Private agri-food governance and greenhouse gas abatement: Constructing a corporate carbon economy

Private sector actors are playing an increasingly significant role in the definition and governance of ‘sustainable’ agri-food practices. Yet, to date little attention has been paid by social scientists to how greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are addressed as part of private agri-food governance arrangements. This paper examines how private actors within agri-food supply chains respond to emerging pressure for measures to reduce GHG emissions from agriculture. Drawing upon the Anglo-Foucauldian governmentality literature, we introduce the notion of the corporate carbon economy to conceptualise the practical techniques that enable private agri-food actors to make GHG emissions thinkable and governable in the context of existing market, regulatory, and supply chain pressures. Using a case study of the Australian dairy industry, we argue that private agri-food actors utilise a range of techniques that enable them to respond to existing government environmental regulations, balance current market pressures with future supply chain requirements, and demonstrate improved eco-efficiency along food supply chains. These techniques – which include environmental self-assessment instruments, tools for measuring GHG emissions, and sustainability reporting – have little direct relevance to the ‘international climate regime’ of carbon trading, and carbon markets more broadly, yet individually and in combination they are crucial in enacting an alternative regime of GHG governance. In concluding, we contend that the growing use of sustainability metrics by international food companies is likely to have the most powerful implications for GHG governance in the agri-food sector, with potentially far-reaching consequences for how future action on climate change is rendered thinkable and practicable.     

Global climate policy and deep decarbonization of energy-intensive industries

If we are to limit global warming to 2 °C, all sectors in all countries must reduce their emissions of GHGs to zero not later than 2060–2080. Zero-emission options have been less explored and are less developed in the energy-intensive basic materials industries than in other sectors. Current climate policies have not yet motivated major efforts to decarbonize this sector, and it has been largely protected from climate policy due to the perceived risks of carbon leakage and a focus on short-term reduction targets to 2020. We argue that the future global climate policy regime must develop along three interlinked and strategic lines to facilitate a deep decarbonization of energy-intensive industries. First, the principle of common but differentiated responsibility must be reinterpreted to allow for a dialogue on fairness and the right to development in relation to industry. Second, a greater focus on the development, deployment and transfer of technology in this sector is called for. Third, the potential conflicts between current free trade regimes and motivated industrial policies for deep decarbonization must be resolved. One way forward is to revisit the idea of sectoral approaches with a broader scope, including not only emission reductions, but recognizing the full complexity of low-carbon transitions in energy-intensive industries. A new approach could engage industrial stakeholders, support technology research, development and demonstration and facilitate deployment through reducing the risk for investors. The Paris Agreement allows the idea of sectoral approaches to be revisited in the interests of reaching our common climate goals.

Policy relevance

Deep decarbonization of energy-intensive industries will be necessary to meet the 2 °C target. This requires major innovation efforts over a long period. Energy-intensive industries face unique challenges from both innovation and technical perspectives due to the large scale of facilities, the character of their global markets and the potentially high mitigation costs. This article addresses these challenges and discusses ways in which the global climate policy framework should be developed after the Paris Agreement to better support transformative change in the energy-intensive industries.     

CIRCULAR-ECONOMY MODELS OF ANIMAL HUSBANDRY INDUSTRY IN JILIN PROVINCE

1INTRODUCTION The circular-economyisan efficient resources metabolic process, based on principles of ecology and system engi- neering.Withcoupledstructure andthe complex ecolo- gical and economic evolution, it has the characteristics of overall integrity, coordination, and circulation (WANG, 2005). Compared with the traditionalecono- mic model, the circular-economy requires the technical model of production process to be changed from the opening flow pattern that is "resourcesconsumption…     

我国海水养殖珍珠业存在的问题及对策

在详细分析我国海水珍珠养殖业存在问题的基础上，提出了统一规划海区，定量、低密度和开展外海深水海区珍珠养殖；加速大型珍珠贝全人工养殖与育珠的研究，丰富养殖品种；建立良种场、实行马氏珠母贝种质复壮；加强技术推广，延长育珠期、提高珍珠质量；抓好珍珠深加工、开拓珍珠产业链；建立龙头企业，带动珍珠业向集约型发展等可持续发展对策。     

矿业开发与生态环境一体化

概述了矿业开发与生态环境的关系 ,矿业开发与生态环境一体化的原则和组织 ,国内外现状和发展趋势 ,对河南省矿业生态环境存在问题及其原因进行了综合分析 ,论述了矿业开发与生态环境一体化的准则与前景 ,提出今后工作建议。     

我国乳品工业区位分析

工业区位问题是工业地理学研究的核心问题之一。近年来我国乳品工业发展迅速,布局面貌变化很大,探讨适合我国国情的乳品工业区位问题,对于合理地开发利用乳品工     

浅谈1∶10000调绘内外业一体化作业

简要介绍了制作数字正射影像图、数字线划图的作业方法;并对1∶10 000调绘内外业一体化作业流程进行了有针对性地阐述;着重就外业调绘部分在内外业一体化作业方法中的重要性及主要技术要求做了较全面描述。     

Self-perceived Roles in Life and Achieving Sustainability on Family Farms in North-eastern Australia

Rural production landscapes in Australia are experiencing a rapid rate of change as a result of, among other factors, climate change, biodiversity loss and changing societal values. Consequently, there is increasing pressure on producers to increase their sustainability. Understanding how producers perceive themselves in the context of this changing landscape is limited but important for the design of policy effective for achieving sustainability. This paper is based on a case study in the north-eastern Australian rangelands that included face-to-face interviews with 28 beef producers and a telephone survey with another 91 producers. The study investigated male and female beef producers' self-perceived roles in life through a lens of different farming discourses and the relationship between these roles and beliefs aligned with sustainability. Results revealed that although producers' self-percieved roles in life were being constructed through a mix of more or less ‘traditional’ discourses, tradition was still a strong influence. Producers who strongly identified with roles linked to ‘less traditional’ discourses were more likely than those who strongly identified with production-orientated roles to agree with beliefs that favoured nature conservation, learning and adapting to change. Increased opportunities for producers to participate in alternative discourses would appear important for fostering a self-identity that is open to learning, difference and change.     

基于波特钻石理论的四川民族地区旅游产业竞争力研究——以甘孜州为例

基于波特的钻石模型与理论,结合甘孜州旅游业态发展实际,提出了甘孜州旅游产业竞争力的"钻石模型"。运用实地调研与问卷方法,分析了甘孜州旅游产业竞争力。可以发现,甘孜州旅游产业发展具有良好的区位条件和旅游资源优势,目前,甘孜州旅游产业竞争力还不是很强。研究认为要进一步提升旅游产业竞争力,必须围绕影响甘孜州旅游产业竞争力的关键要素与间接要素,采取相应的对策措施,提升传统旅游业态吸引力,营造良好的发展氛围。     

Accuracy of forecasting in a Nordic paper mill's supply chain: A case study

The article compares the accuracy of forecasted and actual supply chain cost and price factors in a Nordic paper mill's sales to customers in two large European countries. Empirical longitudinal research data covering the years between 2002 and 2008 were obtained from a large integrated Finnish paper mill, and consisted of sales volumes, paper prices, variable costs, and transport costs. It was expected that the mill would be able to forecast demand, prices and costs accurately, but the empirical findings showed that the forecasts for paper price, demand, and cost varied from one market to another and were not highly accurate. In addition, the forecasting of gross margins seemed to be very inexact. It is concluded that there is a need for more reliable forecasting methods in the paper industry to anticipate economic development as paper demand and costs change.