scholarly journals Carbon Footprint of Green Roofing: A Case Study from Sri Lankan Construction Industry

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6745
Author(s):  
Malka Nadeeshani ◽  
Thanuja Ramachandra ◽  
Sachie Gunatilake ◽  
Nisa Zainudeen
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Green Roof ◽  
Carbon Emission Reduction ◽  
Operational Phase ◽  
Flat Roof

At present, the world is facing many hurdles due to the adverse effects of climate change and rapid urbanization. A lot of rural lands and villages are merged into cities by citizens, resulting in high carbon emission, especially in the built environment. Besides, the buildings and the construction sector are responsible for high levels of raw material consumption and around 40% of energy- and process-related emissions. Consequently, the interest in defining the carbon footprint of buildings and their components is on the rise. This study assesses the carbon footprint of a green roof in comparison to a conventional roof in a tropical climate with the aim of examining the potential carbon emission reduction by a green roof during its life cycle. A comparative case study analysis was carried out between an intensive green roof and a concrete flat roof located on two recently constructed commercial buildings in the Colombo district of Sri Lanka. Data were collected from interviews, project documents and past literature in addition to on-site data measurements and a comparison of life cycle carbon emissions of the two roof types was carried out. The results revealed that the operational phase has the highest contribution to the carbon footprint of both roof types. In the operational phase, the green roof was found to significantly reduce heat transfer by nearly 90% compared to the concrete flat roof and thereby contributed to an annual operational energy saving of 135.51 kWh/m2. The results further revealed that the life cycle carbon emissions of the intensive green roof are 84.71% lower compared to the conventional concrete flat roof. Hence, this study concludes that the use of green roofs is a suitable alternative for tropical cities for improving the green environment with substantial potential for carbon emission reduction throughout the life cycle of a building.

scholarly journals Carbon Emission Estimation of Assembled Composite Concrete Beams during Construction

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 1810
Author(s):  
Kaitong Xu ◽  
Haibo Kang ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
Ping Jiang ◽  
Na Li
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Composite Beams ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Construction Process ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Carbon Emission Reduction ◽  
The Government

At present, the issue of carbon emissions from buildings has become a hot topic, and carbon emission reduction is also becoming a political and economic contest for countries. As a result, the government and researchers have gradually begun to attach great importance to the industrialization of low-carbon and energy-saving buildings. The rise of prefabricated buildings has promoted a major transformation of the construction methods in the construction industry, which is conducive to reducing the consumption of resources and energy, and of great significance in promoting the low-carbon emission reduction of industrial buildings. This article mainly studies the calculation model for carbon emissions of the three-stage life cycle of component production, logistics transportation, and on-site installation in the whole construction process of composite beams for prefabricated buildings. The construction of CG-2 composite beams in Fujian province, China, was taken as the example. Based on the life cycle assessment method, carbon emissions from the actual construction process of composite beams were evaluated, and that generated by the composite beam components during the transportation stage by using diesel, gasoline, and electric energy consumption methods were compared in detail. The results show that (1) the carbon emissions generated by composite beams during the production stage were relatively high, accounting for 80.8% of the total carbon emissions, while during the transport stage and installation stage, they only accounted for 7.6% and 11.6%, respectively; and (2) during the transportation stage with three different energy-consuming trucks, the carbon emissions from diesel fuel trucks were higher, reaching 186.05 kg, followed by gasoline trucks, which generated about 115.68 kg; electric trucks produced the lowest, only 12.24 kg.

scholarly journals Optimal Decisions for Two Risk-Averse Competitive Manufacturers under the Cap-and-Trade Policy and Uncertain Demand

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 1010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongxia Sun ◽  
Jie Yang ◽  
Yang Zhong
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Reduction Rate ◽  
Risk Averse ◽  
Cap And Trade ◽  
Carbon Emission Reduction ◽  
Optimal Decisions ◽  
The Government

With the increasingly serious problem of environmental pollution, reducing carbon emissions has become an urgent task for all countries. The cap-and-trade (C&T) policy has gained international recognition and has been adopted by several countries. In this paper, considering the uncertainty of market demand, we discuss the carbon emission reduction and price policies of two risk-averse competitive manufacturers under the C&T policy. The two manufacturers have two competitive behaviors: simultaneous decision making and sequential decision making. Two models were constructed for these behaviors. The optimal decisions, carbon emission reduction rate, and price were obtained from these two models. Furthermore, in this paper the effects of some key parameters on the optimal decision are discussed, and some managerial insights are obtained. The results show that the lower the manufacturers’ risk aversion level is, the higher their carbon emission reduction rate and utilities. As the carbon quota increases, the manufacturers’ optimal carbon reduction rate and utilities increase. Considering consumers’ environmental awareness, it is more beneficial for the government to reduce the carbon quota and motivate manufacturers’ internal enthusiasm for emission reduction. The government can, through macro control of the market, make carbon trading prices increase appropriately and encourage manufacturers to reduce carbon emissions.

scholarly journals Multi-Perspective Influence Mechanism Analysis and Multi-Scenario Prediction of Carbon Emissions——A Case of the Yangtze River Delta, China

2019 ◽  
Vol 118 ◽  
pp. 04014
Author(s):  
Tao Yi ◽  
Mohan Qiu ◽  
Zhengang Zhang ◽  
Song Mu ◽  
Yu Tian
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Yangtze River ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Yangtze River Delta ◽  
Mechanism Analysis ◽  
The Yangtze River ◽  
Carbon Emission Reduction ◽  
Influence Mechanism ◽  
The Yangtze River Delta

Under the mandatory push of meeting carbon emission reduction commitments proposed in the Paris Agreement, the analysis on the peaking time of China’s carbon emissions deserves enough attention. This paper focuses on the peaking times of total carbon emissions (TCE) and carbon emission intensity (CEI) in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD). According to the development of carbon emissions in YRD and related targets in the 13th Five-Year Plan, the peaking times of TCE and CEI in different scenarios are predicted based on the influence mechanism analysis of carbon emissions in YRD from the perspective of energy, economy and society. Considering the development characteristics of China at this stage, this paper introduces several new indicators such as full-time equivalent of research and development (R&D) personnel and investment in environmental pollution control. Based on the study results, several policy recommendations are put forward to fulfil China’s carbon emission reduction commitments.

scholarly journals Carbon Emission Reduction Strategy for Energy Users in China

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fuquan Zhao ◽  
Feiqi Liu ◽  
Han Hao ◽  
Zongwei Liu
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Carbon Trading ◽  
Levelized Cost Of Electricity ◽  
Carbon Emission Reduction ◽  
The Cost

The Chinese government has made a commitment to control carbon emissions, and the deployment of renewable energy power generation is considered as an effective solution. In recent years, great effort has been exerted to support the development of renewable energy in China. While, due to fiscal pressures and changes in management policies, related subsidies are diminishing now and energy users are asked to pay for the cost. Regulations about carbon cap and renewable energy consumptions are issued to transfer the responsibility of consuming renewable energy and reducing carbon emissions to energy consumers. A national carbon trading system is set up in China and is under its growth stage. Therefore, this study lists the factors that should be considered by the energy users, analyzes the levelized cost of electricity generated by renewable energy in four cities in China, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, and compares the results with current carbon prices. Based on the research, under the current status, it is still more cost-efficient for enterprises to buy carbon credits than introduce renewable energies, and great differences among cities are shown due to different natural conditions. Besides, with diminishing subsidies and development of the carbon trading market, the carbon price will gradually reflect the actual value and carbon emission reduction costs will become an important part of enterprise expenditure. In the long term, enterprises should link more factors to carbon emissions, like social responsibility and brand image, instead of only the cost.

scholarly journals Optimizing Urban Distribution Routes for Perishable Foods Considering Carbon Emission Reduction

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (16) ◽  
pp. 4387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin ◽  
Zhang ◽  
Wang ◽  
Yang ◽  
Shi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Carbon Tax ◽  
Search Algorithm ◽  
Urban Traffic ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Carbon Emission Reduction ◽  
Urban Distribution ◽  
The Impact

The increasing demand for urban distribution increases the number of transportation vehicles which intensifies the congestion of urban traffic and leads to a lot of carbon emissions. This paper focuses on carbon emission reduction in urban distribution, taking perishable foods as the object. It carries out optimization analysis of urban distribution routes to explore the impact of low carbon policy on urban distribution routes planning. On the basis of analysis of the cost components and corresponding constraints of urban distribution, two optimization models of urban distribution routes with and without carbon emissions cost are constructed. Fuel quantity related to cost and carbon emissions in the model is calculated based on traffic speed, vehicle fuel quantity and passable time period of distribution. Then an improved algorithm which combines genetic algorithm and tabu search algorithm is designed to solve models. Moreover, an analysis of the influence of carbon tax price is also carried out. It is concluded that in the process of urban distribution based on the actual network information, path optimization considering the low carbon factor can effectively reduce the distribution process of CO2, and reduce the total cost of the enterprise and society, thus achieving greater social benefits at a lower cost. In addition, the government can encourage low-carbon distribution by rationally adjusting the price of carbon tax to achieve a higher social benefit.

scholarly journals Research on the cost effectiveness of carbon emission reduction in the full life cycle of electric vehicles based on grey prediction

2022 ◽  
Vol 355 ◽  
pp. 02031
Author(s):  
Lizhuo Zang ◽  
Baihui Xiao ◽  
Jiayi Ma ◽  
Yufan Liu ◽  
Peiyu Tian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Electric Vehicle ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Unit Cost ◽  
Grey Prediction ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Carbon Emission Reduction

In order to research the carbon emission reduction potential of electric vehicles, a cost effectiveness model is used to calculate and compare the economic costs and carbon emissions of fuel vehicles and electric vehicles throughout the life cycle, and an improved grey prediction model is utilized to analyze the future trends of electric vehicle emission reduction benefits. The results show that electric vehicles play a positive role in carbon emission reduction, and the unit cost of carbon emission reduction is decreasing by years. Therefore, China should vigorously develop the electric vehicle industry and technology, and achieve the strategic goal of carbon emission reduction by promoting the electrification of vehicles.

scholarly journals Analysis on carbon footprint: A case study of Gorkhapatra national daily in Nepal

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-49
Author(s):  
Anukram Sharma ◽  
Khem N Poudyal ◽  
Nawraj Bhattarai
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Consumption ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Daily Newspaper ◽  
The Cost

Study of carbon footprint is an emerging field which provides statistical analysis about the contribution of an activity on global climate change. Every human activity in daily life is achieved at the expense of those substances which directly or indirectly contribute to global warming. In this era of global communication, humans are habitual to know about the ongoing changes in the world. Newspapers are one of the reliable sources for getting updated about the global information. Paper-based newspapers come at the cost of greenhouse gas emissions. So, this article based upon an analysis of carbon footprint of Nepal’s national daily newspaper provides evaluation of each of the following: carbon emission during the manufacturing of raw materials, carbon emission from fuel consumption during transportation of raw materials, carbon emissions during the printing of newspaper and carbon emission from the fuel consumption during the transportation of printed newspaper. During the study period of 2019 A.D., the result shows that the total carbon emission of Gorkhapatra newspaper was found to be 2308.5 kg CO2e per ton. The upshot of this study provides not only thorough information about carbon emissions but also builds a foundation for calculation of carbon emissions from paper used in various sectors.

scholarly journals Prediction of Life Cycle Carbon Emissions of Sponge City Projects: A Case Study in Shanghai, China

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 3978 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohu Lin ◽  
Jie Ren ◽  
Jingcheng Xu ◽  
Tao Zheng ◽  
Wei Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Carbon Sinks ◽  
Sponge City ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Accounting Model ◽  
Whole Life Cycle

In recent years, China has been vigorously carrying out the planning and implementation of Sponge City. Since the implementation of Sponge City projects involves substantial materials and energy consumption, it is significant to account corresponding carbon emissions and sinks. The existed studies about carbon emission of stormwater management measures, however, are not able to take the whole life cycle and different facilities into consideration. Therefore, this study develops a comprehensive accounting model based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines and life cycle assessment (LCA) method to predict carbon emissions and carbon sinks of Sponge City projects more comprehensively and accurately. The model is applied to an actual residential community in Shanghai as a case study. Results show that the total indirect carbon emission is estimated to be 774,277 kg CO2 eq during a 30-year lifespan, among which carbon emissions from operation and maintenance phases are 2570 kg CO2 eq/year and 7309 kg CO2 eq/year, respectively, both directly proportional to the service life of the facilities. Three kinds of achievable carbon sinks are carbon sequestration in green space (5450 kg CO2 eq/year), carbon sink from rainwater utilization (15,379 kg CO2 eq/year) and carbon sink from runoff pollutant removal (19,552 kg CO2 eq/year). Carbon neutrality is expected to be reached after approximately 19 years. The established carbon emission accounting model can contribute to better planning and construction of Sponge City in China and enhance further energy conservation and carbon emission reduction.

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