Asymmetric nexus between commercial policies and consumption‑based carbon emissions:new evidence from Pakistan

The current study extends the previous literature by exploring the effects of a newly discovered driver,i.e.,import taxes(as a proxy for commercial policies),on the consumption-based carbon emissions(CCO2e)for 1990Q1-2017Q4.For empirical analysis,several tests and methods,including Augmented Dickey–Fuller unit root test,Zivot–Andrews unit root test,asymmetric cointegration bound testing approach,non-linear ARDL,Wald-test,Granger causality test and wavelet quantile correlation(WQC)method are utilized.Furthermore,NARDL technique estimates reveal that contractionary commercial policy enhances the environmental quality by disrupting the detrimental effects of CCO2e.However,expansionary commercial policy escalates the environmental pollution by boosting the carbon emissions.Also,the exports and the renewable energy improve the ecological quality;however,GDP deteriorates the atmospheric quality by increasing the CCO2e.Besides,WQC method and the trivariate Granger causality test are deployed to confirm the robustness of the results.Based on the findings,some crucial policies are also recommended for sustainable and green development in Pakistan.

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.

Mechanically flexible reduced graphene oxide/carbon composite films for high-performance quasi-solid-state lithium-ion capacitors

Practical applications of diverse flexible wearable electronics require electrochemical energy storage(EES)devices with multiple configurations.Moreover,to fabricate flexible EES devices with high energy density and stability,organic integration from electrode design to device assembly is required.To address these challenges,a free-standing reduced graphene oxide(rGO)/carbon film with a unique sandwich structure has been designed via the assistance of vacuum-assistant filtration for lithium-ion capacitors(LICs).The graphene acts as not only a binder to construct a three-dimensional conductive network but also an active material to provide additional capacitive lithium storage sites,thus enabling fast ion/electron transport and improving the capacity.The designed rGO/hard carbon(rGO/HC)and rGO/activated carbon(rGO/AC)free-standing films exhibit enhanced specific capacities(513.7 mA h g^(-1)for rGO/HC and 102.8 mA h g^(-1)for rGO/AC)and excellent stability.Moreover,the integrated flexible quasi-solid-state rGO/AC//rGO/HC LIC devices possess a maximum energy density of 138.3 Wh kg^(-1),a high power density of 11 kW kg^(-1),and improved cycling performance(84.4%capacitance maintained after 10,000 cycles),superior to the AC//HC LIC(43.5%retention).Such a strategy enlightens the development of portable flexible LICs.

Survey on the Policy Evolution of China s Marine Carbon Sink and Carbon Trading Market

Climate change is currently the biggest environmental challenge facing sustainable development in human society,and it is an inherent requirement for achieving sustainable development by actively addressing climate change.Under the increasingly strict constraints of climate governance,developed countries such as the United States,European Union countries,and Japan have responded and actively formulated low-carbon development goals and policy measures that are in line with their national conditions.These policies mainly involve various fields such as low-carbon technology,energy conservation and emission reduction,and circular development,with clear policy guidance.In this paper,the evolution of policies on marine carbon sink and carbon trading in China is summarized,providing support for better understanding the background of formulating relevant international and domestic policies.

Survey on the Policy Evolution of the International Marine Carbon Sink and Carbon Trading Market

Climate change is currently the biggest environmental challenge facing sustainable development in human society,and an inherent requirement for achieving sustainable development is actively addressing climate change.Under the increasingly strict constraints of climate governance,developed countries such as the United States,European Union countries,and Japan have responded and actively formulated low-carbon development goals and policy measures that are in line with their national conditions.These policies mainly involve various fields such as low-carbon technology,energy conservation and emission reduction,and circular development,with clear policy guidance.In this paper,the evolution of policies on marine carbon sink and carbon trading in developed countries such as the United States and Europe is summarized,providing support for a better understanding of the background of international and domestic policy formulation.

Spatial emission reduction effects of China’s carbon emissions trading:quasi-natural experiments and policy spillovers

Insufficient assessment of emission reduction effects still exists in the carbon emission rights trading system,a major environmental regulation measure in China.Based on the data from the carbon trading pilot covering the years from 2007 to 2017,this study combined the synthetic control method with dynamic spatial Durbin model to comprehensively evaluate the spatial emission reduction effects of carbon trading policies.The results showed that:①The carbon trading policies promoted carbon emission reductions in the pilot regions,among which Tianjin and Hubei responded significantly,and also helped to suppress carbon emissions in the neighboring areas.②Long-term emission reduction effect from carbon emissions trading became gradually significant,while the indirect emission reduction effect was relatively weaker.③In term of reducing carbon emissions,the economic development channel played a key role,but it had a threat to the promotion of carbon emissions in the surrounding areas.Energy consumption was the main obstacle to the growth of carbon emissions.④In the long run,technological progress tended to become the key to the effective implementation of potential emission reduction effects of carbon trading policies.Based on the above findings,we suggest that the construction of a national carbon trading market should be promoted,the balanced development and orderly advancement of regional carbon trading markets should be paid attention to,the coordinated development of green economy as well as knowledge and technology exchange and cooperation among regions should be strengthened to form a low carbon development model among regions.

Self-reducing bifunctional Ni-W/SBA-15 catalyst for cellulose hydrogenolysis to low carbon polyols

A series of self-reducing bifunctional Ni-W/SBA-15 catalysts were synthesized using biomass-based carbon source as the reducing agent without conventional further reduction step. The self-reducing catalysts were performed on the hydrogenolysis of cellulose to low carbon polyols. The effects of calcination temperature and metallic loading contents for cellulose hydrogenolysis reaction were investigated detailedly.The optimal calcination temperature was found to be 673 K by TG analysis. The active metal nanoparticles with a better dispersion were observed using SEM and element mapping technology. The yield of low carbon polyols using the catalyst with the receipt of 10%Ni-15%W/SBA-15-673 K can reach as high as68.14%, of which the ethylene glycol(EG) accounts for 61.04%.

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.

A hefty target of reducing the intensity of carbon dioxide emissions

At the end of January, China formally handed over the report on pollution reduction targets to the United Nations.

Lightweight,Flexible Cellulose-Derived Carbon Aerogel@Reduced Graphene Oxide/PDMS Composites with Outstanding EMI Shielding Performances and Excellent Thermal Conductivities

In order to ensure the operational reliability and infor-mation security of sophisticated electronic components and to protect human health,efficient electromagnetic interference(EMI)shielding materials are required to attenuate electromagnetic wave energy.In this work,the cellulose solution is obtained by dissolving cotton through hydrogen bond driving self-assembly using sodium hydroxide(NaOH)/urea solution,and cellulose aerogels(CA)are prepared by gelation and freeze-drying.Then,the cellulose carbon aerogel@reduced graphene oxide aerogels(CCA@rGO)are prepared by vacuum impregnation,freeze-drying followed by thermal annealing,and finally,the CCA@rGO/polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS)EMI shielding composites are prepared by backfilling with PDMS.Owing to skin-core structure of CCA@rGO,the complete three-dimensional(3D)double-layer con-ductive network can be successfully constructed.When the loading of CCA@rGO is 3.05 wt%,CCA@rGO/PDMS EMI shielding composites have an excellent EMI shielding effectiveness(EMI SE)of 51 dB,which is 3.9 times higher than that of the co-blended CCA/rGO/PDMS EMI shielding composites(13 dB)with the same loading of fillers.At this time,the CCA@rGO/PDMS EMI shielding composites have excellent thermal stability(T_(HRI) of 178.3℃)and good thermal conductivity coefficient(λ of 0.65 W m^(-1) K^(-1)).Excellent comprehensive performance makes CCA@rGO/PDMS EMI shielding composites great prospect for applications in lightweight,flexible EMI shielding composites.

Enhanced cycle performance of Li/S battery with the reduced graphene oxide/activated carbon functional interlayer

The high-energy lithium/sulfur(Li/S) battery has become a very popular topic of research in recent years due to its high theoretical capacity of 1672 m Ah/g. However, the polysulfide shuttle effect remains of great concern with a great number of publications dedicated to its mitigation. In this contribution, a three-dimensional(3D) reduced graphene oxide/activated carbon(RGO/AC) film, synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method and convenient mechanical pressing, is sandwiched between the separator and the sulfur-based cathode, acting as a functional interlayer to capture and trap polysulfide species. Consequently, the Li/S cell with this interlayer shows an impressive initial discharge capacity of 1078 m Ah/g and a reversible capacity of 655 m Ah/g even after 100 cycles. The RGO/AC interlayer impedes the movement of polysulfide while providing unimpeded channels for lithium ion mass transfer. Therefore, the RGO/AC interlayer with a well-designed structure represents strong potential for high-performance Li/S batteries.

Toxicity of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes,Graphene Oxide,and Reduced Graphene Oxide to Zebrafish Embryos

Objective This study was aimed to investigate the toxic effects of 3 nanomaterials, i.e. multi-walled carbon nanotubes （MWCNTs）, graphene oxide （GO）, and reduced graphene oxide （RGO）, on zebrafish embryos. Methods The 2-h post-fertilization （hpf） zebrafish embryos were exposed to MWCNTs, GO, and RGO at different concentrations （1, 5, 10, 50, 100 mg/L） for 96 h. Afterwards, the effects of the 3 nanomateria on spontaneous movement, heart rate, hatching rate, length of larvae, mortality, and malformations Is were evaluated. Results Statistical analysis indicated that RGO significantly inhibited the hatching of zebrafish embryos. Furthermore, RGO and MWCNTs decreased the length of the hatched larvae at 96 hpf. No obvious morphological malformation or mortality was observed in the zebrafish embryos after exposure to the three nanomaterials. Conclusion MWCNTs, GO, and RGO were all toxic to zebrafish embryos to influence embryos hatching and larvae length. Although no obvious morphological malformation and mortality were observed in exposed zebrafish embryos, further studies on the toxicity of the three nanomaterials are still needed.

The impact analysis of policy events on China's carbon market

This paper interrogates the impact of policy events on the efficiency of carbon market in China.The analysis covers five piloting emission trading schemes(Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong,Shenzhen and Hubei), particularly focusing on Guangdong pilot for its weak form efficiency and the richness of policy events. Twenty-five policy events between 2014 and 2016 are categorized into seven groups. The efficiency test indicates that only Guangdong ETS has reached weak form efficiency. After exploring the policy events occurred in Guangdong ETS, it finds that although a clear long-term climate policy has been set up over the country, China's carbon market still has a conservative risk appetite and its governing institutions still needs further development. The policy makers need to be aware of and avoid the negative impacts of policy events to the market evolvement, by introducing effective consultancy process with the stakeholders and nurturing market expectations in the long run. We also find that events like allowance auctions have considerably less impacts than previously expected and argue that auction approach should be considered a preferable option over a free allocation system in the future policy design.

Pathway and policy analysis to China's deep decarbonization

The Paris Agreement marks the beginning of a new era in the global response to climate change, which further clarifies the long-term goal and underlines the urgency addressing climate change. For China,promoting the decoupling between economic growth and carbon emissions as soon as possible is not only the core task of achieving the medium-and long-term goals and strategies to address climate change, but also the inevitable requirement for ensuring the sustainable development of economy and society. Based on the analysis of the historical trends of the economy and social development, as well as society, energy consumption, and key end-use sectors in China, this paper studies the deep carbon emission reduction potential of carbon emission of in energy, industry, building, and transportation and other sectors with "bottom-up" modeling analysis and proposes a medium-and long-term deep decarbonization pathway based on key technologies' mitigation potentials for China. It is found that under deep decarbonization pathway, China will successfully realize the goals set in China's Intended Nationally Determined Contributions of achieving carbon emissions peak around 2030 and lowering carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product(GDP) by 60-65% from the 2005 level.From 2030 onward, the development of nonfossil energy will further accelerates, and the share of nonfossil energies in primary energy will amounts to about 44% by 2050. Combined with the acceleration of low-carbon transformation in end-use sectors including industry, building, and transportation, the carbon dioxide emissions in 2050 will fall to the level before 2005, and the carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP will decreases by more than 90% from the 2005 level. To ensure the realization of the deep decarbonization pathway, this paper puts forward policy recommendations from four perspectives, including intensifying the total carbon dioxide emissions cap and strengthening the related institutional systems and regulations, improving the incentive policies for industrial lowcarbon development, enhancing the role of the market mechanism, and advocating low-carbon life and consumption patterns.

Policy variables affecting marginal level of low carbon employment: an empirical study based on provincial data of China

Low Carbon Employment is an inevitable choice for the purpose of "energy saving and emission reduction" and "promoting employment". By Multi variable Linear Backward Regression method, this study presents an empirical analysis of the employment impact of policy variables indexes that involves economic pull, industry upgrading, population development, technical inputs and so on. The paper demonstrates that wide range of factors will affect low carbon employment, that industry upgrading will affect low carbon employment remarkably, that to increase years of people education will notably improve low carbon employment level of secondary vocational-technical labor, and that to raise technical inputs will significantly enhance college students' low carbon employment.

Optimization and Regulation Policy for Land Use Changes Based on Low-carbon Emission in Developed Regions of China

Land use and cover change(LUCC) is one of the important causes of the Earth’s carbon cycle imbalances resulting from failure in optimizing land use. The solution to this problem has been the hotspot of research in land and environmental science. We took 'low carbon', 'energy saving' and 'high-efficiency' as the goals of land use optimization,and integrated Markov-CA(Cellular Automaton),the Grid-Fractal model and GIS,in order to study carbon emission objective function,to establish a simulation method for land use spatial allocation optimization,to evaluate the effect of the method on carbon emissions. Regulation policy on three types of land use spatial allocation was proposed,including 'low-carbon type', 'low-carbon-economic type' and 'economic type'. We applied the method to analyze the land use spatial allocation in Taixing City of the 'Yangtze River Delta' regions in China,and obtained the following results:(i) The three optimization types would improve carbon emissions by 3. 21%,1. 80% and 0. 36% respectively in 2020,compared with 2010;(ii) The actual planning for 2020 was close to the 'low-carbon-economic type';(iii) The optimization method and regulation policy,combining local optimization and global control,could meet the sustainable multi-objective requirements for low-carbon constraints of land use spatial allocation. The result of this research could also serve as a reference for exploration into patterns of regional low-carbon land use and measures for energy saving and emission reduction.

A study on the design of a hybrid policy for carbon abatement

A necessary way to mitigate global warming is carbon reduction, which the international community is now actively promoting. China has committed a target goal for carbon reduction to the international society, and has devoted a great effort toward researching the impact of related policies. Carbon taxation and carbon trading are the two main mechanisms to advocate carbon abatement, which many countries have been using. Each of these two mechanisms possesses advantages and disadvantages, and an appropriate combination of them can make best use of their advantages while bypassing their disadvantages, creating a superior mechanism. In our opinion, the main differences between these two mechanisms are that carbon taxation has a lower institution cost(consisting of the related infrastructural investment and the regulation cost,etc), and is easier to operate, but lacks the flexibility in response to variations of market conditions. However, this flexibility is just the origin of risk, which increases the difficulty for firms in their decision of carbon abatement and is an indirect way to incentivize carbon abatement, compared to carbon trading, which has a more direct effect in carbon reduction. Based on the above observation, we present a hybrid mechanism of carbon abatement, which is an organized combination of carbon taxation and carbon trading. It consists of two parts: first, the carbon taxation, which has a progressive tax rate, second, the carbon trading. Small firms will only pay the carbon tax, while large firms, will first need to get the initial carbon emission quotas by some way, and then trade it in the carbon market if necessary. For firms with extra emissions,they will receive a punishment according to a high carbon tax rate. This hybrid policy considers the equity between different firms in carbon emission rights as well as the efficiency of the mechanism while decreasing the risk level for firms in the carbon emission decision, making it superior to the two previous policies. We also analyze the feasibility of this hybrid policy in China,address some important issues in the implementation of this hybrid policy in China and present the relevant suggestions. The discussion in this paper can serve as a reference to the government in the decision of carbon policies.

China Should Adopt Integration Policies to Reduce Energy Waste

China should pilot renewable energy integration policies similar to those adopted in Germany and Texas in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region to transmit excess energy and reduce wasted wind power.Renewable energy integration will be fundamental to China?s transition to a low-carbon economy.Although China now leads the world in terms