Permit markets,carbon prices and the creation of innovation clusters

Innovation clusters combining public and private effort to develop breakthrough technologies promise greater technological advances to slow down climate change. We use a multi-country model with an emission trading system to examine whether and how international climate policy can incentivize countries to create such innovation clusters. We find that a minimal carbon price is needed to attract applied research firms, but countries may nevertheless fail to invest in complementary research infrastructure. We construct a mechanism that leads to innovation clusters when emissions targets are set before uncertainty surrounding technological developments is resolved. It is a combination of low permit endowments for the country with the lowest costs to build the needed infrastructure, compensation for this country by profits from permit trade, and maximal possible permit endowments for the remaining countries. We outline how the EU-ETS can be further refined according to this mechanism.     

Natural resource accounting for Indian states — Illustrating the case of forest resources

Our main objective is to set out and apply a SEEA-based methodology to reflect the true value of forest resources in India's national and state accounts. We establish that a “top-down” approach using available national databases is both feasible and desirable from a policy perspective. In this paper, we address four components of value creation in forests: timber production, carbon storage, fuelwood usage, and the harvesting of non-timber forest products. The results of our analysis suggest that prevailing measures of national income in India underestimate the contribution of forests to income. The income accounts of the Northeastern states in particular are significantly understated by these traditional (GDP/GSDP) measures. We are also able to identify some states which performed poorly in the context of our sustainability framework, reflecting natural capital losses due to degradation and deforestation. Our results highlight the need to integrate natural resource accounting into the national accounting framework in order to generate appropriate signals for sustainable forest management and for the conservation of forest resources which are widely used by the poor in India, as well as being significant stores of national wealth.     

Impacts of an EC carbon/energy tax and deregulating thermal power supply on CO2, SO2 and NOx emissions

Emission of CO₂, SO₂ and NO_x are all closely linked to the burning of fossil fuels. Here we report on simulations done by linking a Sectoral European Energy Model (SEEM), covering energy demand in nine Western European countries, with the emission-transport-deposition model RAINS developed by IIASA. The study analyses emissions of CO₂, SO₂ and NO_x, deposition of sulphur and nitrogen and the extent of areas where the critical load for sulphur is exceeded in year 2000 under four different energy scenarios. Two different sets of future behavioural patterns for the thermal electric power production sector are considered. In one regime, called the plan-efficient regime, the sector is assumed to follow official plans with regard to investment in new capacity. In the other regime, called the cost-efficient regime, the thermal power sector is assumed to behave in a cost minimizing manner. The effects of the proposed EC carbon/energy tax are studied under both regimes, giving rise to altogether four scenarios.In both regimes the effect of the EC tax is to reduce emissions by between 6 and 10 per cent in year 2000 relative to the scenarios without the tax. A change of regime, from the regulated, plan-efficient regime to the market-based, cost-efficient regime, will, by itself, reduce emissions of CO₂ and NO_x by approximately 3 per cent, while SO₂ emissions are reduced by 13 per cent. The EC tax will reduce sulphur deposition by more than 5 per cent in the nine model countries under the plan-efficient regime. A change of regime further reduces the total deposition by 9 per cent. The area where depositions exceed the critical load is reduced by approximately 6 per cent in year 2000 by the tax in both regimes. Changing from the plan-efficient to the cost-efficient regime has a similar impact.Although the emission reductions due to the EC tax may seem modest, they are shown to have a sizeable effect on the technological abatement costs of reaching targets like those prescribed in the Sofia protocol on the stabilisation of NO_x emissions, and the Helsinki protocol on SO₂ emission reductions. This is part of what can be considered to be secondary benefits of the EC carbon/energy tax.     

碳纤维加固技术在实际工程中的应用

由于具有自重轻、强度高、工期短、造价低、施工简便等优点,碳纤维复合材料(CFRP)在建筑梁、板、柱、墙等的加固工程中得到广泛应用.文中在对长春市生物制品研究所制药车间因增加设备荷载进行评估的基础上,提出了采用碳纤维布加固技术对其而需对框架梁进行加宽加固,以满足该车间要求的使用功能的需要.其加固工艺可为同类型框架梁加固提供参考.     

区域一体化有利于减排吗？

将环境污染视作非期望产出,在一个拓展的增长收敛框架下讨论了区域一体化的环境效应及其理论机制。基于2003-2014年长三角城市群和珠三角城市群的数据,构建了一个测度区域一体化的新方法,运用工具变量法和双重差分法估计了跨省城市一体化和省内城市一体化对污染排放强度收敛的影响。实证结果显示:区域一体化显著促进了城市间污染排放强度的收敛并有利于减排,且近年来这种减排效应愈明显。污染排放强度呈现出条件收敛特征,经济增长收敛是污染排放收敛的重要原因。中国应利用好区域一体化促进地区协调发展和减排的双重政策红利,进一步促进区域一体化和同城化,大力发展城市群经济,构建城市间共生互利的发展格局,实现共同减排。     

Carbon taxes and the double dividend hypothesis in a recursive-dynamic CGE model for Spain

A carbon tax is potentially a policy that can reduce CO₂ emissions and mitigate climate risks, at lowest economy-wide costs. We develop a dynamic CGE model for Spain to assess the economic and environmental effects of a carbon tax, and test the double dividend (DD) hypothesis. We simulate the impact of three carbon taxes: €10, €20 and €30 per ton of CO₂. For each tax, four ‘revenue recycling’ scenarios are examined: a reduction of taxes on capital, on labor, on value-added tax, and a scenario in which revenues are not recycled. We find a DD for taxes of €10/ton and lower, within five to seven years of implementation. We estimate an annual CO₂ emissions reduction of around 10% with this tax. Under some circumstances, the DD can be achieved for a tax of €20/ton. In any case, recycling revenues to cut pre-existing taxes reduces costs of imposing carbon taxes.     

传统能源及碳交易价格与新能源股价——基于VAR和CAPM-GARCH模型的分析

文章构建VAR模型和CAPM-GARCH模型,分析检验了2010年7月初至2013年底期间传统能源和碳排放权交易价格对国内新能源上市公司股价波动的影响及新能源股票收益率的波动特点,研究发现:国内煤价对新能源公司股价有显著的正向影响,而国际油价的影响不显著;碳排放权交易价格也是引起新能源投资价值从而上市公司股价变动的重要因素;新能源公司股价指数对高科技股价指数并不敏感,反映出国内新能源上市公司科技含量不足,资本市场关注更多的是新能源的概念而非技术优势;国内新能源股票整体的系统风险在1.125~1.131之间,利好消息比利空消息能引起新能源股票收益率更大的波动。     

Does the locomotion technique matter in an immersive virtual store environment? – Comparing motion-tracked walking and instant teleportation

Immersive virtual reality shopping environments may use a variety of locomotion techniques. Currently the most prominent are instant teleportation and motion-tracked walking. Motion-tracked walking more closely mimics natural shopping behaviour as it allows a shopper to physically walk through the virtual store; however, it requires a larger space and has design and cost implications. Instant teleportation is likely to be cheaper and to enable larger store formats; yet it is unknown whether the choice of instant teleportation results in different in-store behaviour by shoppers. Our research examines whether instant teleportation provides a feasible design alternative to motion-tracked walking by determining whether it does result in altered shopper behaviour. Using a split sample experiment in a purpose-built immersive VR convenience store, we compare shoppers’ emotional states (engagement, excitement and stress, measured through electroencephalography), purchase behaviour metrics, and store coverage (represented by heat maps) between motion-tracked walking and instant teleportation locomotion techniques. Results demonstrate that the absence of physical walking had no impact on emotional states or the investigated shopping outcomes. While instant teleportation led to some skipped shelf sections, there was no impact observed on the number of unplanned purchases. To the extent that the naturalism of immersive VR relies on proprioceptive engagement or embodied cognition, this appears to be adequately supported by upper body movements that do not require physical walking. These findings provide fresh insights for the design of Virtual Reality shopping environments for market research or future online-retailing platforms.     

Risk regulation,community pressure and the use of management accounting in managing climate change risk: Australian evidence

This exploratory study is amongst the first to investigate how companies perceive the regulation of carbon emissions and the pressure exerted by the community in an environment characterised by risk and uncertainty. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among 39 executives who were directly involved in carbon emissions management in 18 large listed Australian companies. Consistent with Prospect Theory, we find that decision-makers are threat biased and are more likely to take immediate actions when climate change issues are framed as threats as opposed to opportunities. From the interview data, it is seen that managers use management accounting techniques as a risk management tool in mitigating risks associated climate change issues. Furthermore, this use of management accounting appears to be driven primarily by the protection of economic interests, regulatory pressure and reputational pressure. The study provides insights into how perceptions of climate change uncertainties and external pressure for disclosure of emissions information influence companies to use management accounting in managing climate change risk.     

Exploring the impact of the physical conditions of mannequin displays on mental simulation: An embodied cognition theory perspective

This study examines how mannequins' physical conditions of display height and distance are related to consumers’ shopping motivations in generating mental simulation resulting in purchase intention. A 2 × 2 x 2 between-subjects lab experiment (n = 249) was conducted to address this question. The results reveal a significant three-way interaction effect of display height, distance, and shopping motivation. Specifically, it is found that for those with a dominant hedonic shopping motivation, a mannequin displayed up high generates greater mental simulation than one displayed down low, but for those with a dominant utilitarian shopping motivation, a mannequin displayed high and close to consumers generates greater mental simulation than one displayed low and close to them. This study also reveals that mental simulation mediates the influence of the interaction effect of “display height x distance,” moderated by shopping motivation, on purchase intention. Important theoretical and practical implications for retail managers are discussed.