Emission Mitigation Research Articles

Mitigation of N2O emission from granular organic fertilizer with alkali- and salt-resistant plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria.

Organic fertilizer application significantly stimulates nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from agricultural soils. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) strains are the core of bio-fertilizer or bio-organic fertilizer, while their beneficial effects are inhibited by environmental conditions, such as alkali and salt stress observed in organic manure or soil. This study aims to screen alkali- and salt-resistant PGPR that could mitigate N2O emission after applying strain-inoculated organic fertilizer. Among the 29 candidate strains, 11 (7 Bacillus spp., 2 Achromobacter spp., 1 Paenibacillus sp., and 1 Pseudomonas sp.) significantly mitigated N2O emissions from the organic fertilizer after inoculation. Seven strains were alkali tolerant (pH 10) and five were salt tolerant (4% salinity) in pure culture. Seven strains were selected for further evaluation in two agricultural soils. Five of these seven strains could significantly decrease the cumulative N2O emissions from Anthrosol, while six could significantly decrease the cumulative N2O emissions from Cambisol after the inoculation into the granular organic fertilizer compared with the non-inoculated control. Inoculating alkali- and salt-resistant PGPR into organic fertilizer can reduce N2O emissions from soils under microcosm conditions. Further studies are needed to investigate whether these strains will work under field conditions, under higher salinity, or at different soil pH.

The Law on Climate Change and Waste Management from the Perspective of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Mitigation

Climate change and waste management have always been closely linked and impactful to each other. Looking at the goal of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions will show the requirements for adjusting the waste management methods, processes, technologies, etc.. Therefore, this article focuses on analyzing the aspects of waste management related to climate change, and identifying solutions to promote the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in waste management in Vietnam today

Carbon Stocks and Recent Rates of Carbon Sequestration in Nutrient‐Rich Freshwater Wetlands From Lake Simcoe Watershed (Southern Canada)

AbstractWe examined soil properties and accumulation rates over the last ca. 100 years in four swamps and four marshes in southern Canada where these wetlands are common but under increasing anthropogenic pressure. One 50‐cm long core was collected from each wetland and analyzed to determine bulk density (BD) and organic matter (OM). Lead‐210 and cesium‐137 dating were used to estimate sediment accumulation rates. In the datable portion of each core, we determined the organic carbon (Corg), nitrogen (N), Corg/OM, Corg/N, Corg density, Corg stocks, and Corg accumulation rates. All parameters but one—Corg accumulation rates—were significantly different in swamps compared to marshes and between seasonally wet soils and those regularly flooded. Since 1950, Corg stocks varied from 6 to 13.6 kg m−2 with ≈23% more Corg in swamps than in marshes. When hydrology and deeper soils where considered, Corg stocks in regularly flooded wetlands were 60% higher than those of seasonally wet systems, emphasizing the role of hydrology in building up C stocks long‐term. Our measurements are within the wide range reported for similar systems in North America. The average rate of Corg accumulation in the studied wetlands (112 ± 87 g m−2 yr−1) is ≈50% higher than that of oligotrophic/ombrotrophic peatlands, but ≈47% lower than in tidal marshes from eastern Canada. Our study lends support to the case for wetland restoration through re‐wetting as an important nature‐based climate solution for mitigation of GHG emissions in areas where they were drained for agriculture and other purposes.

Emission pathways and mitigation options for achieving consumption-based climate targets in Sweden

National emission reduction targets under the Paris Agreement have a territorial focus, incentivizing mitigation actions domestically. Here we examine the theoretical basis for adopting complementary consumption-based net-zero emission targets and assess the consequences of adopting such proposed targets for Sweden. We apply scenario analyses based on a prospective lifecycle assessment framework. The framework is a hybrid of bottom-up simulations for passenger travel, construction and housing, and food, and top-down analyses for remaining consumption. In this work, we show how consumption-based climate targets may accentuate the need for new demand-side climate policies that contribute to reducing emissions along supply chains of products and services. Our scenario analysis suggests that combining advanced mitigation technologies with behavioral changes could reduce emissions from 9.8 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents per capita in 2019 to between 2.7 and 4.8 tons by 2045 for Swedish residents, depending on global decarbonization pathways.

Exploring low-carbon mulching strategies for maize and wheat on-farm: Spatial responses, factors and mitigation potential

Mulching strategies - including plastic film mulching (FM) and straw mulching (SM) - can enhance crop yields while affecting multiple greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes. However, most of currently published site-based studies only focus on a certain gas, resulting in an inability to spatially integrated understanding of changes in agricultural global warming potential (GWP) and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) caused by mulching across China. Thus, we developed an optimal model considering crop type, meteorology, soil and management variables by four machine learning methods, namely support vector machine, multilayer perceptron, random forest, and gradient boosting machine (GBM). Then we mapped the relative changes in yield and GHG fluxes caused by mulching strategies. The GBM model had the best simulation capability for yield and GHGs in China. Our result showed that FM increased yield in maize (25 %) and wheat (19 %), while SM respectively increased by 14 % and 11 %. Among the relative changes due to mulching strategies, yield and N2O emissions were mainly influenced by soil fertility and soil properties, CH4 uptakes and CO2 emissions were more affected by environmental factors. GWP in maize and wheat average increased by 40 % under FM, while SM decreased GWP by 14 % and 2 %, respectively. Besides, FM average increased GHGI in maize and wheat by 17 % and 9 %, and SM decreased GHGI by 22 % and 12 %, respectively. Spatially, FM reduced maize GWP on 19 % of cropland, while SM reduced maize and wheat GWP on 71 % and 64 % of cropland, respectively. Soil pH was significantly correlated with ΔGHGI in maize and wheat. Our analysis not only estimated for the first time the spatial effects of mulching strategies across China, but also systematically analyzes the agricultural carbon emission mitigation potential of mulching strategies, which promote the development of low-carbon agriculture based on locally appropriate mulching strategies.

Theoretical estimation of energy potential and environmental emissions mitigation for major livestock manure in Bangladesh

This study investigates the potential energy resources from livestock manure to evaluate the country's energy potential from domestic animals (e.g., cows, chickens, sheep, and goats). A comparative analysis of four distinct energy routes, such as process I: anaerobic digestion and co-generation, process II: gasification and co-generation, process III: combustion and co-generation, and process IV: direct combustion to heat energy generation is exclusively examined. In addition to that, a simulation using a Biogas calculator was run to get a better idea of how the technical potential of the mathematical models stacks up. Results from this analysis reveal that the gasification process with heat recovery options (process II) has the greatest energy estimation (26,564.64 TJ) among the four energy-producing paths, whereas process IV (combustion) has the lowest energy potential (4419.75 TJ). The maximum electricity generation potential has been found for process II (1630.77 GW h/year), whereas the minimum from process I (27361.45 MW h/year). Moreover, CO2 reduction potential results show that the maximum potential was obtained for process II (3,78,941.57 ton/year), whereas the minimum reduction potential (63,047.23 ton/year) was obtained from process IV, compared to coal combustion. The annual revenue obtained through process II is the maximum among different techniques, which is 141.87 million dollars.

Potential of continuous cover forestry on drained peatlands to increase the carbon sink in Finland

Land-based mitigation measures are needed to achieve climate targets. One option is the mitigation of currently high greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of nutrient-rich drained peatland forest soils. Continuous cover forestry (CCF) has been proposed as a measure to manage this GHG emission source; however, its emission reduction potential and impact on timber production at regional and national scales have not been quantified. To quantify the potential emission reduction, we simulated four management scenarios for Finnish forests: (i) The replacement of clear-cutting by selection harvesting on nutrient-rich drained peatlands (CCF) and (ii) the current forest management regime (BAU), and both at two harvest levels, namely (i) the mean annual harvesting (2016–2018) and (ii) the maximum sustainable yield. The simulations were conducted at the stand scale with a forest simulator (MELA) coupled with a hydrological model (SpaFHy), soil C model (Yasso07) and empirical GHG exchange models. Simulations showed that the management scenario that avoided clear-cutting on nutrient-rich drained peatlands (i.e. CCF) produced approximately 1 Tg CO2 eq. higher carbon sinks annually compared with BAU at equal harvest level for Finland. This emission reduction can be attributed to the maintenance of a higher biomass sink and to the mitigation of soil emissions from nutrient-rich drained peatland sites.

Decoupling for a greener future: a spatio-temporal analysis of CO2 emissions and economic growth.

Climate change mitigation is a pressing global challenge that requires reducing CO2 emissions without hindering economic growth. Using an extended Kaya identity, Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI), and Tapio decoupling indicator, this paper investigates the spatio-temporal variations, drivers, and decoupling of CO2 emissions from economic growth in 150 countries from 1990 to 2019, considering regional disparities and income-based inequalities. The findings reveal increasing CO2 emissions between 1990 and 2019, with notable fluctuations in certain 5-year intervals. CO2 emission growth varied significantly by region, with countries like China, the USA, India, and Japan experiencing rapid increases. Economic growth emerged as the primary driver of CO2 emission growth, and its impact strengthened over time. Population growth also contributed significantly to CO2 emissions, particularly in middle- and low-income countries. The study identifies energy and carbon intensity as crucial mitigating factors that weaken CO2 emissions, offering hope for effective climate change mitigation. Furthermore, the degree of decoupling between economic growth and CO2 emissions varied among countries in the same region, with high-income countries demonstrating stronger decoupling compared to upper-middle-income countries, which accounted for 71% of global CO2 emission increase. These findings underline the imperative of accounting for income levels and regional differences in formulating CO2 emission mitigation strategies. Also, the study emphasizes the pressing necessity for cohesive global coordination to facilitate the transition toward a low-carbon economy. Such collaborative endeavors are paramount in our collective pursuit to combat climate change effectively, safeguarding the well-being and sustenance of our planet for future generations. As policymakers, it is imperative to integrate these insights into decision-making processes to chart a sustainable and resilient course forward.

LMDI decomposition analysis of change in energy consumption in the non-energy industrial sector: The Algerian case

The reduction of energy consumption is an important key not only to improving the performance of the Algerian economy but also to contributing to the effective mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. This study provides a decomposition analysis of a set of sub-sectors belonging to the non-energy industry in terms of energy use. The Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) is used to identify the factors affecting the change in energy consumption between 2002 and 2015. It is estimated that the energy consumption of Algeria's non-energy industries has increased from 4904 ktoe in 2002 to 8818 ktoe in 2015. The findings reveal that the increase in energy consumption in Algeria’s non-energy industry was due to the activity effect, whereas the structure and intensity effects contributed to the decrease. The increase in energy consumption due to the activity effect is largest in the construction materials industry. The intensity effect has a significant impact on energy consumption in the iron and steel, mechanical, electronic, and electrical equipment industries. Furthermore, the construction materials industry had a large share of the total change in energy consumption for the entire non-energy industry during 2002–2015, accounting for 136%.

Three Decades of Climate Mitigation Policy: What Has It Delivered?

After tentative efforts during the 1990s, the past two decades have seen a rapid increase in the number of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions mitigation policies, initially in a few frontrunner countries and more recently spreading globally. Over the same period, GHG emissions have continued to rise, but the rate of growth has recently slowed. Are mitigation policies having an effect? To explore this question, we review and synthesize the empirical literature on the impact of mitigation policies on three key outcomes: GHG emissions, proximate emission drivers like energy intensity and land use, and low-carbon technologies. Our key contribution to the available literature lies in establishing an empirically based track record of climate action, focusing on methodologically sound ex post studies. We find that mitigation policies have had a discernible impact on emissions and multiple emission drivers. Most notably, they have led to reductions in energy use, declines in deforestation rates, as well as cost reductions and capacity expansions of low-carbon technologies in many instances. Furthermore, implemented policies to date are likely to have reduced global emissions by several billion tons of CO2eq per year compared to a world without mitigation policies. In the light of current ambitions on climate action falling short of what is required to limit global warming to the Paris temperature goals, we conclude that there is ample evidence of policy instruments with demonstrable impacts, but that efforts need to be hugely strengthened and expanded. Also, far more attention is required to policy monitoring, evaluation, and learning so as to strengthen the basis for future policy and the attribution of its impacts.

Meeting industrial decarbonization goals: a case study of and roadmap to a net-zero emissions cement industry in California

Recent decarbonization policies are expected to significantly impact high greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting industries, as they will be forced to find ways to operate with a lower environmental footprint. Due to the energy required for the kilns and the unavoidable chemical-derived emissions during manufacturing, in addition to its high global consumption levels, the cement industry is anticipated to be among the early industries affected. California State Bill (SB 596) is one of the first rigorous legislative measures that sets GHG emissions from cement production to net-zero by 2045. As such, a case study on California cement production is evaluated here. While several groups have developed cement technology roadmaps with GHG mitigation strategies, these roadmaps do not consider concomitant environmental impacts, such as those that can influence local populations, thus limiting potential implementation from a policy perspective. Here, we examine several GHG emissions mitigation strategies for cement production and show the greatest reduction from an individual measure is from implementing carbon capture storage for cement kiln flue gas (87%), use of alternative clinkers (78%), or use of alkali-activated materials (88%). Yet even if GHG emissions are reduced, use of high-polluting energy sources could increase risks to human health impacts. Further, the efficacy of these decarbonization measures is lowered if multiple measures are implemented simultaneously. Finally, we examine the potential to meet net-zero emissions, focusing on California production due to recent legislation, and find a pathway to 96% GHG emissions reduction. Notably, these reductions do not reach goals to hit zero emissions, suggesting direct air capture mechanisms will need to be implemented.

Enhancement of H2 and light oil production and CO2 emission mitigation during co-pyrolysis of oily sludge and incineration fly ash

The proper treatment and utilization of oily sludge (OS) and incineration fly ash (IFA) remains a significant challenge due to their hazardous nature. To attain effective recovery of petroleum hydrocarbons and synergistic disposal, this study investigated the co-pyrolysis of OS and IFA, resulting in successful energy recovery, CO2 mitigation, and heavy metal immobilization. Results revealed that the peak ratio of light oil to heavy oil fractions reached 179.42% with 20 wt% IFA addition, accompanied by the highest aromatic hydrocarbons selectivity of 30.72% and the lowest coke yield of 106.13 mg/g OS under the optimal temperature of 600 °C. In-depth analysis indicated that IFA inhibited the poly-condensation of macromolecular PAHs and promoted their cracking into light aromatic hydrocarbons. The addition of 50 wt% IFA significantly increased H2 yield (21.02 L/kg OS to 60.95 L/kg OS) and facilitated CO2 sequestration due to its higher content of Ca-bearing minerals. Moreover, high IFA ratios promoted the reduction of Fe species in OS to a low-valence state. Heavy metals in co-pyrolysis char were well immobilized into stable fractions with lower environmental risks. This work highlights the potential of co-pyrolysis as a viable approach for simultaneous disposal of multiple hazardous wastes and offers new insights for their utilization.

High potential for CH4 emission mitigation from oil infrastructure in one of EU's major production regions

Abstract. Ambitious methane (CH4) emission mitigation represents one of the most effective opportunities to slow the rate of global warming over the next decades. The oil and gas (O&G) sector is a significant source of methane emissions, with technically feasible and cost-effective emission mitigation options. Romania, a key O&G producer within the EU, with the second highest reported annual CH4 emissions from the energy sector in the year 2020 (Greenhouse Gas Inventory Data - Comparison by Category, 2022), can play an important role towards the EU's emission reduction targets. In this study, we quantify CH4 emissions from onshore oil production sites in Romania at source and facility level using a combination of ground- and drone-based measurement techniques. Measured emissions were characterized by heavily skewed distributions, with 10 % of the sites accounting for more than 70 % of total emissions. Integrating the results from all site-level quantifications with different approaches, we derive a central estimate of 5.4 kg h−1 per site of CH4 (3.6 %–8.4 %, 95 % confidence interval) for oil production sites. This estimate represents the third highest when compared to measurement-based estimates of similar facilities from other production regions. Based on our results, we estimate a total of 120 kt CH4 yr−1 (range: 79–180 kt yr−1) from oil production sites in our studied areas in Romania. This is approximately 2.5 times higher than the reported emissions from the entire Romanian oil production sector for 2020. Based on the source-level characterization, up to three-quarters of the detected emissions from oil production sites are related to operational venting. Our results suggest that O&G production infrastructure in Romania holds a massive mitigation potential, specifically by implementing measures to capture the gas and minimize operational venting and leaks.

Research on the application and promotion of the carbon neutral concept based on the attention mechanism in football under the end-to-end architecture

IntroductionIn light of escalating concerns regarding global warming and environmental pollution, the pursuit of carbon neutrality has emerged as a pivotal strategy to address climate change on a global scale. As society becomes increasingly conscious of its ecological impact, various sectors, including sports, are urged to embrace environmental responsibility. This study seeks to explore the integration of a carbon neutral framework utilizing artificial intelligence's attention mechanism within the realm of football, with the aim of contributing to football's adoption of carbon neutrality.MethodsThe study commences by introducing an end-to-end architectural framework capable of unifying and optimizing all facets of football to realize a comprehensive carbon-neutral objective. This architecture serves as a consolidated platform for enhancing carbon emission reduction within football pedagogical activities, fostering synergy among diverse constituents while concurrently assessing the equilibrium between carbon reduction and pedagogical effectiveness. Subsequently, attention mechanisms are leveraged to heighten the efficacy and comprehensibility of carbon-neutral strategies. The application of attention mechanisms enables the model to autonomously focus on attributes or regions closely associated with carbon neutrality objectives, thereby facilitating precision and efficacy in recommending carbon neutral strategies. By employing attention mechanisms in football, a more thorough understanding of carbon emissions' dynamics is attained, allowing for the identification of pivotal emission contributors and tailored suggestions for emission mitigation. Furthermore, the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) method is employed to analyze football time-series data. Given football's intricate sequence of actions, the LSTM technique adeptly captures long-term dependencies, offering improved analysis and optimization of carbon emissions during football activities.ResultsThe integrated end-to-end architectural framework offers a holistic approach to carbon-neutral football strategies. Attention mechanisms effectively enhance the focus and interpretation of carbon-neutral strategies, contributing to precise and impactful recommendations. Employing LSTM for time-series analysis aids in comprehending carbon emission dynamics, enabling the identification of efficacious carbon neutral strategies. The study underscores the potential of AI-driven attention mechanisms and LSTM in fostering carbon neutrality within football.DiscussionThe study's findings underscore the viability of integrating AI-driven methodologies, specifically attention mechanisms and LSTM, to promote carbon neutrality within the football domain. The end-to-end architecture serves as a foundational platform for comprehensive carbon emission reduction, offering potential for broader application in other sectors. The combination of attention mechanisms and LSTM engenders deeper insights into carbon emissions' intricate temporal dynamics, informing the development of targeted strategies for emission mitigation. The study's outcomes provide theoretical underpinnings for advancing sustainable football practices and inspire the broader adoption of carbon neutrality principles across diverse domains.

Particle lung deposited surface area (LDSAal) size distributions in different urban environments and geographical regions: Towards understanding of the PM2.5 dose–response

Recent studies indicate that monitoring only fine particulate matter (PM2.5) may not be enough to understand and tackle the health risk caused by particulate pollution. Health effects per unit PM2.5 seem to increase in countries with low PM2.5, but also near local pollution sources (e.g., traffic) within cities. The aim of this study is to understand the differences in the characteristics of lung-depositing particles in different geographical regions and urban environments. Particle lung deposited surface area (LDSAal) concentrations and size distributions, along with PM2.5, were compared with ambient measurement data from Finland, Germany, Czechia, Chile, and India, covering traffic sites, residential areas, airports, shipping, and industrial sites. In Finland (low PM2.5), LDSAal size distributions depended significantly on the urban environment and were mainly attributable to ultrafine particles (<100 nm). In Central Europe (moderate PM2.5), LDSAal was also dependent on the urban environment, but furthermore heavily influenced by the regional aerosol. In Chile and India (high PM2.5), LDSAal was mostly contributed by the regional aerosol despite that the measurements were done at busy traffic sites. The results indicate that the characteristics of lung-depositing particles vary significantly both within cities and between geographical regions. In addition, ratio between LDSAal and PM2.5 depended notably on the environment and the country, suggesting that LDSAal exposure per unit PM2.5 may be multiple times higher in areas having low PM2.5 compared to areas with continuously high PM2.5. These findings may partly explain why PM2.5 seems more toxic near local pollution sources and in areas with low PM2.5. Furthermore, performance of a typical sensor based LDSAal measurement is discussed and a new LDSAal2.5 notation indicating deposition region and particle size range is introduced. Overall, the study emphasizes the need for country-specific emission mitigation strategies, and the potential of LDSAal concentration as a health-relevant pollution metric.

Mechanisms of mitigating nitrous oxide emission during composting by biochar and calcium carbonate addition

To investigate the mechanisms underlying effects of biochar and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) addition on nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions during composting, this paper conducted a systematic study on mineral nitrogen (N), dissolved organic carbon (C) and N, sources of N2O, and functional genes. Biochar and CaCO3 addition decreased N2O emissions by 26.5–47.8% (9.5–96.9 mg N kg−1 dw) and 13.9–37.4% (12.0–121.0 mg N kg−1 dw) compared to the control (14.3–179.7 mg N kg−1 dw), respectively. The mitigation of N2O emission was caused by decreased contribution of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and fungi to N2O production due to diminished AOB amoA, fungal nirK and P450 gene abundances, or by stimulated N2O reduction to N2 owing to increased abundances of nosZⅠ and nosZⅠⅠ genes under biochar and CaCO3 addition. The findings suggest that the addition of biochar or CaCO3 is effective in mitigating N2O emission during composting.

Mitigation of soil N2O emissions by decomposed straw based on changes in dissolved organic matter and denitrifying bacteria

The return of decomposed straw represents a less explored potential option for reducing N2O emissions. However, the mechanisms underlying the effects of decomposed straw return on soil N2O mitigation are still not fully clear. Therefore, we used a helium atmosphere robotized continuous flow incubation system to compare the soil N2O and N2 emissions from four treatments: CK (control: no straw), WS (wheat straw), IWS (wheat straw decomposed with Irpex lacteus), and PWS (wheat straw decomposed with Phanerochaete chrysosporium). All the treatments have been fertilized with the same amount of KNO3. Furthermore, we also analyzed i) the chemodiversity of soil dissolved organic matter (DOM), ii) the nirS, nirK, and nosZ gene copies and relative abundances of denitrifying bacterial communities (DBCs), and iii) the specific linkages between N2O emissions and DOM and DBC. The results showed that the WS, IWS and PWS treatments increased N2O emissions compared to the CK treatment. However, applying decomposed straw to soil, especially straw treated with P. chrysosporium, effectively decreased the soil N2O and increased N2 emissions compared to WS and IWS. Moreover, the IWS and PWS treatments increased the CHO composition, but they decreased the CHON and CHOS compositions of heteroatomic compounds of DOM compared with the WS and CK treatments. Furthermore, the WS, IWS and PWS treatments all significantly increased the nirS and nosZ gene copies compared with the CK treatment. Additionally, compared with the other treatments, the PWS treatment significantly shaped the DBC and led to a higher relative abundance of Pseudomonas with nirS and nosZ genes. Meanwhile, Network analysis showed that the mitigation of N2O was closely related to particular DOM molecules, and specific DBC taxa. These results highlight the potential for decomposed straw amendments to mitigate of soil N2O emissions not only by changing soil DOM but also mediating the soil DBC.

Synergistical reduction of PM and NO formation in preheating co-firing of coal and biomass

Preheating co-firing of coal and biomass was proposed for synergetic mitigation of pollutant source emissions. The effects of different operating parameters on particle matter (PM) and nitric oxide (NO) emissions were investigated, including excess air ratio (αp), temperature (Tp), residence time (tp) in the preheating zone and temperature (Tc) in the combusting zone. Coal and biomass particles were fed separately by two feeders, mixed uniformly in a mixing device and then inserted in a high-temperature drop-tube furnace. PM and NO emissions at the furnace outlet were measured by ELPI+ and the infrared gas analyzer. The results showed that as αp increased from 0 to 0.5, PM10 emission declined by 10.65% while NO emission went down first and then rose up with a turning point at αp = 0.3 of 247.93 mg/m3. When Tp increased from 1400 K to 1800 K, PM10 emission increased but NO emission decreased. The increase in the former was more than twice the decrease in the latter. More interestingly, the forming mechanism of ultrafine mode PM0.3 was dominated by “solid-vapor” process at low combusting temperature but transformed into “vapor-particle” process at high temperature. When Tc ascended from 1700 K to 1800K, the dominant “vapor-particle” process was inhibited, leading to a decrease of 13.5% in PM0.3 emission. PM0.3-2.5, PM2.5-10 and NO emissions were boosted by 64.99%, 36.40% and 78.20% respectively with Tc ascending from 1400 K to 1800 K. As tp rose from 0.1 to 0.5, the production of PM0.3 and NO decreased by 29.50% and 44.55% respectively, but that of PM0.3-2.5 and PM2.5-10 increased by 20.04% and 33.83% continuously. Under optimum parameters (Tp = 1300 K, αp = 0.3, Tc = 1400 K and tp = 0.5 s), PM10 and NO emissions could be reduced by 30.88% and 48.01%, respectively.

Water-energy-carbon nexus and sustainability-oriented prioritization of negative emissions technologies for the oil & gas industry: A decision support system under Fermatean fuzzy environment

Attaining carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions mitigation has become one of the central goals, and it has received wider attention from policymakers. The CO2 as a negative greenhouse gas (GHG) has been increasing in the atmosphere by anthropogenic activities, including the burning of fossil fuels. In view of this issue, negative emissions technologies can play a very useful role in reducing CO2 emissions concentration and mitigating climate change. Therefore, deploying these technologies is imperative. There are multiple available negative emissions technologies that should be assessed on the basis of different principles (criteria). A decision support system is needed to prioritize these technologies and select the most appropriate option. In this regard, a novel hybrid system including the two multi-criteria decision-making techniques under the Fermatean fuzzy environment is proposed. The Fermatean fuzzy set is applied for evaluating uncertainty in the water-energy-carbon nexus and sustainability principles performance levels of these technologies. The prioritization of negative emissions technologies considering the defined principles is assessed through the utilization of the proposed method. The results indicate that the technology of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage is the most suitable alternative for reaching the carbon management goals in Bidboland Persian Gulf gas refinery in southwestern Iran, Behbahan. This work extracts a roadmaping for piloting the oil & gas industry shift towards a circular carbon economy. Therefore, the industries such as the oil and gas industry should boost environmental awareness, ample funds, and incentives for implementing negative emissions technologies to encourage sustainable energy systems, develop low-carbon strategies, mitigate climate change, and promote sustainable economic growth. Concerning the government, corresponding policies and measures should be adopted to emphasize increasing the use of these technologies, especially in high-emission areas.

Legal Constraints on Policymaking for the Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Agriculture in Indonesia

Abstract Agricultural regulation in Indonesia is almost entirely focused on adaptation and food security. Mitigation of emissions from the sector is not presented as an obligation in the country’s body of agricultural law. This situation, which emphasizes autarky, does not facilitate a strong agricultural mitigation policy in the country; and, in fact, Indonesia’s policies and planned actions on greenhouse-gas-emission reduction in agriculture are narrow, vague, and lacking in ambition. The emphatic adaptation focus of Indonesia’s body of agricultural regulation may reflect entrenched values about the role of agriculture in society. An alternative explanation is that the regulatory emphasis on adaptation is an instance of regulatory inertia, sustained by a tradition of agricultural protectionism that deflects risky reforms. Inertia is problematic in itself, as it closes off the sector to innovation. But inertia is not as serious as a values-based resistance in the country to the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. A government’s mandate in a democratic society to act ambitiously on climate change, in a climate-treaty context that demands little more than “national determination” of ambition, must necessarily be obtained from, in large part, those most directly affected by a regulatory change – in this case, farmers. An inquiry that seeks to elicit their opinion in this respect is overdue. A survey of farmers’ views on their willingness to support mitigation of emissions from their sector would add to our understanding of the risks that our slow response to climate change entails, for it is a response that presumes that a significant mitigation contribution will eventually be made by each and every economic sector, including agriculture. If the issue is mere inertia, the outlook is more optimistic than if the issue is active resistance. Because agriculture is still a closed sector, not only in developing but also in developed countries, this article contributes to our understanding of research priorities for climate law around the world. The article is the first in a series this journal will publish under our co-editorship on climate change law in Indonesia.