Policy Of Neutrality Research Articles

Empire, Secular Materialism, and Alternative Knowledges

Abstract: This essay probes the ways that secular thought worked in tandem with the imperial management of colonized peoples. Colonial policies of religious neutrality could not fully obscure the judgmentalism toward the religions of colonial subjects, exposing the power dynamics within which secular discourses of empire operated. A case in point is the rationale for the introduction of English literature into the colonial curriculum as a secular surrogate for Christian values. No writer of the imperial age was more attuned to the complex workings of the secular imagination and the conflictual languages of tolerance and intolerance than Rudyard Kipling, for whom India served as a backdrop for probing the unsustainable power of colonial legislative reforms in altering the religious mindset of Indians. His fascination with technology and its conceptual relation to occultism enabled him to probe the intersections between religion and science, highlighting his imaginative reinterpretation of secularism's fragility as a mechanism of colonial power.

Flow characteristics analysis and combustion oscillation mitigation of a hydrogen industrial burner

With the promotion of carbon neutrality policies, hydrogen burners are widely used in the industrial field, and exploring the combustion characteristics and stable combustion technology of hydrogen industrial burners has important engineering application significance. This study investigates the flow characteristics and combustion oscillation mitigation of a specific hydrogen industrial burner for heating thermal oil through experiments and numerical simulations. The oscillating combustion with a frequency of 100 Hz is discovered during the field test. The dynamic characteristics are reproduced via large eddy simulation (LES), and the pressure amplitude is reduced by 22% via the active control strategy. LES results show that corner recirculation zone and main recirculation zone occur in the flame holding chamber, with maximum recirculation velocity and maximum temperature of −20 m/s and 2110 K, respectively. The unstable modes and key elementary reactions are revealed by modal analysis and eigen-analysis. The clustered neural network with horizons (CNNH) controller is constructed to suppress the combustion instability. The CNNH controller can effectively suppress the pressure oscillation by perturbing the inlet mass flow rate of main H2, reducing the peak amplitude in the frequency domain by 67%. By optimizing the controller parameters, the CNNH controller can be further applied to different scenarios of hydrogen industrial burners.

RESEARCH ON OPTIMIZATION OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDING FACADES INTEGRATING WITH PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER

Industrial buildings are important production carriers in urban space, but they also have problems such as high production energy consumption, serious environmental pollution, and poor built interface, which have attracted much attention. Building environment optimization and energy structure adjustment have become the focus of industrial building research. In the context of the national carbon neutral policy, this paper studies the impact of industrial buildings on the urban environment, combines photovoltaic power generation technology, explores the integrated design strategy of CdTe generation glass and industrial building facades, and uses the southwest cement plant project in Lijiang, Yunnan as an example, a practical study was carried out, aiming to use industrial building facade resources to improve the aesthetics and functionality of the building facade at the urban interface of the park. Research shows that the strong plasticity of CdTe photovoltaic glass can not only provide necessary power energy for industrial buildings and optimize the building's energy structure, but its color and material ductility can also improve the aesthetics of industrial building facades. This article provides certain reference and reference significance for subsequent related research.

The die is cast: Sweden and Finland’s long road to NATO

The accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO came as a shock to many politicians and experts, who until the last moment had believed that these two states would not renounce their traditional neutrality policy. The surprise effect was further enhanced by a remarkable coherence of the countries’ approaches to their membership in the alliance. In order to provide a better understanding of this fundamental shift in Sweden and Finland’s foreign policy courses, this paper examines the evolution of their policies of neutrality during the tribulations of the Cold War. The first section considers the formation of the non-aligned strategies of Finland and Sweden in the aftermath of World War II, which took the form of the so-called Paasikivi-Kekkonen and Unden doctrines, respectively. The author emphasizes that, despite the formal resemblance, the approaches of Sweden and Finland to the neutrality policy varied substantially, since their ambitions and aspirations, as well as their role in the emerging bipolar order were also very different. However, the two states had tended to coordinate their foreign policies already back then and this trend only strengthened in the following decades of the Cold War. The second section shows how the Finnish neutrality model, initially focused on building special relations with the USSR, and a more flexible Swedish non–aligned policy, facilitated convergence of the two states, as well as their cooperation with the Nordic members of NATO. The third section outlines the determinants of the foreign policy transformation of the Northern European neutrals in the aftermath of the Cold War. The author notes that it was the collapse of the bipolar order that paved the way for the comprehensive engagement of Finland and Sweden in the activities of the alliance. It is shown that apart from this cooperation with NATO, a number of regional initiatives involving the Nordic and Baltic countries strengthened foreign policy coordination and contacts between Finland and Sweden. The formal accession of both to NATO thus became only the end point of these processes and the result of the conscious refusal of these countries’ leadership from the original and time-tested non-alignment policy. The consequences of this decision have yet to be assessed by politicians and experts, but one its immediate effect is clear — the emergence of a new security dilemma for the countries of the region.

Towards a just Chinese energy transition: Socioeconomic considerations in China's carbon neutrality policies

Many countries have been actively implementing carbon neutrality initiatives. In September 2020, China, which is the second-largest economy and the top carbon emitter, publicly committed to reaching carbon neutrality by 2060. This paper presents a novel bibliometric visualisation analysis of the carbon neutrality policies developed in China to investigate the topics of these policies and determine whether China can achieve a just energy transition (JET). The results show that socioeconomic factors are insufficiently considered in the selected policies, which leads to conclusions about what insights are still needed to understand a JET in the pursuit of carbon neutrality and ensure that no one is left behind. Accordingly, this paper presents several policy implications for increasing social justice and achieving a better, more just energy transition. This work may inspire scholars and policymakers in China and other countries to pay more attention to the unemployment of vulnerable groups and other social justice issues. Moreover, this paper provides an opportunity to expand the academic horizon of the JET as a research field.

An Assessment of the Carbon Budget of the Passively Restored Willow Forests Along the Miho River, Central South Korea

Climate change is rapidly progressing as the carbon budget balance is broken due to excessive energy and land use. This study was conducted to find and quantify new carbon sinks to implement the carbon neutrality policy prepared by the international community to solve these problems. To reach this goal, an allometric equation of the willow community, which dominates riparian vegetation, was developed and applied to calculate the net primary productivity of the willow community. Furthermore, after the amount of carbon emitted via soil respiration was quantified, the net ecosystem production was calculated by subtracting the amount of soil respiration from the net primary productivity. In comparisons of the results obtained via this process with those obtained from forest vegetation, the willow community, representative of riparian vegetation, showed a much higher carbon sequestration rate than forest vegetation. Considering these results comprehensively, the willow community could be a new and significant carbon absorption source. In this context, proper river restoration should be realized to contribute to carbon neutrality and secure various ecosystem service functions.

빅데이터를 활용한 소셜미디어 기후변화 회의론 네트워크와 인플루언서 메시지 구조 분석: 사회연결망 분석과 의미연결망 분석의 적용

This study examines the information structure, message dissemination patterns, and influencer characteristics of social media users who spread climate change skepticism messages using social and semantic network analysis based on big data. Compared to a random network model, the climate skepticism network exhibits a small-world network structure, with messages led by climate change deniers spreading easily and quickly. The skepticism network is formed by a few large communities and a majority of smaller ones, with users tending to communicate strongly within their communities. The authority group in the network frequently raised conspiracy theories related to climate issues and highlighted farmer protests against Europe's Green Deal and carbon neutrality policies. The network's broadcaster group, on the other hand, tended to mock or criticize climate policy advocates in a harsh tone, often denying scientific evidence. The results can be used to inform the development of climate campaigns.

Exploring the patterns of China's carbon neutrality policies

To achieve the ambitious carbon neutrality goal by 2060, the Chinese government has implemented a series of carbon neutrality policies. These policy documents are pivotal in facilitating the examination of policy substance, the scrutiny of policy evolution, and the dissection of the policy instruments involved. This study develops an analytical framework for assessing carbon neutrality through policy documents, applying text mining and network analysis to probe the intricacies of policy topics, interagency collaboration, and diffusion dynamics. This research aims to delineate and expound upon the strategic paradigms employed by the Chinese government in its quest for carbon neutrality. The findings reveal a constellation of eleven policy topics, with "green" and "low carbon" being key aspects of each. The policy collaboration network has a density of 0.593, and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)'s high average weighted degree of 14.6 highlights its crucial role in leading and coordinating these policies. In terms of diffusion dynamics, the green energy transition topic has a diffusion speed of 0.967 and a strength of 49, indicating its importance to the Chinese government. On a practical level, the findings offer policy-makers concrete, actionable recommendations to refine policy design and enhance implementation effectiveness. Theoretically, this study advances the scientific understanding of policy dynamics by proposing a novel analytical framework that integrates multiple dimensions of policy analysis, contributing to the methodological development of policy research.

Tobacco control policies discussed on social media: a scoping review

ObjectiveTo describe the scope of published literature about tobacco-related policy discussions from social media data and discuss implications for tobacco control policy and future research.Data sourcesPubMed, Medline, CINAHL and Web...

Перспективные направления обеспечения энергетической безопасности на основе развития российской атомной энергетики в условиях реализации политики углеродной нейтральности в недружественных государствах

the article presents the results of the analysis of promising areas of ensuring energy security based on the development of Russian nuclear energy in the context of implementing the policy of carbon neutrality in unfriendly states. The possibilities of decarbonization of the economy based on the development of nuclear energy are determined. Infographics of the projects of the State Corporation Rosatom are presented

The Impact of Different Planting Densities on the Growth and Ecological Benefits of Sandland Caragana

Sandland Caragana (Caragana korshinskii) is a plant that adapts to arid and barren sandy land, exhibiting significant ecological restoration functions. The mechanisms by which different planting densities affect its growth and ecological benefits are particularly important. This paper explores the impact of planting density on photosynthetic efficiency, nutrient absorption, root expansion, and biomass accumulation based on the biological characteristics and environmental adaptability of Caragana. The study found that although high-density planting can increase root competition, effectively stabilize sand and prevent wind erosion, it may lead to insufficient light and nutrients, affecting plant growth and photosynthetic efficiency. In contrast, low-density planting enhances photosynthetic efficiency but may result in inadequate root expansion, which in turn affects its soil and water conservation capability. By optimizing planting density, the growth potential of Caragana can be enhanced while maximizing its ecological benefits, including sand fixation, resistance to wind and sand erosion, soil and water conservation, and carbon sequestration. Future research should further explore the long-term ecological effects of Caragana under different density conditions to provide a theoretical basis for desert vegetation restoration and carbon neutrality policies.

Analysis of the Impact of China's Carbon Neutrality Policy on the Environment and Economy at Home and Abroad

China has made remarkable achievements in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, especially in achieving the emission reduction targets set for 2020. This progress is mainly due to China's reduced dependence on coal and other fossil fuels, which not only promotes significant improvements in air quality but also lays the foundation for the transformation of China's economic structure. Especially in the energy and industrial fields, carbon neutrality policies are driving companies to transform into greener and more sustainable operating models. Facing the economic challenges brought about by the COVID-19 epidemic, China is actively seeking a path to low-carbon economic recovery by increasing public investment in renewable energy and other fields. From an international perspective, China's carbon neutrality commitment has the potential to inspire other large carbon-emitting countries, especially countries along the Belt and Road and neighboring countries, to strengthen their emission reduction efforts. At the same time, Southeast Asian countries face shortages of technology, equipment, and raw materials, as well as insufficient investment when developing renewable energy. In this regard, Chinas experience and investment have a significant impact on Southeast Asian countries carbon neutrality policies and renewable energy development. China can use its technological and manufacturing advantages to share resources with neighboring countries in renewable energy technology and equipment manufacturing, and provide support for ASEAN countries to achieve their renewable energy goals.

Terrestrial Carbon Sink and Clean Air Co‐Benefits From China's Carbon Neutrality Policy

AbstractAs the world's largest carbon emitter, China has been confronting the dual challenge of climate change and air pollution. China's quest for reducing carbon emissions will promisingly benefit the air quality, yet its impact on carbon sinks remains unclear. Here, we assess the effect of China's clean air actions and carbon neutrality policy on air quality and its associated co‐benefits for terrestrial carbon sinks by integrating multiple observations and numerical modeling. We find a quadratic response of plant photosynthesis to aerosol loading due to trade‐offs between diffuse fertilization effect and light limitations. The estimations show that China's air pollution suppresses terrestrial carbon uptake through aerosol‐induced light limitations, leading to a 7.3% decrease in plant productivity in the 2010s. In the context of carbon neutrality pledge, the associated aerosol reductions tend to alleviate the suppression and produce an additional CO2 removal of 0.39 GtCO2 year−1. Our results uncover the enhanced terrestrial carbon sinks by aerosol mitigation, highlighting the synergy between carbon neutrality and clean air.

The evolution analysis of low-carbon power transition strategies and carbon emission decoupling based on carbon neutrality target

It is necessary for China to accelerate the low-carbon power transition to realize the carbon neutrality target by 2060. Based on the goal of carbon neutrality, Deep Reinforcement Learning with the Double Q-learning method is used to solve a multi-agent game in 30 provinces of China, in an attempt to explore the evolutionary process of regional low-carbon power transition strategies, carbon emissions, and carbon emission decoupling with economic growth. Conclusions are obtained as follows. First, regional low-carbon power transition strategies are not consistent. Though China is bound to achieve the carbon peak and carbon neutrality, the carbon peak and carbon neutrality process will vary widely across regions and over time. Second, the cost of power decarbonization is higher in resource-based regions than that in core regions. The regional coordination policy can reduce the total carbon emissions in resource-based regions, but it will not alleviate their carbon emission decoupling costs. Third, the stable strategy of low-carbon power transition needs faster economic development and more abundant zero-carbon resources. Therefore, the carbon neutrality policy is suggested to be more spatially differentiated, more equitable, and more robust.

China's carbon neutrality policy facilitates halving industrial water withdrawal

Abstract China concurrently confronts acute water resource challenges and substantial carbon emissions, with its industrial sector being a significant freshwater consumer and a primary carbon emitter. China has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, yet the exact impact of this goal on industrial water withdrawal (IWW) remains unclear. Here, we project IWW in China considering both scenarios with and without the carbon neutrality target, based on industry-specific water quota standards and projections of industrial product output. Our findings indicate a 53.76% (51.41 km³) reduction of IWW by 2060 under a carbon neutrality scenario, compared to business-as-usual, with the IWW peak advancing from 2035 to 2025. The thermal power industry holds the largest water withdrawal reduction, accounting for 75.74% (38.94 km³) of the total reduction. Additionally, both the East coastal region and the Middle Yangtze River region could reduce 62.08% (31.96 km³) of IWW under the CN scenario, with Jiangsu province emerging as a significant contributor. This study provides a reliable basis for evaluating the potential for future water withdrawal reduction within the industrial sector and suggests that achieving the carbon neutrality target could offer a promising direction for alleviating China's water scarcity challenges.

Analysis of hybrid electric vehicle performance and emission applied to LPG fuel system

Global carbon neutrality policies have intensified regulations on automotive emissions. CO2 and particulate number (PN) are major pollutants, with CO2 contributing to global warming and particulates affecting human health. Despite the increase of electric vehicles, internal combustion engines remain prevalent owing to their mature technology, infrastructure and economic efficiency. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is a promising alternative fuel with lower CO2 and PN emissions. LPG direct injection (LPDI) technology improves fuel efficiency and reduces emissions compared to current LPG vehicles. However, vapor-lock issues at high temperatures must be addressed. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), combining internal combustion and electric motors, improve fuel efficiency, reduce emissions and serve as a transitional technology prior to electric vehicle (EV). In this study, a conventional 2-liter gasoline hybrid electric vehicle is converted to an LPDI-HEV using LPG. The experimental results showed that the engine output was within 5 % of an equivalent level. In real vehicle tests with the hybrid system applied, CO2 emissions were confirmed to be within a 3% difference, indicating an equivalent level, while PN emissions were significantly reduced. Although the LPDI HEV has lower fuel efficiency compared to the gasoline direct injection hybrid electric vehicle (GDI) HEV, it was found to be 12 % more economical when considering costs. This study also assesses the economic viability and environmental benefits of converting GDI HEV to LPDI HEV in urban taxi applications, providing policy insights for sustainable transportation.

T. Pomponius Atticus, M. Vipsanius Agrippa, and the Marriage Between Caecilia Attica And Agrippa

Abstract: This article examines the marriage between Atticus’ daughter Caecilia Attica and Agrippa, with a focus on why Atticus and Agrippa agreed upon it. I argue that political considerations were the major driving force for both men. More specifically, Atticus accepted this match in order to establish/deepen ties with powerful figures without abandoning his neutral policy, and Agrippa accepted it so as to advance his own career while minimizing the risks that might arise from his ambition. Meanwhile, I contend that intellectual considerations also played a role, since Atticus, Attica, and Agrippa shared scholarly interests.

The effect of different climate and air quality policies in China on in situ ozone production in Beijing

Abstract. In recent years, clean air policies have led to reductions in air pollution across China. Alongside this, emerging carbon neutrality (CN) policies that aim to address the impacts of climate change may also deliver air quality (AQ) co-benefits or climate penalties. Different CN policies will lead to different changes in volatile organic compound (VOC), NOx and particulate matter (PM) emissions, which will in turn impact the photochemical production of secondary pollutants such as ozone (O3). It is currently unclear how different combinations of AQ and CN policies may impact in situ O3 production across China in the future. A detailed chemical box model incorporating the Master Chemical Mechanism was developed to investigate the impact of combined AQ and CN policies on O3 formation in Beijing. The Multi-resolution Emission Inventory model for Climate and air pollution research (MEIC) and the Dynamic Projection model for Emissions in China (DPEC) were used to estimate future pollutant mixing ratios, relative to ambient observations of 35 VOCs, NOx, CO and aerosol surface area (ASA) during the APHH-Beijing 2017 summer campaign. The most ambitious policy scenario, “Ambitious Pollution 1.5D Goals”, led to the largest reduction in O3 production by 2060 but was not the most impactful scenario for reducing O3 production between 2030–2045. Larger reductions were observed under the “Ambitious Pollution Neutral Goals” policy, which focuses on achieving net zero by 2060. O3 production was found to be most sensitive to changes in the OLE2 group of VOCs (alkenes where kOH>7×104 ppm−1 min−1; a 5 % increase in OLE2 increased simulated O3 production by 1.12 %). However, reducing less reactive but higher concentration species in Beijing (such as short-chain alkanes) led to larger reductions in O3 production under all scenarios. O3 production was not sensitive to changes in ASA, with a 69 % decrease in ASA leading to a change of <1 % in O3. However, doubling biogenic VOCs in the model further increased O3 production in 2060 under all future scenarios by up to 18 %, indicating that the influence of future climate-induced changes in biogenic emissions may have a significant impact on in situ O3 formation in Beijing. This study highlights that the emission trajectories of certain specific VOCs are highly influential in determining possible future O3 air quality effects that may arise from increasing ambient temperatures and decarbonisation in Beijing.

Polityka zagraniczna Austrii wobec państw afrykańskich po II wojnie światowej

AUSTRIA’S FOREIGN POLICY TOWARDS AFRICAN COUNTRIES AFTER WORLD WAR IIAfter the restoration of sovereignty in 1955, a neutral Austria developed intensive contacts with developing countries. Vienna’s open attitude towards them fostered a positive image of the country, also within African states. The peak of activity in the political dialogue with Africa came during the so-called Kreisky era. The activist foreign policy was not accompanied by effective development aid though. From the mid-1980s there is an apparent shift away from an active policy of neutrality and global engagement in favour of European politics. After the accession to the European Union, the development cooperation takes priority and the African continent becomes one of three key regions. The cooperation focuses on the poorest priority countries south of the Sahara: Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique, Burkina Faso. In spite of programmatic and organisational changes, Austria’s financial contribution still significantly lags behind most small countries of the “old Union”.

Impact of carbon neutralization policy on the suitable habitat distribution of the North China leopard

The Chinese government has introduced a carbon neutral policy to cope with the rapid changes in the global climate. It is not clear what impact this policy will have on wildlife. Therefore, this study analyzed the suitable habitat distribution of China’s unique leopard subspecies in northern Shaanxi, and simulated the potential suitable habitat distribution under different carbon emission scenarios at two time points of future carbon peak and carbon neutralization. We found that in the future SSPs 126 scenario, the suitable habitat area and the number of suitable habitat patches of North China leopard will continue to increase. With the increase of carbon emissions, it is expected that the suitable habitat of North China leopard will continue to be fragmented and shifted. When the annual average temperature is lower than 8 °C, the precipitation seasonality is 80–90 mm and the precipitation of the warmest quarter is greater than 260 mm, the probability of occurrence of North China leopard is higher. The increase in carbon emissions will lead to the reduction, migration, and fragmentation of the suitable habitat distribution of the North China leopard. Carbon neutrality policies can protect suitable wild habitats. In the future, the impact of carbon neutrality policies on future wildlife habitat protection should be carried out in depth to effectively promote the construction of wildlife protection projects.