Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) pose a significant threat to the groundwater system and human health. Pollution and the potential risks of PTEs in groundwater in the Kǒnqi River Basin (KRB) of the northwest arid zones of China are still unknown. A total of 53 groundwater samples containing eight PTEs (Al, As, Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb, Se, and Zn) were collected from the KRB, and the pollution levels and probabilistic health risks caused by PTEs were assessed based on the Nemerow Index (NI) method and the health risk assessment model. The results revealed that the mean contents of Al, As, and Mn in the groundwater surpassed the Class III threshold of the Standard for Groundwater Quality of China. The overall pollution levels of the investigated PTEs in the groundwater fall into the moderate pollution level. The spatial distributions of contents and pollution levels of different PTEs in the groundwater were different. Health risk assessment indicated that all the investigated PTEs in groundwater in the KRB may pose a probabilistic non-carcinogenic health risk for both adults and children. Moreover, As may pose a non-carcinogenic health risk, whereas the non-carcinogenic health risk posed by the other seven PTEs in groundwater will not have the non-carcinogenic risks. Furthermore, As falls into the low carcinogenic risk level, whereas Cd falls into the very low carcinogenic risk level. Overall, As was confirmed as the dominant pollution factor and health risk factor of groundwater in the KRB. Results of this study provide the scientific basis needed for the prevention and control of PTE pollution in groundwater.

The heavy metals (HMs) spatial distribution in soil is intricately shaped by aggregation processes involving chemical reactions and biological activities, which modulate HMs toxicity, migration, and accumulation. Pioneer plants play a central role in preventing HMs at source, yet the precise mechanisms underlying their involvement in soil aggregation remain unclear. This study investigates HMs distribution within rhizosphere and bulk soil aggregates of Miscanthus sp. grown in tailings to elucidate the impact of root exudates (REs) and rhizosphere microbes. The results indicate that Miscanthus sp. enhance soil stability, increasing the proportion of macroaggregates by 4.06 %-9.78 %. HMs tend to concentrate in coarse-aggregates, particularly within rhizosphere environments, while diminishing in fine-aggregates. Under HMs stress, lipids and lipid-like molecules are the most abundant REs produced by Miscanthus sp., accounting for under up to 26.74 %. These REs form complex with HMs, promoting microaggregates formation. Charged components such as sugars and amino acids further contribute to soil aggregation. REs also regulates rhizosphere bacteria and fungi, with Acidobacteriota, Chloroflexi were the dominant bacterial phyla, while Ascomycota and Basidiomycota dominate the fungal community. The synergistic effect of REs and microorganisms impact soil organic matter and nutrient content, facilitating HMs nanoparticle heteroaggregation and macroaggregates formation. Consequently, soil structure and REs shape the distribution of HMs in soil aggregation. Pioneer plants mediate REs interaction with rhizosphere microbes, promoting the distribution of HMs into macroaggregates, leading to immobilization. This study sheds light on the role of pioneer plants in regulating soil HMs, offering valuable insights for soil remediation strategies.

The nexus between environmental pollution (EP) and technological innovation is crucial for achieving sustainable development. However, existing literature has paid less attention to the new form of high-quality innovation (HI) in environmental management. This paper uses panel data from 31 Chinese provinces from 2008 to 2020, employing the two-stage least squares method to investigate the relationship between HI and EP. The empirical results reveal that HI can effectively reduce the EP, which holds after multiple robustness tests, and this effect is more obvious in southern China. Meanwhile, HI drives clean and efficient energy transition and decreases EP. Moreover, increased environmental regulation weakens the influence of HI on EP. The major contributions of this study are constructing an HI index including innovation, human capital, and government support and examining its influence on EP in China. The findings encourage government to implement policies of innovation-driven transformation, energy conservation and emissions reduction.

This study examines the levels of heavy metals in polyculture fish (Labeo rohita, Cyprinus carpio, and Catla catla), water, and sediment in Tanda Dam, Kohat, Pakistan, aiming to understand environmental and health risks. Samples of fish, water, and sediment were collected from 3 fish farms, and heavy metal concentrations were measured using a Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). Results reveal that C. catla exhibited significantly higher (p < 0.05) levels of Zn than other fish species. Conversely, C. carpio showed significantly higher (p < 0.05) concentrations of Pb, Cd, Cr, Mn, Cu, As, and Ni than other species. The heavy metal hierarchy in C. carpio was found to be Zn > Cu > Pb > Cr > Cd > Mn > As > Ni. While heavy metal levels in L. rohita and C. catla generally fell within reference ranges, exceptions were noted for Zn, Pb, and Cd. Conversely, in C. carpio, all metals exceeded reference ranges except for Cu and Ni. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) indicated a close relationship between water and sediment. Additionally, cluster analysis suggested that C. catla formed a distinct cluster from L. rohita and C. carpio, implying different responses to the environment. Despite concerns raised by the Geoaccumulation Index (Igeo) and Contamination Factor (CF), particularly for Cd, which exhibited a high CF. Furthermore, Hazard Index (HI) values for all three fish species were below 1, suggesting low health risks. However, elevated Igeo and CF values for Cd suggest significant pollution originating from anthropogenic sources. This study underscores the importance of monitoring heavy metals in water for both environmental preservation and human health protection. Future research efforts should prioritize pollution control measures to ensure ecosystem and public health safety.

Air pollution is a challenge for many cities. The digital economy enhances support for environmental pollution management, while the mechanisms and scaling heterogeneity remain unclear. This study explored the contribution of digital economy development to PM2.5 concentrations control in China and driving mechanisms in different economic subregions and urban agglomerations. Results show that the spillover transfer effect on air pollution mitigation far exceeded the direct effect at different scales. At the national scale, the air pollution mitigation effect of digital economy was mainly through empowering industrial structure optimization and green technology innovation, while it also affected economic subregions and urban agglomerations through varying scenario combinations of pathways with structural optimization, green production, resource allocation, and technology innovation. Research findings provide support for cross-regional joint management strategies of digital economy and air quality and designing regionally differentiated pollution control pathways in the digital economy dimension.

Since the 1980s, there has been increasing concern over heavy metal pollution remediation. However, most research focused on the individual remediation technologies for heavy metal pollutants in either soil or water. Considering the potential migration of these pollutants, it is necessary to explore effective integrated remediation technologies for soil and water heavy metals. This review thoroughly examines non-phytoremediation technologies likes physical, chemical, and microbial remediation, as well as green remediation approaches involving terrestrial and aquatic phytoremediation. Non-phytoremediation technologies suffer from disadvantages like high costs, secondary pollution risks, and susceptibility to environmental factors. Conversely, phytoremediation technologies have gained significant attention due to their sustainable and environmentally friendly nature. Enhancements through chelating agents, biochar, microorganisms, and genetic engineering have demonstrated improved phytoremediation remediation efficiency. However, it is essential to address the environmental and ecological risks that may arise from the prolonged utilization of these materials and technologies. Lastly, this paper presents an overview of integrated remediation approaches for addressing heavy metal contamination in groundwater-soil-surface water systems and discusses the reasons for the research gaps and future directions. This paper offers valuable insights for comprehensive solutions to heavy metal pollution in water and soil, promoting integrated remediation and sustainable development.

The toxic metal (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) pollution in 250 agricultural soil samples representing the urban area of Jiaxing was studied to investigate the temporal and spatial variations. Compared to the early 1990s, the pollution level has increased. Industry and urbanization were the main factors causing toxic metal pollution on temporal variation, especially the use of feed containing toxic metals. The soil types and crop cultivation methods are the main factors causing toxic metal pollution on spatial variation. Although the single-factor pollution indices of all the toxic metals were within the safe limits, as per the National Soil Environmental Quality Standard (risk screening value), if the background values of soil elements in Jiaxing City are used as the standard, the pollution index of all the elements surveyed exceeds 1.0, reaching a level of mild pollution. The soil samples investigated were heavily contaminated with toxic metal compounds, and their levels increased over time. This situation poses potential ecological and health risks.

Autotrophic microorganisms play a crucial role in soil CO2 assimilation. Although microplastic pollution is recognized as a significant global concern, its precise impact on carbon sequestration by autotrophic microorganisms in agroecosystem soil remains poorly understood. This study conducted microcosm experiments to explore how conventional polystyrene (PS) and biodegradable poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) microplastics affect carbon fixation rates (CFRs) and the community characteristics of soil autotrophic microorganisms in paddy agroecosystems. The results showed that compared with the control groups, 0.5 % and 1 % microplastic treatments significantly reduced soil CFRs by 11.8 - 24.5 % and 18.7 - 32.3 %, respectively. PS microplastics exerted a stronger inhibition effect on CFRs than PHBV microplastics in bulk soil. However, no significant difference was observed in the inhibition of CFRs by both types of microplastics in rhizosphere soils. Additionally, PS and PHBV microplastics altered the structure of autotrophic microbial communities, resulting in more stochastically dominated assembly and looser, more fragile coexistence networks compared to control groups. Moreover, microplastics drove the changes in autotrophic microbial carbon fixation primarily through their direct interference and the indirect effect by increasing soil organic carbon levels. Our findings enhance the understanding and predictive capabilities regarding the impacts of microplastic pollution on carbon sinks in agricultural soils.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) reflect the shift in global economic conversation toward inclusive growth. The growth can promote inclusivity and widespread sharing of its advancements by concentrating on four key dimensions. (a) Equality of opportunity, (b) sharing prosperity, (3) environmental sustainability/climate adaptation, and (4) macroeconomic stability. We used the Kao cointegration test to study how certain variables are connected over a long period. The relationship between CO2 and GDP per capita, renewable energy and tourism, improved water and sanitation, and access to power all have a positive feedback effect on each other. Based on FMOLS\'s findings, a 1 % increase in Inclusive growth leads to a 0.342 % (Model 1) and 0.258 % (Model 3) increase in CO2 emissions. An increase of 1 percent in energy consumption per person resulted in a rise of 1.343 % in CO2 emissions in Case 1, 0.524 % in Case 2, and 0.618 % in Case 3. Increasing the tourism sector\'s proportion of total exports by just one percent will reduce CO2 emissions by 0.221 % (case 1) and 0.234 % (case 3). Based on CCR findings, a 1 % improvement in inclusive growth leads to a 0.403.

A serious environmental problem that threatens soil quality, agricultural productivity, and food safety is heavy metal pollution in water sources. Heavy metal pollution is the main problem in tehsil Pasrur, Sialkot, Pakistan. Present study was arranged to notice the heavy metals in water, soil, forages and buffalo milk. There are seven sites that were used for this experiment. Highest malondialdehyde (MDA) contents (3.00 ± 0.01) were noticed in barseem roots at site 7. Ascorbate Peroxidase (APX) was reached at its peak (1.93 ± 0.01) at site 7 in the fresh barseem. Maximum protein contents (0.36 ± 0.01) were observed in fresh plant samples at site 2. Site 3\'s buffalo milk samples had the highest Ni content (7.22 ± 0.33 ppm), while Site 3\'s soil samples had the lowest Cr content (8.89 ± 0.56 ppm), Site 1\'s plant shoots had the lowest Cr content (27.75 ± 1.98 ppm), and Site 3\'s water had the highest Cr content (40.07 ± 0.49 ppm). The maximum fat content (5.38 ± 2.32%) was found in the milk of the animals at site 7. The highest density (31.88 ± 6.501%), protein content (3.64 ± 0.33%), lactose content (5.54 ± 0.320%), salt content (0.66 ± 0.1673%), and freezing point (- 0.5814 ± 0.1827 °C) were also observed in the milk from animals at site 7, whereas site 5 displayed the highest water content (0.66 ± 0.1673%) and peak pH value (11.64 ± 0.09). In selected samples, the pollution load index for Ni (which ranged from 0.01 to 1.03 mg/kg) was greater than 1. Site 7 has the highest conductivity value (5.48 ± 0.48). Values for the health risk index varied from 0.000151 to 1.00010 mg/kg, suggesting that eating tainted animal feed may pose health concerns. Significant health concerns arise from metal deposition in the food chain from soil to feed, with nickel having the highest health risk index.