Reduction In Emission Intensity Research Articles

Investors reward countries for participating in climate agreements

International climate agreements are one of the best-known approaches to coordinating climate actions among governments but face a free-rider problem, where individual governments lack sufficient incentives to reduce emissions. This study examines the role of investors in providing rewards to governments through sovereign bond yields to encourage climate cooperation and reduce emission intensity. Using a difference-in-differences method, this study examines how sovereign bond yields change around the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. The findings show that investors reward governments committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions with a 4 to 5 basis point decrease in sovereign bond yields. This suggests that investors better compensate countries making significant commitments to climate agreements, helping mitigate the free-rider problem and encouraging effective climate action.

Agricultural Productivity and Climate Mitigation

Agriculture will play a central role in meeting greenhouse gas (GHG) emission targets, as the sector currently contributes ∼22% of global emissions. Because emissions are directly tied to resources employed in farm production, such as land, fertilizer, and ruminant animals, the productivity of input use tends to be inversely related to emissions intensity. We review evidence on how productivity gains in agriculture have contributed to historical changes in emissions, how they affect land use emissions both locally and globally, and how investments in research and development (R&D) affect productivity and therefore emissions. The world average agricultural emissions intensity fell by more than half since 1990, with a strong correlation between a region's agricultural productivity growth and reduction in emissions intensity. Additional investment in agricultural R&D offers an opportunity for cost-effective (<US$30 per ton carbon dioxide) and large-scale emissions reductions. Innovations that target specific commodities or inputs could even further reduce the cost of climate mitigation in agriculture.

Representative CO2 emissions pathways for China's provinces toward carbon neutrality under the Paris Agreement's 2 °C target

China has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. It is essential to develop representative CO2 emissions pathways at the provincial level that align with the national target to facilitate effective policy implementation and scientific research. To address inconsistencies between provincial aggregate emissions and national estimates, this study compares the 2021 CO2 emissions estimates of China's provinces from the bottom‒up emissions factor method and the top‒down atmospheric CO2 concentration inversion method. We find that these methods yield comparable results for the emissions from energy combustion and industrial processes at the provincial level. Based on a review of existing research on CO2 pathways for China's provinces, we propose a set of representative pathways for China's provinces. These pathways align with past practices of allocating national emissions intensity reduction targets to provinces and are consistent with the national Tsinghua‒CMA pathway. The proposed pathways require provinces to sequentially peak their emissions by 2030, followed by rapid emissions reduction. Compared to a reference scenario without the carbon neutrality target, these pathways would incur an estimated cumulative GDP loss of about 1% between 2020 and 2060. However, there are notable regional variations, with some regions in the northwest potentially experiencing higher economic growth due to the availability of high-quality low-carbon resources. We recommend that China enhance provincial-level CO2 emissions accounting by cross-validating bottom‒up and top‒down methods. Additionally, careful consideration should be given to aligning provincial targets with national and global commitments when updating pathways toward carbon neutrality.

The green bonus of tax incentives: Evidence from China

Using a novel dataset covering over one million firm-level energy consumption entries from 2007-2016, we employ a difference-in-differences approach to estimate the causal effect of tax incentives on carbon emission intensity by exploiting China’s staggered implementation of accelerated depreciation policies for fixed assets in 2014 and 2015. We find that the accelerated depreciation policy leads to a significant 9.19% reduction in carbon emission intensity, equivalent to 0.11 tons of carbon emissions per 10,000 RMB of industrial value added. The policy effect is more pronounced for large firms, those with medium-term assets, and in regions with greater market integration and industrial agglomeration. Our firm-level analysis reveals that the policy reduces energy consumption, promotes a shift towards a cleaner energy portfolio and increases R&D investments in abatement technologies, as well as climate-friendly innovations. The above results show high consistency with verification at the aggregation level using satellite-based observations. Our findings highlight the potential of well-designed fiscal policies to contribute to global climate action efforts in developing economies.

Optimising Nitrogen Fertilisation in a Potato–Oat Rotation and Implications for Nitrous Oxide Emissions in Volcanic Soils

High nitrogen (N) fertiliser rates are usually applied to increase agricultural yields, leading to high nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. This is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change and depletes the ozone layer. This study aimed to optimise N use efficiency and quantify N2O emission factors (EF1) by measuring the effect of N rates on the yield of a potato-cover crop rotation, apparent N use efficiency (NUE) and N2O emissions. The two-year experiment was carried out on volcanic soils (1.6% carbon, 1.4% N) in southern Chile (40°52′ S, 73°03′ W). Three N application rates were evaluated (80, 150 and 300 kg N ha−1), 35% of which was applied at the planting stage (granular) and 65% at the tubering stage. A control treatment with no N addition was also included. Reducing N fertilisation to 80 kg N ha−1 increased NUE by three times, reduced N2O-N emissions by 33% and reduced emission intensity by 27% without a detrimental impact on crop yield and marketable tuber calibre. No significant difference (p < 0.05) was observed in the N2O emission factor (EF1) because of a low rainfall year. The results suggest that in rainfed agriculture systems, N fertiliser application can be significantly reduced without sacrificing potato yield, favouring the economic and environmental sustainability of potato production.

358 The effect of increasing dietary limestone concentration on growth performance, gas flux, and carcass characteristics in finishing beef cattle

Abstract Reducing methane (CH4) emissions from beef cattle is desirable as CH4 is a greenhouse gas that represents an energetic loss from the production system. Limestone is commonly fed to cattle as a source of calcium but may also act as a rumen buffer and decrease CH4 emissions by limiting hydrogen availability for methanogenesis. The objective of this experiment was to determine if diet limestone concentration influences growth performance, gas flux, and carcass characteristics in finishing beef cattle. Yearling steers [n = 16; initial body weight (BW) 619 ± 34 kg] were stratified by BW and randomly assigned to 1 of 2 isocaloric and isonitrogenous dietary treatments in a completely randomized design where limestone was included at 1.3% (1X) or 2.6% (2X) of diet dry matter (DM). Finishing diets were formulated to contain 0.43 or 0.96% DM as Ca and were fed ad libitum using automated cattle feeders (SmartFeed Pro; C-Lock Inc.; Rapid City, SD) in a single pen for the final 37 d of finishing. Body weights were measured on d -1, 0, 36, and 37. An automated head chamber system (GreenFeed; C-Lock Inc.) was used to measure gas flux. Analysis of variance was conducted using JMP Pro 17 to determine the fixed effect of treatment with individual animal as the experimental unit. Statistical significance was defined as P ≤ 0.05 with a tendency defined as 0.05 < P ≤ 0.10. Increasing the dietary limestone concentration from 1.3 to 2.6% of DM did not influence DM intake, but numerically increased final shrunk BW (P = 0.68) and hot carcass weight (P = 0.75) and increased average daily gain (ADG; P = 0.02) and gain to feed ratio (G:F) by approximately 12%. Cattle fed the 2X diet tended to have 6.5% greater ribeye area (P = 0.09), but similar USDA yield grade, backfat thickness, and dressing percentage (P ≥ 0.34) when compared with cattle fed the 1X diet. Daily CO2 and CH4 emissions, daily O2 consumption, CH4 yield, and respiratory quotient were unaffected by treatment (P ≥ 0.47). The improvement in ADG resulted in a tendency for CH4 emission intensity to be decreased by 9.1% (P = 0.09) when the concentration of limestone was 2.6% of dietary DM. While increasing dietary limestone concentration from 1.3 to 2.6% of diet DM did not influence absolute daily CH4 emissions, it increased ADG through an improvement in feed efficiency, which translated to a tendency for a reduction in CH4 emission intensity. These preliminary data suggest that there may be a benefit to feeding limestone or calcium at levels greater than currently recommended by the NASEM (2016). Future research should focus on determining optimum dietary limestone or calcium levels for finishing cattle.

Well-to-Wheel emissions of electric vehicles in Türkiye and emission mitigation by renewable penetration

Automotive technology is currently on the verge of transitioning to electric vehicles, and both the impact of these vehicles on electricity consumption and their environmental performance are the focus of significant interest. In this paper, the emission impacts based on the use of electric vehicles are analyzed using the Well-to-Wheel methodology. In order to evaluate electric vehicle emissions, emissions based on electricity generation and consumption are first determined. Emission intensities are found in gCO2e/kWh for electricity consumption and gCO2e/km for battery electric vehicles. Well-to-wheel emissions are found 172.2 and 89.1 gCO2e/km for conventional and electric vehicles, respectively. With the renewable penetration in electricity generation, the emission intensity will be lower, which means that the emissions of electric vehicles will be further reduced. Thus, a renewable energy supported charging station is simulated and it is shown that emission intensities can be reduced by 60 %. It is concluded that Türkiye should focus primarily on renewable energy sources and then nuclear energy in order to meet the increasing electricity demand and reduce emission intensities.

Data-Driven Insights into the Contamination of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Marine Bays.

The synthesis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) data allows us to quantify and gain insights into the spatiotemporal dynamics of PAH contamination in marine bays. Here, a data synthesis framework was developed to understand data-driven insights into the spatiotemporal levels, compositional profiles, and potential sources of PAHs in water and sediment of marine bays. PAHs were detected in 69 bays worldwide, with contamination hotspots located in Asian bays. PAH concentrations in pre-2000 were significantly lower than those in the 2000s and post-2010, while the dominant species in water and sediment were 2-3 ring and 4-6 ring PAHs, respectively. The composition patterns of PAHs included 2-3 ring, 3-5 ring, and 4-5 ring dominant categories, but no significant distance decay relationship was found in the composition similarity due to international energy trade. Temporal dynamic patterns of concentrations included Descending-, Ascending-, and Inverted V-type, whereas over longer time spans, the pattern is more similar to the Inverted V-type owing to the reductions in emission intensity. PAHs were derived from both petrogenic and pyrolytic sources, with combustion from both coal and petroleum being the dominant source. These data-driven discoveries provide quantitative insights into the spatiotemporal patterns in the concentration and composition of PAHs, contributing to the mitigation of PAH contamination.

Projects as Vectors of Change: A Transition Toward Net-Zero Sociotechnical Systems

Projects are essential for the net-zero transition, yet the project studies literature largely ignores net-zero transition and net-zero projects. We argue that projects are vectors of change enabling the transition toward net-zero sociotechnical systems. Leveraging a systematic literature review, we identify four types of net-zero projects: (1) new assets; (2) upgrade assets; (3) behavioral intervention; and (4) Research, Development, and Demonstration (RDD). We present how “net-zero projects” can enable the transition of sociotechnical systems toward net-zero, reducing emission intensity or quantity. Finally, we underline the heterogeneity of net-zero projects in terms of complexity, barriers, benefits realization time span, and complementarities.

Tracking China's methane emissions from wastewater: Inventories, driving forces, and mitigation potential

China's rapid urbanization and burgeoning economy drove significant growth in sewage discharge, necessitating an examination of factors influencing wastewater methane emissions and mitigation measures. This study presented a comprehensive inventory of methane emissions in 31 provinces of China over a significant period. We developed a logarithmic mean divisor index (LMDI) model to reveal the driving forces behind emission changes. Methane emissions surged from approximately 1.4 Tg in 2000 to about 2.7 Tg in 2020, with treated domestic sewage being the fastest-growing source (49 Gg to 810 Gg). In 2020, the eastern, central, and southern regions contributed 61.7 % to total emissions. The increase in emissions was primarily driven by economic output, urbanization and population growth. This study forecasted future emission reduction potential, highlighting that reducing emission intensity (52.7 %) offered the most significant mitigation opportunities, followed by enhancing methane recovery (35.2 %). We recommended strengthening sewage discharge supervision and promoting biogas production.

Effects of heat stress mitigation strategies on feedlot cattle performance, environmental, and economic outcomes in a hot climate

The increase in average global temperatures presents a challenge for the beef industry, especially in the feedlot sector where heat stress is a major animal welfare and economic concern. Shade is one of the most practical methods to mitigate heat stress in feedlot cattle. An experiment was conducted as a completely randomized design with 1 560 Bos indicus bulls (initial BW=287 kg) where three shade structure types were used to investigate the effects of different heat stress mitigation methods on cattle growth performance, environmental, and economic outcomes using live animal data, and a partial lifecycle assessment using the Integrated Farm System Model. The live animal portion of the experiment was done once a year over a 2-year period with three pen replications per treatment per year (n = 6 per treatment). Four shade structures used were conventional shade (SC; steel shade 1.8 m2 of shade/animal), double conventional shade (DS; steel shade 3.6 m2 of shade/animal), dome structures without fans (DSA; 8.5 m2/animal with 98% solar radiation blocked), and domes with fans (DCA; DSA plus three large sized low-speed fans). Each pen held 65 bulls in an area of 570 m2. Live animal data were analyzed as a completely randomized design using the GLM procedure of SAS (version 9.4) with shade type as fixed effect, pen as the experimental unit, and repetition (year) considered a random effect. Cattle housed under DCA had 22 and 20 kg heavier final body BW (P < 0.05) compared to those housed under SC and DS, respectively. Final BW of DCA and DSA cattle were similar (P > 0.05). Average daily gain, feed efficiency, and hot carcass weight were greater (P < 0.05) for cattle housed under DCA compared to the rest of the shade types. Dry matter intake was not affected (P > 0.05). When treatment results were extrapolated to the annual feedlot turnover of 209,700 animals, cattle in DSA and DCA versus SC and DS had 3–8% reductions in greenhouse gas and ammonia emission intensities. Compared to SC, DCA increased profitability by $29.66/animal, followed by DSA and DS with profit increases of $5.79 and $8.90/animal, respectively. Overall, the implementation of advanced shade structures improved cattle performance and profitability while reducing the environmental impact of beef production.

Exporting, Abatement, and Firm-Level Emissions: Evidence from China’s Accession to the WTO

Abstract This paper studies the joint impact of exporting and abatement on the environmental performance of Chinese manufacturers. For two common air pollutants (SO2 and industrial dust) we document that (a) exporters are significantly less emissions-intensive relative to their nonexporting counterparts and (b) this difference cannot be explained by differential rates of abatement alone. Employing variation in trade and environmental conditions across time and space, we quantify the impact of endogenous export and abatement decisions on firm-level emissions. We find that exporting reduces emissions by at least 36% across pollutants. We explore underlying determinants of export-driven reductions in emissions intensity.

Delineating a Tailor-Made Fluorescent Probe Designed for the Selective Detection of Tyrosinase.

A dicyanoisophorone based fluorescent probe (E)-2-(3-(4-hydroxystyryl)-5,5-dimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-ylidene)malononitrile (DCIP-OH) was developed for the selective sensing of tyrosinase in apple extract and live cells. The probe was obtained by the condensation of 2-(3,5,5-trimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-ylidene)malononitrile with 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde. Upon interaction with tyrosinase, the probe exhibited absorbance switching from 417 nm to 357 nm, accompanied by a slight increase in absorption value and an isosbestic point observed at 373 nm. Additionally, a reduction in emission intensity at 592 nm was observed. Furthermore, we successfully employed the probe for sensing of tyrosinase in apple extract and conducted inhibition studies by using kojic acid. LOD was determined to be ~0.4 nM. Moreover, the biocompatible nature of DCIP-OH enabled its effective localization in epithelial-like melanoma cells, B16F10, where it demonstrated successful fluorescent probing of intracellular tyrosinase.

Greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient use efficiency assessment of six New York organic dairies

Improving nutrient use efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are important environmental priorities for organic-certified dairy operations. The objectives of this research were to quantify annual nutrient use and GHG emissions in 6 organic New York dairy farms. Farm-gate nutrient mass balances (NMB) were estimated with the Cornell NMB calculator. Whole-farm GHG emissions were estimated using Cool Farm Tool (CFT) and COMET. Farm-gate NMBs were low, ranging from -6.5 to 19 kg N ha-1 for N1 (without legume N fixation), 26 to 71 kg N ha-1 for N2 (including N fixation), -2.4 to 8.2 kg P ha-1 for P, and 1.1 to 19.8 kg K ha-1 for K. Additional nutrient imports, coupled with nutrient management planning, adequate legume stands and diet balancing may help improve P balances, and ensure no N deficiencies in the system. Estimates of annual GHG emission intensity ranged from 0.98 to 2.10 kg CO2-eq per kg of fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM) estimated by CFT, and from 0.69 to 2.48 kg CO2-eq kg FPCM-1 estimated by COMET. Enteric fermentation, feed production and fuel and energy use represented the largest sources of GHGs. For farms with liquid manure storages, manure management was also a significant source. Estimates of soil carbon (C) stock changes from CFT were in agreement or smaller than previous studies, and estimates from COMET were in agreement or greater. Variability and uncertainty in the results for soil C stock change indicate more research and new protocols are needed. Impact of individual management changes on GHG emissions intensity were small, ranging from -8 to +7% in CFT, and -8% to +8% in COMET. The management changes that resulted in the largest reductions in GHG emissions intensity included increasing individual cow productivity and milk to total feed ratio, and implementation of manure treatment systems.

Delineating the embodied CO2 emissions in Canada's exports: Routes, drivers, and paths

AbstractThis study combined the World Input–Output Database and Asian Development Bank's Multiregional Input–Output database to investigate Canada's embodied CO2 emissions in exports (EEE) for the period of 2000–2018. We examined the key drivers and paths through structural decomposition analysis and structural path analysis. First, the results showed that embodied emissions in the intermediate exports were the major contributor to Canada's EEE, and emission paths involving more than three countries were on the rise, indicating that the expansion of the global industrial supply chains has complicated the paths of Canada's EEE. Second, the factors such as emission intensity of sectors, export structure, and export scale, had varying influences on Canada's EEE over time. For several sectors, the benefit from reduced emission intensity was largely offset by the additional emissions from the increased export scale. Hence, the design of emission regulations should consider the heterogeneity of industrial sectors in order to mitigate emissions for the diverse industries in Canada. Third, energy and resource industries (e.g., electricity, petroleum, wood, metals, and so on) played an essential role in Canada's exports. A significant amount of embodied emissions was transferred from these sectors to the downstream sectors along the supply chain, indicating that abatement measures should be adopted from the whole life cycle perspective of a product/service through an integrated governance of the supply chain. This article met the requirements for a Gold–Silver JIE data openness badge described at http://jie.click/badges.

Performance assessment of large-scale rooftop solar PV system: a case study in a Malaysian Public University

Adopting rooftop solar PV systems in various domestic and non-domestic sectors (including commercial, industrial, and agricultural) exhibits their commitment to green energy ventures. This study intends to evaluate the effectiveness of a grid-connected solar system that has been installed so far: a 6.9 MWp photovoltaic (PV) system implemented at University Tun Hussein Onn (UTHM) in Batu Pahat, Johor. This green energy system was installed as a part of the Self-Consumption (SELCO) program utilizing a Supply Agreement for Renewable Energy (SARE) contract. To assess the mounted energy system's efficiency, performance monitoring was carried out between December 2021 and November 2022. By evaluating the enactment of the 6.9 MWp solar system at UTHM, this present work has attempted to compile the achievement of implementation of self-consumption in terms of performance analysis and financial benefits to consumer. Based on International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61724 standard, this study also investigates several performance characteristics of the PV system, such as final yield, clearness index (CI), array yield, PV module efficiency, inverter efficiency, reference yield, and capacity factor (CF) performance ratio (PR). Moreover, an assessment of Carbon Dioxide (CO2)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$${CO}_{2})$$\\end{document} avoidance was also conducted to quantify the amount of CO2\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$${CO}_{2}$$\\end{document} reduction achieved. In addition, the self-consumption ratio and self-sufficiency ratio pattern for solar power plant in UTHM has been assessed. The monthly clearness index at the project location from December 2021 to November 2022 ranges from 0.63 to 0.66. The PV system was monitored throughout this time and generated 8529 MWh of energy. The installed PV system has shown an efficiency of 11.86%, a final yield of 108.28%, and a PR of 0.78, respectively. Further, the installed 6.9 MWp PV system at UTHM will cut CO2\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$${CO}_{2}$$\\end{document} emissions by 5450 tons annually. The 6.9 MWp solar PV system is also estimated to reduce 25.1 RM mil in 25 years. Making the system larger to 6.9 MWp would reduce the consumption from the grid during the week, makes it possible to achieve self-consumption levels of up to 100% and self-sufficiency of this solar plant is relatively low ranges from 22 to 35%. The research finding bridges the gap between policy makers, investors, and the public regarding acceptance of the large-scale Self-Consumption (SELCO) and strengthen the strategic collaborations between solar service provider and educational bodies to support of the government’s agenda to achieve carbon emission intensity reduction in Malaysia.Graphical

Structural and Photoluminescence Properties of Ca2+-Substituted Self-Activated Photoluminescence Material of Na2TiSiO5

The effects of Ca2+ substitution on the structural and optical properties of Na2TiSiO5 were studied. It was expected that the Ca2+ ions would replace Na+ ions and change the coordination of Ti4+-O2- as a luminescence center. Na2(1‑x)CaxTiSiO5 (x = 0.00, 0.50, 1.00) samples were synthesized using the solid-state method, and their structural properties, the local Ti4+-O2- coordination, the absorption spectra, and the photoluminescence properties were studied. The electronic structure of Na2(1-x)CaxTiSiO5 with x = 0.00 and 1.00 was also calculated using the Full Potential Linear Augmented Plane Wave (FP-LAPW) method to explain some of the observed properties. The Ca2+ substitution resulted in a phase transformation from an orthorhombic to a monoclinic structure. The number of TiO6 octahedra increased with the increase of Ca2+ and correlated with the decrease of PL emission intensity of the Na2(1‑x)CaxTiSiO5 samples. The Ti-3d bands in the CaTiSiO5 were more dispersive than in the Na2TiSiO5 and were responsible for the PL emission intensity reduction.

Highly efficient blue-light-excitable ultra-broadband orange-emitting Mg2.5Y1.5Al1.5Si2.5O12:Ce3+ garnet phosphors for solid-state lighting

Lighting and display technologies are revolutionized by the invention of YAG:Ce3+ phosphors driven by InGaN blue light-emitting diode (LED). Yet, the faint emission components in the red spectral region from typical LED devices can cause circadian rhythm disorders and aesthetic fatigue of the human eye. Developing broadband orange-emitting phosphor with abundant red coverage is one of the approaches for addressing this challenging problem. Herein, an innovative ultra-broadband orange-emitting Mg2.5Y1.5Al1.5Si2.5O12:Ce3+ (MYASO:Ce3+) garnet phosphor is successfully reported to bridge the above gap. The representative MYASO:4%Ce3+ sample exhibits an unexpectedly luminescence band with the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of up to 155 nm, the high thermal robustness (58%@423 K), and satisfactory internal quantum efficiency of 67% upon 465 nm blue light excitation. Such a large FWHM value results from the occupation of a single crystallographic site of Ce3+ in the dodecahedral [YO8] position of MYASO garnet host. Red-shift emission with respect to commercial YAG:Ce3+ is mainly attributed to the cooperative effect of the enhanced crystal field strength and increased Stokes shift. The emission intensity reduction at the high-temperature environment of MYASO:4%Ce3+ is derived from the enhancement of the thermal cross-relaxation associated with the larger Stokes shift (4839 cm−1). The resulting high-quality warm white LED device fabricated from the optimal MYASO:4%Ce3+ sample shows a satisfactory color rendering index (CRI = 84), comfortable correlated color temperature (CCT = 4032 K) and an excellent luminous efficacy (LE = 58.7 lm W−1) under a 60 mA drive current. These findings stimulate the exploration of ultra-broadband orange-emitting phosphors with abundant red emission to fabricate high-CRI warm-white LEDs for healthy solid-state lighting.

Effectiveness of carbon dioxide emission target is linked to country ambition and education level

In response to the Paris Agreement, a growing number of countries, 123 in total, have committed to carbon reduction targets. While existing research has assessed various policies’ effectiveness in achieving these targets, the potential of the act of goal-setting itself as a policy instrument has been underexplored. Here we leveraged a comprehensive panel dataset spanning 163 countries from 2011 to 2022 and employed a rigorous difference-in-difference model. Empirical findings reveal that both proposing carbon reduction targets and setting higher targets effectively reduce emissions intensity. The mechanism driving the impact of carbon reduction targets on CO2 emissions centers on the level of education, rather than renewable energy capacity, requiring further investigation to the mechanism. Subsequent analysis establishes connections between target levels and renewable energy capacity. Our results advocate for dynamic updates of carbon reduction targets aligned with renewable energy capacity when formulating climate objectives.

Paving the path towards carbon neutrality: revealing the contribution of the "Belt and Road" Initiative in mitigating carbon intensity.

This study explores the crucial contribution of the "Belt and Road" Initiative (BRI) in diminishing carbon intensity and facilitating progress towards carbon neutrality, addressing the pressing global issue of climate change. Given its status as the world's foremost carbon emitter, China encounters significant pressure to alleviate its emissions. Launched in 2013, the BRI emphasizes economic development along its route while highlighting environmental protection in the regions involved. Despite extensive analyses of the BRI's economic impact, its environmental consequences have received insufficient attention, hindering a comprehensive evaluation of the initiative and obstructing the constructing of an environmentally optimal road. Empirical findings reveal a substantial reduction in carbon emission intensity in provinces along the BRI route, with robustness tests (change the time window period and dynamic effect) validating result consistency. The BRI achieves this reduction by alleviating congestion, enhancing transportation infrastructure, fostering commuting agglomeration, optimizing energy utilization, and lowering carbon intensity. Further analysis uncovers a mediating chain effect, establishing a conduction mechanism of "BRI brings on transportation infrastructure effect and then leads to travel agglomeration effect and then to congestion improvement effect and then to energy utilization effect and then eventuates carbon intensity reduction." This study offers crucial insights for policymakers aiming to make informed decisions towards the green road construction of the BRI, contributing to global efforts to combat climate change.