scholarly journals Quantifying air quality co-benefits of climate policy across sectors and regions

2020 ◽  
Vol 163 (3) ◽  
pp. 1501-1517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toon Vandyck ◽  
Kimon Keramidas ◽  
Stéphane Tchung-Ming ◽  
Matthias Weitzel ◽  
Rita Van Dingenen
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Climate Policy ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Health Related

AbstractThe overlap in sources of greenhouse gas and local air pollutant emissions creates scope for policy measures to limit global warming and improve air quality simultaneously. In a first step, we derive estimates for the air pollution mortality-related component of the social cost of atmospheric release for 6 pollutants and 56 regions in the world. Combining these estimates with emission inventory data highlights that sector contributions to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution health impacts differ widely across regions. Next, simulations of future emission pathways consistent with the 2 °C and 1.5 °C targets illustrate that strengthening climate policy ambition raises the total value of air quality co-benefits despite lower marginal co-benefits per tonne of greenhouse gas emissions abated. Finally, we use results from a multi-model ensemble to quantify and compare the value of health-related ambient air quality co-benefits of climate policy across sectors and regions. On the global level, overall air quality co-benefits range from $8 to $40 per tonne of greenhouse gases abated in 2030, with median across models and scenarios of $18/tCO2e. These results mask strong differentiation across regions and sectors, with median co-benefits from mitigation in the residential and service sectors in India exceeding $500/tCO2e. By taking a sector- and region-specific perspective, the results presented here reveal promising channels to improve human health outcomes and to ratchet up greenhouse gas reduction efforts to bridge the gap between countries’ pledges and the global targets of the Paris Agreement.

scholarly journals Air Pollution Issues in Australia.

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Roden
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Federal Government ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Power Station ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Power Stations

This researcher examined air quality in Australia and, compared to other countries, found that there were considerable gaps in Australian’s actions and legislation towards air pollution. Firstly Australia has a Neoliberal Federal Government who are committed to continuing with fossil fuel development. As well as a preference for coal, gas is regarded as being a big contender in the Australian economy. The Federal Government is now keen to undertake CSG mining to extract gas which produces methane which is approximately 30 times more dangerous to the climate in greenhouse gas emissions than carbon dioxide. Further concerns have arisen in regard to lack of fuel standards which mean that car owners can use whatever types of petrol they wish. Diesel is also another option. Both these fuel sources are creating toxic, uncontrolled pollution. Another worrying consideration is the 40 year old Australian coal-fired power stations. The author was affronted at the terrible toxins being emitted from the Liddell coal-fired power station, well above the international standards, and there only being dated control in place, unlike the reduction of emissions in other countries. The research project the author undertook on: “Supporting the Upper Hunter valley community in the transition from coal power to renewable energy with the closure of the Liddell power station in 2022,” showed that individual and family health results were concerning as there was confusion about whether respondents considered their health was impacted. Interestingly focus groups highlighted that many people did understand that once the power station closed their health would definitely improve. NSW and Australia need policy development and action in air quality. The evidence of bad pollution – no fuel standards; dated controls on emissions for 40 year old coal-fired power stations; and probable continued greenhouse gas emissions increasing through continued coal use and gas mining – show that Australia is at the crossroads in regard to air quality and climate change. Zali Steggall, an Independent Member of Parliament, is proposing a Climate Change Bill by November 2020. Her supporters are arguing for a conscience vote. If enacted, the Bill would address the issue of climate change in a scientific and systematic way and, in so doing, tackle the multi-faceted problem of Australia’s poor air quality.

scholarly journals Study on mapping ozone pollution and ozone pollution regime in Cantho city then propose solutions to reduce ozone pollution

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (6) ◽  
pp. 247-257
Author(s):  
Bang Quoc Ho ◽  
Tam Thoai Nguyen ◽  
Khue Hoang Ngoc Vu
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Ozone Concentration ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
Ozone Pollution ◽  
Sensitive Areas ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Can Tho City ◽  
The City

Can Tho City is one the 5th largest city in Vietnam, with hight rate of economic growth and densely populated with 1,251,809 people, butsling traffic activities with 566,593 motobikes and 15,105 cars and hundreds of factories. The air in Can Tho city is polluted by dust and ozone. However, Can Tho city currently does not have a study on the simulation air pollution spread, therefore we do not have an overview on the status of air pollution in order to do not have solutions to limit the increase of pollution status of the city. The purpose of this study is to collect air pollutant emissions from other study. After that, TAPOM model is used to simulate the effects of ozone on the surrounding areas and study the ozone regime in Cantho city. The study results showed that the highest ozone concentration for an hour everage is 196 μg/m3. Compare with national technical regulation about ambient air QCVN 5:2013/BTNMT, ozone concentration is approximately at the allowable limit. The study of ozone regime had identified that VOC sensitive areas are Ninh Kieu district and a part in the south of Binh Thuy district, and NOx sensitive areas are the rested areas of Cantho city. The main cause contributing to increased VOC emission in the central area of the city is motorcycles, NOx emissions in the remaining areas of Cantho city are from the rice production factories. Proposals to protect the air quality in Cantho city are suggested.

scholarly journals City Logistics and Air Quality

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-29
Author(s):  
Radovan Slávik ◽  
◽  
Dominika Beňová ◽  
Jozef Gnap ◽  
Ondrej Stopka
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Greenhouse Gases ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Slovak Republic ◽  
Road Transport ◽  
City Logistics ◽  
Harmful Emissions ◽  
The Impact

The paper focuses on the impact of city logistics on air quality. The first chapter focuses on the EU's transport policy for 2030-2050 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The second chapter focuses on air quality in the Slovak Republic and the amount of greenhouse gases in the air. The aim of the contribution is to highlight the impact of road transport on air quality and air pollution as well as the need to reduce these harmful emissions.

scholarly journals Cutting Oxygen Production-Related Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Improved Compression Heat Management in a Cryogenic Air Separation Unit

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (19) ◽  
pp. 10370
Author(s):  
Miroslav Variny ◽  
Dominika Jediná ◽  
Miroslav Rimár ◽  
Ján Kizek ◽  
Marianna Kšiňanová
Keyword(s):  
Power Consumption ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Air Separation ◽  
Oxygen Production ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Separation Unit ◽  
Air Separation Unit ◽  
Air Dryer

Oxygen production in cryogenic air separation units is related to a significant carbon footprint and its supply in the medicinal sphere became critical during the recent COVID-19 crisis. An improved unit design was proposed, utilizing a part of waste heat produced during air pre-cooling and intercooling via absorption coolers, to reduce power consumption. Variable ambient air humidity impact on compressed air dryers’ regeneration was also considered. A steady-state process simulation of a model 500 t h−1 inlet cryogenic air separation unit was performed in Aspen Plus® V11. Comparison of a model without and with absorption coolers yielded an achievable reduction in power consumption for air compression and air dryer regeneration by 6 to 9% (23 to 33 GWh year−1) and a favorable simple payback period of 4 to 10 years, both depending on air pressure loss in additional heat exchangers to be installed. The resulting specific oxygen production decrease amounted to EUR 2–4.2 t−1. Emissions of major gaseous pollutants from power production were both calculated by an in-house developed thermal power plant model and adopted from literature. A power consumption cut was translated into the following annual greenhouse gas emission reduction: CO2 16 to 30 kilotons, CO 0.3 to 2.3 tons, SOx 4.7 to 187 tons and NOx 11 to 56 tons, depending on applied fossil fuel-based emission factors. Considering a more renewable energy sources-containing energy mix, annual greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 50 to over 80%, varying for individual pollutants.

scholarly journals Unintended Consequences of California’s Cap-and-Trade: An Examination of Industrial Electricity Productivity since California Enacted Assembly Bill 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (8) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
James J. Tanoos
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Environmental Legislation ◽  
Cap And Trade ◽  
Production Rates ◽  
Gas Emissions

Greater American regulatory moving from federal to state governments has resulted in varying levels of environmental legislation and regulation. One example is the cap-and-trade system in California, which has been deemed a success in limiting greenhouse gas emissions as well as in earning revenue for the state. However, the coinciding production rates for polluting organizations has not been analyzed on a macro level. This study examined the air pollution and production rates of electricity organizations operating in California since cap-and-trade went into effect and found that since the legislation took effect, not only did production decreased slightly, but also, contrary to much analysis, the rates of air pollution from these organizations increased sharply. 

Socio-metabolic class conflicts in the Anthropocene: Developing a novel class theory based on German population data

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonia Schuster ◽  
Ilona M. Otto
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Climate Policy ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
German Society ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
German Population ◽  
Cultural Perspective ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Class Theory

<p>The Earth’s population of seven billion consume varying amounts of planetary resources with varying impacts on the environment.  We combine the analytical tools offered by the socio-ecological metabolism and class theory and propose a novel social stratification theory to identify the differences and hot spots in individual resource and energy use. The theory is applied to German society and we use per capita greenhouse gas emissions as a proxy for resource and energy use. We use socio-metabolic profiles of individuals from an economic, social and cultural perspective to investigate resource intensive lifestyles. The results show large disparities and inequalities in emission patterns in German society. For example, the greenhouse gas emissions in the lowest and highest emission classes can differ by a magnitude of ten. Income, education, age, gender and regional differences (FRG vs. GDR) result in distinct emission profiles. Class differentiation is also noted as economic, cultural and social factors influence individual carbon footprints. We also analyze the role of digital technologies, regarding resource and energy consumption, as a proxy for cultural capital. Highlighting inequalities within societies is a step towards downscaling carbon emission reduction targets that are key to avoid transgressing climate change planetary boundary. We discuss the results in the context of climate policy implications as well as behavioral changes that are needed to meet climate policy objectives.</p>

Inequality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Stephan Klasen
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Climate Policy ◽  
Energy Security ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Emerging Countries ◽  
Poor People ◽  
Global Inequality ◽  
Gas Emissions

Global inequality has been falling in the last 20 or 30 years, mainly because of rising incomes in China, India, and, more recently, also in Africa. That has been good for global justice and poverty reduction, but not for greenhouse gas emissions. Indeed, the majority of growth in emissions since 1990 has taken place in emerging countries. As a result, if global inequality continues to fall, we have to confront the fact that greenhouse gas emissions will continue to rise. There is no easy solution to this problem, since it is very difficult for emerging countries to drastically change their emission pathways. But there are some policies that might help, including, for example, the removal of energy subsidies and a greater focus on air pollution and energy security, both of which are co-benefits of moving away from fossil energy. The question also remains whether more unequal countries emit more or less greenhouse gases. Theoretical arguments in this regard are ambiguous. We find that in poorer countries, higher inequality actually reduces per capita emissions, mainly because it pushes poor people out of the carbon economy and forces them to lead carbon-neutral lives, relying entirely on biomass. However, in richer countries, inequality is associated with rising emissions. Therefore, if we reduce inequality in rich countries, we will also help reduce emissions. But how to think about climate policy? Economists have very much focused on the idea that there is a first best climate policy with a global carbon price, achieved either through an emission trading scheme or a carbon tax. But one should realize that climate policy in practice involves many different initiatives at many different levels. The driving forces of such policies are often the co-benefits such as cleaner air or greater energy security than emission reduction. If we recognize this, then our analysis should focus not on trying to design first best, but unrealistic policies, but rather on studying the interactions between existing policies and on trying to improve their functioning. This will be a much more promising way to tackle climate change than focusing on an unrealistic first best option.

scholarly journals EURODELTA-Trends, a multi-model experiment of air quality hindcast in Europe over 1990–2010

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3255-3276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Augustin Colette ◽  
Camilla Andersson ◽  
Astrid Manders ◽  
Kathleen Mar ◽  
Mihaela Mircea ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Modelling Experiment ◽  
Technical Features

Abstract. The EURODELTA-Trends multi-model chemistry-transport experiment has been designed to facilitate a better understanding of the evolution of air pollution and its drivers for the period 1990–2010 in Europe. The main objective of the experiment is to assess the efficiency of air pollutant emissions mitigation measures in improving regional-scale air quality. The present paper formulates the main scientific questions and policy issues being addressed by the EURODELTA-Trends modelling experiment with an emphasis on how the design and technical features of the modelling experiment answer these questions. The experiment is designed in three tiers, with increasing degrees of computational demand in order to facilitate the participation of as many modelling teams as possible. The basic experiment consists of simulations for the years 1990, 2000, and 2010. Sensitivity analysis for the same three years using various combinations of (i) anthropogenic emissions, (ii) chemical boundary conditions, and (iii) meteorology complements it. The most demanding tier consists of two complete time series from 1990 to 2010, simulated using either time-varying emissions for corresponding years or constant emissions. Eight chemistry-transport models have contributed with calculation results to at least one experiment tier, and five models have – to date – completed the full set of simulations (and 21-year trend calculations have been performed by four models). The modelling results are publicly available for further use by the scientific community. The main expected outcomes are (i) an evaluation of the models' performances for the three reference years, (ii) an evaluation of the skill of the models in capturing observed air pollution trends for the 1990–2010 time period, (iii) attribution analyses of the respective role of driving factors (e.g. emissions, boundary conditions, meteorology), (iv) a dataset based on a multi-model approach, to provide more robust model results for use in impact studies related to human health, ecosystem, and radiative forcing.

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