Allocating Emission Reduction Targets in the European Union — Issues and Proposals

The nitrogen oxides in a flame of burning fuel can be created by many mechanisms. The amount of NOx concentration emitted to the ground atmosphere mainly depends on the type of fuel burned in the industrial and heating boilers. Changes in the country's thermal policy and requirements that are set for us by the European Union States are forcing us to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Directed metered ballast method is one of the most attractive techniques for reducing NOx emissions. In recent years, moisture injection technology is still investigated on low and medium power thermal power boilers operating on gaseous fuel. The goal of this work was to perform the investigations of the process of a moisture injection into the zones of decisive influence (SDW-I and SDW-II) on steam and water boilers: DKVR 10-13, DKVR 20-13, DE 25-14 and PTVM-50. The obtained results clearly show how the proposed method affects NOx reduction and boiler efficiency.

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Energy Savings by Optimization of Thrusters Allocation during Complex Ship Manoeuvres

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14164959 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (16) ◽

pp. 4959

Author(s):

Jarosław Artyszuk ◽

Paweł Zalewski

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Emission Reduction ◽

Degrees Of Freedom ◽

Energy Savings ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Gradual Transition ◽

The European Union ◽

Ghg Emission ◽

Twin Screw ◽

Joystick Control

The International Maritime Organization adopted a strategy to reduce the total annual GHG emissions from international shipping by at least 50% by 2050, compared to 2008 levels. The European Union proposed an even farther reaching transformation: the European Commission adopted a set of proposals to make the EU’s transport policies fit for reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. Therefore, all industrial actions in line and consistent with these strategies are essential. One of such activities may be a gradual transition from the most common independent controls of transport ships’ thrusters, propellers, and rudders to an integrated, power optimized, 3 degrees of freedom joystick control. In this paper, the full mission bridge simulator (FMBS) research on potential energy savings and, consequently, a GHG emission reduction, while steering a RoPax twin-screw ferry equipped with bow thrusters by a joystick control, is presented. The task of navigators engaged in the research was to steer the vessel either via classic engine, rudder, and thruster levers or via a joystick while (1) following the predefined straight track, (2) rotating at the turning area, and (3), finally, crabbing (moving sideways) until stopping at the quay fenders. The conclusions are that energy savings of approximately 10% can be expected for berthing manoeuvres controlled by a joystick, compared to independent actuators’ controls. These conclusions have been drawn from a statistical analysis of the ship’s energy consumption during typical manoeuvring phases of 18 berthing operations performed in FMBS.

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The Paris Climate Agreement and the Three Largest Emitters: China, the United States, and the European Union

Politics and Governance ◽

10.17645/pag.v4i3.666 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

pp. 219-223 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Miranda A. Schreurs

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

United States ◽

European Union ◽

Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Emission Reduction ◽

Global Climate ◽

The United States ◽

The European Union ◽

Gas Emissions

The Paris Agreement would not have come into being had China, the United States (US), and the European Union (EU), which together contribute more than half of all global greenhouse gas emissions, not signaled their intent to take major steps to reduce their domestic emissions. The EU has been at the forefront of global climate change measures for years having issued binding domestic emission reduction targets for 2020 and 2030. For many years, China refused to announce a target date for when it might begin reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, and the US Congress blocked action on climate change. In the lead up to the Paris climate negotiations, however, there were major shifts in China’s and the US’s climate positions. This commentary examines the climate policies of the three largest emitters and the factors motivating the positions they took in the Paris negotiations. Given that the commitments made in Paris are most likely insufficient to keep global temperature from rising 2 °C above pre-industrial levels, the commentary also considers what the likelihood is that these three major economies will strengthen their emission reduction targets in the near future.

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Nitrogen pollution in the European Union – origins and proposed solutions

Environmental Conservation ◽

10.1017/s0376892900038509 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 120-132 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Ester van der Voet ◽

René Kleijn ◽

Helias A. Udo de Haes

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Atmospheric Deposition ◽

Ground Water ◽

North Sea ◽

Emission Reduction ◽

Agricultural Practice ◽

The European Union ◽

The North ◽

The North Sea ◽

N Compounds

SummaryThe European Union is faced with major environmental problems related to nitrogen (N) compounds. The origins of three such problems, the atmospheric deposition of N compounds, the leaching of nitrates to ground-water and the anthropogenic N-input to the North Sea, are investigated by means of a Substance Flow Analysis (SFA); the reference year is 1988. Although the problems occur at various scales and have varying direct causes, food production and consumption together are the main responsible sectors, and the production and import of fertilizer appear to be the major ultimate sources in all three cases. Measures to combat these problems have been agreed to in various international frameworks: the European Community, the International North Sea Conference and the Rhine States Conference. These measures include technical emission reduction for acidifying compounds resulting in a 30% emission reduction; extension of the sewage treatment network and application of denitrification with 50% effectiveness; and introduction of measures directed at efficiency increase and emission reduction in agricultural practice in 10% of the agricultural area. The recent changes in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) are not expected to lead to significant changes in N flows. Assuming full implementation, an almost sufficient 45% reduction is expected for the anthropogenic nitrogen input into the North Sea. The atmospheric deposition of nitrogen compounds will be reduced by approximately 20%. The leaching of nitrates to the ground-water is expected to remain at the current level or even to increase a little. In all, these measures are conducive to solving, but do not satisfactorily solve, the three problems, mainly because the ultimate origins of the problems are not sufficiently influenced and measures therefore inevitably result in a shifting of problems.

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