Emission Reduction In China Research Articles

A comprehensive review on agricultural greenhouse gas emission reductions in China: opportunities and challenges

China is the world’s largest carbon emitter. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, one of the main sources, is a channel for achieving China’s carbon peaking and carbon neutrality targets on schedule. To clarify the status and prospects of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction in Chinese agriculture, this paper focuses on macro-level factors such as policies, economy, society, and technology, meso-level factors such as agricultural digital transformation and carbon trading market construction, and micro-level factors such as individual farmers and household influences on agricultural emissions reduction. Therefore, this article examines the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in China’s agricultural greenhouse emission reductions by SWOT. It is concluded that optimized industrial structure and technological progress are strengths, while weak low-carbon awareness among farmers and the limitations of traditional small-scale production methods are weaknesses. Aligning with national development direction, absorbing foreign experiences, and integrating with digitization are opportunities. The imbalance between the economy and emission reduction and the significant regional differences are the threats. Overall, China’s efforts are on the right track, but urgent action is needed to improve the quality of farmers and transform the agricultural economy, which requires fundamental changes. Based on this, suggestions are proposed for farmers, businesses, and government from four aspects: promoting and expanding pilot demonstration areas for agricultural carbon sequestration trading, building regionally superior agricultural products and specialty industries, synergistic cooperation for technology development and promotion, improving farmer educational level in the form of agricultural cooperatives, so as to help balance economic and environmental benefits in reducing agricultural GHG emissions.

Research on Whether Artificial Intelligence Affects Industrial Carbon Emission Intensity Based on the Perspective of Industrial Structure and Government Intervention

Artificial intelligence serves as the fundamental catalyst for a new wave of technological innovation and industrial transformation. It holds vital importance in reaching carbon reduction targets and the objectives of “carbon peak and neutrality”. This factor contributes significantly to the reduction in carbon emissions in the industrial domain. This article utilizes panel data from 30 provinces in China, covering the years 2013 to 2021, to develop an evaluation framework for assessing the progress of artificial intelligence development. Through the use of double fixed-effect models, mediation effect models, and threshold effect models, the empirical analysis examines the industrial carbon reduction effects of artificial intelligence and its operating mechanisms. Research indicates that the advancement of AI can significantly reduce carbon emission intensity within the industrial sector. This conclusion remains valid following comprehensive robustness tests. Furthermore, there exists temporal and regional variability in AI’s impact on industrial carbon reduction, particularly more pronounced after 2016 and in central and western regions. AI influences carbon emission reduction in China’s industrial sector through the advancement and optimization of industrial structures. Here, the increase in senior-level operations acts as a partial masking effect, while optimization serves as a partial mediator. The relationship between AI and industrial carbon emission intensity is non-linear, being influenced by the threshold of government intervention; minimal intervention weakens AI’s effect on carbon intensity reduction. These findings enhance our understanding of the factors influencing industrial carbon emissions and contribute to AI-related research. They also lay a solid empirical groundwork for promoting carbon emission reduction in the industrial domain via AI. Additionally, the results offer valuable insights for formulating policies aimed at the green transformation of industry.

Contrasting Domestic and Global Impacts of Emission Reductions in China on Tropospheric Ozone

AbstractSustained near‐surface ozone pollution despite stringent emission controls in China has drawn wide attention. However, how such rapid regional emission reductions affect global tropospheric ozone remains unexplored. Here, using an ensemble of measurements and global model simulations, we find Chinese emission reductions during 2013–2020 have increased domestic surface ozone; particularly in North China, they have decreased the global tropospheric ozone burden by 2.7 Tg (54% of China's anthropogenic contribution and 7% of global anthropogenic contribution in 2019) and ozone radiative forcing by 8.8 mW m−2 (64% of China's anthropogenic contribution and 9% of global anthropogenic contribution in 2019). Nitrogen oxides (NOx) associated nonlinear chemistry and height‐dependent atmospheric transport patterns primarily cause the contrasting impacts. Future Chinese NOx emission controls would continue to decrease global tropospheric ozone, while regional surface ozone may still increase unless NOx reductions exceed ∼53% of the 2019 level. Our results reveal the substantial benefit of regional emission reductions in China on global tropospheric ozone mitigation.

How Upgrading of Provincial Development Zones Reduces Urban Carbon Emission: Evidence from a Time-Varying DID Analysis

This study examines the impact of upgrading provincial development zones on urban carbon emission reduction in China, a vital policy instrument for achieving the nation’s dual objectives of economic growth and green development under the “carbon neutrality and carbon peak” framework. Utilizing panel data from 276 Chinese cities spanning 2006 to 2019, this study employs a time-varying difference-in-differences model to empirically assess the effects of these upgrades. The findings indicate that these upgrades significantly reduce urban carbon emissions through policy, agglomeration, and regulatory effects. The heterogeneity analysis further reveals that the policy’s effectiveness is amplified by higher levels of government participation, increased attention to environmental protection, and greater urban emission reduction pressures. Moreover, while the policy facilitates carbon emission reductions in neighboring cities through spatial spillover effects, it does not achieve synergistic control over multiple pollutants, showing no significant impact on other industrial pollutants emissions. These findings provide value insights for policymakers aiming to balance economic development with environmental sustainability.

Greenhouse gas emissions from Chinese livestock sector can be decreased by one third in 2030 by the improvement in management

China is one of the largest contributors to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and the livestock sector is a major source of non-CO2 GHG emissions. Mitigation of GHG emissions from the livestock sector is beneficial to the sustainable development of the livestock sector in China. This study investigated the provincial level of GHG emissions from the livestock sector between 2000 and 2020 in China, to determine the driving factors affecting the provincial-level GHG emissions from the livestock sector, based on the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) model, which took into account of technological progress, livestock structure, economic factor, and agricultural population. Moreover, a gray model GM (1, 1) was used to predict livestock GHG emissions in each province until 2030 in China. The results showed that the GHG of Chinese livestock sector was decreased from 195.1 million tons (MT) CO2e in 2000 to 157.2 MT CO2e in 2020. Henan, Shandong, and Hebei provinces were the main contributors to the reduction in Chinese livestock GHG emissions, with their livestock GHG emissions reduced by 60.1%, 53.5% and 45.5%, respectively, in 2020 as compared to 2000. The reduction in GHG emissions from the Chinese livestock sector can be attributed to two main factors: technological progress and the shrinking of the agricultural laborers. In contrast, the agricultural economic development model with high input and high emissions showed a negative impact on GHG emission reduction in China’s livestock sector. Furthermore, the different livestock structure in each province led to different GHG reduction effects on the livestock sector. Under the gray model GM (1,1), the GHG emissions of the livestock sector will be reduced by 33.7% in 2030 as compared with 2020 in China, and the efficiency factor will account for 76.6% of the positive effect of GHG reduction in 2030. The eastern coastal region will be the main contributor to the reduction of GHG emissions from the Chinese livestock sector in 2030. Moreover, recommendations (such as upgrading livestock management methods and promoting carbon emission mitigation industries) should be proposed for the environmentally sustainable development of the livestock sector in the future.

Spatiotemporal Characteristics and Influencing Factors of the Synergistic Effect of Pollution Reduction and Carbon Reduction in China

Based on the use of the coupling coordination model to calculate the coupling coordination degree of carbon emission and pollutant control, the national, regional, and provincial spatiotemporal characteristics of the synergistic effect of pollution control and carbon emissions reduction in China were further analyzed, facilitating the crucial to identification of key areas. The fixed effects regression models and provincial panel data from 2006 to 2020 were used to explore factors contributing to better synergizing the reduction of pollution and carbon emissions in China. On this basis, the adjustment variable of R&D investment intensity was introduced, and the regulation effect model was constructed to further explore the influence mechanism of the synergistic effect of pollution reduction and carbon reduction. The results showed that： synergy exists between carbon emission reduction and the air pollution control system, the evolution of the synergistic effect of pollution reduction and carbon reduction in China presented an inverted "U"-shaped trend from 2006 to 2020, and there was spatial aggregation and a spatial spillover effect in pollution reduction and carbon reduction. The synergistic governance of carbon emission and pollutant control was still at a relatively low level. The carbon emission and air pollutant emission systems were still in an unstable and uncoordinated state. The results showed that： The degree of coordination of eastern China, central China, and western China decreased in turn. At the national level, energy consumption structure, per capita GDP, and the proportion of green investment were the main factors affecting the synergistic effect of pollution reduction and carbon. The heterogeneity of the influencing factors existed in the central, eastern, and western regions on industrial structure, energy consumption structure, energy utilization efficiency, per capita GDP, urbanization rate, the proportion of green investment, and transportation structure. The intensity of R&D played a significant moderating effect in the whole country, eastern, and central regions. However, no significant moderating effect was identified in the western region. In the eastern region, the urbanization rate, the proportion of green investment, and the transportation structure could not have a significant effect on the synergistic effect of pollution reduction and carbon reduction alone, and it must be coordinated with the intensity of R&D.

Health equity and synergistic abatement strategies of carbon dioxide and air pollutant emissions reduction in China’s eastern coastal area

Abstract Quantifying regional health disparities linked to air pollution is essential for enhancing air quality and attaining carbon neutrality objectives. Nonetheless, the efficacy of proactive policies in ensuring equitable health protection in China’s Eastern Coastal Area (ECA) remains uncertain. Here, we employed an integrated assessment model to assess the combined reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) and atmospheric pollutants and their health repercussions in the ECA of China. Our findings reveal that 273 000 premature deaths are attributable to air pollution in 2060 in the ECA in the absence of mitigation policies. Conversely, carbon reduction policies are poised to curtail 80% of CO2 emissions, alongside reductions of 76% for NOx, 79% for SO2, 80% for PM2.5, 72% for VOCs, and 66% for NH3 emissions. Air pollution control policies could mitigate premature deaths by 19 600, while carbon reduction policies could potentially lower them by 50 800. The health inequality coefficient among provinces stands at 0.19, primarily attributable to significantly higher mortality rates in Hebei and Shandong. These findings yield valuable insights for crafting synergistic abatement strategies in similarly imbalanced developmental regions grappling with comparable environmental challenges.

Do Tradable Green Certificates Promote Regional Carbon Emissions Reduction for Sustainable Development? Evidence from China

The tradable green certificate (TGC) scheme is an important approach for mitigating carbon emissions within the context of a renewable energy development strategy and regional sustainable development. However, studies investigating the role of TGCs in encouraging carbon emissions reduction in China are limited and inconclusive due to ignoring the interference of other renewable energy policies and little distinguishing the impact of different green certificates. Using Chinese provincial data from 2013 to 2023, this study employs a difference-in-differences strategy to estimate the effect of the TGC policy on regional carbon emissions. The results reveal that the TGC policy significantly reduces provincial carbon emissions, and this reduction is predominantly contributed by certificate-electricity integration green certificates rather than certificate-electricity separation certificates. A 1% increase in the provincial trade volume of certificate-electricity integration green certificates can reduce total provincial carbon emissions by 0.8–1.3%. These findings hold across a series of rigorous robustness tests. This study also explains the different effects between certificate-electricity integration and certificate-electricity separation green certificates by the concept of additionality. To effectively reduce carbon emissions in the future, the TGC system must meet the requirement of additionality. These insights can provide reference for the improvement of TGC policy to better achieve the carbon reduction objective and sustainable development.

Exploring Synergistic GHG Emissions Mitigation Potential and Costs of Room Air Conditioners.

This study explores the potential of synergistically reducing direct (refrigerant) and indirect (electricity) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the global room air conditioning (RAC) sector, based on 80% of global RAC manufactured in China. Three scenarios are evaluated: Business-as-usual (BAU) based on maintaining refrigerant and energy efficiency levels from 2021 China RAC sales shares, Kigali Amendment compliant with 10% energy efficiency improvement by 2025 (KAE), and accelerated refrigerant transition and energy efficiency improvement (ATE). Each scenario considers the costs of refrigerant and efficiency measures for export market groups based on Kigali Amendment classifications. BAU predicts around 1 Gt CO2-eq average annual global RAC emissions (2022-2060). Cumulative emission reductions in China's RAC manufacturing under KAE and ATE are 12.2 and 17.2 Gt CO2-eq A5II and A5I (except China), presenting cost-effective abatement measures, with average costs of -$51.4 and -$68.8/t CO2-eq in KAE and ATE. Cumulative average abatement costs are around $18 and $4/t CO2-eq globally. KAE and ATE scenarios would avoid surface temperature rises of 0.023 (±0.002) °C and 0.027 (±0.003) °C, respectively, versus BAU. Collaboration between China and importing countries is urged to enhance energy efficiency in RACs traded, ensuring sustainable mitigation aligned with the Kigali Amendment.

Potential and Pathways of Carbon Emission Reduction in China’s Beef Production from the Supply Chain Perspective

Potential and Pathways of Carbon Emission Reduction in China’s Beef Production from the Supply Chain Perspective

Can industrial intelligence promote carbon emission efficiency? --empirical research based on the Yangtze River Economic Belt

The rapid development of intelligent technology characterized by robots under the fourth scientific and technological revolution provides a favorable opportunity for the accurate decision-making of urban pollution control and the effective achievement of the goal of carbon emission reduction in China. This research uses the robot penetration rate as a representative and characteristic index of industrial intelligence development, based on panel data from 108 cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YEB) from 2006 to 2020. It then uses panel quantile regression, spatial measurement, and threshold effect models to provide a more thorough theoretical and empirical discussion of the impact, mechanism, and spatial effect of industrial intelligence development on urban carbon emission efficiency (CEE). Urban CEE may be greatly increased with the use of industrial intelligence, and this finding remains true even after endogeneity and robustness tests are controlled; From an action mechanism perspective, industrial intelligence advances technology, optimizes industrial structure, and ultimately enhances regional CEE; There is a Matthew effect on the degree of development of carbon emission efficiency, and the impact of industrial intelligence on CEE is more pronounced in non-resource-based cities and the lower portions of YEB; Urban CEE increases positively with the spatial spillover impact of industrial intelligence development. The ability for regional sustainable development will be significantly increased if cross-regional cooperative prevention and control of environmental governance can be successfully achieved. This study verifies the enabling effect of industrial intelligence development on the improvement of urban CEE, and provides enlightenment for China to improve industrial intelligence development strategies and policies to achieve regional high-quality development.

Plant-level green transformation strategy in China's cement industry: Considering energy conservation and emission reduction co-benefits

The green transformation strategy is critical for achieving the emission mitigation targets in China's cement study. However, previous studies have focused on the nationwide industry level and overlooked the significant differences in the cement plants, remaining the risk of difficulties in implementing the proposed strategy. To overcome this problem, this study proposes a framework for plant-level green transformation strategy based on the industry-level emission mitigation pathway and a plant-level cement database. The strategy indicates the cement plants that need to be shut down, be retrofitted, and promote technologies. Results show that 1005 clinker and 3706 cement production plants should be shut down or retrofitted, while 60%+ of the plants should take denitrification and dust removal technologies in 2019–2035. The plant-level strategy can achieve energy conservation and CO2, SO2, NOx, and PM reductions by 40.0–79.9%, demonstrating the existence of the co-benefits. As only 4.1%–25.0% of the plants contribute half of the energy conservation and emission reduction effects, the plant-level strategy leads to significant spatial heterogeneity of the co-benefits. For example, the energy conservation and emission reduction potential in the five largest cement producer cities varies from over 30%. In addition, the total fixed investment is 99.6 billion Chinese Yuan (CNY) and the highest cost is 12.8 billion CNY/a, which will not cause heavy economic burdens to the industry. This study bridges the industrial-level planning and plant-level implementation of the green transformation strategy, whose methodology supports the synergic energy conservation and emission reduction in China's cement industry and beyond.

Global health benefits of shipping emission reduction in early 2020

The impact of COVID-19 lockdown on the absolute concentration of air pollutant has been widely investigated, whereas the impact of lockdown on global shipping-related air pollutants still remained poorly understood because the contribution of individual source cannot be observed directly. In our study, we employed an efficient chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) to quantify the shipping-related PM2.5, NO2, and O3 levels in early 2019 and 2020, and assessed the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on global shipping-related air pollutants and health effects. The result suggested that shipping-related global PM2.5, NO2, and O3 levels reduced by 14%, 85%, and 1%, respectively. Furthermore, the decreasing ratios of air pollutants in difference regions often suffered from large spatial discrepancy. PM2.5 and NO2 levels in China, India, Europe, and the United States decreased by 6.5% (NO2: 9%), 7.4% (8%), 11% (8.6%), and 15% (10%), which could be caused by dense shipping activities during the non-lockdown period. For O3 concentrations, the shipping-related concentrations in China, India, Europe, and the United States showed 0.7%, −12.9%, 16.6%, and −4.8% during lockdown period, respectively. The relatively slight O3 reduction might be linked with more significant decrease of NOx emission than VOCs. The changes of air pollutant concentrations inevitably led to the variations of health benefits. Globally, the all-cause mortalities caused by shipping-related PM2.5 exposures reached 40,464 (95% CI: 26,546, 54,382) and 39,035 (95% CI: 25,135, 52,935) cases in early 2019 and 2020, respectively. The combined health benefits of PM2.5, NO2, and O3 linked with shipping emission reduction in China, India, Europe, and the United States reached 476 (95% CI: 131, 822), 3341 (95% CI: 3,177, 3505), 2194 (95% CI: −970, 5358), and 311 (95% CI: 242, 379), respectively. Our study confirms the potentially considerable effects of shipping emission on multiple air pollutants and health impacts, which could provide valuable information for air quality management.

Research on the Impact of Digital Trade on Urban Carbon Emissions in China under the "Dual Carbon" Target

After the "dual carbon" goal was put forward, low-carbon development has gradually become the focus of attention from all walks of life, and digital technology plays an important role in the process of helping carbon emission reduction. Digital trade, as an active field in international economy and trade, is of great significance to the economic growth of all countries and to deal with the problem of carbon emission reduction. This paper analyzes the transmission path of digital trade on urban carbon emission reduction in China from the theory of scale effect, structure effect and technological progress effect, and based on the panel data of 280 cities in China from 2011 to 2019, uses two-way fixed effect model to conduct regression analysis on the carbon emission reduction effect of digital trade. The study finds that China's digital trade development reduces urban carbon emission intensity, and the conclusion is still valid after the robustness test. Heterogeneity analyses show that the carbon emission reduction effect of digital trade varies in different regions in the East, West and Centre, as well as in regions with different degrees of carbon emissions. In terms of the transmission path, digital trade reduces regional carbon emission intensity by promoting scale effects, technological progress and industrial structure upgrading. Therefore, on the road of actively realizing the goal of "dual carbon", China should vigorously promote the development of international trade mode mainly represented by digital trade. At the same time, we fully recognize the heterogeneity of the impact of digital trade on carbon emissions, and adopt differentiated policies according to the different utility levels of digital trade on carbon emissions in different regions. This will narrow the "digital divide" between cities and help achieve China's "dual carbon" goal.

The Current Status and Future Prospects of Carbon Capture, Carbon Transportation, And Carbon Utilization Technologies in Chinese Coal-Fired Power Plants Within the Context of Dual Carbon Goals

Carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) constitute vital measures for achieving net emissions reduction in China. Against the backdrop of the “dual carbon” initiative in China, this paper meticulously examines and analyzes the key technological principles, merits and demerits, and bottlenecks associated with CCUS carbon capture in the country’s thermal power plants at the current stage. It combines the prevailing industrial application status and the future development trajectory of pertinent technologies with considerations of industrial economic benefits and business models. Building upon this analysis, the paper summarizes the application status of CCUS technology in China’s thermal power plant industry and presents future prospects. On the technological front, the three capture methods grapple with the challenge of high costs. Therefore, there is a need to intensify efforts in developing low-cost and efficient carbon capture materials, as well as researching and practically applying low-cost oxygen generation technology. Economically, CCUS technology currently faces high costs, low returns, and certain commercial barriers, placing China in a demonstrative business model stage. To overcome these challenges and realize the economic benefits of CCUS technology, government incentives and technological innovation are imperative. These measures aim to reduce the overall cost of CCUS technology, stimulate the scale development, and foster commercialization, ultimately contributing to the achievement of China’s carbon emission reduction targets.

Analysis of the impacts of carbon neutral policy portfolios on the economy, environment, and residents' welfare based on computable general equilibrium models

The efficacy of the synergistic interplay of various programs about energy efficiency and emission reduction in China's endeavor to achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality remains to be determined. This research constructed a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to examine the economic, environmental, social, and energy consequences of various policy combinations. Using data from the 2018 input-output table of China, we create 21 industry sectors and examine the combined impacts of different carbon policies. Our findings indicate that the effects of carbon emission reduction are more favorable when multiple carbon-neutral policies are implemented together, compared to the impact of a single policy. Among the various combinations of policies examined, the combination of feed-in tariff subsidy policy (FIT), renewable energy quota policy (RPS), carbon trading, carbon tax, and carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS) technology proves to be the most effective. The study predicts that by 2060, this combination of policies could lead to a reduction of 32.5% in carbon dioxide emissions. At the same time, it was discovered that a combination of lower-intensity renewable energy quotas, carbon trading, carbon taxes, and higher-intensity subsidies for carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies, the synergy indicator θ exceeds 1, indicating a more stable economy; When the carbon tax policy is more robust, and the remaining three policies are more minor, carbon emissions fall the most and are the most ecologically beneficial. Imposing excessively high renewable energy quotas while maintaining the same level of technology and substitutability between fossil fuels and electric energy sources will result in economic instability afterward. Therefore, we suggest that to attain balanced growth of the environment, society, and economy, the government should increase the function of policy combinations and balance several objectives.

A win-win opportunity for economic growth and carbon emissions reduction in China: The perspective from correcting energy price distortions

Distorted energy prices undermine resource allocation efficiency and threaten China's economic growth and reduction of carbon emissions. This study examines the price distortions for fossil and renewable energy based on Chinese provincial panel data and estimates the influence of distorted energy prices on the coordination of economic growth and carbon emissions reduction (CECR). The results show that the energy price distortions significantly inhibit CECR and especially distorted coal price has the most inhibitory impact. The impact is regionally differentiated, with the eastern region (E region) being more negatively affected by price distortions in oil, natural gas, and renewable energy. Coal price distortion is a greater impediment to coordinated development in the Central-Western regions (C–W regions). Therefore, the correction of energy price distortions (CEPD) becomes key to achieving a win-win situation for both economic growth and carbon emissions reduction (ECR). Further analysis reveals that the scenario of correcting actual energy prices is more conducive to promoting CECR, with a growth potential of 1.81 %, and the growth potential in C–W regions is greater than in E region. This study both provides for China and the emerging economies a useful expansion of the market's decisive role in the allocation of resources and a reference for exploring the win-win of ECR.

Exploring hydrogen metallurgy to CO2 emissions reduction in China’s iron and steel production: An analysis based on the life cycle CO2 emissions – LEAP model

Previous research has primarily assessed the environmental impact of hydrogen metallurgy from technical or project perspectives, lacking a life cycle perspective. The impact of continued cleanliness of the hydrogen production mix and power generation structure on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the hydrogen metallurgy production process has not been investigated on a medium to long-term scale, which does not provide an adequate and comprehensive view of the contribution of hydrogen metallurgy to China’s emissions reduction, resulting in short-sighted technology choices. To address this lack, we construct a bottom-up energy system model that combines life cycle CO2 emissions with long-range energy alternatives planning (LEAP), including iron and steel (IS) production, power generation, and hydrogen production. Setting development paths of two typical hydrogen metallurgy technologies, including business-as-usual (BAU) and hydrogen metallurgy (HM) scenarios, we carefully evaluate the CO2 emissions impact of hydrogen metallurgy from a whole industry perspective and in each IS production stage. The results suggest that the hydrogen metallurgy transition will help the iron and steel industry (ISI) to achieve peak and deep carbon reduction. Under the HM scenario, CO2 emissions from the ISI would decrease to 816.28 million tons (Mt) in 2050, representing an additional 281.13 Mt reduction over the BAU scenario. Hydrogen metallurgy can accelerate CO2 reduction in raw material acquisition and material processing phases but may increase CO2 emissions in manufacturing and recycling phases. In 2050, hydrogen metallurgy will contribute an additional 12.49 Mt and 300.95 Mt of CO2 reduction to the raw material acquisition and material processing phases, respectively. However, CO2 emissions in the manufacturing and recycling phases would be 32.15 Mt and 0.22 Mt more than in the BAU scenario due to the increased electricity consumption and scrap demand of electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking, respectively. Over time, the optimization of hydrogen production and power supply mix will gradually reduce CO2 emissions in each IS production process. In 2050, the CO2 intensity of the hydrogen-rich shaft furnace direct reduced iron (H2-DRI)-EAF process will drop to 753.41 kgCO2/t, which is lower than all other processes except the 100 % scrap-based EAF process. Advancing the development of the H2-DRI-EAF process can effectively achieve CO2 emissions reduction while alleviating dependence on scrap resources. The results are expected to inform government policy on the development of hydrogen metallurgy in China and other countries.

Energy and environment: How could energy-consuming transition promote the synergy of pollution reduction and carbon emission reduction in China?

In order to attain the mutually reinforcing advantages of pollution reduction and carbon emissions, it is imperative to give precedence to the prevention and control of carbon pollution from its source, hence promoting a forward-thinking approach to governance. Hence, there is an urgent need for theoretical explanation and empirical verification to determine whether the energy-consuming right trading system, which serves as a conventional method for preventing and controlling pollution, has effectively achieved the desired outcome of reducing carbon emissions and promoting a mutually beneficial outcome. This study employs a panel data analysis of 266 prefecture-level cities in China spanning the years 2011 to 2020. The objective is to investigate the influence and underlying mechanism of the energy-consuming right trading system on the synergistic effects of pollution reduction and carbon emissions. At the same time, the heterogeneity analysis is carried out at three levels, including geographical location characteristics. The findings indicate that the energy-consuming right trading system has a substantial impact on enhancing the synergistic effects of pollution reduction and carbon emissions. In comparison to cities that did not implement the system, the pilot cities experience a reduction of 84.8% in CO2 and 34.5% in SO2. Eco-environment attention, clean energy substitution, energy consumption structure, and green technology innovation are the key transmission mechanisms of the energy-consuming right trading system affecting the synergistic effects of pollution reduction and carbon emissions. In addition, the effect is significantly different in different cities.

Synergistic regional emission reductions in China: Network evolution, spatial and temporal characteristics, and driving factor

Synergistic regional emission reduction (SRER) is an important part of the strategy to achieve carbon neutrality. In this paper, a system efficiency value-added model is proposed to measure the strength of SRER network relationships for 40,186 sets of city pairs and the SRER levels of 284 cities in China from 2011 to 2021. Subsequently, the evolution characteristics of the SRER network, the spatial and temporal characteristics of urban SRER levels, and the driving factors of the SRER network evolution are further analyzed. The results are as follows: SRER network is shifting from a fan-shaped network pattern of “three-region clustering and sporadic coverage” to a shuttle-shaped nested network pattern of “east-west linkage and multi-region support”. Time series analysis found that urban SRER level in China showed fluctuating growth characteristics during the study period. Spatial analysis reveals that the spatial autocorrelation of urban SRER level is decreasing, and the spatial distribution range is expanding towards the southwest. Emission reduction comparative advantages (CAER), green innovation division of labor (GIDL) and urban economic linkages (LCEL) are driver factors of SRER network evolution. This study proposes an evaluation method for the urban SRER level from network relationships perspective. Subsequently, network evolution characterization, spatial and temporal characterization, and driving factor analysis were conducted. The results of the study provide important theoretical guidance and inspiration for grasping the current status and enhancement paths of China's urban SRER level.