Level Of Carbon Emissions Research Articles

Impact of digital infrastructure inputs on industrial carbon emission intensity: evidence from China's manufacturing panel data.

Digital infrastructure inputs (DIIs) are vital in strengthening the framework for developing the digital economy and encouraging economic growth. Nonetheless, the risks of environmental contamination are pervasively caused by the rapid expansion and utilization of digital infrastructure. Assessing the carbon emission intensity (CEI) and level of the DIIs of 18 manufacturing in China as the research subject, this study discusses the heterogeneous behavior of various input sources and industries. Furthermore, a two-way fixed effects model, threshold effects model, mediating effects model and moderated mediation effects model have been adopted to examine the nexus between DIIs and CEI of manufacturing. The results show that (1) DIIs raise China's manufacturing CEI and exert a non-linear threshold effect. (2) From the perspective of national attributes, the foreign DIIs will put more pressure on reducing the CEI in China. From the perspective of industry characteristics, DIIs are the most unfavorable for low-carbon development in capital-intensive industries. (3) Due to the mediating effect of total factor productivity (TFP), the positive influence of DIIs on CEI has dramatically diminished. (4) Participation in the global value chain (PAR) and foreign direct investment (FDI) exert moderating effects in the process of the direct effect and mediating effects. In light of the aforementioned conclusions, specific recommendations for developing digital infrastructure and reducing carbon emissions are proposed.

The impact of disposability characteristics on carbon efficiency from a potential emissions reduction perspective

Carbon emission efficiency is the key to measuring the overall level of carbon emissions. Carbon emissions in actual production activities are uncertain, and the measurement results are biased from the perspective of direct carbon emissions. Based on the perspective of implied emission reduction potential, this study differentiates the carbon emission efficiency and emission reduction potential of different disposability, under the semi-disposability hypothesis, the interval number E-DEA model of the undesirable output is proposed. Then a new production possibility set is constructed to solve the overlapping problem of interval planning. Finally, the proposed method is applied to measure the emission reduction potential of 30 provinces in China. The results indicate that the weak disposability hypothesis always underestimates the emission reduction potential. The strong disposability hypothesis always overestimates the emission reduction potential. While the semi-disposability hypothesis can evaluate the emission reduction potential more scientifically and reasonably, taking into account the influence of different technical characteristics or the managerial capacity of decision-makers.

Energy Mutual Networking Establishment Method Based on Hydrogen Production from Water Electrolysis Technology

The new power system has the characteristics of a high proportion of renewable energy power generation and multi-field interconnection. In order to reduce the carbon emission level of the new power system, it is necessary to improve the flexible response capability of the system in the form of different energy carriers. Analyze the feasibility of two hydrogen energy utilization technologies such as water electrolysis for hydrogen production and carbon dioxide hydromethanation, and propose to use hydrogen as an energy carrier to form an energy mutual networking, through the transformation between renewable energy-electricity-hydrogen energy-electricity-chemical energy, the flexible response capability of the new power system can be improved, and the carbon emission level of the new power system can be reduced. The method of building the energy mutual networking on the basis of water electrolysis for hydrogen production technology is as follows: first, use renewable energy for water electrolysis for hydrogen production, and use hydrogen to supplement power generation through fuel cells when the power output is insufficient; then, capture carbon dioxide generated by thermal power generation, use hydrogen to reduce carbon dioxide to produce methane and finally, hydrogen and methane are sent to the natural gas pipeline network for reuse. At the same time, an energy storage system with an appropriate capacity is installed in the new power system to stabilize the volatility of wind-solar hybrid power generation, and the use of wind-solar hybrid energy storage power generation technology can further improve the hydrogen production efficiency of renewable energy.

Carbon Emission Pattern of Driving Car on Vertical Curves of Highway

Low carbon road design has always been a research hotspot for scholars. One of the primary road variables affecting the carbon emission of automobiles is vertical curve, which serves as the primary geometric alignment of the longitudinal portion of the road. The instantaneous speed and acceleration data of cars on various vertical curve sections are gathered for this study by combining simulation and real vehicle experiment methods. This study then built a database of carbon emissions for cars on various vertical curve sections based on the Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) model, used Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) to analyze the data, and developed a carbon emission model for cars on various vertical curve sections. Finally, it was found that the average error of the carbon emission model for different vertical curve sections was 8.37%, and the accuracy of carbon emission modelling could meet the requirements. The results show that the main influencing factor of carbon emission of cars on vertical curve sections is the radius of vertical curve, and the carbon emission of cars is inversely proportional to the radius of vertical curve. The smaller the value of vertical curve radius is, the more the engine output increases and the greater the carbon emission level will be. This research will provide reference and theoretical support for low-carbon design of highway longitudinal slope sections.

Combined forecasting tool for renewable energy management in sustainable supply chains

Effective managing sustainable supply chain is on the most cutting-edge position of various organizations in the process of delivering products. There are many optimization technologies that have been applied in sustainable supply chain management, aiming to decrease the carbon emission level of production process. Among these methods, designing reliable renewable energy forecasting approaches is conductive to power management and optimization in sustainable and circular supply chain. However, irregular and non-stationary fluctuations of wind speed is a major obstacle to optimize the applications of renewable energy in sustainable supply chain management. There are various approaches for wind speed prediction, yet most of them ignore the significance of hyperparametric selection and combined forecasting strategy, resulting in unsatisfactory prediction results. To remedy the drawbacks, a combined prediction framework is proposed, which uses grid search to select suited hyperparameters of sub-models and employs an improved intelligent optimization algorithm (ranking-based adaptive cuckoo search algorithm) to calculate the optimal weighting coefficient of sub-models. Nine datasets are collected to validate the proposed model and 15 benchmark models. The simulations revel that the proposed model yields the satisfactory prediction level, which precedes comparative models based on statistical test results. Hence, it is a valuable tool for decision makers to provide key reference information in sustainable supply chain management and optimization.

Carbon footprint analysis and comprehensive evaluation of municipal wastewater treatment plants under different typical upgrading and reconstruction modes

The issue of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions resulting from the upgrading and reconstruction of municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWWTPs) along with improved water quality is receiving attention and research. There is an urgent need to explore the impact of upgrading and reconstruction on carbon footprint (CF) in order to address concerns that the upgrading and reconstruction will increase GHG emissions while improving water quality. Here we accounted for the CF of five MWWTPs in Zhejiang Province, China, before and after three different upgrading and reconstruction models - “Improving quality and efficiency” (“Mode I”), “Upgrading and renovation” (“Mode U”) and “Improving quality and efficiency plus Upgrading and renovation” (“Mode I plus U”). The upgrading and reconstruction was found to not necessarily result in more GHG emissions. In contrast, the “Mode I” had a more significant advantage in terms of CF reduction (1.82–12.6 % reduction in CF). Overall, the ratio of indirect emissions to direct emissions (indirect emissions/direct emissions) and the amount of GHG emitted per unit of pollutant removed (CFCOD、CFTN、CFTP) decreased, while both the carbon and energy neutral rates increased significantly (up to 33.29 % and 79.36 % respectively) after all three upgrading and reconstruction modes. In addition, the wastewater treatment efficiency and capacity are the main factors that affect the level of carbon emission. The results of this study can provide a calculation model that can be used for other similar MWWTPs during the upgrading and reconstruction processes. More importantly, it can provide a new research perspective as well as valuable information to revisit the impact of upgrading and reconstruction in MWWTPs on GHG emissions.

Profitability and pricing decision-making structures in presence of uncertain demand and green technology investment for a three tier supply chain

We develop generalized game theoretic analytical models involving a manufacturer, a supplier, and a retailer entity considering both collaboration and leadership-based paradigms of decision-making within a supply chain (SC) considering pricing and profitability as two key economic dimensions. Both centralized and Stackelberg game-based structures are developed considering green technology investments by both the supplier and the manufacturer with an aim to reduce accompanying carbon emissions. The evolved analytical models also integrate uncertainties associated with customer demand (sensitive to carbon emission) represented as fuzzy variable. In such settings, we ascertain the optimal pricing, profitabilities, carbon emissions levels etc. for the pertinent SC entities for both the centralized and decentralized supply chain structures. To investigate the influence of green technology investment and carbon emission sensitivity on economic objectives such as profitability of individual entities and entire supply chain, we also carry out sensitivity analysis. We also examine both the individual and cross effects under both centralized and decentralized SC structures. The study augments extant supply chain literature in terms of comprehensive pricing-profitability models under both decentralized and centralized supply chain structures considering three-tiered SC structure. Novel findings are also reported based on the numerical and sensitivity analysis. For instance, though retailer dominant SC is most environmentally supportive and price friendly for the customer amongst decentralized scenarios, increase in fuzziness associated with emissions leads to jump in net emissions only marginally, but significant surge in retail price. Counterintuitively, from an emission reduction point of view, retailer dominant SC is identified as best scenario for the manufacturer.

The role of alternative energy and globalization in decarbonization prospects of the oil-producing African economies

This study assesses the environmental impacts of the energy mix of mainly oil-producing African nations. The economic aspects of decarbonization prospects were also viewed from the perspectives of fossil energy dependence among the countries. More insights on the impacts of energy mix on decarbonization prospects were also provided on a country-specific analysis basis via the application of second-generation econometric techniques in assessing carbon emission levels across the countries between 1990 and 2015. From the results, only renewable resources proved to be a significant decarbonization tool among the understudied oil-rich economies. Moreover, the consequences of the trio of fossil fuel consumption, income growth, and globalization are diametrically opposed to achieving decarbonization as the rise in their usage significantly acts as pollutant-inducing tools. The validity of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) conjecture was also upheld for the combined analysis of the panel countries. The study thus opined that the reduction in conventional energy dependence will enhance environmental quality. Consequently, given the advantages of the geographical locations of these countries in Africa, concerted strategies for more investment in clean renewable energy sources like solar and wind were suggested to policymakers among other recommendations.

The Impact of Urban E-Commerce Transformation on Carbon Emissions in Chinese Cities: An Empirical Analysis Based on the PSM-DID Method

To accelerate global green and low-carbon development, China has proposed a “double carbon” target. It is particularly important to explore the carbon reduction effects of e-commerce transformation in cities to achieve sustainable development. Based on the quasi-natural experiment of the National E-Commerce Demonstration City (NEDC) pilot, 263 cities from 2008 to 2017 were selected as samples, and the propensity score matching difference-in-differences (PSM-DID) method was used to investigate the influence of NEDCs on urban carbon emissions in China and its underlying mechanism. The results show that NEDCs can significantly reduce urban carbon emissions; the carbon emission level of pilot cities was reduced by 9.45%. After passing a series of robustness tests, this conclusion remains valid. The policy effects of NEDCs on carbon emissions are heterogeneous across different regions and types of cities, with the policy effect being more significant in central and western cities and in resource-based cities. Further mechanism analysis shows that the NEDC policy reduces urban carbon emissions mainly through two channels, namely, green technology innovation and industrial structure upgrading. This study provides important policy implications for the implementation of e-commerce demonstration city construction according to local conditions and the realization of urban sustainable development under the double carbon goal.

Duopoly Game with Green Efficiency Based on Ecological Modernization Theory

Since the birth of ecological modernization theory in 1982, the problem of enterprise benefit and environmental protection has entered the field of view of academia and industry. Ecological modernization theory discusses the influence of government policy intervention (subsidy or penalty) on enterprise green innovation and then explains the possibility of enterprise revenue and enterprise green coexistence. Firstly, this paper gives a simple explanation of the theory of ecological modernization and then establishes several simple duopoly game models through multiple hypotheses. Moreover, through comparative static analysis, it discusses the influence of government policies on enterprise carbon emissions and the influence of enterprise carbon emission decisions on enterprise green efficiency. The analysis shows that the governments policy intervention can effectively reduce the carbon emissions of enterprises. Meanwhile, in the same market, a number of carbon emission enterprises will reduce their own carbon emission levels according to the carbon emission situation of oligopolies with carbon emission initiatives.

Digital Economy and Urban Carbon Emissions in China: An Empirical Study Based on The Spatial Dubin Model

Starting from the Chinese city level, combined with the panel data of 281 cities in China from 2011 to 2019, this paper empirically examines the spatial impact of digital economy development on urban carbon emissions, and the results show that there is a significant spatial dependence and spatial spillover effect between digital economy and urban carbon emissions, and the region-wide inspection finds that the digital economy shows a significant promotion effect on local carbon emission levels, while the adjacent effect of digital economy shows "U" shaped characteristics. There is a "U" shaped relationship between the digital economy and the carbon emissions of the region, and the "U" relationship between the digital economy and the carbon emissions of neighboring areas is only within a specific distance. This paper grasps the general laws of digital economy development and urban carbon emissions from the medium and micro scales, and provides policy suggestions for solving the carbon emission reduction problems faced by high-quality development.

A multi-objective risk-constrained approach for capturing and recycling carbon dioxide in multi-energy combined heat and power microgrids

In the last decade, the significant level of carbon emission in the atmosphere has increased the temperature of the Earth by 50% compared to the pre-industrial period. In recent years, considering renewable energy sources integrated with different energy systems such as cooling, heating, and power has become widespread around the globe as the ambition is to produce sustainable and clean energy. However, as the conventional methods for energy generation are highly reliable, their usage for supplying energy demands is inevitable. Therefore, in such renewable-based generation systems, the issues arising from uncertainties are the main challenges to the high penetration of these technologies. In this paper, the aim is to appraise such challenges in a multi-energy combined heat and power (CHP)-based microgrid integrated with power-to-gas (P-2-G) technology. In the proposed system, the downside risk constraint (DRC) approach as an effective risk management method is considered for risk assessment. The proposed model is a mixed integer linear program that is modeled as a multi-objective risk-based problem, for which the epsilon constraints method is used to achieve the optimal solutions for the objectives. According to the results, using P-2-G as an environmentally friendly tool can reduce approximately 55% of the emission cost. Further, the operating cost is increased nearly 13% to obtain a zero-risk condition for optimal management.

Low-carbon economic dispatch of integrated energy system considering carbon trading mechanism and LAES-ORC-CHP system

Under the theme of low carbon, in order to improve the economy of integrated energy system (IES), optimize the operational flexibility of equipment and further reduce the carbon emission level of IES, a low-carbon economy operation strategy of the IES is proposed. First, the IES is considered to participate in the carbon trading market, and the carbon trading mechanism is introduced to control the carbon emissions of the system. Second, on the basis of the working characteristics of liquid air energy storage (LAES), organic Rankine cycle (ORC), and combined heat and power (CHP), the LAES-ORC-CHP system is established in the IES to achieve flexible supply of heat and power. Then, aiming at minimizing the sum of system operation costs and carbon transaction costs, the low-carbon economy optimal dispatch model of IES is proposed. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed model is verified by setting multiple operation scenarios. Simulation results show that the proposed model can fully consider and balance the economy and low carbon level of the system and provide a reference for the low-carbon economic dispatch operation of the IES.

A roadmap to ammonia economy: The case of Qatar

ABSTRACT For Qatar – a country that aims to diversify its economy, which is highly dependent on hydrocarbon revenues, and to reduce its carbon emission levels – deploying an ammonia economy would enable the country to meet these goals. This study suggests a roadmap to an ammonia economy for Qatar. A methodological approach is used to identify critical characteristics to the ammonia economy in Qatar and to insinuate strategies that can promote its development. The results show that producing gray ammonia is estimated to increase greenhouse gas emissions from 6.15 to 7.5 million tons from 2020 to 2030. However, when blue ammonia is produced instead of gray ammonia, emissions are estimated to reduce to 4.22 million tons in 2030. Moreover, The SWOT analysis is used to provide insight into the current state of the NH3 economy in Qatar and help stakeholders and decision-makers understand the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Impact of Urbanisation on the Spatial and Temporal Evolution of Carbon Emissions and the Potential for Emission Reduction in a Dual-Carbon Reduction Context

Urbanisation is accelerating under the new economic development trend, but the global warming exacerbated by greenhouse gases has caused a certain degree of constraint on the speed and quality of economic development, among which anthropogenic emissions, mainly from transportation, are more obvious. Therefore, based on the background of urbanisation and taking urban agglomerations as the research object, this study investigates the spatial and temporal mechanisms and dynamics of carbon emissions through the construction of carbon emission models, the identification of influencing factors, and the processing of spatial data and proposes relevant measures for carbon emission control mechanisms. This study finds that the improvement of the per capita economic level and the urbanisation rate will correspondingly lead to an increase in carbon emissions and that the spatial distribution of carbon emissions under passenger and freight transport modes shows a pattern of “low at the ends and high in the middle”, with the predicted carbon emission levels remaining balanced over a long period of time, with a variation rate of less than 1%. The model idea proposed in this study can effectively provide new perspectives and ideas for the differentiated formulation of emission reduction policies, and the government ought to focus more on the dynamic changes of urbanised carbon emissions in future development so as to realise the potential of urban emission reduction.

A Comprehensive Model for Developing SME Net Zero Capability Incorporating Grey Literature

SMEs collectively account for a significant proportion of greenhouse gas emissions and so there is a need for urgent action to be taken by SMEs in the journey to achieve net zero. In this article, we provide a comprehensive conceptual framework for SMEs to draw from in the journey towards net zero by synthesizing the academic and grey literature. By bringing together key strands of the literature, we derive a conceptual model that provides a clear pathway for SMEs to embark on their net zero journeys. The framework we invent involves understanding the position of the SME in the value chain, understanding the pressures from stakeholders, undertaking greenhouse gas accounting to measure current levels of carbon emissions, undertaking internal changes towards the net zero agenda, undertaking external facing changes towards the net zero agenda, uncoupling, community participation, and updating business activities regularly. This model acts as a progressive decision-making and continuous improvement framework that will be an asset to SMEs as they undertake net zero activities. Overall, the paper contributes to the sustainability literature by being the first to synthesize the academic and grey literature to develop a comprehensive conceptual framework for SMEs to attain net zero.

Economic Growth, Governance and CO2 Emissions in West Africa

Despite being the regions with the least levels of carbon emissions in the world, African countries are facing unique challenges on climate change, increased carbon emission levels and the need for environmental governance improvement. This study, therefore, examined the implications of economic growth and governance on CO2 emissions in West Africa. Specifically, the study investigated the role of governance in moderating the effect of economic growth on CO2 emissions in West Africa. The study utilized data for 16 West African countries from 2000 to 2020 in an unbalanced panel data framework. Empirical analyses were conducted using the Instrumental Variable Fixed Effects estimator with Driscoll and Kraay Standard Errors, as well as the Instrumental Variable Quantile Regression in order to account for serial correlation, endogeneity and conditional heteroskedasticity. The following conclusions were drawn from the results. First, economic growth significantly increases CO2 emissions in the region with the Environmental Kuznet Curve hypothesis present. Second, the quantile regression estimates reveal that the effect of economic growth on CO2 emissions is higher in countries where the initial level of carbon emissions is considerably high. Third, the results further show that in the presence of improved governance quality, economic growth does not significantly influence CO2 emissions in the region. Fourth, political stability and regulatory quality were the only indicators of governance that significantly impacted environmental pollution in the region. Finally, we found that other factors such as trade, urbanization, and renewable energy also significantly influenced CO2 emissions in the region. The study concludes by highlighting the importance of governance in moderating the effect of economic growth on CO2 emissions, as well as the importance of heterogeneous analysis for understanding the dynamism in economic relationships.

Scenario of reducing carbon emission through shifting consumption of non-renewable energy to renewable energy in asia pacific 2023-2030

This research is motivated by the high level of carbon emission due to the dominance of non-renewable energy consumption in the use of the energy mix. This study aims to fill the gaps in previous research to support global programs in reducing carbon emission by designing scenario through a shift in consumption of non-renewable energy (fuel oil) to renewable energy (biofuel oil) in the Asia Pacific for future periods, including 2023-2030. The basic foundation of this research is the result of panel regression during the period 2006-2021. Furthermore, non-renewable energy consumption was reduced to three categories (pessimistic, moderate and optimistic), then the decrease was substituted for renewable energy so that the community’s energy needs were still met. The important finding from this research is the consumption of renewable energy and green economic growth can reduce carbon emission, while the consumption of non-renewable energy increases carbon emission. In addition, average carbon emission decreased growth in each scenario, including 15% on the pessimistic, 32% on the moderate and 66% on the optimistic. The policy for reducing carbon emission is to strengthen coordination between domestic institutional structures to develop alternative energy and also implement green economy programs in economic activities.

Integration of building science and data science to de-risk an affordable strategy for building decarbonisation

The tools and technology today enable building owners to achieve very low energy consumption and healthy building performance without spending a premium in construction costs. Unacceptable levels of carbon emission, fuel poverty, inequitable indoor air quality, pandemics, and poor outdoor air quality demand that we change the way we look at buildings. Irrespective of motivation, high-performance buildings are rapidly becoming table stakes in the discussion of sustainability or sustainable development. Experienced building owners have determined that aligning the financial, social and environmental goals of sustainable buildings is best achieved by integrating building science and data science, using key components of the data infrastructure that are outlined in this paper. New buildings are easier than existing buildings to address, because envelope-first design strategies can be utilised to deliver high performance and legacy operational technology systems do not have to be mitigated. Existing buildings remain the challenge for most developers and building owners. The decarbonisation strategy outlined in this paper has been proven to cost-effectively address the contemporary demands on new and existing buildings.

Research on the mechanism and countermeasures of digital economy development promoting carbon emission reduction in jiangxi province

The digital economy is an important driving force for China’s economic transformation and upgrading, while ‘carbon peak and carbon neutrality’ is the target vision to be achieved in China. As an important support area for the rise of central China, it is an urgent question to investigate whether the development of the digital economy in Jiangxi Province can contribute to the realization of carbon emission reduction. Based on the panel data of 11 urban areas in Jiangxi Province from 2011 to 2020, the article empirically investigates the impact of the digital economy on regional carbon emissions and its mechanism of action by using the two-way fixed-effect model, mediated-effect model, and panel threshold-effect model. The study shows that, firstly, the digital economy has a significant carbon emission reduction effect, and the conclusion still holds after a series of endogeneity and robustness tests. Second, the carbon emission reduction effect of the digital economy differs among different regions, and the carbon emission reduction effect of the digital economy is more obvious in northern Ganzhou and regions with high carbon emission levels. Again, the intermediary effect suggests that the digital economy can promote carbon emission reduction by strengthening the control of foreign investment introduction. Finally, the panel threshold effect analysis with urbanization as the threshold variable shows that there is a non-linear correlation between the effects of the digital economy on carbon emissions. The findings of this paper provide a feasible path and policy reference for Jiangxi Province’s digital economy to contribute to carbon emission reduction goals.