scholarly journals Are Fossil Fuels The Main Cause of Today's Global Warming?

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dejan Brkić
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Domestic Heating ◽  
Energy Economy ◽  
The Impact

Gas will increasingly be seen as the fossil fuel of choice, especially whenconsidering environmental impacts. Natural gas is the chance for Serbia for sustainabledevelopment and with its intensive consumption in the XXI century to conciliate the 4Es(Energy, Economy, Efficiency and Environment). In this paper we will compare the impact ofdifferent fossil fuels used for domestic heating with a special emphasis on natural gas. Someother causes of climate changes will be also discussed such as the Milanković astronomicalcycles. These factors will be compared with climate changes caused by the consumption offossil fuels.

scholarly journals Catalytic Production of Jet Fuels from Biomass

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 802 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Antonio Díaz-Pérez ◽  
Juan Carlos Serrano-Ruiz
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Weight ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Heterogeneous Catalysts ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Liquid Hydrocarbon ◽  
Jet Fuels ◽  
Renewable Source ◽  
The World

Concerns about depleting fossil fuels and global warming effects are pushing our society to search for new renewable sources of energy with the potential to substitute coal, natural gas, and petroleum. In this sense, biomass, the only renewable source of carbon available on Earth, is the perfect replacement for petroleum in producing renewable fuels. The aviation sector is responsible for a significant fraction of greenhouse gas emissions, and two billion barrels of petroleum are being consumed annually to produce the jet fuels required to transport people and goods around the world. Governments are pushing directives to replace fossil fuel-derived jet fuels with those derived from biomass. The present mini review is aimed to summarize the main technologies available today for converting biomass into liquid hydrocarbon fuels with a molecular weight and structure suitable for being used as aviation fuels. Particular emphasis will be placed on those routes involving heterogeneous catalysts.

scholarly journals Analysis of Fossil Fuel Energy Consumption and Environmental Impacts in European Countries

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florinda Martins ◽  
Carlos Felgueiras ◽  
Miroslava Smitkova ◽  
Nídia Caetano
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Fossil Fuel Energy ◽  
Fossil Fuel Energy Consumption

The use of fossil fuels as the main source of energy for most countries has caused several negative environmental impacts, such as global warming and air pollution. Air pollution causes many health problems, causing social and economic negative effects. Worldwide efforts are being made to avoid global warming consequences through the establishment of international agreements that then lead to local policies adapted to the development of each signing nation. In addition, there is a depletion of nonrenewable resources which may be scarce or nonexistent in future generations. The preservation of resources, which is a common goal of the Circular Economy strategy and of sustainable development, is not being accomplished nowadays. In this work, the calculation of indicators and mathematical and statistical analysis were applied to clarify and evidence the trends, provide information for the decision-making process, and increase public awareness. The fact that European countries do not possess abundant reserves of fossil fuels will not change, but the results of this analysis can evolve in the future. In this work, fossil fuel energy consumption, fossil fuel depletion, and their relationship with other variables, such as energy dependence and share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption, were analyzed for 29 European countries. Furthermore, it was possible to conclude that many European countries still depend heavily on fossil fuels. Significant differences were not found in what concerns gross inland consumption per capita when the Kruskal–Wallis test was applied. It was possible to estimate that by 2050 (considering Jazz scenario) it will only remain approximately 14% of oil proven reserves, 72% of coal proven reserves and 18% of gas proven reserves. Given the small reserves of European countries on fossil fuels, if they need to use them, they will fast disappear.

scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment of Households in Santiago, Chile: Environmental Hotspots and Policy Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2525
Author(s):  
Camila López-Eccher ◽  
Elizabeth Garrido-Ramírez ◽  
Iván Franchi-Arzola ◽  
Edmundo Muñoz
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Resource Scarcity ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Freshwater Eutrophication

The aim of this study is to assess the environmental impacts of household life cycles in Santiago, Chile, by household income level. The assessment considered scenarios associated with environmental policies. The life cycle assessment was cradle-to-grave, and the functional unit considered all the materials and energy required to meet an inhabitant’s needs for one year (1 inh/year). Using SimaPro 9.1 software, the Recipe Midpoint (H) methodology was used. The impact categories selected were global warming, fine particulate matter formation, terrestrial acidification, freshwater eutrophication, freshwater ecotoxicity, mineral resource scarcity, and fossil resource scarcity. The inventory was carried out through the application of 300 household surveys and secondary information. The main environmental sources of households were determined to be food consumption, transport, and electricity. Food consumption is the main source, responsible for 33% of the environmental impacts on global warming, 69% on terrestrial acidification, and 29% on freshwater eutrophication. The second most crucial environmental hotspot is private transport, whose contribution to environmental impact increases as household income rises, while public transport impact increases in the opposite direction. In this sense, both positive and negative environmental effects can be generated by policies. Therefore, life-cycle environmental impacts, the synergy between policies, and households’ socio-economic characteristics must be considered in public policy planning and consumer decisions.

Robustness of Norway Economy and Energy Supply/Demand

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alireza Aslani ◽  
Maryam Hamlehdar ◽  
Reza Saeedi
Keyword(s):  
Electricity Markets ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Energy Sector ◽  
Good Choice ◽  
Energy Utilization ◽  
Economic Stability ◽  
High Dependency ◽  
Strategic Role ◽  
The Impact

Energy has a strategic role in the social and economic development of the countries all over the world. Due to the high dependency on fossil fuels, fluctuations in prices and supply have macro/micro-economics effects for both energy exporters and importers. Therefore, understanding economic stability based on energy market changes is an important subject for policy makers and researchers. Norway, as a fossil fuel export country, is a good choice for the analysis of the relationships between the economics robustness and fossil fuel economics fluctuations. While the country is one of the pioneers in the field of sustainable energy utilization, they have tried to provide a robust economic situation for the oil exports revenues. In this article, the effects of energy changes on the economy are investigated in Norway. In this regard, first, the impact of oil price on macro-economic parameters is discussed. Afterwards, the main issues related to the energy economics including resilience of the energy sector, energy policies, economics analysis of the energy sector, and the electricity markets are discussed.

scholarly journals Environmental Payback of Renovation Strategies in a Northern Climate—the Impact of Nuclear Power and Fossil Fuels in the Electricity Supply

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Ramírez-Villegas ◽  
Ola Eriksson ◽  
Thomas Olofsson
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Global Warming Potential ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Impact

The aim of this study is to assess how the use of fossil and nuclear power in different renovation scenarios affects the environmental impacts of a multi-family dwelling in Sweden, and how changes in the electricity production with different energy carriers affect the environmental impact. In line with the Paris Agreement, the European Union has set an agenda to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by means of energy efficiency in buildings. It is estimated that by the year 2050, 80% of Europe’s population will be living in buildings that already exist. This means it is important for the European Union to renovate buildings to improve energy efficiency. In this study, eight renovation scenarios, using six different Northern European electricity mixes, were analyzed using the standard of the European Committee for Standardization for life cycle assessment of buildings. This study covers all life cycle steps from cradle to grave. The renovation scenarios include combinations of photovoltaics, geothermal heat pumps, heat recovery ventilation, and improvement of the building envelope. The results show that while in some electricity mixes a reduction in the global warming potential can be achieved, it can be at the expense of an increase in radioactive waste production, and, in mixes with a high share of fossil fuels, the global warming potential of the scenarios increases with time, compared with that of the original building. It also shows that in most electricity mixes, scenarios that reduce the active heat demand of the building end up in reducing both the global warming potential and radioactive waste, making them less sensitive to changes in the energy system.

scholarly journals Environmental Impact Assessment of Food Waste Management Using Two Composting Techniques

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aisha Al-Rumaihi ◽  
Gordon McKay ◽  
Hamish R. Mackey ◽  
Tareq Al-Ansari
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Impact Category ◽  
Windrow Composting ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Total Impact

Food waste is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and therefore global warming. As such, the management of food waste can play a fundamental role in the reduction of preventable emissions associated with food waste. In this study, life cycle assessment (LCA) has been used to evaluate and compare the environmental impact associated with two composting techniques for treating food waste using SimaPro software; windrow composting and the hybrid anaerobic digestion (AD) method. The study, based on a 1 tonne of food waste as a functional unit for a case study in the State of Qatar, concludes that anaerobic digestion combined composting presents a smaller environmental burden than windrow composting. The majority of the emissions generated are due to the use of fossil fuels during transportation, which correspond to approximately 60% of the total impact, followed by the impact of composting with 40% of the impact especially in terms of global warming potential. Environmental assessment impacts were the highest in windrow composting for the acidification impact category (9.39 × 10 − 1 kg SO2 eq). While for AD combined composting the impact was highest for the human toxicity impact category (3.47 × 10 kg 1,4 − DB eq).

scholarly journals Non-Renewable Energy and Macroeconomic Efficiency of Seven Major Oil Producing Economies in Africa

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olabanji Benjamin Awodumi ◽  
Adebowale Musefiu Adeleke
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Total Energy ◽  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Total Energy Consumption ◽  
Macroeconomic Efficiency ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This study adopted two-stage DEA to estimate the technical efficiency scores and assess the impact of the two most important components of fossil fuel associated with oil production on macroeconomic efficiency of Seven oil producing African countries during 2005-2012. Our results showed that increasing the consumption of natural gas would improve technical efficiency. Furthermore, increasing the share of fossil fuel in total energy consumption has negative effect on the efficiency of the economies of the top African oil producers. Also, we found that increasing the consumption of primary energy improves efficiency in these economies. We therefore, recommend that governments and other stakeholders in the energy industry should adopt inclusive strategies that will promote the use of natural gas in the short term. However, in the long-run, efforts should be geared towards increasing the use of primary energy, thereby reducing the percentage share of fossil fuel in total energy consumption.

scholarly journals Unconventionals in Europe: Best Practice vs. Worst Case - The Conflict Between Facts and Public Perception

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 377-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Burri
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Human Error ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Hydrocarbon Exploration ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Rapid Improvement ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
The World

Abstract In spite of great progress in energy efficiency and in the development of renewable energy the world is likely to need significant amounts of fossil fuel throughout this century and beyond (the share of fossil fuels in the world mix has remained at about 86% of primary energy from 1990 to today). Gas, being the by far cleanest fossil fuel is the ideal bridging fuel to a world with predominantly renewable supplies. Thanks to the recent perfection of unconventional technologies there is no shortage of gas for this bridging function for at least the next 100-200 years. EASAC and several other European Institutions, notably the German Academy of Technical Sciences (acatech) have in the last few years carried out expert studies to assess the alleged environmental risks of unconventional hydrocarbon exploration and production. All these studies have, in agreement with other competent studies worldwide, come to the conclusion that there exists no scientific reason for a ban on hydraulic fracturing. With good practices, clear standards and adequate control the method causes no enhanced risks to the environment or the health of humans. Special attention has to be paid to the surface handling of drilling and fracking fluids. In Europe alone many thousand frac jobs have been carried out by the industry in the last 60 years without any severe accidents. The mishaps in North America have largely been the cause of unprofessional operations and human error. Especially in places with high air pollution, like many megacities of Asia, natural gas has to be seen as a unique chance to achieve a rapid improvement of the air quality and a significant reduction of CO2 emissions. This is also true for Europe where especially the use of domestic natural gas brings important benefits to the environment. The alternative to gas is in many regions of the world an increased consumption of coal, with all negative consequences.

Semi-Closed Gas Turbine Cycles: An Ecological Solution

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. L. Laganelli ◽  
C. Rodgers ◽  
W. E. Lear ◽  
P. L. Meitner
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Greenhouse Gases ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Anthropogenic Heat ◽  
Turbine Engines ◽  
Gas Turbine Engines ◽  
Closed Cycle ◽  
The Impact

The impact on global warming of transportation and the infrastructure that supports it has been investigated over several decades. Anthropogenic heat and the generation of greenhouse gases from burning of fossil fuels and are major contributors to the warming process. An approach to mitigate these effects is discussed that considers semi-closed cycle gas turbine engines as a practical approach to slowing the release of greenhouse gases. Semi-closed cycle gas turbine engines have an inherent capability to reduce all regulated emissions while maintaining high efficiency, which in turn reduces CO2 emissions. With emerging technology development that includes higher component efficiencies, high temperature material development, improved control devices, and advanced combustor designs, aided by computational fluid dynamics, semi-closed cycle engines appear to have the potential to mitigate global warming with little economic or infrastructural impact. A specific semi-closed engine type is described, the high pressure recuperated turbine engine (HPRTE), along with the inherent mechanisms for control of NOx, CO, unburned hydrocarbons, and particulates. Results from a breadboard demonstration of the HPRTE are discussed, as well as emerging technologies which benefit this type of engine.

scholarly journals Carbon Tax on Three Fossil Fuels

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-142
Author(s):  
James Stodder
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Carbon Tax ◽  
Tax Burden ◽  
Vector Auto Regression ◽  
Price Instability ◽  
Gas Price ◽  
Auto Regression

Carbon pricing will make Natural Gas the last fossil fuel. As is well-known, the carbon footprint of Oil is half-again as large, and the footprint of Coal is twice as large as that of Gas. Price sensitivities also imply that Gas producers bear relatively little of the total tax burden. As a result of the smaller tax on Gas, structured vector auto-regression (SVAR) simulations of a carbon tax show demand for Oil falling, with a rush for natural Gas. These simulations show that a modest ($40 per metric ton) carbon tax can be introduced gradually, avoiding price instability and achieving greater substitution into Gas than a tax ‘shock.’

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