National Emission Reduction Targets Research Articles

Electric Energy Savings for Household Appliances: Small Steps, Big Impact

Saving electrical energy in households is an important aspect of facing the challenges of climate change and the need for better energy efficiency. The study examines how simple steps, such as using energy-efficient electrical appliances, implementing efficient daily habits, and maintaining electrical systems, can significantly reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. By analyzing various energy-saving strategies, this study shows that small actions can have a big impact, both in terms of reducing carbon footprint and saving energy costs for households. This study aims to identify and analyze energy efficiency measures that can be applied in households to reduce energy consumption without reducing comfort. The research method used is quantitative descriptive with a cross-sectional survey design, collecting data through observations, surveys, and structured interviews on several households in urban and suburban areas. The results of the study show that the implementation of simple measures, such as replacing incandescent lamps with LED lights, turning off electronic appliances when not in use, as well as regular maintenance of household appliances, can reduce energy consumption by 20-30% and reduce costs by up to 15-25% per month. In conclusion, energy savings at the household level not only have a positive impact on the household economy but also on environmental protection. The implications of this study show that with the support of government policies and energy providers, the adoption of energy-saving technologies in society can be accelerated, contributing to the national carbon emission reduction target. It is hoped that the results of the study will provide practical guidance for individuals and families to implement effective energy-saving measures, contribute to environmental protection, and improve household economic well-being.

The Interplay Between China’s Regulated and Voluntary Carbon Markets and Its Influence on Renewable Energy Development—A Literature Review

This is the first review study that focuses on the interplay between China’s regulated and voluntary carbon markets, the Emissions Trading System (ETS), the China Certified Emission Reduction (CCER) scheme, and their combined influence on the development of renewable energy in the country. Through a comparative literature review of 52 peer-reviewed academic papers published between 2009 and 2024, this study aims to elucidate how these market mechanisms interact to drive renewable energy deployment. The findings indicate that both the ETS and the CCER system positively affect China’s renewable energy landscape. The ETS, with its Cap-and-Trade (CaT) mechanism, sets a cap on total emissions and allows for the trading of emission quotas, thereby creating financial incentives for companies to reduce emissions and invest in renewable energy. The CCER scheme complements the ETS by allowing companies to use the CCER scheme for a capped share of their ETS certificates, whereby the lower CCER price diverts investments to where the saved ton of CO2 in China is cheapest, further incentivizing investments in renewable energy. This dual mechanism allows for a more flexible and cost-effective approach to achieving emission reduction targets, thereby fostering an environment conducive to investment in renewable energy. It will stimulate additional investment in renewable energy projects in the long run, particularly in economically underdeveloped regions, contributing to both local economic development and national emission reduction targets.

On the legality of national carbon pricing instruments alongside the new EU ETS 2

With the EU ETS 2 a new EU-wide emissions trading system is introduced that covers the greenhouse gas emission of the buildings and road transport sectors, i.e. sectors the decarbonization of which has so far been the responsibility of the Member States under the Effort Sharing Regulation. Since they will remain responsible for the achievement of their national greenhouse gas emission reduction targets under that regime, the question arises whether the Member States can maintain or introduce additional carbon pricing instruments alongside the new EU ETS 2. Hence, this paper examines the legality of such an approach, by assessing relevant provisions of EU secondary and primary law. Without going deep into the economic and political considerations, it concludes that from a legal perspective, the coexistence of national carbon pricing instruments and the EU ETS 2 is not prohibited.With the latest reform of the EU Emissions Trading System Directive (ETS Directive), the European Union (EU) has introduced a new EU emissions trading system for buildings and road transport (EU ETS 2)1. The decarbonization of those sectors traditionally falls within the responsibility of the EU Member States under the regime of the Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR). The ESR introduces legally binding national greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets. Hence, over the last few years, the Member States have introduced different measures in order to reach their targets. Those include carbon pricing instruments, understood as measures that put a price on the emission of GHG and thus create an incentive to reduce those emissions. Carbon pricing instruments include carbon taxes, as well as emissions trading systems2. With the introduction of the new ETS 2, the question arises whether the Member States can maintain (or introduce) such national carbon pricing instruments in parallel to the new EU ETS 2.

Strong climate mitigation potential of rewetting oil palm plantations on tropical peatlands

For decades, tropical peatlands in Indonesia have been deforested and converted to other land uses, mainly oil palm plantations which now cover one-fourth of the degraded peatland area. Given that the capacity for peatland ecosystems to store carbon depends largely on hydrology, there is a growing interest in rewetting degraded peatlands to shift them back to a carbon sink. Recent estimates suggest that peatland rewetting may contribute up to 13 % of Indonesia's total mitigation potential from natural climate solutions. In this study, we measured CO2 and CH4 fluxes, soil temperature, and water table level (WTL) for drained oil palm plantations, rewetted oil palm plantations, and secondary forests located in the Mempawah and Kubu Raya Regencies of West Kalimantan, Indonesia. We found that peatland rewetting significantly reduced peat CO2 emissions, though CH4 uptake was not significantly different in rewetted peatland compared to drained peatland. Rewetting drained peatlands on oil palm plantations reduced heterotrophic respiration by 34 % and total respiration by 20 %. Our results suggest that rewetting drained oil palm plantations will not achieve low CO2 emissions as observed in secondary forests due to differences in vegetation or land management. However, extrapolating our results to the areas of degraded oil palm plantations in West Kalimantan suggests that successful peatland rewetting could still reduce emissions by 3.9 MtCO2 yr−1. This result confirms that rewetting oil palm plantations in tropical peatlands is an effective natural climate solution for achieving national emission reduction targets.

Carbon footprint research and mitigation strategies for rice-cropping systems in China: a review

Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and quantifying the carbon footprint (CF) of rice-cropping systems in the context of food security is an important step toward the sustainability of rice production. Exploring the key factors affecting emission reduction in rice production is important to properly evaluate the impact of China’s rice-cropping systems on global climate change. This review provides an overview of the direct and indirect CF in rice-cropping systems; analyzes the influencing factors in terms of rice-based cropping systems, varieties and agronomic practices; and proposes mitigation strategies. Different studies have shown that direct and indirect GHG emissions in rice-based cropping systems accounted for 38.3 to 95.5% and 4.5 to 61.7% of total emissions, respectively. And the CFs of ratoon rice, rice–wheat, rice–maize, rice–rapeseed, and rice–fish systems ranged from 316,9 kg CO2-eq kg−1 to 258,47 kg CO2-eq kg−1, which are lower than that in a double-rice planting system. High-yielding rice, drought-resistant rice, and other hybrids can mitigate GHG emissions from paddy fields by 3.7 ~ 21.5%. Furthermore, organic matter, water, tillage, straw incorporation, conservation tillage, reduced nitrogen fertilizer use, and added biochar and methane inhibitors could reduce emissions. Therefore, through reasonable agronomic measures, variety selection and optimal layout of rice-based rotation systems, the carbon neutral rate of rice production can be improved to help the national carbon sequestration and emission reduction target.

How to control China's total amount of carbon emissions? An analysis of provincial allowance demands

Establishing a total amount control system for carbon emissions is crucial for China to achieve its carbon peak and neutrality targets. Given the heterogeneity among provinces, it is essential to consider provincial demands for carbon emission allowances (CEA) when allocating China's total amount target of carbon emissions. By identifying provincial preferences for different allocation criteria (equality, responsibility, capability, and efficiency), this study proposed a CEA allocation scheme that contributes to achieving China's 2030 carbon emission target with the least compromise among provinces. The results show that emission reduction efforts vary widely across provinces under any single-criterion scheme. Preferences for allocation criteria diverge among provinces, with a notable preference towards responsibility and equality. However, adhering to provincial expectations for CEA could jeopardize the attainment of national emission reduction target. The least-compromise allocation scheme integrates various criteria while weighting them differently: equality (0.42), responsibility (0.28), efficiency (0.16), and capability (0.14). Considering the varying pressure for emission reduction among provinces, it is vital to formulate differentiated policies and measures.

Refining greenhouse gas emission factors for Indonesian peatlands and mangroves to meet ambitious climate targets

For countries' emission-reduction efforts under the Paris Agreement to be effective, baseline emission/removals levels and reporting must be as transparent and accurate as possible. For Indonesia, which holds among the largest area of tropical peatlands and mangrove forest in the world, it is particularly important for these high-carbon ecosystems to produce high-accuracy greenhouse gas inventory and to improve national forest reference emissions level/forest reference level. Here, we highlight the opportunity for refining greenhouse gas emission factors (EF) of peatlands and mangroves and describe scientific challenges to support climate policy processes in Indonesia, where 55 to 59% of national emission reduction targets by 2030 depend on mitigation in Forestry and Other Land Use. Based on the stock-difference and flux change approaches, we examine higher-tier EF for drained and rewetted peatland, peatland fires, mangrove conversions, and mangrove on peatland to improve future greenhouse gas flux reporting in Indonesia. We suggest that these refinements will be essential to support Indonesia in achieving Forest and Other Land Use net sink by 2030 and net zero emissions targets by 2060 or earlier.

Выбросы парниковых газов по потреблению: от расчетов к политическим решениям

In national carbon emissions reduction targets as well as within the international climate change regime, production-based (or territorial) emissions are taken into account. Such accounting imposes the major responsibility for emissions on leading emerging economies where most of the carbon-intensive industries are allocated. It also provokes carbon leakage: stringent climate policies in one jurisdiction may lead to the reallocation of production and corresponding emissions to others where companies bear lower regulation costs. Consequently, asymmetry occurs. While most developed countries are gradually reducing their emissions, emissions are simultaneously growing in emerging economies, with no significant progress in the mitigation of global climate change. This article directs attention to an alternative way of emissions accounting—based on consumption. In this regard, emissions are attributed to the particular economy if they are embodied in goods consumed there, regardless of where exactly these emissions are generated. This type of accounting supposes that emissions of major emerging economies are not their own choice but also the reflection of the international division of labour and the result of demand for carbon-intensive goods coming from major centres of consumption in developed countries. Regular calculation and disclosure of consumption-based emissions (along with production-based ones) and their gradual integration into the process of emissions reduction target-setting would provide a new perspective on sharing responsibility for emissions, prevent carbon leakage and clearly demonstrate the need for international climate cooperation between exporters and importers of carbon-intensive goods, expand the scope of emissions under regulation, and give opportunities to countries to use the wider range of decarbonization tools. The latter would include those that involve the population in mitigation efforts and better link the price for carbon with the level of household consumption, which is important for coping with carbon inequality and promoting climate justice.

An interregional environmental assessment framework: revisiting environmental Kuznets curve in China.

Achieving the national emission reduction targets requires joint efforts of all jurisdictions, whose sustainable development is affected by complex economic and environmental interactions among regions. An interregional environmental assessment (IREA) framework is constructed for China using multiregional input-output techniques to unravel the carbon emission connections behind interregional economic activities. Then, consumption-based emission accounting is applied in sustainability assessment, in comparison with production-based environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) tests to examine the role of regional connections in shaping EKC. Empirical results expose significant asymmetric CO2 transfer among regions in China, where the Central and Western regions have become CO2 haven for the Eastern region. EKC is valid at the national level and manifests marked regional differences between production- and consumption-based curves. The pollution haven effect alters the EKC curve by expediting the emission peak in the developed Eastern region while delaying it in the developing Western region. Thus, revisiting EKCs in the IREA framework reveals that ignoring interregional connections would lead to misleading results. Only when both production- and consumption-based EKCs transcend their turning points can we claim that environmental governance has ushered in a new era of sustainable development.

Nuclear power in a de-carbonised future? A critical discourse analysis of nuclear energy debates and media framing in Australia

ABSTRACT The growing threat of climate change and global tensions resulting in energy shortages has led many countries to reconsider the merit of nuclear energy to meet national emissions reduction targets and provide domestic energy security. Australia's unique nuclear experience has led to a prohibition on building nuclear reactors, distinctive from other G20 countries. With Australia's energy transition underway, an exploration of the discourse surrounding nuclear energy in the national debate is timely to understand the barriers and opportunities for nuclear power in our energy future. This article investigates how nuclear energy is framed in media and by debate stakeholders, how this potentially constraints the energy source, and the influence of an increasingly carbon-conscious world on the debate. A critical discourse analysis of nuclear energy in Australia and semistructured interviews are used to understand the discourse landscape. The study finds that the discursive practises of politically conservative social actors engaged in the debate significantly shape how nuclear energy is perceived and received by the public, contributing to a polarised and politicised debate. It highlights the significance of climate change and energy security discourses in sustaining media salience whilst exposing the exclusionary nature of select nuclear energy rhetoric which limit the debate. Further research into public perceptions and discourses around nuclear energy in Australia is required given the need to decarbonise.

Emission pathways and mitigation options for achieving consumption-based climate targets in Sweden

National emission reduction targets under the Paris Agreement have a territorial focus, incentivizing mitigation actions domestically. Here we examine the theoretical basis for adopting complementary consumption-based net-zero emission targets and assess the consequences of adopting such proposed targets for Sweden. We apply scenario analyses based on a prospective lifecycle assessment framework. The framework is a hybrid of bottom-up simulations for passenger travel, construction and housing, and food, and top-down analyses for remaining consumption. In this work, we show how consumption-based climate targets may accentuate the need for new demand-side climate policies that contribute to reducing emissions along supply chains of products and services. Our scenario analysis suggests that combining advanced mitigation technologies with behavioral changes could reduce emissions from 9.8 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents per capita in 2019 to between 2.7 and 4.8 tons by 2045 for Swedish residents, depending on global decarbonization pathways.

Bridging national and provincial targets: Quantitative evidence for emissions reduction accountability in Korean provinces

As an international collective action to stop global warming, most nations submitted their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). To help ensure consistency and comparability of data between different countries, guidelines are provided by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Likewise, subnations would develop their local strategies to achieve a country's NDC. In South Korea, guidelines have been established to facilitate the consistent development of provincial emissions reduction strategies. But the guidelines lack clarity in terms of institutional elements: i) sectoral coverage, and ii) accounting method of greenhouse gas emissions. The primary goal of this study is to show that provincial strategies significantly depend on those two institutional elements. This study examines two scenario sets: i) including or excluding electricity and industrial sectors, and ii) direct or indirect emissions based on a NDC base storyline. For this purpose, we selected GCAM-Korea, a version of the Global Change Analysis Model specifically designed to work at the provincial level in Korea. Simulation results show that those two institutional elements play important roles in evaluating subnational emissions reduction potential. For example, in Chungcheongnam-do, a province in South Korea, the reduction rate from 2018 to 2030 is 53.9%, including the power and industrial sectors. However, when excluding these two sectors, the reduction rate significantly falls to 10.1%. For Gyeonggi-do, the reduction rate based on direct emissions is 9.3%, but it significantly increases to 28.6% when considering indirect emissions. The absence of well-defined methods may result in provinces adopting ineffective and disparate emissions reduction approaches, thereby jeopardizing the attainment of the national target. Consequently, to avert any failure in meeting the national emissions reduction target, it is crucial to furnish uniform and definitive guidelines to all local governments. This approach will ensure a cohesive effort towards greenhouse gas reduction throughout the country.

Combinatorial Auction of Used Cars Considering Pro-Environment Attribute: A Social Welfare Perspective

Air pollution is becoming more and more serious as the number of vehicles increases. To address such problems, many cities have implemented many measures, including the circular economy mode, in which used cars with low carbon emission are becoming important in the sustainable transportation and carbon abatement. Considering multi-attribute demand, this study designed combinatorial auction mechanism for the bidders of automobile enterprises on an online used-car platform to achieve social welfare maximization. Two kinds of attributes were considered, namely, price attribute and non-price attributes; the latter particularly included the pro-environment attribute based on an analysis of complementarity and substitutability. Moreover, the mechanism was proved to satisfy individual rational condition and incentive compatibility condition. Numerical application showed that preference for the pro-environment attribute can better realize social welfare and respond to national energy conservation and emission reduction targets. As a result, from the social welfare perspective, the multi-attribute combinatorial auction can provide a reference for more fair and effective allocation of used cars to bidders and can promote both buyer’s utility and seller’s income.

Green frontrunner or indebted culprit? Assessing Denmark’s climate targets in light of fair contributions under the Paris Agreement

This paper contributes to academic and policy debates about climate leadership by illustrating an approach to examining national emission reduction targets focusing on Denmark. Widely recognized as a climate leader, Denmark is cherished for both its historical track record and its current climate targets. With a target of 70% emissions reduction by 2030 compared to 1990 stipulated in national law, central actors in Danish policymaking claim that domestic climate policy is aligned with the Paris temperature goals and present Denmark as a ‘green frontrunner.’ We examine the pledges and targets enshrined in the Danish Climate Act in reference to a 1.5 °C global greenhouse gas budget using five different approaches to burden sharing. For all five approaches, we find that the Danish climate target is inadequate given the 1.5 °C goal. Moreover, when only looking at equity approaches for distributive climate justice globally, the Danish target appears drastically insufficient. Denmark is, in this sense, not a green frontrunner but rather an indebted culprit, challenging the dominant narrative in Danish climate policy. Our results thus call into question the premise of the claim of Danish climate leadership, which works to legitimize existing policy and obscure the many dimensions of climate change.

Climate policy and Canadian crop production: A qualitative study of farmers’ attitudes and perceptions towards nitrous oxide reductions

The pressure to change agricultural practices in order to mitigate emissions is high, with persisting environmental, social, and economic dimensions. In December 2020, the Government of Canada released A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy, a climate plan that proposed Canada's first national emission reduction target for the agricultural sector. This target aimed to reduce fertilizer-based emissions by 30 percent of 2020 levels by 2030. This target relies on the adoption of Best Management Practices for fertilizer use at the on-farm level. Choice to adopt the emission reduction strategies and practices is ultimately decided by the landowner, operator, and/or producer. The proposed target was met with significant resistance opposition from producers and producer groups across Canada's agricultural sector, particularly in western Canada, with claims that the target was the equivalent to a ban on fertilizer.This research aims to better understand the attitudes and perceptions towards the emission reduction target and more generally around emissions mitigation strategies within the crop sectors. This report takes a qualitative approach by conducting 26 h-long interviews with stakeholders along the production chain. Interviews with producers, geneticists, actors in crop inputs and manufacturing, and stakeholders in agricultural production policy and advocacy were conducted over July and August 2022. Participants were asked questions about climate change, the role of different levels of government in the development of emission regulations, potential strategies on a short- and long-term horizon basis, and incentives. Interviews were transcribed and categorically defined, highlighting reoccurring themes. These themes provide insight into awareness of different strategies considered by different actors within the agricultural supply chain, and potentially anticipate avenues which the Government of Alberta should prioritize in developing policies. Ensuring future protocols account for benchmarks of current agricultural operations and management is critical for accessible and producer-inclusive policy, that optimizes transition risks and secures the pathway forward, balancing the precarious equilibrium of burden on agricultural producers, food security, and sustainable, resilient agriculture.

Suitability evaluation and potential estimation of photovoltaic power generation and carbon emission reduction in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

The expansion of power development industry is facing enormous pressure to reduce carbon emissions in the context of global decarbonization. Using solar energy instead of traditional fossil energy to adjust energy structure is one of the important means for reducing carbon emissions. Existing research focuses on the evaluation of the generation potential of centralized or distributed photovoltaic power plants, rather than the comprehensive evaluation of multi-type power plants. Based on multi-source remote sensing data for information extraction and suitability evaluation, this paper develops a method to comprehensively evaluate the construction potential of multi-type photovoltaic power stations and determine the potential of photovoltaic power generation and carbon emission reduction on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). The results showed that estimating the power generation potential of only single-type photovoltaic power stations cannot accurately reflect the photovoltaic power generation potential of QTP. It is also demonstrated that the emission reduction effect of the photovoltaic power generation in all prefecture-level cities of QTP can meet national emission reduction targets, showing high annual power generation potential, of which 86.59% is concentrated in Qinghai province's Guoluo, Yushu, and Haixi. An accurate estimation of the photovoltaic power generation potential in QTP can provide a useful theoretical basis for developing carbon-saving and emission reduction strategies for clean energy in China.

Analysis of Carbon Emission Efficiency in the Yellow River Basin in China: Spatiotemporal Differences and Influencing Factors

A good grasp of the carbon emission efficiency (CEE) of the provinces in the Yellow River basin (YRB) in China, and its influencing factors, can help promote the sustainable development of the region and smooth realization of the national carbon emission reduction target. Based on stochastic frontier analysis (SFA), this paper calculates the CEE of nine provinces in the YRB from 2005 to 2019, and then, analyzes its spatial and temporal characteristics. The spatial Durbin model (SDM) with two-way fixed effects is selected to investigate the influencing factors of the CEE in the YRB. The results suggest that: (1) the overall CEE of the YRB shows a slow upward trend, and although the gap in CEE between provinces is large, it is slowly narrowing; (2) there is a significant negative spatial autocorrelation in the CEE of the provinces in the YRB; and (3) technological innovation capability, energy consumption structure, population density, and urban greening level are the most significant factors affecting the CEE of the YRB. Both population density and urban greening level have a positive effect on the improvement of the CEE of the provinces themselves and of the whole YRB, and there is also a spatial spillover effect on the improvement of CEE due to population density. Technological innovation capability and energy consumption structure had a negative impact on the overall CEE of the province and the basin during the research period. This study may have some reference value for improving the CEE of the YRB.

Review of Policies for Indonesia’s Electricity Sector Transition and Qualitative Evaluation of Impacts and Influences Using a Conceptual Dynamic Model

Indonesia’s final energy demand is projected to increase by 70% in the next decade, with electricity expected to account for 32%. The increasing electricity demand poses a potential threat to national emissions reduction targets since fossil fuels generated 86% of the electricity in 2018, associated to 50% of the national CO2 emissions. Indonesia plans to reduce its CO2 emissions by 29% by increasing the total electricity generated from renewables, using a set of market-based and regulatory policies. However, economic, social, and environmental issues may arise from the widespread adoption of renewable energy. This study explores the economic, social, and environmental effects of renewable energy policies in the electricity sector. Our work presents an advance over previous studies that attempted to understand the electricity sector energy transition from a system perspective by exploring the structural feedback between it and economic, energy, and environmental systems. This enables the assessment of different energy policies using more macro indicators, which further emphasize the novelty of our work. A combination of system dynamics modelling and a policy analysis framework was applied to explore these issues. Our study proposes a dynamic hypothesis that the price of energy increases over time, in the absence of substitution, becoming a limiting factor in the transition to renewables in the electricity sector. The fiscal budget was found to be a bottleneck for renewable energy adoption in the electricity sector in Indonesia. We found that a fossil fuel depletion premium could be a potential supporting policy to enable the smooth phasing-out of fossil fuels and support a sustainable energy transition.

Analysis of Carbon Emission Projections and Reduction Potential of Resource-Dependent Urban Agglomerations from the Perspective of Multiple Scenarios-A Case Study of Hu-Bao-O-Yu Urban Agglomeration.

The Hu-Bao-O-Yu urban agglomeration is an important energy exporting and high-end chemical base in China, and is an important source of carbon emissions in China. The early achievement of peak carbon emissions in this region is particularly crucial to achieving the national carbon emission reduction targets. However, there is a lack of multi-factor system dynamics analysis of resource-dependent urban agglomerations in Northwest China, as most studies have focused on single or static aspects of developed urban agglomerations. This paper analyses the relationship between carbon emissions and their influencing factors, constructs a carbon emission system dynamics model for the Hu-Bao-O-Yu urban agglomeration, and sets up different single regulation and comprehensive regulation scenarios to simulate and predict the carbon peak time, peak value, and emission reduction potential of each city and urban agglomeration under different scenarios. The results show that: (1) Hohhot and Baotou are expected to reach peak carbon by 2033 and 2031 respectively, under the baseline scenario, while other regions and the urban agglomeration will not be able to reach peak carbon by 2035. (2) Under single regulation scenarios, the effect of factors other than the energy consumption varies across cities, but the energy consumption and environmental protection input are the main factors affecting carbon emissions in the urban agglomeration. (3) A combination of the economic growth, industrial structure, energy policy, environmental protection, and technology investment is the best measure to achieve carbon peaking and enhance the carbon emission reduction in each region as soon as possible. In the future, we need to coordinate the economic development, energy structure optimisation and transformation, low-carbon transformation of industry, strengthen research on carbon sequestration technology, and further increase the investment in environmental protection to make the Hu-Bao-O-Yu urban agglomeration a resource-saving urban agglomeration with an optimal emission reduction.

Impact of automated battery sorting for mineral recovery from lithium-ion battery recycling in the United States

The United States has identified several lithium-ion battery materials as critical for reaching the national emission reduction targets that have been set in accordance with the 2015 Paris Agreement. However, with few natural resources available domestically, there is a rapidly growing focus on the development of a domestic recycling industry to recover these materials from end-of-life batteries. In this paper, we use the Lithium-Ion Battery Resources Assessment (LIBRA) system dynamics model to evaluate the impact of automated battery sorting technology in terms of the shares of cobalt and nickel that are recovered through recycling. Findings show that automated sorting has clear benefits over manual sorting methods by helping recyclers selectively process high-cobalt batteries. By maximizing cobalt recovery, recycling becomes more profitable and drives greater investment in recycling capacity, resulting in a higher share of nickel and cobalt recovered from EOL batteries over time.