Structural styles and tectonic evolution of the Kolia-Boboti sedimentary Basin,Kédougou-Kéniéba inlier,eastern Senegal

New structural data obtained on the Birimian terranes of the Kolia-Boboti sedimentary Basin, the eastern part of the Dialé-Daléma Supergroup in the Kédougou-Kéniéba inlier show two major phases of Eburnean compressional deformation: (1) a D1 phase of thrusting tectonics affected the Lower Birimian B1 tourmalinized sediments. This first tectonic phase is characterized by isoclinals overturned to recumbent folds P1 with N040° 20°NE trending axis, associated with axial plane schistosity S₀S₁ which is mainly transposed in the bedding; (2) a D2 phase of compressional (D2a) and transpressional (D2b) tectonics is responsible for the crossfolds P2a-P2b exhibiting curved axes. These P2 folds are associated with the major schistosity S₂, north-south to SW-NE trending, mainly dipping to the south-east. The S₂ schistosity is mostly displayed in the large shear zones corridors where it steeply dips locally toward the north-west. A north-west vergence thrusting phase (D2c) of flats and ramps, associated with reverse folds, represents the last Eburnean event. This geometrical feature is characteristic of a “positive flower structure”. These different Eburnean compressional phases are separated by extensional deformation which is characterized by sedimentary deposits and volcanic flows.     

Tele-connecting local consumption to global land use

Globalization increases the interconnectedness of people and places around the world. In a connected world, goods and services consumed in one country are often produced in other countries and exchanged via international trade. Thus, local consumption is increasingly met by global supply chains oftentimes involving large geographical distances and leading to global environmental change. In this study, we connect local consumption to global land use through tracking global commodity and value chains via international trade flows. Using a global multiregional input–output model with sectoral detail allows for the accounting of land use attributed to “unusual” sectors – from a land use perspective – including services, machinery and equipment, and construction. Our results show how developed countries consume a large amount of goods and services from both domestic and international markets, and thus impose pressure not only on their domestic land resources, but also displace land in other countries, thus displacing other uses. For example, 33% of total U.S. land use for consumption purposes is displaced from other countries. This ratio becomes much larger for the EU (more than 50%) and Japan (92%). Our analysis shows that 47% of Brazilian and 88% of Argentinean cropland is used for consumption purposes outside of their territories, mainly in EU countries and China. In addition, consumers in rich countries tend to displace land by consuming non-agricultural products, such as services, clothing and household appliances, which account for more than 50% of their total land displacement. By contrast, for developing economies, such as African countries, the share of land use for non-agricultural products is much lower, with an average of 7%. The emerging economies and population giants, China and India, are likely to further increase their appetite for land from other countries, such as Africa, Russia and Latin America, to satisfy their own land needs driven by their fast economic growth and the needs and lifestyles of their growing populations.     

Embodied carbon emissions in China-US trade

China-US trade holds great significance for the world's political and economic landscape. Since 2018, the US government has imposed additional tariffs on Chinese exports on the grounds of the US trade deficit with China. However, the transfer of pollutants embodied in trade and the differences in environmental costs between China and the US have not been widely recognized. In this study, we quantify the embodied carbon emissions(the "virtual" emissions associated with trade and consumption) in China-US trade by constructing a carbon dioxide emissions inventory and a multiregional input-output model.The study shows that the US benefits from a trade surplus of environmental costs by importing energy-intensive and pollutionintensive products from China, which increases China's environmental pollution and abatement costs. In 2017, 288 Mt CO_2 emissions were associated with products produced in China but finally consumed in the US, and only 46 Mt CO_2 were associated with the US products that were consumed in China. From this perspective, China-US trade results in a net transfer of 242 Mt CO_2 per year from the US to China, accounting for approximately 5% of the total CO_2 emissions in the US. More importantly, for Chinese products exported to the US, the carbon emissions embodied in one unit of economic value amount to 0.92 kg/$(RMB:USD=6.8:1), but for US products exported to China, the carbon emissions embodied in one unit of economic value amount to 0.53 kg/$, which means China will incur environmental costs that are 74% higher than those of the US while enjoying the same economic benefits. This environmental trade deficit has burdened China with higher environmental costs than economic benefits.To address this environmental trade deficit, China should actively promote further industrial upgrading and energy structure adjustment and increase investment in innovation and RD, thereby increasing the value added per unit of export products and reducing the environmental cost of producing export products.     

The drivers of Chinese CO2 emissions from 1980 to 2030

China's energy consumption doubled within the first 25 years of economic reforms initiated at the end of the 1970s, and doubled again in the past 5 years. It has resulted of a threefold CO₂ emissions increase since early of 1980s. China's heavy reliance on coal will make it the largest emitter of CO₂ in the world. By combining structural decomposition and input–output analysis we seek to assess the driving forces of China's CO₂ emissions from 1980 to 2030. In our reference scenario, production-related CO₂ emissions will increase another three times by 2030. Household consumption, capital investment and growth in exports will largely drive the increase in CO₂ emissions. Efficiency gains will be partially offset the projected increases in consumption, but our scenarios show that this will not be sufficient if China's consumption patterns converge to current US levels. Relying on efficiency improvements alone will not stabilize China's future emissions. Our scenarios show that even extremely optimistic assumptions of widespread installation of carbon dioxide capture and storage will only slow the increase in CO₂ emissions.     

Economic vulnerability to Peak Oil

Peak Oil, which refers to the maximum possible global oil production rate, is increasingly gaining attention in both science and policy discourses. However, little is known about how this phenomenon will impact economies, despite its apparent imminence and potential dangers. In this paper, we construct a vulnerability map of the U.S. economy, combining two approaches for analyzing economic systems, i.e. input–output analysis and social network analysis (applied to economic data). Our approach reveals the relative importance of individual economic sectors, and how vulnerable they are to oil price shocks. As such, our dual-analysis helps identify which sectors, due to their strategic position, could put the entire U.S. economy at risk from Peak Oil. For the U.S., such sectors would include Iron Mills, Fertilizer Production and Transport by Air. Our findings thus provide early warnings to downstream companies about potential ‘trouble’ in their supply chain, and inform policy action for Peak Oil. Although our analysis is embedded in a Peak Oil narrative, it is just as valid and useful in the context of developing a climate roadmap toward a low carbon economy.     

Rapid improvement of PM_(2.5) pollution and associated health benefits in China during 2013–2017

Exposure to fine particulate matter(PM_(2.5)) is known to harm public health.In China,after implementation of aggressive emissions control measures under the Action Plan of Air Pollution Prevention and Control(2013-2017),air quality has significantly improved.In this work,we investigated changes in PM_(2.5) exposure and the associated health impacts in China for the period 2013-2017.We used an optimal estimator of PM_(2.5) combining in-situ observations,satellite measurements,and simulations from a chemical transport model to derive the spatial and temporal variations in PM_(2.5) exposure,and then used welldeveloped exposure-response functions to estimate the premature deaths attributable to PM_(2.5) exposure.We found that national population-weighed annual mean PM_(2.5) concentrations decreased from 67.4μgm~(-3) in 2013 to 45.5μgm~(-3) in 2017(32%reduction).This rapid decrease in PM_(2.5) pollution led to a 14% reduction in premature deaths due to long-term exposure.We estimated that,during 2013-2017,the premature deaths attributable to long-term PM_(2.5) exposure decreased from 1.2 million(95% CI:1.0,1.3;fraction of total mortality:13%) in 2013 to 1.0 million(95% CI:0.9,1.2;10%) in 2017.Despite the rapid decrease in annual mean PM_(2.5) concentrations,health benefits associated with reduced long-term exposure were limited,because for many cities,the PM_(2.5) levels remain at the portion where the exposure-response function is less steeper than that at the lowconcentration end.We also found that the deaths associated with acute exposure decreased by 61% during 2013-2017 due to rapid reduction in the number of heavily polluted days.Our results confirm that clean air policies in China have mitigated the air pollution crisis;however,continuous emissions reduction efforts are required to protect citizens from air pollution.     

Numerical simulation of aerodynamic derivatives and critical wind speed for long-span bridges based on simplified steady wind field

Combining the computational fluid dynamics-based numerical simulation with the forced vibration technique for extraction of aerodynamic derivatives, an approach for calculating the aerodynamic derivatives and the critical flutter wind speed for long-span bridges is presented in this paper. The RNG k-ε turbulent model is introduced to establish the governing equations, including the continuity equation and the Navier-Stokes equations, for solving the wind flow field around a two-dimensional bridge section. To illustrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed approach, a simple application to the Hume Bridge in China is provided, and the numerical results show that the aerodynamic derivatives and the critical flutter wind speed obtained agree well with the wind tunnel test results.     

Migrating to tackle climate variability and change? Insights from coastal fishing communities in Bangladesh

There is an on-going debate about climate-induced migration but little empirical evidence. We examine how climate-induced migration has impacted vulnerability and adaptation of a coastal fishing community in Bangladesh. We used household surveys, interviews and focus group discussions to compare fishery dependent households who migrated from Kutubdia Island to mainland with those who stayed behind. Our results suggest that the resettled households are less exposed to floods, sea-level-rise and land erosion than those who stayed behind. They also have more livelihood assets, higher incomes and better access to water supply, health and educational services, technology and markets. In our case study migration has thus been a viable strategy to respond to climate variability and change.     

Better cars or older cars?: Assessing CO2 emission reduction potential of passenger vehicle replacement programs

The primary motivation for the vehicle replacement schemes that were implemented in many countries was to encourage the purchase of new cars. The basic assumption of these schemes was that these acquisitions would benefit both the economy and the environment as older and less fuel-efficient cars were scrapped and replaced with more fuel-efficient models. In this article, we present a new environmental impact assessment method for assessing the effectiveness of scrappage schemes for reducing CO₂ emissions taking into account the rebound effect, driving behavior for older versus new cars and entire lifecycle emissions for during the manufacturing processes of new cars. The assessment of the Japanese scrappage scheme shows that CO₂ emissions would only decrease if users of the scheme retained their new gasoline passenger vehicles for at least 4.7 years. When vehicle replacements were restricted to hybrid cars, the reduction in CO₂ achieved by the scheme would be 6–8.5 times higher than the emissions resulting from a scheme involving standard, gasoline passenger vehicles. Cost–benefit analysis, based on the emission reduction potential, showed that the scheme was very costly. Sensitivity analysis showed that the Japanese government failed to determine the optimum, or target, car age for scrapping old cars in the scheme. Specifically, scrapping cars aged 13 years and over did not maximize the environmental benefits of the scheme. Consequently, modifying this policy to include a reduction in new car subsidies, focused funding for fuel-efficient cars, and modifying the target car age, would increase environmental benefits.     

Assessing regional virtual water flows and water footprints in the Yellow River Basin, China: A consumption based approach

The Yellow River, the second longest river in China, is facing increasing water scarcity due to rising water consumption of a fast growing economy and an increasingly urbanized population with water-intensive consumption patterns. The Yellow River Basin (YRB) is divided into three regions: the upper, middle and lower reaches; each with very different characteristics in terms of water resources, economic structure and household income and consumption patterns. Virtual water has been recognised as a potentially useful concept for redistributing water from water-rich to water-poor regions. In this study, we develop a Multi-Regional Input-Output model (MRIO) to assess the regional virtual water flows between the three reaches of the basin and the rest of China distinguishing green and blue water, as well as rural and urban household water footprints. Results show that all three reaches are net virtual water exporter, i.e. production and consumption activities outside the basin also put pressure on the water resources in the YRB. The results suggest a reduction of the export of virtual blue water that could instead be used for producing higher value added but lower water-intensive goods. In particular, the lower reach as the most water scarce region in the basin should increase the import of water intensive goods, such as irrigated crops and processed food products, from other more water abundant regions such as the South of China. Thus, trading virtual water can help sustain the economic growth of the regions within the basin thus easing the pressure from water shortage. In addition, there is a huge gap between urban and rural household water footprints in the basin. The average urban household’s water footprint is more than double the water footprint of a rural household in the basin. This is due to the higher urban household consumption of water-intensive goods and services, such as processed food products, wearing apparel and footwear, hotel and catering services and electricity.