Country's Carbon Research Articles

Research on factors influencing total carbon emissions of construction based on structural equation modeling: A case study from China

As a pillar industry in China, the construction sector plays a crucial role in advancing the country's carbon emission (CE) reduction initiatives. The factors influencing CE in the construction industry (CI) are numerous and complex. This paper analyzes the influencing factors of CE in the CI based on structural equation modeling. Firstly, by combining the relevant literature and actual situation of CE in the CI, 38 common influencing factors corresponding to the building, economic, social, technological and energy levels are initially selected, and the data corresponding to each influencing factor in each province and city in China for 10 years are collected and then processed without dimension. Secondlyd, 12 hypothetical relationships between building, economic, social, technological and energy and CE from the CI are established based on the actual situation, and the initial CE in the CI structural equation model is established after the data set is tested for normal distribution, reliability and validity. Thirdly, the model is evaluated for path significance and model fit, and the modified structural equation model of CE from the CI is obtained after the initial model is modified, and the modified model is evaluated again. Finally, based on the modified model, the influence degree and effect of CE influencing factors in the CI are analyzed. It is concluded that economy, technology, and energy are the main factors successively affecting the total CE of buildings.

Carbon footprint of oral medicines using hybrid life cycle assessment

BackgroundHealthcare represents 3–8% of a country's carbon footprint, and medicines are estimated to represent 20–55% of healthcare's carbon footprint. Unfortunately, only scarce and partial medicine life cycle assessments (LCAs) are reported due to the limited availability of needed data to perform them. MethodsWe describe a method to estimate the cradle-to-pharmacy gate LCA of all oral medicines from the French pharmacopeia (n = 12,316 medicines) that includes the entire medicine-related carbon footprint, encompassing active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), excipients and packaging production, transport, medicine manufacturing, and associated corporate emissions using a hybrid LCA/environmentally extended input-output model. The uncertainty surrounding this estimation is modeled using bootstrap. FindingsAlthough the API carbon footprint is correlated with synthesis yield, its number of steps, presence of chiral center(s), and process mass intensity, the API carbon footprint is better predicted by its wholesale cost. Corporate emissions (34.5%), API production (28.5%), and medicine manufacturing (25.5%) are the most impactful contributors to medicine carbon footprints, while medicine packaging (5.3%), transport (3.6%), and excipients (2.7%) are less significant. Variations from one medicine to another are substantial. The mean carbon footprint of a medicine box is 8.47 kgCO2eq/box (median 1.46 kgCO2eq, 95% CI 0.34–73.98). Medicines' carbon footprint is correlated with their price but not linearly, as low-cost medicines have significantly higher emission factors of 0.2–0.3 kgCO2/€ versus 0.05–0.1 kgCO2/€ for high-cost drugs. Orphan and innovative medicines tend to have higher carbon footprints. InterpretationMedicine carbon footprints are highly variable. This database allows for a better understanding of the carbon footprint associated with medicines, in order to better eco-design care pathways.

How does energy transition improve energy utilization efficiency? A case study of China's coal‐to‐gas program

AbstractImproving energy efficiency by adjusting the structure of energy consumption types is of great significance for reducing carbon emissions in the short term. The present paper constructs new data envelopment analysis models for evaluating energy utilization under different structural conditions and calculating potential emissions reductions. We conducted empirical research on 30 provinces in China from 2003 to 2019—a time frame that coincides with the instituting of China's “coal‐to‐gas” program. Our results show that technological progress is the main way for China to reduce carbon emissions and that it is possible to reduce the total amount of carbon emissions by 35%. Additionally, optimizing the energy consumption structure following the coal‐to‐gas program guidelines could reduce the country's carbon emissions by a further 25%. Finally, this paper provides specific policy recommendations based on the efficiency analysis results to guide each province in reducing carbon emissions under the conditions of energy demand growth.

Incorporating platinum circular economy into China's hydrogen pathways toward carbon neutrality.

Hydrogen is gaining tremendous traction in China as the fuel of the future to support the country's carbon neutrality ambition. Despite that hydrogen as fuel largely hinges on the supply of platinum (Pt), the dynamic interlinkage between Pt supply challenges, hydrogen development pathways, and climate targets in China has yet to be deeply analyzed. Here, we adopt an integrated assessment model to address this important concern and corresponding strategies for China. The results indicate that the booming hydrogen development would drive China's cumulative demand for Pt metal to reach 4,200-5,000 tons. Much of this demand, met through a limited supply pattern, is vulnerable to price volatility and heightened geopolitical risks, which can be mitigated through circular economy strategies. Consequently, a coordinated approach to leverage both global sustainable Pt sourcing and a robust domestic Pt circular economy is imperative for ensuring cost-effective hydrogen production, aligned with a climate-safe future.

A study of the relevance of seismic steel structures to urban carbon neutrality

Global warming has triggered dramatic climate change and natural disasters. Since the 21st century, the frequency of all kinds of extreme weather has increased significantly. This study, in accordance with the carbon peak targets and stage requirements, improve the building low carbon building standards system, accelerate the formulation, revision and collation of energy-saving design standards for public buildings energy-saving and carbon reduction standards. The application of earthquake-resistant steel structure of the building, the promotion of green low carbon building materials and green construction methods. Actively promote such buildings, the past sixty years each country's carbon emissions intensity have shown a general downward trend, especially South Korea, South Africa and Brazil and other countries due to economic development began to focus attention on environmental issues. In this study, we take Busan, Korea as an example, and use carbon neutral calculations to realize carbon neutrality by designing superstructures with a reduced degree of intensity, so that the reduction of carbon emissions mainly includes emission reductions brought about by a reduction in the amount of steel and cement used. It is hoped that this study will be taken into account, and that the early realization of peak carbon emissions in South Korea will be the current situation to be realized, and will be a challenge not only for developing countries, but also an important issue to be considered by all countries.

Energy sustainability and carbon dioxide emissions mitigation options for South Africa’s road transport sector

BackgroundThe transport sector in South Africa is responsible for around 11% of the country's carbon dioxide emissions, with road transport contributing an overwhelming 90% of this total, as noted by the South African Green Transport Energy of South Africa. As part of its commitment to global climate pacts, South Africa aims to reduce emissions from its road transport sector. Yet, studies focused on reducing energy consumption and related emissions in this sector have been sparse.ResultsUtilizing a bottom-up accounting modelling framework Low Emissions Analysis Platform (LEAP), this research investigated five low-carbon transition scenarios alongside a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario for road transport. These scenarios comprised Fuel and Technology Switching (FTS), Modal Shift (MS), Logistics Improvement (LI), Energy Efficient (EEF), and a Combined Mitigation (CMT). The BAU scenario was established as a benchmark to demonstrate energy demand and emissions in the absence of changes to current practices or policies. According to our model, under the BAU scenario, there will be a 61% surge in final energy demand, from 769 petajoules (PJ) in 2020 to 1240 PJ by 2050, accompanied by a proportional increase in emissions. The study revealed that the implementation of any of the alternative low-carbon scenarios could yield a reduced energy demand by 2050. LI 21%, MS 33%, FTS 40%, EEF 48%, CMT 77%, Significantly, a combined approach, integrating multiple low-carbon policies, can achieve more substantial reductions in energy demand and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions than applying single policies separately.ConclusionsThis study emphasizes the importance of crafting province-specific solutions, acknowledging that challenges and contexts vary between provinces. Furthermore, lessening energy reliance not only diminishes the nation's fuel import bills but also improves air quality and aids in achieving low emission targets.

Evaluation of a carbon tax in Costa Rica linking a demand system focused on energy goods and an input-output model

This study evaluates the impact of a carbon tax on CO2 emissions in Costa Rica. For the above, a demand system is estimated using data from a household expenditure survey, which allows for obtaining the elasticities of demand for various groups of goods focused on energy. Then, the environmental extension of the Leontief price model is implemented to determine the change in prices caused by different carbon tax rates (25, 50, 75, and 100 USD/ton CO2). Subsequently, both models are linked to obtain the variations in production and sectoral emissions. In addition, a Monte Carlo simulation is carried out since the estimated price elasticities have a standard deviation associated with them. The results suggest that carbon taxes mainly affect transportation, while the rest of the sectors have slight impacts in all simulated scenarios. For example, the drop in total CO2 emissions is explained between 89.6% and 91.3% by the decrease in emissions in the passenger transport and other transport sectors with a 95% confidence interval. The previous is explained by the composition of Costa Rica's energy matrix, which has a very high share of renewable energies. Finally, some climate policy options are suggested to contribute to this country's carbon neutrality.

Why Renewable Energy Gained Attention and Demand Globally?

Energy security and stable supply are the most important aspects for any nation. The rising need for energy, caused by both population growth and economic activity, is a problem for many nations throughout the world. Consequently, they have to find a way to meet energy demand while also making sure it is inexpensive and sustainable. The use of renewable energy has gradually become one that is being given a lot of attention since it does not cause any harm to the environment. On the other hand, renewable energy is gaining popularity for a variety of different reasons. A paradigm shift toward renewable resources is relevant, as they have the ability to lessen reliance on fossil fuels and decrease environmental consequences; this article will provide several reasons why renewable energy is attracting attention on a global scale. Indeed, renewable energy is plentiful, clean, and might one day provide all of our energy needs. A country's carbon footprint and reliance on fossil fuels may be reduced by investing in renewable energy sources. In addition, there are several health and environmental problems associated with air and water pollution; nevertheless, renewable energy may assist decrease these problems.

Examining the effect of global energy reserves to production ratio on carbon emission in the USA

A salient perspective to the global net zero emission aspiration that has yet received sparse attention is the unabating conventional energy reserves to production ratio. Considering the both the energy and energy-related emission profiles of the United States, this study considers the outlook of the country's carbon neutral 2050 with reference to the coal, natural gas, and oil energy reserves to production ratios for the period 1970 to 2040. The investigation implied a number of relevant results after employing the Markov switching, cointegration, and causality approaches. The result revealed that both oil and natural gas reserves to production ratio on global scale exert a significantly and positive influence on emission of carbon dioxide in the USA while coal has negative significant effect on carbon dioxide (CO2) emission in two different regimes. From the Wavelet coherence, both in phase and anti-phase relationship, CO2 and oil reserves-production ratio display strong interdependence while a mixed result in the short run (in phase) and medium run (anti phase) is established for CO2 and coal reserves-production ratio. In both short and medium run, natural gas reserves-production ratio leads CO2, and the reverse is also true. Additionally, from the frequency domain causality result, we found causality from oil reserves-production ratio to CO2 while there is bidirectional causality between CO2 and gas reserves-production ratio. The relevance of this study is that it offers insight into the seriousness of the carbon global goal amidst the dimension of energy reserves and production.

Interannual Variations in Terrestrial Net Ecosystem Productivity and Climate Attribution in the Southern Hilly Region of China.

The vegetation ecosystem in the southern hilly region of China (SHRC) plays a crucial role in the country's carbon reservoir. Clarifying the dynamics of net primary productivity (NPP) in this area and its response to climate factors in the context of climate change is important for national forest ecology, management, and carbon neutrality efforts. This study, based on remote sensing and meteorological data spanning the period 2001 to 2021, aims to unveil the spatiotemporal patterns of vegetation productivity and climate factors in the southern hilly region, explore interannual variation characteristics of vegetation productivity with altitude, and investigate the response characteristics of NPP to various climate factors. The results indicate that from 2001 to 2021, the annual average NPP in the southern hilly region had a significant increasing trend of 2.13 ± 0.78 g m-2 a-1. The trend of NPP varies significantly with altitude. Despite a general substantial upward trend in vegetation NPP, regions at lower elevations exhibit a faster rate of increase, suggesting a diminishing difference in the NPP of different elevation ranges. The overall rise in average temperature has positive implications for the southern hilly region, while the impact of precipitation on vegetation NPP demonstrates noticeable spatial heterogeneity. Regions in which vegetation NPP is significantly negatively correlated with precipitation are mainly concentrated in the southern areas of Guangdong, Fujian, and Jiangxi provinces. In contrast, other regions further away from the southeastern coast tend to exhibit a positive correlation. Over the past two decades, there has been an asymmetry in the diurnal temperature variation in the SHRC, with the nighttime warming rate being 1.8 times that of the daytime warming rate. The positive impact of daytime warming on NPP of vegetation is more pronounced than the impact of nighttime temperature changes. Understanding the spatiotemporal patterns of NPP in the SHRC and the characteristics of its response to climate factors contributes to enhancing our ability to protect and manage vegetation resources amidst the challenges of global climate change.

Nephrology Nurses: Essential Professionals in Sustainable Kidney Care.

The increasing frequency of extreme climate events underscores the need for urgent action on climate change. The health care system contributes 4.6% of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) in Canada; thus, it is a major contributor to the country's carbon footprint. Kidney care in particular can involve high amounts of waste (eg, plastic and consumable waste associated with dialysis, transportation, emissions, energy, and water consumption). Therefore, sustainability initiatives within the health care system, and especially in the context of kidney care, have great potential to make a positive impact on planetary health. Here, we outline ways in which nephrology nurses can expand our duty of care to the environment and incorporate sustainability into our work. A small advisory group of nephrology nurses in partnership with the Canadian Association of Nurses for the Environment (CANE) assessed ways that sustainable practices can be incorporated into nephrology nursing. Drawing on the Planetary Health Care model used by the Canadian Society of Nephrology: Sustainable Nephrology Action Planning (SNAP) committee, we assessed how the model could be adapted in the context of kidney care using 3 main actionable themes in their work: reducing the demand for health services, matching the supply of health services with demand, and reducing emissions from the supply of health services. We also reviewed and selected real-world examples of initiatives pursued by colleagues. Through this established framework, we provide recommendations and case examples for nephrology nurses to expand our duty of care to the environment. We describe nursing-led strategies used in Canada to improve environmental sustainability in kidney programs and consider their applicability to other renal programs. In 1 case example, we show how a simple nurse-led initiative at a single dialysis clinic can lower plastic waste and associated costs by $2042.59 per year. More broadly, we provide recommendations and actions for nephrology nurses to improve environmental sustainability in kidney care. Nurses in Canada have many responsibilities within limited timeframes, making it essential to choose sustainable practices that do not exacerbate burnout and high workloads. For sustainable practices to be successful, nurses must integrate them into their existing workflows.

Research on the Measurement of the Relationship between Carbon Emissions and Economic Development in China——Based on the Tapio Decoupling theory and the Environmental Kuznets Theory Analysis

In this paper, based on the panel data of China's carbon dioxide emissions, economic and energy development from 2000 to 2022, per capita GDP and carbon emissions are used as analysis indicators.The environmental Kuznets theory serves as the basis for an analysis of the correlation between economic progress and carbon dioxide emissions.The findings indicate that China's GDP and carbon emissions increased between 2000 and 2022. From 7,912 yuan in 2000 to 85,698 yuan in 2022, the per capita GDP grew by over ten times. Although per capita carbon emissions generally increased, they declined between 2014 and 2017, It might be connected to the nation's strong initiatives to support green development and the restructuring of the energy structure.For specific explanations,please refer to 4.1 Temporal evolution characteristics of carbon emissions and GDP. China is still in a transitional phase when it comes to environmental preservation and economic development, as seen by the N-shaped curve connecting the country's carbon dioxide emissions and economic growth rate. Based on this theory, the Tapio decoupling theory provides an understanding of the decoupling relationship between carbon emissions and economic growth based on carbon accounting. The irrational use of coal, oil, natural gas and other fossil fuels as the main energy has caused a series of environmental problems and seriously restricted economic development. Therefore, Stronger innovation and promotion of low-carbon and green technologies are required, as is the reduction of carbon emissions from the industrial structure and method of economic progress.

Green outward foreign direct investment and host country environmental effects: The home country's carbon emission reduction system is crucial

Studies on the environmental impacts of outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) with less attention paid to the relationship between gradually increasing green investment and carbon emissions in the host countries. Based on the background of global carbon emission reduction, this study constructs a STIRPAT and difference-in-differences model to analyze the environmental effects of China's OFDI in ASEAN countries using unique enterprise-level data of China's OFDI from 2005 to 2020. The results show that the impact of Chinese OFDI on carbon emissions in ASEAN countries varies with the investment sector, the home country's enterprise ownership type, and environmental policy. China's green OFDI shows a clear “Pollution Halo” effect regarding investment sectors. However, the “Pollution Halo” effect of green OFDI by Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) is more pronounced when considering the home country's enterprise ownership type. In addition, from the home country's environmental policy perspective, implementing China's domestic low-carbon pilot policy has a “Pollution Haven” effect on host countries. This study provides policy implications to promote the green transformation of Chinese OFDI and carbon emission reduction in ASEAN countries.

Decoupling tourism growth from carbon emissions: Evidence from Chengdu, China.

The fast growth increases in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in China's tourism industry. This article assessed the carbon emissions of tourist Chengdu's traffic patterns and how they are expected to change between 2005 and 2021 and explains why tourism carbon decoupling is important for sustainable tourism development. In order to investigate how carbon emissions from tourism may expand without necessarily increasing in tandem with GDP and the variables that influence it, the Tapir model and the LMDI (logarithmic mean Divisia index) method were used. In our study, we looked at six important variables, including (1) the number of visitors, (2) the level of tourism spending per capita, (3) the contribution rate of the tourism sector with according to the country's total national income, (4) the amount of passenger traffic relative to GDP, and (5) the energy consumption relative to the volume of passenger traffic. There have been five stages in the correlation: positively charged decoupling, weak decoupling, negative decoupling, strong coupling, and strong decoupling. All of these describe the relationship between the expansion of China's tourist industry and the country's carbon emissions. Findings highlighted the importance of large numbers of visitors, high levels of per-person tourism spending, and low passenger traffic volume per unit of energy consumption as key positive factors. The rise of carbon emissions may also be slowed by increasing the number of passengers transported per unit of GDP. Carbon emissions from tourists in Chengdu are fluctuating, and this influences the city's economy. The findings have significant theoretical and practical implications for Chengdu's transition to a low-carbon economy and for the formulation of policies to reduce emissions. During the research period, most Chinese provinces exhibited ideal decoupling situations. This research has the potential to be used as a scientific resource for guiding the long-term growth as a result of China's tourist sector.

Research on the Relationship Between Provincial OFDI And Carbon Emissions Under Dual Carbon Targets

With the development of economic globalization and China's continuous high-quality development, China's global status continues to rise, driving more and more companies to "go out" to conduct foreign direct investment overseas in order to seek a larger market, in the face of the two major tasks of "economic development" and "achieving dual carbon goals", studying the impact of foreign direct investment on my country's carbon dioxide emissions has a very important reality for whether our country can achieve economic transformation and fulfill its emission reduction commitments. and guiding significance. Therefore, this article based on the panel data of energy consumption in 30 provinces and regions in China from 2004 to 2019 . At the same time, per capita GDP, technological level, industrial structure, etc. were selected as control variables, a fixed effect model was established, and an empirical analysis was conducted on the carbon emission effects of my country's foreign direct investment by region and time period. Empirical analysis results show that: The increase in the scale of OFDI will promote the increase of carbon dioxide emissions in China, but there are significant differences in the carbon emission effects of various regions. The carbon emission effect of foreign direct investment in the eastern and western regions is significantly higher than that in the central region. Over time, the expansion of foreign direct investment will reduce the increase in carbon dioxide emissions it brings. In addition, the improvement of per capita GDP and industrial structure will increase carbon dioxide emissions, while the improvement of technological level will significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Finally, reasonable policy suggestions are given based on the results of empirical analysis and the current situation of foreign direct investment and domestic carbon dioxide emissions.

Environmental decentralization and carbon emissions: evidence from China.

A robust environmental management system holds great significance for the Chinese government in effectively managing the country's carbon emissions. This study delves into the spatial impact of environmental decentralization on the carbon emissions of 30 Chinese provinces spanning from 2000 to 2019. First, we found that the increase in environmental decentralization promotes carbon emissions, and this effect is primarily driven by the delegation of environmental monitoring authority and environmental supervision authority. Second, we analyzed the heterogeneity of the carbon emission effects of environmental decentralization across different regions and observed that the impact of environmental decentralization is more significant in the western region compared to the central and eastern regions. Furthermore, this study investigates how the industrial structure, government competition, and environmental regulation exert an influence on the carbon emission effects of environmental decentralization. This article presents empirical evidence from the perspective of environmental management systems that underscores the rapid escalation of carbon emissions. Additionally, it contributes to an enhanced comprehension of the economic ramifications linked to the process of environmental decentralization. At the same time, the conclusions of this article have significant practical implications for the rational design of levels of environmental decentralization, thereby accelerating the achievement of carbon neutrality.

Achieving Sustainability in Nigerian Households: Investigating Factors Impacting Energy Efficiency Practices

The looming global energy crisis of the 21st century is predicted to worsen as building energy consumption is expected to rise by 50% by 2060. Investing in energy-efficient technologies and reducing carbon emissions is essential to combat this crisis. To this end, this paper delves into the complex issue of energy-efficient building practices in Nigerian households and how they can help curb carbon emissions. Using a statistical method known as the Relative Impor- tance Index (RII), we analyzed nine key factors that influence a building’s energy efficiency. The research revealed that government oversight, support, and financial and technical assis- tance are crucial for achieving household energy efficiency. It also highlights the significance of addressing the energy crisis in Nigeria through the development, implementation, and ad- aptation of energy-efficient building practices.

Research on Cost Management and Strategy Optimization of China's Energy Vehicle Industry under the Background of Double-Carbon Strategy

Based on China's current massive carbon emissions and guided by its sustainable development strategy, China implemented a "double carbon" strategy in September 2020 with the intention of reducing the country's carbon emissions in the future. In the automotive industry, new energy vehicles, which do not emit greenhouse gases while driving, have been emphasized, and many automotive companies have joined the ranks of research and development of new energy vehicles, and their market penetration rate is increasing year by year. Through literature analysis and survey methods, it is found that domestic automobile enterprises mainly face three problems: high manufacturing cost, difficulty in controlling the cost of power batteries, large investment in R&D, fierce competition in core technology, and price war to squeeze the market share of domestic enterprises. After analysis, this paper believes that automotive enterprises and the government can solve the problem by increasing the development of mineral resources to ensure the supply of minerals, sharing the R&D costs and improving the efficiency of R&D, and helping each other to protect the domestic market share of domestic enterprises. Thus, we can promote the realization of the Double-Carbon goal.

Analysis of environmental sustainability and economic development from electricity consumption based on the modified spatial Durbin model

The study investigates the impacts of financial development, electricity use, and technology innovation on CO2 emissions. International trade also plays an essential role in the economic development of Pakistan. Studying the relationship between ecological parameters, technological innovation, electricity use, and CO2 emissions is necessary to formulate the country's reasonable and practical energy policies. Based on the study's use of data from 292 Pakistani firms from 2006 to 2021, the paper investigates the mechanism of the role between financial development, electricity use, technological innovation, international trade, and CO2 emissions using the spatial Durbin model. The results reveal that the effect of economic growth, electricity use, and technological innovation on CO2 emissions has a spatial spillover effect. The results verify that international trade and the transport sector promote the country's carbon emissions. The typical speculation spike on technology innovation enhanced and financial development should concentrate more on protective ecological parameters. The research provides theoretical guidance for solving the contradictory problem of renewable energy use growth and CO2 emission limitation while promoting green and low-carbon development in the country.

Investigation of resource curse hypothesis: the role of renewable energy and urbanization in realizing environmental sustainability in China.

This research investigates the resource curse hypothesis and environmental sustainability by integrating China's natural resources, renewable energy, and urbanization. However, the EKC N shape describes the complete picture of the EKC hypothesis for the growth-pollution relationship. The findings of FMOLS and DOLS show that economic expansion positively drives carbon dioxide emissions in the beginning, then negatively so after the target level of growth is reached. Continuing economic expansion in China does not maintain the intended level and again has a beneficial impact on the country's carbon dioxide emissions. However, the EKC U, inverted U, and N shapes persist in the growth-pollution connection over the long term. Although adopting renewable energy and urbanization help reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the formation of fixed capital worsens environmental conditions. Natural resource rents are a major cause of environmental degradation and the resource curse that has plagued China. Economic growth, as well as its square and cube, has a causal effect on CO2 emissions, as shown by the frequency domain causation. Carbon dioxide emissions at frequencies of 0.05, 1.50, and 2.50 are momentarily predicted by the use of renewable energy and urbanization. The investigation recommends switching to renewable energy sources owing to low cost and the potential to limit the overuse of non-renewables. To balance the overdo of natural resources and ensure continued long-term growth-environment sustainability, technological advancement is recommended as a countermeasure as a mitigating mechanism.