Low-carbon Practice Research Articles

Dynamic assessment of the abatement effects of the low-carbon practices in the prefabricated building supply chain

PurposePrefabricated buildings (PBs) have proven to effectively mitigate carbon emissions in the construction industry. Existing studies have analyzed the environmental performance of PBs considering the shift in construction methods, ignoring the emissions abatement effects of the low-carbon practices adopted by participants in the prefabricated building supply chain (PBSC). Thus, it is challenging to exploit the environmental advantages of PBs. To further reveal the carbon reduction potential of PBs and assist participants in making low-carbon practice strategy decisions, this paper constructs a system dynamics (SD) model to explore the performance of PBSC in low-carbon practices.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts the SD approach to integrate the complex dynamic relationship between variables and explicitly considers the environmental and economic impacts of PBSC to explore the carbon emission reduction effects of low-carbon practices by enterprises under environmental policies from the supply chain perspective.FindingsResults show that with the advance of prefabrication level, the carbon emissions from production and transportation processes increase, and the total carbon emissions of PBSC show an upward trend. Low-carbon practices of rational transportation route planning and carbon-reduction energy investment can effectively reduce carbon emissions with negative economic impacts on transportation enterprises. The application of sustainable materials in low-carbon practices is both economically and environmentally friendly. In addition, carbon tax does not always promote the implementation of low-carbon practices, and the improvement of enterprises' environmental awareness can further strengthen the effect of low-carbon practices.Originality/valueThis study dynamically assesses the carbon reduction effects of low-carbon practices in PBSC, informing the low-carbon decision-making of participants in building construction projects and guiding the government to formulate environmental policies.

Exploring environmental sustainability and green management practices: evidence from logistics service providers

PurposeThis study aims to examine management attitude and awareness towards green logistics, explores the external conditions that drive and restrict its positive behaviour, investigates the level of its adoption amongst logistics service providers (LSPs) and determines the major barriers affecting its application in the industry.Design/methodology/approachThis research investigates the key decision-making process on green logistics attitude and behaviour through in-depth interviews and thematic analysis.FindingsThis study explores both institutional and individual-level attitudes/awareness. Then, the driving and restraining forces and the challenges that influence the industry’s adoption of green initiatives are determined. Finally, this study constructs a framework following a behavioural driving route with interactions among green “attitude”, sustainable “subjective norms”, “behavioural control” and “external context” factors.Practical implicationsFindings can enlighten the practitioners who are struggling to adopt the green or low-carbon practice and provide valuable insights and constructive advice to LSPs and their stakeholders.Social implicationsFindings can draw the government and policy-makers’ attention to provide necessary financial or non-financial support for the practitioners to improve their green operations.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first attempts to adopt the hybrid theoretical lens on the green behaviour of the logistics industry. New insights are added to existing environmental management literature with a wider understanding and deeper investigation of the decision-making on green logistics in the industry. The theoretical framework in this study can offer future applications to a relevant large-scale study.

Greening strategy through implementation of sustainable landscape design towards low carbon school

The increased societal attention and urgency towards combating global climate change and transitioning the position towards Low Carbon Cities (LCC) has prompted many green initiatives developed by government agencies including schools to seek solutions through promoting eco-school planning development as part of the Environmental Education (EE) awareness being emphasis in curricula. This research explores the underlying mechanism of the greening elements as one of the planning initiatives which enable the inclusion of how low carbon practice action plans can be conducted in school. The methodology adopted emphasized the ground case study at Sekolah Kebangsaan Tangok, Bachok, Kelantan to testify to the integration of theory and practice of sustainable low carbon in the school community with environmental education. Such integration draws on attention to contextual knowledge of reducing carbon dioxide emissions as one of the most important factors in the implementation and execution of greening components for a sustainable school program. The discussion of findings concentrated on the implementation of greening strategies from sustainable landscape design and framework for carbon measures from three components, which are the trajectory of low carbon target, benefits analysis matrix, and constraint analysis that can be implemented in school to track the level of CO2 emissions and sequestration. This research provides a significant contribution in creating ‘commercialized’ environmental knowledge to the school communities that paved the way towards transition for Low Carbon Society as the social sustainable strategy that inculcates climate change adaptation for the future generation.

Value creation mechanism through carbon asset for the sustainability of the automobile sector

AbstractA low carbon economy gives a new connotation to enterprise value and developing carbon assets is an effective way to enhance enterprise low carbon value. Using the theory of stakeholders, sustainable development and value chain, and taking the low carbon practice of Toyota Motor Company as the research object, this paper explores and constructs the value creation mechanism of carbon assets using a single case study method. There is a positive interaction between carbon assets and enterprise value creation. The low‐carbon value creation of enterprises should first balance the stakeholders' carbon assets to meet stakeholders' low‐carbon requirements, thus providing the necessary conditions for enterprises' low‐carbon value creation. Carbon assets can be fully and effectively developed using a low‐carbon value chain. Value‐addition and value realization in low‐carbon basic value activities and auxiliary value activities can create long‐term and synergistic economic value and environmental value for enterprises and promote sustainable development.

Research of Dual-channel Supply Chain Decision with Consideration of Low-carbon and Fairness Concerns

With in-depth implementation of policies on energy conservation and emission reduction and rising of low-carbon production practice in enterprises, low-carbon supply chain has gradually become a research issue which causes extensive attentions from scholars. However, most existing researches focus on supply chain decision and coordination under the background of single channel or mere consideration of fairness concerns of retailers. Therefore, the fairness concerns of manufacturers were taken into account in the double-channel low-carbon supply chain. A double-channel low-carbon supply chain model was constructed to research the influence of manufacturers’ fairness concerns to the optimal decision-making of all parties in the supply chain and to the overall performance of supply chain. The research results suggested that: with improvement of manufacturers’ fairness concern coefficient, the decision-making of supply chain members demonstrated different changing strength; the manufacturers’ fairness concern caused harm to overall profit of supply chain.

Effects of low carbon waste practices on job satisfaction of site managers through job stress

Low carbon construction has recently become an international issue as construction companies, governments, and communities have witnessed an increasing concern about the degradation of natural resources and pollution in the environment. Although literature abounds with studies investigating the positive impact of low carbon construction on decreasing the emission of carbon in the construction industry, following a low carbon practice might come into conflict with job satisfaction amongst construction site managers, which in turn can negatively affect companies’ performances. This study examines the mediating effect of job stress to investigate the indirect effects of low carbon waste practices on job satisfaction. Data from a survey of 110 site managers of construction companies in Malaysia were examined through the application of the partial least squares technique. The results of the study advocates that unlike the reduce waste management practices, the two other low carbon waste practices, recycle and reuse management practices, positively and directly affected job stress. It was also revealed that only recycle waste management practices negatively and indirectly affected construction site managers’ job satisfaction via job stress. The findings of the research presents an extent of caution for the managers of those construction companies which execute low carbon waste practices regarding the potential impact of low carbon practices on job stress and job satisfaction. From the job stress and job satisfaction points of view, the construction companies should give priority to waste reduction practices amongst low carbon waste practices.

Achieving Low Carbon Society Through Primary School Ecolife Challenge in Iskandar Malaysia

Iskandar Malaysia Ecolife Challenge was initiated jointly between Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Iskandar Regional Development Agency (IRDA) in 2013 with the collaboration and full support from the Johor State Education Department (JPNJ). It started with 23 pilot primary schools to complete a workbook designed by UTM to learn about low carbon society as a post-UPSR activity among Year 6 students. In 2015, all 226 primary schools in the Iskandar Malaysia region were involved in the program. This paper reports how the program has helped to reduce carbon emission in this region and changed the behavior of the students as well as the teachers. Questionnaire measuring the students’ low carbon practice at home was distributed every year before the beginning and at the end of the program. Data on the household electricity and water usage, mileage of the vehicle and number of household members were captured. From the analysis of 1,496 completed workbooks submitted, the average number of one household is 5.42 or 5 to 6 persons in a house. The average electricity usage of a household in a month is 478.22 kWh or equivalent to emission of 325.19 kg CO2, while the average water usage of a household in a month is 39.28 m3 or equivalent to emission of 16.46 kg CO2. On the use of a household vehicle, a vehicle travels on average 32.87 km/d and 201.77 km/week. In term of the low carbon practice among the students, after accounting for the household carbon emission using the workbook, the practice on low carbon increase from 2.42 to 3.04 on a 5-point scale. This provides rich data on the carbon emission pattern of a household in Iskandar Malaysia and that the program has helped to improve the students’ practice and awareness on low carbon society.

Practice of Low-carbon City in China: The Status Quo and Prospect

It is vital to construct low-carbon city in China in order to mitigate the huge cost of climate change especially when considering the great contribution of cities to the national greenhouse gas emissions. Many Chinese cities have made efforts in construction of low-carbon city in recent years from various aspects. The low-carbon practice in Chinese cities was reviewed in this paper, including setting up urban low-carbon development planning, establishing low-carbon demonstrative areas, focusing on such specific fields as sustainable energy system, ecological industry, green transportation, and green building. The effect of the low-carbon practice was also evaluated and certain issues requiring further concerns were discussed. It is expected that the discussion in this paper is helpful for promoting the construction of low-carbon city in China.

Low carbon innovation and practice in Caohejing High-Tech Industrial Park of Shanghai

Industrial parks are essential communities for promoting sustainable development because of their high energy consumption and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission. Existing researches concerning low carbon development of industrial park mainly focus on carbon accounting and carbon reduction strategies. Explanation of how the activities are designed and practiced according to characteristics of targeted industrial parks is limited. Thus, it is essential to have a close look at the low carbon innovation and practice in industrial park. In this study, low carbon practice in Caohejing Industrial Park is targeted as a case study. Low carbon development ideas and actions in the general scope and particular actions are respectively examined. In terms of the general scope, measures including optimization of the energy structure, transforming of infrastructure and auditing of energy consumption and GHG emission are found well practiced. As for the particular action, approaches of industry symbiosis and energy saving in the building sector are analyzed. The contribution of GHG emission reduction approaches in Caohejing Industrial Park is then evaluated. Our findings reveal that transparent accounting of GHG emissions is a basic work for carrying out low carbon measures. Energy structure optimization, infrastructure transforming are also essential steps in the general scope. The commonly applied industry symbiosis is found effective in promoting low carbon economy together with energy saving efforts in the building sector. The experience of regional industrial development in our research can offer reference for low carbon development of industrial parks in helping to make the necessary changes towards sustainable post fossil carbon societies.

Effect of Green Dietary Life Recognition and Low-Carbon Green Life Practice on Health-Related Dietary Habits in High School Students in the Incheon Area

Effect of Green Dietary Life Recognition and Low-Carbon Green Life Practice on Health-Related Dietary Habits in High School Students in the Incheon Area

Research on Low-Carbon and Ecological Strategies of Renewal Planning in Shanxi Local Countryside - Take Xincheng，Youyu as an Example

In most countries the low-carbon and ecological life is seem to be a sustainable way that considered both human development and environmental protection. Shanxi, a province depends on heavy-industry in China, always leads the nation in carbon emission though in a very bad natural environment. In order to achieve sustainable development, Shanxi should implement industrial transformation while proceeding new pattern urbanization. How to lead people to have a low-carbon and ecological life in planning ways? The low-carbon and ecological practice in the renewing planning of Xincheng Town in Youyu, Shanxi may provide us some new ideas. When doing rural renewing planning, we should use low-carbon and ecological strategies. Consideration should be given to both macro level and micro level. Shanxi can still implement industrial transformation with low-carbon and ecological thinking to achieve the sustainable rural development.

From Self-Interest to Community-Interest: Low Carbon Community-Based Process and Practice

The findings contribute to the on-going debate on policies for promoting low carbon communities with regard to major question as to which factors can help to sustain community-individual change? For the integration of energy, environment, and socio-economic into planning approaches, a framework of mechanisms was proposed and applied in a case study of rural Taipei. The results show that incorporated indicators applied through mechanisms played a role for building partnership that engendered trust, built knowledge networks, and enhanced local capacity for achieving targets. A three-step development model can be created through formation of partnership building within the process and outcome of planning strategies.

Education of Low Carbon and Cultivation of Social Responsibility

Developing low-carbon economy is an important task for sustainable social development, college students are new force to spread the low carbon concept and practice low carbon development. Therefore, the strengthening of the college students, low carbon concept of culture is of great significance. Low-carbon life is not just a fashion we pursue should fulfill the social obligations. Learn from foreign low-carbon lifestyle based on, Raised this responsibility requires schools, the teachers and students tripartite fulfill in order to jointly build a harmonious campus.

A practitioner's guide to a low-carbon economy: lessons from the UK

Drawing primarily on the UK experience, five practical lessons are identified for policy makers who seek to decarbonize their economies. First, decarbonization needs a solid legal basis to give it credibility and overcome time inconsistency problems. Second, putting a price on carbon is essential, but low-carbon policies also have to address wider market, investment, and behavioural failures. This in turn raises issues of policy complexity and coordination. Third, the low-carbon economy is likely to be highly electrified. Clean electricity could be a cost-effective way of decarbonizing many parts of the economy, including transport, heating, and parts of industry. Decarbonization therefore starts in the power sector. Fourth, the low-carbon transition is primarily a revolution of production and not consumption. Both supply-side innovation and demand-side adjustments in lifestyle and behaviour are needed, though the former should dominate. Fifth, the transition to a low-carbon economy is economically and technologically feasible. Achieving it is a question of policy competence and having the political will to drive economic and social change. Policy relevance Practically all major GHG emitters now have climate change legislation on their statute books. Given what is at stake, and the complexity of the task at hand, it is important that policy makers learn from each other and establish a code of good low-carbon practice. The main lessons from the UK are distilled and presented. Carbon policy is considered for key sectors, such as electricity, buildings, and transport, and possible decarbonization paths are also outlined. It is shown that the transition to a low-carbon economy is economically and technologically feasible. Achieving it is primarily a question of policy competence and political will. This in turn means that climate change action needs a strong legislative basis to give the reforms statutory legitimacy. Low-carbon policies will have to address a wide range of market, investment and behavioural failures. Putting a price on carbon is an essential starting point, but only one of many policy reforms.