Low-carbon Strategies Research Articles

Low carbon strategy and coordination for a two-echelon automotive supply chain considering dual credit policy

The dual-credit policy currently plays a crucial role in the automobile industry and significantly contributes to low-carbon operations in the automotive supply chain. This paper employs the game-theoretic approach to build a supply chain comprising a supplier (leader) and an automaker (follower), considers the impact of dual-credit policy, and incorporates vertical spillovers into the supply chain abatement. Both parties lower carbon emissions through vertical spillovers while maximizing profits, thereby studying the low-carbon strategy of the automobile supply chain. Our findings reveal that (1) increased vertical spillover rate reduces the prices of fuel vehicles (FVs) and new energy vehicles (NEVs), raises the low-carbon levels and profits of automakers and suppliers. (2) An increase in the NEV credit ratio under the centralized system raises both price and demand for NEVs, while the low-carbon levels of automotive enterprises are reduced. (3) The carbon emissions of each vehicle under the centralized system will be lower than those of the decentralized system, and the order of total carbon emission levels under both systems is closely related to the credit trading price and credits per NEV. Moreover, we explore the automotive supply chain coordination and find that the Nash bargaining model fully coordinates the supply chain, while the cost-sharing and revenue-sharing contracts do not. Also, numerical analysis shows that the optimal system profit under revenue-sharing is greater than cost-sharing.

DESIGN OF PUBLIC RENTAL SETTLEMENTS BASED ON GREEN AND LOW-CARBON RESEARCH: EXAMPLE OF COURSE DESIGN FOR A SENIOR DESIGN CLASS

ABSTRACT Public rental housing has received widespread attention from the government and the public, and with the global response to climate change and the goal of “carbon peak and carbon neutral,” the development of green and low-carbon rental housing has become an important trend. Against this background, the design of public rental housing in this project is designed with the hope that students will take the problem as the guide, performance optimization as the means, and start from the perspective of architectural design to explore the combination of low-carbon strategy or green technology and design in order to create low-carbon public rental housing. The paper analyzes and shows four groups of assignments in detail, which, through crowd demand analysis and site analysis, propose corresponding low-carbon driven design solution strategies from four aspects: the design of shared carbon-saving living patterns, the pattern organization of innovative central corridors that facilitate lighting and ventilation, algorithm-driven form generation, and the composite optimization of radiant heat in the façade.

Low-carbon energy transition multi-agent network evolutionary under carbon trading scheme.

Transitioning to low-carbon energy is key for reaching carbon neutrality and modernizing our energy systems, but it presents significant cost-related challenges for energy businesses. To foster optimal outcomes, this paper develops a game model including power generators, high-energy businesses, and consumers in the carbon trading framework. The model explores how different entities evolve their low-carbon strategies under social learning influence to optimize utility. Stability analysis of strategy and simulation experiments reveal the following findings: (1) Greater carbon quotas reduce power generators' low-carbon transition willingness while high-energy-consuming enterprises and consumers remain unchanged. (2) Higher prices for low-carbon products offered by high-energy-consuming enterprises boost low-carbon transition motivation across all parties. (3) Increased green premiums enhance revenue for all parties but are constrained by policy and carbon pricing. (4) Both direct and indirect increases in carbon emissions negatively impact the revenue and utility for all stakeholders. (5) Increasing social learning effect fosters a shift towards low-carbon strategies, accelerating the attainment of game equilibrium, and enhancing market stability and sustainability. This research provides decision support for carbon trading policy design and low-carbon transition of energy enterprises.

Study on the influence mechanism of low-carbon logistics on energy consumption structure in the Yangtze River Delta region

Low-carbon logistics refers to the use of low energy consumption, low pollution, low emission technology and methods in the logistics process, in order to reduce the environmental impact and improve the transportation efficiency. Under the background of the new period, the low-carbon strategy has become a hot topic in the modern logistics industry. This paper will discuss the factors and countermeasures affecting the development of low-carbon logistics, in order to provide some reference and inspiration for the realization of low-carbon logistics.

Will rebound behaviour diminish the decarbonization potential of carbon generalized system of preferences in China?

The Carbon Generalized System of Preferences (CGSP) is an innovative mechanism aimed at mitigating personal carbon emissions through changes in consumer behaviour. Given that changes in consumer behaviour can lead to released expenditure and subsequent rebound behaviour, while the potential impact of rebound behaviour on decarbonization effect of CGSP remains unclear. This study extends the LCA-EEIO model to assess the decarbonization potential of 27 green actions (e.g., Clothes repair, Food sufficient, Less flying, etc.) within 5 low-carbon strategies (Clothes, Food, Shelter, Transport, and Others). Our findings reveal that each green action results in carbon emissions reductions, with Natural fibers demonstrating the most favorable outcomes. Notably, the study also reveals that rebound behaviour has a detrimental impact on the decarbonization potential of CGSP, potentially undermining the effectiveness of certain green actions (i.e., Work from home, Repair equipment). Additionally, the research uncovered negative interaction effects among green actions, further diminishing the decarbonization potential of CGSP. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers in designing an effective CGSP aimed at reducing personal carbon emissions in developing countries.

Editorial: Recent advances in durability improvement and low-carbon strategy of engineering materials and structures

Editorial: Recent advances in durability improvement and low-carbon strategy of engineering materials and structures

Exploring context-specific perspectives: a qualitative study on building climate resilience health-care facilities in southeast Asia

BackgroundAlthough existing literature provides various tools, frameworks, and guidelines for building health-care facilities that can withstand the impacts of climate change, there is little research focused on the practical implementation of such strategies. This gap in the research is particularly noticeable when applying these guidelines to specific geographical and environmental contexts. We focus specifically on the southeast Asia region, a region that has been identified as one of the most susceptible to the effects of a changing climate. By offering practical, region-specific recommendations, we hope to contribute to the ongoing efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change on health-care infrastructure and services. MethodsTo gain a comprehensive understanding of the specific challenges, needs, and feasible indicators for progress towards climate resilience in health-care facilities, we conducted in-depth interviews with members of the Global Green and Healthy Hospital Network in southeast Asia. Participants were selected based on a mix of facility and system parameters and were took into account various contexts, including urban and rural settings as well as low-income and high-income countries. Both private and public health systems and facilities were considered. This network comprises health-care professionals who are committed towards environmental sustainability and climate justice. FindingsFrom Oct 6 to 28, 2023, we conducted interviews with eight participants and augmented this analysis with data drawn from existing published reports. The interview findings highlighted various primary areas of focus, which encompassed disaster readiness, low-carbon strategies, and the financial aspects of climate resilience. A prevailing theme was the importance of behaviour change alongside staff training and education. The unique perspective centres around the notion of health equity and its relationship with climate change. This perspective underscores the heightened awareness of environmental, economic, and social disparities that are exacerbated by climate change in southeast Asia. Issues include resistance to change, lack of public awareness, and economic versus ecological priorities. The absence of a standardised and systematic approach to implementing climate-resilient healthcare indicates a need for flexible and adaptable regional policies. InterpretationThe findings of this study contribute to the broader understanding of how health services can be reoriented to face the realities of climate change effectively. This research outlines tangible recommendations for health services from both a process and impact points of view, and offers valuable insights for health policy makers, health-care providers, and researchers in the field. FundingHealth Care Without Harm southeast Asia.

Multi-tier life cycle assessment for evaluating low carbon strategies in soil remediation

Addressing soil pollution and achieving global carbon neutrality requires low carbon remediation practices. When selecting the optimal remediation techniques, a comprehensive model is required to assess the environmental and economic impacts accurately. In the present study, a spatial three-tier framework that combines process cycle assessment (PLCA), Input output analysis (IOA) and Multi-Regional Input Output analysis (MRIOA) has been used to evaluate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of three commonly used remediation alternatives at a contaminated site in Hubei Province, China, as well as the indirect GHG emissions of the industry chain at provincial and national scale. The three remediation techniques were coprocessing in a cement kiln (CCK), ex-situ solidification and stabilization (ESS), and soil washing (SLW). Using a tiered hybrid life cycle assessment (THLCA) approach, the results demonstrated the importance of including off-site emissions in life cycle assessments. It was found that CCK had the lowest total GHG emissions among the three alternatives. Off-site greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with three soil remediation alternatives vary significantly, with CCK exhibiting the lowest levels and ESS the highest. Soil remediation emissions mainly affected Hubei Province, with varying spillover effects on other regions, such as Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Liaoning, and Gansu, which supplied material resources and power supply for the soil remediation project. The production and supply of electricity and heat (PSE) sector contributed the most to off-site emissions, accounting for 56.05%, 67.76%, and 67.30% of total emissions for CCK, ESS, and SLW, respectively. Overall, the present study provides fresh insights to support a more holistic low-carbon assessment of soil remediation options.

Transition of chemical production pattern motivated by CO2 utilization: Multi-dimensional evaluation and future projections

Carbon dioxide utilization (CDU) for chemical production is beneficial for achieving carbon neutrality and constructing an artificial carbon cycle. However, the industrialization of CDU technology is facing the concerns about environmental impacts, energy consumption and economic effects. To better illustrate the comprehensive performances of CDU technology and optimize chemical production, this study conducts a multi-dimensional evaluation on CDU and traditional pathways following a scenario-based optimization, which covers 23 pathways for 7 identified bulk chemicals. The results reveal that ethanol is the most suitable chemical to be transitioned preferentially and produced with CDU technology based on China’s current technology level. The development of electro-catalytic conversion may benefit CDU pathways especially for oxirane. The results of scenario analysis reveal that the competitivity and priority of various pathways may change significantly with the deployment of low-carbon strategies. Then the results of conditional optimization reveal that the transition of chemical production pattern motivated by CDU may significantly impact on resource consumption and technology proportion, which brings about an increase of 680 % in H2 consumption. The transition may also decouple the relationship between carbon emissions and economic growth, which drives the production emissions to drop from 193 Mt/year to −27 Mt/year and carbon intensity to drop from 80 t/104 USD to −8 t/104 USD.

Analysis of decoupling between CO2 emissions and economic growth in China's provincial capital cities: A Tapio model approach

Large amounts of CO2 emissions often accompany economic growth. The decoupling analysis is a common approach to assess how economic growth can be achieved without significant negative environmental impacts and by promoting energy conservation and emission reduction. Cities are essential in mitigating climate change problems and promoting low-carbon living. This study analyzes the relationship between economic development and CO2 emissions in Chinese provincial capitals from 2011 to 2021. The Tapio decoupling model and Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) decomposition model are used to assess this decoupling relationship based on panel CO2 emissions and GDP data. The results show that: (1) CO2 emissions are still growing at a slow pace, but with big fluctuations during 2019–2021 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) Cities have significant differences, with some cities reaching a stable weak decoupling, and others with unstable decoupling. Also, economically developed cities have significant advantages; (3) Economic output is still the main factor inhibiting decoupling. The inhibiting effect of population growth is gradually stabilizing. Results demonstrate that energy technology and economic structure have a great role in promoting decoupling. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the importance of energy efficiency and sustainable development through advanced technologies, economic restructuring, and low-carbon strategies for transition toward climate-resilient urban development.

Evolution analysis of low-carbon cooperation of service providers based on Moran process in cloud manufacturing.

Low-carbon cooperation among cloud manufacturing service providers is one way to achieve carbon peak and neutrality. Such cooperation is related to the benefits to service providers adopting low-carbon strategies and stochastic factors such as government low-carbon policies, providers' environmental awareness, and demanders' low-carbon preferences. Focusing on the evolutionary process of service providers' low-carbon strategy selection under uncertain factors, a stochastic evolutionary game model is constructed based on the Moran process, and the equilibrium conditions for low-carbon cooperation among providers are analyzed under benefit-dominated and stochastic factor-dominated situations. Through numerical simulation, the effects of the cloud platform's cost-sharing coefficient for low-carbon investment, matching growth rate, carbon trading price, and group size on providers' low-carbon strategy evolution are analyzed. The research results show that increasing the cloud platform's low-carbon cost-sharing, carbon trading price, and group size can promote low-carbon cooperation among service providers. With greater low-carbon investment costs and greater stochastic factor interference, the providers' enthusiasm for low-carbon cooperation decreases. This study fills the research gap in the low-carbon cooperation evolution of cloud manufacturing providers based on the stochastic evolutionary game and provides decision-making suggestions for governments and cloud platforms to encourage provider participation in low-carbon cooperation and for providers to adopt low-carbon strategies.

Evolutionary Game Analysis of Providers’ and Demanders’ Low-Carbon Cooperation in Cloud Manufacturing Mode

The low-carbon cooperation between providers and demanders is one of the ways to achieve sustainable development in cloud manufacturing, which has become an important issue. However, the effective ways for the cloud platform to encourage such cooperation are unclear. Considering the low-carbon strategies of the supply and demand sides and the regulation of the cloud platform, an evolutionary game model involving service providers, service demanders, and the cloud platform is established, and the tripartite evolutionary stability is discussed. Further, the impacts of important factors, such as regulatory costs, on the tripartite strategies are analyzed through numerical simulation. The results illustrate that the cloud platform reasonably optimizes the rewards and penalties for low-carbon cooperation to promote the enthusiastic participation of service providers and demanders. The cloud platform can set penalties (rewards) for providers based on their low-carbon costs and rewards (penalties). Additionally, the low-carbon costs of service providers and the additional costs of demanders negatively affect the low-carbon cooperation between providers and demanders. Meanwhile, the low-carbon costs and additional costs for the providers and demanders to engage in low-carbon cooperation are affected by the rewards and penalties of the cloud platform. The results could provide insights into the game decisions of the supply and demand sides and the cloud platform, facilitating sustainable supply chain advancement.

Research on the impact of digitalization on green development: An empirical analysis from the low-carbon strategy perspective.

With the collision between the green and low-carbon economy and the accelerating digital economy, how to realize the effect of "1+1>2" has gradually become an important topic for contributing to the high-quality development of regions and enterprises. Entrepreneurship in the digital age continues to exhibit new characteristics, and its impact on green development is also more closely related. This article focuses on the context of the low-carbon strategy, incorporating the digitalization level, entrepreneurship, and green development into the same framework. It then takes 2011-2021 Chinese provincial panel data and enterprise panel data as samples to conduct research. The results indicate the following: (1) The digitalization level has a significant positive promoting effect on the green development of regions and enterprises, and blockchain technology has the strongest promoting effect on the green development of enterprises. (2) The digitalization level drives the green development of regions and enterprises through three channels: entrepreneurs' innovative spirit, entrepreneurs' entrepreneurial spirit and entrepreneurs' contract spirit. Entrepreneurship is the intermediary bridge for the digitalization level to promote green development. (3) Environmental regulations partially serve as "accelerators" of the impact of green development. The findings of this article will provide empirical support for evaluating the impact of digitalization on green development and offer useful insights for better stimulating and cultivating entrepreneurship in the new era to empower comprehensive green development.

When decarbonization rhymes with industrialization. The political dilemmas of increasing wood usage within the French construction industry

ABSTRACT Because the building industry is a massive contributor to GHS emissions and energy consumption, France’s low carbon strategy has set it ambitious objectives: complete decarbonization by 2050. To achieve this, construction in wood (currently 10% of market share) must increase significantly. This article addresses the economic and political challenge of promoting this growth. Adopting an analytical framework combining political economy and policy analysis, we analyse ‘political work’ undertaken to articulate relevant industrial and climate policies. First, we show how ‘a lack of competitiveness’ of the wood industry has been reproblematized to reconcile this framing with climate policy objectives. Then we analyze policies which address market regulation, the supply of wood and financial investments in the wood and construction industries. Finally, we argue that today regulating the wood segment of the construction industry faces two dilemmas. A sovereignty dilemma refers to differing degrees of actor willingness to foster French wood products without hampering climatization objectives. A territorial dilemma arises concerning the pathway to industrialization built by its promoters and, in particular, how territories at ‘the French margins’ might benefit from this economic opportunity.

Is urban spatial expansion on track to achieve low-carbon cities? An empirical comparative study of Xi’an and Chengdu in western China

Rapidly expanding urban areas constitute places of high-intensity energy consumption and, hence, major carbon emissions. There is an urgent need to systematically review the relationship between urban spatial expansion and carbon emissions at the city level, especially for cities in western China where development lags behind compared to other parts of the country, and differences among resource availability exist. Here, we conducted a systematic comparative analysis of carbon emissions and urban expansion indicators for urban spatial development. We introduce and apply an extension of the STIRPAT model to quantify the impact of urban spatial expansion on carbon emissions for the cities of Xi’an and Chengdu located in western China. The model findings indicate that both cities have reached the absolute and relative goal of carbon emissions, although they experienced a sprawling pattern. Moreover, population density for both cities displayed a negative relationship with carbon emissions, whereas road area per capita displayed a positive relationship. Since western cities have a later starting point for development, the empirical research on influencing variables of carbon emissions for western cities is important to local and regional urban spatial planning and governance. We propose further empirical studies regarding the gaps of existing urban spatial structure and low-carbon urban areas, in order to construct a systematic and scientifically sound approach to further low-carbon strategies in urban development.

Evaluation and prediction of carbon emission from logistics at city scale for low-carbon development strategy.

Low-carbon is a part of China's efforts to pursue the national strategy of "carbon peaking and carbon neutrality." Meanwhile, the path of low-carbon transformation of logistics has become a topic of global concern. This study constructs a technical framework of logistics carbon emissions (LCE), which is composed of carbon emission evaluation, carbon emission prediction and low-carbon strategy. All 13 prefecture-level cities in Jiangsu, China, are the application objects in empirical research. Then, the influence analysis of the LCE efficiency based on the panel Tobit model and the evolution of LCE under different scenarios are explored. The results show that: (ⅰ) during the study period (2013-2020), the LCE in Jiangsu showed an overall upward trend, with Xuzhou, Suzhou and Nanjing being the cities with the highest carbon emissions; (ⅱ) the static efficiency of LCE in Jiangsu is at a medium level, with fluctuations in Suzhou, Changzhou, Zhenjiang, Nantong, and Suqian caused by the technical change index; (ⅲ) economic level, industrial structure, fixed asset utilization rate, and ecological environment in Jiangsu are significantly positively correlated with LCE efficiency, while education popularization and energy intensity are negative; (ⅳ) LCE in Jiangsu has been drastically reduced in the low-carbon scenario compared to the baseline scenario. On the above basis, this study proposes suggestions for the low-carbon development strategies of logistics in Jiangsu.

CO2-derived nitrogen doped porous carbon as advanced anodes for lithium-ion capacitors

Porous carbon is considered one of the most promising anode materials for lithium-ion capacitors due to its high ionic and electronic conductivity, high lithium storage capacitance and high chemical stability. However, the green and low-carbon preparation is a great challenge for the current porous carbon, especially for heteroatoms doped porous carbon. Herein, we report a low-carbon and environmentally friendly method to prepare N-doped porous carbon by the novel reaction of greenhouse gas CO2 with 5LiH-LiNH2. N-doped porous carbon delivers a reversible lithium storage capacity of 904 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, When paired with commercial activated carbon, the as-assembled lithium-ion capacitors provide a high energy density of 112 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 198.6 W kg−1 with a capacitance retention of 72% at 1.0 A g−1 after 6000 cycles. This work provides a green and low-carbon strategy for converting greenhouse gas CO2 into N-doped porous carbon for high-performance lithium-ion capacitors.

A high-efficiency and low-carbon strategy for selective lithium recovery from spent lithium-ion batteries: Combining mechanochemical activation with biomass reduction roasting

Biomass reduction roasting has attracted considerable attention as an emerging strategy for selectively recovering lithium from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the utilization of excessive roasting conditions in current practices results in significant energy consumption and C emissions, thereby hindering further development. Herein, we propose a novel recycling strategy that combines mechanochemical activation (MCA) with biomass reduction roasting. The optimized roasting conditions with MCA pretreatment achieve a 100 °C reduction in roasting temperature, a halving of biomass ratio and roasting time, compared to the case without activation. By analyzing the changes in physicochemical properties of mixed samples (cathode materials and biomass) under different activation conditions and their impacts, the action mechanism of MCA on biomass reduction roasting is revealed. The introduction of MCA pretreatment achieves milder roasting conditions by promoting homogeneous mixing and disrupting NCM crystal structures through the “pre-oxygen elements removal” process. Furthermore, mechanical treatment was applied to enhance the carbonated water leaching process. The results of sustainability analysis and economic evaluation demonstrate that the proposed recycling strategy not only reduces CO2 emissions and energy consumption but also generates considerable benefits. Overall, this high-efficiency and low-carbon recycling strategy provides a promising direction for the development of spent LIBs recycling technology.

Research on carbon-neutral calculation model of urban parks based on life-cycle assessment: a case study from Beijing, China

Abstract Urban parks are an essential component of the urban carbon sink system. Calculating a city’s overall carbon balance is significant by predicting when urban parks will achieve carbon-neutral. This research is based on the theory of life-cycle assessment and uses carbon emission factors to calculate the project’s carbon emissions. Using the established model, we calculated the urban park with a total area of 6.5 hectares in a certain city in Fangshan District, Beijing, China. The results indicate that the carbon emission intensity of the city park during the construction materials production phase is $5.97$${\mathrm{tCO}}_2\mathrm{e}/\mathrm{ha}$; during the construction phase, it is 18.947${\mathrm{tCO}}_2\mathrm{e}/\mathrm{ha}$; and during the operation phase, it is $5.97{\mathrm{tCO}}_2\mathrm{e}/\mathrm{ha}/\mathrm{Year}$. The total carbon reduction of the photovoltaic system in the first 25 years is $260.007{\mathrm{tCO}}_2/\mathrm{ha}$. Carbon sinks have a relatively minor impact on achieving carbon neutrality goals for urban parks. The case urban park will take 20–21 years to achieve the carbon-neutral target. We propose a future low-carbon strategy for urban parks through the study results. This will also contribute to developing uniform evaluation standards for carbon neutrality in urban parks.

Optimizing Land Use for Carbon Neutrality: Integrating Photovoltaic Development in Lingbao, Henan Province

This study aims to examine the impact of land use variations on carbon emissions by incorporating the development of photovoltaics as a scenario. To meet this end, we investigate the carbon emissions fluctuations resulting from different development scenarios: natural development, low-carbon strategies, and widespread adoption of photovoltaic technology. We identify important influencing factors related to these changes and utilize multi-objective optimization and the PLUS model to simulate land use patterns in Lingbao City projected for 2035, with a focus on achieving carbon neutrality. Through multiple scenarios, we analyze differences in carbon emissions, economic benefits, ecological impacts, and land use allocations. Our findings demonstrate that the photovoltaic scenario leads to a substantial 3500-ton reduction in carbon emissions and boosts overall benefits by RMB 85 million compared to the low-carbon scenario. This highlights the significant role of photovoltaic systems inefficient land utilization, meeting carbon emission targets, and generating economic gains. This research explores the relationship between land use alterations and carbon emissions, aiming to achieve ambitious carbon reduction objectives by integrating photovoltaic applications across diverse land types. It provides fresh perspectives for examining urban land utilization and strategies to reduce carbon emissions.