scholarly journals Low Carbon Diet: Integrating Gastronomy Service Emissions into the Carbon Management of the University of Graz

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 13680
Author(s):  
Melanie Harrer ◽  
Julia Danzer ◽  
Ralf Aschemann ◽  
Stefanie Hölbling
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Higher Education ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Emissions Inventory ◽  
Carbon Management ◽  
Sustainability Strategy ◽  
Low Emission ◽  
The University

To avert the upcoming crisis of climate change, significant changes on different scales and sectors are necessary. The knowledge and research of the higher education sector is an essential part in the fight against climate change already. Many universities admit the urgency of acting within their institution as well and have started to measure their impact on the environment to formulate emission-reduction goals. As part of its sustainability strategy, the University of Graz launched the Institutional Carbon Management (ICM) project to calculate its emissions via a greenhouse gas emissions inventory. In comparison to other inventories, the ICM also includes the gastronomy services on and around the campus of the University of Graz, which is also the focus of this paper. It was found that especially energy- and carbon-intensive food products such as meat and dairy contribute to the emissions of a gastronomy service. In total, the gastronomy service emissions contribute 1.1% to the total emissions inventory of the university. Although the contribution is a rather small portion, the University of Graz sees itself responsible for all its emissions and therefore also aims to gain comprehensive insights into all sub-areas of its institution to formulate validated reduction pathways. The changes to a more sustainable gastronomy and low-emission diets can therefore be seen as part of a wider change towards more environmentally friendly behaviour in general with the overall aim to meet the Paris climate goal.

scholarly journals Greenhouse gas emissions profiles of neighbourhoods in Durban, South Africa – an initial investigation

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 191-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meryl Jagarnath ◽  
Tirusha Thambiran
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Emissions Inventory ◽  
High Emission ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Reduce Emissions ◽  
The City

Because current emissions accounting approaches focus on an entire city, cities are often considered to be large emitters of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with no attention to the variation within them. This makes it more difficult to identify climate change mitigation strategies that can simultaneously reduce emissions and address place-specific development challenges. In response to this gap, a bottom-up emissions inventory study was undertaken to identify high emission zones and development goals for the Durban metropolitan area (eThekwini Municipality). The study is the first attempt at creating a spatially disaggregated emissions inventory for key sectors in Durban. The results indicate that particular groups and economic activities are responsible for more emissions, and socio-spatial development and emission inequalities are found both within the city and within the high emission zone. This is valuable information for the municipality in tailoring mitigation efforts to reduce emissions and address development gaps for low-carbon spatial planning whilst contributing to objectives for social justice.

scholarly journals Competency Gaps of Employees in the Construction Sector in Terms of the Requirements of a Low-Carbon Economy. Polish and Czech Case

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (23) ◽  
pp. 7868
Author(s):  
Honorata Howaniec ◽  
Łukasz Krzysztof Wróblewski ◽  
Hana Štverková
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
Low Emission ◽  
Carbon Economy

Environmental policy obliges modern society to transition to a low-carbon economy. After entering to life, the Paris Agreement obligated the signatories to prepare the first nationally determined contributions (NDCs). The NDCs aim first to reduce greenhouse gas emission targets under the UNFCCC and they apply equally to both developed and developing countries. Countries voluntarily indicate what actions will be taken to achieve the declared goals. The construction sector is an industry that is under scrutiny due to its negative impact on the environment, but it also has the potential to reduce it. Activities that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions can be carried out at various levels in the construction industry. One of them is the appropriate preparation of the staff, including equipping them with the so-called green skills. This research aimed to determine the competency gaps of people employed in the construction industry, including competencies in the field of low-emission economy. For the purposes of the study, a questionnaire survey was carried out in Poland and the Czech Republic and based on the results obtained the appropriate competencies were determined that should be possessed by people employed in the construction sector, including competencies related to a low-emission economy. Competency profiles for people employed in the construction sector were built and competency gaps of these people were determined. In both countries, no competencies have been identified in any of checked areas that meet or exceed the requirements of managers according to specific competency profiles.

Introduction

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Eelco J. Rohling
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Greenhouse Gases ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Is Implementation

This chapter outlines the challenge facing us. The Paris Agreement sets a target maximum of 2°C global warming and a preferred limit of 1.5°C. Yet, the subsequent combined national pledges for emission reduction suffice only for limiting warming to roughly 3°C. And because most nations are falling considerably short of meeting their pledges, even greater warming may become locked in. Something more drastic and wide-ranging is needed: a multi-pronged strategy. These different prongs to the climate-change solution are introduced in this chapter and explored one by one in the following chapters. First is rapid, massive reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Second is implementation of ways to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Third may be increasing the reflectivity of Earth to incoming sunlight, to cool certain places down more rapidly. In addition, we need to protect ourselves from climate-change impacts that have already become inevitable.

Research on Green Low-Carbon Management Measures of Integrated Passenger Transportation Hub

2014 ◽  
Vol 962-965 ◽  
pp. 2445-2451
Author(s):  
Ya Fan Li ◽  
Juan Wang ◽  
Xin Tian
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Energy Saving ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Carbon Management ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
Passenger Transportation ◽  
Energy Consumption Analysis ◽  
Management Measures ◽  
Carbon Economy

This paper firstly analyzed the current situation of integrated passenger transportation hub, putting forward the integrated passenger transportation hub had a strong advantage on developing green low-carbon economy. And then based on the energy consumption analysis of integrated passenger transportation hub, energy saving and emission reduction management measures were proposed.

scholarly journals CURRENT TRENDS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WATER MANAGEMENT COMPLEX: UKRAINIAN REALITIES AND INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 196-202
Author(s):  
Lyudmila Levkovska ◽  
Inna Irtyshcheva ◽  
Іryna Dubynska
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Management ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
The Other ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Water Management Complex ◽  
Low Carbon Development ◽  
The One

Aim. The ratification of the Paris Agreement by Ukraine envisages an increase in the ability to adapt to the negative effects of climate change, as well as promoting low carbon development so as not to endanger food production. At the same time, water resources, on the one hand, are one of the most vulnerable to climate change components of the environment from the state of which the food security of the country depends directly, and on the other hand, the activity of the water management complex causes the emergence of both direct and indirect carbon footprint. Therefore, an indispensable prerequisite for sustainable low carbon development is the assessment of the carbon footprint of the main sectors of Ukraine's water management complex and the identification of priority measures for their decarbonisation and adaptation to expected climate change. Methods. The methodological basis for the assessment of the carbon footprint of the main sectors of the water management complex was the life cycle method (LCA), by which, based on the open data of the National Inventory of Anthropogenic Emissions from Sources and Absorption by Greenhouse Gas Absorbers in Ukraine and the statistical analysis of the results of previous studies. By means of systematic analysis of the main factors of greenhouse gas emission in the water management complex of Ukraine, the priority directions of its decarbonisation and adaptation to climate change were determined. Results. The estimated carbon footprint of Ukraine's water complex in 2017 was estimated to be 5.15 million tons of CO2-equiv, which was 1.6% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in Ukraine in 2017, and taking into account the potential carbon footprint enduse processes can be increased by up to 3%. Due to the deterioration of the water supply networks, an average of 35% of the supplied water is lost in Ukraine. Reducing network leakage by at least 10% will reduce carbon footprint by 30,000 tons of CO2-equiv annually. The priority areas for decarbonisation of the water management complex should be modernization of water supply and water treatment infrastructure, improvement of energy efficiency of pumping equipment and introduction of drip irrigation, and its adaptation to climate change – development of the network of green infrastructure. Conclusions. The low-carbon development of the water management system should include the introduction and coordination of such measures, which, on the one hand, minimize the adverse effects of climate change on water resources and contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of water management activities, and on the other hand, guarantee the achievement of sustainable development goals, in particular for ensuring water and society proper sanitary conditions.

scholarly journals The Paris Climate Agreement and the Three Largest Emitters: China, the United States, and the European Union

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 219-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miranda A. Schreurs
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United States ◽  
European Union ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
The United States ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Gas Emissions

The Paris Agreement would not have come into being had China, the United States (US), and the European Union (EU), which together contribute more than half of all global greenhouse gas emissions, not signaled their intent to take major steps to reduce their domestic emissions. The EU has been at the forefront of global climate change measures for years having issued binding domestic emission reduction targets for 2020 and 2030. For many years, China refused to announce a target date for when it might begin reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, and the US Congress blocked action on climate change.  In the lead up to the Paris climate negotiations, however, there were major shifts in China’s and the US’s climate positions. This commentary examines the climate policies of the three largest emitters and the factors motivating the positions they took in the Paris negotiations. Given that the commitments made in Paris are most likely insufficient to keep global temperature from rising 2 °C above pre-industrial levels, the commentary also considers what the likelihood is that these three major economies will strengthen their emission reduction targets in the near future.

scholarly journals Can CO2 Emission Reduction and Economic Growth Be Compatible? Evidence From China

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhuang Zhang ◽  
You-Hua Chen ◽  
Chien-Ming Wang
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Co2 Emission ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Co2 Emission Reduction ◽  
Low Emission ◽  
Aggregate Effects ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Low Carbon Energy

The influence of low-carbon energy on economic development is a vital issue. Using the provincial panel data in China from 2000 to 2017, this work investigated the aggregate effects of low-emission electricity. The results showed that 1) when the ratio of low-emission electricity to total electricity increases by 1%, the GDP per capita will increase by 0.16% and CO2 emissions will decrease by 0.848%. In other words, low-emission electricity can achieve the goal of low-carbon economic development; 2) the self-supply of low-emission electricity, rather than trade and efficiency, is the main reason for China’s boosted economic growth; and 3) low-emission electricity increases the regional economic gap in China. The effects of pollution inhibition and economic promotion on low-emission electricity in developed areas are significantly greater than those in less developed areas. Thus, the low-emission electricity policy in China should benefit the economy and avoid the excessive economic gap among regions. Policymakers should vigorously promote the low-emission electricity revolution and pay attention to the inclination of energy policy to the central and western regions.

scholarly journals Low-Carbon Quick Wins: Integrating Short-Term Sustainable Transport Options in Climate Policy in Low-Income Countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (16) ◽  
pp. 4369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bakker ◽  
Haq ◽  
Peet ◽  
Gota ◽  
Medimorec ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Change Strategies ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Sustainable Transport ◽  
Gas Emissions

In low income countries (LICs) in Africa and Asia per capita transport greenhouse gas emissions are relatively low but are expected to grow. Therefore, a substantial reduction in projected increases is required to bring emissions in line with long-term global climate objectives. Literature on how LICs are integrating climate change mitigation and sustainable transport strategies is limited. Key drivers of transport policy include improving accessibility, congestion, air quality, energy security, with reducing greenhouse gas emissions being of lower priority. This paper assesses the current status, feasibility and potential of selected low-carbon transport measures with high sustainable development benefits that can be implemented in the short to medium term, so- called ‘quick wins’. It examines to what extent ten such quick wins are integrated in climate change strategies in nine low- and middle-income countries in Africa and South Asia. The research method comprises expert interviews, an online questionnaire survey of experts and policymakers in the focus countries, and a review of literature and government plans. Results indicate that sustainable urban transport policies and measures are considered high priority, with vehicle-related measures such as fuel quality and fuel economy standards and electric two- and three-wheelers being of key relevance. In existing national climate change strategies, these quick wins are integrated to a certain extent; however, with better coordination between transport and energy and environment agencies such strategies can be improved. A general conclusion of this paper is that for LICs, quick wins can connect a ‘top-down’ climate perspective with a ‘bottom-up’ transport sector perspective. A knowledge gap exists as to the mitigation potential and sustainable development benefits of these quick wins in the local context of LICs.

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