Today China produces most GHG emissions in the world, which continues increasing the average temperature of the Earth. For the purpose of reducing the emission and reaching the peak of GHG emission before 2030, Chinese government promotes several policies, such as developing renewable energy, importing advanced emission reduction technology and encouraging the production and sales of new energy vehicles. In order to estimate the tendency of Chinese GHG emission, a review has been conducted. This review has considered the current Chinese situation, making necessary assumptions and calculating total emission in several relevant sectors independently. By adjusting several key figures, the end result of peak year may be changed. The review has proved that the peak year for Chinese GHG emissions will be 2035 under normal condition. If other optimized factors are considered, the peak year could be moved up.

Livestock and poultry are two growing subsectors of global farming economy with an impact on the environment and thus deserving closer attention. While the farms play a major role in providing protein essential for human diets, they are also sources of significant amounts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Hence, the sectors need to improve their environmental performance and mitigate their negative impacts on climate. To estimate the annual GHG emissions from a dairy and poultry farm, a case study was conducted in the rural area of Bangladesh. The study has considered the supply chains of both farms while estimating the emissions.  The study also estimated the GHG emission reduction potential of a small biogas based polygeneration system aimed at providing energy services in the rural area. LCA (lifecycle assessment) has been used as the main tool while estimating the emissions.

The Massachusetts Green Communities Grant Program (GCP) was created by passage of the Massachusetts Green Communities Act in 2008, which provides funding, tools and technical support to assist local communities in achieving the goal of energy efficiency and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction. With the growing number of communities designated as GCP participants over the past two years, public focus has increasingly turned towards assessing the relative effectiveness of the GCP compared to other programs. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the relative effectiveness of the Green Communities Grant Program in supporting participating local governments to mitigate and adapt to climate change, especially in the areas of energy efficiency and emissions reduction. The findings are based on comparative case study analysis between participant Green Communities and non-Green Communities with comparable population size. The results of the qualitative analysis indicated that the communities with relatively strong regional planning agency assistance, relatively large planning departments, completed master/comprehensive plans, and memberships in other climate change protection and sustainable development organizations tend to have much better performance in energy efficiency and GHG emissions reduction. The research also provides suggestions for future research and recommendations for other Massachusetts communities that plan to implement energy-efficiency projects and emissions reduction strategies, whether or not through GCP membership.

Att motarbeta klimatkrisen ligger på allas axlar. Ett uppenbart tillvägagångssätt är att minska de utsläpp av växthusgaser som sker. Företags engagemang för frågan är kritiskt för att ha en chans att klara krisen. Idag är det praktiskt taget självklart för större företag att rapportera och därigenom arbeta med utsläpp som sker inom deras egna väggar, dels på grund av lagkrav, dels för att det efterfrågas av den internationellt vedertagna standarden för utsläppsredovisning GHG Protokollet. De indirekta utsläppen som sker i företags försörjningskedja motsvarar ofta flera gånger den påverkan som de direkta utsläppen står för. Trots detta faktum finns inga krav på rapportering för indirekta utsläpp. Det lämnas öppet för företagen att själva välja om de vill involvera detta i sin utsläppsredovisning eller inte. Vi vill med denna studie kartlägga erfarenheter av företag som har valt att involvera indirekta utsläpp i deras arbete samt hur och varför detta har gjorts. Tidigare forskning ger begränsad kännedom om utsläpp som sker indirekt i förhållande till företags försörjningskedja och på grund av den ökade påtagligheten av klimatkrisen är indirekta utsläpp ett område där forskningen måste fördjupas. Studien syftar till att bidra med kunskap om företags arbete med indirekta utsläpp till forskningsfälten inom CSR och hållbarhetsredovisning.  För att uppfylla studiens syfte har vi intervjuat åtta stora svenska företag inom olika branscher där alla påbörjat involveringen av indirekta utsläpp i sin redovisning. Den insamlade datan har sedan analyserats genom en tematisk analys för att möta studiens explorativa avsikt. Genom analysen har teman identifierats och vi har därigenom kunnat besvara våra forskningsfrågor.  Studien visar på att indirekta utsläpp är ett komplext område som företag börjat greppa mer och mer. De åtta medverkande företagen är alla i olika stadier av implementeringen av de indirekta utsläppen. Resultatet från studien visar på att de starkaste motiven till att inkludera indirekta utsläpp är påtryckningar från intressenter. Den tydligaste effekten av att arbeta med dessa utsläpp indikerar företagen är ökad medvetenhet om sin påverkan. Studien har identifierat ett antal utmaningar som företagen möter i arbetet, vilket bidrar till en förståelse för de barriärer företagen behöver överkomma. Gemensamt för alla företag var en förståelse för att indirekta utsläpp är något som kräver samarbete över försörjningskedjan. Det finns en upplevd förväntan på företagen att ta ansvar för sin miljömässiga påverkan. Vill företagen förstå och ta ansvar för detta måste de indirekta utsläppen involveras. Gör företagen detta gemensamma åtagande har vi en chans att klara klimatkrisen.

The food retail industry's Scope 3 GHG emissions significantly contribute to global GHG emissions. Furthermore, it is widely acknowledged that a company's leadership style and effective stakeholder communication are critical for GHG abatement. Nevertheless, research on stakeholder communicationto persuade them to become more active in a company's sustainability process beyond current regulations is scarce. Based on a qualitative study on a case company, the thesis aims to underline the importance of effective stakeholder communication and leadership in the decarbonization process, focusing on Scope 3 GHG emissions of the company’s own brands upstream supply chain in the field of animal products. It examines and identifies communication hinders and drivers that can be influencedby leadership. Furthermore, measures of how to improve stakeholder communication along the upstream supply chain for practitioners are developed. Conclusively, the thesis displays that stakeholder communication is important due to the complexity of Scope 3 GHG emission reporting and the lack of a common language among stakeholders. It is further confirmed that leadership is key to eliminating stakeholder communication barriers. Most barriers have been identified due to inconsistent communication, making communication the primary motivator for Scope 3 GHG emission reporting. Finally, measures to improve stakeholder communication and thus Scope 3 GHG emission reporting for Company X’s in the Austrian food retail sector are presented. Moreover, the necessity for joint governmental regulations to reach climate targets set by the Paris Agreement and the SBTi is highly emphasized. As a final step, theoretical contributions, as well as directions for future research, are identified.

The paper at hand presents the environmental impact analysis of a photovoltaic (PV) power station sited in Stockholm, Sweden, using life cycle assessment (LCA). The LCA considers the primary energy return on investment and global warming potential of the PV-station, including; resource extraction, manufacturing, transportation, operation and maintenance, and decommissioning. Other environmental impact indicators are also presented, such as; the eutrophication, acidification, human toxicity, and ozone depletion potentials. The results show that the most critical phase of the lifecycle is the upgrade from metallurgical to solar grade silicon due to the high consumption of energy. The emissions results are compared to the emissions factors used for calculations in Sweden in accordance with the Swedish Energy agency and the European Commission’s directive for emissions calculations. The results for the other environmental indicators showed inconsistencies compared to existing studies, something that is according to the IEA’s guideline for PV-systems LCA caused by data scarcity and the indicators lacking consensus within the PV LCA-community. The studied PV-station is expected to reach energy neutrality after 2,4 years and offset annual GHG emissions of up to18 ton of CO 2 equivalents. / Studien tillhands presenterar miljöutvärderingen av en fotovoltaisk solcellsanläggning i Stockholm. Detta utfördes med hjälp av livscykelanalysverktyget. Analysen använder energiåterbetalningstiden och den globala uppvärmningspotentialen som indikatorer på anläggningens miljöinverkan. Både återbetalningstiden och den globala uppvärmningspotentialen beräknas för gruvarbetet, transporten, drift och underhåll samt avveckling och bortskaffning av anläggningen. Överföringsförluster beräknas också över anläggningens livscykel. Andra indikatorer som beräknas i denna studie är potentialen för försurning, övergödning, ozonnedbrytning och humantoxicitet. Dessa beräknas endast för modulens tillverkningskedja. Studiens resultat visar att den mest kritiska processen under solcellsanläggningens livscykel är kiselmetallens omvandling till solkisel, detta med avseende på energiförbrukningen och utsläpp av växthusgaser. Anläggningens globala uppvärmningspotential uttrycks i växthusgasutsläpp och jämförs med den nordiska elmixens utsläppsfaktor. Jämförelsen görs enligt dem gällande EU-direktiven. Resultaten för dem andraindikatorerna har visat på väsentliga avvikelser jämfört med tidigare studier. Detta beror enligt det internationella energirådet på databrist och på att dessa indikatorer saknar stöd inomLCA samfundet. Solcellsanläggningen beräknas bli energineutral efter 2,4 år samt eutralisera utsläpp på upp till 18 ton koldioxidekvivalenta per år.

Road transport is responsible for a significant share of the global GHG emissions. In order to address the increasing trend of road vehicle emissions, due to its heavy reliance on oil, Nordic countries have set ambitious goals and policies for the reduction of road transport GHG emissions. Despite the fact that the latest developments in the passenger car segment are leading towards the progressive electrification of the fleet, the decarbonization of heavy-duty vehicle segment presents significant challenges that are yet to be overcome. This study focuses, on the first part, on the regulatory framework of fuel economy standards of road vehicles, highlighting the absence of a European regulation on fuel efficiency for the heavy-duty sector. Energy efficiency technologies can be grouped mainly in vehicle technologies, driveline and powertrain technologies, and alternative fuels. The fuel efficiency of HDVs can be positively improved at different vehicle levels, but the technology benefit and its economic feasibility are heavily dependent on the vehicle type and the operational cycle considered. The electrification pathway has the potential of reducing the carbon emission to a great extent, but the current battery technologies have proven to be not cost efficient for the heavy vehicles, because of the high purchase price and the low range, related to the battery cost and inferior energy density compared to conventional liquid fuels.   A scenario development model has been created in order to estimate and quantify the impact of future developments and emission reduction measures in Finland, Sweden and Norway for the timeframe 2016-2050, with a focus on 2030 results. Two scenarios concerning the powertrain developments of heavy-duty vehicles and buses have been created, a conservative scenario and electric scenario, as well as vehicle efficiency improvements and fuel consumption scenarios. Additional sets of parameters have been estimated as input for the model, such as national transport need and load assumptions. The results highlight the challenges of achieving the national GHG emission reduction targets with the current measures in all three countries. The slow fleet renewal rates and the high forecasted increase of transport need limit the benefits of alternative and more efficient powertrains introduced in the fleet by new vehicles. The heavy-duty transport is expected to maintain its heavy reliance on diesel fuel and hinder the improvements of the light-duty segments. A holistic approach is needed to reduce the GHG emissions from road transport, including more efficient powertrains, higher biofuel shares and progressive electrification.

In preparation for a Climate Action Plan, this policy and practice audit provides an overview of current city policies and practices with the potential to impact greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals. The audit builds upon information previously collected in a GHG emissions inventory report to identify policies that are consistent or inconsistent with emissions reductions goals. Preliminary GHG emissions reductions recommendations address policy gaps and opportunity areas in suggesting strategies to achieve GHG emissions reductions.

Yes / It has been globally recognized as necessary to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for mitigating the adverse effects of global warming on earth. Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and storage (CCS) technologies can play a critical role to achieve these reductions. Current CCS technologies use several different approaches including adsorption, membrane separation, physical and chemical absorption to separate CO2from flue gases. This study aims to evaluate the performance and energy savings of CO2capture system based on chemical absorption by installing an intercooler in the system. Monoethanolamine (MEA) was used as the absorption solvent and Aspen HYSYS (ver. 9) was used to simulate the CO2capturing model. The positioning of the intercooler was studied in 10 different cases and compared with the base case 0 without intercooling. It was found that the installation of the intercooler improved the overall efficiency of CO2recovery in the designed system for all 1-10 cases. Intercooler case 9 was found to be the best case in providing the highest recovery of CO2(92.68%), together with MEA solvent savings of 2.51%. Furthermore, energy savings of 16 GJ/h was estimated from the absorber column alone, that would increase many folds for the entire CO2capture plant. The intercooling system, thus showed improved CO2recovery performance and potential of significant savings in MEA solvent loading and energy requirements, essential for the development of economical and optimized CO2capturing technology.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第23870号 / 工博第4957号 / 新制||工||1774(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院工学研究科都市環境工学専攻 / (主査)教授 高岡 昌輝, 教授 藤原 拓, 准教授 大下 和徹 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DFAM