Illegal waste disposal: Enforcement actions and decentralized environmental policy

Environmental non-compliance is affected by the decentralized shaping of environmental policy by local governments and enforcement actions by public bodies. Illegal waste disposal is examined in a relevant national case, by means of an original regionally disaggregated panel dataset for Italy, a country which witnesses heterogeneous environmental performances across regions and a decentralized policy system. Our empirical analysis produces two main insights of strong policy interest. First, commitment to a more stringent waste policy tends to increase illegal disposal of waste. Second, a nonlinear bell shaped relationship exists between the number of inspections and the quantity of illegal disposal. The key message is that deterrence might only result after a relatively high level of controls is implemented.     

Environmental cost and eco-efficiency from vessel emissions in Las Palmas Port

This study presents external costs and eco-efficiency parameters associated to exhaust emissions in Las Palmas Port. Emission assessment is based on a vessel emissions inventory obtained from the full bottom-up Ship Traffic Emission Assessment Model and messages transmitted by the Automatic Identification System over 2011. External costs are estimated based on a top-down approach. Results are combined with port operations profiles resulting in eco-efficiency performance towards economic and environmental concerns in Las Palmas Port. Results could also support the valuation of instruments to abate emissions in crowded port-cities that as Las Palmas, host a large population of residents and visitors.     

An analysis of the greenhouse gas emissions profile of airlines flying the Australian international market

International commercial flights (with the exception of flights between countries in European Union including Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein) are currently not subject to greenhouse gas emission reduction regulation. To formulate effective and efficiency policy to manage greenhouse gas emissions from air transport, policy makers need to determine the emissions profiles of all airlines currently flying into their country or region. In this paper, we use 2012 data on airlines' aircraft characteristics, passenger load and cargo load (obtained from statistics reported by Australian Government Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics) to estimate the volume and carbon efficiency on each international route flying to and from Australia. This is the first study to use actual passenger and cargo load data to determine the greenhouse gas (specifically CO₂) efficiency of airlines operating in the Australian international aviation market. Airlines' CO₂ emission profile is dependent on many factors including but not limited to the aircraft used, payload, route taken, weather conditions. Our results reveal that the airlines’ CO₂ emission profile is not only dependent on the aircraft used and the number of passengers but also the amount of cargo on each flight.     

Reducing truck emissions at container terminals in a low carbon economy: Proposal of a queueing-based bi-objective model for optimizing truck arrival pattern

This study proposes a methodology to optimize truck arrival patterns to reduce emissions from idling truck engines at marine container terminals. A bi-objective model is developed minimizing both truck waiting times and truck arrival pattern change. The truck waiting time is estimated via a queueing network. Based on the waiting time, truck idling emissions are estimated. The proposed methodology is evaluated with a case study, where truck arrival rates vary over time. We propose a Genetic Algorithm based heuristic to solve the resulting problem. Result shows that, a small shift of truck arrivals can significantly reduce truck emissions, especially at the gate.     

The Trucking Sector Optimization Model: A tool for predicting carrier and shipper responses to policies aiming to reduce GHG emissions

In response to the growing Climate Change problem, governments around the world are seeking to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of trucking. The Trucking Sector Optimization (TSO) model is introduced as a tool for studying the decisions that shippers and carriers make throughout time (focusing on investments in Fuel Saving Technologies), and for evaluating their impact on life-cycle GHG emissions. A case study of fuel taxation in California is used to highlight the importance of (1) modeling the trucking sector comprehensively, (2) modeling the dynamics of the stock of vehicles, and (3) modeling different sources of emissions.     

桂林市星级宾馆中央空调节能减排调研——热泵技术应用可行性分析

本文从现代能源的应用及环境污染、现代暖通空调系统的节能与可持续发展、传统宾馆暖通空调系统及其存在问题三个方面出发,就地表水源热泵对水源系统的要求,通过对桂林市星级宾馆的气候、水资源条件的分析,确定该系统对桂林市星级宾馆的实用性,并对桂林市榕湖饭店应用地表水源热泵形态进行了实际调研。最后从空调负荷分析、初投资分析、系统运费分析、以及投资回收期分析四个方面对星级宾馆水源热泵应用推广的可行性分析。     

黑龙江省能源碳排放特征及影响因素分析

能源消费是碳排放的主要来源.随着黑龙江省经济的快速发展,能源消费的急剧增长以及以煤为主的能源结构在一定时间内很难改变,因此,碳排放量在短时间内很难下降.本文基于碳排放量的基本等式,采用因素分解法,定量分析了1978-2009 年间,能源结构、能源效率和经济发展等因素的变化对黑龙江省人均碳排放的影响.结果显示经济发展对拉...     

Do global CO2 emissions from fossil-fuel consumption exhibit long memory? a fractional-integration analysis

In this article we use an autoregressive fractionally integrated moving average approach to measure the degree of fractional integration of aggregate world CO₂ emissions and its five components – coal, oil, gas, cement, and gas flaring. We find that all variables are stationary and mean reverting, but exhibit long-term memory. Our results suggest that both coal and oil combustion emissions have the weakest degree of long-range dependence, while emissions from gas and gas flaring have the strongest. With evidence of long memory, we conclude that transitory policy shocks are likely to have long-lasting effects, but not permanent effects. Accordingly, permanent effects on CO₂ emissions require a more permanent policy stance. In this context, if one were to rely only on testing for stationarity and non-stationarity, one would likely conclude in favour of non-stationarity, and therefore that even transitory policy shocks have permanent effects. Our fractional-integration analysis highlights that this is not the case.     

环境污染、能源消费与经济增长

在控制了资本和劳动力变量的基础上,构建了多变量VAR模型,考察了1989—2009中国及分区域在环境污染、能源消费和经济增长之间的动态因果关系。结果表明：对全国来说,分别存在从环境污染到经济增长、从环境污染到能源消费以及从能源消费到经济增长的三个单向因果关系。分区域看,东部沿海地区存在从经济增长到能源消费和从环境污染到能源消费的单向因果关系,环境污染和人均实际GDP之间不存在因果关系;中部地区存在从能源消费到经济增长的单向因果关系,环境污染和经济增长之间以及环境污染和能源消费之间存在双向因果关系;西部地区显示能源消费与经济增长之间不存在因果关系,但存在环境污染和能源消费的双向因果关系和从经济增长到环境污染的单向因果关系。此外,实证结果表明能源消费与经济增长关系的假说一中性假说、增长性假说和保护性假说在东部、中部和西部地区依次成立,即支持了本文所构建的基于EKC的环境污染、能源消费与经济增长分析框架。     

区域产业集群碳排放弹性分析与路径选择的实证研究--以山东省石化产业集群为例

文章结合产业集群与弹性脱钩理论,建立区域产业集群碳排放弹性分析的脱钩模型,以山东省石化产业集群为例对其产业减排脱钩弹性、能耗脱钩弹性、集群脱钩弹性、政策导向脱钩弹性分别进行计算与评价,并结合评价结果对山东省石化产业集群的低碳化路径提出建议。结果表明：近些年山东省石化产业集群的产业减排弹性呈现增长连接状态,CO2排放量增长较快,产业能耗弹性保持在负脱钩状态,生产效率较高;石化产业GDP的快速增加没有促进石化产业集群的进一步发展;政府应从构建低碳产业链、加强产业集群低碳化改造、由工业园向低碳产业园转型、加大政策导向等方面促进山东省石化产业集群的低碳化发展。