scholarly journals Attractions of delay: Using deliberative engagement to investigate the political and strategic impacts of greenhouse gas removal technologies

2021 ◽  
pp. 251484862110662
Author(s):  
Duncan McLaren ◽  
Rebecca Willis ◽  
Bronislaw Szerszynski ◽  
David Tyfield ◽  
Nils Markusson
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Emissions Reduction ◽  
Carbon Reduction ◽  
Discursive Strategies ◽  
Gas Removal ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Reduction Of Emissions ◽  
Removal Technologies ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change

Concerns have been raised that a focus on greenhouse gas removals (GGR) in climate models, scientific literature and other media might deter measures to mitigate climate change through reduction of emissions at source – the phenomenon of ‘mitigation deterrence’. Given the urgent need for climate action, any delay in emissions reduction would be worrying. We convened nine deliberative workshops to expose stakeholders to futures scenarios involving mitigation deterrence. The workshops examined ways in which deterrence might arise, and how it could be minimized. The deliberation exposed social and cultural interactions that might otherwise remain hidden. The paper describes narratives and ideas discussed in the workshops regarding political and economic mechanisms through which mitigation deterrence might occur, the plausibility of such pathways, and measures recommended to reduce the risk of such occurrence. Mitigation deterrence is interpreted as an important example of the ‘attraction of delay’ in a setting in which there are many incentives for procrastination. While our stakeholders accepted the historic persistence of delay in mitigation, some struggled to accept that similar processes, involving GGRs, may be happening now. The paper therefore also reviews the claims made by participants about mitigation deterrence, identifying discursive strategies that advocates of carbon removal might deploy to deflect concerns about mitigation deterrence. We conclude that the problem of mitigation deterrence is significant, needs to be recognized in climate policy, and its mechanisms better understood. Based on stakeholder proposals we suggest ways of governing GGR which would maximize both GGR and carbon reduction through other means.

scholarly journals Local Climate Action Planning as a Tool to Harness Greenhouse Gas Emissions Mitigation and the Equity Potential of Autonomous Vehicles and On-Demand Mobility

2021 ◽  
pp. 036119812110525
Author(s):  
Serena Alexander ◽  
Asha Weinstein Agrawal ◽  
Benjamin Clark
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Action Planning ◽  
Transportation System ◽  
Emissions Reduction ◽  
On Demand ◽  
Climate Action

This paper focuses on how cities can use climate action plans (CAPs) to ensure that on-demand mobility and autonomous vehicles (AVs) help reduce, rather than increase, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and inequitable impacts from the transportation system. We employed a three-pronged research strategy involving: (1) an analysis of the current literature on on-demand mobility and AVs; (2) a systematic content analysis of 23 CAPs and general plans (GPs) developed by municipalities in California; and (3) a comparison of findings from the literature and content analysis of plans to identify opportunities for GHG emissions reduction and mobility equity. Findings indicate that policy and planning discussions should consider the synergies between AVs and on-demand mobility as two closely related emerging mobility trends, as well as the key factors (e.g., vehicle electrification, fuel efficiency, use and ownership, access, and distribution, etc.) that determine whether the deployment of AVs would help reduce GHG emissions from transportation. Additionally, AVs and on-demand mobility have the potential to contribute to a more equitable transportation system by improving independence and quality of life for individuals with disabilities and the elderly, enhancing access to transit, and helping alleviate the geographic gap in public transportation services. Although many municipal CAPs and GPs in California have adopted several strategies and programs relevant to AVs and on-demand mobility, several untapped opportunities exist to harness the GHG emissions reduction and social benefits potential of AVs and on-demand mobility.

scholarly journals Permission to Say “Capitalism”: Principles for Critical Social Science Engagement With GGR Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Hall ◽  
Mark Davis
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Varieties Of Capitalism ◽  
Gas Removal ◽  
Critical Social Science ◽  
Removal Technologies ◽  
Critical Social ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Removal

The grand scale of GGR deployment now necessary to avoid dangerous climate change warrants the use of grand interpretive theories of how the global economy operates. We argue that critical social science should be able to name the global economy as “capitalism”; and instead of speaking about “transforming the global economy” as a necessary precondition for limiting climate change, instead speak about transforming, or even transcending, capitalism. We propose three principles are helpful for critical social science researchers willing to name and analyse the structural features of capitalism and their relation to greenhouse gas removal technology, policy, and governance. These principles are: (1) Greenhouse Gas Removal technologies are likely to emerge within capitalism, which is crisis prone, growth dependent, market expanding, We use a broad Marxist corpus to justify this principle. (2) There are different varieties of capitalism and this will affect the feasibility of different GGR policies and supports in different nations. We draw on varieties of capitalism and comparative political economy literature to justify this principle. (3) Capitalism is more than an economic system, it is ideologically and culturally maintained. Globally-significant issues such as fundamentalism, institutional mistrust, precarity, and populism, cannot be divorced from our thinking about globally significant deployment of greenhouse gas removal technologies. We use a broad Critical Theory body of work to explore the ideational project of maintaining capitalism and its relation to GGR governance and policy.

scholarly journals Quantifying the potential scale of mitigation deterrence from greenhouse gas removal techniques

2020 ◽  
Vol 162 (4) ◽  
pp. 2411-2428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duncan McLaren
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Emissions Reduction ◽  
Gas Removal ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
Type 3 ◽  
Global Carbon ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Removal

Abstract Greenhouse gas removal (GGR) techniques appear to offer hopes of balancing limited global carbon budgets by removing substantial amounts of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere later this century. This hope rests on an assumption that GGR will largely supplement emissions reduction. The paper reviews the expectations of GGR implied by integrated assessment modelling, categorizes ways in which delivery or promises of GGR might instead deter or delay emissions reduction, and offers a preliminary estimate of the possible extent of three such forms of ‘mitigation deterrence’. Type 1 is described as ‘substitution and failure’: an estimated 50–229 Gt-C (or 70% of expected GGR) may substitute for emissions otherwise reduced, yet may not be delivered (as a result of political, economic or technical shortcomings, or subsequent leakage or diversion of captured carbon into short-term utilization). Type 2, described as ‘rebounds’, encompasses rebounds, multipliers, and side-effects, such as those arising from land-use change, or use of captured CO2 in enhanced oil recovery. A partial estimate suggests that this could add 25–134 Gt-C to unabated emissions. Type 3, described as ‘imagined offsets’, is estimated to affect 17–27% of the emissions reductions required, reducing abatement by a further 182–297 Gt-C. The combined effect of these unanticipated net additions of CO2 to the atmosphere is equivalent to an additional temperature rise of up to 1.4 °C. The paper concludes that such a risk merits further deeper analysis and serious consideration of measures which might limit the occurrence and extent of mitigation deterrence.

scholarly journals Advances and challenges of life cycle assessment (LCA) of greenhouse gas removal technologies to fight climate changes

2020 ◽  
Vol 244 ◽  
pp. 118896 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Goglio ◽  
A.G. Williams ◽  
N. Balta-Ozkan ◽  
N.R.P. Harris ◽  
P. Williamson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Gas Removal ◽  
Removal Technologies ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Removal

Reframing the policy approach to greenhouse gas removal technologies

Energy Policy ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 78 ◽  
pp. 125-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guy Lomax ◽  
Mark Workman ◽  
Timothy Lenton ◽  
Nilay Shah
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Gas Removal ◽  
Removal Technologies ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Removal

scholarly journals Taking deliberative research online: Lessons from four case studies

2021 ◽  
pp. 146879412110634
Author(s):  
Rebecca Willis ◽  
Andy Yuille ◽  
Peter Bryant ◽  
Duncan McLaren ◽  
Nils Markusson
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Online Research ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Gas Removal ◽  
Online Setting ◽  
Removal Technologies ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Removal

Researchers using deliberative techniques tend to favour in-person processes. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has added urgency to the question of whether meaningful deliberative research is possible in an online setting. This paper considers the reasons for taking deliberation online, including bringing people together more easily; convening international events; and reducing the environmental impact of research. It reports on four case studies: a set of stakeholder workshops considering greenhouse gas removal technologies, convened online in 2019, and online research workshops investigating local climate strategies; as well as two in-person processes which moved online due to COVID-19: Climate Assembly UK, a Citizens’ Assembly on climate change, and the Lancaster Citizens’ Jury on Climate Change. It sets out learnings from these processes, concluding that deliberation online is substantively different from in-person meetings, but can meet the requirements of deliberative research, and can be a rewarding and useful process for participants and researchers alike.

scholarly journals Development Of A Template To Benchmark Municipal Climate Change Action

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Beare
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Municipal Policy ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change ◽  
Original Insight

The goal of this thesis is to produce a benchmarking template that can be applied by municipalities across Canada to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their operations. This template will provide a common set of indicators for benchmarking municipal emissions. It will attempt to link the academic literature to existing conditions and practices within municipalities. It also provides original insight through interviews with municipal officials and municipal policy experts. Research has shown that municipalities can mitigate climate change. Municipalities have authority to enact policies which reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While many municipalities have taken action, benchmarking initiatives still do not exist to allow for direct comparison of municipalities. Following a review of academic literature interviews were held with a panel of nine municipal policy experts to assess existing programs and a proposed benchmarking template. An indicator set with nine categories and 18 individual indicators measuring corporate and community GHG emissions was developed through consultations with the panel. A questionnaire was sent to 32 municipalities with a response rate of 25%. Based on the results participating municipalities were compared against one another to determine best practices and areas for improvement. Indicators for residential densities, municipal building heating, solid waste, and municipal buildings and operations had the highest tCO An examination of indicator set development, improved methods for modelling community emissions, assessment of the benefits of climate action and municipal networking for small municipalities would build upon this research.

scholarly journals China’s Tea Industry: Net Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Mitigation Potential

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 363
Author(s):  
Long Liang ◽  
Bradley G. Ridoutt ◽  
Liyuan Wang ◽  
Bin Xie ◽  
Minghong Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Reduction Potential ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Emissions Reduction ◽  
Tea Industry ◽  
The World ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Tea Production ◽  
Agricultural Materials

Tea is an important cash crop and a beverage that is widely consumed across the world. In China (the largest producer of tea), the industry is growing, and there is a need to understand current greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and sequestrations and the potential for mitigation so that climate action can be strategically undertaken. Life cycle assessment and carbon footprint methods were used to quantify emissions in tea cultivation and processing in the 16 major producing regions for the year 2017. The system boundary was from cradle to factory gate, which was divided into three subsystems, namely agricultural materials production, tea production and tea processing. Several units of analysis were chosen: the production region (province), the production area (ha) and the product (kg loose tea), etc. Total GHG emissions were 28.75 Mt CO2eq, which were mainly attributable to energy use in tea processing (41%), fertilizer production (31.6%) and soil emissions (26.7%). This equated to 12.0 t CO2eq per ha and 10.8 kg CO2eq per kg processed tea. Production in Hubei, Yunan, Guizhou, Sichuan and Fujian provinces contributed almost two thirds of industry emissions, representing priority areas for strategic action to reduce GHG emissions. At the same time, the total carbon sink amounted to 21.37 MtCO2, representing 74.3% of total GHG emissions. The proportions stored in soil, biomass, and tea production were 49.3%, 30.0%, and 20.7%, respectively. If best recommended management practices for fertilizer application were adopted and biomass was used as a source of energy for tea processing, the GHG emissions reduction potential was 16.66 Mt CO2eq, or 58% of total emissions. The GHG emissions associated with tea production and processing in China appeared high by comparison to other regions of the world. However, considering the carbon sink and emissions reduction potential, the tea industry should be viewed as an important sector for climate action. Moreover, the potential for substantial GHG emissions reduction through the adoption of improved practices seems very realistic. There may also be additional opportunities for GHG emissions reduction through the development of organic tea cultivation systems.

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