Terrestrial ecosystems play an important role in carbon reduction and sequestration, and it is important to explore the carbon sequestration potential of terrestrial ecosystems under different land use scenarios to enhance the regional carbon storage potential. We analysed land use changes in the Loess Plateau, an important ecological barrier in China, from 2000 to 2020, used the PLUS model to predict land use patterns under different scenarios in 2035, and applied the InVEST model to assess carbon storage from 2000 to 2035. The findings were as follows: (1) Cropland in the study area decreased significantly from 2000 to 2020, and forests, waters, and construction land showed an increasing trend. The area of cropland further decreased under the natural growth and ecological protection scenarios, the area of grassland decreased significantly under the cropland protection scenario, and forests and waters were effectively protected under the natural development, ecological protection, and cropland protection scenarios. (2) Carbon storage in the Loess Plateau has increased by 28 Tg (0.56%) over the past 20 years. Compared with those in 2020, by 2035, carbon storage under the natural development, ecological protection, and cropland protection scenarios will increase by 30, 44, and 21 Tg, respectively. (3) Carbon storage has obvious spatial heterogeneity, with high carbon density in the northern Qinling Mountains, Taihang Mountains, and Lvliang Mountains and low carbon density in Erdos City and its surrounding areas. Regional differences in carbon density are closely related to the spatial distribution of land use types. (4) Carbon storage showed an inverted V-shaped trend with the increase in elevation. Land use change is the main reason for the increase or decrease in carbon storage under different scenarios. Compared with the other two scenarios, the ecological protection scenario not only protects the ecological environment but also has a strong carbon storage potential, which may be significant for guiding the formulation of future land use planning on the Loess Plateau.

The construction of an ecologically livable rural environment requires treating rural domestic waste. Farmers, as key participants in rural domestic waste disposal, can improve the rural environment by disposing of domestic waste in an environmentally friendly manner. Few studies have examined the cadre–farmer relationship and its impact on rural waste pollution. Using a questionnaire survey of farmers in Shaanxi Province, China, this study estimates the effect of cadre–farmer relationship on their willingness to treat domestic waste. The findings indicate that a positive cadre–farmer relationship significantly increases farmers’ willingness to treat domestic waste. This positive relationship can also strengthen the positive effects of institutional rules on waste treatment willingness. Further mechanism analysis shows that a good cadre–farmer relationship mobilizes farmers to protect the environment and to comply with national ecological laws and regulations, enhancing their willingness to treat domestic waste. These findings enrich research on rural domestic waste management.

Life cycle analysis on wood-based panels in terms of CO₂ flux can be used to quantitatively assess the climate change contributions of these materials. In this study, the annual CO₂ flux between 1990 and 2015 was calculated through gate-to-gate life cycle analysis of wood-based panels. As implied by the energy consumption standards, China’s wood-based panels used to be carbon sources during the period 1990–2007, with the average contribution to CO₂ emissions of 9.20 Mt/year. The implementation of new standards and the development of Cleaner production technologies in China, decreased the energy consumption per panel. China’s wood-based panels acted as a carbon sink between 2008 and 2015, with the average contribution to CO₂ removal of 31.71 Mt/year. Plywood produced the largest contributions to the emission and removal of CO_2, and was followed by fiberboard and particleboard. China’s wood-based panels, with good prospects and strong demands projected in the future, can potentially contribute to climate change mitigation.

Taking the Giant Panda National Park as an example, this paper uses factor analysis to measure residents’ financial awareness and mediating effect models to investigate the influence paths of community governance, financial awareness, and residents’ willingness to participate in the construction and development of national parks. Finally, it suggests potential solutions for national park development and biodiversity conservation. The results indicated that financial awareness and community governance levels had a positive effect on residents’ willingness to participate, and satisfaction with community governance played a significant partially mediating role in their financial awareness, which in turn influenced their level of willingness.