Assessment of the Carbon Emission Reduction Effects of Ecological River Slope Construction in China

Nearly 60% of river slopes in developed countries are treated with ecological slope protection technologies. Ecological river revetment has become a main focus in slope protection development projects. At present, the academic research on carbon emission reduction focuses on petroleum exploitation, agricultural production, transportation and residential life, with minor consideration of carbon emissions from river slope protection projects. This study assesses the carbon emissions from structural slope and ecological slope riverbeds, the impact of carbon emissions from ecological slopes on climate in China and analyses the contribution of ecological slope protection to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Results show that ecological slopes can reduce carbon emissions significantly, by 93.12% compared to structural slopes, with construction costs also reduced by 37%. And river ecological slope protection technologies will provide an important contribution to the reduction of China's carbon emissions.