15 results
Search Results
2. Michael E. Mann: A scientist in the crosshairs of climate-change denial.
- Subjects
CLIMATE change denial ,EMISSIONS trading ,EMAIL ,COMPUTER hacking ,CARBON dioxide - Abstract
The Penn State climate scientist who helped author the “hockey stick” global warming temperature graph describes the campaign to discredit him following the theft of emails, including some he wrote, from servers at England’s University of East Anglia. Climate-change denial groups said the emails showed unethical conduct, but scientific organizations and academic panels said this was not the case, defending Mann and the credibility of climate science. Mann believes the widespread media coverage contributed to the failure of the US Senate to take action on carbon dioxide emission controls this summer. But he cites polls showing that the matter may not have compromised public belief in climate science and expresses optimism that policymakers will force emissions reductions in time to avert truly catastrophic changes to Earth’s climate. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2010
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
3. Power to the People: Electric Utility Restructuring and the Commitment to Renewable Energy.
- Author
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Heiman, MichaelK. and Solomon, BarryD.
- Subjects
CARBON dioxide ,WIND power ,RENEWABLE energy sources ,ENERGY policy ,NUCLEAR energy - Abstract
With electric generation responsible for 41 percent of U.S anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO
2 ) emissions from energy use, development of clean energy sources is essential if the United States is to reduce release of greenhouse gases and slow global warming. Many proponents of sustainable energy anticipate that electric generation from renewable sources would thrive in a deregulated market, driven by consumer demand for “green” energy and the end of incentives to build large central power plants under the cost-plus profits guaranteed by state utility commissions. This paper examines the flaws in this expectation. After reviewing the highly cyclical nature of U.S. energy policy making in recent decades, the study links the ineffectiveness of policy with the institutional setting. Under electric utility market restructuring, renewable energy generation (wind, biomass, solar, geothermal, and small-scale hydro) must overcome barriers such as price distortions, lack of storage capability, discriminatory transmission system access, and the end of linked utility rate hikes guaranteed to cover the additional expense of renewable generation. In the absence of strong federal leadership, the state commitment to renewable energy has been uneven under utility restructuring. Moreover, nuclear power—the other leading alternative to fossil fuel use—is beset by serious problems. Only renewable energy options offer long-term hope for sustainability. Along these lines, green marketing, renewable portfolio standards, system benefit charges, carbon taxes, public power, “Community Choice,” and production credits—all based on recent U.S. and European experience—are critically examined and recommendations made for changing course. At present, during this highly fluid period of utility restructuring, and absent more forceful regulation and demand management, it is dubious whether U.S. electricity market reform can encourage sufficient conversion to renewable energy to stem a rising tide of greenhouse gas emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2004
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
4. Nuclear exit, the US energy mix, and carbon dioxide emissions.
- Author
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Jacoby, Henry D. and Paltsev, Sergey
- Subjects
NUCLEAR energy & the environment ,CARBON dioxide mitigation ,ELECTRIC rates ,DECOMMISSIONING of nuclear power plants ,CARBON dioxide ,NUCLEAR energy -- Economic aspects ,ECONOMICS - Abstract
If the United States were to adopt a policy to phase out nuclear generation, as has happened recently in other developed countries, what would the environmental and energy-mix implications be? Based on alternative scenarios of nuclear exit that consider the influence of potential policies to limit greenhouse gas emissions, a model of the US and global economy indicates that, under current policy, a US nuclear exit would increase carbon dioxide emissions, and likely raise electricity prices and reduce gross domestic product by relatively small amounts. Those economic impacts would be increased by additional measures to limit carbon dioxide emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2013
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
5. Balancing carbon dioxide: a case study of forest preservation, out-migration, and afforestation in the Pueblos Mancomunados of Oaxaca, Mexico.
- Author
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Jurjonas, Matthew and Seekamp, Erin
- Subjects
AFFORESTATION ,FOREST conservation ,CARBON dioxide ,PAYMENTS for ecosystem services ,POLITICAL ecology ,TROPICAL forests - Abstract
Carbon-based payments for ecosystem services solely consider afforestation and reforestation to assess sequestration. However, political ecology researchers demonstrate that tropical forests are complex socioecological systems where humans and institutions play an integral role in shaping landscapes. The current framing overlooks the net effect of traditional subsistence agriculturalists leaving behind low emission lifestyles, despite the likelihood of a significant increase in per capita emissions over time. In this case study, we use the history of forest use in the Pueblos Mancomunados—a commonwealth of indigenous communities in Oaxaca, Mexico—to explore sequestration through a socioecological systems lens. As negative emissions programs consider afforestation, we triangulated semistructured interviews, an unsupervised GIS classification of land cover, and a review of carbon dioxide emissions to consider out-migration, abandonment, and lifestyle change. We find that communities are struggling to maintain livelihoods as migration to urban centers and the United States continues. Meanwhile, spatial analysis revealed 800 ha of afforestation. Our analysis of out-migration scenarios and per capita emissions changes identified a tipping point in which no net-sequestration would occur from afforestation due to the changing lifestyles of the migrants and recommend improved local development to avoid this form of "leakage" when assessing global carbon stocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
6. Carbon dioxide emission tallies for 210 U.S. coal-fired power plants: A comparison of two accounting methods.
- Author
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Quick, Jeffrey C.
- Subjects
CARBON dioxide ,EMISSIONS (Air pollution) ,COAL-fired power plants ,CONTINUOUS emission monitoring ,ENERGY consumption & the environment - Abstract
Annual CO2emission tallies for 210 coal-fired power plants during 2009 were more accurately calculated from fuel consumption records reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) than measurements from Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (CEMS) reported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Results from these accounting methods for individual plants vary by ± 10.8%. Although the differences systematically vary with the method used to certify flue-gas flow instruments in CEMS, additional sources of CEMS measurement error remain to be identified. Limitations of the EIA fuel consumption data are also discussed. Consideration of weighing, sample collection, laboratory analysis, emission factor, and stock adjustment errors showed that the minimum error for CO2emissions calculated from the fuel consumption data ranged from ± 1.3% to ± 7.2% with a plant average of ± 1.6%. This error might be reduced by 50% if the carbon content of coal delivered to U.S. power plants were reported. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
7. Urban Form, Air Pollution, and CO 2 Emissions in Large U.S. Metropolitan Areas.
- Author
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Bereitschaft, Bradley and Debbage, Keith
- Subjects
AIR pollution ,AIR pollution transport ,CARBON dioxide ,METROPOLITAN areas ,EMISSIONS (Air pollution) - Abstract
Copyright of Professional Geographer is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
- Published
- 2013
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
8. A 2009 Mobile Source Carbon Dioxide Emissions Inventory for the University of Central Florida.
- Author
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Clifford, Johanna M. and Cooper, C. David
- Subjects
CARBON dioxide ,EMISSIONS (Air pollution) ,VEHICLES & the environment - Abstract
A mobile source carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions inventory for the University of Central Florida (UCF) has been completed. For a large urban university, more than 50% of the CO2emissions can come from mobile sources, and the vast majority of mobile source emissions come from on-road sources: personal vehicles and campus shuttles carrying students, faculty, staff, and administrators to and from the university, as well as on university business trips. In addition to emissions from on-road vehicles, emissions from airplane-based business travel are significant, along with emissions from nonroad equipment such as lawnmowers, leaf blowers, and small maintenance vehicles utilized on campus. UCF has recently become one of the largest universities in the nation (with over 58,000 students enrolled in the fall 2011 semester) and emits a substantial amount of CO2in the Central Florida area. For this inventory, students, faculty, staff, and administrators were first surveyed to determine their commuting distances and frequencies. Information was also gathered on vehicle type and age distribution of the personal vehicles of students, faculty, administrators, and staff, as well as their bus, car-pool, and alternate transportation usage. The latest U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-approved mobile source emissions model, Motor Vehicle Emissions Simulator (MOVES2010a), was used to calculate the emissions from on-road vehicles, and UCF fleet gasoline consumption records were used to calculate the emissions from nonroad equipment and from on-campus UCF fleet vehicles. The results of this UCF mobile source emissions inventory were compared with those for another large U.S. university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2012
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
9. Has the magnitude of floods across the USA changed with global CO 2 levels?
- Author
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Hirsch, R. M. and Ryberg, K. R.
- Subjects
FLOODS ,CARBON dioxide ,URBAN planning ,STREAMFLOW ,STATISTICS - Abstract
Copyright of Hydrological Sciences Journal/Journal des Sciences Hydrologiques is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
- Published
- 2012
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
10. The Jevons Paradox and Anthropogenic Global Warming: A Panel Analysis of State-Level Carbon Emissions in the United States, 1963–1997.
- Author
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Clement, Matthew Thomas
- Subjects
JEVONS paradox ,GLOBAL warming ,CARBON dioxide ,PANEL analysis ,TIME series analysis ,ENVIRONMENTAL sociology - Abstract
Between 1963 and 1997, the average carbon emissions intensity of all American states decreased by roughly 30%, meaning there was almost three-tenths less carbon emitted for every dollar of economic growth, adjusting for inflation. However, decreasing emissions intensity did not translate into a reduction in overall carbon emissions. A first-differenced, cross-sectional, autoregressive time-series analysis at the state level reveals that the increase in emissions still depended on inflation-adjusted economic growth, even when controlling for the effects of changes in population size and percent of economy in the industrial sector. For the period examined, 1963–1997, these findings represent the Jevons paradox as emphasized by political economists in environmental sociology. The implications suggest that the benefits to the climate from technological improvements have been minimal because the political economy of capitalism has not been addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2011
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
11. Paging Bruce Willis.
- Subjects
CARBON dioxide ,CLIMATE change ,ATMOSPHERE ,GAS fields ,RESERVOIRS - Abstract
This article reports on a discovery by scientists that the U.S. could store carbon dioxide under the seafloor to avoid releasing it into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a primary suspect in global climate change. Other scientists have proposed storing carbon dioxide emissions in land areas such as natural gas fields, but there is a risk of leakage with terrestrial reservoirs.
- Published
- 2006
12. Using black carbon metrics in climate policy.
- Author
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Sarofim, MarcusC.
- Subjects
CARBON dioxide ,CLIMATOLOGY ,GLOBAL warming ,GREENHOUSE gases ,EMISSIONS (Air pollution) ,EMISSIONS trading ,GREENHOUSE gas mitigation ,CARBON ,RADIATIVE forcing ,GOVERNMENT policy - Abstract
The development of potential metrics for comparing black carbon (BC) to carbon dioxide has been requested within legislation in the United States and has been discussed at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Poznan: therefore, it is important to further investigate the advantages and drawbacks to using such a metric. For context, we summarize the various proposed CO2 equivalent metrics and the rationales for developing them. We use BC marginal abatement curves to examine the implications of using 100-year global warming potentials to include BC in greenhouse gas (GHG) trading regimes. This idealized study demonstrates the impacts on emissions of CO2, and radiative forcing over time. Finally, we address the drawbacks of trading poorly quantified short-lived emissions with GHGs despite different physical interactions with the climate system. While the case for reducing BC for both health and climate benefits is compelling, there are reasons for limiting the use of BC metrics to illustrative analyses, such as identifying which BC mitigation actions would provide the greatest climate benefits, rather than using these metrics for trading with GHGs. Indeed, market-based mechanisms in general may not be appropriate for BC regulation at this time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2010
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
13. The Paradox at the Heart of Modernity.
- Author
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York, Richard
- Subjects
CLIMATE change ,EMISSIONS trading ,CARBON dioxide ,GROSS domestic product ,ECONOMIC development ,GLOBAL warming ,GREENHOUSES - Abstract
As the threat of global climate change grows increasingly dire, we are faced with the challenge of reducing carbon dioxide (CO
2 ) (the leading greenhouse gas) emissions to the atmosphere. There is much debate about what are the most effective strategies for meeting this challenge. In this debate, one prominent question centers on whether reducing the carbon intensity of the economy (CO2 emissions per dollar of gross domestic product) will help reduce total CO2 emissions. Some argue that improvements in the carbon efficiency of the economy will allow us to reduce CO2 emissions even in the face of economic growth. Others suggest that improving carbon efficiency may not only be insufficient to counter the effects of economic growth, it may actually spur the expansion of production and consumption, and thereby lead to an escalation of CO2 emissions. Here, I address this issue by examining trends in carbon intensity and total CO2 emissions in the world as a whole and in the five nations that emit the most CO2 : China, the United States, Russia, India, and Japan. I find that in recent years the carbon intensity of the world as a whole and in these major emitters has generally declined (i.e., carbon efficiency has improved), yet total emissions have generally risen. This suggests that improving efficiency is unlikely to reduce total CO2 emissions. Therefore, in order to reduce CO2 emissions it will likely be necessary to challenge the growth ideology common to the modern era and shift societies to economic systems that are not dependent on growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2010
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
14. Rushing to Copenhagen?
- Author
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Ghosh, Koushik and Gray, Peter
- Subjects
ENVIRONMENTAL law ,ENVIRONMENTAL policy laws ,ENVIRONMENTAL regulations ,POLLUTION laws ,CARBON & the environment ,CARBON dioxide ,EMISSION control ,ECONOMISTS ,GOVERNMENT policy - Abstract
The article focuses on the global responses regarding the American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act of 2009, a cap-and-trade act which is being pushed for passage in the U.S. Congress, to limit the carbon dioxide emissions. Economists and policymakers suggested that the most efficient way to address the issue is by using a market-based policy rather than using command-and-control or technology-forcing regulations. On the other hand, Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman expressed that emission taxes and tradable emission regulations are equally effective at limiting pollution. It notes that the complication of the ACES bill, its inclusion of numerous non-market-based regulations, and the political compromises it embodies made it vulnerable, costly, and ineffective.
- Published
- 2010
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
15. Carbon risk: Decentralized risk management policy in the US electric industry.
- Author
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Berry, David
- Subjects
ELECTRIC industries ,RISK management in business ,GREENHOUSE gases ,CARBON dioxide ,DELEGATED legislation - Abstract
The article presents information about the risk management policy in the U.S. electric industry. The electric industry consists of investor-owned, municipal, and cooperative electric utilities, various independent power producers, and industrial and commercial consumers of electricity who generate some of their own electricity using such means as combined heat and power facilities. In the United States, policy on controlling emissions of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide, is, at present, highly decentralized with no federal regulation of emission levels. The article further discusses hazards of greenhouse gas emissions.
- Published
- 2005
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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