With the interaction of global change and human activities, the contradistinction between supply and demand of ecosystem services in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is becoming increasingly tense, which will have a profound impact on the ecological security of China and even Asia. Based on land cover data on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in 1990, 2005, and 2015, this paper estimated the supply capacity of ecosystem services using the value equivalent method, calculated the demand for ecosystem services using population density and economic density, established an ecosystem risk index based on the idea of an ecosystem service matrix to reveal the spatio-temporal pattern of the supply and demand of ecosystem services in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and identified the potential ecological risk areas arising from the imbalance between supply and demand. The results showed that: (1) In terms of the spatio-temporal pattern of land use change, the desert area of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau decreased the most with 26,238.9 km², and other types of land use increased, of which construction land increased by 131.7%; (2) In terms of the supply and demand of ecosystem services, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was mainly dominated by low-level surplus areas, accounting for 64.0%, and the deficit in some areas has worsened significantly; and (3) In terms of division pattern of ecological risk areas, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau presented characteristics of high risk in the east and low risk in the west. The high-risk area accounted for 1.1%, mainly distributed in the Huangshui Valley and the “One River and Two Tributaries” (Yarlung Zangbo River, Lhasa River, Nianchu River). The research results can provide reference for ecosystem management and policy formulation of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and have important significance for realizing the coupling and coordinated development of human–land relationship in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

To develop effective strategies to reduce CO₂ emissions from electricity systems, this study accounted for carbon emissions from power systems (production, transmission, consumption) in Gansu Province based on life cycle theory. We used LMDI and SDA decomposition methods to analyze the driving force of carbon emissions and quantified the influence effect and action intensity of various factors on carbon emissions in corresponding links. Several results were found: (1) Direct carbon emissions during the stage of electricity production had the largest share of the entire electricity life cycle. (2) From the perspective of the cumulative contribution rate, electricity consumption and the electricity trade promoted carbon emissions in the stage of electricity production; the power structure, electricity efficiency, and fuel structure had opposite effects. (3) In the stage of electricity transmission, the higher the voltage level, the lower the net loss rate; high-voltage-level transmission lines effectively reduced the growth of implied carbon emissions. (4) Industrial restructuring and technological advances effectively offset the growth in carbon emissions due to population, economy, and electricity consumption. The results can provide a scientific basis for energy-saving and emission reduction policies in provincial government departments and the electric industry.

Faced with the dual challenges of environmental pollution and climate change, it is of great significance to study the impact of relevant environmental regulations on the synergistic effect of pollution reduction and carbon emission reduction and their influence mechanisms. Based on a theoretical analysis using the panel data of 30 provinces in China, a spatial econometric model and an intermediary effect model are used to investigate the impact of environmental regulations on the synergistic effect of pollution reduction and carbon reduction and the transmission mechanisms potentially responsible for these effects. The empirical results show the following: (1) The three kinds of environmental regulation effectively facilitate the synergistic effect of pollution reduction and carbon reduction, taking the following order when ranked according to the intensity of their effects: command-type environmental regulation (ER1) > market-based environmental regulation (ER2) > voluntary environmental regulation (ER3). (2) Environmental regulation effectively promotes the synergistic effect of pollution and carbon reduction through the three transmission mechanisms of stimulating technological innovation (TI), industrial structure upgrading (ISU), and restricting foreign direct investment (FDI), which take the following effectiveness order: TI > FDI > ISU. Based on the results of the study, policy suggestions to facilitate pollution reduction and carbon synergies are proposed to help China’s green and low-carbon development.

Forestry’s high-quality development is crucial for China’s sustainable ecological, economic, and social progress. To elevate the efficiency of carbon sequestration in forestry, continuously improve the increment of carbon sinks, and contribute to achieving carbon neutrality, it is crucial to accurately assess the level of carbon sequestration efficiency in China’s forestry and explore its long-term evolution trend. In this paper, a super-efficiency SBM model, which combines the SBM model with the super-efficiency method and considers the relaxation variables, was selected to evaluate the forestry carbon sequestration efficiency of 31 provinces in China; likewise, the temporal development features of the efficacy of Chinese forests in sequestering carbon were examined using the nuclear density estimation method. Secondly, the study constructed traditional and spatial Markov probability transfer matrices to further explore the spatiotemporal evolution of carbon sequestration efficiency within Chinese forestry. Finally, combined with the Markov chain infinite distribution matrix, the future trajectory of carbon sequestration efficiency in China’s forestry was scientifically forecasted. The findings indicate that: (1) The average carbon sequestration efficiency of forestry in China showed a stable increase with fluctuations and reached the optimal state in 2018. The carbon sequestration efficiency level of various forest regions was always portrayed as southwest forest region > southern forest region > northeast forest region > northern forest region. From 2003 to 2018, there were significant differences in forestry carbon sequestration efficiency among provinces. The distribution of forestry carbon sequestration efficiency exhibited a “three-pillar” distribution pattern with Xizang, Zhejiang, and Heilongjiang as the core, and the marginal regions continuously promoted the carbon sequestration efficiency to the inland. (2) The type of transfer of forestry carbon sequestration efficiency in China is stable, and it is difficult to achieve cross-stage transfer in the short term. Moreover, the forestry carbon sequestration efficiency of each province tended to converge to a high (low) level over time, showing a “bimodal distribution” of low efficiency and high efficiency, indicating the existence of the obvious “club convergence phenomenon”. (3) Forecasting from a long-term evolution trend perspective, the outlook for the future evolution of forestry carbon sequestration efficiency in China is optimistic, and the overall trend was concentrated in the high-value area. Therefore, future forestry development in China should contemplate both internal structure optimization and coordinated regional development. Attention should be placed on forestry carbon sequestration’s role while considering the distinctive endowments of each region and developing reasonable, differentiated, and collaborative forestry management strategies.