Search

Considering the significance and importance of urban sustainability in China and China's history of rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, this paper aims to incorporate the investigation of climate change and air pollution in urban sustainability research in China through a driver-pressure-state-impact-response model. The model has 12 indices: population, enterprise, registered vehicles, energy consumption, emissions and concentrations of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide, land use change, annual temperature, tropical nights and reforestation were selected. It was used in the analysis of 14 cities in the Liaoning Province. The results show that the model is an effective tool for urban sustainability research, allowing for the investigation of interactions of climate change and air pollution and contributing to the body of knowledge by aiding generation of realistic and practical measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing the adverse effects of global warming and climate change is a critical issue. For the past 15 years the University of East Anglia has been addressing these concerns through a multi-pronged approach using technical means of low-energy building design, installing renewable energy sources, good energy management and raising awareness. Through good energy management, the university has been able to reduce the energy consumption of already low-energy buildings by as much as 50%. A large-scale building-integrated photovoltaic (PV) array has been installed along with on-site generation of heating, cooling and electricity via a 3 MW combined heat and power (CHP) plant and, recently, an adsorption chiller. In this paper, potential improvements in a more effective utilisation of PV electricity will also be discussed, as will future plans to reduce carbon emissions by installing further sources of renewable energy. The last part of this paper focuses on the CRed (Community Carbon Reduction) Programme established in 2003 and based at the university. The CRed programme takes up this challenge through innovative and integrated ways in promoting a low carbon economy and, in particular, promoting awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]