Impact of bioenergy crops in a carbon dioxide constrained world: an application of the MiniCAM energy-agriculture and land use model

In the coming century, modern bioenergy crops have the potential to play a crucial role in the global energy mix, especially under policies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions as proposed by many in the international community. Previous studies have not fully addressed many of the dynamic interactions and effects of a policy-induced expansion of bioenergy crop production, particularly on crop yields and human food demand. This study combines an updated agriculture and land use (AgLU) model with a well-developed energy-economic model to provide an analysis of the effects of bioenergy crops on energy, agricultural and land use systems. The results indicate that carbon dioxide mitigation policies can stimulate a large production of bioenergy crops, dependent on the level of the policy. This production of bioenergy crops can lead to several impacts on the agriculture and land use system: decreases in forestland and unmanaged land, decreases in the average yield of food crops, increases in the prices of food crops, and decreases in the level of human demand of calories.

重庆市1997年-2005年生态足迹与发展能力实证分析

生态足迹是一种定量测量人类对自然资源利用程度的全新方法。在介绍了生态足迹的概念和生态足迹的模型与生态系统经济发展能力以及目前的研究成果基础上,根据1998年-2006年的《重庆市统计年鉴》的资料数据,对重庆市1997年-2005年的生态足迹进行了实证计算与分析,结果表明重庆市从1997年的人均生态足迹由1.096ha/cap增加到2005年底的1.635ha/cap,人均生态赤字由1997年的0.9000ha/cap增加到2005年的1.2742ha/cap,9年间的增幅为41,5％,平均每年为6.1％;通过人均GDP与发展能力的回归分析表明,生态系统的经济发展能力是一个很好的反映重庆市经济系统状况的指标。     

基于生态足迹方法的中国区域间生态转移支付研究

针对中国经济发展中出现的“反溢出效应”,有学者认为占用外省市自然资源的地区应给予输出自然资源的地区一定的经济补偿,也是生态转移支付的一种形式,试图以此实现社会经济发展的公平性。文章基于生态足迹理论,建立这种补偿的理论基础并尝试确定补偿的标准。结果显示：有13个省市需要向其他地区支付一定的生态补偿。应支付生态补偿的地区多为东部沿海的经济发达地区,应接受补偿的地区多为较落后的中西部地区。     

廖坊水利工程对抚河流域生态承载力的影响分析

介绍了生态足迹、生态承载力的概念和基于生态足迹理论的生态承载力计算模型。为评价水利枢纽工程对生态承载力的影响,在分析该模型缺点的基础上,采用了资源产出作为生态承载力供给的计算方法。分析了江西省廖坊水利工程建成后,生态生产性土地利用的变化情况表现在灌区和下游保护区的耕地的单位生态生产力提高等方面。最后计算了廖坊水利工程兴建之前的2001年和建成后的2007年的生态承载力。计算结果表明,廖坊水利工程建成后,生态承载力有较大提高,总的生态承载力增加了79 521 hm2,其中,可耕地的生态承载力增加了74 604 hm2,由于水库淹没导致生态承载力减少了16 735 hm2。     

生态足迹在城市规划环境评价中的应用——以苏州市域城镇体系规划为例

以苏州市域城镇体系规划为例,探讨运用生态足迹进行融合型规划环境影响评价的方法,为规划环评较早地介入规划编制过程进行了有益的探索：在规划编制初期,确定规划的生态底限,农业用地、非农建设用地和水域的面积不低于3 728、1 016和2 019 km2;在规划编制过程中,根据现状评价的结果提出耕地是苏州城市发展的限制因子,水资源是优势因子,并估算了规划实施前后苏州市的生态足迹和生态承载力的变化情况。结果表明：规划实施后,苏州市的人均生态赤字有加大的趋势,耕地的赤字是最主要的贡献者,草地和能源用地的生态盈亏无变化,林地的生态赤字将减少,建设用地和水域的生态盈余将增加。依据该结果提出了减缓生态赤字的措施以及调整规划的意见：优化城镇发展空间,提高中心城市的容积率,置换出一定面积的生态用地,降低耕地的生态赤字;发展大运量的轨道交通和水路运输,减少交通能耗和机动车尾气的排放,降低能源用地的生态赤字。     

Carbon neutral Biggar: calculating the community carbon footprint and renewable energy options for footprint reduction

The objective of this research was to develop a community carbon footprint model that could be used to assess the size and major components of a community’s carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. The town of Biggar aims to become Scotland’s first carbon neutral town. As expected for this rural community, car transport accounted for nearly half of the CO₂ emissions, with natural gas and electricity consumption resulting in a further 24% and 12% of total emissions, respectively, and air travel being the last major component at 10% of emissions. An assessment was also made of the wind and solar resources of the town. One large wind turbine would provide the town’s electricity, while three to four turbines would be needed to offset all CO₂ emissions. In contrast, offsetting by tree planting would require in the region of 2,000 ha of trees.

巫山县生态承载力研究

由于三峡工程的开工建设,巫山县大量移民就地后靠,土地所承载的压力剧增,阻碍了巫山县社会经济的可持续发展。利用生态足迹原理和模型对巫山县2005~2010年土地生态承载力进行分析,并运用相关分析、主成分分析等方法将生态足迹指标与传统经济指标相结合,分析了巫山县社会经济的发展对生态足迹的驱动作用,为巫山县的生态建设及可持续发展提供依据及参考。结果表明：巫山县生态足迹呈现逐年增加的趋势,且近几年增加速度明显加快,而生态承载力则基本持平,人均生态赤字由2005年的1336 2 hm2增长至2010年的2194 2 hm2,说明巫山县对自然资源的消费远远超过了区域所能提供的资源供给,阻碍可持续发展。在此基础上本研究以巫山县2005~2010年的生态足迹时间序列作为模型因变量,并根据区域社会经济发展与生态足迹变化的作用机理选择了8个社会经济发展相关指标为自变量,建立多元线性回归模型。模型检验结果令人满意,并通过相关性分析、主成分分析等手段揭示了巫山县社会经济发展指标对人均生态足迹的强烈驱动作用     

A carbon footprint analysis in the textile supply chain

This research work focuses on the application of life-cycle assessment methodology to determine the carbon footprint of different players involved in a supply chain of the textile sector. A case study of a product by a textile leader company was carried out. This study demonstrates that, in the textile chain, the main contribution to the greenhouse effect is provided by the electrical and thermal energy used and by the transportation (since different production phases are delocalised in a wide range that goes from South Africa, Italy, Romania and all around the world, from the distribution centre to the stores). The Monte Carlo analysis has been used in order to obtain, for each calculated impact, not only the average value but also the distribution curve of the results characterised by uncertainty parameters. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis was carried out to evaluate the impact of management choices such as:

??a change in the transportation modality, from aeroplane to boat;

??a combination of road and rail transportation; and

??a selection among suppliers that allows the firm to cut environmental impacts.     

SME application of LCA‐based carbon footprints

Following a brief introduction about the need for businesses to respond to climate change, this paper considers the development of the phrase ‘carbon footprint’. Widely used definitions are considered before the authors offer their own interpretation of how the term should be used. The paper focuses on the contribution small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) make to the economy and their level of influence in stimulating change within organisations. The experience of an outreach team from the Engineering Department of a UK university is used which draws on the experience of delivering regional economic growth projects funded principally through the European Regional Development Fund. Case studies are used including the development of bespoke carbon footprints for SMEs from an initiative delivered by the outreach team. Limitations of current carbon footprints are identified based on this higher education‐industry knowledge exchange mechanism around three main themes of scope, the assessment method and conversion factors. Evidence and discussions are presented that conclude with the presentation of some solutions based on the work undertaken with SMEs and a discussion on the merits of the two principally used methodologies: life‐cycle analysis and economic input–output assessment.     

Detailed Ecological Footprint Accounting of Liaoning in 2006

Abstract

Ecological footprint (EF) has received considerable attention as a useful indicator in the context of sustainable development. So far, EF has been used in numerous studies by academies, organizations and government authorities. However, the results of these studies failed to be comparable directly with each other due to imprecise data sets, unmodified accounting methods of pasture and fossil energy, ignored secondary products, undefined process of calculating yield factors and improper biocapacity for biodiversity. In this paper, we elaborated on EF estimating methods from six categories of consumption in order to overcome the limitations above. We adopted precise data and revised methods, calculated EF of some secondary products, introduced weighted factor to calculate yield factors and adjusted biocapacity by an appropriate amount. Meanwhile, we investigated the resource consumption of Liaoning Province in 2006 to assess EF. Its results showed that Liaoning Province overused its natural capital and was in an unsustainable state. We concluded that two specific problems that had arisen in EF assessment and gave some suggestions for Liaoning Province to improve its unsustainable state.