[Analysis of Carbon Emission Reduction Potential in the Pilot of a "Zero-free City" in Chongqing]

Huan Jing Ke Xue. 2025 Jan 8;46(1):88-99. doi: 10.13227/j.hjkx.202401063.
[Article in Chinese]

Abstract

The construction of "zero-free cities" is an effective plan to achieve the carbon peak plan, reduce pollution and carbon emissions, and promote a circular economy. Based on the WARM model and Emission factor method, the total carbon emission reduction of solid waste sources and disposal in each field during the implementation of the zero-free city policy in Chongqing (2017-2021) was calculated, and the total carbon emission reduction of solid waste in each field in 2025 was predicted by scenario. The results showed that: ① After the implementation of cleaner production and green manufacturing policies in Chongqing, the generation intensity of general industrial solid waste decreased to 0.20 t·(104 yuan)-1 in 2021, and the carbon emission reduction in the industrial sector had been increasing since 2020. Due to the growth of the economy and living level, the per capita production of food waste, domestic waste, and e-waste increased, failing to reduce emissions at the source in these areas. In addition, the promotion of green food and organic agricultural products and the restriction of the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides could be strengthened to further reduce source emissions in the agricultural field. ② General industrial solid waste, construction waste, and straw were the key areas to achieve carbon emission reduction, and their carbon emission reductions were predicted to increase to 2 796.64×104, 538.54×104, and 99.07×104 t in 2021. Respectively, reducing the landfill volume in the above fields is the key to emission reduction. In the field of daily life, the collection and transportation of solid waste should be improved, the sorting process and disposal facilities should be refined, and the resource recycling rate should be improved to reduce its carbon emissions. Due to the improvement of the collection level and the application of straw feed and fertilizer, the carbon emission reduction of straw and agricultural film is generally rising, and the proportion of straw and livestock manure directly returned to the field should be reduced in the agricultural field, and the allocation of biomass disposal facilities to promote the co-disposal of the two may be the best means of carbon emission reduction. ③ In 2025, the predicted carbon emission reductions in Chongqing under the BAU scenario and the PLAN scenario were 2 289.78×104 and 2 750.31×104 t, respectively, indicating that the upgrading and transformation of local industries and the large-scale scale of the renewable resources industry have achieved good carbon reduction benefits. With the construction and improvement of various waste disposal facilities in 2025, the carbon emission reduction of the solid waste disposal process in various fields will continue to increase, but the carbon emissions of hazardous waste, municipal sludge, and livestock and poultry manure will still be in a state of growth due to the possible increase in total output in the future.

Keywords: Chongqing City; carbon emission reduction at source and disposal; material flow analysis; zero-free city; “BAU” and “PLAN” scenarios.

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