Estimates of CO2 from wood fuel based on forest harvest data

Wood continues to be a major fuel source for vast numbers of the world's people. Even in the highly industrialized countries, use of wood and wood wastes as fuel produces a small (in comparison to fossil fuels) but non-negligible amount of CO₂. Although information on the worldwide harvest and use of wood is not as complete or as reliable as fossil fuel data, this paper uses what is available and develops annual estimates of CO₂ emissions for the period 1968–1983. Woods are separated into two types, coniferous and non-coniferous, and average content and carbon amounts are estimated for each type. Wood utilization is divided into several categories, e.g., fuelwood, lumber, poles, and use of wood wastes as fuels in the lumber and paper industries is included. Results are given for major world regions. In recent years the worldwide CO₂ emissions from wood used as fuels is estimated to be about one-tenth as much as CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels. This does not include fires in the forests, either associated with forest clearing or those from natural causes.     

Scenarios of carbon dioxide emissions from aviation

We use a model of international and domestic tourist numbers and flows to project tourist numbers and emissions from international tourism out to 2100. We find that between 2005 and 2100 international tourism grows substantially. Not only do people take more trips but these also increase in length. We find that the growth in tourism is mainly fuelled by an increase in trips from Asian countries. Emissions follow this growth pattern until the middle of the century when emissions start to fall due to improvements in fuel efficiency. Projected emissions are also presented for the four SRES scenarios and maintain the same growth pattern but the levels of emissions differ substantially. We find that the projections are sensitive to the period to which the model is calibrated, the assumed rate of improvement in fuel efficiency and the imposed climate policy scenario.     

Estimates of monoterpene and isoprene emissions from the forests in Switzerland

Emission rates of biogenic volatile organic compounds emitted by the forests were estimated for five geographical regions as well as for all Switzerland. Monoterpene and isoprene emissions rates were calculated for each main tree species separately using the relevant parameters such as temperature, light intensity and leaf biomass density. Biogenic emissions from the forests were found to be about 23% of the total annual VOC emissions (anthropogenic and biogenic) in Switzerland. The highest emissions are in July and lowest in January. Calculations showed that the coniferous trees are the main sources of the biogenic emissions. The major contribution comes from the Norway spruce (picea abies) forests due to their abundance and high leaf biomass density. Although broad-leaved forests cover 27% of all the forests in Switzerland, their contribution to the biogenic emissions is only 3%. Monoterpenes are the main species emitted, whereas only 3% is released as isoprene. The highest emission rates of biogenic VOC are estimated to be in the region of the Alps which has the largest forest coverage in Switzerland and the major part of these forests consists of Norway spruce. The total annual biogenic VOC emission rate of 87 ktonnes y^–1 coming from the forests is significantly higher than those from other studies where calculations were carried out by classifying the forests as deciduous and coniferous. The difference is attributed to the high leaf biomass densities of Norway spruce and fir (abies alba) trees which have a strong effect on the results when speciation of trees is taken into account. Besides the annual rate, emission rates were calculated for a specific period during July 4–6, 1991 when a photochemical smog episode was investigated in the Swiss field experiment POLLUMET. Emission rates estimated for that period agree well with those calculated for July using the average temperatures over the last 10 years.     

Estimates of global N2O emissions from cattle, pig and chicken manure, including a discussion of CH4 emissions

Humans seem to have doubled the global rate of terrestrial nitrogen fixation. Globally 50–70% (85 Tg, 1 Tg=10¹² g) of the nitrogen supplied in fertilizer (80 Tg N/a) and leguminous crops (40–80 Tg N/a) are used to feed cattle. The aim of the present study was to derive some estimates of global N₂O production from animal manure. As the parameter giving the most stable numerical basis for regional and global extrapolation we adopted the molar emission ratios of N₂O to NH₃. These ratios were measured in cattle, pig and chicken housings with different manure handling systems, in dung-heaps and in liquid manure storage tanks. Individual molar emission ratios from outside manure piles varied over two orders of magnitude, strongly dependent on the treatment of the manure. A median emission ratio of 1.6×10^-2 (n=65) was obtained in cow-sheds with slatted floors and liquid manure stored underneath and a median ratio of 24×10^-2 (n=31) was measured in a beef cattle housing with a solid manure handling system.We next extrapolated to global NH₃ emissions from those estimated for Europe, using N uptake by the animals as a scaling factor. Multiplication with observed N₂O to NH₃ ratios next provided some estimates of regional and global N₂O emissions. To account for the great variability of the emission ratios of N₂O/NH₃, we developed upper and lower case emission scenarios, based on lower and upper quartiles of measured emission ratios. The global emission from cattle and swine manure is in the range of 0.2–2.5 Tg N-N₂O/a, representing 44+-39% of the annual atmospheric accumulation rate. This N₂O emission arises from about 40 Tg N/a of cattle and pig manure stored in or at animal housings. We did not account for N₂O emissions from another 50 Tg N/a excreted by grazing cattle, goats and sheep, and application of the manure to agricultural fields. Our study makes it clear that major anthropogenic N₂O emissions may well arise from animal manure. The large uncertainty of emission ratios, which we encountered, show that much more intense research efforts are necessary to determine the factors that influence N₂O emissions from domestic animal manure both in order to derive a more reliable global estimate of N₂O release and to propose alternative waste treatment methods causing smaller N₂O releases. In our studies we found large enhancements in N₂O releases when straw was added to the manure, which is a rather common practice. In view of the ongoing discussion in Europe to re-install the traditional solid manure system (bed down cattle) for environmental and animal welfare reasons, it is noteworthy that our measurements indicate highest N₂O release from this particulary system.In a similar manner, but based on a smaller data set, we also estimated the release of CH₄ from cattle and swine manure and from liquid manure only to be about 9 Tg/year in good agreement with the estimate by the Environmental Protection Agency (1994) of 8.6+-2.6 Tg/year. A total annual methane release as high as 34 Tg/a was derived for solid and liquid cattle and pig manure from animals in housings.     

A robust sequential CO2 emissions strategy based on optimal control of atmospheric CO2 concentrations

This paper formally introduces the concept of mitigation as a stochastic control problem. This is illustrated by applying a digital state variable feedback control approach known as Non-Minimum State Space (NMSS) control to the problem of specifying carbon emissions to control atmospheric CO₂ concentrations in the presence of uncertainty. It is shown that the control approach naturally lends itself to integrating both anticipatory and reflexive mitigation strategies within a single unified framework. The framework explicitly considers the closed-loop nature of climate mitigation, and employs a policy orientated optimisation procedure to specify the properties of this closed-loop system. The product of this exercise is a control law that is suitably conditioned to regulate atmospheric CO₂ concentrations through assimilating online information within a 25-year review cycle framework. It is shown that the optimal control law is also robust when faced with significant levels of uncertainty about the functioning of the global carbon cycle.     

Assessment of atmospheric emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases from the civil aviation of Russia

Presented are the results of computation of emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases from civil aircrafts in the first decade of the 21st century (from 2000 to 2012). It is revealed that in 2012 the emissions of pollutants to the atmospheric surface layer were reduced by 22.0–61.4% as compared with 2000, and those of greenhouse gases, by 30.6–62.3%. Environmental conditions in the area of large airports can remain rather strained. It is demonstrated that in 2012 the emissions of the majority of pollutants and greenhouse gases to the upper tropospheric layer increased by 41.9–48.5 and 43.7%, respectively, as compared with 2000. The inflow of gaseous compounds of different types of activity to the atmosphere can increase the total negative effect.     

Ranking the risk of CO2 emissions from seagrass soil carbon stocks under global change threats

Seagrass meadows are natural carbon storage hotspots at risk from global change threats, and their loss can result in the remineralization of soil carbon stocks and CO₂ emissions fueling climate change. Here we used expert elicitation and empirical evidence to assess the risk of CO₂ emissions from seagrass soils caused by multiple human-induced, biological and climate change threats. Judgments from 41 experts were synthesized into a seagrass CO₂ emission risk score based on vulnerability factors (i.e., spatial scale, frequency, magnitude, resistance and recovery) to seagrass soil organic carbon stocks. Experts perceived that climate change threats (e.g., gradual ocean warming and increased storminess) have the highest risk for CO₂ emissions at global spatial scales, while direct threats (i.e., dredging and building of a marina or jetty) have the largest CO₂ emission risks at local spatial scales. A review of existing peer-reviewed literature showed a scarcity of studies assessing CO₂ emissions following seagrass disturbance, but the limited empirical evidence partly confirmed the opinion of experts. The literature review indicated that direct and long-term disturbances have the greatest negative impact on soil carbon stocks per unit area, highlighting that immediate management actions after disturbances to recover the seagrass canopy can significantly reduce soil CO₂ emissions. We conclude that further empirical evidence assessing global change threats on the seagrass carbon sink capacity is required to aid broader uptake of seagrass into blue carbon policy frameworks. The preliminary findings from this study can be used to estimate the potential risk of CO₂ emissions from seagrass habitats under threat and guide nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation.     

The population structural transition effect on rising per capita CO2 emissions: evidence from China

ABSTRACT

The per capita CO₂ emissions (PCCE) of many developing countries like China have been rising faster than total CO₂ emissions, and display spatial divergence. Such temporal growth and spatial divergence will have a significant influence on efforts to mitigate CO₂ emissions. Given the research gap on the impact of the structural transition in population on PCCE, we constructed an econometric model using the dynamic panel method. The results reveal that the population structural transition has a significant nonlinear impact on PCCE, as the rate of population growth in China decelerates. Both demographic ageing and urban-rural migration have a stronger impact on PCCE than other factors. This effect, however, decreases beyond a certain threshold. An increase in the number of households due to urbanization and family downsizing has resulted in a positive effect on PCCE, without a threshold turning point. The research also finds that an increased share of the service sector in employment can reduce PCCE only if the sector employs more than 31.56% of the total employed population. Overall, these findings indicate that policymakers should pay attention to the prominence of the demographic structural transition for effective climate policy.

Key policy insights

• Policymakers should address rising per capita carbon emissions (PCCE) and their spatial divergence in future climate policies, not just total CO₂ emissions.

• The transitioning demographics of ageing and urbanization in China show a nonlinear, inverted U-shaped effect on PCCE instead of a continuously positive effect.

• Based on the nonlinear effect of employment structure on PCCE, policymakers should focus on the relationship between the structural transition of the economy and PCCE in future climate mitigation policies.

     

Potential emissions of CO2 and methane from proved reserves of fossil fuels: An alternative analysis

Scientists have argued that no more than 275 GtC (IPCC, 2013) of the world’s reserves of fossil fuels of 746 GtC can be produced in this century if the world is to restrict anthropogenic climate change to ≤2 °C. This has raised concerns about the risk of these reserves becoming “stranded assets” and creating a dangerous “carbon bubble” with serious impacts on global financial markets, leading in turn to discussions of appropriate investor and consumer actions. However, previous studies have not always clearly distinguished between reserves and resources, nor differentiated reserves held by investor-owned and state-owned companies with the capital, infrastructure, and capacity to develop them in the short term from those held by nation-states that may or may not have such capacity. This paper analyzes the potential emissions of CO₂ and methane from the proved reserves as reported by the world's largest producers of oil, natural gas, and coal. We focus on the seventy companies and eight government-run industries that produced 63% of the world’s fossil fuels from 1750 to 2010 (Heede, 2014), and have the technological and financial capacity to develop these reserves. While any reserve analysis is subject to uncertainty, we demonstrate that production of these reported reserves will result in emissions of 440 GtC of carbon dioxide, or 160% of the remaining 275 GtC carbon budget. Of the 440 GtC total, the 42 investor-owned oil, gas, and coal companies hold reserves with potential emissions of 44 GtC (16% of the remaining carbon budget, hereafter RCB), whereas the 28 state-owned entities possess reserves of 210 GtC (76% of the RCB). This analysis suggests that what may be needed to prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference (DAI) with the climate system differs when one considers the state-owned entities vs. the investor-owned entities. For the former, there is a profound risk involved simply in the prospect of their extracting their proved reserves. For the latter, the risk arises not so much from their relatively small proved reserves, but from their on-going exploration and development of new fossil fuel resources. For preventing DAI overall, effective action must include the state-owned companies, the investor-owned companies, and governments. However, given that the majority of the world's reserves are coal resources owned by governments with little capacity to extract them in the near term, we suggest that the more immediate urgency lies with the private sector, and that investor and consumer pressure should focus on phasing out these companies’ on-going exploration programs.     

Cumulative CO2 emissions: shifting international responsibilities for climate debt

In contrast to many discussions based on annual emissions, this article presents calculations and projections of cumulative contributions to the stock of atmospheric CO₂ by the major players, China, Europe, India, Japan and the USA, for the period 1900–2080. Although relative contributions to the climate problem are changing dramatically, notably due to the rapid industrialization of China, long-term responsibilities for enhanced global warming have not been transparently quantified in the literature. The analysis shows that if current trends continue, by the middle of this century China will overtake the USA as the major cumulative contributor to atmospheric concentrations of CO₂. This has enormous implications for the debate on the ethical responsibilities of the major greenhouse gas emitters. Effective climate policy will require both the recognition of shared responsibility and an unprecedented degree of cooperation.     

Fuzzy modelling of solar irradiation using air temperature data

Summary Fuzzy sets theory is applied to relate global solar irradiation to both the daily average and the daily amplitude of air temperature. In addition to the presentation of a new mapping technique, from the input to the output of the model, an innovative approach for the tuning of the fuzzy algorithm to fit a local meteo-climate is proposed. Since air temperature-based solar radiation models are strongly dependent on the origin location, the adaptive method presented here is designed as a tool for potential users to either increase the application area or to devise more precise local models. A critical assessment of fuzzy model performances and limitations has been conducted. Results reported here demonstrate the potential of modelling solar irradiation using fuzzy sets approach. Authors’ address: E. Tulcan-Paulescu, M. Paulescu, Physics Department, West University of Timisoara, V. Parvan 4, 300223 Timisoara, Romania.     

Estimating emissions from forest fires in Thailand using MODIS active fire product and country specific data

Studies on air pollution and climate change have shown that forest fires constitute one of the major sources of atmospheric trace gases and particulate matter, especially during the dry season. However, these emissions remain difficult to quantify due to uncertainty on the extent of burned areas and deficient knowledge on the forest fire behaviours in each country. This study aims to estimate emissions from forest fires in Thailand by using the combination of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) for active fire products and country-specific data based on prescribed burning experiments. The results indicate that 27817 fire hotspots (FHS) associated with forest fires were detected by the MODIS during 2005–2009. These FHS mainly occurred in the northern, western, and upper north-eastern parts of Thailand. Each year, the most significant fires were observed during January–May, with a peak in March. The majority of forest FHS were detected in the afternoon. According to the prescribed burning experiments, the average area of forest burned per fire event was found to fall within the range 1.09 to 12.47 ha, depending upon the terrain slope and weather conditions. The total burned area was computed at 159309 ha corresponding to the surface biomass fuel of 541515 tons dry matter. The forest fire emissions were computed at 855593 tons of CO₂, 56318 tons of CO, 3682 tons of CH₄, 108 tons of N₂O, 4928 tons of PM_2.5, 4603 tons of PM₁₀, 357 tons of BC and 2816 tons of OC.     

基于统计学的中国典型大城市CO2排放达峰研究

对选取的36个中国典型大城市,分析2005—2019年直接CO2排放与总CO2排放特征,构建基于条件判断函数和Mann-Kendall趋势分析检验法的城市CO2排放达峰判断模型,判断36个城市排放是否达峰,并对达峰城市特征和处于不同排放阶段的典例城市进行深入分析.结果表明,36个典型大城市中,昆明、深圳与武汉3个城市已...     

Estimates of Large-Scale Fluxes in High Latitudes from Terrestrial Biosphere Models and an Inversion of Atmospheric CO2 Measurements

It is important to improve estimates of large-scale carbon fluxes over the boreal forest because the responses of this biome to global change may influence the dynamics of atmospheric carbon dioxide in ways that may influence the magnitude of climate change. Two methods currently being used to estimate these fluxes are process-based modeling by terrestrial biosphere models (TBMs), and atmospheric inversions in which fluxes are derived from a set of observations on atmospheric CO₂ concentrations via an atmospheric transport model. Inversions do not reveal information about processes and therefore do not allow for predictions of future fluxes, while the process-based flux estimates are not necessarily consistent with atmospheric observations of CO₂. In this study we combine the two methods by using the fluxes from four TBMs as a priori fluxes for an atmospheric Bayesian Synthesis Inversion. By doing so we learn about both approaches. The results from the inversion indicate where the results of the TBMs disagree with the atmospheric observations of CO₂, and where the results of the inversion are poorly constrained by atmospheric data, the process-based estimates determine the flux results. The analysis indicates that the TBMs are modeling the spring uptake of CO₂ too early, and that the inversion shows large uncertainty and more dependence on the initial conditions over Europe and Boreal Asia than Boreal North America. This uncertainty is related to the scarcity of data over the continents, and as this problem is not likely to be solved in the near future, TBMs will need to be developed and improved, as they are likely the best option for understanding the impact of climate variability in these regions.     

Global CO2 emissions trading: Early lessons from the U.S. acid rain program

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is implementing a program of SO₂ emission allowance trading as part of the Acid Rain Program authorized by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. Electric utilities may use allowance trading as part of their compliance strategy to meet SO₂ emission reduction requirements, which begin in 1995. In the interest of a free market in emission credits, some utilities began trading in 1992. A strict but essential requirement for continuous-emissions monitoring was developed to support the trading program. This program is being widely watched and will be evaluated as part of an effort to determine if market concepts can be successfully extended to other environmental issues. One such issue is greenhouse gas emissions and their link with global warming and climate change. This paper focuses on the early lessons learned, issues, and challenges involved in going from a domestic electric utility SO₂ emissions trading program to inter-industry, inter-gas and international as well as national emissions trading and offsets programs. Prominent among these issues are CO₂ allowance allocations, equity, emissions monitoring, enforcement, and cost-effectiveness.Paper presented at the90th Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers, San Francisco, April 2, 1994, at the Air & Waste Management Association International Specialty Conference onGlobal Climate Change, Tempe, Arizona, April 8, 1994, and at a Cornell University Center for the Environment seminar on global climate change, April 25, 1994. I thank Michael Grubb, Joe Kruger, Elliot Lieberman, Brian McLean, Renee Rico, Richard Schuler and two anonymous referees for helpful comments on previous drafts of this paper. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author alone, and do not necessarily represent the policies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.     

Estimates of the Climate Response to Aircraft CO2 and NO x Emissions Scenarios

A combination of linear response models is used to estimate the transient changes in the global means of carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentration, surface temperature, and sea level due to aviation. Apart from CO₂, the forcing caused by ozone (O₃) changes due to nitrogen oxide (NO_x) emissions from aircraft is also considered. The model is applied to aviation using several CO₂ emissions scenarios, based on reported fuel consumption in the past and scenarios for the future, and corresponding NO_x emissions. Aviation CO₂ emissions from the past until 1995 enlarged the atmospheric CO₂ concentration by 1.4 ppmv (1.7% of the anthropogenic CO₂ increase since 1800). By 1995, the global mean surface temperature had increased by about 0.004 K, and the sea level had risen by 0.045 cm. In one scenario (Fa1), which assumes a threefold increase in aviation fuel consumption until 2050 and an annual increase rate of 1% thereafter until 2100, the model predicts a CO₂ concentration change of 13 ppmv by 2100, causing temperature increases of 0.01, 0.025, 0.05 K and sea level increases of 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 cm in the years 2015, 2050, and 2100, respectively. For other recently published scenarios, the results range from 5 to 17 ppmv for CO₂ concentration increase in the year 2050, and 0.02 to 0.05 K for temperature increase. Under the assumption that present-day aircraft-induced O₃ changes cause an equilibrium surface warming of 0.05 K, the transient responses amount to 0.03 K in surface temperature for scenario Fa1 in 1995. The radiative forcing due to an aircraft-induced O₃ increase causes a larger temperature change than aircraft CO₂ forcing. Also, climate reacts more promptly to changes in O₃ than to changes in CO₂ emissions from aviation. Finally, even under the assumption of a rather small equilibrium temperature change from aircraft-induced O₃ (0.01 K for the 1992 NO_x emissions), a proposed new combustor technology which reduces specific NO_x emissions will cause a smaller temperature change during the next century than the standard technology does, despite a slightly enhanced fuel consumption. Regional effects are not considered here, but may be larger than the global mean responses.     

Optimal production resource reallocation for CO2 emissions reduction in manufacturing sectors

To mitigate the effects of climate change, countries worldwide are advancing technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This paper proposes and measures optimal production resource reallocation using data envelopment analysis. This research attempts to clarify the effect of optimal production resource reallocation on CO₂ emissions reduction, focusing on regional and industrial characteristics. We use finance, energy, and CO₂ emissions data from 13 industrial sectors in 39 countries from 1995 to 2009. The resulting emissions reduction potential is 2.54 Gt-CO₂ in the year 2009, with former communist countries having the largest potential to reduce CO₂ emissions in the manufacturing sectors. In particular, basic material industry including chemical and steel sectors has a lot of potential to reduce CO₂ emissions.     

The marginal impacts of CO2, CH4 and SF6 emissions

Abstract

A new version of the PAGE model, PAGE2002, has been used to calculate the marginal impacts of CO₂, CH₄ and SF₆ emissions based on Scenario A2 of the IPCC. The mean marginal impact of CO₂ is found to be US$19 per tonne of carbon (or about US$5 per tonne of CO₂), for methane it is US$105 per tonne, and for SF₆ it is US$200,000 per tonne. For each gas, the range between the 5% and 95% points is about an order of magnitude. The climate change impacts of methane are a significant proportion of its market price, and for SF₆ the climate change impacts are much larger than the market price. The economics of schemes to reduce the leakage of SF₆ are transformed once the climate change impacts are properly counted.