Asia & the Pacific

18 Items

A Chinese power plant.

CC-BY-SA-3.0

Journal Article - Nature

Reduced Carbon Emission Estimates from Fossil Fuel Combustion and Cement Production in China

    Authors:
  • Dabo Guan
  • Wei Wei
  • Steven J Davis
  • Philippe Ciais
  • Jin Bai
  • Shushi Peng
  • Qiang Zhang
  • Klaus Hubacek
  • Gregg Marland
  • Robert J. Andres
  • Douglas Crawford-Brown
  • Jintai Lin
  • Hongyan Zhao
  • Chaopeng Hong
  • Thomas A. Boden
  • Kuishuang Feng
  • Glen P. Peters
  • Fengming Xi
  • Junguo Liu
  • Yuan Li
  • Yu Zhao
  • Ning Zeng
  • Kebin He
| August 2015

The authors findings suggest that overestimation of China's emissions in 2000–2013 may be larger than China's estimated total forest sink in 1990–2007 or China's land carbon sink in 2000–2009.The revisions of the Chinese emissions are substantial enough that they may lead to adjustments in the Global Carbon Cycle.

Journal Article - Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

International Support for Feed-in Tariffs in Developing Countries—A Review and Analysis of Proposed Mechanisms

| November 2014

"Government support in the form of so-called feed-in tariff policies (FITs), which combine long-term, fixed-price electricity purchase agreements and guaranteed grid-access, has attracted large private-sector investments in sustainable electricity generation in the industrialized world. In an effort to replicate these experiences globally, a number of international organizations, NGOs, banks and donor countries are proposing mechanisms to cover part of the cost of FITs in developing countries. This paper reviews these proposals for supported FITs and then uses a case study of Thailand's Alternative Energy Development Plan 2013–2021 to investigate the opportunities and challenges of supporting FITs at a global scale."

Wind turbine visible above Nai Harn Beach, Phuket, Thailand, March 16, 2010.

ADwarf Photo

Journal Article - Journal of Cleaner Production

The Effect of Local and Global Learning on the Cost of Renewable Energy in Developing Countries

| In Press

High upfront costs are a critical barrier for investments in clean infrastructure technologies in developing countries. This paper uses a case study of Thailand's electricity sector to create realistic estimates for the relative contributions of local and global technological learning to reducing these cost in the future and discusses implications of such learnings for international climate policy.

Smokestack emitting pollution in Zhengzhou, China, 28 January 2012.

Flora-Victoria Photo

Journal Article - Environmental Science and Technology

Decoupling Analysis and Socioeconomic Drivers of Environmental Pressure in China

    Authors:
  • Sai Liang
  • Douglas Crawford-Brown
  • Yafei Wang
  • Ming Xu
| 2014

China's unprecedented change offers a unique opportunity for uncovering relationships between economic growth and environmental pressure. Here the authors show the trajectories of China's environmental pressure and reveal underlying socioeconomic drivers during 1992−2010. Mining and manufacturing industries are the main contributors to increasing environmental pressure from the producer perspective. Changes in urban household consumption, fixed capital formation, and exports are the main drivers from the consumer perspective....Environmental sustainability can only be achieved by timely technology innovation and changes of production structure and consumption pattern.

An industrial area, with a coal-fired power plant, on the Old Grand Canal of China, south of Yangzhou's downtown, Feb. 7, 2012. China's water-energy nexus is dominated by coal-fired power generation.

Vmenkov Photo

Journal Article - Environmental Science and Technology

Life Cycle Water Use of Energy Production and its Environmental Impacts in China

| December 17, 2013

The energy sector is a major user of fresh water resources in China. We investigate the life cycle water withdrawals, consumptive water use, and wastewater discharge of China's energy sectors and their water-consumption-related environmental impacts, using a mixed-unit multi-regional input-output (MRIO) model and life cycle impact assessment method (LCIA) based on the Eco-indicator 99 framework.

May 25, 2011: Sharan Pinto installs a solar panel antenna on a house roof in Nada, India. Across India, small companies and aid programs are bypassing the central electricity grid to deliver solar panels to the rural poor.

AP Photo

Journal Article - Energy Policy

Modern Energy Access to All in Rural India: An Integrated Implementation Strategy

| December 2011

Expanding energy access to the rural population of India presents a critical challenge for its government. The presence of 364 million people without access to electricity and 726 million who rely on biomass for cooking indicate both the failure of past policies and programs, and the need for a radical redesign of the current system. We propose an integrated implementation framework with recommendations for adopting business principles with innovative institutional, regulatory, financing and delivery mechanisms.

A Chinese worker recharges an electric taxi at an EV charging station in Beijing, China, Jan. 9, 2011.

AP Photo

Journal Article - Energy

Integrated Energy Strategy for the Sustainable Development of China

    Authors:
  • Linwei Ma
  • Pei Liu
  • Zheng Li
  • Weidou Ni
| February 2011

The authors of this article propose, summarize, and present strategic ideas as policy implications for China's decision-makers. In conclusion, they determine that China should enhance strategic planning and regulation from a life cycle viewpoint of the whole society, prioritize energy saving, continuously improve incumbent energy, and rationally develop alternative energy.

A man stands beside his house as smoke is seen billowing from a thermoelectric power plant in Changchun, China on April 12, 2010. China still faces challenges in the transition to a low-carbon economy and needs integrated solution systems.

AP Photo

Journal Article - China Environment Series

Advancing Carbon Capture and Sequestration in China: A Global Learning Laboratory

| 2010/2011

China's dependency on coal fuels the country's phenomenal economic growth but at a major cost to the country's air and water quality, ultimately threatening human health and the country's continued economic growth. The Chinese government's efforts to put China onto a cleaner, low carbon development path have been substantial; however China's pollution and greenhouse gas emissions continue to grow. In an attempt to develop its own advanced coal generation technologies to improve the country's air quality and energy efficiency, the Chinese government is investing heavily in gasification and other technologies that can be employed in carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) applications. This investment has turned China into a global laboratory for CCS pilot projects, attracting foreign governments, multilateral institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and business partners.

Australian PM John Howard opened the Asia-Pacific climate meeting, Jan.12, 2006, in Sydney, Australia. Ministers from Australia, the U.S., China, India, Korea, and Japan met to discuss the Asia-Pacific climate pact.

AP Photo

Journal Article - Climate Policy

Sectoral Approaches for a Post-2012 Climate Regime: A Taxonomy

| 2009

Sectoral approaches have been gaining currency in the international climate debate as a possible remedy to the shortfalls of the Kyoto Protocol. Proponents argue that a sector-based architecture can more easily invite the participation of developing countries, address competitiveness issues, and enable immediate emissions reductions. However, given the numerous proposals, much confusion remains as to what sectoral approaches actually are. This article provides a simple, yet comprehensive, taxonomy of the various proposals for sectoral approaches.