scholarly journals Feasibility of Applying Clean Development Mechanism and GHGs Emission Reductions in the Gold Mining Industry: A Case of Thailand

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suthirat Kittipongvises

Abstract There is presently overwhelming scientific consensus that global climate change is indeed occurring, and that human activities are the primary driver. An increasingly resource and carbon constrained world will continue to pose formidable challenges to major industries, including mining. Understanding the implications of climate change mitigation for the mining industry, however, remains limited. This paper presents the results of a feasibility study on the implementation of a clean development mechanism and greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission reductions in the gold mining industry. It draws upon and extends the analysis of a case study conducted on gold mining operations in Thailand. The results from the case study indicated that total GHGs emissions by company A were approximately 36,886 tons carbon dioxide equivalents (tCO2e) per annual gold production capacity that meet the eligibility criteria for small-scaled clean development mechanism (CDM) projects. The electrostatic separation process was found to release the lowest amount of GHGs, whereas comminution (i.e. crushing and grinding) generated the highest GHGs emissions. By scope, the emission from purchased electricity (scope 2) is the most significant source. Opportunities for CDM projects implementation in the gold mining sector can be found in employing energy efficiency measures. Through innovation, some technical efficiency and technological development in gold processing (i.e. high pressure grinding rolls (HPGR), vertical roller mills (VRM), gravity pre-concentration and microwave heating technologies) that have the potential to reduce energy use and also lower carbon footprint of the gold mining were further discussed. The evidence reviews found that HPGR and VRM abatement technologies have shown energy and climate benefits as electricity savings and CO2 reduction of about 8-25.93 kWh/ton ore processed and 1.8-26.66 kgCO2/ton ore processed, respectively. Implications for further research and practice were finally raised.

Author(s):  
David Vogel

Over the course of its 150-year history, California has successfully protected its scenic wilderness areas, restricted coastal oil drilling, regulated automobile emissions, preserved coastal access, improved energy efficiency, and, most recently, addressed global climate change. How has this state, more than any other, enacted so many innovative and stringent environmental regulations over such a long period of time? This book shows why the Golden State has been at the forefront in setting new environmental standards, often leading the rest of the nation. From the establishment of Yosemite, America's first protected wilderness, and the prohibition of dumping gold-mining debris in the nineteenth century to sweeping climate-change legislation in the twenty-first, the book traces California's remarkable environmental policy trajectory. It explains that this pathbreaking role developed because California had more to lose from environmental deterioration and more to gain from preserving its stunning natural geography. As a result, citizens and civic groups effectively mobilized to protect and restore their state's natural beauty and, importantly, were often backed both by business interests and by strong regulatory authorities. Business support for environmental regulation in California reveals that strict standards are not only compatible with economic growth but can also contribute to it. The book also examines areas where California has fallen short, particularly in water management and the state's dependence on automobile transportation.


Author(s):  
Barley Norton

This chapter addresses the cultural politics, history and revival of Vietnamese court orchestras, which were first established at the beginning of the Nguyễn dynasty (1802–1945). Based on fieldwork in the city of Hue, it considers the decolonizing processes that have enabled Vietnamese court orchestras to take their place alongside other East Asian court orchestras as a display of national identity in the global community of nations. The metaphor of ‘orchestrating the nation’ is used to refer to the ways in which Vietnamese orchestras have been harnessed for sociopolitical ends in several historical periods. Court orchestras as heritage have recourse to a generic, precolonial past, yet they are not entirely uncoupled from local roots. Through a case-study of the revival of the Nam Giao Sacrifice, a ritual for ‘venerating heaven’, the chapter addresses the dynamics of interaction and exchange between staged performances of national heritage and local Buddhist and ancestor worship rituals. It argues that with growing concern about global climate change, the spiritual and ecological resonances of the Nam Giao Sacrifice have provided opportunities for the Party-state to reassert its position as the supreme guardian of the nation and its people.


2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-195
Author(s):  
Almut Beringer ◽  
Steven Douglas

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.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 77-83
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Galbieri ◽  
André Felipe Simões

The approval of methodologies involving the transportation sector confronts methodological concepts that hinder the eligibility of such projects as Clean Development Mechanism, mainly because it is a segment whose emissions come from mobile sources. The verification of additionality and monitoring of emissions, in principle, can be regarded as some of the key barriers to fit transportation sector projects into the CDM framework. This paper discusses these issues and examines, in particular, the road-rail intermodality. Since the partial replacement of cargo transport via trucks by wagon trains presents a great potential for mitigating emissions of greenhouse gases, this paper also analyzes the characteristics that a project involving road-rail intermodality must possess in order to be approved by the Executive Board of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It also analyzes the main difficulties that such a project might face.


2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 243-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline M. Drew ◽  
Michael E. Drew

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the clean development mechanism (CDM) which creates carbon credits from emission abatement projects in developing economies. The paper aims to examine the operation of the CDM with specific reference to fraud vulnerabilities regarding the additionality of a project. An examination of the process of establishment, certification and verification of additionality (confirmation that emissions post‐implementation of the CDM project are lower than those that would have occurred under the most plausible alternative scenario) is used to highlight the need for particular vigilance in respect to sustaining and improving the integrity of future market‐based mechanisms post‐Kyoto.Design/methodology/approachThe study takes a case study approach, examining the CDM project cycle and associated key entities.FindingsThe study posits that the processes associated with establishing and verifying additionality of a project are potentially key areas of systemic weakness that must be addressed. This case study explores the design features of the CDM that may afford greater opportunities for fraudulent or deceptive practices.Originality/valueThe CDM takes a project‐by‐project approach to establishment, verification and certification of additionality. Whilst conceptually this design may be appropriate from an operational perspective, it potentially provides opportunities for fraudulent outcomes. The individualised approach is, by its very nature, highly resource‐intensive and inherently difficult to verify.


Buildings ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Udara Willhelm Abeydeera ◽  
Karunasena

The need to mitigate climate change has become a major global concern, and greenhouse gas emissions are a major cause of global climate change. Therefore, the need to curb greenhouse gas emissions has been well recognized by global researchers, policymakers and academics. Carbon emissions of hotel operations have seized the attention of global researchers. However, carbon emissions of the hotels in developing countries remain to be a less explored domain. Therefore, carbon emissions of Sri Lankan hotels were explored using a case study approach. Five hotels in the Colombo suburb were explored, which revealed that each hotel released more than 7000 tons of carbon annually. Results further indicated the use of purchased electricity as the dominant source of carbon emissions. Emissions caused by transport activities were not included in the calculations due to the unavailability of data. Recommendations were made to overcome the issues identified during data collection as well as to reduce the carbon emissions from hotel operations. Wider adoption of the methodology used in this research will benefit the hotels to keep track of the carbon emissions using a systematic approach.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (23) ◽  
pp. 6719
Author(s):  
Yuanzhe Liu ◽  
Wei Song

Global climate change is increasingly influencing the economic system. With the frequent occurrence of extreme weather events, the influences of climate change on the economic system are no longer limited to the agricultural sector, but extend to the industrial system. However, there is little research on the influences of climate change on industrial economic systems. Among the different sectors of the industrial economic system, the mining industry is more sensitive to the influences of climate change. Here, taking the mining industry as an example, we analyzed the influences of extreme precipitation on the mining industry using the trans-logarithm production function. In addition, the marginal output elasticity analysis method was employed to analyze the main factors influencing the mining industry. It was found that the mining investment in fixed assets, labor input, and technical progress could promote the development of the mining economy, while the extreme precipitation suppressed the growth of the mining industry. The increase in fixed asset investment and the technical progress could enhance the resistance of the mining industry to extreme precipitation, while there was no indication that labor input can reduce the influences of extreme precipitation.


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