Accounting Of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Research Articles

Greenhouse Gas Mitigation in Chinese Eco-Industrial Parks by Targeting Energy Infrastructure: A Vintage Stock Model.

Mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in China's industrial sector is crucial for addressing climate change. We developed a vintage stock model to quantify the GHG mitigation potential and cost effectiveness in Chinese eco-industrial parks by targeting energy infrastructure with five key measures. The model, integrating energy efficiency assessments, GHG emission accounting, cost-effectiveness analyses, and scenario analyses, was applied to 548 units of energy infrastructure in 106 parks. The results indicate that two measures (shifting coal-fired boilers to natural gas-fired boilers and replacing coal-fired units with natural gas combined cycle units) present a substantial potential to mitigate GHGs (42%-46%) compared with the baseline scenario. The other three measures (installation of municipal solid waste-to-energy units, replacement of small-capacity coal-fired units with large units, and implementation of turbine retrofitting) present potential mitigation values of 6.7%, 0.3%, and 2.1%, respectively. In most cases, substantial economic benefits also can be achieved by GHG emission mitigation. An uncertainty analysis showed that enhancing the annual working time or serviceable lifetime levels could strengthen the GHG mitigation potential at a lower cost for all of the measures.

Panorama da contabilização de emissões de gases de efeito estufa do setor industrial brasileiro

A Política Nacional sobre Mudanças do Clima (PNMC) estabelece a necessidade de monitoramento, relato e verificação de emissões de gases de efeito estufa (GEE) no setor industrial brasileiro. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar o panorama da contabilização de inventários de emissões de GEE de indústrias de transformação, quanto à participação voluntária das empresas no cumprimento da meta estabelecida pela PNMC. Foram utilizados os registros de inventários no programa GHG Protocol Brasil e no programa internacional Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) entre 2008 e 2014. Os resultados mostraram que as indústrias de transformação representam 25,1% das empresas que participaram do GHG Protocol e 22,3% do CDP, em 2014. O registro de inventários de indústrias de transformação no Brasil cresce em média 15% ao ano e a extrapolação dessa informação revela que a meta de emissões de GEE reportadas no registro público brasileiro poderá ser alcançada em 2020.

Low carbon innovation and practice in Caohejing High-Tech Industrial Park of Shanghai

Industrial parks are essential communities for promoting sustainable development because of their high energy consumption and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission. Existing researches concerning low carbon development of industrial park mainly focus on carbon accounting and carbon reduction strategies. Explanation of how the activities are designed and practiced according to characteristics of targeted industrial parks is limited. Thus, it is essential to have a close look at the low carbon innovation and practice in industrial park. In this study, low carbon practice in Caohejing Industrial Park is targeted as a case study. Low carbon development ideas and actions in the general scope and particular actions are respectively examined. In terms of the general scope, measures including optimization of the energy structure, transforming of infrastructure and auditing of energy consumption and GHG emission are found well practiced. As for the particular action, approaches of industry symbiosis and energy saving in the building sector are analyzed. The contribution of GHG emission reduction approaches in Caohejing Industrial Park is then evaluated. Our findings reveal that transparent accounting of GHG emissions is a basic work for carrying out low carbon measures. Energy structure optimization, infrastructure transforming are also essential steps in the general scope. The commonly applied industry symbiosis is found effective in promoting low carbon economy together with energy saving efforts in the building sector. The experience of regional industrial development in our research can offer reference for low carbon development of industrial parks in helping to make the necessary changes towards sustainable post fossil carbon societies.

Comparison of greenhouse gas emission accounting methods for steel production in China

Abstract Steel production is an environmentally sensitive process accounting for 10% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in China, which represents 4–5% of the world's total anthropogenic GHG emissions. This study presents and compares three GHG emissions accounting methods for steel production in China, which are the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) method, the Life Cycle Inventory Localization (LCIL) method, and the Comprehensive Energy Consumption (CEC) method. Different criteria such as sources of data, energy input-based and process-based analyses, and benefits and limitations of the three methods are compared and discussed. On the basis of the data collected and system boundary defined in this study, the total GHG emissions of the IPCC, LCIL, and CEC methods are estimated as 1.717, 1.715, and 1.959 kg CO 2 -e/kg steel, respectively. The results of the IPCC and CEC methods show that the coal and coke combustion contributes 90.2% and 84.5% of total energy related GHG emissions during steel production in China, respectively. For the LCIL method, it quantifies the GHG emissions from each individual sub-processes associated with the sintering process to the electric arc furnace process. The results of the LCIL method indicate that the hotspot area for GHG emissions during steel production is the blast furnace process, which accounts for 78.4% of the total energy related GHG emissions. These three methods can be applied to other countries to investigate their GHG emissions. Moreover, the comparison of these three methods provides insights for adopting appropriate methods to calculate GHG emissions for steel production.

Does the Voluntary Adoption of Corporate Governance Mechanisms Improve Environmental Risk Disclosures? Evidence from Greenhouse Gas Emission Accounting

Prior research suggests that voluntary environmental governance mechanisms operate to enhance a firm’s environmental legitimacy as opposed to being a driver of proactive environmental performance activities. To understand how these mechanisms contribute to the firm’s environmental legitimacy, we investigate whether environmental corporate governance characteristics are associated with voluntary environmental disclosure. We examine an increasingly important attribute of a firm’s disclosure setting, namely the disclosure of greenhouse gas (GHG) information. GHG information represents proprietary non-financial information about the firm’s exposure to environmental concerns and is related to the firm’s operations and future profitability. Thus, we expect governance participants would view such information as a potentially important strategic device for managing stakeholders’ demands for information concerning environmental risks. We find that the presence of an environmental committee and a Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) is positively associated with the likelihood of GHG disclosure and that CSOs are associated with disclosure transparency. Further analysis reveals that the likelihood of disclosure is associated with committee size, number of committee meetings, expertise of committee members and CSO, and overlap between the environmental committee and audit committee. Only expertise of the environmental committee members and the CSO are associated with GHG disclosure transparency, while larger committees tend to be associated with lower transparency. Our results are particularly important to those with interests in evaluating the potential role that corporate governance mechanisms play in responding to stakeholder concerns about environmental risks. Directors and officers who are considering appointment to similar governance positions, may wish to consider what attributes would make such governance positions more influential.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accounting of Urban Residential Consumption: A Household Survey Based Approach

Devising policies for a low carbon city requires a careful understanding of the characteristics of urban residential lifestyle and consumption. The production-based accounting approach based on top-down statistical data has a limited ability to reflect the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from residential consumption. In this paper, we present a survey-based GHG emissions accounting methodology for urban residential consumption, and apply it in Xiamen City, a rapidly urbanizing coastal city in southeast China. Based on this, the main influencing factors determining residential GHG emissions at the household and community scale are identified, and the typical profiles of low, medium and high GHG emission households and communities are identified. Up to 70% of household GHG emissions are from regional and national activities that support household consumption including the supply of energy and building materials, while 17% are from urban level basic services and supplies such as sewage treatment and solid waste management, and only 13% are direct emissions from household consumption. Housing area and household size are the two main factors determining GHG emissions from residential consumption at the household scale, while average housing area and building height were the main factors at the community scale. Our results show a large disparity in GHG emissions profiles among different households, with high GHG emissions households emitting about five times more than low GHG emissions households. Emissions from high GHG emissions communities are about twice as high as from low GHG emissions communities. Our findings can contribute to better tailored and targeted policies aimed at reducing household GHG emissions, and developing low GHG emissions residential communities in China.

Greenhouse Gas Emission Accounting and Management of Low-Carbon Community

As the major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, cities have been under tremendous pressure of energy conservation and emission reduction for decades. Community is the main unit of urban housing, public facilities, transportation, and other properties of city's land use. The construction of low-carbon community is an important pathway to realize carbon emission mitigation in the context of rapid urbanization. Therefore, an efficient carbon accounting framework should be proposed for CO2 emissions mitigation at a subcity level. Based on life-cycle analysis (LCA), a three-tier accounting framework for the carbon emissions of the community is put forward, including emissions from direct fossil fuel combustion, purchased energy (electricity, heat, and water), and supply chain emissions embodied in the consumption of goods. By compiling a detailed CO2 emission inventory, the magnitude of carbon emissions and the mitigation potential in a typical high-quality community in Beijing are quantified within the accounting framework proposed. Results show that emissions from supply chain emissions embodied in the consumption of goods cannot be ignored. Specific suggestions are also provided for the urban decision makers to achieve the optimal resource allocation and further promotion of low-carbon communities.

Does the Voluntary Adoption of Corporate Governance Mechanisms Improve Environmental Risk Disclosures? Evidence from Greenhouse Gas Emission Accounting

Prior research suggests that voluntary environmental governance mechanisms operate to manage a firm’s reputation as opposed to being a driver of proactive environmental performance activities. In understanding how such corporate governance mechanisms can operate as a symbolic practice, we investigate whether environmental corporate governance characteristics are associated with voluntary environmental disclosure. We examine an increasingly important attribute of a firm’s disclosure setting, namely the disclosure of greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting information. GHG information represents proprietary non-financial information about the firm’s exposure to environmental concerns and is related to the firm’s operations and future profitability. Thus, we expect governance participants would view such information as a potentially important strategic device for managing stakeholder impressions regarding environmental risks. We find that the presence of an environmental committee and a chief sustainability officer (CSO) is positively associated with the likelihood of GHG disclosure and that CSO’s are associated with increased disclosure transparency. Further analysis reveals that the likelihood of disclosure is associated with committee size, number of committee meetings, expertise of committee members and CSO, and overlap between the environmental committee and audit committee. Only expertise of the environmental committee members and the CSO are associated with GHG disclosure transparency, while larger committees tend to be associated with lower transparency. Our results are particularly important to those with interests in evaluating the potential role that corporate governance mechanisms play in responding to stakeholder concerns about environmental risks. Directors and officers who are considering appointment to similar governance positions, may wish to consider what attributes would make such governance positions more influential.

Gap-filling techniques for the annual sums of nitrous oxide fluxes

The full accounting of greenhouse gas emissions is only possible when the three key contributors (CO2, CH4 and N2O) are continuously measured throughout the observation period. While some field techniques such as eddy covariance or automatic closed chamber measurements have attempted near-continuous observations, it is always beyond the control of the experimentalist to ensure perfect continuity. Therefore, the final time series of fluxes will inevitably have periods without reliable values (i.e., gaps) and will need to be gap-filled. While there is abundant literature on methodologies for gap-filling CO2 fluxes, there is no literature on the gap-filling methods for trace gases such as nitrous oxide. We investigate three general approaches for gap-filling nitrous oxide time series: linear extrapolation, moving average and look-up tables. A five-year time-series of eddy-covariance measurements from an intensive grassland site in South-Western Ireland was used as an example. The amount of gaps varied significantly from year to year. The single-year look-up table technique produced consistently good results even when long gaps were present in the time series. In some years, the simpler annual extrapolation technique performed equally well. It is essential that this work be extended with more complex methods, and that methods in this paper are further evaluated under different environmental conditions. We believe that these methods and analysis could also be applied to other trace gas gap-filling (e.g., CH4) which have similar intermittent patterns of emission.

GAAP for GHG Emissions Accounting: How Consistent are GHG Emissions Reported Among Different Channels?

Various institutions in the government, business, and investment communities are now demanding and relying on credible, comparable, consistent sustainability (economic, social, and environmental) information for decision making, especially related to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Based on GHG emissions reports, governments are developing policy to ensure adherence to reduction commitments under worldwide agreements which in turn affect corporations’ planning and investment requirements. As well, investors want to know how these commitments will affect their returns. Organizations have answered the demand by providing GHG information to their shareholders through a number of reporting channels. As each channel provides its own guidelines for reporting, the question arises as to how consistent are the numbers reported under the various channels? We investigate the reliability of reporting of GHG emissions by corporations available through three different channels: mandatory reporting under government regulations; voluntary reporting under the CDP; and voluntary reporting through the companies’ stand-alone sustainability report.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accounting: Allocating Emissions from Processes to Co-Products

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accounting: Allocating Emissions from Processes to Co-Products

Recycling of wood for particle board production: accounting of greenhouse gases and global warming contributions

The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to the recycling of wood waste have been assessed with the purpose to provide useful data that can be used in accounting of greenhouse gas emissions. Here we present data related to the activities in a material recovery facility (MRF) where wood waste is shredded and foreign objects are removed in order to produce wood chips for use in the production of particleboard. The data are presented in accordance with the UOD (upstream, operational, downstream) framework presented in Gentil et al. (Waste Management & Research, 27, 2009). The GHG accounting shows that the emissions related to upstream activities (5 to 41 kg CO(2)-equivalents tonne( -1) wood waste) and to activities at the MRF (approximately 5 kg CO(2)-equivalents tonne(-1) wood waste) are negligible compared to the downstream processing (-560 to -120 kg CO(2)equivalents tonne(-1) wood waste). The magnitude of the savings in GHG emissions downstream are mainly related to savings in energy consumption for drying of fresh wood for particleboard production. However, the GHG account highly depends on the choices made in the modelling of the downstream system. The inclusion of saved electricity from avoided chipping of virgin wood does not change the results radically (-665 to -125 kg CO(2)-equivalents tonne(- 1) wood waste). However, if in addition it is assumed that the GHG emissions from combustion of wood has no global warming potential (GWP) and that the energy produced from excess wood due to recycling substitutes energy from fossil fuels, here assumed to be coal, potentially large downstream GHG emissions savings can be achieved by recycling of waste wood (-1.9 to -1.3 tonnes CO(2)-equivalents tonne(- 1) wood waste). As the data ranges are broad, it is necessary to carefully evaluate the feasibility of the data in the specific system which the GHG accounting is to be applied to.

Recycling of glass: accounting of greenhouse gases and global warming contributions

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to recycling of glass waste were assessed from a waste management perspective. Focus was on the material recovery facility (MRF) where the initial sorting of glass waste takes place. The MRF delivers products like cullet and whole bottles to other industries. Two possible uses of reprocessed glass waste were considered: (i) remelting of cullet added to glass production; and (ii) re-use of whole bottles. The GHG emission accounting included indirect upstream emissions (provision of energy, fuels and auxiliaries), direct activities at the MRF and bottle-wash facility (combustion of fuels) as well as indirect downstream activities in terms of using the recovered glass waste in other industries and, thereby, avoiding emissions from conventional production. The GHG accounting was presented as aggregated global warming factors (GWFs) for the direct and indirect upstream and downstream processes, respectively. The range of GWFs was estimated to 0-70 kg CO(2)eq. tonne( -1) of glass waste for the upstream activities and the direct emissions from the waste management system. The GWF for the downstream effect showed some significant variation between the two cases. It was estimated to approximately -500 kg CO(2)-eq. tonne(- 1) of glass waste for the remelting technology and -1500 to -600 kg CO(2)-eq. tonne(-1) of glass waste for bottle re-use. Including the downstream process, large savings of GHG emissions can be attributed to the waste management system. The results showed that, in GHG emission accounting, attention should be drawn to thorough analysis of energy sources, especially electricity, and the downstream savings caused by material substitution.

The case for consumption-based accounting of greenhouse gas emissions to promote local climate action

Abstract One of the challenges faced by local governments in the work with municipal climate action plans concerns accounting for the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—what emissions should be targeted, development of emissions over time, and how to effectively measure the success of local climate action. In this paper, we present challenges in developing a GHG emissions inventory related to the provision of municipal services. We argue that a consumption-based perspective, illustrated through the use of the carbon footprint (CF), rather than more conventional production-based inventory, provides a more useful and less misleading indicator. We present an analysis of the CF of municipal services provided by the city of Trondheim. The use of data directly from the city's accounting system ensures a reliable calculation of indirect emissions, and, with some minor modifications, also accurate data on direct emissions. Our analysis shows that approximately 93 percent of the total CF of municipal services is indirect emissions, located in upstream paths, underlining the need of introducing consumption-based indicators that takes into account upstream GHG emissions.

A Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accounting Model for Biosolids Management Planning

A Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accounting Model for Biosolids Management Planning