scholarly journals Energy Security and Climate Change: India’s Responses to the Challenges

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Vinodan ◽  
Anju Lis Kurian
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Energy Security ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Agrarian Economy ◽  
Developed World

Energy is the prominent navigator of climate change as it contributes to most of the greenhouse gases (GHGs) and the burning of fossil fuels are the foremost sources of GHG emissions. Climate change is a major challenge for developing countries like India that face large scale climate variability and are exposed to enhanced risks from climate change. Few countries in the world are as vulnerable to the effects of climate change as India is with its vast population that is dependent on the growth of its agrarian economy, its expansive coastal areas and the Himalayan region and islands. The vulnerabilities of climate change and energy insecurity are directing a global changeover towards a low carbon and sustainable energy path. In the UNFCC, India has cleared its stand that it would not make any commitments to trim down its GHG emissions as it has one of the least per capita emissions and in the fi rst place the developed world is responsible for the dilemma and the developing world requires the carbon space to spring up. But by being a responsible and progressive member of the international community, India demonstrated the flexibility towards the endeavours to trim down climate change causalities. India is endowed with diverse natural resources such as solar, wind, water and biomass; these are the promising resources to meet up the energy requirements of the coming years. The present paper attempts to analyse the linkages between climate change and energy security. The paper also aims to project India’s response to the global climate regime. The paper argues that the problems of climate change and energy security are the major obstacles for India’s energy policy while they open gargantuan opportunities to shift its people to cleaner energy trajectories and know-how in the long term.  

Alternative scenarios for the future of the Canadian boreal zone1

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
James W.N. Steenberg ◽  
Peter N. Duinker ◽  
Irena F. Creed ◽  
Jacqueline N. Serran ◽  
Camille Ouellet Dallaire
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Boreal Zone ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
Carbon Economy

In response to global climate change, Canada is transitioning towards a low-carbon economy and the need for policy approaches that are effective, equitable, coordinated, and both administratively and politically feasible is high. One point is clear; the transition is intimately tied to the vast supply of ecosystem services in the boreal zone of Canada. This paper describes four contrasting futures for the boreal zone using scenario analysis, which is a transdisciplinary, participatory approach that considers alternative futures and policy implications under conditions of high uncertainty and complexity. The two critical forces shaping the four scenarios are the global economy’s energy and society’s capacity to adapt. The six drivers of change are atmospheric change, the demand for provisioning ecosystem services, the demand for nonprovisioning ecosystem services, demographics, and social values, governance and geopolitics, and industrial innovation and infrastructure. The four scenarios include: (i) the Green Path, where a low-carbon economy is coupled with high adaptive capacity; (ii) the Uphill Climb, where a low-carbon economy is instead coupled with low adaptive capacity; (iii) the Carpool Lane, where society has a strong capacity to adapt but a reliance on fossil fuels; and (iv) the Slippery Slope, where there is both a high-carbon economy and a society with low adaptive capacity. The scenarios illustrate the importance of transitioning to a low-carbon economy and the role of society’s adaptive capacity in doing so. However, they also emphasize themes like social inequality and adverse environmental outcomes arising from the push towards climate change mitigation.

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.

scholarly journals Analysis of the BRICS countries’ pathways towards a low-carbon environment

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 77-102
Author(s):  
Agyemang Sampene ◽  
Cai Li ◽  
Fredrick Agyeman ◽  
Robert Brenya
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Electricity Markets ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Brics Countries ◽  
Nationally Determined Contributions ◽  
Low Carbon Technologies

Global climate change has emerged as humanity’s greatest challenge, affecting both the natural security of the earth and the long-term growth of human society. Protecting the environment and fostering long-term growth while reducing carbon emissions has become a global concern. The BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) are participating in the fight against climate change through the promotion of low-carbon environment (LCE). In this study, we use content analysis to discuss some of the policies, plans, and programs outlined by the various governments in the BRICS that can help them implement an LCE. The study indicates that currently Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa are rated as “insufficient,” “critically insufficient,” “compatible,” “incompatible,” and “highly insufficient” respectively in their commitment to nationally determined contributions (NDC) to the Paris Agreement. The paper recommends that the BRICS countries achieve an LCE through expanding low-carbon investments and financing, focusing on taxation that goes beyond energy, investing in low-carbon cities, adapting to a circular economy and low-carbon technologies, expanding electricity markets, and promoting climate-friendly international trade among the BRICS countries.

scholarly journals MODELLING LONG TERM IMPLICATION OF CLIMATE CHANGE PROJECTION ON SHORE MORPHOLOGY OF NORTH NORFOLK, UK, COMBINING TOMAWAC AND SCAPE

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (32) ◽  
pp. 61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Chini ◽  
Peter Stansby ◽  
Mike Walkden ◽  
Jim Hall ◽  
Judith Wolf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate Change ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Stationary Processes ◽  
Climate Change Projections ◽  
Future Evolution ◽  
The Future

Assessment of nearshore response to climatic change is an important issue for coastal management. To predict potential effects of climate change, a framework of numerical models has been implemented which enables the downscaling of global projections to an eroding coastline, based on TOMAWAC for inshore wave propagation input into SCAPE for shoreline modelling. With this framework, components of which have already been calibrated and validated, a set of consistent global climate change projections is used to estimate the future evolution of an un-engineered coastline. The response of the shoreline is sensitive to the future scenarios, underlying the need for long term large scale offshore conditions to be included in the prediction of non-stationary processes.

Achieving a low carbon transition in Japan, the role of motor vehicle lifetime

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shigemi Kagawa ◽  
Daisuke Nishijima ◽  
Yuya Nakamoto
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Policy Tool ◽  
Using Data

In order to achieve climate change mitigation goals, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from Japan’s household sector is critical. Accomplishing a transition to low carbon and energy efficient consumer goods is particularly valuable as a policy tool for reducing emissions in the residential sector. This case study presents an analysis of the lifetime of personal vehicles in Japan, and considers the optimal scenario in terms of retention and disposal, specifically as it relates to GHG emissions. Using data from Japan, the case study shows the critical importance of including whole-of-life energy and carbon calculations when assessing the contributions that new technologies can make towards low carbon mobility transitions. While energy-efficiency gains are important, replacing technologies can overlook the energy and carbon embedded in the production phase. Without this perspective, policy designed to reduce GHG emissions may result in increased emissions and further exacerbate global climate change.

8. Solutions

2021 ◽  
pp. 122-147
Author(s):  
Mark Maslin
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Power Grids ◽  
Smart Power ◽  
The Third ◽  
Smart Power Grids

‘Solutions’ outlines the three types of solutions to climate change. The first is adaptation, which is providing protection for the population from the impacts of climate change. Both physical and social adaptations are required to protect people’s lives and livelihoods. The second solution is mitigation, which in its simplest terms is reducing our carbon footprint and thus reversing the trend of ever-increasing GHG emissions. This type of solution includes switching to renewable energy and electric vehicles, fossil-fuel subsidy reforms, smart power grids, sustainable agriculture, reforestation and rewilding. The third solution is geoengineering, which involves large-scale extraction of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or modification of the global climate.

scholarly journals Climate change mitigation potential of carbon capture and utilization in the chemical industry

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (23) ◽  
pp. 11187-11194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arne Kätelhön ◽  
Raoul Meys ◽  
Sarah Deutz ◽  
Sangwon Suh ◽  
André Bardow
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Carbon Capture ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Oil Consumption ◽  
Chemical Production ◽  
Carbon Capture And Utilization ◽  
Change Mitigation

Chemical production is set to become the single largest driver of global oil consumption by 2030. To reduce oil consumption and resulting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, carbon dioxide can be captured from stacks or air and utilized as alternative carbon source for chemicals. Here, we show that carbon capture and utilization (CCU) has the technical potential to decouple chemical production from fossil resources, reducing annual GHG emissions by up to 3.5 Gt CO2-eq in 2030. Exploiting this potential, however, requires more than 18.1 PWh of low-carbon electricity, corresponding to 55% of the projected global electricity production in 2030. Most large-scale CCU technologies are found to be less efficient in reducing GHG emissions per unit low-carbon electricity when benchmarked to power-to-X efficiencies reported for other large-scale applications including electro-mobility (e-mobility) and heat pumps. Once and where these other demands are satisfied, CCU in the chemical industry could efficiently contribute to climate change mitigation.

scholarly journals Development Process of Energy Mix towards Neutral Carbon Future of the Slovak Republic: A Review

Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1263
Author(s):  
Martin Beer ◽  
Radim Rybár
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Free Energy ◽  
Global Climate Change ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Slovak Republic ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Energy Mix

Global climate change is putting humanity under pressure, which in many areas poses an unprecedented threat to society as we know it. In an effort to mitigate its effects, it is necessary to reduce the overall production of greenhouse gases and thus, dependence on fossil fuels in all areas of human activities. The presented paper deals with an evaluation of energy mix of the Slovak Republic and four selected neighboring countries in the context of achieving their carbon neutral or carbon negative future. The development of the evaluated energy mixes as well as greenhouse gas emissions is presented from a long-term perspective, which makes it possible to evaluate and compare mutual trends and approaches to emission-free energy sectors.

scholarly journals Environmental sustainability of biofuels: a review

2020 ◽  
Vol 476 (2243) ◽  
pp. 20200351
Author(s):  
Harish K. Jeswani ◽  
Andrew Chilvers ◽  
Adisa Azapagic
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Methodological Choices

Biofuels are being promoted as a low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels as they could help to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the related climate change impact from transport. However, there are also concerns that their wider deployment could lead to unintended environmental consequences. Numerous life cycle assessment (LCA) studies have considered the climate change and other environmental impacts of biofuels. However, their findings are often conflicting, with a wide variation in the estimates. Thus, the aim of this paper is to review and analyse the latest available evidence to provide a greater clarity and understanding of the environmental impacts of different liquid biofuels. It is evident from the review that the outcomes of LCA studies are highly situational and dependent on many factors, including the type of feedstock, production routes, data variations and methodological choices. Despite this, the existing evidence suggests that, if no land-use change (LUC) is involved, first-generation biofuels can—on average—have lower GHG emissions than fossil fuels, but the reductions for most feedstocks are insufficient to meet the GHG savings required by the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED). However, second-generation biofuels have, in general, a greater potential to reduce the emissions, provided there is no LUC. Third-generation biofuels do not represent a feasible option at present state of development as their GHG emissions are higher than those from fossil fuels. As also discussed in the paper, several studies show that reductions in GHG emissions from biofuels are achieved at the expense of other impacts, such as acidification, eutrophication, water footprint and biodiversity loss. The paper also investigates the key methodological aspects and sources of uncertainty in the LCA of biofuels and provides recommendations to address these issues.

scholarly journals Does Resource Abundance Require Special Approaches to Climate Policies? The Case of Russia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor Makarov
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Emissions Reduction ◽  
Climate Policies ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Structural Differences ◽  
Global Movement

Abstract As the world’s largest fossil fuels exporter, Russia is one of the key countries for addressing global climate change. However, it has never demonstrated any significant ambitions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This paper applies ideational research methodology to identify the structural differences in economic, political, and social normative contexts between industrialized fossil fuel importing economies and Russia that lead to the fundamental gap in motivations driving decarbonization efforts. Consequently, Russia is unlikely to replicate the approach to the green transition and use instruments of climate policies which are utilized in energy-importing countries. In order to launch decarbonization in Russia, interested stakeholders need to frame climate policies in Russia differently. Specifically, the framing must address the priority of diversification as a means to adapting the national economy to a new green landscape, the combination of diverse channels for decarbonization, the promotion of energy-efficiency, closer attention to climate-related forest projects and linkage of climate change with other environmental problems. Moreover, considering Russia’s emissions as a part of the global economic system and shifting from a simplistic national focus on GHG emissions reduction would help coordinate policies through dialogue between exporters and importers of fossil fuels energy-intensive goods, which is essential for the global movement towards a net-zero future.

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