Purpose: The aim of this study is to provide improvement suggestions on how the amount of carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced in the construction of mainly multi-storey timber buildings. Proposals are made after identifying where in the life cycle the largest emissions occur. Method: To achieve the goal of this study a case study was performed on an existing multi-storey timber building. A life cycle analysis (LCA) was performed to identify where in the life cycle the biggest emissions occur. To gather all important information about the project, document analysis was conducted. In addition, a literature study was made on the subject which supports and enhances conducted study. Findings: From literature study, case study and document analysis results have been listed which forms the foundation for the following suggestions of improvement. The life cycle analysis has identified that the largest amount of carbon dioxide is 28 % and is obtained in sawmills. The production of glue produces 25 % and transports during the lifecycle produces nearly 20 %. Implications: The conclusion contributes to reducing the amount of carbon dioxide emissions in future production of mainly wooden buildings. The greatest amount of carbon dioxide have been identified and the following proposals have been made to reduce emissions. Make sawmills more effective to reduce emissions. Produce and use environmentally friendly adhesive with similar characteristics. Use waste from forest felling, sawmills and glulam factories for production of biofuel used for transports. Limitations: This study has only covered multi-storey buildings in different wooden systems, the problem is probably also relevant for other buildings. Keywords: Carbon dioxide emissions, LCA, multi-storey building, timber and wooden frame. / Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att ge förbättringsförslag om hur mängden koldioxidutsläpp kan minskas vid byggande av främst flervåningshus i trä. Förslag tas fram efter att ha identifierat var i livscykeln de största utsläppen sker. Metod: Syftet med arbetet uppnås framförallt med en fallstudie utförd på ett existerande flervåningshus med stomme i limträ. En livscykelanalys (LCA) utfördes för att ta fram var i livscykeln de största utsläppen sker. För att samla in all viktig information om projektet utfördes även dokumentanalys. Fortsättningsvis utfördes en noggrann litteraturstudie inom ämnet som stödjer och förstärker utförd studie. Resultat: Från litteraturstudie, fallstudie och dokumentanalys har resultat tagits fram som ligger till grund för framförda förbättringsförslag. Livscykelanalysen har identifierat att den största mängden koldioxidutsläpp är 28 % och avges från sågverken. Framställandet av lim avger 25 % och transporterna under livscykeln avger ungefär 20 %. Konsekvenser: Slutsatsen bidrar till att mängden koldioxidutsläpp kan minskas i framtida produktion av framförallt byggnader i trä. Där koldioxidutsläppen är som störst i livscykeln har följande förbättringsförslag tagits fram för att minska utsläppen. Effektivisera sågverk för att minska utsläppen. Framställa och använda ett miljövänligare lim med liknande egenskaper. Utnyttja spill från skogsavverkning, sågverk och limträfabrik till att producera biobränsle som kan användas till transporter. Begränsningar: Arbetet har endast behandlat flervåningshus i olika stomsystem av trä, troligtvis är problemet aktuellt även för andra byggnader. Nyckelord: Flervåningshus, koldioxidutsläpp, LCA, limträ och trästomme.

To alleviate global warming, European-Union member states must reduce primary energy use, emit less carbon dioxide (CO2), and increase renewable energy use. Buildings constitute a great potential for energy savings, but saving energy in district-heated buildings influences combined heat and power (CHP) production, other electricity generation, and global CO2 emissions.   This thesis investigates the system effects from Swedish district heating production caused by district heating demand changes due to energy conservation in buildings. The cost-optimising linear programming modelling tools MODEST and FMS, the latter developed in the context of this thesis, are used to describe present district heating production and to investigate the impact of heat-demand reductions in twelve Swedish district heating systems, four of them representing all Swedish district heating.   Energy savings in district-heated, multi-family residential buildings yield a lower, more seasonally levelled district heating demand. These demand changes mainly reduce use of fossil-fuel and biomass for heat production. CHP production is significantly reduced if it supplies intermediate or peak district heating load. The αsystem value (ratio between generated CHP electricity and produced district heating) increases by demand reductions if CHP mainly supplies base district heating load. CO2 emissions due to district heat production depend on the approach used for CO2 assessment of electricity, and are generally reduced with heat demand reductions, unless the share of CHP production is large and the reduced fuel use yields smaller emission reductions than the emission increase from power production that replaces reduced CHP generation.   In total, heat demand reductions reduce CO2 emissions due to Swedish district heating, and the district heating systems even constitute a carbon sink at certain energy conservation levels. If saved biomass replaces fossil fuels elsewhere, a lower heat demand reduces CO2 emissions for every studied district heating system.

Maintaining global warming to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels is vital. Whether the convergence hypothesis holds for carbon dioxide emissions is important for policymakers facing this issue. This paper investigates the convergence behavior of carbon dioxide emissions for 39 countries in the Americas from 1960-2016. A linear regression test of convergence which looks for conditional sigma convergence is employed, and a clustering algorithm is used to identify convergence clubs. The results show evidence of convergence in the region for the long run. Convergence clubs are identified for the short run. The convergence clubs show some relation to spatial distribution and income level. Possible factors determining the formation of convergence clubs are investigated through logistic regression. Initial level of emissions and energy intensity were found to have the largest impact determining what convergence club a country belongs to. Per capita GDP, trade openness, and renewable energy were all found to be highly significant factors determining what convergence club a country belongs to as well. Different results were found for urbanization’s impact in determining the formation of convergence clubs. These findings show that policymakers should promote allocation schemes for carbon dioxide emissions. Policymakers should also aim to reduce carbon footprint based on the economy’s structural characteristics.

The thesis is focused on the study of the use of fluidized bed fly ash as part of the raw mealfor firing Portland clinker in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. It is aimed atoptimizing the cutting mode belit cement to increase its reactivity.

In this dissertation, different configurations of solar powered organic Rankine cycles (ORC) are investigated. The configurations include: a basic ORC, a regenerative ORC (R-ORC), and a basic ORC with electric energy storage (EES) (ORC-EES). The basic ORC and the R-ORC are evaluated using different dry organic fluids based on the first and second laws of thermodynamics and electricity production. The performance of both ORC systems is based on the potential for primary energy consumption (PEC) and carbon dioxide emission (CDE) savings, the electricity production, and the available capital cost (ACC) for the system. The R-ORC and basic ORC are both evaluated in Jackson, MS and Tucson, AZ to determine the effect of hourly solar irradiation and ambient temperature on both systems. For the basic ORC a parametric analysis is performed to determine the effects of cycle pressure, temperature, solar collector area, and turbine efficiency on the system performance. Similarly, for the R-ORC, a parametric analysis investigating the effect of open feed organic fluid heater intermediate pressure and turbine efficiency on the R-ORC is performed. Finally an ORC connected to an EES device located in Tucson, AZ is studied. The ORC-EES supplies electricity to three different commercial buildings. The ORC-EES is modeled to be charging when irradiation is available and discharging when there is not enough irradiation to generate electricity from the ORC. The performance of the system is based on the amount of electricity supplied, the potential for PEC, CDE, and cost savings, and the ACC. The effect of solar collector area on the percentage of supplied electricity, EES device size, and cost savings is also studied. It was determined that all the evaluated ORC configurations have the potential to produce PEC, CDE, and cost savings, but their performance is affected by the organic working fluid, solar collector area, and the location where the system is installed.

I dagsläget står industrier för en tredjedel av Sveriges totala utsläpp när det kommer till koldioxidutsläpp. I samband med koldioxidutsläppen från industrin tillkommer utsläpp från samtliga transporter. Ericsson har som mål att gemensamt bli CO2-neutrala inom år 2030 för att vidare ha noll koldioxidutsläpp år 2040. Målet är ett gemensamt mål för hela Ericsson, inte minst sagt för Ericsson i Borås. Organisationen i Borås fokuserar främst på NPI-verksamheten, dvs New Production Introduction. Inom NPI-verksamheten hanteras prototyper genom ett flertal tester i syfte att uppfylla kundens krav och förväntningar innan förserie av produktion. Studien kommer utifrån en nulägesanalys undersöka hur organisationen i Borås ligger till gentemot det gemensamma målet att vara CO2-neutrala samt deras tillvägagångssätt i arbetet för att nå detta mål. Det är också av intresse att följa upp hur organisationen arbetar med deras samhällsansvar, CSR, fokuserat på den ekologiska dimensionen. Den ekologiska dimensionen innefattar allmänna hållbarhetsfrågor och i vilken grad verksamheten arbetar för att ta ett socialt ansvar gällande miljöfrågor. Fallstudien baseras på både kvantitativa- och kvalitativa metoder för en bredare inblick i hur organisationen arbetar med hållbarhet samt CSR. I den kvalitativa metoden baseras fallstudien på sex stycken respondenter i form av en semistrukturerad intervju, där samtliga respondenter är medarbetare på Ericsson i Borås. Den kvalitativa studien består vidare av en enkät som Ericssons största underleverantörer fått ta del av. Den kvantitativa studien innefattar likaväl data från Ericssons interna intranät som är grunden till en livscykelanalys. Studien redogör att det gemensamma målet för Ericsson att vara CO2-neutrala inte brutits ner på organisationsnivå i Borås. Därav finns det inga tydliga riktningar på hur organisationen skall arbeta för att nå detta gemensamma mål. Däremot finns det ett positivt engagemang till att lägga större fokus på att nå det gemensamma målet framöver. Samtliga respondenter hävdar att organisationen i Borås lägger större fokus på den sociala samt ekonomiska dimensionen inom CSR, och den ekologiska dimensionen har inte prioriterats i samma utsträckning. Livscykelanalysen som framställdes resulterade i att transportmedel bör ses över samt framförhållning vad gäller materialplanering. Inom NPI-verksamheten används flygplan som ett frekvent transportmedel, som är den största boven vad gäller koldioxidutsläpp. I och med att globala leverans sker, resulterar det i ett stort miljöavtryck vad gäller koldioxidutsläpp. / At present, industry accounts for one third of Sweden's total carbon dioxide emissions. In addition to carbon dioxide emissions from industry, there are emissions from all forms of transport. Ericsson's goal is to become CO2-neutral by 2030, with a view to achieving zero CO2 emissions by 2040. This is a common goal for all of Ericsson, not least Ericsson in Borås. The organization in Borås focuses primarily on the NPI business, i.e. New Production Introduction. Within the NPI business, prototypes are handled through a number of tests in order to meet customer requirements and expectations before pre-series production. The study will investigate how the organisation in Borås is positioned towards the common goal of being CO2-neutral and their approach to achieve this goal. It is also of interest to follow up how the organisation works with their social responsibility, CSR, focusing on the ecological dimension. The ecological dimension includes general sustainability issues and the extent to which the business is working to take social responsibility for their environmental issues. The case study is based on both quantitative and qualitative methods for a broader insight into how the organization works with sustainability and CSR. In the qualitative method, the case study is based on six respondents in the form of a semistructured interview, where all respondents are employees of Ericsson in Borås. The quantitative study is based on a questionnaire that Ericsson's largest subcontractors received. The quantitative study also includes data from Ericsson's internal intranet, which is the basis for a life cycle analysis. The study reports that the common goal for Ericsson to be CO2-neutral is not broken down to organisational level in Borås. Hence, there are no clear directions on how the organisation should work to achieve this common goal. However, there is a positive commitment to put more focus on reaching the common goal in the future. All respondents claim that the organisation in Borås puts more focus on the social and economic dimension of CSR, and the ecological dimension has not been prioritised to the same extent. The life cycle analysis produced resulted in the need to review means of transport and to plan ahead in terms of materials. In NPI operations, aircraft are used as a frequent means of transport, which is the main culprit in terms of CO2 emissions. As delivery to which results in a large environmental footprint in terms of CO2 emissions.

This thesis examines the evolution of income inequality in Canada from 1997 to 2019 through the Gini coefficient and the share of income of the top 10% of income earners. These metrics are then used to evaluate whether there are any associations between income inequality and CO2 emissions. The results reveal that the Gini coefficient is negatively associated with CO2 emissions; however, no definitive conclusions can be drawn about the effect of income share. The implications of the results for the effect of economic policies (i.e., redistributive) on national climate commitments are then discussed. / Graduate

This thesis investigates the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) and the link between carbon emissions, energy use and economic growth in the BRICS countries within 1980-2013. The reason for analysing a sample of energy-intensive developing countries (the BRICS) is that these nations are of major concern for the global environmental challenge. The results of panel cointegration relationship estimation do not support the EKC. The estimated elasticity of carbon dioxide emissions to energy use is 0.60%, while the elasticity of economic growth to energy consumption is 1.74%. Moreover, the causality tests indicate that energy use Granger-causes carbon emissions, while economic growth, in turn, Granger-causes energy use. This thesis adds to the existing literature and can have policy relevance for the BRICS countries. Based on the results of this study, the overall recommendation is to prioritize increase in energy efficiency through technological development and use of cleaner resources of production.

Increased demand for energy, rising energy costs, and heightened environmental concerns are driving forces that continually press for the improvement and development of new technologies to promote energy savings and emissions reduction. Combined heating and power (CHP), combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP), and organic Rankine cycles (ORC) are a few of the technologies that promise to reduce primary energy consumption (PEC), cost, and emissions. CHP systems generate electricity at or near the place of consumption using a prime mover, e.g. a combustion engine or a turbine, and utilize the accompanying exhaust heat that would otherwise be wasted to satisfy the building’s thermal demand. In the case of CCHP systems, exhaust heat also goes to satisfy a cooling load. An organic Rankine cycle (ORC) combined with a CHP or CCHP system can generate electricity from any surplus low-grade heat, thereby reducing the total primary energy, cost, and emissions. This research first presents a review of the economical, energetic, and environmental benefits of CHP and CHP-ORC systems for a small office in various climates. Operating the systems 24 hours a day is compared to operating the system during typical office hours and benefits of the CHP system in terms of the EnergyStar and LEED programs are presented. Another objective of this dissertation is to study the critical role of the prime mover on the performance of CHP, CCHP, CHP-ORC, and CCHP-ORC systems under different pricing structures. Three different size natural gas engines are simulated for a small office under different operational strategies such as: follow the facility's electric demand, follow the facility's thermal demand, and follow a constant load. Simple optimizations were carried out to improve the system's performance. Using real prices for electricity and fuel to compute operational costs was compared to using the building's average prices without a CCHP system. Finally, a CCHP system using a load-share turbine for a large office building was examined while considering the source of carbon dioxide emissions, carbon offsetting through purchasing carbon credits, and available capital costs.

The new Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C by the International Panel on Climate Change presents the drastic need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for the security and sustainable development of human kind. In Sweden, household consumption related carbon emissions needs to be radically reduced in order to meet the international climate goals set in this report. Changing individual behavior has proven over time to be a challenging task for many initiatives. Community-Based Social Marking is a behavior method that has been proven to be effective in creating sustainable behavior change at the community level. A case study is conducted at Avesta kommun in Sweden in order to discover what behavior is best to change to reduce the carbon footprint per person at this municipality, what strategy is best to achieve this goal and what effect this strategy will have. The results from the Community-Based Social Marketing case study show that a vegan diet as a behavior has the highest positive impact on the environment to promote in Avesta, but the behavior with the second highest impact, a vegetarian diet, is chosen due to its higher probability to implement and external health factors associated with a vegan diet. The strategy chosen is a Facebook page designed to provide weekly vegetarian recipes to families in Avesta with the goal of increasing their consumption of vegetarian food. The strategy is tested on a pilot group to determine its effectiveness. The conclusion of this study shows that the strategy is overall effective on the pilot group for increasing their knowledge and consumption of vegetarian meals.