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With continuous nitrogen (N) enrichment and sulfur (S) deposition, soil acidification has accelerated and become a global environmental issue. However, a full understanding of the general pattern of ecosystem belowground processes in response to soil acidification due to the impacting factors remains elusive. We conducted a meta-analysis of soil acidification impacts on belowground functions using 304 observations from 49 independent studies, mainly including soil cations, soil nutrient, respiration, root and microbial biomass. Our results show that acid addition significantly reduced soil pH by 0.24 on average, with less pH decrease in forest than non-forest ecosystems. The response ratio of soil pH was positively correlated with site precipitation and temperature, but negatively with initial soil pH. Soil base cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+) decreased while non-base cations (Al3+, Fe3+) increased with soil acidification. Soil respiration, fine root biomass, microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen were significantly reduced by 14.7%, 19.1%, 9.6% and 12.1%, respectively, under acid addition. These indicate that soil carbon processes are sensitive to soil acidification. Overall, our meta-analysis suggests a strong negative impact of soil acidification on belowground functions, with the potential to suppress soil carbon emission. It also arouses our attention to the toxic effects of soil ions on terrestrial ecosystems.

This study aimed to investigate the influence of green supply chain management practices on the environmental performance of manufacturing firms, with a specific focus on understanding how institutional pressure moderated this relationship. The research design encompassed a holistic approach, incorporating an in-depth examination of the current literature and data collection via a well-structured questionnaire. Random sampling was utilized to gather data from manufacturing companies in Pakistan, and the data analysis employed PLS-SEM. The findings revealed a significant relationship between GSCM practices and the environmental performance of manufacturing firms. Moreover, the study identified that institutional pressure played a moderating role, influencing the strength of this relationship. Notably, the impact of GSCM practices on environmental performance varied under different levels of institutional pressure. This research underscored the importance of considering institutional pressure in understanding the link between GSCM practices and environmental performance. The implications extended to academics and practitioners, providing insights into the nuanced dynamics of sustainable practices in manufacturing settings. Practical implications involved tailoring GSCM strategies based on varying degrees of institutional pressure for optimal environmental outcomes. The original contribution of this study lies in its comprehensive exploration of the interplay between GSCM practices, institutional pressure, and environmental performance. By incorporating institutional pressure as a moderator, the research provided a nuanced understanding of how external influences shaped the effectiveness of GSCM in fostering ecological sustainability within manufacturing firms.

Flash droughts pose large threats to crop yields and ecosystem services due to their sudden onset and rapid intensification, arousing wide public concern in a warming climate. Their long-term characteristics of change, underlying mechanisms, and especially potential impacts on agriculture, forests, and populations at a global scale, however, remain largely unknown. We used in situ observations, two observation-based global reanalysis data sets, and 22 Earth system models to determine that flash droughts are shifting toward more frequent, accelerated-onset, and longer duration. These changes increased the exposure of agricultural areas, forested areas, and populations to flash droughts by 20.3%, 17.1%, and 30.0%, respectively, during 2001–2020 compared to 1981–2000, with a disproportionate increase in integrated risks across the Amazon Basin and eastern and southern Asia. The increase in concurrent hot and dry climatic conditions driven by warming has been mostly responsible for enabling and intensifying flash droughts over large regions. State-of-the-art Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) models, however, failed to identify the acceleration of the onset time of flash droughts and widely underestimated the occurrence of flash droughts that are driven only by precipitation deficits or by heat waves, probably because they misrepresent the dependence between precipitation and temperature and underestimate the sensitivity of soil moisture to temperature and precipitation at short timescales (e.g., 5 days). These syntheses comprehensively advance our understanding of the characteristics and impacts of flash droughts but also highlight that the CMIP6 models need to be validated to represent the correct covariability between climatic variables at short timescales to provide more reliable projections of flash droughts.

The estuarine plastisphere, a novel ecological habitat in the Anthropocene, has garnered global concerns. Recent geochemical evidence has pointed out its potential role in influencing nitrogen biogeochemistry. However, the biogeochemical significance of the plastisphere and its mechanisms regulating nitrogen cycling remain elusive. Using 15 N- and 13 C-labelling coupled with metagenomics and metatranscriptomics, here we unveil that the plastisphere likely acts as an underappreciated nitrifying niche in estuarine ecosystems, exhibiting a 0.9 ~ 12-fold higher activity of bacteria-mediated nitrification compared to surrounding seawater and other biofilms (stone, wood and glass biofilms). The shift of active nitrifiers from O 2 -sensitive nitrifiers in the seawater to nitrifiers with versatile metabolisms in the plastisphere, combined with the potential interspecific cooperation of nitrifying substrate exchange observed among the plastisphere nitrifiers, collectively results in the unique nitrifying niche. Our findings highlight the plastisphere as an emerging nitrifying niche in estuarine environment, and deepen the mechanistic understanding of its contribution to marine biogeochemistry. The biogeochemical roles of the plastisphere regulating N cycling are elusive. This study reveals the plastisphere as an emerging nitrifying niche, featured by distinct shifts in nitrifiers and potential substrate exchanges compared to seawater.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the vital link between manufacturing firms and the environment, delving into the intricate connections among factors affecting these firms. Specifically, it investigates how the environmental performance of manufacturing firms is shaped by their adoption of environmental management practices and the regulatory environment in which they operate.Design/methodology/approachData are currently being collected through a structured questionnaire from employees working in manufacturing firms in Pakistan. Random sampling was used to select the participants. The hypotheses were tested using PLS-SEM analysis.FindingsThe study reveals a positive correlation between green manufacturing practices and superior environmental performance. Effective environmental management systems further help firms reduce their environmental footprint. External environmental regulations play a significant role as moderators, influencing the strength and direction of the relationship between green manufacturing, environmental management and environmental performance.Practical implicationsThe practical implications offer valuable insights and guidance for manufacturing companies seeking to improve their environmental responsibility and performance. Additionally, policymakers gain insights into how regulatory frameworks can be designed or modified to better support sustainability efforts within the manufacturing sector.Originality/valueThis study offers timely insights for sustainable business practices, aligning with corporate responsibility efforts. It contributes to both academic knowledge and provides actionable guidance for fostering environmentally responsible practices in the manufacturing sector.

PurposeThis study explored how COVID-19 moderated the relationship between organizational learning capabilities (OLCs), technological innovation (TI), supply chain management (SMC) processes and enterprise performance (EP). It aimed to give ideas on how organizations could change and do well during big disruptions.Design/methodology/approachDesign: A structured questionnaire served as the data collection tool, employing a stratified sampling technique. Partial least squares (PLS) was utilized for data processing. Information was gathered from the automobile industry in Xian, China, providing an in-depth understanding of how COVID-19 moderated the variables under examination.FindingsThe study discovered that COVID-19 changed how organizational learning, TI, SCM and EP interacted. Some organizations had trouble keeping up with learning and innovation, but others used them to make their SCM stronger, leading to better performance. Also, different effects of COVID-19 were seen in various industries and organizations.Practical implicationsThis study provided practical implications for managers, policymakers and practitioners. It emphasized fostering OLCs and TI as crucial for resilience during disruptions like COVID-19. Strategic investments in SCM were highlighted to mitigate disruptions and seize opportunities. Additionally, context-specific approaches were underscored for navigating pandemic-induced challenges.Originality/valueThis study enhanced existing literature by analyzing how COVID-19 moderated the link between organizational learning, TI, SCM and EP. Through diverse methodologies and organizational contexts, it offered fresh insights into dynamic organizational responses to disruptions, advancing both theoretical understanding and practical knowledge in the field.

The durable nature of supply chains in the Middle Eastern region is critical, given the region’s strategic role in global trade corridors, yet geopolitical conflicts, territorial disputes, and governance challenges persistently disrupt key routes like the Suez Canal, amplifying vulnerabilities. This study addresses the urgent need to predict and mitigate supply chain risks by evaluating machine learning (ML) models for forecasting economic complexity as a proxy for resilience across 18 Middle Eastern countries. Using a multidimensional secondary dataset, we compare gated recurrent unit (GRU), support vector regression (SVR), gradient boosting, and other ensemble models, assessing performance via MSE, MAE, RMSE, and R2. The results demonstrate the GRU model’s superior accuracy (R2 = 0.9813; MSE = 0.0011), with SHAP, sensitivity, and sensitivity analysis confirming its robustness in identifying resilience determinants. Analyses reveal infrastructure quality and natural resource rents as pivotal factors influencing the economic complexity index (ECI), while disruptions like trade embargoes or infrastructure failures significantly degrade resilience. Our findings underscore the importance of diversifying infrastructure investments and stabilizing governance frameworks to buffer against shocks. This research advances the application of deep learning in supply chain resilience analytics, offering actionable insights for policymakers and logistics planners to fortify regional trade corridors and mitigate global ripple effects.

Drought disasters jeopardize agricultural production and are expected to become more serious in the context of global climate change. However, in China, little attention has been paid to evaluating agricultural drought risk in humid areas (such as in Southwest China), which have also been affected by severe drought in recent years. In this work, we used the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), which was computed from high-quality monthly precipitation and temperature data from 92 rain-gauge stations across Southwest China, to study the drought characteristics (e.g., intensity, duration, and frequency) and their decadal variations from 1960 to 2017. Furthermore, we applied a widely accepted conceptual model that emphasizes the combined role of drought hazard (calculated by the intensity and frequency of drought) and agricultural drought vulnerability (integrated with high-resolution soil properties, climate, topography, irrigation, and gross domestic product) to conduct a spatial assessment of agricultural drought risk at a 1-km grid scale. The results revealed that drought has become more serious and frequent in Southwest China, especially since the 2000s. About 27.4% of the agricultural area has been exposed to an extremely high risk of drought, 33.5% to a high risk, 22.5% to a moderate risk, and 16.6% to a low risk. The extreme agricultural risk areas were located mainly in northeastern and southeastern Chongqing, southwestern Sichuan, northeastern and eastern Guizhou, and central and eastern Yunnan. Our findings highlighted that more attention should be paid to the agricultural drought risk in humid regions of China. Furthermore, this work could set the stage for policy makers and practitioners to take measures to reduce the agricultural drought risk in Southwest China.

Drawing on the encyclical Laudato Si’ issued by Pope Francis in 2015, this paper sketches a Christian ecological spirituality for Chinese cultural contexts. The paper first examines the meaning of ecological spirituality, analyzing its deep biblical roots and subsequent theological implications. It then develops a contextual Christian ecological ethics by exploring the significance of Laudato Si’ for ecological spirituality in China in conversation with the cultural and philosophical resources of China. The paper argues that ecological spirituality is neither external to Christian ethics nor an ad hoc Christian response to ecological accusations and crises. Rather, ecological spirituality lies at the core of Christian faith and scripture, embodying a deep understanding of the organic and interconnected relationship between God, the natural world, and human beings. With deep Christian roots, ecological spirituality possesses abundant resources in the Bible, the Church Fathers, and the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions. The Christian doctrines of creation, trinity, incarnation, and eschatology, as well as Christian sacramental theology all demonstrate ecological dimensions. Thus, the Christian faith, as evidenced by the encyclical Laudato Si’, can respond decisively to the ethical challenges posed by contemporary ecological crises, especially in deep dialogue with local traditions such as the wisdom resources of China.

Temperature and precipitation are important abiotic factors affecting net primary productivity (NPP) in grassland ecosystems. However, findings on how elevation influences the effects of these factors on NPP in alpine grasslands are not yet consistent. In addition, the impact of varied patterns of climate change on NPP sensitivity with elevation remain unclear. Therefore, alpine grassland on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) was selected to profile the spatial and temporal patterns of NPP from 2001 to 2022, and subsequently to reveal the effects of temperature and precipitation on the sensitivity of NPP with altitudinal gradient. The results showed that (1) 91% of the TP grassland experienced positive NPP trends, and the NPP trends followed a unimodal curve with elevation, with the largest mean value at 2500 m; (2) a positive correlation between precipitation and NPP dominated the grassland NPP up to an elevation of 3400 m, and a positive correlation between temperature and NPP dominated the grassland NPP above an elevation of 3400 m; (3) temperature, precipitation, and their interaction explained, on average, 21% of the temporal variation in the NPP of TP grassland, and the explanatory capacity decreased significantly with elevation; and (4) elevation, temperature, and precipitation variations together explained 35% of the NPP sensitivity of the TP grasslands. This study reveals the altitudinal characteristics of NPP in grasslands affected by climate, and reminds us to take elevation into account when carrying out grassland management.