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The concept of low carbon education is one solution to provide knowledge to students related to low carbon behavior. The purpose of this paper is providing an extensive bibliometric literature review on 'low carbon education'. Articles found by Publishing or Perish (PoP) software with the Google Scholar database. There were 55 out of 97 articles found from Google Scholar data base ranging from 2014 to 2019 analyzed in this study. The chosen references were then managed using a referencing manager software namely Zotero. After managing the database, this study classified and visualized it using VOSviewer software. Overall, this review provides an appropriate reference point for further research on 'low carbon education'.

Purpose: Aiming to find out how to incorporate green building into the architectural curriculum, this study aims to explore the psychological path for cultivating architectural students' awareness and motivation to learn the green design concepts and related technologies. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a global review of relevant architectural courses in universities, a set of green building learning behaviors was proposed and a survey was conducted in architectural schools in South China to verify the "value-belief-norm" theory through the lens of green building learning behaviors. The psychological path that affects students' green building learning behaviors was analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings: The results showed that biospheric and altruistic values could directly affect students' motivation to learn green building, while personal norms served as the mediating condition for personal values and beliefs, and ultimately improved motivation. Practical implications: The study suggests that the cultivation of environmental awareness and a sense of the ecological crisis should be developed through foundation courses, by establishing an ecological architecture curriculum, to more effectively guide students to learn and practice green building. Originality/value: This study, for the first time, applied the "value-belief-norm" theory, which was developed to explain the psychological path for pro-environmental behaviors, to green building learning behaviors of architectural students.

The exercise of quantifying the energy consumption data assembled through household surveys, either by the recall-based approach or the meter-based approach, remains a challenging task, especially in rural areas of developing countries. In this article, we propose a device-based bottom-up accounting method for estimating household energy consumption. This method provides microlevel disaggregated estimates at the intensive margin and documents other difficult-to-measure energy consumption such as biomass at the extensive margin. Even though measurement errors of the household survey might still exist, the structured questionnaire of daily routine behavior questions should greatly alleviate the problem. The new method supplements the existing household energy statistical system, improves its flexibility, and is particularly applicable in developing countries and/or rural areas. We apply the method to a Chinese rural household survey and discuss its differences and similarities with the conventional methods.

As China and the United States become the top two carbon emitters in the world, it is crucial for citizens in both countries to construct a sophisticated understanding of energy consumption issues. This interview study examines how U.S. and Chinese students compare in explaining and arguing about two critical energy consumption issues: burning fossil fuels and using electricity. In particular, we focused on using scientific knowledge to explain and argue about these issues. Based on relevant literature and our previous research, we developed a model to guide separate assessment and evaluation of students' argumentation and explanation. We conducted clinical interviews with 40 biology majors, including 20 U.S. students and 20 Chinese students. This study generated several important findings. First, Chinese students tended to be less consistent across explanations and argumentation, and their levels of argumentation were lower than their levels of explanation. Second, in comparison to their Chinese counterparts, U.S. students provided more scientific arguments but many fewer scientific explanations. Finally, although all participants were college students and had completed at least one introductory level science course before the interviews, some of their explanations and arguments were based on informal ideas rather than matter and energy. We discuss the possible interpretations of these findings and their implications for teaching and learning of scientific explanation and argumentation in both countries.

Some of the most sophisticated 20th-century technologies have been applied to build the largest hydroelectric dam in the world, the Three Gorges Dam Project (TGDP) of China. The author administered a study abroad course in China from May 27 to June 10, 2000, to study the massive project as it approached the halfway mark of its second and most critical stage, namely Phase II. This article sheds some light on this sizable project and summarizes information and observations gathered first-hand during this study abroad course on the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. In addition to a description of the main components of the project and the phases of its construction, a historical background and a timeline of the events that culminated in China's decision to build this dam are presented in this article. The article also points out the reasons why this sizable project is being built and discusses the results that are anticipated after its completion. Some of the challenges faced in the construction of the project are analyzed, together with how they were dealt with.

As China and the United States become the top two carbon emitters in the world, it is crucial for citizens in both countries to construct a sophisticated understanding of energy consumption issues. This interview study examines how U.S. and Chinese students compare in explaining and arguing about two critical energy consumption issues: burning fossil fuels and using electricity. In particular, we focused on using scientific knowledge to explain and argue about these issues. Based on relevant literature and our previous research, we developed a model to guide separate assessment and evaluation of students' argumentation and explanation. We conducted clinical interviews with 40 biology majors, including 20 U.S. students and 20 Chinese students. This study generated several important findings. First, Chinese students tended to be less consistent across explanations and argumentation, and their levels of argumentation were lower than their levels of explanation. Second, in comparison to their Chinese counterparts, U.S. students provided more scientific arguments but many fewer scientific explanations. Finally, although all participants were college students and had completed at least one introductory level science course before the interviews, some of their explanations and arguments were based on informal ideas rather than matter and energy. We discuss the possible interpretations of these findings and their implications for teaching and learning of scientific explanation and argumentation in both countries.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the focuses, motivations and challenges of achieving campus sustainability in Chinese higher education institutions (HEIs). Design/methodology/approach: A multisite case study was conducted in Changchun City, Jilin, where eight HEIs of various types were examined. Structured interviews with school managers, students and government officials were accompanied with analysis of relevant documents. Findings: The focuses of sustainability among the studied HEIs were on water and energy conservation and on non-technical initiatives. The focuses can be explained by motivations and challenges. The HEIs are motivated by government and financial pressures and face challenges in limited accessibility to funding. The reliance of non-technical initiatives has negatively impacted student welfare and has become unpopular among students. Practical implications: The government is advised to increase funding to HEIs in relation to sustainability and to make the funding more equitable. The HEIs are advised to modify sustainability practices that severely affect the daily lives of students, to share the benefits of water and energy conservation with their students and to involve students in sustainability governance. Originality/value: This paper adds to the existing literature in two ways. First, it expands the geographical reach of the literature to developing countries, in general, and to China, in particular. Second, it adopts the multisite case study research approach to study the whole spectrum of Chinese HEIs and highlights the differences among these HEIs when it comes to sustainability.

Since the mid-1980s, power sector liberalization has been embraced at different levels in the East Asian countries of China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. The dominant rationale underlying power liberalization has been a quest for efficiency improvements, to be achieved by substituting private market activity for public regulations and by opening a country's electricity system to the global economy and management techniques. However, as the power system is increasingly liberalized, the possibility of establishing a local energy system, which has the great potential to restore sustainable environment-society relations, has been diminished. As an alternative to the power liberalization strategy, this paper proposes a restoration of local energy regimes based on the model of an energy commons and a decentralization paradigm. The innovative energy-policy model of the Sustainable Energy Utility, as applied in the case of Seoul, Korea, is explored as a possible option for a local energy strategy for East Asian countries. (Contains 4 figures and 6 notes.)

CCC Kei Wai Primary School (Ma Wan) is a 30-classroom 7-story primary school located at Ma Wan Island. The campus was completed in 2003. There are three arrays of photovoltaic modules installed on the roof with an expected annual yield of 5600 kWh a.c. electricity. This system is supported by a research project called "Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) School Design" funded by the Innovation and Technology Commissions of the Hong Kong Government with matching sponsorship from the China Light and Power Research Institute (HK). After moving into the school in 2003, the author began to plan solar energy activities for her students. This article describes a classroom activity where pupils construct a "greenhouse heater." The activity was run as a project-based competition for all Primary 5 classes with 3 to 4 pupils per group. Each group was asked to construct a small greenhouse with a container inside. During the competition, 10 ml of water was poured into the container. Then the greenhouse was placed under the Sun for 20 minutes. The rise in the temperature of the water was the indication of the performance of their greenhouse. Then pupils would present and explain their designs. The construction activity was to give a chance for the pupils to apply various investigation skills, rather than to teach them those skills. Skills needed for this activity were taught over 9 separate class periods described herein.

In this article, the author discusses how to evaluate "green schools" that not only the standards and characteristics can be reflected on a regional basis, but also the ability to create such schools can be enhanced. The author also discusses the characteristics and connotative meaning of a "green school" and enumerates a list of common practical approaches to creating a "green school. Evaluation of "green schools" is to confirm the sustainable development capability of existing schools. It should be evaluated based on the values associated with sustainable development and on the achievements made in education and management. The common goal is to ascertain that schools can develop in a sustainable manner. On the other hand, creation of "green schools" is the result of pursuing "green schools" as part of the value system. To create better "green schools," favorable internal and external conditions should be followed. The two favorable conditions for "green schools" creation are discussed.

This article discusses the campaigns for "green schools". Since 1996, campaigns for "green schools" have been under way in all provinces, which has been a strong boost for national environmental education. To continue this campaign on a higher level, SEPA and the Ministry of Education decided to jointly extend commendation to a number of "green" high schools and "green" elementary schools nationwide. Environmental protection and educational affairs departments at all levels are advised to nominate "green schools" for commendation duly in accordance with the "Guidance Concerning Commendation of Green Schools." Moreover, the guidelines concerning commendation of green schools were also presented.

A conservation ethic seems to be woven into the fabric of Chinese life. (MM)

In China, urbanization is mainly stimulated by resource flows, and industrialization is normally accompanied by an increase in the proportion of the urban population and urban land area. During the process, urbanization at a rapid pace often induces a huge consumption of energy and environmental emissions. Nevertheless, it is also worth considering whether urbanization positively affects urban environment promotion. With a more solid economic foundation, urban subjects will carry out energy conservation and emission reduction (ECER) from various aspects, primarily focusing on technological innovation, advancement of production mechanisms and structural optimization. Along these lines, this study aims to examine urbanization's direct and indirect impact on energy conservation and emission reduction using panel data consisting of 196 Chinese cities for the period of 2011–2018 with a Slacks-based model and transmission mechanism. Study results indicate that urbanization's development can give a direct impetus to ECER, which is quite robust after employing a series of robust tests, including instrumental variable estimation. Besides, urbanization indirectly influences ECER by promoting economic growth, better allocation of resources, internet advancement, and adjusting the employment structure. Further investigation suggests that the relationship between urbanization and ECER is nonlinear, depending on the levels of the above-mentioned mediating variables. Finally, essential policy suggestions are proposed, i.e. promoting high-quality development of urban clusters, accelerating the policies for ECER, and paying more attention to economic growth, resource allocation, internet technology, and employment structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Energy conservation and environmental protection industry (ECEPI) is a strategic choice to promote energy conservation and emission reduction, develop green economy and circular economy. However, China's ECEPI is still in the stage of rapid development and the overall scale is relatively small, what development periods have the ECEPI experienced? This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of collaborative innovation evolution based on social network analysis from the perspective of multi-dimensional proximity. Design/methodology/approach: Methodologically, this study uses social network analysis method to explore the co-evolution of multidimensional collaboration networks. It divides China's ECEPI into four periods based on national policies from 2001 to 2020. This contribution constructs collaborative innovation networks from geographical, technological and organizational proximity. Findings: The results show that the collaborative innovation network was initially formed in the central region of China, gradually expanded to neighboring cities and the core positions of Beijing, Jiangsu and Guangdong have been continuously consolidated. C02F has been the core of the collaboration networks, and the research focus has gradually shifted from the treatment of wastewater, sewage or sludge to the separation field. Enterprises always occupy a dominant position in the collaboration networks. Originality/value: This research investigates the dynamic evolution process of collaborative innovation network in China's ECEPI from the perspective of multidimensional proximity, explores the community structure, important nodes and multidimensional proximity features in the network, expands the research perspective on evolution characteristics of innovative network and the research field of social network analysis. Theoretically, this study enriches collaborative innovation theory, social network theory and multi-dimensional proximity theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the escalating global climate change, countries are progressively adopting green public finance as a crucial instrument for achieving carbon neutrality. This study considers energy conservation and emission reduction (ECER) in demonstration cities' construction as a natural experiment and verifies the effect of green public finance on total carbon emissions (TCEs) and carbon emission intensity (CEI) by using a difference-in-differences (DID) model with the help of the panel data of 276 Chinese cities from 2006 to 2019. The empirical results indicate that (1) the ECER policy effectively reduces CEs in the demonstration cities, resulting in a reduction of TCEs by 13.13% and CEI by 12.90%; (2) the ECER policy can help optimize energy structure, accelerate green technology innovation, and improve energy efficiency, thus promoting "dual control" of CEs; and (3) the CE reduction effect of the ECER policy is stronger in western cities, southern cities, lower-administrative-level cities, and cities with weaker financial strength, which has a typical "supporting the weak" effect. Based on this, we conclude that green public finance is conducive to promoting "dual control" of CEs. Our conclusions not only enrich the theoretical research on green public finance but also provide governments with empirical evidence to implement more effective green public finance policies and expedite carbon neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prefabricated building construction has emerged as a transformative technology in construction engineering and the building industries. However, owing to its research characteristics, the relevant literature on prefabricated buildings is diverse and fragmented. This study offers a comparative review of relevant 21st century literature on prefabricated buildings using VOSviewer1.6.18 software. The research progress and future opportunities about prefabricated buildings were comprehensively analyzed, which provides recommendations for its subsequent development. Through keyword searches on the Web of Science, 3214 documents were identified, and an overall analysis of co-citations and co-authorship was conducted. Additionally, a comparative co-occurrence analysis highlighted the differences between China and other countries. Further elaboration of research hotspots is provided, and three future research directions are proposed: (1) energy conservation and reducing the environmental impact of prefabricated buildings, (2) improving the performance of prefabricated building components, and (3) deepening the understanding of the behavior of prefabricated structures under seismic and dynamic conditions. This study provides practitioners and scholars in the field of construction engineering with a comprehensive overview of the literature on prefabricated buildings and paves the way for future advancements in the industry. The findings of this study can be used to promote prefabricated buildings in the architecture, engineering, and construction industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's Top-10000 Enterprises Energy Conservation and Low Carbon Program, enacted in 2011, sets binding energy saving targets for enterprises. However, whether energy saving target setting is a poison or a catalyst remains controversial, and no research has been conducted on how the targets affect enterprises' total factor productivity. We construct 2012–2013 panel data models by mapping the enterprises subject to the energy saving targets onto the China Industrial Enterprise Database to systematically quantify the effects of the targets on enterprises' total factor productivity. The study reveals an inverted-U-shaped curve between energy saving targets and manufacturers' total factor productivity. We also find that the targets boost an enterprise's total factor productivity by expanding the enterprise's market share and their impacts vary according to region, type of enterprise, and industry. The study shows that setting appropriate energy saving targets can improve the environment and boost enterprise productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to theoretically explore the technological systems of tropical island zero-carbon building (TIZCB) to scientifically understand the characteristics of these buildings in terms of energy utilization, energy conservation, energy production, and intelligent system mechanisms. The purpose is to address the inefficiencies and resource wastage caused by the traditional segmented approach to building energy consumption management. Thus, it seeks to achieve a comprehensive understanding and application of the zero-carbon building (ZCB) technology system. This article focuses on the demands for energy-efficient comfort and innovative industrialization in construction. Through an analysis of the characteristics of TIZCB and an explanation of their concepts, it establishes a theoretical framework for examining the system mechanisms of these buildings. Additionally, it delves into the energy utilization, energy conservation, energy production, and intelligent system from macro, meso, and micro perspectives. This approach results in the development of an implementation strategy for studying the mechanisms of energy usage, conservation, and intelligent production systems in TIZCB. The results show that: (1) this study delves into the theoretical underpinnings of TIZCB, emphasizing their evolution from a foundation of low-carbon and near-zero energy consumption. The primary goal is to achieve zero carbon emissions during building operation, with reliance on renewable energy sources. Design considerations prioritize adaptation to high-temperature and high-humidity conditions, integrating regional culture along with the utilization of new materials and technologies. (2) A comprehensive technical framework for TIZCB is proposed, encompassing energy utilization, conservation, production capacity, and intelligent systems. Drawing from systems theory, control theory, and synergy theory, the research employs a macro–meso–micro analytical framework, offering extensive theoretical support for the practical aspects of design and optimization. (3) The research implementation plan establishes parameterized models, unveiling the intricate relationships with building performance. It provides optimized intelligent system design parameters for economically viable zero-carbon operations. This study contributes theoretical and practical support for the sustainable development of TIZCB and aligns with the dual carbon strategy in China and the clean energy free trade zone construction in Hainan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital technology has become a key driver of industrial transformation and resource utilization. However, no consensus has been reached on the exact relationship between digital technology and energy utilization. This study adopted a comprehensive index system to investigate the impact of digital technologies on energy utilization across 30 provinces in China. The results reveal a non-linear relationship between digital technologies and energy efficiency in China (represented by an N-curve), which is validated by robustness tests. This indicates digital technology exerts a fast-slow-rapid impact on improving energy efficiency throughout its initial-rapid-stable developmental stages. Geographically, this effect is more pronounced in eastern and central China, as well as in areas with lower energy efficiency. Furthermore, the impact of digital technology on total energy consumption can be characterized by an inverted N-shaped curve. As regional energy efficiency improves, the energy consumption associated with the development of digital technologies gradually decreases. These findings can contribute valuable insights for enhancing energy efficiency and provide practical guidance for the formulation of energy and digital technology policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significant acceleration of China's urbanization process has greatly promoted economic development. At the same time, the massive construction of urban buildings has also caused many problems such as environmental pollution and increased energy consumption. Therefore, in architectural design, it is particularly important to pay attention to the sustainable development of the environment, handle the relationship between good people and nature under the guidance of the concept of green development, and focus on the recycling of resources. Focusing on resource utilization in architectural design and based on certain planning can better control the construction process of urban buildings, save energy consumption, reduce construction costs, and contribute to the green development of cities. The comprehensive evaluation of energy conservation and emission reduction of construction projects is a classical MAGDM problems. Recently, the Logarithmic TODIM (LogTODIM) method has been employed to cope with MAGDM issues. The single-valued neutrosophic sets (SVNSs) are used as a tool for characterizing uncertain information during the comprehensive evaluation of energy conservation and emission reduction of construction projects. In this paper, the single-valued neutrosophic number Logarithmic TODIM (SVNN-LogTODIM) method is built to solve the MAGDM under SVNSs. In the end, a numerical case study for comprehensive evaluation of energy conservation and emission reduction of construction projects is given to validate the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A distribution dynamics approach is employed to examine the converge of TFEE across Chinese PAA level cities. • The findings show a clear convergence in TFEE. • Convergence comes more from efficiency drops in high TFEE cities than from efficiency gains in low TFEE cities. • The environmental protection polices in key cities improved energy efficiency. • Large-sized cities show better performance in energy efficiency than small- and medium-sized cities. Improving energy efficiency is considered the most direct route to reducing carbon emissions on a massive scale. To examine the long-run trend of China's energy efficiency, this paper employs a distribution dynamics approach to analyze the convergence of total-factor energy efficiency (TFEE) across 286 Chinese cities between 2002 and 2014. The result suggests the existence of convergence, which comes more from the efficiency declines in the high TFEE cities rather than the efficiency gains in the low TFEE cities. Despite the fact that a few cities have performed well in energy efficiency, the majority of cities have converged to a low-efficiency point. Further analyses show that the inefficiency was attributed to inefficient energy use in small- and medium-sized cities. Our analysis provides strong scientific support for China's ongoing energy conservation and environmental protection policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, the transportation industry has become one of the leading sectors in carbon emission, and all countries are committed to environmental protection and energy conservation while experiencing rapid development. Under China's "dual-carbon" goal, the carbon emission problem hinders the construction of China's green transportation system and affects the high-quality development of transportation, so it is of great significance to study the spatial pattern of carbon emission efficiency in the transportation industry and the factors affecting it. Firstly, this paper measures the carbon emission value of transportation in 30 provinces in China from 2010 to 2020 based on the IPCC method and measures the carbon emission efficiency through the super-efficiency slack-based measurement model. Secondly, spatial autocorrelation analysis was conducted to determine the spatial clustering characteristics of the efficiency values. Finally, two spatial Durbin models are constructed to measure the spatial spillover effects and analyze the short-term immediate effects of each influencing factor on the static model and the long-term effects of the dynamic model considering the time lag of the transportation carbon emission efficiency. The results of the study show that (1) the average value of efficiency in the central and eastern regions is basically higher than 0.5; in the western and northeastern regions, it is basically lower than 0.3.The overall efficiency of carbon emission in the region shows a fluctuating upward trend but with increasing regional differences. (2) The number of regions with positive spatial correlation increased from 21 to 25 during the study period, and the degree of provincial transportation carbon emission efficiency agglomeration increased. (3) Although urbanization and energy intensity have a large detrimental influence on transportation carbon emission efficiency, environmental regulation has a major favorable effects on it both long and short term. Population scale, opening level, and urbanization all have significant spatial spillover effects. Accordingly, relevant policy recommendations are put forward to provide theoretical guidance for promoting the realization of low-carbon transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the epoch of the digital economy, technological innovation and energy conservation are significantly facilitated by digital infrastructure, leading to substantial improvements in green innovation efficiency at the provincial level. This study employed the feasible generalized least square (FGLS) method to examine the effects of digital infrastructure on the green innovation efficiency across 30 provinces in the Chinese mainland, utilizing panel data from 2011 to 2020. Additionally, this investigation delves into the intervening role of industrial structure upgrading and the amplifying effects of environmental regulation and human capital on the process. Findings indicate that, to begin with, digital infrastructure contributes to the meaningful enhancement of green innovation efficiency within provinces. Subsequently, the industrial structure upgrading partially mediates the impact of digital infrastructure on the efficiency of provincial green innovation. Lastly, both human capital and environmental regulations amplify the beneficial influence of digital infrastructure on the effectiveness of green innovation at the provincial level. This study provides valuable insights into the mechanisms through which digital infrastructure boosts green innovation efficiency, aiding policymakers in formulating appropriate policies to augment digital infrastructure, thereby promoting provincial green innovation efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses the exogenous shock of China's formal implementation of the environmental information disclosure system in 2008 to construct a quasi-natural experiment. Based on the panel data of prefecture-level cities from 2003 to 2019, the propensity score matching and difference in difference (PSM-DID) approach was used to systematically evaluate the impact of environmental information disclosure on energy efficiency. Overcoming the difficulties in measuring environmental information disclosure and the endogenous problem, this paper investigates the energy-saving effect of environmental information disclosure and illustrates its mechanism for the first time. The results show that environmental information disclosure significantly improved energy efficiency, and public participation played an important role in energy conservation, a conclusion that remained true after a series of robustness tests. The test of the impact mechanism shows that environmental information disclosure can achieve the goal of improving energy efficiency by promoting industrial structure upgrading and technological innovation. This paper enriches the discussion on the relationship between environmental information disclosure and energy efficiency, and provides useful policy inspiration for improving the level of energy efficiency and achieving sustainable economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the dual backdrop of China vigorously promoting high-speed railways (HSR) construction and establishing an ecological civilization system, HSR as urban transportation infrastructure, is currently gaining growing attention from the academic community due to its environmental benefits as well as its effects in energy conservation and emission reduction. In this context, this research treats the initiation of HSR as a quasi-natural experiment, meanwhile empirically examining the effect of HSR on energy structure restructuring and exploring the micro-level channels through which it operates. The empirical results validate the reduction effect of HSR opening on fuel energy consumption of industrial enterprises, especially the usage of fuel coal. This highlight remains valid across a series of robustness tests. Moreover, it is evident that the "driving effect" of enterprise technological innovation capability and the "industrial upgrading effect" of enterprise relocation are effective transmission pathways in the process of HSR opening influencing the adjustment of energy consumption structure. Moreover, the unique characteristics of enterprise, industry, and region introduce a certain degree of heterogeneity. The low-energy-consumption effect of HSR is more pronounced in high-carbon industry enterprises, technology-intensive enterprises, firms engaged in innovation pilot cities, small to the medium-sized city and resource-based city. This paper provides a new perspective on energy structure adjustment, contributing to offering solid experiences and references for environmental governance in China and other emerging economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving energy efficiency is crucial for China's power industry to meet global energy conservation and emission reduction goals. The rapid development of photovoltaic (PV) and hydropower has greatly assisted in the construction of China's novel power system. The stochastic characteristics of PV power generation pose significant challenges to the reliable and economical scheduling of power systems. In fact, the cascade hydropower station can effectively address the issue. To fully utilize the advantages of hydropower, this paper proposes a bi-layer scheduling optimization model for the cascade hydro-PV complementary system considering power market. The upper-layer model simultaneously maximizes the benefit and minimizes the output volatility of the complementary system. The lower-layer model carries out market clearing with the objective of social cost. Besides, PV uncertainty and market price volatility are considered in the decision-making process for power market transactions. To solve the bi-layer model, a novel meta-heuristic algorithm (geometric mean optimizer) is applied, demonstrating excellent performance compared to similar methods. For the complementary system, the results show that its total power output can be improved, and its output volatility can be effectively alleviated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a quasi-natural experiment of the staggered construction of energy conservation and emission reduction (ECER) demonstration cities in China, this paper explores the impact of fiscal policy on green credit (GC) for listed enterprises. The main findings are the following: (1) The ECER demonstration cities policy significantly improves enterprise GC. This conclusion remains robust after considering the heterogeneous treatment effects. (2) By extending the estimation period beyond the policy withdrawal, we use the difference-in-differences designs with multiple groups and periods (DIDM) estimator to compute the average treatment effect of policy switches. The results show that the intervention effect still exists after the policy withdrawal. (3) Direct cash subsidies, corporate green spending, and external financing constraints are the main mechanisms through which the ECER demonstration cities policy works. (4) The effects of the ECER demonstration cities policy are heterogeneous at the batch, urban, industry, and corporate levels. This paper explores the role of fiscal policy on enterprise green financing. The findings provide theoretical and empirical insights for leveraging fiscal tools to enhance environmental governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlike cast-in-place buildings, prefabricated buildings can conserve energy and reduce pollution, diminish damage to the environment caused by construction projects, drive greening of the construction industry, and promote carbon neutrality. The prefabricated construction industry is highly developed in China. This study analyzes prefabricated building policies and patents in Chinese provinces from 2011 to 2020 and systematically discusses the impact mechanism of supply-oriented, environmentoriented, and demand-oriented prefabricated building policies on patent output from static and dynamic perspectives. Correlations between policies and patent output were analyzed in the spatiotemporal dimension from a static perspective. A system dynamics model was used to investigate the causal relationship between the enterprise, university research, and government subsystems. Simulations were conducted to determine the sensitivity of policies in different dimensions to evaluate the impact of different policy categories and dynamics on patent output. The results: (1) policies are significantly and positively spatiotemporally correlated with patent output; (2) patent output increases over time, the positive effect is enhanced when policy implementation is strengthened; and (3) the effects of different dimensional policies on patent output differ across different periods. Overall, the effect of demand-oriented policies was the most significant, followed by environment- and supply-oriented policies. Before 2020, the effects of environment- and supply-oriented policies were equivalent, but the promotional effects of supply-oriented policies became more prominent after that, and (4) sub-policies contributing to dimensional policies vary. Fiscal and financial, science and technology, and public procurement sub-policies are critical in supply-, environment-, and demand-oriented policies, respectively. The findings can contribute to a virtuous cycle of prefabricated building policies and patent output systems, and provide information to accelerate sustainable, green industrialized development of the prefabricated construction industry in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Probing the determinants of energy conservation and decoupling energy use from economic growth in the iron and steel (IS) industry are at the forefront of China's environmental concerns. This study first constructed an extended logarithmic mean divisia index model to estimate determinants of the IS industrial energy consumption. The Tapio approach and decomposed decoupling analysis is further utilized to analyze the decoupling relationship between the industry's total energy use and its value creation as well as the decoupling states of the determinants. Finally, grey Verhulst technique is employed to predict the future trend of decoupling state. Empirical results based on statistical data of the IS industry during 2006–2017 demonstrate that: (1) Regulatory effect and scale effect contribute to energy conservation. Growth effect significantly increases energy consumption while technological effect and structural effect exert unstable impacts on energy use. (2) Weak decoupling states between energy use and value creation are mainly observed during the research period. Structural, technological, regulatory, and scale effects are mainly weak decoupling, while the growth effect is mainly expansionary negative decoupling. (3) A weak decoupling state between the two variables is predicted up to 2030 with the help of grey theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decoupling economic growth from electricity consumption is essential for energy conservation and emission reduction. Firstly, this paper applies the LMDI decomposition model to analyze the driving factors of electricity consumption in the Yangtze River Delta region. Secondly, scenario analysis and Monte Carlo technique are combined to research the evolutionary trend of electricity consumption from 2020 to 2035, so as to further analyze the decoupling state. Finally, using nonparametric kernel density estimation, this paper studies the evolution trend of decoupling state from 2005 to 2035. The results show that (1) economic growth is the main factor that promotes the increase of total electricity consumption. Domestic intensity and population scale contribute to the increase in total electricity consumption. The primary factor inhibiting the increase of total electricity consumption is production intensity, while industrial structure and urbanization level contribute to the decrease in total electricity consumption. (2) From 2005 to 2035, the decoupling level has been optimizing on the whole, and the internal gap has also reduced, but there still exists obvious internal gap. (3) Under the three scenarios, the evolution trend of production and domestic electricity consumption is the same. During 2020–2035, the production and domestic electricity consumption both show an increasing trend, with the total electricity consumption under the baseline scenario being the highest, followed by the general and the enhanced electricity-saving scenario. Combined with the empirical results of this paper, some policy recommendations are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the urgent need for China to reduce the growth rate of energy consumption (EC), the relationship between financial development (FD), urbanization (UR), and EC is directly related to the effectiveness of China's current ecological civilization construction. This study analyzes the internal relationship between the three from the perspectives of financial scale (FD1), financial structure (FD2), and financial efficiency (FD3) through the generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation, impulse response, and variance decomposition of the panel vector autoregression (PVAR) model. The following conclusions are derived. First, the results of the PVAR model show that when FD is measured with FD1, FD2, and FD3, each variable has path dependence, and the lag-phase-one term of each variable has a strengthening effect on itself. Second, based on the pulse response diagram, a positive response occurs after FD1 and FD2 give a standardized shock to EC, but a negative response occurs when FD is characterized by FD3. When FD is measured with FD1, a positive response occurs after UR gives a normalized shock to EC. When FD is measured with FD2 and FD3, there is a weak negative response. Third, the results of the variance decomposition show that the changes of FD, UR, and EC rely more on their own inertia. Although the impact of FD and UR on EC has an increasing trend, the impact is small. Therefore, local governments should rationally control the financial scale, optimize the financial structure, improve the financial efficiency, and strengthen the propaganda of energy conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the background of China's progress towards the goals of "carbon peak" and "carbon neutrality", prefabricated buildings have developed rapidly due to their advantages of energy conservation and environmental protection, low construction cost, and high efficiency. While much attention has been paid to prefabricated buildings, less has been studied about the risk factors that cause engineering changes. In this paper, the factors that induce the risk of design change were identified from six aspects: personnel management, resource management, organization management, information and communication, collaboration mechanism, and technical level. The improved DEMATEL-ISM model was established in a fuzzy environment, the relationship between the influencing factors was quantitatively analyzed, the hierarchy between the factors was intuitively reflected, and the driving force and dependence of each factor were clearly displayed; it was concluded that poor organizational ability, errors and omissions in design, time lag between design and construction, immature component splitting and deepening design technology, and low standardization of production components in component factories are the key factors that induce the risk of design change. Finally, management implications for the relationship between various factors were proposed. This article provides references and help for the construction industry to effectively manage the risks caused by design changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The promulgation and execution of green credit (GC) policies have had a significant influence on the development of the economy and society, and their impact on low-carbon development (LCD) needs to be taken seriously. On the basis of elaborating the mechanism of the role of GC on LCD, this study constructs a panel fixed effects (FE) model to test the direct impact of GC on LCD by using Chinese provincial-level data from 2007 to 2020. An intermediary effect model is constructed to investigate its indirect effects. A dynamic SDM is further constructed to examine the spatial effects of GC on LCD in neighbouring regions. The results show that GC is helping China to achieve LCD. GC can promote LCD through promoting green innovation, optimizing energy structure and upgrading industrial structure. It is crucial to acknowledge that all three pathways are essential channels of influence and should not be disregarded. GC not only fosters LCD in the local areas, but also has a positive spatial spillover effect in adjacent regions. Based on the above conclusions, this study proposes policy recommendations such as increasing support for GC, smoothing the transmission channel from GC to LCD, and establishing a synergistic linkage mechanism between interregional credit and environmental governance. This study provides valuable insights for China to realize LCD, as well as for other countries to actively engage in energy conservation and emission reduction efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Green Financial Reform and Innovation Pilot Areas (GFRIPA) policy is a key institutional arrangement that enables China's green finance to advance from theory to practice. Few studies have quantitatively evaluated the policy's environmental performance. This study uses a generalized synthetic control method (GSCM) alongside panel data from Chinese prefecture-level cities since 2007 to assess the effects of the GFRIPA policy on energy consumption and pollution emissions and to pinpoint the underlying mechanisms. Results show that establishing the GFRIPA significantly reduces energy consumption and pollution emissions, and that the effect emerges immediately in the policy's issuance year. Possible mechanisms consist of the increase in urban green innovation, the ease of financing constraints, the optimization of industrial structure, and the enhancement of environmental governance. Heterogeneity analyses reveal that policy effects are more profound in cities with a higher degree of marketization and a higher level of education. The findings provide valuable insights into consistently promoting the GFRIPA policy to meet environmental goals for energy conservation and pollution reduction and ultimately advance green economies in developing nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accelerating the green transition of the economy is an effective way to conserve energy and reduce emissions, and its impact on the greenhouse effect deserves in-depth discussion. Based on this, we examine the potential effect of China's green growth on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by applying provincial panel data from 2004 to 2018. The regional heterogeneity and how does green finance affect the green growth-CO2 nexus are also checked. The primary findings imply that: (i) China's green growth achieves preliminary results, and its impact on CO2 emissions is significantly negative. Also, green finance can facilitate carbon emission reduction; (ii) significant regional heterogeneity exists within various regions. Only in the central and western regions can green growth effectively reduce CO2 emissions, and in the eastern and central regions, green finance is conducive to promoting carbon reduction; and (iii) the mediating role of green finance is significant. In other words, China's green growth not only mitigates the greenhouse effect directly, but also affects CO2 emissions indirectly by accelerating the development of green finance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emission Trading System (ETS) is an innovative practice under the progress of green development in China. It is also an important method for China to achieve market-oriented environmental governance in ecological civilization construction. The ETS pilot policy has implemented for more than 10 years. However, the co-benefits of ETS pilot policy by the integration of energy consumption, carbon and sulfur dioxide emissions, and wastewater has not been evaluated. In order to fill this gap, we use the 2003–2017 annual data of 30 China's provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions), and utilize the Difference-in-Differences (DID) model and Propensity Score Matching (PSM-DID) methodology to evaluate the co-benefits of ETS pilot policy on energy conservation and emission reduction. We find that the ETS pilot policy significantly promote energy conservation and emission reduction. Eastern and central China have significantly benefited from the policy, while the western China has not due to the limited technology and innovation as well as an imbalance of the industrial structure. The results provide the policy reference for China's government and institutions as well as the governments and institutions around the world to fulfill their commitments to save energy and reduce emissions, and early achieve the carbon peaking and carbon neutralization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The escalating issue of global climate change necessitates urgent measures to reduce carbon emissions globally. Within this context, the construction industry emerges as a critical sector to address given its high energy consumption, substantial CO2 emissions, and low utilization rate. Therefore, it is pivotal to foster energy conservation and reduce emissions in this sector. To this end, this paper delineates two primary objectives: (1) identifying optimal research methodologies and index parameters for evaluating carbon emission efficiency in the construction industry, and (2) assessing the variance in carbon emission efficiency at disparate stages and regions. Leveraging the Malmquist index, we scrutinize the carbon emission data from 30 Chinese provinces spanning from 2010 to 2019. Our findings indicate a geographical dichotomy in China's construction industry's carbon emission efficiency—lower in the west and higher in the east. Additionally, this study delves into the distinguishing features of emission efficiency alterations across regions, the main influencing factors, and avenues for enhancement. Subsequently, it proposes policy recommendations tailored to the unique attributes of various regions and the overarching framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the nexus between urbanization and energy efficiency has been evidenced at the macro level, we have less knowledge about the effects of administrative level of cities on energy efficiency. Understanding this impact mechanism is necessary to achieve goals of energy conservation and sustainable development. We estimate the relationship between the administrative level of cities and energy efficiency in China by adopting the province-level fixed-effect models from a panel dataset. The empirical findings present that energy efficiency of capital cities is 0.46 (95% Confidence Interval: −0.713, −0.206) lower than that of general cities. Moreover, these effects of administrative level are more substantial in underdeveloped cities. These findings suggest that more political sources and autonomy in the higher-level cities might lead to low energy efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, China's urban smart water management has focused on enhancing the quality, efficiency, energy conservation, flood prevention, and control of combined sewer overflow (CSO) and urban waterlogging. To evaluate the combined sewer system's operation efficiency effectively, a comprehensive evaluation system was established. This system incorporated expert scoring and the coefficient of variation method, considering 31 specific indexes to assess six key aspects: CSO control, waterlogging control, stable wastewater transportation, pipeline management and maintenance, energy conservation, and smart water affairs. The AHP—Fuzzy comprehensive evaluation was employed for evaluation, combining AHP for index weighting and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation for quantitative scoring. The system was applied to assess the operation efficiency of a specific area in Shanghai from 2020 to 2022. Results showed progress in CSO control and energy conservation, with operation efficiency improving from low in 2020 to moderate in 2021 and good in 2022. However, waterlogging control and pipeline management still require improvement in the combined sewer area. Overall, the evaluation system provides valuable insights into the system's performance, identifying areas for targeted enhancement and emphasizing the need for further improvements to achieve optimal operation efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carbon emission of the energy industry is mainly generated by power generation. Adjusting the power generation structure of multiple energy sources, so as to control the carbon emission of the power generation industry and measure its emission reduction space, is the key for power generation industry to achieve the goal of "dual carbon targets." This study develops a regional multi-energy generation simulation model, which is based on the core algorithm of generation dispatching approach. The established model can simulate the dispatching of all types of generating units in the region and output the data of power generation and emissions. Considering taking Shanxi Province as example, the output results under the benchmark scenario are obtained to verify the efficiency of the model. The error of renewable energy generation and other generation is less than 4%, which shows that the model has enough credibility. The results of the scenario analysis show that every 5% increase in the utilization rate of wind turbine units will increase almost 20% of the renewable energy power generation, reduce almost 15% of the thermal power and reduce at least 10% of the CO2 emissions. This proves that China's regional power generation industry has certain emission reduction potential. The proposed model has important application value for energy conservation and emission reduction of regional power generation industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To ensure China's energy security, the mining industry faces increasing emissions reduction and energy conservation pressures. This study combined index and production-theoretical decomposition analyses to decompose the energy-related CO2 emissions in mining industry (ERCEMI) influencing factors into seven major effects and adopted a gravity model to dynamically visualize the transfer path and gravity distribution from 2000 to 2015. As investment effects were introduced into the decomposition analysis, the results fully considered the regional heterogeneity and spatiotemporal dynamics. The main findings were as follows: (i) a typical heavy emissions trend along the Heihe-Tengchong line, with a concentration of large ERCEMI values; (ii) the gravity center of ERCEMI had shifted to the southwest, and the migration trends were divided into three stages; (iii) the ERCEMI had strong regional heterogeneity, with a diffusion trend from north to south and shrinking from east to west; (iv) the potential energy intensity and investment efficiency effects had significantly inhibited the ERCEMI, while the investment scale had boosted it. Implications for regional layouts, energy intensity reductions, and investment optimization are discussed. This research provides a comprehensive regional analysis for ERCEMI reductions and the sustainable development of the mining industry and provides a reference for local industrial development planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water, energy and food are inextricably linked in agricultural system. Social and environmental issues arising from socio-economic development pose new challenges for sustainable agricultural development. Achieving sustainable agriculture from the perspective of water, energy and food resource conservation is of critical importance to the national strategy for high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin in China. In this study, the mass productivity and economic productivity of water and energy in agricultural system were considered, and an integrated assessment index system for agricultural system based on the Water-Energy-Food Nexus (WEFN) was proposed in three dimensions: reliability, coordination and resilience. Based on these indicators, the agricultural water-energy-food nexus index (AWEFNI) and integrated risk index (IRI) were performed to assess the current status of agricultural development in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River. Results indicate that the AWEFNI in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River is increasing year by year, and the level of sustainable agricultural development is improving, but the overall level is lower. The AWEFNI values vary widely among provinces. The reliability of single subsystem in the study area accounts for more than 1/3 of the AWEFNI, with poor water endowment， rich food and energy resource endowments, the coordination of the AWEFN is weakening. The resilience of the third subsystem is gradually declining. The contradiction in water and energy supply and demand in Ningxia is the most prominent among the five provinces, and the level of AWEFN development is the lowest, so the regulation policies should be implemented as soon as possible to promote the synergistic development of AWEFN around the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving agricultural energy efficiency is essential in reducing energy consumption and achieving agricultural sustainable development. This paper aims to measure the agricultural total-factor energy efficiency in China rather than the partial-factor energy efficiency while taking full account of regional heterogeneity and to investigate the driving factors of agricultural total-factor energy efficiency. The empirical results showed that the average value of agricultural total-factor energy efficiency is 0.814 in China, and the technological gap ratio is 0.853. The regional difference in agricultural total-factor energy efficiency was quite obvious. Higher agricultural energy inputs are associated with higher agricultural total-factor productivity. The total value of potential agricultural energy savings in 30 provinces of China reached 1704.41 billion tons of standard coal. In terms of the absolute amount of agricultural energy saving, the amount was largest in the low-energy-input area, which was 113.87 million tons of standard coal, accounting for 66.81% of the total potential saving amount. Furthermore, we used the Tobit model to analyze the influencing factors of agricultural total-factor energy efficiency. We found that the proportion of agriculture to GDP has a positive impact on agricultural total-factor energy efficiency, while the per capita income of farmers, fiscal support for agriculture, the illiteracy rate of farmers, agricultural labor input, and agricultural capital stock have a negative impact on agricultural total-factor energy efficiency. Finally, we proposed policy implications in terms of agricultural technological progress, agricultural infrastructure, technical training, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vigorously promoting photovoltaic power generation meets the requirements of energy structure transition, which contributes to environmental protection. Abundant land resources in rural areas provide inherently convenient conditions for photovoltaic power generation. Rural photovoltaic projects provide a sustainable, clean, and low-carbon power supply for production and life, which increases positive ecological values, such as reducing carbon emissions by helping farmers wean off traditional fossil fuels, creating employment opportunities, etc. However, there are also some negative ecological values, such as the construction of photovoltaic power stations causing soil-water losses and construction occupations, which not only reduce the planting incomes of farmers, but also damage rural ecosystems. Therefore, ecological compensation for participators in the photovoltaic project, i.e., photovoltaic power station construction enterprises, farmers, and village collectives, is required to balance the participants' benefits and losses. However traditional compensation methods cannot decide the accurate compensation standards for participators. Hence, referring to the ecosystem service values in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, an ecosystem service assessment index system (ESAIS) that includes economic, social, and environmental aspects is proposed in this paper. Based on the proposed ESAIS, the calculation modes for economic values (e.g., electric energy, construction incomes, etc.), social security values, and environment values (e.g., energy conservation and emission reduction, soil-water losses, etc.) are proposed based on market valuation methods, shadow project approaches, opportunity cost methods, etc., can be employed to quantitatively analyze the ecological values of participators. On this basis, the relationship between benefits and expenditures among the participators is established. Then an optimal decision-making model for ecological compensation is introduced to minimize the proportion of low-income farmers with the constraints of the balance of payments, which contributes to achieving win-win cooperation among the participators and sustainable energy development. Based on actual data from rural photovoltaic projects in China, case studies are carried out to verify the proposed ecological compensation model. Under the premise of ensuring reasonable profitability for all participators, the proposed model maximizes the contributions of beneficiaries in the ecological compensation schemes, which contributes to preventing farmers from returning to low income. Compared to traditional compensation methods that compensate farmers based on production inputs, direct losses, or waste disposal fees, the proposed method not only guarantees all participators have positive ecological values and environmental values after compensation, but also increases all farmers’ income levels by maximizing their incomes. Hence, the proposed model contributes to the realization of rural revitalization strategy and sustainable development, which has directive significance for economic advancement in underdeveloped regions worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lack of domestic sewage governance in Chinese rural areas and the shortage of water for agriculture have led the academic community to call for breaking away from the traditional thinking of pure sewage treatment and developing a new model that combines the moderate treatment of rural domestic sewage with resource use. China ′s rural domestic sewage governance has recently received attention, and remarkable progress has been achieved, but prominent problems, such as the lag in governance, the imperfections in the governance system, the lack of standards and specifications, and the lack of systematic planning, need to be addressed. This paper summarizes the research progress on the resource use of rural domestic sewage, analyzes its progress and practical difficulties, and proposes a path to the realization of rural domestic sewage governance in terms of system concept, evaluation methods, formulation and revision of standards, innovative measures, and pilot demonstrations. This study provides technical support for domestic sewage governance in rural areas of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the panel data of 30 provinces and municipalities in China from 2006 to 2020, the carbon emission trading policy was adopted as the quasi-natural experiment. The effect of energy conservation and emission reduction in the thermal power industry from the two dimensions of carbon dioxide emissions and green total factor productivity were evaluated. A difference-in-difference model was used to empirically analyze the effect of carbon emissions trading policy on energy conservation and emission reduction in the thermal power industry. The results show that the carbon emission trading policy could reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of the thermal power industry, but had no impact on the green total factor productivity of the thermal power industry. The analysis of potential emission reduction mechanism found that the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions was achieved by reducing thermal power generation, and the reduction of thermal power generation was caused by the decision of the power planning department. The discussion on the effect of carbon emissions trading policy found that the carbon emissions trading policy did not produce carbon spillover effect, and the pilot areas and neighboring provinces were actively turned to new energy power generation under the influence of the carbon emissions trading pilot policy. Under the constraint of ecological environment, China’s thermal power industry needs to accelerate the transformation of energy conservation and emission reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rising energy consumption in residential buildings within the hot summer and cold winter (HSCW) climate zone, driven by occupants' pursuit of improved thermal comfort, necessitates effective energy conservation measures. This study established urban building energy models for 32,145 residential buildings in Changsha City, China, and conducted a comprehensive retrofit analysis of seven energy conservation measures (ECMs). Additionally, the study assessed the impact of residents' conscious energy-saving behaviors concerning air conditioner (AC) control. The research commenced by creating six baseline models representative of the diverse building stock. Identifying seven commonly used ECMs, the study examined the potential of each measure for enhancing energy efficiency. To facilitate the analysis, a dedicated toolkit, AutoBPS-Retrofit, was developed to efficiently modify the baseline model for each ECM. Furthermore, the investigation delved into the investment cost of implementing the ECMs and evaluated their simple payback year (PBP) and net present value (NPV). The results demonstrate that tailored retrofit plans are essential when addressing envelope improvements, varying according to building types and ages. Retrofits targeting lighting systems offer both promising energy savings and favorable economic viability, albeit subject to residents' preferences. Alternatively, upgrading the AC systems emerges as the most energy-efficient approach, yet the economic assessment raises concerns. The study's findings offer practical insights for governments seeking to establish effective carbon reduction goals and policies. Moreover, the research can assist energy-saving institutions, real-estate companies, and stakeholders involved in renovation projects by offering guidance in making informed decisions to enhance energy efficiency in city-scale residential buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]