• Energy Research

Abstract The fact that global warming will bring impact on immigration, agriculture and also generate human conflicts is becoming a focus in climate change topic and the forecasting of carbon dioxide emission has been attracting much attention. In this paper, we proposed an improved Gaussian processes regression method for carbon dioxide emission forecasting based on a modified PSO algorithm which can efficiently optimize the hyper parameters of covariance function in the Gaussian processes regression. Also we tested our improved PSO-GPR method with the total carbon dioxide emissions data of U.S., China and Japan in 1980–2012, and compared the prediction precision of our method with original GPR and BP Neural Networks by the data of U.S., China and Japan. The performance of our improved Gaussian processes regression method enhanced the prediction accuracy of original GPR method and is superior to other traditional forecasting method like BP Neural Networks. Furthermore, we applied PSO-GPR method in generating a prediction total carbon dioxide emissions for 2013 to 2020 and found out that China's total carbon dioxide emission will still increasing but finally at a decreasing rate and U.S. and Japan will have a good control on their amount of carbon emission in the near future. Finally, policy implications about carbon dioxide emission reduction were proposed.

Abstract The world is facing the severe challenges of energy depletion and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions, and solar energy is considered to be a promising source of renewable energy and effective solution. However, the application of solar energy is limited in practice due to various barriers. Based on data collected from a survey of practice, this paper identifies the key barriers to the deployment of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems in Hong Kong. These include “high initial and repair cost”, “long payback period”, “inadequate installation space and service infrastructure”, “lack of participation of stakeholders/community in energy policy” and “lack of incentives by legislation and regulation”. Recommendations for addressing these barriers are proposed. For example, the high cost of solar PV energy systems can be reduced by the development and mass production of low-cost fabrication technologies and high performance PV technologies. Solar thermal applications should be encouraged as they are much more economical than solar PVs. It is also recommended that the Hong Kong Government adopt strategies to encourage a greater use of solar energy systems. The results from this study not only provide useful information for the Government, the private sector and consumers in Hong Kong but are also likely to apply equally to other similar regions around the world.

This paper explores the theoretical connotation of sustainable land financing and examines its evolution in China. The empirical results demonstrate that the Chinese land financing sustainability index considerably fluctuated from 1999-2011, and has since remained relatively low. It is found that structure disequilibrium, lack of a driving-force mechanism, inefficient income and land financing instability considerably hinder the sustainable development of land financing. It is concluded that reform measures such as transforming local government revenue patterns, adjusting land financing structures and increasing land tax revenue can bring about an improvement. This is not only of theoretical value but also of practical great value for promoting the reform of sustainable land financing.

Green real estate development is one of measures being implemented to reduce negative impacts of the building industry on the environment, society, and economy. However, there is lack of a systematic review of this large number of studies that is critical for the future endeavor. This paper reviews the existing body of knowledge related to green development. At first, the common research themes on green real estate development were identified, including concept, measure, business, and result. Then, the connotation and denotation of green real estate development was introduced in four dimensions. Third, the stakeholders of green real estate development and its benefits and costs were expatiated. Then, how to realize the green real estate development and its current weakness were analyzed in various aspects. It is found that the existing studies mainly focus on the environmental aspect of green building, other dimensions of sustainability of green building, especially the social sustainability is largely overlooked. Future research opportunities were identified such as the innovation of evaluation systems, integration of planning and design frameworks, management mechanisms and financing modes, and future proofing.

Abstract In the context of global climate change, how to balance economic development and environmental protection has never been more vital. In response to this challenge, low-carbon economy development is undoubtedly endorsed worldwide. This paper proposes an improved low-carbon economy development index based on data envelopment analysis (DEA) for evaluating and analyzing the low-carbon economy development process of 56 Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI) countries in 2005–2015. The results show that: (1) The average value of green total factor productivity (GTFP) in BRI countries has increased slightly, due to the technological progress and improvement of pure technical efficiency; (2) Overall, BRI countries are still in the stage of energy-extensive economy. They have not achieved a development from “high-carbon” to “low-carbon” economy development. Although the low-carbon economy development index of BRI countries shows a rising trend, there is a general decline in 2015; (3) There is no obvious correlation between the low-carbon economy development and income levels; (4) The development processes of BRI countries are different, and most of them are in an unstable initial stage of development process. In view of this, this paper proposes that (1) improve technology to increase the growth rate of GTFP; (2) change development mode due to national policies; and (3) actively promote green BRI is of vital importance to BRI countries.

Abstract The sustainable development steers the green city campaign in the global stage, which has become an increasing challenge particularly to most developing countries in the next decades. This paper aims to investigate green-technologies applicable in the process of developing 2010 Shanghai Expo and the implementation of these green technologies in helping Shanghai city achieve building efficiency and sustainability. A list of green technologies applied in the World Expo has been investigated and key effective green technologies have been identified by using a questionnaire survey. This is followed by case studies to investigate the extent to which these green technologies have been applied to achieve the sustainable development of cities. The findings suggest that a paradigm shift in urban planning and building design is needed and proactive financial measures to encourage the application of green technologies should be formulated. The suggestions can help guide the future direction on the practical approaches towards green cities.

Construction industry contributes significantly to environmental degradation, and governments in many countries which are endeavouring to address the situation. Malaysia is no exception. This paper examines the path towards green construction project delivery in Malaysia, focusing on current green policies and initiatives by governments. The historical waves in Malaysian approaches to tackling environmental issues are described, starting from the early 20th century, through the 1990s to the present, and the influence of these approaches on construction practices is analysed. Based on the findings of policy review, essential green construction practices aimed at mitigating the adverse effects of construction activities on the environment in Malaysia were identified. This paper paves the way for future studies in construction and sustainability in Malaysia, especially for the Southeast Asian region where sustainability practices are urgently needed.