Spatiotemporal evolution and driving factors for GHG emissions of aluminum industry in China

China’s aluminum(Al)production has released a huge amount of greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions.As one of the biggest country of primary Al production,China must mitigate its overall GHG emission from its Al industry so that the national carbon neutrality target can be achieved.Under such a background,the study described in this paper conducts a dynamic material flow analysis to reveal the spatiotemporal evolution features of Al flows in China from 2000 to 2020.Decomposition analysis is also performed to uncover the driving factors of GHG emission generated from the Al industry.The major findings include the fact that China’s primary Al production center has transferred to the western region;the primary Al smelting and carbon anode consumption are the most carbonintensive processes in the Al life cycle;the accumulative GHG emission from electricity accounts for 78.14% of the total GHG emission generated from the Al industry;China’s current Al recycling ratio is low although the corresponding GHG emission can be reduced by 93.73% if all the primary Al can be replaced by secondary Al;and the total GHG emission can be reduced by 88.58% if major primary Al manufacturing firms are transferred from Inner Mongolia to Yunnan.Based upon these findings and considering regional disparity,several policy implications are proposed,including promotion of secondary Al production,support of clean electricity penetration,and relocation of the Al industry.

Abating transport GHG emissions by hydrogen fuel cell vehicles： Chances for the developing world

Fuel cell vehicles, as the most promising clean vehicle technology for the future, represent the major chances for the developing world to avoid high-carbon lock-in in the transportation sector. In this paper, by taking China as an example, the unique advantages for China to deploy fuel cell vehicles are reviewed. Subsequently, this paper analyzes the greenhouse gas （GHG） emissions from 19 fuel cell vehicle utilization pathways by using the life cycle assessment approach. The results show that with the current grid mix in China, hydrogen from water electro- lysis has the highest GHG emissions, at 3.10 kgCO2/km, while by-product hydrogen from the chlor-alkali industry has the lowest level, at 0.08 kgCO2/krn. Regarding hydrogen storage and transportation, a combination of gas-hydrogen road transportation and single compression in the refueling station has the lowest GHG emissions. Regarding vehicle operation, GHG emissions from indirect methanol fuel cell are proved to be lower than those from direct hydrogen fuel cells. It is recommended that although fuel cell vehicles are promising for the developing world in reducing GHG emissions, the vehicle technology and hydrogen production issues should be well addressed to ensure the life-cycle low-carbon performance.

Livestock Demand, Global Land Use Changes, and Induced Greenhouse Gas Emissions

With increasing global population and income, the demand for livestock products continues to grow and is likely to grow in future as well. This raises concerns about the implications of such growth for the environment. A well-known Computable General Equilibrium model (CGE), GTAP- BIO, is used to project the growth of livestock output between 2004 and 2022 and to estimate the land use changes and associated Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Results indicate that the increased livestock output leads to considerable increase in pasture (about 45 million hectares) and decrease in forest area (about 44 million hectares) between 2004 and 2022. Estimated emissions associated with this change are about 20 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2 e) during 2004-2022 or an annual average of 1.1 billion tons. Results also indicate that a significant portion of the emissions (about 11%) can be reduced if consumer preferences could be altered. In practice, this will require policy interventions that promote substitution of non-ruminant for ruminant meat products.

The Logistics of Production and Supply of Ag Pellets for Industrial Applications in Canada

In this work we analyze the supply of biomass from field to an in-land or port destination. The biomass is pelletized to increase its bulk density to extend its storage period and for ease of its transport. The pellet may be used for conversion to chemicals and animal bedding or for straight combustion. We analyzed supply chain in Saskatchewan where there are plenty of crop residues but widely dispersed and harvest seasons are short. We envisioned that the farmer collects bales from field and transports the bales to farmstead during the harvest season. The bales are then processed into pellets using small scale pellet equipment. A custom operator with expertise in pelletization may engage in handling and densifying the biomass. The business case for the mobile mill will be similar to the well established custom grain and forage harvesting operations. The pellets are stored in hopper bottom grain bins at the farmstead. From this point, the handling of pellets would be similar to the handling and marketing of grain. The farmer trucks a specified volume of pellets from farmstead to the nearest elevator where the pellets are transferred to larger bins or silos. Pellets are extracted from silos and loaded onto the rail cars. The Canadian freight rail companies (mainly CN) currently transport over 3 million dry tonne (dt) of wood pellets in rail cars. The pellets are hauled to marine ports on the West Coast or East Coast for export. The cost of delivering ag pellets to biorefinery or to the shipping port is $86.09/dt. This cost does not include the equivalent value of removing biomass from the farm (e.g. fertilizer replacement) and return on investment. The GHG emissions to produce and transport ag pellets add up to 185.9 kg of CO2 per dt of biomass. The cost of producing pellets without drying feedstock is $35.05/dt and the corresponding GHG for palletization amounts $146.30/dt.

Formulation of a Net Zero Assessment System for Healthcare Facilities

The international efforts to limit climate change are increasing, that during the COP26 convention, reaching Net Zero Greenhouse Gas emissions became part of the global goals for many countries and entities. One of the sectors that holds the responsibility of addressing the impacts of climate change is the healthcare sector, and accordingly, it is also encouraged to take a leading role in maintaining its sustainability and be a role model for the other sectors. Additionally, the buildings sector, through the World Green Building council, has taken the initiative to launch the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment for the sector. Based on these practices, the work presented aims to introduce and formulate an Approaching Net Zero assessment methodology to be integrated as part of the sustainability criteria and rating system for healthcare facilities in developing countries. The methodology planned is based on four different aspects which are: 1) Approaching Net Zero Energy, 2) Approaching Net Zero Wastewater, 3) Approaching Net Zero Solid Waste, and 4) Approaching Net Zero GHG emissions. The facility should have achieved a Green Building certification through any certification body, and then apply for the aspect on which it requires to be assessed. The assessment methodology follows a systematic approach, where a baseline year of normal operation is determined for existing facilities to act as a base of assessment, and normal design practices for new facilities Based on the assessment and proof of performance enhancement, the facility will either be awarded a basic certificate for achieving continuous savings, or additionally be awarded a best performance certificate compared to other facilities in the same category.

Structural characteristics and drivers of greenhouse gas emissions at county-level and long-time scales:A case study of the Anji County,China

To achieve carbon neutrality,the Chinese government needs to gain a comprehensive understanding of the sources and drivers of greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions,particularly at the county level.Anji County in eastern China is a typical example of an industrial transformation from quarrying to a low-carbon economy.This study analyzed the decoupling types and structural characteristics of GHG emissions and the driving factors of carbon dioxide(CO_(2))emissions in the Anji from 2006 to 2019,and explored the differences between countylevel and provincial-level or city-level results.It was observed that energy-related activities are the main source of GHG emissions in Anji and that economic development is the driving factor behind the increasing CO_(2)emissions.However,industrial transformation and upgradation coupled with the alternative use of clean energy limit the growth of GHG emissions.This study details the GHG emissions of county during the industrial transformation stage and provides corresponding policy recommendations for county governments.

Tracking the change in Spanish greenhouse gas emissions through an LMDI decomposition model:A global and sectoral approach

The reduction of GHG emissions to reverse the greenhouse effect is one of the main challenges in this century.In this paper we pursue two objectives.First,we analyze the evolution of GHG emissions in Spain in 2008–2018,at both the global and sectoral levels,with the variation in emissions decomposed into a set of determining factors.Second,we propose several actions specifically oriented to more tightly controlling the level of emissions.Our results showed a remarkable reduction(18.44%)in GHG emissions,mainly due to the intensity effect,but also to the production-per-capita effect.We detected somewhat different patterns among the various sectors analyzed.While the intensity effect was the most influential one in the agricultural,transport,and others sectors,the production-per-capita effect was predominant in the case of industry.The carbonization effect was revealed as crucial in the commerce sector.The above findings highlight the importance of the energy efficiency measures taken in recent years in the Spanish economy,also pointing to the need to deepen those strategies and to propose new measures that entail greater efficiency in emissions.Additional efforts in areas like innovation,R&D,diffusion of more eco-friendly technologies,and a greater use of greener energies all prove to be essential reduction actions to fight the greenhouse effect.

Advanced Strategies to Mobilize Crop Residue to Replace Coal in India

Various published data show the amount of crop residue available annually in India may range from a low of 90 to a high of 180 million tonnes. Different types of crop residue are collected from farmers depending on the geography and crop pattern for instance, in north India rice straw and cotton stalks are collected while in central India soya husk and sugarcane tops are collected. Baling and transporting straw from the field, though appear to be an option for safe disposal, will be feasible only when alternate, effective and economically viable usage methods are identified and facilities and infrastructure for ex-situ management methods are created. One immediate short term use of the residue is to replace 5% - 7% of the 670 million tonnes of coal India currently consumes to generate power. The farmers will benefit from the sale of their excess crop residue. The scheme will reduce pollution due to residue burning practices. Replacing coal will cut the GHG emissions. The challenge is to mobilize the crop residue collection and timely delivery to power plants. The data and calculations in this monogram show that it is economical for the farmer to remove the crop residue from the field quickly by using modern balers, to pelletize the biomass in small-scale distributed pellet plants, to store pellets in the modern steel bins and finally to deliver the pellets to coal plants by using rail transport. The delivered cost is estimated at around Rp 6.78/kg. The Government of India encourages the power plants to pay at least Rp 10/kg for the delivered biomass in the form of pellets. The current monogram analyzes the organization of an efficient supply chain in the State of Haryana India to ensure a sustainable modern enterprise.

Long-term costs and benefits analysis of China’s low-carbon policies

China’s long-term,low-emission development goals will hinge on effective low-carbon policies.Therefore,it is valuable to evaluate the costs and benefits of low-carbon policy packages to ensure that low-carbon development concepts and strategies can be well integrated into the policy making process.This work uses the Low-carbon Policy Assessment(LPA)model to assess long-term costs and benefits of climate and energy policies in China under the reference(RS)scenario and the low-carbon(LC)scenario,which includes 25 additional climate and energy policies.In the LC scenario,both energy-related CO2 emissions and total greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions peak around 2030,achieving China’s Nationally Determined Contribution(NDC)target.Of the policies included in the LC scenario,the five with the highest GHG mitigation potential beyond China’s existing policies are:fluorinated gas(F-gas)substitution,a renewable portfolio standard,carbon pricing,carbon capture utilization and storage(CCUS),and a fuel economy standard for heavy duty vehicles(HDVs).In addition to reducing GHG emissions,these policies decrease particulate emissions and associated premature deaths,which would otherwise reduce China’s GDP by nearly 1.5%in 2050.Together,these policies have the potential to promote significant low-carbon prosperity in China.

China's climate policy:does an Arctic dimension exist?

The article discusses whether and to what extent an Arctic dimension in Chinese climate policy exists, and whether there are signs of potential linkages between China＇s engagement in the Arctic and its domestic climate policies. Although the Arctic is not directly addressed in domestic climate policy, the article concludes that an Arctic dimension exists, in the following areas： the growing awareness in China of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, climate risk, resilience and vulnerability, which has contributed to increased attention to climatic change in the Arctic and its impact on China; polar scientific research, which is largely climate related, plays a significant role in determining China＇s Arctic climate agenda; China＇s climate policymaking and domestic institutional set-up is a contributing factor to climate engagement in the Arctic; China＇s status as an observer nation in the Arctic Council might potentially raise the profile of domestic climate policies and lead to the addition of an Arctic pillar to national climate change strategies.

What We Owe to Each Other: On Global Climate Justice

The key to global climate justice is how to define or distribute greenhouse-gas （sometimes abbreviated to GHG） emissions rights in different countries. Throe questions are to be answered： First, what does global climate justice distribute？ Second, on what principle does it distribute？ Third, what is the moral foundation of the principle？ The thesis analyzes the peculiarity of GHG emissions permit as a global public resource and its consequent ethical issues. On the ground of egalitarianism, it proves the basic principle of distributing GHG emissions permit required by global climate justice, and the basic ethical ground of global climate justice accepted by international community.

Potential Impact of Biomass Cogeneration Plants on Achieving Climate Neutrality of BIH until 2050

The paper analyzes the potential of Biomass Combined Heat and Power (BCHP) plants in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in achieving climate neutrality until 2050. Two scenarios for reducing GHG emissions from the power generation sector in BiH until 2050 were developed. Scenarios were developed using LEAP, a software tool for energy policy analysis and climate change mitigation assessment. The complete final energy consumption and existing primary energy mix in BiH were included. Both scenarios imply a significant reduction in electricity generation from coal-fired power plants (CFPP). The first scenario (S1) involves the construction of a substitute CFPP unlike the second scenario in which there is no construction of a new CFPP, but part of the reduction in electricity generation from the CFPPs is compensated by BCHPs. The second scenario (S2) achieves a significantly higher reduction in GHGs emissions and provides an answer to the question of how much wood biomass is needed for the operation of BCHP for enabling the decarbonization of the power generation sector by 2050. S1 also represents a step toward reducing GHG emissions. Emissions from power generation in 2030 are about 60% lower than in 2015, i.e. by closing part of the existing CFPPs fleet, while in 2050 GHG emissions will be reduced by 12.26 million tons of CO2eq compared to 2015. The main advantage of S2 is the gradual phase-out of CFPPs and construction of BCHPs, which means incomparably lower GHG emissions, negligible in 2050, representing a key argument for the deployment of biomass potential for power generation. The technical potential of unused wood biomass in BiH is 7.44 PJ annually or 620,620 t annually. These quantities would be sufficient for the levels of electricity production in Scenario 2 by 2035. After that, the existing available technical potential is not enough. This means that BiH needs to increase biomass production and its technical potential to enable the implementation of that scenario.

Outcomes of the Clean Development Mechanism in Argentina

This paper summarizes the results of the implementation of the CDM in Argentina during the first period of commitment of the Kyoto Protocol. From a total of sixty- five projects ideas, forty-four achieved registration under the CDM EB while the rest remained approved at national level (12), under evaluation (2), suspended (5) or rejected (2). Most of the projects focused on the generation of electricity from renewable energy, mainly wind energy and the use of landfill gas and methane for energy. Emissions reductions achieved 33.4% of the expected CERs up to 2012 with strong differences among sectors. Results demonstrated that under the current Argentina’s energy policy framework, the income by the selling of CERs covered less than 6% of the incremental costs for renewable energy projects. A sensitivity analysis to evaluate the impact of CDM in the coverage of incremental costs for renewable energy based on the prices of both the energy in the local market and the CER demonstrated that the best conditions would only cover 15% of those costs. The contribution of CDM to technology transfer in Argentina was minor considering that 45% of the projects qualified as type III where technological learning and capacity building were limited at the level of operation and maintenance of a foreign technology. Domestic and external barriers that prevented a better performance of CDM projects in terms of GHG mitigation, technology transfer and the contribution to a sustainable development were also analyzed.

Train-the-Trainer Course on Energy Efficient Operation of Ships

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) expanded, in 2011, its air emissions control regulations by encouraging energy efficiency and added them to MARPOL Annex VI. To assist national implementation of these new regulations, the IMO-KOICA partnership sponsored the development of a Train-the-Trainer (TTT) project on energy efficient operation of ships. The first project objective was to develop a comprehensive training package, which covers company policy and shipping contracts, port/ship interaction, ship technical solutions and day-to-day ship management. The second objective was to enhance capacity building in developing countries by creating a pool of instructors able to raise awareness in their respective regions using the dedicated training material. During each session, pedagogic support tools backed the content delivery. Forty-one participants from thirty-two countries attended two sessions of the TTT course. The TTT training formula, blending content and pedagogics, demonstrated its efficiency by committing and challenging each participant during the entire course. The outcome of the final day assessment showed that participants captured the essence of the issues and were able to absorb the basics of pedagogy to support the distribution of the training content and spread awareness. Know-how gained through TTT will contribute to the advancement of knowledge in promoting sustainable maritime transport development as advanced by the IMO. It is the authors’ strong belief that the way that the TTT course is designed, developed and delivered provides unique benefits for the participants and their countries.

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.

Carbon Capture and Storage:History and the Road Ahead

The large-scale deployment of carbon capture and storage(CCS)is becoming increasingly urgent in the global path toward net zero emissions;however,global CCS deployment is significantly lagging behind its expected contribution to greenhouse gas emission reduction.Reviewing and learning from the examples and history of successful CCS practices in advanced countries will help other countries,including China,to promote and deploy CCS projects using scientific methods.This paper shows that the establishment of major science and technology CCS infrastructures in advanced countries has become the main source of CCS technological innovation,cost reduction,risk reduction,commercial promotion,and talent training in the development and demonstration of key CCS technologies.Sound development of CCS requires a transition from pilot-scale science and technology infrastructures to large-scale commercial infrastructures,in addition to incentive policies;otherwise,it will be difficult to overcome the technical barriers between small-scale demonstrations and the implementation of million-tonne-scale CCS and ten-million-tonne-scale CCS hubs.Geological CO_(2) storage is the ultimate goal of CCS projects and the driving force of CO_(2) capture.Further improving the accuracy of technologies for the measurement,monitoring,and verification(MMV)of CO_(2) storage capacity,emission reduction,and safety remains a problem for geological storage.CO_(2) storage in saline aquifers can better couple multiple carbon emission sources and is currently a priority direction for development.Reducing the energy consumption of lowconcentration CO_(2) capture and the depletion of chemical absorbents and improving the operational efficiency and stability of post-combustion CO_(2) capture systems have become the key constraints to largescale CCS deployment.Enhanced oil recovery(EOR)is also important in order for countries to maximize fossil fuel extraction instead of importing oil from less environmentally friendly oil-producing countries.

The Current Status, Potential Benefits and Future Prospects of the Australian Biogas Sector

Anaerobic digestion technology provides a new approach to treat organic waste while generating greenhouse gas (GHG) savings. Moreover, the methane gas produced during the process can be used to generate electricity. In order to ensure that Australia stays on its trajectory towards a carbon neutral future, the use of anaerobic digestion technology to treat its abundant organic waste streams should be considered. Thirty million tonnes (Mt) of organic waste was produced in 2017. The use of anaerobic digestion to treat 1 tonne of waste could result in 0.143 tonne of CO2-e in GHG savings. In contrast, other more widely employed waste disposal methods such as landfilling, composting and incineration may generate GHG emissions. Additionally, the use of methane for electricity production also generates the least GHG emissions per MWh. This is approximately 3 times lower than crude oil, 4 times lower than black coal and 5 times lower than brown coal. However, the adoption and implementation of anaerobic digestion technology in Australia face several immediate constraints. Firstly, anaerobic digestion technology is deemed unprofitable, incurring high initial capital cost, operating costs and extremely long payback periods. Secondly, there is a lack of government support in terms of a national target for biogas production via anaerobic digestion. This review will provide an in-depth analysis into the current state of the Australian biogas sector. In addition, the review discusses the opportunities to make anaerobic digestion technology more financially viable and to accelerate the growth of the Australian biogas sector.

Development or Environmental Jeopardy: The Carbon Footprint of Hotels in Juba South Sudan

Climate change and global warming have been identified as major threats to the development of South Sudan due to greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission responsible for the rising temperatures and erosion of existing ecosystem services that support local livelihoods. Mitigating GHGs emissions has become an urgent global policy trajectory with countries acceding to related Treaties and setting national targets. Despite having submitted its initial communications to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), outlining specific sectors for GHGs reduction, the rapidly growing hotel industry has not been identified among the sectors and no GHGs emission reporting has been undertaken. Therefore, this study aimed to assess, quantify and report on the GHGs emission potential of the hotel industry in Juba-South Sudan, examine existing GHGs emission reporting mechanisms and propose a reporting framework. Using a standard quantitative methodology, the carbon footprint of twenty-seven hotels was assessed. The results showed that the hotel industry is one of the leading emitters of GHGs emission amounting to 14,624.9-ton CO2eq/year. The study also found no existing GHGs reporting systems in South Sudan and proposed a reporting framework and identified potential emissions reduction strategies for the hotel industry to deal with climate change and carbon emission issues of the hospitality industry. It recommends that further research be initiated to 1) assess the applicability of the identified strategies in the context of South Sudan and 2) to quantify GHGs emissions from cooling appliance within the hospitality industry as well as emissions from other growing sectors like the transportation.

Sustainability of Renewable Energy Systems with Special Reference to Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Schemes

It was required to determine relative merits of commonly used renewable energy(RE)systems for which estimation of their individual sustainability percent achievable was chosen as the single criterion assessment tool.The methodology developed for estimating sustainability included identification of individual sustainability indices(SI)and examining the scope of sustainability percent input/kWh power generation for each of SI indices and summing them up estimating total sustainability accrued from respective RE systems.The RE systems studied included photo-voltaic(PV)cells,bio-fuels,on-shore&off-shore wind energy and OTEC schemes.Coal power plant being commercially viable was studied as the referral energy scheme.Nine SI indices identified for study included resource potential,greenhouse gas saving,influence on flora&fauna,effects on human health,land loss aspects,food and potable water security,economy evaluation,and improvement in quality of life from economic growth.Total sustainability achievable showed the highest in OTEC,followed by wind,bio-fuels and PV,respectively.SI index on quality of life showed RE schemes like OTEC&bio-fuels competing equally with coal power plant having poor sustainability with the least power generation cost;whence Hybrid OTEC showed the highest sustainability with high power production cost.Four fold approaches have been suggested for reducing power generation cost of OTEC.(i)Adopting economically viable scheme of not less than 40 MW.(ii)Heating up the working fluid with solar irradiation,terming SOTEC scheme.(iii)Saving cable laying cost,from hydrogen production utilizing the power generated.(iv)Hybridization of OTEC scheme.

Simplified Equation Models for Greenhouses Gases Assessment in Road Transport Sector in Burkina Faso

Transport sector is cited among the key emitted sector.In Burkina Faso,road transport occupies more than 60%of the emissions of the entire transport sector.However,there is no model equation for greenhouse gases modelling in transport sector.A methodology combining literature review and survey has been adopted to develop the simplified model equation in transport sector.The vehicle type survey allowed the identification of the type of vehicle and the literature review allowed the identification of the key parameters used for greenhouses gases modelling.The results revealed 10 vehicle types for road transport in Burkina Faso such as:Private cars,Public Transport/Buses,Special Vehicle(Ambulances,Fire bus,Funeral vehicles),other vehicle,Motorcycles,Wheeler,Rail,Van,Lorries and Truck Tractor.The keys parameters for greenhouse gases modelling are Fleet availability,Average annual distance travelled,Fuel Economy and Fuel emission factor.For all vehicle type identified simplified model equation was developed to support Burkina Faso,assessing greenhouse gases emission in the sector of transport.This approach could be replicated in other countries in the sub-Saharan Region.