Mt Of CO2 Eq Research Articles

Carbon emissions changes of animal husbandry in China: Trends, attributions, and solutions: A spatial shift-share analysis

China is a major livestock producer confronting the dual challenges of rising demand for animal-based food consumption and decreasing carbon emissions. To effectively address these issues, it is crucial to understand the trends of carbon emissions from animal husbandry and the competitive advantages of carbon emission reduction in different regions. This study uses panel data from 31 provinces from 2004 to 2020 to investigate the contributing factors to carbon emissions and explore ways to reduce carbon intensity in animal husbandry. The analysis employs spatial shift-share analysis and the spatial Durbin model. Our findings indicate that life-cycle carbon emissions associated with animal husbandry in China decreased from 572.411 Mt CO2eq to 520.413 Mt CO2eq over time, with an average annual decline of 0.568 %. The annual contribution of output value and internal industry-mix adjustment to carbon emission growth is 22.639 MT CO2eq and 6.226 MT CO2eq, respectively. On the other hand, the annual contribution of carbon efficiency improvement to carbon emission reduction is much higher, at 36.316 MT CO2eq. However, there is significant regional heterogeneity in the spatial decomposition of the carbon efficiency change component. The Northeastern region, Northwest and along the Great Wall demonstrate neighborhood advantages in enhancing carbon efficiency. In contrast, the South China and Southwest regions rely more on local carbon efficiency advantages to reduce the carbon intensity of animal husbandry. Furthermore, the carbon intensity in local and neighboring areas can be reduced through environmental regulations and industrial agglomeration. While technical progress significantly negatively impacts carbon intensity in neighboring regions, it does not contribute to reducing the carbon intensity of local animal husbandry. The findings provide valuable insights for local governments, aiding them in recognizing the pros and cons of carbon reduction in animal husbandry and strengthening regional cooperation in emission reduction management.

The impact of controlling diseases of significant global importance on greenhouse gas emissions from livestock production

BackgroundA considerable body of evidence has reported the beneficial effects of improving productivity on reducing environmental impacts from livestock production. However, despite the negative impacts of animal diseases on reproduction, growth and milk production, there is little information available upon the impacts of animal disease on greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe). This study aimed to partially address this knowledge gap by investigating the effects of globally important vaccine-preventable diseases on GHGe from various livestock systems, namely: intensive dairy, extensive beef, commercial swine and backyard poultry production.MethodsSimple deterministic models were developed within Microsoft Excel to quantify the impacts of livestock disease on productivity (defined as total milk and/or meat yield, MMY) adjusted for disease prevalence both at the population level (high or low), and at the herd or flock level. Disease-induced changes in MMY were applied to the GHGe per kg of milk or meat according to the consequent changes in livestock populations required to maintain milk or meat production. Diseases investigated comprised foot and mouth, brucellosis, anthrax, lumpy skin disease, classical swine fever, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), low and high pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI and HPAI), avian infectious bronchitis and Newcastle disease.ResultsAll diseases investigated had multifactorial impacts on total MMY, yet diseases that increased mortality in breeding or growing livestock (e.g. anthrax, classical swine fever and HPAI) showed greater impacts on GHGe per unit of milk or meat produced than those that primarily affecting yields or reproduction (e.g. brucellosis or LPAI). Prevalence also had considerable effects on potential GHGe. For example, maintaining backyard poultry meat production from a 100,000 hen population with 70% prevalence of HPAI increased GHGe by 11,255 MT CO2eq compared to a 30% prevalence at 3475 MT CO2eq above the baseline (0% prevalence). Effective reduction of the prevalence of PRRS in swine from 60 to 10%, FMD in beef cattle from 45 to 5% prevalence, or AIB in poultry from 75 to 20% prevalence would reduce GHGe intensities (CO2eq/kg CW) by 22.5%, 9.11% and 11.3% respectively.ConclusionsControlling livestock disease can reduce MMY losses at the farm level, which improves food security, reduces GHGe and enhances livestock system sustainability.

The Environmental Footprint of Bitcoin Mining Across the Globe: Call for Urgent Action

AbstractBased on a multi‐attribute assessment of the environmental impacts and challenges associated with global Bitcoin (BTC) mining activities around the globe, we call for urgent action by the scientific, policy, and advocacy communities. The worldwide BTC mining network consumed 173.42 TWh of electricity during the 2020–2021 period, bigger than the electricity consumption of most nations. The mining process emitted over 85.89 Mt of CO2eq in the same timeframe, equivalent to the emission caused by burning 84 billion pounds of coal or running 190 natural gas‐fired power plants. The environmental footprint of BTC mining is not limited to greenhouse gas emissions. In 2020–2021, the global water footprint of BTC mining was about 1.65 km3, more than the domestic water use of 300 million people in rural Sub‐Saharan Africa. The land footprint of the global BTC mining network during this period was more than 1,870 square kilometers, 1.4 times the area of Los Angeles. These striking numbers highlight the heavy reliance of the BTC network on fossil fuels and natural resource‐intensive energy sources, resulting in major but unmonitored and unregulated environmental footprints. To mitigate the environmental costs of BTC mining, immediate policy interventions, technological advancements, and scientific research are crucial. Proposed measures include enhanced transparency, economic and regulatory tools, developing energy‐efficient alternative coins, and the adoption of greener blockchain validation protocols.

Status of Research on Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Wastewater Collection Systems

Wastewater collection systems (WCSs) not only play an indispensable role in urban life but also significantly contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Based on extensive literature research, this study (1) summarizes current research on the production mechanisms, influencing factors, control techniques, and quantitative estimates of GHGs emitted from WCSs and (2) presents initial estimates of total GHG emissions from WCSs in China. A variety of factors affect GHG production, but standard methods are still lacking to quantify GHG emissions from WCSs. China’s WCSs emit approximately 3.86–15.35 Mt of CO2eq annually (equivalent to 5.1–20.2% of the GHG emissions from wastewater treatment). Thus, GHG emissions from WCSs are significant and deserve attention. Control of GHGs in WCSs can be achieved through the application of chemical agents, while the construction of a green stormwater infrastructure can further facilitate GHG reductions. This review provides valuable insights for policymakers to consider in future policy planning related to GHG reduction and the improved operation of WCSs. Future research should focus on quantifying the impacts of various factors and accumulating field data on GHGs in various regions to facilitate the development of standardized calculation methods.

Material Flow Analysis of Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling in Europe: Environmental and Economic Implications

This study aimed at a quantitative analysis of the material flows associated with End of Life (EoL) lithium-ion batteries’ (LIBs) materials in Europe. The European electric vehicles fleet in 2020 was taken as a case study, assuming a 10-year lifetime for the batteries and that the related EoL LIBs would be processed by existing recycling plants via pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy, or their combination in sequence. The economic implications (recycling operative costs compared to the revenues from the sales of the recycled metals) and the environmental performances (CO2 eq. emitted, energy demand and circularity performances) were assessed. Based on the gathered results, the existing European recycling capacity will overlook over 78% of the forecasted EoL LIBs. The treatment efficiencies of the full-scale recycling processes allow for the recovery of over 90% of copper, cobalt, nickel, and manganese, 87% of aluminum, and only 42% of lithium and 35% of iron entering the recycling facilities. In overall, LIBs recycling in 2030 will involve the emission of 3.7 Mt of CO2 eq. and an energy demand of 33.6 GWh. Hydrometallurgy presents the best economic and environmental trade-off compared to other recycling strategies. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that current European LIBs’ recycling infrastructure will be inadequate in the near future and the direction (i.e., hydrometallurgy) that its strengthening should pursue.

Impact of virtual continued medical education on carbon footprint and awareness of digital sobriety: A retrospective cross-sectional study among public health professionals in India.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, physical meetings and continuing medical education (CMEs) are being conducted in virtual mode. Digital sobriety has been advocated as a strategy for controlling the environmental emission from online events. The present study was undertaken to assess the impact of virtual CMEs on the environment and the participants' perception, knowledge, attitude, and practices of digital sobriety during the CMEs. A retrospective cross-sectional Google form-based online study was conducted among the 1,311 registrants of 23 virtual CMEs hosted in India. A pre-tested English questionnaire was used to collect the data. The potential carbon footprint of the significant physical CME activities and the carbon emission (CE) of the virtual CMEs were estimated. Among the registrants contacted, 251 consented and participated in the study. The CE of the virtual CMEs was 0.787 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MT CO2 Eq). If the CMEs were conducted physically, the potential CE was estimated to be 290.094 MT CO2 Eq. The awareness rate of digital sobriety was 35%. Most of the participants (58.7%) from the current study preferred the hybrid mode of CMEs. Virtual, digitally sober CMEs have reduced the potential CE by 99.7% compared to physical CMEs in India. The awareness and knowledge about digital sobriety is low in India. Knowledge, networking, social interactions, and overall satisfaction were relatively lower in the virtual mode of CMEs than in the physical mode.

Potential Greenhouse Gas Mitigation from Utilising Pig Manure and Grass for Hydrothermal Carbonisation and Anaerobic Digestion in the UK, EU, and China

Pig manure currently results in sizeable greenhouse gas emissions, during storage and spreading to land. Anaerobic digestion and hydrothermal carbonisation could provide significant greenhouse gas mitigation, as well as generate renewable heat and power (with anaerobic digestion), or a peat-like soil amendment product (with hydrothermal carbonisation). The greenhouse gas mitigation potential associated with avoidance of pig manure storage and spreading in the UK, EU, and China, as well as the potential to provide heat and power by anaerobic digestion and soil amendment products by hydrothermal carbonisation was herein determined. In each case, the mono-conversion of pig manure is compared to co-conversion with a 50:50 mixture of pig manure with grass. Anaerobic digestion displayed a greater greenhouse gas mitigation potential than hydrothermal carbonisation in all cases, and co-processing with grass greatly enhances greenhouse gas mitigation potential. China has the largest greenhouse gas mitigation potential (129 MT CO2 eq), and greatest mitigation per kg of pig manure (1.8 kgCO2/kg pig manure volatile solids). The energy grid carbon intensity has a significant impact on the greenhouse gas mitigation potential of the different approaches in the different regions. Pig manure is generated in large amounts in China, and the energy generated from biogas offsets a higher carbon intensity grid. Greenhouse gas savings from the anaerobic digestion of pig manure and grass have been calculated to provide a significant potential for reducing total greenhouse gas emissions representation in China (1.05%), the EU (0.92%), and the UK (0.19%). Overall, the utilisation of pig manure could bring about substantial greenhouse savings, especially through co-digestion of pig manure with grass in countries with large pig farming industries and carbon intense energy mixes.

Civil aviation emissions in Argentina

The impact of aviation on climate change is reflected in increasing emissions of CO2 and other pollutants from fuel burning emitted at high altitudes, representing 2.9 % of total Greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions in 2019. However, mitigations options for decarbonization of aviation are difficult to implement given operational safety, technology maturity, energy density and other constraints. One alternative for mitigation is the use of certified sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with lower carbon intensity than conventional jet fuel (CJF). This research presents an inventory of Argentine civil aviation emissions for its domestic and international flights, and analyzes the possibility of supplying SAF as a mitigation strategy given its abundant biomass production. Argentine aviation activity is presented as a monthly 4D (latitude, longitude, altitude and time) spatial inventory for the interval 2001–2021, based on origin and destination city pairs, aircraft types and airlines. Fuel consumption and pollutant emissions were calculated for landing-and-take-off and cruise phases. Monthly domestic ranged from 67 to 179 kt CO2eq (2001–2019). Annual peak values occurred in 2019 consuming 560 kt CJF and direct emitting of 1.77 Mt CO2eq. While Revenue-Passenger-Kilometer (RPK) grew almost 4 times (4.18 × 109 in 2001 to 16.42 × 109 in 2019), the number of flights changed only 1.5 times (from 98,000 in 2002 to 152,000 in 2019). The main efficiency indexes varied from 97 t CJF/RPK, 308 gCO2eq/RPK to 34 t CJF/RPK, 107 gCO2eq/RPK between 2001 and 2019, respectively, showing an average annual improvement of 3.5 % due to partial fleet renewal, especially from 2015 onwards. Emissions of other pollutants for 2019 reached total values of CO 14.14 kt; NOx 6.77 kt; PM tot 55.12 kt. For the period 2001–2019, international aviation consumed between 1 Mt - 1.5 Mt CJF, directly emitting between 3.30 and 4.80 Mt of CO2eq; RPKs went from 6.234 × 109 to 20.524 × 109; the efficiency indices ranged from 529 to 240 gCO2eq/RPK. The most important changes occurred with an optimization of routes and number of flights and the replacement of the four-engines (B747, A380) by more efficient twin-engines (B777, A330) aircraft. Argentina is not required to any offsetting regulatory program due to its small aviation market (approx. 0.22 % global market in 2019), nor has to date certified SAF production pathways, nevertheless it has potential for SAF availability based on actual biofuels production (ethanol, biodiesel and soybean oil) and biomass feedstock's existences. In this sense this studies proposes that 2019 domestic fuel consumption could be supplied using 79 % exportable amounts of sugarcane ethanol (257 ± 53 kt) (by Ethanol to Jet ETJ) and 34 % of exportable soybean oil (1079 ± 160 kt) (by hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids- HEFA) pathways. For this scenario average GHG emissions reached 1.321 ± 0.115 Mt CO2eq; which would imply a 62 % of the current emission value using CJF (2.17Mt CO2eq), or savings of about 838 kt CO2eq (38 %). At the 2019 level of harvest and biofuel production, up to 1.4 Mt of SAF could be produced from sugarcane ethanol/ETJ and soybean oil/HEFA mitigating up to 1.8 MtCO2eq. A 35 kt CO2eq annual sectoral national mitigation strategy could be reached by using 14 kt of SAF.

Saudi Arabia’s Journey toward Net-Zero Emissions: Progress and Challenges

Combating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has become an obligation for countries that ratified the Paris Agreement. Saudi Arabia, as a member of the Paris Agreement, pledged to achieve net zero emissions (NZE) by 2060. This endeavor is challenging for all countries. This paper provides an analysis and assessment of the Saudi measures to achieve NZE by 2060. The analysis reveals that Saudi Arabia will reduce the total net emissions to 49.67 Mt of CO2eq, whereas under a business-as-usual scenario, the emissions would reach 1.724 million tons (Mt) of CO2 equivalent (CO2eq). The study reveals that sectors conducting environmental, social, and governance ratings (ESG) and those where the government is a stakeholder are on the right track and will facilitate the government’s efforts in reaching NZE. The gap in reaching NZE will be mainly due to the Saudi steel and cement industries.

The COVID-19 impacts on air transport - a case study of Hong Kong

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the transport industry across the world since February 2020. Using data from the Hong Kong International Airport, we obtained seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average models for passenger movements and air cargo for 2005-2019. The COVID-19 impacts on passenger movements and air cargo were estimated based on differences between the predicted and actual monthly values in 2020. We found that the total number of passenger movements dropped by 86.2% while the total volume of air cargo dropped by 6% in 2020. Additionally, the GHG emission due to the use of aviation kerosene was 10.5 Mt of CO2-eq in 2020; down from 20.8 Mt of CO2-eq in 2019 (i.e., a drop of 49.5%). We also found the significant improvement of visibility at the airport - a rare upside of the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to high unemployment rate in the transport and tourism-related sectors and has a negative economic impact on the aviation sector.

Estimation of greenhouse gas mitigation potential from refrigerant switching and energy efficiency improvement in Thai air conditioners

Thailand is an important manufacturing and export center of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (RAC), especially wall-typed air conditioners (ACs). Environmentally friendly refrigerant such as Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) have become the future substitute potential due to their zero-ozone depleting potential (ODP) with lower global warming potential (GWP). In this paper, we focus on country-wide GHG mitigation potential from refrigerant switching from R-32 to R-290 in Thai air conditioners. We found that there are GHG mitigation opportunities with overall 1.48 MtCO 2eq from the switching in the year 2020 from two concept as follows; (i) GHG mitigation from refrigerant leakage results at around 0.50 MtCO 2eq, (ii) GHG mitigation from energy efficiency improvement result at around 0.98 MtCO 2. However, there are some safety concerns of R-290 which is flammable refrigerants, hence, the relevance government agencies have to be seriously considered especially the installation and operation of R-290 in Thai air conditioners. The well-designed capacity building and awareness for manufacturers, technical service, provider, and user have to be set. Technology transfer from industrialized country to Thailand is essential. All activities have to be implemented along with the Kigali Amendment which will be aligned with the national NDC Roadmap.

Environmental assessment of recycling waste corrugated cartons from online shopping of Chinese university students.

College students in China are among the main consumers of online shopping and the corrugated cartons used to ship items are piling up on campus. However, the generation characteristics of waste corrugated cartons (WCCs) in universities and the environmental consequences along their recycling pathway remain to be addressed. Taking Nanjing University (NJU) as an example, this study conducted a questionnaire survey on campus to analyze the generation characteristics of WCCs and evaluated the life cycle environmental impacts of their recycling process using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method. The results showed that WCC generation on campus varied by educational level, sex, grade and major, with doctoral students and female students being more active in online shopping and thus generating more WCCs. It was further estimated that a total of 0.27Mt of WCCs were generated by college students in China in 2020, of which recycling would result in 0.31Mt of CO2 eq of GHG emissions. Pulping and papermaking processes are the main contributors to the life cycle environmental impacts of WCC recycling, together accounting for at least 77% of the total. This study suggests the need for joint efforts from universities, students, and recycling enterprises to reduce WCC generation in Chinese universities and to make its recycling chain more environmentally sustainable.

Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Potential of European Union’s Circularity Related Targets for Plastics

Current rising concerns about environmental and climate impacts in production, consumption and end-of-life of plastics have led to efforts to switch from linear to circular economy of plastics in Europe. Greenhouse gas emissions are likely to decrease with a transition to a circular system; however, a systematic and integrated perspective on plastics and the carbon cycle is currently missing in the debate on plastics.In this study, a model to estimate greenhouse gas emissions of the current mostly linear plastics value chain of the EU in 2018 and a future scenario, 2025 model, were created. By 2025 if current policy targets are reached, the plastic packaging recycling rate should be 50%, PET-based drinking bottles should include 25% recycled content, 77% collection target for plastic bottles, 10 Mt recyclates should enter the markets, uptake of bio-based plastics is estimated by European bioplastics to increase from current 1 to 1.32% and landfilling will continue to decrease according to the current trend at 3.85%.Total greenhouse gas emissions caused by the current plastics value chain are estimated at 208 million tonnes of CO2-eq. The 2025 model estimates that total plastics value chain emissions will be 182 Mt of CO2-eq. Reduction potential is approximately 26 Mt of CO2-eq or 13%.

Estimation of marginal abatement subsidization cost of renewable energy for power generation in Thailand

Thailand has steadily increased the use of renewable energy as a result of the Alternative Energy Development Plan (AEDP), intends to promote renewable energy production and consumption in all sectors which caused impacts to greenhouse gas (GHG) emission mitigation, in addition to reducing the fossil energy imports from other countries. Renewable energy accounts for 15.51% of total final energy consumption in Thailand in 2020, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 36.73 million tons. It is commonly used in the form of electricity, which is accounted for 24.2% of total renewable energy consumption, second only to heat. However, because renewable energy power generation has a relatively high cost, the Thai government has designed subsidization schemes to increase financial interest. This research focuses on estimating the marginal abatement costs (MAC) of subsidizing power generation from renewable energy in Thailand, through Feed-in Tariffs (FiT) and direct subsidy schemes, which includes (i) natural type (solar energy, wind power, and hydro energy), and (ii) bio-renewable type (biomass, biogas, and MSW) from 2013 to 2018. MAC is widely-recognized as an important economics instrument for policymakers to prioritize greenhouse gas mitigation measures and shape up the policy decision to set up appropriate relevant mechanisms in the medium and long term. We found that MAC results are ranging from 5,740.19 to 8,472.59 THB/tCO 2eq for solar energy, from 6,437.66 to 6,979.21 THB/tCO 2eq for wind power (all scale), from 4,415.00 to 4,786.39 THB/tCO 2eq for small hydro energy, from 4,862.13 to 7,820.28 THB/tCO 2eq for biomass, from 3,050.92 to 8,087.03 THB/tCO 2eq for biogas, and from 5,635.57 to 10,682.50 THB/tCO 2eq for MSW while the actual GHG mitigation from those activities were 19.84 MtCO 2eq in 2019, mainly from bio-renewable type.

Overnutrition is a significant component of food waste and has a large environmental impact

Food waste and obesity and overweight conditions are both linked to the unsustainability of current food systems. This article argues that overnutrition should be considered a form of food waste and it provides a first estimation of the quantity of food over-consumed in Italy. This is done by calculating the excess calories consumed by obese and overweight people and converting them into food quantities by comparison with a typical Italian diet. The total quantity of food consumed in excess by Italian citizens due to overnutrition is calculated as 1.553 million tonnes per year, which is comparable to the current national household food waste assessments. The environmental impact arising from production and consumption of this food accounts for 6.15 Mt of CO2-eq per year, as estimated by a Life Cycle Analysis conducted on the 46 food categories which compose the typical Italian diet. Overnutrition in the South-Islands regions of Italy exerts the largest impact (31.6%), followed by the North-West (26.6%), the Centre (22.2%), and the North-East (19.1%).

Potential Greenhouse Gas Mitigation for Converting High Moisture Food Waste into Bio-Coal from Hydrothermal Carbonisation in India, Europe and China

Hydrothermal carbonisation is a promising technology for greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation through landfill avoidance and power generation, as it can convert high-moisture wastes into bio-coal which can be used for coal substitution. The GHG mitigation potential associated with landfill avoidance of high-moisture food waste (FW) generated in India, China and the EU was calculated and the potential for coal substitution to replace either grid energy, hard coal, or lignite consumption were determined. Different HTC processing conditions were evaluated including temperature and residence times and their effect on energy consumption and energy recovery. The greatest mitigation potential was observed at lower HTC temperatures and shorter residence times with the bio-coal replacing lignite. China had the greatest total mitigation potential (194 MT CO2 eq), whereas India had the greatest mitigation per kg of FW (1.2 kgCO2/kg FW). Significant proportions of overall lignite consumption could be substituted in India (12.4%) and China (7.1%), while sizable levels of methane could be mitigated in India (12.5%), China (19.3%), and the EU (7.2%). GHG savings from conversion of high-moisture FW into bio-coal and subsequent coal replacement has significant potential for reducing total GHG emissions and represents in India (3%), China (2.4%), and the EU (1%).

Magnesium Life Cycle in Automotive Industry

The transportation sector is responsible for the largest share (29% in 2019) of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). One of the ways to reduce this share consists in introducing lightweight vehicles in order to diminish fuel consumption, and, in consequence, GHG emissions. Magnesium (Mg) carries considerable potential as a lightweight material to be used in automotive industry, e.g., in gearboxes, front end and IP beams, steering column and driver’s airbag housings, steering wheels, seat frames and fuel tank covers. Weight savings resulting from the use of Mg could reach up to 70% of the conventional parts. However, energy consumption and emissions from magnesium primary production are higher than for steel and aluminum. Therefore, enhancing magnesium recycling would be vital for ensuring its sustainable use. This study assesses the life cycle of magnesium extracted from end-of-life products. Using system dynamics modelling, we quantify the potential environmental benefits and examine aspects related to circularity of magnesium to be used in the automotive industry. Energy consumption, water use and related emissions are assessed in processes of functional (recovered Mg reused in the vehicle manufacturing processes) and non-functional (recovered Mg as an element used in aluminum alloys) recycling as well as casting and molding. Obtained results show that the implementation of circular economy strategies may help in increasing the supply of magnesium from the automotive industry up to 0.70 million tonnes (mt) in 2050. As shown by the analysis, 43% of total energy consumption and water use at the global Mg recycling stage in 2050 corresponds to non-functional casting and molding in automotive industry, followed by non-functional recycling (11%), functional casting and molding (7%) and functional recycling (2%). Also, it is estimated that the existing technologies in functional and non-functional Mg recycling in automotive industry contribute to the global warming with an emission of 5.62 and 29.66 mt of CO2 eq. in 2050, respectively.

Environmental and Socioeconomic Impacts of Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) Packaging Management Strategies in the EU

Plastics are a challenge for the circular economy due to their overall low recycling rate and high dependency on primary resources. This study analyzes the EU demand for poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) packaging from 2020 to 2030 and quantifies the potential environmental and societal savings by changing the waste management and consumption patterns compared with business-as-usual practices. The results of the life-cycle assessment and life-cycle costing show that a maximum of 38 Mt of CO2-eq and 34 kt of PM2.5-eq could be saved with a more efficient waste management system and a robust secondary material market while also avoiding 8.3 billion EUR2019 in societal costs (cumulative 2020-2030). However, limiting annual PET consumption growth appears to have a similar profound effect on improving the efficiency of waste management systems: 35 Mt of CO2-eq, 31 kt of PM2.5-eq, and 25 billion MEUR2019 societal costs could be saved, simply by keeping EU consumption of PET constant.

Assessment and projection of environmental impacts of food waste treatment in China from life cycle perspectives

China produces vast amounts of food waste every year. However, the environmental impact of the current treatment of food waste and its potential for improvement are not very clear. Therefore, this study applied life cycle assessment to compare the current major treatment options for food waste and to systematically quantify the environmental impact of current and future food waste treatment in China based on the amount and treatment mode of food waste. In 2020, 125 million tons (Mt) of food waste was generated in China. Its treatment consumed 30.1 Mt oil-Eq of fossil fuels and 16.7 Mt of freshwater, and released 37.5 Mt of CO2-Eq. A promising finding was that if the proportion of food waste treated by anaerobic digestion exceeded 40% and landfilling was terminated by 2050, most impact categories would be reduced by more than 50%. Although anaerobic digestion is a potentially more environmentally friendly treatment option due to more output of energy and resources, it is worth noting that it consumed more freshwater than incineration and landfilling. Electricity consumption contributed more than 50% of the environmental burden of anaerobic digestion. Therefore, for the upstream of anaerobic digestion, China should further implement policies of waste classification and promote zero-waste cities, so that less impurities and more food waste would enter anaerobic digestion instead of landfills. Whereas downstream, the resource utilization of biogas and digestate enhance should be enhanced so as to strengthen the environmental sustainability of anaerobic digestion.

Developing a framework to assess the long-term adoption of renewable energy technologies in the electric power sector: The effects of carbon price and economic incentives

Greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels are one of the main causes of anthropogenic climate change. Large-scale deployment of renewable energy can play an immense role in transforming the global energy system and mitigating the emissions. This paper describes the development of a novel framework called MArket Penetration ModeLing of Renewable Energy Technologies in Electric Power Sector (MAPLET-PS). MAPLET-PS assesses the impacts of policy measures such as carbon price and financial incentives on the adoption of renewable energy technologies. The framework was used to develop a case study for the electric power sector of Alberta, a fossil-dominated province in Western Canada. The results show that implementing a carbon price on fossil fuel electric power sources and incentives for renewable energy, along with the phase-out of coal-fired electricity generation, can mitigate 29% of Alberta's electricity sector 2020 GHG emissions by 2050 and reduce GHG emissions from 46.5 Mt of CO2 eq. in 2020 to 23.6 and 29.1 Mt of CO2 eq. per year in 2030 and 2050, respectively, in Alberta. Moreover, these changes can increase the share of renewable energies from 12.5% in 2018 to 30% in 2050. These rates can be achieved by implementing a carbon price along with a 1000 $ incentive per kW new capacity development and 70 $ incentive per MWh electric power generation from renewable sources, from 2021 to 2025, primarily from wind turbines.