Funding low-carbon investments in the absence of a carbon tax

Introducing a carbon tax is difficult, partly because it suggests that current generations have to make sacrifices for the benefit of future generations. However, the climate change externality could be corrected without such a sacrifice. It is possible to set a carbon value, and use it to create ‘carbon certificates’ that can be accepted as part of commercial banks’ legal reserves. These certificates can be distributed to low-carbon projects, and be exchanged by investors against concessional loans, reducing capital costs for low-carbon projects. As the issuance of carbon certificates would increase the quantity of money, it will either lead to accelerated inflation or induce the Central Bank to raise interest rates. Low-carbon projects will thus have access to cheaper loans at the expense of either ‘regular’ investors (in case of higher interest rates) or of lenders and depositors (in case of accelerated inflation). Within this scheme, mitigation expenditures are compensated by a reduction in regular investments, so that immediate consumption is maintained. It uses future generation wealth to pay for a hedge against climate change. This framework is not as efficient as a carbon tax but is politically easier to implement and represents an interesting step in the trajectory towards a low-carbon economy.     

滦河流域碳、水循环和能量平衡遥感综合试验总体设计

始于20世纪80年代的系列大型遥感试验开始系统研究地表物质和能量交换过程,对遥感与地球系统科学研究的结合起到重要作用,但是尚无综合利用多源遥感数据解决碳、水、能量循环问题的有效方案.遥感科学国家重点实验室于滦河上游地区组织开展基础性、多学科、多尺度的"碳、水循环和能量平衡遥感综合试验".本次试验面向地球系统科学对遥感观...     

福建龙岩地区土壤有机碳储量特征及其影响因素

基于福建龙岩地区多目标区域地球化学调查所获得大量高精度和高密度有机碳数据,通过单位土壤碳储量计算方法,分别采用母质类型、地貌类型、生态系统、土地利用类型及土壤类型5种方式,按照0~1.4m,0~1.0m和0~0.2m等3种不同深度来初步探讨福建龙岩地区土壤有机碳储量特征及其影响因素。结果表明,不同类型土壤区的有机碳储量分布存在不均匀性,平均碳密度均存在较大差异,这可能不仅与成土母质、土壤理化性状(如土壤结构、质地、化学成分、土温等)、系统差异(如历史演变、稳定性等)等内在因素有关,还有可能与气候环境条件、海拔高度、水土流失程度、土壤微生物活动强度、植被状况(如植被类型、植被发育等)以及人类活动影响等外在因素有关。得出福建龙岩地区不同深度的有机碳储量: 0~0.2m为89254953.05t, 0~1.0m为283746254.26t和 0~1.4m为347294329.32t; 不同深度的平均碳密度: 0~0.2m为3980.33 t/km 2, 0~1.0m为12653.69 t/km 2和0~1.4m为15487.62 t/km 2,高于全国典型地区平均水平,显示出福建龙岩地区具较高的碳储量、较强的碳储能力和良好的碳富集环境。     

塔中地区奥陶系喜马拉雅山期S干气充注的证据

塔中地区奥陶系天然气成因多样;Ⅰ号坡折带中东部奥陶系天然气以高干燥系数、 甲烷同位素值重为特征;与塔深1井寒武系原油裂解气接近;应主要来自寒武系原油裂解气成因。寒武系贫H2S、 高成熟原油裂解气在喜马拉雅山期时;气侵奥陶系油气藏;得到了以下主要证据的支持: 1）天然气甲烷δ13C值大多比Chung et al.（1988）天然气模式甲烷δ13C值计算值高3‰以上;2）干燥系数与甲烷δ13C值大体上具有正相关关系;3）天然气干燥系数与H2S含量大体上具有负相关关系。这些特征表明;存在贫H2S、 相对富13C甲烷为主的干气与富H2S、 相对贫13C甲烷的湿气混合作用。奥陶系中H2S-δ34S 值为14‰～20‰;远低于中深1井寒武系原地热化学硫酸盐还原作用（TSR）成因的H2S（33‰）;支持了奥陶系中H2S并不是来源于寒武系古油气藏。于是提出;来自寒武系贫H2S的干气在喜马拉雅山期对良里塔格组和鹰山组油气藏发生了气洗;油气藏的气/油比值增大、 导致了原油蜡含量增高、 甲烷δ13C值发生正偏移。     

A new carbon and oxygen balance model based on ecological service of urban vegetation

The application of human induced oxygen consumption and carbon emission theory in urban region was summed up and on this base a new model of urban carbon and oxygen balance (UCOB) was constructed by calculating the carbon and oxygen fluxes. The purpose was to highlight the role of vegetation in urban ecosystems and evaluate the effects of various human activities on urban annual oxygen consumption and carbon emission. Hopefully,the model would be helpful in theory to keep the regional balance of carbon and oxygen,and provide guidance and support for urban vegetation planning in the future. To test the UCOB model,the Jimei District of Xiamen City,Fujian Province,China,a very typical urban region,was selected as a case study. The results turn out that Jimei′s vegetation service in oxygen emission and carbon sequestration could not meet the demand of the urban population,and more than 31.49 times of vegetation area should be added to meet the whole oxygen consumption in Jimei while 9.60 times of vegetation area are needed to meet the carbon sequestration targets. The results show that the new UCOB model is of a great potential to be applied to quantitative planning of urban vegetation and regional eco-compensation mechanisms.     

西藏搭格架地热区天然水的水化学组成与稳定碳同位素特征

为探究青藏高原搭格架地热区地热水、湖水、河水、冰雪融水等天然水体的水化学组成及物质来源控制因子,于2014年8月对该地区进行了考察和取样。利用紫外-可见光分光光度计和ICP-OES测定了水样中各阴、阳离子含量,利用Gas Bench连接同位素质谱仪测定了水样中溶解无机碳（DIC）同位素比值。结果表明,地热水中总溶解固体（TDS）含量为977.13~1 279.50 mg/L,阳离子以K+和Na+为主,阴离子以HCO3-和Cl-为主,湖水的TDS含量为77.81~810.94 mg/L,阳离子以Na+和Ca2+为主,阴离子以HCO3-(CO32-)和SO42-为主,地热水和湖水的水化学类型为HCO3-Na型;河水和冰雪融水的各离子含量较低,水化学类型为HCO3-Ca型;地热水的DIC浓度范围为9.2~15.4 mmol/L,δ13CDIC值为-9.09‰~-0.95‰;湖水的DIC浓度为1.1~9.7 mmol/L,δ13CDIC值为-8.84‰~-0.27‰。根据水化学Gibbs分布模式图判断出区域水化学特征主要受硅酸盐岩风化控制,以钠长石和钾长石风化为主,但是地热水的水化学组分受到硅酸盐岩和蒸发盐岩共同控制。通过碳同位素比值分析对区域主要风化过程中CO2的来源示踪表明,湖区周围的硅酸盐风化其碳源主要为土壤CO2,热泉区硅酸盐水解其碳源为地球深部CO2输入。      

Temporal and spatial variability of dissolved organic carbon concentration in the Xijiang River, South China

A whole year analysis of riverine dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations in the Xijiang River (XJR), South China, showed that the mean riverine DOC concentration (1.24 mg L-1) in the XJR was notably lower than the averaged value (5.75 mg L-1) of the global riverine DOC concentration in several major rivers. There is an inconspicuous monthly fluctuation of the DOC signal in the XJR, but on a semi-yearly time scale, however, the riverine DOC concentration had significant difference between hydrological...     

Dissolved organic matter and its role in red tide succession in the East China Sea in spring

Dissolved fluorescent organic matter was measured using fluorescence excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy at three temporal points during a Synechococcus bloom after diatom bloom dispersion in spring, 2007. Carbohydrate and dissolved organic carbon were also analyzed. The relationship between organic matter and red tide succession was examined. The results show that after the diatom bloom, tyrosine-like fluorescence B intensity was very high within the water column and exhibited a negative correlation wi...     

Logs and snags in a shola forest of Kerala, India

Introduction Dead wood is an important structural and functional component of a forest ecosystem(Fridman and Welheim 2000). Recent studies also indicate that dead wood is important for maintaining both plant and animal diversity in different forest ecosystems (Grove 2001) as it serve as an energy source (Bray and Gorham 1964) and habitat for an array of organisms. Dead wood can also help reduce erosion, increase soil organic matters (McFee and Stone 1966), and suitable conditions for seedli…     

Land use effects on soil organic carbon,microbial biomass and microbial activity in Changbai Mountains of Northeast China

Land use changes are known to alter soil organic carbon （SOC） and microbial properties, however, information about how conversion of natural forest to agricultural land use as well as plantations affects SOC and microbial properties in the Changbai Moun- tains of Northeast China is meager. Soil carbon content, microbial biomass carbon （MBC）, basal respiration and soil carbon mineraliza- tion were studied in five selected types of land use： natural old-growth broad-leaved Korean pine mixed forest （NF）; spruce plantation （SP） established following clear-cutting of NF; cropland （CL）; ginseng farmland （GF） previously under NF; and a five-year Mongolian oak young forest （YF） reforested on an abandoned GF, in the Changbai Mountains of Northeast China in 2011. Results showed that SOC content was significantly lower in SP, CL, GF, and YF than in NF. MBC ranged from 304.4 mg/kg in CL to 1350.3 mg/kg in NF, which was significantly higher in the soil of NF than any soil of the other four land use types. The SOC and MBC contents were higher in SP soil than in CL, GF, and YF soils, yielding a significant difference between SP and CL. The value of basal respiration was also higher in NF than in SP, CL, GF, and YF. Simultaneously, higher values of the metabolic quotient were detected in CL, GF, and YF soils, indicat- ing low substrate utilization of the soil microbial community compared with that in NF and SP soil. The values of cumulative mineral- ized carbon and potentially mineralized carbon （Co） in NF were significantly higher than those in CL and GF, while no significant dif- ference was observed between NF and SP. In addition, YF had higher values of Co and C mineralization rate compared with GF. The results indicate that conversion from NF into agricultural land （CL and GF） uses and plantation may lead to a reduction in soil nutrients （SOC and MBC） and substrate utilization efficiency of the microbial community. By contrast, soils below SP were more conducive to the preservation of soil organic matter, which was reflected in the comparison of microbial indicators among CL, GF, and YF land uses. This study can provide data for evaluating soils nutrients under different land use types, and serve as references for the rational land use of natural forest in the study area.