Introduction to Guidelines on the Assessment and Disclosure of Organizational Contribution to the Avoided Emissions

Mangroves are considered ideal ecosystems for Blue Carbon projects. However, because of their short stature, some mangroves (‘scrub’ mangroves, less than 2 m) do not fulfil the current definition of ‘forests’, which makes them ineligible for emission reduction programmes such as REDD+. Short stature mangroves can be the dominant form of mangroves in arid and nutrient-poor landscapes, and emissions from their deforestation and degradation could be substantial. Here, we describe a Blue Carbon project in the Gulf of California, Mexico, to illustrate that projects that avoid emissions from deforestation and degradation could provide financial resources to protect mangroves that cannot be included in other emission reduction programmes. The goal of the project is to protect 16 058 ha of mangroves through conservation concessions from the Mexican Federal Government. The cumulative avoided emissions of the project are 2.84 million Mg CO 2 over 100 years, valued at $US 426 000 per year (US$15 per Mg CO 2 in the California market). The funds could be used for community-based projects that will improve mangrove management, such as surveillance, eradication of invasive species, rehabilitation after tropical storms and environmental education. The strong institutional support, secure financial status, community engagement and clear project boundaries provide favourable conditions to implement this Blue Carbon project. Financial resources from Blue Carbon projects, even in mangroves of short stature, can provide substantial resources to enhance community resilience and mangrove protection.

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Carbon Footprint of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Guelph City, Ontario

The Journal of Solid Waste Technology and Management ◽

10.5276/jswtm/2019.441 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 45 (4) ◽

pp. 441-449

Author(s):

Riham A. Mohsen ◽

Bassim Abbassi ◽

Animesh Dutta ◽

David Gordon

Keyword(s):

Sensitivity Analysis ◽

Waste Management ◽

Municipal Solid Waste ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Solid Waste ◽

Solid Waste Management ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Waste To Energy ◽

Municipal Solid Waste Management ◽

Avoided Emissions

More light is being shed continually on the environmental impacts of municipal solid waste due to the increasing amounts of waste generated and the related greenhouse gas emissions. Emissions from MSW account for 20% of Canadian greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and accordingly, waste legislation in Ontario demands high waste recovery and a moving towards a circular economy. This study evaluates the current municipal solid waste management in the City of Guelph and assesses possible alternative scenarios based on the associated GHG emissions. Waste Reduction Model (WARM) that was developed by the US-EPA has been used to quantify the GHG emissions produced over the entire life cycle of the MSW management scenario. Sensitivity analysis was also conducted to investigate the influence of some scenarios on the overall GHG emissions. It has been found that one ton of landfilled waste generates approximately 0.39 ton of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2Eq). It was also found that the current solid waste scenario has a saving of 36086 million ton of CO2Eq (MCO2Eq). However, the results showed that the scenario with enhanced waste-to-energy, reduction at source and recycling has resulted in a high avoided emissions (0.74 kg CO2Eq/kg MSW). The anaerobic Digestion scenario caused the lowest avoided emissions of 0.39 kg CO2Eq/kg MSW. The net avoided emissions for reduction at source scenario were found to be the same as that found by the current scenario (0.4 kg CO2Eq/kg MSW). The sensitivity analysis of both reduction at source and recycling rates show a linear inverse proportional relationship with total GHG emissions reduction.

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The potential for avoided emissions from photovoltaic electricity in the United States

Energy ◽

10.1016/j.energy.2012.08.025 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 47 (1) ◽

pp. 443-450 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Pei Zhai ◽

Peter Larsen ◽

Dev Millstein ◽

Surabi Menon ◽

Eric Masanet

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

The United States ◽

Avoided Emissions

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Energy system retrofit in a public services building

Management of Environmental Quality An International Journal ◽

10.1108/meq-02-2014-0028 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 302-314 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

João Rafael Galvão ◽

Licinio Moreira ◽

Gonçalo Gaspar ◽

Samuel Vindeirinho ◽

Sérgio Leitão

Keyword(s):

Energy Consumption ◽

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Smart City ◽

Energy System ◽

Energy Model ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Content Type ◽

Photovoltaic Panels ◽

Low Carbon Economy ◽

Avoided Emissions

Purpose Taking into account the current relevance of the concept of smart city connected with the Internet of Things, this work aims to study the implementation of this concept by applying a new energy model in an existing public building. The purpose of this paper is to enhance the sustainability and energy autonomy of the building. Design/methodology/approach The building referred to in the case study is a library, and simulations related to the ongoing study are based on an energy audit, comprising a survey on electrical and thermal energy consumption. The innovative proposed model consists of a mix of energy production processes based on photovoltaic panels and biomass boilers. Economic analysis of the energy model has already yielded some results regarding the payback on investment, as well as avoided emissions in the context of development of a low-carbon economy with avoided emissions and socioeconomic advantages. Findings It is possible to enhance the sustainability of the library studied by the retrofit of the current energy system. With the integration of photovoltaic panels and the conversion or replacement of boilers from natural gas to biomass, the GHG emissions could drop around 121 t CO2 per year. Another benefit would be the inclusion of endogenous resources over imported energy resources. The payback period for the measures proposed ranges from 2.5 to 8 years, proving that the increase in environmental sustainability is viable. Originality/value The intention here is to implement the concept of smart city, in more sustainable buildings, bringing them to the lowest possible energy consumption levels, hence increasing performance and comfort. Also, taking into account that the energy-consuming buildings are already constructed, it is urgent to reconvert them to lower the use of energy and emissions using technologies based on renewable energy, boosting the use of local resources.

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Assessment of environmental and economic benefits of packaging waste system in Italy

ECONOMICS AND POLICY OF ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT ◽

10.3280/efe2021-001003 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 37-58

Author(s):

Francesco Colelli ◽

Edoardo Croci

Keyword(s):

Waste Management ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Social Costs ◽

Social Benefits ◽

Waste Generation ◽

Macroeconomic Factors ◽

Packaging Waste ◽

Avoided Emissions ◽

Social Costs And Benefits

The paper quantifies social costs and social benefits of packaging waste management system in Italy from 2015 to 2030. Future social costs and benefits are estimated based on the growth of waste generated and on the stringency of recycling and landfilling targets. Packaging waste generation is projected based on macroeconomic factors, consumer practices and technological eco-innovations. Social benefits are derived by the reduction of externalities' correspondent to the achievement of packaging waste management targets. We quantify two environmental ben-efits: avoided emissions and raw materials saved. We find that social costs may rise substan-tially in the future, as total system's operations costs in 2030 may increase by 48% with re-spect to 2015, due to the growth in the quantities of packaging waste generated. Meeting recy-cling and landfilling targets set by the new Circular Economy Package would imply a further 5% increase in total social costs in 2015. This latter increase is more than compensated by so-cial benefits related to the reduction in externalities due to more stringent targets.

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Avoided emissions of a fuel-efficient biomass cookstove dwarf embodied emissions

Development Engineering ◽

10.1016/j.deveng.2016.01.001 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 1 ◽

pp. 45-52 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

D.L. Wilson ◽

D.R. Talancon ◽

R.L. Winslow ◽

X. Linares ◽

A.J. Gadgil

Keyword(s):

Avoided Emissions

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The viability of biomethane as a future transport fuel for Zambian towns: A case study of Lusaka

Journal of Energy in Southern Africa ◽

10.17159/2413-3051/2018/v29i3a4893 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 86-95 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Agabu Shane ◽

Young Kafwembe ◽

Pride Kafwembe

Keyword(s):

Interest Rates ◽

Net Present Value ◽

Academic Research ◽

Organic Fertiliser ◽

Research Findings ◽

Good Potential ◽

Biomethane Production ◽

Avoided Emissions ◽

Chemical Fertiliser

The objective of the study was to determine the viability of biomethane as a transport fuel for Zambian urban towns. The study revealed good potential for biomethane production and use as a transport fuel in Zambian towns, using Lusaka as a case example. There is 3.67 million m3 biomethane potential from municipal solid waste alone in Lusaka. About 3 000 tonnes of organic fertiliser would replace an equivalent amount of chemical fertiliser. The replaced chemical fertiliser would lead to about 5.816 GgCO2eqy-1 as avoided emissions. The study showed a positive net present value at the prevailing market interest rates of 28–40%; the project would become unviable at interest rates higher than that. It was estimated that the project would recover its initial investment in a maximum of two years. The research findings have closed data and information gaps in Zambia and have potential to contribute to academic research, policymaking, investments, financing and interested parties.

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Production of renewable energy on closed landfills to compensate for biogas emissions: A case study of the Valdina landfill (Messina, Italy)

Global NEST Journal ◽

10.30955/gnj.001381 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 130-139 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Keyword(s):

Energy Production ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Photovoltaic System ◽

Giant Reed ◽

Msw Management ◽

High Production ◽

Avoided Emissions ◽

Landfill Management ◽

Photovoltaic Plant

<div> The contribution of integrated municipal solid waste (MSW) management systems to greenhouse gas emissions is not negligible, even though it is moderate compared with other anthropogenic activities. The main emission from landfills that accept biodegradable MSW is methane that escapes from the biogas collection system. Such emissions are partially compensated if the collected biogas is exploited for energy production. Further compensation measures would also increase the overall sustainability of the landfill site. This study analyses the possibility of exploiting closed landfills to produce energy based on the case study of the Valdina landfill (Messina, Italy). Two possible scenarios are presented: the installation of a photovoltaic system and the cultivation of giant reed (Arundo donax L.) to be used for energy production through combustion. The results of a preliminary experimental activity are presented for the second scenario. The findings demonstrate the possibility of using the leachate produced in the landfill for irrigation purposes. For each scenario, the costs, potential energy production rate, avoided emissions and issues related to the integration of energy production with the landfill aftercare are evaluated. The presented results suggest that the cultivation of giant reed is the best option, especially during the early post-closure period, in terms of investment (18,000 € against 8,300,000 €), high production yield in the Mediterranean climate, simplicity of cultivation and integration with ordinary post-closure landfill management, limited cost of the energy produced (0.1€ kWh-1 against 0.27€ kWh-1). On the other hand avoided emissions are higher for the photovoltaic plant (27804  against 778  on an horizon of 20 years). </div>

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