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Exergetic assessment for ecological economic system: Chinese agriculture

Author

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  • Chen, G.Q.
  • Jiang, M.M.
  • Yang, Z.F.
  • Chen, B.
  • Ji, Xi
  • Zhou, J.B.

Abstract

Based on the thermodynamic concept of exergy as a unified measure for environmental resources and economic products, a framework for systems assessment is presented for ecological economies. With a typical systems diagram devised for a general ecological economy with four arm fluxes for free local natural resources, purchased economic investment, environmental impact and economic yield, system indices of the renewability index, exergy yield ratio, exergy investment ratio, environmental resource to yield ratio, system transformity and environmental stress index are defined for a congregated systems ecological assessment with essential implications to sustainability. As a detailed case study to the Chinese agriculture from 1980 to 2000 with cropping, forestry, stockbreeding and fishery sectors, extensive exergy account and systems assessment are carried out with emphasis on annual and structural variations against social political transitions. For the overall agriculture as a congregated ecological stage, the value of the system transformity is found around 10, the typical value for the general ecological hierarchy as well devised by Odum associated with Lindeman's Tenth Law.

Suggested Citation

  • Chen, G.Q. & Jiang, M.M. & Yang, Z.F. & Chen, B. & Ji, Xi & Zhou, J.B., 2009. "Exergetic assessment for ecological economic system: Chinese agriculture," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 220(3), pages 397-410.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:220:y:2009:i:3:p:397-410
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2008.10.006
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    5. Ricardo Manso & Tânia Sousa & Tiago Domingos, 2017. "Do the Different Exergy Accounting Methodologies Provide Consistent or Contradictory Results? A Case Study with the Portuguese Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Sector," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-31, August.
    6. Yang, J. & Chen, B., 2014. "Extended exergy-based sustainability accounting of a household biogas project in rural China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 264-272.
    7. Xia, X.H. & Huang, G.T. & Chen, G.Q. & Zhang, Bo & Chen, Z.M. & Yang, Q., 2011. "Energy security, efficiency and carbon emission of Chinese industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 3520-3528, June.
    8. Chen, G.Q. & Yang, Q. & Zhao, Y.H., 2011. "Renewability of wind power in China: A case study of nonrenewable energy cost and greenhouse gas emission by a plant in Guangxi," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(5), pages 2322-2329, June.
    9. Bilgen, Selçuk & Sarıkaya, İkbal, 2015. "Exergy for environment, ecology and sustainable development," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 1115-1131.
    10. Li, Fu Jia & Dong, Suo Cheng & Li, Fei, 2012. "A system dynamics model for analyzing the eco-agriculture system with policy recommendations," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 227(C), pages 34-45.
    11. Shao, Ling & Wu, Zi & Chen, G.Q., 2013. "Exergy based ecological footprint accounting for China," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 252(C), pages 83-96.
    12. Chen, G.Q. & Yang, Q. & Zhao, Y.H. & Wang, Z.F., 2011. "Nonrenewable energy cost and greenhouse gas emissions of a 1.5Â MW solar power tower plant in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(4), pages 1961-1967, May.
    13. Viet-Ngu Hoang & Mohammad Alauddin, 2012. "Input-Orientated Data Envelopment Analysis Framework for Measuring and Decomposing Economic, Environmental and Ecological Efficiency: An Application to OECD Agriculture," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 51(3), pages 431-452, March.
    14. Hoang, Viet-Ngu & Alauddin, Mohammad, 2009. "Analysis of Agricultural Sustainability: A Review of Exergy Methodologies and Their Application in OECD," MPRA Paper 90406, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 15 Mar 2010.
    15. Hoang, Viet-Ngu & Rao, D.S. Prasada, 2010. "Measuring and decomposing sustainable efficiency in agricultural production: A cumulative exergy balance approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(9), pages 1765-1776, July.
    16. Zhen, Wei & Qin, Quande & Qian, Xiaoying & Wei, Yi-Ming, 2018. "Inequality across China's Staple Crops in Energy Consumption and Related GHG Emissions," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 17-30.

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