Analyzing the dynamic effect of energy endowment-demand distortion on sustainable development: Insights from China's regional disparity.

The distribution of China's energy resources is concentrated in the central and western regions, whereas the energy demand is predominantly centered in the eastern regions. Under the ambitious "carbon neutrality" goal, how to effectively quantify and respond to the impact of this energy "endowment-demand" distortion (EEDD) on economy and environment has become a key issue. We introduce an EEDD index that quantifies the distortion characteristics of China's energy endowment and demand. Based on the EEDD index, a panel vector auto regression-generalized method of moments (PVAR-GMM) model is adopted to assess the interactive effects between regional EEDD and sustainable development variables. The obtained results indicate that the energy endowment-demand distortions are progressively worsening across most provinces. Interestingly, we discover that the EEDD has significant beneficial effects on regional sustainable development. Moreover, the EEDD is found to be significantly influenced by the sustainability-related variables. These impacts between EEDD and sustainable development variables demonstrate significant regional heterogeneity. This study provides crucial empirical evidence for advancing the comprehensive and sustainable development of regional energy, environment, and economy.

Can the cancellation of government subsidies alleviate the phenomenon of overcapacity in the photovoltaic module industry? From a dynamic perspective.

The environmental pollution problem stimulates the photovoltaic industry's vigorous development and further promotes the prosperity of the module manufacturing industry. After the cancellation of government subsidies, how the phenomenon of overcapacity that has always existed in the module manufacturing industry will develop is one of the essential issues that we need to consider. This paper constructs a systematic framework to analyze the driving mechanism of government subsidies on overcapacity. Then, a system dynamics model is established to predict the development trend of overcapacity after the cancellation of government subsidies. The result shows that: (i) By 2030, the production capacity will exceed 600 GW in China's photovoltaic module industry, which is about two times that of 2021. Moreover, its price and cost will drop to 0.46 yuan/W and 0.41 yuan/W, which are down 67% and 60%, respectively, compared to 2021; (ii) After the cancellation of government subsidies, the phenomenon of overcapacity will not disappear soon, and it will continue until 2030. In 2030, the production capacity utilization rate will reach 80%, and the phenomenon of overcapacity will disappear; (iii) From the perspective of production factors, the impact of the labor factor on the production capacity is minimal. In the initial stage, technology and capital factors are vital. As the industry matures, the influence of the capital factor will gradually weaken. Finally, we have put forward corresponding policy implications.

Does air pollution inhibit manufacturing productivity in Yangtze River Delta, China? Moderating effects of temperature.

China has been experiencing serious and recurrent incidences of air pollution in recent years. The frequency and timespans of such incidences are uncertain because of variable urban weather conditions, especially temperature, that inhibit the productivity of manufacturing companies. Matching data about listed manufacturing companies in China's Yangtze River Delta urban cluster from 2003 to 2018 with data on urban air pollution and weather, we explored the effects of air pollution on corporate productivity and the moderating role of temperature. We found that air pollution significantly inhibited the productivity of these companies, which decreased by about 0.1% for 1% increase in the concentration of PM2.5. Regarding industry heterogeneity, high-energy-consumption and low-technology manufacturing industries were more sensitive to the negative effects of air pollution. Furthermore, we concluded that low temperatures played an important role in causing significant increases in the negative effects of air pollution. In the fall and winter (October to January), the lower the temperatures resulted in stronger inhibitory effects of air pollution on corporate productivity. When the average daily temperature is 0°C-3°C, the moderating effects of temperature are even more obvious. To minimize the inhibitory effects of air pollution on productivity, governments and companies should implement positive adaptions to simultaneously confront air pollution and temperature change.

Carbon emission reduction characteristics for China's manufacturing firms: Implications for formulating carbon policies.

The rapid development of China's manufacturing industry since China's accession to WTO in 2001 has dramatically increased China's carbon emissions. To inform the carbon policy development of China's manufacturing industry, this study constructed a DEA-GS (data envelopment analysis and grid search) model from a cost perspective to understand the their emission reduction characteristics. Using a large sample of manufacturing firms from 2008 to 2011, the carbon pricing and reduction potential of China's manufacturing firms was explored by analyzing the firms' marginal abatement costs. The results showed that: (a) with increasing marginal abatement costs, the growth rates of both cumulative emission reduction activities and emission reduction of these firms gradually slowed down. When the marginal abatement cost exceeds 200 Yuan/ton, neither the number of reduction activities nor the amount of reduced emissions increase. (b) The impact of marginal abatement costs on the numbers of reduction activities and firms in each sub-sector is heterogeneous. (c) The emission reduction behaviors of manufacturting firms, determined by carbon pricing, are mostly concentrated in developed areas or around large cities. In contrast, areas with substantial emission reductions are more scattered. The results suggest that The emission reduction characteristics of sub-sectors should be fully considered when formulating carbon policies for China's manufacturing industry. The carbon price for the China's manufacturing industry should not exceed 200 Yuan/ton. Furthermore, the carbon policy of China's manufacturing industry should have broader coverage, rather than merely covering developed areas.

Measuring Carbon Market Transaction Efficiency in the Power Industry: An Entropy-Weighted TOPSIS Approach.

Carbon emission control is an urgent environmental issue that governments are paying increasing attention to. Improving carbon market transaction efficiency in the context of China's power industry is important for green growth, low carbon transmission, and the realization of sustainable development goals. We used the entropy-weighted Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method in this empirical study to analyze the carbon market transaction efficiency of China's power industry. The results showed that the Beijing carbon market has the highest transaction efficiency, followed by those of Guangdong Province and Shenzhen City. Hubei Province also has a relatively high carbon market transaction volume and turnover; its transaction efficiency ranks fourth. Shanghai, Tianjin, and Chongqing are the lowest-ranked regions, having carbon markets with relatively low trading volume and turnover. We, therefore, recommend that to develop a unified national carbon market, governmental agencies at all levels should equitably allocate carbon; strict regulations and penalties are also needed.

Would an increasing block carbon tax be better? A comparative study within the Stackelberg Game framework.

Carbon tax is a policy for controlling carbon emissions, and is widely used worldwide. However, a non-differentiated carbon tax increases financial burden on manufacturers and inhibits their willingness to produce. Herein, a novel carbon tax policy involving an increasing block carbon tax is proposed, and the policy's possible implementation effects are analyzed. First, based on the Stackelberg game, the study constructs a social welfare model considering carbon emissions. Then, the study discusses the theoretical characteristics of the proposed carbon tax policy. After that, the differences and similarities between a flat carbon tax and an increasing block carbon tax are analyzed using a numerical simulation. The results indicate that: (1) compared to flat carbon tax, an increasing block carbon tax has the same controlling effect on carbon emissions. Both forms of taxes can restrict total carbon emissions within the desired range. (2) An increasing block carbon tax policy can significantly reduce tax burdens for manufacturers, and encourages low-carbon production. (3) An increasing block carbon tax can flexibly adjust the relationship between government's carbon tax revenue and manufacturer's tax burden. Finally, some policy implications for the proposed strategy are revealed.

Effects of a generalized dual-credit system on green technology investments and pricing decisions in a supply chain.

China recently implemented a corporate average fuel consumption regulation and new-energy vehicle credit program (dual-credit system) to prompt the transition to new-energy vehicles. This study generalizes the dual-credit system (energy credit and green credit) and investigates its effects on the green technology investments (GTI) and pricing decisions in a two-echelon supply chain consisting of three possible scenarios, Case O (conventional product only), Case B (both conventional and green products), and Case G (green product only). The obtained results show that the GTI made by manufacturers follow high threshold and low threshold. The generalized dual-credit system increases both thresholds and promotes the transition from Case O to Case B and Case B to Case G. The transition is sensitive to standard energy consumption per-unit (SECP), green credit quota (GCQ), and price of green credit (PGC). The generalized dual-credit system benefits the manufacturers who exceed the low threshold, vice versa, especially for whose conventional product with lower initial energy consumption per unit. The generalized dual-credit system contributes to GTI and environment effects in all cases. But, the impacts on GTI, environment effects, and profit differ in sensitivity to SECP, GCQ, and PGC in different cases. Numerical simulation is given and all the proofs are shown in appendix.

Industrial SO2 emissions treatment in China: A temporal-spatial whole process decomposition analysis.

Effectively treating industrial SO2 emissions depends on the synergy of different factors from the industrial SO2 generation source to the end of treatment. Applying a whole process treatment perspective, this paper decomposes industrial SO2 emissions into six specific driving factors in three whole process treatment dimensions (i.e. source prevention, process control, and end-of-pipe treatment), and economic scale. A temporal index decomposition analysis (Temporal-IDA), attribution analysis (AA), and spatial index decomposition analysis (Spatial-IDA) methods are then applied to quantify each dimension's treatment effect and its spatial differences. The empirical study across 30 regions in China using data from 2005 to 2015 shows that: (1) The end-of-pipe treatment is the dominant dimension for decreasing industrial SO2 emissions, followed by process control. The contribution of source prevention to reduce industrial SO2 emissions has begun to appear, however, there remains room for further improvement; (2) End-of-pipe treatment strength and energy intensity are key factors in reducing industrial SO2 emissions; Inner Mongolia, Henan, and Shandong are the main contributors; (3) The treatment emphasis are different among regions; as such, there are different treatment effects across the three dimensions of the whole process treatment. Regions can be classified into four categories: the Leading type, Process-dependent type, End-dependent type, and Lagging type. Based on the empirical results, this paper identifies the policy implications of promoting whole process treatment on China's industrial SO2 emissions.

Assessing the environmental externalities for biomass- and coal-fired electricity generation in China: A supply chain perspective.

Biomass power in China is usually regarded as less economically competitive than coal power, partially because the external costs of power generation technologies' effects on human health and the environment are always neglected. To understand the real economic performance of biomass- and coal-fired power in China, a hybrid life cycle inventory modeling approach was developed to estimate the fuel-to-electricity environmental emissions and complete (direct and external) economic costs of the two fuel options. The results show that the direct economic cost of biomass power is 0.44 Chinese yuan (CNY) per kilowatt-hour, about 25%-37% higher than that of coal power. However, because of the significant emissions of greenhouse gas and PM2.5 pollutants during power generation, the external cost of coal-fired power is estimated at 0.17 CNY/kWh on average, substantially higher than that of biomass power (0.06 CNY/kWh). Thus, the economic situations of biomass power reverse when environmental externalities are considered. Specially, wood residue-fired electricity has the lowest complete economic cost (0.48 CNY/kWh), approximately 2%-14% less than that of coal power. Therefore, a reasonable and comprehensive cost accounting mechanism is crucial for the development of the biomass power sector in China. Additionally, win-win policies could be developed to improve the environmental and economic performance of the country's power generation industry.

Structural Changes in Provincial Emission Transfers within China.

Chinese provinces ultimately implement China's national climate policies. In the 2000s, there were unbalanced emission transfers (emissions produced in one region but consumed in other regions) between China's well- and less-developed regions, mainly related to demand in the well-developed eastern provinces. In the past decade, the plateau in China's exported emissions and changes in its industrial structure suggest that the features of the provincial emission transfers could have changed. We construct a Chinese provincial multiyear, multisector model (multi-regional input-output model) to investigate the structural changes in China's provincial emission transfers from 2002 to 2012. We find that from 2007 to 2012, the international-export-associated emission transfers driven by eastern provinces decreased by 17% after the 262% increase in 2002-07, while investment dominated 99% of the increase in emission transfers. At the sector level, emissions caused by construction in the east and west, and technology-intensive manufacturing in the center that largely related to investment were the major components of the increasing emission transfers in 2007-12, accounting for 23%, 21%, and 10% of the increase, respectively. Our findings indicate that attention should be given to committed emissions from investment and the interaction between non-uniform provincial climate policies and economic relationships between provinces.

Additional four species of Tatraea (Leotiomycetes, Helotiales) in Yunnan Province, China.

During the investigations of discomycetes in Yunnan, China, five species of Tatraea were discovered on decayed, decorticated oak trees or unidentified wood. All species have typical disc-like, large fruiting bodies with grey, brown or greyish-green colors. The ITS sequence analysis showed that they belong to Tatraea (Helotiaceae, Helotiales) and the LSU and ITS combination revealed a different topology within the genus. Four species, T.clepsydriformis, T.griseoturcoisina, T.yunnanensis and T.yuxiensis were established as new species, and T.aseptata was collected and described on oak woods. The pairwise homoplasy index (PHI) test results indicated that there is no significant genetic recombination (Φw = 1.0) between all related species pairs. All the species described here are supported by descriptions, illustrations and multi-gene analyses.

Three novel species of Aquapteridospora (Distoseptisporales, Aquapteridosporaceae) from freshwater habitats in Tibetan Plateau, China.

During an investigation of lignicolous freshwater fungi in the Tibetan Plateau, three Aquapteridospora taxa were collected from freshwater habitats in Xizang, China. The new species possess polyblastic, sympodial, denticles conidiogenous cells and fusiform, septate, with or without sheath conidial, that fit within the generic concept of Aquapteridospora, and multi-gene phylogeny placed these species within Aquapteridospora. Detailed morphological observations clearly demarcate three of these from extant species and are hence described as new taxa. The multi-gene phylogeny of the combined LSU, TEF1-α, and ITS sequence data to infer phylogenetic relationships and discuss phylogenetic affinities with morphologically similar species. Based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses, three new species viz. A.linzhiensis, A.yadongensis, and A.submersa are introduced. Details of asexual morphs are described, and justifications for establishing these new species are also provided in this study.

[Proteome analysis of potato drought resistance variety in Ninglang 182 leaves under drough stress].

It is utmost important to cultivate potato variety with drought resistance to reduce arid loss by research progress on potato drought resistance molecular mechanism. A comparative study with differences in protein group analysis of potato drought resistance variety in Ninglang 182 leaves was carried out by using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis during drought and normal processing conditions.There were 12 differentially expressed protein spots identified by Electro-phoresis and MALDI-TOF-TOF/MS analysis. The function classification of these proteins results that the potato varieties to drought tolerance could be improved through the protection of photosynthesis and mitochondria, regulation of the signal transduction induced under environmental stress and regulation of plant tissue N and C transport system, these proteins expression were increased under drought.The results showed that these proteins are the drought resistance associated proteins of potato variety in Ninglang 182.This study provided a theoretical basis of the molecular mechanism of improving drought tolerance in order to expound the potato drought resistance variety through multiple paths and the level regulation.

The underlying drivers of energy efficiency: a spatial econometric analysis.

It is theoretical and practical to investigate the causes and effects of energy efficiency. However, few empirical studies have been conducted to examine the potential underlying drivers of energy efficiency from a spatial perspective. In light of this, we combined the data envelopment analysis and spatial econometric analysis to explore the driving factors of energy efficiency. The results show that China's energy efficiency shows significant characteristics of regional disparity and spatial agglomeration; that is, high energy efficiency has presented a benefit agglomeration, while low energy efficiency has presented a disadvantage agglomeration. The empirical results indicate that technological progress, trade openness, and foreign direct investment have effectively improved energy efficiency, while energy structure and industrial structure adversely affect energy efficiency. Furthermore, technological progress, trade openness, energy structure, foreign direct investment, and industrial structure exert different influences on energy efficiency, but their potential underlying mechanisms vary essentially across regions. Thus, using a spatial econometric model allowing for spatial dependence in analyzing drivers of energy efficiency is urgent and necessary for promulgating energy policies.

The impact of marketed on-grid price on China's photovoltaic industry under the background of carbon neutrality.

The advancement of electricity market reform highlights the need for China's photovoltaic (PV) industry to enter the stage of market competition. Under the carbon neutrality, what impacts electricity market reform has on China's PV industry is an important issue that needs to be considered. This paper analyzes the driving mechanism of the marketed on-grid price and constructs a system framework for the internal connection within the PV industry under the background of carbon neutrality. Then, two system dynamics (SD) models are built to perform the numerical simulation and analyze the evolution process. The results indicate that during the market competition stage, (i) the on-grid price will be stable at about 0.07 yuan/kWh by 2060; (ii) China's PV industry will go through three stages in the future: the first stage is the "rush to install" period for carbon peaking before 2030, followed by the "sluggish installation" period from 2030 to 2038. The third stage is the outbreak period of "PV + multi-scenarios."; (iii) under three scenarios by 2060, the proportion of PV power generation will account for 46%, 39%, and 32%, respectively, which are higher than those under the benchmark on-grid price; (iv) it is necessary for the government and enterprises to continue increasing support for research and development (R&D). Finally, we put forward corresponding policy recommendations.

How does functional division within urban agglomeration affect CO2 emissions? An empirical study.

With intensified urbanization, cities are becoming increasingly important units for addressing air pollution issues. From the perspective of urban agglomeration (UA), in this paper, the influence of functional division on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is studied. To explore the spillover effect within UA, a spatial Durbin model is built. The mediating effects of economic growth, industrial structure, and technological progress are examined using the parallel multiple mediation model. An empirical study is carried out on the Yangtze River Delta in China. The results suggest that: at the UA level, functional division and CO2 emissions follows a positive "U-shaped" curve relationship. The level of functional division is located on the left side of this curve. This implies that when the functional division of the Yangtze River Delta improves, current CO2 emission levels will decrease. Within the UA, improving the level of functional division will minimize CO2 emissions of adjacent cities, exerting a significant spillover effect. Functional division imposes a significantly negative influence on CO2 emissions. Moreover, economic growth, industrial structure, and technological progress all exert a significant mediating effect on the influencing mechanism. Functional division within the UA can also significantly reduce CO2 by optimizing these three paths.

Taxonomy and Phylogeny of Hyphomycetous Muriform Conidial Taxa from the Tibetan Plateau, China.

During the investigation of lignicolous freshwater fungi in the Tibetan Plateau habitat, fifteen collections were isolated from submerged decaying wood. Fungal characteristics are commonly found as punctiform or powdery colonies with dark pigmented and muriform conidia. Multigene phylogenetic analyses of combined ITS, LSU, SSU and TEF DNA sequences showed that they belong to three families in Pleosporales. Among them, Paramonodictys dispersa, Pleopunctum megalosporum, Pl. multicellularum and Pl. rotundatum are established as new species. Paradictyoarthrinium hydei, Pleopunctum ellipsoideum and Pl. pseudoellipsoideum are reported as new records on the freshwater habitats in Tibetan Plateau, China. The morphological descriptions and illustrations of the new collections are provided.

Analyzing China's provincial environmental emissions and its influencing factors: a spatial analysis.

In-depth analyses of the spatial heterogeneity in environmental emissions and the causes of differences are of great importance to provide a reference for reduction policies. However, a spatial analysis of the specific mechanisms of China's environmental emissions is rarely scarce. Using the province-level data of 30 provinces in China over 2005-2017, this paper constructs a spatial Durbin model (SDM) to empirically address the existence and spatial mechanisms of environmental emissions. The results show that: first, China's environmental emissions show significant characteristics of spatial dependence and clustering from global and local perspectives, indicating the existence of spatial autocorrelation in environmental emissions across regions. Second, both per capita GDP and urbanization have positive impacts on environmental emissions, but the impact of environmental regulation is not significant. Third, urbanization not only directly influences environmental emissions, but also indirectly influences environmental emissions. These analyses provide comprehensive policy implications for government and policymakers to promote environmental quality.

How does the photovoltaic industry contribute to China's carbon neutrality goal? Analysis of a system dynamics simulation.

As the world's largest carbon emitter, China has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, and photovoltaics (PV) is considered a primary approach for achieving this. However, few studies have considered the dynamic impact of the life cycle of the PV industry on carbon emissions under the goal of carbon neutrality. Thus, we assumed different carbon neutral scenarios to assess the impact of China's PV industry on carbon emissions and carbon neutrality. This is done using a system dynamics model and a Weibull function model. The result shows that the PV industry emitted more CO2 than it reduced before 2018, meaning that the total carbon emission reductions from China's PV industry were negative. To reach carbon neutrality, under the benchmark scenario (where electricity generated by PV accounts for 40% of total electricity), beginning in 2030, there are more than 10 GW of waste PV modules per year and recycling scrap could reduce 55 million tons (Mt) CO2 at a 90% recycling rate by 2060. The PV industry could reduce emissions by 1300 Mt CO2 by 2030, with a cumulative reduction of 7260 Mt. By 2060, PV operating modules could reach 6000 GW, with annual emission reductions of 5430 Mt. This would represent the contribution of PV power generation to the zero carbon emissions of China's electricity is 36.8% and the contribution to the carbon neutrality of society is 14.7%.

The impact of semi-urbanization on carbon emissions: a spatial econometric perspective.

Whether semi-urbanization can effectively help reduce carbon emissions has become increasingly attractive to scholars and policymakers. To the knowledge of the authors, there are no empirical studies that were conducted to explore the impact of semi-urbanization on carbon emissions from a spatial perspective. By employing panel data for the years between 2000 and 2014 of 30 Chinese provinces, this paper examines the relationship between semi-urbanization and carbon emissions by using a spatial regression method. Also, the spatial transmission mechanisms between semi-urbanization and carbon emissions are analyzed. Empirical results indicate a positive spatial spillover effect on carbon emissions across various regions. Simultaneously, we find that semi-urbanization not only facilitates emission reduction in a particular region, but also significantly reduces the carbon emissions in surrounding regions, ultimately implying a significant and negative total effect. Moreover, semi-urbanization has decreased carbon emissions, that is, for every 1% increase in semi-urbanization, the carbon emissions will decrease by 0.803%. Furthermore, semi-urbanization, industrial structure, technological progress, human capital, and energy consumption show spillover impacts on carbon emissions, yet their impact mechanisms vary substantially across various regions. Based on these findings, we suggest several related policy implications for mitigating carbon emissions and promoting semi-urbanization in China.