Low-carbon Measures Research Articles

Landscape Design Planning and Research of Renewable Energy Application Projects from a Sustainable Perspective

The substantial emission of carbon exacerbates climate change, posing a threat to human survival and sustainable development. The primary inducement for the carbon emission issue is the excessive dependence of human activities on fossil energy. The construction industry is among the major sectors contributing to carbon emissions, and the low-carbon development within this industry serves as the cyclical engine for the path towards carbon reduction. Currently, there is limited research that integrates low-carbon development with the landscape design of renewable energy projects. Most studies emphasize the application of relevant low-carbon measures, overlooking the landmark effects of building decarbonization. Addressing how to truly achieve landscape design for renewable energy projects from a sustainable perspective based on relevant carbon emission quantification indicators during the architectural design phase is an urgent problem to be solved. This paper takes a sustainable perspective as the starting point and systematically summarizes landscape design concepts from this perspective. It proposes three major design approaches: ecological sustainability, cultural integration, and the application of advanced technology. Using these approaches, the paper tackles the balance between economics, energy, and the environment in landscape design, recognizing it as essentially a high-dimensional multi-objective optimization problem from a methodological perspective. The paper introduces an energy-economy-environment coupling model and utilizes big data. After low-carbon planning and design, both the net carbon footprint and total carbon footprint of the landscape significantly decrease. The Greenfield carbon sequestration per kilogram increases from 301,023.21 to the current 347,856.02, with an increase of 46,832.81.

Analyzing energy utilization influence on tourism and low-carbon development: Insights from Xianju National Park in China

National parks are rare natural resources that provide refuges for wildlife, harmonious ecology, and leisure activities. These protected areas, which include a variety of ecosystems, habitats for wildlife, and geological wonders, have been set aside to preserve and highlight the beauty of the natural world. Under the goals of carbon neutrality of all countries in the world, it is urgently need to pay attention to the relationship between climate change and protected natural resources. This study uses the Xianju pilot national park as an example to identify key activities that increase carbon absorptions and reduce carbon emissions, calculate the carbon sink of national park construction, and discuss whether tourism industry can achieve low carbon or even negative emissions based on the analysis of low-carbon measures of national parks. Using the Mento-Carlo method, we find that the total carbon sink in Xianju National Park is around 70832–97930 tons CO2, which accounts for about 10 % of Xianju County's total carbon emissions. This illustrates that the development of tourism has indeed brought benefits to the low carbon development of Xianju National Park. From the perspective of stakeholders, this paper also summarizes the stakeholders, relevant actions and policy tools for Xianju National Park to carry out low-carbon tourism. Finally, compared with the development experience of national parks in France and the United States, this paper gives policy suggestions on low-carbon development of Xianju National Park, and proposes to mobilize stakeholders to participate in low-carbon tourism and low-carbon governance.

Analysis and prediction on carbon emissions from electrical and electronic equipment industry in China

This research employs the IPCC methodology to assess carbon emissions from China's Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) industry for 2012–2020, utilizing the GM (1) model to predict emissions for the next decade. Six scenarios evaluate emissions, guiding strategies for reduction. Key findings reveal the usage phase as the highest emitter, while WEEE dismantling incurs the lowest. In 2020, emissions from production, sales, transportation, usage, recycling transportation, dismantling, and recycling were projected. Scrapping imported EEE from 2012 to 2020 results in 1.88 million tons of emissions. Projected 2030 emissions, under current policies or low-carbon measures, are 136 million tons and 72 million tons, respectively. Urgent actions, especially in Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and stakeholder roles, are essential. The study advocates for consumer awareness on energy conservation and reducing dependence on imported products. Manufacturing emissions highlight the need for eco-design, emphasizing sustainable practices. Recycling and dismantling phases also contribute emissions, necessitating optimized routes and advanced technologies. In addition, the study explores the potential for carbon reduction by incorporating the organic combination of carbon trading markets, evaluating the carbon emission reduction potential of recycling enterprises. The proposal suggests replacing government subsidies with the sale of carbon credits, not only to stimulate companies to actively promote green dismantling but also to address the current inadequacy of subsidies. Establishing a comprehensive life cycle management system is crucial to minimizing the EEE industry's carbon footprint and promoting a sustainable future.

Uncertainties in the technological pathway towards low-carbon freight transport under carbon neutral target in China

The freight transport sector is a critical sector for achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality targets. However, there are many uncertainties regarding the e-commerce development, promotion speed of low-carbon measures, and freight transport technologies. Existing research lacks considering the multiple uncertainties on the low-carbon technological pathway for freight transport. Consequently, a bottom-up National Energy Technology-Transport (NET-Transport) model is developed based on the principle of cost minimization for optimizing the low-carbon transition pathway of the freight transport. The study comprehensively evaluates the sustainable technological pathway, energy saving and carbon emission reduction of various measures, including shifting to low-carbon transport modes, improving transport energy efficiency and promoting clean energy. Results show that the freight transport demand will reach 24.1–60.5 trillion ton-kilometers by 2060. CO2 emission would peak at 0.8–1.0 billion tons in 2030–2041 if the breakthrough technologies are not developed on a large scale. Carbon neutrality in the freight sector is difficult to achieve by relying on the low-carbon transition of the energy system alone, with 57–555 million tons of remaining CO2 emissions in 2060. The advanced technologies have significant effects on energy saving and emission reduction. The research, development, and application of hydrogen-fueled heavy trucks should be accelerated.

Driving Factors in Carbon Emission Reduction in Prefabricated Building Supply Chains Based on Structural Equation Modelling

As one of the development paths of construction industrialization, prefabricated buildings (PBs) are an important means for China’s construction industry to achieve the “double carbon” goal. To better leverage the energy-saving and emission-reduction benefits of prefabricated buildings, we have analyzed the driving factors and driving paths of carbon emission reduction in prefabricated buildings from the perspective of the supply chain. The carbon emission-reduction driving index system of prefabricated building supply chains (PBSCs) was constructed through the literature review method and the questionnaire investigation method. The structural equation model (SEM) was used to analyze the relationship of each driving factor. The importance of each driving factor was quantitatively analyzed on account of the model’s operation results. The results showed: the order of importance of driver levels is technology-driven > economic-driven > market-driven > government-driven > supply chain coordination-driven. The key driving factors are summarized based on the ranking of driving factor indicators in each dimension, providing a reference for participants in PBSCs to adopt low-carbon measures and providing a basis for government departments to formulate carbon emission-reduction strategies.

Effects of China's pilot low-carbon city policy on carbon emission reduction in the hotel industry: A quasi-natural experiment in tourism cities

A low-carbon pilot city bases its economy on energy efficiency, demonstrating an environmentally friendly development model and establishing a sustainable energy ecosystem. Establishing low-carbon pilot cities exerts both actual and exemplary effects in decreasing its CO2 emissions. However, research in the field of low-carbon measures has frequently bypassed their particular effects on sectors with high emissions, such as the hospitality industry. This study seeks to fill this void by assessing the influence of low-carbon city pilot policies (LCCP) on the hotel sector's carbon footprint. The analysis uses a PSM-DID model to review emission data across 49 prominent tourist cities in China over the period 2010–2020. It contrasts emission patterns between pilot and non-pilot cities. Findings reveal that LCCP markedly cuts CO2 output in hotels. This cutback stems from sectoral change, the growth of higher-rated hotels, and enhanced hotel occupancy rate. The policy's effects are especially strong in affluent regions and international tourist cities. These results point to LCCP's crucial contribution to sustainable hotel practices. The study emphasizes the necessity for precise environmental regulations in energy-intensive industries to meet wider sustainability objectives.

Practical experience of low-carbon development evaluation and low-carbon transformation of international energy enterprises

Since the issue of climate change, it has become a general consensus that greenhouse gas emissions will trigger global warming, reduce greenhouse gas emissions is imperative, and actively promote the low- carbon transformation. Moreover, economics can provide a solid theoretical support with a large number of relevant theories. With the continuous dissemination and penetration of the concept of low-carbon development around the world, the internationally renowned multinational large enterprises generally take the initiative to assume their social responsibilities, actively advocate and practice the concept of low-carbon development, and actively take relevant low-carbon measures in practice. This chapter takes state Grid Corporation as an example, and combs and analyzes its low-carbon development evaluation indicators selection and development measures, in order to gain beneficial enlightenment.

Projecting future carbon emissions from cement production in developing countries

Achieving low-carbon development of the cement industry in the developing countries is fundamental to global emissions abatement, considering the local construction industry’s rapid growth. However, there is currently a lack of systematic and accurate accounting and projection of cement emissions in developing countries, which are characterized with lower basic economic country condition. Here, we provide bottom-up quantifications of emissions from global cement production and reveal a regional shift in the main contributors to global cement CO2 emissions. The study further explores cement emissions over 2020-2050 that correspond to different housing and infrastructure conditions and emissions mitigation options for all developing countries except China. We find that cement emissions in developing countries except China will reach 1.4-3.8 Gt in 2050 (depending on different industrialization trajectories), compared to their annual emissions of 0.7 Gt in 2018. The optimal combination of low-carbon measures could contribute to reducing annual emissions by around 65% in 2050 and cumulative emissions by around 48% over 2020-2050. The efficient technological paths towards a low carbon future of cement industry vary among the countries and infrastructure scenarios. Our results are essential to understanding future emissions patterns of the cement industry in the developing countries and can inform policies in the cement sector that contribute to meeting the climate targets set out in the Paris Agreement.

Land–Water–Energy Coupling System and Low-Carbon Policy Simulation: A Case Study of Nanjing, China

Global climate change produces large amounts of CO2, and carbon emission reduction has become a global hot topic. As a key city in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Nanjing plays a significant representative role in the process of achieving the “double carbon” goals. In this paper, a land–water–energy coupling system was established and urban carbon emissions were estimated. Through the SD model, the future urban carbon emissions were predicted under the adjustment of different land, water and energy consumption scenarios. We studied the relationship between urban carbon emissions and the land–water–energy coupling system, and whether Nanjing can achieve carbon neutralization in 2060 under conditions of natural development. The results show that urban carbon emissions in Nanjing have reached a peak in 2018, but low carbon measures are still needed for Nanjing to achieve its goal of carbon neutrality by 2060. Specific measures include increasing investment in technological innovation, expansion of the application scope of clean energy, reasonably planning land use structure, water conservation and wastewater utilization and the application of advanced carbon utilization technology. The results in this paper can serve as a reference for other cities and provide guidance for future urban planning and decision making.

Assessing the possibility of China reaching carbon emission peak by 2030 in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At this stage, it is an important goal for China to solve environmental problems to limit the carbon emission peak by 2030 and then to lower its quality gradually thereafter. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 seriously impacted all aspects of China's social economy and brought many uncertainties to the realization of the carbon emission peak. Based on the fact, it has important theoretical and practical significance to take the problem of China's carbon emissions during the COVID-19 as the research object. Thus, this paper analyzes the current situation of China's CO2 emissions and finds out that in the context of ongoing COVID-19 response, stimulated by China's economic stimulus policies, CO2 emissions decrease firstly and then gradually rebound. On this basis, the paper constructs a dynamic model of China's CO2 emission system to simulate the change in China's CO2 emissions under different economic stimulus policies. The relevant simulation results demonstrate the following: (1) China cannot realize the CO2 emission goal by 2030 only by adopting traditional economic stimulus policies. (2) The green economic stimulus policy oriented to the development of clean energy will rebound China's CO2 emissions in the short term, but it can effectively reduce CO2 emissions in the long run. The most important factors affecting CO2 emission reduction are industrial energy consumption and industrial structure, while the energy power generation structure and the transportation structure have a relatively weak impact on the emission reduction effect. (3) The green economic stimulus policy combined with economic stimulus measures and a variety of low-carbon measures can enable China to peak CO2 emissions before 2030, with a peak value of 11.059 billion tons. In general, green economic stimulus policies can achieve a win-win situation for China's economic recovery and carbon emission peak.

Application of Low-Carbon Measures in Logistics Service Providers in Vietnam: A Comparative Study between Domestic and Foreign-Invested Companies

The logistics industry has been as a significant contributor to carbon emissions. Within Vietnam’s logistics sector, there is a notable contrast in terms of the quantity of foreign and Vietnamese companies and their respective market shares. This article used a structured survey and descriptive analysis to investigate the low-carbon-emission measures employed by domestic and foreign-invested logistics service providers (LSPs), comparing the results of these two groups, and in-depth interviews were applied for further discussion. The relevant literature was reviewed and expert insights were used to develop a comprehensive questionnaire, resulting in 166 completed responses, of which 159 were suitable for data analysis. The findings reveal variations in the degree to which low-carbon practices are adopted by foreign and domestic firms. In addition to changes in transport modes and the use of energy-saving lighting, the adoption levels of other low-carbon practices show that foreign LSPs exhibit higher engagement compared to their domestic counterparts. This can be attributed to their extensive global operations, greater access to capital resources, and a greater awareness of the importance of green initiatives in developed countries. In conclusion, this study conducts a comparative analysis between foreign-invested and domestic firms, which has not been previously investigated.

Carbon reduction performance and economic analysis in building construction - a pilot trial of low-carbon construction in the O•PARK2 construction phase

With the wide application of green building standards to reduce the carbon emissions from the operation phase, the carbon emissions during the construction phase are becoming more and more significant. Carbon footprint management is necessary and low-carbon measures, including low-carbon construction materials, construction site electrification, on-site renewable energy systems, and low-carbon alternative fuels should be considered. Taking a real case of a Design-Build-Operate project, O•PARK2, as a pilot trial, this study investigates the carbon reduction efficiency and cost increment of various low-carbon measures, and introduces the Green Premium Index to explore the tradeoff between carbon reduction and carbon offsetting by credit purchasing. Low-carbon measures adopted in O•PARK2 were proved to be carbon reduction efficient, achieving 4,612 tonnes of CO2e emission reduction. Early development of decarbonisation strategy enables further emission reduction and lower cost increments during the construction phase, in which low-carbon construction material should be prioritised, followed by construction site electrification, and the use of solar panels and B5 biodiesel. With low-carbon construction materials locally manufactured, construction decarbonisation progress in Hong Kong will be significantly enhanced. Lowcarbon construction should see carbon reduction as the main direction, and carbon offsetting as supplemental.

Sustainable low-carbon post COVID 19 recovery measures across sectors in world economies: A thematic analysis on its coverage

The objective of the study is to analyse what and how researchers are covering sustainable low carbon recovery pathways in the post-COVID 19 scenario across various content categories. The unit or categories of content for thematic analysis taken under study includes a total of 121 content published within the year 2020–22. The study also assesses the focus and frames of research on sustainable low carbon recovery being conducted from 2020 to 2022 in order to gain a better understanding of the issues and best practises in global economies. For more valid results, the research design seeks novelty by concluding the qualitative and quantitative methodologies with statistical analysis of identified themes using thematic analysis. The data is analysed using Kruskal Wallis Test. The analysis shows that researchers are concerned about carbon emission and its impact on countries, sectors, industries, over the globe and are more inclined towards studying the impact of carbon emission, issues, and challenges posed in sustainable low carbon recovery pathways and measures. The studies also suggest the role of the public and policy in the recovery process with a focus on energy sector. The studies are primarily concerned with carbon emissions and green recovery measures for future sustainable development.

Resolving clashes between net-zero energy and acoustics engineering specifications, to enhance low-carbon building performance, regulatory compliance and future skills. Laws and standards comparison between Italy and UK

Under the CNR (Italy) and RSE (Scotland) joint scientific cooperation agreement, the present project deals with the development and enhancing understanding of the technical clashes and engineering solutions required to deliver net-zero outcomes across diverse construction systems both in new build and retrofit. This paper relates to the comparison between the two research groups about the acoustic and energy standards and low carbon measures in force in the both countries. The sound insulation requirements for residential buildings are mandatory in both Scotland and Italian building regulations. Sound insulation performance compliance is undertaken via on-site testing after completion of construction works whether new build or conversion/change of use. Importantly the specification for energy efficiency changes (and improvements) to the fabric of buildings often clash in terms of the material properties and performance functions for sound insulation. Thus, it is critically important for the specification changes in building materials for energy efficiency do not negatively impact noise and vibration sound insulation and vice versa. This can lead to non-compliance resulting in noise disturbance complaints by building occupants or loss of performance for energy efficiency. The paper characterises some of the regulatory factors, clashes in material outcomes and recommends the importance of multi-factor knowledge and understanding across building performance measures.

The Impact of Green Technology Innovation on Capital Cost of Heavy Polluting Enterprises: The Mediating Effect of Carbon Performance

Under the background of the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals proposed in 2020, making heavy polluting enterprises realize that low-carbon measures can bring enough economic benefits is conducive to enhancing their enthusiasm to adopt green behaviors. Using data from 320 listed companies in heavily polluting industries from 2006 to 2019 as samples, our study used multiple linear regression to explore the relationship between green technology innovation, carbon performance, board characteristics and cost of capital. Based on these data, we draw the following conclusions: green technology innovation and carbon performance are significantly negatively correlated with capital cost, carbon performance plays a mediating role in the relationship between green technology innovation and capital cost, and board characteristics play a moderating role in the relationship between green technology innovation and carbon performance. These conclusions bring some implications for enterprises to develop and implement low-carbon measures and reduce capital cost.

Bi-level optimization of a near-zero-emission integrated energy system considering electricity-hydrogen-gas nexus: A two-stage framework aiming at economic and environmental benefits

Decarbonization is increasingly highlighted to realize emission peak and neutrality targets, while relevant low-carbon measures remain price high, especially for industrial end-users. This paper thus focuses on a specific design for park-level integrated energy systems with near-zero emissions. Solar photovoltaic and distributed wind power are applied as the main power supply together with the help of the local grid. The decarbonization sector is composed of power-to-gas (P2G) and carbon capture units where electrolyzers are separated from P2G and constitute the hydrogen subsystem together with hydrogen tanks and fuel cells. The system is also considered under the dynamic market environment where electricity, hydrogen, and emission exchanges are included. Then, the system behaviors are determined by an optimal operation model considering an uncertain power supply. Based on the stochastic operation, system configuration optimization considering economic and environmental objectives is constructed as a multi-objective integral model that is solved by an enhanced firefly algorithm in the first stage. Next, the optimal result is concluded according to subjective judgment and objective distribution in the second one. A case study in Gansu province, China is carried out to validate the system, and results indicate that 1) optimal result investing 5.285 million $ could avoid 7.4542 kilotons of emissions annually with a 20.1 % loss of self-power supply rate on average, 2) up to 51.72 kg of hydrogen fuels or 47.90 kg of gas could be generated besides daily load satisfaction, 3) carbon exchange incentive above 4.2 $/t could promote additional emission reduction.

More synergies or more trade-offs? The interaction among multiple assessment indicators in sustainable urban development in Guangzhou, China

To achieve sustainable development, local governments are under enormous pressure to simultaneously achieve the three assessment tasks (TATs) of energy saving, CO₂ reduction, and pollution reduction. However, the TATs are often managed by different authorities and have three types of measures (TTMs) that correspond to them. The lack of adequate cooperation between these authorities has led to the inefficient investment of policy resources and even to policy conflicts, and the interactions among the TTMs are not yet known. To this end, this paper uses the MCEE model to assess the interactions among the TTMs quantitatively using Guangzhou, China, as a case study. The results showed the following. (1) According to the current development trend, if the authorities managing the TATs continue to work alone, they will not be able to fulfill the corresponding assessment tasks in the future. (2) The TTMs have interactions with each other, and their synergies are far greater than their trade-offs. From 2015 to 2035, it is expected that energy-saving measures can accomplish 54.39% of the CO₂ reduction tasks and 32.74% of the pollution reduction tasks indirectly, and low-carbon measures can accomplish 55.53% of the energy saving tasks and 27.20% of the pollution reduction tasks indirectly, However, environmental-protection measures will cause fewer trade-offs (energy demand and CO2 emissions increase by 3.76% and 2.88%, respectively). (3) In some years, the contribution of interactions among the TTMs are even higher than their direct contribution to the TATs. Our findings suggest that intensive cooperation between authorities is necessary, and that the benefits of such cooperation will outweigh the disadvantages.

Study of the mechanism of digitalization boosting urban low-carbon transformation

The climate problem is severe and many urban climates are poor. To deal with a series of climate problems, low-carbon measures are indispensable. Digital development is becoming a new driving force for social development. Therefore, the development of urban low-carbon transformation should be based on digital construction. This paper explores the significance and theoretical mechanism of the research of the mechanism of digitalization boosting urban low-carbon transition. Theoretically, digitalization can reduce carbon emissions through mechanisms such as optimizing industrial structure, adjusting energy structure, improving government governance efficiency, and changing people’s way of production and life. Finally, from the perspective of carbon neutrality, this paper puts forward relevant countermeasures, from the following six aspects: building a carbon emission measurement and monitoring system, promoting the digital transformation of enterprises, increasing the research and development of new energy technologies, improving the carbon emission market trading system, optimizing the carbon emission administrative management system, and practicing the low-carbon concept.

Slouching or speeding toward net zero? Evidence from COVID-19 energy-related stimulus policies in the G20

This paper analyzes the size and nature of green fiscal stimulus in the G20 countries in response to the COVID-19 crisis, with a focus on the energy-related policies. We exploit a new dataset, the Energy Policy Tracker (EPT), with detailed information on countries' policies since the start of the pandemic. Between January 2020 and December 2021, G20 countries enacted 913 stimulus measures that have direct impacts on energy supply and demand. The average country spent $395 USD per person on energy-related policies. Only 30% of this amount, on average, is devoted to low-carbon measures, mostly in the transit and buildings sectors, with considerable variation across countries. To properly compare countries' efforts in aligning their COVID-19 stimulus with climate goals, we construct a new index, the Green Energy Policy Index (GEPI), using principal components analysis, taking into account both “green” and “brown” stimulus measures. The GEPI varies considerably across countries. We find that on average, countries with a “greener” energy-related stimulus are wealthier and have a lower emission intensity. On average, countries that have experienced the crisis more acutely, both in terms of deaths and gross domestic product (GDP) loss, have “greener” stimulus packages. We discuss the implications of these findings for future research and climate energy policy-making.

Evaluation of low-carbon multi-energy options for the future UAE energy system

Sustainable energy transitions in hot climate and fossil energy-rich regions face specific challenges including socio-economic and geopolitical uncertainties in a carbon-constrained future, accompanied by significant vulnerability to climate change. Low-carbon multi-energy conversion, storage and use options for the future United Arab Emirates energy system (power, water, buildings, transportation, industry) are investigated technically and economically using EnergyPLAN energy planning tool. Emphasis is placed on solar energy with variable shares in conjunction with thermal, battery and hydrogen storage in the power sector, reverse osmosis desalination, district cooling with a mix of compression and absorption cooling, electric transportation, and industrial electrification. The effects of these measures on annual primary fuel consumption (PFC), greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and cost are evaluated in incremental steps, with reference to a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario. The most favorable combination of low-carbon measures is found to reduce annual PFC and GHG emissions by 37% and 48%, respectively, relative to the BAU case. In parallel, total annual costs would reduce by 25% compared to the BAU scenario, primarily due to reductions in fuel and carbon costs, that offset increased investment costs. In addition, the levelized costs of electricity, water and cooling could reduce by 42%, 63%, and 20%, respectively, relative to the BAU case. The analyzes presented contribute directions towards sustainable energy transitions in fossil energy-rich and hot climate regions.