Low-carbon Strategies Research Articles

Low-carbon transformation and ecological safeguarding in the Yellow River Basin: Integrating biomechanical and biological insights

This research, titled “Low-carbon transformation and ecological safeguarding in the Yellow River Basin: Integrating biomechanical and biological insights” explores the interplay between economic activities, land use changes, and environmental impact. Through regression analyses and assessments of land use alterations, the study identifies significant provincial variations in factors influencing carbon emissions. In addition to the socio-economic factors, the research incorporates insights from biomechanics and biology, drawing parallels between the ecological systems of the Yellow River Basin and biological processes such as energy efficiency and resource allocation in living organisms. For instance, just as organisms optimize energy usage and adapt to external stressors, the proposed low-carbon strategies aim to optimize resource use and improve the resilience of the basin’s ecosystem. Proposed strategies for low-carbon transformation provide a practical roadmap for sustainable development, informed by biological principles like ecological balance, regeneration, and the importance of maintaining biodiversity. These principles reflect how biomechanical systems, such as musculoskeletal structures, balance energy expenditure and repair to maintain functionality under strain, similar to how ecosystems must manage resource cycles to withstand environmental stressors. The integration of socio-economic indicators, alongside biological and biomechanical insights, underscores the need for region-specific policies that consider not only economic factors but also the natural regenerative capacities of the ecosystem. The study suggests that, like biological systems that repair and adapt to maintain homeostasis, the Yellow River Basin’s ecological processes can be guided by sustainable management practices to ensure long-term resilience and stability. In conclusion, the research contributes valuable insights to the global discourse on balancing economic growth with ecological preservation in the ecologically vital Yellow River Basin, highlighting how the integration of biomechanical and biological principles can enhance both ecological safeguarding and low-carbon transformation strategies.

Corrigendum to “Is there a case for a coal moratorium in Indonesia? Power sector optimization modeling of low-carbon strategies” [Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition (2024) 100074]

Corrigendum to “Is there a case for a coal moratorium in Indonesia? Power sector optimization modeling of low-carbon strategies” [Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition (2024) 100074]

Unveiling the potential for decarbonization of the building sector: A comparative study of technological and non-technological low-carbon strategies

There is an urgent need to mitigate carbon emissions in the building sector, particularly from existing buildings. The existing literature focuses predominantly on technological strategies such as low-carbon materials. This prompts the question: Can technological strategies alone drive the decarbonization of buildings, or are non-technological strategies also essential? Although recent research considers the benefits of the latter, studies assessing the potential of non-technological strategies for decarbonization of buildings are lacking because of the challenges involved in evaluating the indirect impacts and potential trade-offs associated with these strategies such as their ripple effects on mobility. This study pioneers a comparative assessment to evaluate the environmental mitigation potential of non-technological strategies (adaptation, a subset of the sharing economy, and behavioral changes) against technological strategies (low-carbon materials, retrofitting, and recycled materials) to ascertain the effectiveness of non-technological approaches. Through life cycle assessment, this study extends beyond solely evaluating the GHG reduction potential to assess the overall environmental mitigation capacity. A single-family house in Montreal was used as a reference scenario. With significant mitigation potential observed from a non-technological perspective, the results robustly reveal that the adaptation scenario surpasses all scenarios, including retrofitting, which is the primary mitigation strategy for existing buildings, by up to 50 % and 41 % at the midpoint and damage levels, respectively. Furthermore, the adaptation scenario potentially provides sufficiency by saving considerable amounts of material and energy, thereby alleviating the environmental impact of the production and use stages by up to 27 % and 15 %, respectively. This study also evaluates the combined effects of adaptation and retrofitting for existing buildings, revealing by up to 8 % greater environmental benefits at the midpoint and damage levels than in the adaptation scenario individually. These results highlight the potential of non-technological strategies that are currently overlooked in the building sector. However, their implementation requires fewer resources and less energy than technological changes. Therefore, further investigation is warranted to explore how adopting these strategies, along with technological ones, is advantageous.

Hydrogen production from the steam reforming of biogas over Ni-based catalyst: The role of promoters and supports

Biogas steam reforming (BSR) is a sustainable and low-carbon strategy for H2 production. Herein, the conventional Ni/Al2O3 catalyst was modified by distinct promoters (Co, Cu, Fe) and supports (ZrO2, MgO, CeO2) for H2 production from BSR. The effects of modification methods on the catalytic performance were evaluated based on the activity tests and characterizations of catalysts. The introduction of the mono-metal promoter or the mono-metal oxide support was beneficial for the BSR to different degrees. Ni-Co/Al2O3 exhibited higher CH4 conversion ratio (xCH4), and Ni-Fe/Al2O3 showed the least carbon deposition among the catalysts modified by the mono-metal promoter. Both Ni/ZrO2-Al2O3 and Ni/MgO-Al2O3 modified with mono-metal oxide support showed high xCH4 approaching 90 %, with the former leading to less carbon deposition. The coupled modification by metal promoter and metal oxide support did not show a satisfactory performance. The modification by bi-metal oxide support, ZrO2 and MgO, showed the most promising catalytic conversion of CH4 and H2 production among all these modified catalysts, and the maximum values of xCH4 and H2 yield (YH2) reached 90.71 % and 86.06 %, respectively. Ni/MgO-ZrO2-Al2O3 also exhibited excellent stability with a total carbon deposition of 0.042 g·gcata−1 in the 10 h stability test.

Spontaneous Formation of Evolutionary Game Strategies for Long-Term Carbon Emission Reduction Based on Low-Carbon Trading Mechanism

In the context of increasing global efforts to mitigate climate change, effective carbon emission reduction is a pressing issue. Governments and power companies are key stakeholders in implementing low-carbon strategies, but their interactions require careful management to ensure optimal outcomes for both economic development and environmental protection. This paper addresses this real-world challenge by utilizing evolutionary game theory (EGT) to model the strategic interactions between these stakeholders under a low-carbon trading mechanism. Unlike classical game theory, which assumes complete rationality and perfect information, EGT allows for bounded rationality and learning over time, making it particularly suitable for modeling long-term interactions in complex systems like carbon markets. This study builds an evolutionary game model between the government and power companies to explore how different strategies in carbon emission reduction evolve over time. Using payoff matrices and replicator dynamics equations, we determine the evolutionarily stable equilibrium (ESE) points and analyze their stability through dynamic simulations. The findings show that in the absence of a third-party regulator, neither party achieves an ideal ESE. To address this, a third-party regulatory body is introduced into the model, leading to the formulation of a tripartite evolutionary game. The results highlight the importance of regulatory oversight in achieving stable and optimal low-carbon strategies. This paper offers practical policy recommendations based on the simulation outcomes, providing a robust theoretical framework for government intervention in carbon markets and guiding enterprises towards sustainable practices.

Evolutionary game theoretical approach for reducing carbon emissions in a complex supply chain organization

PurposeOur research explores the intricate behavior of low-carbon supply chain organizations in an ever-evolving landscape, emphasizing the profound implications of government-mandated low-carbon policies and the growing low-carbon market. Central to our exploration is applying a combined game theory model, merging Evolutionary Game Theory (EGT) with the Shapley Value Cooperative Game Theory Approach (SVCGTA).Design/methodology/approachWe establish a two-tier supply chain featuring retailers and manufacturers within this novel framework. We leverage an integrated approach, combining strategic Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperative Game Theory, to conduct an in-depth analysis of four distinct low-carbon strategy combinations for retailers and manufacturers.FindingsThe implications of our findings transcend theoretical boundaries and resonate with a trinity of economic, environmental and societal interests. Our research goes beyond theoretical constructs to consider real-world impacts, including the influence of changes in government low-carbon policies, the dynamics of consumer sensitivities and the strategic calibration of retailer carbon financing incentives and subsidies on the identified ESS. Notably, our work highlights that governments can effectively incentivize organizations to reduce carbon emissions by adopting a more flexible approach, such as regulating carbon prices, rather than imposing rigid carbon caps.Originality/valueOur comprehensive analysis reveals the emergence of an Evolutionary Stability Strategy (ESS) that evolves in sync with the phases of low-carbon technology development. During the initial stages, our research suggests that manufacturers or retailers adopt low-carbon behavior as the optimal approach.

Impact of Policy Intensity on Carbon Emission Reductions: Based on the Perspective of China’s Low-Carbon Policy

Economic development often results in significant greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to global climate change, which demands immediate attention. Despite implementing various low-carbon policies to promote sustainable economic and environmental progress, current evaluations reveal limitations and deficiencies. Therefore, this study utilizes a dataset detailing policy intensity at a prefecture-level city in China to investigate the impacts of these policies on carbon emission reduction from 2007 to 2022 in 334 prefecture-level cities, employing a fixed-effects model. Additionally, it assesses the policies’ efficacy. The findings indicate a significant negative correlation between China’s low-carbon policies and carbon emissions, supported robustly by multiple tests. Specifically, a one-unit increase in China’s policy intensity correlates with a 0.53-unit reduction in carbon emissions. Furthermore, the heterogeneity analysis shows that variations in urban agglomerations, environmental resource endowments, pollution levels, and low-carbon policy intensities influence the effectiveness of these policies in reducing carbon emissions. This analysis underscores that policy intensity achieves emission reductions through technological innovation, industrial transformation, welfare crowding out, and pollution transfer, with varying impacts across different environmental contexts, pollution levels, and policy intensities. Based on this analysis, we recommend several policies: formulating low-carbon strategies tailored to local conditions, enhancing regional low-carbon policies, establishing cross-regional coordination mechanisms, and so on. These recommendations not only offer valuable policy insights for China but also serve as useful references for the green and sustainable development of other developing countries.

Triple strategies for process salt reduction in industrial wastewater treatment: The case of coking wastewater

Human activities introduce nutrient elements into wastewater, yet the saline byproducts from treatment are poorly managed. Selecting a low-salt process, without compromising treatment efficacy, is essential for reaching the zero-discharge goal in water treatment. Based on the engineering treatment process of coking wastewater, the source and reduction strategy of salts were studied. The results showed that 73.21 % of the residual salt originated from raw coal, 10.87 % from raw water, and 15.92 % from chemicals, respectively. Triple strategies for process salt reduction (PSR): load salt reduction, technology salt reduction and cyclic salt reduction can bring 0.411 mS/cm·m3, 0.217 mS/cm·m3 and −0.070 mS/cm·m3 salt reduction, and also bring 1.455 CNY/m3, 0.836 CNY/m3 and 0.360 CNY/m3 net present value, respectively. Meanwhile, PSR is also a low-carbon strategy, which will bring about carbon emission reduction of 1.6948 kg CO2-eq/m3, 0.4898 kg CO2-eq/m3 and 1.4082 kg CO2-eq/m3 respectively. The Resource/Carbon source Management-Oxic − Hydrolytic & Denitrification − Oxic (A-OHO) process, incorporating PSR, cuts costs by 27.83–31.66 % and carbon emissions by 18.68–19.54 % compared to conventional wastewater treatment methods. It can be predicted that the PSR in the standard treatment stage can provide a guarantee for the subsequent water reuse and desalination process to reduce project investment and operating costs, and at the same time benefit the macro environment from the aspects of carbon emission reduction and sludge reduction.

Re-identifying farmland carbon neutrality gap under a new carbon counting and the framework of regional interactions in China

The farmland ecosystem, with its numerous material cycles and energy flows, is an important part of the carbon cycle in terrestrial ecosystems. Focusing on the carbon neutrality of farmland is meaningful for mitigating global warming and serving national low-carbon strategies. This study enriches the carbon accounting items of farmland and establishes a new research framework to check the carbon neutrality of farmland from the aspect of regional interactions and, subsequently, the inequality among China's provinces. The results revealed that there is still a great gap in the capability of China's farmland to reach carbon neutrality, with a gap value of up to 10,503 × 104 t C. All of the provinces presented net carbon emissions, and the per unit area carbon neutrality gaps showed spatial regularity decreasing from the coastal regions to the inland areas. Anthropogenic carbon emissions on farmland played a dominant role compared with soil organic carbon. Five provinces had reduced interior-regional carbon emissions through grain trade, and the amounts were especially high for developed regions, such as Guangdong, Zhejiang, Beijing, Shanghai and Jiangsu. Sixteen provinces gained external carbon emissions through trade; these were the less developed regions located mainly in the north, such as Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Jilin, Heilongjiang and Xinjiang. Under regional inequality, 15 provinces added to the net amount of the carbon emissions generated in external regions, with China's megacities adding the highest percentage, especially Beijing, with 389.95 % compared with its original emissions. Inequality showed that most provinces had a moderate status. Sichuan and Hunan experienced weak advantages, and six provinces had disadvantages. Therefore, constructing compensation and trade-based rights and responsibilities traceability mechanisms is important.

Determinants of spatiotemporal changes of land use carbon emissions for counties in Shaanxi Province, China.

In China, urban sprawl and developed land expansion challenge the country's "carbon peak" and "carbon neutrality" goals. Counties as the basic governance units arecrucial for effective carbon reduction policies. This study examines land use carbon emissions (LUCE) in Shaanxi Province at the county level, essential for China's low-carbon strategy. Analyzing data from 107 counties between 2000 and 2020, we found that developed land, though increasing, is the primary carbon source with a slowing growth rate. The Conversion of Cropland to Forests and Grasslands national policy mitigated the impact on carbon absorption. Carbon emissions displayed positive autocorrelation and spatial heterogeneity, varying across the region. Using the Spatial Durbin Error Model, we linked county-level emissions to GDP per capita, population, urbanization rate, and research and development expenditure for direct and indirect influence. These factors correlate with fossil fuel use and high-quality industrial development. Promoting public transits and reducing private car use are vital for achieving local and regional low-carbon goals.

Defending the climate cause within the state: the ministry of ecology and the drafting of France’s national low-carbon strategy (2017–2020)

ABSTRACT National climate policies have generated a considerable body of research in academic literature. Focusing on the little-studied case of France, this article examines the way in which, in this country, the State has drafted its latest low-carbon strategy (SNBC). Drawing on approaches such as ‘bureaucratic politics’ and ‘administrative capacity’, it questions the ability of the administration responsible for writing this document (and thus defending the climate cause) to make its voice heard within the political-administrative arena. Based on an in-depth sociological study, this article shows that this administration found itself in a position of ‘powerlessness’, due to three main factors: instrumental (the limited scope of the tool, reflecting an initial will to reduce its impact), organizational (the subordinate position of this administration within the bureaucratic hierarchy) and political (weak support from government). The result is a contested strategy, unlikely to bring about a credible roadmap to implement the necessary changes.

Low-carbon strategy analysis in a construction supply chain considering government subsidies and contract design

This study establishes a low-carbon construction supply chain (CSC) composed of a developer and a contractor. The developer invests in low-carbon promotion (LCP) to give consumers more accurate information about the project's low-carbon aspects. The contractor invests in low-carbon construction technology (LCT) with the intention of reducing carbon emissions. This paper explores the investment strategies and cooperative behaviors of developers and contractors from the perspective of government subsidies and further studies the conditions that affect the successful implementation of cost-sharing contracts between the developer and contractor. This study considers four decision-making scenarios: decentralized decision-making without government subsidies, decentralized decision-making with government subsidies, unilateral cost-sharing contract (UCC) with government subsidies, and bilateral cost-sharing contract (BCC) with government subsidies. The findings indicate that: (1) The contractor's LCT investment has a better optimization effect on CSC than the developer's LCP investment. (2) When only government subsidies are implemented, subsidizing contractors is more conducive to the optimization of CSC. When UCC and BCC are further introduced, subsidizing developers becomes more beneficial. Moreover, excessively high subsidy standards are not conducive to the sustainable development of CSC. (3) UCC and BCC both hold the potential for Pareto improvements within CSC, with success contingent upon specific conditions, and BCC tends to achieve better optimization than UCC. (4) The marginal profits of developers and contractors primarily drive the effectiveness of contracts. CSC's sustainability is jeopardized by cost-sharing ratios that are either excessively high or too low. This study provides a robust theoretical foundation for promoting low-carbon cooperation among members of CSC and formulating government subsidy policies.

LEGO®-inspired decision-making model for automatic construction of precast diaphragm walls

This paper proposes using a precast diaphragm wall (PDW) for an urban low-carbon strategy. However, PDW using mechanized automatic construction still lacks the support of segmentation decision-making modeling. Therefore, this paper introduces the PDW LEGO®-inspired decision-making model (PDW-LDM) to address this problem. First, the paper establishes the parameterization, adaptive analysis, and decision-making modules. Second, it integrates these modules to create the PDW-LDM. Finally, the PDW-LDM is applied in a case study. The main conclusions include: (1) Multi-disturbance analysis revealed the most vulnerable disturbance case for PDW, indicating the need and feasibility of joints for PDW; (2) Legoized PDW exhibited both disturbance resilience and sufficient weight reduction (15%); and (3) A LEGO® frame model integrates with the hardware to build a complete set of equipment for PDW automatic construction. This paper provides a practical tool for decision-making in PDW automatic construction and promotes urban low-carbon strategy.

Is smart city low-carbon? Evidence from China

Smart cities were originally conceived to address a myriad of urban challenges arising from rapid urbanization, including energy scarcity, congestion, and environmental degradation. The Chinese government has made substantial efforts to advance smart city initiatives. However, the extent to which the integration of smart technologies contributes to urban sustainability, especially within a high-carbon urbanization paradigm, poses a critical question in light of escalating extreme weather events and worsening global challenges. Urgency is underscored in prioritizing low-carbon strategies within smart city frameworks. This paper presents a Multicriteria Decision Making Network (MCDN) approach to assess and rank the low-carbon levels (LCL) of 36 pilot smart cities in China. Findings reveal that overall LCL among these cities remains relatively modest, with significant disparities attributed to varying economic, social, institutional, cultural, and environmental contexts. The study also delves into the nexus between urban intelligence and LCL, highlighting a discernible positive correlation between a city's smartness and its low-carbon profile. Moreover, empirical evidence suggests that advancements in smart technologies are conducive, albeit to varying degrees, to enhancing urban LCL. In light of these findings, recommendations are made to fortify economic and social advancement, bolster management practices, and foster multi-stakeholder collaboration to propel the coordinated development of smart and low-carbon initiatives in China.

Decarbonization in the Oil and Gas Sector: The Role of Power Purchase Agreements and Renewable Energy Certificates

This study examines the adoption of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) as strategic tools for decarbonization in the oil and gas sector. Focusing on the 21 largest oil and gas companies across Europe, North America, and South America, the analysis reveals varied adoption rates and strategic emphases between regions. European companies exhibit robust integration of PPAs and RECs to expand renewable energy capacities and reduce emissions, aligning closely with aggressive EU climate policies. In contrast, American companies show a cautious approach, focusing more on emission reduction from existing operations than on renewable expansions. The study’s findings indicate that, while both regions are advancing in their decarbonization efforts, European companies are leading with more defined renewable energy targets and comprehensive low-carbon strategies. This research contributes to understanding how different regulatory environments and market conditions influence corporate strategies towards sustainable energy transitions in traditionally hard-to-abate industries.

Life cycle assessment of carbon emissions for cross-sea tunnel: A case study of Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge and Tunnel in China

Due to significant population concentration and capital influx in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the construction of cross-sea tunnels with significant consumption of various resources and materials, has been frequently witnessed. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding how carbon emissions of cross-sea transportation infrastructure are generated across its life-cycle stages. This study proposes a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach for quantifying the carbon emissions and exploring the carbon reduction potentials with a case study of a world-renowned cross-sea tunnel project in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The results find that this project contributes approximately 849 kilotons CO2eq of carbon emissions with an emission intensity of 1.1 kilotons CO2eq per meter. The materialization stage is the largest contributor of carbon emissions (474.9 kilotons CO2eq), followed by service stage (248.3 kilotons CO2eq, accounting for 29.2 %). Some carbon emissions of raw materials can be offset by using recycled materials. The discarded concrete, block, stone, and sand, occupying over 90 % of the total recycled waste in weight could achieve a 93.5 % of carbon reduction potentially. It provides the opportunity to reveal the engineering details and carbon emission for a world-class super complex cross-sea transportation infrastructure. This study makes one of the first attempts to quantify life-cycle carbon emissions of cross-sea transportation infrastructure, which enriches foundational dataset for environmental impact assessment in this emerging field. The findings of this study can provide scientific references for formulating targeted low-carbon strategies for cross-sea transportation infrastructure across its different life-cycle stages.

Transitioning to low-carbon agriculture: the non-linear role of digital inclusive finance in China’s agricultural carbon emissions

Promoting low-carbon agricultural development is essential for achieving carbon neutrality and peak carbon emission goals. The emergence of digital inclusive finance has opened a new pathway to reduce agricultural carbon emissions. This study uses data from various provinces in China from 2011 to 2021 to explore the impact of digital inclusive finance on agricultural carbon emissions and its mechanism of action. The results show that during the study period, agricultural carbon emissions first increased and then decreased, with the emission gap between the eastern and western regions narrowing, while the gap between the southern and northern regions widened. Digital inclusive finance has an inverted “U-shaped” nonlinear impact on agricultural carbon emissions, with the depth of use and the degree of digitization being key factors. Agricultural carbon emissions only begin to be effectively suppressed when the scale of digital inclusive finance exceeds the peak value. Additionally, the development of agricultural green cooperatives weakens the emission reduction effect of digital inclusive finance, indicating a decoupling between their developments, while the accumulation of human capital enhances its emission reduction effect. Based on this, the government is advised to continue promoting low-carbon strategies and the development of digital inclusivity in rural areas. Financial institutions should develop financial products suitable for agricultural green cooperatives, and agricultural green cooperatives should also provide timely feedback and communication to achieve coordinated development between the two. Furthermore, education and training for farmers should be strengthened to encourage them to learn and adopt new technologies.

Providing solutions for carbon emission reduction using the TOE framework

Firms are adopting low-carbon strategies to stay competitive and manage operations sustainably. We studied how to reduce carbon emissions and design tailored solutions for different firms using the TOE framework. Our research used a three-pronged approach, including a supply chain model, panel regression analysis, and fuzzy sets of qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). We discovered that 80% is a significant threshold for determining the number of TOE factors. Our study also confirms the Matthew effect in carbon reduction. These results provide valuable insights and practical recommendations for managers to reduce emissions and promote sustainable development.

A Comparative Analysis of Low-Carbon Design Strategies for China’s Higher Education Parks Based on Building and Urban Scale in Sustainability Rating Systems

In the global context of carbon neutrality, higher education parks are an important strategic position for achieving China’s goal of carbon peaking and carbon neutralization. Strategies from the perspective of life cycle to guide early low-carbon planning and design are an effective way to achieve carbon emission reduction goals. As the scale of university construction gradually expands, the “urban” attributes of them are becoming prominent. However, there is no quantitative study on analyzing the life cycle carbon emission strategies at both the building and urban scale based on sustainability rating systems. This study first extracts the design strategies according to BREEAM, LEED, DGNB and relative assessment standards for campuses and cities in China at the building and urban scale based on the 7-dimensional low-carbon strategy framework, then sorts out and compares the proportions of carbon-emission-related strategies across various dimensions and life cycle stages. It then summarizes the applications and concerns of low-carbon design strategies at different design scales. Finally, the weighting and calculation methods of life cycle carbon emissions in different sustainability rating systems are compared, the scope and methods of carbon emission benchmarks under different standards are compiled, and the evaluation method for locally applicable carbon emission benchmarks in China is proposed in light of China’s national conditions, which provides guidance for the design process and standard formulation.

France's National Energy-Climate Plan: Critical presentation

France's National Energy-Climate Plan (PNEC), presented in October 2023, is structured around the Multiannual Energy Program (PPE) and the National Low-Carbon Strategy (SNBC). These documents describe France's energy and climate strategies for the next dec- ade, aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050 and a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emis- sions by 2030 (-50% compared to 1990). The plan focuses on increasing the share of renew- able energies and nuclear power, while reducing fossil fuel consumption. By 2030, 58% of energy consumption should come from low-carbon sources. The plan recognizes that there are a number of unanswered questions, such as how to guarantee sufficient flexibility, and how to determine the necessary investment in electricity grids. In addition, electricity market reform and the fight against energy poverty are essential elements in ensuring a just transition, a particularly sensitive subject in France since the Yellow Vests crisis.