Low Carbon Communities Research Articles

2 DEGREES – understanding the contribution of cities to a carbon neutral society

Climate change is understood to be a factual situation to deal with and the world community has agreed with the Paris agreement of 2015 to limiting global warming to 2 °C above the pre-industrial state. Cities and urban areas are at the core of anthropogenic climate emissions. So far, however, cities are not generally recognized as major action fields for a climate neutral society. Yet, individual examples of cities with a strong climate neutral agenda prove the overall societal and economic advantage of their actions.This study analyses 15 European cities to understand the influence and potentials, local actions and political activities as well as targets that cities can take and define to mitigate climate change and contribute to the global 2-degree goal. The empirical evaluation of the cities was conducted in 2017, using the science-based targets approach on public buildings as initial pilot. The study identifies critical internal and external success factors for effective climate engagements, particularly from the 1/3 of the cities whose strategies comply with the 2-degrees target. Criteria and levers are derived that help cities transform into low carbon communities. From that, a framework model and operational guidance are developed, binging cities in the position to develop their individual path towards the 2-degree goal.The results of the study are demonstrated by the case of the Swedish community of Växjö, showcasing how the early and broad adoption of low carbon policies and actions results in overall economic growth and prosperity as a ‘green community’.

Optimal Design and Operation of a Low Carbon Community Based Multi-Energy Systems Considering EV Integration

Hybridization of electricity, heat power, and transportation energy combines the advantages of multi-energy sources. This paper proposes the combined use of fuel cell, combined heat and power units (CHP), hot water tank storage, gas boiler and photovoltaic (PV) generators to meet the electrical, thermal and transportation electrification energy demands in an eco-friendly multienergy microgrid. An optimal energy balance methodology is proposed in this paper for sizing the capacity of fuel cell, CHP, gas boiler, and PV. The method is to minimize the total annual cost and emissions of the whole system, based on hourly electrical and thermal load profile. The methodology can be used as a planning tool for multi-energy systems.

Hidden Environmental Vulnerability in Relation to the Instability of two Medieval Monastic Communities and Consequences for Present Environmental Management Options

This paper aims at discussing the importance of environmental factors in the stability of communities at local scale. Two case studies, referred to two medieval monastic communities are chosen as historical examples, under low-carbon conditions, to show the effects of the interplay between a lack of Community Based Adaptation (CBA) and difficult or changing environmental conditions. The case studies refer to the monastery of Bobbio (Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna, Italy) and Castelletto Cervo (Biella, Piedmont, Italy). In particular, the first case shows a lack of transformation of harsh regulations to the difficult environmental conditions of that time, which leaded to a revolt inside the monastery. On the other side, the decline of Castelletto Cervo Cluniac priory depended upon a bad management of economic resources in a time of environmental variability, which affected the agricultural yield and the life of many villages in the considered area. The choice analyzing the case of two low-carbon communities (i.e.: before the XVI century, when the massive diffusion and use of coal modified these conditions) depends on the present international political will and plans of decarbonizing our societal lifestyles. This research highlights the hidden environmental causes behind the social instability and, in one case, the collapse of the community. Besides further reasons for historical interest, which are not deepened in this research, these case studies show that environmental factors are often unseen or neglected in planning the life of a community, also exerting a strong influence on real economy at local level. In order to develop appropriate policies to guarantee a long-term resilience for the socio-ecological stability of communities, an adequate monitoring of appropriate environmental and social parameters can sup-port planning activities.

Household carbon emission characteristics and adaptive strategies for low carbon community planning

Urban communities are important sector for energy saving and emission reduction. Characterization of household carbon emission is critical to the planning of low-carbon communities. Taking data from five communities in Nanjing, China as the empirical research object, this study explores the relationship between household consumer activities and direct carbon emission of household energy consumption based on the Consumer Lifestyle Approach. Using regression analysis, we identify the characteristics of the emission and the four most significant impact factors. Adaptive low carbon strategies are further suggested as how to influence consumer activities by planning of urban communities.

Spatial Patterns and Driving Factors of Urban Residential Embedded Carbon Emissions: An Empirical Study in Kaifeng, China

With the continuous improvement in living standards and great changes in lifestyles, more attention is being paid to the embedded carbon emissions produced by human consumption. With large sample data and high-resolution remote sensing images, we explored the spatial differentiation and influencing factors of household embedded carbon emissions within the city fine scale using the EIO-LCA model, spatial autocorrelation analysis and standard deviation ellipse, quantile regression, etc. The results indicate that the spatial dependence is more obvious than the characteristics of spatial heterogeneity; the high-value area of household embedded carbon emissions gathers in new development zones in cities that are expanding rapidly, mainly with residents in large number of newly-built commercial housing families and the relative’s courtyard of institutions. The factors of family characteristics, housing characteristics, lifestyles, and consumption concept have significant effects on the embedded carbon emissions of each person. The influencing intensity of most factors showed an increasing trend with increased carbon emissions. The study verified the impact of urban sprawl on residential carbon emissions and the applicability of the situated lifestyles theory in the construction of urban low-carbon communities in China.

Editorial

Editorial

Individual environmental behavior: A key role in building low-carbon communities in China

People’s social behavior, especially environmental behavior, has a great impact on energy consumption and carbon emission. This paper explores both categories of individual factors (e.g., values, habits, education, motivation, etc.) and social factors (e.g., institution, infrastructure, encouragement, etc.), to clarify the correlation between them and their sub-factors. Low-carbon campus is a representative type of low-carbon community which is less difficult to build than other communities because university students are well-educated and, to some extent, are more environmental aware and more willing to change their behaviors. The energy-saving and environment-friendly policies implemented on campus are collected and overviewed in this paper. Additionally, the leaders and employees from the related administration departments are interviewed, and the data of electricity amount and water usage are analyzed and a well-designed questionnaire is handed out in a survey. The survey investigates the environmental knowledge, energy use habits, attitude toward low-carbon transformation, comments on the current institution and so on. The results show that different groups of students have varied levels of environmental knowledge, energy use habits, and attitude toward low-carbon campus management. To improve energy conservation and cut carbon emission radically, advices on building low-carbon community are also proposed including professional curriculums of environmental protection, economic initiatives, effect management, good communications, and sound infrastructures and facilities.

可持续框架下的城市低碳社区

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 可持续框架下的城市低碳社区 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201705050835 作者: 作者单位: 中国科学院城市环境研究所,中国科学院城市环境研究所,中国科学院城市环境研究所,中国科学院城市环境研究所 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家重点研发计划（2017YFF0207302）；福建省科技计划引导性项目（2017Y0083）；福建省自然科学基金项目（2016J01200） Low carbon community research under sustainability context Author: Affiliation: Institutue of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences,Institutue of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences,Institutue of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:城市碳排放引发的气候问题日益严峻。作为低碳城市的重要组成单元和载体，低碳社区的规划建设逐渐成为研究重点。基于低碳社区的概念和内涵，提出了可持续框架下低碳社区的规划理念，引导低碳社区在经济、社会、环境协同发展的基础上实现碳减排目标。通过分析中外城市低碳社区的实践经验，将低碳社区规划总结为创新型规划、资源型规划和学习型规划三种模式，提出可持续框架下的低碳社区规划策略：制定可持续的发展目标及规划；政府主导与社区共建相结合；多尺度规划和多举措建设相匹配。建议加强对既有社区的低碳改造研究；完善低碳社区建设的评价标准与考核机制；加强对低碳社区运行的内在机制研究。对可持续框架下低碳社区的发展理念和规划策略研究，探索城市尺度可持续发展途径，实现低碳城市转型具有重要意义。 Abstract:Climate problems caused by urban carbon emissions have become increasingly serious. As the building blocks of low carbon cities, the importance of low carbon communities is widely recognized, and the strategy of its planning and construction has become a research hotspot. Based on the concept and connotation of low carbon communities, this study proposed a planning concept for low carbon communities within the framework of sustainable development, so as to achieve the reduction of carbon emission on the basis of coordinated economic, social and environmental development. After analyzing the experiences of developing low carbon communities in domestic and foreign cities, the type of low carbon community planning is classed into three models in this study:innovative planning, resource-based planning, and learning-based planning. In addition, the following planning strategies for low carbon communities have been formulated within the framework of sustainable development:establish goals and plans for sustainable development, integrate the effort of government and communities in the construction of low carbon communities, and match multi-dimensional planning with comprehensive construction strategies. Furthermore, this study has provided the following recommendations for future research on low carbon communities:strengthen the research on the transformation of existing communities into low carbon communities, improve the criteria and assessment system used to evaluate the construction of low carbon communities, and to promote the research on the internal mechanisms underlying the operation of low carbon communities. The study on the concept and planning strategy of low carbon communities within the framework of sustainable development is of practical significance to explore the path of sustainable urban development and to transform current cities into low carbon cities. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Culture Shift in Development of Science and Technology and Efforts to Create A Low Carbon Community in Indonesia (Study Implementation of Pancasila)

This study aims to map the problem of shifting the culture of the Indonesian people and building a cultural strategy to overcome these problems as a step to foster awareness of low carbon communities. The initial idea of a low carbon community was to reduce carbon dioxide emissions without disrupting the continuity of the needs of the people who were supposed to live. This research uses literature study, and the theory used is social phenomenology. Through cultural phenomenological exploration can identify the problem of shifting the culture of society. Then with qualitative description analysis, it can conceptualize a map of cultural problems that can be used as a guide to conceptualizing a low-carbon society culture. The results of the study show that the development of science and technology has an impact on changes in mindset, attitudes and behavior of people who tend to be practical, pragmatic and rational. This problem has implications for changes in people's attitudes that tend to weaken the commitment or appreciation of conventional basic values in the life of the nation that upholds the values of togetherness, mutual cooperation, harmony of life.

An overview of encouraging sustainable tourism in the coastal tourism of Karang Jahe beach: issues and challenges

Sustainable tourism basically governs human and environmental relations based on the principles of sustainable development. Thus the critical challenge for policy-makers is how to ensure sustainability, quality and human and environmental issues in the tourism sector. Tourism Area of Karang Jahe Beach (KJB) according to Plan of Utilization of WP3K Spatial Allocation of Central Java Province is included in tourism zone. The growth of nature tourism in this area is quite rapid over the last three years with the typology of mass tourism. The growth of nature-based tourism activities encourages economic growth and the welfare of the people. But in its implementation, nature tourism activities become very susceptible to interference due to human intervention. Considering the ecosystem's richness in the coastal area, the economic potential and the complexity of tourism management in coastal areas, the planning of sustainable tourism development should be a serious concern of stakeholders, including coastal tourism in Karang Jahe Beach. The relevance of sustainable tourism development planning in Karang Jahe Beach can be seen from several issues 1 economic, 2 social, 3 environment and 4 legal. A Touristic Ecological Footprint can be used as an approach to assess the environmental carrying capacity and formulate a coastal tourism development strategy. Carrying capacity-based ecotourism development is expected to play an important role in realizing low carbon community development..

Correlation of Carbon Stock and Biodiversity Index at the Small Scale Agroforestry Landscape in Ciliwung Watershed

Pekarangan is part of a complex of small-scale agroforestry landscape. Pekarangan have 3 functions i.e. ecological, economic, and social. ecological function, for providing landscape services such as carbon stock and biodiversity; economic function, can supplies foods and nutrition; and social function, for building low carbon communities and increasing the environmental awareness. Therefore, this research aims to correlate carbon stocks and biodiversity index of Pekarangan in Ciliwung Watershed. This study has measured 48 samples which were divided in three stream, namely upstream, midstream, and downstream. The samples were divided into four groups, G1 (pekarangan size less than 120 m2 and doesn’t have other agricultural land (no other agricultural land - OAL), G2 (<120 m2 with OAL < 1000 m2), G3 (120-400 m2 with no OAL) and G4 (120-400 m2 with OAL < 1000 m2). The results show that correlation between carbon stock and biodiversity index value is R2 = 0.05. The results showed no correlation between carbon stocks and biodiversity index could be due to the amount of Pekarangan owners who prefer potted plants than plant a tree, so that the carbon sequestered in the Pekarangan only slightly.

C-5 低炭素コミュニティ形成のための水素エネルギー活用技術に関する研究 : (第1報)研究目的と計算方法

C-5 低炭素コミュニティ形成のための水素エネルギー活用技術に関する研究 : (第1報)研究目的と計算方法

Exploring innovative community and household energy feedback approaches

ABSTRACTMost research to date on the provision of energy feedback to households has focused on assessing the efficacy of numeric-based feedback. This paper describes the application and evaluation of more visual energy feedback techniques (carbon mapping, thermal imaging) at different scales, alongside traditional methods (web-based energy and environmental visualization platform, home energy reports) delivered through community workshops, home visits and the internet, across six low-carbon communities in the UK. Overall, most of the feedback approaches were able to engage and raise awareness amongst the householders. Whilst carbon mapping was felt to be aimed more at community groups and local councils by providing evidence of past and future community action, displaying carbon maps at community workshops helped to show that others were also engaged in energy action. Thermal imaging was successful in engaging individual local residents through both community workshops and home visits, especially when included in the home energy reports. This stimulated discussions on future energy savings through building fabric upgrade. However, the data-driven web-based platform had limited uptake due to online log-in requirement and information overload. Such insights are useful for those involved in scaling up the deployment of energy feedback to encourage energy demand reduction.

Development strategy research of low-carbon tourist city

Construction of low-carbon tourist city has become a strategic choice for the development of city construction in our country, becoming the direction and goal of future city development in China. In this paper, the development strategy of low-carbon tourist city is put forward from the aspects of building low-carbon tourism culture, strengthening and perfecting the relevant rules and regulations, establishing and perfecting the decision-making management mechanism of low-carbon tourist city construction, establishing accurate, timely, efficient and comprehensive ecological environment monitoring and supervision network, building economical resource utilization system, strengthening science and technology supporting of low-carbon city construction, establishing low-carbon tourism scenic spot, low-carbon community or low-carbon demonstration area, etc.

Low-Carbon Communities between Vision and Implementation The Case of Borg Al Arab

Several cities are facing the problem of running-out of fossil fuels and are contributed to an estimated 70% of the world’s energy-related greenhouse gases (GHGs). Consequently, there is a tremendous need for low-carbon communities which will lead to more livable, efficient and ultimately sustainable cities. Furthermore, well-planned and designed communities can effectively provide the basic human needs and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Some communities have developed strategies to reach net zero-carbon future by reducing demands for energy and supplying the remaining demands with renewable resources. In the meantime, Egyptian cities face the problem of greenhouse gases and the lack of energy and water. Therefore, passive, energy efficient and energy offset design are needed. This can be achieved through sustainable transportation systems and the shift to efficient management of water and waste. The paper discusses the problem of climate change and its relation with communities. It investigates examples of communities that have focused on reducing their carbon emissions in different parts of the world. Also, it examines some of the most important aspects of design strategies that help to implement low-carbon communities and how could they be achieved in the Egyptian context (Borg Al Arab-Alexandria). The aim of the paper is to highlight certain cities that demonstrate a deeper understanding of what a low-carbon community is and how to achieve it through reducing energy demand and providing the best options for passive design and renewable energy supply in the Egyptian communities to become self-contained in terms of energy.

Strategy for the Development of Low Carbon Communities on Outlying Islands Kinmen

Strategy for the Development of Low Carbon Communities on Outlying Islands Kinmen

Building capacity through action research: reflections on working with low-carbon communities in the UK

ABSTRACTThis paper describes a four-year programme of “action research” (AR) undertaken with six communities in the UK, referred to as the Evaluating Low-Carbon Communities (EVALOC) project. The research combined a programme of research events with phased household-level monitoring of energy and carbon-reduction interventions. The carbon-reduction interventions were funded by the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change prior to the onset of the research. AR has recently been adopted within the context of environmental behaviour change programmes in the UK, with a number of methodological challenges. The EVALOC project’s challenges included developing a collaborative research design; building reciprocity between the researchers and research participants; dealing with biases and burdens in the research process; ensuring analytical rigour in the interpretation of the primarily qualitative evidence and dealing with the long-term and process-driven outcomes that arise from such interactions. This paper explores and discusses the challenges of AR in relation to selected research outcomes from EVALOC. We conclude by suggesting that the AR approach has helped to build capacity in the participating low-carbon communities (LCCs), through supporting the design, delivery and evaluation of their energy and carbon-reduction activities.

Study on the evaluation system of urban low carbon communities in Guangdong province

In recent years, China has been gradually consolidating the establishment of Low Carbon Communities (LCC) to minimize the emission of CO2 and other greenhouse gasses. Guangdong Province, as one of the low-carbon pilot provinces, has also paid great attention to the building of LCC. However, currently Guangdong province, or even China as a whole, has no official evaluation system in place which can be employed to evaluate the degree of low carbon of urban LCC. This paper aimed to establish a system for evaluating the urban LCC of Guangdong Province based on their actual situations. The system divided the evaluation into six categories, applied the SMART criteria to select suitable indices, and set the reference values for two zones, i.e., the Pearl River Delta zone (PRD) and the non-PRD zone. Monte Carlo and AHP were combined for the calculation of index weights, thus ensuring that the weight judgment matrixes could all pass the consistency check. In addition, this paper also laid down detailed evaluation regulations to improve the operability of this system and guarantee its wide application and better generalization. Finally, one typical urban community was selected to test the operability of this system, and the One-At-a-Time (OAT) method was used to analyze the sensitivity of each index and explore the degree of influence of these indices on evaluation results. The results showed that three indicators corresponding to green building percentage, new energy vehicles percentage and low carbon public transportation had the highest sensitivity. After field test evaluation, the evaluation system was found to have strong operability, and a high accessibility to indicator data. This system cannot only be used as a tool by the Provincial People's Government of Guangdong to evaluate the construction progress and degree of low carbon in LCC, but can also provide a reference point and experience for the Chinese government to draw upon in establishing the evaluation system of LCC at a national level.

Evaluating rural low-carbon communities: A study of Guangdong Province, China

As the Chinese economy has rapidly developed, energy consumption and carbon emissions in China’s rural areas have also steadily increased. Rural communities are the most important component of rural areas; as such, developing low-carbon communities will likely promote reductions in rural carbon emissions. As one of the low-carbon pilot provinces, Guangdong Province has gradually constructed low-carbon communities; however, neither the province nor China as a whole has established a system for evaluating different energy-related factors in rural low-carbon communities. Using real-world conditions in Guangdong Province, combined with the general parameters associated with low-carbon communities, this study evaluated six categorical factors: carbon reduction performance, low-carbon planning, energy consumption, low-carbon transportation, environment and resources, and low-carbon management and living. These categories were measured using several suitable indices according to the SMART principle. The baseline value corresponding to each index was determined by two zones: the Pearl River Delta zone and the non-Pearl River Delta zone. Each index weight was calculated using a method that combines a Monte Carlo simulation and an Analytical Hierarchy Process. Ultimately, one typical community was selected for a pilot evaluation. The sensitivity analysis of each index was conducted using the One-At-a-Time (OAT) method. Establishing this system is beneficial for promoting rural low-carbon communities construction in Guangdong Province, and supports system evaluation and adoption in rural low-carbon communities. This study’s system can also provide a reference case and experience for the Chinese government, as it establishes a system for evaluating rural low-carbon communities at the national level.

Book Review: The Hidden Potential of Sustainable Neighborhoods—Lessons from Low-Carbon Communities

Book Review: <i>The Hidden Potential of Sustainable Neighborhoods—Lessons from Low-Carbon Communities</i>