Opportunities for sustainable development of the Russian economy and social sphere through the use of carbon-free technologies

В данной статье рассматриваются актуальные вопросы перехода мировой и российской экономики на низкоуглеродные и безуглеродные технологии. Отмечается влияние стран и отраслей экономики на эмиссию парниковых газов. Приведены основные факторы парниковых газов в Российской экономике, крупные отрасли-эмитенты использования парниковых газов в энергетике горно-химического, нефтехимического производства, машиностроения и др., а также в отраслях сельского хозяйства. Определены основные угрозы для российской экономики в связи с переходом на низкоуглеродные и безуглеродные технологии. Подчеркивается значимость рынков стран и регионов для российских товаров, и как следствие потери для экономики страны с переходом стран – партнеров на сокращение выбросов углеводорода. В долгосрочной перспективе приводятся данные как отражение объемов непосредственных финансовых потерь российский компаний – экспортеров по отдельным отраслям в условиях реализации основных направлений развития безуглеродных технологий в стране. Богатая ресурсная база страны дает определенные преимущества. Одним из возможностей для российской экономики является учет и признание на мировом уровне поглощающей способности лесов. Отмечается необходимость разработки и реализации мероприятий по постепенному переходу на низкоуглеродные технологии в отраслях экономики. The article examines topical issues of the transition of the global and Russian economies to low-carbon and carbon-free technologies. The influence of countries and sectors of the economy on the emission of greenhouse gases is noted. The main factors of greenhouse gases in the Russian economy, large industries that emit greenhouse gases – energy, mining and chemical, petrochemical production, mechanical engineering, etc., as well as agriculture – were listed. The main threats to the Russian economy in connection with the transition to low-carbon and carbon-free technologies were identified. The importance of the markets of countries and regions for Russian goods and, as a consequence, losses for the country’s economy with the transition of partner countries to reducing hydrocarbon emissions is emphasized. It shows both the size of the direct financial losses of Russian exporting companies by industry and in the long term. The main directions for the development of carbon-free technologies in the country were determined, relying on a rich resource base, which gives Russia certain advantages. One of the opportunities for the Russian economy is the accounting and recognition at the world level of the absorbing capacity of forests. The need to develop and implement measures for the gradual transition to low-carbon technologies in the sectors of the economy is noted.

Fate of Soil Carbon Transported by Erosional Processes

The accelerated process of soil erosion by water and wind, responsible for transport and redistribution of a large amount of carbon-enriched sediments, has a strong impact on the global carbon budget. The breakdown of aggregates by erosivity of water (raindrop, runoff) and wind weakens the stability of soil C (organic and inorganic) and aggravates its vulnerability to degradation processes, which lead to the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) including CO2, CH4, and N2O, depending on the hydrothermal regimes. Nonetheless, a part of the eroded soil C may be buried, reaggregated and protected against decomposition. In coastal steep lands, (e.g., Taiwan, New Zealand) with a short distance to burial of sediments in the ocean, erosion may be a sink of C. In large watersheds (i.e., Amazon, Mississippi, Nile, Ganges, Indus, etc.) with a long distance to the ocean, however, most of the C being transported is prone to mineralization/decomposition during the transit period and is a source of GHGs (CO2, CH4, N2O). Land use, soil management and cropping systems must be prudently chosen to prevent erosion by both hydric and aeolian processes. The so-called plague of the soil, accelerated erosion by water and wind, must be effectively curtailed.

Using Sentinel-2 Images for Soil Organic Carbon Content Mapping in Croplands of Southwestern France. The Usefulness of Sentinel-1/2 Derived Moisture Maps and Mismatches between Sentinel Images and Sampling Dates

In agronomy, soil organic carbon (SOC) content is important for the development and growth of crops. From an environmental monitoring viewpoint, SOC sequestration is essential for mitigating the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. SOC dynamics in cropland soils should be further studied through various approaches including remote sensing. In order to predict SOC content over croplands in southwestern France (area of 22,177 km²), this study addresses (i) the influence of the dates on which Sentinel-2 (S2) images were acquired in the springs of 2017–2018 as well as the influence of the soil sampling period of a set of samples collected between 2005 and 2018, (ii) the use of soil moisture products (SMPs) derived from Sentinel-1/2 satellites to analyze the influence of surface soil moisture on model performance when included as a covariate, and (iii) whether the spatial distribution of SOC as mapped using S2 is related to terrain-derived attributes. The influences of S2 image dates and soil sampling periods were analyzed for bare topsoil. The dates of the S2 images with the best performance (RPD ≥ 1.7) were 6 April and 26 May 2017, using soil samples collected between 2016 and 2018. The soil sampling dates were also analyzed using SMP values. Soil moisture values were extracted for each sample and integrated into partial least squares regression (PLSR) models. The use of soil moisture as a covariate had no effect on the prediction performance of the models; however, SMP values were used to select the driest dates, effectively mapping topsoil organic carbon. S2 was able to predict high SOC contents in the specific soil types located on the old terraces (mesas) shaped by rivers flowing from the southwestern Pyrénées.

Sustainable and Circular Food Innovation—The CeTA Experience

Worldwide, around a third of loss and waste is generated at different stages of the food transformation chain, generating relevant economic, social, and environmental impacts, and increases in the water footprint, emission of greenhouse gases, pressure on the use of arable land, production costs, and decrease in the availability of food for the population. These reasons make imperative the implementation of strategies that minimize the generation of these losses. The Chilean “Technology Center for Food Innovation” (Centro Tecnológico para la Innovación Alimentaria—CeTA), aware of this problem, is contributing to the development of innovative products where materials that are considered waste or by-products from processes in the food, agriculture, cattle raising, and aquaculture industry are reused, or raw materials that do not meet commercial standards, taking advantage of their properties and bioactive compounds, turning them into value propositions that have circular economy components. Examples of these products developed in CeTA include soups, fruit purees, snacks, baked products, food ingredients, and breakfast cereals that contain valued raw materials such as barley bagasse, defatted coconut flour, fruit pomaces, discarded meats, quinoa grown in lagging areas of Chile, as well as stems, leaves, and fruit and vegetable peels, thus generating an environmental, economic, and social impact.

REDUCING SHIP EMISSIONS: A REVIEW OF POTENTIAL PRACTICAL IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROPULSIVE EFFICIENCY OF FUTURE SHIPS

Environmental issues such as the emission of greenhouse gases, pollution, wash and noise are having an increasing impact on the design and operation of ships. These environmental issues together with economic factors, such as rising fuel costs, all ultimately lead to the need to minimise ship propulsive power. Various methods and devices for reducing propulsive power are reviewed and discussed. The most favourable methods, from a feasible and practical point of view, are identified and quantified. It is found that potential reductions in the resistance of existing good hull forms are relatively small, but optimising hull-propeller-rudder interaction offers very promising prospects for improvement. The biggest potential savings in power arise from optimised operational strategies such as the use of optimum trim, speed and weather routeing. Potential conflicts of interest when considering both economic and environmental requirements are investigated and discussed. Suitable design methodologies and procedures, taking into account economic and environmental factors, are suggested for the design of future ships.

Negative Pressure Irrigation System Reduces Soil Nitrogen Loss for Lettuce during Greenhouse Production

Negative pressure irrigation (NPI) to grow crops reduces the application of fertilizer and water while also promoting yield and quality. However, plantation vegetables usually require a large input of nitrogen (N) fertilizer in a greenhouse setting, which will lower the soil quality and accelerate the emission of greenhouse gases. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to explore planting lettuce under an NPI system that retrenches N fertilizer application and mitigates N2O emissions compared with conventional irrigation (CI). This research proved that under NPI conditions, nitrate and ammonium fluctuated slightly in the soil, stabilizing in the range of 18–28 mg kg−1, while that of CI was 20–55 mg kg−1. The NPI alleviated N2O emissions, and NPI-N150 and NPI-N105 decreased them by 18% and 32%, respectively, compared with those for CI-N150. The main explanation was that the NPI inhibited the formation of NO3−-N, reduced the copies number of AOA and AOB as well as the abundance of Nitrospira in the soil, and weakened the soil nitrate reductase and urease activities. The results of this research provide a reliable scientific method for reducing the use of water and N fertilizer while cultivating lettuce, as well as for reducing N2O emissions from agricultural facilities.

WAYS TO REDUCE CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS INTO THE ATMOSPHERE AT PRODUCTION PROCESSES IN CROP

The article provides an overview of the state of the art related to the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere during the operation of mobile machine-tractor units in the agricultural sector of the economy. Sources of greenhouse gas emissions are considered. It was revealed that a huge amount of greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere due to intensive soil cultivation, while the emission of CO2, NOX and CH4 is many times higher than the emission of these gases from fuel combustion in the engines of machine and tractor units. However, taking into account the large areas of arable land in the Russian Federation, reducing the emission of greenhouse gases with exhaust gases (OG) of engines is an urgent task. The article discusses the composition of the exhaust gases of a diesel engine and methods of binding environmentally harmful substances, considers ways to reduce the emission of toxic components of exhaust gas. It was revealed that of the gases contributing to the formation of the greenhouse effect on the ground, up to 10% of exhaust gases contain carbon dioxide. In this regard, the ways of reducing the emission of carbon dioxide from the engines of machine-tractor units are being analyzed, the tasks of research on the binding of CO2 in soil and plants are set, by using some chemical fertilizers as substitutes, for heating the soil at the time of sowing and activating the vital activity of beneficial microorganisms in it. It is stated that one of the ways to reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere is to search for ways to reduce direct and indirect energy costs during the operation of machine-tractor units, including by reducing crop losses due to incorrectly selected parameters of tractors and agricultural machines, neg

Sustainable agriculture: A move towards a healthier and environment friendly farming and a hope to reduce food poverty in India

Sustainable agriculture can help us to become above a change in the pattern we consume food and also eradicate the problem of food shortage across the world, in particular in India, less than 4 % of the country had adopted to sustainable agriculture in which crop rotation, organic farming, agroforestry and natural farming is common, It can work to reduce poverty and hunger from the country, male nutrition is a very big issue where 15 % of the world male nutrition population is found in India. Sustainable agriculture can help to combat the problem of pests, weed pressure, reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, soil erosion. Sustainable agriculture works with the nature takes into account environment health, economic and social equity of its people. Agriculture is the largest industry in India which provides jobs to maximum people, sustainable farming will double the income of farmers, generate employment, will led to the growth of healthier plants, soil and wildlife with water harvesting and agroforestry.