India's Policy Priorities – Bleak Forecast for a Global Climate Regime?

2008 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 327-341
Author(s):  
Deepa Badrinarayana
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
The United States ◽  
Climate Regime ◽  
Address Climate Change ◽  
Legal Obligations ◽  
Energy Options

The future of an effective climate regime, post-2012, depends on three nations—China, India, and the United States of America. While a deadlock persists when it comes to the question of accepting binding international legal obligations for targeted reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, all three countries favor action to address climate change. Nationally, each country is exploring a range of policy and legislative options to retard carbon emissions, especially by promoting alternative energy options and energy efficiency.

scholarly journals The Evolution of NEPA in the Fight Against Climate Change

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Reiley
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
The United States ◽  
National Environmental Policy Act ◽  
Outer Continental Shelf ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
National Environmental

The National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) is the first environmental charter of the United States. 1 Signed into law on January 1, 1970, NEPA addresses the need for overarching national environmental guidance in the country. During the course of its forty year history, NEPA has been used to challenge a wide range of federal actions including the issuance of operating permits under the Clean Air Act,2 the approval of forest management plans approved under the National Forest Management Act,3 the construction of highways under the Federal-Aid Highways Act,4 and the issuance of oil leases under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.5 Given the breadth of NEPA’s applicability, it was inevitable that NEPA would become a tool to combat climate change. The use of NEPA to require federal agencies to take a “hard look” at greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions makes perfect sense because many federal actions directly or indirectly contribute to GHG emissions. Since 1990, in City of Los Angeles v. NHTSA,6 plaintiffs have used NEPA, successfully and unsuccessfully, to challenge federal actions that might have an impact on the global climate.

The Climate Change Regime

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Pattberg ◽  
Oscar Widerberg
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
The United States ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Climate Regime ◽  
Flexible System ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Global Agreement

In 1992, when the international community agreed on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the science of climate change was under development, global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were by and large produced by developed countries, and the concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere had just surpassed 350 ppm. Some 25 years later, climate change is scientifically uncontested, China has overtaken the United States as the world’s biggest emitter of CO2, and concentrations are now measured above 400 ppm. Against this background, states have successfully concluded a new global agreement under the UNFCCC, the 2015 Paris Agreement. Prior to the Paris Agreement, the climate regime focused on allocating emission reduction commitments among (a group of) countries. However, the new agreement has turned the climate regime on its feet by introducing an approach based on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Under this approach, states decide their ambition levels independently instead of engaging in negotiations about “who does what.” The result is a more flexible system that for the first time includes all countries in the quest to reduce GHG emissions to keep temperature increase below 2°C compared to preindustrial levels. Moreover, the international climate regime has transformed into a regime complex, denoting the broad activities of smaller groups of states as well as non-party actors, such as cities, regions, companies, and non-governmental organizations along with United Nations agencies.

Communicating about Biofuels and Climate Change

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Cacciatore
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United States ◽  
Global Climate Change ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
New Technology ◽  
The United States ◽  
Transportation Sector ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2

Biofuels are produced from biomass, which is any organic matter that can be burned or otherwise used to produce heat or energy. While not a new technology—biofuels have been around for well over 100 years—they are experiencing something of a renaissance in the United States and other countries across the globe. Today, biofuels have become the single most common alternative energy source in the U.S. transportation sector with billions of gallons of the fuel produced annually. The expansion of the bio-based economy in recent years has been intertwined with mounting concerns about environmental pollution and the accumulation of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the earth’s atmosphere. In the United States, for example, biofuels mandates have been championed as key to solving not only the country’s increasing energy demand problems and reliance on foreign oil, but also growing fears about global climate change. Of course, the use of biomass and biofuels to combat global climate change has been highly controversial. While proponents argue that biofuels burn cleaner than gasoline, research has suggested that any reductions in CO2 emissions are offset by land use considerations and the energy required in the biofuels-production process. How publics perceive of climate change as a problem and the use of biomass and biofuels as potential solutions will go a long way toward determining the policies that government’s implement to address this issue.

On the Ethics of International Religious/Spiritual Gatherings and Academic Conferencing in the Era of Global Warming: A Case Study of the Parliament of The World’s Religions Melbourne 2009 - Part 1

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-195
Author(s):  
Almut Beringer ◽  
Steven Douglas
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Peak Oil ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Academic Events ◽  
Special Responsibility

Global climate change and its impacts have ethical dimensions, for instance carbon footprint equity concerns. World issues, including the state of the ecosphere and biodiver­sity, regularly see political leaders, NGOs, business representatives, religious/spiritual orga­nizations, academics, and others engage in international aviation-dependent meetings to address critical challenges facing humanity and the planet. Yet, climate scientists and advocates call for an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 to cap the increase in global temperatures to 2ºC. Aviation emissions resulting from international meetings raise questions that are not silenced by GHG emissions offsetting. The era of climate change and ‘peak oil’ poses ethical challenges for holding international in-person religious and academic events, especially when the events propound an environmentalist concern and when aviation use is assumed. This paper raises ques­tions regarding the ecological impacts of large international events and focuses the ‘inconvenient truths’ associated with international aviation in the era of global warming. The Parliament of the World’s Religions, the largest multifaith gathering in the world, serves as a case study. The paper emphasizes the view that faith-based/faith-inspired organizations have a special responsibility for leadership in policy and praxis on the moral imperatives of sustainability, sustainable development and climate justice.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculation Methodology in Thermal Power Plants: Case Study of Iran and Comparison With Canada

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farshid Zabihian ◽  
Alan S. Fung
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Global Climate Change ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Thermal Power ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Thermal Power Plants

Nowadays, the global climate change has been a worldwide concern and the greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions are considered as the primary cause of that. The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) divided countries into two groups: Annex I Parties and Non-Annex I Parties. Since Iran and all other countries in the Middle East are among Non-Annex I Parties, they are not required to submit annual GHG inventory report. However, the global climate change is a worldwide phenomenon so Middle Eastern countries should be involved and it is necessary to prepare such a report at least unofficially. In this paper the terminology and the methods to calculate GHG emissions will first be explained and then GHG emissions estimates for the Iranian power plants will be presented. Finally the results will be compared with GHG emissions from the Canadian electricity generation sector. The results for the Iranian power plants show that in 2005 greenhouse gas intensity for steam power plants, gas turbines and combined cycle power plants were 617, 773, and 462 g CO2eq/kWh, respectively with the overall intensity of 610 g CO2eq/kWh for all thermal power plants. This GHG intensity is directly depend on efficiency of power plants. Whereas, in 2004 GHG intensity for electricity generation sector in Canada for different fuels were as follows: Coal 1010, refined petroleum products 640, and natural gas 523 g CO2eq/kWh, which are comparable with same data for Iran. For average GHG intensity in the whole electricity generation sector the difference is much higher: Canada 222 vs. Iran 610g CO2eq/kWh. The reason is that in Canada a considerable portion of electricity is generated by hydro-electric and nuclear power plants in which they do not emit significant amount of GHG emissions. The average GHG intensity in electricity generation sector in Iran between 1995 and 2005 experienced 13% reduction. While in Canada at the same period of time there was 21% increase. However, the results demonstrate that still there are great potentials for GHG emissions reduction in Iran’s electricity generation sector.

scholarly journals Climate Inaction in Business Management: An Exploratory Review of the Literature

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 87
Author(s):  
Alan F. Rodriguez-Jasso ◽  
Arturo Briseno ◽  
Ana L. Zorrilla
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Broad Perspective ◽  
Address Climate Change ◽  
Management Literature ◽  
Business And Management

Climate change is considered as one of the major threats for the international community due to its negative consequences in the financial, social, and environmental issues. Companies, who are considered as an essential element in the mitigation process, have exerted corporate inactivity to address climate change that has led to the increment of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, contributing to climate change over the last decade. The objective of this review is to explore, summarize, and analyze the state of knowledge in the business and management literature about climate inaction that guides future researches to diminish this corporate inactivity, enhancing the practices aimed to reduce such emissions. The review was developed through the narrative method in order to acquire a broad perspective of the phenomenon through the examination of 24 articles from the Web of Science from 1998 to 2018. Our findings indicate that climate inaction is nascent and fragmented literature where the company is identified as one of the main actors, being this approach developed from different perspectives that guide to decrease such corporate inactivity, and motivating the corporate action. The inclusion of the concept of climate inaction might lead to an understanding of the mechanisms for climate mitigation, providing a guide for future research in the field of environmental performance.

Transitioning to Low Carbon Mobility

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Hopkins ◽  
James Higham
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Substantial Contribution ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
The World ◽  
Environmental Transformation ◽  
Context Specific

Since the turn of the 21st Century, the world has experienced unprecedented economic, political, social and environmental transformation. The ‘inconvenient truth’ of climate change is now undeniable; rising temperatures and the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme events have resulted in the loss of lives, livelihoods and habitats as well as straining economies. Increasingly mobile lives are often dependent on high carbon modes of transport, representing a substantial contribution to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the underlying cause of anthropogenic climate change. With growing demand and rising emissions, the transport sector has a critical role to play in achieving GHG emissions reductions, and stabilising the global climate. Low Carbon Mobility Transitions draws interdisciplinary insights on transport and mobilities, as a vast and complex socio-technical system. It presents 15 chapters and 6 shorter ‘case studies’ covering a diversity of themes and geographic contexts across three thematic sections: People and Place, Structures in Transition, and Innovations for Low Carbon Mobility. The three sections are highly interrelated, and with overlapping, complementing, and challenging themes. The contributions offer critical, often neglected insights into low carbon mobility transitions across the world. In doing so, Low Carbon Mobility Transitions sheds light on the place- and context-specific nature of mobility in a climate constrained world.

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