The process for reasonably evaluating the potential impacts of circular agriculture on the environment has become a key issue in the sustainable development of circular agriculture. Based on this consideration, by using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and focusing on the circular agriculture industry company of Xingyuan, Fuqing, this paper evaluates the potential impacts of the pig farming industry-dragon fruit planting-forage planting-fishery industry-mushroom planting-biogas generating-organic fertilizer production circular agriculture model compared to a main agriculture industrial model, the pig farming industry, from environmental and environmental-economic perspectives. Moreover, this paper determines key elements that restrict the development of circular agriculture through a sensitivity analysis. The results show that if we simply consider the potential environmental impacts, circular agriculture does not produce better results than those of the main agricultural production model. In addition, if we consider reducing the potential environmental impact as well as improving the economic benefits from the perspective of a “reduction ring”, we should consider removing mushroom planting and organic fertilizer from the circular agriculture framework. Moreover, if we want to reduce the potential environmental impact without changing the current recycling model, we should focus on the premix components, especially the three main components of corn, soybean meal, and whey protein concentrate.

Due to the differences in the contributions of land use types to ecosystem health and human wellbeing, there is a trade-off and a coordinating relationship between ecosystem health and human wellbeing, which affects the sustainable development of a river basin. To explore the impacts of the responses of ecosystem health and human wellbeing and the combined effects under land use change, this paper, taking the Manas River Basin (MRB) as an example, evaluated the health status of the MRB by the model: Vitality (V), organization (O), resilience (R), and services (S). From a sustainability perspective, an index system of human wellbeing was constructed, which included society and the economy, health and safety, materials and resources, and ecology and the environment. On this basis, the coupling coordination relationship and sustainable development status of the basin was assessed. The results showed that as land use changed, the ecosystem health showed a downward trend, and human wellbeing grew exponentially. The sustainable development index and the coupling coordination degree of the MRB were similar, indicating that the level of balance between ecosystem health and human wellbeing was the key to the sustainable development of the basin, and the overall situation was in a state of moderate imbalance and moderate unsustainability. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out sustainable management of the whole basin.

The “Water-Energy-Food Nexus” is one of the present research hotspots in the field of sustainable development. Water resources are the key factors that limit local human survival and socioeconomic development in arid areas, and the water footprint is an important indicator for measuring sustainable development. In this study, the structural dynamics and complex relationships of the water-energy-food system in arid areas were analyzed from the perspective of the water footprint, and the risk characteristics were evaluated. The results show that: (1) Agriculture products and livestock products account for the largest water footprints (>90%), which is much higher than the water footprints of energy consumption (50%) > the grey water footprint (20%–30%) > the green water footprint (<20%). (2) Since 2000, especially after 2005, while energy consumption drove rapid economic growth, it also led to the rapid expansion of the water footprint in the Manas River Basin. By 2015, the water deficit was relatively serious, with the surface water resource deficit reaching 16.21 × 10⁸ m³. (3) The water-energy risk coupling degree of the water-energy-food system in this basin is comparatively significant, which means that it is facing the dual pressures of internal water shortage and external energy dependence, and it is vulnerable to global warming and fluctuations in the international and domestic energy markets. Thus, it is necessary to adjust the industrial structure through macroeconomic regulation and control, developing new energy sources, reducing the coupling degree of system risks, and achieving sustainable development.

The electric power industry is one of the major industries in terms of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, and it is necessary to explore low-carbon green power generation models. In recent years, more research has focused on the difference in carbon emissions in fossil energy versus renewable energy but ignored the impact of energy on human well-being. The life cycle assessment (LCA) method is a better method for assessing the impact of the low-carbon model on human well-being. In this paper, the carbon footprints of coal power plants and photovoltaic power (PV) plants generating 1 Kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity are compared to analyze the degree of carbon emissions at different stages of the two models, and the environmental impact potential of the two models is analyzed using the LCA method. The differences between the two models in terms of human well-being were analyzed through questionnaires and quantified using the hierarchical analysis method. The impact of the different models on human well-being was compared using LCA method. The results of the study were as follows: the total CO₂ emissions from coal-fired power generation at the 1 kWh standard were 973.38 g, while the total CO₂ emissions from PV power generation were 91.95 g, and the carbon emission intensity of coal-fired power plants was higher than that of PV power plants. The global warming potential and eutrophication potential of coal-fired power plants were higher than those of PV power plants, and the rest of the indicators were lower than those of PV power plants. The composite human well-being index of PV power plants was 0.613 higher than that of coal-fired power plants at 0.561. The per capita income–global warming potential of PV power plants was higher than that of coal-fired power plants, indicating that PV power plants were a low carbon-emission and high well-being model. In conclusion, the PV power plant model is a low-carbon and high human well-being industrial model that is worthy of application in the Qilian Mountains region. The low-carbon industrial model proposed in this study can have a positive effect on regional ecological environmental protection and human well-being enhancement.

Studying the characteristics, trends, and evolution of carbon emissions in agricultural related sectors is of great significance for rational formulation of carbon emission reduction policies. However, as an important carbon emission reduction policy, carbon tax has been controversial over whether or not it should be levied on China. Based on this consideration, this paper takes China’s agricultural related sectors as an example and analyzes the degree of carbon tax on macro-environment, macroeconomy, and agricultural sectors during the period 2020–2050 by constructing a 3EAD-CGE (economy-energy-environmental-agricultural-dynamics Computable General Equilibrium) model. The results show that: (1) carbon tax has a time effect, specifically, the short-term effect is better than the long-term. (2) If the incremental rate of carbon tax is carried out alone, it will exert a great influence on the macroeconomy as well as on most of the agricultural related sectors. (3) If a carbon tax is introduced at the same time as indirect taxes are cut (proportionally), the policy will exert a negative impact on agriculture-related sectors that are subsidized. However, the policy will have a positive impact on those nonsubsidized sectors. Finally, based on the results, we put forward some suggestions that are more suitable for the introduction of a carbon tax in China’s agricultural-related sectors.

The detrimental effects of climate change require countries and regions to use green and low-carbon strategies as the basis for economic development. Agriculture and livestock industry have become among the main industries that emit greenhouse gases. Yongchang County is suitable for the development of large-scale livestock operations due to its unique geographical advantages. However, the potential effects of the carbon dioxide emissions and the environmental impact potential of various farming and animal husbandry farming models on human well-being need to be considered. The purpose of this paper is to use life cycle assessment (LCA) to comprehensively assess the carbon emissions and environmental impact of circular agriculture and livestock industry and to provide important decision support for the establishment of a low-carbon circular agriculture and animal husbandry model. It uses a 75 kg dairy sheep as a functional unit to combine a noncircular farming model (S1) and a circular farming model (S2). The degree of carbon emissions, environmental impact potential and human well-being environmental effects are compared. The results show that the carbon dioxide emission of S1 is 891.3 kg, while the emission of S2 is 647.3 kg, and the difference between the two is 244 kg. S2 has a lower global warming potential than the S1 model; hence, the S2 model, which uses biogas for power, has lower carbon emission than the S1 model. From the perspective of human well-being and environmental benefits, the S2 model of biogas power generation is a low carbon emission and high-benefit model. The biogas power generation model lays the foundation for the realization of the “peak carbon dioxide emissions” and “carbon neutralization” goal, strengthens ecological protection on the north side of the Qilian Mountains and improves human well-being in the region.