Spatially Explicit Global Hotspots Driving China’s Mercury Related Health Impacts

Self Cite

Achieving forest sustainability is a declared sustainable development goal (SDG 15). Measuring the safe operating spaceplanetary boundariesof global forests is essential to determine global forest pressure and manage forests sustainably. Here, we quantify the forestry planetary boundary (FPB) and national forestry boundaries. Results show that, in 2015, the FPB was 7.1 billion m 3 of forest stock increments. Global timber harvests account for 58.7% of the FPB. Timber harvests of 47 nations, mostly in Africa and Asia, have exceeded their national forestry boundaries. Their boundary-exceeding timber harvest is mainly driven by the final demand of developed nations (e.g., the United States and Japan) and emerging economies (e.g., India and China) through global supply chains. This study highlights the importance of the FPB in global forest management and trade-related policymaking. The findings can guide global and national forest harvesting activities and help promote international cooperation to mitigate global deforestation.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The uncertainties of boundary-exceeding timber footprints mainly come from the uncertainties of the FPBs and global MRIO data . With the ranges of the FPBs, we estimate the lower and upper ranges for the boundary-exceeding timber footprint of nations.…”

Section: Uncertainties and Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Planetary Boundaries for Forests and Their National Exceedance

Zhang

Cheng

et al. 2021

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“…Studies have developed highly resolved inventories of atmospheric Hg emissions and Hg releases to water in China. , Moreover, city-level and plant-level inventories have been developed to investigate the driving forces and associated health impacts of atmospheric Hg emissions. , Compared with large-scale research, spatial-refinement studies can better characterize the spatial heterogeneity and hence provide more accurate results. They can provide more spatially explicit policy guidance for the implementation of Hg reduction strategies . However, due to the lack of high-resolution statistics (e.g., county and township scales) and monitoring networks, studies on Hg emissions at finer spatial scales (e.g., grid scale) have not been widely conducted.…”

Section: Processes Of Hg Cyclementioning

confidence: 99%

“…They can provide more spatially explicit policy guidance for the implementation of Hg reduction strategies. 73 However, due to the lack of high-resolution statistics (e.g., county and township scales) and monitoring networks, studies on Hg emissions at finer spatial scales (e.g., grid scale) have not been widely conducted. There is an urgent need to construct a systematic high-resolution Hg emission data set at the global scale.…”

Section: Processes Of Hg Cyclementioning

confidence: 99%

Looping Mercury Cycle in Global Environmental–Economic System Modeling

Chen

Liang

et al. 2022

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The Minamata Convention on Mercury calls for Hg control actions to protect the environment and human beings from the adverse impacts of Hg pollution. It aims at the entire life cycle of Hg. Existing studies on the Hg cycle in the global environmental–economic system have characterized the emission-to-impact pathway of Hg pollution. That is, Hg emissions/releases from the economic system can have adverse impacts on human health and ecosystems. However, current modeling of the Hg cycle is not fully looped. It ignores the feedback of Hg-related environmental impacts (including human health impacts and ecosystem impacts) to the economic system. This would impede the development of more comprehensive Hg control actions. By synthesizing recent information on Hg cycle modeling, this critical review found that Hg-related environmental impacts would have feedbacks to the economic system via the labor force and biodiversity loss. However, the interactions between Hg-related activities in the environmental and economic systems are not completely clear. The cascading effects of Hg-related environmental impacts to the economic system throughout global supply chains have not been revealed. Here, we emphasize the knowledge gaps and propose possible approaches for looping the Hg cycle in global environmental–economic system modeling. This progress is crucial for formulating more dynamic and flexible Hg control measures. It provides new perspectives for the implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

“…Meanwhile, it contributes substantially to the emissions of multiple hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), including not only conventional criterion air pollutants [particulate matter (PM), SO 2 , and NOx] but also a number of non-conventional pollutants (such as toxic trace elements or heavy metals, like Hg, As, Cr, etc. ), which threatens to air quality − and human health. − For example, annual emissions of PM, SO 2 , and NOx from China’s cement production were estimated at 0.84, 0.41, and 1.71 Mt in 2015, respectively, accounting for 6.8, 2.6, and 14.4% of gross industrial emissions . Additionally, clinker production has become a critical hotspot for China’s mercury pollution control since 2009, , particularly considering the great pressure on the implementation of The Minamata Convention on Mercury.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heterogeneous Variations on Historical and Future Trends of CO₂ and Multiple Air Pollutants from the Cement Production Process in China: Emission Inventory, Spatial–Temporal Characteristics, and Scenario Projections

Guo

Bai

Liu

et al. 2022

Cement production is a major contributor to carbon dioxide (CO2) and multiple hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions, threatening climate mitigation and urban/regional air quality improvement. In this study, we established a comprehensive emission inventory by coupling the unit-based bottom-up and mass balance methods, revealing that emissions of most HAPs have been remarkably controlled. However, an increasing 6.0% of atmospheric mercury emissions, as well as 14.1 and 23.7% of fuel-related and process-related CO2 emission growth were witnessed unexpectedly. Industrial adjustment policies have imposed a great impact on the spatiotemporal changes in emission characteristics. Monthly emissions of CO2 and multiple HAPs decreased from December to February due to the “staggered peak production,” especially in northern China after implementing the intensified action plan for air pollution control in winter. Upgrading environmental technologies and adjusting capacity structures are identified as dominant driving forces for reducing HAP emissions. Besides, energy intensity improvement can help offset some of the impact caused by the increase in clinker/cement production. Furthermore, scenario analysis results show that ultra-low emission and low-carbon technology transformation constitute the keys to achieve the synergic reduction of CO2 and multiple HAP emissions in the future.