The considerations and limitations of feedback as a strategy for behaviour change

Design for Sustainable Behaviour (DfSB) is a maturing research area concerned with the application of design strategies to influence consumer behaviour during a products use phase towards more sustainable action. However, current DfSB research has focussed on strategy selection with little research into understanding the real-world impact of the behaviour changing interventions debated. This article presents the results of an extensive literature review of one specific DfSB strategy, feedback – a user agentive performance indicator. These findings exemplify the considerations and limitations of this particular approach to behaviour change, drawing on empirical research conducted by a breadth of authors, including two of the only medium-term case studies in the field of DfSB. Considerations discussed include the frequency, duration and accuracy of feedback; the selection of metrics and the presentation medium and mode; the use of ambience and the location of the installation. Limitations of feedback include the need for additional information and comparisons; the issue with multiple users; technical issues; relegation to background technology and the potential rebound effects. This article provides insights to both improve the effectiveness of future feedback design efforts and also to help facilitate discussion on feedbacks position as a strategy within DfSB.     

Achievements,challenges and global implications of China’s carbon neutral pledge

China has been committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. China’s pledge of carbon neutrality will play an essential role in galvanising global climate action, which has been largely deferred by the Covid-19 pandemic. China’s carbon neutrality could reduce global warming by approximately 0.2–0.3 °C and save around 1.8 million people from premature death due to air pollution. Along with domestic benefits, China’s pledge of carbon neutrality is a “game-changer” for global climate action and can inspire other large carbon emitters to contribute actively to mitigate carbon emissions, particularly countries along the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) routes. In order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, it is necessary to decarbonise all sectors in China, including energy, industry, transportation, construction, and agriculture. However, this transition will be very challenging, because major technological breakthroughs and large-scale investments are required. Strong policies and implementation plans are essential, including sustainable demand, decarbonizing electricity, electrification, fuel switching, and negative emissions. In particular, if China can peak carbon emissions earlier, it can lower the costs of the carbon neutral transition and make it easier to do so over a longer time horizon. China’s pledge of carbon neutrality by 2060 and recent pledges at the 26^th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) are significant contributions and critical steps for global climate action. However, countries worldwide need to achieve carbon neutrality to keep the global temperature from growing beyond the level that will cause catastrophic damages globally.     

熵析污水处理资源与能源化

熵为热力学第二定律中的抽象概念.按熵之理论,自然熵增和逆熵增维系着生态平衡.人类生产、生活过程中摄取资源并排放污/废水等熵增产物会促进物质熵增并破坏生态平衡,加速生物消亡.而缓释、甚至抵消这种“人为熵增”则乃实现蓝色发展目标的重要一环.如今,人为熵增所引发的自然物质熵变循环塌陷是不争的事实,“自然熵增”之原生态方法显然已不适合大规模处理城市污水,“加速熵增”的传统污水处理技术显然也已不合时宜,只有发展“逆熵增”的污水处理资源、能源化技术才是人间正道.通过对熵的具象化释义,揭示出传统污水处理技术以及污泥填埋方式为“加速熵增”过程,对人类可持续发展十分不利.只有模拟元素循环的自然的“逆熵增”过程,才能使得污水处理走向可持续发展水平.因此,污水资源化与能源化首当其冲,一定是未来污水处理的发展方向.只有通过人工缓释熵增(高效低耗污水处理技术)和促进逆熵增手段(资源与能源化技术)才能抵消人为熵增造成的影响,从而维持生态平衡.     

广东省居民生活直接能源消费大气污染物与温室气体排放趋势研究

居民生活直接能源消费是重要的大气污染物和温室气体排放来源,识别其历史排放趋势是科学制定管控策略的基础.然而目前我国尚缺乏省级尺度居民生活能源消费排放趋势的研究.以广东省为研究对象,通过广泛收集居民生活直接能源消费数据和排放因子,建立了2006—2017年广东省居民生活直接能源消费大气污染物和温室气体排放清单,并采用情景分析法量化了能源结构变化对居民生活直接能源消费大气污染物与温室气体排放的影响.结果表明：①2006—2017年居民生活直接能源消费排放的大气污染物和温室气体均呈下降趋势,CO、PM_2.5、BC、OC、CH₄、CO₂和N₂O排放量分别下降70%、59%、59%、66%、77%、30%和73%;②城乡贡献上,乡村居民生活直接能源消费是大气 污染物和温室气体排放的主要来源,排放分担率分别在70%和60%以上;③空间分布上,2017年广东省居民生活直接能源消费大气污染物和温室气体排放主要集中在粤东、粤西传统燃料消费量较高的地区,以及广州、东莞和深圳等人口密度较大的城市地区;④能源结构清洁化所致的2006—2017年广东省居民生活直接能源消费大气污染物和温室气体减排比例为38%~88%;⑤以2025年为目标年,居民生活能源结构持续清洁化发展能够进一步降低居民生活直接能源消费大气污染物和温室气体排放,尤其对CO、PM_2.5、BC、CH₄和N₂O的减排比例均在80%以上.     

酒精蒸气/烟草粉尘两相混合体系最小点火能试验研究

在烟草加工的加香工序,挥发的酒精和搅拌混料产生的烟草粉尘形成气粉混合体系,其燃爆特性相较于单相烟草粉尘有较大变化。对20 L爆炸球进行了部分改造,可完成20 ℃~80 ℃环境温度、100%LEL以下酒精蒸气浓度、最大2 J电火花能量组合的气粉混合物的最小点火能测试。选用烘丝和加香烟草粉尘做对比,探究了环境温度和酒精蒸气浓度对酒精蒸气/烟草粉尘两相混合体系点火能的影响规律。结果表明:相同环境温度下,加香烟草粉尘的最小点火能比烘丝烟草粉尘低;加香粉尘、烘丝粉尘及混合体系的最小点火能随环境温度变化的趋势一致,均随温度的升高而降低;加入10%LEL的酒精蒸气后,相同温度下气粉混合体系的最小点火能低于单相烟草粉尘。随着环境温度的升高,二者的差值逐渐减小,酒精蒸气诱导烟草粉尘最小点火能降低的能力逐步减小甚至消失;在电点火条件下,当酒精蒸气浓度低于50%LEL时,气粉混合体系较难被点燃,当酒精蒸气浓度高于75%LEL时,混合体系较易被点燃。     

A dominant coalition and policy change: an analysis of shale oil and gas politics in India

This paper identifies the coalitions involved in the topic of shale oil and gas development in India and identifies the circumstances surrounding a change in policy in 2013 by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to promote shale exploration. Using the Advocacy Coalition Framework as the theoretical lens, the data are collected primarily from newspaper articles from 2010 to 2015 to identify coalitions, including actors’ positions, priorities, and interactions. The findings show the presence of a dominant advocacy coalition in favor of shale oil and gas development with priorities about energy security and a regulatory framework. The findings indicate some internal coalition disagreement, but stronger internal coalition agreement. Policy change was preceded by a spike in disagreement internal to the dominant coalition. This paper shows how a change in a dominant coalition can precede a change in policy, offers a replicable method of identifying and measuring coalitions via newspaper content analysis, provides a rare application of the Advocacy Coalition Framework outside of North America and Western Europe, and provides evidence of support for shale oil and gas development in India.     

Energy balance and global warming potential of corn straw-based bioethanol in China from a life cycle perspective

As the second largest corn producer in this world, China has abundant corn straw resources. The study assessed the energy balance and global warming potential of corn straw-based bioethanol production and utilization in China from a life cycle perspective. The results revealed that bioethanol used as gasoline and diesel blend fuel could reduce global warming potential by 10%–97% and 4%–96%, respectively, as compared to gasoline and diesel for transport. The total global warming potential, net global warming potential, net energy, and Net Energy Ratio per MJ ethanol generated from corn straw-based bioethanol system are estimated to be 0.20 kg CO₂-eq, 0.012 kg CO₂-eq, 0.60 MJ, and 1.87, respectively. By using sensitivity analysis, we found that the collected coefficient and compressing density of straw have a more obvious influence on energy balance; transportation distance has a more obvious influence on global warming potential emission factor. The by-products may be utilized as fertilizer, animal feed, cement replacement, or high-value lignin chemicals, which make a contribution to offsetting 0.28 MJ per MJ ethanol of energy consumption.     

Thermally chargeable supercapacitor based on nickel-coated nanoporous carbon

Nanoporous carbon is coated by pure nickel via an electroless plating method. The nanoporous carbon provides a high-surface-area substrate, leading to a large capacitance; the nickel surface layer is of a high work function, resulting in a thermally sensitive electrode potential. Such a system is ideal for thermally chargeable supercapacitor (TCS) system, which converts low-grade heat (LGH) to electrical energy. The specific energy per thermal cycle per gram of electrode mass is ~1.8 mJ, with a temperature difference of 50°C.     

我国天然气分布式能源产业政策发展及相关建议

天然气分布式能源具有能效高、清洁环保、安全性好、削峰填谷等诸多优点。发展天然气分布式能源是扩大天然气应用和实现资源就地转化的重要方向和选择,是我国能源发展战略的一部分,同时也能够提升天然气优化利用水平,提高能源利用效率,促进节能减排和绿色低碳发展,深化能源行业及电力行业供给侧结构性改革。对我国天然气分布式能源产业政策进行详细分析,对江苏、上海、浙江等重点地区天然气分布式能源项目调研基础上,系统提出当前天然气分布式能源存在的问题,并在合理布局、天然气价格市场化、经济政策、核心技术研发等多方面提出相关政策建议。