PurposeTo achieve the dual goals of decarbonization and food security, this paper examines China's carbon footprint reduction in 2050 based on current mitigation strategies.Design/methodology/approachConsidering publications as featured evidence, this study develops an investigation of agricultural decarbonization in China. First, the authors summarize the mitigation strategies for agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the existing literature. Second, the authors demonstrate the domestic food production target in 2050 and the projection target's projected life-cycle-based GHG emissions at the commodity level. Lastly, the authors forecast China's emission removal in the agri-food sector in 2050 concerning current mitigation strategies and commodity productions. The authors highlight the extent to which each mitigation strategy contributes to decarbonization in China.FindingsPractices promoting sustainable development in the agri-food sector significantly contribute to GHG emission removal. The authors find mitigation strategies inhibiting future GHG emissions in the agri-food sector comprise improving nitrogen use efficiency in fertilizers, changing food consumption structure, manure management, cover crops, food waste reduction, dietary change of livestock and covered manure. A 10% improvement in nitrogen use efficiency contributes to 5.03% of GHG emission removal in the agri-food sector by 2050. Reducing food waste and food processing from 30% to 20% would inhibit 1.59% of the total GHG emissions in the agri-food sector.Originality/valueThis study contributes to policy discussions by accounting for agricultural direct and indirect emission components and assessing the dynamic changes in those related components. This study also extends existing research by forecasting to which extent the decarbonization effects implemented by current mitigation strategies can be achieved while meeting 2050 food security in China.

Outdoor water use, especially for lawn and landscaping irrigation, accounts for a substantial proportion of residential water use and often peaks during summer months. Understanding how to reduce outdoor water use can play a critical role in balancing the increasing demand for and subsequent protection of water resources. This study aims to find out if information-based strategies can be effective in reducing homeowners’ water use as well as identifying the key determinants that can enhance water conservation campaigns. Using online survey data from 2077 randomly selected urban homeowners with home lawns in a relatively water-rich state, we found that social norm-based information is generally more effective to promote household water conservation behavior than education information. Moreover, the results showed that the households’ water-saving actions, lawn watering knowledge, awareness for local water scarcity, attitudes toward water conservation, socio-demographics, and landscape characteristics all play a role in determining household water conservation intention.

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This paper examines how foreign intellectual property rights (IPRs) affect US bilateral exports of genetically modified crops (GMOs). We apply the structural gravity model to examine GMO trade between the United States and the countries that comprise the rest of the world. Our econometric method includes the Poisson Pseudo Maximum Likelihood estimator. We use panel data including measures of countries' IPR regimes, plant patentability, plant variety rights, GMO regulations and asynchronous approvals of GMOs. Results show the United States tends to export fewer GMO crops to countries with strong IPR regimes, plant patentability and plant variety rights. These results are consistent with the market power effect, where the United States restricts exports to countries with strong protections to extract monopoly prices. Second, enforcement of IPRs strengthens the market power effect. Third, the market power effect is strong alongside with GMO regulations and asynchronous approvals. Fourth, the market power effect is larger for self-pollinating crops vs. hybrids. These findings are robust across a variety of specifications. However, we also find a price premium in countries with less ease of US market access, with more domestic production of GMOs, and with weak traceability requirements. These features play a stronger role than IPRs in determining price. K E Y W O R D Sgenetically modified organisms, intellectual property rights, international trade 1 GMO plants have a novel combination of genetic materials obtained using bio-technology.

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