scholarly journals Estimating Causal Effects When the Treatment Affects All Subjects Simultaneously: An Application

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Chiara Binelli

Several important questions cannot be answered with the standard toolkit of causal inference since all subjects are treated for a given period and thus there is no control group. One example of this type of questions is the impact of carbon dioxide emissions on global warming. In this paper, we address this question using a machine learning method, which allows estimating causal impacts in settings when a randomized experiment is not feasible. We discuss the conditions under which this method can identify a causal impact, and we find that carbon dioxide emissions are responsible for an increase in average global temperature of about 0.3 degrees Celsius between 1961 and 2011. We offer two main contributions. First, we provide one additional application of Machine Learning to answer causal questions of policy relevance. Second, by applying a methodology that relies on few directly testable assumptions and is easy to replicate, we provide robust evidence of the man-made nature of global warming, which could reduce incentives to turn to biased sources of information that fuels climate change skepticism.

2021 ◽  
pp. 17-23
Author(s):  
Szira Zoltán ◽  
Bárdos Kinga Ilona ◽  
Alghamdi Hani ◽  
Enkhjav Tumentsetseg ◽  
Erika Varga

2019 was Earth's second warmest year since 1850. In 2019 the global mean temperature was cooler than in 2016, but warmer than any other year explicitly measured. Consequently, 2016 is still the warmest year in historical observation history. Year-to-year rankings are likely to reflect natural fluctuations in the short term, but the overall pattern remains consistent with a long-term global warming trend. This would be predicted from global warming caused by greenhouse gases, temperature increase across the globe is broadly spread, impacting almost all areas of land and oceans. Climate change" and "global warming" are often used interchangeably but are of distinct significance. Global warming is the long-term heating of the Earth's climate system observed since the pre-industrial period as a result of human activities, mainly the combustion of fossil fuel, which raises the heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels in the Earth's air. The term is often used interchangeably with the term climate change, as the latter applies to warming caused both humanly and naturally, and the impact it has on our planet. This is most generally calculated as the average increase in global surface temperature on Earth. Carbon dioxide emission is one of the main reasons for global warming. Since the Industrial Revolution, human sources of carbon dioxide emissions have been growing. Human activities such as the burning of oil, coal and gas, as well as deforestation are the primary cause of the increased carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. In our research, let’s examine the relationship between the amount of carbon dioxide emissions and the GDP/capita in developed and developing countries.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 70-72
Author(s):  
Oluwatosin Samson Jegede ◽  
Sunday Olarewaju

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is probably the worst epidemic the world has experienced in recent times; it has led to drastic, lifesaving, and extraordinary decisions by governments of nations. Among such extraordinary measures is the closure of international borders leading to the cancellation of air travel by commercial airlines. The carbon emissions from air travel affect global warming. To this end, some authors ranked aircraft as if it were a country and compared the volume of carbon emissions generated by air travel to that generated by countries from other sources. Commercial air travel ranked seventh after Germany in terms of carbon emissions. This policy review, therefore, explored the impact of COVID-19 lockdown and travel restrictions on global warming. As a result of lockdown, there is a likelihood of a significant decrease in carbon emissions and global warming. Assuming the estimated global emissions remain constant annually, an estimated 9 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide emissions would be avoided by the end of 2020 provided that the lockdown continues. To accurately measure the value of reduced carbon dioxide emissions during the global lockdown, it is recommended that scientific studies be conducted to estimate the carbon emissions generated by the few aircraft granted waivers to transport essential commodities during the global lockdown and deduct it from the 9 gigatonnes. After the global lockdown, through a travel policy review, governments and organizations are encouraged to restrict physical meetings or activities that involve air travel only to situations where a physical presence is unavoidable.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7148
Author(s):  
Wenjie Zhang ◽  
Mingyong Hong ◽  
Juan Li ◽  
Fuhong Li

The implementation of green finance is a powerful measure to promote global carbon emissions reduction that has been highly valued by academic circles in recent years. However, the role of green credit in carbon emissions reduction in China is still lacking testing. Using a set of panel data including 30 provinces and cities, this study focused on the impact of green credit on carbon dioxide emissions in China from 2006 to 2016. The empirical results indicated that green credit has a significantly negative effect on carbon dioxide emissions intensity. Furthermore, after the mechanism examination, we found that the promotion impacts of green credit on industrial structure upgrading and technological innovation are two effective channels to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Heterogeneity analysis found that there are regional differences in the effect of green credit. In the western and northeastern regions, the effect of green credit is invalid. Quantile regression results implied that the greater the carbon emissions intensity, the better the effect of green credit. Finally, a further discussion revealed there exists a nonlinear correlation between green credit and carbon dioxide emissions intensity. These findings suggest that the core measures to promote carbon emission reduction in China are to continue to expand the scale of green credit, increase the technology R&D investment of enterprises, and to vigorously develop the tertiary industry.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 31-38
Author(s):  
Wojciech Gis ◽  
Maciej Gis ◽  
Piotr Wiśniowski ◽  
Mateusz Bednarski

Abstract Limiting emissions of harmful substances is a key task for vehicle manufacturers. Excessive emissions have a negative impact not only on the environment, but also on human life. A significant problem is the emission of nitrogen oxides as well as solid particles, in particular those up to a diameter of 2.5 microns. Carbon dioxide emissions are also a problem. Therefore, work is underway on the use of alternative fuels to power the vehicle engines. The importance of alternative fuels applies to spark ignition engines. The authors of the article have done simulation tests of the Renault K4M 1.6 16v traction engine for emissions for fuels with a volumetric concentration of bioethanol from 10 to 85 percent. The analysis was carried out for mixtures as substitute fuels – without doing any structural changes in the engine's crankshafts. Emission of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, oxygen at full throttle for selected rotational speeds as well as selected engine performance parameters such as maximum power, torque, hourly and unit fuel consumption were determined. On the basis of the simulation tests performed, the reasonableness of using the tested alternative fuels was determined on the example of the drive unit without affecting its constructions, in terms of e.g. issue. Maximum power, torque, and fuel consumption have also been examined and compared. Thus, the impact of alternative fuels will be determined not only in terms of emissions, but also in terms of impact on the parameters of the power unit.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (15) ◽  
pp. 2942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karol Tucki ◽  
Olga Orynycz ◽  
Antoni Świć ◽  
Mateusz Mitoraj-Wojtanek

The article analyzes the dynamics of the development of the electromobility sector in Poland in the context of the European Union and due to the economic situation and development of the electromobility sector in the contexts of Switzerland and Norway. On the basis of obtained data, a forecast was made which foresees the most likely outlook of the electric car market in the coming years. The forecast was made using the creeping trend method, and extended up to 2030. As part of the analysis of the effect of the impact of electromobility, an original method was proposed for calculating the primary energy factor (PEF) primary energy ratio in the European Union and in its individual countries, which illustrates the conversion efficiency of primary energy into electricity and the overall efficiency of the power system. The original method was also verified, referring to the methods proposed by the Fraunhofer-Institut. On the basis of all previous actions and analyses, an assessment was made of the impact of the development of the electromobility sector on air quality in the countries studied. Carbon dioxide tank-to-wheels emission reductions which result from the conversion of the car fleet from conventional vehicles to electric motors were then calculated. In addition to reducing carbon dioxide emissions, other pollutant emissions were also calculated, such as carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM). The increase in the demand for electricity resulting from the needs of electric vehicles was also estimated. On this basis, and also on the basis of previously calculated primary energy coefficients, the emission reduction values have been adjusted for additional emissions resulting from the generation of electricity in power plants.


2014 ◽  
Vol 805 ◽  
pp. 403-408
Author(s):  
Otávio Luiz do Nascimento ◽  
Alexandra Ancelmo Piscitelli Mansur ◽  
Herman Sander Mansur

Increased public awareness of the threats posed by global warming has led to greater concern over the impact of anthropogenic carbon emissions on the global climate associated with the level of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. Hence, without radical market, technological, and cultural changes, the CO2 concentrations are expected to rise to unbearable levels within just few decades ahead. The production of cement is estimated to be responsible for approximately 5% of the global carbon dioxide emissions. Consequently, aiming for creating a more sustainable world, engineers and scientists must develop and put into use greener building materials that may revolutionize the entire construction industry. This study presents an innovative product for settlement of ceramic tiles as a potential alternative for replacing the conventional cement based mortar in some specific building applications. Essentially, the novel system is based on a double face polymer-adhesive sheet (“cement-free product”). Thus, the main goal was to evaluate the performance and estimate the durability of the developed system. Pull-off tests were conducted in order to compare this new system to the traditional one, with polymer modified mortar, under different procedures and conditions of cure. In addition, both systems were modeled using Finite Element Method (FEM) to obtain the stresses at the interface between ceramic-tile and adhesive. Based on the results, the recommended limits of bond strength for the innovative “cement-free product” of ceramic tile installation could be lower than those specifications used for the equivalent mortar systems. Therefore, these results give some preliminary evidence that by using the new “cement-free” product for ceramic-tile installation may lead to some increase in the productivity and, more important, in the sustainability of a relevant sector of the construction industry.


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