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The article offers environmental news briefs as for April 1, 2013. The tracing of the environmental impact of super storm sandy by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. New method developed by the Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies for trapping carbon dioxide. A new policy titled as "Paper Sourcing and Use Policy," is announced by Walt Disney Co.

This review paper explores the diverse applications of polylactide or polylactic acid (PLA) and its contributions to environmental sustainability. It delves into the synthesis, properties, and numerous applications of PLA, accompanied by illustrative examples demonstrating its ability to reduce carbon emissions. The environmentally friendly characteristics of PLA, coupled with its versatility, make it a vital player in the ongoing efforts to combat climate change. PLA generally requires lower extrusion temperatures than other 3D printing materials, such as ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene). Lower extrusion temperatures lead to reduced energy consumption during the printing process thus the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions during production. Plants, such as corn and sugarcane, play a crucial role in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during their growth cycle. When these plants are utilized to produce PLA, the captured CO2 remains sequestered within the plastic material. This contributes to offsetting CO2 emissions from other sources. In conclusion, the usage of PLA has demonstrated positive contributions to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions through its renewable sourcing, lower extrusion temperatures, lower dependence on fossil fuels, reduced greenhouse gas emissions during production, biodegradability, and participation in a closed carbon cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subsurface gas storage is crucial for achieving a sustainable energy future, as it helps to reduce CO2 emissions and facilitates the provision of renewable energy sources. The confinement effect of the nanopores in caprock induces distinctive thermophysical properties and fluid dynamics. In this paper, we present a multi‐scale study to characterize the subsurface transport of CO2, CH4, and H2. A nanoscale‐extended volume‐translated Cubic‐Plus‐Association equation of state was developed and incorporated in a field‐scale numerical simulation, based on a full reservoir‐caprock suite model. Results suggest that in the transition from nanoscale to bulk‐scale, gas solubility in water decreases while phase density and interfacial tension increase. For the first time, a power law relationship was identified between the capillary pressure within nanopores and the pore size. Controlled by buoyancy, viscous force and capillary pressure, gases transport vertically and horizontally in reservoir and caprock. H2 has the maximum potential to move upward and the lowest areal sweep efficiency; in short term, CH4 is more prone to upward migration compared to CO2, while in long term, CH4 and CO2 perform comparably. Thicker caprock and larger caprock pore size generally bring greater upward inclination. Gases penetrate the caprock when CH4 is stored with a caprock thickness smaller than 28 m or H2 is stored with a caprock pore size of 2–10 nm or larger than 100 nm. This study sheds light on the fluid properties and dynamics in nanoconfined environment and is expected to contribute to the safe implementation of gigatonne scale subsurface gas storage. Plain Language Summary: Aiming at the ambitious targets of net‐zero emission and global energy transition, effective technologies need to be developed and deployed with huge efforts. Subsurface gas storage is expected to play a critical role in reducing CO2 emission and providing large‐scale renewable energy. However, unforeseen gas leakage can cause potential environmental risks and energy efficiency concerns. Despite its importance, the mechanisms governing gas transport and distribution within caprocks, particularly under nanoconfinement conditions, are poorly understood. From nano‐scale and bulk‐scale thermodynamic properties predictions to field‐scale numerical simulations, this work carried out a comprehensive multi‐scale analysis to evaluate the storage security of CO2, CH4, and H2. Relationships between VLE, phase density, interfacial tension, capillary pressure and pore size, temperature, pressure and wettability were discussed, offering novel perspectives on the mechanisms governing gas leakage. Furthermore, loss potentials of different gases were compared and evaluated and the impacts of caprock thickness and pore size were examined, providing valuable insights for screening eligible storage sites. Overall, this work contributes to the development of secure and reliable gas storage techniques, supporting the goals of climate change mitigation and facilitating the transition to a net‐zero energy future. Key Points: A multi‐scale analysis is carried out to assess the loss potential of CO2, CH4, and H2 during subsurface storageMigration and distribution characteristics of gases in the caprock are investigatedShort‐term and long‐term gas storage security are analyzed and compared [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence technology is constantly developing and changing. Due to the continuous development of technology and production of carbon emissions, various problems have occurred, forcing various regions to start promoting low‐carbon work. What kind of method can effectively and quickly improve the performance of carbon emissions has become one of the current research topics that has attracted much attention. In response to this problem, it is of great significance to study in the field of carbon emission performance improvement methods. With the in‐depth research on carbon emissions, the research on the intervention of water conservancy policies in carbon emissions has gradually been carried out, and its functional effects are of great significance to solve the problem of improving carbon emissions performance. This paper has aimed to study the impact and mechanism of water conservancy policy on carbon emission performance in the context of artificial intelligence. Through the analysis and research of the water conservancy policy under artificial intelligence, the double difference model (DID) is used to evaluate it, so that it can show the impact and mechanism on carbon emission performance, so as to solve the problem of improving carbon emission performance. This paper has analysed water policy, carbon emission performance and DID model under artificial intelligence. Its influence and mechanism have been experimentally analysed, and related theoretical formulas have been used to explain. The results have shown that the water conservancy policy has a significant and continuous driving effect on the reduction of carbon emission intensity, and its interaction coefficient under the control variable is −0.934, which is significantly negative. Further analysis of variables has shown that the energy intensity coefficient is 0.714, and the secondary industry coefficient is 0.924, which are both positive and significant. Water conservancy policies mainly reduce carbon intensity through the improvement of energy efficiency and industrial structure upgrading. It can be seen that water conservancy policies under artificial intelligence can meet the needs of improving carbon emission performance, and the level of economic growth and green development has been greatly improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both copper and lithium act as strong fluxes and lower the temperature of the clinker melt formation. Sulphur promotes the stabilisation of more hydraulically active modification of alite M1. It is expected that this combination could produce an alite clinker at significantly lower temperatures with high quality technological parameters. In this paper, the effect of combined oxides of copper, lithium and sulphur addition on the phase composition and clinker structure of Portland cement was investigated. The reference raw meal was prepared from common cement raw materials. Each of the mentioned oxides was added to the reference raw meal in two different concentrations, and 8 combinations were prepared. Chemically pure compounds (NH4)2SO4, CuO and Li2CO3 were used as a source of these oxides. The raw meals were burned to equilibrium at 1450°C. Their phase composition was determined by X‐ray diffraction analysis, the microstructure was monitored by optical microscopy, and the microchemistry of the clinker phases was observed by electron microscopy with EDS analysis. It was found that in samples with high lithium or copper content, there is an increase in belite and free lime at the expense of alite. The combination of Cu + Li has the most negative effect, followed by Li alone and Cu alone. The higher SO3 content slightly offsets this negative effect. LAY DESCRIPTION: Clinker is the main intermediate in the production of Portland cement. It is formed at high temperatures in a rotary kiln and its main component is the mineral alite – tricalcium silicate. Alite crystallises in several polymorphic modifications, and sulphur stabilises the modification that increases cement strength. Both copper and lithium act as strong fluxes and lower the temperature of the clinker melt formation. The addition of a combination of these 3 elements to the raw meal for clinker burning is expected to lower the melt formation temperature, and clinker with a high alite content will be formed at lower temperatures than normal. This would both save energy consumption for burning and reduce CO2 emissions in cement production. In this paper, the effect of combined of copper, lithium, and sulphur addition on the phase composition and clinker structure of Portland cement was investigated. The reference raw meal was prepared from common cement raw materials, two limestones, clay shale and Fe correction. Each of the mentioned elements was added to the reference raw meal in two different concentrations, and 8 combinations were prepared. Chemically pure compounds (NH4)2SO4, CuO, and Li2CO3 were used as a source of these elements. The raw meals were burned at 1450°C. Their phase composition was determined by X‐ray diffraction analysis, the microstructure was monitored by optical microscopy, and the microchemistry of the clinker phases was observed by electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy. It was found that in samples with high lithium or copper content, there is an decrease in alite. The combination of Cu + Li has the most negative effect, followed by Li alone and Cu alone. The higher sulphur content slightly offsets this negative effect. Finally, a clinker was prepared with the addition of these 3 dopants at a temperature of 1325°C, 125°C lower than in conventional industrial production, which had a high quality phase composition with a high alite content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, the world faces grand challenges that are both daunting and urgent to address. The decarbonization challenge in particular requires states to mobilize a range of actors to achieve structural changes. In this context, there has been a proliferation of orchestration attempts by states, whereby they use soft or indirect forms of steering to coordinate and engage intermediaries to achieve policy objectives. This type of steering raises a number of questions: How can such forms of steering gain legitimacy among the targeted actors and how can this legitimacy be maintained in the face of competing interests? This paper uses the case of the Fossil Free Sweden Initiative to highlight key factors and considerations in establishing and maintaining legitimacy in the orchestration of a varied set of non‐state actors with differing interests. Specifically, the paper makes two core contributions to existing literature. Theoretically, it highlights how institutional legitimacy is obtained through a balancing act of stakeholder demands at different levels. Empirically, it examines how Sweden, considered a climate leader, governs toward decarbonization through national orchestration as an important tool. The paper thereby offers new insights into the legitimacy of orchestration with significant implications for how to understand rule‐making and governance with the use of intermediaries. It particularly highlights how power and agency can create a governance dilemma for the orchestrator that may undermine legitimacy in the long term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European Association of AAC producers (EAACA) has set the goal for the AAC industry to become carbon‐neutral by 2050, so it is now more important than ever to explore ways to achieve it. One of the readily available solutions is a dedicated additive for AAC production, production, the effects of which positively affect the reduction of CO2e emissions. The additive is a tool helping the chemical reaction and offers improvements in two key emission sources for AAC. The first one is cement and lime usage, responsible for 74% of CO2e emissions in AAC production. A few percent cutbacks of binders consumption generate direct results in this area. The second one is the production process itself, being accountable for 13% of CO2e emissions. Lowering water content in the mix directly results in a lower requirement for steam during autoclaving, therefore impacting energy usage. Reductions in these two areas can be calculated in terms of CO2e emissions, as well as economical savings. The financial advantages generated by the additive are always higher than the cost of it. The chemical and process background presented in this paper is supported with examples from AAC plants worldwide, and complemented by GHG methodology calculation where 3,6% of CO2e emissions reductions can be achieved solely by using modern additive for production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Woodchip impregnation plays a vital role in enhancing Kraft pulp mill's pulping efficiency. Traditionally, Kraft pulp mills uses the mill's self‐generated liquor such as black liquor, green liquor, and white liquor. However, all these liquors have operational and / or pulping efficiency limitations. In this study, the feasibility of using weak white liquor as an alternative source of mill's self‐generated alkaline liquor for impregnating woodchips was investigated. South African Eucalyptus grandis woodchips were impregnated with and without weak white liquor. Under optimal conditions, the results showed that woodchips impregnated with weak white liquor responded much faster than the non‐impregnated ones (control). To maintain the same pulp and paper properties as the control pulp samples, a 20% reduction in the amount of cooking liquor used is required. When the experimental data were used to ascertain the economic and environmental benefits at an industrial mill scale, the savings in steam demand in the digester plant were estimated to be 23%. Energy savings in the lime kiln would be about 124 000 GJ per year. The reduction in carbon dioxide emissions in the calcination process was about 20%. Kraft pulp mills can use the information acquired in this study to determine whether this concept can be implemented in their commercial process. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

North‐Rhine Westphalia is the center of the German and European steel production. Its steel industry is heavily based on the primary production route and emits up to 30 Mt CO2 annually. One possible and increasingly prominent alternative to reduce these emissions is the hydrogen‐based direct reduction. While this technology allows for a near climate‐neutral production of primary steel, it poses substantial impacts on regional energy and material flows. Hence, the aim of this paper is to quantify the alterations in energy and material flows over time via integrating top‐down energy and material flow models with bottom‐up process models. The resulting values of emissions, energy, and material flows are then used to develop prospective scenarios that depict the requirements and consequences of potential pathways toward a climate‐neutral steel production by 2045. The outcomes show that decarbonizing the North Rhine‐Westphalian steel industry leads to an additional demand for renewable energies of up to 52.5 TWh per year, which represents 10% of the current electricity production in Germany. As securing the green electricity demand is a large challenge, the study also analyzes the impact of a partial recourse to natural gas as a reducing agent in combination with other measures like carbon capture and utilization/storage. The results show that such a recourse would reduce the electricity demand to 36.8 TWh. Hence, the paper illustrates relevant implications of the different scenarios, which can be used by policymakers to develop more realistic and resilient strategies for reaching carbon neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the path to achieve carbon neutrality in the construction field, which is divided into five parts: (1) China's carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals and consensus on the development of the construction industry; (2) The sustainable green building development trend and relevant policies in China; (3) The green building evaluation system and common software in China; (4) Building carbon emission evaluation model and the decarbonizing tools for the whole life cycle of construction projects; (5) Carbon emission reduction technology evaluation framework of autoclaved aerated concrete production in China. Through the discussion of this paper, we will jointly provide intellectual and technical support for the exploration and implementation of building carbon neutralization path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen‐based energy systems (HESs) have shown great potential to promote the process of decarbonization. Conventional studies mainly focus on the sizing and operation of HESs in a determined static situation, and the dynamic planning model of HESs considering large‐scale uncertain scenarios of future developments should be considered. This paper proposes a multi‐stage stochastic programming (MSP) long‐term planning model to find the optimal sequential planning results of the grid‐connected HES. The planning model considers the long‐term uncertainties of the investment cost decrease and the load increase. Additionally, the short‐term uncertainties of renewable energies are also considered to obtain robust results in each stage. The improved stochastic dual dynamic integer programming (SDDIP) is then employed to solve the MSP long‐term planning model with consideration of the realized uncertainties. Specifically, the sequential planning order is developed to improve the efficiency of the SDDIP. Numerical case studies are constructed to show the convergence process of the improved SDDIP and the planning results of the HES. Moreover, the improved SDDIP shows greater efficiency compared with the traditional SDDIP and the method which solves the model directly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon trading downstream, as a key strategy for decreasing carbon emissions, has the potential to hasten the entire society's decarbonization. Taking the government, household, and carbon trading management center as stakeholders, this paper constructs a tripartite evolutionary game model, examines and stimulates evolutionary stability strategies, and then proposes some policy implications. Findings show that the downstream carbon market faces a complex evolutionary process. The promotion of the policy can be split into two periods: policy promotion and policy stability implementation. And proper household size management is a crucial and effective strategy to encourage downstream carbon trading programs and emission reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate action is increasingly marked by the responsibilisation of individuals. In this context, carbon footprints have gained traction as a means of both quantifying individual responsibility for climate change and for motivating individual action through changes in behaviour. However, these mechanisms raise questions for climate justice in terms of how such moral and political responsibility is configured and distributed within the city. Drawing on a case study of Hong Kong, this paper explores the ways in which carbon footprinting configures responsibility for climate action by juxtaposing carbon footprints and the associated techniques of quantification alongside a discussion of the everyday practices of residents in a low-income neighbourhood. It argues that carbon footprints offer important opportunities for measuring the impacts of carbon-intensive activities and generating discussions about the allocation of responsibility for addressing climate change. However, it also demonstrates that individual carbon footprints ignore the uneven nature of carbon emissions in cities as well as obscuring important questions about the roles and responsibilities of other actors. In conclusion, the paper calls for an approach centred on common but differentiated responsibilities for carbon production and consumption to enable a more nuanced configuration of climate justice in the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decarbonization and energy transition will have a large impact on how our mobility, as well as supply of materials for clothing, building, and construction, and even for food, will be energized and processed. This review will give a brief survey of a few main changes and what they mean for process safety. It concerns hazards of hydrogen production and handling, battery systems, and electrification of the process industry, which will bring a range of changes, some easy, others intricate. Coincidentally, three recent papers in the journal Ergonomics prove to be in line with these process safety challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers news briefs related to technology and innovation. The Southern Materials Recovery Facility (SMRF) in South Australia won the SCI Australia's Plant of the Year Award. SCI Publishing launched a new collection of papers themed around sustainability. SCI's Scotland Regional Group is offering up to ten student memberships to postgraduate research students in Scottish universities.

The transition toward a circular economy (CE) is key in decarbonizing the built environment. Despite this, knowledge of—and engagement with—CE philosophies remains limited within the construction industry. Discussion with practitioners reveals this to be contributed to by a lack of clarity regarding CE principles, with numerous organizations recommending implementation of differing and sometimes conflicting principles. In addition, a systematic assessment of how building designs consider CE is made difficult by the multiple design areas required to be considered and the large amount of design data required to do so. The absence of a systematic CE assessment causes a lack of comparability across designs, preventing benchmarking of CE practices in building design at present. This paper details the development of Regenerate, a CE engagement tool for the assessment of new and existing buildings, established in an effort to overcome the aforementioned barriers to the adoption of CE within the construction sector. A CE design workflow for the built environment is proposed, comprising four overarching circularity principles (Design for Adaptability; Design for Deconstructability; Circular Material Selection; Resource Efficiency) and contributing design actions. In addition to engaging stakeholders by enabling the assessment of building designs, the tool retrieves key data for further research. Information on completed design actions as well as recycling and waste metrics is collected to facilitate future CE benchmarking. "Bill of materials" data (i.e., material quantities) is also compiled, with this being key in material stock modeling research and embodied carbon benchmarking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Nowadays most photovoltaic (PV) plants usually use battery energy storage technology to smooth fluctuant power, but batteries have the drawbacks of a short lifetime and environmental pollution. The existing renewable power networks have serious problems with decarbonizing electricity on the end‐user side. This paper investigates a new hybrid photovoltaic‐liquid air energy storage (PV‐LAES) system to provide solutions for the low‐carbon transition for future power and energy networks. In this article, a local PV power plant cooperates with its maximum power point tracking (MPPT)‐based boost converter, to generate low‐carbon electricity with some uncertain fluctuations. Then a zero‐emission‐air‐based LAES unit is used to absorb the surplus power from the PV plant, and also compensate power for the local load with inadequate power level. This makes the new system save a large proportion of power from main grids, which can also indirectly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For the MW‐class PV‐LAES case, results show that the surplus renewable electricity (6.73 MWh) generates 27.12 tons of liquid air for energy backups during the day time, and then the LAES unit has a round‐trip efficiency of 47.4% that can discharge a flexible power compensation to the load in the night. Accordingly, the grid power demand reduces significantly from 12.78 to 3.33 MWh in a day. In this way, the annual power savings is estimated to be 3449.25 MWh, and the corresponding carbon emission can be reduced by 2607.63 tons. Regarding the economic performance, the PV‐LAES system presents a dynamic payback period of 9.33 years and an accumulated life‐cycle net profit of $2,260,011. Overall, the proposed PV‐LAES scheme is economically feasible from a life‐cycle perspective, and can potentially realize flexible energy interaction with local renewables to achieve an integrated low‐carbon power generation and storage system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scale is an emergent theme in current scientific and policy debates on low‐carbon urban transformations. Yet notions of scale employed in such contexts are typically based on linear and hierarchical ontologies, and miss out on the long‐standing development of more nuanced conceptions of scale within Human Geography. This paper aims to advance a relational understanding of scale in the analysis and evaluation of low‐carbon urban initiatives (LCUIs). We wish to lay the path towards an innately geographical conceptualisation of low‐carbon urban transformations more generally, in which cities are not seen as rigid and passive physical containers for decarbonisation initiatives, but rather as key nodes within vibrant socio‐technical networks operating across multiple material sites. Using a case study of the transnational and translocal REACH (Reduce Energy use And Change Habits) project funded by the European Union as illustration, we argue that low‐carbon urban transformations are immanently constituted of three sets of relational processes across scale, involving (1) politicisation, (2) enrolment and (3) the hybridisation of human and material agencies. This paper aims to advance a relational understanding of scale in the analysis and evaluation of low‐carbon urban initiatives. We wish to lay the path towards an innately geographical conceptualisation of low‐carbon urban transformations more generally, in which cities are not seen as rigid and passive physical containers for decarbonisation initiatives, but rather as key nodes within vibrant socio‐technical networks operating across multiple material sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Territorial inequalities have long been a subject of study and concern in Canada. In the face of large structural changes such as industrial shifts and the decarbonization of our economies, there is an urgency to understand such inequalities and design effective policy interventions for those places facing persistent economic decline. This paper shares a novel composite index that measures economic disparity across Canadian Census Subdivisions (CSDs) using Census data from 2001 through 2016 and the 2011 National Household Survey. Named the "Index of Economic Disparity," it is comprised of an equally weighted average of four sub‐indices that assign percentile rankings for all CSDs based on whether they experience persistent and substantial decline in key economic areas: population, labour force outcomes, working‐age share of population, and industrial diversity. The variation of outcomes across geographies—urban and rural—highlights the importance of place‐based policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the amount of the photovoltaic (PV) system has been rapidly increasing from the viewpoint of carbon neutral. There are concerns about voltage rises and grid congestion in the electrical distribution network because of large‐scale PV increases. In order to address these issues, we focused on the control of water supply pumps in the water distribution system, which is infrastructure equipment for consumers. By controlling the start/stop of the water pump, it is expected to contribute to the power distribution system by increasing Demand Response (DR) and reduce CO2 emission from the electricity used by the pump. In this paper, with the aim of constructing an optimal operation planning method for water pumps that can evaluate DR and CO2 reduction effects, the optimal operation plan is formulated as a mixed integer linear programming problem. We numerical evaluated impact of water pump operation for CO2 emission and electrical distribution network. © 2023 The Authors. IEEJ Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Engineering published by Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy and energy storage are essential technologies for decarbonizing energy systems. Expansion planning of the two technologies considering source‐side carbon responsibility has been well studied. However, expansion planning considering both source‐side and load‐side carbon responsibility, which may simultaneously stimulate the carbon reduction potential of source and load, has been rarely studied. To fill this research gap, this paper proposes a bi‐layer wind turbine generator (WTG) and demand‐side battery (DSB) coordinated planning framework considering wind power and load uncertainties. Moreover, a novel source‐load bilateral carbon trading (BCT) mechanism based on the Aumann–Shapley method is proposed to stimulate the WTG and DSB configuration. In the bi‐layer planning framework with BCT mechanism, WTG and DSB capacity planning with the two‐stage stochastic optimization are conducted in the upper and lower layer, respectively. Finally, test results on a modified IEEE 24‐bus system demonstrate that the proposed framework with BCT mechanism can effectively motivate the planning configuration of WTG and DSB and carbon mitigation. Compared with the models with unilateral carbon trading mechanisms, the proposed model has advantages in stimulating configuration of WTG and DSB, reducing carbon emissions, and balancing source‐load economic burden from carbon trading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar energy is a clean energy resource, so the large-scale deployment of photovoltaic ( PV) power generation is of great significance for achieving carbon emission reductions in the electric power industry. This paper proposes models and methods for evaluation of the low-carbon benefits of grid-connected PV power generation projects. The carbon emission (or emission reduction) characteristics and the economic benefits of PV generation are analyzed using the following four metrics: generation capacity revenue, PV cost, loss efficiency improvement, and reserve capacity cost. The corresponding low-carbon benefit models and economic benefit models are then established. By combining the low-carbon and economic characteristics of photovoltaic power generation, a model is proposed for evaluating the low-carbon comprehensive benefits ( LCBs) of photovoltaic power generation and the concept of a carbon emission payback period ( CPP) is put forward. Examples with typical operating data from real-world applications are used to verify the validity of the models and methods proposed in this paper. The analysis results show that photovoltaic power generation has great potential in terms of low-carbon comprehensive benefits compared with conventional power generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To support the electrification of heat and transport, distribution network operators are looking to adopt network management solutions which can exploit local flexibility to advance their decarbonisation efforts in line with the evolving management requirements of the network. This paper develops a multi‐functional battery control strategy that integrates constraint management with carbon‐intensity linked control dispatch – carbon control – to support decarbonisation of rural distribution networks in Scotland by displacing last resort backup diesel generation and facilitating low carbon network balancing in the drive towards self‐sustaining local distribution networks. The interplay between the different functionalities is considered to understand the challenges, and opportunities, of adopting multi‐functional battery storage as an alternative management solution based on an operational distribution network in Scotland. Case studies are presented which consider network constraints at different times of day and year for various generation, demand and carbon intensity profiles to support this investigation. The findings of this work provide for the near‐term, realisation of self‐sustaining carbon‐neutral local distribution networks that are in keeping with both the operational objectives of incumbent network operators, smart local energy systems and also low carbon policy objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cement industry has committed to take drastic steps to reduce process‐related CO2 emissions to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. One essential part of the solution is the reduction of the average clinker content in cement. However, the limits of availability of common composite materials are already reached, and focus is laid meanwhile on calcined clays as the next generation SCM. The knowledge about the effects of calcined clay in cement and also the development of production technologies are well‐advanced. Now it is the task to earn acceptance on customer's side project by project. For that purpose, the presented paper sums up the state of the art of clay activation by answering the most urgent questions of clients. This also includes a review of LOESCHE's experiences with clay calcination and grinding gained in the recent years. LOESCHE combines its competence in this technology in the product C/CLAY® supplying individual solutions for all process steps from pretreatment over calcination to finish grinding. The most practical C/CLAY® methods, the flash‐calcination and rotary kiln firing, are explained with their complete process chains, whereby the latter provides a suitable option for retrofitting stopped cement production lines. As example, the layout of the world's biggest clay calcination plant designed by LOESCHE's subsidiary DYNAMIS is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Max Corden and Ross Garnaut published 'The Economic Consequences of Mr Trump' in this journal in 2018. This paper examines what has transpired in the US economy against that article. It notes continuity in budget and trade policy from the Trump Presidency to the Biden Presidency. The continuity in macro‐fiscal and trade policies is accompanied by a significant departure in the focus of fiscal expansion: Mr Biden's strong support for decarbonisation. The article applies Max Corden's approach to international economics to the question: should Australia emulate Mr Biden's combination of budget, protection and decarbonisation policies? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The maritime industry is getting prepared for using ammonia as a fuel to meet the decarbonization goal. However, ammonia is toxic, corrosive, and flammable, which poses specific safety challenges during bunkering compared with conventional fuels. The corrosion can be prevented by selecting suitable materials. However, the impact of toxic gas dispersion and fire has high uncertainties, thus risk assessment should be conducted. Currently, there are insufficient risk assessment guidelines for ammonia bunkering available. Therefore, this paper proposes a Bayesian network (BN) based quantitative risk assessment framework to investigate the potential risks of ammonia in ship‐to‐ship bunkering considering the toxicity and flammability. The study validates the utility of the proposed framework and demonstrates the BN as an efficient model in performing the probabilities calculations and flexible in conducting causal diagnosis. The results show that toxicity has the greatest impact on the risks of ammonia bunkering compared with flammability. The main innovation of this work is realizing the efficient quantification of risks for ammonia ship‐to‐ship bunkering by using the BN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitigation of carbon dioxide (CO2) from various sources is a major challenge in the world today. Apart from attempts to control CO2 emissions from large CO2 emitting sources such as coal‐fired power plants and significant fossil fuel‐consuming industries, there have also been attempts made to control CO2 in internal combustion (IC) engines. Compression ignition (CI) engines find their applications mainly in automotive vehicles, decentralized power generation units, standby power requirements in hospitals and educational institutions. In recent years, there has been a great interest in developing eco‐friendly and low‐cost adsorbents for CO2 capture via the adsorption method. This investigation explores the possibility of using activated carbon obtained from coconut shell for capturing CO2 in a CI engine exhaust. Surface texture characteristics and physicochemical properties of the coconut shell‐based activated carbon are determined for their suitability as a potential adsorbent for CO2 adsorption. Furthermore, an attempt is made to combine a postcombustion carbon capture device in a CI engine. For this purpose, an in‐house fabricated adsorption chamber is packed with activated carbon and attached to a single‐cylinder, four‐stroke, naturally aspirated, direct injection (DI) diesel engine exhaust. The test engine is operated on two different fuels; (i) diesel (D100) and (ii) biodiesel‐diesel blend comprising 20% of Jatropha methyl ester (JME) and 80% of diesel (JME20). The engine performance and CO2 emission without and with the adsorption chamber are evaluated for D100 and JME20 operations. Further, the performance parameters of the adsorption chamber packed with activated carbon are also evaluated in both fuel operations. The results are analyzed, discussed, and presented in this paper. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars have argued that transitions to more sustainable and just mobilities require moving beyond technocentrism to rethink the very meaning of mobility in cities, communities, and societies. This paper demonstrates that such rethinking is inherently political. In particular, we focus on recent theorisations of commoning practices that have gained traction in geographic literatures. Drawing on our global comparative research of low‐carbon mobility transitions, we argue that critical mobilities scholars can rethink and expand the understanding of mobility through engagement with commons–enclosure thinking. We present a new concept, "commoning mobility," a theorisation that both envisions and shapes practices that develop fairer and greener mobilities and more inclusive, collaboratively governed societies. Our analysis introduces three "logics" of mobility transition projects. First, the paper discusses how a logic of scarcity has been a driver for mobility planning as the scarcity of oil, finance, space, and time are invoked across the world as stimuli for aspiring to greener, "smarter," and cheaper mobilities. The paper then identifies two responses to the logic of scarcity: the logics of austerity and the logics of commoning. Austere mobilities are examined to problematise the distribution of responsibility for emissions and ensuing injustices and exclusion in low‐carbon transitions. The logics of commoning shows a potential to reassess mobility not only as an individual freedom but also as a collective good, paving the way for fairer mobility transitions and a collaborative tackling of sustainable mobility challenges. Drawing on a global comparative research of low‐carbon mobility transitions, the paper criticises the logics of scarcity that are ubiquitous in debates surrounding mobility and society in the 21st century. It discusses two responses to such logics: austere mobilities and commoning mobility. Austere mobilities are examined to problematise the distribution of responsibility for emissions and ensuing injustices and exclusion in low‐carbon transitions. Rethinking mobility as a commons shows a potential to reassess mobility not only as an individual freedom but as a collective good, paving the way for fairer mobility transitions and a collaborative tackling of sustainable mobility challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A significant amount of global carbon dioxide emissions is due to steel mill gases. One promising approach for the reduction of these emissions is their chemical conversion. In this regard, the conversion to urea is very advantageous, since common urea processes are already using carbon dioxide as a feedstock. In the present paper, urea capacities are determined that can be realized using steel mill gases. The capacities are estimated based on new process concepts that are presented in this paper. Exemplarily, the steel mill of thyssenkrupp Steel in Duisburg, Germany, is considered. It could be shown that reasonable urea capacities can be reached. By this means, a great impact can be made on the reduction of steel mill carbon dioxide emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

85% of China's GHG emissions are attributed to urban economic activities, and this share is expected to rise given China's fast urbanization process. This paper provides estimates of city-level industrial CO2 emissions and their growth rates for all 287 Chinese prefecture-level and above cities during the years 1998-2009. We decompose the CO2 emission changes into scale, composition and technique effects. The decomposition results show that these three effects differ significantly across the three tiers of cities in China. The scale effect contributes to rising CO2 emissions, while the technique effect leads to declining CO2 emissions in all cities. The composition effect leads to increasing CO2 emissions in the third-tier cities, while it reduces CO2 emissions in the first and second-tier cities, due to the relocation of energy-intensive industries from the latter to the former type of cities. Based on these decomposition results, we identify the separate channels through which the inflow of FDI and the environmental regulations affect city-level CO2 emissions. The decomposition framework in our paper can help policy makers and scholars to better understand Chinese cities' trade-offs between economic growth and environmental goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern indoor air quality (IAQ) management plans integrate the use of valid air quality models that accurately predict the dynamics of air quality variations within a considered environment. With rapid advancements in the field of computer sciences that helped improve the capabilities of computational resources and the availability of a wide-ranging spectrum of methodologies that address different aspects of the nonlinearity in a multi-dimensional information domain, there is ample scope for environmental professionals to develop and use hybrid IAQ models. This software review paper presents one such methodology that combines the use of the univariate time series and the radial basis function neural network methods in the development and evaluation of univariate time series based radial basis function neural network hybrid IAQ models for the monitored contaminants of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide inside a public transportation bus using available software. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 35: 320-324, 2016 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of climate change, induced by global warming, are leading to huge economic, environmental and social impacts worldwide. The world is considered to be in a state of climate emergency, and urgent decarbonisation measures are required to control the temperature rise and mitigate such effects. In this context, EU targets for decarbonisation are to reduce, at least 55% of GHG emissions until 2030, and then to become climate‐neutral, by 2050. The steel industry, being among the biggest producers of CO2, is committed to fulfil this goal. However, the production of 1 tonne of steel, in the coal‐dependent BF/BOF route, can lead to about 2.3 tonnes of CO2, and this route is responsible for more than half of all steel produced in EU. Therefore, finding alternative breakthrough technologies to reduce CO2 emissions is a priority for the steel industry, and different decarbonisation strategies are being implemented in different European plants. Such strategies include the optimization of the DRI and EAF route. This paper focused on this strategy and it was found that the combined route DRI and EAF, based on green hydrogen and carbon free electricity, may reduce CO2 emissions in about 98% compared to the BF/BOF route. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY This paper evaluates the impact of an extensive introduction of electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) on the energy supply mix in Japan. Energy consumption in Japan's transport sector has been dominated by petroleum, and CO2 emissions in this sector account for 20% of Japan's CO2 emissions. Therefore, the deployment of clean energy vehicles, such as EV and PHEV, is expected to play a significant role in tackling energy security and environmental concerns. In order to assess the energy and environmental benefits of EV and PHEV, we develop an energy system model integrating an optimal power generation mix model and a vehicle penetration model, with consideration of the optimal electricity charging profile of those advanced vehicles. The calculated results suggest that massive EV penetration serves as an energy saving measure in Japan's whole energy system due to significant petroleum reductions exceeding the growth of fuel input into the power generation sector derived from significant EV and PHEV penetration. Massive EV deployment is estimated to contribute to CO2 mitigation in the energy system as well. Evaluating CO2 emissions by mileage by automobile, however, carbon emissions by mileage for EVs is almost equivalent to that of gasoline hybrid vehicles (HEVs) in the case of decommissioning of nuclear power plants, which eventually causes a higher carbon intensity of the electricity supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: It is suggested that trade measures should be used to induce exporters to adopt more ambitious climate policy and reduce global emissions. However, a tariff and the exporter's emission tax are likely substitutes, which would undermine the rationale for these trade measures. This paper examines incentives to regulate the climate under border carbon adjustment (BCA), defined as an import duty of a magnitude determined by the difference in emission taxes between trade partners. Unlike a tariff, a BCA can induce the exporter to adopt a higher tax, suggesting that the BCA and tariff are not equally effective at targeting global emission levels and that the features of the border measure matter in assessing the effectiveness of trade policy in targeting global emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Although a growing number of studies have scrutinized population-based variations in travel carbon emissions, few have examined these variations and uneven composition at the neighborhood level. Based on a 2007 Beijing household daily travel/activity survey, this paper attempts to calculate household daily travel carbon emissions and delineate the heterogeneous distribution within and across different neighborhoods. Using multilevel regression models, this paper confirms that socioeconomic variables (especially car availability) are the dominant contributing factors to household travel carbon emissions. Increasing the population density, land use mix and access to metro stations decreases emissions; whereas, household travel emissions increase along with the residential distance to the city center. Moreover, these effects vary across neighborhoods. Consequently, besides behavioral change policies aimed at high emitters, land use instruments should be targeted to different neighborhoods. The observed heterogeneous distributions call for a new governance framework to develop more effective and equitable urban transport policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large datasets on soil provide a temptation to search for relations between variables and then to model and make inferences about them with statistical methods more properly used to test preplanned hypotheses on data from designed experiments or sample surveys. The control of family-wise error rate (FWER) is one way to improve the robustness of inferences from tests of multiple hypotheses. In its simplest form, hypothesis testing with FWER control lacks statistical power. The α-investment approach to controlling the marginal false discovery rate is one method proposed to improve statistical power. In this paper I outline the α-investment approach and then demonstrate it in the analysis of a dataset on the rate of CO2 emission from incubated intact cores of soil from a transect over Cretaceous rocks in eastern England. Hypotheses are advanced after considering the literature and examining relations among the available soil variables that might be proposed as explanatory factors for the variation of CO2 emissions. They are then tested in sequence with α-investment, such that the rejection of null hypotheses increases the power to reject later ones, while controlling the overall marginal false discovery rate at a specified value. This paper illustrates the use of α-investment to test a multiple set of hypotheses on a soil dataset; statistical power is improved by ordering the sequence of hypotheses on the basis of process knowledge. The approach could be useful in other areas of soil science where covariates must be selected for predictive statistical models, notably in the development of pedotransfer functions and in digital soil mapping. Highlights α-investment controls marginal false discovery rate in statistical inference., Hypotheses were advanced about soil factors that affect CO2 emission from soil., These hypotheses were tested in sequence with control of marginal false discovery rate., Soil properties, land use and parent material were significant predictors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Personal transport choices are under increased government scrutiny as private cars are attributed with exacerbating carbon emissions. This paper appraises the value of mobile methodologies for researching transport choices through paying closer attention to life-on-the-move. Drawing on key debates within geography regarding the 'new' mobilities paradigm that challenge ideas which render drivers as lifeless, this paper illustrates the merits and challenges of designing a project that embraced mobile methodologies to explore the unwilled and unforeseen aspects of driving. Examples are drawn from a project conducted in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buildings are responsible for on average 43 per cent of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions, a figure that can rise to 70 per cent in cities. Consequently, 'green' building design has been focused on in efforts to reduce environmental degradation and change. It has been suggested, however, that collective learning and the mobilisation of knowledge between spatially dispersed communities are urgently needed, in particular to overcome what are often portrayed as knowledge deficits in relation to green design. The remit of this paper is to outline a framework for analysing the geographically heterogeneous impacts of attempts to mobilise green design knowledges. Drawing on economic geographical analyses of knowledge mobility, the paper reveals how regulative, normative and cultural-cognitive institutional contexts render green building design knowledges situated and place-specific. But it is also shown that bricolage - the bringing together of multiple mobile knowledges to produce new embedded green design knowledges - can overcome some of the problems faced. In particular, the analysis developed in the paper reveals: first, the role of multiple topological connections to metrically near and far but institutionally proximate places in providing diverse knowledges that can be folded together into place-specific solutions, and hence the need to conceptualise knowledge mobility as involving plural geographies of flow from multiple cities in the global north and south; second, the way economic geographers can contribute to debates about transitions to sustainability and situated sustainable building design through institutional analyses of the topologies of knowledge mobility, thus widening the relevance of their work to debates about the environment and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines why some countries have experienced environmental Kuznets curve (EKC)-type reductions in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, while others have not. The hypothesis that climbing to the upper rungs of the electricity ladder (nuclear power and modern renewables) has been the primary mechanism via which countries have achieved substantial reductions in per capita CO2 emissions is tested using a binomial dependent variable modelling approach for a sample of 105 countries. The findings suggest that electricity mix transitions caused by long-run growth in per capita incomes are indeed the primary determinant of carbon Kuznets curve downturns. The paper explores additional mechanisms via which carbon Kuznets curves may have been generated, but the results indicate that these are of lesser overall importance than the electricity mix effect. The evidence also suggests that countries with larger fossil fuel endowments are less likely to experience carbon Kuznets curve downturns, an additional curse of natural resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CO mitigation and the stable supply of raw materials are two major issues for the steel industry. The Japanese steel industry has promoted short term developments and investments to comply with the Japan Iron and Steel Federation's voluntary action plan in parallel with developing plans for drastic CO mitigation programs toward the post Kyoto protocol period. This paper describes short-term measures in the ironmaking field such as natural gas injection technology to the sintering bed and burden distribution control with coke mixed charging. For mid and long term CO mitigation, the joint project, 'Preparatory research work for the blast furnace based innovative ironmaking technologies' was actively promoted by the New Energy and industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) from FY2006 to FY2008. Based on the enhancement of carbon - CO reaction by close positioning of carbon and iron oxide/metallic iron, the production process and reaction mechanism in a blast furnace were studied for two innovative composites with iron oxide, metallic iron and carbon. For development at a pilot plant scale, a new project, 'Development of innovative ironmaking process using low cost iron ore and coal' started in FY2009. Key technologies of the project are the production process and evaluation in a blast furnace of a hybrid composite of metallic iron and carbon, so called 'Ferro-coke'. This paper describes key technologies and recent developments of the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environment surrounding the iron and steel industry has changed greatly. This paper describes the technology adopted by the Japanese iron and steel industry to cope with changes in global demand, changes in the availability of coal and iron ore resources, correspondence to the extension of plant life, and energy conservation. In addition, efforts to reduce the amount of exhausted CO due to environmental concerns are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the biggest carbon emitter in the world, China is facing tremendous pressure domestically and internationally. To promote the international efforts to tackle climate change, the Chinese government announced its 2020 carbon intensity target and is actively taking part in the international climate negotiations. In this paper, we review some of the climate burden-sharing proposals raised by Chinese scholars to shed some light on China's perspective on the post-Kyoto climate architecture. Then we summarize China's current pollution abatement policies and measures, and analyze some potential policy instruments for China to reconcile its future economic growth and carbon mitigation, as well as some practical design and enforcement issues to be considered for the near term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grasslands occupy almost half of the world's land area. Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a key indicator of soil fertility and grassland productivity. Increasing SOC stocks (so‐called SOC sequestration) improves soil fertility and contributes to climate change mitigation by binding atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Grasslands constitute about 70% of all agricultural land, but their potential for SOC sequestration is largely unknown. This review paper quantitatively summarizes observation‐based studies on the SOC sequestration potential of grasslands in six East African countries (Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda) and seeks to identify knowledge gaps related to SOC sequestration potential in the region. In the studies reviewed, SOC stocks in grasslands range from 3 to 93 Mg C/ha in the upper 0.3 m of the soil profile, while SOC sequestration rate ranges from 0.1 to 3.1 Mg C ha‐1 year‐1 under different management strategies. Grazing management is reported to have a considerable impact on SOC sequestration rates, and grassland regeneration and protection are recommended as options to stimulate SOC sequestration. However, a very limited number of relevant studies are available (n = 23) and there is a need for fundamental information on SOC sequestration potential in the region. The effectiveness of potential incentive mechanisms, such as payments for environmental services, to foster uptake of SOC‐enhancing practices should also be assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photovoltaic (PV) installations are a leading technology for generating green electricity and reducing carbon emissions. Roofing highways with solar panels offers a new opportunity for PV development, but its potential of global deployment and associated socio‐economic impacts have not been investigated. Here, we combine solar PV output modeling with the global highway distribution and levelized cost of electricity to estimate the potential and economic feasibility of deploying highway PV systems worldwide. We also quantify its co‐benefits of reducing CO2 equivalent emissions and traffic losses (road traffic deaths and socio‐economic burdens). Our analysis reveals a potential for generating 17.58 PWh yr−1 of electricity, of which nearly 56% can be realized at a cost below US$100 MWh−1. Achieving the full highway PV potential could offset 28.78% (28.21%–29.1%) of the global total carbon emissions in 2018, prevent approximately 0.15 million road traffic deaths, and reduce US$0.43 ± 0.16 trillion socio‐economic burdens per year. Highway PV projects could bring a net return of about US$14.42 ± 4.04 trillion over a 25‐year lifetime. To exploit the full potential of highway PV, countries with various income levels must strengthen cooperation and balance the multiple socio‐economic co‐benefits. Plain Language Summary: Global efforts are underway to diversify environmentally sustainable strategies for photovoltaic (PV) installations to enhance the accessibility of green electricity. Here, we propose an innovative strategy to roof highways with PV panels and evaluate their electricity generation potential and social‐economic co‐benefits. Our analysis reveals that globally deploying highway PV systems across existing highway networks has the potential to generate 17,578 TWh of electricity annually, offsetting nearly 28% of concurrent global carbon emissions. Additionally, the highway PV could potentially prevent 150,000 traffic deaths annually and bring profits amounting to $14.42 trillion over a 25‐year lifetime. We emphasize that the highway PV may serve as a crucial nexus for promoting human, environmental, and economic sustainability. Key Points: We estimate the potential for roofing highways with solar panels worldwide and the associated co‐benefitsGlobal highway photovoltaics (PV) could generate 17.58 PWh yr−1 of electricity, 56% of which is attainable at a cost below $100 MWh−1Highway PV could offset 28.78% of current CO2 emissions, avoid 150,000 traffic deaths, and reduce the socio‐economic burden by $0.43 trillion [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including a spatial equilibrium model for copper commodities, the importance of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from international freight transport activities, and the treatment effect of Kyoto Protocol on bilateral export flows.

Reforesting and managing ecosystems have been proposed as ways to mitigate global warming and offset anthropogenic carbon emissions. The intent of our opinion piece is to provide a perspective on how well plants and ecosystems sequester carbon. The ability of individual plants and ecosystems to mine carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, as defined by rates and cumulative amounts, is limited by laws of physics and ecological principles. Consequently, the rates and amount of net carbon uptake are slow and low compared to the rates and amounts of carbon dioxide we release by fossil fuels combustion. Managing ecosystems to sequester carbon can also cause unintended consequences to arise. In this paper, we articulate a series of key take‐home points. First, the potential amount of carbon an ecosystem can assimilate on an annual basis scales with absorbed sunlight, which varies with latitude, leaf area index and available water. Second, efforts to improve photosynthesis will come with the cost of more respiration. Third, the rates and amount of net carbon uptake are relatively slow and low, compared to the rates and amounts and rates of carbon dioxide we release by fossil fuels combustion. Fourth, huge amounts of land area for ecosystems will be needed to be an effective carbon sink to mitigate anthropogenic carbon emissions. Fifth, the effectiveness of using this land as a carbon sink will depend on its ability to remain as a permanent carbon sink. Sixth, converting land to forests or wetlands may have unintended costs that warm the local climate, such as changing albedo, increasing surface roughness or releasing other greenhouse gases. We based our analysis on 1,163 site‐years of direct eddy covariance measurements of gross and net carbon fluxes from 155 sites across the globe. The ability of individual plants and ecosystems to mine carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, as defined by rates and cumulative amounts, is limited by laws of physics and ecological principles. Consequently, the rates and amount of net carbon uptake are slow and low compared to the rates and amounts of carbon dioxide we release by fossil fuels combustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite great efforts being devoted to, and substantial resources being consumed by low‐carbon economy (LCE) development globally, it appears that little is known about whether LCE development is efficient. This paper measures low‐carbon economy efficiency (LCEE) performance from a global perspective. The Super‐slack‐based measure model is adopted to analyse the LCEE performance of 115 sample countries during 1999–2013. The Malmquist Productivity Index is used to evaluate the dynamic change of LCEE between sample countries. The results indicate that overall worldwide LCEE performance is at low levels, and the differences in LCEE performance among the 115 sample countries are significant. It also indicates that LCEE performance is generally better in developed countries. From the dynamic perspective, a significant improvement in LCEE performance was achieved globally during the survey period, with an overall annual increase of 0.75%. These results provide a valuable reference to policy‐makers and practitioners for adopting measures to promote LCE development effectively at a global level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the light of challenges to sustainable development in the post‐2015 development agenda, this paper assesses how increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions affect inclusive human development in 44 countries in sub‐Saharan Africa for the period 2000–2012. The following findings are established from Fixed Effects and Tobit regressions: first, unconditional effects and conditional impacts are respectively positive and negative from CO2 emissions per capita, CO2 emissions from liquid fuel consumption, and CO2 intensity. This implies a Kuznets‐shaped curve because of consistent decreasing returns; and second, the corresponding net effects are consistently positive. The following findings are apparent from Generalized Method of Moments regressions: first, unconditional effects and conditional impacts are respectively negative and positive from CO2 emissions per capita, CO2 emissions from liquid fuel consumption, and CO2 intensity. This implies a U‐shaped curve because of consistent increasing returns; and second, the corresponding net effects are overwhelmingly negative. Based on the robust findings and choice of best estimator, the net effect of increasing CO2 emissions on inclusive human development is negative. Policy implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examined the content and determinants of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission disclosure practices. This study found that the number of firms disclosed is increased from 42.9% in 2011 to 48.1% in 2014. The assessment of risks and opportunities of climate change theme is the most disclosed item. Miscellaneous industries disclosed more GHG emission information compared with any other industry. The results also show that profitability, leverage, company size, and industry are significant determinants that can explain the extent of GHG emission disclosure. The findings of this study indicated that GHG emission disclosures are used as a mechanism to reduce pressures from stakeholders. This study contributes to the GHG emission disclosure literature by providing patterns and determinants of companies' GHG emission disclosure in an emerging country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]