A quantitative comparison and analysis on the assessment indicators of greenhouse gases emission

Anthropogenic greenhouse gases （GHG） emission and related global warming issues have been the focus of international communities for some time. The international communities have reached a consensus to reduce anthropogenic GHG emissions and restrain global warming. The quantitative assessment of anthropogenic GHG emissions is the scientific basis to find out the status of global GHG emission, identify the commitments of each country, and arrange the international efforts of GHG emission reduction. Currently the main assessment indicators for GHG emission include national indicator, per capita indicator, per GDP indicator, and international trade indicator etc. The introduction to the above indi- cators is put forward and their merits and demerits are analyzed. Based on the GHG emission data from the World Resource Institute （WRI）, the US Energy Information Administration （EIA）, and the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center （CDIAC）, the results of each indictor are calculated for the world, for the eight G8 industrialized countries （USA, UK, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Italy and Russia）, and the five major developing countries including China, Brazil, India, South Africa and Mexico. The paper points out that all these indicators have some limitations. The Indicator of Industrialized Accumulative Emission per Capita （IAEC） is put forward as the equitable indicator to evaluate the industrialized historical accumulative emission per capita of every country. IAEC indicator can reflect the economic achievement of GHG emission enjoyed by the current generations in every country and their commitments. The analysis of IAEC indicates that the historical accumulative emission per capita in indus- trialized countries such as UK and USA were typically higher than those of the world average and the developing countries. Emission indicator per capita per GDP, consumptive emission indicator and survival emission indicator are also put forward and discussed in the paper.

Climate Responses to Direct Radiative Forcing of Anthropogenic Aerosols,Tropospheric Ozone,and Long-Lived Greenhouse Gases in Eastern China over 1951–2000

A unified chemistry-aerosol-climate model is applied in this work to compare climate responses to changing concentrations of long-lived greenhouse gases （GHGs, CO2, CH4, N2O）, tropospheric O3, and aerosols during the years 1951-2000. Concentrations of sulfate, nitrate, primary organic carbon （POA）, secondary organic carbon （SOA）, black carbon （BC） aerosols, and tropospheric 03 for the years 1950 and 2000 are obtained a priori by coupled chemistry-aerosol-GCM simulations, and then monthly concentrations are interpolated linearly between 1951 and 2000. The annual concentrations of GHGs are taken from the IPCC Third Assessment Report. BC aerosol is internally mixed with other aerosols. Model results indicate that the sinmlated climate change over 1951-2000 is sensitive to anthropogenic changes in atmospheric components. The predicted year 2000 global mean surface air temperature can differ by 0.8℃ with different forcings. Relative to the climate simulation without changes in GHGs, O3, and aerosols, anthropogenic forcings of SO4^2-, BC, BC＋SO4^2-, BC＋SO4^2- ＋POA, BC＋SO4^2- ＋POA＋SOA＋NO3^-, O3, and GHGs are predicted to change the surface air temperature averaged over 1971-2000 in eastern China, respectively, by -0.40℃, ＋0.62℃, ＋0.18℃, ＋0.15℃, -0.78℃, ＋0.43℃, and ＋0.85℃, and to change the precipitation, respectively, by -0.21, ＋0.07, -0.03, ＋0.02, -0.24, -0.08, and ＋0.10 mm d^-1. The authors conclude that all major aerosols are as important as GHGs in influencing climate change in eastern China, and tropospheric O3 also needs to be included in studies of regional climate change in China.

A Review of Research on Human Activity Induced Climate ChangeⅠ. Greenhouse Gases and Aerosols

Extensive research on the sources and sinks of greenhouse gases, carbon cycle modeling, and the characterization of atmospheric aerosols has been carried out in China during the last 10 years or so. This paper presents the major achievements in the fields of emissions of greenhouse gases from agricultural lands, carbon cycle modeling, the characterization of Asian mineral dust, source identification of the precursors of the tropospheric ozone, and observations of the concentrations of atmospheric organic compounds. Special, more detailed Information on the emissions of methane from rice fields and the physical and chemical characteristics of mineral aerosols are presented.

Exploring Greenhouse Gases Water and Climate Changes:Scientific Opportunities for the Climate and Atmospheric Composition Exploring Satellites Mission

The Essential Climate Variables(ECVs),such as the atmospheric thermodynamic state variables and greenhouse gases,play an important role in the atmosphere physical processes and global climate change.Given the need of improvements in existing ground-based and satellite observations to successfully deliver atmosphere and climate benchmark data and reduce data ambiguity,the Climate and Atmospheric Composition Exploring Satellites mission(CACES)was proposed and selected as a candidate mission of the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy Science(SPRPCAS).This paper presents an overview of the key scientific questions and responses of EC Vs in relation to global change;the principles,algorithms,and payloads of microwave occultation using centimeter and millimeter wave signals between low Earth orbit satellites(LEO-LEO microwave occultation,LMO)as well as of the LEO-LEO infrared-laser occultation(LIO);the CACES mission with its scientific objectives,mission concept,spacecraft and instrumentation.

Air pollutants and greenhouse gases emission inventory for power plants in the Antarctic

Emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere in Antarctica from power plants with diesel generators(the main sources of energy at Antarctic research stations and the main stationary sources of anthropogenic emissions in the Antarctic)were assessed.A bottom-up approach was used to compile an emission inventory for the Antarctic.This involved estimating emissions at various spatial levels by sequentially aggregating estimate emissions from point emission sources.This is the first time this approach has been proposed and used.Emissions of CO2,NOx,particulate matter(PM10),and CO in the modern period were estimated at the research station,geographic region,natural domain,biogeographic region,continent section,and whole continent scales.Yearly emissions are presented here,but the approach allows emissions at different averaging periods to be estimated.This means mean or maximum yearly,monthly,daily,or hourly emissions can be estimated.The estimates could be used to model pollutant transmission and dispersion,assess the impacts of pollutants,and develop emission forecasts for various scenarios.

The Emission Reduction Potential of Non-CO_2 Greenhouse Gases in China and Its Policy Implications

Using the improved Energy-Environmental Version of the GTAP Model (GTAP-E) and the sixth version of emission database of non-CO2 greenhouse gases, we simulate the emission reduction potential of non-CO2 greenhouse gases in China and its policy implications. The results show that at present, China is a country with the greatest emission of non-CO2 greenhouse gases in the world, and the emission will account for about 20% of the world's total emission in 2020. The proportion of emission of non-CO2 greenhouse gases from the agricultural sector reaches 73%. In the next 10 years, the emission of non-CO2 gases from cattle and sheep, industry and service industry will experience the highest growth rate; the growth rate of emission from service industry will be higher than that of emission from industry, and the emission from service industry will exceed that from industry after 2010. China can implement emission reduction policy of non-CO2 greenhouse gases to ease the international pressure of CO2 emission reduction. Although the high carbon tax collected can reduce considerable non-CO2 emission, there is little difference in policy efficiency between high carbon tax and low carbon tax. So, in the implementation of emission reduction carbon tax policy of non-CO2 gases, it is necessary to control the carbon tax at a low level.

Past, Present and Future Climatic Forcing due to Greenhouse Gases

An advanced one-dimensional radiative-convective model (RCM) is used to estimate the past, present and future climatic forcings induced by greenhouse gases of anthropogenic origin, such as CO2, CH4, N2O and CFCs, in this paper. The results show that the decadal climatic forcing for the last decade is one-order bigger than that prior to the year 1900, and in the case of no control on the emission of the greenhouse gases the climatic forcing for the year 2100 will be almost 4 times as much as now.

The Use of Greenhouse Gases as Climate Proxy Data in Interpreting Climatic Variability

Greenhouse gas data were utilized as proxy data in interpreting climate variability. These greenhouse gases were related to temperature records using standard deviation (SD) as the transfer function based on observed correlations between them and global warming records. The annual SD used as warming index for the concentrations of these greenhouse gases for the period 1996 to 2005 at the various stations considered showed good correlation with 1998 as the warmest for these stations.

Progress on Monitoring Methods of Atmospheric Greenhouse Gases

There are many types of methods for monitoring atmospheric greenhouse gases,and the differences between the methods have introduced many uncertainties for the accurate monitoring of atmospheric greenhouse gases.In this paper,the monitoring methods of 7 long-lived greenhouse gases(LLGHG),including carbon dioxide(CO_(2)),methane(CH_(4)),nitrous oxide(N_(2)O),hydrofluorocarbons(HFCs),perfluorocarbons(PFCs),sulfur hexafluoride(SF_(6))and nitrogen trifluoride(NF_(3)),which are regulated and controlled in the Kyoto Protocol and the Doha Amendment,were summarized,and the principle,characteristics and application research progress of each method were systematically studied.Besides,their application scope was analyzed,and the domestication research of relevant instruments was analyzed and prospected.At present,the monitoring methods of atmospheric greenhouse gases are developing towards automation and multi-component simultaneous rapid detection,and are accelerating its integration with new technologies such as big data and satellite remote sensing monitoring;top-down and bottom-up methods are used to provide strong data support for carbon peaking and carbon neutral management decisions in various countries.

Thermal efficiency of the principal greenhouse gases

Atmospheric gases are ranked according to the efficiency with which they absorb and radiate longwave radiation. The open international HITRAN database of gaseous absorption lines of high resolution together with inverse Fourier transform were used. The autocorrelation functions of the total dipole moment of the basic greenhouse gases molecules such as H2 O,CO2, O3, N2 O, and CH4 were obtained. Absorption coefficient spectra and emission power spectra of infrared radiation of these gases were calculated. Analysis of the emissive ability of all gases under consideration was carried out. Compared to CO2, all the gases under investigation have more effective emission except ozone. An efficiency criterion of IR absorption and emission is defined and is calculated for each studied gas, and the gases are ranked accordingly as follows（from strong to weak）： H2 O, CH4, CO2, N2 O, and O3.

Research on Greenhouse Gases Emission in Rice Fields at County Level

[ Objective] The study aimed to analyze greenhouse gases emission in rice fields at county level. [ Method] Based on GIS platform of soil system and greenhouse gas emission model, CH4 and N20 emission in rice fields of Chaohu City during 1990 -2009 were studied by using rice yield, fertilizer, climate and other data. [ Result] From 1990 to 2009, annual emission of CH4 emission in rice fields of Chaohu City varied from 6.47 to 11.67 Gg, and rice area, yield and the rate of straw returning to fields were the main factors influencing CH4 emission. For instance, when the rate of straw returning to fields rose to 30% and 45% respectively, CH4 emission increased by 14.4% and 27.4% separately. Annual emission of N20 in rice fields of Chaohu City from 1990 to 2009 was 0.119 -0.217 Gg. N20 emission rose slowly during 1990 -1998, then it enhanced fast and greatly as the rapid increase of chemical fertilizer and manure in their application after 1998; it reached the maximum value in 2000, then showed a decreasing trend after 2000. Thus, controlling nitrogen input and improving the utilization rate of nitrogenous fertilizer were the fundamental ways to decrease N20 emission in rice fields. [ Conclusion] The research could provide scientific references for the establishment of measures to reduce greenhouse gases emission in rice fields.

Contribution of Animal Agriculture to Greenhouse Gases Production in Swaziland

The economy of Swaziland is depended on agriculture. In 2009, it was reported that agriculture, forestry, and manufacturing contributed 42% of Swaziland’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Besides economic importance, animal agriculture is important for food production and life sustenance. It is also viewed as a symbol of wealth and high social status particularly for the rural folks. Despite the merits of agricultural activities, agricultural production, particularly animal production, has been incriminated for an accelerated emission of greenhouse gases. These gases are responsible for global warming and climate change. The aim of this study was to determine the contribution of animal agriculture to greenhouse gases production and to elicit adaptation strategies to climate change and the role of modern technologies as mitigating measures. The minor and major greenhouse gases produced by farm animals were computed using the IPCC spread sheet for calculation of greenhouse gases emissions. The minor greenhouse gases produced by farm animals were NOx and CO2 and the major gasses included CH4 and N2O. The greenhouse gas that was emitted the most by farm animals was CH4, 24 Gg or 600 CO2e per annum. Ruminants were the major producers of methane. The producers of the least greenhouse gases emissions were non ruminants. Livestock produced 0.87 Gg of N2O per annum, a global warming potential of 259 CO2e. Feeding ammoniated straw and silage inoculating with transgenic rumen bacteria, animal breeding and manure storage techniques, use of biogas digester with methane gas recovery and emphasis on non ruminant production were possible strategies that could be employed to reduce greenhouse gases production from the livestock sector. It was recommended that feed preservation technologies, selection strategies, water harvesting, storage and recycling strategies and intensive livestock production systems could be used as adaptation strategies to climate change in livestock production.

Variations in Column Concentration of Greenhouse Gases in China and Their Response to the 2015-2016 El Niño Event

Since the industrial revolution,enhancement of atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations as a result of human activities has been the primary cause of global warming.The monitoring and evaluation of greenhouse gases are significant prerequisites for carbon emission control.Using monthly data of global atmospheric carbon dioxide(CO_(2))and methane(CH4)column concentrations(hereinafter XCO_(2) and XCH_(4),respectively)retrieved by the Greenhouse Gas Observation Satellite(GOSAT),we analyzed the variations in XCO_(2)and XCH_(4)in China during 2010-2022 after confirming the reliability of the data.Then,the influence of a strong El Niño event in 2015-2016 on XCO_(2) and XCH_(4) variations in China was further studied.The results show that the retrieved XCO_(2) and XCH_(4) from GOSAT have similar temporal variation trends and significant correlations with the ground observation and emission inventory data of an atmospheric background station,which could be used to assess the variations in XCO_(2) and XCH_(4) in China.XCO_(2) is high in spring and winter while XCH_(4) is high in autumn.Both XCO_(2) and XCH_(4) gradually declined from Southeast China to Northwest and Northeast China,with variation ranges of 401-406 and 1.81-1.88 ppmv,respectively;and the high value areas are located in the middle-lower Yangtze River basin.XCO_(2) and XCH_(4) in China increased as a whole during 2010-2022,with rapid enhancement and high levels of XCO_(2) and XCH_(4) in several areas.The significant increases in XCO_(2) and XCH_(4) over China in 2016 might be closely related to the strong El Niño-Southern Oscillation(ENSO)event during 2015-2016.Under a global warming background in 2015,XCO_(2) and XCH_(4) increased by 0.768%and 0.657%in 2016 in China.Data analysis reveals that both the XCO_(2) and XCH_(4) variations might reflect the significant impact of the ENSO event on glacier melting in the Tibetan Plateau.

基于生命周期分析的风电场GHGs减排效益

风电设备生产及风电场建设产生的环境影响备受关注.本研究以中国东南沿海城市某100 MW陆上风电场为例,基于生命周期评价方法,对其风机产品生产制造、运输、风电配套设施建设和运营维护等阶段的环境影响(以温室气体为归一化度量指标)进行了量化分析.研究结果表明,该风电场生命周期温室气体排放总量约为90000 t(以CO2当量计,排放强度为17.8 g/(kW·h)).其中,生产制造阶段占比最大(67.8%),其次为建设施工阶段(19.2%).与其他能源发电方式对比表明,风电温室气体排放强度明显高于水电(以CO2当量计,约3.5 g/(kW·h)),但与光伏发电(以CO2当量计,约50 g/(kW·h))、生物质(以CO2当量计,约200 g/(kW·h))和火力(以CO2当量计,约800 g/(kW·h))等能源方式相比,减排效益显著.

Modeling effects of temperature and precipitation on carbon characteristics and GHGs emissions in Abies fabric forest of subalpine

Abies fabric forest in the eastern slope of Gongga mountain is one type of subalpine dark coniferous forests of southwestern China. It is located on the southeastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau and is sensitive to climatic changes. A process-oriented biogeochemical model, Forest-DNDC, was applied to simulate the effects of climatic factors, temperature and precipitation changes on carbon characteristics, and greenhouse gases （GHGs） emissions in A. fabric forest. Validation indicated that the Forest-DNDC could be used to predict carbon characteristics and GHGs emissions with reasonable accuracy. The model simulated carbon fluxes, soil carbon dynamics, soil CO2, N2O, and NO emissions with the changes of temperature and precipitation conditions. The results showed that with variation in the baseline temperature from -2℃ to ＋2℃, the gross primary production （GPP） and soil organic carbon （SOC） increased, and the net primary production （NPP） and net ecosystem production （NEP） decreased because of higher respiration rate. With increasing baseline precipitation the GPP and NPP increased slightly, and the NEP and SOC showed decreasing trend. Soil CO2 emissions increased with the increase of temperature, and CO2 emissions changed little with increased baseline precipitation. With increased temperature and decreased baseline temperature, the total annual soil N2O emissions increased. With the variation of baseline temperature from -2℃ to ＋2℃, the total annual soil NO emissions increased. The total annual N2O and NO emissions showed increasing trends with the increase of precipitation. The biogeochemical simulation of the typical forest indicated that temperature changes strongly affected carbon fluxes, soil carbon dynamics, and soil GHGs emissions. The precipitation was not a principal factor affecting carbon fluxes, soil carbon dynamics, and soil CO2 emissions, but changes in precipitation could exert strong effect on soil N2O and NO emissions.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Agro-Ecosystems and Their Contribution to Environmental Change in the Indus Basin of Pakistan

There is growing concern that increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have been responsible for global warming through their effect on radiation balance and temperature. The magnitude of emissions and the relative importance of different sources vary widely, regionally and locally. The Indus Basin of Pakistan is the food basket of the country and agricultural activities are vulnerable to the effects of global warming due to accelerated emissions of GHGs. Many developments have taken place in the agricultural sector of Pakistan in recent decades in the background of the changing role of the government and the encouragement of the private sector for investment in new ventures. These interventions have considerable GHG emission potential. Unfortunately, no published information is currently available on GHG concentrations in the Indus Basin to assess their magnitude and emission trends. The present study is an attempt to estimate GHG （CO2, CH4 and N2O） emissions arising from different agro-ecosystems of Indus Basin. The GHGs were estimated mostly using the IPCC Guidelines and data from the published literature. The results showed that CH4 emissions were the highest （4.126 Tg yr^-1） followed by N20 （0.265 Tg yr^-1） and CO2 （52.6 Tg yr^-1）. The sources of CH4 are enteric fermentation, rice cultivation and cultivation of other crops. N2O is formed by microbial denitrification of NO3 produced from applied fertilizer-N on cropped soils or by mineralization of native organic matter on fallow soils. CO2 is formed by the burning of plant residue and by soil respiration due to the decomposition of soil organic matter.

Petroleum substitution, greenhouse gas emissions reduction and environmental benefits from the development of natural gas vehicles in China

This study develops a bottom-up model to quantitatively assess the comprehensive effects of replacing traditional petroleum-powered vehicles with natural gas vehicles（NGVs） in China based on an investigation of the direct energy consumption and critical air pollutant（CAP） emission intensity, life-cycle energy use and greenhouse gas（GHG） emission intensity of NGV fleets. The results indicate that, on average, there are no net energy savings from replacing a traditional fuel vehicle with an NGV. Interestingly, an NGV results in significant reductions in direct CAP and life-cycle GHG emissions compared to those of a traditional fuel vehicle, ranging from 61% to 76% and 12% to 29%, respectively. Due to the increasing use of natural gas as a vehicle fuel in China（i.e. approximately 28.2 billion cubic metres of natural gas in2015）, the total petroleum substituted with natural gas was approximately 23.8 million tonnes（Mt）, which generated a GHG emission reduction of 16.9 Mt of CO2 equivalent and a CAP emission reduction of 1.8 Mt in 2015. Given the significant contribution of NGVs, growing the NGV population in 2020 will further increase the petroleum substitution benefits and CAP and GHG emission reduction benefits by approximately 42.5 Mt of petroleum-based fuel, 3.1 Mt of CAPs and 28.0 Mt of GHGs. By 2030, these benefits will reach 81.5 Mt of traditional petroleum fuel, 5.6 Mt of CAPs and 50.5 Mt of GHGs, respectively.

Contributions of natural systems and human activity to greenhouse gas emissions

In this study, we conducted a literature review of relevant research and then statistically analyzed global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from natural systems, including forest fires, oceans, wetlands, permafrost, mud volcanoes, volcanoes, and earthquakes. Drawing on the Global Carbon Project (GCP) report, we also summarized the global anthropogenic GHG emissions. We then compared the global annual GHG emissions from natural systems with those generated by human activity. The results indicate that the global annual GHG emissions range approximately between 54.33 and 75.50 Gt CO2-eq, of which natural emissions account for 18.13e39.30 Gt CO2-eq, with the most likely value being approximately 29.07 Gt CO2-eq. According to the GCP report, the global anthropogenic emissions have increased from 22 Gt CO2-eq in 1990 to 36.2 Gt CO2-eq in 2016. The amounts of natural and anthropogenic GHGs emissions are roughly of the same order of magnitude. Anthropogenic emissions account for approximately 55.46% of the total global GHGs emissions (2016 value), i.e., the ratio of natural to anthropogenic emissions is approximately 0.8. In addition, the annual amount of GHGs absorbed by Earth systems (ocean and terrestrial ecosystems) ranges between approximately 14.4 Gt CO2-eq and 26.5 Gt CO2-eq, with natural system GHG emissions and sinks also having roughly the same order of magnitude. This finding indicates that the GHG emissions generated by human activity exert extra pressure on what is otherwise a self-balancing Earth system.