Journal articles on the topic '190304 Management of greenhouse gas emissions from construction activities'

Purpose Recent developments in the electricity generation sector of Nigeria necessitated the re-assessment of its contribution to air emission level in the country as information provided by previous inventory is nearly out-of-date. The purpose of this paper is to quantify the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions generated from existing thermal power plants in the country. Design/methodology/approach Thermal power plants in Nigeria and their installed capacities were identified, and estimation of CO2 emission from each of the plants was carried out using the emission factor method. In addition to the direct emissions generated through the combustion operation of the power plants, indirect emissions resulting from upstream activities such as extraction, production, and transportation of fuels consumed by the thermal power plant was determined using the same method. Findings In total, 40 thermal power plants are currently operational in Nigeria. Additional 18 thermal plants are at different stages of completion. The operational thermal plants have average generation output of 40 percent of their installed capacity and produce 87.3 million metric tonne (mmt)/annum CO2 emissions. In total, 66.9 percent of the estimated emissions are direct emissions, i.e. fuel combustion emissions; the rest are indirect emissions. Additional 67.9 mmt was estimated as expected overall emissions from the thermal power plants under construction. Considering the global warming potential of CO2, proactive measures must be taken to regulate its emissions from the country’s thermal power plants. Originality/value This paper bridged the information gap existing in the emission inventory from the Nigeria electricity sector by providing up-to-date data on the contribution of the sector to greenhouse gas emission level in the country.

The implementation of cutting-edge agricultural practices provides tools and techniques to drive climate-smart agriculture, reduce carbon emissions, and lower the carbon footprint. The alteration of climate conditions due to human activities poses a serious threat to the global agricultural systems. Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from organic waste management need urgent attention to optimize conventional composting strategies for organic wastes. The addition of various inorganic materials such as sawdust and fly ash mitigate GHG during the vermicomposting process. This paper critically investigates the factors responsible for GHG emissions during vermicomposting so that possible threats can be managed.

Mankind’s rapidly increasing advancements in different industrial sectors demand a great price of environmental impact and climate change in return, specifically in the buildings and construction industry. The largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption worldwide are buildings, estimated to account for almost 48% of all such emissions. Energy-related Carbon Dioxide (CO2) counts for about 82% of all greenhouse gases emitted by human activities. This total energy consumption translates to approximately 3.5 Billion Euros per annum. According to a report from the United Nations Environment Programme, the right mix of appropriate government regulations, greater use of energy-saving technologies and user behavioural changes can substantially reduce CO2 emissions from buildings. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive places an onus on all EU member states to rate the energy performance of buildings in a Building Energy Rating certificate which is effectively an energy label required at the point of rental ...

Salt-affected soils contain high levels of soluble salts (saline soil) and exchangeable sodium (alkali soil). Globally, about 932 million ha (Mha), including 831 Mha of agricultural land, is salt-affected. Salinity and sodicity adversely affect soil microbial diversity and enzymatic activities, and thereby carbon and nitrogen dynamics and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from soils. In this review article, we synthesize published information to understand the impact of salinity and sodicity on GHG production and emissions from salt-affected soils, and how various reclamation amendments (gypsum, phosphogypsum, organic manure, biochar, etc.) affect GHG emissions from reclaimed soils. Nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) emissions are of greater concern due to their 298 and 28 times higher global warming potential, respectively, compared to carbon dioxide (CO2), on a 100-year time scale. Therefore, CO2 emissions are given negligible/smaller significance compared to the other two. Generally, nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions are higher at lower salinity and reduced at higher salinity mainly due to: (a) higher ammonification and lower nitrification resulting in a reduced substrate for denitrification; (b) reduced diversity of denitrifying bacteria lowered down microbial-mediated denitrification process; and (c) dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA), and denitrification processes compete with each other for common substrate/nitrate. Overall, methane (CH4) emissions from normal soils are higher than those of salt-affected soils. High salinity suppresses the activity of both methanogens (CH4 production) and methanotrophs (CH4 consumption). However, it imposes more inhibitory effects on methanogens than methanotrophs, resulting in lower CH4 production and subsequent emissions from these soils. Therefore, reclamation of these soils may enhance N2O and CH4 emissions. However, gypsum is the best reclamation agent, which significantly mitigates CH4 emissions from paddy cultivation in both sodic and non-sodic soils, and mitigation is higher at the higher rate of its application. Gypsum amendment increases sulfate ion concentrations and reduces CH4 emissions mainly due to the inhibition of the methanogenesis by the sulfate reductase bacteria and the enhancement of soil redox potential. Biochar is also good among the organic amendments mitigating both CH4 and N2O emission from salt-affected soils. The application of fresh organic matter and FYM enhance GHG emissions for these soils. This review suggests the need for systematic investigations for studying the impacts of various amendments and reclamation technologies on GHG emissions in order to develop low carbon emission technologies for salt-affected soil reclamation that can enhance the carbon sequestration potential of these soils.

There has been a call for the construction industry to become more energy efficient in its planning and activities, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to help combat climate change. The Australian Building Codes Board has implemented ‘Energy Efficiency’ standards through the National Construction Codes to direct the industry towards net zero emissions goals. However, the Board has maintained a focus on operational flows considerations despite this only being a part of the total expenditure in a building lifecycle. Embodied flows, the energy output, and emissions from harvesting, manufacturing, transporting, and manufacturing materials for a building have not been included as a part of the current standards despite their growing share in the outputs of construction. A qualitative document analysis using data from academic articles and industry publications was performed to identify the context in embodied policy development. Findings reveal an abundance of different legislations and initiatives globally, recommending techniques that may effectively achieve embodied flow reductions. The results highlighted that Australia needs to capitalize on the potential reductions in overall energy and emissions from construction. Other regions have provided a strategic and legislative basis for the industry to emulate.

The black soldier fly (BSF) is recognised as a valuable insect for mitigating feed and organic waste management challenges. Thus, concerted efforts are being directed toward the promotion of the BSF. Despite the numerous advantages of BSF larvae, there are several critical environmental aspects, particularly its global warming potential, that need to be considered before large-scale adoption due to the complexity of the insect’s value chain. The direct assessment of greenhouse gas (GHG) and ammonia emissions from BSF larvae biotreatment is crucial for conducting a life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate the insect products’ environmental performance. This article reviews the emissions of GHG from BSF larvae bioconversion activities based on different gas sensing techniques while highlighting the factors that influence these emissions. Generally, low gas emissions were reported. However, the influence of various factors influencing emissions remains unclear, especially for nitrous oxide. We also analysed LCA studies on BSFL products while emphasising the uncertainties and variabilities among the studies. The wide variation of impact scores reported in the studies suggests that standardised guidelines should be developed to streamline methodical approaches for impact assessments pertaining to system boundaries, functional units, allocation, and system expansion assumptions. We identified several aspects for future improvements to harmonise studies in order to enhance the comparative assessment of the BSFL products.

Earthwork, an essential activity in most construction projects, consumes large quantities of fossil fuel and produces substantial air pollution with adverse environmental impacts. To achieve more sustainable construction processes, novel methodologies to evaluate and improve the performance of earthwork operations are required. This study quantifies the real-world emissions and fuel consumption of construction equipment within an earthwork project in China. Two wheel loaders and two dump trucks are examined through on-board measurements and in-lab engine tests. The duty cycles of construction equipment are categorized with respect to their power efficiency and working patterns. Moreover, the power-specific and time-based emission factors for these duty cycles are computed and compared with relevant legislative emission limits. Significant emission variations among different duty cycles were found, and the real-world emission measurements exceeded the results from the in-lab test required for emission certification. In addition, a discrete-event simulation (DES) framework was developed, validated, and integrated with the computed emission factors to analyze the environmental and energy impacts of the earthwork project. Furthermore, the equipment fleet schedule was optimized in the DES framework to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption by 8.1% and 6.6%, respectively.

Ship building, as an energy-intensive sector, produces significant amounts of air emissions, including greenhouse gases. Most research in greenhouse gas reductions from shipping concentrates on the reduction in emissions during the operational phase. However, as emissions during ship operation are reduced, the construction and dismantling phases of ships are becoming increasingly important in the assessment of the life-cycle impact of ships. In this study, priorities for a Turkish shipyard to become energy efficient were identified by means of a semi-structured questionnaire and an interview. This was undertaken using Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision-Making methods, including the Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process and Fuzzy Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution, which are part of a proposed systematic and transdisciplinary Energy Management Framework and System. By applying Multi-Criteria Decision-Making methods, this framework supports the shipyard’s decision makers to make rational and optimized decisions regarding energy sectors within their activities. Applying the framework has significant potential to help achieve good product quality while reducing costs and environmental impacts, and can thereby enhance the sustainability of shipping. Moreover, the framework can boost both business and socio-economic perspectives for the shipyard, and improve its reputation and competitiveness, in alignment with achieving the Nationally Determined Contributions of States under the Paris Agreement.

Concerns about the environmental degradation of agricultural activities have increased with trade openness and globalization. In this study, the effects of agricultural product exports on environmental quality are investigated using panel data and instrumental variable regression models for 23 developed and 43 developing countries during 2002–2020. The results indicate that the expansion of agricultural product exports from developing countries has a detrimental effect on the environmental quality of these countries. Total agricultural exports increase pollution due to greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries, while they decrease the N2O emissions in developed countries. Moreover, raw agricultural exports have a positive and significant effect on agricultural pollution emissions in developing countries, while they have a negative and significant effect on N2O emissions in developed countries. In many developing countries, export development is an important policy objective, and agricultural exports are among the most important export sectors. Hence, policymakers need to consider the effects of agricultural product exports on the environment and increase farmers’ awareness about the environmental consequences of agricultural activities. A better understanding of the environmental impacts of agricultural exports from developing countries is highly recommended.

The earth’s average temperature has risen by approximately 1.2 °C since the 1900s. The COP26 resolution aimed to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050, while China has committed a more aggressive timetable to actually achieve the goal. It requires either that activities must not release any greenhouse gases or the emitted greenhouse gases must be offset. The logistics and transport activities contribute a lot to global greenhouse gas emissions on Earth. There are a no. of challenges of the logistics industry that are discussed, then the paradigmatic solutions such as green procurement, green packaging, green transport, and green warehousing, are respectively discussed. The three contemporary concepts of green solutions (circular economy, carbon neutrality and green cocreation) for logistics and transportation are explored. Subsequently, a detailed case study of CN Logistics’ contemporary green solutions is used to illustrate how to tackle the problems and exemplify the best practices to the other 3PL players. There are expected changes on green directives from the HKSAR Government on logistics green compliances. Finally, this paper concludes with an appeal to the industry to start the green journey immediately.

Nitrogen (N) deposition has increased in recent years and is significantly affected by global change and human activities. Wetlands are atmospheric CH4 and N2O sources and may be affected by changes in N deposition. To reveal the effects of increased N deposition on peatland greenhouse gas exchange, we observed the CH4 and N2O emissions from controlled microcosms collected from a temperate peatland in the Xiaoxing’an mountains, Northeast China. We found that the moss biomass did not change, but the total herb biomass increased by 94% and 181% with 5 and 10-times-higher N deposition, respectively. However, there were no significant changes in CH4 emissions from the microcosms with N addition. The unchanged CH4 emissions were mainly caused by the opposite effect of increased nitrate and ammonium concentrations on soil CH4 production and the increased plant biomass on CH4 emission. We also found that the manipulated microcosms with 5 and 10-times-higher N deposition had 8 and 20-times-higher seasonal average N2O emissions than the control microcosms, respectively. The increased N2O emissions were mainly caused by short-term (≤7 d) pulse emissions after N addition. The pulse N2O emission peaks were up to 1879.7 and 3836.5 μg m−2 h−1 from the microcosms with 5 and 10-times-higher N deposition, respectively. Nitrate and ammonium concentrations increasing in the soil pore water were the reason for the N2O emissions enhanced by N addition. Our results indicate that the increase in N deposition had no effects on the CH4 emissions but increased the N2O emissions of the temperate peatland. Moreover, pulse emissions are very important for evaluating the effect of N addition on N2O emissions.

In many cold regions around the world, such as northern China and the Nordic countries, on-site concrete is often cured in cold weather conditions. To protect the concrete from freezing or excessively long maturation during the hardening process, contractors use curing measures. Different types of curing measures have different effects on construction duration, cost, and greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, to maximize their sustainability and financial benefits, contractors need to select the appropriate curing measures against different weather conditions. However, there is still a lack of efficient decision support tools for selecting the optimal curing measures, considering the temperature conditions and effects on construction performance. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a Modeling-Automation-Decision Support (MADS) framework and tool to help contractors select curing measures to optimize performance in terms of duration, cost, and CO2 emissions under prevailing temperatures. The developed framework combines a concrete maturity analysis (CMA) tool, a discrete event simulation (DES), and a decision support module to select the best curing measures. The CMA tool calculates the duration of concrete curing needed to reach the required strength, based on the chosen curing measures and anticipated weather conditions. The DES simulates all construction activities to provide input for the CMA and uses the CMA results to evaluate construction performance. To analyze the effectiveness of the proposed framework, a software prototype was developed and tested on a case study in Sweden. The results show that the developed framework can efficiently propose solutions that significantly reduce curing duration and CO2 emissions.

Green restaurants are based on the implementation of environmental management and are closely related to quality management through a set of instruments and programs. This study aimed to build an instrument classification adopting cutoff points and classify restaurants using traffic light scores from the sustainability assessment checklist validated in Brazilian Portuguese for restaurants. The questionnaire classification validation was performed using a cross-sectional study conducted in a convenience sample of 97 restaurants. The instrument has 76 items, and all items were based on yes/no/not applicable answers, comparing sustainability activities. The instrument score was obtained by assigning one point to each “yes” item. Each section received a score, and a total score was provided to the restaurant from the three sections’ sum. International instruments used in the checklist development stage were checked to assist in the cutoff points determination. Therefore, the score for restaurants with low adherence to sustainable practices or red seal ranges from 0 to 40%, restaurants with medium adherence to sustainable practices or yellow seal from 40% > to <75%, and restaurants with good adherence to sustainable practices or green seal ≥75%. The instrument is divided into three sections (1. water, energy, and gas supply; 2. menu and food waste; 3. waste reduction, construction materials, chemicals, employees, and social sustainability). Percentages must be reached in all sections. Researchers did not find any green or sustainable restaurants through the checklist application in the tested sample, and 47.4% of the restaurants had the yellow seal (presenting sustainable activities) with higher scores for Section 2 regarding menu and food waste. The items less scored were the company has goals for the rational use of water, the company achieves zero greenhouse gas emissions with proven partnerships, the company has a documented program to reduce carbon emissions, and towels or uniforms are made of organic or sustainable material. Thus, it demonstrates the attention points and improvements in the analyzed restaurants. We hope that the construction and validation of the checklist and its score’s determination have contributed to broadening the discussions on sustainability in food services and serve as a starting point for future research. Strategies like these are fundamental to improve the understanding of the subject and to expand the knowledge of nutritionists who deal directly with this economic sector.

Officially launched in 2008, China’s low-carbon city pilot project is aimed at creating green and low-carbon cities by restricting individual consumption and enterprise production behaviors as a means of controlling greenhouse gas emissions. Among other indicators, the impact of the pilot low-carbon initiative may be evaluated based on whether it induces enterprises to engage in green technology innovation. Using green patent application data from Chinese listed companies between 2009 and 2018, this paper applies a time-varying difference-in-difference (DID) model to conduct a multi-dimensional empirical test on the changes in listed companies’ degrees of green innovation before and after the publication of the list of three batches of pilot cities. Our findings were as follows: first, as a means of environmental regulation, the pilot low-carbon city initiative’s effect on enterprises’ green technology innovation conforms to the Porter hypothesis—that is, it encourages enterprises to improve their production technology and enhances the green innovation levels of listed companies in pilot cities; second, in terms of regional differences, the low-carbon cities pilot initiative can significantly induce green innovation activities among enterprises in China’s eastern region, but not in the central or western regions; third, from the perspective of enterprise ownership, the initiative promotes greater awareness of green innovation among non-state-owned enterprises than among state-owned enterprises. At the enterprise level, this paper provides theoretical support and empirical evidence for the success of the low-carbon city pilot initiative and highlights the implications for nationwide policy.

If cities could become regenerative and adaptive urban ecosystems, in which resource loops were closed and waste was obsolete, their ecological footprint would diminish. In addition, urban resource security would increase, the health of urban populations would improve and urban greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced. These are the principle goals under-pinning the circular city. Circular cities emerge through the process of circular development. Circular development alters cities’ systems of provision to enable circular practices of inhabitants to develop. This manifests as circular food systems and construction, water and nutrient recycling; adaptive reuse of spaces and pop-up activities; bioremediation of contaminated sites and integration of blue-green infrastructure throughout cities. To transform our cities will require significant investment, political support and public engagement. If the benefits of adopting such an approach can be identified, this will begin to make the case for support. The research presented in this paper draws on an inductive and deductive content analysis of relevant literature and interviews with those implementing circular projects in European cities (London, Paris, Amsterdam and Stockholm). It provides a clear definition of the normative concept of circular development. It creates a framework of benefits which are likely to accrue from adopting this approach. It points to the synergistic benefits emerging from circular development. It also highlights problems around valuation of those benefits, the unintended consequences of circular development and the inequalities in accessing benefits across society.

Growing awareness of environmental sustainability in the agri-food sector has enhanced the gradual shift toward less-impactful food and organic production systems. In 2021, nearly three million hectolitres of organic wine were produced which accounted for 6% of the whole wine production in Italy (50.2 million hectolitres); thus, registering an increase of almost 60% in the last three years. The economic and cultural importance attributed to Italian wine production worldwide represents a key factor to assess and reduce the environmental burdens associated with the activities of this industry. Furthermore, literature studies have highlighted consumer sensitivity for sustainable winemaking processed, and there is even a trend towards eco-friendly wines. In particular, the bottling stage has been identified as an impactful stage for the environmental performance of the wine life cycle. This study examined the environmental impact assessment of organic wine production in the Lazio region, by performing a “cradle-to-gate” approach according to the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. High-quality inventory data for one year of operation was obtained directly from the farming company, “Tenute Filippi” (Cori, Lazio, Italy), and the wine process considered the input from grape cultivation to the winery phases. In these regards, the study also provided an impact assessment for the primary packaging of a 0.75 L wine bottle, with contributions from the different life cycle stages. The results showed a total amount of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) of 1.1 kg CO2 eq, that are responsible for climate change. Referring to the individual production input, the primary packaging phase accounted for 55% of the total GHGs, with 0.86 kg CO2 eq per bottle, followed by agricultural fuel use for grape production and harvesting activities, with 0.30 kg CO2 eq. Building on these results, the study provides recommendations on the selection of the most significant and relevant indicators for the environmental life cycle impact assessment, thus, identifying possible hotspots in the wine sector.

Coarse woody debris on the forest floor contributes to maintenance of forest biodiversity and long-term ecosystem productivity. Down wood is often dispersed over harvested sites during logging activities, thereby leaving piles of postharvest debris as “excess” material at landings and roadsides. These wood residues may be burned in most jurisdictions in North America to reduce a perceived fire hazard. The fire hazard debate needs to acknowledge the documented benefits of woody debris retention while striking a balance among biodiversity, bioenergy, and alternative uses for debris, while reducing ignitions by humans. The burning of excess woody debris also creates smoke, causes the release of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and creates human health issues, particularly for vulnerable individuals. The relationship of wildfire smoke to human health problems is well documented. However, there is no scientific evidence showing that postharvest debris piles are ignition points for forest fires, other than those caused by humans. Wood residues from forest harvesting or natural disturbance wood from wildfire and insect outbreaks may be used as renewable biomass “feedstocks” that could help improve energy supplies and reduce GHG emissions. If not marketable, the management of postharvest debris should seek alternative outlets that do not dispose of debris by burning, but still meet fire hazard abatement requirements. The construction of woody debris structures (e.g., piles and windrows) built at the time of forest harvesting and log processing, or later at the site preparation stages, has positive benefits for wildlife habitat and forest biodiversity. A windrow or series of piles may connect patches and reserves of mature forest and riparian areas on clearcut openings. Piles and windrows have consistently provided habitat on new clearcuts for southern red-backed voles (Myodes gapperi) and Microtus voles, as well as a host of other forest-floor small mammal species, at least up to 12 years postconstruction. Woody debris provides important habitat for foraging and cover attributes for marten (Martes americana), weasels (Mustela spp.), and other furbearers. A list of “What to do?” and “When and Where?” with options for construction of woody debris habitats: poorest, good, better, and best are given. In the cases where fire risk from humans is minimized and there are no marketable wood products, eight alternative management scenarios for postharvest woody debris are provided. These include: (1) piles for wildlife habitat; (2) distribution of debris in partial cut forests; (3) machinery to break up and crush debris; (4) protection of riparian zones with barriers for cattle; (5) construction of range fencing; (6) reclamation of landings and skid-trails; (7) soil fertility and reduction in weed competition and drought for planted conifers; and (8) slope stabilization and revegetation. Advantages and disadvantages (if known) are given for each alternative. A flow chart for the fate of excess postharvest woody debris with respect to fire hazard abatement and markets or nonmarkets is given.

Infrastructure design, construction and development experts are making frantic efforts to overcome the overbearing effects of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the continued dependence on the utilization of conventional cement as a construction material on our planet. The amount of CO2 emitted during cement production, transportation to construction sites, and handling during construction activities to produce concrete is alarming. The present research work is focused on proposing intelligent models for fly ash (FA)-based concrete comprising cement, fine and coarse aggregates (FAg and CAg), FA, and water as mix constituents based on environmental impact (P) considerations in an attempt to foster healthier and greener concrete production and aid the environment. FA as a construction material is discharged as a waste material from power plants in large amounts across the world. Its utilization as a supplementary cement ensures a sustainable waste management mechanism and is beneficial for the environment too; hence, this research work is a multi-objective exercise. Intelligent models are proposed for multiple concrete mixes utilizing FA as a replacement for cement to predict 28-day concrete compressive strength and life cycle assessment (LCA) for cement with FA. The data collected show that the concrete mixes with a higher amount of FA had a lesser impact on the environment, while the environmental impact was higher for those mixes with a higher amount of cement. The models which utilized the learning abilities of ANN (-BP, -GRG, and -GA), GP and EPR showed great speed and robustness with R2 performance indices (SSE) of 0.986 (5.1), 0.983 (5.8), 0.974 (7.0), 0.78 (19.1), and 0.957 (10.1) for Fc, respectively, and 0.994 (2.2), 0.999 (0.8), 0.999 (1.0), 0.999 (0.8), and 1.00 (0.4) for P, respectively. Overall, this shows that ANN-BP outclassed the rest in performance in predicting Fc, while EPR outclassed the others in predicting P. Relative importance analyses conducted on the constituent materials showed that FA had relatively good importance in the concrete mixes. However, closed-form model equations are proposed to optimize the amount of FA and cement that will provide the needed strength levels without jeopardizing the health of the environment.

This note focuses on the development and production phases of the oil & gas upstream cycle. The first one includes all activities and processes required to optimally develop a field. The second one is related to all activities performed to extract hydrocarbons from a reservoir and their treating at surface. The development phase is very complex and plays a very important role in a company’s strategy. In order to govern the process in each step and to obtain the best results in terms of profitability, risk reduction and safety, the oil companies have defined precise guidelines and try to adopt the most innovative technological solutions in the performed studies. According to these guidelines each project is based on a phase/gate approach and each phase has a set of clear objectives that, once achieved, allow the project to proceed into the next phase. During the development phase a set of studies are executed to ensure that asset development and project execution will be done at the best minimizing uncertainties and associated risks. The activity of reservoir characterization is the most important of these studies as its results have a strong impact on the final decisions. The objective of a reservoir evaluation study is the construction of a 3D model of the reservoir through a multi-step process that uses dedicated software. The purposes of this activity include improving the estimation of oil in place and reserves, predict future production, evaluating different development scenarios. While the development phase is optimized to be as short as possible, the production phase can last several years depending on the size of the field and the costs the company has to bear to maintain the system working. During its production life the field is continuously monitored through an activity called Reservoir Management. The objectives of the Reservoir Management activity include the continuous update and validation of the reservoir dynamic model and the definition and assessment of the technical and economical feasibility of well interventions aimed at field production optimization. Many studies in this phase are focused on the selection of the best oil recovery technique. Among them Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) techniques, although more expensive, are gaining high popularity as they provide a way to recycling CO2 created by industrial processes. The last part of this note is dedicated to an overview of what the oil companies and Eni in particular are doing or planning in order to meet the targets defined in the Paris agreements in terms of reduction of greenhouse gases emissions while still satisfying the world’s energy needs. Since renewables still have economic and technological limits when deployed on a large scale, Eni is promoting gas as an ideal partner for the development of renewables and is increasing the share of natural gas in its portfolio. The use of the gas-renewables mix also enables coal consumption to be reduced. New technologies are expected to play a key role on this journey towards a more sustainable model thus Eni is continuously increasing its budget in research and development projects for carbon neutrality.

The article emphasizes that very often the main benefits from port projects come from the wider community and the economy, rather than the port industry itself. This is especially true when ports invest in basic infrastructure to provide opportunities for future growth. In addition, a number of investment requirements have joined the ports' requirements to invest in basic infrastructure, as a result of broader societal imperatives, especially in the areas of environmental and energy policy. Ports, in addition to nodes of transport networks, are also sites for a number of activities that may require certain facilities. Based on this broad definition, it is possible to name different types of port infrastructure. There are twelve types of investment in infrastructure. Investments can relate to the construction of new infrastructure, as well as the modernization or reconstruction of existing infrastructure. In general, investments in maritime access benefit all port users, rather than specific segments and specific terminals in the port. Infrastructure investments are needed by seaports to increase their efficiency, address the growing and changing needs of production and supply chains, and adapt to the requirements of sustainable transport in terms of air quality, climate change and biodiversity. Increasing the size and complexity of the fleet. Growth of processing volumes in ports. Long-term transition to decarbonisation of the economy by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing energy efficiency and absorbing low-emission energy sources. Stricter requirements for environmental performance and absorption of alternative fuels. Pressure to increase the modal distribution of more sustainable modes of transport. Pressure towards urbanization of coastal areas, especially in densely populated areas. Strong digitization of almost all parts of the economy, including manufacturing, logistics and transport. Port management models and responsibility for infrastructure investments. Generalized trends lead to investment needs in port infrastructure. Decisions on these investments are made by various entities. This depends on the current model of port management, which differs significantly from one Member State to another. Investments in viable port infrastructure are those that are expected to be of great value (to the benefit of both consumers and society as a whole) in terms of their costs. However, not all viable investments bring the necessary financial return on investment to make them commercially attractive based on the commercial situation. Ports are strategic assets and are defined as "critical infrastructure"). The geopolitical dimension of port development reinforces the argument for public funding mechanisms, as the lack of such mechanisms will accelerate the participation of foreigners in the development of critical port infrastructure. It is necessary to form a platform with mechanisms for providing final support for port development and certain investments.

abstract: Circular Economy (CE) is progressively attracting interest from construction sector stakeholders to support the development of products with higher amounts of recovered materials in order to decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Concrete is one of the most used materials in the world and can be produced using waste as raw materials, including, bio-based sources, from both agricultural and forest activities. This research aims to assess the GHG emissions in the life cycle of innovative rice husk bio-concretes (RBC) in which rice husk (RH) and rice husk ash (RHA) are used as circular solutions. Four RBC, considering ordinary Portland cement replacement by 8% of RHA and, different contents of sand substitution by RH (0; 5 and 10%), were assessed. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was used, with a cradle-to-gate scope, using the GWPbio method, that contemplate the influence of biogenic carbon on the emissions reduction. Different transportation scenarios were evaluated considering the RBC production in different Brazilian regions. The service life of RBC in terms of carbon stock was also evaluated. Two carbon-performance indicators are also evaluated in terms of RBC compressive strength and thermal conductivity values. As the main conclusion, cement replacement by RHA alongside with sand replacement by RH are promising strategies to produce bio-concretes for specific applications, such as panels, partitions and façade elements, and to reduce its GHG emissions. However, this benefit varies according to RH availability, transport efficiency and RBC service life. The RBC can be considered a potential alternative for concrete industry, for specific applications, to reduce GHG emissions and can be developed where rice waste is an available source. This study contributes by presenting a new material and a methodology for the evaluation of life cycle GHG emissions of bio-concretes, which can help to promote a circular construction sector.

In-situ oil extraction activities impact the vast mosaic of boreal wetlands and uplands. Peatland restoration in these regions aims at reestablishing crucial peatland functions, such as peat accumulation and carbon (C) sequestration. In order to assess the success of fen restoration, we evaluated the biogeochemical conditions, the seasonal carbon balances via carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes and methane (CH4) emissions, and addressed the global warming potential following different restoration techniques at two restored in-situ oil sands well pads, during two consecutive growing seasons. Restoration work involved: 1) the partial or complete removal of introduced well pad construction materials, and spontaneous revegetation, or 2) the partial removal of foreign clay, in addition to reintroduction of typical fen plant species such as Larix laricina, Salix lutea and Carex aquatilis. Comparisons were done with regional reference ecosystems (REF) consisting of three peatlands: a wooded bog, a wooded rich fen and a wooded extreme-rich fen. While the average electric conductivity of restored sectors (946 μS cm−1) was higher compared to REF (360 μS cm−1), the pH was quite similar (pH 5.8 REF, pH 6 restored). Dissolved organic carbon concentration was lower in all restored sectors (5–11 mg L-1 restored sectors, 15–35 mg L-1 REF), presumably due to the still incomplete recovery of vegetation and lower organic matter content associated with remnant well pad material. Re-establishment of shrub and brown moss species improved significantly the C uptake. However, the active introduction of plant species was no crucial restoration step, in order to return species beneficial for C uptake. Restoration treatments that were leveled closest to the surrounding REF showed the most similar seasonal C balance to REF. In shallow open water areas resulting from the complete removal of all construction materials, we measured the highest methane emissions making these flooded sites net C sources to the atmosphere with elevated global warming potential. The partial removal of the well pad’s mineral soil to near the water table level and the surface elevation of the surrounding ecosystem seems to be the most effective site management method to sequester carbon efficiently. However, further research is needed to evaluate the suitability of this restoration method for the recovery of biodiversity and possible impacts of residual foreign materials on fen ecosystems.

Cities carry out various human production and living activities, consume a lot of carbon energy, become the main source of greenhouse gas emissions, and have an increasing impact on the climate. Therefore, as the main battlefield of carbon emission management, cities have become the focus of low-carbon research. The concept of a “low-carbon city” appears in dealing with global climate change. In order to further study the application of low carbon cities, this research discusses how to achieve the goal of low carbon cities from low carbon communities by introducing the concept of low carbon cities and the planning views of experts and scholars on low carbon cities, and based on the theoretical research and practical experience of low carbon cities. In the course of the study, Qianhai Cooperation Zone and Bao’an Central District in Shenzhen are introduced as case studies to analyze the practical application of low-carbon city construction. Through this study, we found that the purpose of low-carbon cities is to provide physical space for resource savings, low waste emissions, high operating efficiency, green and sustainable urban activities. For the completely dispersed urban structure in some regions of China, the polycentric network structure is a favorable urban structure for these regions to achieve low carbon and efficient development. The polycentric network cities have high urban density and activity intensity, so corresponding low-carbon strategies can be effectively implemented according to different functional positioning, density and activity density. On the other hand, in order to achieve efficient and low-carbon urban development, the community should be the basic unit. Only when low carbon is realized in the community can the basic low carbon of urban life be guaranteed and the low carbon of the whole city be realized.

The effects of global warming are already bringing harm to human communities and the natural world. Human activities can also change the earth's climate and are presently driving climate change through global warming. Due to the high levels of adaptation and mitigation, which makes farmers more vulnerable, climate change affects agriculture in many ways, directly impacting food production and unpredictable yields. A growing global population and changing diets are driving up the demand for food. Production is struggling to keep up as crop yields level off in many parts of the world, ocean health declines, and natural resources including soils, water and biodiversity are stretched dangerously. The world's population is estimated to be at 9.7 Billion persons by the year 2050. Therefore, agriculture must change according to the present situation to meet the need for food security and withstanding under changing climatic situation. Climate change's effects are already felt in reduced yields and more frequent extreme weather events, affecting crops and livestock alike. Annual greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) originating in "Agriculture, Forestry, and other Land Use" (AFOLU) are caused mainly by deforestation, rice cultivation practices, livestock production, soil and nutrient management. Climate change is emerging as a significant threat to agriculture, food security and means of livelihood of people worldwide. With the increased rate of human-made activities such as construction, soil disturbances which release trapped carbon in the soil to the atmosphere, stringent measures from the use of climate-smart farming practices and agricultural engineering techniques need to be looked at to combat further degradation of the soil and in turn, increase food production.

Introduction. The concentration of methane in the Earth's atmosphere, the second most potent greenhouse gas, continues to rise since 2007 [Canadell et al., 2021]. The need to significantly reduce the anthropogenic emission of methane into the atmosphere in order to limit the increase in global temperature by 2100 within 2C relative to the period from 1850 to 1900 is recognized by both the scientific community [IPCC, 2021] and the leadership of most countries of the world, including Russia, who signed and ratified the Paris Agreement, adopted following the results of the 21st Conference of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change [Climate Agenda of Russia, 2021]. Reduction of methane emissions and control over it throughout the territory of managed ecosystems will require huge resources and investments, development of new climate-smart technologies. A reasonable compromise may be to identify the most important sources of methane within managed ecosystems (also called hot spots) and to introduce changes in their land-use in accordance with the principles of sustainable development and science-based environmental management. The major type of economic activity in the taiga natural zone of West Siberia is oil production [Koleva, 2007; Volkova, 2010]. Since 35-40% of the West Siberian middle taiga area is covered with waterlogged ecosystems - wetlands and floodplains [Peregon et al., 2009; Terentieva et al., 2016], a significant part of this infrastructure is located in wetland ecosystems and has a strong impact on them. In this paper, we made the first attempt to understand, how the most common types of disturbances by oil production (road, pipeline and electric power transmission line construction) can affect methane emissions from the most common disturbed waterlogged ecosystems in the region (oligotrophic raised bogs on a terrace or watershed) and eutrophic lowland swamps in the floodplain). We measured methane emission from the surface of disturbed wetland ecosystems, physicochemical and biological factors influencing it, to identify which ecosystems are hot spots of methane emission. Objects. The study area was located 50 km southeast of the city of Khanty-Mansiysk, on the right bank of the Irtysh River, in the natural zone of the middle taiga. The climate of this region is subarctic (Dfc according to Kppen). In the floodplain of the Irtysh the most common types of wetlands are sedge-grass open swamps and sogras (treed sedge-grass wetlands), on terraces and the watershed - pine-shrub-sphagnum ecosystems (ryams) and ridge-hollow complexes [Liss et al., 2001]. The thickness of the peat layer in raised bogs on the terrace and watershed varied from 2 to 3 m; in sogra from 3.5 to 4 m; in open floodplain swamps thickness of organic-rich horizon never exceeded 0.4 m. For floodplain ecosystems we investigated influence of a four-lane access road on changing the hydrological functioning of open swamps (points OO and OK), as well as the effect of cross-cut in a sogra (SP) compared to an undisturbed sogra (SE). For raised bogs on the terrace and watershed, we study the influence of asphalt two-lane roads which act as dams, preventing the flow of water from one side of the road to the other resulting in flooding to upstream areas (GMKO1 and GMKO2) and drying in downstream areas (GMKS) in ridge-hollow complexes. In ryams and ridge-hollow complexes The effect of cross-cutting on methane emission in ryams (RP1 and RP2) as well as pipeline installation in ryam (RTO1) and ridge-hollow complex (RTO2) were also studied. During a cross-cut tree layer was destroyed, the vegetation and moss cover was compacted (RP1) or mostly destroyed (RP2 and SP). Access roads were constructed 3 (four-lane) and 10-15 (asphalt two-lane) years ago. Pipelines were installed 2-3 years ago. Methods. Methane flux was measured using the static chamber method [Hutchinson and Mosier, 1981]. In the course of one flux measurement four syringes were taken from the chamber on the interval of 10 min. Total duration of one flux measurement was 30 minutes. Three consecutive replicates of the flux measurements were carried out on each of the three collars per each investigated ecosystem. Interval between two consecutive flux measurements was 10 min. Water were sampled from the depth of 20 cm below water table level (WTL) in two replicates to determine dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content at the points GMKO2, GMKS, RTO1, RTO2, RP2, as well as in an undisturbed ryam ecosystem 50 m away from the points RTO1 and RP2. The concentration of DOC was measured by a Flash 2000 elemental analyzer using an AS1310 automatic liquid sampler (both Thermo Fisher Scientific, USA). In each studied ecosystem for each collar the values of WTL (cm, positive water is below the level of the moss surface), pH and electrical conductivity (Scm-1) of water were measured. All calculations were carried out in the MATLAB software environment R2022a (MathWorks, USA). Results and discussion. Methane emission varied from 0.005 to 41.7 mgm-2h-1 with a median of 2.1 mgm‑2h‑1. Fluxes were not distributed normally (p 0.0001, N = 33), but could be described by the lognormal distribution (p = 0.15) and the Weibull distribution (p = 0.22). Such a significant distribution asymmetry indicates that changes of land-use practice in several ecosystems with the highest methane emission could help to reduce methane emission significantly without substantial modifications of the whole landscape. The dependence of the methane flux on WTL differs depending on both disturbance and ecosystem types. Within one ecosystem, the maximum emission values can be observed both in most flooded sites (RP2, GMKS), in sites with intermediate WTL values (GMKO1, RTO2, OK), and in sites with the highest WTL (RTO1). One of the markers of methane emission hot spots is the appearance of ruderal plants Eriophorum vaginatum and Trichophorum cespitosum in different ecosystems and on disturbances of different types. Eriophorum vaginatum is one of the first species to settle on bare peat in cross-cuts (RTO1 and RTO2) and footprints after heavy equipment (RP2) in raised bogs, as well as on seismic survey lines in sogra (SP). Trichophorum cespitosum was found in the upstream area of the road, where a zone of excessive moisture has formed resulting in degradation of the moss and vegetation cover and peat decomposition (GMKO1). In all these five ecosystems, methane flux from sites covered with Eriophorum vaginatum and Trichophorum cespitosum was 2 or more times higher compared to the surrounding sites where these species were absent. The maximum values of methane emission among all studied ecosystems are in the WTL range from -2 to 8 cm (see Fig. 1). In studied raised bogs, the emission from the flooded upstream areas (GMKO1 and GMKO2) was significantly lower (p = 0.0082, N = 8) than from the dried downstream areas (GMKS), if we exclude the point with Trichophorum cespitosum, where high methane emission is attributed, presumably, to the influence of the plant community and not with to the different WTL, as described in the section above. In contrast, for floodplain wetlands, emission from the open sedge bog in the drying area (OO) was significantly lower (p = 0.02, N = 6) than from the flooded open swamp with Phalaris arundinacea (OC). This difference could be explained by changes in local ecohydrology and hydrochemistry after the road construction. Methane emission from ridges in GMKO1 and GMKO2 ecosystems (median 1.5 mgm-2h-1) exceeds by an order of magnitude the median of methane emission from middle taiga ridges Western Siberia (0.13 mgm-2h-1 according ‑to [Kleptsova et al., 2010]). Due to flooding in the upstream area of the roads, WTL in ridges decreased compared to values typical for these ecosystems (mean standard deviation is 35 14 cm according to [Kleptsova et al., 2010]). However, the grass-moss layer of the ridges did not degrade, and the methane emission from them turned out to be comparable with the emission from undisturbed ridges with the same WTL values (Fig. 2). Methane emission from temperate and subarctic swamps is typically characterized by a lower optimal WTL value (ranging from -20 cm to -5 cm) compared to bogs [Bao et al., 2021]. Therefore, flooding of the Phalaris arundinacea swamp (OK) resulted in optimal conditions for methanogenesis in all three studied sites of this ecosystem with WTL ranging from -12 to 3 cm. The methane emission in each site of the Phalaris arundinacea swamp was higher than the third quartile for the entire sample obtained in this study. The open sedge bog (OO) separated from the rest of the floodplain by the road was characterized by a higher WTL (from -5 to 12 cm), far from optimal. In addition, the soil temperature in these ecosystems, located at a distance of 600 meters from each other, differed by 9-11C in a peat layer from 0 to 20 cm. The same pattern was observed in sogra wetland, where temperature of the upper 20 cm in cross-cut bare peat was 6-8C higher than in undisturbed site, separated from floodplain by access road. Thus, both the temperature and hydrological regimes contribute to the fact that the methane emission from the flooded floodplain open swamp (OK) is significantly higher than from the floodplain bog in the drying area (OO point). A similar pattern was observed for the treed floodplain swamp (SP and SE points, respectively). The concentration of DOC in the water of natural and disturbed ecosystems of the low ryam was significantly higher than in the hollow of the ridge-hollow complex (p 0.01, N = 5). The same pattern was observed for Canadian wetlands and was explained by the fact that DOC production occurs mainly in the aeration zone above the WTL. Since in ryams and ridges WTL it is higher than in hollows, the rate of plant litter decomposition is twice as high as in hollows (Moore, 2009). The higher rate of decomposition can explain both the higher EC (faster mineralization) and the lower pH (higher acidogenesis) in the low ryam. It is noteworthy that during the disturbance and subsequent recovery of the vegetation in the ryam, the concentration of DOC in the peat pore water increased by almost one and a half times, while in the hollow of the ridge-hollow complex it did not change considerably compared to the value in undisturbed wetland ecosystem. Conclusion. Measurements of methane emission from wetlands of the West Siberian middle taiga disturbed during oil production and its physicochemical and biological factors showed that several of these ecosystems are intensive sources of this greenhouse gas. Although this is only a snapshot taken at the end of June 2021, and it is necessary to study the seasonal dynamics of the methane flux for more reliable conclusions, several indicators of methane emission hot spots could be suggested. Presence of ruderal plants such as Eriophorum vaginatum and Trichophorum cespitosum marks such a hot spots throughout different ecosystems. Ecosystem-specific range of WTL optimal for methane emission could also be a reliable indicator of these hot spots. Response of methane emission to the construction of roads depends on type of wetland ecosystems. In raised bogs, hollows in the upstream area emit less methane than undisturbed ecosystems, while in the downstream area emission is higher. Emission from ridges in flooded ridge-hollow complexes increases with the decrease of the WTL in them, similarly to natural undisturbed ridges. Nutrient-rich floodplain swamps response differently to changes in the hydrological regime. The emission of methane from open and forested swamps in the drying area is lower than from flooding area. This is explained not only by different WTL optimums for methane emission between bogs and swamps but also differences in temperature (6-11С) of the surface organic-rich layers of floodplain wetlands in the flooding area compared to drying area. The methane emission from heavy vehicle tracks in low ryam is driven by the change in WTL relative to its optimum for methane emission from raised bogs.