China’s Tea Industry: Net Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Mitigation Potential
, Liyuan Wang 4, Bin Xie 5, Minghong Li 6 and Zhongbai Li 7Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Dear Authors,
Thank you very much for possibility to read that very important article concerning the climate protection. I have some suggestions, advice and comments. I hope they will be useful for you to improve your paper.
Line 15 – please make “Tea” not bold
Line 51 – authors mentioned that the food demands of an increasing world population is a 52 challenging task. it would be worth mentioning in a broader sense in the introduction, as it is a nexus of food, energy and climate change. I suggest you add a short note about this problem supported by Nexus between water, energy, food and climate change as challenges facing the modern global, European and Polish economy. AIMS Geosciences, 2020, 6, 397-421. or/and Sustainable development and the water–energy–food nexus: A perspective on livelihoods. Environmental Science & Policy, 2015, 54, 389-397.
Line 63 – In addition, some studies have investigated the C storage – please write coal, because in other part of the paper there is written coal. Or please write at the beginning that symbol and use it in every places of the text.
Line 64 - potential of tea plantation ecosystems [22-26] - please write few more sentences from that loop of citation. Please don’t use long loop of citation for 1 sentence.
Line 70 and next - What is tea garden production? Is it tea plantations?
Line 127 – authors wrote about energy consumption and diesel consumption during the transportation and cultivation. Nowadays there are also innovation solution to reduce CO2 emission is using engine with higher efficiency or hybrid system as well as improving aerodynamics of vehicles, reducing rolling resistance and decreasing the weight of cars. Please read some more information in the paper from study in Turkey An optimization study on corn silage mechanization in Ege University Agricultural Research Farm. Tarım Makinaları Bilimi Dergisi, 10(2), 87-92. You can add few information to your paper.
Figure 1 - the small square is incomprehensible / not very visible. If there is no tea production in this region, do not include it in the picture
In the table 1 please put value in USD not in RMB (please recalculated). Moreover please write what kind of dollars do you use? In line 111 Authors wrote dollars. American, Canadian, Australian?
Figure 2 – please delete detail signs
Eg 2 – how that numbers were calculated in that equation? Why there is no symbols of coefficients in the equation? Why there are raw numbers? Similar question to Eq 6.
Why there are no equations for E garden and E factory?
Line 210 and 102 – these sentences are inconsistent: some factories have begun to utilize electricity, natural gas and biomass and Coal vs. electricity and natural gas are the major energy sources for tea processing in China.
I believe that you can support your paper by my comments and advice. Good luck.
Author Response
Q1: Line 15 – please make “Tea” not bold
A1: We have revised this mistake, and thanks for your carefully review.
Q2:Line 51 – authors mentioned that the food demands of an increasing world population is a 52 challenging task. it would be worth mentioning in a broader sense in the introduction, as it is a nexus of food, energy and climate change. I suggest you add a short note about this problem supported by Nexus between water, energy, food and climate change as challenges facing the modern global, European and Polish economy. AIMS Geosciences, 2020, 6, 397-421. or/and Sustainable development and the water–energy–food nexus: A perspective on livelihoods. Environmental Science & Policy, 2015, 54, 389-397.
A2: Thanks for your suggestion and for providing these references. We have adopted some content in our manuscript, in the Introduction.
Q3: Line 63 – In addition, some studies have investigated the C storage – please write coal, because in other part of the paper there is written coal. Or please write at the beginning that symbol and use it in every places of the text.
A3: According to your suggestion, and we supplement some content related to coal use as energy source in tea industry, we think these content is important for the following section of energy use and consumption about tea processing. It is a wise suggestion.
Q4:Line 64 - potential of tea plantation ecosystems [22-26] - please write few more sentences from that loop of citation. Please don’t use long loop of citation for 1 sentence.
A4: Text has been rewritten accordingly.
Q5:Line 70 and next - What is tea garden production? Is it tea plantations?
A5: We have used tea plantations instead of tea garden production.
Q6: Line 127 – authors wrote about energy consumption and diesel consumption during the transportation and cultivation. Nowadays there are also innovation solution to reduce CO2 emission is using engine with higher efficiency or hybrid system as well as improving aerodynamics of vehicles, reducing rolling resistance and decreasing the weight of cars. Please read some more information in the paper from study in Turkey An optimization study on corn silage mechanization in Ege University Agricultural Research Farm. Tarım Makinaları Bilimi Dergisi, 10(2), 87-92. You can add few information to your paper.
A6: Indeed, machinery plays an important role in the tea industry. We have added some content in section 4.3, and thanks for your advice.
Q7: Figure 1 - the small square is incomprehensible / not very visible. If there is no tea production in this region, do not include it in the picture
A7. Maybe this suggestion is about Figure 5: all the small square is the tea source, sink and reduction potential related to major tea producing province, which is important for this manuscript, and we hope to maintain it. As for the question of not very visible, maybe it is a layout problem, and we will communicate with editor.
Q8:In the table 1 please put value in USD not in RMB (please recalculated). Moreover please write what kind of dollars do you use? In line 111 Authors wrote dollars. American, Canadian, Australian?
A8：We have recalculated these data in USD not in RMB.
Q9: Figure 2 – please delete detail signs
A9: We have used a new Figure to replace this unclear Figure.
Q10:Eg 2 – how that numbers were calculated in that equation? Why there is no symbols of coefficients in the equation? Why there are raw numbers? Similar question to Eq 6.
A10: As for Eq 2 and Eq 6, the equation and coefficients, we have made a clear explain in section of 2.3 and 2.4.
Q11:Why there are no equations for E garden and E factory?
A11: Eq 1 was used to calculated the GHG emission of fertilizer production, and E garden and E factory.
Q12:Line 210 and 102 – these sentences are inconsistent: some factories have begun to utilize electricity, natural gas and biomass and Coal vs. electricity and natural gas are the major energy sources for tea processing in China.
A12: Yes, it is a mistake, and we have revised it, thanks for your advice.
Reviewer 2 Report
Please show the scientific innovation of this work. The current manuscript is just a report.
Author Response
Q: Please show the scientific innovation of this work. The current manuscript is just a report.
A: Dear Reviewer:
We respect your conclusion and thank you for your suggestions. On the contrary, we regard this manuscript to have original value and meaning. As explained in the manuscript, the tea industry (including tea cultivation, transportation, processing and consumption) is a source of GHG emissions and a sink as well. There are opportunities for climate action which are highly relevant within this industry and across countries where tea cultivation and processing are important. This is especially so in China, which has 60% of the world’s cultivated area and produces almost half the global production. We believe our study presents a valuable data source as well as providing analyses which go beyond what already exists in the literature.
Reviewer 3 Report
The Introduction comprising also the literature review is too short. The authors have to extend it, not especially the number of references included there but definitely they should have a more profound explanation regarding the sources cited there. The references should be explained, not just mentioned. Otherwise, the paper is good but the foundation in the literature review should be more solid. So, briefly, the authors should grant more space, more phrases regarding the sources cited and extend the explanation.Author Response
Q: The Introduction comprising also the literature review is too short. The authors have to extend it, not especially the number of references included there but definitely they should have a more profound explanation regarding the sources cited there. The references should be explained, not just mentioned. Otherwise, the paper is good but the foundation in the literature review should be more solid. So, briefly, the authors should grant more space, more phrases regarding the sources cited and extend the explanation.
A: Dear review:
Thanks for your suggestion. Other reviewers gave us similar advice and we thank you all sincerely. According to your suggestion, we have rewritten parts of the Introduction, including explaining reviews of different references, and making some simple analysis. In addition, we revised some figures and tables, and added some additional content in the Discussion, as well some extra references.
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
Dear authors, thank you for considering my suggestions. Now the paper is much better written, congratulations.
In nowadays there is inter-connection between sectors, it is good that authors mentioned about that.
I also have a question related to cultivation, harvesting and transport. The authors use these terms, but I did not find in the text about tractor / tractors to run the job. The authors in the introduction wrote that agriculture is responsible for GHG, for CO2 emissions, but I miss at least a few sentences that in agriculture we use machines, e.g. tractors, which are responsible for energy consumption and pollution of the atmosphere. This is important issue also in tea cultivation. I mentioned about tractors, fuel consumption in Turkey farms (University experimental field) so in tea production is similar.
Author Response
Q: I also have a question related to cultivation, harvesting and transport. The authors use these terms, but I did not find in the text about tractor / tractors to run the job. The authors in the introduction wrote that agriculture is responsible for GHG, for CO2 emissions, but I miss at least a few sentences that in agriculture we use machines, e.g. tractors, which are responsible for energy consumption and pollution of the atmosphere. This is important issue also in tea cultivation. I mentioned about tractors, fuel consumption in Turkey farms (University experimental field) so in tea production is similar.
A: Dear Reviewer,
Thanks for this suggestion. Yes, machines are widely used in the tea industry in China, including for cultivation, transportation and harvesting, and especially in processing.
In Section 4.5, it was mentioned that there is a gap between planting area (304×104 ha) and picking area (239×104 ha). In China, for picking area, tractors generally could not be used in the tea plantations, therefore, fertilization and harvesting are all dependent on human labor. So, we only considered the fuel consumption during the process of transportation. As for vehicles and machines used in the processing stage, we provide some explanation in Section 2.2 and 4.3. Although this is an important part of the tea industry, we did not calculate in this study due to limitation of data.
Reviewer 2 Report
Please explain the experimental hypotheses on which your work is based
Author Response
Q: Please explain the experimental hypotheses on which your work is based
A: Dear Reviewer,
Thanks for this suggestion. This was an explorative research project rather than one with a formal hypothesis. By exploring the GHG emissions associated with tea cultivation and processing, we seek to raise awareness about these emissions and inform strategic action to mitigate them.
In China, the government has made GHG emissions reduction commitments, including to become carbon neutral by 2060. Studies which provide guidance to achieve this goal are considered strategically important. Also, there is relevance beyond China, as GHG emissions reduction is a shared global need. This study has integrated research data from various sources to provide new perspectives on the role of the tea industry, hence there is innovation and novelty.
