Intellectual analysis and estimation of gross greenhouse gas emissions

Simulation of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) is key for forecasting air quality and estimating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in cities. Here we conducted the first long-term and continuous study of PBL heights (PBLHs) in Boston, MA, using a compact lidar instrument. We developed an image recognition algorithm to estimate PBLHs from the lidar measurements and evaluated simulations of the PBL from seven numerical weather prediction (NWP) model versions, which showed different systematic errors and variability in simulating the PBLHs (discrepancies from -2.5 to 4.0 km). The NWP model with the best overall agreement for the fully developed PBL had R2 = 0.72 and a bias of only 0.128 km. However, this model predicted a notable number of anomalously high carbon dioxide concentrations at ground stations, because it occasionally significantly underestimated the PBLH. We also developed a novel method that combines lidar data with footprints from a Lagrangian particle dispersion model to identify long-range transport of air pollution in the nocturnal residual layer. Our framework was powerful in evaluating the performance of models used to estimate air pollution and GHG emissions in cities, which is critical to track progress on emission reduction targets and guide effective policies.

GHG evaluation and mitigation planning for low carbon city case study: Dan Sai Municipality

The factor required for estimating greenhouse gas emission, i.e. the fossil carbon fraction, excludes the biomass fraction of incinerated waste and can be applied as a major factor in estimating greenhouse gas emissions. In Korea, the amount of greenhouse gases emitted from waste incineration facilities is calculated by using a solid waste incinerated amount default values (biomass fraction, content of dry matter, etc.) provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Chang (IPCC). However, this method cannot reflect the characteristics of Korea. This method is likely to overestimate or underestimate the amount of greenhouse gas emissions. This study aims to investigate the difference in emissions between the actual values of the biomass content based on the exhaust gas standard and the IPCC defaults applied in the calculation of the national emissions. The comparative result indicates that the amount of greenhouse gas emissions calculated using the solid waste composition method is 70.71 tons CO2/day and using the flue gas analysis is 56.92 tons CO2/day. This verifies that the former method overestimates the amount of greenhouse gas emissions compared with the latter method. The difference is caused by applying both factors in estimating greenhouse gas emissions and the basic values provided in the IPCC guideline. In addition, although the IPCC reported 10% of biomass content, it is 41.06% as a result of actual analysis, and hence, it is considered that there will be a difference depending on the biomass content. Thus, to increase the reliability of the calculated greenhouse gas emissions, these should be estimated by considering national characteristics.

A comprehensive mathematical model was developed for this study to estimate on-site and off-site GHG emissions from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The model was applied to three different hybrid WWTPs (S-WWTP, J-WWTP, and T-WWTP) including anaerobic, anoxic, and aerobic process, located in Seoul City, South Korea. Overall on-site and off-site GHG emissions from S-WWTP, J-WWTP, and T-WWTP were <TEX>$305,253kgCO_2e/d$</TEX>, <TEX>$282,682kgCO_2e/d$</TEX>, and <TEX>$117,942kgCO_2e/d$</TEX>, respectively. WWTP treating higher amounts of wastewater produced more on-site and off-site GHG emissions. On average, the percentage contribution of on-site and off-site emissions was 3.03% and 96.97%. The highest amount of on-site GHG emissions was generated from anoxic process and the primary on-site GHG was nitrous oxide (<TEX>$N_2O$</TEX>). Off-site GHG emissions related to electricity consumption for unit operation was much higher than that related to production of chemicals for on-site usage. Recovery and reuse of biogas significantly reduced the total GHG emissions from WWTPs. The results obtained from this study can provide basic knowledge to understand the source and amount of GHG emissions from WWTPs and strategies to establish lower GHG emitting WWTPs.

A methodology is proposed to obtain consistent and coherent estimates of greenhouse gas and precursor gas emissions from road transport and off-road vehicles and to quantify their accuracy and uncertainty. Accuracy increase of the estimates is achieved by detailing the initial data, reflecting the specific features of the national vehicle fleet structure and transport activity indicators, for which a wide range of statistical, probabilistic and expert methods are used. Using the methodology implemented in the “Transport Model” software product, it is possible to reconstruct time series of emissions for previous periods with an assessment of their accuracy and uncertainties, as well as to perform scenario modelling in order to forecast future emissions. The methodology was used to obtain quantitative estimates of three types of greenhouse gases emissions and three precursor gases from road transport and off-road vehicles for the period of 2010 to 2022, to compare the results with National Inventory data, to produce emission estimates for four categories of off-road vehicles for the first time, and to estimate fuel consumption and changes in the number of vehicles of all categories for the period of 1990 to 2022. An information array containing official statistical data on indirect indicators of transport activity by vehicle category for the period of 1990 to 2022 was compiled, the results of the emissions calculations were compared with the indirect indicators using multiple regression methods, and the accuracy and uncertainties of these results were quantitatively assessed. The estimated greenhouse gas emissions were considered as random values for which a confidence interval was calculated as an indicator of uncertainty and a median correction as an indicator of accuracy. The high quality of the results of the calculations based on the methodology considered was confirmed.

Land-use changes are one of the three major sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to human activity, along with fossil fuel combustion and cement production. Because road construction is the foremost cause of land-use changes, it is crucial to quantify the GHG emissions from road construction. However, the effect of GHG emissions attributed to land-use change for a single road construction project has not yet been fully investigated. This study quantified GHG emissions and sequestration from land-use changes due to road construction. Following the guidelines of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), this study developed a framework to estimate GHG emissions for land-use changes. Eighteen cases involving a typical highway construction project in the Republic of Korea were selected for this study. The net GHG emissions from road construction were estimated to be within the range of 24–105 tons of carbon (tC)/lane-km, with an average of 66 tC/lane-km. Practical methods are sug...

In recent years, the issue of climate change has gained significant attention and become a focal point of discussion in various sectors of civil society. Governments, individuals, and scientists worldwide are increasingly concerned about the observed changes in climate patterns, often attributed to the rising levels of greenhouse gases. In this context, the main objective of this study is to assess the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the railway system in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, and compare them with other national case studies, aiming to obtain greenhouse gas emission parameters specific to the railway system and propose mitigation models to address this environmental impact in the air. To achieve this goal, a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology was employed to examine the life cycle of the Pernambuco Metro. This involved conducting an inventory of resource inputs and emissions using actual observed data. Additionally, a comparative analysis of greenhouse gas emissions across different urban rail transport systems is presented to provide valuable contextual insights. The study findings reveal that the total greenhouse gas emissions from the Pernambuco rail system amount to 6170.54 t CO2e. Considering a projected total service life of 50 years, the estimated greenhouse gas emissions for the entire life cycle of the system’s operation and maintenance reach 308,550 t CO2e. The interdisciplinary nature of this research highlights the significance of studying the atmospheric effects of the Pernambuco railway system as a crucial parameter for designing strategies and technologies aimed at reducing air pollution within the region. Through quantifying and analyzing the greenhouse gas emissions of the Pernambuco rail system, this study provides valuable insights that contribute to addressing concerns related to climate change and promoting sustainable practices. It underscores the importance of developing effective strategies to mitigate air pollution and facilitates informed decision-making for the future of urban transportation systems.

Abstract. Conferences, meetings and congresses are an important part of today's economic and scientific world. But the environmental impact, especially from greenhouse gas emissions associated with travel, can be extensive. Anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions account for the warming of the atmosphere and oceans. This study draws on the need to quantify and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with travel activities and aims to give suggestions for organizers and participants on possible ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, demonstrated on the example of the European Geography Association (EGEA) Annual Congress 2013 in Wasilkow, Poland. The lack of a comprehensive methodology for the estimation of greenhouse gas emissions from travel led to an outline of a methodology that uses geographic information systems (GIS) to calculate travel distances. The calculation of travel distances in GIS is adapted from actual transportation infrastructure, derived from the open-source platform OpenStreetMap. The methodology also aims to assess the possibilities to reduce GHG emissions by choosing different means of transportation and a more central conference location. The results of the participants of the EGEA congress, who shared their travel data for this study, show that the total travel distance adds up to 238 000 km, with average travel distance of 2429 km per participant. The travel activities of the participants in the study result in total GHG emissions of 39 300 kg CO2-eq including both outward and return trip. On average a participant caused GHG emissions of 401 kg CO2-eq. In addition, the analysis of the travel data showed differences in travel behaviour depending on the distance between conference site and point of origin. The findings on travel behaviour have then been used to give an estimation of total greenhouse gas emissions from travel for all participants of the conference, which result in a total amount of 79 711 kg CO2-eq. The potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by substituting short flights with train rides and car rides with bus and train rides is limited. Only 6 % of greenhouse gas emissions could be saved by applying these measures. Further considerable savings could only be made by substituting longer flights (32.6 %) or choosing a more central conference location (26.3 %).

The waste that loaded to the Talang Gulo Landfill in 2018 is 1,012.234 m3/day and is predicted to produce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions such as CH4 and N2O. The purpose of this study was to create a waste management layout, to determine the generation data and composition of waste in Jambi city and calculate the estimated amount of Greenhouse Gas (GHG). The calculation of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in this study used from Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change (IPCC) 2006 method. Sampling results show that the average waste generation in Jambi City is 0.207 kg/person/day. Food waste, plastics, and paper were the dominant components from the composition of waste in landfill by 47,381%, 20.565%, and 13.096%. CH4 emissions generated from landfill zone VI in 2019 amounted to 4,695×10-2 Gg and would increase to 16,608×10-2 Gg in 2030. Greenhouse gas emissions generated from the composting zone consisted of 8,6×10-4 Gg CH4 and 5,16×10-5 Gg N2O in 2019 and 9,5×10-4 Gg CH4 and 5,7×10-5 Gg N2O in 2030. Emissions from heavy equipment activity in 2019 amounted to 1,065 Gg CO2. Estimates of greenhouse gas emissions are useful for taking steps to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

Rank-order concordance among conflicting emissions estimates for informing flight choice

Porvair makes environmental improvements across its global operations

The estimation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a change in land‐use and management resulting from growing biofuel feedstocks has undergone extensive – and often contentious – scientific and policy debate. Emergent renewable fuel policies require life cycle GHG emission accounting that includes biofuel‐induced global land‐use change (LUC) GHG emissions. However, the science of LUC generally, and biofuels‐induced LUC specifically, is nascent and underpinned with great uncertainty. We critically review modeling approaches employed to estimate biofuel‐induced LUC and identify major challenges, important research gaps, and limitations of LUC studies for transportation fuels. We found LUC modeling philosophies and model structures and features (e.g. dynamic vs. static model) significantly differ among studies. Variations in estimated GHG emissions from biofuel‐induced LUC are also driven by differences in scenarios assessed, varying assumptions, inconsistent definitions (e.g. LUC), subjective selection of reference scenarios against which (marginal) LUC is quantified, and disparities in data availability and quality. The lack of thorough sensitivity and uncertainty analysis hinders the evaluation of plausible ranges of estimates of GHG emissions from LUC. The relatively limited fuel coverage in the literature precludes a complete set of direct comparisons across alternative and conventional fuels sought by regulatory bodies and researchers.Improved modeling approaches, consistent definitions and classifications, availability of high‐resolution data on LUC over time, development of standardized reference and future scenarios, incorporation of non‐economic drivers of LUC, and more rigorous treatment of uncertainty can help improve LUC estimates in effectively achieving policy goals. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd

The effect of methodology on estimates of greenhouse gas emissions from grass-based dairy systems

The article examines the current state of the Association Agreement implementation in terms of national legislation on climate change and the protection of the ozone layer compliance with the requirements of the EU legal acts listed in Annex XXX to Chapter 6 "Environment" of that Agreement. Under the Association Agreement, such harmonization entails the need to bring national legislation into line with Directive № 2003/87/EC establishing a Community greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme by September 1, 2019 and amending Directive № 96/61/EC ~ 18 ~ ВІСНИК Київського національного університету імені Тараса Шевченка ISSN 1728-3817 as amended by Directive № 2004/101/EC; Regulation (EC) № 842/2006 on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases; Regulation (EU) № 2037/2000 on substances that deplete the ozone layer, as amended and the amendments made by the Regulation (EU) №№ 2038/2000, (EU) 2039/2000, (EU) 1804/2003, (EU) 2077/2004, (EU) 29/2006, (EU) 1366/2006, (EU) 1784/2006, (EC) 1791/2006 and (EC) 2007/899, and Decisions №№ 2003/160 /EC, 2004/232/EC and 2007/54 /EC. The analysis of the national legislation shows that Ukraine as a whole fulfilled its obligations to adapt national legislation to the EU legislation in terms of setting up a monitoring system, reporting and verification of greenhouse gas emissions. The Law of Ukraine "On the Basics of Monitoring, Reporting and Verification of Greenhouse Gas Emissions" was adopted on 12 December 2019. The law comes into force on 1 January 2021. At the same time, it is necessary to adopt by-laws to ensure the effectiveness of the provisions of the aforementioned Law, since as of 1 April 2020 no legislative act has been adopted in its development. Ukraine has also fully fulfilled its obligations to implement the provisions of Regulation (EC) № 2037/2000 on substances that deplete the ozone layer and the provisions of Regulation (EC) № 842/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases. The Law of Ukraine "On Regulation of Economic Activity with Ozone-Depleting Substances and Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases" was adopted on 12 December 1 2019. The law comes into force on 27 June 2020. The article proves that the legal acts, necessary to introduce internal greenhouse gas emission allowance trading scheme and other market and non-market greenhouse gas emission reduction instruments of these gases in accordance with Ukraine's obligations under the Association Agreement have not yet been adopted. Also there is the necessity to make amendments to the Regulation on the Interagency Commission on Implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Decree № 583 of April 14, 1999, to extend its tasks in accordance with the provisions of the Paris Agreement. Keywords: the Association Agreement; climate and ozone protection; fluorinated greenhouse gases; monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions; ozone-depleting substances; reporting of greenhouse gas emissions; verification of greenhouse gas emissions.

Implementing city-level carbon accounting: A comparison between Madrid and London