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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
131

EU Food Production and Climate Policy : An analysis of the Farm to Fork Strategy

Håkansson, Elias January 2022 (has links)
This paper analyses the EU’s European Green Deal and the changes to Food production it seeks to implement in its Farm to Fork Strategy, introduced in 2019. Attempting to establish whether or not it will enable them to succeed in meeting their goal of a 55% reduction of Green House Gas Emissions by 2030. The analysis on the EU’s food production system is done using a theory which looks at the production efficiency, the shift of diets and the reduction of food waste that the strategy seeks to implement. Arguing that specific shifts in these categories must be made if the EU’s climate goals are to be met. This is then compared to the actual policies implemented in the Farm to Fork Strategy. The thesis concludes that, while the EU succeeds in its food waste preventions as well as some aspects of its production efficiency, it is lacking in its strategy regarding shifting diets and that, in order to meet its climate goals, substantial shifts will need to be made in this category.
132

Servicing or Buying New? Estimating the Environmentally Optimal Time for Car Replacement in Sweden – an LCA Approach.

Wissert, Larissa Patricia January 2022 (has links)
Purpose. Road transportation is one of the major sources of GHG emissions today. Technological improvements in fuel consumption, as well as the electrification of vehicles can reduce emissions from road transportation. This study aims to investigate the optimal time for vehicle replacement in Sweden for an ICEV to minimise GHG emissions. While many LCA studies compare the total emissions from ICEVs with BEVs and conduct a break-even analysis, little focus is dedicated to the implications of the results. Previous studies did not estimate the time of vehicle replacement at which GHG emissions are minimised. To represent the Swedish vehicle fleet, the optimal replacement time is estimated for a Volvo V70 (petrol, 2011 model), when replacing it with a Volvo V60 (petrol, 2020 model) (Scenario 1), correspondingly when replacing with a Polestar 2 (battery-electric, 2020 model) (Scenario 2). Methods. For the estimation of lifetime emissions resulting from the three vehicle models, a Life Cycle Analysis was conducted. The functional unit investigated was 200.000 km driven with the V70, the V60 and Polestar 2, assuming that the vehicles were operated in Sweden. The emission values are then used to model the vehicle replacement in each scenario and the results are analysed. Findings. The LCA study showed that the V70 emits 64,08 tCO2eq. over its total lifespan, the V60 46,48 tCO2eq., and the Polestar 2 29,05 tCO2eq. The study showed that there is not one optimal replacement time, but the optimal time for vehicle replacement, from a carbon emission point of view, is inherently linked to the total driven mileage and number of cars owned. However, the trend shows that the time of replacement in Scenario 1 should be close to the End-of-Life of the V70. For Scenario 2 it is beneficial to replace the V70 immediately.
133

Potential for mitigating GHG emissions at a Swedish wastewater treatment plant – a life cycle approach

Aldén, Nina January 2020 (has links)
To meet the national and international climate goals every potential GHG mitigating effort needs to be addressed. The aim of this thesis is to investigate if the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), Ekebyhov, can reduce its GHG emissions by making changes inthe treatmentprocess. The main GHGs emitted from WWT areN2O, CH4and CO2. To begin with, Ekebyhov’scurrent carbon footprintwas calculated in a base line scenario, using a calculation tool (ECT). The results showed that the total footprintamounted to 522 tons CO2eqper year, with the majority of the emissions (83 %) from the activated sludge process. Five GHG-mitigating measures were identified and potential GHG emission reduction (PGER) was calculated from 1) optimized WWT, 2) urea treated sludge, 3) change of chemicals, 4) green transports and 5) added anaerobic digestion (AD) process. The largest PGER came from added AD, followed by optimized WWT. Finally, the PGER for all measures was calculated and resulted in net negative emissions of -95 tons CO2eq per year. The thesis shows that it is possible to reduce the carbon footprint of Ekebyhov WWTP, even to a net negative result. It is, however important to address other impact categories in a full LCA to be able to make fully informed decisions.
134

The Water-Energy Nexus: a bottom-up approach for basin-wide management

Escrivà Bou, Àlvar 21 December 2016 (has links)
Tesis por compendio / [EN] First chapter uses California's drought to identify the economic threats of water scarcity on food, energy and environmental systems as a way to introduce the multiple interactions between these resources. The second part of this first chapter introduces the focus of the dissertation, the water-energy nexus, presents a literature review identifying gaps, states the main and specific research objectives and the research questions, explains the research approach, and describes the organization of the dissertation. Second chapter develops an end-use model for water use and related energy and carbon footprint using probability distributions for parameters affecting water consumption in 10 local water utilities in California. Statewide single-family water-related CO2 emissions are 2% of overall per capita emissions, and locally variability is presented. The impact of several common conservation strategies on household water and energy use are assessed simulating different scenarios. Based on the this model, Chapter 3 introduces a probabilistic two-stage optimization model considering technical and behavioral decision variables to obtain the most eco-nomical strategies to minimize household water and water-related energy bills and costs given both water and energy price shocks. Results can provide an upper bound of household savings for customers with well-behaved preferences, and show greater adoption rates to reduce energy intensive appliances when energy is accounted, result-ing in an overall 24% reduction in indoor water use that represents a 30 percent reduc-tion in water-related energy use and a 53 percent reduction in household water-related CO2 emissions. To complete the urban water cycle, Chapter 4 develops first an hourly model of urban water uses by customer category including water-related energy consumption and next I calibrate a model of the energy used in water supply, treatment, pumping and wastewater treatment by the utility, using real data from East Bay Municipal Utility District in California. Hourly costs of energy for the water and energy utilities are assessed and GHG emissions for the entire water cycle estimated. Results show that water end-uses account for almost 95% of all water-related energy use, but the 5% managed by the utility is still worth over $12 million annually. Several simulations analyze the potential benefits for water demand management actions. The total carbon footprint per capita of the urban water cycle is 405 kg CO2/year representing 4.4% of the total GHG emissions per capita in California. Accounting for the results obtained in Chapters 2 to 4, Chapter 5 describes a simple but powerful decision support system for water management that includes water-related energy use and GHG emissions not solely from the water operations, but also from final water end uses, including demands from cities, agriculture, environment and the energy sector. The DSS combines a surface water management model with a simple groundwater model, accounting for their interrelationships, and also includes explicitly economic data to optimize water use across sectors during shortages and calculate return flows from different uses. Capabilities of the DSS are demonstrated on a case study over California's intertied water system over the historic period and some simulations are run to highlight water and energy tradeoffs. Results show that urban end uses account for most GHG emissions of the entire water cycle, but large water conveyance produces significant peaks over the summer season. The carbon footprint of the entire water cycle during this period, according to the model, was 21.43 millions of tons of CO2/year, what was roughly 5% of California's total GHG emissions. The last two chapters discus and summarize the thematic and methodological contribu-tions and looks for further research presenting and discussing the research gaps and research questions that this dissertation left open. / [ES] El primer capítulo utiliza la sequía de California para identificar las amenazas económicas de la escasez de agua en los sistemas de producción de alimentos, energético y medioambiental para presentar las múltiples interacciones entre estos recursos. La segunda parte del primer capítulo centra el objetivo de la tesis, la relación entre el agua y la energía, presenta la revisión de la literatura identificando los vacíos, describe los objetivos y las cuestiones que busca responder esta investigación, explica la metodología seguida, y describe la organización de la tesis. En el segundo capítulo se desarrolla un modelo de usos finales de agua, contando con la energía y las emisiones de GEI asociados utilizando distribuciones de probabilidad para los parámetros que afectan al uso del agua en 10 ciudades en California. Como resultados principales se obtiene que las emisiones de GEI asociadas al consumo residencial de agua representan el 2% del total de emisiones per cápita, y se presenta la variabilidad debida a las condiciones locales. Los impactos de algunas prácticas comunes de ahorro de agua y energía son calculadas simulando diferente escenarios. Basado en ese modelo, el Capítulo 3 se presenta un modelo de optimización probabilísticos en dos periodos considerando variables de decisión de modificaciones técnicas y de comportamiento en relación al consumo de agua para obtener las estrategias más económicas para minimizar las facturas de agua y energía. Los resultados proporcionan un límite superior para el ahorro doméstico, y muestran mayores tasas de adopción para reducir usos de agua que son más intensivos en consumo energético cuando la energía se incluye, resultando en una reducción del 24% de uso de agua adentro de las casas, que representa un 30% en reducción de energía y un 53% de emisiones de GEI, ambos relacionados con el consumo de agua. Para completar el ciclo urbano del agua, el Capítulo 4 desarrolla primero un modelo horario de usos de agua incluyendo la energía asociada y después se calibra un modelo de agua y energía en el abastecimiento, tratamiento y bombeo de agua, y el tratamiento de agua residual, utilizando datos reales de East Bay Municipal Utility District en California. Los costes horarios de energía para las compañías de agua y energía, así como las emisiones de GEI son estimadas. Los resultados muestran que los usos finales son responsables del 95% de la energía relacionada con el uso del agua, pero que el 5% restante tiene un coste de 12 millones de dólares anualmente. Teniendo en cuenta los resultados obtenidos en los capítulos 2, 3 y 4, el Capítulo 5 describe un sistema de apoyo de decisión (SSD) para gestión de recursos hídricos incluyente energía y emisiones de GEI no sólo de la gestión del agua, sino también de usos finales del agua, incluyendo demandas urbanas, agrícolas, ambientales y del sector energético. El SSD combina un modelo de agua superficial con uno de agua subterráneo, incluyendo sus interacciones, y también incluye explícitamente datos económicos para optimizar el uso del agua durante periodos de sequía. Las posibilidades del SSD son demostradas en un caso de estudio aplicado a un modelo simplificado del sistema de recursos hídricos de California. Los resultados muestran que los usos finales del agua en zonas urbanas son responsables de la mayoría de las emisiones de GEH, pero que las grandes infrastructures de transporte de agua producen importante picos en verano. De acuerdo con el modelo, la huella de carbón del ciclo del agua en California es de 21.43 millones de toneladas de CO2/año, lo que significa aproximadamente el 5% del total de emisiones de GEI del estado. Los últimos dos capítulos resumen y discuten las contribuciones temáticas y metodológicas de esta tesis, presentando nuevas líneas de investigación que se derivan de este trabajo. / [CA] El primer capítol utilitza la sequera de Califòrnia per a identificar les amenaces econòmiques de l'escassesa d'aigua en els sistemes de producció d'aliments, energètic i mediambiental per a presentar les múltiples interaccions entre estos recursos. La segona part del primer capítol centra l'objectiu de la tesi, la relació entre l'aigua i l'energia, presenta la revisió de la literatura identificant els buits, descriu els objectius i les qüestions que busca respondre esta recerca, explica la metodologia seguida, i descriu la organització de la tesi. Al segon capítol es desenvolupa un model d'usos finals d'aigua, comptant amb l'energia i les emissions de GEH associats utilitzant distribucions de probabilitat per als paràmetres que afecten a l'ús de l'aigua en 10 ciutats en Califòrnia. Com a resultats principals s'obté que les emissions de GEH associades al consum residencial d'aigua representen el 2% del total d'emissions per càpita, i es presenta la variabilitat deguda a les condicions locals. Els impactes d'algunes pràctiques comunes d'estalvi d'aigua i energia són calculades simulant diferent escenaris. Basat en eixe model, al Capítol 3 es presenta un model d'optimització probabilístics en dos períodes considerant variables de decisió de modificacions tècniques i de comportament en relació al consum d'aigua per a obtindre les estratègies més econòmiques per a minimitzar les factures d'aigua i energia. Els resultats proporcionen un límit superior per a l'estalvi domèstic, i mostren majors taxes d'adopció per a reduir usos d'aigua que són més intensius en consum energètic quan l'energia es incluïda, resultant en una reducció del 24% d'ús d'aigua a dins de les cases, que representa un 30% en reducció d'energia i un 53% d'emissions de GEH, ambdós relacionats amb el consum d'aigua. Per a completar el cicle urbà de l'aigua, el Capítol 4 desenvolupa primer un model horari d'usos d'aigua incloent l'energia associada i després es calibra un model d'aigua i energia en l'abastiment, tractament i bombeig d'aigua i al tractament d'aigua residual, utilitzant dades reals de East Bay Municipal Utility District en Califòrnia. Els costs horaris d'energia per a les companyies d'aigua i energia, així com les emissions de GEH són estimades. Els resultats mostren que els usos finals són responsables del 95% de l'energia relacionada amb l'ús de l'aigua, però que el 5% restant té un cost de 12 milions de dolars anualment. Algunes simulacions analitzen els beneficis econòmics potencials de mesures de gestió de demanda d'aigua. La petjada de carbó total del cicle urbà de l'aigua s'estima en 405 kg CO2/any representant el 4.4% de les emissions per càpita en Califòrnia. Tenint en compte els resultats obtesos en els capítols 2, 3 i 4, el Capítol 5 descriu un sistema de suport de decisió (SSD) per a gestió de recursos hídrics incloent energia i emissions de GEH no sols de la gestió de l'aigua, sinó també del úsos finals de l'aigua, incloent demandes urbanes, agrícoles, ambientals i del sector energètic. El SSD combina un model d'aigua superficial amb un d'aigua subterrànea, incloent les seues interrelacions, i també inclou explícitament dades econòmiques per a optimitzar l'ús de l'aigua durant períodes de sequera. Les possibilitats del SSD són demostrades en un cas d'estudi aplicat a un model simplificat del sistema de recursos hídrics de Califòrnia. Els resultats mostren que els usos finals de l'aigua en zones urbanes són responsables de la majoria de les emissions de GEH, però que les grans infrastructures de transport d'aigua produïxen important pics a l'estiu. D'acord amb el model, la petjada de carbó del cicle de l'aigua a Califòrnia és de 21.43 milions de tones de CO2/any, el que significa aproximadament el 5% del total d'emissions de GEH a l'estat. Els últims dos capítols resumeixen i discuteixen les contribucions temàtiques i metodològiques d'esta tesi, presentan / Escrivà Bou, À. (2015). The Water-Energy Nexus: a bottom-up approach for basin-wide management [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/59451 / TESIS / Premios Extraordinarios de tesis doctorales / Compendio
135

Elnätets klimatavtryck : Utveckling av ett klimatberäkningsverktyg för kvantifiering av växthusgasutsläpp för elnätsbolag

Segelsjö Duvernoy, Rebecca, Lundblad, Johanna January 2021 (has links)
The electrical transmission and distribution grid play a vital role in reaching the Paris agreement by electrification of society. Although the climate impact of electricity production is well documented, the climate impact of the distribution of electricity has only been investigated in a few previous studies. Therefore, this study aims to present the carbon footprint of the distribution grid in Sweden. The study has developed a tool to map the carbon footprint by applying a case study of an electrical grid company in Sweden. The tool includes activities in the company’s value chain associated with material production, installation, usage, maintenance, transportation of the electrical grid and office activities during one year in an electrical grid company. The tool was developed in excel by implementing the theoretical framework of the Greenhouse Gas protocol and life cycle assessment. According to the guidelines of the Greenhouse Gas protocol the CO2 emissions were allocated in scope 1, scope 2 and scope 3. Scope 1 includes direct emissions controlled or owned by the company. Scope 2 are emissions from purchased heat and electricity consumed by the company, and scope 3 includes other indirect emissions from the company's activities throughout the value chain. The result shows the carbon footprint of the electrical distribution grid during 2020 was 2,02 kg CO2e per distributed MWh. The total carbon footprint of the distribution company was 54 329 ton CO2e. A majority, 97 % of the CO2e emissions originated from indirect emissions within scope 3, where capital goods stand for 76 % of the company’s total emissions followed by 12 % from fuel and energy rated activities. This result indicates the importance of including indirect emissions when analyzing the carbon footprint of a company’s value chain. Our study also indicates, in line with previous studies, that a majority of the emissions originate from the manufacturing of cables.
136

Evaluation of Environmental Effects of Corporate Mobility as a Service : A case study

May, Carl January 2020 (has links)
In times of progressive urbanization and increased environmental awareness, the mobility sector faces the challenge to satisfy an increasing demand, while simultaneously decreasing the negative externalities of transportation. The emerging concept Mobility as a Service (MaaS) claims to resolve this conflict, by offering individualized and seamless mobility through combination of all available modes. This thesis quantifies the tank to wheel (TTW) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of a MaaS implementation and simulates effects of potential variations in the service. The pilot under focus is an alteration of MaaS, which is exclusively available to the work force of a specific corporation. This variation is called Corporate Mobility as a Service (CMaaS). The evaluation is based on cross-sectional survey among the employees and operational data from the CMaaS operator. The transport demand model applies a person category approach. The total daily GHG emitted by the work force’s on-site mobility is estimated to 3.735 tCO2. Compared to on-site trips by private cars, trips with CMaaS emit less than half as many GHG emissions per passenger kilometer traveled. This highlights the environmental benefits of MaaS, especially in replacing short trips by private car. Due to the composition of the underlying data sources and the therefore chosen methodology the reactivity to implemented scenarios is very limited. Thus, analysis and interpretation of the results is restricted to largely aggregated levels. Nonetheless, this study offers an initial orientation point for further estimation of TTW GHG emissions by MaaS schemes. Beyond, it highlights the lack in understanding and modelling of corporate mobility in general.
137

THE POLICY-TECHNOLOGY NEXUS FOR MITGATING PASSENGER ON-ROAD TRANSPORTATION GHG EMISSIONS: E-BUS, E-RIDE-SHARE, OR OTHER ALTERNATIVES / ASSESSMENT OF TRANSPORTATION GHG MITGATING SOLUTIONS

Soukhov, Anastasi January 2021 (has links)
The passenger transportation sector is notoriously difficult to decarbonize. In this thesis, two distinct and novel methodologies to estimate the environmental impact of alternative and conventional transportation technologies are developed. In Chapter 2, a provincial fleet policy-driven linear programming model is developed to minimize the cost of three passenger vehicle electrification policies in Ontario under a 30% GHG reduction target by 2030. Provincial life-cycle emissions and total-cost-of-ownership associated with policy allocation is estimated. The results highlight that electrification of on-road passenger transportation will not be sufficient to meet the 30% reduction target despite Ontario's low-carbon electricity grid. Instead, reductions of between 24% to 26% are forecasted at an annual cost (for ten years) of between CAD 0.29 to 0.3 billion annually indicating that additional policies are necessary to realize a 30% reduction target. In Chapter 3, a trip-level vehicle framework is developed to determine under what operating conditions transit buses and passenger cars will be environmentally beneficial across the dimensions of technology, service mode, and power source pathway. The well-to-wheel energy consumption and GHG emissions are simulated for over 450 operating scenarios. Emissions are then normalized through passenger-trip emission thresholds to facilitate equivalent comparison across all dimensions. The results indicate that the most beneficial solution are fuel-cell electric car-share, battery electric car-share, and battery electric bus all powered by low-carbon intensity power sources at average occupancy (7.9-19.7 gCO2e passenger-service-mode-trip-km-travelled-1). Furthermore, transit bus technologies have the potential to reduce up to 2.3 times more GHG per passenger-trip than comparable ride-share passenger cars at average occupancies. The results of Chapter 2 and 3 highlight that technology alone may not be sufficient to achieve significant GHG reductions; policy which leverage local operating data and target GHG reduction associated with passenger-trips are critical to informing under what conditions a mobility solution is environmentally beneficial. / Thesis / Master of Civil Engineering (MCE) / There is a dire need to evaluate the effectiveness of transportation GHG mitigation policies as alternative mobility solutions are being adopted and the pressure to respond to climate change intensifies. This work evaluates the effectiveness of policy optimization and vehicle-level simulation techniques to inform GHG mitigation decision-making. A two-step approach is adopted herein. At the strategic level, a cost optimization model for passenger vehicle electrification policies in Ontario is calibrated to identify the optimal allocation of provincial policy to achieve a 30% GHG reduction by 2030. Next, a micro level focuses on the energy consumption of eight vehicle technologies over 450 operational scenarios is simulated and trip-level passenger emissions are estimated to reveal the environmentally beneficial mobility option, corresponding passenger thresholds, and extent of variability associated with local operating conditions. Overall, optimization and trip-level vehicle simulation can be used to demystify optimal decision-making related to mobility solutions.
138

LCA of Microgrid System: a Case Study at ‘North-five Islands’ of Changshan Archipelago, China

Yuning, Jiang January 2019 (has links)
Microgrid can provide stable, clean, and sustainable electricity supply for remote places since it can operate on renewable energy sources and work isolated from the utility grid. This thesis evaluates the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the microgrid system which is located at the ‘North-five Islands’ of Changshan archipelago in China. The existing electricity generation technologies of the microgrid system are wind turbine, PV system and diesel generators with the capacity of 2 MW, 300 kW and 2046 kW, respectively. The total demand of electricity (362.2 GWh) will be supplied by the wind turbine, PV system and diesel generators with 32.03%, 2.36% and 65.62%, respectively, if the microgrid system is required to supply the electricity demand for the ‘North-five Islands’ area alone under the islanded mode during 20 years lifespan. The thesis uses the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate the life cycle GHG emissions of the microgrid system. The life cycle stages of this study include: raw material extraction, manufacturing, transportation and operation. In order to assess the environmental benefits of the microgrid system, three electricity supply options – ‘microgrid electricity supply option’, ‘grid extension electricity supply option’, and ‘conventional fossil diesel generators electricity supply option’ are designed to evaluate the life cycle GHG emissions for supplying 20 years electricity demand (362.2 GWh) of the ‘Northfive Islands’. The results show that the life cycle GHG emissions of the ‘microgrid electricity supply option’ are 223.19 million kgCO2eq. Compared to the ‘grid extension electricity supply option’ and ‘conventional fossil diesel generators electricity supply option’, the net savings of the GHG emissions are 70.56 and 112.18 million kgCO2eq, respectively. It mainly results from the differences of the electricity supply methods of the three electricity supply options. For the ‘microgrid electricity supply option’ itself, the operation stage takes the most responsibility of the life cycle GHG emissions with 97.6%. The raw material extraction, manufacturing and transportation stages account for 1.93%, 0.44% and 0.026%, respectively. For the system components of the microgrid system, the wind turbine, PV system, diesel generators, energy storage system, and cables account for 0.34%, 0.18%, 97.75%, 0.60%, and 1.12%, respectively, of the microgrid system’s life cycle GHG emissions. The thesis conducts the sensitivity analysis of diesel burn rate efficiency (L/kWh) of the microgrid system’s diesel generators due to a large quantity (60.84 million L) of diesel consumption by the diesel generators during 20 years operation time. According to the results of the sensitivity analysis, the diesel burn rate efficiency can directly impact the diesel consumption of the diesel generators, and consequently has a significant impact on the life cycle GHG emissions of the ‘North-five Islands’ microgrid system. Since the diesel burn rate efficiency represents the amount of diesel consumption, this results highlight the significance of any factors that affect the diesel consumption (e.g. quantity of diesel, temperature, altitude, etc.), in affecting the life cycle GHG emissions of the ‘North-five Islands’ microgrid system. In addition, the thesis performers the sensitivity analysis of renewable energy (wind and solar energy in specific) fraction of the studied microgrid system because of the huge potential of available renewable energy (63.65 MW of wind turbines) nearby the microgrid system. The results of the sensitivity analysis show that the life cycle GHG emissions of the microgrid system decrease linearly with the increase of wind and solar energy fraction. Particularly, the life cycle GHG emissions of the microgrid system decrease 1.46% (3.26 million kgCO2eq) and 1.37% (3.05 million kgCO2eq) with an increase of 1% in wind and solar energy, respectively.
139

On the direct comparability of non-financial reports from a “Climate Action” & emissions perspective : - with specific reference to Large Cap companies on the Swedish Stock Market over a ten year period

Clarke Hermansson, Frances January 2021 (has links)
There are problems connected to the non-financial reports (NFRs) prepared by companies. The purpose of this study is to compare over a ten year period, the NFRs of Large Cap companies on the Swedish Stock Market, from a “Climate Action” and emissions perspective, to determine if the direct comparability of NFRs has increased within companies, if the direct comparability of NFRs between companies has increased and if regulations launched during the past decade have increased the direct comparability of NFRs. The non-financial reports (NFRs) of twenty four different Large Cap companies on the Swedish Stock Market were studied from 2010 to 2019 using a semi-inductive approach. A Research model and an Analysis model, the latter containing four components, frameworks, indicators, units of measurement and physical quantities, was developed in this study and its components used for analytical purposes. The results of the study show that only four enterprises’ NFRs, out of a total of twenty-four, could be compared internally for climate change issues over the entire decade. Furthermore, none of the companies’ NFRs could be directly compared between companies within this timeframe. The study has shown that direct comparability of NFRs, both within and between companies over time, requires that a unit of measurement and a physical quantity are used consistently by the companies. This study indicates that neither direct internal comparability of NFRs nor direct comparability between companies’ NFRs, have increased within and between companies over a decade. Despite the introduction of regulations there has not been a uniformity of procedures of the companies’ combined use of units of measurement and physical quantities which allows for individual interpretation of their contents. A suggested future research project is to lay the foundation for a combined financial and non-financial report where issues of risk and responsibility are tackled.
140

ROADS, DEFORESTATION, AND GHG EMISSIONS: THE ROLE OF FOREST GOVERNANCE AND CARBON TAX POLICY IN PARA AND MATO GROSSO, BRAZIL

Carlos Andres Fontanilla Diaz (11211147) 30 July 2021 (has links)
<p>This research explores the impact of road infrastructure on deforestation, the role of forest governance and a carbon tax/credit mechanism in mitigating the effect on land use change and subsequent GHG emissions, with application to the states of Pará and Mato Grosso in Brazil. Few studies have addressed how policies to protect forested land affect the rate of deforestation associated with road and infrastructure improvement. This research makes three main contributions to the literature of roads and deforestation: 1) the concept of cost of access to the “closest” market in terms of time (expressed in person hours per ten ton load) is introduced to reflect variations in the road network infrastructure; 2) development of empirical evidence of the role of forest governance in diminishing the rate of deforestation linked to roads, using data from Brazil; and 3) and assessment of the efficacy of a carbon tax/credit scheme for mitigating the impact of infrastructure investment on land use and resultant changes in GHG emissions. Access cost ranged between 0.01 and 3084 person hours per load, however 80 percent of the pixels measured less than 784 person hours across the three years analyzed (2003, 2013, and 2018). This measure facilitated a contrast in spatial accessibility due to road infrastructure across pixels within the same year and across years on a same pixel. The use of a fractional logit model allowed the incorporation of proportions of different land uses within a same pixel at the same resolution of other <a></a>variables not available at the same fine scale. Strong forest governance reduced up to 25% the elasticities on forest lands with respect to access cost; in other words, the impact of roads on deforestation is reduced by one fourth when forest governance is strengthened. These larger impacts occur at the frontier where most of the efforts need to be addressed. Finally, provided a shock in road infrastructure, a carbon tax/credit level of $82/tCO2e permitted to abate an additional amount of GHG emissions estimated in 244 million tons of CO2e released due to changes in carbon stocks and flow emissions from agricultural activities induced from changes in road infrastructure. More importantly, this research provided insights of a proportion of GHG emissions that could be abated at different levels of a carbon tax/credit.</p>

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