The potential contribution of disruptive low-carbon innovations to 1.5 °C climate mitigation

The recent IPCC Special Report on global warming of 1.5 °C emphasizes that rapid action to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is vital to achieving the climate mitigation goals of the Paris Agreement. The most-needed substantial upscaling of investments in GHG mitigation options in all sectors, and particularly in manufacturing sectors, can be an opportunity for a green economic development leap in developing countries. Here, we use the Brazilian manufacturing sectors as an example to explore a transformation of its economy while contributing to the Paris targets. Projections of Brazil’s economic futures with and without a portfolio of fiscal policies to induce low carbon investments are produced up to 2030 (end year of Brazil’s Nationally Determined Contribution—NDC), by employing the large-scale macro econometric Energy-Environment-Economy Model, E3ME. Our findings highlight that the correct mix of green stimulus can help modernize and decarbonize the Brazilian manufacturing sectors and allow the country’s economy to grow faster (by up to 0.42% compared to baseline) while its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions decline (by up to 14.5% in relation to baseline). Investment levels increase, thereby strengthening exports’ competitiveness and alleviating external constraints to long-term economic growth in net terms.

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Energy-Related Carbon Emissions of China’s Model Environmental Cities

Geography Journal ◽

10.1155/2014/204745 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Kevin Lo

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Environmental Protection ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Central Government ◽

Climate Mitigation ◽

Accounting System ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Garden Cities ◽

Annual Carbon ◽

Per Capita

This paper identifies three types of model environmental cities in China and examines their levels of energy-related carbon emissions using a bottom-up accounting system. Model environmental cities are identified as those that have been recently awarded official recognition from the central government for their efforts in environmental protection. The findings show that, on average, the Low-Carbon Cities have lower annual carbon emissions, carbon intensities, and per capita emissions than the Eco-Garden Cities and the Environmental Protection Cities. Compared internationally, the Eco-Garden Cities and the Environmental Protection Cities have per capita emissions that are similar to those of American cities whereas per capita emissions from the Low-Carbon Cities are similar to those of European cities. The result indicates that addressing climate change is not a priority for some model environmental cities. Policy changes are needed to prioritize climate mitigation in these cities, considering that climate change is a cross-cutting environmental issue with wide-ranging impact.

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Understanding Climate Mitigation Responses in the United States and China from Strategic and Institutional Perspectives

Chinese Journal of Urban and Environmental Studies ◽

10.1142/s2345748114500158 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 02 (02) ◽

pp. 1450015

Author(s):

Xingshu ZHAO

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

The United States ◽

Climate Mitigation ◽

Innovation Capability ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Institutional Perspective ◽

Long Run ◽

Effectiveness And Efficiency ◽

Climate Responses

The United States and China have common but differentiated climate mitigation responses. Most studies so far have sought to explain this divergence with a focus on energy resources, technology, economic, or social factors. These studies ignore the role of strategy and institutions, and thus appear incomplete. In this paper, the author investigates the climate mitigation responses of the United States and China from a strategic and institutional perspective, explores how their climate responses are shaped, and identifies possible weaknesses hidden in their climate approaches. The paper finds that the United States and China have distinct national climate positions due to their diverse strategies and institutions. However, they have chosen similar policy tools and have achieved fairly comparable emission reductions thus far. In the long run, the effectiveness and efficiency of the low-carbon transformation will possibly be hindered by weaker policy innovation capability at sub-national levels in China and the operationally volatile energy strategy in the United States.

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CLIMATE FINANCE AND ITS GOVERNANCE: MOVING TO A LOW CARBON ECONOMY THROUGH SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE FINANCING?

International and Comparative Law Quarterly ◽

10.1017/s0020589309001213 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 58 (3) ◽

pp. 597-626 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Benjamin J Richardson

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Clean Energy ◽

Business Case ◽

Current Approach ◽

Potential Contribution ◽

Climate Finance ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Socially Responsible ◽

Responsible Investment ◽

Low Carbon Economy

Abstract‘Climate finance’ is becoming an important feature of the emerging legal and policy regimes to address global warming. However, the current approach largely confines the financial sector to a transactional agent to mobilise capital for clean energy and to broker emission allowance trading. The sector's potential to leverage more sweeping positive changes in the economy as sought historically through the movement for socially responsible investment (SRI) has been insufficiently acknowledged. Indirectly, by regulating greenhouse gases the legal system is helping to create a business case for investors to respond to climate change threats. However, the potential contribution of SRI to address climate change problems more comprehensively is presently limited owing to inadequate governance frameworks, as well the sector's increasing abandonment of its traditional ethical agenda.

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Building low-carbon and disaster-resilient communities: integrating climate mitigation and adaptation into the assessment of self-help housing design

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change ◽

10.1007/s11027-015-9694-4 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 22 (5) ◽

pp. 695-728 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sasima Charoenkit ◽

S. Kumar

Keyword(s):

Climate Mitigation ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Housing Design ◽

Mitigation And Adaptation ◽

Self Help ◽

Resilient Communities

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National REDD+ outcompetes gold and logging: the potential of cleaning profit chains.

10.7287/peerj.preprints.26786v2 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Han Overman ◽

Anthony R Cummings ◽

Jeffrey B Luzar ◽

José M V Fragoso

Keyword(s):

Law Enforcement ◽

Natural Resources ◽

Supply Chains ◽

Land Tenure ◽

Forest Degradation ◽

Carbon Price ◽

Forest Damage ◽

Climate Mitigation ◽

Potential Contribution ◽

National Society

While the potential contribution of a nationally implemented program for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) to developing countries’ budgets remains as yet obscure, two general concerns are that REDD+ will i) incentivize land grabbing and ii) remain financially uncompetitive against current commercial forest uses. However, based on data from Guyana’s, United Nations-approved, Forest Reference Emission Level (FREL) submission and national documents, we found that i) national REDD+ appears not to place value on forest, but financial penalties on forest damage, and ii) would be competitive when viewed from the perspective of the owner of the natural resources (national society), even against high value commodities such as gold and timber (the country’s main emission drivers), and at an intermediate US$5 carbon price. Hidden by the latter is a very skewed sharing of net revenue between the state and private sector supply chains (~1:99). Weak law enforcement, common across the tropics, enhances skewed sharing, and linked political leverage likely undermines any plans that would interfere with private income streams, including rural development, land tenure and conservation plans. We suggest that government or electorate pressure towards more equitable revenue sharing, i.e. ‘cleaning profit chains’, would both be justified and worthwhile, and unlikely to produce job losses. Investing this homegrown finance in better management and law enforcement of finite natural resources (under REDD+, including forests) could return significant REDD+ income while mitigating climate change and aiding rights of forest-dependent livelihoods. Along with cleaning supply chains and moving commodities out of natural forest areas, assessing and cleaning private profit chains may more generally be a promising approach for REDD+ and climate mitigation goals, along with its many associated social and environmental co-benefits.

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Accounting for finance is key for climate mitigation pathways

Science ◽

10.1126/science.abf3877 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. eabf3877

Author(s):

Stefano Battiston ◽

Irene Monasterolo ◽

Keywan Riahi ◽

Bas J. van Ruijven

Keyword(s):

Climate Mitigation ◽

Low Carbon

Investors’ expectations can hamper a low-carbon transition

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The Potential Contribution of Wood in Green Building Certifications

Architectural Research in Finland ◽

10.37457/arf.113262 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Chiara Piccardo ◽

Ashraful Alam ◽

Mark Hughes

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Sustainable Forest Management ◽

Residential Buildings ◽

Green Building ◽

Life Cycles ◽

Potential Contribution ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Building Sector ◽

Building Stock ◽

Sustainability Criteria

The building sector has a significant impact on the environment, accounting for 36% of CO2 emissions and about half of material consumption in Europe. Residential buildings dominate the European building stock. In Finland, residential buildings account for up to 80% of the existing buildings and the rate of construction is higher compared to other building types. Therefore, residential buildings play an important role in the transition to a sustainable built environment. A number of studies show that increasing the use of wood can lower the life cycle environmental impacts of buildings. In Scandinavia, the use of wood in small houses is well established, used in 90% of cases. Furthermore, the increasing number of high-rise wooden buildings suggests a growing interest in the potential of wood in large-scale buildings. Green building certification provides criteria to assess the sustainability level of buildings and is expected to influence the building sector in the near future, by promoting the use of sustainable technologies. The aim of this study was to investigate how green building certification schemes assess wood materials and how wood materials can help fulfil sustainability criteria for green buildings. We analyse the sustainability criteria adopted by the most common certification schemes in Finland, BREEAM, LEED and the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, as well as the upcoming Level(s) certification promoted by the European Commission. The analysis shows that the contribution of wood materials to the overall score of green building certifications accounts for between 10 and 36%. Wood is advantageous as a renewable and low-carbon material. Furthermore, wood can offer indirect benefits due to its recycling potential and to water saving in the construction stage. However, wood materials have to comply with some requirements, such as sustainable forest management and low volatile organic compound content. The new European certification suggests a comprehensive assessment including circular material life cycles.

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National REDD+ outcompetes gold and logging: the potential of cleaning profit chains.

10.7287/peerj.preprints.26786 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Han Overman ◽

Anthony R Cummings ◽

Jeffrey B Luzar ◽

José M V Fragoso

Keyword(s):

Law Enforcement ◽

Natural Resources ◽

Supply Chains ◽

Land Tenure ◽

Forest Degradation ◽

Carbon Price ◽

Forest Damage ◽

Climate Mitigation ◽

Potential Contribution ◽

National Society

While the potential contribution of a nationally implemented program for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) to developing countries’ budgets remains as yet obscure, two general concerns are that REDD+ will i) incentivize land grabbing and ii) remain financially uncompetitive against current commercial forest uses. However, based on data from Guyana’s, United Nations-approved, Forest Reference Emission Level (FREL) submission and national documents, we found that i) national REDD+ appears not to place value on forest, but financial penalties on forest damage, and ii) would be competitive when viewed from the perspective of the owner of the natural resources (national society), even against high value commodities such as gold and timber (the country’s main emission drivers), and at an intermediate US$5 carbon price. Hidden by the latter is a very skewed sharing of net revenue between the state and private sector supply chains (~1:99). Weak law enforcement, common across the tropics, enhances skewed sharing, and linked political leverage likely undermines any plans that would interfere with private income streams, including rural development, land tenure and conservation plans. We suggest that government or electorate pressure towards more equitable revenue sharing, i.e. ‘cleaning profit chains’, would both be justified and worthwhile, and unlikely to produce job losses. Investing this homegrown finance in better management and law enforcement of finite natural resources (under REDD+, including forests) could return significant REDD+ income while mitigating climate change and aiding rights of forest-dependent livelihoods. Along with cleaning supply chains and moving commodities out of natural forest areas, assessing and cleaning private profit chains may more generally be a promising approach for REDD+ and climate mitigation goals, along with its many associated social and environmental co-benefits.

Download Full-text