Dynamics of ecosystem services and nonlinear responses to increased anthropogenic pressure.

Escalating global human activities elicit diverse ecosystem service responses, yet understanding remains limited. This study establishes a framework to clarify these responses, focusing on the Yangtze River Economic Belt in China. Analyzing 2000-2020 data, it calculates ecosystem service economic value and human footprint index. It introduces the ecosystem services response index and comprehensive responsiveness index to assess response characteristics and intensity to anthropogenic pressures. Results show a fluctuating decline in ecosystem services and an increase in anthropogenic pressures. There is a nonlinear relationship: ecosystem services decline with rising pressures, following a U-shaped trend. Notably, nonurban agglomerations experience more significant ecosystem service evolution than urban agglomerations due to differing environmental conditions. This highlights regional disparities in human activity impacts on ecosystems, crucial for planning.

Country-specific net-zero strategies of the pulp and paper industry.

The pulp and paper industry is an important contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions1,2. Country-specific strategies are essential for the industry to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, given its vast heterogeneities across countries3,4. Here we develop a comprehensive bottom-up assessment of net greenhouse gas emissions of the domestic paper-related sectors for 30 major countries from 1961 to 2019-about 3.2% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions from the same period5-and explore mitigation strategies through 2,160 scenarios covering key factors. Our results show substantial differences across countries in terms of historical emissions evolution trends and structure. All countries can achieve net-zero emissions for their pulp and paper industry by 2050, with a single measure for most developed countries and several measures for most developing countries. Except for energy-efficiency improvement and energy-system decarbonization, tropical developing countries with abundant forest resources should give priority to sustainable forest management, whereas other developing countries should pay more attention to enhancing methane capture rate and reducing recycling. These insights are crucial for developing net-zero strategies tailored to each country and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 for the pulp and paper industry.