Down scaling to regional assessment of greenhouse gas emissions to enable consistency in accounting for emissions reduction projects and national inventory accounts for northern beef production in Australia

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra J. Eady ◽  
Guillaume Havard ◽  
Steven G. Bray ◽  
William Holmes ◽  
Javi Navarro
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Emissions Reduction ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Reproduction Rate ◽  
National Accounts ◽  
Beef Production ◽  
National Inventory ◽  
State Territory

This paper explores the effect of using regional data for livestock attributes on estimation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the northern beef industry in Australia, compared with using state/territory-wide values, as currently used in Australia’s national GHG inventory report. Regional GHG emissions associated with beef production are reported for 21 defined agricultural statistical regions within state/territory jurisdictions. A management scenario for reduced emissions that could qualify as an Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) project was used to illustrate the effect of regional level model parameters on estimated abatement levels. Using regional parameters, instead of state level parameters, for liveweight (LW), LW gain and proportion of cows lactating and an expanded number of livestock classes, gives a 5.2% reduction in estimated emissions (range +12% to –34% across regions). Estimated GHG emissions intensity (emissions per kilogram of LW sold) varied across the regions by up to 2.5-fold, ranging from 10.5 kg CO2-e kg–1 LW sold for Darling Downs, Queensland, through to 25.8 kg CO2-e kg–1 LW sold for the Pindan and North Kimberley, Western Australia. This range was driven by differences in production efficiency, reproduction rate, growth rate and survival. This suggests that some regions in northern Australia are likely to have substantial opportunities for GHG abatement and higher livestock income. However, this must be coupled with the availability of management activities that can be implemented to improve production efficiency; wet season phosphorus (P) supplementation being one such practice. An ERF case study comparison showed that P supplementation of a typical-sized herd produced an estimated reduction of 622 t CO2-e year–1, or 7%, compared with a non-P supplemented herd. However, the different model parameters used by the National Inventory Report and ERF project means that there was an anomaly between the herd emissions for project cattle excised from the national accounts (13 479 t CO2-e year–1) and the baseline herd emissions estimated for the ERF project (8 896 t CO2-e year–1) before P supplementation was implemented. Regionalising livestock model parameters in both ERF projects and the national accounts offers the attraction of being able to more easily and accurately reflect emissions savings from this type of emissions reduction project in Australia’s national GHG accounts.

scholarly journals The State of the Netherlands v. Urgenda Foundation: Ruling of the Court of Appeal of The Hague (9 October 2018)

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 167-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benoit Mayer
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
District Court ◽  
Emissions Reduction ◽  
The Hague ◽  
Dangerous Climate Change ◽  
Court Of Appeal

AbstractOn 9 October 2018, the Court of Appeal of The Hague (the Netherlands) upheld the District Court’s decision in the case of Urgenda, thus confirming the obligation of the Netherlands to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 25% by 2020 compared with levels in 1990. This case raised some of the thorniest issues in climate law. As the Netherlands is responsible for only a tiny fraction of global GHG emissions, is it right for a court to hold that a national emissions reduction mitigation target is necessary to prevent dangerous climate change and its impact on human rights? If so, how can this target be determined? The District Court and the Court of Appeal of The Hague have provided inspiring responses, although they are perhaps not entirely convincing.

scholarly journals National Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory – Romania

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marian PROOROCU ◽  
Sorin DEACONU ◽  
Mihaela SMARANDACHE
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Kyoto Protocol ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Great Probability ◽  
Emissions Inventory ◽  
National Inventory ◽  
Commitment Period ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2

As a Party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and its Kyoto Protocol, Romania is required to elaborate, regularly update and submit the national GHG Inventory. In compliance with the reporting requirements, Romania submitted in 2010 its ninth version of the National Inventory Report (NIR) covering the national inventories of GHG emissions/removals for the period 1989-2008. The inventories cover all sectors: Energy, Industrial Processes, Solvent and other product use, Agriculture, LULUCF and Waste. The direct GHGs included in the national inventory are: Carbon dioxide (CO2); Methane (CH4); Nitrous oxide (N2O); Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs); Perfluorocarbons (PFCs); Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). The emissions trend over the 1989-2008 period reflects the changes characterized by a process of transition to a market economy. With the entire economy in transition, some energy intensive industries reduced their activities and this is reflected in the GHG emissions reduction. Energy represents the most important sector in Romania, accounting for about 69% of the total national GHG emissions in 2008. The most significant anthropogenic greenhouse gas is the carbon dioxide. The decrease of CO2 emissions is caused by the decline of the amount of fossil fuels burnt in the energy sector, as a consequence of activity decline. According to the figures, there is a great probability for Romania to meet the Kyoto Protocol commitments on the limitation of the GHG emissions in the 2008-2012 commitment period.

scholarly journals Local Climate Action Planning as a Tool to Harness Greenhouse Gas Emissions Mitigation and the Equity Potential of Autonomous Vehicles and On-Demand Mobility

2021 ◽  
pp. 036119812110525
Author(s):  
Serena Alexander ◽  
Asha Weinstein Agrawal ◽  
Benjamin Clark
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Action Planning ◽  
Transportation System ◽  
Emissions Reduction ◽  
On Demand ◽  
Climate Action

This paper focuses on how cities can use climate action plans (CAPs) to ensure that on-demand mobility and autonomous vehicles (AVs) help reduce, rather than increase, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and inequitable impacts from the transportation system. We employed a three-pronged research strategy involving: (1) an analysis of the current literature on on-demand mobility and AVs; (2) a systematic content analysis of 23 CAPs and general plans (GPs) developed by municipalities in California; and (3) a comparison of findings from the literature and content analysis of plans to identify opportunities for GHG emissions reduction and mobility equity. Findings indicate that policy and planning discussions should consider the synergies between AVs and on-demand mobility as two closely related emerging mobility trends, as well as the key factors (e.g., vehicle electrification, fuel efficiency, use and ownership, access, and distribution, etc.) that determine whether the deployment of AVs would help reduce GHG emissions from transportation. Additionally, AVs and on-demand mobility have the potential to contribute to a more equitable transportation system by improving independence and quality of life for individuals with disabilities and the elderly, enhancing access to transit, and helping alleviate the geographic gap in public transportation services. Although many municipal CAPs and GPs in California have adopted several strategies and programs relevant to AVs and on-demand mobility, several untapped opportunities exist to harness the GHG emissions reduction and social benefits potential of AVs and on-demand mobility.

Voluntary Emissions Reduction

2011 ◽  
pp. 241-273
Author(s):  
Robert Bailis ◽  
Neda Arabshahi
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Carbon Accounting ◽  
Emissions Reduction ◽  
Comparable Data ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Global Compact ◽  
Emission Reductions ◽  
Set Up

While binding regulations on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have yet to be introduced outside of a limited number of high-emitting sectors in the EU, several organizations have set up voluntary GHG programs that promote firm-level inventories and/or emission reductions. Many argue that these programs are not forceful or rigorous enough to result in real emissions reductions and may simply encourage “greenwashing.” In 2007, the United Nations Global Compact initiated the voluntary Caring for Climate (C4C) platform for businesses wishing to demonstrate climate leadership. To assess how voluntary emissions reduction programs have performed, this study examines the progress that C4C signatories have made. The results show widely dispersed GHG quantities and a range of reduction plans. Due to the lack of uniform, comparable data, the authors call for standardized, clearly defined carbon accounting guidelines as the first step towards effective corporate GHG management.

scholarly journals Speed Optimization vs Speed Reduction: the Choice between Speed Limits and a Bunker Levy

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harilaos Psaraftis
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Emissions Reduction ◽  
Speed Limit ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Speed Limits ◽  
Speed Reduction ◽  
Speed Optimization ◽  
Limit Option ◽  
Better Than

“Speed optimization and speed reduction” are included in the set of candidate short-term measures under discussion at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), in the quest to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships. However, there is much confusion on what either speed optimization or speed reduction may mean, and some stakeholders have proposed mandatory speed limits as a measure to achieve GHG emissions reduction. The purpose of this paper is to shed some light into this debate, and specifically examine whether reducing speed by imposing a speed limit is better than doing the same by imposing a bunker levy. To that effect, the two options are compared. The main result of the paper is that the speed limit option exhibits a number of deficiencies as an instrument to reduce GHG emissions, at least vis-à-vis the bunker levy option.

Greenhouse gas emissions of Canadian beef production in 1981 as compared with 2011

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 153 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Legesse ◽  
K. A. Beauchemin ◽  
K. H. Ominski ◽  
E. J. McGeough ◽  
R. Kroebel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Average Daily Gain ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
N2o Emissions ◽  
Beef Production ◽  
Slaughter Weight ◽  
Ch4 Production ◽  
Breeding Herd ◽  
The Impact

The present study compared the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and breeding herd and land requirements of Canadian beef production in 1981 and 2011. In the analysis, temporal and regional differences in feed types, feeding systems, cattle categories, average daily gains and carcass weights were considered. Emissions were estimated using life-cycle assessment (cradle to farm gate), based primarily on Holos, a Canadian whole-farm emissions model. In 2011, beef production in Canada required only 71% of the breeding herd (i.e. cows, bulls, calves and replacement heifers) and 76% of the land needed to produce the same amount of liveweight for slaughter as in 1981. Compared with 1981, in 2011 the same amount of slaughter weight was produced, with a 14% decline in CH4 emissions, 15% decline in N2O emissions and a 12% decline in CO2 emissions from fossil fuel use. Enteric CH4 production accounted for 73% of total GHG emissions in both years. The estimated intensity of GHG emissions per kilogram of liveweight that left the farm was 14.0 kg CO2 equivalents for 1981 and 12.0 kg CO2 equivalents for 2011, a decline of 14%. A significant reduction in GHG intensity over the past three decades occurred as a result of increased average daily gain and slaughter weight, improved reproductive efficiency, reduced time to slaughter, increased crop yields and a shift towards high-grain diets that enabled cattle to be marketed at an earlier age. Future studies are necessary to examine the impact of beef production on other sustainability metrics, including water use, air quality, biodiversity and provision of ecosystems services.

scholarly journals Quantifying greenhouse-gas emissions from atmospheric measurements: a critical reality check for climate legislation

2011 ◽  
Vol 369 (1943) ◽  
pp. 1925-1942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ray F. Weiss ◽  
Ronald G. Prinn
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Atmospheric Transport ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Inverse Modelling ◽  
Carbon Equivalent ◽  
Emissions Reduction ◽  
Atmospheric Measurements ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Regional Emissions

Emissions reduction legislation relies upon ‘bottom-up’ accounting of industrial and biogenic greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions at their sources. Yet, even for relatively well-constrained industrial GHGs, global emissions based on ‘top-down’ methods that use atmospheric measurements often agree poorly with the reported bottom-up emissions. For emissions reduction legislation to be effective, it is essential that these discrepancies be resolved. Because emissions are regulated nationally or regionally, not globally, top-down estimates must also be determined at these scales. High-frequency atmospheric GHG measurements at well-chosen station locations record ‘pollution events’ above the background values that result from regional emissions. By combining such measurements with inverse methods and atmospheric transport and chemistry models, it is possible to map and quantify regional emissions. Even with the sparse current network of measurement stations and current inverse-modelling techniques, it is possible to rival the accuracies of regional ‘bottom-up’ emission estimates for some GHGs. But meeting the verification goals of emissions reduction legislation will require major increases in the density and types of atmospheric observations, as well as expanded inverse-modelling capabilities. The cost of this effort would be minor when compared with current investments in carbon-equivalent trading, and would reduce the volatility of that market and increase investment in emissions reduction.

The effect of earlier mating and improving fertility on greenhouse gas emissions intensity of beef production in northern Australian herds

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 283 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. R. Cullen ◽  
R. J. Eckard ◽  
M. Timms ◽  
D. G. Phelps
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Beef Production ◽  
Beef Industry ◽  
Gross Margin ◽  
Emissions Intensity ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Margin Analysis

Approximately 5% of Australian national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are derived from the northern beef industry. Improving the reproductive performance of cows has been identified as a key target for increasing profitability, and this higher efficiency is also likely to reduce the GHG emissions intensity of beef production. The effects of strategies to increase the fertility of breeding herds and earlier joining of heifers as yearlings were studied on two properties at Longreach and Boulia in western Queensland. The beef production, GHG emissions, emissions intensity and profitability were investigated and compared with typical management in the two regions. Overall weaning rates achieved on the two properties were 79% and 74% compared with typical herd weaning rates of 58% in both regions. Herds with high reproductive performance had GHG emissions intensities (t CO2-e t–1 liveweight sold) 28% and 22% lower than the typical herds at Longreach and Boulia, with most of the benefit from higher weaning rates. Farm gross margin analysis showed that it was more profitable, by $62 000 at Longreach and $38 000 at Boulia, to utilise higher reproductive performance to increase the amount of liveweight sold with the same number of adult equivalents compared with reducing the number of adult equivalents to maintain the same level of liveweight sold and claiming a carbon credit for lower farm emissions. These gains achieved at two case study properties which had different rainfall, country types, and property sizes suggest similar improvements can be made on-farm across the Mitchell Grass Downs bioregion of northern Australia.

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