Decarbonizing the transportation sector: policy options, synergies, and institutions to deliver on a low-carbon stabilization pathway

Abstract The transportation sector accounts for over 20 percent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Colorado which without intervention will grow to over 30 million metric tons (MMT) of GHG emissions per year. This study seeks to develop a specific characterization of the Colorado fuel and transportation system using a customized life cycle assessment (LCA) model. The model (CO-GT) was developed as an analytical tool to define Colorado’s 2020 baseline life cycle GHG emissions for the transportation sector, and to examine Colorado-specific pathways for GHG reductions through fuel types and volumes changes that might be associated with a state clean fuel standard (CFS). By developing a life cycle assessment of transportation fuels that is specific to the state of Colorado’s geography, fleet makeup, policies, energy sector and more, these tools can evaluate various proposals for the transition towards a more sustainable state transportation system. The results of this study include a quantification of the Colorado-specific roles of clean fuels, electricity, extant policies, and fleet transition in projections of the state’s 2030 transportation sector GHG emissions. Relative to a 2020 baseline, electrification of the vehicle fleet is found to reduce state-wide lifecycle GHG emissions by 7.7 MMT CO2e by 2030, and a model CFS policy able to achieve similar reductions in the carbon intensity of clean fuels as was achieved by California in the first 10 years of its CFS policies is found to only reduce state-wide lifecycle GHG emissions by 0.2 MMT CO2e by 2030. These results illustrate the insensitivity of Colorado’s transportation fleet GHG emissions reductions to the presence of CFS policies, as proposed to date.

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Policy Options for Deep Decarbonization and Wood Utilization in California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard

Frontiers in Climate ◽

10.3389/fclim.2021.665778 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

Author(s):

Daniel L. Sanchez ◽

Kevin Fingerman ◽

Claudia Herbert ◽

Sam Uden

Keyword(s):

Carbon Intensity ◽

Policy Options ◽

Fuel System ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Ancillary Benefits ◽

Transportation Fuel ◽

Forest Residue ◽

Wood Utilization ◽

Lower Carbon ◽

Do So

California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) is one of the most important policies to develop and deploy low-carbon and carbon-negative fuels. Yet, because the LCFS is designed to deliver the lowest-cost carbon intensity (CI) reductions possible in the transportation fuel system, it may fail to deliver technologies that would be poised to offer deeper decarbonization or other ancillary benefits to California's people and environment. We contemplate administrative changes to the LCFS to further stimulate the commercialization of promising low-carbon and carbon-negative fuels. To do so, we examine promising technical pathways, their barriers to commercialization, and recent administrative actions by the CA Air Resources Board (ARB) under the LCFS to promote novel lower-carbon fuels. We propose three actions that ARB could undertake to promote commercialization within existing authorities. To commercialize low-carbon and carbon negative fuel, including those derived from forest residue feedstocks, ARB could: (1) embrace the most up-to-date science regarding lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions, (2) create additional, targeted incentives for very low-carbon or carbon-negative fuels through a volumetric technology carve-out or credit multiplier, and (3) ensure that the LCFS stimulates the best-performing fuels across a variety of sustainability parameters.

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Models for evaluation of energy technology and policy options to maximize low carbon source penetration in the United States energy supply.

10.2172/1011712 ◽

2009 ◽

Author(s):

Paul S. Pickard ◽

Dawn Kataoka ◽

Marissa Devan Reno ◽

Leonard A. Malczynski ◽

William J. Peplinski ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Carbon Source ◽

Energy Supply ◽

The United States ◽

Energy Technology ◽

Policy Options ◽

Low Carbon

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Decoupling Analysis of CO2 Emissions in Transportation Sector from Economic Growth during 1995–2015 for Six Cities in Hebei, China

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su10114149 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 4149 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Lijun Zhang ◽

Caiyun Kou ◽

Ji Zheng ◽

Yu Li

Keyword(s):

Economic Growth ◽

Co2 Emissions ◽

Road Traffic ◽

Hebei Province ◽

Transport Sector ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Greenhouse Gas Inventory ◽

Transportation Sector ◽

Decoupling Analysis ◽

High Level

The transport sector is one of the most important and potential sectors to achieve low-carbon development in China. As economic growth is desirable, but high-level traffic CO2 emissions are not. This paper estimated the on-road traffic CO2 emissions and investigated the decoupling states of traffic CO2 emissions from economic growth for six cities in Hebei province from 1995 to 2015. In 2015, the on-road traffic CO2 emissions were ranked, as follows: Tangshan (4.75 Mt) > Handan (3.38 Mt) > Baoding (1.38 Mt) > Zhangjiakou (1.05 Mt) > Langfang (1.01 Mt) > Chengde (0.46 Mt). Two turning points of traffic CO2 emissions during the study period were found. From 2008 to 2013, the traffic CO2 emissions increased more rapidly than before. After 2013, the traffic CO2 emissions of three cities (Baoding, Handan and Chengde) began to decrease, and the traffic CO2 emissions’ growth rates of the other three cities (Zhangjiakou, Langfang and Tangshan) became lower than before. The decoupling states during 1996–2015 can be divided into four phases: decoupling-coupling concurrence stage (1996–2000), decoupling dominant stage (2001–2008), coupling dominant stage (2009–2013), and improvement stage (2014–2015). Chengde and Baoding were identified due to their good local practice on decoupling CO2 emissions in transport sector from economic growth. These results will enrich the greenhouse gas inventory of China at city level and provide scientific support to achieve the mitigation of CO2 emissions in the transport sector.

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Energy trends and the water-energy binomium for Brazil

Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências ◽

10.1590/0001-3765201520140560 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 87 (2) ◽

pp. 569-594 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Gisele O. Da Rocha ◽

Jeancarlo P. Dos Anjos ◽

Jailson B. De Andrade

Keyword(s):

Alternative Fuels ◽

Fossil Fuels ◽

Water Footprint ◽

Energy System ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Energy Matrix ◽

System A ◽

Transportation Sector ◽

Natural Choice ◽

Hydropower Potential

According to the demands of energy saving and carbon emission reduction, the water vs. energy nexus has become a major concern worldwide. Brazil occupies a singular position in the global energy system. A major portion of the Brazilian occupancies has electricity and the energy system expansion that, at first, possesses adequate means for supporting the economic growing may experience some turnovers. The Brazil determination through alternative fuels was a natural choice, given its large hydropower potential and land agricultural base. In the transportation sector Brazil has developed its energy matrix towards an important rate of ethanol and biodiesel. Although those fuels are low carbon emitter, they may probably not be an affordable alternative regarding land use, food security and water footprint. In this way, considering the recent advances in the exploration of oil from Pre-salt (9-15 million barrels) and the discovery of shale gas wells up to 245 tcf, together to unfavorable social and environmental issues associated to biofuels, the Brazilian energy matrix might turn back to the fossil fuels again. These represent challenges to the Brazilian policymakers and how they will be solved will reflect not only in Brazil but also to the world at large.

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