Carbon Emission Reduction Potential Research Articles

Promoting the "Chinese Experience" of Carbon Neutrality ——Evidence of Carbon Emission Pilot Governance in Guangdong Province Based on the EIO-LCA Model

With the increasing global consensus on promoting carbon neutrality, China's efforts in carbon reduction governance are particularly prominent in Guangdong Province. This study focuses on utilizing data from 29 production sectors in Guangdong Province for the period of 2007-2020. The IPCC 2006 methodology was applied to estimate sectoral carbon emissions, and the Economic Input-Output-Life Cycle Assessment model was used to calculate the direct, indirect, and implied carbon emissions of each sector in Guangdong Province. In-depth analysis was conducted using the Carbon Emission Reduction Potential model. According to the findings, direct carbon emissions from the food sector have increased by 232.2%. The manufacturing of specialized equipment and the apparel industry have successfully reduced their overall carbon emissions by 97.68% and 73.15%, respectively. Additionally, it is worth noting that architecture plays a significant role in driving the increase in carbon emissions within the electric power industry;the fluctuation of implied carbon emissions is more pronounced in the energy industry and non-metal products industry on the supply side, as well as in the chemical industry and electric power industry on the demand side; the potential emission reduction benefits of the electronics manufacturing industry have not been fully explored. In terms of carbon emission reduction potential, the first tier is primarily in the energy supply and metal processing sectors, while the second tier is mainly in the mining industry and electronic equipment manufacturing sector. The third tier focuses on the light industry and transportation sectors.

Analysis and prediction on carbon emissions from electrical and electronic equipment industry in China

This research employs the IPCC methodology to assess carbon emissions from China's Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) industry for 2012–2020, utilizing the GM (1) model to predict emissions for the next decade. Six scenarios evaluate emissions, guiding strategies for reduction. Key findings reveal the usage phase as the highest emitter, while WEEE dismantling incurs the lowest. In 2020, emissions from production, sales, transportation, usage, recycling transportation, dismantling, and recycling were projected. Scrapping imported EEE from 2012 to 2020 results in 1.88 million tons of emissions. Projected 2030 emissions, under current policies or low-carbon measures, are 136 million tons and 72 million tons, respectively. Urgent actions, especially in Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and stakeholder roles, are essential. The study advocates for consumer awareness on energy conservation and reducing dependence on imported products. Manufacturing emissions highlight the need for eco-design, emphasizing sustainable practices. Recycling and dismantling phases also contribute emissions, necessitating optimized routes and advanced technologies. In addition, the study explores the potential for carbon reduction by incorporating the organic combination of carbon trading markets, evaluating the carbon emission reduction potential of recycling enterprises. The proposal suggests replacing government subsidies with the sale of carbon credits, not only to stimulate companies to actively promote green dismantling but also to address the current inadequacy of subsidies. Establishing a comprehensive life cycle management system is crucial to minimizing the EEE industry's carbon footprint and promoting a sustainable future.

Sustainable Impact of Green Building on the Eco-Economic Efficiency of the Construction Industry: Evidence from China

Addressing the global warming challenge, the carbon emissions reduction potential of green building (GB) is garnering increasing attention. However, the extent to which GB can impact the eco-economic efficiency (EE) of the construction industry remains unclear. To fill this gap, based on panel data for 30 regions of China from 2003 to 2018, in this study, a comprehensive analysis of the EE and sustainable impact of GB is conducted using a super slacks-based measure (SBM-DEA), panel vector autoregression (PVAR) and threshold models. The findings reflect that only about 10% of provinces have achieved EE effectiveness, with pure technical effectiveness being a significant driving force behind this. The average comprehensive, pure technical, and scale EE show a 62.23%, 46.42%, and 31.91% improvement potential regarding the efficiency frontier. The EE in the Eastern Region is relatively high, while the Western Region surpassed the Central Region in regards to EE in the areas of scale and pure technical efficiency. EE is significantly reduced in the current period (year) when it is subject to the positive impact of a standard deviation from the existing economic level. This impact was the strongest in period 1, then gradually disappeared until period 6, aligning with the Kuznets curve’s theoretical assumption. GB awareness negatively impacted the current period, but is expected to gradually show a positive effect after period 2. The urbanization, green building awareness, and green building coverage make a very small contribution to the EE, accounting for 8.6%, 1.6%, and 9%, respectively, with early EE and economic level identified as the primary variables affecting the current EE. The impact of GB on EE exhibits a threshold effect, with the ecological effect of GB significant only in cities with economic levels higher than 11.063. This research contributes to the existing knowledge of the eco-economic mechanism of GB and provides insights for government policies, promoting the sustainable development of the GB market.

Carbon emission evaluation of eight different prefabricated components during the materialization stage

Prefabricated buildings are considered to be an important basis for realizing the "Carbon peak, carbon neutral". However, few studies have systematically assessed the carbon emission reduction of different prefabricated components. According to the LCA theory, a P-GPS-LCA model is developed for evaluating carbon emission reduction potential of components. Eight different components, four prefabricated and one cast-in-place buildings are chosen for case study. The results indicate that carbon emissions of stair, balcony, composite slab, air conditioning slab, internal wall, external wall, external wall with window, external wall with door were significant variations. Carbon emissions of the prefabricated buildings were lower than that of the cast-in-place building. Carbon emissions in the production, transportation, and construction stages accounted for approximately 96.42 %, 2.69 %, and 0.89 %, respectively, with the majority of carbon emissions originating from rebar and cement. In addition, the higher prefabricated rate, the less carbon emissions. There was obvious linear positive correlation between carbon emissions and prefabricated volume, and cost. This study provides a scientific evaluation method and a solid data foundation for carbon emission research of prefabricated buildings.

Assessment of agricultural carbon emissions reduction potential and optimisation pathways based on a framework of equity and efficiency principles: Evidence from Fujian Province in China

Assessment of agricultural carbon emissions reduction potential and optimisation pathways based on a framework of equity and efficiency principles: Evidence from Fujian Province in China

Economic analysis of hydrogen production and refueling station via molten-medium-catalyzed pyrolysis of natural gas process

The urgent need for sustainable energy solutions has been underscored by escalating greenhouse gas emissions and the global commitment to net-zero emissions. Clean hydrogen energy, despite its potential for the global low-carbon transition, faces challenges such as high production and transport costs and significant carbon emissions. Herein, we investigate the molten-medium-catalyzed pyrolysis of natural gas (MPN) for hydrogen production and refueling. We highlight the urgent environmental and economic motivations for cleaner energy, specifically addressing the existing challenges faced by traditional hydrogen production methods. Our research introduces an innovative integrated system for onsite hydrogen production, showcasing its economic advantages, carbon emission reduction potential, and compatibility with current infrastructures. The study meticulously evaluates the MPN technology's economic feasibility, including a detailed analysis of cost drivers and the market value of by-product carbon materials. Furthermore, we stress the importance of further research to optimize the technology and promote its adoption for a low-carbon future. This investigation presents MPN as a promising alternative, potentially revolutionizing the hydrogen supply chain and contributing significantly to global decarbonization efforts.

Predicting the carbon emission reduction potential of shared electric bicycle travel

Shared electric bicycle (SEB) has rapidly gained prominence as a mode of shared mobility in China. This study aims to explore the impact of SEB travel on carbon emissions reduction in urban transportation systems. Employing a system dynamics approach, a predictive model is developed with five subsystems: socio-economic subsystem, SEB travel subsystem, traditional travel subsystem, traffic congestion subsystem, and carbon emissions subsystem. Taking Changsha City as a case study, the carbon reduction potential of SEB is evaluated by analyzing different travel scenarios. The results show that urban transportation carbon emissions can be reduced by about 3.3% under the SEB travel alternative scenario. Compared to infrastructure development or private car restriction scenarios, the SEB alternative is more viable and sustainable. SEB exhibits advantages over other public transportation in alleviating urban transportation burdens and reducing emissions. Sensitivity analysis emphasizes the key role of increasing distance by SEB travel in enhancing carbon reduction.

A three-level meta-frontier directional distance function approach for carbon emission efficiency analysis in China: convexity versus non-convexity

Achieving carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals is a fundamental requirement for advancing high-quality development in China. Carbon emission efficiency (CEE) indicates the proportion of optimal emissions to actual emissions in the production system, providing a basis for reasonable carbon emission reductions. To facilitate the realisation of China's goals, this paper analyses CEE and the carbon emission reduction potential in China from 2001 to 2020. Considering the heterogeneity of both regions and industries, this paper proposes a three-hierarchy meta-frontier directional distance function (DDF) method to measure CEE under convex and non-convex assumptions of production possibility set (PPS). The empirical results show that the assumption of convex or non-convex axiom on the innermost PPS has a great impact on efficiency distribution, and the distribution of technology gap rate (TGR) is more affected by the selection of convex or non-convex assumption compared with the distribution of CEE. Currently, China's carbon emission efficiency remains low, mostly due to management inefficiency. The primary industry has more advanced emission reduction technologies than the other two industries. The eastern region has a large potential for carbon emission reduction because of its high carbon emission base, despite its high efficiency.

Assessing Carbon Emission Reduction Potential: A Case Study of Low Carbon Demand Response Technology in Fangshan District, Beijing

Responding to the low-carbon demands of power users helps the power industry unlock carbon emission reduction potential, transmit carbon reduction responsibilities, and hold significant importance for energy conservation and carbon reduction. Currently, there is relatively limited empirical research on carbon emission demand responses in different industries. Therefore, this article, based on dynamic carbon accounting technology and combined with power planning and operation simulation data in Fangshan District, proposes a low-carbon demand response mechanism guided by user-side carbon reduction, using dynamic carbon emission factors as guiding signals. Furthermore, an assessment model for the carbon reduction potential of a low-carbon demand response technology is constructed. Finally, empirical research is conducted on the estimated carbon emission reduction of 108 enterprises in 6 different industries in Fangshan District based on the assessment model. The results indicate that carrying out low-carbon demand response can reduce enterprise carbon emissions, and changes in enterprise capacity and industry affiliation will have a significant impact on the carbon reduction effect. This study introduces a novel approach to the low-carbon development of the power system load side, offering a fresh perspective on the empirical analysis of low-carbon development for typical receiving-end power grids.

Marine fishery carbon emission reduction and changing factors behind marine fishery eco-efficiency growth in China

The accurate assessment of marine fisheries' carbon emissions (MFCE) and the identification of spatial and temporal variation in marine fisheries eco-efficiency (MFEE) and its drivers under the carbon emission reduction constraint can facilitate high-quality development and the achievement of the ‘carbon neutrality’ goal. Current assessments of MFEE exclude carbon emissions and focus on single-factor methodologies, which limit their utility in guiding emission reduction strategies. In this study, using provincial data on carbon emissions from marine fisheries from 2008 to 2021, we constructed a model of undesired output emission efficiency through a directional distance function to determine the undesired output emission reduction potential of each province. The global Malmquist–Luenberger (GML) model was also used to explore the spatial and temporal trends of MFCE and MFEE in China and the drivers influencing MFEE growth. Different mechanisms underlying the MFEE growth in three major marine economic zones were investigated. The results show that (1) MFCE is declining, with carbon sources from marine fisheries showing a decline and carbon sinks showing rapid growth. The year 2015 was an important turning point for carbon emissions from marine fisheries. (2) The level of carbon emission potential of marine fisheries differed among Chinese coastal provinces and cities during the study period, and the three major marine economic circles belonged to different types of carbon emission reduction potential. Under the carbon emission reduction constraint, the MFEE values showed a fluctuating upward trend with significant differences in growth rates and power sources, while pure technical efficiency drove the optimal development of eco-efficiency. (3) The marine economy, resource use, industrial structure, environmental regulation, and science and technology improve MFEE, whereas the degree of openness to the outside world negatively impacts MFEE; the trend of high-quality development of marine fisheries under the carbon emission reduction constraint is positive.

Spatiotemporal distribution, environmental risk and carbon emission reduction potential of livestock manure in Shaanxi Province, China

Spatiotemporal distribution, environmental risk and carbon emission reduction potential of livestock manure in Shaanxi Province, China

Market potential and the industrial sectors inclusion sequence in China's national carbon emission trading: From the perspective of maximizing gains

The carbon emission trading scheme (CETS) has been gradually introduced in China to control carbon emissions and boost economic and social development. The existing literature has evaluated the market potential of pilot CETSs or a certain industry, yet no study has focused on the industrial sectors to be covered in the national CETS to analyze trading flexibility and the sector inclusion sequence. This study presents an analytical framework for estimating market potential (i.e., potential gains and carbon emission reduction potential) and industrial sector inclusion sequences for China's national CETS using by-production models. Three simulation scenarios (i.e., no-trading scenario, power sector trading scenario, and multiple-industry trading scenario) and two trading modes (i.e., contemporary and intertemporal trading mode) are simultaneously considered. The novel evidences are: (i) There would be 39.93% (27.7 trillion CNY), 65.26% (273.0 trillion CNY) and 159.42% (666.7 trillion CNY) national aggregated potential gains of CETS in intertemporal power sector trading scenario, contemporary multiple-industry trading scenario and intertemporal multiple-industry trading scenario, and they would help save 3.60%, 5.18% and 6.05% of CO2 emissions reduction, respectively. (ii) CO2 emission permits would transfer from nonmetal minerals, ferrous metals, and electricity, to paper making, non-ferrous metals, petrochemicals, and chemicals under the intertemporal multiple-industry trading simulation. (iii) Based on the principle of potential gain maximization, it is recommended that the sector of smelting and processing of non-ferrous metals should to be included as the next sector in national CETS. The results show that national CETS has great market potential for achieving China's joint carbon control and economic growth goals.

Assessment of carbon emission reduction potential in industrial heating processes in Ruicheng, China

Assessment of carbon emission reduction potential in industrial heating processes in Ruicheng, China

Decarbonizing the sludge treatment industry: Assessing the feasibility of achieving carbon reduction from carbon peaking to carbon neutrality

The significant carbon emissions generated by China's sludge treatment industry cannot be ignored. However, with only a few recent well-executed studies on carbon emission reduction in the sludge treatment field, the literature awaits a more comprehensive assessment and prediction whether the sludge treatment industry can achieve the dual-carbon target. This article aims to fill this gap, holistically examining the carbon emission reduction potential in the industry. Using the moving average method and IPCC method, the projected carbon emission value of sludge treatment in China from 2021 to 2030 indicates a total net carbon emission of 0.3 million tons by 2030. This suggests that the sludge treatment industry is on track to meet the carbon peak target, leaving surplus carbon quotas or credits available to assist other industries for carbon emissions reductions. The study also finds that only incineration and composting demonstrate the potential to be able to partially offset carbon emissions through resource utilization in certain stages or processes. Therefore, the current sludge treatment methods do not yield comprehensive emission reduction effects and cannot provide sufficient contribution to China's dual carbon goals. To address this issue, the paper explores a new scheme that focuses on improving the sludge treatment process. The scheme comparative analysis reveals that, even with all sludge treatment methods optimized, the total net carbon emissions of the industry could only be reduced to 0.058 million tons. This reduction falls short of significantly mitigating carbon emissions to achieve the carbon neutrality goal. Therefore, industries unable to achieve substantial net carbon reduction may need to explore alternative measures, such as carbon sinks, to ultimately attain carbon neutrality.

Assessment of the carbon emissions reduction potential in Thailand’s power sector with high penetration of variable renewable energy sources and electric vehicles in the year 2030

Abstract The power sector has substantial carbon emissions reduction potential that could achieve the new nationally determined contribution target in 2030 by increasing low-carbon technologies, e.g. variable renewable energy sources and electric vehicles (EVs). Therefore, two approaches were suggested in this work. In the first approach, Thailand’s power sector was modelled by using PLEXOS software to find the impact of the high penetration of variable renewable energy (RE) and EV charging load for the projected year 2030. The second approach proposed a demand–response and energy storage system solution with carbon pricing in the model to assess the targets. As a result, the electricity demand from charging EVs will cause a new peak demand at night, while the high variable RE penetration will cause curtailment in the power system due to excess supply at noon. Therefore, Thailand’s power sector has the potential for carbon emissions reduction by 45% with clean energy technologies, which could increase to 68% with carbon pricing, easily achievable by the nationally determined contribution target in 2030. However, these benefits could only be derived if various entities involved in the energy regulatory, transport and power sectors coordinate to implement the required technological and financial policies.

Exploring the Potential of Solar Energy in Mosque Buildings: A Case Study of Dumai Islamic Centre Mosque in Riau Province, Indonesia

This study investigated the implementation of solar panels in the Dumai Islamic Centre (DIC) Mosque, located in Dumai City, Riau Province, to reduce carbon emissions. The study presents an overview of the significance of solar energy utilization and its potential benefits in the context of mosque buildings. This research was aimed to assess the criteria for selecting the appropriate solar panel type, determine the power output and PV area required for the DIC Mosque, and estimate the carbon emissions reduction resulting from installing solar panels. The study employed a quantitative research design and utilizes the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to select the most suitable solar panel type. The results reveal that polycrystalline solar panels are the optimal choice based on efficiency, power peak, operation and maintenance, and price criteria. Installing solar panels on the DIC Mosque's roof, positioned at an optimal height, ensures maximum sunlight exposure and energy generation efficiency. Calculations demonstrate a significant reduction in carbon emissions post-installation. The carbon emissions reduction potential is estimated at 57.693 kg CO2 eq per day or 21,057.95 tons CO2 eq per year. This highlights the positive environmental impact of solar energy implementation in the DIC Mosque.

Incorporating biochar into fuels system of iron and steel industry: carbon emission reduction potential and economic analysis

Biochar as a prospective renewable energy candidate could be incorporated into the iron and steel production system to replace part of fossil fuels and reduce high-intensity greenhouse gas emissions. However, great uncertainties still exist on biochar's emission reduction capacity and economic feasibility, depending on different biochar precursors, substitution scenarios, energy consumption of biochar production and financial cost. This study aimed to explore the optimized substitution strategies concerning the above issues. A systematic carbon accounting was performed by material flow analysis method (MFA). Two biochar incorporated iron and steel production routes, integrated production route (BF-BOF) and short production route (EAF), which took the proportion of 71.5% and 28.2% in worldwide production, were considered. CO2 Supply Curve (CSC) was conducted to carry out a quantitative economic viability analysis of biochar substitution under carbon emission trading schemes (ETS). Results showed that compared with straw-based biochar, wood-based biochar showed stronger carbon reduction capacity of 1.47 t CO2e (CO2-equivalent) /t crude steel, and the reduction potential reached 66.94% mostly. Among all the steel production processes, Blast furnace in BF-BOF route had the largest emission contribution proportion (72.06%), achieving the best GWP100 reduction potential of 73.66%. The incorporation of wood-based biochar in sintering (−0.037 yuan/t CO2e) was selected as the scenario with both reduction potential and economic viability. If the scenario was fully implemented in China, it could reduce 2.01 million tons of CO2e in 2021. This study would play a vital role in guiding iron and steel industry for biochar substituted fuels.

Potential and critical pathways of CO2 emissions reduction: A city-based study

China has put forward the "Dual Carbon" target, carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. It is necessary to study the current situation of carbon emissions, carbon reduction potential, and decarbonization paths of industrial cities in China. Taking Wuhan, a typical industrial city, as an object, anthropogenic carbon emissions and distribution in Wuhan in the last 20 years are analyzed. The extended STIRPAT and the gray relation models are adopted to construct a decomposition model for discerning the driving factors of carbon emissions in Wuhan. Besides, a scenario-driven carbon emission projection system with five development scenarios is established, where carbon sinks from the ecosystem and CCUS technology and the decoupling status of “CO2 emissions-GDP” are considered, to assess Wuhan's carbon emissions reduction potential and decarbonization pathways by 2060. The results show that Wuhan's carbon emissions mainly come from the industrial and transportation sectors and that the increase in the share of tertiary industry and the decrease in carbon intensity are the main factors curbing Wuhan's carbon emissions. To realize the “Dual Carbon” target, Wuhan's decarbonization development should start with the ISI (Industrial Structure improving) scenario and focus mainly on the development of tertiary industry between 2022 and 2035. Between 2035 and 2045, the decarbonization development transitions to the BID (Comprehensively improving) scenario, which requires simultaneous accelerating improvement of the city's economy and energy structure. Finally, carbon neutrality can be achieved between 2050 and 2060 through ecosystem carbon sinks and technology carbon sinks.

New Energy Technology Innovation and Industry Carbon Emission Reduction Based on the Perspective of Unbalanced Regional Economic Development

Innovation in new energy technologies is a key driver in China’s efforts to achieve its environmental goals. However, the ability of different regions to develop and utilize new energy technologies may depend on their level of economic development. Based on a two-way fixed-effects panel data model, this paper empirically analyses the industry carbon emission reduction effect of new energy technology innovation and its heterogeneous performance at different stages of economic development, using data from 30 provinces and cities in China from 2000 to 2019. The results show that new energy technology innovation generally promotes CO2 emissions in China. The specific effects are closely related to the characteristics of the industry and the stage of economic development. At the same time, the implementation of environmental regulations will inhibit this positive effect, while the adjustment of the industrial structure may promote this positive effect. This paper discovers the mechanism of heterogeneity in new energy technology innovation among different provinces with different levels of economic development. This finding helps to fully assess the carbon emission reduction capacity and potential of different provinces and facilitates the rational disaggregation and formulation of climate policy goals among regions.

Spatial differentiation of carbon emissions reduction potential for construction and demolition waste recycling.

Identifying the regional differences and drivers for carbon reduction of construction and demolition waste (C&DW) recycling is essential to combat climate change. This study aims to calculate the carbon reduction potential for C&DW recycling from 2006 to 2021 in China and investigates the spatial differences and driving factors of carbon reduction potential for C&DW waste by combining the Theil index, Gini coefficient, and geographic detector methods. The carbon reduction potential for C&DW recycling in China was "high in the east and low in the west" overall level, with an average annual growth rate of 6.27%. The overall differences in carbon reduction potential for C&DW recycling are decreasing, mainly due to intraregional differences and inter-provincial differences in Northeast China. The population size, urbanization rate, and technological effect are the key factors influencing carbon reduction potential for C&DW recycling. There are two types of interactions between influencing factor pairs: nonlinear enhancement and two-factor enhancement. This study's results can guide policymakers to devise relevant, regionally specific policies.