Intentional Community Carbon Reduction and Climate Change Action: From Ecovillages to Transition Towns

Author(s):  
Joshua Lockyer
Author(s):  
Dede Long ◽  
Grant H. West ◽  
Rodolfo M. Nayga

Abstract The agriculture and food sectors contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. About 15 percent of food-related carbon emissions are channeled through restaurants. Using a contingent valuation (CV) method with double-bounded dichotomous choice (DBDC) questions, this article investigates U.S. consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for an optional restaurant surcharge in support of carbon emission reduction programs. The mean estimated WTP for a surcharge is 6.05 percent of an average restaurant check, while the median WTP is 3.64 percent. Our results show that individuals have a higher WTP when the surcharge is automatically added to restaurant checks. We also find that an information nudge—a short climate change script—significantly increases WTP. Additionally, our results demonstrate that there is heterogeneity in treatment effects across consumers’ age, environmental awareness, and economic views. Our findings suggest that a surcharge program could transfer a meaningful amount of the agricultural carbon reduction burden to consumers that farmers currently shoulder.


Author(s):  
Lopin Kuo ◽  
Hui-Cheng Yu ◽  
Bao-Guang Chang

Purpose – This paper aims to examines whether Chinese firms’ signals of green governance, including environmental management, green innovation, and greenhouse gas (GHG) and pollution emission, vary significantly with their ownership structure and aim of being environmentally sensitive. Design/methodology/approach – From corporate social responsibility (CSR)-China website and CNINFO, a total of 781 CSR reports released during 2008-2010 were collected. The collected data were coded and analyzed using content analysis. Findings – In overall disclosure of environmental protection information (TotalEP), no significant difference existed between state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and privately owned enterprises (POEs). Chinese environmentally sensitive industries (ESIs) have a tendency to disclose significantly more information about their actions of environmental protection than their counterparts. Moreover, SOEs and ESIs scored higher than their counterparts on energy saving and carbon reduction and development of circular economy. A steady increase was also observed in the disclosure ratio for CO2 emission. During 2008-2010, SOEs and ESIs were relatively more committed to the disclosure of SO2 emission as compared to other emission items. Practical implications – Managers should disclose signals of green governance actively to avoid adverse selection caused by information asymmetry which further lower their financing cost. Originality/value – There is still a lack of evidence as to whether Chinese firms are implementing actions to slow down climate change. This paper endeavours to provide an insight into Chinese firms’ compliance with the green governance requirements of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan. The study hopes to fill the current gap in understanding the environmental behaviours of Chinese firms under pressure to alleviate climate change.


Author(s):  
David Pencheon ◽  
Sonia Roschnik ◽  
Paul Cosford

This chapter will help you understand the relationships between health, health care, sustainability, climate change, and carbon reduction, locally and globally. The specific objectives of the chapter are to help you make the case for action by showing how health, health care, sustainable development, and climate change are linked positively such that what is good for mitigating climate change is also good for health and health care today, translate science into policy and practice and help move research and action about climate science into policy and practice, and engage a wide range of stakeholders and appreciate that, as in much public health practice, appropriate action comes from involving a diverse group of people through genuine engagement.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (14) ◽  
pp. 3972 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lebunu Hewage Udara Willhelm Abeydeera ◽  
Jayantha Wadu Mesthrige ◽  
Tharushi Imalka Samarasinghalage

Greenhouse gases such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon dioxide have been recognized as the prime cause of global climate change, which has received significant global attention. Among these gases, carbon dioxide is considered as the prominent gas which motivated researchers to explore carbon reduction and mitigation strategies. Research work on this domain expands from carbon emission reporting to identifying and implementing carbon mitigation and reduction strategies. A comprehensive study to map global research on carbon emissions is, however, not available. Therefore, based on a scientometric analysis method, this study reviewed the global literature on carbon emissions. A total of 2945 bibliographic records, from 1981 to 2019, were extracted from the Web of Science core collection database and analyzed using techniques such as co-author and co-citation analysis. Findings revealed an increasing trend of publications in the carbon emission research domain, which has been more visible in the past few years, especially during 2016–2018. The most significant contribution to the domain was reported from China, the United States, and England. While most prolific authors and institutions of the domain were from China, authors and institutions from the United States reported the best connection links. It was revealed that evaluating greenhouse gas emissions and estimating the carbon footprint was popular among the researchers. Moreover, climate change and environmental effects of carbon emissions were also significant points of concern in carbon emission research. The key findings of this study will be beneficial for the policymakers, academics, and institutions to determine the future research directions as well as to identify with whom they can consult to assist in developing carbon emission control policies and future carbon reduction targets.


2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-37
Author(s):  
Bruno Zeller ◽  
Michael Longo

In a fragmented global environment, the efforts of state and non-state actors are important in assessing the state of play on climate change mitigation actions around the world. This article will consider from a comparative perspective the various legislative models for addressing climate change and the reduction of GHG emissions with particular focus on the EU, USA, Australia and Switzerland. As legal developments are not limited to legislative schemes, this article will examine the voluntary carbon offset market and other trade related solutions to GHG emissions which have emerged in the absence of mandatory limitation systems. Also warranting attention are the actions of private parties in common law jurisdictions to bring legal proceedings against power companies for damage caused by climate change. Together, these developments demonstrate that climate change abatement is not the sole remit of the legislature.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 174-190
Author(s):  
Jens Hirsch ◽  
Maximilian Spanner ◽  
Sven Bienert

Key obstacles to achieving the ambitious decarbonization targets determined in the Paris Agreement include the poor energy efficiency of the European commercial real estate sector and excessively low refurbishments rates due to uncertainty and a lack of transparency regarding future regulatory guidelines. This paper introduces the Carbon Risk Real Estate Monitor (CRREM), aimed at accelerating decarbonization and climate change resilience by clearly communicating the downside financial risks associated with poor energy performance buildings, and quantifying the market implications of climate change on the building stock. Science-based emission targets serve as a theoretical foundation for providing the industry with appropriate carbon reduction pathways for particular buildings at the portfolio and company levels. A key outcome of this project is a quantitative and qualitative financial risk assessment tool. The aim is to optimize industry investments in energy-efficient retrofits by making risks more transparent and by revealing opportunities for property owners and investors. The CRREM tool enables the industry to assess stranding risks, accelerating the decarbonization of the EU building stock to “2-degree readiness” (2DR) and make real estate portfolios “future proof.”


Author(s):  
Iordanis Eleftheriadis ◽  
Evgenia Anagnostopoulou

Purpose This study aims to examine the various climate change practices adopted by firms and develop a set of corporate indexes that measure the level of climate change corporate commitment, climate change risk management integration and climate change strategies adoption. Moreover, this study examines the relationship between the aforementioned indexes. The authors claim that there is a positive relationship between the adoption of climate change strategies, corporate commitment and risk management integration. The aforementioned indexes have been used to assess the largest companies in the oil and gas sectors. Design/methodology/approach To assess this study’s sample companies, a content analysis of their carbon disclosure project (CDP) reports for the years 2012-2015 was conducted. Finally, weights were assigned to the content analysis data based on the results of a survey regarding the difficulty of implementing each climate change practice included in the respective index. The survey sample included climate change experts who are either currently employed in companies that are included in the Financial Times Global 500 (FT 500) list, or work as external partners with these companies. Findings The present study results highlight the need for developing elaborate corporate indexes, as the various climate change practices have different degrees of difficulty regarding their implementation. Additionally, a general trend in adopting climate change strategies is observed, especially in the field of carbon reduction strategies, which mainly involve the implementation of low carbon technologies. Finally, a positive and significant relationship was found between carbon reduction targets, risk management integration and climate change strategies. Practical implications Although international research has extensively examined the importance of managers’ perceptions on environmental issues as an enabling factor in developing environmental strategies, according to the results of our survey, corporations must go beyond top management commitment towards climate change to be able to successfully implement climate change strategies. Incorporation of climate change risk management procedures into a company’s core business activities as well as the establishment of precise carbon reduction targets can provide the basis on which successful climate change strategies are implemented. Originality/value Most studies address the issue of climate change management in terms of environmental or sustainability management. Furthermore, research on climate change and its relationship with business management is mainly theoretical, and climate change corporate performance is measured with aggregate indexes. This study focuses on climate change which is examined from a five-dimensional perspective: top management commitment, carbon reduction targets, risk management integration, carbon reduction and carbon compensation strategies. This allows us to conduct an in-depth analysis of the various climate change practices of firms.


2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maggie Jamieson ◽  
Alison Wicks ◽  
Tara Boulding

This paper provides an overview of environmental sustainability in healthcare and highlights the need for a policy framework for action. Examples from overseas demonstrate what has effectively enabled mitigation of and adaptation to the threat of climate change. The need to overcome perceived limits and barriers to health professionals’ engagement in sustainable practice is noted. The scientific evidence recommends immediate action. What is known about the topic? Climate change has negative impacts on human health. There are co-benefits in mitigating and adapting to climate change that will benefit both humans and health systems, increasing wellbeing, financial and health system efficiency. There is a need for health professionals to engage with sustainability. Australia’s health policy makers could learn useful lessons about how to be sustainable from the significant policy and legislation work occurring elsewhere. What does this paper add? This paper reports on the context of and need for becoming sustainable in healthcare. It provides brief examples of what has occurred in other countries and advocates for a policy framework to support further action in Australia. What are the implications for practitioners? The significance of this paper is that it notes the need for a consistent, whole-of-country approach to carbon reduction in many aspects of the healthcare system. From an increased preventative focus on population health, coupled with actions in patient care, and developing a whole-of-healthcare-system approach, benefits will be realised that serve to reduce carbon emission, thereby tackling the longer-term effects of climate change. This view is supported by the noted success of increasing sustainable health system actions in the United Kingdom National Health Service and elsewhere.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (03) ◽  
pp. 2041007
Author(s):  
KUN ZHANG ◽  
QIAO-MEI LIANG ◽  
LI-JING LIU ◽  
MEI-MEI XUE ◽  
BI-YING YU ◽  
...  

Because free-riding behavior is an inherent characteristic of climate change, how to protect the economic benefits of the emission reduction regions and prompt the noncooperative region to join the emission reduction coalition is particularly important. In this study, we use a global multi-region multi-sector CGE model to compare the impacts of border carbon adjustment (BCA) and two unified tariff mechanisms based on different implementation principles on USA. The results show that the BCA is more effective in reducing carbon leakage in USA than the uniform tariff mechanisms. However, for GDP and welfare losses, the scenario Tariff-carbon-reduction results in greater GDP and welfare losses in USA, which is more conducive to prompting USA to implement carbon reduction policies than the BCA measures. Finally, the sensitivity analysis of carbon price levels and key substitution elasticity further confirmed the results.


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