difference in health risk perception of takeaway plastic tableware may be caused by education background and regional difference.The questionnaire designed according to the results of scientific experiments can accurately judge the health risk perception level of takeaway plastic tableware, and find out the main problems, so as to provide reference for food safety managers to formulate measures to improve consumers’ health risk awareness of takeaway plastic tableware, enhance health cognition, and reduce the use of one-time takeaway plastic tableware.

To explore the enrichment characteristics and risks of soil heavy metals along highways and in key areas of aeolian sandy regions, the Wubu-Zizhou-Jingbian section of the Qingdao-Yinchuan Expressway was selected as the research object, and the pollution risks of eight heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cr, Cu, As, Zn, Ni, and Mn) in the dust along the highway, service areas, toll stations, and tunnels were analyzed systematically. Through the detection of heavy metal concentrations, it was found that Pb and Cd in the study area were the most severely exceeded, with mean values being 2.84 times and 2.23 times the background values, respectively. The coefficient of variation for Cd was as high as 96.63%, indicating significant localized enrichment hotspots. Systematic analysis of the spatial distribution characteristics revealed that the heavy metal content in the study area generally increased from west to east and was significantly regulated by land use types and the intensity of human activities. The index of geo-accumulation (Igeo) was used to assess the pollution degree and level of the exceeding elements, showing that the pollution levels of Cd and Pb in all functional areas were higher than those of other elements, and Zn pollution was significantly enhanced inside tunnels. Meanwhile, the potential ecological risk index and human health risk model were introduced. The results indicated a potential trend for the comprehensive ecological risk index in the study area to evolve toward moderate risk, with Cd being the key contributing element to the ecological risk. Furthermore, based on the absolute principal component scores-multiple linear regression (APCS-MLR) receptor model, the source contributions of soil heavy metals were quantitatively identified. The results reflected that industrial-transport mixed sources (39%), coal combustion-transport emission sources (25%), and agricultural sources (15%) were the main pollution sources. This study systematically reveals the differentiated characteristics and potential risks of soil heavy metal pollution in different functional areas of highways in aeolian sandy regions, and suggests implementing zoned management and control while strengthening health protection for occupational groups.

Digital economy is a core engine driving the high-quality development of tourism urbanization, holding significant strategic importance for constructing a tourism town system with Chinese modernization. Based on panel data from China’s western region between 2011 and 2022, methods such as kernel density estimation, bivariate spatial autocorrelation, and dynamic spatial econometric models were employed to empirically examine the impact and spatial spillover mechanisms of the digital economy and its four dimensions on the high-quality development of tourism urbanization. The results indicate that both the digital economy and the high-quality development of tourism urbanization in the western region have continuously improved, with a significant positive spatial correlation between the two. The interprovincial disparities in the digital economy show a trend of “low-level divergence”, with Sichuan leading, while Ningxia, Qinghai, Xizang, and others lag behind. The high-quality development of tourism urbanization exhibits a convergence trend, with Guangxi and Yunnan serving as “twin growth poles”, while resource-rich provinces such as Gansu and Qinghai face the dilemma of “high endowment but low development”.Compared to the eastern and central regions, the digital economy in the western region prioritizes technological innovation and infrastructure, with relatively weaker industrial transformation and financial support. Tourism urbanization relies more on resource endowment and scale expansion, while green development, people’s livelihoods, and innovation potential remain areas for improvement. The digital economy not only directly promotes the high-quality development of local tourism urbanization but also generates radiative and driving effects on surrounding areas through spatial spillover effects. This effect is strongest under the economic-geographic composite weighting, although all four sub-dimensions of the digital economy exhibit significant negative spatial spillover effects.

An understanding of the coupled and coordinated development of social-ecological systems(SES) is a crucial foundation for promoting integrated watershed management. Based on Ostrom’s social-ecological system framework, a coupled coordination quantitative index system for lake water environment governance was constructed. By employing the coupling coordination degree, obstacle degree and the four-quadrant model, the spatio-temporal distribution of social-ecological system, the coupling coordination relationship and the influencing factors for the water environment governance in the Chaohu Lake Basin from 2000 to 2024 were elucidated. Based on this, the development patterns of each county were further categorized, and differentiated water environment governance strategies were proposed. The results indicate that from 2000 to 2024, the comprehensive evaluation levels of both the social and ecological systems showed a gradual upward trend, and their distribution patterns evolved from spatial imbalance toward spatial equilibrium.The interaction between the social and ecological systems became increasingly close, gradually progressing from a marginally coordinated level to a well-coordinated level, with the eastern region of the basin entering a better coupled and coordinated state earlier than the western region. The influence of the social and ecological systems on coupled and coordinated development was relatively balanced. The average obstacle degree of the objective layer varied across counties, with actors having the highest average obstacle degree, while the governance system had the lowest influence degree.The development types of the social-ecological system in the counties of the Chaohu Lake Basin can be divided into four categories: fluctuating development, stable development, breakthrough development, and continuous improvement. Accordingly, differentiated water environment governance strategies were proposed. The research findings hold certain theoretical and practical value for promoting the high-level protection and high-quality development of large lake basins in a coordinated manner.