Greenhouse gas mitigation policies in Taiwan's road transportation sectors

Studying the comprehensive performance of industrial carbon emission has profound significance for improving carbon allowance allocation scheme and achieving the carbon neutrality target. The paper selects 181 enterprises in Zhengzhou as the case, a comprehensive carbon emission performance indicator system and a carbon allowance allocation model were established, and compared with other allocation schemes (historical/baseline method). The results showed that the overall differences in the comprehensive performance evaluation indicator of carbon emissions in typical industries in Zhengzhou were obvious, and there was a correlation with the characteristics of industrial production activities. The overall emission reduction of Zhengzhou was 244.33×103t, and the emission reduction ratio was 7.94% by simulating carbon allowance allocation under the comprehensive performance. The carbon allowance allocation method based on the comprehensive performance has the strongest restraint on the "high emission, low performance" industry, which is more equitable and more conducive to carbon emission reduction. In the future, it will be recommended to give full play to the leading role of the government, implement industrial carbon allowance allocation based on the comprehensive performance evaluation of carbon emissions, to achieve multi-objectives of resource conservation, environmental pollution abatement, and carbon reduction.

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

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are an important factor in the evaluation of green industrial growth, when low GHG emissions along with high industrial growth are expected. In this paper, the improvement of sustainable development of industry in China (2007–2015) was investigated via analysis of the relationships between the GHG emissions and energy consumption in comparison to European countries. A hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was conducted to distinguish industrial growth with GHG emission and energy consumption structures. The results of this research indicated that green industrial growth in Europe had a negative annual rate of GHG emissions. This contributed to the ratio of renewable energy consumption increasing to a maximum of 33% and an average of 16%. In comparison, the GHG emissions in China increased at a rate of 50% to 77% in the main industrial provinces since 2007 with their rapid industrial growth. The rate of GHG emissions decreased after 2012, which was 7% or less than the rate of emissions in the industrial provinces. Contrary to in Europe, the decreasing rate of GHG emissions in China was attributed to the improvement of fossil energy efficiency, as renewable energy consumption was less than 10% in most industrial provinces. Our data analysis identified that the two different energy consumption strategies improved green industrial growth in Europe and China, respectively. Our data analysis identified the two different energy consumption strategies employed by Europe and China, each of which promoted green industrial growth in the corresponding areas. We concluded that China achieved green industrial growth through an increase in energy efficiency through technology updates to decrease GHG emissions, which we call the “China Model.” The “Europe Model” proved to be quite different, having the core characteristic of increasing renewable energy use.

Trade-offs between economic development and carbon emission reductions, as well as their uncertainties, are great challenges for climate change negotiations. This article focuses on the equality of China's national carbon allowance allocations for provincial economic development while taking into account the uncertainties in provincial economic output and business-as-usual carbon emission. The allocation equality assessment under an uncertainty model was developed based on the Gini coefficient of accumulated carbon emission per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) and Monte Carlo simulations. It was used to compare the equity and related provincial carbon abatement burdens between the grandfathering allocations under an absolute cap and the output-based benchmarking allocations under a relative cap. The results showed that the volatilities of national carbon abatement and accumulated carbon emission per unit of GDP were more stable under the relative cap. The benchmarking mechanism resulted in a more equitable allowance allocations for provincial economic development and mitigated shocks in provincial output volatility to the equity of national overall allowance allocations. This mechanism was expected to produce a more evenly distributed carbon abatement burden-sharing across provinces, and to reduce the uncertainties of provincial carbon abatements. The benchmarking mechanism is thus proposed as an appropriate choice for China's current equitable provincial carbon allowance allocations.Policy relevanceThe trade-off between economic development and carbon emission reduction is the most controversial issue in climate change negotiations. The uncertainties in economic outputs and carbon emission also pose great challenges. With the obvious imbalance and uncertainty in provincial developments, the equitable allocation of carbon allowances among provinces is the key for China to develop a national carbon emission trading scheme. The comparison of allocation mechanisms under uncertainty provides more practical suggestions for policy making in China. Benchmarking results in more equitable allowance allocation and yields more even and stable abatement burden-sharing across provinces. It narrows the gaps in economic development emissions rights between developed and less developed provinces, and mitigates the shocks of provincial outputs and business-as-usual emissions to the overall allocation equity and provincial carbon abatement burdens. This benchmarking is suggested as a reasonable choice for China's provincial carbon allowance allocation method.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate which of the two carbon allowance allocation methods (CAAMs), i.e. grandfathered system carbon allowance allocation (GCAA) and baseline system carbon allowance allocation (BCAA), is more beneficial to capital-constrained supply chains under the carbon emission allowance repurchase strategy (CEARS).Design/methodology/approachAdopting CEARS to ease the capital-constrained supply chains, this study develops two-period game models with manufacturers as leaders and retailers as followers from the perspective of profit and social welfare maximization under two CAAMs (GCAA and BCAA), where the first period produces normal products, and the second period produces low-carbon products.FindingsFirst, higher carbon-saving can better use CEARS and achieve a higher supply chain profit under the two CAAMs. However, the higher the end-of-period carbon price is, the lower the social welfare is. Second, when carbon-saving is small, GCAA achieves both economic and environmental benefits; BCAA reduces carbon emissions at the expense of economic benefit. Third, the supply chain members gain higher profits and social welfare under GCAA, so the government and supply chain members are more inclined to choose GCAA.Originality/valueBy analyzing the profits and total carbon emissions of capital-constrained supply chains under GCAA and BCAA, this study provides theoretical references for retailers and capital-constrained manufacturers. In addition, by comparing the difference in social welfare under GCAA and BCAA, it provides a basis for the government to choose a reasonable CAAM.

The initial allocation of tradable carbon emission allowances is among the most contentious issues in developing an emission trading scheme (ETS). China faces serious dilemmas of system complexity and information incompleteness and asymmetry in allocating carbon allowance among enterprises. As one of the pilot ETS regions, Shenzhen has launched the first regional cap-and-trade ETS (SZ ETS) in China. Adhering to the overall plan and classification analysis, SZ ETS intends to solve the aforementioned dilemmas by developing innovative allowance allocation policies. A fundamental principle is to allocate allowances based on carbon intensity and actual output, according to which a two-step allocation procedure is constructed. A competitive game mechanism is introduced for allowance allocation among manufacturing enterprises. Empirical results indicate the following: (1) Carbon allowance allocation based on carbon intensity and actual output can mitigate carbon emission growth by reducing CO2 emitted per unit output, and, thus, buffer the shocks of unexpected economic fluctuations to ETS stability; (2) Competitive game allocation may contribute to improving the use of scattered information to enhance the efficiency of information and emission resource allocation. Exploring SZ ETS may provide a reference for formulating future national carbon allowance allocation policies in China and other developing regions.

Emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from animal feeding operations to the atmosphere are of environmental importance and concerns because of their impact on global warming. Gaseous concentrations and emission rates (ERs) of animal facilities can be affected by the animal production stages, animal species, dietary nutrition, housing types, manure handling schemes, and environmental conditions. This article reports ERs of methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and carbon dioxide (CO2) for a typical, naturally ventilated 24-crate swine farrowing barn located in suburban Beijing, China, that was monitored over one-year period. The measurements were made at bi-monthly intervals (i.e., six measurement episodes total), with each measurement episode covering three consecutive days. Gaseous concentrations were monitored at bi-hourly intervals throughout each 3-day measurement episode. The ventilation rate of the barn was estimated using the CO2 mass balance method. The GHG concentrations and ERs of the farrowing barn showed diurnal and seasonal variations. Specifically, the concentrations (monthly mean ±SD, mg m-3) ranged from 2.3 (±0.3) to 9.3 (±2) for CH4, from 0.6 (±0.02) to 1.2 (±0.16) for N2O, and from 1,370 (±163) to 11,100 (±950) for CO2, with the higher levels occurring in January and the lower levels in July. The specific ER ranged from 95.2 to 261.8 mg h-1 pig-1 for CH4, from 6.4 to 12.9 mg h-1 pig-1 for N2O, and from 122.9 to 127.3 g h-1 pig-1 for CO2. On the basis of per animal unit (1 AU = 500 kg live body mass), the average daily ERs of the farrowing barn were 9.6 ±3.6 g AU-1 d-1 for CH4, 0.54 ±0.15 g AU-1 d-1 for N2O, and 7.5±0.1 kg AU-1 d-1 for CO2. Results of the GHG ERs from this study differ markedly from the limited literature data collected primarily under European production systems and conditions. Results of the current study provide some baseline data on GHG ERs for swine farrowing operations, thus contributing to development or improvement of GHG emission inventory under the Chinese livestock production conditions.

The Korean government decided to reduce 30% of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions BAU in 2020. Since many efforts to reduce emissions are urgently needed in Korea, the central administrative organization urges local governments to establish their own reduction schemes. Among many GHG emission categories, the emission from mobile source in Gyeonggi Province accounted for 25.3% of total emissions in 2007 and further the emission from road transport sector occupied the most dominant portion in this transportation category. The objective of this study was to compare 3 types of GHG emissions from road transport sector in 31 local cities/counties of Gyeonggi Province, which have been estimated by Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 methodologies. As results, the GHG emission rates by the Tier 1 and Tier 2 were and , respectively. On the other hand, the emission rate by Tier 3 excluding a branch road emission portion was . In addition, the total emission rate including all the main and branch road portions in Gyeonggi Province was , which was estimated by a new Tier 3 methodology. Based on this study, we could conclude that Tier 3 is a reasonable methodology than Tier 1 or Tier 2. However, more accurate and less uncertain methodology must be developed by expanding traffic survey areas and adopting a suitable model for traffic volumes.

Carbon allowance allocation in the transportation industry

Development of an integrated tool based on life cycle assessment, Levelized energy, and life cycle cost analysis to choose sustainable Facade Integrated Photovoltaic Systems

Environmental performance of window-integrated systems using dye-sensitised solar module technology in Malaysia

This study examines the environmental impacts of roundtrip car sharing services by investigating transportation behavior. Car sharing should contribute to reduced greenhouse gas GHG emissions; however, such schemes include both positive and negative environmental effects, including: (1) reduced CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) from substituting private vehicle use for more fuel-efficient car sharing vehicles, (2) increased CO2e as car-less individuals switch from public transit to car sharing vehicles and (3) reduced CO2e due to fewer vehicles. This study examines the impacts of this modal shift on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using three types of models: a mixed logit model to analyze car sharing service preferences; a binary logit model to analyze whether individuals are willing to forgo vehicle ownership or planned purchases to use car sharing services; and a linear regression to determine how much private vehicle or public transportation use would be replaced by car sharing and the resulting effects on mobility. Total emissions from the current car sharing market equal 1,025,589.36 t CO2e/year. However, an increase in electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to 50% of the number of gasoline-fuel stations would increase the probability of electric car sharing vehicle use, thereby reducing emissions by 655,773 t CO2e. This study shows that forgoing vehicle purchases does not offset the increased GHG emissions caused by the shift from public transportation or private vehicle use to car sharing.

For many developing countries, the land use sector, particularly agriculture and forestry, represents a large proportion of their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, making this sector a priority for GHG mitigation activities. Previous global surveys (e.g., IPCC 2000) as well as the most recent IPCC assessment report clearly indicate that the greatest technical potential for carbon sequestration and reductions of non-CO2 GHG emissions from the land use sector is in developing countries. Estimates that consider economic feasibility suggest that agriculture and forestry together provide among the greatest opportunities for short-term and low-cost mitigation measures across all sectors of the global economy1 (IPCC 2007). In addition, it is widely recognized that the ecosystem changes entailed by most mitigation practices, i.e., building soil organic matter, reducing losses and tightening nutrient cycles, more efficient production systems and preserving native vegetation, are well aligned with goals of increasing food security and rural development as well as buffering land use systems against climate change (Lal 2004). Hence, there is growing interest in jump-starting the capacity for broad-based engagement in agriculturally-based GHG mitigation projects in developing countries.

Taking Stock of Strategies on Climate Change and the Way Forward: A Strategic Climate Change Framework for Australia

Forests play an important role in climate change mitigation and concentration of CO2 reduction in the atmosphere. Forest management, especially afforestation and forest protection, could increase carbon stock of forests significantly. Carbon sequestration rate of afforestation ranges from 0.04 to 7.52 t C·hm-2·a-1, while that of forest protection is 0.33-5.20 t C·hm-2·a-1. At the same time, greenhouse gas (GHG) is generated within management boundary due to the production and transportation of the materials consumed in relevant activities of afforestation and forest management. In addition, carbon leakage is also generated outside boundary from activity shifting, market effects and change of environments induced by forest management. In this review, we summarized the definition of emission sources of GHG, monitoring methods, quantity and rate of greenhouse gas emissions within boundary of afforestation and forest management. In addition, types, monitoring methods and quantity of carbon leakage outside boundary of forest management were also analyzed. Based on the reviewed results of carbon sequestration, we introduced greenhouse gas emissions within boundary and carbon leakage, net carbon sequestration as well as the countervailing effects of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon leakage to carbon sequestration. Greenhouse gas emissions within management boundary counteract 0.01%-19.3% of carbon sequestration, and such counteraction could increase to as high as 95% considering carbon leakage. Afforestation and forest management have substantial net carbon sequestration benefits, when only taking direct greenhouse gas emissions within boundary and measurable carbon leakage from activity shifting into consideration. Compared with soil carbon sequestration measures in croplands, afforestation and forest management is more advantageous in net carbon sequestration and has better prospects for application in terms of net mitigation potential. Along with the implementation of the new stage of key ecological stewardship projects in China as well as the concern on carbon benefits brought by projects, it is necessary to make efforts to increase net carbon sequestration via reducing greenhouse gas emissions and carbon leakage. Rational planning before start-up of the projects should be promoted to avoid carbon emissions due to unnecessary consumption of materials and energy. Additionally, strengthening the control and monitoring on greenhouse gas emissions and carbon leakage during the implementation of projects are also advocated.