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Abstract Background Estimates indicate that household air pollution caused by solid fuel burning accounted for about 1.03 million premature mortalities in China in 2016. In the country’s rural areas, more than half the population still relies on biomass fuels and coals for cooking and heating. Understanding the health impact of indoor air pollution and socioeconomic indicators is essential for the country to improve its developmental targets. We aimed to describe demographic and socioeconomic characteristics associated with solid fuel users in a rural area in China. We also estimated the risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in association with solid fuel use and described the relationship between solid fuel use, socioeconomic status and mortality. We also measured the risk of long-term use, and the effect of ameliorative action, on mortality caused by cardiovascular disease and other causes. Methods We used the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) site in Pengzhou, Sichuan, China. We followed a cohort of 55 687 people over 2004–13. We calculated the mean and standard deviation among subgroups classified by fuel use types: gas, coal, wood and electricity (central heating additionally for heating). We tested the mediation effect using the stepwise method and Sobel test. We used Cox proportional models to estimate the risk of incidences of cardiovascular disease and mortality with survival days as the time scale, adjusted for age, gender, socioeconomic status, physical measurements, lifestyle, stove ventilation and fuel type used for other purposes. The survival days were defined as the follow-up days from the baseline survey till the date of death or 31 December 2013 if right-censored. We also calculated the absolute mortality rate difference (ARD) between the exposure group and the reference group. Results The study population had an average age of 51.0, and 61.9% of the individuals were female; 64.8% participants (n = 35 543) cooked regularly and 25.4% participants (n = 13 921) needed winter heating. With clean fuel users as the reference group, participant households that used solid fuel for cooking or heating both had a higher risk of all-cause mortality: hazard ratio (HR) for: cooking, 1.11 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02, 1.26]; heating, 1.34 (95% CI 1.16, 1.54). Solid fuel used for winter heating was associated with a higher risk of mortality caused by cerebrovascular disease: HR 1.64 (95% CI 1.12, 2.40); stroke: HR 1.70 (95% CI 1.13, 2.56); and cardiovascular disease: HR 1.49 (95% CI 1.10, 2.02). Low income and poor education level had a significant correlation with solid fuel used for cooking: odds ratio (OR) for income: 2.27 (95% CI 2.14, 2.41); education: 2.34 (95% CI 2.18, 2.53); and for heating: income: 2.69 (95% CI 2.46, 2.97); education: 2.05 (95% CI 1.88, 2.26), which may be potential mediators bridging the effects of socioeconomic status factors on cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. Solid fuel used for cooking and heating accounted for 42.4% and 81.1% of the effect of poor education and 55.2% and 76.0% of the effect of low income on all-cause mortality, respectively. The risk of all-cause mortality could be ameliorated by stopping regularly cooking and heating using solid fuel or switching from solid fuel to clean fuels: HR for cooking: 0.90 (95% CI 0.84, 0.96); heating: 0.76 (95% CI 0.64, 0.92). Conclusions Our study reinforces the evidence of an association between solid fuel use and risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. We also assessed the effect of socioeconomic status as the potential mediator on mortality. As solid fuel use was a major contributor in the effect of socioeconomic status on cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality, policies to improve access to clean fuels could reduce morbidity and mortality related to poor education and low income.

In 2018, a total of US$166 billion global economic losses and a new high of 55.3 Gt of CO2 equivalent emission were generated by 831 climate-related extreme events. As the world's largest CO2 emitter, we reported China's recent progresses and pitfalls in climate actions to achieve climate mitigation targets (i.e., limit warming to 1.5–2°C above the pre-industrial level). We first summarized China's integrated actions (2015 onwards) that benefit both climate change mitigation and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These projects include re-structuring organizations, establishing working goals and actions, amending laws and regulations at national level, as well as increasing social awareness at community level. We then pointed out the shortcomings in different regions and sectors. Based on these analyses, we proposed five recommendations to help China improving its climate policy strategies, which include: 1) restructuring the economy to balance short-term and long-term conflicts; 2) developing circular economy with recycling mechanism and infrastructure; 3) building up unified national standards and more accurate indicators; 4) completing market mechanism for green economy and encouraging green consumption; and 5) enhancing technology innovations and local incentives via bottom-up actions.

Mainland Southeast Asian (MSEA) countries (Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam) are likely to become one of the next hotspots for emission reduction, since CO2 emissions in this area will have a two-thirds increase by 2040 due to rapid economy growth and associated energy consumption. As one of the most vulnerable areas to climate change, MSEA countries need to develop low-carbon roadmaps based on accurate emission data. This study provides emission inventories for MSEA countries for 2010-2019, based on the IPCC territorial emission accounting approach , including emissions from five types of fuels (i.e., coal, crude oil, oil products, natural gas, and biofuels & waste) used in 47 economic sectors. The results show that the emissions in MSEA countries are on the rise, with average annual growth rates ranging from 2.5% in Thailand to 19.3% in Laos. Biomass is one of the most important sources of carbon emissions, contributing between 11.8% and 76.7% of total carbon emissions, but its share has been declining in most countries, whereas the share of emissions from coal has risen sharply in Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. We further examine the drivers behind the changes in emissions using index decomposition analysis. Economic growth was the strongest driver of growth in emissions, while population growth has only had a small effect on emission growth. Energy intensity varies widely across nations, but only significantly reduced CO2 emission growth in Thailand. The secondary sector considerable contributed to an increase in CO2 emissions in Laos and Vietnam, while the tertiary sector only moderately contributed to emissions in Thailand. Our study provides a better understanding of the composition and underlying factors of emission growth in MSEA countries, this could shape their low-carbon development pathway. Our results could also inform other emerging economies, which may become emission hotspots in the next decades, to develop low-carbon roadmaps, thereby contributing to the achievement of global climate change targets.

Our future is urban. With more than two-thirds of the global population expected to live in cities by 2050, urban sustainability is an essential part of sustainable development but remains poorly understood for urban agglomerations, which continue to develop and grow. Here, we construct a multiregional input-output table at the city level and investigate the impacts of water and carbon flows on the intercity supply chain of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei agglomeration in 2012. Our analysis reveals an economic-environmental imbalance whereby Beijing and Tianjin prosper at the expense of Hebei cities. Hebei cities work as producers for Beijing and Tianjin, such that services and goods exported from the Hebei region account for more than 60% of the region's carbon emissions and water use. Economic benefits are also exported. In the case of five key Hebei cities, only 38% of the region's gross domestic product is retained within the cities. This disparity has important implications for equality, prosperity, and sustainability and demonstrates the importance of considering supply chains from the city networks perspective.

Abstract Cities in China have undergone considerable transformation in recent decades with unprecedented economic growth, rural to urban migration and a rapidly emerging middle class all contributing to increased energy consumption. In this context, we investigate the inability of urban households in the cold climate zone in northern China to access sufficient domestic energy services, and thus their vulnerability to energy poverty, focusing upon heating provision. Results of a questionnaire survey of households in the urban area of Beijing (n = 880) are analysed using Latent Class Analysis, a methodologically novel approach to developing a typology of energy poverty. The analysis highlights vulnerabilities that increase the likelihood of a household being unable to access adequate heating in the home in this context. Despite provision of state-subsidies for heating in cities in northern China, a mechanism that might be anticipated to buffer households from energy poverty, these do not shield from the cold those households that lack access to efficient and flexible networked infrastructures, or a high quality, built environment. Our findings represent the first detailed study of energy poverty in relation to heating in this geographical context and have significant implications for domestic policy-making concerned with energy poverty, residential energy efficiency and energy consumption.

Abstract This article examines the association between green logistics operations, social, environmental and economic indicators of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries. The research used GMM (Generalized Method of Moments) and FGLS (Feasible Generalized Least Squares) two methods to tackle the problems of heterogeneity, serial correlation and heteroskedasticity. The findings show that fossil fuel consumption is at the heart of logistics operations; the more fossil fuel and non-green energy resources that are used, the more negative effects on society and environmental sustainability result from this. A lower quality of transport-related infrastructure and logistics services is negatively correlated with fossil fuel usage, carbon emissions, health expenditure, greenhouse gas emissions and political instability of SAARC countries. Conversely, efficient customs procedures and greater information sharing among supply chain partners increase trade opportunities and also improve environmental sustainability in terms of minimum carbon emissions due to the shorter waiting and queue times involved. Further, the application of green energy resources and green practices can mitigate negative effects on social and environmental sustainability due to better logistics operations while improving financial performance in terms of higher GDP per capita, trade openness and greater export opportunities around the globe. As there is very limited research using green practices relationship with macro-level indicators in current literature, this research will assist both practitioners and policymakers to understand the roles of green supply chain and green logistics in enhancing environmental sustainability, social improvement and economic growth for a better future.

In the international community, there are many appeals to ratcheting up the current nationally determined contributions (NDCs), in order to narrow the 2030 global emissions gap with the Paris goals. Near-term mitigation has a direct impact on the required efforts beyond 2030 to control warming within 2°C or 1.5°C successfully. In this study, implications of near-term mitigation on China's long-term energy transitions until 2100 for aligning with the Paris goals, are quantified using a refined Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM) with six mitigation scenarios. Results show that intensifying near-term mitigation will alleviate China's transitional challenges during 2030-2050 and long-term reliance on carbon dioxide removal technologies (CDR). Each five-year earlier peaking of CO2 allows almost a five-year later carbon neutrality of China's energy system. To align with 2°C (1.5°C), peaking in 2025 instead of 2030 reduces the requirement of CDR over the century by 17% (13%). Intensifying near-term mitigation also tends to have economic benefits to China's Paris-aligned energy transitions. Under 2°C (1.5°C), peaking in 2025 instead of 2030, with larger near-term mitigation costs by 1.3 (1.6) times, has the potential to reduce China's aggregate mitigation costs throughout the century by 4% (6%). Although in what way China's NDC is to be updated is determined by decision-makers, transitional and economic benefits suggest China to try its best to pursue more ambitious near-term mitigation in accordance with its latest national circumstances and development needs.