Sequencing, spending, and symbolism: Low carbon taxes primarily serve purposes other than emissions reduction

The transport sector is a major consumer of fossil fuels especially petroleum diesel, which is used to power diesel engines used on-road and off-road in trucks, tractors, passenger cars as well as marine vessels. This is because the diesel engine offers various benefits compared to the spark ignition engine. The advantages include superior fuel efficiency, higher thermal efficiency, greater power output, better fuel saving, lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emission, larger torque and greater durability. Conversely, the diesel engine is a major source of both criteria and non-criteria air pollutants, which contribute to the deteriorating air quality thereby putting the health of mankind at risk. The objective of this study was to investigate the performance of butanol- microalgae biodiesel-diesel blends in terms of energy performances and pollutants’ emission reductions by comparing the brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC), brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and exhaust gases temperatures as well as the nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC) of various diesel blends and against the baseline performance of regular petroleum diesel. All diesel blends showed higher BSFCs and BTEs compared to regular petroleum diesel, whereby BT20W0.5 had the highest BSFC and BT15B2 had the best performance in terms of BTE. Among the diesel blends, only 2% microalgae added to diesel blends increased the NOx emissions by about 2%, while for the addition of 10–20% butanol fractions and 0.5% water fractions resulted in lower NOx emissions by about 12–28%, when compared to petroleum diesel. All the diesel blends considered in this study showed PM reductions ranging between 22.4% for B2 and 60.4% for BT15W0.5%, while reductions of PAH emissions were ranging from 6.5% for B2 to 22.76% for BT20W0.5. On the other hand, only the use of 2% microalgae biodiesel showed reductions in CO emissions of about 0.34% and 1.01% for B2 and BT20B2 blends, respectively, while other diesel blends showed increased CO emissions of about 1.72–2.94% in comparison to CO emissions of diesel fuel emissions. The addition of higher butanol fractions of 20% increased the HC emission factors by approximately 18% and 70%, while the HC emission factors for biodiesel, 10–15% butanol fractions and 0.5% water additions lead to reductions in emission by about 8–50%. According to the results of this study, more research is recommended on the economic potential of using of oxygenated additives in diesel engine especially water addition, higher alcohols and dieselhols blends to evaluate the possibility of synergetic properties of these kinds of fuels to achieve simultaneous reductions in the emissions of NOx, PM, CO, HC, PAHs and other persistent organic pollutants (POPs).

Energy conservation and emission reduction are important ways to cope with global warming. An analysis of energy conservation and emission reduction from the perspective of network infrastructure construction provides an important perspective for the study of sustainable development. Based on the research sample of 263 cities in China from 2006 to 2019, and taking the policy of “Broadband China” as a quasi-natural experiment, this paper uses the double difference model to evaluate the impact of network infrastructure construction on energy conservation and emission reduction. The results show that (1) the construction of network infrastructure can significantly improve the energy utilization rate and reduce carbon emissions intensity, which helps to promote energy conservation and emission reduction. (2) From the perspective of a functional mechanism, on the one hand, network infrastructure construction affects energy conservation and emission reduction through micro-mechanisms such as green technology innovation and energy efficiency. On the other hand, network infrastructure construction also drives the development of the Internet and the digital economy, and promotes energy conservation and emission reduction through macro-mechanisms such as industrial structure and financial development. (3) The heterogeneity analysis shows that network infrastructure construction in non-resource-based cities, eastern regions and low-carbon cities has a greater impact on energy conservation and emission reduction. This study provides a new perspective for achieving low-carbon development goals.

China has implemented an emission trading system (ETS) to reduce its ever-increasing greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining rapid economic growth. With low carbon prices and infrequent allowance trading, whether China's ETS is an effective approach for climate mitigation has entered the center of the policy and research debate. Utilizing China's regional ETS pilots as a quasi-natural experiment, we provide a comprehensive assessment of the effects of ETS on firm carbon emissions and economic outcomes by means of a matched difference-in-differences (DID) approach. The empirical analysis is based on a unique panel dataset of firm tax records in the manufacturing and public utility sectors during 2009 to 2015. We show unambiguous evidence that the regional ETS pilots are effective in reducing firm emissions, leading to a 16.7% reduction in total emissions and a 9.7% reduction in emission intensity. Regulated firms achieve emission abatement through conserving energy consumption and switching to low-carbon fuels. The economic consequences of the ETS are mixed. On one hand, the ETS has a negative impact on employment and capital input; on the other hand, the ETS incentivizes regulated firms to improve productivity. In the aggregate, the ETS does not exhibit statistically significant effects on output and export. We also find that the ETS displays notable heterogeneity across pilots. Mass-based allowance allocation rules, higher carbon prices, and active allowance trading contribute to more pronounced effects in emission abatement.

This work considers the potential reduction in the carbon dioxide emissions associated with the operation of Air Source Heat Pump which could be achieved by using demand side management. In order to achieve significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, it is widely envisioned that electrification of the heating sector will need to be combined with decarbonisation of the electrical supply. By influencing the times at when electric heat pumps operate such that they coincide more with electricity generation which has a low marginal carbon emissions factor, it has been suggested that these emissions could be reduced further. In order to investigate this possibility, models of the UK electrical grid based on scenarios for 2020 to 2050 have been combined with a dynamic model of an air source heat pump unit and thermal models of a population of dwellings. The performance and carbon dioxide emissions associated with the heat pumps are compared both with and without demand side management interventions intended to give preference to operation when the marginal emissions factor of the electricity being generated is low. It is found that these interventions are unlikely to be effective at achieving further reductions in emissions. A reduction of around 3% was observed in scenarios based around 2035 but in other scenarios the reduction was insignificant. In the scenarios with high wind generation (2050), the DSM scheme considered here tends to improve thermal comfort (with minimal increases in emissions) rather than achieving a decrease in emissions. The reasons for this are discussed and further recommendations are made.

Carbon emission transfer strategies in supply chain with lag time of emission reduction technologies and low-carbon preference of consumers

Why carbon leakage matters and what can be done against it

In global climate warming, energy shortage, pollution increasingly serious international background, the development of marked by low energy consumption, low emissions of low-carbon economy and sustainable development are becoming the common choice of economic development around the world. Low carbon economy is a new choice of China faces, new opportunities. New challenges are to improve the ecological environment and promote the development of the change of the pattern of economic development pattern. Power industry is as the most energy consumption. CO2 emissions as one of the largest sector of the future development path is correct or not directly affects the effect and the success or failure of the low carbon economy in our country. Power industry energy conservation and emissions reduction under low carbon economy theory research of the path is feasible and provides reference to the planning power industry in our country and draw lessons from. It has good theoretical value and practical significance. Introduction Climate warming has become a 21st century one of the most serious challenges facing humanity. Global warming will cause the melting glaciers, rising sea levels and frequent natural disasters. The deep influence of agriculture and food security is ecological security. Public health security and energy security, such as a direct threat is to human survival and development. Connotations framework of low carbon city is seen as Fig. 1. And increasing greenhouse gas emissions from human activity is one of the most main cause of global warming. It has found atmosphere can produce nearly 30 kinds of greenhouse gases, which play an important role in our fleet. In the greenhouse gases causing global warming effect, the effect of our fleet is as high as 77%. Therefore, to reduce the emissions of our fleet is an important problem to be solved. Fig. 1. Connotations framework of low carbon city Low carbon economy is not a simple technical or economic issue. It involves politics, society, environment, international and many other issues. Any country and any areas develop low carbon economy alone cannot achieve the reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions. All countries International Conference on Education Technology, Management and Humanities Science (ETMHS 2015) © 2015. The authors Published by Atlantis Press 254 around the world need all groups to discuss. In power generation industry in China is as our fleet emissions in the national economy one of the largest, accounting for 38.76% of carbon emissions. Our country electric power production is given priority to with coal energy use by a coal accounts for the proportion of the power structure of more than 70%. Because it has a longer service life of a generator, the power industry has a strong carbon lock effect. The electric power industry for a long time of our fleet emissions will be locked by the current power structure. Therefore research under the background of low carbon economy under the premise of how to ensure continuous and stable development to achieve energy conservation and emissions reduction. It is an important problem faced by the current power industry.

The City of Surrey in British Columbia, Canada has recently launched a district energy network (DEN) to supply residential and commercial buildings in the Surrey Centre area with hot water for space and domestic hot water heating. The network runs on natural gas boilers and geothermal exchange. However, the City plans to transition to low-carbon energy sources and envisions the DEN as a key development in reaching its greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reduction targets in the building sector. Harvesting and utilizing waste heat from industrial sites using a mobile thermal energy storage (M-TES) is one of the attractive alternative energy sources that Surrey is considering. In this study, a techno-economic analysis (TEA) was conducted to determine the energy storage density (ESD) of the proposed M-TES technology, costs, and the emission reduction potential of integrating waste heat into Surrey’s DEN. Three transportation methods were considered to determine the most cost-effective and low-carbon option(s) to transfer heat from industrial waste heat locations at various distances (15 km, 30 km, 45 km) to district energy networks, including: (i) a diesel truck; (ii) a renewable natural gas-powered (RNG) truck, and (iii) an electric truck. To evaluate the effectiveness of M-TES, the cost of emission reduction ($/tCO2e avoided) is compared with business as usual (BAU), which is using a natural gas boiler only. Another comparison was made with other low carbon energy sources that the city is considering, such as RNG/biomass boiler, sewer heat recovery, electric boiler, and solar thermal. The minimum system-level ESD required to makes M-TES competitive when compared to other low carbon energy sources was 0.4 MJ/kg.

Benefits of low carbon development in a developing country: Case of Nepal

ABSTRACTSustainability is a central issue in metallurgical processes due to their energy intensiveness and environmental impacts. The role of metallurgical industry in Finland is significant accounting for 12% of the value of exports. Meanwhile it is also responsible for 7% of CO2 emissions. Sustainability has been in focus during the latest decennia. Foremost progresses in iron and steelmaking for energy saving and reduction of emissions are surveyed in this contribution. Ferroalloys smelting is a highly energy intensive process. Utilization of local low-grade chromite ore led to major technological advances including innovative agglomeration technique, closed smelting furnace with pre-heating and off-gas recovery contributing to high energy efficiency and low carbon footprint in ferrochrome production. In non-ferrous metallurgy developments in flash smelting for copper rose from a need of substantial reduction of energy consumption and SO2 emissions. The focus was then set on energy efficient technologies with low carbon footprint, sulphur fixation and fugitive emissions. Oxygen in smelting, continuous converting, direct to blister and direct nickel matte smelting are the main achievements. The impact of novel technologies to global sulphur emissions and local environmental issues in the smelters has been considerable.

Wood-based building materials and atmospheric carbon emissions

Health systems globally need to rapidly set and achieve targets for reaching net zero carbon emissions. Virtual consulting (including video- and telephone-based consulting) is regarded as one means by which this might be achieved, largely through reduced patient travel. Little is currently known about the ways in which forms of virtual consulting might contribute to the net zero agenda or how countries may develop and implement programs at scale that can support increased environmental sustainability. In this paper, we asked, What is the impact of virtual consulting on environmental sustainability in health care? and What can we learn from current evaluations that can inform future reductions in carbon emissions? We conducted a systematic review of published literature according to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. We searched the MEDLINE, PubMed, and Scopus databases using key terms relating to "carbon footprint," "environmental impact," "telemedicine," and "remote consulting," using citation tracking to identify additional articles. The articles were screened, and full texts that met the inclusion criteria were obtained. Data on the approach to carbon footprinting reported reductions in emissions, and the opportunities and challenges associated with the environmental sustainability of virtual consultations were extracted into a spreadsheet, analyzed thematically, and theorized using the Planning and Evaluating Remote Consultation Services framework to consider the various interacting influences, including environmental sustainability, that shape the adoption of virtual consulting services. A total of 1672 papers were identified. After removing duplicates and screening for eligibility, 23 papers that focused on a range of virtual consulting equipment and platforms across different clinical conditions and services were included. The focus on the environmental sustainability potential of virtual consulting was unanimously reported through carbon savings achieved by a reduction in travel related to face-to-face appointments. The shortlisted papers used a range of methods and assumptions to determine carbon savings, reporting these using different units and across varied sample sizes. This limited the potential for comparison. Despite methodological inconsistencies, all papers concluded that virtual consulting significantly reduced carbon emissions. However, there was limited consideration of wider factors (eg, patient suitability, clinical indication, and organizational infrastructure) influencing the adoption, use, and spread of virtual consultations and the carbon footprint of the entire clinical pathway in which the virtual consultation was provided (eg, risk of missed diagnoses from virtual consultations that result in the need for subsequent in-person consultations or admissions). There is overwhelming evidence that virtual consulting can reduce health care carbon emissions, largely through reducing travel related to in-person appointments. However, the current evidence fails to look at system factors associated with implementing virtual health care delivery and wider research into carbon emissions across the entire clinical pathway.

Along with the trend of low-carbon development, the government adopts a series of measures to control carbon emissions. Here, in the case with constraint of carbon cap and both firms and consumers have low carbon preference, we study the firm production decision problems in a supply chain consists of three firms The latest-firm-dominant situation is discussed by using Stackelberg game and we obtain the optimal output and emission reductions by the converse solution method. It shows that the optimal reduction decision of a firm is to make its marginal emission reduction cost slightly larger than purchase the corresponding emission rights from the carbon transaction market. The emission reduction of one side in a supply chain will motivate the others in the supply chain. With the enhancement of consumer low-carbon preference, the sales price will rise and lead to profits rise of the whole supply chain, but not all firms are profits benefit. Based on the above analysis, we extend the model to n firms aims to make some guideline sense for supply chain firms launching cooperation in areas of emission reduction.

The urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, remove carbon from the atmosphere and stabilize natural carbon sinks has led to the development of many carbon management measures, increasingly including voluntary carbon offsets (VCOs). We studied carbon management in universities, institutions with large carbon footprints and considerable influence in climate science and policy fora. However, concerns that VCOs may deter adopters (including universities) from adopting other carbon reduction measures and limit emissions reductions, for example, through moral hazard, have been raised but understudied. We compared the carbon management characteristics (priorities, policies, practices and emissions) of universities that did and did not adopt VCOs. We found adopters measured carbon emissions for longer, and had set targets to reach net zero earlier than had non-adopters. Adopters of VCOs also undertook more carbon management practices in both 2010 and 2020 than non-adopters. We also found that both adopters and non-adopters significantly increased their carbon management practices over the decade studied, but with no difference between groups. Gross CO2 emissions were reduced significantly over time by adopters of VCOs but not by non-adopters, whereas carbon intensity and percentage annual emissions reductions did not relate to adoption status. Consequently, our study showed no indication of mitigation deterrence due to adoption of VCOs at the universities studied. Rather, greater emissions reductions correlated with earlier net zero target dates, and a higher number of policies and carbon management practices. However, our study was constrained to universities that were affiliated with a national environmental network, so research beyond these organizations, and with individuals, would be useful. The survey was voluntary, exposing the study to potential self-selection bias so the findings may not be generalized beyond the study group. Finally, we found the carbon accounting method currently required of universities for scope 1 and 2 emissions may underestimate emissions reductions, particularly for adopters of VCOs. Augmenting the current location-based accounting method with market-based carbon accounts may overcome this.

The energy provision and utilization has not been a strategic priority for urban authorities. Urban areas are centers of growth, production and consumption. They represent potential pathways to achieve a low-carbon society. This paper presents the development of a strategic energy and carbon management in urban areas in Thailand. The objective of this study is to analyze strategic urban energy use and carbon management while satisfying required demands. Future energy demand and energy-related CO 2 emissions are calculated using the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning (LEAP) system based on end-use scenario methodology with taking into consideration of two scenarios. The business as usual scenario assumes that no specific measures will be applied to influence the trends of urban energy demand. The countermeasures scenario is generated to assess the effects of policy measures for energy savings and CO 2 emission reductions. The energy use, energy-related CO 2 emissions and potential for energy-savings and emission reductions are estimated for a planning horizon of 2009–2020, with 2008 used as the base year. The findings indicated that the transport sector has the largest abatement potential. The cleaner technology measure is the most effective in terms of energy-savings and CO 2 emission reductions. In addition, GIS is also implemented for local governments to achieve the contribution of information.