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The hydrogen certification market faces intricate challenges that are intertwined and interdependent. This research paper employs the metaphor of fitting puzzle pieces together to delve into the complexities of the market. It highlights the central puzzle piece that often goes unnoticed: the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The lack of compatibility in LCA methodologies across certifications creates significant hurdles in achieving harmonization of crucial aspects such as governance, hydrogen categorization, emissions threshold determination, segmented certification due to various hydrogen end-uses, and chain-of-custody tracking systems that catches the interest of research so far. To address this oversight, the paper adopts a structured approach to accomplish its objectives. Firstly, it thoroughly investigates the existing life cycle methodologies employed in global hydrogen schemes, treating them as distinct puzzle pieces. This analysis delves into key components of these methodologies, including eligible sources and pathways, functional unit determination, system boundary definition, cut-off rules, allocation choices, and impact assessment. By examining the differences and variations in these methodologies, the paper elucidates their intricate interplay with policymaking and segmented international goals. Moreover, the research tackles the challenges arising from LCA methodology misalignment in the hydrogen market, drawing parallels with the difficulty of fitting mismatched puzzle pieces together. It explores potential strategies to overcome these challenges by drawing insights from existing certification models in other sectors, such as advocating for internationally recognized standards, designing mutual recognition agreements, creating product category rules and comparability factors, and promoting convergence through market demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2015, the intended climate actions of the Paris Agreement signatories have been reported as nationally determined contributions (NDC). These climate actions are fully aligned with the 13th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) which calls for urgent action to combat climate change. The same, however, cannot be said for their relation to the other 16 SDGs of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, since climate action can either enhance or compromise the prospects for SDG implementation. In light of this challenge, this paper proposes a simple method for quantifying the synergies and trade-offs between national climate actions and the SDGs. The method, referred to as Q-SCAN, makes use of a seven-step scale and the SDG Climate Action Nexus tool. The effectiveness of the method has been demonstrated on a case study of North Macedonia, a non-Annex I, Western Balkan country with a coal-intensive energy system. Based on the experience in the preparation of the country's enhanced NDC, the paper elaborates how the method can be used to contribute to the alignment of the national climate actions with the SDGs and how it can be used to improve stakeholder engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts such as the Glasgow United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties 26, the Paris Agreement (Paris agreement, United Nations, Paris, 2015) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are supporting the drive to protect the planet from global warming by ensuring sustainable development. The oil and gas industry, as key contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, must transition to more sustainable energy solutions and play their part in reducing these emissions. Currently, oil and gas companies are implementing technical solutions to achieve net zero carbon emissions. The energy transition from fossil fuel reliance has also happened by exploiting alternative renewable energy sources to meet global energy demand such as wind, solar, biogas and bioderived feedstocks. This net zero energy transition will require a fair and just transition for all in society, and to implement this, it is crucial for those working in the oil and gas industry to understand the technologies needed, the importance of carbon policies and their roles. This research presents a modified Delphi study of employees in Malaysia's national oil and gas company to understand their perceptions towards a net-zero carbon future. The paper briefly reviews Malaysia's low-carbon policy plans, its current carbon dioxide accounting balance, and identifies potential technologies for decarbonisation to set the scene for the modified Delphi study. The results indicated that the national oil and gas company has both the capabilities and the financial resources to significantly contribute towards Malaysia transitioning to a carbon neutral nation. This can be achieved by implementing advanced technologies complementing with nature-based solutions to realise net zero carbon emissions. This study also portrays the confidence that the portfolio of solutions should be executed through a coordinated effort to maximise the outcome and minimise the financial impact in terms of economical sustainability. Implementation of activities towards this energy transition will require significant social commitment, and hence, gauging their perception towards this journey is key objective of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present climate change crisis forced humanity to opt for sustainable development. Sustainability assessment is vital to determine the relative superiority among alternatives, characterized by multiple sustainability indicators to ensure sustainable development. Various methods, such as the Euclidean distance method, geometric mean method, and elimination et choice translating reality, have been suggested in the literature to identify the most sustainable option among alternatives. These diverse approaches adopt different normalization and aggregation formulations (the two most significant steps of any sustainability assessment), leading to conflicting results. This paper proposes a generalized sustainability framework to quantitatively identify the most suitable alternative. The proposed framework incorporates various mathematical characteristics of normalization and aggregation processes and identifies mathematical functions that satisfy these characteristics. Based on the desired characteristics, the proposed approach identifies the min–max normalization function and a novel antinorm-based aggregation function as one of the appropriate functions for a quantitative sustainability framework. To illustrate the applicability of the proposed framework, different case studies are adopted from the literature: sustainable power plants for electricity generation in Portugal, sustainable feedstocks for the biodiesel supply chain, and sustainable negative emission technologies. The results are compared with those reported in the literature, and the efficacy of the suggested framework is demonstrated. The proposed framework may be utilized for multi-criteria decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land-use change is an important factor influencing global climate change and the carbon cycle, and changes in land-use patterns can have a direct impact on global carbon emissions. Therefore, exploring the potential of land use structure optimization and land use management on carbon emission reduction is of great significance in addressing global climate change and achieving carbon emission reduction targets. This paper calculates and analyses the net carbon emissions and evolution characteristics of Nanjing based on the four periods of land use change data in 2010, 2015, 2018 and 2020 using the IPCC carbon emission coefficient method. Then integrates the carbon emissions from land use, land economic and ecological benefits, and establishes a land use structure optimization model under the low-carbon orientation. Finally, the spatial distribution of land use in Nanjing under different scenarios in 2030 is simulated based on the FLUS model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the environmental impact of a grid-connected PV system in Kocaeli, Turkey, supported by East Marmara Development Agency to contribute local economic and environmental sustainability goals. For this purpose, energy payback time and greenhouse payback time analysis is carried out in terms of calculated total embodied data and measured annual operation data. The results indicate that the system spends approximately 12.68% of its lifetime to payback its total embodied energy and 10.67% to save its total embodied greenhouse gas emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the challenging tasks for governments is to curtail the production and consumption of single-use plastic bags. Despite multiple advantages of plastic and its ubiquity, the environmental damage of single-use plastic bags is irreversible. However, policy intervention by the governments is also a need of the time to reduce its production and consumption. This study provides a strategic analysis of government policy options regarding the ban on single-use plastic production in Pakistan. A game-theoretic model is developed to examine the behavior of plastic bag producers vis-à-vis the government's climate change policy. The study concludes that game theory is very effective in analyzing the efficient promulgation and productive implementation of environmental management policy regarding banning single-use plastic in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As global inequality and climate change concerns increase, consumers and investors are looking for products and services that have been produced through sustainability processes, practices, and policies. Consequently, plenty of instruments for evaluation of corporate sustainability have been developed and applied worldwide. A research problem that emerges from this topic is how effective these instruments are? Usually indexes are used to assess sustainability, which are the given by the aggregation of various indicators. Various sustainable corporate indexes have been proposed and applied. A recent literature review on models for assessing corporate sustainability revealed us an increase in using multicriteria methods to assess sustainability. Various different type of multicriteria methods have been applied, but in only 7% of the cases, a non-compensatory method was applied. Compensation is a not desired effect when we are looking for sustainability—in practice, when compensation occurs, a disadvantage in some criteria can be compensated for by a large advantage in another criterion. The review also showed other critical issues related with dimensions of sustainability, which are considered in these models, and aspects related to the development of these instruments. These issues impact the quality of the evaluation and consequently can lead to misinterpretation. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to propose a model for evaluation of corporate sustainability, which allows to evaluate sustainability considering economic, social, and environmental perspectives as well as observing aspects of corporate governance. The model is based on the multicriteria method PROMETHEE II that is non-compensatory, avoiding trade-offs among dimensions. The model was applied to four Brazilian construction companies. The results showed us that the model is mathematically consistent and it requires low cognitive effort to be applied, that is, decision makers find it easy to understand the concepts and parameters inherent in the method. The model can be used to evaluate companies from different sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Brazilian 2015 Intended Nationally Determined Contribution proposes a reduction of 43% in its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared to its 2005 emissions. In terms of the contribution of the Brazilian electrical sector to achieve this target, it commits to increase the use of renewable energy sources, other than hydroelectricity, and an efficiency gain of 10% by 2030. Considering these targets, this paper estimates the economic and CO emissions effects of such propositions using input-output analysis. The estimates are based on eight different future electricity matrices scenarios (2030 and 2050) developed by specialists within the Energy Scenarios Platform. On the one hand, achieving cleaner electrical production requires large investments. On the other hand, a reorganization of the sector leading to increased use of renewable energy sources produces GDP and employment growth. The results show that the net effects are positive in the medium and long run. Brazilian GDP growth may range from 0.61 to 1.24% per year by 2030 and from 0.66 to 1.26% per year by 2050, and total labor demand may reach 630 thousand new employees in 2030 and 685 thousand jobs in 2050. Regarding the reduction of CO $$_2$$ emissions, a maximum saving of 4 million tons by 2030 and 1 million tons by 2050 is expected. Therefore, according to the scenarios analyzed, although investing in renewable electrical sources demands more investment, their operational costs are lower, such that the extra expending is more than offset. Hence, the economic benefits from such changes more than compensate the costs of investing in such efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased awareness of climate change has precipitated more stringent mitigation targets. Public sector institutions in Canada are committed to becoming carbon neutral to attain a leadership position in climate change mitigation-related initiatives. Recent statistics reveal that buildings account for the majority of the corporate carbon footprint of public sector institutions. Hence, there is an increasing interest towards developing net zero energy and net zero emission buildings to comply with climate action targets. With limited financial resources, public sector institutions must optimize investments into building energy retrofits by considering lifecycle cost (LCC), overall energy performance, and related greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. The aim of this paper is to develop an investment planning approach for net zero emission buildings (NZEB). First, an investment planning approach for NZEB is proposed. A typical recreational centre building in British Columbia, Canada, was used as the archetype to demonstrate the concept. Second, innovative and proven building energy retrofits were analysed using energy simulation software to assess the impact on energy consumption reduction, GHG emissions, and LCC. Third, impacts of geographical location, tariff regimes, and grid emission factors on energy retrofits were studied by locating the same building in other provinces of Canada. This study revealed that net zero energy investment has a strong correlation to the grid emission factor. The proposed approach in this paper will assist building managers and owners in retrofitting and budget planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sugar cane production is one of the main economic activities of the agriculture sector in several places around the world. Nowadays, the sugarcane production zones face different technologic, economic, and social problems that impact negatively their profitability. The low price of sugar in the market demands the search of alternatives; being the bioethanol production from resides of the sugar cane industry an attractive option. This way, this paper presents a new approach for using the residues from the sugar cane industry to yield a sustainable biorefinery. In this approach, process integration techniques have been implemented to optimize the overall process. A case study from the State of Michoacán in Mexico is presented, where the proposed approach shows significant economic, environmental, and social benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: With the issues of climate change continuously taking center stage, there is thus a pressing need for the pharmaceutical companies to assess the sustainability of their supply chains. However, the highly regulated nature of the industry has prompted various supply chain decisions such as material sourcing, siting of plants, and distribution network configuration to be locked into the registration of the new drug. This could consequently lead to inefficient supply chain operation during the drug commercial stage, yielding high greenhouse gas emissions per unit of drug product. Previously, we have proposed a systematic framework for design of a sustainable commercial-stage pharmaceutical supply chain network that can be driven from the early drug development stages. In this paper, we extend the framework by incorporating more functionalities. We also introduce a novel decision support system, called PharmaSC, which implements the framework. PharmaSC system has been developed by integrating two computer tools—an Excel-based analytic hierarchy process and LLamasoft's Supply Chain Guru—into one coherent framework for selecting the most suitable suppliers and manufacturers, mapping a supply chain superstructure network, and optimizing the network to identify and resolve trade-offs between economic and environmental factor. To illustrate the system, an industrially motivated case study involving a paclitaxel production is solved.Graphical abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world runs a serious risk of sliding into catastrophic climate change. It is to all practical purposes impossible to bring the emissions of greenhouse gases to a halt straight away. This article discusses a number of sources of uncertainty and the possibility of bias in climate forecasting. It identifies a specific approach towards rapid decarbonization combined with a systematic reduction in fossil fuel extraction: the manufacture of synthetic hydrocarbon compounds for use as fuel as well as plastics, using carbon dioxide from power stations and cement factories as feedstock during a transitional phase. Policymakers and even researchers working on renewable energy seem to be insufficiently aware of the potential of this mature chemical technology to reduce emissions. The paper also surveys several economic and managerial issues regarding the implementation of the transition to a world using only renewable energy, and provides some information concerning the latest state of the technology of renewable electricity generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dioxide capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) is regarded as an important carbon emissions reduction technology response to climate change. Though some full-chain CCUS pilot projects have operated in China, many barriers exist when stepping up to commercial applications, including significant negative perceptions of the environmental risk of CCUS. Therefore, to tailor constructive training or outreach programs for public acceptance of CCUS in China, a large national survey of public perceptions of CCUS technology was conducted in 2013. The questionnaire contained four themes focusing on people with a tertiary education. Six hundred paper-pencil questionnaires were dispatched to 22 universities/enterprises across 19 provinces and 2 municipalities, with a response rate of 95%. The results show that 91.4% of the participants agreed that the earth was experiencing climate change, and 74.3% were interested in low-carbon technologies, but while 22% had heard of CCUS, although with limited knowledge, only 3.6% had a good understanding of the technology. The results from the second part of the questionnaire show that 80.4% of participants believed that CCUS may help to mitigate the impacts of global warming, but the 'Not in My Back Yard' (NIMBY) phenomenon was obvious from the location-based objections to transportation and storage processes. In addition, ten listed CCUS environmental management policies received extensive recognition from the participants, and about half of the participants considered that the related government departments should be responsible for environmental management as a first priority. The survey also indicates that the most trusted sources through which the survey participants obtain CCUS information are academic journals and textbooks, television, radio and newspapers, expert lectures and brochures on CCUS demonstration projects. According to the survey of public awareness of the environmental impact and management of CCUS technology in China, CCUS technology rates well for environmental benefits, but high environmental risk perceptions of CCUS lead to a lower acceptance of this carbon emissions reduction technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy sources have increasingly become important in recent decades not only as ways for improving energy security and mitigating climate change, but they also help contribute to economic growth and job creation. As the second-largest producer of crude palm oil, Malaysia has abundance of biomass residues from palm oil industries and other renewable organic matters which can be converted to bio-energy and bio-chemicals. Recognizing the roles of biomass for sustainability and wealth creation, the government has stepped up efforts to promote the growth of the industry. However, despite institutional arrangements, policy frameworks, funding mechanisms and incentives to support the growth of the biomass industry, the industry has not been able to create value along the industry's value chain. While there are many attractive reasons to venture into the biomass industry, there are also potential risks. Lack of understanding of risks associated with the biomass industry is often cited as one of the reasons for the industry's slow growth. An industry evolves through life cycle stages and at each stage presents risk factors. This paper identifies several key risks associated with early stage of the biomass industry in Malaysia. The overview of risks associated with the biomass industry not only will provide a perspective from which an industry's viability can be evaluated but also will help industry participants to better understand key risks and improve their risk assessment methods as well as plan their risk management and mitigation strategies more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a widely believed myth that replacing the use of fossil fuels largely by renewable forms of energy is, with a possible exception of nuclear power, critically dependent on the development of appropriate new technologies. Accordingly, it is held that decarbonizing straight away is particularly difficult and expensive. There was a time when this idea had an element of reality, but this is no longer the case. Unfortunately, belief in this myth is shared by those in positions of influence. This paper serves to document that this presumed reality no longer holds, although the misconception may have been based on fact in the past. Whilst the survey of the available technology offered concentrates on electricity supply, it also documents that manufacture of synthetic fuels via hydrogen obtained by electrolysis of water and CO integrates smoothly with electricity grid stabilization as well as reducing the CO content of the atmosphere. The likely price and cost development in the energy market is also reviewed. In addition the role of CCS, in practice mainly capture from the air and industrial processes other than power generation is reviewed against the background of the cost effective generation of electricity by harvesting renewable forms of energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current concern about the climate change and the need for sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels has moved the European Union to establish objectives regarding the environment and renewable energy sources by 2020. Forest biomass is an alternative energy resource with an important role in the fulfillment of these objectives. This paper analyzes the possibilities of its implementation in Spain. Forest biomass resources have been analyzed with the BIORAISE application. Potential biomass is mapped considering local collection nodes by province, as well as available biomass, total cost (the sum of harvesting and transport costs), and energetic content ratio of the available biomass. The results show that Huesca and Cuenca are the two provinces with the most available biomass, while Pontevedra and Vizcaya have the highest energetic content ratio. The average total cost of biomass in Spain is 72.72 €/o.d.t., which is lower than the average cost of the supply of pellets to Pellet plants in Europe. Baleares and Huelva are the provinces which have the lowest potential cost of forest biomass. Savings between 48 and 81 % can be obtained using the available forest biomass for domestic heating compared to the other main systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water management will become increasingly critical as the effects of climate change manifest. There are existing water management tools and concepts in current use for both policy and decision-making in industry, but these often look at water issues from the limited perspectives of specific decision-makers who see the problems only at particular scales. In this perspective paper, we argue for an integrated water management approach as an imperative climate change adaptation; there is an urgent need for research on the development of such a multi-scale framework to effectively manage water use in industrial systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methane emission reductions are crucial for addressing climate change. It offers short-term benefits as it holds high short-term reductions in radiative forcing. Efforts towards the reduction of methane emissions are already underway. In this study, we compared and analyzed the mitigation benefits of cutting large amounts of methane emissions from the oil and gas sector on short-time scales with reducing an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide using carbon capture and storage (CCS). Characteristics of CCS are that it would require substantial infrastructure development and that it incorporates deployment delays. Results illustrate that prioritizing quickly deployable methane emission reduction alternatives that necessitate minimal construction is an efficient approach to achieve near-term climate change relief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple econometric model predicting the effects of key drivers of climate change on the real GDP is constructed. It shows quantitatively how GDP is affected by carbon dioxide emissions and energy produced from renewable sources (excluding hydroelectricity). Moreover, the model also demonstrates that increasing energy consumption using fossil fuels at the expense of renewable sources negatively impacts GDP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United Nations 2030 agenda states various sustainable development goals (SDGs) to counter climate change affecting individuals' health and economies. It puts forward various policy guidelines and tools to help in the mitigation process and orientation towards green growth. In this context, this study examines the influence of carbon taxes and innovation (mitigation technologies) on demand, supply and total emissions in OECD regions for a sample spanning from 2000 to 2018. The preliminary data testing employed second-generation approaches, whereas the long-run relationship among the variables is tested using error correction-based modeling approaches due to cross-sectional dependences. IPAT and STIRPAT models are used to test the demand- and production-based emissions, while PMG-ARDL is employed for total carbon emissions. The results confirm the presence of a long-run relationship among variables. Moreover, water and wastewater technologies neutralize production-based emissions by 68%, production and processing innovation by 62%, energy generation/transmission limit it by 39%, and transportation-related technologies lowered demand-based emissions by 15% in OECD states. Environmental taxes have a more dominant effect in lowering carbon emissions in the short run (25%) than in the long run (10%); however, energy consumption remains the main polluter in all sectors. In sum, the results reveal that the policy target achievement tends to be sub-region specific (Asia-Oceania, America, Europe). Nevertheless, carbon taxes and mitigation technologies are helping in achieving SDGs of carbon mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low carbon power technologies are needed to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Will major candidates nuclear, wind and solar power be able to scale-up multiple times? Our contribution to this inquiry focuses on the size of a typical generation plant to compare candidates across the criteria of physical scalability, building experience and financial lumpiness; the relative successes and failures of industries in recent decades are assessed. Because unit size differs by three orders of magnitude between each of these technologies, marked findings obtain. Smaller devices (power units) allow for more innovation, more financing and thus a faster uptake. Henceforth, solar photovoltaic displays the greatest ability to replace aging fossil fuel power stations, followed by wind power at some distance because its recent evolution is going contrariwise. Conversely, the outlook for nuclear power in the developed global north is somber and only mildly positive in the fast developing global south; we make a modest case for the novel nuclear modular concept. Looking ahead, alternative renewable sources, such as bioenergy, should also be actively pursued as they may provide much needed backup to intermittent wind and solar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the unsustainable consumption of resources and climate change, it is increasingly difficult to maintain the security of the water–energy–food nexus, especially in regions with low availability. Thus, the need to design more resilient systems is key to sustainable development. Quantifying resilience in integrated systems such as the water–energy–food nexus is a useful way to identify vulnerable areas of the system and thereby take corrective actions to reduce the incidence of interruptions to basic services. Therefore, this work presents a systematic approach to assess the resilience of the water–energy–food nexus in arid and semi-arid regions. Through the proposed approach, it is possible to evaluate how the system failures caused by hurricanes, low-temperature events, and droughts affect the supply of water, energy and food. A resilience index is proposed, which involves penalization costs associated with the resource supply failures of the system. To apply the proposed approach, scenarios corresponding to past conditions and future projections were evaluated for two Mexican arid cities. The results show that in future years the nexus will be vulnerable to extreme events if the conditions for the resource management do not change. The proposed approach allows estimating the economic losses associated with the existence of natural disasters, making it an efficient decision-making tool to implement strategies and improve the security of the water–energy–food nexus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rising CO2 emissions call for actions to urgently address climate change and its impacts. To avoid the harmful consequences of climate change, limiting anthropogenic emissions of CO2 are a sensible response recognized by the global scientific community. Carbon capture and storage technologies are an integral part of the climate change mitigation portfolio. Among the various technologies, mineral carbonation shows promising potential as it is safer and offers a permanent solution for carbon capture and storage in the form of solid carbonates. In this regard, direct mineral carbonation of alkaline solid residues is viewed with global interest as they offer permanent and leakage-free storage of CO2. In this research work, CO2 sequestration using Indian coal fly ash (class F type- CaO < 10%) has been studied through the direct mineral carbonation process using flue gas concentration of CO2. Response surface methodology was used to design the carbonation experiments through gas–solid and aqueous routes. Aqueous carbonation of coal fly ash at optimum conditions (temperature-61.6 °C, pressure-48.7 bar, liquid/solid ratio-13.35, reaction time-50 min) resulted in a reduction of about 23% in the concentration of CO2. The waste exhibited a maximum sequestration capacity of 50.72 g of CO2/kg under aqueous carbonation and 20.03 g of CO2/kg under gas–solid carbonation. Both temperature and pressure were found to be significant factors impacting the gas–solid carbonation process. In aqueous carbonation, temperature and liquid/solid ratio were the significant factors. The carbonation process was evidenced using Fourier-transform-infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscope studies. The results suggest that Indian coal fly ash could be considered a potential feedstock for sequestration of CO2 with flue gas and requires further improvement for large-scale implementations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The greenhouse gas (GHG) emission from the livestock sector is a major concern as GHG can contribute to climate change event such as global warming. The country demand for livestock is rapidly increasing, due to population and economic growth. However, in Malaysia, there is still limited studies on GHG assessment from the livestock sector and its projection based on the self-sufficient level under population growth. In this study, the GHG emissions of different livestock were estimated using the livestock population data published in the year 2010–2019, based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Malaysia's livestock sector is dominated by poultry, swine, non-dairy cattle and goat. The emission is dependent on the livestock species and population. For enteric fermentation, non-dairy cattle accounted for 73.91% of the CH4 emission. For manure management, the main contributors were swine and poultry, accounting for 61.49% and 26.24% of the CH4 emission. Poultry and non-dairy cattle contributed to 63.25% and 20.79% of the direct N2O emission from manure management. Comparatively, enteric fermentation was observed to contribute for more than 50% share of the total CO2-eq emission. The GHG projection was carried out in two scenarios based on the population projection, self-sufficient level and product consumption per capita for the year 2019, 2030 and 2040. The scenario analysis showed that increasing the animal mass by 1% without increasing the livestock population could help in elevating the sufficiency level of food product even with increasing product demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ghana Nuclear Power Agenda is a program laid out by the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission in collaboration with the government of Ghana to guide and facilitate the installation of Ghana's first ever nuclear power plant. The nuclear power plant is expected to generate between 1000 and 12,800 MW of electricity from its inception to the final installations in a span of 20 years. Ghana's Third National Communication (TNC) Report to the UNFCCC indicates 59 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (MtCO2e) emission in 2011. Between 1991 and 2011, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions grew by 20% as energy intensity of the economy rose alongside with a growing demand in industry, transport and households. If nothing is done to curtail GHG emissions from its major sources such as transport and fossil-source energy in Ghana, the looming catastrophe of the changing climate will occur faster than we imagine. Nuclear power has been cited as environmentally friendly (zero-to-low carbon emission), efficient and sustainable source of energy that works down on CO2 emission. It offers current and future energy needs without burdening future generations with a broken environment. Using Crystal Ball simulation model, the current study estimates a cumulative increase (35%) in CO2 emission in a span of ten years without nuclear power in Ghana's energy mix. With the inclusion of nuclear power in the country's energy mix, the model estimates CO2 emission cut by 12.5% for the same period, and 18.2% in 20 years. Thus, given the same period of time, the rate of emission of CO2 was found to be more than twice its reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar PVs are mostly built on uncultivated land. However, the increase in land values due to the increasing world population, the lack of suitable areas for potential PV plants, especially in the land-scarce countries, and the increasing energy need led researchers to seek new solutions. At this point, floating solar power plants emerge as a good alternative with their advantages such as not occupying land area and reducing water evaporation by covering the water surface. In this study, a floating photovoltaic power plant with 120 kWp installation power was installed on Buyukcekmece Lake, and the effect of the microclimate data on the produced energy of the system was investigated. Since the energy produced by PV panels is highly dependent on climate effects and there may be many climatic variations depending on the geographical conditions, experimental measurements have been made annually in this study and the results have been analyzed in order to contribute to the researches in this field. From the obtained results, it is seen that the most important factor that positively affects the energy produced is solar irradiance, while specific humidity, wave loads, and module temperature have a negative effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a general perception that limiting emissions of carbon dioxide will be sufficient to avoid catastrophic climate change. The reality could well be that the many of the world's wealthy coastal cities which historically developed as ports will be inundated repeatedly to disappear eventually below the sea, with large swathes of the earth being flooded. Other major conurbations may cease to be liveable without air conditioning, while large numbers of people could well starve as a result of disruption of ecosystems. To the extent that this possibility is recognized, it is nevertheless perceived as a gradual process with the worst results in a distance future with any sea-level rise a gradual process. Limiting emissions is unlikely to be sufficient, because the level of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere is now much higher than ever before since humans started to exploit fossil fuels. We know this from the study of ancient air bubbles in Antarctic ice cores. There is a lack of balance between the energy transmitted by the incoming sunlight and the earth's outgoing infrared heat radiation. So far this imbalance is absorbed by the enormous thermal mass of the oceans. As to the speed of sea-level rise, a period of extremely rapid sea-level rise of about 1.4 cm per year has occurred in the prehistoric past and disintegration of ice sheets as is happening currently may well be a plausible explanation of this fact. In fact, it is straightforward to create substantial amounts of negative emissions of carbon dioxide. Nevertheless, making it happen will require an unprecedented degree of global cooperation, a high level of taxation on the extraction of coal and crude oil, and the use of pressurized liquid petrol gas as aviation fuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concrete is the basic building material in the world, and cement is the main material used in the production of concrete. However, there is an urgent need to reduce the consumption of cement, where cement production leads to 5–8% of global emissions of carbon dioxide. Geopolymer concrete is an innovative building material produced by alkaline activation of pozzolanic materials such as fly ash, granulated blast furnace slag, and kaolin clay. Geopolymers are widely used in the production of geopolymer concrete due to their ability to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and reduce high energy consumption. During the present study, the environmental impact of two strength grades (30 MPa and 40 MPa) of metakaolin geopolymer concrete (GPC) was evaluated to study its applicability in the construction sector. The kaolin clay extracted from the Aswan quarries was activated by a mixture of sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate solution. To introduce geopolymer concrete in the Egyptian industry sector, its environmental performance, together with its technical performance, should be competitive to the cement concrete used mainly for the time being. The cost of this new concrete system should also be evaluated. The environmental impact of GPC was evaluated and compared with cement concrete using life cycle assessment analysis and IMPACT 2002+ methodology. The cost of production was calculated for 1 m3 of geopolymer concrete and conventional cement concrete. Metakaolin geopolymer concrete achieved a high compressive strength of ~ 56 MPa, splitting tensile strength of 24 MPa, and modulus of elasticity of 8.5 MPa. The corrosion inhibition of metakaolin geopolymer concrete was ~ 80% better than that of conventional cement concrete. Geopolymer concrete achieved a reduction in global warming potential by 61% and improved the human health category by 9.4%. However, due to the heavy burdens of sodium silicate, the geopolymer concrete negatively affected the quality of the ecosystem by 68% and showed a slightly higher impact than cement concrete on the resource damage category for low strength grade of 30 MPa. The high cost of the basic ingredients of the geopolymer resulted in a high production cost of geopolymer concrete (~ 92 US$) that was three times that of cement concrete (~ 31 US$). Based on the environmental results, geopolymer concrete based on locally available metakaolin clay can be applied in the construction sector as a green alternative material for cement concrete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely believed that power generation by burning fossil fuel like coal, gas/oil causes global warming. The 21st session of the Conference of Parties held in Paris in December 2015 aimed to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change. India communicated the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution target for the above conference with aim to achieve 175,000 MW renewable energy by year 2022 and about 40% cumulative installed capacity from non-fossil fuel by year 2030. To make an assessment of possibility of achieving this goal, we estimated the source-wise installed capacity in year 2030 based on hydro and renewable energy potential in India, proposed Compound Annual Growth Rate for year 2016-2030 and capacity addition trend in leading economy and compared the estimate with the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution target. The study indicates that with the present state of development of the sector, India is likely to fall short of the target of 175,000 MW renewable energy installed capacity in year 2022, but it will achieve the target of having more than 40% installed capacity from non-fossil fuel by year 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UNFCCC has stated that energy policies and measures to address climate change should be cost-effective to ensure global benefits at the lowest possible cost. To mitigate the bulk of carbon emission from the electricity sector, a large market penetration of renewable energy technologies with as low cost as possible is a key research topic. The energy-related R&D policy in Japan aims to achieve a green economy. In our study, based on this context, we demonstrated how to optimize the timing of public R&D investment within the framework of a bottom-up partial equilibrium model. The developed optimization model represents the Japanese electricity sector and minimizes the total system cost subject to an accumulated carbon emission constraint. Our main research focus is the role of R&D activity, especially in the innovation stage of renewable technologies. We employ a two-factor learning curve and quantify the impact of the learning effect on the dynamic diffusion of major renewable technologies. The study shows a dynamic technology transition in the Japanese electricity sector and the optimized R&D investment schedule for each renewable technology. With the first-best energy policy, an R&D budget of more than 2000 million USD would be allocated to PV in 2050, which corresponds to 45% of the energy-related Japanese R&D budget in 2050. Because some have criticized the uncertainty problems with dynamic simulations and learning models, supplemental sensitivity analyses are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The burning of combustible material that produces emissions released to the atmosphere results in unfavorable climate change due to emissions of CO, NO, and acid rain by SO, endangering the health of the population. The treatment of combustion gases by means of a packed absorption column with a high-efficiency liquid-gas contactor material reduces pollutant emissions to the atmosphere, where combustion gases make contact with aqueous amine solution of mono ethanol amine (MEA), using different structured packing materials which can be metallic, polymeric, or ceramic. The objective of this work is to study which one of these three types of materials of gas-liquid contactors presents the lowest deterioration in the presence of combustion gases flowing countercurrent to MEA. The materials were evaluated according to the Standard Test Methods ASTM G31-2004 for corrosion testing, ASTM E8-1998 for tension testing, ASTM E384-1990 for microhardness testing, ASTM G5-1999 for potentiodynamic and potentiostatic testing, and the procedure of NRF-194 PEMEX-2007. The properties studied were the tensile strengths, the hardness values, and the elastic moduli, before and after structured packing materials made contact with combustion gases in MEA aqueous solution. The results showed that in acidic and basic mediums, the metallic material was the most resistant to abrasion; it has the highest tensile strength, and presents more resistance during the stress test. The hardness results for the materials were metallic: 190 KH, polymeric: 20 KH, and ceramic: 700KH. The respective corrosion resistances in the presence of MEA were 1.63 × 10, 3.76 × 10, and 1.42 × 10 mm/year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article was to present a tool for the assessment of the environmental performance of bus transit operators. The research method was the qualitative modeling. Environmental performance is the result of the environmental management practices adopted by an organization. Environmental performance was hierarchically structured in criteria and indicators. The assessment process produces an overall dimensionless index, a pure number without an associated physical dimension, originated from expert judgments and according to a composition rule. Experts attribute a degree of compliance to expected performance, ranging between 0 and 100 % (respectively the worst and the best), to the situation of environmental categorical indicators. Five criteria, apprehended by 32 indicators and prioritized by analytic hierarchy process, were used in the tool: Atmosphere (39 %), regarding impacts of the bus operation in air quality; effluents (6 %), regarding impacts caused by liquid waste; solid waste (8 %), regarding the generation of solids; land use (18 %), regarding how the operation uses the land; and natural resources (29 %), regarding how efficient the operation is in using natural resources. The tool was tested in six bus transit operations of a Latin America city of about 1,500,000 inhabitants. Indicators were assessed by scales fulfilled by managers of the operations. The overall dimensionless results for the six operators were: 58.96; 53.24; 50.97; 54.07; 47.01; and 37.69 % of the maximum possible performance. This numbers represent the degree of global satisfaction of the experts with the environmental results obtained by the operators. For all six operators, the more problematic criterion was Atmosphere. An improvement strategy should focus on it, implementing corrective actions monitored by the indicators of the criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The science of climate change integrates many scientific fields to explain and predict the complex effects of greenhouse gas concentrations on the planet's energy balance, weather patterns, and ecosystems as well as economic and social systems. A changing climate requires responses to curtail climate forcing as well as to adapt to impending changes. Responses can be categorized into mitigation and adaptation-the former involving efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and the latter involving strategies to adapt to predicted changes. These responses must be of significant scale and extent to be effective, but significant tradeoffs and unintended effects must be avoided. Concepts and science based on systems theory are needed to reduce the risk of unintended consequences from potential responses to climate change. We propose expanding on a conventional risk-based approach to include additional ways of analyzing risks and benefits, such as considering potential cascading ecological effects, full life cycle environmental impacts, and unintended consequences, as well as considering possible co-benefits of responses. Selected responses to climate change are assessed with this expanded set of criteria, and we find that mitigation measures that involve reducing emissions of greenhouse gases that provide corollary benefits are likely to have less negative indirect impacts than large-scale solar radiation management approaches. However, because effects of climate change are unavoidable in the near and medium-term, adaptation strategies that will make societies more resilient in the face of impending change are essential to sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The control of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO) emissions is one of the most challenging environmental issues facing industrialized countries because of its implications to atmospheric CO levels and climatic change. Burning of fossil fuels is responsible for the majority of these CO emissions and, therefore, there is significant interest in developing technologies that will reduce CO emissions. The membrane-based separation processes are not only cost effective and environmentally friendly, but also with many novel polymeric materials available, offer much more versatility and simplicity in customized system designs. The ability to selectively pass one component in a mixture while rejecting others describes the perfect separation device. We have synthesized a set of poly(urethane-imide)-POSS (PUI) by the simple condensation reaction of isocyanate terminated polyurethane (PU) prepolymer and anhydride terminated polyimide (PI) prepolymer. The PUIs were characterized by TGA, SEM, and AFM analyses. Thermal stability of the PU was found to increase by the introduction of imide component. Gas permeation measurements were studied for O, N, and CO gases by employing different pressures using constant volume/variable pressure apparatus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this presentation, we discuss the heightened role of spatial informatics on both 'sides' of the Kyoto process, i.e. in direct emission reduction in intelligent transport, and in indirect processes and the feedback of interventions, as in land use and forest management. The development of intelligent infrastructure has an acute role in the reduction of direct emission. The embedding of infocommunication technologies increases the effectiveness of the systems, and this results in significant energy savings. Intelligent transport based on geospatial information systems is among the most important intelligent infrastructures. This article analyses the role of spatial informatics in the reduction of the environmentally damaging effects of transport. Furthermore, various indirect processes contribute to emission reduction. One is monitoring the actual environmental impact of applied emission reduction solutions, e.g. in the area of land use and forest management. Therefore, spatial informatics has a key role in the factual determination of actual environmental conditions, in the preparation of human interventions directed towards the improvement of these, in decision-making and in the impact analysis of these interventions. The article analyses the possibilities of the use of geospatial tools in monitoring the factual effects of afforestation in the framework of carbon dioxide trade related to the Kyoto process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the study of natural and anthropogenic climate change, federal energy tax subsidies, and subsidies to fossil fuel-based sources.

The author reflects on the fourth assessment report issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, titled "Climate Change 2007." He addresses public debate about global warming. He examines the role of science, scientists and the scientific process and its interaction with the wider public and polity.

The article discusses the role of science in solving environmental problems. According to the author, science and technology play a significant role with regards to coping with global dangers and threat, and the expectation of society to them has increased. The environmental crisis experienced globally fuel the need of societies for guarantees of safety and relief, but they are faced with a lot of obstacles. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan implemented a policy to ensure food safety and enforced the certification mark system of the foodstuffs. To address the threat presented by climate change, an international and legally binding agreement called the Kyoto Protocol was instituted on February 26, 2005, in order to reduce emission of greenhouse gases globally.