Water and nitrogen footprint assessment of integrated agronomic practice management in a summer maize cropping system

The footprints of water and nitrogen(WF and NF)provide a comprehensive overview of the type and quantity of water consumption and reactive nitrogen(Nr)loss in crop production.In this study,a field experiment over two years(2019 and 2020)compared three integrated agronomic practice management(IAPM)systems:An improved management system(T2),a high-yield production system(T3),and an integrated soil-crop management system(ISCM)using a local smallholder farmer’s practice system(T1)as control,to investigate the responses of WF,Nr losses,water use efficiency(WUE),and nitrogen use efficiency(NUE)to IAPM.The results showed that IAPM optimized water distribution and promoted water use by summer maize.The evapotranspiration over the whole maize growth period of IAPM increased,but yield increased more,leading to a significant increase in WUE.The WUE of the T2,T3,and ISCM treatments was significantly greater than in the T1 treatment,in 2019 and 2020respectively,by 19.8-21.5,31.8-40.6,and 34.4-44.6%.The lowest WF was found in the ISCM treatment,which was 31.0%lower than that of the T1 treatment.In addition,the ISCM treatment optimized soil total nitrogen(TN)distribution and significantly increased TN in the cultivated layer.Excessive nitrogen fertilizer was applied in treatment T3,producing the highest maize yield,and resulting in the highest Nr losses.In contrast,the ISCM treatment used a reduced nitrogen fertilizer rate,sacrificing grain yield partly,which reduced Nr losses and eventually led to a significant increase in nitrogen use efficiency and nitrogen recovery.The Nr level in the ISCM treatment was34.8%lower than in the T1 treatment while NUE was significantly higher than in the T1 treatment by 56.8-63.1%in2019 and 2020,respectively.Considering yield,WUE,NUE,WF,and NF together,ISCM should be used as a more sustainable and clean system for sustainable production of summer maize.

Preventing the Immense Increase in the Life-Cycle Energy and Carbon Footprints of LLM-Powered Intelligent Chatbots

Intelligent chatbots powered by large language models(LLMs)have recently been sweeping the world,with potential for a wide variety of industrial applications.Global frontier technology companies are feverishly participating in LLM-powered chatbot design and development,providing several alternatives beyond the famous ChatGPT.However,training,fine-tuning,and updating such intelligent chatbots consume substantial amounts of electricity,resulting in significant carbon emissions.The research and development of all intelligent LLMs and software,hardware manufacturing(e.g.,graphics processing units and supercomputers),related data/operations management,and material recycling supporting chatbot services are associated with carbon emissions to varying extents.Attention should therefore be paid to the entire life-cycle energy and carbon footprints of LLM-powered intelligent chatbots in both the present and future in order to mitigate their climate change impact.In this work,we clarify and highlight the energy consumption and carbon emission implications of eight main phases throughout the life cycle of the development of such intelligent chatbots.Based on a life-cycle and interaction analysis of these phases,we propose a system-level solution with three strategic pathways to optimize the management of this industry and mitigate the related footprints.While anticipating the enormous potential of this advanced technology and its products,we make an appeal for a rethinking of the mitigation pathways and strategies of the life-cycle energy usage and carbon emissions of the LLM-powered intelligent chatbot industry and a reshaping of their energy and environmental implications at this early stage of development.

The potential impact of increased whole grain consumption among Chinese adults on reducing healthcare costs and carbon footprint

Excessive consumption of refined grains harms human health and ecosystem viability.Whole grains,as a healthy and sustainable alternative to refined grains,can benefit individual health by providing dietary fiber,B vitamins,and bioactive substances.Additionally,they aid in improving the environment due to their higher extraction rate and lower carbon emission during the processing stage.However,few studies have attempted to evaluate the economic and social benefits of increasing the amount of whole grain in grain intake.This paper estimates the potential savings in healthcare costs and reduced food carbon footprints(CFs)that could result from a shift toward whole grain consumption following the Chinese Dietary Guidelines(CDG).We investigate hypothetical scenarios where a certain proportion(5–100%)of Chinese adults could increase their whole grain intakes as proposed by CDG to meet the average shortfall of 30.2 g.In that case,the healthcare costs for associated diseases(e.g.,type2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM),cardiovascular disease(CVD),and colorectal cancer(CRC))are expected to reduce by a substantial amount,from USD 2.82 to 56.37 billion;the carbon emission levels are also projected to decrease by0.24–5.72 million tons.This study provides compelling evidence that advocating for the transition towards greater consumption of whole grain products could benefit individual health,the environment,and society,by reducing both healthcare costs and carbon emissions.

Carbon Footprint in Waste Sector of Hydropower Plant: A Case Study of Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Plant

While hydropower is generally considered a clean energy source, it is important to recognize that their waste can still contribute to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). The purpose of this study is to assess the carbon footprint associated with the waste sector throughout the operational phase of the Nam Theun 2 hydropower plant in Laos. Understanding the environmental impact of the waste sector is crucial for ensuring the plant’s sustainability. This study utilizes the theoretical estimation method recommended in the 2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, as well as the Requirements for Specification with guidance at the organization level for quantification and reporting of GHG emissions and removals. We emphasize the significance of implementing sustainable waste management practices to reduce GHG emissions and minimize the environmental impact of hydropower operations. By conducting a comprehensive analysis, this paper also provides insights into the environmental implications of waste management in hydropower plants and identifies strategies to mitigate the carbon footprint in the waste sector. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the environmental sustainability of hydropower plants and provide valuable guidance for policymakers, energy producers, and environmental practitioners involved in hydropower plant design and operation.

Evaluation of Ecological Sustainable Development in the Yangtze River Delta Region Based on Ecological Footprint Theory

The ecological footprint was employed as a quantitative indicator of resource inputs,enabling a detailed account of the structure of biological resources and energy occupancy,as well as the variation of resource productivity in the Yangtze River Delta(YRD)Region.From 2004 to 2018,there were notable variations in the ecological productivity of different types of land on basis of China’s equilibrium factor across the three provinces and one city in the YRD region.Jiangsu Province exhibited the highest ecological productivity of arable land,while Anhui Province exhibited the highest ecological productivity of forest land.Shanghai City exhibited the highest ecological productivity of pasture land,while Zhejiang Province exhibited the highest ecological productivity of water area.In 2018,the proportion of arable land within the total ecological carrying capacity of the YRD region reached 74.35%.Furthermore,the contribution of Jiangsu and Anhui provinces to the YRD’s total ecological carrying capacity was 41.36%and 41.26%,respectively.In the construction of a new development pattern in the YRD region,which is dominated by the domestic cycle as the main body and mutually reinforced by domestic and international double-cycle,the YRD region should combine the utilization of natural forces with innovation in science,technology and cooperation mechanisms.Furthermore,the government should guide the concentration of social capital towards green industries.It is also recommended that the moderate reduction of ecological footprints should be encouraged,and that the security of biological resources and energy,the leadership in the field of cutting-edge science and technology should be ensured in YRD region.This will facilitate the formation of a new development pattern of higher-quality integration at the national level firstly.

Consumptive ecological footprint and productive ecological footprint: a modification on ecological footprint theory to evaluate regional sustainable development

Ecological footprint theory and its application achievements in global and regional sustainable development systems are studied by consulting the published literature, which finds that the application of ecological footprint theory to regional sustainability evaluation has leaded to a perplexity that the indicated result was inconsistent with the philosophy of sustainable development theory. Illuminated by the mechanical system of the movement of matters, it comes up that ecological footprint based on consumption of biologic production could not tell whether the ecological pressure acts on the specified region, and the original ecological footprint theory also undervalued the development impartiality of a region. A modification on this theory is made by introducing consumptive ecological footprint and productive ecological footprint, in which the latter is taken as the indicator of regional sustainability. The development impartiality can be demonstrated by comparison between the global ecological deficit per capita and regional consumptive ecological deficit per capita.

Quantitative Research on Ecological Compensation among Every City of Guangdong Province Based on Ecological Footprint and Ecological Carrying Capacity

Based on the relative theories and methods of ecological footprint and ecological carrying capacity,and according to practical conditions of Guangdong Province,this paper tried to put forward the determinant standard for ecological compensation through calculating the ecological footprint and ecological carrying capacity of every city in Guangdong Province. The results indicated that the ecological footprint of each city was in the status of deficit and the deficit level decreased gradually from developed regions of Pearl River Delta to the outlying regions. The cities which belonged to development areas of Pearl River Delta needed to pay ecological compensation,such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen and so on. In contrast,the cities which accepted compensation were underdeveloped areas,such as Heyuan and Jieyuan and so on.

Forestry ecological footprint in China during 1973–2003

The ecological footprint （EF） model has received much attention as an assessment indicator for sustainable development in recent years. Firstly, the temporal changes of domestic timber production, imports and exports in China were analyzed from 1973 to 2003, the analysis results showed an apparent fluctuation in timber production during 1973-1995 but a decreasing trend during 1995-2002, an increasing trend in timber imports since 1995 especially after the implementation of the Natural Forest Protection Project （NFPP）, an decreasing trend year by year in timber exports since 1995. Secondly, this paper presented a time series analysis of actual forest area demand in the sustainable yield and production approach in China from 1973 to 2003, which includes both import and export forest area demand. The results showed the actual forest area demand simulated from the sustainable yield approach was slightly higher than that from the production approach during 1978-1988 and a little lower during 1989-2003; however, the actual forest area demands simulated by these two model approaches were larger than calculations that expressed in conventional forest EF. Meanwhile, the results indicated the forestry development in China during 1978-1988 was unsustainable due to overexploitation of forest stocking volumes, and China＇s forestry moved toward sustainable development since 1989 because forest resources are exploited at lower rates than they are regenerated. However, compared to forestry developed countries, the forestry development capacity in China is still lower. Finally, based on the model results we analyzed the relationships between forestry EF and the key policies, including trade policy, economic policy and forest conservation programs. In addition, several suggestions about reducing forestry EF and enhancing sustainable forestry development in China are given.

Dynamic Changes of Land Ecological Carrying Capacity Based on the Ecological Footprint——By the Case Study of Chengdu City

Chengdu City is in the period of rapid urbanization and industrialization, and the disturbance derived from human activities on environment is increasing remarkablely in recent 20 years. The pressure on environment, economy and population is also increasing and land use in Chengdu has changed enormously. As struc- ture and function of land ecological system change obviously, sustainable development of land productivity has been an important goal and strategic task from now on, and it is necessary to systematically research land ecological carrying capacity based on ecological footprint. The ecological footprint of Chengdu City in the past ten years was calculated and analyzed from the spatial and temporal aspects according to statistical data from 1998 to 2008, as per ecological footprint method, ecological carrying capacity and the GIS spatial analysis method, and regression analysis method. The ecological footprint and ecological carrying capacity values from 2009 to 2019 in Chengdu City were predicted through calculation results in the past ten years. The results show that the ecological footprint and ecological deficit of land use from 1998 to 2008 increased in Chengdu City. The ecological deficit of land use within the city center was in high levels in the past ten years, and the ecological footprint kept raising, especially in areas, such as Shuangliu, Chongzhou, Qingyang among 9 city areas, 4 counties and 6 districts in Chengdu City. There is fanlike distribution of ecological deficit of land use. Analysis shows that the social and natural ecological system is uneven distribution, which is not in sustainable de- velopment situation. The results of the study show that the economic, social and natural ecological system in Chengdu City is not sustainable, and the ecological foot- print is uneven distribution. The analysis of the dynamic change of land ecological carrying capacity in Chengdu City is very important for city government in the pro- cess of the vigorous development in new Tianfu Xinqu, and redevelopment in the northern part of this city.

Spatiotemporal Comparative Analysis of Ecological Footprint of Poyang Lake Area and Five River Watersheds in Jiangxi Province

The Jiangxi province was divided into seven parts according to the concept of watershed,namely Poyang lake area,Fuhe,Xinjiang,Ganjiang,Xiuhe,Raohe and other river watersheds.The ecological supply and demands status of the former six parts from 2000 to 2006 was computed based on the ecological footprint model and a spatiotemporal comparative analysis to them was conducted.The result showed that:①all the studied areas had an increasing ecological deficit and they were in the status of unsustainable development;② the arable land footprint's demand were about 80% of their total footprint's demand respectively,so it was of great significance to protect and exploit arable land resources scientifically;③ the ecological deficit of grassland and forest resources can not be ignored.

Fluxes Footprint and Source Area of Rubber Plantation

[Objective] The paper was to analyze the quality of flux observation data of rubber plantation.[Method]Based on the FSAM model,footprint and flux source area were analyzed according to the continuous flux measurement with the open-path eddy covariance system on the 50 m tower of Danzhou Key Field Station of Observation and Research for Tropical Agricultural Resources and Environments,Ministry of Agriculture from Jan 1 to Jun 30,2010.[Result] Under unstable stratification,source areas were smaller than those under stable conditions,and source areas in the dormant season were larger than those in the growing season at the same level.In the main wind direction 130°-270°,the upwind range of source areas was in the magnitude of 100-758 m and vertical upwind range was-251-251 m at 80% level under unstable stratification in the growing season,and they were some large than those under the unstable stratification in the dormant season.The source areas of the upwind and vertical upwind ranges were 173-1 858,-534-534 m especially under stable stratification in the growing season,and they were smaller than those under stable stratification in the dormant season.In the other wind directions of 0°-130° and 270°-360°,the ranges were similar to those of the growing season in the prevailing wind direction under the same atmospheric conditions.[Conclusion] The study would lay a foundation for the future flux calculation and analysis.

Energy-based marine ecological footprint in Shandong province, China

An energy-based ecological footprint model was set up to monitor the sustainable development status of a specific marine system. This model used unit energy value and energy density to convert the consumption into ecological productive areas. It can reflect the utilization degree of resources in the regional development. Then, the quantitative analysis of sustainable development was done by comparing the size of the areas. We defined the concept of energy-based ecological footprint of marine and built energy-based ecological footprint model of marine. Then we applied this model to marine ecological system of Shandong province to evaluate its sustainable development statue. The results showed that the energy-based marine ecological footprint of the marine ecological system in Shandong province was 1.74 × 106 hm^2 in 2010, and the energy-based ecological carrying capacity of this area was 1.60×107 hm^2 per capita. Thus, the marine ecological system of Shandong province has strong sustainability.

Coupling analysis of social-economic water consumption and its effects on the arid environments in Xinjiang of China based on the water and ecological footprints

In arid areas,ecological degradation aroused by over-exploitation of fresh water,expansion of artificial oasis and shrinkage of natural oasis,has drawn attention of many scholars and officials.The water and ecological footprints can be used to quantitatively evaluate the water consumption of social-economic activities and their influence on the eco-environments.In addition,increase of the water footprint indicates the expansion of artificial oasis,and the influence on the natural oasis could be reflected by the variation of the ecological footprint.This study was conducted to answer a scientific question that what is the quantitative relationship between the expansion of the artificial oasis and the degradation of the natural oasis in the arid environments of Xinjiang,China.Thus,based on the social-economic data,water consumption data and meteorological data during 2001–2015,we calculated the water and ecological footprints to express the human-related pressure exerted on the water resources and arid environments in Xinjiang(including 14 prefectures and cities),and explore the relationship between the water and ecological footprints and its mechanism by using the coupling analysis and Granger causality test.The results show that both the water and ecological footprints of Xinjiang increased significantly during 2001–2015,and the increasing rate of the ecological footprint was much faster than that of the water footprint.The coupling degree between the water and ecological footprints was relatively high at the temporal scale and varied at the spatial scale.Among the 14 prefectures and cities examined in Xinjiang,the greater social-economic development(such as in Karamay and Urumqi)was associated with the lower coupling degree between the two footprints.Increases in the water footprint will cause the ecological footprint to increase,such that a 1-unit increase in the consumption of water resources would lead to 2–3 units of ecological degradation.The quantitative relationship between the increases of the water and ecological footprints,together with the intensities of water consumption both in the natural and artificial oases of Tarim River Basin,have approved the fact that the formation and expansion of 1 unit of the artificial oasis would bring about the degradation of 2 units of the natural oasis.These conclusions not only provide a technical basis for sustainable development in Xinjiang,but also offer a theoretical guide and scientific information that could be used in similar arid areas around the world.

Analysis of spudcan-footprint interaction in a single soil with nonlinear FEM

The footprints that remain on the seabed after offshore jack-up platforms completed operations and moved out provide a significant risk for any futurej ack-up installation at that site. Detrimental horizontal and/or rotational loads will be induced on the base cone of the jack-up platform leg （spudcan） in the preloading process where only vertical loads are normally expected. However, there are no specific guidelines on design of spudcan re-installation very close to or partially overlapping existing footprints. This paper presents a rational design approach for assessing spudcan-footprint interaction and the failure process of foundation in a single layer based on nonlinear finite element method. The rela- tionship between the distance between the spudcan and the footprint and the horizontal sliding force has been obtained. Comparisons of simulation and experimental results show that the model in this paper can deal well with the combined problems of sliding friction contact, fluid-solid coupling, and convergence difficulty. The analytical results may be useful to jack-up installation workovers close to existing footprints.

Carbon and Nitrogen Footprints of Major Cereal Crop Production in China:A Study Based on Farm Management Surveys

Greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions and reactive nitrogen(Nr)releases are central environmental problems,which are closely linked to climate change,environmental ecology and crop production.Sustainable development of agriculture plays an important role in GHG emissions and Nr loss.The life cycle assessment(LCA)method was used to calculate the product and farm carbon footprints(CFs)and nitrogen footprints(NFs)in rice,wheat and maize production in China based on farm survey data.The results pinpointed that the CFs of rice,wheat and maize were 0.87,0.30 and 0.24 kg/kg.Meanwhile,the computed NFs were 17.11,14.26 and 6.83 g/kg,respectively.Synthetic nitrogen fertilizer applications and methane(CH4)emissions were dominant CF sources,while ammonia(NH3)volatilization was the main NF contributor.Moreover,significant decreases in CF and NF by 20%–54%and 33%–61%,respectively,were found in large-size farms(>20 hm^(2))when compared to small-size farms(<0.7 hm^(2)).Furthermore,the significantly positive relationships between CF and NF indicated the potential for simultaneous mitigation in the regions with high agricultural inputs,like amounts of fertilizer.Based on our results,some effective solutions would be favorable toward mitigating climate change and eutrophication of the major cereal crop production in China,especially optimizing fertilizer use and farm machinery operation efficiencies,as well as developing large-size farms with intensive farming.

Ecological Footprint还是译“生态足迹”好

文章对英语科技新词ecologicalfootprint的汉译进行了探讨,首先分析了ecologicalfootprint的词义,然后评析了现有的几种汉译的优劣,最后从有利于信息传播和交流的角度指出,直译是科技词汇翻译的首选策略。

Evaluation of Ecological Sustainability Based on Ecological Footprint in Hunan Province

To make clear ecological sustainable development in Hunan Province, biomass resources and the energy consumption indexes of Hunan Province in 2013 were selected, and quantity analysis of the regional ecological consumption and the ecological carrying capacity was carried out using the ecological footprint method. The results showed that the net ecological deficit per capita was 1.718 hm2 in 2013 in Hunan Province, which indicated the regional development was beyond the scope of ecological carrying capacity. So, according to the present unsustainable situation, the corresponding development suggestions were put forward.

Application of Ecological Footprint in "Danxia" Tourism——A Case Study of Simeng "Danxia" of Xupu County in Hunan Province of China

Based on the theory and methods of tourism ecological footprint, from the perspective of the general geomorphology of "Danxia", seven sub-models of tourism ecological footprint had been established which were tourism ecological carrying capacity, transport, water, waste, visiting, entertainment and food. By taking "Danxia" in Hunan Province for example, tourism ecological footprint had been calculated and analyzed. Through researches on ecological profit and loss and nontransferable ecological footprint, the fact that eco-tourism development scale was reasonable or not had been judged. The results showed that ecological deficit was 669.05 hm2 and nontransferable ecological footprint was 1,357.88 hm2. Finally, the paper had proposed countermeasures for eco-tourism sustainable development in "Danxia", hoping to provide reference for the sustainable development of regional tourist ecological economy.

Study on Ecological Footprint of Sightseeing Tourists and Vacation Tourists in Sanya City

Based on the theory of ecological footprint and tourists' consumption structure, the model of tourist ecological footprint was divided into six sub-models including catering, accommodation, shopping, sightseeing, shopping and entertainment, and ecological footprint of sightseeing tourists and vacation tourists in Sanya City was analyzed. The result showed that per capita ecological footprint of vacation tourists was higher than that of sightseeing tourists in Sanya City. The influential factor of the two kinds of tourists was slightly different in their proportion of sightseeing and entertainment factors. In the future, it should advocate sightseeing tourists to rationally make use of ecological resources, vacation tourists to have a healthy and ecological holiday, so as to ensure sustainable development of tourism.

Ecological compensation mechanism for Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region based on footprint balance and footprint deficit

Construction of the ecological compensation mechanism is an important approach to put the“Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Coordinated Development Plan”into practice and improve the ecological environment of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.This paper constructs an ecological compensation mechanism for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region based on the footprint balance and footprint deficit after clarifying ecological governance objectives.First,this paper proposes to establish a uniform,hierarchical and classified supply mechanism of ecosystem services according to the classification of land resources,water resources and forest resources for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.Then,the“Authority with Corresponding Responsibility”for the supply of ecosystem services in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region can be realized through a footprint balance and footprint deficit indicator circulation mechanism.Finally,the scientific and rational ecological compensation standard can be guaranteed through establishing the integrated governance mechanism for ecological compensation in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and improving the“ecological compensation standard”.The results of this paper can provide sound theoretical support for effectively promoting the improvement of ecosystem services and human well-being in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.