The potential impact of increased whole grain consumption among Chinese adults on reducing healthcare costs and carbon footprint

Excessive consumption of refined grains harms human health and ecosystem viability.Whole grains,as a healthy and sustainable alternative to refined grains,can benefit individual health by providing dietary fiber,B vitamins,and bioactive substances.Additionally,they aid in improving the environment due to their higher extraction rate and lower carbon emission during the processing stage.However,few studies have attempted to evaluate the economic and social benefits of increasing the amount of whole grain in grain intake.This paper estimates the potential savings in healthcare costs and reduced food carbon footprints(CFs)that could result from a shift toward whole grain consumption following the Chinese Dietary Guidelines(CDG).We investigate hypothetical scenarios where a certain proportion(5–100%)of Chinese adults could increase their whole grain intakes as proposed by CDG to meet the average shortfall of 30.2 g.In that case,the healthcare costs for associated diseases(e.g.,type2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM),cardiovascular disease(CVD),and colorectal cancer(CRC))are expected to reduce by a substantial amount,from USD 2.82 to 56.37 billion;the carbon emission levels are also projected to decrease by0.24–5.72 million tons.This study provides compelling evidence that advocating for the transition towards greater consumption of whole grain products could benefit individual health,the environment,and society,by reducing both healthcare costs and carbon emissions.

Impact of carbon disclosure on debt financing costs

Creditors,such as banks,often use disclosed environmental information to assess a company’s environmental risk and ensure the safety of debt funds.Consequently,carbon disclosures have become an important consideration for creditors when making investments.This study explores the relationship between carbon disclosure and debt financing costs using data on listed companies from 2008 to 2019.The results show that carbon disclosure can reduce the debt financing costs of enterprises,and that this influence is more significant for private companies than for state-owned enterprises.Instrumental variables and Propensity Score Matching(PSM)were used to evaluate the robustness of negative relationships.Furthermore,carbon disclosure has a more significant impact on debt costs with less environmental supervision pressure,weak residents’environmental awareness,and weak product market competition.These findings provide guidance for companies’carbon information disclosure and support the establishment of official carbon disclosure standards.

Optimized scheduling of integrated energy systems for low carbon economy considering carbon transaction costs

With the introduction of the“dual carbon”goal and the continuous promotion of low-carbon development,the integrated energy system(IES)has gradually become an effective way to save energy and reduce emissions.This study proposes a low-carbon economic optimization scheduling model for an IES that considers carbon trading costs.With the goal of minimizing the total operating cost of the IES and considering the transferable and curtailable characteristics of the electric and thermal flexible loads,an optimal scheduling model of the IES that considers the cost of carbon trading and flexible loads on the user side was established.The role of flexible loads in improving the economy of an energy system was investigated using examples,and the rationality and effectiveness of the study were verified through a comparative analysis of different scenarios.The results showed that the total cost of the system in different scenarios was reduced by 18.04%,9.1%,3.35%,and 7.03%,respectively,whereas the total carbon emissions of the system were reduced by 65.28%,20.63%,3.85%,and 18.03%,respectively,when the carbon trading cost and demand-side flexible electric and thermal load responses were considered simultaneously.Flexible electrical and thermal loads did not have the same impact on the system performance.In the analyzed case,the total cost and carbon emissions of the system when only the flexible electrical load response was considered were lower than those when only the flexible thermal load response was taken into account.Photovoltaics have an excess of carbon trading credits and can profit from selling them,whereas other devices have an excess of carbon trading and need to buy carbon credits.

CGE model-based analysis of the neutralized hybrid carbon policy and its decomposed effects on economic growth,carbon reduction,and energy utilization costs

The hybrid policy is a flexible policy tool that combines features of carbon trading and carbon taxation.Its economic and environmental effects under China's background are still not studied in detail.Given the exogenous carbon reduction targets,carbon prices,and carbon tax-rates,by computable general equilibrium modeling methods and factor decomposition methods,this article investigates direct and cascaded effects of the hybrid policy on economic growth,energy utilization,and carbon emission on the national level and the sector level,with China's national input-output data-set.Stepwisely,policy scenarios with irrational estimated results are selectively excluded based on comprehensive evaluation among economic,carbon reduction and other policy targets.As a result,against national economic conditions in 2007,the hybrid policy,with a carbon reduction target of -10%,a carbon tax-rate of around $10,and a ceiling carbon price of $40,is highly recommended,because of its significant lower economic loss,lower energy utilization cost,and practical robustness against fluctuation of energy market and carbon market.Furthermore,by decomposition analysis,carbon reduction-related costs are decomposed into a direct part that includes carbon allowance price and carbon tax,and an indirect part as the energy price incremental induced by direct carbon costs.Gross carbon reduction may be decomposed into three parts such as energy intensity,economic scale,and technical progress.And,carbon taxation is the main policy tool that stimulates to improve the energy efficiency.

High loading FeS2 nanoparticles anchored on biomass-derived carbon tube as low cost and long cycle anode for sodium-ion batteries

In recent years, the sodium storage mechanism and performance optimization of FeS2 have been studied intensively. However, before the commercial application of FeS2, preconditions of low-cost, simple craft and scale production of nanoscale FeS2 are also essential. Based on above challenges, mesh-like FeS2/carbon tube/FeS2 composites are prepared simply from green, low-cost and renewable natural herb in this work. With the assistance of protogenetic interconnected carbon tube network(only 5.3 wt%), FeS2/carbon tube/FeS2 composites show high capacity(542.2 mA h g^-1), good stability(< 0.005% per cycle over 1000 cycles), and excellent rate performance(426.2 mA h g^-1 at 2 A g^-1).The outstanding electrochemical performance of FeS2/carbon tube/FeS2 composites may be attributed to the unique interconnected reticular structure, meaning that FeS2 nanoparticles are effectively immobilized by carbon tube network via physical encapsulation and chemical bonding.More importantly, this work may provide green and low cost preparation method for specially structured metal sulfides/carbon composites,which promotes their commercial utilization in environmentally friendly energy storage system.

Amine-functionalized low-cost industrial grade multi-walled carbon nanotubes for the capture of carbon dioxide

Industrial grade multi-walled carbon nanotubes(IG-MWCNTs) are a low-cost substitute for commercially purified multi-walled carbon nanotubes(P-MWCNTs). In this work, IG-MWCNTs were functionalized with tetraethylenepentamine(TEPA) for CO2capture. The TEPA impregnated IG-MWCNTs were characterized with various experimental methods including N2adsorption/desorption isotherms, elemental analysis, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Both the adsorption isotherms of IGMWCNTs-n and the isosteric heats of different adsorption capacities were obtained from experiments. TEPA impregnated IG-MWCNTs were also shown to have high CO2adsorption capacity comparable to that of TEPA impregnated P-MWCNTs. The adsorption capacity of IG-MWCNTs based adsorbents was in the range of 2.145 to 3.088 mmol/g, depending on adsorption temperatures. Having the advantages of low-cost and high adsorption capacity, TEPA impregnated IG-MWCNTs seem to be a promising adsorbent for CO2capture from flue gas.

Research on power-supply cost of regional power system under carbon-peak target

With the establishment of the carbon-peak target by 2030,the direction of carbon emission reduction in China’s energy system has been further clarified.As the industry with the largest proportion of carbon emissions in China,the lowcarbon transformation of the electric power industry is critical to realize the carbon-peak target.Current research mostly focuses on technical analysis or system cost accounting of the carbon-peak realization path at the national level.There is a lack of targeted research on regional power systems with complex inter-regional power flow exchange and limited energy resource development.Simultaneously,the calculation of the system cost lacks the perspective of the life cycle and ignores the inertia of the stock and change inertia of incremental disturbance.From the perspective of the life cycle,this study proposes a calculation model of power supply cost for regional power systems according to the carbon-peak target,analyzes the realization path of the carbon target from an economic perspective,and provides references for the path selection and policy formulation of system transformation.

The impacts of U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on the carbon emission space and mitigation cost of China, EU, and Japan under the constraints of the global carbon emission space

Based on the Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model and scenario analysis, the impacts of the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on the carbon emission space and mitigation cost in China, European Union (EU), and Japan are assessed under Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and 2
C scenarios due to the changed emission pathway of the U.S. The results show that, under the condition of constant global cumulative carbon emissions and a fixed burden-sharing scheme among countries, the failure of the U.S. to honor its NDC commitment to different degrees will increase the U.S. carbon emission space and decrease its mitigation cost. However, the carbon emission space of other parties, including China, EU, and Japan, will be reduced and their mitigation costs will be increased. In 2030, under the 2
C target, the carbon price will increase by 4.4e14.6 US$ t1 in China, by 9.7e35.4 US$ t1 in the EU, and by 16.0e53.5 US$ t1 in Japan. In addition, China, EU, and Japan will incur additional Gross Domestic Production (GDP) loss. Under the 2
C target, the GDP loss of China would increase by US$22.0e71.1 billion (equivalent to 16.4e53.1 US$ per capita), the EU's GDP loss would increase by US$9.4e32.1 billion (equivalent to 20.7e71.1 US$ per capita), and Japan's GDP loss will increase by US$4.1e13.5 billion (equivalent to 34.3e111.6 US$ per capita).

Daily rolling estimation of carbon emission cost of coal-fired units considering long-cycle interactive operation simulation of carbon-electricity market

The high overlap of participants in the carbon emissions trading and electricity markets couples the operations of the two markets.The carbon emission cost(CEC)of coal-fired units becomes part of the power generation cost through market coupling.The accuracy of CEC calculation affects the clearing capacity of coal-fired units in the electric power market.Study of carbon–electricity market interaction and CEC calculations is still in its initial stages.This study analyzes the impact of carbon emissions trading and compliance on the operation of the electric power market and defines the cost transmission mode between the carbon emissions trading and electric power markets.A long-period interactive operation simulation mechanism for the carbon–electricity market is established,and operation and trading models of the carbon emissions trading market and electric power market are established.A daily rolling estimation method for the CEC of coal-fired units is proposed,along with the CEC per unit electric quantity of the coal-fired units.The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method are verified through an example simulation,and the factors influencing the CEC are analyzed.

Effect of Carbon Price Floor on Levelised Cost of Gas-Fired Generation Technology in the UK

The UK government implements carbon price floor to provide long-term incentive to invest in low-carbon technology, thus, fossil-fuel power plants have to face increasing carbon price. This report addresses the effect of carbon price floor on levelised cost of gas-fired generation technology through the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) ap-proach with the estimation of carbon price floor. Finally, the comparison of levelised cost of electricity for all generation technology in the UK will be shown and discussed.

ZTE DSLAM Improves Operators' Carbon Footprint and Slashes Power Costs

ZTE Corporation (ZTE), a leading global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions, revealed on May 6, 2008 that its award winning Broadband Universal Access System could help operators make a major impact on their carbon footprint as well as save millions of dollars a year in power costs. ZTE’s DSLAM ZXDSL FSAP 9806H overreaches the European code of conduct on energy consumption for broadband equipment, offering a significant power consumption savings per port.

Capparis spinosa L waste activated carbon as an efficient adsorbent for crystal violet toxic dye removal: Modeling, optimization by experimental design, and ecological analysis

Textile dyes are dramatic sources of pollution and non-aesthetic disturbance of aquatic life and therefore represent a potential risk of bioaccumulation that can affect living species.It is imperative to reduce or eliminate these dyes from liquid effluents with innovative biomaterials and methods.Therefore,this research aims to highlight the performance of Capparis spinosa L waste-activated carbon(CSLW-AC)adsorbent to remove crystal violet(CV)from an aqueous solution.The mechanism of CV adsorption on CSLW-AC was evaluated based on the coupling of experimental data and different characterization techniques.The efficiency of the CSLW-AC material reflected by the equilibrium adsorption capacity of CV could reach more than 195.671 mg·g^(–1) when 0.5 g·L^(–1) of CSLW-AC(Particle size≤250μm)is introduced into the CV of initial concentration of 100 mg·L^(–1) at pH 6 and temperature 65℃ and in the presence of potassium ions after 60 min of contact time according to the one parameter at a time studies.The adsorption behavior of CV on CSLW-AC was found to be consistent with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Frumkin's linear isothermal model.The thermodynamic aspects indicate that the process is physical,spontaneous,and endothermic.The optimization of the process by the Box Behnken design of experiments resulted in an adsorption capacity approaching 183.544 mg·g^(–1)([CV]=100 mg·L^(–1) and[CSLW-AC]=0.5 g·L^(–1) at 35 min).The results of the Lactuca sativa seeds germination in treated CV(70%),adsorbent solvent and thermal regeneration(more than 5 cycles),and process cost analysis(1.0484 USD·L^(–1))tests are encouraging and promising for future exploitations of the CSLW-AC material in different industrial fields.

Simulation Modelling and Techno-Economics of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Recompression Closed Brayton Cycle

In recent years, there has been global interest in meeting targets relating to energy affordability and security while taking into account greenhouse gas emissions. This has heightened major interest in potential investigations into the use of supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) power cycles. Climate change mitigation is the ultimate driver for this increased interest;other relevant issues include the potential for high cycle efficiency and a circular economy. In this study, a 25 MWe recompression closed Brayton cycle (RCBC) has been assessed, and sCO2 has been proposed as the working fluid for the power plant. The methodology used in this research work comprises thermodynamic and techno-economic analysis for the prospective commercialization of this sCO2 power cycle. An evaluated estimation of capital expenditure, operational expenditure, and cost of electricity has been considered in this study. The ASPEN Plus simulation results have been compared with theoretical and mathematical calculations to assess the performance of the compressors, turbine, and heat exchangers. The results thus reveal that the cycle efficiency for this prospective sCO2 recompression closed Brayton cycle increases (39% - 53.6%) as the temperature progressively increases from 550˚C to 900˚C. Data from the Aspen simulation model was used to aid the cost function calculations to estimate the total capital investment cost of the plant. Also, the techno-economic results have shown less cost for purchasing equipment due to fewer components being required for the cycle configuration as compared to the conventional steam power plant.

A Mechanism for Digital Finance to Drive Green and Low-Carbon Development

Given the global focus on green and low-carbon development and the increasing prominence of digital finance,it is particularly important to explore how to leverage digital finance to achieve these environmental goals.This study,through mechanism analysis,deeply examines how China’s digital finance promotes green and low-carbon development and elucidates the positive interaction between digital finance and the green industry.The study found that digital finance,through more flexible and efficient financial functions,alters the cost structure of carbon emissions,and reduces the risks and costs of green investments,thereby creating a cooperative green mechanism benefiting all parties,and guiding social groups toward a green and low-carbon transformation.Additionally,the rapid development of digital finance has strengthened the implementation of environmental protection policies,effectively promoted the expansion of the environmental protection industry,and established the green ethos as a mainstream concept in financial development.This study aims to provide reference perspectives and suggestions,assist policymakers in promoting the green and lowcarbon development of digital finance,and offer insights into the integrated development of digital finance and the green environmental protection industry.

碳交易计划对低碳居住建筑经济影响研究

随着我国碳市场的全面开启,低碳居住建筑增量成本过高、资金回笼期太长的现况或将被打破。以北京市一栋居住建筑为例,利用机器学习、工程经济学等相关理论方法,运用PKPM软件建模进行碳排放计算,以静态投资回收期作为评价指标,分析碳交易计划对低碳居住建筑全生命周期的经济影响。结果表明:碳交易计划可为新建低碳居住建筑整体带来10.92%的额外收益,其中运行阶段碳收益占比7.03%。本研究可为房地产开发商开发房屋类型选择提供参考。

Opportunity Costs of Emissions Caused by Land-Use Changes

Amid the euphoria of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) and REDD+ discussions, the expectations of large financial gains raise the interest of all. A country, however, will only enjoy REDD benefits if the cost of REDD is lower than the benefit. The opportunity cost analysis is an effective tool for assessing the feasibility of REDD+ since the largest portion of costs associated with REDD+ and can help to identify fair compensation for those who change their land use. The opportunity cost analysis has been exercised in Tanjung Jabung Barat (Tanjabar) district-Indonesia to examine the economic-feasibility of carbon emission reduction under different type carbon price scenarios. This study reveals a sharp decline of land-use systems with high carbon-stock and low profitability is obvious. On mineral soil, low carbon-stock and high profitability (mostly oil palm) has increased rapidly, especially in the period 2000-2009. It has become the dominant land-use system. The low-to-medium carbon stock and medium profitability land-use category increased from 1990 to 2005 but declined from 2005 to 2009. The low carbon-stock and low profitability category was constant and the proportion of the area was below 15%. The ex-ante analysis in predicting the potential for future emissions reduction in Tanjabar through REDD+ approaches shows that the cumulative emission of Tanjabar in 2020 is estimated at 61.91 Mg CO2-eq/Ha.Year, while the reduced emission by excluding all land use conversion below $5 threshold is estimated at 51.71 Mg CO2-eq/Ha.Year. This means that there is a potential for 16% emission reduction using $5/ton CO2-eq incentive. Another important finding in this study is that if the price of carbon increases by double to $10, the amount of reduced emission does not change much. This can use as a basis for determining the right amount of incentive for trade-off between economic profitability and climate change mitigation effort in Tanjabar using REDD+ scheme both at seller and buyer perspectives.

An Eco-Friendly Approach for Reducing Carbon Emissions in Cloud Data Centers

Based on the Saudi Green initiative,which aims to improve the Kingdom’s environmental status and reduce the carbon emission of more than 278 million tons by 2030 along with a promising plan to achieve netzero carbon by 2060,NEOM city has been proposed to be the“Saudi hub”for green energy,since NEOM is estimated to generate up to 120 Gigawatts(GW)of renewable energy by 2030.Nevertheless,the Information and Communication Technology(ICT)sector is considered a key contributor to global energy consumption and carbon emissions.The data centers are estimated to consume about 13%of the overall global electricity demand by 2030.Thus,reducing the total carbon emissions of the ICT sector plays a vital factor in achieving the Saudi plan to minimize global carbon emissions.Therefore,this paper aims to propose an eco-friendly approach using a Mixed-Integer Linear Programming(MILP)model to reduce the carbon emissions associated with ICT infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.This approach considers the Saudi National Fiber Network(SNFN)as the backbone of Saudi Internet infrastructure.First,we compare two different scenarios of data center locations.The first scenario considers a traditional cloud data center located in Jeddah and Riyadh,whereas the second scenario considers NEOM as a potential cloud data center new location to take advantage of its green energy infrastructure.Then,we calculate the energy consumption and carbon emissions of cloud data centers and their associated energy costs.After that,we optimize the energy efficiency of different cloud data centers’locations(in the SNFN)to reduce the associated carbon emissions and energy costs.Simulation results show that the proposed approach can save up to 94%of the carbon emissions and 62%of the energy cost compared to the current cloud physical topology.These savings are achieved due to the shifting of cloud data centers from cities that have conventional energy sources to a city that has rich in renewable energy sources.Finally,we design a heuristic algorithm to verify the proposed approach,and it gives equivalent results to the MILP model.

Ensuring water security by utilizing roof-harvested rainwater and lake water treated with a low-cost integrated adsorption-filtration system

Drinking water is supplied through a centralized water supply system and may not be accessed by communities in rural areas of Malaysia.This study investigated the performance of a low-cost, self-prepared combined activated carbon and sand filtration(CACSF) system for roofharvested rainwater and lake water for potable use. Activated carbon was self-prepared using locally sourced coconut shell and was activated using commonly available salt rather than a high-tech procedure that requires a chemical reagent. The filtration chamber was comprised of local,readily available sand. The experiments were conducted with varying antecedent dry intervals(ADIs) of up to 15 d and lake water with varying initial chemical oxygen demand(COD) concentration. The CACSF system managed to produce effluents complying with the drinking water standards for the parameters p H, dissolved oxygen(DO), biochemical oxygen demand(BOD5), COD, total suspended solids(TSS), and ammonia nitrogen(NH_3-N). The CACSF system successfully decreased the population of Escherichia coli(E. coli) in the influents to less than 30 CFU/m L. Samples with a higher population of E. coli(that is, greater than 30 CFU/m L) did not show 100% removal. The system also showed high potential as an alternative for treated drinking water for roof-harvested rainwater and class II lake water.

The Analysis of Carbon Trade Economics and Its Policy Implication to Mitigate Climate Change in Tanzania

Tanzania is participating in the United Nations (UN) climate change mitigation strategy of reduction in Greenhouse Gases (GHGs). The strategy is implemented through both Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) and Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) initiatives. In implementing programmes, the country developed pilot projects whereby there are preliminary findings that can be used to analyse the progress of the establishments. This study uses the findings from these pilot areas to draw policy implications on how carbon trade in the country can be enhanced to meet the UN set objectives as required by the Kyoto protocol. The findings suggest that for the sustainable carbon trade enhancement the country needs to set the institutional environment for carbon trade right. Such undertakings are not costless and that the transaction costs that would be incurred for the process need to be institutionalised to reduce the private costs in the carbon market. Moreover the policy process should be informed that at the market level there are multiple objectives that should be understood to avoid what is termed as optimization in standard economic theory, instead there should be clear definition of the specific objectives for various stakeholders involved in the carbon trade. Besides, within the carbon market framework not all stakeholders incur the same costs since natural resource transactions involve externalities. These externalities need to be identified and internalised to equally distribute the costs and benefits among the stakeholders.

Research Electricity Production Costs and External Compensation Mechanism

China's power enterprises are mainly dominated by thermal power, thermal power is the key industry of coal consumption, so the thermal power enterprises have a fundamental influence on the environment, and how to not affect the vital interests of power enterprises under the condition of power plant to increase the strength of governance is to solve the current problem of letter. On the basis of various types of power generation enterprise environmental cost of thermal power, hydropower, wind power and nuclear power pollutant treatment cost were described, through the analysis of emission control scheme and the cost compensation of pollutants, environmental governance cost model, using a actual plant data, calculation of various pollutants compensation cost of thermal power plant, and according to the thermal power and wind power for quantitative comparison before and after compensation.