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Purpose: Universities and their actions affect the environment directly and significantly. Therefore, the carbon footprint (CF) needs to be implemented in these institutions for mitigating climate change and its potential risks. Based on this understanding, the university consortium quality and environment (QualEnv) stands out by its main objective – to increase the university's contribution to sustainable development (SD) through the deployment of systematic environmental practices and quality processes. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to present the CF of the Latin American universities of the QualEnv consortium. Design/methodology/approach: The study was based on the actions for adopting CF and its implementation at the universities that take part in the QualEnv consortium. The measurement process and report presentation were done properly by the universities and published as institutional documents. Therefore, data were collected and analyzed through a document search, systematic literature review and participant observation. Findings: The results show knowledge deepening and systematization on CF in higher education. In addition, it presents the effort of a group of universities that, through a research network, seek to adopt practices towards a carbon-neutral university, which requires an incremental and systematic change to break out of the traditional system. Originality/value: This paper discusses the practical implications for universities and the need to implement initiatives for measuring and reducing their CF since it shows how the institutions belonging to QualEnv consortium have created their own strategies to mitigate climate change and contribute to SD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a society dominated by an ever-evolving transport sector and experiencing profound technological change in all areas, we cannot deny the impact of transport on the environment. This paper has examined the main environmental impacts of transport activities associated with the food sector in order to undertake a critical review of the challenges we may face in developing this sector. The main objective was to show the links between transport activities throughout the food life cycle and the environment. The paper reviewed the main studies in the field and the results identified the main ways in which transport affects the environment and identified some solutions to reduce its impact. The materials used in the research cover a wide range of information on the environmental impacts of transportation activities. Available scientific literature containing information on transportation was used, and the scientific material was analyzed theoretically. Our brief review of the environmental impacts of transportation activities related to agriculture showed that greenhouse gas emissions in this sector are increasing. Our research has shown that it is necessary to use efficient vehicles, reduce transport distances, develop cooperation in transport networks, use new types of packaging, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon–carbon backbone polymers are non-biodegradable, persistent plastics that have accumulated on land and oceans due to human activities. They degrade and fragment into microplastics and smaller particle sizes but do not biodegrade at an acceptable and practical rate. Their continual buildup in the natural environment precipitates serious detrimental impacts on human health and the environment, as extensively documented in the literature and media. Nearly 77% of global plastics produced are carbon–carbon backbone polymers. More importantly, 90% of packaging plastics (153.8 million metric tons) are non-biodegradable, persistent carbon–carbon backbone polymers. The recycling rate of these non-durable packaging plastics ranges from 0 to 4%. Re-designing carbon–carbon backbone polymers to labile ester backbone biodegradable–compostable polymers and treating them along with biodegradable organic waste (such as food, paper, and organic wastes) in managed industrial composting is environmentally responsible. Diverting 1 million metric tons of biodegradable organic wastes in MSW bound for landfills and open dumps to industrial composting results in 0.95 million metric tons CO2 equivalents of GHG emissions reduction. This perspective paper discusses strategies and rationales regarding the redesign of carbon–carbon backbone polymer molecules. It describes the carbon footprint reductions achievable by replacing petro-fossil carbon with plant biomass carbon. Biodegradability and compostability are frequently used but misunderstood and misused terms, leading to misleading claims in the marketplace. This paper presents the fundamentals of biodegradability and compostability of plastics and the requirements to be met according to ASTM/ISO international standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most pressing questions today is how to prevent or slow down climate change. As a service sector, transport significantly contributes to this and increases greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, creating long-term sustainable social, economic and environmental processes by eliminating current systemic failures can also be a significant challenge for individual nations. One thing is sure: the status quo is not sustainable. Taking all these aspects into account, this paper seeks to answer the question of the extent to which the performance of freight transport in each EU Member State contributes to the change in the ecological footprint and how national characteristics influence this. The research introduces a newly established indicator, the freight transport footprint, which is based on a family of footprint formulas and specifically seeks to answer the extent to which freight transport burdens our environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternate wetting and drying irrigation (AWD) has been shown to decrease water use and trace gas emissions from paddy fields. Whereas genotypic water use shows little variation, it has been shown that rice varieties differ in the magnitude of their methane emissions. Management and variety‐related emission factors have been proposed for modelling the impact of paddy production on climate change; however, the magnitude of a potential reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by changing varieties has not yet been fully assessed. AWD has been shown to affect genotypic yields and high‐yielding varieties suffer the greatest loss when grown under AWD. The highest yielding varieties may not have the highest methane emissions; thus, a potential yield loss could be compensated by a larger reduction in methane emissions. However, AWD can only be implemented under full control of irrigation water, leaving the rainy seasons with little scope to reduce methane emissions from paddy fields. Employing low‐emitting varieties during the rainy season may be an option to reduce methane emissions but may compromise farmers' income if such varieties perform less well than the current standard. Methane emissions and rice yields were determined in field trials over two consecutive winter/spring seasons with continuously flooded and AWD irrigation treatments for 20 lowland rice varieties in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. Based on the results, this paper investigates the magnitude of methane savings through varietal choice for both AWD and continuous flooding in relation to genotypic yields and explores potential options for compensating farmers' mitigation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Reducing our carbon footprint (CF) or decarbonizing is a sustainable development goal. Although there has been an increase in research on this topic, little is known about the status of CF research within universities. The purpose of this paper is to identify the initiatives implemented in universities aimed at reducing CF in their efforts toward creating a Green Campus. Design/methodology/approach: Using a bibliometric method, the status of this field of research was examined for the purpose of identifying the main publications and the most central researchers in terms of productivity and citations. Also, by using an exploratory factor analysis (EFA), the regions of the world with the most active research, as well as the direction of research, were identified. Findings: The survey identified the region that published the most on the subject in the past 10 years, as well as the most relevant authors in the publications. Through this factor analysis, it was possible to identify, among the 105 publications analyzed, four distinct factors (clusters) with different thematic strands that appear to define a difference between the related studies on this topic. These factors were identified as campus management: supply and consumption operations; greenhouse gases emissions assessment: CF calculation; university air travel; sustainable food systems. The changes in people's attitudes and in the use of university spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to the CF was also noted as a point that can be investigated in future research. As well as the reflection of the reduction in academic air travel and the "forced" occurrence of online events during the same period. Originality/value: The paper aims to innovate by applying the multidimensional scaling method and EFA to scientific articles on the topic of decarbonizing campuses and identifying the clusters that constitute this field of study. The research seeks to contribute to current metric knowledge on the topic and to the creation of a specific research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public buildings are energy-intensive users, especially when energy management is lacking. More than ever, the use of energy efficiency strategies and renewable energy sources (RES) in buildings are a national priority for Morocco in order to improve energy self-sufficiency, replace fossil fuel use and lower energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions. Relating to the exemplarity of the Moroccan government in terms of energy efficiency and sustainable development, the study support that aim and presents results of a deep energy performance analysis of more than 20 university campuses across Morocco, which has concluded that around 80% of the energy consumed in the university campuses is designated for lightning and hot water for sanitary use. Later, this study examined the potential for energy saving and the environmental benefits of implementing actions to reduce energy demand from the grid, considering the use of on-site solar energy. Thereafter, the study aimed to analyze the impact of RES integration in public university campuses, namely the photovoltaic (ESM1) for electricity output and solar thermal system for hot water use (ESM2), to assess the techno-economic-environmental performance on building energy consumption reduction. Hence, the paper reported a detailed energetic-economic and environmental (3E) analysis simulation for campuses by integration of the two Energy Saving Measurements (ESM). The results showed that the integration of ESM1 system can reduce the annual energy demand by 22% and the energy bill by 34%, whereas the integration of ESM2 achieved 67% in energy saving. According to the analysis of the results, the integration of ESM1 is expected to save 6044 MWh of electrical energy annually on the 30222 MWh for all campuses and 2559 MWh for ESM2 which is equivalent to 284 m3/yr of diesel. With the reduced energy consumption, it is possible to cut down fossil fuels for electricity production and offset greenhouse gas emissions by 672 tons of carbon dioxide annually. Besides, the evaluation of results showed that the energy performance indicator was reduced from 530 kWh/bed/yr to 248 kWh/bed/yr, which represents 56% of energy saving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United Nations (UN) has stablished several goals and actions in order to mitigate climate change and reduce its consequences. As one of the main responsible of global anthropogenic carbon emissions, cement industry has a great potential on collaboration to achieve such goal. New solutions are studied to decrease the environmental impact caused by cement production. Clinker content replacement by Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCM) is indicated as the more feasible one. Despite the environmental benefit offered by the action, the composition modification of the binder leads to initial performance issues. Cementitious materials with lower clinker content and presence of SCM presents higher setting time and lower early strength, which limits the application of the measure regardless of its environment advantage. The use of C-S-H (calcium silicate hydrate) seeds additive can overcome such effect, since it accelerates cement hydration, improving its initial performance. Therefore, such additional input enables the vaster application of low carbon cements. Nonetheless, the manufacture of C-S-H seeds also emits greenhouse gases with environmental impacts comparable to cement production. Hence, the objective of this study is to analyse and discuss the contribution of the use of C-S-H seeds on the potential carbon footprint reduction of cementitious materials and if this measure could help to achieve the goals stablished by the UN. The reviewed papers pointed the additive as a feasible solution to low carbon cements production which allays technical and environmental requirements. Therefore, it was concluded that C-S-H seeds can effectively contribute to achieve the UN stablished goals towards climate change mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University campuses represent a heterogeneous ecosystem as to social, economic, energetic, and personal travel planning with a huge impact on hosting cities and territories. Sustainable policies are thus fundamental to reduce this impact and to adopt ecological behaviors. The measures for any University Sustainability Plan should be evaluated in terms of GHG emissions, as well as the overall impact of the university itself. Carbon footprint (CF) calculation is a relevant Decision Support tool that allows university organizations to measure and communicate the environmental effects of their activities. The aim of this paper is to present a carbon footprint methodology specifically designed to calculate the carbon footprint of large universities. The methodology was applied to calculate the CF of the University of Bologna by following international standards—i.e., the GHG protocol, the ISO 14064, and the ISO/TR 14069 guide—to understand the environmental impact caused by greenhouse gas emissions from direct and indirect university activities. The study was conducted upon the data available in 2020 and then was compared to the 2018 data, with the aim to recognize if the effect of the pandemic could have altered the results. In 2020, the University of Bologna emitted 16,467 tCO2e which became 15,753 tCO2e considering the offset and avoided emission provided by the internal production of energy from renewable sources. Comparison between 2020 and 2018 shows how, in 2018, most of the emissions came from transportation, representing 74% of the total emissions, while in 2020 almost 50% of total emissions derived by IT procurements. The case application demonstrates the way with which the methodology may be applied to assess environmental impact for complex university campuses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EU "Fit for 55" legislative package provides for the introduction of regulations enabling the achievement of the emission reduction target by 55%. As part of the necessary actions, it is necessary to increase the energy efficiency of existing buildings. To achieve this, there are plans to increase the pace of the modernization of buildings, from 1% to 3% of buildings annually by 2030. However, this must be done with respect to the principles of sustainable development, circular economy and the conservation of buildings. This article presents a comprehensive comparison and calculation of carbon payback period (CPP) for selected insulation materials, combined with selected typical building partitions, and shows how quickly the payback period of greenhouse gases in the production of insulation materials is completed. Individual insulation materials (stone and glass wool, expanded polystyrene (EPS), extruded polystyrene (XPS), polyurethane (PUR) and cellulose) were analyzed in relation to different types of walls (seven types—including solid wall, diaphragm wall, large panel system (LPS), and concrete), in different locations (Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Finland, Europe) and for various energy sources (electricity, gas, oil, biomass, district heating). After taking into account the carbon footprint embodied in the insulation materials, along with the potential reductions in the operational greenhouse gases emissions, the carbon payback period (CPP) was determined, resulting from the use of a given technology, insulation material and location. By comparing the CPPs for different insulations, this paper shows that the results vary significantly between EU countries, which have different embodied carbon factors for energy sources and materials, and that there is still a serious lack in the availability of reliable environmental information, which can limit research results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Passenger vehicles are responsible for significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which calls for accurate and up-to-date estimates of the comparative emissions of the main types of alternative power trains, to enable evidence-based policy recommendations. This paper provides a systematic review and harmonization of the recent scientific literature on this topic. The results show that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) represent the most promising option to decarbonize the passenger vehicle fleet in all considered world regions, with up to −70% reductions in GHG emissions possible, vs. conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) running on petrol. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs and PHEVs) are less effective strategies, but they may be useful in bridging the gap between ICEVs and BEVs, especially in those markets that are harder to electrify quickly. Finally, fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs) may also be a viable option, but only if the hydrogen fuel is produced via water electrolysis using renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This paper presents a comparative life cycle assessment of two types of H2 carriers, methanol and ammonia, using GaBi 10 software. Two types of H2 carriers that is, methanol and ammonia are compared from coal, natural gas and renewables, respectively. The full supply chain is considered in the carbon footprint evaluation, which contains production, storage, transportation, and utilization phase. The energy analysis results show that H2 carrier produced from natural gas has higher energy efficiency than that from renewables, which can be attributed to the high energy consumption during H2 generation in the latter. Carbon footprint evaluation indicates that solar PV‐based ammonia production route has the lowest GWP in all scenarios, with a value of 43.9 g of CO2‐Equation MJ−1 of ammonia. In addition, electricity has been found as the key factor affecting GHG emissions in the routes of fuels produced from renewable H2 through sensitivity analysis. By optimizing electricity generation and expanding the carbon capture scale of power plant, the GHG emissions level of CCU‐based methanol production route and solar PV‐based ammonia production route can be further reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growing need for residential buildings as a result of population growth, the building sector is a high-priority area in climate change due to its large share of CO 2 emissions, the significant energy saving opportunities it represents, and the increasing expectations for occupant comfort. This paper presents the results of climate change impact assessment on a typical mid-rise residential building in four representative cities with different climatic characteristics in Turkey. Three different scenarios that characterize different solutions towards space cooling are developed, from naturally ventilated to fully air-conditioned. The energy requirements and corresponding CO 2 emissions due to space conditioning as well as occupant thermal comfort are the investigated building performance metrics. The preliminary results based on energy simulations indicate that pronounced overheating will be experienced in the future, which will have a strong effect on cooling energy use and/or occupant comfort. The projected energy demand also points to the future need to explore measures for climate change adaptation of buildings and the importance of the decarbonization of the electricity industry for climate change mitigation. The analysis results presented in this paper provide a basis for future studies on building retrofit for climate change. • Evaluation of climate change impact on a typical residential building in Turkey. • Cooling is to dominate thermal loads due to increased temperatures. • Warmer climates to be influenced most by negative effects. • Severe overheating for poorly ventilated, highly insulated buildings. • Adaptation measures needed for climate-proofing existing buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To mitigate climate change, individual greenhouse gas emissions need to decline substantially. This paper empirically explores the relationship between individual carbon footprints and carbon literacy as well as socio-economic and attitudinal factors. To operationalize carbon literacy, we distinguish between carbon knowledge and carbon engagement. Our econometric analysis uses widely representative survey data for 1000 individuals in Germany and distinguishes between components of an aggregate carbon footprint and of carbon footprints related with electricity consumption, heating, motorized individual transport, aviation, and dietary choices. We find a negative and sizeable correlation between carbon engagement and the aggregate footprint, as well as the footprints related to electricity consumption and diet. For example, a one-unit increase in our index reflecting carbon engagement corresponds to a decrease in the aggregate carbon footprint of about 4%. Furthermore, for carbon knowledge we find a negative correlation with the carbon footprint from diet. We also find significant correlations between the carbon footprints and gender, age, income, education, environmental preferences, and policy orientation, which generally exhibit the intuitively expected signs, but differ somewhat across activities. Overall, our findings support the notion that fostering carbon engagement represents a more effective strategy for reducing individuals' carbon footprints than enhancing carbon knowledge. • We study the relationship between carbon literacy and carbon footprints. • We break down carbon literacy into carbon knowledge and carbon engagement. • Individual-level carbon footprints calculated from representative data in Germany. • Carbon footprints calculated for electricity use, heating, transport, and diet. • Econometric findings stress role of carbon engagement for carbon footprints. • Carbon footprints are correlated with socio-economic factors and policy orientation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates how consumption‐based greenhouse gas emissions from private households can be reduced. The aim is to quantify opportunities for mitigation through shifting expenditure on food, holidays, and furnishings to less carbon‐intensive products and services that are available on the market but not yet mainstream. Two hundred and seventeen analyses of the greenhouse gas emissions/SEK for on‐the‐market products and services were used for estimating the consumption‐based greenhouse gas emissions from an average person, an average single man and an average single woman. The consumption‐based greenhouse gas emissions for these households were estimated to be 6.9, 10, and 8.5 tonnes per capita per year respectively; and food, holidays, and furnishings accounted for 56–59% of that. The alternatives to mainstream food, holidays, and furnishings include plant‐based alternatives to meat and dairy products, locally produced vegetables, second‐hand or repaired furnishings, holidaying abroad by train, and "staycations." Our results show that total greenhouse gas emissions can be lowered by 36–38% by shifting the expenditure on these products and services to less carbon‐intensive alternatives without changing the total expenditure. The share of total emissions deriving from food, holidays, and furnishings is reduced to 30–35% after the change. The findings are discussed in the light of goals for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, additional sustainability aspects, the limitations of the study and needs for further research. This article met the requirements for a silver–silver JIE data openness badge described at http://jie.click/badges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Global sustainability is considered the number one health concern facing our planet. Dental care is currently not provided in a sustainable way. This study aims to quantify the potential environmental burden of an examination in a hypothetical dental practice and identify major contributors to environmental harm. Materials and Methods: A life cycle analysis was performed for the life cycle of an examination of one patient in a hypothetical dental practice. The equipment and products analysed were those available at the Faculty of Dentistry, Malmö University. The Ecoinvent version 3.5 database and the life cycle assessment software tool OpenLCA version 1.10 were chosen for this study. Results: Normalized results indicate that the impact categories to which the modelled examination most significantly contributes are water scarcity, freshwater eutrophication and human toxicity (cancer effects). The major contributors or hotspots relating to the environmental harm of an examination procedure are soaps and detergents, disposable bibs, surface disinfection, stainless‐steel instruments, clothing, water use and wastewater. Conclusion: Normalized results indicate that the potential environmental impact of an examination compared to one individual's impact per year is minimal. Considering the potential number of dental examinations and other dental procedures performed every year puts the findings in another perspective. This paper touches on some of the ways that the environmental burden of an examination could be reduced. Small changes to everyday practice, such as always making sure the dishwasher and washing machines are full when turned on, using less environmentally damaging soaps, more sustainable clothing alternatives and using necessary instruments could significantly reduce dentistry's environmental impact. Changes in materials and practice may result in potential trade‐offs. Research would need to be carried out comparing the environmental burden of any alternatives. We hope in the near future that there will be more evidence relating to products used within dental care settings, potential trade‐offs and dentistry's environmental burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carbon emissions associated with the built environment represent the dominant fraction of the total carbon footprint of society. As a result of the intense debate over how to address climate change, Life-Cycle Carbon Emissions Assessment and carbon footprint standards such as the PAS2050, ISO/TS 14067, and the GHG Protocol, are receiving increased attention. However, carbon emission calculations often vary in terms of boundaries, scope, units of greenhouse gas emissions, and methodologies. There is not an internationally accepted method for measuring, reporting, and verifying GHG emissions from existing buildings in a consistent and comparable way. In support of developing a standardized approach, this paper reviews current methodologies for carbon footprint accounting and outlines the inconsistencies of most life-cycle carbon assessments studies. The paper also aims to present the cutting-edge knowledge about emissions resulting from buildings during their life-cycle. The conclusion of this research, after a comprehensive literature review and critical analysis, is that there is a need for a clear, accessible and consistent method to assess the carbon emissions from buildings. The findings in this paper can also support and facilitate the discussion of the meaningful targets required to reduce carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food production is an important source of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Quantifying the carbon footprint of all the major food categories in different continents is critical for accurately evaluating various aspects of GHG emissions from food production on a continental and global scale. Such information, however, is lacking. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis of plant-based and animal-based food production in all continents comprehensively using 5353 carbon footprint values from 524 published papers and calculated GHG emissions from food production (system boundary is from cradle to farm gate) at the continental and global scale. Our results indicate that the average carbon footprint of plant-based foods amounts to 0.66 kg CO 2 -eq kg−1, which is only 10.7% of animal-based foods (6.15 kg CO 2 -eq kg−1). The carbon footprint of plant-based food in Asia and Europe is 8.9%–184% higher than that of other continents. Africa has the lowest carbon footprint for plant-based foods, owing to its low agricultural input and limited crop management. However, the carbon footprint of animal-based foods in Africa and Asia is 2.5%–150% higher than that of other continents, with North America and Oceania recording the lowest. Total annual GHG emission from global food production reached 8125 Mt CO 2 -eq, with grains, meat, and milk together accounting for 70.8%. Asia, owing to its large production, emerged as the largest emitter, accounting for 55.4% of global GHG emissions. It was followed by Europe (16.3%) and North America (10.5%), while Africa, South America and Oceania together emit 17.8%. In summary, our study presents the most comprehensive account of the carbon footprint of food production at the continental and global scale to-date, which will help develop strategies and policies to reduce GHG emissions at various levels such as geographical regions, food and nutrition security, resource availability and resource use. • Plant-based food carbon footprint (CF) < 89% than that of animal-based food. • Plant-based food CF in Asia and Europe up to >184% than that of other regions. • Animal-based food CF in Africa, Asia up to >150% than that of other regions. • Global food production GHG emission is 8125 Mt CO 2 yr−1. • Asia emits 55% of global food GHG emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was conducted to determine the carbon footprint of poultry farms. Breeder farms were included in the study. The fuel and electricity bills from farm, house size and age, flock size and number of flocks per year, and manure management were all collected. The methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide equivalent emissions were calculated, as well as the effect of these gases on breeder farms productivity, as well as determining the carbon footprint of breeder farms to reduce the negative effects of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to providing necessary information on breeder's chicken performance and advising poultry farmers on the relative merits of different climatic conditions to help set standards for different production traits. The experiments were conducted of closed farms in the city of Mansoura during the period from May 2019 to December 2021 and the capacity of the farm was 43,300 breeders' chickens. The results showed that the amount of methane gas produced from the farm was 1.76 ton ch4 yr-1 and nitrous oxide gas was 0.13 ton n2o yr-1 for manure management. Thus, the total emissions of manure management are estimated at 81.65 tons of co2-eq. The amount of greenhouse gas emissions for diesel is 5.23 tons of co2-eq. The amount of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) for the electricity used in the farm is 0.15 tons of co2-eq. In the end, the total amount of emissions produced from the farm is 87.04 tons of co2-eq. In the end, the total amount of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions generated from Egypt's farms is 271.8 (kiloton co2-eq). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wastewater sector accounts for up to 7 and 10% of anthropogenic CH 4 and N 2 O emissions, respectively. Nowadays wastewater treatment plants are going through a paradigm shift to approach a net-zero carbon condition. Numerous ongoing measures have taken place to identify the sources of greenhouse gases and minimize the carbon footprint. This paper systematically reviews all known practices leading towards net-zero carbon wastewater treatment. The greenhouse gas emissions from the wastewater sector are identified and carbon footprint quantification tools, such as reliable models and emission factors are compared. The direct process emissions can contribute to over 60% of the carbon footprint in wastewater treatment plants, while around 30% of the carbon footprint is due to energy-related indirect emissions. Therefore, greenhouse gas mitigation via process optimization and energy usage in wastewater treatment plants are comprehensively described. The implantation of novel nitrogen removal processes can reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption. Other techniques such as source separation systems can potentially allow mitigation of N 2 O emissions by 60% while avoiding energy-intensive nitrogen fertilizer production. Nutrient recovery methods are another approach which offer negative value for the net carbon footprint. Recovering N 2 O for energy production is a promising method which can lead to both direct and indirect carbon footprint reductions. Ultimately, to achieve full decarbonization any remaining emissions need to be offset, including carbon footprint of chemicals usage and transportation. [Display omitted] • Wastewater sector is going through a paradigm shift towards decarbonization • GHG emission hotspots are identified and emission factors are reviewed • WWTPs may be responsible for approximately 5% of total GHG emissions • Direct emissions can contribute to >60% of the carbon footprint in WWTPs • Process modifications and energy optimization play key roles towards net-zero WWTPs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study discusses the result of a life cycle assessment (LCA) for three Egyptian aquaculture farms categorized as semi-intensive culture. The cradle-to-grave system was used to calculate the overall carbon footprint of fish unit production. The major data came from a study of three feed factories in Egypt, which included a wide range of feed manufacturing and agricultural practises in order to reveal the varied greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Pre-farm, farming, and post-farming were the three stages of the life cycle assessment. Feed manufacture, which was primarily tied to the production and processing of raw materials, was the largest source of GHG emissions for all three processes. GHG emissions were also produced during the transport of raw materials to the factory. GHG emissions were also produced during the transportation of raw materials to manufacturers, as well as feed from factories to fish farms, via ship or road. Energy consumption in feed factories varies due to variances in design technology and manufacturing efficiencies. Feed conversion ratios (FCR) have a significant influence on GHG emissions since more feed is required to produce one kilogramme of fish. The kind of packaging material and energy utilised in the factories had an impact on GHG emissions, as each type had a distinct emission factor (EF). Aside from fingerling production, there are direct and indirect N2O emissions, as well as post-farming operations like packaging, ice serving method, and customer transportation. The conclusions of the investigation revealed that According to the results of the study, the emissions linked with the three farms varied greatly. Hanafy farm had the greatest emissions, with 3.265 kg CO2e/kg fish and 50.917 tonnes CO2e/Season, followed by Hashim farm with 2.259 kg CO2e/kg fish and 45.829 tonnes CO2e/Season, and finally Aly farm with 2.223 kg CO2e/kg fish and 38.864 tonnes CO2e/Season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pine chemicals are co-products of papermaking that are upgraded into diverse products from inks to adhesives. They can also be utilized for energy purposes. This research investigates the carbon and energy life cycle assessment (LCA) of pine chemicals derived from crude tall oil (CTO). The study goals are to determine the cradle-to-gate carbon and energy footprint for CTO-derived chemicals, compare CTO-derived chemicals to their likely substitutes, and calculate the carbon and energy effects of shifting CTO resources from current chemical production to biodiesel production. The data collected represent 100% of the U.S. and 90% of the European CTO distillation industry for 2011. This analysis is the first industry-level LCA of pine chemicals. The carbon footprint for CTO-derived pine chemical products is 50% lower than the likely mix of alternative products, including hydrocarbon resins for rubber, ink, and adhesive, alkyl succinic anhydride for paper size, and heavy fuel oil for heat. Current and proposed European policies could result in CTO being classified as renewable biomass for energy production, creating incentive to convert CTO into fuel rather than chemicals. The differences in the carbon and energy footprints of utilizing CTO for biodiesel versus chemicals are not meaningful when comparing European CTO biodiesel, which displaces conventional diesel, to European CTO-derived chemicals, which displace the previously discussed substitutes. Therefore, there is no additional carbon or energy benefit that accrues by diverting CTO from current chemical feedstock applications to use for biodiesel production in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Sweden's environmental policy aims to solve domestic environmental problems without increasing environmental and health impacts overseas. Realizing this aim requires an indicator system with a consumption-based (or "footprint") perspective that captures both local and global impacts and their development over time. In this paper, we present a set of novel footprint indicators to measure environmental pressures from Swedish food consumption. The indicators are calculated by combining data and statistics on agrochemicals and deforestation emissions with EXIOBASE3, a global Multi-Regional Input Output (MRIO) database with a unique and high level of product detail across countries. We estimate the use of pesticides and antimicrobial veterinary medicines associated with current Swedish food consumption and compare those footprint indicators with the EU-28. Carbon emissions from deforestation are calculated with a land balance model and included in the overall carbon footprint of food. We find that Sweden, with its large reliance of food imports, exert a significant agro-chemical and climate footprint overseas, mainly in the EU and Latin America. We point to a need for better data and statistics on the use of pesticides, veterinary medicines and agrochemicals residuals (especially in developing countries) as well as improved spatial data on agricultural activity to further reduce uncertainty in the environmental footprint of Swedish food consumption. Highlights • We present footprints for agrochemicals and climate from Swedish food consumption. • Due to large food imports, a significant share of Sweden's impact occur overseas. • Emissions from tropical deforestation represent roughly 10% of carbon footprint. • More than three quarters of Sweden's pesticide footprint is embedded in imports. • Data gaps on use of agrochemicals are significant, especially in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The livestock activity is linked to processes with environmental repercussions. Methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are two important greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted into the atmosphere by livestock during the processes of enteric fermentation and excreta management, which contribute to global warming. The objective of this paper was to review the amount of GHG emitted (kg CO2e) per kg of product generated from the main ruminant species (sheep, goats, buffaloes and bovines) used in tropical areas, under grazing conditions. For small ruminants, according to previous researches, emission intensities (EI) for meat was between 25 - 49.5 kg CO2e and for milk was within 5.5 and 11.2 kg CO2e; for buffaloes, EI was among 2.5 – 5.8 kg CO2e / kg FPCM and 21 – 70 kg CO2e/ kg CW; for meat cattle, EI was amid 21- 76 kg CO2e; and for dairy cattle, EI was betwixt 2 – 9 kg CO2e. The differences found between the regional averages and the data for the same area of a country, can be due to different factors such as the quality of the pastures, level of intensification of the systems and climatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is common practice in wastewater engineering to extend standard activated sludge models (ASMs) with extra process equations derived from batch experiments. However, such experiments have often been performed under conditions different from the ones normally found in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). As a consequence, these experiments might not be representative for full-scale performance, and unexpected behaviour may be observed when simulating WWTP models using the derived process equations. In this paper we want to highlight problems encountered using a simplified case study: a modified version of the Activated Sludge Model No. 1 (ASM1) is upgraded with nitrous oxide (N2O) formation by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. Four different model structures have been implemented in the Benchmark Simulation Model No. 1 (BSM1). The results of the investigations revealed two typical difficulties: problems related to the overall mathematical model structure and problems related to the published set of parameter values. The paper describes the model implementation incompatibilities, the variability in parameter values and the difficulties of reaching similar conditions when simulating a full-scale activated sludge plant. Finally, the simulation results show large differences in oxygen uptake rates, nitritation rates and consequently the quantity of N2O emission (GN2O) using the different models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon calculators can potentially help people understand and reduce their climate impact. This paper describes the features of Svalna, a mobile application that estimates users' greenhouse gas emissions by means of a hybrid approach that relies on financial transaction data from the users' bank paired with environmentally extended input output analysis; data from official registers of governmental agencies, and data entered by the users themselves. Applying financial transaction data in carbon calculators is increasingly popular, and I discuss the benefits and drawbacks of using such data in order to estimate greenhouse gas emissions. The paper also describes how design features have been developed based on insights from behavioral science and previous research on carbon calculators. The mobile application is available for use in Sweden and had approximately 15,000 users in December 2019. • This paper describes a carbon calculator that uses financial transactions and EE-MRIO data to estimate users' carbon footprint. • The methodology is presented and the benefits and drawbacks of this approach are discussed. • The design of the mobile application and how it builds on insights from behavioral science is described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon footprint allows quantifying the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in terms of carbon dioxide equivalent that are released to the atmosphere as a result of the development of any activity. In this paper, the carbon footprint in sugar production is estimated, and the sugar mill "Argeo Martínez", located in the province of Guantanamo, is selected as the object of study. The methodology established by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was based on the use of emission factors published by different sources for the inventory of the emissions corresponding to the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 harvests. As a result, the estimated greenhouse gas totals were obtained for the analyzed periods of 8 126, 09 tCO2eq and 5 099, 76 tCO2eq. Carbon footprint was determined at 0,27kgCO2/kg sugar and 0,26kgCO2/kg sugar respectively. These values can be compared with other plants in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is the top CO 2 emitter with enormous regional variation in economic development, resource endowment, and consumption patterns, which leads to great variations in regional CO 2 emissions and embodied CO 2 transfer among provinces. Analyzing the mechanisms responsible for carbon footprint (CF) and embodied CO 2 transfer among provinces via trade could help policy makers allocate emission responsibilities and reduction targets. Based on a multi-regional input–output model, this paper investigates the CFs and embodied CO 2 transfer in/among 30 provinces of China in 2007 and 2010, and analyzes emissions from different perspectives. Results indicate that China's CF grew from 5230 Mt in 2007 to 6922 Mt in 2010, with an annual growth rate of 9.8%. The provinces with the large CFs and per capita CF were mainly those locate in eastern, developed regions along the coast and several highly populated ones. CO 2 emissions due to capital formation contributes the most to the CFs and the increment in this period, and this was followed by urban consumption. Significant embodied CO 2 transfer were observed to drift from the developing and energy-abundant provinces like Hebei and Inner Mongolia, to the developed coastal provinces. Total embodied CO 2 transfer account for 43.9% of the national CF in 2007, and decreased to 41.0% in 2010. In order to control CO 2 emissions and make reduction allocations for provinces, interprovincial embodied CO 2 transfer and practical capacities need to be taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colombia is the largest producer of palm oil in America. An estimate of the carbon footprint of a Colombian agro-industrial company during 2011 is presented in this paper. Only the operations conducted within the company's processing plant are considered. Greenhouse gas emissions are estimated by applying the methodology proposed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which considers the physical chemical properties and emission factors for fuels and activities described by the Colombian Mining and Energy Planning Unit. The carbon footprint is found to be 115,352 t CO2 for the studied year. Of these emissions, 58% correspond to anaerobic open lagoons for water treatment, 41% to stationary combustion equipment, and only 1% to transportation vehicles and heavy machinery owned by the company. By identifying emission sources and estimating the carbon footprint, this company is now able to set objectives leading to a reduction in emissions and the implementation of strategies to minimize environmental effects caused by this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a yield of efforts in the international climate policy and emerging consumer awareness there is a growing interest for the quantification of corporate level carbon footprints. As a consequence, there have been numerous initiatives, guidelines and calculation methods emerged recently to be able to quantify company level direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions. Most of them are based on the philosophy and classification of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. This paper intends to provide a comparison of freely available online corporate level carbon footprint calculators with a novelty value of addressing their validity and reliability. Validity here refers to the issue whether different calculators cover the same or similar aspects or scopes of the corporate carbon footprint, while reliability addresses the question whether different calculators deliver the same or similar result if we use the same input data. Based on the example of an imaginary enterprise, we argue that validity is partly achieved, while reliability of the calculators is relatively low. This means that online corporate carbon calculators can be useful to provide a first insight for companies into their carbon footprints and they can also be useful for temporal comparisons at the level of one company (if the activity of the company is not too complex.) However, these calculators do not seem to be very appropriate for comparisons among different companies or with external benchmarks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We reported previously on the Biogasdoneright™ system for on-farm biogas production. This innovative system employs sequential (year-round) cropping to produce both food and energy from agricultural biomass, primarily cellulosic materials. This paper uses a marginal analysis approach to estimate the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) of electricity and biomethane produced by four currently operating Italian biogas plants that process various agricultural feedstocks, residues, and by-products. The biogas is burned on-farm to generate electricity that is then exported to the grid. The marginal lifecycle GHGs of this farm-produced electricity range from -335 to 25 grams CO2 per kilowatt hour (kWh). By comparison, the marginal GHGs of electricity generated by fossil fuels in the European Union (EU) is 752 grams CO2 per kWh. The biogas might also be upgraded to produce pipeline-quality biomethane, a direct substitute for natural gas. The marginal lifecycle GHGs of biomethane potentially produced from the Biogasdoneright™ plants range from 10 to -36 grams CO2 per megajoule (MJ) while the corresponding figure for a conventional biogas plant is 27 grams CO2 per MJ. Natural gas in the EU produces 72 grams CO2 per MJ and marginal fossil fuel in the EU generates 115 grams CO2 per MJ. Negative GHG emissions arise largely from avoided emissions of agricultural effluents and residues. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass plays a dual role as an energy source and a solution for climate change mitigation. There are complexities surrounding decentralized electricity generation, and Ghana could not achieve its 10% renewable energy target in 2020. The paper assesses the greenhouse gas mitigation potential and economic impact of electricity from major food crop residues subjected to anaerobic digestion technology in 16 regions and 88 districts in Ghana from 2017 to 2020. Buswell equation was applied to calculate the biogas and methane yield. The environmental impact assessment was expressed as global warming potential, and the economic feasibility was conducted. The results showed that crop residues' annual theoretical and technical potential was 28.92 Mt and 17.24 Mt. The top four residues with the largest share of technical potential were maize (5.41 Mt), yam (3.58 Mt), plantain (3.05 Mt) and cassava (2.39 Mt). Biogas and electricity potentials were 1,912.74 Mm3 and 3,068.34 GWh, which could offset 15.56% of electricity consumption in Ghana. The Ashanti (478.18 GWh), Eastern (430.20 GWh), Bono East (318.29 GWh) and Northern (314 GWh) regions demonstrated the highest electricity potential. Ghana could generate the highest electricity potential of 46.52 GWh in the districts and a minimum potential of 0.89 GWh annually. Power generation potential from anaerobic digestion had a diesel displacement capacity of 923.35 × 10 6 L with a GHG emissions reduction of 2,507.35 kt CO 2 eq. The largest GHG reduction potential was 38.15 kt CO 2 eq at the district level. The findings show that the project is economically viable, with an average net present value of $ 10,105,904 per region and an electricity cost of $ 0.0321/kWh. The study provides critical insights to policymakers and industry developers for decentralized biomass-based electricity generation in Ghana. • A sustainable crop residue assessment is conducted in Ghana. • The total biogas-based electricity is 3,068.34 GWh. • Ashanti region has high electricity (478.18 GWh) than Greater Accra (9.82 GWh). • The total GHG mitigation is estimated as 2507.35 kt CO 2 eq. • The project is economically viable at a cost of $ 0.0321/kWh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the experiments was determine the amount of greenhouse gases emitted (nitrous oxide,ethane and carbon dioxide equivalent) resulting from poultry farms and the effect of these gases on energy productivity of poultry, as well as determining carbon footprint of laying hens production farms to reduce the negative effects of greenhouse gases emissions. In addition to providing necessary information on the performance of laying hens and providing guidance to poultry farmers on the relative merits of different climatic conditions to help set standards for different production traits. The experiments were conducted in one of the farms in the city of Mansoura during the period from June to October 2021 and the capacity of the farm was 40,000 laying hens. The results showed that the amount of methane gas produced from the farm was 0.4 ton CH4 yr-1 and nitrous oxide gas was 0.677 ton N2O yr-1 for manure management. Thus, the total emissions of manure management are estimated at 50.365 tons of CO2-eq. The amount of greenhouse gas emissions for diesel is 434.59 tons of CO2-eq. The amount of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) for the electricity used in the farm is 8 tons of CO2-eq. In the end, the total amount of emissions produced from the farm is 492.96 tons of CO2-eq. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools play an important role in achieving climate protection goals, because they lay the foundation of knowledge for a responsible next generation. Therefore, schools as institutions have a special role model function. Enabling schools to become aware of their own carbon footprint (CF) is an important prerequisite for being able to tap the substantial CO2 reduction potential. Aiming at the direct involvement of students in the assessment process, a new assessment tool was developed within the Schools4Future project that gives students the opportunity to determine their own school's CF. With this instrument the CO2 emissions caused by mobility, heating and electricity consumption as well as for food in the school canteen and for consumables (paper) can be recorded. It also takes into account existing renewable energy sources. Through the development of the tool, not only a monitoring instrument was established but also a concrete starting point from which students could take actions to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. This paper presents the tool and its methods used to calculate the CF and compares it with existing approaches. A comparative case study of four pilot schools in Germany demonstrates the practicability of the tool and reveals fundamental differences between the GHG emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a methodology to calculate the impact on climate change associated with the MSW collection and transport fleet, using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. The proposed methodological procedure was applied to the past and present situation in Spain, taking the city of Madrid as a characteristic example. The boundaries of the system include both the fuel life cycle (FLC) and the vehicle life cycle (VLC), the emissions for which are calculated using the GlobalTRANS tool developed at the Technical University of Madrid (UPM). In the city of Madrid, MSW transport vehicles run solely on compressed natural gas (CNG). The fleet’s carbon footprint (CF) is 25.1 kg CO 2 eq/t MSWcollected , 92% of which stems from the FLC and the remaining 8% from the VLC. In terms of the FLC, 86% of the impact comes from the Tank-to-Wheel (TtW) stage and 14% from the Well-to-Tank (WtT) stage. The raw material extraction, manufacturing and transport processes account for 67% of total VLC greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The situation in the city of Madrid in 2013 is compared to that in other Spanish cities and to past scenarios in Madrid, when vehicles ran on diesel. The DIESEL scenario yields emissions that are 18.5% higher than those of the CNG scenario, which means the CF would rise to 29.7 kg CO 2 eq/t MSW . A possible future scenario where CNG is replaced by purified biogas from the anaerobic digestion of municipal waste (BIOGAS scenario) was also evaluated. In this case, CF is 92% lower. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quantification of greenhouse gases ( GHG) emissions represents a critical issue for the future development of agro-food produces. Consumers' behaviour could play an important role in requiring environmental performance as an essential element for food quality. Nowadays, the carbon footprint ( CFP) is a tool used worldwide by agro-food industries to communicate environmental information. This paper aims to investigate the role that CFP could have in consumers' choices in three significant agro-food sectors in the Mediterranean area: wine, olive oil and cereals. A critical review about the use of CFP was carried out along the supply chain of these three sectors, in order to identify opportunities for enhancing food quality and environmental sustainability and highlighting how environmental information could influence consumers' preferences. The analysis of the state of the art shows a great variability of the results about GHG emissions referred to agricultural and industrial processes. In many cases, the main environmental criticisms are linked to the agricultural phase, but the other phases of the supply chain could also contribute to the increased CFP. However, despite the wide use of CFP by companies as a communication tool to help consumers' choices in agro-food products, some improvements are needed in order to provide clearer and more understandable information. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A process analysis approach based on GHG protocol is employed. • Digitalization reduces over 99% of paper document-related emissions in Singapore. • Passenger road transport to transfer documents is the largest source of emissions. • Blockchain systems and centralized systems are similar in total emission reduction. • Separate and integrated platforms are similar in total emission reduction. Digitalizing documents is evaluated as a key value-added factor in greening maritime transportation. Covid-19 accelerates the need for digitalizing shipping documents. However, very few studies analyze digitalization in maritime transportation from the environmental aspect, which is an important topic considering the global emphasis on decarbonization. The methods to measure document-related emissions are mainly conceptual guidelines. Therefore, this research aims to develop an estimation framework with concrete methods to quantify the greenhouse gas reductions from digitalizing shipping documents. Taking Singapore and China as examples, this study compares blockchain with centralized systems and an integrated platform with separate platforms. The major results are 1) digitalization can reduce over 99% of document-related emissions; 2) passenger road transport to transfer documents is the largest emission source in paper systems constituting over 90% of emissions per shipping event; 3) blockchain and centralized systems have similar effects on emission reductions; so do integrated and separated platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inventory analysis of greenhouse gas emission for large-scale biogas plants using carbon footprint method still needs to be improved. Based on the life cycle theory, the application of carbon footprint on four large-scale biogas plants was analyzed in this paper, which comprehensively considered project progresses of civil engineering construction, operation and comprehensive utilization of residues and slurry. Also the greenhouse gas emissions during the construction and waste removal stages were analyzed and estimated. The carbon footprint of those plants was analyzed in different types and scales. The results showed that the larger scale plant will produce relatively lower carbon footprint. The greenhouse gas emission of energy production, utilization during the period of anaerobic digestion accounted for more than 96% of the entire life cycle emission. The proportion of greenhouse gas emissions on equipment, demolition recycling and transportation phases was smaller, which was less than 1.5% and should be simplified in calculation. The greenhouse gas emission of building materials production can be ignored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effects of urban heat island (UHI) on outdoor lighting systems in terms of GHG emissions: a novel methodology is proposed to assess the carbon footprint (CF) change of lighting services in built areas caused by UHI-induced Δ T with particular focus on the evaluation of the energy consumption. The methodology can be applied also to other activities affected by the UHI, such as HVAC and transport systems. In particular, ΔCF was introduced by a two-fold approach: the quantification of the CF change due to UHI (as difference between CF in an UHI-affected case and CF for an UHI-less case) and the CF change produced by a 1 °C temperature change. A focus on LED lamps was developed: the lifetime of LEDs exponentially decreases with increasing temperature and the luminous flux exponentially decays with operation time. UHI (i.e. the increase in ambient temperature) affects the lifetime and the luminous flux of lamps producing higher energy consumption and higher replacement rates. Results showed that a positive Δ T due to UHI produces a positive ΔCF, which also becomes economically relevant in long-term scenarios. A case study was analyzed by applying the proposed methodology to Rome outdoor public lighting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When considering projections of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from waste there is a paucity of such studies for municipalities in developing countries and particular in Africa. This study addressed that gap and by taking a life cycle approach, current and projected emissions for the eThekwini Municipality situated in South Africa are calculated. These calculations use country specific emission factors for the different waste management processes and include upstream, downstream and operational GHG emissions. These emission factors are applied to different amounts of waste materials processed though different waste management processes (transported, landfilled, recycled, composed and/or anaerobically digested) and the overall GHG emissions for the system have been calculated. Three scenarios are defined, namely the current situation, the expected situation in 2014 after the closure of one landfill and the projected situation for 2020. In 2012 (considered current situation) the GHG emissions from the entire waste management system in this municipality were in fact net savings of about −1,61,780 tonnes CO 2 e (CO 2 equivalents). The closure of one of the three local landfill sites in 2014 and the re-directioning of the majority of waste to another landfill site which does not have landfill gas collection and utilisation, will cause an increase of GHG emissions to 294,670 tonnes CO 2 e. For the year 2020 an increase in recycling can save −2,07,056 tonnes CO 2 e and the introduction of anaerobic digestion about −157682 tonnes CO 2 e. However, the introduction of landfill gas collection and utilisation systems for the Buffelsdraai landfill site will result in the highest possible overall GHG savings of −630,867 tonnes CO 2. The results presented in this paper show that life cycle based GHG emission factors for waste and their use can support decision-making for municipalities in the local context and aid in optimising integrated waste management systems as to achieve the highest possible GHG savings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing concern about climate change and related greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) has been shared by many companies who are now involved in emission reduction efforts. In order to do this, it is necessary to first develop GHG emission inventories. The construction of inventories is not common practice in developing countries and among Brazilian water and wastewater companies, only four companies, among the top 25, have developed their GHG inventories, and none in the Northeast of the country. This paper aims to identify and estimate GHG emissions from the activities of a water utility, Empresa Baiana de Águas e Saneamento S.A (Embasa) in the State of Bahia during 2012. The method used for the inventory was the GHG Protocol proposed by World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and World Resources Institute (WRI), the most widely adopted method worldwide. In addition, the guidelines of IPPC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) were used to calculate emissions from wastewater treatment plants. It was found that the emissions resulting from sewage treatment (mostly carried out by anaerobic processes) constitute the largest source of GHG at the sanitation company studied, when considering the activities defined in this work. The assessment of GHG sources and emissions identified in this research can support proposals for reduction targets and benchmarking. The results form the basis for the incorporation of GHG reduction measures in the company's strategic planning as well as for integrating its sustainability report. The findings of this work can also help other companies to undertake GHG reduction measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the research methods and steps involved in carrying out studies on different types of carbon footprints. Furthermore, a comparative study of different carbon footprint assessment standards was carried out to identify their similarities, differences and deficiencies. Goals, principles, research boundaries, calculation methods, data selection and other aspects of organizations footprint and product carbon footprint were analysed, respectively. Organizations carbon footprint assessment standards—ISO14064 and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) protocol and product carbon footprint assessment standards—PAS2050, TSQ0010, ISO14047 and Product and Supply Chain GHG Protocol were analysed comparatively. The selection of GHG, system settings, quantification and carbon footprint, selection of date and treatment of specific emissions are the most important part of the study of the carbon footprint and assessment standards, especially for organizations and products. Guidelines had been made on these issues from existing assessment standards, but further improvement is still needed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Numerous research studies have focused on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of solar energy systems, and more concretely, within the last decade, on the environmental performance of parabolic trough solar power plants. Due to ever-increasing global energy demands, the optimization of energy solutions to reduce adverse environmental impacts has been attracting research efforts. The study presented herein reports on the environmental perspective of parabolic through concentrated solar power (CSP) plants, focusing on greenhouse gas emissions. Existing studies on the environmental impacts of parabolic trough CSP plants show significant differences regarding the scope and frontiers of the LCA, database employed, raw materials, lifetime of the CSP plant, and temporal assumptions. The convergences and divergences appearing in the most relevant papers are recompiled, disaggregated by system and LCA phase, identifying the parameters with higher impacts and calculating the influence on environmental issues. The scientific literature review carried out demonstrated a knowledge gap on inventory data for parabolic trough CSP plants. This study provides a framework for the establishment of energy policies and standards, along with data for the environmental optimization of parabolic trough CSP plants. • Review on the LCAs of parabolic trough plants that reported detailed LCI. • The environmental emissions should be normalized for comparison purposes. • Environmental impact results should be presented disaggregated by LCA phase and by system. • For the solar field, GHG emissions should be reported per m2 of solar aperture area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers are increasingly demanding products containing palm oil produced without harm to the environment. The industry response to this demand has been the creation of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and the development of a certification system to ensure sustainable palm oil production. However, currently there is no scientific evidence of the benefit gained through the RSPO certification schema. This paper quantifies the environmental impacts of RSPO certified and non-certified through a detailed Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of 1 kg of RBD palm oil to factory gate, produced in Indonesia and Malaysia in 2016, to identify potential benefits and trade-offs of RSPO certification. The ISO 14040/14044 compliant LCA is carried out following both a consequential and an attributional LCA approach. The inventory model presents a high level of detail. Primary inventory data describing the certified production system are obtained from RSPO assessment reports, covering 73% (634 estates) of the certified estate, including 111 smallholders, and 58% (165 oil mills) of the certified mills. Data for the total industrial production are drawn from national statistics and scientific literature. The non-certified flows are derived by subtracting the certified flows from the total industry flows. The consequential results show that RSPO certified oil reduces GHG emission by 35% compared to non-certified i.e. 3.41 (2.61–4.48) kg CO 2 eq./kg for certified vs 5.34 (3.34–8.16) kg CO 2 eq./kg for non-certified. Based on a thorough data quality assessment and uncertainty analysis, this result is deemed sufficiently robust and thus conclusive. Certified production achieves the largest GHG emissions reduction because of higher yields, i.e. less land use per unit of product, less oil palm cultivated on peat soil and higher share of palm oil mill effluents treated with biogas capture technologies. We also found that nature occupation is reduced by 20% in certified production while respiratory inorganic is slightly higher (3%) in certified production, due to the larger use of fertilisers. For other impact categories, results are associated with a larger uncertainty and therefore shall be considered as indicative. Similar results are found in attributional modelling. • RSPO certified palm oil emits less GHG emissions than non-certified palm oil. • RSPO certification increases nature conservation in palm oil production. • RSPO certified oil captures a higher share of biogas from palm oil mill effluents than non-certified. • Higher RSPO certified oil palm yields reduce land occupation and indirect land use changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenhouse gas emissions related to food production in selected countries around the world in 2000, 2007, and 2014 were analyzed in this paper. In recent decades, many studies have suggested that greenhouse gas emissions mostly caused by agricultural production should be reduced. However, a low-carbon agricultural sector often involves a reduction in inputs, which may result in smaller production volumes. Nevertheless, the overarching goal should be to maintain food production at a sufficient level to meet the population's food requirements. Food production is particularly important in the context of the forecasted growth of the world population. In this situation, greenhouse gas emissions per product unit should be regarded as a key indicator that reflects the environmental sustainability level of production processes. Defined as such, environmental sustainability was examined across the entire food production system—referred to as agribusiness. This study calculated the emissions of major greenhouse gases related to food production and compared them to the GDP of agribusiness. The average ratio of the agribusiness carbon footprint to GDP in countries examined was nearly 2 kg of CO 2 equivalent/USD in 2000. This value kept decreasing during the study period, reaching 1.21 in 2014. A decrease in the ratio was recorded despite an increase in agribusiness greenhouse gas emissions, which validated the research hypothesis that an increase in greenhouse gas emissions from agribusiness does not necessarily reflect a decline in the environmental performance of agribusiness production. This is especially true for China and Brazil, whose greenhouse gas emissions related to food production increased considerably in the years examined in this study along with a clear decline in emission levels per unit of agribusiness GDP. This study is innovative, because the literature does not provide any similar calculations for the food production subsystem, especially regarding emission levels per production unit. This approach required the authors to integrate the calculation methods used in agribusiness production with those applicable to agribusiness greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, this study relied on consistent methods developed by the authors to calculate these values. The research adds to existing literature by calculating the carbon footprint for the entire food production system, and it argues that better environmental performance of agribusiness production can be achieved despite higher greenhouse gas emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of cities and their stakeholders in creating a sustainable low carbon society is becoming increasingly critical. Cities and their supply chains are responsible for almost 80% of the global energy consumption and over 60% of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). It is expected that 70% of the global population will be living in urban areas by 2050. However, in general cities still quantify and report only their production-based GHG emissions and fail to account for their supply chains. There has been much less focus on the GHG emissions associated with consumption in cities, including household and government consumption. This paper compares the production-based GHG accounting method with the consumption-based method for ten European cities. This is performed for a base year (2010) and two divergent future scenarios for 2050, a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario and a post carbon (PC 2050) scenario. The PC2050 scenario was created by city stakeholders in the framework of the European research project POCACITO in (2014–2016). Consumption-based emissions are calculated using the EXIOBASE multi-regional input-output model. Compared to 2010, both BAU and PC2050 scenarios show significant decreases for production-based emissions, falling 31% and 68% respectively. However, during this period consumption-based emissions increase for eight cities, rising 33% and 35% respectively. This occurs despite the modelled improvements in global production efficiency for 2050 and the significant production-based reductions under the PC2050 scenarios. The increase in consumption-based emissions is primarily linked to rising GDP and a corresponding increase in spending and consumption, which override the local and global efficiency improvements. Hence the results highlight a notable disparity between the traditional focus on production-based accounting and consumption-based accounting. This suggests that future city actions should extend their focus on addressing the impact of consumption in addition to local energy production and emissions. It also suggests that city stakeholders are generally underestimating the impact of consumption and the responses required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current discussions of indirect land use change (iLUC) and the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction potential of bioresources have turned into a rather controversial debate. The scientific robustness and consistency of current iLUC models and data are at least unclear. However, representatives of the scientific community still dare to provide straightforward political advice in their papers - way beyond the factbased 'proof' of their data and on a level that is usually not accepted by scientific journals. But the actual task and challenge for the scientific community is to determine the environmental performance of bioresources as objectively and fact-based as possible - with a clear and sober focus on integrity and soundness, not sense of mission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]