The influence of technology improvements and the consistency of environmental and economic indicators on decoupling of greenhouse gas emissions and economic growth

Decoupling analysis examines the “green growth” of regions by assessing the relationship between their economy and resource use from both production and consumption perspectives. However, the effects of technology disparity and the consistency between environmental and economic indicators on regional decoupling degree, especially from the consumption perspective, remain unclear. This study re-visited the decoupling processes in forty-four economies between 2005 and 2015. “Technology-adjusted consumption-based GHG emissions” (TCBEs), instead of conventional CBEs, were quantified for decoupling analysis to reveal the impacts of technology disparity on decoupling results from the consumption perspective. We also incorporated the supply chain-wide value added of economies' final demand for consumption-perspective decoupling analysis. Results showed that economies with lower GHG intensities or more substantial reductions in GHG intensities exhibited higher decoupling degree. In other words, these economies were fully “credited” for their efforts in improving local production efficiencies. We also argued that using gross domestic product (GDP) as the economic indicator for quantifying decoupling degree from CBEs did not align with the consistency between environmental pressures and economic activities causing those pressures. By ensuring the consistency, decoupling degrees increased by 2–52 % for TCBEs and 1–19 % for CBEs. Our study raised a discussion on more accurate assessments of regional decoupling processes and enhances our understanding of the impact of technology disparity on global emissions.</p

Influential factors on water footprint: A focus on wheat production and consumption in virtual water import and export regions

Agriculture is a key sector and a major consumer of water resources; therefore, a clear understanding of the agricultural water demand for crop production and consumption is imperative for addressing water scarcity problems, particularly in water export regions. This study provides new insights into the influential factors driving the changes in the agricultural production water footprint (WFprod) and consumption water footprint (WFcon) in the net water import and net water export regions. The WFprod and WFcon of wheat are evaluated in Beijing city (the net water import region) and Heilongjiang province (the net water export region) over the period 1996–2015. The statistical significances of the influential factors, i.e., climate change, gross domestic product, population, dietary demand and technology update are determined using a multivariate linear regression model (LRM) and nonlinear regression model (NLRM). The results indicate that the gross domestic product and population were the dominant positive influential factors, whereas technology update and dietary demand were the dominant negative influential factors affecting the changes in the WFprod and WFcon in the net water import region. In the net water export region, technology update was the dominant negative influential factor affecting the changes in the WFprod and WFcon. Climate change did not contribute significantly to the changes in the WFprod and WFcon of wheat; however, it was an important factor (especially precipitation for the green WF with an average relative importance of more than 22% and the blue WF with an average relative importance of more than 15%) affecting the changes in the WFprod and WFcon of the crop. An in-depth analysis of the influential factors that contribute to the changes in the WFs is fundamentally important for decision-makers to develop countermeasures and strategic planning implementations to mitigate water resource pressure in China

Allocating capital-associated CO₂ emissions along the full lifespan of capital investments helps diffuse emission responsibility

Capital assets such as machinery and infrastructure contribute substantially to CO2 emissions over their lifetime. Unique features of capital assets such as their long durability complicate the assignment of capital-associated CO2 emissions to final beneficiaries. Whereas conventional approaches allocate emissions required to produce capital assets to the year of formation, we propose an alternative perspective through allocating required emissions from the production of assets over their entire lifespans. We show that allocating CO2 emissions embodied in capital assets over time relieves emission responsibility for the year of formation, with 25‒46% reductions from conventional emission accounts. This temporal allocation, although virtual, is important for assessing the equity of CO2 emissions across generations due to the inertia of capital assets. To re-allocate emission responsibilities to the future, we design three capital investment scenarios with different investment purposes until 2030. Overall, the existing capital in 2017 will still carry approximately 10% responsibilities of China’s CO2 emissions in 2030, and could reach more than 40% for capital-intensive service sectors.</p

Composition and Temperature Dependence of Structure and Piezoelectricity in (1−x)(K1−yNay)NbO3-x(Bi1/2Na1/2)ZrO3Lead-Free Ceramics

Lead-free piezoceramics with the composition (1-x)(K1-yNay)NbO3-x(Bi1/2Na1/2)ZrO3 (KNyN-xBNZ) were prepared using a conventional solid-state route. X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and dielectric measurements as a function of temperature indicated the coexistence of rhombohedral (R) and tetragonal (T) phase, typical of a morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) as the BNZ concentration increased and by adjusting the K/Na ratio. High remnant polarization (Pr = 24 μC/cm2), piezoelectric coefficient (d33 = 320 pC/N), effective piezocoefficient (d33* = 420 pm/V), coupling coefficient (kp = 48%), and high strain (S = 0.168%) were obtained at room temperature, but significant deterioration of Pr, d33*, and kp were observed by increasing from room temperature to 160°C (17.5 μC/cm2, 338 pm/V, and 32%, respectively) associated with a transition to a purely T phase. Despite these compositions showing promise for room-temperature applications, the deterioration in properties as a function of increasing temperature poses challenges for device design and remains to be resolved

Capital_Invet_CHN_datasbase

This dataset records capital investment (based on the newly increased fixed assets from National Statistics Bureau of China) for 31 provinces in China, during the period of 1995-2017. The capital investment are disaggregated into three types of assets, i.e., equipment, residential structures, and non-residential structures, according to WORLDKLEMS. Detailed procedures to create the datase have been documented in: You are more than welcome to contact the authors if you meet any problems or have any questions regarding the dataset.</p