Reduce Emission Levels Research Articles

Regional nitrogen resilience as distance-to-target approach in LCA of crop production systems

Agricultural production systems are highly dependent on nitrogen (N) inputs. According to assessments following the concept of Planetary Boundaries (PB), global limits for N cycles are already exceeded. However, regional thresholds and resiliencies may vary as N compounds have implications on different spatial scales, for instance, eutrophication or acidification on the regional level. Regional N management activities may influence these environmental impacts. Thus, regional N resiliencies must be considered when assessing agricultural systems with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This paper provides an approach for integrating regional N resilience as distance-to-target in assessing crop production systems. Therefore, regional carrying-capacity based normalisation references were developed integrating N-related thresholds for agricultural intervention based on the Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) framework. In addition, regional background interventions of non-crop production sectors were taken into account to comprehensively assess the regional environmental performances of cropping systems. Moreover, regionalisation effects were assessed applying spatially differentiated characterisation factors. The approach is applied to a case study for two different NUTS-3 regions in Germany, including different N management scenarios. The results showed a high influence of the integrated background intervention and regional characterisation on the environmental performances of the cropping systems. N resiliencies were exceeded for all regions, when assuming high yield scenarios, for both eutrophication and acidification impacts. Finally, we present the first proof for application as additional decision support for regional stakeholders regarding N management strategies. For further development and improvement, future research should include investigations of different NUTS-3 regions, N management scenarios and emission reduction levels for background interventions.

Green financing strategies in a low-carbon e-commerce supply chain under service quality regulation.

Green financing is an effective means to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to improve environmental efficiency in their operations. This paper studies two financing strategies of a carbon-dependent manufacturer in an e-commerce supply chain, which are called bank credit and cost-sharing with third-party platform that provides a marketplace. The optimal carbon emission reduction (CER) level, selling price, and service level are investigated. It turns out that the participants’ profits and environmental benefit under two financing strategies are higher than those without financing. In addition, when the commission provided by the platform is low, the manufacturer is more inclined to bank credit, and when the commission is high, it is more sensible to share CER cost with the platform. The impact of government service supervision policies on corporate decision-making is further explored. The results prove that setting an appropriate service threshold and reward-penalty factor is not only conducive to incentivizing the platform to improve service level but also beneficial to the environment and overall social welfare. This paper provides cooperation strategies for manufacturers in green financing in the e-commerce supply chain and provides policy recommendations for the government to implement e-commerce service regulation and promote CER.

Low-Carbon Supply Chain Decisions Considering Carbon Emissions Right Pledge Financing in Different Power Structures

While carbon emissions reduction brings about environmental benefits, it can also create financial pressure on many manufacturing enterprises. Many manufacturing enterprises have begun to pledge their own carbon emissions right quotas for financing and the funds from this financing are being used to implement energy savings and emissions reduction strategies. To investigate the impact of carbon emissions right pledge financing on supply chains, this study constructed a two-echelon low-carbon supply chain, which consisted of a capital-constrained manufacturer and a retailer. The manufacturer invested in carbon reduction technologies using carbon emissions right pledge financing. On this basis, we analyzed the carbon emissions reduction levels and profits of the supply chain in three different power structures. The results showed that the manufacturer pledged the most carbon emissions rights to finance emissions reduction in the Nash model and, in this case, the carbon emissions reduction levels and profits of the supply chain were always the highest. In the manufacturer-led Stackelberg model, the overall economic and environmental benefits of the supply chain were the lowest. In addition, we analyzed the sensitivity of the important parameters of the model and revealed some management implications.

The Pricing Mechanism Analysis of China’s Natural Gas Supply Chain under the “Dual Carbon” Target Based on the Perspective of Game Theory

China is currently the world’s largest energy consumer and carbon emitter. In order to reduce the harm of carbon dioxide to the global ecological environment, the use of natural gas instead of coal is a realistic choice for China to achieve the “dual carbon” goal. Opportunities also bring new challenges, and the price of natural gas is an important method of promoting the upstream and downstream industrial chains of natural gas, so it is of great practical significance to study the price of natural gas. This paper builds a three-level supply chain model consisting of suppliers in the natural gas market, city gas companies and consumers in the market and uses the Stackelberg game to study the decision-making models of different subjects under their own dominance and centralized decision-making; it also considers the pricing mechanism and profit situation of stakeholders in the natural gas market under the low-carbon preference of consumers and the level of corporate carbon emission reduction. The research results show that when considering consumers’ low-carbon preferences, the sales prices of various stakeholders in the market have increased, which is beneficial for all entities in the natural gas industry chain. At the same time, with the low-carbon transformation of energy companies, the production method drives the price of raw materials to rise in the process of low-carbon innovation, which, in turn, makes the price of various stakeholders in the natural gas market and the level of carbon emission reduction per unit show a positive relationship; in order to maximize the overall profit of the supply chain, the natural gas market should adopt a centralized decision-making method to further promote the reform of China’s natural gas marketization.

Is the Production of Agricultural Biogas Environmentally Friendly? Does the Structure of Consumption of First- and Second-Generation Raw Materials in Latvia and Poland Matter?

The importance of biogas in the energy mix in Poland and Latvia is very low. In Poland, 306 million m3 of biogas is produced annually, and in Latvia, 56 million m3. The share of energy from agricultural biogas in Latvia is 1.6%, and in Poland, only 0.12%. This study analyzed the impact of the structure on CO2 emissions from agricultural biogas production in Latvia and Poland. The emission was determined in accordance with the EU directive. The structure of substrates was dominated by those from the second generation, i.e., manure and food waste. In Latvia, it was 70%, and in Poland, 78%. The manure share was 45% and 24%, respectively. The anaerobic digestion of manure guarantees high GHG savings thanks to the avoided emissions from the traditional storage and management of raw manure as organic fertilizer. The level of emissions from the production of agricultural biogas was calculated for the variant with the use of closed digestate tanks, and it was about 10–11 g CO2/MJ, which is comparable to the emissions from solar photovoltaic sources. When using open tanks, the emission level was twice as high, but it was still many times less than from the Polish or Latvian energy mix. Such a low level of emissions resulted from the high share of manure. The level of emission reduction reached 90% compared to fossil fuels. The use of second-generation feedstock in biogas production provides environmental benefits. Therefore, if wastes are used in biogas generation, and the influence on the local environment and overall GHG emissions is positive, authorities should support such activity.

Exploration in carbon emission reduction effect of low-carbon practices in prefabricated building supply chain

Prefabricated buildings (PBs) are recognized as an effective solution to reduce emissions in the construction industry. Existing researches reveal abatement potential of prefabrication comparing to traditional construction methods, but overlook low-carbon practices adopted by stakeholders during prefabrication processes which can unlock green opportunity for PBs. This paper develops a game-based system dynamics (SD) model to explore the implementation effects of low-carbon practices from prefabricated building supply chain (PBSC) perspective. SD model describes the equilibriums of game model and reflects the sources of carbon emissions during prefabrication processes, including prefabricated components production, transportation and on-site assembly. Major variables influencing carbon emission reduction level of PBSC are also discussed. The results demonstrate that 1) low-carbon practices can effectively mitigate carbon emissions while the participants' profits are improved; 2) with gradual enhancement of developers’ environmental awareness and continuous promotion of prefabrication, effects of low-carbon practices can be further strengthened; 3) carbon taxes cannot always stimulate implementation of low-carbon practices, especially in the initial development stage of prefabricated buildings. This research can provide the PBSC members with supports for adopting low-carbon practices and help government formulate a prospective carbon-reduction policy.

Altruistic mode selection and coordination in a low-carbon closed-loop supply chain under the government's compound subsidy: A differential game analysis

Under low-carbon circular economy, how the government and low-carbon closed-loop supply chain (LC-CLSC) members make decisions to achieve carbon neutrality and recycling of waste resources becomes a prominent part of the study. This paper studies the altruistic mode selection and coordination of the LC-CLSC under the compound subsidy of the government from a long-term dynamic perspective. The results show that the altruistic behavior of the manufacturer as the leading party can promote emission reduction and recycling activities, and increase the retailer's profit and total profit while avoiding damage to its profit when its altruistic intensity is maintained at a reasonable level. The altruistic behavior of the retailer as the subordinate party will inhibit emission reduction and recycling activities, and increase the manufacturer's profit by damaging its profit, therefore leading to a decline in the total profit. The emission reduction subsidy rate decreases as the mutual altruistic intensity increases. The recycling subsidy rate decreases as the manufacturer's altruistic intensity increases, but it will increase as the retailer's altruistic intensity increases. Compared with other altruistic modes, the leading party manufacturer's unilateral altruistic mode can achieve a higher level of emission reduction, recycling rate, total profit, consumer surplus and social welfare.

Carbon Accounting and Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

This study examined the impact of carbon accounting on economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study made use of secondary data, which was analysed using Panel General Method of Means (GMM) as well as other econometric tests. The research findings show that carbon accounting had a significant impact of economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, it was revealed that with the introduction of environmental tax on emissions, carbon emissions (CO2) had a negative and significant impact of economic development in SSA. This study recommended that Governments should aid companies who are evidently reducing their carbon levels with environmental tax-free periods as long as they can maintain their reduction in emission levels. This would aid these companies to produce more, which would thereby lead to more economic development.

Concurrent 3. Presentation for: The continuing role of gas as the natural companion to renewable energy

Presented on Tuesday 17 May: Session 3 Four years ago I gave a presentation entitled ‘Repositioning Gas in the Energy Mix’, where we outlined the need to continue to invest in natural gas in order to enable the penetration of renewable energy into the market. In that presentation we highlighted the danger of the ‘green, cheap squeeze’ on gas; squeezed by cleaner renewables on the one hand, and cheaper coal on the other, and proposed changing the messaging away from seeing gas as a transition fuel to acknowledging the longer-term enabling role gas would have to play in the energy mix. Since then several countries have managed to achieve significant reductions in emissions due to power generation, and we now have evidence that supports the continuing role of natural gas in the energy mix. This presentation will review the progress made in emissions’ reductions over the past few years, examining the key issues and confirming the impact that increasing amounts of renewable energy has on existing power generation and supply systems. We will also examine and provide insights into the issues requirements for further reductions in emission levels. To access the presentation click the link on the right. To read the full paper click here

Multiobjective multi verse optimization algorithm to solve dynamic economic emission dispatch problem with transmission loss prediction by an artificial neural network

To overcome the drawback of using only one B-loss coefficient for a widely varying demand pattern that occurs during the entire period of a dynamic economic emission dispatch model, this research work presents a new approach to integrating artificial neural network-based loss prediction into the dynamic economic emission dispatch model. The trained neural network will predict the transmission loss only once during each interval of the dispatch period. The novelty of the work lies in employing a trained neural network to replace the existing procedure of solving complex power flow equations or B-loss coefficients during every iteration. A potent multiobjective multiverse optimization algorithm along with an effective constraint handling mechanism is employed to solve the highly complicated dynamic economic emission dispatch model. A fuzzy membership-based approach is adopted to help the decision-maker select one optimal solution from the Pareto Optimal solutions during each hour of the dispatch period. The proposed algorithm is tested on four systems of varying complexity including a large-scale IEEE 118 bus power system with fifty-four thermal generators. The results obtained are compared with 16 state-of-the-art algorithms to prove the competitive behavior of the algorithm. For an IEEE 30 bus system, the proposed algorithm results in a saving of 92.92$ in fuel cost and a reduction of emission levels by 0.0375 tons per day. The total time taken by the algorithm is faster than the well-known non dominated sorted genetic algorithm II and multiobjective particle swarm optimization algorithm by 30 times and 7.6 times respectively.

The continuing role of gas as the natural companion to renewable energy

Four years ago I gave a presentation entitled ‘Repositioning Gas in the Energy Mix’, where we outlined the need to continue to invest in natural gas in order to enable the penetration of renewable energy into the market. In that presentation we highlighted the danger of the ‘green, cheap squeeze’ on gas; squeezed by cleaner renewables on the one hand, and cheaper coal on the other, and proposed changing the messaging away from seeing gas as a transition fuel to acknowledging the longer-term enabling role gas would have to play in the energy mix. Since then several countries have managed to achieve significant reductions in emissions due to power generation, and we now have evidence that supports the continuing role of natural gas in the energy mix. This presentation will review the progress made in emissions’ reductions over the past few years, examining the key issues and confirming the impact that increasing amounts of renewable energy has on existing power generation and supply systems. We will also examine and provide insights into the issues requirements for further reductions in emission levels.

Cooperative emission reduction in the supply chain: the value of green marketing under different power structures.

Under environmental policies and consumers' green preferences, firms are facing the problem of how to improve the efficiency of emission reduction (ER) and increase profit. In this paper, we construct an analytical framework that includes a manufacturer and a retailer to explore the value of cooperative ER under the carbon cap-and-trade mechanism (CCTM). The manufacturer invests in green technologies to reduce emissions, and the retailer can choose whether to implement green marketing. We find that cooperative ER can increase the manufacturer's ER level and the profit of the manufacturer and the retailer. In the retailer-led situation, the manufacturer's ER level and the retailer's marketing level are both higher than in the manufacturer-led situation. Moreover, the economic performance of the supply chain (SC) is better. Furthermore, when consumers have a strong green preference, the value of cooperative ER is greater; in addition, the advantage of the retailer-led situation is more obvious. Our work enriches the ER theory and provides guidance for firms to reduce emissions.

Effects of Carbon Policy on Carbon Emission Reduction in Supply Chain under Uncertain Demand

Although there are many articles on carbon emission reduction of sustainable supply chain, most of them study the carbon emission reduction efficiency of supply chain in the case of single carbon policy or demand determination. Based on previous studies, this paper considered a supply chain consisting of a single manufacturer and a single retailer in an uncertain demand market. The effects of demand randomness and different carbon policies on carbon emission reduction level and optimal decision in supply chain were studied by constructing mean-variance utility function and Stackelberg game. Due to the difficulty of data acquisition, this paper verified the equalization results by numerical simulation. The results show that: (1) cap-and-trade policy, government subsidy policy and carbon tax policy can promote the carbon emission reduction investment of supply chain, while carbon tax policy will lead to the decline of the overall profit of supply chain; (2) For the manufacturer and the retailer, adopting a strategy with a low degree of risk avoidance will increase its own profits; (3) For the supply chain as a whole, it is more advantageous for manufacturers to adopt higher risk avoidance strategies, while retailers to adopt lower risk avoidance strategies. In addition, in the conclusion, this paper puts forward management implications related to stakeholders, thus providing help for the development of sustainable supply chain.

The impact of network externalities and altruistic preferences on carbon emission reduction of low carbon supply chain

This paper explores the manufacturer's carbon emission reduction in the presence of network externalities and altruistic preferences. Existing literature mainly analyzes the impact of government regulations and firms' behavior characteristics on manufacturers' decisions, while little literature investigates the role of network externalities and altruistic preferences in promoting carbon emission reduction of manufacturers. Our results show that network externalities and altruistic preferences are conducive to improving manufacturers' profits and carbon emission reduction levels. However, we find that manufacturers' carbon emission reductions are more likely to be optimal without network externalities and altruistic preferences when the cost of low-carbon technologies is low, and consumer preferences are high. Interestingly, when the low-carbon technologies cost is high, the combined effect of network externalities and altruistic preferences is more favorable for manufacturers to implement carbon emission reductions. However, when the cost of low-carbon technologies is moderate, we find that the combined effect of network externalities and retailers' altruistic preferences does not always increase the level of carbon emission reductions. In addition, we also find that network externalities or altruistic preferences enhance manufacturers' ability to afford the costs of low-carbon technologies, which implies that manufacturers are more inclined to reduce carbon emissions compared to scenarios without network externalities and altruistic preferences.

Research on carbon emission reduction and blockchain investment under different dual-channel supply chains.

Based on the consideration that consumers have low-carbon sensitivity and channel preference, a Stackelberg game model dominated by the manufacturer was constructed to study the joint strategies of low-carbon emission reduction and blockchain investment of supply chain members under three models: traditional retailer dual channel, manufacturer's online direct sales dual channel, and third-party e-commerce distribution dual channel. The interaction of different levels of emission reduction and blockchain investment in different dual-channel models was verified through the calculation and simulation analysis of the optimal decision of the supply chain members. The research results showed that the optimal emission reduction of manufacturers and the blockchain investment level of retailers under different dual-channel models are distinguishing, and manufacturers have the highest emission reduction under the dual-channel model of direct online sales; when manufacturers invest the same amount of emission reduction, the traditional retailer dual-channel model can obtain the highest profit. In the process of emission reduction decision-making, there are technology investors and beneficiaries, and the investment level is affected by the dual benefit effect of low-carbon emission reduction and trust and the combined effect of cost input. And the profit of the dual channel of third-party e-commerce distribution is the lowest; the ratio of technology gain to cost investment in the supply chain determines the initiative of low-carbon investment. Meanwhile, there are specific blockchain investment thresholds in different dual-channel modes, and the increase of the threshold value will improve the emission reduction. Besides, emission reduction investment is driven by the manufacturer's profit, and the more the manufacturer's channel accounts for, the higher the emission reduction tends to be. And further from the perspective of profit and emission reduction, it provides a reference for the channel selection and joint emission reduction strategies of the supply chain.

Decisions of competing supply chain with altruistic retailer under risk aversion

Abstract This paper considers the supply chain composed of altruistic retailers and selfish manufacturers under risk aversion. We use the mean variance (MV) method to construct two types of behavior models. One is a two-stage supply chain model with a single manufacturer and a single retailer, and the other is a competitive supply chain model with two retailers and two manufacturers. We discuss the decision-making problems under manufacturer Stackelberg (MS) game and retailer Stackelberg (RS) game, respectively. We analyze the role of risk aversion and power structure. Results show that the more risk aversion manufacturers are, the lower the emission reduction levels are. It also find that the prices increase with power shift from retailers to manufacturers. Finally, we point out that the competing can help the firms earn more benefits via numerical studies.

Accelerate or hinder it? Manufacturer transformation under competition and carbon emission trading

Strengthening carbon regulations and competitive pressures are forcing supply chains to provide environmental (e-) products to replace traditional (t-) products. However, cap-and-trade policy allows manufacturers, the main carbon emission emitters, to trade their emission permits freely. Considering manufacturers' power and key role in producing and carbon trading, we develop a duopoly model consisting of two competing manufacturers. Despite asymmetrical carbon emission reduction efficiencies, the two manufacturers can independently and simultaneously decide their respective t-/e-products outputs, emission reduction levels, and permits trade quotas. The unique Nash equilibrium is derived with the overall cap. We find that the low-cost manufacturer uses its cost advantage to invest more in emission reduction, then sells the excess emission permits to its rival, but makes its rival more competitive in product market. Interestingly, our results show that cap-and-trade policy triggers an industry collusion in which manufacturers reduce competition and improve the power and profits by reducing overall output and adopting differentiated product strategy. Furthermore, the cost advantage and high product substitution can accelerate low-cost manufacturer's transformation but hinder high-cost manufacturers. The impacts of cap-and-trade policy on consumer surplus and social welfare are also discussed to provide guidance for policy makers.

Costs of achieving emission limits in coal-burning power plants under the recent best available techniques regulation amendment: Evidence from national microeconomic data

Emissions limits for coal-burning power plants are gradually being tightened around the world, with additional requirements and consequently significant costs placed on existing power plants. Design that conforms to regulatory requirements require credible estimation of the associated abatement costs. However, the existing methods for estimating abatement costs do not estimate those costs using microeconomic data or take the need to retrofit current abatement technologies into sufficient consideration. Therefore, they fail to calculate the actual costs of compliance accurately and thus are not suitable for assessment of cost proportionality, which is the key principle of regulatory design. This paper introduces a straightforward and innovative methodological approach to quantification of abatement costs that can reflect the real-world situation at an individual power plant and allows assessment of proportionality in meeting emission standards. The approach is based on collection of detailed data at the level of individual plants and on the comparison of costs associated with various levels of emission reduction in defined scenarios. The approach is demonstrated by application to nearly 50% of the installed thermal power capacity of the Czech Republic. The results show that recent European regulations for coal-burning plant emissions incur high abatement costs for most power plants, despite having very little effect in terms of emission reductions.

Comparison of Competition Strategy and Retail Mode of Asymmetric Emission Reduction in Supply Chain Under Cap-and-Trade Regulation

With people’s increasing awareness of the dangers of climate warming, the cap-and-trade scheme in supply chain has been gradually implemented worldwide. However, many companies have not engaged in carbon emission reduction, and the market is under asymmetric competition. In this context, this article focuses on the asymmetric competition between manufacturers under the cap-and-trade regulation and compares different retail modes. At the same time, four models are constructed from two different perspectives: the short-term game and the long-term repeated game. The results show that the manufacturer’s optimal price increases with the commission coefficient when the carbon gap is significant in the short-term game, while the carbon emission reduction decreases with the coefficient. And the profits of the manufacturer who contributes to carbon emission reduction are more sensitive to changes in the commission coefficient. Under the reselling mode, the retailer’s participation in pricing will intensify supply chain competition. When the carbon gap is significant, carbon emission reduction will decrease with the increasing carbon trading price. By comparison, the carbon emission reduction level under the reselling mode is higher when the carbon gap is significant; when the commission coefficient is moderate, the retailer in the agency mode has higher profits. In the long-term game, the system is more likely to be in chaos when the manufacturer’s adjustment speed is too high.

Measures Taken by Power Companies to Promote the Development of Energy Internet

Energy Internet is the product of deep integration of energy field with automatic control, information processing, network communication and other fields. It is a fundamental revolution to the way of life of human society. It is necessary to evaluate the development of the energy Internet from five aspects: investment environment, economic benefits, energy conservation and emission reduction, energy services, and technical level. As one of the main forces in the construction of energy Internet, power enterprises need to promote the development of their own energy Internet business from four aspects: policy orientation, business structure, innovation mechanism, and financing channels.