Action targets: a new approach to international greenhouse gas controls

Abstract

This article introduces and explores a new form of international commitment to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, called an action target. Action targets differ from other forms of targets, such as the Kyoto Protocol's fixed targets, in that they define a quantity of GHG abatement to be achieved, rather than a future emission level to be reached. This article explains the basic mechanics of how action targets might operate, and analyses the approach across a range of criteria, including uncertainty management and contributions to sustainable development in non-Annex I (developing) countries. The analysis suggests that action targets might improve the prospects of widening and deepening developing country participation in the international climate regime.     

Clean development mechanism: leverage for development?

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to show that the investments through the clean development mechanism (CDM) can exert a leverage effect to (i) make attractive to developing countries non-binding commitments and the adoption of national policies and measures; this comes as a guarantee of non-conditionally of the mechanism to strictly environmental concerns and (ii) create a flow of additional investments and technological transfer from Annex B countries to non-Annex B countries.

The Indian power sector has been chosen as an example of a sector where institutional barriers, market imperfections, and tariff distortions create a great space for Pareto improvements and leave an important potential for no-regret measures: technological transfer, air conditioned systems, transport infrastructures and removal of subsidies on consumption.

This paper presents a micro-economic formalisation on (i) the evolution of profitability of current emitting technologies used in the power sector under the adoption of national policies and measures and (ii) the impact on renewable energy technologies competitiveness of emission credits in the context of CDM. This formalisation has been developed to enable quantitative simulation. A first exercise using the Markal model (used in 77 countries) on the electric sector in India enabled us to simulate the leverage effect of emission credits on additional incomes taken as a proxy for development.     

Perverse incentives under the CDM: an evaluation of HFC-23 destruction projects

The clean development mechanism (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol allows industrialized countries to use credits from greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement projects in developing countries. A key requirement of the CDM is that the emission reductions be real, measurable and additional. This article uses data from registered projects to evaluate the extent to which these objectives are met by projects that reduce hydrofluorocarbon-23 (HFC-23) emissions in the production of hydrochlorofluorocarbon-22 (HCFC-22). The data show that HCFC-22 plants produced significantly less HFC-23 during periods when no emission credits could be claimed compared with periods when HFC-23 destruction could be credited under the CDM. Moreover, the total amount of HCFC-22 produced appears to be determined mainly by CDM rules. This suggests that the claimed emission reductions may partly not be real and that the CDM provides perverse incentives to generate more HFC-23. The accelerated phase-out of HCFCs under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer could worsen this situation. To address these issues an ambitious emission benchmark for the baseline HFC-23 emissions is proposed.     

马氏珠母贝激光育苗的生物学机理

对马氏珠母贝激光育苗的机理进行研究，结果表明：激光能加强精子活力，提高精液品质；影响卵子的通透性；抑制水中的细菌生长，使受精卵发育成健壮的胚胎、幼虫、幼苗。     

土层随机地震反应的动力可靠度计算

研究了土层的随机地震反应分析方法 ,建立了基岩输入地震动加速度功率谱函数为白噪声和过滤白噪声时土层的动力可靠度计算理论     

RESPONSE OF EQUATORIAL PACIFIC UPPER OCEAN CURRENT TO WESTERLY WIND BURSTS

The characteristics of the response of equatorial Pacific upper ocean current to westerly wind bursts(WWB)were analyzed in the frequency domain by using wind and ADCP data collected by the Shiyan3 during TOGA-COARE IOP,1992-1993.The preliminary results showed that the response consistedof an eastward surface jet at shallower than 60m depth,a westward counter current centering near100m and a shear layer between them,with the variations of all three being nonlinear and nearlysynchronous.The oceanic responses in the frequency domain were characterized by occurrences of a remotely forced mixed Rossby-gravity wave with period of 8-10 days in the surface jet andcountercurrent at shallower than 110 m depth,and two locally forced waves with periods of 24 daysand 4-5 days limited in shallower than 70m depth.These fluctuations of the responses depended much more on zonal wind than meridional wind.The results also revealed that the oceanic response toWWB resulted from momentum transport and energy propagation assoc     

Study on stability and reinforcement of a landslide on Ji＇an-Dandong highway

This study clarified the failure mechanism of a landslide on Ji＇ an-Dandong highway, through the detailed analysis of its geological condition. Then based on the back analysis of the broken landslide, take limit equilibrium method to evaluate the stability of the potential landslide. The result shows that the landslide is lack of safety stock, so anchor rope is designed to reinforce the landslide.     

Comparative Analysis of Seismic Response Characteristics of Pile-Soil-Stnicture Interaction System

The study on the earthquake-resistant performance of a pile-soil-structure interaction system is a relatively complicated and primarily important issue in civil engineering practice. In this paper, a computational model and computation procedures for pile-supported structures, which can duly consider the pile-soil interaction effect, are established by the finite element method. Numerical implementation is made in the time domain. A simplified approximation for the seismic response analysis of pile-soil-structure systems is briefly presented. Then a comparative study is performed for an engineering example with numerical results computed respectively by the finite element method and the simplified method. Through comparative analysis, it is shown that the results obtained by the simplified method well agree with those achieved by the finite element method. The numerical results and findings will offer instructive guidelines for earthquake-resistant analysis and design of pile-supported structures.     

冀中坳陷下第三系构造背斜成因分类

冀中坳陷的下第三系构造背斜主要形成于伸展断陷背景下 ,与正断层系统联系紧密。根据背斜与断层关系 ,基本类型可分为 3种 ,即纵向、横向和复合背斜 ;根据具体构造力学背景 ,这 3种背斜可进一步分为 8类 ,即 :重力滑动型、张扭型、拆离拱张型、逆牵引型、断层线偏转型、侧接型、复杂变换型、复合型。这些背斜是构造演化的产物 ,在一定程度上指示了坳陷内的构造演化规律 ,同时又是形成油气藏的有利圈闭 ,目前已取得显著勘探成效     

Simulation of the damage to a simple RC structure in the Bhuj,India, earthquake to estimate the level of input‐motion

Analysis of a simple reinforced concrete (RC) structure damaged by the Bhuj, India, earthquake was carried out to estimate the level of shaking in the epicentral region. For this, an attempt was made to estimate the level of input motion to cause inelastic behavior to the extent observed during the field visit. To consider the inelastic effects, both yielding of steel bars as well as crushing of the concrete cover has been investigated employing the hysteretic model known as the Fiber model. The only available record at Ahmedabad of the Bhuj earthquake and four additional earthquake records from Japan and California were used in the analysis. Considering simple scaling of input motion, the level of input motion to cause crushing and spall‐off of the concrete cover as observed in the field was estimated to be of the order of 6 times the original instrumental record obtained at 240 km away from the epicenter. The methodology proposed was promising in providing a useful quantitative indication of the level of shaking when instrumental records are not available. It was also noted that the design response spectrum specified in Indian seismic code IS1893: 1984 appears inadequate compared to the extent of shaking estimated. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.