Abstract
A model is presented which covers the global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG emissions) and the energy consumption (fuels, electricity) in five sectors of end users, industry, transport, buildings, agriculture, and fugitive emissions. The electricity sector is also considered, but the associated GHG emissions are reallocated to the five end users. Different GHG reduction measures were calculated ranging from substitution of coal for electricity generation by renewables, electrification of road transport and buildings, restructuring of the sector industry to finally a 50% reduction of both food waste and meat consumption. To elucidate the consequences of global warming, future emission scenarios were also incorporated. One major conclusion is that the world can only reach the 2-degree climate target if electricity is only produced by renewables, and if transportation, buildings, and the industry are completely electrified by 2050. Compared to today, the electricity production by renewables will then rise by a factor of 11, and the total electricity demand by a factor of 2.4.
Highlights
Publications on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG emissions), climate change, and climate targets and policies are numerous, ranging from scientific publications, popular scientific books, such as the recently released book written by Bill Gates [1], and newspaper articles to statements as well as pledges of governments and political parties
Not being experts in climate research, we focus on technical options to reduce GHG emissions and use published trajectories to estimate the impact on global warming and the achievement of climate targets
It should be mentioned that the global primary energy (PE) demand is not altered by the measures 1 to 4, and only slightly increases by measure 5 if electrical energy (EE) generated by renewables is still—as today in a world mainly run on the basis of fossil fuels—converted in PE by assuming an efficiency of 40%, i.e., 1 Gtoe EE equals 2.5 Gtoe PE
Summary
Publications on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG emissions), climate change, and climate targets and policies are numerous, ranging from scientific publications, popular scientific books, such as the recently released book written by Bill Gates [1], and newspaper articles to statements as well as pledges of governments and political parties. According to the data shown, the emissions of CO2 have increased by 60%, the output of methane has grown by 17% and the emissions of N2 O have risen by 26% These three gases have currently a share of 98% on the total greenhouse gas emissions, CO2 has a share of. Industrialized countries in North America and Europe have reduced their total and per capita GHG emissions in the last three decades by up to about 25%. Both the per capita and the total emissions of emerging nations like China and India have increased quite strongly.
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