Analysis of the relationship between local climate change mitigation actions and greenhouse gas emissions – Empirical insights

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to measure local climate change response capacity and identify the existing gaps between local climate change action plans and land use plans.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses content analysis method to statistically analyze 40 pioneering local jurisdictions' climate change action plans and land use plans.FindingsThe results show significant gaps in the two types of plans. Local climate change action plans have a higher quality of plan components including factual basis, targets, coordination, and communication than local land use plans. However, local land use plans have an even higher quality of policy plan components than action plans.Originality/valueThis study has extended established climate change concepts and practices by incorporating climate change considerations into the existing framework of local decision making.

Energy-related activities are a major contributor of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A growing body of knowledge clearly depicts the links between human activities and climate change. Over the last century the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil and other human activities has released carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and other heat-trapping GHG emissions into the atmosphere and thus increased the concentration of atmospheric CO2 emissions. The main human activities that emit CO2 emissions are (1) the combustion of fossil fuels to generate electricity, accounting for about 37% of total U.S. CO2 emissions and 31% of total U.S. GHG emissions in 2013, (2) the combustion of fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel to transport people and goods, accounting for about 31% of total U.S. CO2 emissions and 26% of total U.S. GHG emissions in 2013, and (3) industrial processes such as the production and consumption of minerals and chemicals, accounting for about 15% of total U.S. CO2 emissions and 12% of total ...

Amid the rising climate change concerns, California enacted Senate Bill 375 (SB 375) to tackle transportation greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. SB 375 requires Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) to develop a Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS), a regional transportation and land use vision plan, to reduce GHG emissions. Meanwhile, a local government can develop a Climate Action Plan (CAP), a non-binding, voluntary plan to reduce GHG emissions that may align with the regional SCS. Recent progress reports indicate California is not making sufficient progress to meet SB 375 emissions reduction targets, which raises important questions: (1) Are the transportation and land use strategies and targets in SCS plans reflected in the local plans to build sustainable communities? (2) Does the alignment of regional and local transportation and land use strategies mitigate GHG emissions through vehicle trip reduction? (3) How different are the effects of independent local action and alignment of local and regional actions on vehicle trip reduction? Through an in-depth content analysis of plans and policies developed by five MPOs and 20 municipalities and a quantitative analysis of the impact of local and regional strategy alignment on vehicle trip reduction over time, this study shows that the patterns of local and regional climate policy are diverse across the state, but poor alignment is not necessarily a sign of limited climate action at the local level. Cities with a long climate-planning history and the capacity to act innovatively can lead regional efforts or adopt their own independent approach. Nonetheless, there are clear patterns of common strategies in local and regional plans, such as active transportation strategies and planning for densification and land use diversity. Well-aligned regional and local level climate-friendly infrastructure appear to have the most significant impact on vehicle-trip reduction, on average a 7% decrease in vehicle trips. Yet, many local-level strategies alone, such as for goods movement, urban forest strategies, parking requirements, and education and outreach programs, are effective in vehicle-trip reduction. A major takeaway from this research is that although local and regional climate policy alignment can be essential for reducing vehicle trips, local action is equally important.

Data from the US Department of Energy show that single-family detached homes consume about 17% more energy per year than attached homes and roughly double that of units in large multi-family structures. While greater use of these compact housing types could reduce a community's energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, most local climate action plans (CAPs) do not quantify those potential savings. This article describes how the climate action planning process in the Town of Blacksburg, Virginia has addressed residential sector GHG emissions and demonstrates a methodology applied in that community for estimating potential GHG reductions from compact housing. It finds that in an aggressive compact housing scenario GHG emissions from new housing could be decreased by as much as 36%, without factoring in additional energy conservation or efficiency measures. The article concludes with a discussion of the opportunities and challenges related to implementing compact housing in future residential development.

Climate change is conventionally recognised as a large-scale issue resolved through regional or national policy initiatives. However, little research has been done to directly evaluate local climate change action plans. This study examines 40 recently adopted local climate change action plans in the US and analyses how well they recognise the concepts of climate change and prepare for climate change mitigation and adaptation. The results indicate that local climate change action plans have a high level of ‘awareness’, moderate ‘analysis capabilities’ for climate change, and relatively limited ‘action approaches’ for climate change mitigation. The study also identifies specific factors influencing the quality of these local jurisdictional plans. Finally, it provides policy recommendations to improve planning for climate change at the local level.

Climate change poses substantial challenges to policy implementation and planning at scales ranging from local to global. This study examines the effectiveness and challenges of implementing climate change policy, particularly in local climate action planning and implementation in Japan, focusing on the transportation and land use planning fields. It specifically asks questions about the efficacy of local governments’ practices and efforts in realising national carbon reduction goals, measures taken by local governments, and hurdles in implementation experienced by them. The study found several significant challenges in which local governments tend to meet procedural requirements but leave substantial uncertainty in the efficacy of their local climate action planning and implementation. The article calls for more stringent regulations and mandates, more robust initiatives and guidance considering the diverse local conditions, combined with better coordination among the ministries, for more effective greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction.

Major US electric utility climate pledges have the potential to collectively reduce power sector emissions by one-third

Problem: Basing local climate action plans on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventories has become standard practice for communities that want to address the problem of climate change. Communities use GHG emissions inventories to develop policy despite the fact that there has been little theoretical work on the implications of the assumptions embedded within them. Purpose: We identify elements and assumptions in emissions inventories that have important policy implications for climate action plan formulation, aiming to help planners make informed, defensible choices, and to refine future GHG emissions inventory protocols and climate action planning methods. Methods: We conducted a content analysis of 30 city climate action plans selected as a stratified random sample. We collected data on 70 different factors and used summary and trend statements, typologies, and descriptive statistics to link our findings to our research questions. Results and conclusions: Climate action plans obviously vary in many details, but most contain all of the core GHG emissions elements suggested in common protocols. We found GHG emissions inventories to be technically accurate but found their reduction targets to fall short of international targets. We also found exogenous change and uncertainty to be unaccounted for in emissions forecasts and reduction targets. The plans generally do a poor job of linking mitigation actions to reduction targets. Takeaway for practice: GHG emissions inventories supporting climate action planning are reasonably standardized, but documentation of data and assumptions should be improved and GHG reduction targets should be justified. The effect of future changes that are beyond the direct control of the community plan should be accounted for in GHG emissions forecasts and reduction targets. Rapid anticipated population growth should be acknowledged and taken into account, both in GHG emissions forecasts and in setting reduction targets. Effects of mitigation may be difficult to predict reliably, yet can be partly offset by effective monitoring that evaluates progress and changes course when necessary. Research support: None.

Methodologies for the evaluation of local climate change mitigation actions: A review

Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in organic and conventional farming systems in the Netherlands

EU Agriculture hast to cope with global challenges such as climate change mitigation or making farming more efficient. The active management of agriculture practices using appropriate technologies and practices, as Precision Agriculture, could reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while increasing agriculture productivity and income. However, information on the uptake and impacts of the use of precision agriculture technologies in EU is so far sparse and site specific. \nThis technical report assesses the impact of Precision agriculture technology (PAT) on GHG emissions and farm economics. To this end, a typology of PAT was created in order to identify those that had the greatest potential to reduce GHG emissions. Secondly, five case studies were selected with the aim of identifying a combination of EU countries, precision agriculture techniques and arable crop types that could realise the maximum potential economic and environmental benefits of adopting PATs. A survey was applied to 971 adopters and non-adopters on the selected study cases with the aim of assessing the reasons behind uptake and the economic and environmental impacts of different. Finally economic and environmental impacts were investigated though a partial budgeting analysis and Miterra-Europe model respectively. \nResults indicate that although most farmers were aware of PAT, uptake rates are low among surveyed farmers. High investment costs, farm size and age were identified has fundamental hampering adoption. The survey reveals that adoption barriers might be overcome by boosting economic incentives aiming at improving economic performance both directly and indirectly. However, nonmonetary incentives such as technical advice or training also seemed to be interesting for surveyed farmers. The results of the survey also showed that information points such as peer-to-peer learning, visit to trade fairs, researchers and industry dealers had a positive effect on enhancing PAT uptake. The results of the partial budget analysis, where capital costs of the technologies are not included, indicate that impacts are highly variable by country, farm type and size and by technology. The results of the environmental impact analysis showed that the introduction of PAT might have positive effects on the environment, with reductions in GHG emissions from the fertiliser application, fertiliser production and fuel use.

Opportunities for mitigating net system greenhouse gas emissions in Southeast Asian rice production: A systematic review

Energy use and greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions in rainfed canola production in north eastern Iran were analyzed to find measures to reduce energy use and GHG emissions. Four production scenarios, i.e. a high-input, a low-input, a better crop management and a usual scenario, evaluated. All activities and production processes were monitored and recorded over three consecutive years. The usual scenario consumed 13 GJ ha -1 energy input, resulted in 52 GJ ha -1 energy output and GHG emissions of 1028 kg CO2-eq ha -1 and 556 kg CO2-eq t -1 . The key factors relating to energy use and GHG emissions were nitrogen fertilizer and fuel for field operations. Compared to the usual production scenario, the better crop management production scenario was significantly more efficient; it consumed 25% less input energy, needed 17% lower amount of nitrogen fertilizer, but resulted in 35% more grain yield and output energy. This scenario also resulted in 26% less GHG emissions per unit field area and 45% less GHG emissions per ton of grain. Measures of improvement in energy use and GHG emission were identified.

Life cycle assessment in support of sustainable transportation

Potential of agrifood wastes in mitigation of climate change and eutrophication – Two case regions