Largest Emitter Of Greenhouse Gases Research Articles

Research on the changing trend of the carbon footprint of residents' consumption in Beijing.

Emission of greenhouse gas is a global environmental problem. In recent years, China has been facing growing international pressure because of its large energy consumption and elevated greenhouse gas emissions. As the capital of China, Beijing is central to the study of carbon emission reduction since its carbon emissions have ranked at the forefront nationwide. The existing literature mainly revolves around carbon emissions of a few specific years, and there is a lack of trend study of multiple years in Beijing. This paper, based on the input-output method, calculates carbon emissions in Beijing by carbon footprints; the changing trend analysis was carried out by researching available statistical data of three years, 2002, 2007, and 2012, from the perspective of the entire city of Beijing and from that of urban and rural residents' consumption. The reasons for the changing trends of total carbon emission in Beijing have also been analysed using the Structural Decomposition Analysis (SDA) model. Results show that the total direct carbon footprint as well as the urban and rural direct carbon footprints of residents' consumption in Beijing is all increasing gradually. The direct carbon footprint of urban residents' consumption is mainly produced by electricity, gasoline, and heating power, while that of rural residents' consumption is mainly produced by raw coal and electricity. The indirect carbon footprint of residents' consumption in Beijing is increasing gradually, and that of urban areas is higher than that of rural areas. The compositions of indirect carbon footprints of rural and urban residents' consumption are consistent, and both come mainly from the transportation and communication industry, housing, food, culture, education, entertainment, etc. The SDA results show that the per capita consumption level is the main driving factor for the increase of the indirect carbon footprint of Beijing residents' consumption, and the intensity of CO2 emission is the main inhibiting factor. Finally, suggestions for reducing carbon emissions from urban and rural perspectives have been put forward.

Nitrous oxide emissions of a mesh separated single stage deammonification reactor.

It is widely accepted that partial nitrification by ANAMMOX has the potential to become one of the key processes in wastewater treatment. However, large greenhouse gas emissions have been panobserved in many cases. A novel mesh separated reactor, developed to allow continuous operation of deammonification at smaller scale without external biomass selection, was compared to a conventional single-chamber deammonification sequencing batch reactor (SBR), where both were equally-sized pilot-scale reactors. The mesh reactor consisted of an aerated and an anoxic zone separated by a mesh. The resulting differences in the structure of the microbial community were detected by next-generation sequencing. When both systems were operated in a sequencing batch mode, both systems had comparable nitrous oxide emission factors in the range of 4% to 5% of the influent nitrogen load. A significant decrease was observed after switching from sequencing batch mode to continuous operation.

Decoupling economic growth from GHG emissions: Decomposition analysis by sectoral factors for Australia

Australia has celebrated twenty-six consecutive years of economic growth without a recession. Simultaneously, it is one of the ten largest emitters of greenhouse gases (GHG). This paper employed the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index method to provide evidence of the effect of decoupling economic growth from GHG emissions for all Australian sectors and used an efficiency index to provide evidence of the evolution in efficiency of the Australian sectors, over the period 1990–2015. The results obtained indicate that Australia experienced strong decoupling. However, only two of the six sectors (agricultural and commercial services) exhibited strong decoupling, while the others demonstrated weak decoupling. Among these, the agricultural sector performed a dominant role in decoupling, whereas the construction sector made the most marginal contribution. In terms of factors effect, economic activity, followed by energy emissions, were the factors that most contributed to the decoupling. These effects were due to high Australian economic growth, and to high GHG emission reductions in the agricultural sector, respectively. Over the period under analysis, Australia was able to reduce national GHG emissions. With respect to efficiency by sector, the construction sector proved to be the most efficient, while the agricultural sector proved to be the least efficient. Australia should invest more in efficient technology so that all sectors become more efficient while simultaneously continuing to reduce their GHG emissions.

Low‐carbon evaluation of rural neighborhood: A case study of Yanhe Village, Hubei Province, China

AbstractClimate change has become a global issue influencing human survival and development while low‐carbon is the inevitable choice. As the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, China has become an important force that influences the cooperation of climate change. China is a large agricultural country, and the rural carbon emissions have been gradually increasing. We consider rural neighborhood as an important space for the use of low‐carbon ideas to address climate change. There is no specific assessment system for a rural neighborhood. The studies of rural neighborhood low‐carbon mainly focus on the method of calculation carbon emissions. However, only quantifying rural carbon emissions is insufficient. In this paper, a low‐carbon evaluation indicator system has been proposed for rural neighborhood and Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation has been applied to get the low‐carbon degree. Considering the influence and feedback inside the indicator system, Analytic Network Process was applied to get the weights. Furthermore, a case study was carried out for the using of the proposed method in an eco‐village of China. Our practice has proved that the system is easy to operate in rural neighborhood.

Cost-effective opportunities for climate change mitigation in Indian agriculture

Long-term changes in average temperatures, precipitation, and climate variability threaten agricultural production, food security, and the livelihoods of farming communities globally. Whilst adaptation to climate change is necessary to ensure food security and protect livelihoods of poor farmers, mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can lessen the extent of climate change and future needs for adaptation. Many agricultural practices can potentially mitigate GHG emissions without compromising food production. India is the third largest GHG emitter in the world where agriculture is responsible for 18% of total national emissions. India has identified agriculture as one of the priority sectors for GHG emission reduction in its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Identification of emission hotspots and cost-effective mitigation options in agriculture can inform the prioritisation of efforts to reduce emissions without compromising food and nutrition security.We adopted a bottom-up approach to analyse GHG emissions using large datasets of India's ‘cost of cultivation survey’ and the ‘19th livestock census’ together with soil, climate and management data for each location. Mitigation measures and associated costs and benefits of adoption, derived from a variety of sources including the literature, stakeholder meetings and expert opinion, were presented in the form of Marginal Abatement Cost Curves (MACC). We estimated that by 2030, business-as-usual GHG emissions from the agricultural sector in India would be 515 Megatonne CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e) per year with a technical mitigation potential of 85.5 MtCO2e per year through adoption of various mitigation practices. About 80% of the technical mitigation potential could be achieved by adopting only cost-saving measures. Three mitigation options, i.e. efficient use of fertilizer, zero-tillage and rice-water management, could deliver more than 50% of the total technical abatement potential.

Achieving China’s Long-Term Carbon Emission Abatement Targets: A Perspective from Regional Disparity

As China is the largest greenhouse gas emitter and has the characteristics of significant regional disparity, the issue of regional low-carbon development strategy is of vital importance for the achievement of the country’s long-term emission targets. This work focused on China’s long-term carbon emission abatement from the perspective of regional disparity. We firstly analyzed the national emission trajectories consistent with the current Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), 2 °C, and 1.5 °C goals in two economic growth pathways by 2050 using a linear programming model, then classified the provinces into three categories, and compared results of different scenarios of regional disparity patterns, economic growth rates, and emission targets. Results showed that different regional patterns led to different required carbon reduction targets for all categories, and the regional emission reduction measures had to be stronger in a higher growth rate or a more stringent emission target, especially for the developed areas. A scheme of regionally coordinated low-carbon development was then recommended for the formulation of long-term regional emission targets, and carbon reduction strategies for categories were proposed in terms of energy mix optimization, industrial transformation, and technology innovation, which is of great policy implication for China in regional development and national emission targets enhancement.

Large greenhouse gases emissions from China's lakes and reservoirs

Freshwaters are important sources of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to the atmosphere that may partially offset the terrestrial carbon sink. However, current emission estimates from inland waters remain uncertain due to data paucity in key regions with a large freshwater surface area, such as China. Here, we show that the areal fluxes of GHGs (carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide) from lakes and reservoirs in China are much larger than previous estimates. Our work summarized data from 310 lakes and 153 reservoirs, and revealed diffusive emissions of 1.56 (95% confidence interval: 1.12–2.00) Tg C-CH4/y and 25.2 (20.8–29.5) Tg C-CO2/y from reservoirs and lakes. Chinese lakes and reservoirs emit 175.0 (134.7–215.3) Tg CO2 equivalent, with 73.4% of this forcing contributed by lakes. These aquatic sources are equivalent to 14.1%–22.6% of China's estimated terrestrial carbon sink. Our results suggest a disproportionally high contribution of China's reservoirs and lakes to national and global GHGs emissions, highlighting major data gaps and the need of including more artificial and natural lakes data from developing countries like China in global GHGs budgets.

Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development in a Resource-Abundant Country: Challenges of Wind Power Generation in Kazakhstan

In recent years, the environmental effects of energy production have increasingly entered into the foreground of the sustainable development agenda. Hydrocarbon-abundant countries are blamed to become the largest emitters of greenhouse gases, trace metals, and other pollutants due to extensive use of oil, gas, and coal in energy production. Combustion of fossil fuels for heat and power generation is reported to be among the major reasons for progressing climate change globally. The United Nations and other international actors have called on national governments to substantially increase the share of renewable energy, but the main point is how to incentivize the resource-rich countries to shift to greener technologies. For the example of Kazakhstan, whose energy sector is centered on coal, this paper discusses the challenges and prospects of wind power as both an environmentally friendly and efficient option to support a transition of a resource-rich country to a green economy and a sustainable energy future. Forty-two locations across the country have been assessed on the parameters of average annual wind speed, wind availability, and four types of potential for wind power production: gross, technical, economic, and emissions reduction. Some of the key findings are that at the height below 50 m above ground level, wind power production is economically viable in electricity-deficientt southern territories, particularly, in Djungar, Saryzhas, Zhuzimdyk, and Taraz. In western, central, and northern parts of Kazakhstan, at a height above 50 m, the most promising areas for wind power production are Caspian, Northwestern, Central, and Tarbagatay corridors. The paper identifies the areas with the highest emission reduction potential and elaborates the policies to encourage the selection of wind farm locations based on their “economic potential-environmental effect” ratio. The approach allows assessing the opportunities, which decentralized wind energy systems offer to transition away from a dependence on fossil fuels and to enable sustainable economic growth.

How economic growth in Australia reacts to CO2 emissions, fossil fuels and renewable energy consumption

PurposeAustralia is one of the ten largest emitters of greenhouse gases but stands out from the others due to its economic growth without recession for 26 consecutive years. This paper aims to focus on the energy-growth nexus and the effects of energy consumption on the environment in Australia.Design/methodology/approachThis analysis is performed using annual data from 1965 to 2015 and the autoregressive distributed lag model.FindingsThe paper finds empirical evidence of a trade-off between economic growth and carbon dioxide (CO2) intensity. The results show that increased gross domestic product (GDP) in Australia increased investment in renewable energy sources (RESs), although the renewable technology is limited and has no impact on reducing CO2 intensity in the long run. In contrast to investment in RES, fossil fuels, coal and oil, are decreased by GDP. However, oil consumption increased renewable energy consumption, and this reflects the pervading effect of the growing economy.Originality/valueOverall, this paper contributes to the literature by analysing the behaviour of both energy consumption and the environment on the growing Australian economy. In addition, this paper goes further by studying the impact of economic growth on renewable and non-renewable energy consumption, as well as on CO2 emissions. The study is conducted on a single country for which literature is scarce, using a recent approach and a long time period.

Carbon dioxide and methane fluxes at the air–sea interface of Red Sea mangroves

Abstract. Mangrove forests are highly productive tropical and subtropical coastal systems that provide a variety of ecosystem services, including the sequestration of carbon. While mangroves are reported to be the most intense carbon sinks among all forests, they can also support large emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), to the atmosphere. However, data derived from arid mangrove systems like the Red Sea are lacking. Here, we report net emission rates of CO2 and CH4 from mangroves along the eastern coast of the Red Sea and assess the relative role of these two gases in supporting total GHG emissions to the atmosphere. Diel CO2 and CH4 emission rates ranged from −3452 to 7500 µmol CO2 m−2 d−1 and from 0.9 to 13.3 µmol CH4 m−2 d−1 respectively. The rates reported here fall within previously reported ranges for both CO2 and CH4, but maximum CO2 and CH4 flux rates in the Red Sea are 10- to 100-fold below those previously reported for mangroves elsewhere. Based on the isotopic composition of the CO2 and CH4 produced, we identified potential origins of the organic matter that support GHG emissions. In all but one mangrove stand, GHG emissions appear to be supported by organic matter from mixed sources, potentially reducing CO2 fluxes and instead enhancing CH4 production, a finding that highlights the importance of determining the origin of organic matter in GHG emissions. Methane was the main source of CO2 equivalents despite the comparatively low emission rates in most of the sampled mangroves and therefore deserves careful monitoring in this region. By further resolving GHG fluxes in arid mangroves, we will better ascertain the role of these forests in global carbon budgets.

Prospecting the sustainability implications of an emerging industrial symbiosis network

In order to enable industrial symbiosis (IS) as an approach for regional sustainable development, it is important that stakeholders involved in facilitating symbiotic exchanges can measure and comprehend the potential benefits and impacts. However, previous assessments have been sporadic and limited to only a few indicators, primarily focused only on existing IS examples or networks and very few have examined potential developments. This study expands the assessment of IS networks by reviewing the environmental and socio-economic implications of an emerging network on the west coast of Sweden using life cycle assessment and socio-economic assessments to illustrate the implications for the firms of the network and regional sustainability. The results suggest that the IS network has the potential to make a positive contribution to the environmental performance of the industries and the socio-economic status of the region. Of key importance is the potential to cascade the use of nutrients and avoid large eutrophication impacts to the neighboring sea in addition to the large greenhouse gas emissions reductions by avoiding and replacing conventional processes and products. The socio-economic assessment illustrated that the IS network could make a substantial contribution to the region for job creation, revenues, local skills base, research and innovation and regional identity. The results provide insights on the potential of industrial symbiosis for regional sustainable development, which may be important for decision makers, firms involved in the network and municipalities, nationally and internationally to advance local efforts with facilitating industrial symbiosis and to understand how these networks can be assessed.

The impact of economic growth on CO2 emissions in Australia: the environmental Kuznets curve and the decoupling index.

Australia is the sixth largest country in the world, celebrating its 26th consecutive year without a recession. However, the country is one of the ten largest emitters of greenhouse gases, mainly caused by energy use. As such, Australia is facing a trade-off between economic growth and reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This paper empirically analyses the relationship between economic growth and CO2 emissions in Australia, based on annual data from 1965 to 2016, considering the consumption of the fossil fuels oil and coal and renewable energy. This analysis is performed using the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) and the Decoupling Index (DI). The EKC is assessed by employing the autoregressive distributed lag model. In addition, a robustness check is provided through the vector error correction model, which allows for the employment of the Granger causality test. The results show that in Australia, there is evidence for the EKC hypothesis, and that the country is undergoing increasing relative decoupling. These results mean that economic growth causes CO2 emissions and consequently environmental degradation. To achieve environmental targets and reduce the rate of CO2 emissions while continuing to grow, Australia needs to implement measures and policies to cut CO2 emissions, such as energy demand management and control, energy efficiency, reducing fossil fuel consumption, and investing in renewable energy technology.

Future ozone-related acute excess mortality under climate and population change scenarios in China: A modeling study.

BackgroundClimate change is likely to further worsen ozone pollution in already heavily polluted areas, leading to increased ozone-related health burdens. However, little evidence exists in China, the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter and most populated country. As China is embracing an aging population with changing population size and falling age-standardized mortality rates, the potential impact of population change on ozone-related health burdens is unclear. Moreover, little is known about the seasonal variation of ozone-related health burdens under climate change. We aimed to assess near-term (mid-21st century) future annual and seasonal excess mortality from short-term exposure to ambient ozone in 104 Chinese cities under 2 climate and emission change scenarios and 6 population change scenarios.Methods and findingsWe collected historical ambient ozone observations, population change projections, and baseline mortality rates in 104 cities across China during April 27, 2013, to October 31, 2015 (2013–2015), which included approximately 13% of the total population of mainland China. Using historical ozone monitoring data, we performed bias correction and spatially downscaled future ozone projections at a coarse spatial resolution (2.0° × 2.5°) for the period April 27, 2053, to October 31, 2055 (2053–2055), from a global chemistry–climate model to a fine spatial resolution (0.25° × 0.25°) under 2 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs): RCP4.5, a moderate global warming and emission scenario where global warming is between 1.5°C and 2.0°C, and RCP8.5, a high global warming and emission scenario where global warming exceeds 2.0°C. We then estimated the future annual and seasonal ozone-related acute excess mortality attributable to both climate and population changes using cause-specific, age-group-specific, and season-specific concentration–response functions (CRFs). We used Monte Carlo simulations to obtain empirical confidence intervals (eCIs), quantifying the uncertainty in CRFs and the variability across ensemble members (i.e., 3 predictions of future climate and air quality from slightly different starting conditions) of the global model. Estimates of future changes in annual ozone-related mortality are sensitive to the choice of global warming and emission scenario, decreasing under RCP4.5 (−24.0%) due to declining ozone precursor emissions but increasing under RCP8.5 (10.7%) due to warming climate in 2053–2055 relative to 2013–2015. Higher ambient ozone occurs under the high global warming and emission scenario (RCP8.5), leading to an excess 1,476 (95% eCI: 898 to 2,977) non-accidental deaths per year in 2053–2055 relative to 2013–2015. Future ozone-related acute excess mortality from cardiovascular diseases was 5–8 times greater than that from respiratory diseases. Ozone concentrations increase by 15.1 parts per billion (10−9) in colder months (November to April), contributing to a net yearly increase of 22.3% (95% eCI: 7.7% to 35.4%) in ozone-related mortality under RCP8.5. An aging population, with the proportion of the population aged 65 years and above increased from 8% in 2010 to 24%–33% in 2050, will substantially amplify future ozone-related mortality, leading to a net increase of 23,838 to 78,560 deaths (110% to 363%). Our analysis was mainly limited by using a single global chemistry–climate model and the statistical downscaling approach to project ozone changes under climate change.ConclusionsOur analysis shows increased future ozone-related acute excess mortality under the high global warming and emission scenario RCP8.5 for an aging population in China. Comparison with the lower global warming and emission scenario RCP4.5 suggests that climate change mitigation measures are needed to prevent a rising health burden from exposure to ambient ozone pollution in China.

The EU’s REDD+ Policy Developments and the Lessons from the Policy Implementation in West Papua and Papua, Indonesia

Despite its short history of development, the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) policy has started to establish itself as an effective policy for securing carbon offsets for large emitters of greenhouse gases including the European Union (EU). Corresponding to the direction of the international climate change policy area, this article primarily presents the current state of the EU REDD+ policy implementation. It offers considerations and suggestions to overcome the challenges facing an ongoing EU REDD+ project in West Papua and Papua in Indonesia to better direct the policy. First, to provide a primary overview of EU REDD+ policy developments, the article analyses the policy developments at the EU level, including its legal basis, as well as the roles of the EU’s REDD+ policy as it relates to institutions. Second, this article presents the background of the ongoing project in West Papua and Papua, Indonesia, and identifies and analyses the main challenges facing the implementation of the ongoing project. Third, the article discusses the author’s own view regarding these challenges. Finally, in the conclusion, it discusses the prospects and limitations of the EU’s REDD+ policy.

Developing China’s National Emission Trading Scheme: Experiences from Existing Global Schemes and China’s Pilot Programs

Market-based emission trading schemes (ETSs) are widely used in the developed world to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions which are perceived as the source of global climate change. China, as the largest GHG emitter in the world, is committed to introducing an ETS to reduce emissions. Here we reviewed existing ETSs and sustainable energy policies worldwide as well as China’s pilot programs. These studies were conducted in order to propose recommendations for national initiatives and strategies to be implemented in China in relation to climate change adaptation and mitigation. It has been shown that setting emission caps in the context of a national emission intensity target is difficult. However, implementing reliable systems for measurement, reporting, and verification of emissions are essential. A two-level management system (by central and provincial governments) for carbon trading is beneficial to ensure uniform standards and compliance while maintaining flexibility. Persistent political support from, and effective coordination of, policies by the government are crucial. In addition, strengthening of institutional innovation, and the establishment of a national GHG emissions information system, are of equal importance. This vital information could provide a great opportunity for China to re-define its economic growth and take global leadership in combatting climate change.

Challenges in Implementing Emission Mitigation Technologies in Indonesia Agricultural Sector: Criticizing the Available Mitigation Technologies

Abstract Reduction of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions in the agricultural sector is the main target for reducing non-CO2 emissions. In Indonesia, the agricultural sector is the third largest GHG emitter, far behind that from Land Use Change and Forestry (LUCF) and the energy sector. However, the agricultural sector is the biggest contributor of non-CO2 emissions and is also the most vulnerable sector to climate change. The Indonesian government is committed to reduce total emission inform current levels by 29% by 2030 under Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). This will require reductions in emissions from all sectors including agriculture. Several mitigation technologies have been recommended by UNFCCC for implementation such as replacing urea with ammonium sulfate fertilizer; replacing nitrogen fertilizer with multicontent fertilizer; water irrigation management; replacing roughage with concentrate as livestock feed; and building biogas digesters. From our Computer General Equilibrium (CGE) simulation, if the focus of mitigation technology implementation in agriculture is to reduce non-CO2 emissions gases such as CH4 and N2O, then a comprehensive approach is needed. If the government implements the technology partially, we predict there will be a trade-off between CH4 and N2O emission. However, our simulation shows the loss to GDP caused by a new emission mitigation policy is very high even though Indonesia has invested for mitigation technology in agriculture. This is because we consider the additional investment needed will be costly and some technologies may not be suitable for implementation in Indonesia. In this research, we review current literature and examine each technology and its cost and compatibility with Indonesian situations in order to make policy recommendations for implementation by the Indonesia government.

Fish aggregating sound technique (FAST): how low-frequency sound could be used in fishing and ranching of cod

Abstract In marine fisheries, considerable development has occurred in capture technology. Yet, some of the current fishing methods impact the environment by large greenhouse gas emission, harmful effects to benthic communities, and/or high bycatch of juvenile and unwanted species. It is proposed that for some fish species these deficiencies could be mitigated by classical conditioning using sound and food reward to concentrate wild fish before capture with environmentally friendly fishing gear. Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), which globally is among the fish species with the highest landed value, can be acoustically trained. In a sea cage, it takes about a week to train a group of naïve cod to associate low frequency (250 Hz) sound with food, whereas the training of a group of naïve cod accompanied with one trained cod takes less than a day. In inshore areas, it takes a few weeks to attract thousands of cod to stations where food is regularly delivered. These conditioned cod wait at the stations for their meals and do not mingle much with the unconditioned cod which hunt for wild prey. It is suggested that by calling acoustically conditioned fish between stations, a much larger number of naïve fish can be gathered. This so-called fish aggregating sound technique (FAST) may thus facilitate the accumulation of wild fish and expedite their capture with a purse seine or a trap in a way that minimizes fuel consumption and mortality of juveniles and unwanted species. The operation of FAST requires exclusive rights of a designated fishing area. The exclusivity makes it possible to on-grow the fish in free-ranging schools and sea cages for several months to increase their size and food quality before capture.

Comparison of Greenhouse Gas Reduction Potential through Renewable Energy Transition in South Korea and Germany

Germany and South Korea are the world’s sixth and seventh largest emitters of greenhouse gases, respectively; their main sources of pollution being fossil-fueled power plants. Since both countries signed the Paris Agreement in 2016, renewable energy transition is emerging as an effective means and method for avoiding air pollutant emissions and for replacing old fossil-fueled power plants. This paper attempts to evaluate—by using a grid emission factor dependent on a series of energy mix scenarios—the potential for South Korea and Germany to reduce their air pollutants (CO2, NOx, SOx, PM (particulate matter)) until 2030. South Korea plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by increasing nuclear power, while Germany aims to do so by shutting down its nuclear power plants and expanding the proportion of renewable energy in the energy mix to over 50%. Therefore, both countries are able to achieve their voluntary greenhouse gas reduction targets in the power sector. However, since the uncertainty of the CO2 emission factor of coal power plants in South Korea is as high as 10%, efforts to reduce that uncertainty are required in order to produce a reliable assessment of the avoided emissions.

Climate-Change Journalism and “Edgeball” Politics in Contemporary China

ABSTRACTClimate change is a complex and uncertain phenomenon, requiring political approaches that can find compromise and incorporate feedback from experience, as well as harness the role of civil society in holding governments to account. It thus presents an unusual challenge for China, the world’s largest greenhouse-gas emitter and an authoritarian regime, which tends to avoid the inclusion of non-state actors in governance. Drawing on ethnographic research among contemporary Chinese environmental journalists, this article suggests that climate change, as a destabilizing phenomenon with nonlinear and uncertain dynamics, can be drawn upon to develop a pluralistic political position that may run counter to such authoritarian approaches. It shows that Chinese journalists can create in climate reporting a space where outcomes are not known in advance, and where people therefore might generate political positions that challenge dominant narratives around science, technology, and the environment.

The untapped potential of preferential trade agreements for climate governance

ABSTRACTThe regulatory contribution that preferential trade agreements (PTAs) make to global climate governance is assessed through an analysis of climate-related provisions found in 688 PTAs signed between 1947 and 2016. Provisions are analyzed along four dimensions: innovation, legalization, replication, and distribution. Innovative climate provisions are found in several PTAs that are in some cases more specific and enforceable than the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. Nonetheless, these climate provisions offer limited progress because they remain weakly ‘legalized’, fail to replicate broadly in the global trade system, and were not adopted by the largest greenhouse gas emitters. Despite the inclusion of innovative climate provisions in a number of PTAs, their poor design and weak replication position them as some of the weakest environmental provisions within PTAs.