Projecting the global impact of fossil fuel production from the Former Soviet Union

Detailed projections of the Former Soviet Union(FSU)fossil fuel production has been created.Russian production has been modelled at the region(oblast)level where possible.The projections were made using the Geologic Resource Supply-Demand Model(GeRS-DeMo).Low,Best Guess and High scenarios were created.FSU fossil fuels are projected to peak between 2027 and 2087 with the range due to spread of Ultimately Recoverable Resources(URR)values used.The Best Guess(BG)scenario anticipates FSU will peak in 2087 with production over 170 EJ per year.The FSU projections were combined with rest of the world projections(Mohr et al.2015b),the emissions from the High scenario for the world are similar to the IPCC A1 AIM scenario.

A review of physical supply and EROI of fossil fuels in China

This paper reviews China’s future fossil fuel supply from the perspectives of physical output and net energy output. Comprehensive analyses of physical output of fossil fuels suggest that China’s total oil production will likely reach its peak, at about 230 Mt/year(or 9.6 EJ/year),in 2018; its total gas production will peak at around350 Bcm/year(or 13.6 EJ/year) in 2040, while coal production will peak at about 4400 Mt/year(or 91.9 EJ/year)around 2020 or so. In terms of the forecast production of these fuels, there are significant differences among current studies. These differences can be mainly explained by different ultimately recoverable resources assumptions, the nature of the models used, and differences in the historical production data. Due to the future constraints on fossil fuels production, a large gap is projected to grow between domestic supply and demand, which will need to be met by increasing imports. Net energy analyses show that both coal and oil and gas production show a steady declining trend of EROI(energy return on investment) due to the depletion of shallow-buried coal resources and conventional oil and gas resources, which is generally consistent with the approaching peaks of physical production of fossil fuels. The peaks of fossil fuels production, coupled with the decline in EROI ratios, are likely to challenge the sustainable development of Chinese society unless new abundant energy resources with high EROI values can be found.

Progress of renewable electricity replacing fossil fuels

Dramatic fall in costs of renewable energy in the last 24 months has not only accelerated the replacement of fossil fuels by renewable energy in electricity generation. The low cost renewable electricity is now starting to replace fossil fuels in other sectors. One reason is that renewable electricity is now cheaper per unit energy than oil, about the same price as fossil methan but, still, more expensive than coal. Another reason is that electricity often offer other opportunities, such as cheaper transport, better control, higher energy efficiency in final production of energy services and lower local environmental costs.

Recovery of greenhouse gas as cleaner fossil fuel contributes to carbon neutrality

Under the context of carbon neutrality of China,it is urgent to shift our energy supply towards cleaner fuels as well as to reduce the greenhouse gas emission.Currently,coal is the main fossil fuel energy source of China.The country is striving hard to replace it with methane,a cleaner fossil fuel.Although China has rich geological resources of methane as coal bed methane(CBM)reserves,it is quite challenging to utilize them due to low concentration.The CBM is however mainly emitted directly to atmosphere during coal mining,causing waste of the resource and huge contribution to greenhouse effect.The recent work by Yang et al.demonstrated a potential solution to extract low concentration methane selectively from CBM through using MOF materials as sorbents.Such kind of materials and associated separation technology are promising to reduce greenhouse gas emission and promote the methane production capability,which would contribute to carbon neutrality in dual pathways.

Air Pollution, Global Warming and Difficulties to Replace Fossil Fuel with Renewable Energy

Since the Industrial Revolution, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have greatly increased with the increased use of fossil fuels, leading to air pollution and global warming. We present the researches on air pollution and the use of fossil fuels in north China, the economic zone of Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan and the economic zone of the Pearl River Delta region. Researches indicate that the use of fossil fuels has been the main source of air pollution in the three regions. We present researches on global mean surface temperature (GMST) with the rise of carbon dioxide concentration (CDC) and global fossil fuel consumption (GFFC);researches indicate that the rise in CDC can account for 91% of the rise in GMST, and GFFC can account for 90% of the rise in GMST. We analyse the factors that bring about air pollution and temperature rise, they are the use of fossil fuels and deforestation. It is critically important to replace fossil fuels with clean energy, but renewable energy has also disadvantages. The world faces difficulties in solving air pollution and global warming, so governments of the world should cooperate to solve the technologies of clean energy, and preserve the forests and the natural environment.

Characteristics of the ThreeDimensional Fluorescence Spectra of Fossil Fuels

We have found some fluorescence characteristics of fossil fuels based on the contour maps of the three dimensional fluorescence spectra of their non quenching samples. The common fluorescence characteristic is that the main peaks of various fossil fuels are located in the vicinity of excitation/emission wavelength pair 228nm/340nm.The diversity of fluorescence characteristics can be represented with several indexes α,K,F and R ,and these indexes provide measurable parameters for division of fluorescence fingerprints of fossil fuels. The fluorescence fingerprints of fossil fuels can be divided into five models named O,B,Q,P and G that are corresponding to condensate oil, light oil, heavy oil, coal and natural gas, respectively. The technique has a potential application in study of environment pollution on crude oil and geochemical exploration of fossil fuels.

Bioenergy Crops as a Promising Alternative to Fossil Fuels in Louisiana: A Geographic Information System (GIS) Perspective

Rising greenhouse gas emissions are causing climate change, and the world’s focus has shifted to the need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. There has been a rise in the published literature on the utilization of crops for bioenergy production in Louisiana. However, very few scholarly documents have used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map the distribution of potential bioenergy crops in Louisiana. This study seeks to fill the void by evaluating the potential of bioenergy crops in Louisiana for energy production using GIS. Given this objective, the agricultural census data for 1999, 2009, 2019, and 2020 obtained from the U.S. Department of Agriculture were used in the analysis. The quantities of various crops produced in the state were loaded into an attribute table and joined to a shapefile using ArcGIS software. The symbology tool’s graduated option was used to create five maps representing each of the bioenergy crops in Louisiana. The findings of the GIS analysis show that some of the parishes, such as Franklin produced the most bushels of corn (13,795,416), Iberia produced the most tons of sugarcane (1,697,980), East Carroll produced the most bushels of soybean (8,237,991), Tensas harvested the most bales of cotton (80,898) and Avoyelles produced the most bushels of sorghum (630,694). The abundance and availability of crops as raw materials for energy production will translate into lower prices in terms of energy use, making bioenergy crops a promising alternative to fossil fuels. In addition, gasoline price data from 1993-2022 was obtained from U.S. Energy Information Administration. A regression model for the average annual gasoline price over the years was constructed. The results show that the average annual gasoline price variation with respect to years is statistically significant (p 0.05). This suggests that gasoline prices will generally rise despite a price drop over the years. The paper concludes by outlining policy recommendations in the form of assessing the availability and viability of other crop types, such as wheat, oats, and rice, for energy production in the state.

Theoretical Establishment of the Mass Balance Equation and Determination of the Proportion (<i>S</i>)<i>_ff</i>of Fossil Fuels as an Indicator of the Suess Effect

Mass balance equations can be used to quantify the level of fossil carbon dioxide (CO2)ff at a given site by using samples of tree leaves or tree rings. These sites are often densely populated and highly industrialized areas. In this case, in addition to the natural carbon dioxide level of the site, there are several other components that are added to it. The approaches we propose in this paper are based on the isotopic fractionation of carbon and the laws of matter conservation. Mathematical equations are derived from this and we propose approaches to establish them. Our method has allowed us to come to the conclusion of the relationship that is already found in literature. But we term this relationship in another way by introducing the fraction of carbon modern F and the proportion of CO2 derived from fossil fuels, which will be noted (S)ff for the following. As an indicator of the Suess Effect, we have calculated these values in our different sites. Wooded areas sites which are located in urban areas have higher value of proportion of fossil fuel (S)ff .

Risk in the Prices of Fossil Fuels for Japanese Electric Utility Sector

A risk in the prices of fossil fuels is a major concern to importing countries of them. This study analyzes the risk of an increase in the cost for Japanese electric utility sector during the period 1978-2007 considering the uncertainty in the prices of fossil fuels. The mean-semivariance model, which uses an upper semivariance as an index of the risk, is adopted for the purpose. The result confirms that the semivariance is the better index of the risk than the variance. Furether, the semivariance is decomposed into two factors; the risk caused by price changes in an individual fossil fuel source and the risk caused by correlations among the changes in the prices of fossil fuel sources. The former has been kept at a low level as it appears to be easy to estimate, while the latter has not been maintained at the lowest level as it appears to be difficult to estimate. The Japanese electric utility sector followed the minimum-risk fossil fuel mix up until 2001, but discontinued the same post 2001.

How Much Fossil Fuel Is in the Earth?

In this work, by using an indirect method based on the correspondence between the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere and the quantity of fossil fuel in the Earth, the resources of fossil fuels were evaluated to be about 1.9 × 1016 ton. Unluckily, only a small part of these fuels is easily accessible. Nevertheless, their quantity is so high that it is reasonable to assume that fossil fuels will continue to dominate the global energy scene for several years. The extensive use of fossil fuels alters the ratio between oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The effects of this change are however so slow that they become important only on the geological time scale.

Linking gold prices,fossil fuel costs and energy consumption to assess progress towards sustainable development goals in newly industrialized countries

The continuous rise in global environmental challenges has led to urgency toward establishing a secure framework to achieve sustainable development goals.This study establishes a novel theoretical framework to analyze the role of energy prices,energy consumption,gold prices and economic growth on environmental degradation in newly industrialized economies.To realize sustainable development goals and foster environmental defence,this study utilizes CS-ARDL as the main econometric approach to investigate the asymmetric association between environmental degradation and relevant factors.We also use AMG,CS-DL,Driscoll-Kray and FGLS to enhance the robustness of our findings.Our econometric approach reveals that energy resource prices and renewable energy consumption reduce environmental degradation,while gold prices and fossil energy consumption elevate environmental pollutants.We also confirm the existence of the EKC hypothesis.The findings of our extensive analysis paved the way for a welldesigned environmental policy for NIC economies should focus on renewable energy consumption,green investments,and structural changes.

Energy access challenge and the role of fossil fuels in meeting electricity demand:Promoting renewable energy capacity for sustainable development

The energy access challenge remains a significant barrier to sustainable development,with millions of people still needing access to modern energy services.Fossil fuels have played a crucial role in meeting electricity demand,but they face challenges and drawbacks in terms of environmental sustainability,energy security,and climate change.This study examines how renewable and non-renewable energy generation capacity impacted the environment in 53 upper-middle-income countries from 1990 to 2020,using energy access and alternative energy sources as mediating variables.The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the complex relationship between renewable energy generation capacity,energy access,alternative energy sources,and environmental conditions in upper-middleincome countries.The positive relationship between renewable energy generation capacity and environmental conditions emphasizes the importance and potential of renewable energy sources in mitigating environmental degradation.Additionally,the findings indicate that energy access also plays a crucial role in shaping energy generation patterns,with higher levels of access being associated with increased renewable energy generation and decreased reliance on non-renewable energy sources.These findings highlight the urgent need for policies and measures to promote renewable energy adoption and prioritize energy access to mitigate environmental degradation and achieve sustainable development goals.

CO_2 Emission of Fossil Fuel Consumption of China's Mainland from 1991 to 2010

In this article, we calculate China's Mainland’s CO2 emission of fossil fuel consumption from 1991 to 2010 following the apparent consumption method recommend by IPCC： （i） the scale of CO2 emissions has increased nearly to 4 times as that in 1991; （ii） coal consumption constitutes the highest proportion due to the richness of coal resources in China; （iii） per capita CO2 emission has increased from 1.98 to 5.57 t CO2 ; （iv） carbon emission intensity declined significantly from 6.66 to 1.07 kg CO2 USD -1 , but recently it tends to be stable; and （v） regional develop gaps remain in China's Mainland, for according to the provincial data, in many developing regions economic increase over-reliance on fossil fuel consumption. China has made the promises and already taken actions to deal with the high carbon emission. Comprehensively considering the sustainability of development and the uncertainties remaining in global climate change, healthier structures of industry, intensive usage of fossil fuel, and a more balanced development pattern among the southern, central and western China should be put more emphasis.

Linking renewables and fossil fuels with carbon capture via energy storage for a sustainable energy future

Renewable energy sources and low-carbon power generation systems with carbon capture and storage(CCS)are expected to be key contributors towards the decarbonisation of the energy sector and to ensure sustainable energy supply in the future.However,the variable nature of wind and solar power generation systems may affect the operation of the electricity system grid.Deployment of energy storage is expected to increase grid stability and renewable energy utilisation.The power sector of the future,therefore,needs to seek a synergy between renewable energy sources and low-carbon fossil fuel power generation.This can be achieved via wide deployment of CCS linked with energy storage.Interestingly,recent progress in both the CCS and energy storage fields reveals that technologies such as calcium looping are technically viable and promising options in both cases.Novel integrated systems can be achieved by integrating these applications into CCS with inherent energy storage capacity,as well as linking other CCS technologies with renewable energy sources via energy storage technologies,which will maximise the profit from electricity production,mitigate efficiency and economic penalties related to CCS,and improve renewable energy utilisation.

Systematic comparison of hydrogen production from fossil fuels and biomass resources

Fossil fuels are the main energy source to satisfy the worldwide energy demands.However,the energy demands are increasing and the supply of fossil fuels is decreasing,thus many countries are looking for other fuel sources.Differing from the traditional fuels,hydrogen is considered as one of the most promising energy sources due to its intrinsic features such as clean,efficient,safe and sustainable.Developing novel technologies for hydrogen production from renewable sources(such as biomass)becomes a core area for the investigation of hydrogen industry.Within this work,different pathways for hydrogen production including steam reforming,electrolysis,and biomass gasification have been systematically compared in terms of yield and cost.This comparison is unique since the systematic evaluation was conducted from many aspects for all the hydrogen production pathways,especially those by involving the biomass gasification that still lack of available literatures.The assessment methods involved energy analysis,exergy analysis and economic analysis.It was concluded that steam reforming remains the cheapest method of hydrogen production at 1.748$/kg,however,steam reforming is not an ideal process currently or for the future,gasification and electrolysis remains competitive with high yield but requires relatively high initial and annual expenditure.For biomass gasification,though its energy efficiency is lower than steam reforming,it has relatively higher mass yield,demonstrating the feasibility of this process for hydrogen production.Further for biomass gasification,the selection of correct feedstock is a key to maximize its yield,i.e.a yield of 82.47%is possible with corn stover fed gasification.

Recovery and chemical utilization of carbon dioxide from fossil－fuel burning industrial sources

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Spatial distribution of fossil fuel derived CO_(2) over India using radiocarbon measurements in crop plants

Examining the contribution of fossil fuel CO_(2) to the total CO_(2) changes in the atmosphere is of primary concern due to its alarming levels of fossil fuel emissions over the globe,specifically developing countries.Atmospheric radiocarbon represents an important observational constraint and utilized to trace fossil fuel derived CO_(2)(CO_(2ff))in the atmosphere.For the first time,we have presented a detailed analysis on the spatial distribution of fossil fuel derived CO_(2)(CO_(2ff))over India using radiocarbon(Δ14C)measurements during three-year period.Analysis shows that theΔ14C values are varying between 29.33‰ to-34.06‰ across India in the year 2017,where highest value belongs to a location from Gujarat while lowest value belongs to a location from Chhattisgarh.Based on the14C patterns,spatial distributions of CO_(2ff) mole fractions have been determined over India and the calculated values of CO_(2ff) mole fractions are varying between 4.85 ppm to 26.59 ppm across India.It is also noticed that the highest CO_(2ff) mole fraction is observed as 26.59 ppm from a site in Chhattisgarh.CO_(2ff) mole fraction values from four high altitude sites are found to be varied between 4.85 ppm to 14.87 ppm.Effect of sampling different crop plants from the same growing season and different crop plant organs(grains,leaves,stems)on theΔ14C and CO_(2ff) have been studied.Annual and intra seasonal variations in theΔ14C and CO_(2ff) mole fractions have also been analyzed from a rural location(Dholpur,Rajasthan).

Impact of fossil fuel subsidy reform in China:estimations of household welfare effects based on 2007–2012 data

Changing the energy subsidy mechanism is a priority of China’s ongoing market-based energy reform.Using the 2007–2012 empirical data,this paper applies an input–output model to evaluate the welfare effects,that is,the expenditure increments of five income groups in 28 provinces,associated with the possible policy scenario of removing the subsidies for fossil fuels.The key findings of this study include,first,that the total indirect welfare effects(i.e.the additional money spent on non-energy commodities)are two-to-three times as large as the direct ones(i.e.the additional money spent on energy).Second,removing the oil subsidy leads to an additional expenditure of 19.74 CNY annually for each resident,which is much larger than the effect of removing the natural gas and coal subsidies.Third,the composition of the indirect effect varies significantly among income groups,because food expenditure contributes to approximately two-thirds of the total indirect effect on average.Finally,the welfare effect is very sensitive to the income level.To promote the smooth reform of the fossil fuel subsidies,we suggest that the government should deal with the coal industry initially,pay special attention to the indirect expense increase,and compensate low-income households for the welfare losses.

Regional Δ~14C patterns and fossil fuel derived CO_2 distribution in the Beijing area using annual plants

The level of atmosphericΔ14C and the fossil fuel derived CO 2 concentration in the Beijing area from May to September,2009, were systematically analyzed based on radiocarbon(14C)measurements of annual plants by accelerator mass spectrometry(AMS). The results show that the maximumΔ14C in Beijing was 29.6‰±2.2‰,and the minimum was–28.2‰±2.5‰,with a trend of decreasingΔ14C from the outer suburbs to inner suburbs to the urban center.This trend correlates well with increases in fossil fuel derived CO2 caused by human activities such as population density,industrial emissions and traffic,with lower values of atmosphericΔ14C associated with more intensive human activities.The fossil fuel derived CO 2 concentrations from May to September, 2009,ranged from 3.9±1.0 ppm to 25.4±1.0 ppm.It was calculated that each additional 1 ppm of CO2 from fossil fuels depleted the atmosphericΔ14C by approximately 2.70‰.This study suggests that 14C measurements of annual plants by AMS provide an effective method to rapidly trace fossil fuel derived CO2.