scholarly journals Who Is Responsible for Embodied CO2?

Climate ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Hans Sanderson
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Life Cycle Analysis ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Total Emission ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Ghg Emission ◽  
Carbon Neutrality ◽  
Nationally Determined Contributions

With the Paris Agreement, countries are obliged to report greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions, which will ensure that the global temperature increase is maintained well below 2 °C. The parties will report their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) in terms of plans and progress towards these targets during the postponed COP26 (Conference of the Parties under the UNFCCC) in Glasgow in November 2021. These commitments, however, do not take significant portions of the consumption-related emissions related to countries imports into account. Similarly, the majority of companies that report their emissions to CDP (Formerly Carbon Disclosure Project) also do not account for their embodied value-chain-related emissions. Municipalities, on the path towards carbon neutrality in accordance with the methods outlined by C40, also do not include imported and embodied CO2 in their total emission tallies. So, who is responsible for these emissions—the producer or the consumer? How can we ensure that the NDCs, municipalities’ and companies’ reduction targets share the responsibility of the emissions in the value chain, thus ensuring that targets and plans become sustainable, climate fair, and just in global value chains? Today the responsibility lays with the producer, which is not sustainable. We have the outline for the tools needed to quantify and transparently share the responsibility between producers and consumers at corporate, municipal and national levels based on an improved understanding of the attendant sources, causes, flows and risks of GHG emissions globally. Hybrid life cycle analysis/environmentally extended input–output (LCA/EEIO) models can for example be further developed. This will, in the end, enable everyday consumption to support a more sustainable, green and low carbon transition of our economy.

scholarly journals Who is Responsible for Embodied CO2?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Sanderson
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
National Level ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Ghg Emission ◽  
Hybrid Lca ◽  
Carbon Neutrality ◽  
Nationally Determined Contributions

With the Paris Agreement, countries are obliged to report greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduc-tions, which will ensure that the global temperature increase is maintained well below 2C. The Parties will report their Nationally Determined Contributions in terms of plans and progress to-wards these targets during the postponed COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021. These commit-ments however do not take significant portions of the consumption related emissions related to countries imports in to account. Similarly, the majority of companies that report their emissions to CDP also do not account for their embodied value-chain related emissions. Municipalities, on the path towards carbon neutrality in accordance with the methods outlined by C40, also do not in-clude imported and embodied CO2e in their total emission tallies. So, who is responsible for these emissions - the producer or the consumer? How can we ensure that the NDC's, municipalities and companies reduction targets share the responsibility of the emissions in the value-chain thus en-suring that targets and plans become, sustainable, climate fair, and just in global value chains? Today the responsibility lays with the producer, which is not sustainable. We have the outline for the tools needed to quantify and transparently share the responsibility between producers and consumers at corporate, municipal and national level based on an improved understanding of the attendant sources, causes, flows and risks og GHG emissions globally. Hybrid LCA/EEIO models can for example be further developed. This will, in the end, enable everyday consumption to support a more sustainable, green and low carbon transition of our economy.

scholarly journals Who is Responsible for Embodied CO2?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Sanderson
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Temperature Increase ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Global Temperature ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Total Emission ◽  
Ghg Emission ◽  
Carbon Neutrality ◽  
Nationally Determined Contributions

With the Paris Agreement countries are obliged to report greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions which will ensure that the global temperature increase is maintained well below 2C. The Parties will report their Nationally Determined Contributions in terms of plans and progress towards these targets during the postponed COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021. These commitments however do not take significant portions of the consumption related emissions related to countries imports in to account. Similarly, the majority of companies that report their emissions to CDP also do not account for their embodied value-chain related emissions. Municipalities on the path towards carbon neutrality in accordance with the methods outlined by C40 also do not include imported and embodied CO2 in their total emission tallies. So, who is responsible for these emissions - the producer or the consumer? How can we ensure that the NDC's, municipalities and companies reduction targets share the responsibility of the emissions in the value-chain, so that the targets and plans become, sustainable, climate fair, and just in global value chains?

scholarly journals Material Efficiency design strategies for the circular transition

2021 ◽  
pp. 86-95
Author(s):  
Ilaria Montella ◽  
Paola Marrone
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Carbon Neutrality ◽  
Material Efficiency ◽  
History Of ◽  
Circular Design

The history of lightness might not only recount aeroplanes and low-density materials, it might also speak of a need for dematerialisation consistent with the control of resource consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Following the Paris Agreement, carbon neutrality policies had initially focused on mitigation actions for energy efficiency and low-carbon sources. Although crucial for the materials industry, other strategies, especially on the demand side, are possible to reduce their production. In the context of the circular economy applied to the built environment, Material Efficiency (ME) constitutes a set of actions for circular design for which functions, configurations and construction processes need to be reinvented.

Costs and Benefits of the Transition to Low-carbon Economyin Russia: Perspectives up to 2050

2014 ◽  
pp. 70-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Bashmakov ◽  
A. Myshak
Keyword(s):  
Emission Reduction ◽  
High Probability ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Ghg Emission ◽  
Research Groups ◽  
Emissions Mitigation ◽  
Very High

This paper investigates costs and benefits associated with low-carbon economic development pathways realization to the mid XXI century. 30 scenarios covering practically all “visions of the future” were developed by several research groups based on scenario assumptions agreed upon in advance. It is shown that with a very high probability Russian energy-related GHG emissions will reach the peak before 2050, which will be at least 11% below the 1990 emission level. The height of the peak depends on portfolio of GHG emissions mitigation measures. Efforts to keep 2050 GHG emissions 25-30% below the 1990 level bring no GDP losses. GDP impact of deep GHG emission reduction - by 50% of the 1990 level - varies from plus 4% to minus 9%. Finally, very deep GHG emission reduction - by 80% - may bring GDP losses of over 10%.

EXPLORING FAIR AND AMBITIOUS MITIGATION CONTRIBUTIONS OF ASIAN ECONOMIES FOR THE GLOBAL WARMING LIMIT UNDER THE PARIS AGREEMENT

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
XINRU LI ◽  
XUEMEI JIANG ◽  
YAN XIA
Keyword(s):  
Developing Economies ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Developed Economies ◽  
Asian Economies ◽  
Zero Carbon ◽  
Nationally Determined Contributions ◽  
Emission Quotas ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
The Ideal

Focusing on the mitigation responsibilities and efforts, this paper provides a unified estimation of allowable emission quotas for a number of Asian economies to limit the global temperature rise well below 2°C based on a range of effort-sharing approaches. The study also explores the inconsistency between their planned emission pathways under the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the allowable emissions to achieve the 2°C target. The results show that most of the Asian developing economies would be in favor of the Equal-Per-Capita and Grandfather criteria, for which they would obtain more allowable emissions quota. However, even with the most favorable criterion, official mitigation pledges represented by NDCs are far less enough for these developing Asian economies such as China, India, Vietnam, Thailand and Pakistan, as their emission pathways under NDCs significantly exceed the ideal pathways under all effort-sharing approaches. In contrast, most of the Asian developed economies have already planned reductions of annual CO2 emissions under NDCs, in line with their ideal pathways under the most favorable effort-sharing approach. However, their reductions of emissions require deep strengthening of deployment in low-carbon, zero-carbon and negative-carbon techniques, given the current growing trend of emissions for these economies.

scholarly journals Biofuels – Towards Objectives Of 2030 And Beyond

2021 ◽  
pp. 32-40
Author(s):  
Rafał M. Łukasik
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Biofuel Production ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Ghg Emission ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Carbon Neutrality ◽  
Environmental Criteria ◽  
Production Technologies

The European (and global) energy sector is in a process of profound transformation, making it essential for changes to take place that influence energy producers, operators, and regulators, as well as consumers themselves, as they are the ones who interact in the energy market. The RED II Directive changes the paradigm of the use of biomass in the heat and electricity sectors, by introducing sustainability criteria with mandatory minimum greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions and by establishing energy efficiency criteria. For the transport sector, the extension of the introduction of renewables to all forms of transport (aviation, maritime, rail and road short and long distance), between 2021-2030, the strengthening of energy efficiency and the strong need to reduce GHG emissions, are central to achieving the national targets for renewables in transport, representing the main structural changes in the European decarbonisation policy in that sector. It is necessary to add that biomass is potentially the only source of renewable energy that makes it possible to obtain negative GHG emission values, considering the entire life cycle including CO2 capture and storage. Hence, this work aims to analyse the relevance of biomass for CHP and in particular, the use of biomass for biofuels that contribute to achieving carbon neutrality in 2050. The following thematic sub-areas are addressed in this work: i) the new environmental criteria for the use of biomass for electricity in the EU in light of now renewable energy directive; ii) current and emerging biofuel production technologies and their respective decarbonization potential; iii) the relevance or not of the development of new infrastructures for distribution renewable fuels, alternatives to the existing ones (biomethane, hydrogen, ethanol); iv) the identification of the necessary measures for biomass in the period 2020-2030

scholarly journals Carbon Benchmark for Czech Residential Buildings Based on Climate Goals Set by the Paris Agreement for 2030

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (21) ◽  
pp. 6085 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Pálenský ◽  
Antonín Lupíšek
Keyword(s):  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Light Emitting Diode ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Residential Building ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Ghg Emission ◽  
Standard Design ◽  
Emission Limit

This paper deals with the problem that actual building regulations do not reflect the climate targets set by the Paris Agreement. To address this, a benchmark was developed for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of buildings on the basis of the Emissions Gap Report. We first applied an equal allocation of the GHG emission limit for 2030 among the forecasted population to calculate a virtual personal GHG emission limit. We took a proportion of this personal limit for the purpose of housing and extrapolated it for the whole building based on the number of occupants. We also undertook a case study of an actual multifamily residential building and compared its standard design to the benchmark using a simplified life cycle assessment (LCA) method in line with the national SBToolCZ method. The results showed that the assessed residential house exceeded the emission requirement by a factor of 2.5. Based on the assessment, six sets of saving measures were proposed to reduce the operational and embodied GHG emissions. The saving measures included change in temperature zoning, improvement of the U-values of the building envelope, exchange of construction materials for reduced embodied GHG emissions, exchange of heat source for biomass boiler, introduction of light-emitting diode (LED) lighting, use of mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, addition of vacuum solar collectors, and the addition of photovoltaic (PV) panels. Finally, the variants were compared and their suitability in the Czech conditions was examined.

Responding to NAMAs and preparing for INDCs/NDCs

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-20
Author(s):  
Jui-Chu Lin ◽  
Wei-Ming Chen ◽  
Ding-Jang Chen
Keyword(s):  
Electricity Market ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Electricity Sector ◽  
Carbon Trading ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Carbon Reduction ◽  
Ghg Reduction ◽  
Nationally Determined Contributions ◽  
Trading Scheme

Purpose In this paper, the international progress of Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change are reviewed. The content of Taiwan’s NAMAs and INDCs are also investigated, especially with reference to actions for the electricity sector. To better understand the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction contribution from the electricity sector, this paper aims to examine challenges and solutions for implementing a carbon trading mechanism in Taiwan’s monopolistic electricity market under the newly passed Greenhouse Gases Emissions Reduction and Management Act (GHG ERMA). Design/methodology/approach Carbon reduction strategies for the electricity sector are discussed by examining and explaining Taiwan’s official documents and the law of GHG ERMA. Findings This study finds that market mechanisms should be utilized to allocate appropriate costs and incentives for GHG reductions to transform Taiwan into a low-carbon society. Originality/value This study identifies strategies for the electricity sector to reduce GHG emissions, especially the operation of a carbon-trading scheme under a non-liberalized electricity market.

scholarly journals Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions by Reusing and Recycling Used Clothing in Japan

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 8214
Author(s):  
Toshiro Semba ◽  
Yuji Sakai ◽  
Miku Ishikawa ◽  
Atsushi Inaba
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Fiber Type ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Chemical Recycling ◽  
Fiber Types ◽  
Ghg Emission ◽  
Emission Reductions ◽  
Carbon Neutrality ◽  
Textile Recycling

According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 73% of used clothing is landfilled or incinerated globally and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from fabric manufacturing in 2015 amounted to 1.2 billion tons. It must be reduced in the future, especially by reusing and recycling used clothing. Based on this perspective, researchers calculated the energy consumption and GHG emissions associated with reusing and recycling used clothing globally with a life cycle assessment (LCA). However, no study was conducted so far to estimate the total GHG emission reductions in Japan by reusing and recycling used clothing. In this study, the amount of used clothing currently discharged from households as combustible and noncombustible waste and their fiber types were estimated using literature. Then, the methods for reusing and recycling of used clothing were categorized into the following 5 types based on fiber type, that is, “reuse overseas,” “textile recycling to wipers,” “fiber recycling,” “chemical recycling” and “thermal recycling.” After that, by applying LCA, the GHG emission reductions by above 5 methods were estimated, based on the annual discharged weights of each fiber type. Consequently, the total GHG emissions reductions by reusing and recycling 6.03 × 108 kg of used clothing totally were estimated around 6.60 × 109 kg CO2e, to range between 6.57 × 109 kg CO2e and 6.64 × 109 kg CO2e, which depended on the type of “chemical recycling.” The largest contribution was “reuse overseas,” which was 4.01 × 109 kg CO2e corresponded to approximately 60% of the total reduction. Where, it was assumed that used clothing were exported from Japan to Malaysia which was currently the largest importing country. In this case, GHG emissions to manufacture new clothing in China, the largest country currently to export them to Japan, can be avoided, which are 29.4 kg CO2e and 32.5 kg CO2e respectively for 1 kg jeans and 1 kg T-shirts. Adding the GHG emissions for overseas transportation to this, on average, 32.0 kg CO2e per kg of used clothing was reduced by “reuse overseas,” which was 19.6 times larger than GHG emissions by incineration, 1.63 kg CO2e per kg, in which carbon neutrality for cotton was not counted. As the result, the total GHG emission reductions above mentioned, around 6.60 × 109 kg CO2e, corresponds to 70% of the GHG emissions by incineration of total household garbage in Japan.

Updated nationally determined contributions collectively raise ambition levels but need strengthening further to keep Paris goals within reach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel den Elzen ◽  
Ioannis Dafnomilis ◽  
Nicklas Forsell ◽  
Panagiotis Fragkos ◽  
Kostas Fragkiadakis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Renewable Electricity ◽  
Global Emission ◽  
Nationally Determined Contributions ◽  
Macroeconomic Impacts ◽  
Additional Reduction ◽  
Total Impact ◽  
Structural Shifts

Abstract By September 2021, 120 countries had submitted new or updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the UNFCCC in the context of the Paris Agreement. This study analyses the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and macroeconomic impacts of the new NDCs. The total impact of the updated NDCs of these countries on global emission levels by 2030 is an additional reduction of about 3.7 GtCO2e, compared to the previously submitted NDCs. This increases to about 4.1 GtCO2e, if also the lower projected emissions of the other countries are included. However, this total reduction needs to be four times greater to be consistent with keeping global temperature increase to well below 2 °C, and even eight times greater for 1.5 °C. Seven G20 economies have pledged stronger emission reduction targets for 2030 in their updated NDCs, leading to additional aggregated GHG emission reductions of about 3.1 GtCO2e, compared to those in the previous NDCs. The socio-economic impacts of the updated NDCs are limited in major economies, while structural shifts occur away from fossil fuel supply sectors and towards renewable electricity. However, two G20 economies have submitted new targets that will lead to an increase in emissions of about 0.3 GtCO2e, compared to their previous NDCs. The updated NDCs of non-G20 economies contain further net reductions. We conclude that countries should strongly increase the ambition levels of their updated NDC submissions to keep the climate goals of the Paris Agreement within reach.

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