Impacts of Rice Field Winter Planting on Soil Organic Carbon and Carbon Management Index

To tackle with the problem of prevailing farmland abandonment in winter,5 treatments includes Chinese milk vetch-double cropping rice(CRR),rape-double cropping rice(RRR),garlic-double cropping rice(GRR),winter crop multiple cropping rotation(ROT),winter fallow control(WRR)were set up.By measuring soil total organic carbon,active organic carbon and its components and calculating the soil carbon pool management index in 0~15 cm and 15~30 cm soil layers in the early and late rice ripening stage.The effects of different winter planting patterns on the changes of soil organic carbon and carbon pool management index were discussed.In order to provide theoretical basis for the optimization and adjustment of winter planting pattern of double cropping rice field in the middle reaches of Yangtze River.The results showed that soil total organic carbon,active organic carbon and its components in different winter cropping patterns were increased,and ROT and CRR treatments were more beneficial to the accumulation of soil total organic carbon,active organic carbon and its components as well as the improvement of soil carbon pool management index,which should be preferred in the adjustment of cropping patterns.

Policy and Management of Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality:A Literature Review

The vision of reaching a carbon peak and achieving carbon neutrality is guiding the low-carbon transition of China’s socioeconomic system.Currently,a research gap remains in the existing literature in terms of studies that systematically identify opportunities to achieve carbon neutrality.To address this gap,this study comprehensively collates and investigates 1105 published research studies regarding carbon peaking and carbon neutrality.In doing so,the principles of development in this area are quantitively analyzed from a space–time perspective.At the same time,this study traces shifts and alterations in research hotspots.This systematic review summarizes the priorities and standpoints of key industries on carbon peaking and carbon neutrality.Furthermore,with an emphasis on five key management science topics,the scientific concerns and strategic demands for these two carbon emission-reduction goals are clarified.The paper ends with theoretical insights on and practical countermeasures for actions,priority tasks,and policy measures that will enable China to achieve a carbon-neutral future.This study provides a complete picture of the research status on carbon peaking and carbon neutrality,as well as the research directions worth investigating in this field,which are crucial to the formulation of carbon peak and carbon neutrality policies.

Decarbonization options of the iron and steelmaking industry based on a three-dimensional analysis

Decarbonization is a critical issue for peaking CO_(2) emissions of energy-intensive industries,such as the iron and steel industry.The decarbonization options of China’s ironmaking and steelmaking sector were discussed based on a systematic three-dimensional low-carbon analysis from the aspects of resource utilization(Y),energy utilization(Q),and energy cleanliness which is evaluated by a process general emission factor(PGEF)on all the related processes,including the current blast furnace(BF)-basic oxygen furnace(BOF)integrated process and the specific sub-processes,as well as the electric arc furnace(EAF)process,typical direct reduction(DR)process,and smelting reduction(SR)process.The study indicates that the three-dimensional aspects,particularly the energy structure,should be comprehensively considered to quantitatively evaluate the decarbonization road map based on novel technologies or processes.Promoting scrap utilization(improvement of Y)and the substitution of carbon-based energy(improvement of PGEF)in particular is critical.In terms of process scale,promoting the development of the scrap-based EAF or DR-EAF process is highly encouraged because of their lower PGEF.The three-dimensional method is expected to extend to other processes or industries,such as the cement production and thermal electricity generation industries.

Fertilization Affects Biomass Production of Suaeda salsa and Soil Organic Carbon Pool in East Coastal Region of China

Land use practice significantly affects soil properties. Soil is a major sink for atmospheric carbon, and soil organic carbon （SOC） is considered as an essential indicator of soil quality. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of N and P applied to Suaeda salsa on biomass production, SOC concentration, labile organic carbon （LOC） concentration, SOC pool and carbon management index （CMI） as well as the effect of the land use practice on soil quality of coastal tidal lands in east coastal region of China. The study provided relevant references for coastal exploitation, tidal land management and related study in other countries and regions. The field experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design, consisting of four N-fertilization rates （0 （NO）, 60 （N1）, 120 （N2） and 180 kg ha-1 （N3））, three P-fertilization rates （0 （P0）, 70 （P1） and 105 kg ha-~ （P2）） and bare land without vegetation. N and P applied to S. salsa on coastal tidal lands significantly affected biomass production （above-ground biomass and roots）, bulk density （Pb）, available N and P, SOC, LOC, SOC pool and CMI. Using statistical analysis, significantly interactions in N and P were observed for biomass production and the dominant factor for S. salsa production was N in continuous 2-yr experiments. There were no significant interactions between N and P for SOC concentration, LOC concentration and SOC pool. However, significant interaction was obtained for CMI at the 0-20 cm depth and N played a dominant role in the variation of CMI. There were significant improvements for soil measured attributes and parameters, which suggested that increasing the rates of N and P significantly decreased Pb at the 0-20 cm depth and increased available N and P, SOC, LOC, SOC pool as well as CMI at both the 0-20 and 20-40 cm depth, respectively. By correlation analysis, there were significantly positive correlations between biomass （above- ground biomass and roots） and SOC as well as LOC in 2010 and 2011 across all soil depth, respectively. The treatment with N at 180 kg ha-~ and P at 105 kg ha-1 was superior to the other treatments. The results from the 2-yr continuous experiments indicated that, in short-term, there were a few accumulation of SOC and LOC concentrations by means of N and P application to S. salsa, whereas in the long run, S. salsa with N and P application was recommended for coastal tidal lands because of its great potential of carbon sequestration, improvements of soil nutrition status and promotion of soil quality.

The Future of Quasi Emission Control Enterprises in a Low-Carbon Economy

At 9:30 a.m.on July 16,2021,the national carbon emission trading market started operation at Shanghai Environment and Energy Exchange.On the first day,the carbon emission quota totaled 4.244 million tons,with a turnover of 210 million yuan and an average transaction price of 51.23 yuan/ton.The carbon trading price is on the rise.With the gradual maturity and improvement of conditions,there will be about 8,000 to 10,000 emission control enterprises under the eight major industries in the future,and China’s carbon market will become the largest market covering greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.It can be seen that carbon trading is a“big deal.”If enterprises participate well,they will form carbon assets,but if they do not participate well,they will form carbon liabilities.This paper analyzes the opportunities and challenges faced by quasi emission control enterprises under the background of low-carbon economy.This provides certain reference significance for these enterprises to actively participate in the national carbon trading market in the future.

Reduced tillage with residue retention improves soil labile carbon pools and carbon lability and management indices in a seven-year trial with wheat-mung bean-rice rotation

Soil total organic carbon(TOC)is a composite indicator of soil quality with implications for crop production and the regulation of soil ecosystem services.Research reports on the dynamics of TOC as a consequence of soil management practices in subtropical climatic conditions,where microbial carbon(C)loss is high,are very limited.The objective of our study was to evaluate the impact of seven years of continuous tillage and residue management on soil TOC dynamics(quantitative and qualitative)with respect to lability and stratification under an annual wheat-mung bean-rice cropping sequence.Composite soil samples were collected at 0-15 and 15-30 cm depths from a three-replicate split-plot experiment with tillage treatment as the main plots and crop residue levels as the sub-plots.The tillage treatments included conventional tillage(CT)and strip tillage(ST).Residue levels were high residue level(HR),30%of the plant height,and low residue level(LR),15%.In addition to TOC,soil samples were analyzed for particulate organic C(POC),permanganate oxidizable C(POXC),basal respiration(BR),specific maintenance respiration rate(qCO_(2)),microbial biomass C(MBC),potentially mineralizable C(PMC),and TOC lability and management indices.The ST treatment significantly increased the TOC and labile C pools at both depths compared with the CT treatment,with the effect being more pronounced in the surface layer.The HR treatment increased TOC and labile C pools compared with the LR treatment.The ST+HR treatment showed significant increases in MBC,metabolic quotient(qR),C pool index(CPI),C lability index(CL_(I)),and C management index(CMI),indicating improved and efficient soil biological activities in such systems compared with the CT treatment.Similarly,the stratification values,a measure of soil quality improvement,for POC and MBC were>2,indicating improved soil quality in the ST+HR treatment compared with the CT treatment.The ST+HR treatment not only significantly increased the contents of TOC pools,but also their stocks.The CMI was correlated with qCO_(2),BR,and MBC,suggesting that these are sensitive indicators of early changes in TOC.The qCO_(2) was significantly higher in the CT+LR treatment and negatively correlated with MBC and CMI,indicating a biologically stressed soil condition in this treatment.Our findings highlight that medium-term reduced tillage with HR management has profound consequences on soil TOC quality and dynamics as mediated by alterations in labile C pools.

Long-term fertilization and residue return affect soil stoichiometry characteristics and labile soil organic matter fractions

Ecological stoichiometry provides the possibility for linking microbial dynamics with soil carbon(C),nitrogen(N),and phosphorus(P)metabolisms in response to agricultural nutrient management.To determine the roles of fertilization and residue return with respect to ecological stoichiometry,we collected soil samples from a 30-year field experiment on residue return(maize straw)at rates of 0,2.5,and 5.0 Mg ha^-1 in combination with 8 fertilization treatments:no fertilizer(F0),N fertilizer,P fertilizer,potassium(K)fertilizer,N and P(NP)fertilizers,N and K(NK)fertilizers,P and K(PK)fertilizers,and N,P,and K(NPK)fertilizers.We measured soil organic C(SOC),total N and P,microbial biomass C,N,and P,water-soluble organic C and N,KMnO4-oxidizabIe C(KMnO4-C),and carbon management index(CMI).Compared with the control(F0 treatment without residue return),fertilization and residue return significantly increased the KMn〇4-C content and CMI.Furthermore,compared with the control,residue return significantly increased the SOC content.Moreover,the NPK treatment with residue return at 5.0 Mg ha^-1 significantly enhanced the C:N,C:P,and N:P ratios in the soil,whereas it significantly decreased the C:N and C:P ratios in soil microbial biomass.Therefore,NPK fertilizer application combined with residue return at 5.0 Mg ha^-1 could enhance the SOC content through the stoichiometric plasticity of microorganisms.Residue return and fertilization increased the soil C pools by directly modifying the microbial stoichiometry of the biomass that was C limited.

No-till and conservation agriculture in the United States:An example from the David Brandt farm,Carroll,Ohio

No-till(NT)farming(conservation agriculture)began in the US in the 1960s.The state of Ohio has a university research location that began no-till research in 1962.A few innovative Ohio farmers,including NT pioneers David Brandt and Bill Richards,were early adopters of the new conservation practice.Initially,no-till was most successful on sloping,well drained soils,then with improvements to the system,including cover crops,it became more widely adopted on all soil types.David Brandt was an enthusiastic learner and teacher of no-till practices,working with chemical company representatives and Cooperative Extension Specialists to demonstrate the system.David Brandt’s cooperation with Ohio State University researchers continues to provide a valuable site for studying the long term changes in soil health and ecosystem services.Results showed that total microbial biomass as one of the soil biological health indicators significantly increased with an associated decrease in carbon(C)loss under NT compared with conventional tilled soil(CT).Under NT,there was significantly higher total C and total N compared to CT.Active C,as a composite measure of soil health,significantly increased with NT.When cover crops,especially cover crop cocktail mixes,were used,NT substantially improved soil health.Long-term NT with cover crop cocktail mixes significantly increased the soil aggregate stability,compared with CT.The overall rate of C sequestration by NT suggested that the soils on the Brandt farm act as a consistent sink of atmospheric CO2 although this tends to level off after about 20 years.The Brandt farm showed that crop yields are increased under long-term NT with cover crops mixes.Results suggested that starting with a cover crop when switching from CT to NT,is more likely to ensure success and to maintain economic crop yields.Another early adopter,Bill Richards,from Circleville,Ohio,also became a national leader and promoter of no-till farming.He served as head of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in the early 1990s and instituted a program that led to rapid expansion of no-till.He advises that farmers who follow conservation agriculture principles need to be more proactive,from local level to national levels,to influence policy decisions that can lead to robust improvement in soil health.

Optimization of enhanced weathering networks with alternative transportation modes

Enhanced weathering of alkaline rocks and minerals is a negative emissions technology (NET) that is potentiallyscalable to deliver gigaton-level carbon dioxide removal (CDR) for climate change mitigation. This techniquerelies on the acceleration of naturally occurring weathering reactions with water and carbon dioxide by reducingthese substances into a fine powder with high specific surface area. The ex situ enhanced weathering processchain consists of the acquisition of suitable natural or synthetic materials, grinding to a fine particle size,transportation, and application on suitable sites. Future enhanced weathering systems can be envisioned assupply chain-like networks which have to be optimized to deliver maximum CDR given physical constraints.There is a notable research gap in the literature on decision support for such systems. To address this gap, amixed integer linear programming (MILP) model is developed in this work to optimize enhanced weatheringnetworks for CDR. The model also incorporates the availability of multiple transportation options and constraintson network topology. Two test cases are used to demonstrate the model capability to determine optimal andnear-optimal networks. The top ten solutions in these two scenarios yield total CDR levels of 3.4316–3.4363 Mtand 15.27017–15.27960 Mt.

The role of EcoCampus in addressing sustainability in UK universities

Universities are key drivers of sustainable development and are well-positioned to contribute to the sustainability agenda. Universities in the United Kingdom(UK) are themselves large and influential organisations,and because of their size, can have a significant impact on the environment. Their challenge, however, is to practice what they preach and to manage their own estates and procurement decisions to reduce their impact on the environment and meet carbon reduction targets. In the UK,higher education(HE) sector Scopes 1 and 2 carbon CO_2 e emissions have, over recent years, been falling considerably short of the emission reduction targets set by the Higher Education Funding Council for England(HEFCE)in all but a few institutions. Setting sector specific targets,therefore, does not guarantee success in addressing climate change. However, in those institutions adopting the Eco Campus management system approach, Scopes 1 and2 carbon CO_2 e emissions have fallen by up to 5% over the latest reporting period(2013/2014–2014/2015). This contrasts with the increase in emissions from those institutions who currently do not have a certified management system and are currently at the bottom of the People and Planet University League Table.(This is an independent league table of UK universities ranked by environmental and ethical performance).Environmental management systems(EMSs) are increasingly being used by organisations to improve their environmental performance. EMSs deliver many benefits such as reducing resource use and pollution, complyingwith relevant environmental legislation, managing risks,improving corporate reputation and saving costs.The aim of this research was to assess the carbon management performance of universities in the UK and China and relate this to the level of uptake of EMSs in these universities. The results of this research informed the development of the EMS support and awards programme called Eco Campus. Eco Campus addresses the challenges faced by universities in reducing their carbon emissions by developing an EMS in simple stages with support in a variety of different forms. This self-financing programme has now been operating successfully for over ten years.During this time, Eco Campus has worked with over 60 universities and colleges in the UK. Eighteen participants have currently achieved the highest phase of Eco Campus and certification to the international EMS standard ISO14001. There are currently 40 universities, one research institute and three colleges enrolled on the various phases of the Eco Campus programme. There are five universities from the Russell Group including Cambridge University, Imperial College London, Nottingham University, Newcastle University and University College London. The Eco Campus programme is highly successful in the UK and there is growing interest from international universities wishing to join the programme. Seven of the top ten universities in the UK's People and Planet University League Table are Eco Campus members. All the top ten universities in the League Table have shown a reduction in their carbon emissions. In contrast, the ten institutions at the bottom of the League don't have a certified EMS and have increased their carbon emissions.By identifying the benefits of an EMS, particularly in relation to carbon management, it is hoped that this paper will encourage organisations to develop, implement and operate an EMS. This should lead to a more sustainable sector able to lead by example.