How can a Climate-Neutral Building Look Like?

The climate crisis is urging us to act fast. Buildings are a key leverage point to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but the embodied emissions related with their construction remain often the hidden challenge of any ambitious policy. Considering that a complete material substitution is not possible, we explore in this paper a material GHG compensation where fast-growing bio-based insulation materials are used to compensate building elements that necessarily release GHG. Looking for analogies with other human activities, different material diets as well as different building typologies are modelled to assess the consequences in term of bio-based insulation requirement to reach climate-neutrality. The material diets are defined according to the gradual use of herbaceous materials, from the insulation up to the structural level: omnivorous, vegetarian and vegan. Our results show the relationship in terms of volume between the climate intensive materials and the climate-negative ones needed to neutralize the overall building GHG emissions. Moreover, they suggest how climate-neutral building can look like and that it is possible to have climate-neutral buildings with wall thickness within the range of current construction practices.

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Material diets for Climate-Neutral Buildings

10.21203/rs.3.rs-113216/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Olga Carcassi ◽

Guillaume Habert ◽

Laura Malighetti ◽

Francesco Pittau

Keyword(s):

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Construction Sector ◽

Material Substitution ◽

Leverage Point ◽

Sufficient Energy ◽

Building Components ◽

Climate Neutrality ◽

Climate Crisis

Abstract The climate crisis is urging us to act fast. Buildings are a key leverage point to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but the embodied emissions related with their construction remain often the hidden challenge of any ambitious policy. Since a complete material substitution is not possible, we explore in this paper a material greenhouse gas (GHG) compensation where fast growing bio-based insulation materials are used to compensate building elements which necessarily release GHG. Different material diets as well as different building typologies are modelled to assess the consequences in term of bio-based insulation requirement to reach climate-neutrality. Our results show that it is possible to build climate-neutral buildings with sufficient energy performance to fulfil current standards and with building components thickness within the range of current construction practices. This paper evidences that it is technically feasible and that climate-neutrality in construction sector without a radical technology breakthrough.

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Cosmopolitan Luck egalitarianism and the greenhouse effect

Canadian Journal of Philosophy Supplementary Volume ◽

10.1080/00455091.2005.10716857 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 31 ◽

pp. 279-309 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Axel Gosseries

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Greenhouse Effect ◽

Human Activities ◽

Scientific Community ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Luck Egalitarianism ◽

Straightforward Manner ◽

Global Regime ◽

Principles Of Justice

Evidence provided by the scientific community strongly suggests that limits should be placed on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This means that states, firms, and individuals will have to face potentially serious burdens if they are to implement these limits. Which principles of justice should guide a global regime aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions originating from human activities, and most notably from CO2 emissions? This is both a crucial and difficult question. Admittedly, perhaps this question is too ambitious, given the uncertainties and complexities characterizing the issue of climate change. Yet, rather than listing them all at this stage, let us address the question in a straightforward manner, introducing some of these complexities as the need arises.

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The effects of greenhouse gas emissions and governance factors on corporate socially responsibility disclosure

Corporate Ownership and Control ◽

10.22495/cocv12i2p8 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 92-106 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Nikolaos Sariannidis ◽

George Konteos ◽

Grigoris Giannarakis

Keyword(s):

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Linear Regression Analysis ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Multiple Linear Regression Analysis ◽

The United States ◽

Different Types ◽

Dow Jones Sustainability Index ◽

Csr Disclosure ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

This paper investigates the impact of a plausible set of determinants, namely, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), anti-bribery policy, the industry’s profile and the company’s size on the extent of CSR disclosure in the United States (US). The Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) disclosure score is used as a proxy for the extent of CSR disclosure calculated by Bloomberg, incorporating different - in terms of importance - disclosure items. The relationship between the extent of CSR disclosure and its determinants was examined using multiple linear regression analysis incorporating 133 companies listed in S&P Composite 1500 Index for the year 2011. The results illustrate that the company’s size, GHG emissions, DJSI and anti-bribery policy are significantly positively associated with the extent of CSR disclosure. In addition, there are significant differences among the industries’ profile concerning the extent of CSR disclosure. The results cannot be generalized because the sample is based on US listed companies for the year 2011. This study presents initial empirical data investigating different types of disclosures and determinants which extend the scope of previous studies

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The Relationship between a Country’s Level of Tourism and Environmental Performance

Journal of Travel Research ◽

10.1177/0047287519827394 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 59 (2) ◽

pp. 220-230 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

David C. Bojanic ◽

Rodney B. Warnick

Keyword(s):

Panel Data ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Human Activity ◽

Environmental Performance ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Tourism Industry ◽

Global Level ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship ◽

Tourism Arrivals

The tourism industry has come under scrutiny as a human activity that contributes to the increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While tourism certainly contributes to GHG emissions, it would be interesting to know if the level of tourism has an effect on environmental performance. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the level of tourism on GHG emissions on a global level using WDI panel data from 1995 to 2016. The findings indicate that the level of tourism does have an impact on GHG emissions. There is evidence that countries that rely more heavily on tourism as a percentage of GDP, have more tourism arrivals, and have higher tourism density actually have lower amounts of GHG emissions and better environmental performance.

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Identification of Risks to the Achievement of Climate Neutrality Targets - in Order to Audit the Riskiest Branches of the Hungarian Economy

Theory Methodology Practice ◽

10.18096/tmp.2021.03.07 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 87-96

Author(s):

Gyula Pulay

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Global Warming ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

National Economy ◽

Probability Model ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

The State ◽

Logical Probability ◽

State Audit ◽

Climate Neutrality

Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, considered to be the main cause of global warming, is one of the greatest challenges of our time. The implementation of new practices is assisted by the supreme audit institutions, among them the State Audit Office of Hungary, with advice based on their audits. Auditing is effective when it is carried out in the areas most at risk of failing the objective. The SAO's experts have developed a method for identifying the branches of the national economy the most at risk in terms of reducing GHG emissions. The essence of this method, the developed logical probability model and the results of the calculations are presented in this article.

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Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Beef Grazing Systems in Semi-Arid Rangelands of Central Argentina

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su10114228 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 4228 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

María Nieto ◽

Olivia Barrantes ◽

Liliana Privitello ◽

Ramón Reiné

Keyword(s):

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Management Practices ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Farm Management ◽

Forage Crops ◽

Central Argentina ◽

Arid Rangelands ◽

On Farm ◽

The Relationship ◽

Semi Arid

The livestock sector can be a major contributor to the mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Within the sector, beef production produces the largest proportion of the livestock sector’s direct emissions. The objective of this study was to assess the on-farm GHG emissions in semi-arid rangelands in Argentina and to identify the relationship between emissions and current farm management practices. A survey recorded detailed information on farm management and characteristics. Assessments of GHG emissions were based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 2 protocols. The relationship between farm management and GHG emissions were identified using general linear models. Cluster analysis was used to identify groups of farms that differed from others in emissions and farm characteristics. Emissions per product sold were low on farms that had improved livestock care management, rotational grazing, received technical advice, and had high animal and land productivities. Emissions per hectare of farmland were low on farms that had low stocking rates, a low number of grazing paddocks, little or no land dedicated to improved pastures and forage crops, and low land productivity. Our results suggest that the implementation of realistic, relatively easy-to-adopt farming management practices has considerable potential for mitigating the GHG emissions in the semi-arid rangelands of central Argentina.

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