Against the background of global climate change, agricultural science and technology play a vital role in achieving a low-carbon economy and sustainable development. Based on the research data of agricultural science and technology in Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure, adopting the bibliometric method, a knowledge graph was drawn using CiteSpace software; this paper analyzes the hotspot distribution, structural relationship and evolution process context while also comparing the difference between China and abroad from 1998 to 2023. The results indicate that existing research is mainly distributed in the following core modules, namely, agricultural science and technology, industrialization, modern agriculture, low-carbon agriculture, etc. The evolution of the research context features three stages: the traditional agricultural, current agricultural, and high-quality agricultural stages respectively. Research in China and abroad demonstrates both overlaps and differences in terms of knowledge structure, and such differences are related mainly to the concept of low-carbon agriculture, a variety of research perspectives, and the agricultural science and technology system. To expand the knowledge structure, deepening the research on, respectively, the evaluation and measurement of agrarian carbon footprint, micro-production entities, and strengthening international agricultural science and technology cooperation are innovative directions for future studies. This article systematically reviews agricultural scientific research from the perspective of a low-carbon economy, providing a reference point for the green and low-carbon transformation of agriculture in every country.

Digital technologies hold significant potential for addressing environmental issues, such as air pollution and rising global temperatures. China is focusing on accelerating the dual transformation of industrial greening and digitization to accomplish the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and sustainable economic growth. By combining a two-way fixed effect model, a mediated effect model, and a panel threshold model, this research endeavors to explore the effect that the expansion of the digital economy has on the level of carbon emission intensity that is produced by industry. The research yielded the following primary conclusions. (1) The digital economy effectively reduces the industrial carbon intensity via three distinct mechanisms: enhancements to the technological and innovative capacities of China, improvements in energy efficiency, and enhancements to the country’s overall industrial structure. (2) Regions where industrialization and digitization are highly integrated and developing, as well as the early pilot regions of the Comprehensive Big Data Pilot Zones, are particularly susceptible to this inhibitory effect. This research offers a theoretical backing for advancements in the digital economy; the achievement of energy-saving and carbon-reducing sustainable development objectives; and the establishment of green, ecologically friendly, and recycling development strategies.

Integrated ocean management (IOM) aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and serves as a crucial strategy for promoting the enduring health of marine ecosystems and the sustainable utilization of marine resources. An analysis of the evolution of China’s integrated ocean management policy (IOMP) is crucial for providing valuable guidance in achieving sustainable growth in marine management and the marine economy for both China and other coastal nations worldwide. This paper studies the evolution characteristics, challenges, and prospects of IOMP in China since 1978 using content analysis. The findings indicate that the evolution of IOMP can be categorized into four stages: the germination period (1978–1998), the construction period (1999–2009), the systematization period (2010–2017), and the strategization period (2018–present), based on the state of international marine management. The IOMP has transitioned over time from its initial emphasis on resource development during the germination period to a strategization period that prioritizes the full development of all parts of the system. However, the ultimate goal has consistently been to achieve harmonious coexistence between people and the sea. China’s IOMP has experienced a progressive development; nevertheless, it continues to encounter obstacles such as the pressing requirement to revise sea-related policies and the absence of policy alignment. The objective of this paper is to explore the evolution, challenges, and prospects of China’s IOMP to better improve the land–sea coordination policy, strengthen international judicial cooperation. and provide effective policy reference for other maritime countries.

Taking “blue granary” as the research object, this study focuses on the mechanism and evolution of coupling coordination relationship between green transformation and the quality of economic development, to explore the path of sustainable development. Firstly, the theoretical framework of coupling relationship between green transformation and the quality of development is constructed. Secondly, an evaluation index system is established to measure green transformation and the quality of economic development. Thirdly, the entropy approach and coupled coordination degree model are used to calculate the coordination of green transformation and the quality of economic development in different provinces in China from 2009 to 2018. The results show that: (1) Green transformation affects the quality of economic development through resource effect, social effect, and technological effect; the quality of economic development affects green transformation through new growth momentum effect, income distribution effect, scale effect, and opening up effect. (2) Both the quality of economic development and the level of green transformation continue to improve, but the growth rate of green transformation is relatively slow. (3) The overall coupled coordination relationship improves from a barely balanced stage to a favorably balanced stage, but it has not reached the ideal state of superiorly balanced, and there is significant regional heterogeneity. It will help to clarify the difference in coordinated development levels in different regions and provide a reference value for the precise implementation of eco-economic coordinated development.

Achieving carbon peak and neutral as scheduled requires joint efforts to reduce emissions and increase sinks. But in the long term, mitigating climate change requires the latter to play a greater role, in which achieving economic and environmental benefits through ocean carbon sink trading is an indispensable and important measure. Around the ocean carbon sink trading, this paper constructs an ‘Economic-Financial-Environmental’ analytical framework through the BGG-DICE-DSGE model, explores the heterogeneous impact of ocean carbon sink trading on macroeconomics and climate change by impulse response, examines the influencing factors by sensitivity analysis, and uses welfare analysis to explore further performance in financial markets. It is discovered that: (1) ocean carbon sink trading can mitigate climate change, boost social welfare, and reinforce even more under active fiscal and monetary policies and higher ocean output percentage. (2) As the main body of carbon sink trading, firms have a more active impact on economic and environmental systems than government. (3) The proportion of marine output value significantly impacts dual benefits. The efficiency of ocean carbon sinks has a significant impact on environmental benefits, while the related impact of carbon sink prices is weak. (4) Due to the financial accelerator effect, any decrease in output caused by exogenous shocks in the financial market compounds the loss of social welfare. This paper theoretically explains the strategic significance of ocean carbon sink trading, and provides necessary experience and reference for the establishment of ocean carbon sink trading market in the future.

The sustainable development of the marine industry is a vital pillar for achieving global ecological balance and economic prosperity. As a crucial repository of resources and a vital regulator of climate, the ocean plays an irreplaceable role in supporting humanity’s long-term development. Against this backdrop, digital technology drives modern development, supporting decision-making and resource allocation while profoundly transforming industrial models. The resulting digital economy has become one of the core drivers of sustainable global economic growth. Given the close connection between the marine industry and the digital economy, attention has been drawn to whether a correlation exists between their respective growth rates. This study employs a Panel Vector Autoregression (PVAR) model based on panel data from China’s coastal provinces between 2012 and 2023. The empirical analysis reveals: (1) After a certain period, the growth rates of the digital economy and the quality development of the marine industry exhibit a mutually reinforcing trend. Furthermore, the innovation coupling coordination rate and the upgrading rate within the marine industry also strengthen each other, injecting endogenous momentum into the sustainable development of the marine sector. (2) When simulating external shocks through local government expenditure, it was found that while local government spending positively impacts the growth rate of the digital economy, its effect on the quality development rate of marine industries is limited, exhibiting a “single-helix” upward trend. This suggests the need to optimize the precision of policy support to better balance the coordinated sustainable development of the digital economy and marine industries. (3) The growth rate of the digital economy exerts a dual threshold effect on the quality development of marine industries. That is, there are two thresholds: 0.0099 and 0.0725. Initially, the promotion effect is relatively small with a positive and significant coefficient of 0.120. When exceeding the first threshold, the coefficient becomes 0.416, which is positively significant. When exceeding the second threshold, the promotion effect disappears. This necessitates differentiated strategies tailored to distinct developmental stages to propel marine industries toward high-quality, sustainable development empowered by the digital economy. Based on these findings, this study focuses on the relationship between the growth rates of the digital economy and marine industries, offering actionable recommendations for marine nations like China to advance high-level sustainable industrial development.