Kyoto and Beyond

ABSTRACTThis paper investigates strategies that could achieve an 80% reduction in transportation emissions from current levels by 2050 in the City of Philadelphia. The baseline daily lifecycle emissions generated by road transportation in the Greater Philadelphia Region in 2012 were quantified using trip information from the 2012 Household Travel Survey (HTS). Emissions were projected to the year 2050 accounting for population growth and trends in vehicle technology for both the Greater Philadelphia Region and the City of Philadelphia. The impacts of vehicle technology and shifts in travel modes on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2050 were quantified using a scenario approach. The analysis of 12 different scenarios suggests that 80% reduction in emissions is technically feasible through a combination of active transportation, cleaner fuels for public transit vehicles, and a significant market penetration of battery-electric vehicles. The additional electricity demand associated with greater use of electric vehicles could amount to 10.8 TWh/year. The use of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) shows promising results due to high reductions in GHG emissions at a potentially manageable cost.

Financial incentives to poor countries promote net emissions reductions in multilateral climate agreements

Carbon reduction in the real world: how the UK will surpass its Kyoto obligations

Ocean negative carbon emissions: A new UN Decade program

As the most basic unit of the national economy and administrative management, the low-carbon transformation of the vast counties is of great significance to China’s overall greenhouse gas emission reduction. Although the low-carbon evaluation (LCE) indicator system and benchmarks have been extensively studied, most benchmarks ignore the needs of the evaluated object at the development stage. When the local economy develops to a certain level, it may be restricted by static low-carbon target constraints. This study reviews the relevant research on LCE indicator system and benchmarks based on convergence. The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC), a dynamic benchmark system for per capita carbon emissions (PCCEs), is proposed for low-carbon counties. Taking Changxing County, Zhejiang Province, China as an example, a dynamic benchmark for PCCEs was established by benchmarking the Carbon Kuznets Curve (CKC) of best practices. Based on the principles of best practice, comparability, data completeness, and the CKC hypothesis acceptance, the best practice database is screened, and Singapore is selected as a potential benchmark. By constructing an econometric model to conduct an empirical study on Singapore’s CKC hypothesis, the regression results of the least squares method support the CKC hypothesis and its rationality as a benchmark. The result of the PCCE benchmarks of Changxing County show that when the per capita income of Changxing County in 2025, 2030, and 2035 reaches USD 19,172.92, USD 24,483.01, and USD 29,366.11, respectively, the corresponding benchmarks should be 14.95 tons CO2/person, 14.70 tons CO2/person, and 13.55 tons CO2/person. For every 1% increase in the county’s per capita income, the PCCE allowable room for growth is 17.6453%. The turning point is when the per capita gross domestic product (PCGDP) is USD 20,843.23 and the PCCE is 15.03 tons of CO2/person, which will occur between 2025 and 2030. Prior to this, the PCCE benchmark increases with the increase of PCGDP. After that, the PCCE benchmark decreases with the increase of PCGDP. The system is economically sensitive, adaptable to different development stages, and enriches the methodology of low-carbon indicator evaluation and benchmark setting at the county scale. It can provide scientific basis for Chinese county decision makers to formulate reasonable targets under the management idea driven by evaluation indicators and emission reduction targets and help counties explore the coordinated paths of economic development and emission reduction in different development stages. It has certain reference significance for other developing regions facing similar challenges of economic development and low-carbon transformation to Changxing County to formulate scientific and reasonable low-carbon emission reduction targets.

Adopted by the 196 Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) last December, and signed by 175 countries on 22 April 2016, the Paris Agreement provides guidelines for global efforts in addressing climate change, and establishes a five-year review cycle for detailedwork programs of cutting emissions, differentiation between countries as to their responsibilities for action, and financing for poor countries to deal with rising temperatures. ‘Governments have ushered in a new era of global cooperation on climate change—one of the most complex issues ever to confront humanity. What was once unthinkable is now unstoppable. For the first time, every country in the world has pledged to curb their emissions, strengthen resilience, and act internationally and domestically to tackle climate change’, acclaimed UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. In a nutshell, Paris Agreement sets a target of holding the increase in the global average temperature towell below 2◦Cprior to 2100 and pursuing the efforts to limit the temperature increase to1.5◦C.The landmarkAgreementhas 29 articles, includingmitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, finance, technology development and transfer, capacity building, transparency of action and support, and global stocktake, which pose many new global opportunities and challenges for climate research and services. Global warming has caused ice melting in polar regions and the northern hemisphere and elevation of sea level, extreme weather and climate events such as tropical cyclone and ENSO, acceleration of global water cycle, as well as ocean acidification and hypoxia. Since the earth’s climate system is highly non-linear, even if the global temperature increase could be limited to 1.5◦C via emission reduction, risks and vulnerability may remain that could result in more frequent extreme weather events, regime shifts of non-equilibrium ecosystem, and persistent rise of global and regional sea level. Therefore, in response to the Agreement, scientific community should build up a massive research effort on the mechanisms and adaptation of climate changes, including reliable assessment of climate changes and their impacts in global and regional scales, especially decadal predication that could provide scientific evidence in support of the reduction of carbon emission. While the Agreement represents a monumental step in the international efforts in controlling global warming, many difficult problems remain to be solved. Most notably, it is unclear what amount of reduction in greenhouse gas emission is required to control the global warming below 2◦C by 2100. Multi-components of the earth’s climate system and multiscale spatial-temporal variations call for interdisciplinary research through collaboration and innovation, in order to improve the prediction of decadal and longer timescale climate changes. To achieve this goal, we need to build global comprehensive observational networks, reliable earth system models as well as develop more effective prediction-assessment approaches. In this regard, China’s investment still lags behind developed countries, and increased investment in fundamental research on the mitigation and adaptation strategies of climate changes are called for. The good news is that the government has recently approved the ‘Earth System Simulator’ project and is planning for the establishment of comprehensive ocean observation systemover theChina’s 13th ‘Five-Year Plan’ as well. In terms of social economic development, ambition of the Agreement in emission reductions could be achieved by restructuring the world’s energy usage from fossil fuels to renewables, which influences geopolitics and world economy as well as will enhance the innovation-driven development in renewable energy. Key renewable marine energies, such as tidal wave energy, ocean thermal energy, and sea-water chemical energy, together with solar and wind energy, will contribute larger shares of energy sources and help to reduce carbon emission. With increasing use of marine energy, we can expect technological advances in equipment innovation andmanufacturing, newmaterials, and ocean engineering, all of which benefit economy, promote upgrade and transformation of industries as ‘Marine Energy Plus’. The Paris Agreement will undoubtedly bring opportunity for a drastic restructuring of China’s energy industry, and we should bemaking early preparation tomeet this upcoming adjustment. In short, the Paris Agreement will promote climate research, industrial structural adjustment, and economic social development, in spite of potential difficulties in its implementation and the deficiency in current technologies

Climate change and environmental degradation are growing concerns in today’s society, which has led to greater awareness and responsibility regarding the need to adopt sustainable practices. The European Union has established the goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, which implies a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in all sectors. To achieve this goal, renewable energies, the circular economy, and energy efficiency are being promoted. A major source of emissions is the use of fossil fuels in different types of ships (from transport ships to those used by national navies). Among these, it highlights the growing interest of the defense sector in trying to reduce these emissions. The Spanish Ministry of Defense is also involved in this effort and is taking steps to reduce the carbon footprint in military operations and improve sustainability in equipment acquisition and maintenance. The objective of this study is to identify the most promising alternative fuel among those under development for possible implementation on Spanish Navy ships in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve its capabilities. To achieve this, a multi-criteria decision-making method will be used to determine the most viable fuel option. The data provided by the officers of the Spanish Navy is of great importance, thanks to their long careers in front of the ships. The analysis revealed that hydrogen was the most suitable fuel with the highest priority, ahead of LNG, and scored the highest in most of the sections of the officials’ ratings. These fuels are less polluting and would allow a significant reduction in emissions during the navigation of ships. However, a further study would also have to be carried out on the costs of adapting to their use and the safety of their use.

Possibilities and limitations of life cycle assessment (LCA) in the development of waste utilization systems – Applied examples for a region in Northern Germany

The ‘cohesion’ countries of the European Union face intimidating challenges in meeting the greenhouse gas emissions targets set by the Luxembourg Agreement. It requires breaking the link between increasing gross domestic product per capita and rising energy consumption at an early stage in the economic development cycle. Since the 1990 base year, Ireland has had the highest rate of economic growth in the EU and, therefore, has the most daunting task in staying within the limits of the Agreement. In addition, with regard to acidification (triggered by emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx)), Ireland has new commitments under the recently agreed Gothenburg Protocol. The Irish quotas require substantial reductions in emissions from current (1998) levels, specifically, 71% for SO2 and 44% for NOx. This paper examines the potential reduction in emissions that could be achieved by a programme to improve energy conservation in the residential sector. The economic value of such reductions is examined and the contribution that such a programme can make to assist Ireland in meeting its obligations under the Luxembourg Agreement and the Gothenburg Protocol is explored. The results show that the reduction in emissions from such a programme would be of considerable economic value. In addition, they would account for over one-third of the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions required under the Luxembourg Agreement and 15% of the reduction in SO2 and 11% of the likely reduction in NOx under the Gothenburg Protocol. It would also have the beneficial side-effect of achieving a small reduction in particulate matter. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment

With the global challenge of climate change, it becomes crucial to understand the factors that can guide carbon intensive companies to comply with environmental regulations through significant reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Using the natural-resource-based view, the argument in this paper is that focusing on sustainability-driven resources by companies is a way to meet environmental compliance and reduce GHG emissions while gaining differential competitive benefits. A specific analysis on Alberta case has discussed large GHG emitters’ environmental compliance mechanisms in the context of their sustainability resources. The aim is examining if large GHG emitters in Alberta related to corporations having sustainability resources are complying with the Specified Gas Emitters Regulation (SGER) reduction requirement through cleaner-production driven internal mechanisms. The paper examines the existence of the sustainability resources in the reporting companies related to large GHG emitters responsible for 86% of total GHG reported by facilities with emissions above the threshold of 100 kilotonnes of GHG per year under SGER in Alberta. Corporations are found not using their sustainability resource potential to achieve internal reductions in GHG emissions throughout their facilities. Thus, some recommendations are presented for Alberta case as well as for environmental regulations in other jurisdictions that can potentially help policy makers improve their climate change regulations and achieve their global targets and enable companies to gain competitive advantage while meeting GHG reduction compliance.

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the influence of firms’ reductions of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on firm value, measured by Tobin's q. If the stockholders/investors regard the reduction of GHG emissions as a form of intangible value, the reduction of GHG emissions will enhance firm value. To prove this relation more precisely, this paper analyzes not only the effect of the reduction of GHG emissions on firm value but also that of the market discipline imposed by the stockholders/investors in terms of the reduction of GHG emissions. Using data on 641 Japanese manufacturing firms in the period 2006–2008, the random effect instrumental variable estimate supports the view that firms with strong market discipline imposed by stockholders/investors are more likely to reduce GHG emissions and, consequently, firms that reduce more GHG emissions are more likely to enhance firm value. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Article 4.1(F) of the Framework Convention on Climate Change commits all parties to take climate change considerations into account, to the extent feasible, in relevant social, economic and environmental policies and actions and to employ methods such as impact assessments to minimize adverse effects of climate change. This could be achieved by,inter alia, incorporating climate change risk assessment into development planning processes i.e. relating climatic change to issues of habitability and sustainability. Adaptation is an ubiquitous and beneficial natural and human strategy. Future adaptation (or, better, adjustment) to climate is inevitable at the least to decrease the vulnerability to current climatic impacts. The urgent issue is the mismatch between the predictions ofglobal climatic change and the need for information onlocal to regional change in order to develop adaptation strategies. Mitigation efforts are essential since the more successful mitigation activities are, the less need there will be for adaptation responses. Moreover, mitigation responses can be global (e.g. a uniform percentage reduction in greenhouse gas emissions) while adaptation responses will be local to regional in character and therefore depend upon confident predictions of regional climatic change. The dilemma facing policymakers is that scientists have considerable confidence in likely global climatic changes but virtually zero confidence in regional changes. Mitigation and adaptation strategies relevant to climatic change can most usefully be developed in the context of sound understanding of climate, especially the near-surface continental climate, permitting discussion of societally relevant issues. Unfortunately, climate models cannot yet deliver this type of regionally and locationally specific prediction and some aspects of current research even seem to indicate increased uncertainty. These topics are explored in this paper using the specific example of the prediction of land-surface climate changes.

The aim of this study was to explore the association between travel mode choice and individual sociodemographic characteristics among urban city dwellers, as the selection of daily travel modes is influenced by several factors. The study collected 1,290 short daily trips data from 415 respondents living in Klang Valley using a random sampling technique. Logit regression models were utilized to identify the impact of sociodemographic traits on travel mode choices. Men, low education levels, students, and households without children and do not own private vehicles are more likely to choose active transportation. Besides, the study examines the potential for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction. Based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), 142 kgCO2e or 108 kgCO2e/km of GHG were released by automobiles from the collected travel trip data. The result shows that active transport could potentially achieve 14.52% GHG emission reduction by stated preference and nearly 17% GHG emission reduction by criteria fulfillment. These findings could provide valuable information for developing practical planning policies aimed at reducing GHG emissions from the road transport sector.

Climate change has become one of the hottest issues in international law. As the world’s second-largest greenhouse gas emission sector, the transport sector, especially the urban traffic system, is facing much more pressure to reduce its aggregate emissions. This article begins with a theoretical examination of the system theory, takes the cobenefit concept as a methodological guide and discusses various urban traffic emission reduction policies such as travel demand management, vehicles policies, fuel policies, road policies and comprehensive management policies of the urban transport system. It argues that holistic policy reform is the most important means of promoting CO2 emission reduction effectively in urban traffic system. It is unrealistic to only implement one type of policy to achieve CO2 emission reduction targets in urban traffic system; a policy mix will arguably be of great significance to achieve and sustain emission reduction. Therefore, the promotion and perfection of policy system of CO2 emission reduction in urban traffic system and the intensification of policy innovation should be deemed a strategic choice to effectively realize CO2 emission reduction targets in urban traffic system, while promoting the sustainable development of the urban traffic system, the city and the economy.Keywords: Urban transport system, greenhouse gas emission reduction, policy summarizing.

Introduction Research on Electric Vehicle Shared Services (EVSS) has significantly grown over the past decade, emerging as a transformative solution to urban mobility challenges while advancing sustainable transportation. Through innovation and scalable mobility solutions, EVSS has garnered attention for their potential to address pressing environmental issues, including climate change and urban air quality. Material and Methods This Systematic Literature Review (SLR) examines the evolution, challenges, and impacts of EVSS from 2014 to 2023. A total of 52 studies were analyzed using the PRISMA methodology, ensuring a comprehensive and rigorous evaluation of the literature. Key themes were identified to synthesize trends, challenges, and benefits associated with these services. Results Findings reveal a significant growth in EVSS research driven by technological advancements, supportive policy frameworks, and heightened global awareness of environmental issues. Studies highlight that EVSS can achieve a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 14–65% compared to traditional vehicles, alongside notable improvement in local air quality. These benefits are pivotal in global efforts to mitigate climate change and enhance urban environmental health. Moreover, EVSS provides affordable and flexible transportation options, particularly for underserved populations, contributing to social equity. Integration with public transportation systems further reduces traffic congestion and enhances urban mobility efficiency. Discussion Despite their promise, EVSS faces several challenges. Limited charging infrastructure necessitates significant investment in public charging networks. High upfront costs for purchasing and maintaining electric vehicle (EV) fleets remain a financial obstacle for operators. Furthermore, user perception issues, such as range anxiety, require targeted public education campaigns to enhance acceptance. Collaborative efforts among policymakers, community organizations, and private operators are crucial for addressing these barriers and maximizing the potential of shared EV services. Conclusion EVSS represents a transformative approach to achieving sustainable urban mobility. Their environmental, social, and mobility benefits underscore their role in addressing critical urban challenges. However, overcoming adoption barriers will require a robust and coordinated policy framework alongside investments in infrastructure and public engagement strategies. Continued research and stakeholder collaboration are essential for unlocking the full potential of EVSS in fostering sustainable and equitable urban transportation systems.