Search

While price responsiveness of residential demand for natural gas has important implications on resource planning and energy modelling, its estimates from prior studies are very diverse. Applying panel data analysis and five parametric specifications to monthly data for the lower 48 states in 1990–2019, we estimate own-price elasticities of residential demand for natural gas in the United States (US). Using results from cross-section dependence (CD) test, panel unit root tests, panel time-series estimators, and rolling-window analysis, we document: (1) the statistically significant (p-value ≤ 0.05) static own-price elasticity estimates are −0.271 to −0.486, short-run −0.238 to −0.555 and long-run −0.323 to −0.796; (2) these estimates vary by elasticity type, sample period, parametric specification, treatment of CD and assumption of partial adjustment; (3) erroneously ignoring the highly significant (p-value < 0.01) CD shrinks the size of these estimates that vary seasonally, regionally, and nonlinearly over time; and (4) residential natural gas shortage costs decline with the size of own-price elasticity estimates. These findings suggest that achieving deep decarbonization may require strategies that do not rely solely on prices, such as energy efficiency standards and demand-side-management programs. Demand response programs may prove useful for managing natural gas shortages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

US climate policy is unfolding under the Clean Air Act. Mobile source and construction permitting regulations are in place. Most important, EPA and the states will determine the form and stringency of the regulations for power plants. Various approaches would create an implicit price on emitting greenhouse gases and create valuable assets that would be distributed differently among electricity producers, consumers, and the government. We compare a tradable performance standard with several cap-and-trade policies. Distributing asset values to fossil-fueled producers and consumers has small effects on average electricity prices but imposes greater social cost than a revenue-raising policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the United States, buildings account for 35% of total energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, making them important contributors to decarbonization. Carbon intensities in the power grid are time-varying and can fluctuate significantly within hours, so shifting building loads in response to the carbon intensities can reduce a building's operational carbon emissions. This paper presents a rule-based carbon responsive control framework that controls the setpoints of thermostatically controlled loads responding to the grid's carbon emission signals in real time. Based on this framework, four controllers are proposed with different combinations of carbon accounting methods and control rules. To evaluate their performance, we performed simulation studies using models of a 27-home, all-electric, net zero energy residential community located in Basalt, Colorado, United States. The carbon intensity data of four future years from the Cambium data set are adopted to account for the evolving resource mix in the power grid. Various performance metrics, including energy consumption, carbon emission, energy cost, and thermal discomfort, were used to evaluate the performance of the controllers. Sensitivity analysis was also conducted to determine how the control thresholds and intervals affect the controllers' performance. Simulation results indicate that the carbon responsive controllers can reduce the homes' annual carbon emissions by 6.0% to 20.5%. However, the energy consumption increased by 0.9% to 6.7%, except in one scenario where it decreased by 2.2%. Compared to the baseline, the change in energy cost was between −2.9% and 3.4%, and thermal discomfort was also maintained within an acceptable range. The little impact on energy cost and thermal discomfort indicates there are no potential roadblocks for customer acceptance when rolling out the controllers in utility programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decarbonizing the energy system is critical for addressing climate change. Given the dominance of fossil fuels in the energy system, decarbonization requires rapid and significant industrial transition of the energy supply at scale. This includes explicit and coordinated plans not only for zero carbon phase‐in, but for fossil carbon phase‐out. Even very rapid decarbonization will likely take decades, leading to a medium‐term future where the conventional, fossil‐based energy system coexists with a new, zero‐carbon energy system. Each imposes operational constraints on the other: what we call the mid‐transition. Notably, this coexistence means that the new, zero‐carbon system will develop under fossil carbon system constraints. The mid‐transition will therefore likely require specific analytical metrics designed to support decision making under dynamic and uncertain conditions. Many aspects of transition will be felt, and shaped, directly by individuals because of our direct interactions with energy systems. Even rare missteps are likely to have significant and potentially system design‐relevant impacts on perception, political support, and implementation. Comparisons of the new system to the old system are likely to rest on experience of a world less affected by climate change, such that concerns about lower reliability, higher costs, and other challenges might be perceived as inherent to zero‐carbon systems, versus energy systems facing consequences of climate change and long‐term underinvestment. This review assesses and evaluates medium‐term challenges associated with the mid‐transition in the United States, emphasizing the need for explicit planning for joint and coordinated phase‐in and phase‐out. This article is categorized under: The Carbon Economy and Climate Mitigation > Decarbonizing Energy and/or Reducing Demand [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the upcoming changes in the electricity industry including electrification, and the drive toward fossil-free generation, and the role of energy storage (ES) in electrification and the operation of a future electric grid without fossil fuels. Though our discussion is primarily focused on the United States electricity system, the issues affecting the operation of future electric grids are global. While the United States is prototypical of other highly developed and energy-intensive countries, variations in renewable energy production and storage, end energy usage, market structure, and policy, among other factors, make each country somewhat unique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We characterize the evolution of U.S. carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions using an index number decomposition technique which partitions the 1963-2008 growth of states' energy-related CO2 into changes in five driving factors: the emission intensity of energy use, the energy intensity of economic activity, the composition of states' output, per capita income and population. Compositional change and declining energy intensity attenuate emissions growth, but their impacts are offset by increasing population and income. Despite absolute interstate divergence in both emissions and their precursors, states' emission- and energy intensities-and ultimately, CO2-appear to be stochastically converging. We assess the implications of these trends using a novel vector autoregression (VAR) emission forecasting technique based on our index numbers. The resulting emission projections are comparable to, but generally exceed, those forecast by the 2010 EIA Annual Energy Outlook. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper looks at CO2 emissions on limited access highways in a microscopic and stochastic environment using an optimal design approach. Estimating vehicle emissions based on second-by-second vehicle operation allows the integration of a microscopic traffic simulation model with the latest US Environmental Protection Agency’s mobile source emissions model to improve accuracy. A factorial experiment on a test bed prototype of the I-4 urban limited access highway corridor located in Orlando, Florida was conducted to identify the optimal settings for CO2 emissions reduction and to develop a microscopic transportation emission prediction model. An exponentially decaying function towards a limiting value expressed in the freeway capacity is found to correlate with CO2 emission rates. Moreover, speeds between 55 and 60mph show emission rate reduction effect while maintaining up to 90% of the freeway’s capacity. The results show that speed has a significant impact on CO2 emissions when detailed and microscopic analysis of vehicle operations of acceleration and deceleration are considered. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Climate change is a global problem that will ultimately require a concerted global response. Polity analysts, however, are divided about whether individual jurisdictions and groups of jurisdictions should take the initiative in the meantime. This Article argues in favor of subglobal efforts, both for their direct effects on emissions and their role as steps toward global cooperation. Some analysts argue that subglobal efforts are futile because of the problem of carbon leakage. More careful analyses, however, have shown that leakage is unlikely to pose a severe threat to the effectiveness of well-designed subglobal mitigation efforts. Policy design can manage leakage levels and prevent them from frustrating mitigation efforts. Moreover, mitigation efforts in one set of jurisdictions seem more likely to increase rather than decrease the likelihood of mitigation elsewhere. By building confidence among the key actors, subglobal actions can help pave the way for broader international cooperation. Indeed, without prior subglobal efforts, it is difficult to imagine a successful global agreement. Subglobal efforts are needed as confidence-building measures, providing a basis for mutual cooperation. Subglobal efforts are also needed to experiment with and improve policy instruments that can then be launched at the global level. In short, subglobal efforts are not only desirable but indispensable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Biofuel production from renewable biomass has experienced increased interest in order to reduce U.S. dependence on imported oil and reduce carbon emissions. Concerns regarding cost efficiency and environmental problems result in significant challenges that hinder the increased biofuel production from renewable biomass. This paper describes the development of a simulation model with an easy-to-use graphical user interface for the biofuel supply chain. The model considers key supply chain activities including biomass harvesting/processing, transportation, and storage. The model uses the delivered feedstock cost, energy consumption, and GHG emissions as system performance criteria. The utility of the supply chain simulation model is demonstrated by considering a biomass supply chain for a biofuel facility in the lower peninsula of Michigan. The results show that the model is a useful tool for supply chain management, including selection of the optimal biofuel facility location, logistics design, inventory management, and information exchange. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

There is growing interest in reducing emissions from electricity generation in the United States (U.S.). Renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy conservation are all commonly suggested solutions. Both supply- and demand-side interventions will displace energy—and emissions—from conventional generators. Marginal emissions factors (MEFs) give a consistent metric for assessing the avoided emissions resulting from such interventions. This paper presents the first systematic calculation of MEFs for the U.S. electricity system. Using regressions of hourly generation and emissions data from 2006 through 2011, we estimate regional MEFs for CO2, NOx, and SO2, as well as the share of marginal generation from coal-, gas-, and oil-fired generators. Trends in MEFs with respect to system load, time of day, and month are explored. We compare marginal and average emissions factors (AEFs), finding that AEFs may grossly misestimate the avoided emissions resulting from an intervention. We find significant regional differences in the emissions benefits of avoiding one megawatt-hour of electricity: compared to the West, an equivalent energy efficiency measure in the Midwest is expected to avoid roughly 70% more CO2, 12 times more SO2, and 3 times more NOx emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is the process of capturing carbon dioxide emissions from point sources such as power plants and storing these greenhouse gases underground so that they cannot enter the atmosphere. This technology is widely cited as an imperative tool in any large-scale effort to mitigate global climate change, but numerous commercial-scale CCS pilot projects will be required to resolve the technical, economic, and environmental uncertainties associated with this technology. Despite federal and state-level attempts to stimulate utility investment in CCS projects, utilities often face barriers to recovering costs for CCS investments, and development has been limited. This paper examines a variety of legal frameworks that have been used to address cost recovery barriers, such as carbon pricing, portfolio standards, emissions performance standards, technology carve-outs, and direct financial incentives for utilities. A series of case studies in the development of CCS projects reveals how these frameworks have had varying levels of success. Other potential policies to align utility incentives with national research goals, such as a national portfolio standard, federal mandates, and altered Department of Energy funding schemes, are also analyzed. Past projects suggest that a combination of policies will likely be necessary to stimulate CCS pilot project development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper derives the energy efficiencies and CO2 emissions for electric, diesel and hydrogen traction for railway vehicles on a well-to-wheel basis, using the low heating value and high heating value of the enthalpy of oxidation of the fuel. The tank-to-wheel and well-to-tank efficiency are determined. Gaseous hydrogen has a WTW efficiency of 25%low heating value, if produced from methane and used in a fuel cell. This efficiency is similar to diesel and electric traction in the UK, US, and California. A reduction of about 19% in CO2 is achieved when hydrogen gas is used in a fuel cell compared to diesel traction, and a 3% reduction compared to US electricity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Borrowing from the Kuznets curve literature, researchers have coined the term “environmental Kuznets curve” or EKC to characterize the relationship between pollution levels and income: pollution levels will increase with income but some threshold of income will eventually be reached, beyond which pollution levels will decrease. The link between the original Kuznets curve, which posited a similar relationship between income and inequality, and its pollution-concerned offspring lies primarily with the shape of both curves (an upside-down U) and the central role played by income change. Although the EKC literature has burgeoned over the past several years, few concrete conclusions have been drawn, the main themes of the literature have remained constant, and no consensus has been reached regarding the existence of an environmental Kuznets curve. EKC research has used a variety of types of data and a range of geographical units to examine the effects of income levels on pollution. Changes in pollution levels might also be at least partly explained by countries’ position in the demographic transition and their general population structure, however little research has included this important aspect in the analysis. In addition, few analyses confine themselves to an evaluation for one country of the long-term relationship between income and pollution. Using United States CO2 emissions as well as demographic, employment, trade and energy price data, this paper seeks to highlight the potential impact of population and economic structure in explaining the relationship between income and pollution levels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Personal road transport sector poses a significant challenge in reducing carbon emissions. This paper evaluates a policy approach known as personal tradable carbon permits to reduce carbon emissions from personal vehicles. The policy is a downstream tradable permit where individuals are allocated carbon emission caps. The policy is qualitatively evaluated in the context of carbon taxes and some upstream tradable permit options. The biggest disadvantage of such a policy is the initial set up costs. Personal tradable permits, however, are more effective than carbon taxes and are also capable of stabilizing the gasoline prices faced by the consumers when the underlying oil prices fluctuate. Since equity effects are often a concern to policy makers, the effect of such personal carbon permits on the distribution of burden is quantified in a partial equilibrium framework for the US population. Different permit allocation strategies are investigated in this regard. Using US consumer expenditure survey data, and incorporating a differentiated price response for different households, we find that all three allocation strategies considered are progressive: a per adult based allocation is the most progressive, a per vehicle allocation nearer to proportional, and a per capita allocation in between the two. Personal tradable permits therefore take care of equity concerns directly through the design of the policy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Geologic carbon dioxide (CO2) storage verification tests by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) seven Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships (RCSPs) provided the experience base for the Public Outreach and Education for Carbon Storage Projects, a best practices manual, published in December 2009. This paper summarizes these outreach best practices; discusses their application in Aquistore, a greenfield CO2 storage project under way in western Canada; and reviews the implications for applying the best practices to new projects during the Development Phase of the DOE’s RCSP Program. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents the results of a combined biomass combustion and geological carbon sequestration feasibility study in Northern Lower Michigan, USA related to a proposed solid fuel-fired 600 MW electric power plant, the Wolverine Clean Energy Venture (WCEV), near Rogers City, MI, USA. The biomass feedstock resource assessment, focused on low intensity, high diversity forest and agriculture in the proposed plant bioshed (<120 Km), has the potential to provide sustainable, dry biomass fuel well in excess of the maximum annual co-firing potential of 20% and offset as much as 1 Tgy−1 of the estimated annual 5.1 Tgy−1 of CO2 emissions (using 100% western coal). CO2/EOR potential in the Northern Niagaran Pinnacle Reef Trend is substantial. To date, seven reef reservoirs have been converted to CO2/EOR floods and three of these fields are sufficiently mature to project recovery efficiency in excess of 40% of primary oil recovery. Using these observations and historic oil production data CO2/EOR potential, in a region adjacent to a proposed CO2 pipeline originating from the plant site, is estimated to be at least 7.2 Mm3 (45 MMB) of incremental oil. Analysis of produced fluids in the same region indicates 55 Mmt of geological carbon sequestration (GCS) potential in abandoned oil and gas fields. GCS capacity is estimated at 271 Mmt in two, Paleozoic, saline reservoir targets providing a combined GCS (with abandoned oil and gas field GCS) of 326 Mmt in the pipeline study area. Estimated, combined, GCS in the proposed pipeline fairway alone is in excess of CO2 emissions for a hypothetical 50 year design life of the WCEV project burning 100% coal of 255 Mmt. Realization of biomass co-firing potential at 20% would result in a 50 MMt offset of CO2 emissions during this 50 year period. Carbon capture and sequestration, including beneficial use in CO2/EOR, GCS in abandoned oil and gas fields, and saline reservoir GCS Sequestration at 90% of CO2 emissions from the proposed plant for a 50 year design life could result in the sequestration of 229.5 Mmt of CO2. These considerations support the potential for a net negative emissions profile of −24.5 Mmt for a hypothetical 50 year design life of the proposed WCEV project. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: According to the Buildings Energy Data Book published by the U.S. Department of Energy, in 2006 the building sector consumed 38.9% of the total primary energy used in the United States. Of this energy, 34.8% is used by buildings for space heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. This energy often involves the combustion of fossil fuels, contributing to carbon dioxide emissions and climate change. Even if greenhouse gas concentrations are stabilized in the atmosphere, extreme climate events and sea level rise will continue for several centuries due to inertia of the atmosphere. Therefore, adaptation will be a necessary compliment to carbon dioxide mitigation efforts. This paper argues that both mitigation of greenhouse gases and adaptation to climate change should be added to our building codes and standards. Since space heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning utilize a large amount of energy in buildings, we should begin by redefining our thermal comfort standards and add strategies that mitigate carbon dioxide emissions and adapt to predicted climate variability. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article offers information on a study based on carbon dioxide emissions associated with electric, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and hot water use. As mentioned, the study was conducted at a university in the U.S. where electrical, natural gas and oil consumption for an entire year was analyzed. It calculated the carbon emissions associated with consumption of a single unit for determining total carbon dioxide emission. It says that Colleges and universities play an important role in developing citizens and it's their duty inform and educate them about their potential impact on the environment and alobal warming.

Abstract: Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) have the potential to be an economic means of reducing direct (or tailpipe) carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the transportation sector. However, without a climate policy that places a limit on CO2 emissions from the electric generation sector, the net impact of widespread deployment of PHEVs on overall US CO2 emissions is not as clear. A comprehensive analysis must consider jointly the transportation and electricity sectors, along with feedbacks to the rest of the energy system. In this paper, we use the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory MiniCAM model to perform an integrated economic analysis of the penetration of PHEVs and the resulting impact on total US CO2 emissions. Under the assumptions used in this analysis where PHEVs obtain 50–60% of the market for passenger and light-duty trucks, the ability to deploy PHEVs under the two climate policies modeled here results in 6000–7300 Mt CO2 of additional cost -effective emissions reductions from the US economy over the period 2005–2050. The additional demand for geologic CO2 storage created by the introduction of the PHEVs is approximately equal to the cumulative geologic CO2 storage demanded by two to three large 1000 MW IGCC+CCS power plants over a 50 -year period. The introduction of PHEVs into the US transportation sector, coupled with climate policies such as those examined here, can also reduce US demand for oil by 20–30% by 2050 compared to today’s levels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage (CCS) technology has the potential to enable large reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions, but one of the unanswered questions about CCS is to what extent it will be accepted by the public. To provide insight regarding risk perception as an important component that will influence the public acceptance of CCS, this study discusses different notions of risk and their varying uses by the public, who generally use a social constructivist risk perspective, and risk experts, who generally use a realist perspective. Previous studies discussing the public acceptance of CCS have relied on survey response data and/or focus groups. This study instead uses the psychometric theory of public risk perception to postulate how the public is likely to respond to efforts to use geologic storage of CO2, a component of the CCS architecture. Additionally this paper proposes further actions that could favorably impact the public''s perception of risk from geologic storage projects. Through the psychometric analysis this study concludes that the risks of geologic storage are likely to eventually be considered no worse than existing fossil fuel energy technologies. However, since geologic storage of CO2 is a new technology with little operational experience, additional field tests and a demonstrated ability to mitigate problems should they arise will be necessary to improve the public''s perception of risk from CCS technologies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: By analyzing how the largest CO2 emitting electricity-generating region in the United States, the East Central Area Reliability Coordination Agreement (ECAR), responds to hypothetical constraints on greenhouse gas emissions, the authors demonstrate that there is an enduring role for post-combustion CO2 capture technologies. The utilization of pulverized coal generation with carbon dioxide capture and storage (PC+CCS) technologies is particularly significant in a world where there is uncertainty about the future evolution of climate policy and in particular uncertainty about the rate at which the climate policy will become more stringent. The paper''s analysis shows that within this one large, heavily coal-dominated electricity-generating region, as much as 20–40GW of PC+CCS could be operating before the middle of this century. Depending upon the state of PC+CCS technology development and the evolution of future climate policy, the analysis shows that these CCS systems could be mated to either pre-existing PC units or PC units that are currently under construction, announced and planned units, as well as PC units that could continue to be built for a number of decades even in the face of a climate policy. In nearly all the cases analyzed here, these PC+CCS generation units are in addition to a much larger deployment of CCS-enabled coal-fueled integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plants. The analysis presented here shows that the combined deployment of PC+CCS and IGCC+CCS units within this one region of the U.S. could result in the potential capture and storage of between 3.2 and 4.9Gt of CO2 before the middle of this century in the region''s deep geologic storage formations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Industrial ecosystem is an important approach for sustainable development. In an industrial ecosystem, a group of industries are inter-connected through mass and energy exchanges for mutual benefits. However, some mass and energy exchange activities may cause unexpected environmental impacts. Therefore, it is vital to evaluate the environmental impacts of the symbiosis in order to provide a clear guidance for the decision-makers and stakeholders. The agro-chemical complex in the Lower Mississippi River Corridor with thirteen chemical and petrochemical industries emits huge amount of carbon dioxide. A bi-level design methodology is used to reconfigure this complex for utilizing surplus carbon dioxide. By using a superstructure-based approach, a new design scheme for this industrial ecosystem is proposed. In this paper, an LCA-type environmental impact assessment of different design schemes for this complex is conducted using the software TRACI, a tool developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). This analysis compares various environmental impacts of different designs and identifies the potential trade-offs in different environmental impact categories. This information provides deep insight about the environmental sustainability of industrial ecosystems and facilitates the development of the most eco-effective symbiosis for recycle, reuse and resource conservation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Energy efficiency provides substantial carbon dioxide emissions reduction. • Renewable energy sources substantially influences carbon dioxide emissions. • Substantively, renewable energy is slightly more effective than energy efficiency. • Affluence tampers the effectiveness of energy efficiency and renewable energy. This study examines the comparative effectiveness of two important proposed solutions to climate change—energy efficiency improvement and the development and use of renewable energy sources. We focus specifically on their impacts on carbon dioxide emissions by conducting fixed effects regression analysis of panel data pertaining to U.S. states. The analysis reveals a negative relationship between both remedies and carbon dioxide emissions. Although the effects of these potential solutions are statistically equivalent, renewable energy production has a slight edge. Reflecting upon these findings and the larger environmental problem, we caution against exclusive reliance on efficiency improvement and renewable energy to the neglect of other important actions, such as lifestyle modifications. A broad range of social changes, which incorporate the remedies investigated in this paper, are needed to limit long-term global temperature increases to the desired level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving Net zero emissions is a common challenge facing all mankind. Low-carbon electricity has always been the main research field of global GHG emission control. The current article aims to use the bibliometric analysis to describe the characteristics and trends of low-carbon electricity publications from 1983 to 2021. We found that: (1) the number of publications in this area has shown an overall increase in the past 33 years. (2) the United States is the most powerful country in this field of research. Moreover, with the exception of major developed countries, more and more emerging economies have also joined the research on low-carbon power systems. (3) co-citation analysis and literature clustering characteristics show that the knowledge base in this field is focused on the decomposition of driving factors for carbon dioxide emissions and the optimization of the operation of renewable energy (RE) in low-carbon power systems. (4) the utilization of RE is a hot topic in low-carbon power research. Through this research, global scholars can be provided with the latest overview of valuable low-carbon energy research trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses updates to the wedges plan outlined in the paper "Stabilization Wedges: Solving the Climate Problem for the Next 50 Years with Current Technologies," by Princeton University ecologists Robert Socolow and Stephen Pacala, which proposes seven campaigns that would each prevent 25 billion tons of carbon emissions over five decades. Topics include the influence of the original wedges paper on shaping policy in the administration of former U.S. president George W. Bush, the ambitiousness of each wedge, which includes ending tropical deforestation, and University of California, Irvine earth systems scientist Steven Davis' addition of several wedges and their necessity for stabilizing and then phasing out carbon pollution.

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]

Copyright of Review of Policy Research is the property of Wiley-Blackwell 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.)

The article discusses the challenges facing companies in the U.S. due to a policy challenge on emissions control in the presence of abatement investments in pollution markets under a carbon tax economic domain. Topics discussed include costs and efficacy of investments for carbon dioxide emissions abatement, impact of policy uncertainty with an emissions tax against a cap-and-trade instrument, and promotion of cost-effective efforts to control the risks of climate change.

Swift and deep reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases, chiefly carbon dioxide, are necessary to help avoid some of the most devastating effects of climate change. One aspect of US climate policy that is particularly contentious is the issue of the best economic tool to employ to reduce emissions: a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade system. This unnecessarily polarized debate has damaged the effectiveness of climate policy supporters in securing climate legislation. The logical way forward is a hybrid of the two policies—an approach incorporated in some of the recent climate bills, though it was not properly explained or highlighted. This approach would be a practical starting point when the United States next takes up a climate bill, the author writes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major goal of the environmental movement is to conserve or improve the natural environment, but evidence showing that environmental mobilization produces positive environmental outcomes is mixed. This article addresses a fundamental question about the relative impact of pro‐environmental mobilization and the scope of an environmental policy regime on the natural environment. Using panel data at the state level from 1990 through 2007, we explore how environmental protest and environmental policies independently (or jointly) reduce CO2 emissions in U.S. states. We find that the level of emissions in a state declines in states with increases in pro‐environmental protest, net of the effects of the range of environmental policies enacted, gasoline taxes, liberal attitudes, reliance on the fossil fuel industry, number of registered lobbyist organizations, gross state product, and population size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenhouse gas mitigation efforts in the electricity sector have emphasized accelerated deployment of energy efficiency (EE) measures and renewable energy (RE) resources. We evaluate renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies across regional power systems in the United States in terms of carbon dioxide emissions displaced, operating costs avoided, and capacity value generated. We use data on hourly emissions and electricity generation, simulated hourly production across thousands of wind and solar sites, wholesale electricity prices, and technology costs. We find that variation in the quantity of emissions displaced by wind, solar, and efficiency resources is significant across regions but limited across resources within a region. Comparing our estimates of emissions-related benefits against technology costs, we document substantial variation in the net cost per ton ofCO2 avoided. This variation has not been reflected in the prevailing policy incentives that guide investments in RE and EE resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on greenhouse gas emissions regulations by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), focusing on the viability and execution of Carbon Dioxide Capture (Utilization) and Storage (CCS or CCUS). He mentions that opponents to the regulations charge that the they will prevent the use of coal for power. He states that there is no existing technology to lessen carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to less than 1100 pounds per megawatt hour from coal-fired power generation.

The U.S. Clean Power Plan (CPP) seeks to reduce CO2 emissions from electric power by 32% from 2005 levels, in part, by adjusting the generation mix. Generating technologies can substitute via two distinct, but interdependent mechanisms: i) utilization--i.e. adjustment of operations of existing capacity and ii) expansion--i.e. decommissioning and construction of capacity. We develop a framework for analyzing these interdependent mechanisms, then construct and validate an empirical model of the U.S. electricity sector using recent data. Assuming current low gas prices persist, increasing utilization of gas (at the expense of higher-emitting coal) will drive higher returns to gas capacity. As a result, under our business-as-usual scenario for 2030 (no CPP) we project approximately 26% less CO2 emissions than 2005 levels, indicating that the CPP target could be met with only limited policy intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-carbon mobility (LCM) features strongly in debates about the sustainability of cities and their resilience in the face of demographic, economic, and climate change. Transport is a major source of carbon emissions and there are indications that these continue to increase, despite the considerable recent advances in vehicle, engine, and fuel technologies. Reducing carbon emissions from transport may become more difficult, not easier. A particular issue relates to the New World cities, typified by those of North America and Australasia, which largely developed from the latter half of the nineteenth century onward and whose transportation systems were largely based around private vehicle ownership and usage. These cities are typically composed of low-density, dispersed suburbs, which are highly car dependent and resource and carbon emission intensive. This article develops a research agenda directed at determining and testing policy and planning measures relevant to the quest for low carbon mobility in New World cities. It suggests a rich agenda for essential research on LCM. Much of this agenda falls within the realm of the integration of transport and land use, with attention to urban design details to enhance the perceptions of and opportunities to use low carbon transport alternatives. Research topics identified for LCM research include (1) urban design and land use–transport integration (LUTI), (2) low carbon mobility policies directed at achieving widespread behavior change, (3) opportunities for new technology and its application, including requirements for systems and infrastructure, and (4) analysis and tools for informed decision making, including modeling, measurement, visualization, and especially assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of liquid biofuels has expanded over the past decade in response to policies such as the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) that promote their use for transportation. One rationale is the belief that biofuels are inherently carbon neutral, meaning that only production-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions need to be tallied when comparing them to fossil fuels. This assumption is embedded in the lifecycle analysis (LCA) modeling used to justify and administer such policies. LCA studies have often found that crop-based biofuels such as corn ethanol and biodiesel offer at least modest net GHG reductions relative to petroleum fuels. Data over the period of RFS expansion enable empirical assessment of net CO emission effects. This analysis evaluates the direct carbon exchanges (both emissions and uptake) between the atmosphere and the U.S. vehicle-fuel system (motor vehicles and the physical supply chain for motor fuels) over 2005-2013. While U.S. biofuel use rose from 0.37 to 1.34 EJ/yr over this period, additional carbon uptake on cropland was enough to offset only 37 % of the biofuel-related biogenic CO emissions. This result falsifies the assumption of a full offset made by LCA and other GHG accounting methods that assume biofuel carbon neutrality. Once estimates from the literature for process emissions and displacement effects including land-use change are considered, the conclusion is that U.S. biofuel use to date is associated with a net increase rather than a net decrease in CO emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from power plants can have important “co-benefits” for public health by reducing emissions of air pollutants. Here, we examine the costs and health co-benefits, in monetary terms, for a policy that resembles the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan. We then examine the spatial distribution of the co-benefits and costs, and the implications of a range of cost assumptions in the implementation year of 2020. Nationwide, the total health co-benefits were $29 billion 2010 USD (95% CI: $2.3 to $68 billion), and net co-benefits under our central cost case were $12 billion (95% CI: -$15 billion to $51 billion). Net co-benefits for this case in the implementation year were positive in 10 of the 14 regions studied. The results for our central case suggest that all but one region should experience positive net benefits within 5 years after implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through an increasingly globalized supply chain, local consumption of goods and services has impacts around the world. The carbon footprint can be used to link local consumption to global greenhouse gas emissions. This study describes the development and use of REAP Petite, a household-level footprint calculator. We describe how the tool integrates geodemographic information with user-inputted data; allows users to compare their footprint with others in their community; and presents them with targeted pledges to help them reduce their impact. Such tools can help individuals to see the impact their consumption has on emissions and help promote alternative behaviors. Based on the lessons learned during tool development and through using the tool with individuals in the UK and Sweden, we make recommendations for the development of new footprinting tools for use in the public domain. We highlight the benefits of using bottom-up methods for calculating footprints; recommend that designers consider future-proofing their tools; discuss the trade-off between complexity and usability; and recommend that designers consider going 'beyond carbon' to increase the appeal of tools to a wider audience. We also highlight the importance of providing opportunity for users to compare their footprints with those of others and of monitoring and evaluating user engagement with the tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sequestering carbon in forest stands and using woody bioenergy are two potential ways to utilize forests in mitigating emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Such forestry related strategies are, however, greatly influenced by carbon and bioenergy markets. This study investigates the impact of both carbon and woody bioenergy markets on land expectation value (LEV) and rotation age of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) forests in the southeastern United States for two scenarios-one with thinning and nofertilization and the other with thinning and fertilization. Economic analysis was conducted using a modified Hartman model. The amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted during various activities such as management of stands, harvesting, and product decay was included in the model. Sensitivity analysis was conducted with a range of carbon offset, wood for bioenergy, and forest product prices. The results showed that LEV increased in both management scenarios as the price of carbon and wood for bioenergy increased. However, the results indicated that the management scenario without fertilizer was optimal at low carbon prices and the management scenario with fertilizer was optimal at higher carbon prices for medium and low forest product prices. Carbon payments had a greater impact on LEV than prices for wood utilized for bioenergy. Also, increase in the carbon price increased the optimal rotation age, whereas, wood prices for bioenergy had little impact. The management scenario without fertilizer was found to have longer optimal rotation ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is evidence that warming leads to greater evapotranspiration and surface drying, thus contributing to increasing intensity and duration of drought and implying that mitigation would reduce water stresses. However, understanding the overall impact of climate change mitigation on water resources requires accounting for the second part of the equation, i.e., the impact of mitigation-induced changes in water demands from human activities. By using integrated, high-resolution models of human and natural system processes to understand potential synergies and/or constraints within the climate–energy–water nexus, we show that in the United States, over the course of the 21st century and under one set of consistent socioeconomics, the reductions in water stress from slower rates of climate change resulting from emission mitigation are overwhelmed by the increased water stress from the emissions mitigation itself. The finding that the human dimension outpaces the benefits from mitigating climate change is contradictory to the general perception that climate change mitigation improves water conditions. This research shows the potential for unintended and negative consequences of climate change mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shifting to renewable energy is an important global challenge, and there are many technologies available to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Seawater air conditioning (SWAC) is a renewable ocean thermal energy technology that will soon be implemented in Honolulu, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. The SWAC system will operate by using cool water from 500 m depth in a heat exchange system and then will release this nutrient-rich water back into the ocean at a shallower depth of 100-140 m. The introduction of a plume of warmed (but still relatively cool) deep seawater has unknown impacts on the tropical marine environment. Possible impacts include increases in primary production, changes in water chemistry and turbidity, and changes in the local food web. We used moored instruments and shipboard profiling to describe oceanographic parameters at the future SWAC effluent site. Parameters varied with the M2 internal tide, and denser water was correlated with higher nitrate, lower oxygen, and lower chlorophyll a (correlation coefficients 0.55, -0.58, and -0.75, respectively). The nitrate concentrations in the plume will be >30.0 µmol kg-1, while ambient concentrations range from <2.0-9.8 µmol kg-1. Irradiance levels at the effluent depth are sufficient to support net photosynthesis, and the effluent's location in the pycnocline could lead to rapid horizontal advection of the plume and expansion of the spatial scale of impacts. These baseline data provide an understanding of pre-impact conditions at the future SWAC site and will enable a more accurate environmental assessment. A comprehensive and well-resolved environmental monitoring effort during SWAC operation will be necessary to quantify and understand these impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen (N) fertilizer use in managed forest ecosystems is increasing in the United States and worldwide to enhance social, economical and environmental services. However, the effects of N-fertilization on production and consumption of greenhouse gases (GHGs), especially carbon dioxide (CO), methane (CH), and nitrous oxide (NO) in managed forest ecosystems are poorly understood, unlike in agriculture where effects are well documented. Therefore, a review of the available literature was conducted to comprehend the effects of N-fertilization on CO, CH and NO emissions in managed forest ecosystems to summarize sources, sinks, and controlling factors, as well as potential mitigation strategies and research gaps to reduce GHG emissions. This review clearly identifies the importance of N-fertilizer management practices on CO, CH and NO emissions. Potential N management practices to mitigate GHG emissions in managed forest ecosystems include improving N uptake efficiency, identifying and managing spatial variation in soil fertility, using the right fertilizer source at the right time, adopting appropriate methods of N-fertilizer application, and introducing nitrification/denitrification inhibitors. Nitrogen-fertilizer response is affected by soil physical (e.g., moisture, drainage, bulk density, and texture), chemical (e.g., nutrient availability, labile carbon, soil pH, and C/N ratio) and local climatic factors (e.g., temperature, relative humidity, and rainfall). Therefore, the interactions of these factors on GHG emissions need to be considered while evaluating N-fertilizer management practices. Existing studies are often limited, focusing primarily on temperate forest ecosystems, lacking estimation of net emissions considering all three predominant soil-derived GHGs, and were often conducted on a small scale, making upscaling challenging. Therefore, large-scale studies conducted in diverse climates, evaluating cumulative net emissions, are needed to better understand N-fertilization effects on GHG emissions and develop mitigation strategies. Mitigation strategies and research gaps have also been identified, which require the collaborative efforts of forest owners, managers, and scientists to increase adoption of N-fertilization best management practices and understand the importance of N-fertilizer management strategies in reducing emissions and enhancing the net GHG sink potential for managed forest ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States of America and the People’s Republic of China are responsible for over 40% of the world’s CO2emissions annually and they will be able to effectively reduce global emissions if they fulfil their commitments jointly in climate change mitigation. Here we briefly summarize past climate collaborations between the two countries and compare their national climate policies. The major problems are the mutual distrust between the two countries and the priority of economic development over climate change mitigation within each of them. As atmospheric CO2levels are still increasing at an accelerating rate, it is essential for the largest two emitters to turn ongoing bilateral dialogue into prompt mitigation action and maintain long-term joint efforts in reducing emissions. We suggest that the two countries should recognize and take advantage of their differences in socioeconomic, political, and technological conditions. Furthermore, the two countries need to share their experiences and technologies for safely utilizing relatively clean energy resources, especially shale gas. The success in climate cooperation between the USA and China is critical to sustainable development around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substantial reductions in global power sector emissions will be needed by midcentury to avoid significant disruption of the climate system. Achieving these reductions will require greatly increased levels of financing, technological innovation, and policy reform. In the United States, the scale and complexity of the overall challenge have raised important questions regarding prevailing regulatory and business models, with much scrutiny directed at the traditional practice of public utility regulation. Recognizing the many valid criticisms leveled against public utility regulation and the important questions raised about the viability of traditional utility business models, particularly in the face of substantial growth in distributed energy resources, this Article argues that a revitalized and expanded notion of public utility has a critical role to play in efforts to decarbonize the power sector in the United States. In making this argument, the Article looks back to an earlier, more expansive concept of public utility as articulated by Progressives, legal realists, and institutional economists in the early twentieth century. This earlier concept of public utility contains valuable insights for dealing with the current challenges of decarbonization. The Article shows how this broader concept of public utility was substantially diminished by a confluence of external challenges and a sustained intellectual assault mounted by economists and lawyers starting in the 1960s. The narrowed understanding of public utility that resulted, it is argued, has distorted our views regarding the role of markets and disruptive technologies in the sector. In fact, basic public utility principles continue to govern a significant amount of activity across the power sector, including in both wholesale and retail electricity markets. And there are important unrealized possibilities embedded within the public utility concept that hold considerable promise for reforming current regulatory and business models in the face of rapid technological change and growing decarbonization imperatives. Such principles and possibilities are particularly important in ongoing efforts to increase renewable energy and finance large low-carbon generation projects. They also hold great promise for ongoing efforts to plan for and optimize the integration of increasingly large amounts of distributed energy resources such as rooftop solar, demand response, and energy storage. Indeed, when one looks at the overall scale, complexity, and sequencing of investments needed to decarbonize the power sector over the coming decades (however it comes to be organized), it is clear that the broad concept of public utility offers essential tools for planning and coordinating such investments over the long time horizons contemplated and for managing a system of increasing complexity. In all of these areas, a more expansive notion of public utility that draws from earlier understandings of the concept provides a normative foundation for efforts to govern a power system that is increasingly complex, participatory, and intelligent, and for managing the sustained, collective effort to channel investment and behavior in a manner necessary to realize a low-carbon future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]