Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions Research Articles

Insights into the evolutionary and ecological adaption strategies of nirS- and nirK-type denitrifying communities.

Denitrification is a crucial process in the global nitrogen cycle, in which two functionally equivalent genes, nirS and nirK, catalyse the critical reaction and are usually used as marker genes. The nirK gene can function independently, whereas nirS requires additional genes to encode nitrite reductase and is more sensitive to environmental factors than nirK. However, the ecological differentiation mechanisms of those denitrifying microbial communities and their adaptation strategies to environmental stresses remain unclear. Here, we conducted metagenomic analysis for sediments and bioreactor samples from Lake Donghu, China. We found that nirS-type denitrifying communities had a significantly lower horizontal gene transfer frequency than that of nirK-type denitrifying communities, and nirS gene phylogeny was more congruent with taxonomy than that of nirK gene. Metabolic reconstruction of metagenome-assembled genomes further revealed that nirS-type denitrifying communities have robust metabolic systems for energy conservation, enabling them to survive under environmental stresses. Nevertheless, nirK-type denitrifying communities seemed to adapt to oxygen-limited environments with the ability to utilize various carbon and nitrogen compounds. Thus, this study provides novel insights into the ecological differentiation mechanism of nirS and nirK-type denitrifying communities, as well as the regulation of the global nitrogen cycle and greenhouse gas emissions.

Analysis of low-carbon technology transfer strategies based on a quadrilateral evolutionary game

Promoting low-carbon technology transfer is crucial for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions, combating climate change, and fostering sustainable development. Based on the “efficient market” and “active government” concepts, a “government-intermediary-receiver-sender” game model was constructed, identifying evolutionary stable strategies and key factors affecting strategy selection. It was found that (1) receiver and sender needs and government policy incentives increase intermediaries' willingness to participate, reducing input costs and shifting government support from incentives to compensatory regulations; (2) optimal strategies emerge when incentives for low-carbon technology senders, receivers, and intermediaries, and penalties for serious defaults by senders and receivers exceed a threshold, fostering high participation willingness and leading to government implementation of compensatory regulations; (3) differentiated penalties are necessary to avoid a sender-receiver prisoner's dilemma but only ensure one side's willingness to participate, while government incentive-based regulation can overcome negative constraints and promote active participation from both sender and receiver. Compensatory regulations encourage sustained technology transfer costs and reduce incentive costs, with optimization focusing on lowering government publicity costs and increasing economic benefits for intermediaries.

Optimization strategies for carbon neutrality in a maize-soybean rotation production system from farm to gate

Agricultural food production stands as a primary source of global greenhouse gas emissions, with residue management widely acknowledged as an effective avenue to achieve carbon neutrality. However, there is a lack of comprehensive assessment of the carbon footprint of agricultural residue production, processing, and recycling from farm to gate. Here we conducted a hybrid approach that integrated the DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC) model and life cycle carbon footprint to co-optimize water and residue management, targeting carbon neutrality and yield increase. The results revealed that controlled drainage with sub-irrigation (CDSI) served as a potent water management strategy to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions (15.65 %) while increasing yield (24.34 %) compared to free drainage. Regardless of the type of bioproduct, incorporating CDSI with downstream residue utilization exhibited substantial potential for carbon-negative emissions, reducing the average farm carbon footprint to −1538.15 kg CO2 eq yr−1. Among those scenarios, the CDSI with bioethanol scenario particularly stands out with its robust carbon mitigation capability (−1994.94 kg CO2 eq yr−1), driven by the enormous energy demand throughout the agricultural production process and the environmental friendliness of bioethanol, which substantially exceeds that of gasoline. However, challenges such as high plant construction costs and extended investment payback periods associated with residue conversion underscore the need for the urgent establishment of national subsidies and market mechanisms to foster carbon neutrality in agricultural production.

Minimize Energy Consumption of CO2 Release in a Flow Electrolyzer By Optimizing Direct Air Capture Solvents

Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, almost 200 nations have committed to the global goal of limiting the rise in average temperatures to 2.0 °C above preindustrial levels, with an even more ambitious aim of striving for 1.5 °C. Achieving the 1.5 °C objective requires a 45% reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, ultimately reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. Numerous industries are increasingly making commitments to combat climate change by minimizing their CO2 emissions. However, certain sectors face challenges due to the current high costs associated with emissions reduction through available technologies, though these costs are expected to decrease over time. Moreover, in specific industries like cement production, there are emissions sources that cannot be entirely eliminated, such as those arising from the inherent calcination process. Given these constraints, realizing the emissions reduction pathway to the 1.5 °C target requires the adoption of negative emissions processes, including technologies like direct air capture (DAC), to actively remove CO2 from the atmosphere.The operational concept of the DAC process explored in this study is based on the utilization of both the solvent-based method and alkaline water electrolysis. This involves regenerating the solvent through pH fluctuations generated by a carbonate electrolyzer. As depicted in Figure 1, the consumption of OH- ions during O2 evolution leads to a decrease in pH at the anolyte loop, while the production of OH- ions through water splitting causes an increase in pH at the catholyte loop. Consequently, the lowered pH environment facilitates the release of CO2 gas from dissolved carbon species such as CO32-, while the heightened pH environment promotes the formation of alkaline hydroxides for carbon capture in an air absorber.In this work, we will aim to analyze the energy consumption per mole of CO2 released from the anolyte loop of a flow electrolyzer. Utilizing a combination of theoretical predictions and experimental validations, significant insights were obtained for optimizing the DAC solvent. This optimization involves minimizing energy consumption by adjusting alkalinity levels and incorporating supporting electrolytes. Figure 1

Electrochemical Plasma-Activated CO2 Reduction at a Plasma-Water Interface

The development of technologies and processes to decarbonize chemical and fuel production is key to reducing global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction enables a sustainable pathway to circularize carbon-based chemical products by upgrading recovered carbon dioxide using renewable energy sources. Electrochemical CO2 reduction has successfully been employed to produce chemicals such as methanol and ethylene, but it has been hindered by dependence on elevated temperature to achieve high yields and limited ability to generate higher order carbon products. Non-thermal carbon dioxide plasma can be generated at ambient temperature and pressure and contains energetically excited oxygen and carbon species. When introduced to an electrocatalyst, these reactive species could more readily participate in reaction pathways with higher activation barriers towards forming higher order carbon species compared to electrochemical reactions involving ground-state reactants. Further, plasma discharges over water in an electrochemical cell generate plasma-activated water, introducing solvated electrons and secondary reactive oxygen species.In this work, we investigate how the use of plasma-activated carbon dioxide and a plasma-water interface impacts electrochemical product generation. We design a novel non-thermal plasma electrode to discharge carbon dioxide plasma into water in an electrochemical cell with a Cu nanoparticle electrocatalyst. Results suggest the potential for a plasma-water electrochemical system to generate value-added products that are less commonly generated in electrochemical processes at ambient pressure and temperature.

Electrolyte Formulation By Design of Experiments: The Hidden Correlations in the Li-Mediated Nitrogen Reduction Reaction for Ammonia Production

Ammonia, a fundamental building-block for fertilizers and other many commodities, is responsible, through the Haber-Bosh (HB) process, of around 1.4% of the global greenhouse gas emissions. Indeed, HB operates in severe conditions (200 atm), and is fossil fuel dependent, since the few huge, centralized plants are combined with steam reforming for H2 production. To find a renewable-driven and delocalized electrochemical process for NH3 production, complementary to HB, could be a key solution for our society that is facing climate change crisis and that is demographically growing [1].In view of process electrification, the Li-mediated (Li-m) pathway represents the most promising solution in the N2 reduction reaction (NRR) challenging field. Exploiting the unique reducing power of this alkali metal, this strategy achieves the highest Faradic efficiency (FE) and NH3 production rate [2,3,4].Li+ ions from the aprotic electrolyte are electrodeposited on the cathode, where N2 is reduced and protonated into NH3 thanks to a proton donor or a proton shuttle, as EtOH. On the plated Li, a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) unavoidably forms, and its nature and morphology are straightly dependent on the electrolyte composition. The different diffusion rate of Li+, N2, and H+ trough the SEI layer determines the selectivity towards NH3 formation. The correct reactant ratio at the electrode surface is essential to hinder both the hydrogen evolution reaction and an excessive Li plating, maximizing the FE [5,6].Design of experiment (DoE) together with response surface methodology (RSM) are a powerful tool that can reveal, with a restricted number of experiments (e.g. 9), the optimal composition of the electrolyte towards the highest FE and the hidden intercorrelations among variables. In particular, we aimed at studying two key variables, i.e. EtOH and Li-salt concentration; to this purpose, the Doehlert design with two factors and three replicates of the central point was chosen and RSM was employed to model the response and determine the optimal conditions.The study was repeated with two different fluorinated Li-salt, LiBF4 and LiFOB. LiBF4 has recently shown an improved stability and FE for the Li-m NRR process, correlated to the LiF presence in the SEI layer. The optimal combination of the electrolyte components obtained from the DoE for LiBF4 is in accordance with previous study, validating the statistical methodology applied. The newly proposed salt showed an increase of the 25% in the FE with respect to LiBF4 in the same conditions [7,8]. Experiments was conducted under 20 bar N2 in an autoclaved glass cell with a proper gas purification. As in previous study with this Li-m strategy in this set-up, even in this case the total NH3 amount obtained overcame the amount of possible impurities coming from the N2 gas, moreover controls tests with Ar instead of N2 were performed.

Transformation of the Agrifood System and Climate Change

Objective: Emissions from the agri-food system (AFS) account for between 21% and 37% of total global greenhouse gas emissions. Concurrently, climate change has the potential to significantly impact the AFS production processes. The objective is to clarify the context that justifies the need for transformation and transition of the agri-food system, considering climate change as a prioritized challenge. Method: This study adopts a descriptive, bibliographical approach with a qualitative analysis. Content analysis of the literature review enabled examination of: a) the AFS's contribution to global emissions, and b) its susceptibility to climate change impacts. Results and Discussion: The agri-food chain has been notably responsible for emitting a substantial amount of greenhouse gases, particularly during land-use change and in pre- and post-production processes including manufacturing, transportation, refrigeration, food processing, packaging, and waste disposal. Additionally, the agri-food sector is among the most affected by climate change effects, notably due to increased occurrences of extreme events affecting agricultural production, harvesting, and other chain processes, thereby leading to rising prices and food scarcity. Research Implications: This paper highlights the importance of developing and expanding sustainable agri-food systems in response to the intensifying impacts of climate change and food insecurity. Originality/Value: The study aims to contribute to the discourse on the imperative for transformation and transition from the dominant agri-food system paradigm towards alternative production approaches that are more sustainable and resilient to environmental changes.

Genetic algorithm-based optimization of combined supercritical CO2 power and flash-tank enhanced transcritical CO2 refrigeration cycle for shipboard waste heat recuperation

The shipping industry significantly contributes to global trade and economy, but is also responsible for approximately ∼3 % of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Harnessing waste heat from marine vessels to perform useful work is a potential solution to reduce these emissions. Although the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) and CO2 cycles have been studied separately for waste heat recovery, a combined power and refrigeration systems, utilizing both cycles have not been reported. Herein, a combined system, “Marine Energy Recovery System (MERS)”, that integrates the supercritical CO2 Brayton power cycle with a flash-tank-enhanced transcritical CO2 refrigeration cycle, is proposed, aiming to generate power and provide cooling simultaneously. The power cycle incorporates an ORC, and a flash-tank is introduced within the refrigeration cycle to improve system performance. Both cycles share a low-temperature recuperator and a gas cooler to further utilize the heat between them. The MERS is evaluated from both a 1st and 2nd law perspective against various performance metrics under different operating conditions, such as: gas cooler pressure, evaporation temperature, and turbine inlet temperature and pressure. Results elucidated that the MERS achieved energy and exergy efficiencies of 54.62 % and 54.90 %, respectively, representing significant improvements over similar systems. The net work output improved by 717.55 kW and the net cooling capacity by 515.7 kW relative to the reference system. Furthermore, a COP of 2.99 outlines its potential as a cooling system. To further enhance MERS’s performance, a multi-objective optimization approach is employed, utilizing Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Genetic Algorithm (GA). Optimal operational conditions yielded an energy efficiency of 74.95 % while maintaining a net work output of 6890.55 kW with gas cooler pressure, turbine inlet temperature, and gas cooler outlet temperature being 9.5 MPa, 461.76°C and 50°C respectively. These findings support the reliability and improved design of the MERS for future marine applications.

Unpacking the environmental quality through the effects of natural resources, renewable energy consumption, banking development and industrial value addition: An empirical evidence from BRICS countries

This study explores the association between natural resources rent, industrial value addition, banking development, renewable energy consumption, total reserves and environmental quality in the dynamic context of BRICS nations from 1995 to 2019. BRICS economies are responsible for global greenhouse gas emissions and confront pressing environmental challenges, including biodiversity loss and pollution. For the dependent variable, the environmental quality, the study constructed a composite index using PCA for all environmental indicators where interdependencies among variables are prevalent. Besides this, the study incorporates two interaction terms to determine the indirect influence of natural resource rent and banking development on environmental quality through the mediating role of industrial value addition. By applying the CS-ARDL technique, the outcomes of the study reveal that natural resources rent, industrial value addition, and total reserves positively influence ENQ, indicating the adverse consequences of industrial sectors on environmental quality and continued environmental degradation due to resource-intensive industrial production, underscoring the urgency of sustainable resource management. In contrast, banking development and renewable energy consumption negatively influence ENQ, signifying the positive role of developed banking sectors in supporting eco-friendly projects and enhancing environmental quality. This study offers valuable insights for policy interventions to foster a more sustainable future.

Net Zero and Natural Resources Law: Sovereignty, Security and Solidarity in the Clean Energy Transition (Oxford University Press, 2024)

The IBA’s Section on Energy, Environment, Natural Resources and Infrastructure Law is advised by the Academic Advisory Group (AAG), a group of leading academics from around the world. Every two years, the AAG publishes a book about a key topic of interest to the entire Section. This year’s book focuses on the legal issues involved with the clean energy transition. In response to the climate emergency, several countries, corporations and other actors worldwide have announced programmes aimed at reducing global emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change to net zero by the year 2060 or earlier. While the need for a clean energy transition is clear, incoherently designed transition programmes could produce complex environmental, social and governance risks, including legal liability and protracted disputes. At the same time, the growing rush for minerals needed to manufacture clean energy technologies raises fundamental questions. Most crucial is how to ensure the exploration and development of energy transition minerals in a manner that does not exacerbate resource conflicts, resource nationalism, human rights violations, protectionism, energy insecurity, social exclusions and inequity, especially in conflict-affected and high-risk regions. These scenarios raise the need for net-zero and climate-aligned natural resource contracts, legislation and investment agreements to drive a just and inclusive energy transition. With presentations from some of the expert contributors to the latest AAG book, Net Zero and Natural Resources Law, this panel session reflected upon innovative legal drafting, contract negotiation and policymaking approaches needed to address the wide range of resource sovereignty, security and solidarity questions posed by the net zero transition.

Household Fuelwood Consumption and Its Implication for Carbon Dioxide Emission

This review paper aims to gather informative data on the impact of climate extremes on the physical environment, public health, and the livelihoods of people in Ethiopia. The primary sources of data for this review were peer-reviewed journal articles obtained from electronic databases such as PubMed, Central, Scopus, and Web of Science. Globally, the vast majority of households in developing countries depend on wood energy for their daily energy needs. Such consumption trends are expected to remain a common feature of traditional wood energy production and consumption, at least in the short- to medium-terms. This situation increases the demand for firewood and charcoal from the forest. The process of harvesting standing trees for charcoal and fire wood leads to forest degradation. Although woody biomass has the function of energy consumption, and as a source of income for rural villagers and urban poor dwellers practicing agriculture, wood energy generally has low priority in national policies of developing countries. However, unsustainable management and negative environmental consequences in humid and dry forests is derived from the use of fuel wood energy. Still now there is an unsystematic assessment of the economic contribution and environmental consequences of wood energy use, so its significance and consequences have been minimized. This deforestation and forest degradation contributes 1–2.4 Gt CO2e of greenhouse gases, which is 2–7% of global anthropogenic emissions, with global greenhouse gas emissions mostly CO2.

Semantic enrichment for BIM-based building energy performance simulations using semantic textual similarity and fine-tuning multilingual LLM

To achieve the global targets of the Paris Agreement of limiting global warming, it is necessary to reduce the operational energy of buildings, which are responsible for around 30% of the global greenhouse gas emissions. Building Energy Performance Simulation (BEPS) is an established method to estimate the building’s energy demand in early design stages. Building Information Models (BIM) provides geometric and semantic information to create precise Building Energy Models (BEM) in early design stages. However, manual enrichment of missing semantic information is still a time-consuming and laborious process. Therefore, we propose a novel methodology to automatically enrich missing information to BIM using Semantic Textual Similarity (STS) and fine-tuned Large Language Models (LLM). For every IfcSpace, we match room-specific space types and constructions with missing thermal properties using the semantic most similar pairs of the BIM model and the according databases. We use three real-world case studies to fine-tune LLMs, and two case studies evaluate the whole methodology. Different fine-tuning strategies, such as using different loss functions, adding opposing word pairs or domain-specific abbreviations, significantly improve the accuracy of the matching. At the same time, however, findings show that semantic matching based on multilingual fine-tuned LLM performs worse than translated, monolingually fine-tuned LLM. Finally, BEPS results from automatically enriched BEM only slightly deviate from manually enriched BEM.

PERHITUNGAN EMISI GAS RUMAH KACA DALAM KAWASAN PERTAMBANGAN

Carbon emissions are one of the components of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2) which mainly comes from the use of fossil fuels and various human activities. Based on fossil fuel and industrial emissions data, in 2022 Indonesia ranked as the 6th largest carbon emitting country in the world after China, the United States, India, Russia and Japan, with 728.88 million tons of CO2e total emissions. The Ministry of Industry reported that total GHG emissions from Indonesia's industrial sector reached 238.1 million tons of CO2e in 2022. In the mining industry, GHG emissions originate from deforestation, energy use, processing, and refining, with non-renewable energy use being the largest emitter. GHG emissions from primary mineral and metal production contribute approximately 10% of global GHG emissions related to energy. Each mining industry may have varying primary sources of GHG emissions depending on the type of mine and the final product. Mining industries, as one of the major emitters, must conduct GHG inventories to understand emission sources and develop effective reduction strategies. GHG inventory activities are conducted based on guidelines provided by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry's National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Management Handbook (2012), Book II Volumes 1-4. Efforts to reduce GHG emissions can be undertaken through planting plants that have high carbon absorption and storage capabilities in mine reclamation activities, as well as using New and Renewable Energy (NRE) as an alternative to replace fossil energy.

Climate change, causes, economic impact and mitigation

The earth and its environment is currently undergoing changes, which may be natural as a result of the earth’s processes or artificial, as a result of man’s activities that has altered the natural earth processes. Climate change is a result of the alteration of the atmospheric balance which in-turn has diverse effects on the earth’s processes and her inhabitants. The aim of this review is primarily to elaborate the climate change, the causes, economic impact and methods of mitigating climate change. The effect of climate change is massive but this article is targeted towards the economic impact of climate change and methods of eliminating this effect in this area. It is a universal challenge, it therefore requires universal attention. This article is a review work on the previous publications on climate change including journals and other articles that are closely related to this topic, it goes ahead to reveal the current situations and effect of climate change in our society today and scientifically proven means of mitigating such effects. Fossil fuels are by far the largest contributor to global climate change, accounting for over 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 90% of all carbon emissions. Human activities have warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land, producing widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and biosphere. The methods of mitigating climate change are primarily by reducing the use of fossil fuels in order to stop adding more CO2, Nitrous acid and methane (which are all greenhouse gases) to the atmosphere, by using more of renewable energy such as solar energy, geothermal energy, and hydroelectricity. Practicing better farming systems to improve crop yield other than using harmful chemicals. Implementing policies against gas flaring, faulty automobiles discharging high amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, bush-burning, deforestation etc, should be practiced more.

Unlocking the significant worldwide potential of better waste and resource management for climate mitigation: with particular focus on the Global South.

Numbers do matter; the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)'s 2010 data that the waste sector is responsible for just 3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has led to the misperception that solid waste management (SWM) has little to contribute to climate mitigation. Global efforts to control methane emissions and divert organic waste from landfills had already reduced direct emissions. But end-of-pipe SWM has also been evolving into more circular waste and resource management, with indirect GHG savings from the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) which IPCC accounts for elsewhere in the economy. The evidence compiled here on both direct emissions and indirect savings demonstrates with high confidence that better waste and resource management can make a significant contribution to climate mitigation, and must form a core part of every country's nationally determined contribution. Even the most advanced countries can still achieve much from the 3Rs. In the Global South, the challenge of extending waste collection to all and stopping open dumping and burning (sustainable development goal 11.6.1), essential to improve public health, can be turned into a huge opportunity. Moving early to divert waste from landfill by separation at source and collecting clean organic and dry recycling fractions, will mitigate global GHG emissions, slash ocean plastics and create decent livelihoods. But this can only happen with targeted climate, plastics and extended producer responsibility finance; and help to local communities to help themselves.

Medical Students' Brief Overview of Climate Change Policies Implemented by Developed Countries: Their Application to Small Islands and Low-Lying Developing States

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are disproportionately impacted by climate change. SIDS emit less than 2.42% of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet they are the most affected. This article discusses the impact of climate change on SIDS, the strategies implemented by developed countries that can be adapted for SIDS and the challenges that must be overcome to combat climate change in SIDS.

Exploring the role of hydrogen in decarbonizing energy-intensive industries: A techno-economic analysis of a solid oxide fuel cell cogeneration system

Industry is nowadays one of the most energy-demanding sectors representing a major contributor of global greenhouse gas emissions. The simultaneous need for electricity and high-temperature heat is what makes some industrial processes difficult to decarbonize via current commercially available technologies. As the demand for materials and goods is expected to grow in the upcoming years, it is crucial to define which strategies and technologies will serve as the cornerstone of sustainable development. This study addresses the imperative need for emission reduction of energy-intensive sectors by proposing a novel hydrogen-based cogeneration system in the framework of the paper and pulp industry, with the aim of providing general insights relevant to a broader spectrum of similar applications. The comparative analysis presented in this work focuses on three cogeneration options aimed at satisfying the paper mill energy needs: a conventional natural gas-fuelled gas turbine, a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) fed with grey hydrogen produced via steam methane reforming, and a SOFC operating using green hydrogen produced on-site. The latter involves an integrated multi-energy system with photovoltaic panels, electrolyzers, compressors, and storage tanks. Indeed, the SOFC potential of supplying electricity and high-temperature heat in the form of pressurized steam for industrial applications has not been well investigated yet and represents one of the main objectives of this work. Building on the real consumption profiles of a paper mill facility, techno-economic analyses are carried out for many system configurations, varying components size and layout to assess their performance with respect to CO2 emissions and two key economic parameters, the Levelized Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH) and the net present cost. An in-house-developed flexible simulation framework is presented and expanded for the purposes of this study, including a detailed model that accounts for design and off-design performance of a SOFC cogeneration unit. Results demonstrate that integrating a SOFC with a heat recovery steam generator result in a 75% reduction in the mass flow of generable pressurized steam in comparison to a gas turbine. Additionally, in the cost-optimal scenario, CO2 emissions are 25% lower than the conventional gas turbine-based configuration, achieving complete independence from the electricity grid and an LCOH of 5.81€/kg without considering revenues from electricity sold.

The Impact of the Carbon Neutral Era on City Branding and Response Strategies

Against the backdrop of increasingly severe global warming, carbon neutrality has become a common goal for all countries, and carbon emission reduction has become an urgent action that all countries and cities need to take. As the center of human activities, cities are the main source of global greenhouse gas emissions, bearing tremendous responsibilities and challenges, and are crucial to promoting carbon neutrality and sustainable development. To achieve the goal of carbon neutrality and sustainable development, more and more cities have adopted various carbon emission reduction strategies to reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality, and enhance the quality of life for citizens. Urban branding is not only a reflection of the image and reputation of the city, but also an important tool for attracting talents, investments, and tourism. As an important component of urban image, urban branding and communication also need to be adjusted and optimized under the background of carbon neutrality era to adapt to and meet the needs of society and citizens. This article aims to explore the strategies and methods of urban branding and communication in the era of carbon neutrality, in order to help cities shape and disseminate competitive and attractive brand images under the carbon neutrality era, and provide suggestions and guidance for relevant urban managers and marketers on urban brand building and development, thereby promoting the sustainable development of urban brands.

Harnessing AI for Sustainable Shipping and Green Ports: Challenges and Opportunities

The maritime industry, responsible for moving approximately 90% of the world’s goods, significantly contributes to environmental pollution, accounting for around 2.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This review explores the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in promoting sustainability within the maritime sector, focusing on shipping and port operations. By addressing emissions, optimizing energy use, and enhancing operational efficiency, AI offers transformative potential for reducing the industry’s environmental impact. This review highlights the application of AI in fuel optimization, predictive maintenance, route planning, and smart energy management, alongside its role in autonomous shipping and logistics management. Case studies from Maersk Line and the Port of Rotterdam illustrate successful AI implementations, demonstrating significant improvements in fuel efficiency, emission reduction, and environmental monitoring. Despite challenges such as high implementation costs, data privacy concerns, and regulatory complexities, the prospects for AI in the maritime industry are promising. Continued advancements in AI technologies, supported by collaborative efforts and public–private partnerships, can drive substantial progress towards a more sustainable and efficient maritime industry.

Pathways to zero emissions in California’s heavy-duty transportation sector

California contributes 0.75% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and has a target of reaching economy-wide net zero emissions by 2045, requiring all sectors to rapidly reduce emissions. Nearly 8% of California’s GHG emissions are from the heavy-duty transportation sector. In this work, we simulate decarbonization strategies for the heavy-duty vehicle (HDV) fleet using detailed fleet turnover and air quality models to track evolution of the fleet, GHG and criteria air pollutant emissions, and resulting air quality and health impacts across sociodemographic groups. We assess the effectiveness of two types of policies: zero emission vehicle sales mandates, and accelerated retirement policies. For policies including early retirements, we estimate the cost of early retirements and the cost-effectiveness of each policy. We find even a policy mandating all HDV sales to be zero emission vehicles by 2025 would not achieve fleetwide zero emissions by 2045. For California to achieve its goal of carbon neutrality, early retirement policies are needed. We find that a combination of early retirement policies and zero emission vehicle sales mandates could reduce cumulative CO2 emissions by up to 64%. Furthermore, we find that decarbonization policies will significantly reduce air pollution-related mortality, and that Black, Latino, and low-income communities will benefit most. We find that policies targeting long-haul heavy-heavy duty trucks would have the greatest benefits and be most cost-effective.