Plastic film mulching has played an important role in Chinese agriculture due to its soil warming and moisture conservation effects. With the help of plastic film mulch technology, grain and cash crop yields have increased by 20–35% and 20–60%, respectively. The area of plastic film coverage in China reached approximately 20 million hectares, and the amount of plastic film used reached 1.25 million tons in 2011. While producing huge benefits, plastic film mulch technology has also brought on a series of pollution hazards.

A comprehensive environmental assessment of the Plateau of Tibet has found that the region is getting hotter, wetter and more polluted, threatening its fragile ecosystems and those who rely on them. The plateau and its surrounding mountains cover 5 million square kilo­metres and hold the largest stock of ice outside the Arctic and Antarctic; the region is thus often referred to as the Third Pole. And like the actual poles, it is increasingly feeling the effects of climate change, but rapid development is putting it doubly at risk, the report says.

Background concentrations of heavy metal ions concentration in soils are important due to their pollution potential and toxic effect of these elements on human health and the environment. These metals in soils in the vicinity of paper manufacturing industry were studied. Concentrations of these heavy metal ions (e.g., Pb, Zn, Cd,Cr) were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (A.A.S). The findings revealed that the average concentrations of these metals in soil samples were three to ten times higher than the permissible limits.