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Maintaining crop outputs to feed its large population with limited resources while simultaneously mitigating carbon emissions are great challenges for China. Improving the efficiency of resource use in crop production is important in reducing carbon emissions. This paper constructs a methodological framework combining emergy-based indicator accounting and a nonseparable undesirable output slack-based measurement (SBM) data envelopment analysis (DEA) model. This framework is used to explore the efficiency of inputs and outputs and the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction potential for crop production systems, using Zhejiang province, China, as a case study. It is found that an emergy synthesis and a nonseparable undesirable output SBM-DEA framework is compatible with the case study. Crop production in Zhejiang province has relied heavily on an increase in agrochemical inputs to maintain agricultural output. Energy and chemical fertilizer use are determined as the province’s major carbon emissions sources. Although carbon emissions per unit of monetary output has decreased sharply, the carbon emissions per unit emergy output has increased, demonstrating a high carbon intensity reality. The DEA highlighted the differences in crop production efficiency, resource factor redundancy and carbon mitigation potential in the different prefectures of the province. To conclude this research, policies to support low carbon agriculture development, including subsidizing low carbon agriculture technology development and expansion and the cancellation of subsidies to high carbon production factors, such as chemical fertilizer production and sales, are discussed to conclude the research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a long time, Chinese people have been considered to be concerned only with commercial interests but not ecological systems and biodiversity conservation, even though their trade and investment footprints are globalizing rapidly. This study intended to reveal the non-market valuation on the non-use value of African elephant to Chinese people. Taking the ban of ivory trade as the background, in this study, Chinese netizens' willingness to pay for African elephant conservation was investigated using the contingent valuation method. Four versions of questionnaires were designed and distinguished by offering different background information and payment vehicles (tax and donation). It was demonstrated that the differences in both given information and payment vehicles had no significant impacts on the estimated mean willingness to pay value. 53.36% of the respondents gave positive responses for the hypothetical projects of African elephant protection. The mean willingness to pay was 83.62 RMB (12.59 USD) and 158.58 RMB (23.88 USD) per year per household and the aggregated willingness to pay or benefits for the protection of African elephants from Chinese netizens were estimated to be 16.31 billion RMB (2.45 billion USD) and 30.92 billion RMB (4.65 billion USD) per year after grouping regression and benefit transfer adjustments, respectively. The current research shows that Chinese people, living thousands kilometers away from Africa, have a high public awareness for and valuation to the endangered elephants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable urban water infrastructure planning is vital for all cities in developing countries, where rapid urbanization has exacerbated the increasingly burdened environment. Water sustainability is a prerequisite for economic growth, social equity, and living quality in urban areas. This paper documents the current challenges and summarizes the solutions adopted in water infrastructure planning and management. Then, case studies of how multilateral financial institutions have promoted sustainable water infrastructure planning through economic appraisal and the novel approaches adopted for sustainable water infrastructure planning and asset management, are presented for the three cities of Jiaozhou, Cixi, and Fangchenggang. Conclusions are made based on the comparison and analysis of the experiences drawn from the case studies of how economic analysis could help promote sustainable water infrastructure planning and management. It is illustrated that economic analysis that considers ecosystem services supply should be employed more in water infrastructure planning, operation, and management in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance ecosystem conservation in protected areas, natives' behavior, mainly the use of natural resources or direct human disturbance to ecosystems, must be well intervened and regulated. To explore the determinants and incentives of the conservation behavior of natives, this paper establishes a theoretical behavior model emphasizing livelihood assets and conservation policy impacts, and specifies it with structural equation modeling. The protected areas of Chishui county in southwest China and the Three-River-Source National Park in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau were selected for empirical analyses based on household surveys. Results show that conservation intentions that shape the natives' conservation behavior are collectively decided by conservation attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. Livelihood assets exert indirect positive effects on conservation behavior by influencing the aforementioned psychological variables. The impacts on conservation behavior of the governmental policy instruments, Grain to Green Program , Grassland Ecological Protection Subsidy and Incentive Policy , and Ecological Ranger Post Setting are evaluated. The command & control functions of the first two instruments are verified to be effective. The propaganda & education functions of all three policy instruments affect conservation intention and behavior by influencing conservation attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control of the natives. The ecological compensation functions of the policies prevent the loss of the natives' livelihood assets but fail to enhance it. The findings demonstrate that besides the direct impacts on conservation behavior of the protection policy instruments, the indirect policy impacts affecting the protection consciousness of natives should not be underestimated. In the long run, a suggestion is to strengthen eco-compensation to improve livelihood assets, to better promote the protection behavior of the local residents and obtain sustainable ecosystem conservation in the protected areas. This research demonstrates applicability and feasibility of the behavioral theory and causal model method in natural conservation study and shows strong policy implication. Unlabelled Image • Natives' behavior disturbance to ecosystem matters and policy incentive is needed. • Psychological & livelihood factors have multiple impacts on conservation behavior. • Command and control policies impose directly influences on natives' behavior. • Propaganda, education and eco-compensation generate indirect but long-term impacts. • Behavioral theory framework helps support conservation policy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reasonably allocating the micro factor investment in the industry and trying to improve the energy efficiency are very important for the green development of industrial economy in Hebei Province, so as to the achievement of its double carbon target. This paper takes industrial energy consumption, assets and labor in Hebei Province as micro-input elements. Based on the panel data of 34 industrial industries in Hebei Province from 2005 to 2016, we identify the correlation of micro-input factors in different industries and conduct Granger causality test. The study shows that: (1) About half of the industry's combined energy consumption is correlated with the number of employees and assets; About two-thirds of the industry's asset workers are relevant; (2) There is a two-way causal relationship between the total energy consumption and assets of most industries and the annual average number of employees. (3) The rational allocation of capital, labor and energy consumption depends on the deepening reform of the factor market. The high energy consumption industry should actively improve and innovate the energy technology in this process to realize the coordinated promotion of energy saving and carbon reduction, and thus to promote the healthy and sustainable development of the industry steadily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of China's dual carbon target, Beijing, as the capital of China, should play an exemplary role in carbon emission reduction. On the premise of optimizing high-emission sectors such as coal and industry, Beijing is still a certain distance from the goal of carbon neutrality. Therefore, on the basis of Beijing's energy resource endowment, considering Beijing's economic development and carbon neutrality goals and scientifically and reasonably planning Beijing's carbon emission reduction path are important tasks. We construct an energy structure optimization model to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. The model analysis concludes that the residents and transportation sectors will account for a large proportion of Beijing's total carbon emissions in the future. To achieve the goal of carbon neutrality, the electricity substitution of fossil energy and the high proportion of external power are two necessary measures, and the optimal path of carbon emission reduction is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (HFCV) is regarded as one of the most promising technical paths towards transportation sector's carbon neutrality in China, to assess the environmental and economic performances of HFCV is of great significance for emission reduction policies construction. This study carries out a fuel-cycle analysis of HFCV in 2020 and 2030 using the GREET model. 19 fuel paths are generated by combining mainstream patterns of HFCV's hydrogen production, storage and transportation, and filling processes. The results show a contradiction at present that, hydrogen production from electrolytic water with renewable energy has the lowest air pollutants and carbon emissions, while the traditional hydrogen production from natural gas, coke oven gas and coal, etc., have better economic performances. However, the decreasing trends of both pollution emissions and costs of HFCVs are expected towards 2030. Specifically, the CO 2 , VOC, NO x , PM 2.5 and SO 2 emissions would decrease by 21.58%, 16.55%, 22.35%, 22.49%, and 18.76%, respectively. The total cost of fuel path with the participation of renewable energy decreases rapidly, which is mainly benefit from its lower environmental externality costs. This study puts forward policy suggestion of improving the hydrogenation infrastructure construction, accelerating the large-scale and low-cost renewable energy hydrogen production. • Fuel-cycle analysis of hydrogen fuel cell vehicle using localized GREET model. • Environmental and economic assessment of 19 fuel paths in 2020 and 2030. • Electrolytic water with renewable energy paths show great pollution reduction effect. • Material and environmental cost of hydrogen fuel cell vehicle drop significantly in 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) and Carbon Emission Trading (CET) are the policy instrument for China to achieve the low-carbon energy transition. Changes in policy combinations will affect the equilibrium state of the interactive system and bring uncertain risks to the expected effects of policy implementation. Given the assumption that the power users undertake RPS assessment and the CET market is extended to industries in addition to the power generation industry, this paper first constructs a game model in the context of RPS and CET where groups of power users and thermal power manufacturers jointly participate. Then, with China's provincial market data, it analyzed the evolution process of group strategy under different policy parameters and described the characteristics of the transition between the stable and unstable states of the system. Finally, a dynamic and differentiated mechanism design for policy parameters is proposed to restrain system oscillations. The simulation results reveal the interaction between market players' strategies, and a quantitative framework for analyzing system stability under different policy parameter combinations is proposed, which can provide an analysis framework for China to implement RPS and CET and deliver a relevant analysis basis for setting policy parameters. • Analyzing the interactive impact of RPS and CET markets on power users. • Construct an evolutionary game framework. • The process between stable and unstable states is characterized. • Dynamic penalty mechanisms can make the system stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial and seasonal distribution of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the sediments of the Yangtze Estuary was investigated. The total concentration of 19 OCPs (∑OCPs), including α-HCH, β-HCH, γ-HCH, δ-HCH, o, p′-DDE, p, p′-DDE, o, p′-DDD, p, p′-DDD, o, p′-DDT, p, p′-DDT, heptachlor, aldrin, heptachlor epoxide (Isomer B, Isomer A), endosulfan I, dieldrin, endrin, endosulfan II and methoxychlor, in the surface sediments ranged from 0.4 to 82.1ngg−1 d.w. The mean values of the ∑OCPs were 8.5±8.3ngg−1 d.w., 26.7±12.1ngg−1 d.w., 40.5±18.2ngg−1 d.w., and 13.0±11.2ngg−1 d.w. for August 2010, November 2010, February 2011 and May 2011, respectively. The highest concentration of OCPs was detected at the river-sea boundary because of the intense resuspension and redeposition of sediments in this area. The OCPs preferred to accumulate in the inner estuary, rather than in the offshore area in the dry season, whereas the opposite occurred in the flood season. This phenomenon was related to the seasonal changes of the Changjiang diluted water (CDW). OCPs in the offshore area were controlled by the ocean currents and the monsoon. There was a southward increase for the OCP deposition in the offshore area in the winter. This increase resulted from the influences of the southward Yellow Sea coastal current and the East China Sea coastal current, as well as the northwest wind in winter. The Three Gorges Dam had an impact on HCH composition by changing the sediment redistribution during the deposition process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]