Role of Researcher/Academia in Making UK Low Carbon Policy

This study focuses on the role of researcher/academia in making low carbon policy in the UK. UK researchers and universities enjoy relatively high degree of independence of their research from the government due to its statute that guarantees its independence （＂The Haldene Principle＂）. In addition, there was a recent movement for evidence-based policy in the UK, which requires more economic and scientific robustness, therefore role of engineers and social scientists are increasingly important. In particular, social science will have a greater role in changing people＇s behavior with high level of uncertainty. UK businesses have played a leading role to move forward the climate policy such as UKETS （United Kingdom Emissions Trading Scheme） as well as low carbon policy. The regular communication and consultation is a crucial basis for making integrated policy, which involves wide range of stakeholders. The legally binding targets set out by Climate Change Act 2008 required structural change of the government to implement the necessary policies and measures especially by integrating climate and energy policy.

Moderating effect of corporate financialization on the impact of climate policy on corporate green innovation:Evidence from China

With intensifying global climate change,humanity is confronted with unparalleled environmental challenges and risks.This study employs the staggered difference-in-difference model to examine the relationship between climate policy and green innovation in the corporate financialization context.Using Chinese-listed company data from 2008 to 2020,our analysis reveals a favorable correlation between China’s carbon emission trading policy(CCTP)and advancements in green innovation.Furthermore,we find that the level of corporate financialization moderates this correlation,diminishing the driving effect of CCTP on green innovation.Additionally,results of heterogeneity analysis show that this moderating consequence is more evident in non-state owned and low-digitization enterprises compared with state-owned and high-digitization ones.Our findings contribute to the existing literature by clarifying the interaction between CCTP,green innovation,and corporate financialization.Our research provides valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders seeking to strengthen climate policies and encourages green innovation in different types of businesses.

Optimization of biofuel supply chain integrated with petroleum refineries under carbon trade policy

The use of fossil fuels results in significant carbon dioxide emissions.Biofuels have been increasingly adopted as sustainable alternatives to fossil fuel to address this environmental issue.Integrating petroleum refineries into biofuel supply chains is an effective approach to mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and improving environmental sustainability.In this study,an integrated supply chain optimization framework was established,considering the carbon trade policy.In addition,a mixed-integer nonlinear programming model was developed to optimize the selection of biomass suppliers,construction of pretreatment plants and biorefineries,integration of petroleum refineries,and selection of transportation routes with the objective of minimizing the total annual cost.An example is presented to illustrate the applicability of the model.The optimization results show that integrating petroleum refineries into biofuel supply chains effectively mitigates carbon emissions.Carbon trade policies can have a direct impact on the total annual cost and carbon emissions of the supply chain.

Effects of scenario-based carbon pricing policies on China's dual climate change mitigation goals: Does policy design matter?

Although the carbon pricing policy is a critical driving factor that will help China achieve economic growth,energy transition,and dual climate change mitigation goals,the kind of carbon pricing policy that will complement the country's current development situation remains controversial.We apply the World Induced Technical Change Hybrid(WITCH)model to explore the heterogeneity and synergy of different carbon pricing policies,and the results indicate that it will be challenging to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.The study find that the combined policy-a mix of carbon tax and carbon market policies--has the optimal emission reduction effect but comes with the highest economic cost,proving to be unsuitable in the long run.The carbon tax policy is an important transitional means to assist in emission reduction,which can serve as an important supplement to carbon market policy and be phased out after the market mechanism matures.

Fresh-Keeping Decision and Coordination of Fresh Agricultural Product Supply Chain Considering Carbon Cap-and-Trade under Different Dominance

In the context of low carbon,this paper discussed the impact of the carbon cap-and-trade policy on the fresh-keeping decision-making of two-echelon fresh agricultural product supply chains under different dominance,and designed cost-sharing contracts to coordinate the supply chain of fresh agricultural products dominated by suppliers and retailers respectively.The results showed that:dominance has no effect on the fresh-keeping decision and total revenue of fresh agricultural product supply chain,but it affects the internal income distribution,and dominance does not always bring more benefits;the implementation of carbon cap-and-trade reduces the fresh-keeping decision-making of fresh agricultural products supply chain and reduces the free-rider income of followers;the role of higher carbon trading price is twofold,which not only brings about the speculation of leading enterprises,but also promotes the application of low-carbon technologies;consumers’high preference for freshness,low-cost and high-efficiency low-carbon technology are all conducive to improving the fresh-keeping efforts and benefits of the supply chain;cost-sharing contracts can coordinate the supply chain of fresh agricultural products.

Current Situation and Prospects of China's Carbon Market

Through literature review method,this paper systematically analyzes and studies the general situation of China's domestic carbon market,market and technology system,pricing mechanism,trading status,carbon finance,feasible paths for marketing,and development prospects of China's carbon market.This study is of great significance for the systematic understanding of the development of China's carbon market,and also has important reference value for the realization of the national dual-carbon strategy in China.

Regional inequality, spatial spillover effects, and the factors influencing city-level energy-related carbon emissions in China

Data show that carbon emissions are increasing due to human energy consumption associated with economic development. As a result, a great deal of attention has been focused on efforts to reduce this growth in carbon emissions as well as to formulate policies to address and mitigate climate change. Although the majority of previous studies have explored the driving forces underlying Chinese carbon emissions, few have been carried out at the city-level because of the limited availability of relevant energy consumption statistics. Here, we utilize spatial autocorrelation, Markov-chain transitional matrices, a dynamic panel model, and system generalized distance estimation(Sys-GMM) to empirically evaluate the key determinants of carbon emissions at the city-level based on Chinese remote sensing data collected between 1992 and 2013. We also use these data to discuss observed spatial spillover effects taking into account spatiotemporal lag and a range of different geographical and economic weighting matrices. The results of this study suggest that regional discrepancies in city-level carbon emissions have decreased over time, which are consistent with a marked spatial spillover effect, and a ‘club' agglomeration of high-emissions. The evolution of these patterns also shows obvious path dependence, while the results of panel data analysis reveal the presence of a significant U-shaped relationship between carbon emissions and per capita GDP. Data also show that per capita carbon emissions have increased in concert with economic growth in most cities, and that a high-proportion of secondary industry and extensive investment growth have also exerted significant positive effects on city-level carbon emissions across China. In contrast, rapid population agglomeration, improvements in technology, increasing trade openness, and the accessibility and density of roads have all played a role in inhibiting carbon emissions. Thus, in order to reduce emissions, the Chinese government should legislate to inhibit the effects of factors that promote the release of carbon while at the same time acting to encourage those that mitigate this process. On the basis of the analysis presented in this study, we argue that optimizing industrial structures, streamlining extensive investment, increasing the level of technology, and improving road accessibility are all effective approaches to increase energy savings and reduce carbon emissions across China.

Climate pledges versus commitment: Are policy actions of Middle-East and North African countries consistent with their emissions targets?

Carbon emission is inevitable,and changes with energy consumption and economic development,presents policy options toward sustainable development path.Currently,there is little assurance from policymakers in committing to climate change pledges:taking the Middle-East and North African(MENA)region as a specific case with using 2019 as a cut-off period.We conducted an interim assessment of the Paris Agreement to ascertain whether climate actions are in tandem with emissions reduction targets.Making use of difference-in-difference technique as a quasiexperiment supported by fixed-effects and placebo treatment models,the results point to evidence of less than 1%effective CO_(2) emissions reduction as of 2019 compared to the 2015 level.The current carbon emissions reduction commitment level is far-reaching contrary to the Nationally Determined Contributions(NDCs)pledged(16.43%on average by 2030 compared to the 2015 level).The analysis suggests that achieving NDCs commitments are currently major burden on policymakers since the economic development is highly linked with nonrenewable energy consumption.Furthermore,a more comprehensive framework when accounting for all available renewable and clean energy projects shows reduction levels in the range of 30%-40%from 2020 to 2030.These results suggest that the Paris Agreement in MENA countries may be more effective from 2020,thus underscore the importance of capturing ongoing projects(involving renewable and clean energy technologies)into interim policy assessment.The shared implication is that greater efforts are demanded from the region and at country levels to further decrease emissions through the use of negative emissions technologies particularly in the electricity generation sector.