This book provides useful insight into how academics from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, such as science, engineering, technology, social science, policy, design, architecture, built environment, ...business, and management, have been conducting research into how to realise net zero emissions to address climate change. This book explores the ways in which countries around the world have pledged to achieve net zero emissions through decarbonisation processes. It presents the highest calibre research and impact activities carried out in the UK, Europe, North America, Australia, Asia, and Africa. Such activities include conceptualisation, opportunity identification, specific case studies, demonstration of proof of concepts, provision of evidence, education of the general public, and knowledge transfer to companies. Further to this, the chapters also bring to light personal career journeys to net zero by current and future international research leaders. From this book, readers will gain a full understanding of net zero research via multiple disciplinary pathways, be inspired by personal accounts, and will learn key methodologies, including quantitative and qualitative approaches. The diversity of authors and topics make the book widely applicable to a range of fields, and it will be of great interest to researchers, students, practitioners, and decision makers working towards the goals of net zero and decarbonisation.
As scientific and observational evidence on global warming piles up every day, questions of economic policy in this central environmental topic have taken center stage. But as author and prominent ...Yale economist William Nordhaus observes, the issues involved in understanding global warming and slowing its harmful effects are complex and cross disciplinary boundaries. For example, ecologists see global warming as a threat to ecosystems, utilities as a debit to their balance sheets, and farmers as a hazard to their livelihoods.
In this important work, William Nordhaus integrates the entire spectrum of economic and scientific research to weigh the costs of reducing emissions against the benefits of reducing the long-run damages from global warming. The book offers one of the most extensive analyses of the economic and environmental dynamics of greenhouse-gas emissions and climate change and provides the tools to evaluate alternative approaches to slowing global warming. The author emphasizes the need to establish effective mechanisms, such as carbon taxes, to harness markets and harmonize the efforts of different countries. This book not only will shape discussion of one the world's most pressing problems but will provide the rationales and methods for achieving widespread agreement on our next best move in alleviating global warming.
•A GHG emissions inventory for 305 Chinese cities is compiled for 2015.•Emissions of CO2, CH4, N2O, and fluorinated GHGs are separately accounted.•The uncertainty of city-level GHG emissions is ...analyzed.
Accounting and understanding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the city level are of great importance because cities are the focus of future mitigation and adaption activities to address climate change, especially in developing nations like China. However, existing studies have not yet provided a complete and updated emissions inventory of city-level GHGs for China in terms of city and GHG-type coverage. In this paper, we rigorously assemble a dataset that contains GHG emissions including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated GHGs for 305 Chinese cities, based on a high-resolution emissions database (China High-Resolution Emission Database, CHRED 3.0) and first-hand on-site data collection and verification by 19 groups of 137 researchers using a bottom-up method, and analyze the uncertainty of the emissions. Results show that total GHG emissions are high in cities in eastern China and low in cities in west, while per capita GHG emissions are high in northern cities and low in southern cities. The emissions of four types of GHGs (CO2, CH4, N2O and fluoridated GHGs) share different spatial distributions, due to variant industrial structure, energy structure, industry point sources and agricultural surface sources, etc. The uncertainty of GHG emissions is highly related to the source data of cities. Finally, we propose policy recommendations, including improving data quality and strengthening competitions of city-level emission reduction, to improve city-level emissions data integrity and low-carbon development strategies.
In this update to the 2008 Garnaut Climate Change Review, Ross Garnaut re-examines the case for action in the aftermath of the global financial crisis and recent developments by major countries to ...reduce emissions and prepare for a low-carbon future. He guides the reader through the climate change debate, and explains why Australia's contribution is vital to the national interest and matters to the global effort. He outlines a set of policies through which Australia can contribute its fair share without damaging Australian prosperity. The Garnaut Review 2011: Australia in the Global Response to Climate Change extends the analysis to contemporary economic, political and environmental conditions in a way that is clear and easy to understand. It is an essential resource for all who care about the future of our economy and environment.
Even as the evidence of global warming mounts, the international response to this serious threat is coming unraveled. The United States has formally withdrawn from the 1997 Kyoto Protocol; other key ...nations are facing difficulty in meeting their Kyoto commitments; and developing countries face no limit on their emissions of the gases that cause global warming. In this clear and cogent book-reissued in paperback with an afterword that comments on recent events--David Victor explains why the Kyoto Protocol was never likely to become an effective legal instrument. He explores how its collapse offers opportunities to establish a more realistic alternative.
•The results of a meta-analysis show that addition of biochar decreased N2O emissions from soils by an average of 54%.•Factors for mitigation (biochar C/N, pyrolysis conditions, application rate, N ...fertilizer, soil texture and pH) were identified and discussed.•Recommendations are given to address future research needs to improve our understanding of biochar's role in N2O emissions from soil.
More than two thirds of global nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions originate from soil, mainly associated with the extensive use of nitrogen (N) fertilizers in agriculture. Although the interaction of black carbon with the N cycle has been long recognized, the impact of biochar on N2O emissions has only recently been studied. Herein we reflect on proposed hypotheses to explain N2O decrease with biochar, linking them to specific mechanisms for N2O formation and consumption in soil. Moreover, to assist in elucidating key mechanisms in which biochar may act in mitigating emissions of N2O, we undertook a meta-analysis using published literature from 2007 to 2013. This quantitative analysis used 30 studies with 261 experimental treatments. Overall, we found that biochar reduced soil N2O emissions by 54% in laboratory and field studies. The biochar feedstock, pyrolysis conditions and C/N ratio were shown to be key factors influencing emissions of N2O while a direct correlation was found between the biochar application rate and N2O emission reductions. Interactions between soil texture and biochar and the chemical form of N fertilizer applied with biochar were also found to have a major influence on soil N2O emissions. While there is clear evidence that, in many cases, emissions of N2O are reduced, there is still a significant lack in understanding of the key mechanisms which result in these changed emissions. As such, we have guided readers with suggestions to address specific research gaps, which we anticipate will enhance our knowledge and understanding of biochar's N2O emission mitigation potential.
The first volume of Independent
Evaluation Group (IEG) series (IEG 2009) examined World Bank
experience with the promotion of the most important win-win
(no regrets) energy policies, policies that ...combine domestic
gains with global greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions. These
included energy pricing reform and policies to promote
energy efficiency. This second phase covers the entire World
Bank Group (WBG), including the International Finance
Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee
Agency (MIGA). It assesses of interventions, from technical
assistance to financing to regulatory reform. This
project-eye view of activities pertains to all the action
areas of the Strategic Framework on Development and Climate
Change (SFDCC). The third phase will look at the challenge
of adaptation to climate change. The WBG's resources,
human and financial, are small compared to the task at hand.
The International Energy Agency estimates that developing
and transition countries need $16 trillion of energy sector
investments over 2008-30 under 'business as usual'
operations, plus an additional $5 trillion to shift to an
ambitiously low-carbon path. Much more is needed for
sustainable land and forest management and for urban
transport. So a prime focus of this evaluation is how the
WBG can get the most leverage, the widest positive impact on
both development and climate change mitigation, from its
limited resources.
Green Communications and Networking Yu, F. Richard; Zhang, Xi; Leung, Victor C. M
2013, 2012, 2016-04-19T00:00:00, 2012-12-07, 2016-04-19, c2013
eBook
Green Communications and Networking introduces novel solutions that can bring about significant reductions in energy consumption in the information and communication technology (ICT) industry-as well ...as other industries, including electric power. Containing the contributions of leading experts in the field, it examines the latest research advances in green communications and networking for next-generation wired, wireless, and smart-grid networks. The book presents cutting-edge algorithms, protocols, and network architectures to improve energy efficiency in communication networks. It illustrates the various aspects of modeling, analysis, design, management, deployment, and optimization of algorithms, protocols, and architectures of green communications and networking. The text examines energy-efficient hardware platforms, physical layer, networking, and applications. Containing helpful references in each chapter, it also: Proposes a mechanism for minimizing energy consumption of wireless networks without compromising QoS Reviews recent development in utility communication networks, including advanced metering infrastructure and SCADA Studies energy-efficient rate adaptation in long-distance wireless mesh networks Considers the architectural design of energy-efficient wireline Internet nodes Presents graph-theoretic solutions that can be adopted in an IP network to reduce the number of links used in the network during off-peak periods Outlines a methodology for optimizing time averages in systems with variable length frames Details a demand-based resources trading model for green communications The book introduces a new solution for delivering green last-mile access: broadband wireless access with fiber-connected massively distributed antennas (BWA-FMDA). It also presents a methodology for optimizing time averages in systems with variable length
frames. Surveying a representative number of demand and response methods in smart grids, the text supplies you with the understanding of smart grid dynamics needed to participate in the development of next-generation wireless cellular networks.
Photovoltaic (PV) systems are regarded as clean and sustainable sources of energy. Although the operation of PV systems exhibits minimal pollution during their lifetime, the probable environmental ...impacts of such systems from manufacturing until disposal cannot be ignored. The production of hazardous contaminates, water resources pollution, and emissions of air pollutants during the manufacturing process as well as the impact of PV installations on land use are important environmental factors to consider. The present study aims at developing a comprehensive analysis of all possible environmental challenges as well as presenting novel design proposals to mitigate and solve the aforementioned environmental problems. The emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG) from various PV systems were also explored and compared with fossil fuel energy resources. The results revealed that the negative environmental impacts of PV systems could be substantially mitigated using optimized design, development of novel materials, minimize the use of hazardous materials, recycling whenever possible, and careful site selection. Such mitigation actions will reduce the emissions of GHG to the environment, decrease the accumulation of solid wastes, and preserve valuable water resources. The carbon footprint emission from PV systems was found to be in the range of 14–73 g CO2-eq/kWh, which is 10 to 53 orders of magnitude lower than emission reported from the burning of oil (742 g CO2-eq/kWh from oil). It was concluded that the carbon footprint of the PV system could be decreased further by one order of magnitude using novel manufacturing materials. Recycling solar cell materials can also contribute up to a 42% reduction in GHG emissions. The present study offers a valuable management strategy that can be used to improve the sustainability of PV manufacturing processes, improve its economic value, and mitigate its negative impacts on the environment.
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•PV systems cannot be regarded as completely eco-friendly systems with zero-emissions.•The adverse environmental impacts of PV systems include land, water, pollution, Hazardous materials, noise, and visual.•Future design trends of PV systems focus on improved design, sustainability, and recycling.•Incentives and research to close the gaps can offer a great platform for future legislations.
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