Long-run dynamics of renewable energy consumption on carbon emissions and economic growth in the European union

This paper examines long-run and short-run dynamics of renewable energy consumption on carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and economic growth in the European Union. This study employs cointegration tests, Granger causality tests and vector error correction estimates to examine the direction of Granger causality, the long-run dynamics of economic growth and energy variables on carbon emissions. This study analyses time series data from the World Development Indicators over the period from1961 to 2012. The results of this study support a link between renewable energy consumption, economic growth, industrialization, exports and CO₂ emissions in the long-run and short-run. The results support that the sign of the long-run dynamics from the endogenous variables to the CO₂ emissions variable is negative and significant, which implies that the energy and environmental policies of the European Union aimed at curbing CO₂ emissions must have been effective in the long-term. Furthermore, renewable energy consumption and exports have significant negative impact on CO₂ emissions in the short-run. However, industrialization and economic growth have positive impact on CO₂ emissions in the short-run. The results suggest that both economic growth and industrialization must have been achieved at the cost of harming the environment. The finding suggests that the increasing consumption of renewable energy tends to play an important role in curbing carbon emissions in the region.     

Factors affecting the quantitative uncertainty of the estimated short-term intake. Part I—Calculation methods

ABSTRACT

The calculation of the combined uncertainty of the international estimated short-term intake (IESTI) of ethephon residues in apples is shown as an example. The ethephon residues in apples were reported by the Joint FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)/WHO (World Health Organization) Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR). The apple consumption data were taken from the IESTI (international short-term intake) calculation template used by the JMPR. The IESTI was calculated with the currently used method (case 2a) and a proposed one recommended by the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority)/RIVM (Dutch National Institute for Public Health) Scientific Workshop co-sponsored by FAO and WHO. In this example, the ratio of IESTI_proposed/IESTI_current and their combined relative uncertainty are about 2.8, and 1.7, respectively. The larger IESTI and uncertainty obtained with the proposed equation are the consequence of calculation only with the large portion (LP) instead of its combination with unit mass, and the MRL instead of the highest residue (HR). The LP is the major contributor to the combined uncertainty. Both the calculated IESTI and its combined uncertainty depend on the actual food – pesticide residue combination, and should be calculated for each case.     

Towards a Paradigmatic Shift in Sustainability Studies: A Systematic Review of Peer Reviewed Literature and Future Agenda Setting to Consider Environmental (Un)sustainability of Digital Communication

The materiality of digital communication inflicts substantial environmental damage: the extraction of resources needed to produce digital devices; the toxicity of e-waste; and the rapidly increasing energy demands required to sustain data generated by digital communication. This damage, however, is paradoxically under-theorized in scholarship on environmental sustainability. Despite the existing critique of the “techno-fix” approach in sustainability studies, digitization – and digital communication in particular – continue to be celebrated as the tool for environmental sustainability; an approach we coin “digital solutionism.” The article presents the first systematic review of the literature to map the implicit assumptions about the relationships between digital communications and environmental sustainability, in order to examine how digital solutionism manifests, and why it persists. We propose a concept matrix that identifies the key blind spots with regards to environmental damages of the digital, and call for a paradigmatic shift in environmental sustainability studies. An agenda for future research is put forward that advocates for the following: (1) a systematic account of material damages of devices, platforms and data systems adopted into sustainability research and practice, resulting in changes in both research framing and methodological foundations; (2) a reconceptualization and denaturalization of the digital itself as a promising solution; (3) a theoretical dialogue between sustainability studies and environmental communication. (4) an expansion of environmental communication as a field, from focusing on the communication aspect of environmental change to include the environmental footprint of communication itself.     

甘肃省风力发电现状及发展对策

介绍了甘肃省的风力资源及风力发电的发展现状，重点阐述了白银地区、玉门地区、酒泉瓜州、金昌地区、敦煌地区和武威地区等几个具有代表性地区的风能资源优势及风电建设情况，指出了甘肃省风力发电在技术和政策等方面目前还存在的主要问题，分析了产生这些问题的原因，提出了促进甘肃省风力发电事业发展的对策。     

整合消费与增加值视角的中国行业碳排放变动分解研究

在研究影响我国CO 2排放因素领域,基于投入产出技术的分解模型已成为主要的分析工具,现有研究多分别基于消费视角或收益视角展开分析。为全面评估各行业收益与消费对其上游、下游行业碳排放的综合影响,整合基于收益与基于消费两个视角,运用2012年与2015年我国投入产出表,构建两层嵌套式结构分解分析模型(SDA),比较分析消费规模效应、收益规模效应、行业流入、流出增加值变动效应、增加值结构变动效应等14个影响各行业碳排放变动的关键因素,并借助对消费者原则碳排放估算公式的重构,更准确地实现从增加值视角对各行业消费者原则碳排放变动的关键影响因素分析。研究发现:①研究期内,我国在总产出增长29.14%的同时碳排放量上升1.46%,各行业碳排放强度下降是主要的减排因素,其中建筑业减排贡献最大。②增排效应方面,影响从大到小依次为消费规模、收益规模、完全投入结构与完全消费结构四项效应,且前两个规模效应的影响是后两个结构效应的2倍以上,尤其建筑业消费规模效应、煤炭采选产品业收益规模效应增排较大。③消费规模扩大导致增排的原因并非行业本身生产规模扩大,而主要在于建筑业、服务业等行业规模扩张时吸收其他行业流入的增加值量增多。④收益规模扩大导致的增排效应方面,细分来说从大到小依次为劳动者报酬、生产税净额、固定资产折旧、营业盈余四项效应,且行业差异显著,如煤炭采选产品业的劳动者报酬效应,石油、炼焦产品和核燃料加工品业的生产税净额效应以及电力、热力生产和供应业的营业盈余效应增排贡献较大,而煤炭采选产品业的营业盈余效应、批发、零售业和住宿、餐饮业的生产税净额效应则减排贡献较大。     

论水处理工程中的节能

人们在污水处理厂的建设中对污水处理工艺的先进性、可靠性以及工程投资大小考虑较多,而对污水处理厂建成后的运营管理考虑较少,因而造成许多污水处理厂建成后由于运营成本过高而不能正常运行。从能耗角度出发,分析造成运行成本高的主要原因以及相应采取的措施。     

北京市生活垃圾焚烧厂耗能排污特征及节能减排潜力

将生活垃圾焚烧厂从整体到局部分为场站-工艺-单元三个层次,通过现场调查,获取了北京市生活垃圾焚烧设施在2009~2011年不同层次耗能排污数据。分析表明,在焚烧工艺中焚烧单元处理单位垃圾的电耗达到60.83 kW·h,余热发电单元水耗最大,尾气处理单元的电耗和水耗相对较小。不同场站在处理单位垃圾时烟气和炉渣产量比较接近,但飞灰排放差异较大,在2.92~24.78 kg/t垃圾之间。渗沥液水量年际变化较大,水质相对稳定,MBR单元对污染物的去除效果最好,但其耗电量较大,占渗沥液处理工艺总耗电量的87.55%。焚烧工艺发电最优值为423.77 kW·h/t垃圾,产生的电能除满足自身需求外,还剩余1.8×108 kW·h的电能,可用于渗沥液处理工艺或输向场站外部。每吨渗沥液处理最多可产生中水0.962 t,全北京市每年产生中水196456 t/a,使用潜力大。     

对秦皇岛港西港搬迁改造工程的绿色思考

秦皇岛港西港搬迁改造工程对完善港口功能,振兴临港产业,缓解城市污染,促进港城互动,建设美丽港城,具有重要历史意义。针对搬迁改造工程中存在的问题与不足,提出应进一步完善搬迁改造规划,加大环保力度,从秦皇岛港口规划、布局到建设、生产,全面落实《绿色港口评价等级标准》,将改造工程对环境的负面影响降到最低,全力将秦皇岛港建设成为绿色港口。     

基于油耗调查的2010年天津市农业机械排放研究

通过问卷调查,采用基于燃油消耗量的方法估算出天津市2010年农业机械氮氧化物(NOx)和颗粒物(PM)的总排放量.2010年天津市农业机械总保有量为57.5万台,其中种植业机械最大约占52.5%;总动力为588万kW,运输机械占比最大为47.3%.估算出2010年天津市农业机械总油耗(主要为柴油)为6.7万t,其中运输机械耗油量为4.5万t.再根据燃油消耗量估算了天津2010年农业机械污染物排放量,NOx和PM年排放量分别为3470t和303t.     

塑料管材输配水过程中有机物释放规律研究

研究了目前给水管网中常用的3种塑料管材,未增塑聚氯乙烯(uPVC),聚乙烯(PE)和无规共聚聚丙烯(PPR)管在输配水过程中有机物的释放规律.通过静态管段实验模拟给水管网中不同输配水状态,选取总有机碳(TOC)为综合评价指标,考察了不同塑料管材中有机物随时间的迁移释放特性,并分析了管材有机物释放对管网水中余氯消耗的影响.随着管材输配水次数的增加,uPVC管释放至水中的TOC浓度和TOC释放速率分别在0.03mg/L和0.04μg/(d?cm2)以下,而PE管和PPR管在输配水过程中TOC的释放浓度和释放速率在初期最大[PE: 0.19mg/L,0.25μg/(d?cm2);PPR:0.07mg/L,0.09μg/(d?cm2)],且后期递减并趋于平稳[PE:0.03~0.08mg/L,0.05~0.10μg/(d?cm2);PPR:0.01~0.03mg/L, 0.01~0.04μg/(d?cm2)].随着水力停留时间的增加,不同管材释放的有机物浓度持续升高.不同管材有机物的释放能力排序为:PE>PPR>uPVC.各管材的有机物释放特性直接影响管网水的余氯消耗特性,且管材的有机物释放量越多,管网水的余氯消耗越快.PE管的使用易引起水体有机污染问题.本研究明确了3种常用塑料管材的有机物释放规律,将进一步为与塑料管材安全性能评价相关的国家标准的修订提供理论依据.