Emissions reduction, military lands, and Canada’s defence policy

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

At the UN climate change conference in Paris in November 2015, Norway committed itself to a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. Agriculture accounts for 8% of Norway’s total GHG emissions. If GHGs from drained and cultivated wetland (categorized under land use, land use change and forestry) are included, the share is 13%; this for a sector that accounts for roughly 0.3% of GDP. As is the case in most countries, agriculture is currently exempt from emission reduction measures, including the European Union’s Emissions Trading System (ETS), in which Norway participates. But the country has recently signaled its intention to include agriculture in future emission reduction efforts. Consideration is being given to how best to achieve GHG reductions in the sector. A recent report by the Norwegian Green Tax Commission, established by the government to evaluate policy options for achieving emission reductions, (Government of Norway, 2015) emphasizes the importance of including agriculture. The Commission suggests that agricultural emissions should be taxed at the same rate as for other sectors. It also recommends that reductions in the production and consumption of red meat should be specifically targeted, through cuts in production grants to farmers and the imposition of consumption taxes. Unsurprisingly, this proposed policy shift is extremely controversial and faces resistance, particularly from the farmers’ unions. Farmers argue that the maintenance of domestic agricultural production is crucial for achieving national food security objectives, in addition to pursuing other aims such as the maintenance of economic activity in rural areas and landscape preservation. Food security, which has been a key policy objective since the end of the Second World War, has been interpreted in Norway as requiring high levels of selfsufficiency in basic agricultural commodities. To achieve this, substantial subsidies are provided to farmers and domestic prices of many commodities are kept at high levels by restricting imports. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimates that the total financial support provided to Norwegian agriculture in 2015 was equivalent to 62% of the value of gross farm receipts, which made Norway (along with Switzerland) a leader in the amount of support provided to agriculture by the 50 OECD member and non-member countries monitored by the Organization (OECD, 2016). In this paper we analyze policy options for achieving a 40% reduction in agricultural GHG emissions, consistent with the economy-wide target, while imposing the restriction that national food production measured in calories should be maintained (the food security target). This is consistent with the way that the Norwegian government identifies the country’s food security objective. In section 2 we outline the current situation with respect to GHG emissions in Norwegian agriculture. In section 3 we illustrate the policy issues involved by considering two product aggregates that are intensive in the use of land for crop production (grainland) and grassland, respectively. The aggregates are based on data for the main commodities in Norwegian agriculture relating to GHG emissions, land use, caloric content, subsidies, and costs per unit of production. We show that even though the opportunity set (i.e., the production combinations that are possible within technical constraints) is narrow, a 40% cut in emissions is achievable by substituting from ruminant products that are intensive in the use of grassland to products based on grainland. We also show that the emissions reduction both reduces government budgetary costs and land use, i.e., ruminant products are characterized by relatively high subsidies and land use. Two-dimensional analysis ignores the fact that per unit emissions from dairy production are low compared to other ruminant products (i.e., beef and sheep production). Both in terms of production value and agricultural employment, dairy farming is the most important component of Norwegian agriculture. Consequently, milk production deserves to be separated from ruminant meat production. Finally in section 4, we present a detailed analysis 3 of policy options derived from a disaggregated model that includes all the major products in Norwegian agriculture. In the model-based analysis, we examine first the imposition of a carbon tax, while maintaining existing agricultural support policies and import protection, and achieving the food security (production of calories) target. Since the imposition of a carbon tax in agriculture presents both technical and political challenges, we then examine an alternative approach of changing the existing structure of agricultural support to approximate the same result. We show that it is possible to change current subsidy rates to mimic the carbon tax and calorie target solution. The explanation for this is that ruminant products not only generate high emissions per produced calorie, but they are also the most highly subsidized products. Meat from ruminants is relatively unimportant in achieving Norway’s food security objective of calorie availability.

Greenhouse gas contribution and emission reduction potential prediction of China's aluminum industry

As addressed by many studies, greenhouse gas has a significant impact on the different aspects of life and more importantly on the whole environment. The excessive emission of green gas leads to climate change which is regarded as one of the most significant challenges of 21 century. Hence, in this regard, this paper has addressed the changing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 18 countries of the MENA region. For this purpose, ten different scenarios of this disease's future status and its restrictions were considered in an input–output modelling framework. The empirical results indicated that the emission of greenhouse gas is reduced under all scenarios. However, some countries experience more reduction due to the restriction because of COVID-19 like Syria, Iran, Yemen and Lebenon. Based on the ninth scenario, Iran and Syria have the highest reduction in emission of greenhouse gas by 13.1 and 13.8 per cent, and based on the tenth scenario, Lebenan and Syria will experience the highest reduction in emission by about 13.1 and 17.9 per cent. The results show that according to scenario 10 (explosive intensification of the pandemic without the wave subsiding over a while) and scenario 9 (the pandemic worsens step by step without subsiding over a while), Syria and Iran have the highest reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, respectively. According to scenario 1 (rapid and complete control of disease), Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait have the lowest reduction in GHG emissions. Besides, the study draws several fruitful implications regarding environmental concerns as sectoral analysis such as Hotels and Restaurants, Retail Trade, Fishing, Wholesale Trade, and Transport sectors. Moreover, policymakers should be alert that notwithstanding all limitations, Private Households and Public Administration develop their emissions during the pandemic since quarantine intensifies the supply of these services. Surprisingly, none of the policy restrictions have a significant impact on GHG emissions from Education, Health, and Other Services, Petroleum,Chemical, and Non-Metallic Mineral Products, Textiles and Wearing Apparel, and Re-export & Re-import, demonstrating the robust and established nature of these sectors' activities. To control the emissions of the quarantine-neutral sectors, long- and mid-term structural and environmental policies should be considered. The researchers are guided by the novel implications in terms of how various industries might reduce emissions in different ways.Graphical abstractSupplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10668-021-02018-3.

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 ...

Dairy production systems represent a significant source of air pollutants such as greenhouse gases (GHG), that increase global warming, and ammonia (NH3), that leads to eutrophication and acidification of natural ecosystems. Greenhouse gases and ammonia are emitted both by conventional and organic dairy systems. Several studies have already been conducted to design practices that reduce greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions from dairy systems. However, those studies did not consider options specifically applied to organic farming, as well as the multiple trade-offs occurring between these air pollutants. This article reviews agricultural practices that mitigate greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions. Those practices can be applied to the most common organic dairy systems in northern Europe such as organic mixed crop-dairy systems. The following major points of mitigation options for animal production, crop production and grasslands are discussed. Animal production: the most promising options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the livestock management level involve either the improvement of animal production through dietary changes and genetic improvement or the reduction of the replacement rate. The control of the protein intake of animals is an effective means to reduce gaseous emissions of nitrogen, but it is difficult to implement in organic dairy farming systems. Considering the manure handling chain, mitigation options involve housing, storage and application. For housing, an increase in the amounts of straw used for bedding reduces NH3 emissions, while the limitation of CH4 emissions from deep litter is achieved by avoiding anaerobic conditions. During the storage of solid manure, composting could be an efficient mitigation option, depending on its management. Addition of straw to solid manure was shown to reduce CH4 and N2O emissions from the manure heaps. During the storage of liquid manure, emptying the slurry store before late spring is an efficient mitigation option to limit both CH4 and NH3 emissions. Addition of a wooden cover also reduces these emissions more efficiently than a natural surface crust alone, but may increase N2O emissions. Anaerobic digestion is the most promising way to reduce the overall greenhouse gas emissions from storage and land spreading, without increasing NH3 emissions. At the application stage, NH3 emissions may be reduced by spreading manure during the coolest part of the day, incorporating it quickly and in narrow bands. Crop production: the mitigation options for crop production focus on limiting CO2 and N2O emissions. The introduction of perennial crops or temporary leys of longer duration are promising options to limit CO2 emissions by storing carbon in plants or soils. Reduced tillage or no tillage as well as the incorporation of crop residues also favour carbon sequestration in soils, but these practices may enhance N2O emissions. Besides, the improvement of crop N-use efficiency through effective management of manure and slurry, by growing catch crops or by delaying the ploughing of leys, is of prime importance to reduce N2O emissions. Grassland: concerning grassland and grazing management, permanent conversion from arable to grassland provides high soil carbon sequestration while increasing or decreasing the livestock density seems not to be an appropriate mitigation option. From the study of the multiple interrelations between gases and between farm compartments, the following mitigation options are advised for organic mixed crop-dairy systems: (1) actions for increasing energy efficiency or fuel savings because they are beneficial in any case, (2) techniques improving efficiency of N management at field and farm levels because they affect not only N2O and NH3 emissions, but also nitrate leaching, and (3) biogas production through anaerobic digestion of manure because it is a promising efficient method to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, even if the profitability of this expensive investment needs to be carefully studied. Finally, the way the farmer implements the mitigation options, i.e. his practices, will be a determining factor in the reduction of greenhouse gas and NH3 emissions.

With the rapid development of the times, the emission of greenhouse gases around the world is increasing day by day, which also intensifies the degree of the greenhouse effect. As the world’s most populous country, China naturally shoulders extremely important responsibilities. Based on the “dual carbon” goals of “carbon neutrality” and “carbon peaking” proposed by General Secretary Xi, this paper selects Shandong Province as the research object, and analyzes the current status of its carbon emissions from the perspective of its economic structure and energy structure. On the basis of systematically analyzing the energy consumption and economic situation of Shandong Province, this paper puts forward the coping strategies of Shandong Province in terms of energy conservation and emission reduction in the future, in order to better implement the national strategic goal of “dual carbon”.

The application of magical microalgae in carbon sequestration and emission reduction: Removal mechanisms and potential analysis

The selection of effective carbon reduction strategies and the management of agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are critical issues in climate change mitigation. Different climate actions can lead to varied pathways for agricultural GHG emissions. This study constructs a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model for Chinese agriculture to identify which measures can contribute to achieving established climate governance objectives, exploring potential net emission pathways for agricultural GHG. On this basis, we provide a rationale for selecting emission reduction measures. Our findings indicate that: (1) Carbon taxation is an indispensable climate action for achieving China’s “dual carbon” goals and net-zero emissions, necessitating combination with other mitigation strategies; (2) Carbon sequestration, non-agricultural carbon taxation, and CCUS measures can alter the net emission trajectory of agricultural GHG, and carbon sequestration shows the most significant impact; (3) Based on the ‘dual carbon’ or net-zero emission goals, China’s agricultural GHG emission pathway might exhibit a flat M-shaped characteristic, whereas intensifying carbon sequestration efforts could lead to an inverted V-shaped trajectory. Our results offer decision-making support for the formulation of GHG emission reduction measures in China.

Climate change is a complex and contentious public issue, but the risk-management options available to us are straightforward and have well-characterized strengths and weaknesses.

Quantifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the waste sector is important to evaluating measures for reduction of GHG emissions. To forecast GHG emissions and identify potential emission reduction for GHG emissions, scenarios applied with environmental policy such as waste reduction and structural change of waste treatment were developed. Scenario I estimated GHG emissions under the business as usual (BAU) baseline. Scenario II estimated GHG emissions with the application of the waste reduction policy while scenario III was based on the policy of structural change of waste treatment. Scenario IV was based on both the policies of waste reduction and structural change of waste treatment. As for the different scenarios, GHG emissions were highest under scenarios III, followed by scenarios IV, I, and II. In particular, GHG emissions increased under scenario III due to the increased GHG emissions from the enhanced waste incineration due to the structural change of waste treatment. This result indicated that the waste reduction is the primary policy for GHG reduction from waste. GHG emission from landfill was higher compared to those from incineration. However, the contribution of GHG emission from incineration increased under scenario III and IV. This indicated that more attention should be paid to the waste treatment for incineration to reduce GHG emissions.

Bridging the data gap: engaging developing country farmers in greenhouse gas accounting

Economic Benefits of a Technology Strategy and R&D Program in Carbon Sequestration

Aktualnie ważnym wyzwaniem dla sektora rolniczego jest redukcja emisji gazów cieplarnianych (GHG) w celu złagodzenia skutków zmian klimatycznych. Istnieje potrzeba dokładnej identyfikacji źródeł emisji oraz upowszechnienia praktyk rolniczych, które przyczyniałyby się do zmniejszenia emisji we wszystkich ogniwach produkcji roślinnej. Do przeprowadzenia obiektywnych porównań i wyboru najlepszych rozwiązań technologicznych według kryterium emisyjności potrzebna jest szczegółowa ocena ilościowa emisji GHG. W opracowaniu przedstawiono ocenę emisji GHG w produkcji roślinnej za pomocą śladu węglowego (CF). Udział operacji technologicznych w powstawaniu CF scharakteryzowano na przykładzie rzepaku ozimego. Wyniki badań wskazują, że największe znaczenie w kształtowaniu CF ma proces nawożenia mineralnego. Wpływ pozostałych procesów na CF jest wielokrotnie mniejszy. Miejscem głównych emisji GHG w nawożeniu mineralnym rzepaku są emisje bezpośrednie i pośrednie GHG z pól. Po emisjach GHG z pól, produkcja nawozów stanowi drugie źródło emisji z nawożenia. Zmiany praktyk rolniczych polegających na zwiększeniu efektywności nawożenia azotowego oraz stosowaniu nawozów o niskich współczynnikach emisji stwarzają obecnie możliwość redukcji emisji GHG i przez to, tym samym mogą przyczynić się do zmniejszenia CF produktów roślinnych.

The production of six regionally important cellulosic biomass feedstocks, including pine, eucalyptus, unmanaged hardwoods, forest residues, switchgrass, and sweet sorghum, was analyzed using consistent life cycle methodologies and system boundaries to identify feedstocks with the lowest cost and environmental impacts. Supply chain analysis models were created for each feedstock calculating costs and supply chain requirements for the production 453,592 dry tonnes of biomass per year. Cradle-to-gate environmental impacts from these supply systems were quantified for nine mid-point indicators using SimaPro 7.2 LCA software. Conversion of grassland to managed forest for bioenergy resulted in large reductions in GHG emissions, due to carbon sequestration associated with direct land use change. However, converting forests to energy cropland resulted in large increases in GHG emissions. Production of forest-based feedstocks for biofuels resulted in lower delivered cost, lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and lower overall environmental impacts than the studied agricultural feedstocks. Forest residues had the lowest environmental impact and delivered cost per dry tonne. Using forest-based biomass feedstocks instead of agricultural feedstocks would result in lower cradle-to-gate environmental impacts and delivered biomass costs for biofuel production in the southern U.S.