scholarly journals Roadmap for Decarbonization of the Building and Construction Industry—A Supply Chain Analysis Including Primary Production of Steel and Cement

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 4136
Author(s):  
Ida Karlsson ◽  
Johan Rootzén ◽  
Alla Toktarova ◽  
Mikael Odenberger ◽  
Filip Johnsson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
Strategic Choices ◽  
Material Efficiency ◽  
Decision Points ◽  
Energy Flows

Sweden has committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to net-zero by 2045. Around 20% of Sweden’s annual CO2 emissions arise from manufacturing, transporting, and processing of construction materials for construction and refurbishment of buildings and infrastructure. In this study, material and energy flows for building and transport infrastructure construction is outlined, together with a roadmap detailing how the flows change depending on different technical and strategical choices. By matching short-term and long-term goals with specific technology solutions, these pathways make it possible to identify key decision points and potential synergies, competing goals, and lock-in effects. The results show that it is possible to reduce CO2 emissions associated with construction of buildings and transport infrastructure by 50% to 2030 applying already available measures, and reach close to zero emissions by 2045, while indicating that strategic choices with respect to process technologies and energy carriers may have different implications on energy use and CO2 emissions over time. The results also illustrate the importance of intensifying efforts to identify and manage both soft and hard barriers and the importance of simultaneously acting now by implementing available measures (e.g., material efficiency and material/fuel substitution measures), while actively planning for long-term measures (low-CO2 steel or cement).

scholarly journals Economics and evolution

1992 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 298-298
Author(s):  
Geerat J. Vermeij
Keyword(s):  
Energy Use ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Ripple Effect ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Economic Interpretation ◽  
History Of ◽  
Long Term Trends ◽  
Random Nature ◽  
Antagonistic Interactions

Individual organisms compete for resources. Among competitive dominants, per-capita energy use has generally increased through time. This increase has had a ripple effect on all other species by increasing the number of competitive and predatory encounters among individuals. Species unable to cope with such biological rigors have become restricted to environments where resource supply is low and where encounters with enemies are few. Among species that hold their own in biologically rigorous habitats, construction materials that are cheap to produce and that enable individuals to grow and respond quickly have generally been favored over those that exact a high cost in energy and time. Extinction interrupts but does not reverse or fundamentally alter these long-term between-clade evolutionary trends. The availability of resources to organisms, as well as the opportunity for evolutionary change, depends on extrinsic events and factors as well as on the competitive abilities of organisms.Those who have raised methodological and theoretical objections against this economic interpretation of the history of life deny the overriding importance of organisms as agents of natural selection, emphasize the random nature of extinction, deny the existence of long-term trends, favor a larger role for mutualistic as opposed to antagonistic interactions, or accord a larger role to species-level attributes in evolution that are not reducible to the properties of individual organisms. These arguments are either unpersuasive or incorrect. The long-term economics of life may have important lessons for our own use of resources.

scholarly journals Corrigendum to “Long-term model-based projections of energy use and CO2 emissions from the global steel and cement industries” [Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 112 (2016) 15–36]

2017 ◽  
Vol 125 ◽  
pp. 375-380
Author(s):  
Bas J. van Ruijven ◽  
Detlef P. van Vuuren ◽  
Willem Boskaljon ◽  
Maarten Neelis ◽  
Deger Saygin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Model Based ◽  
Term Model

scholarly journals Reductions in CO2 Emissions from Passenger Cars under Demography and Technology Scenarios in Japan by 2050

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 6919 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masanobu Kii
Keyword(s):  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Automobile Industry ◽  
Demand Management ◽  
National Level ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Passenger Cars ◽  
Emissions Reductions ◽  
The Impact

Climate policy requires substantial reductions in long-term greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including in the transportation sector. As passenger cars are one of the dominant CO2 emitters in the transport sector, governments and the automobile industry have implemented various countermeasures, including decarbonization of fuels, more energy efficient vehicles, and transport demand management. However, the total impact of these measures in the long term remains unclear. This study aims to clarify the CO2 emissions reductions from passenger cars by 2050 in 1727 municipalities in Japan under a declining population. To estimate CO2 emissions, we model travel behavior and traffic situations reflecting the regional conditions of the municipalities, including population density and accessibility to public transport for the base year 2010. Assuming plausible scenarios for future populations and automobile technologies, we estimate CO2 emissions from passenger cars. We estimate that CO2 emissions will decline by 64–70% between 2010 and 2050, with automobile technologies playing the largest role. We find that the impact of urban compaction is marginal at the national level but varies by municipality. These results imply that, given regional variations, all countermeasures, including technology and demand management, must be used to achieve the long-term target of CO2 emissions reductions.

scholarly journals Energy and GHG Emissions Aspects of the COVID Impact in Greece

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 1955
Author(s):  
Dimitri Lalas ◽  
Nikolaos Gakis ◽  
Sebastian Mirasgedis ◽  
Elena Georgopoulou ◽  
Yannis Sarafidis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Activity ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Road Transport ◽  
Considerable Extent ◽  
Emissions Reduction ◽  
Aegean Islands ◽  
Long Term Impact

The effects of COVID-19 have had devasting effects on both health and economies in 2020. At the same time, the lockdown and the downturn of economic activity resulted in a decrease in energy consumption and an accompanying reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. In this article, a comparison with the temperature adjustment of energy use is presented for the main carriers of electricity, natural gas, and oil products in the residential, tertiary, industry, and transport (road transport, domestic aviation, and navigation) sectors in 2020 against the previous two years in Greece, along with the corresponding emissions. As the comparison covers the entire year, both COVID peaks in the March–April and November–December periods and the corresponding lockdown effects as well as seasonal variations are included. The analysis shows a reduction, adjusted for temperature, of 3528 GWh in electricity and 10,286 GWh in transport, and an increase of 1916 GWh in heating and other final uses for a net 11,898 GWh decrease and a resulting emissions reduction of 3.48 MtCO2eq (1.29 MtCO2eq in electricity, 2.69 MtCO2eq in transport, and an increase of 0.54 MtCO2eq in heating), or 4.1%, from total national emissions in 2019. The effect is, to a considerable extent, the result of drastic tourist activity contraction, which is starkly evident in the electricity consumption in the Aegean islands. The comparison between the two lockdown periods brings out clear differences, with the reduction in the second one being considerably smaller as the population reverted, to a large extent, to pre-COVID behavior, which implies that no permanent gains from the COVID long-term impact toward decarbonization should be expected.

scholarly journals Global Scenarios of Resource and Emissions Savings from Systemic Material Efficiency in Buildings and Cars

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Pauliuk ◽  
Niko Heeren ◽  
Peter Berrill ◽  
Tomer Fishman ◽  
Andrea Nistad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Use ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Material Flows ◽  
Passenger Vehicles ◽  
Material Efficiency ◽  
Service Efficiency ◽  
Operational Energy

Abstract Material production now accounts for 23% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Resource efficiency and circular economy policies promise emission reductions through reducing material use, but their potential contribution to climate change mitigation has not yet been quantified. Here we present a high-resolution approach for tracking material flows and energy use of products throughout their life cycles, focusing on passenger vehicles and residential buildings. We estimate future changes in material flows and operational energy use due to increased yields, light-weight designs, material substitution, increased service efficiency, extended service life, and increased reuse and recycling. Together, these material efficiency strategies can reduce cumulative global GHG emissions until 2060 by 16-39 Gt CO2e (passenger vehicles) and 28-72 Gt CO2e (residential buildings), depending on climate policy assumptions. The use of wood and more intensive use are promising strategies in residential buildings. Ride sharing and car sharing are best for residential buildings.

scholarly journals Global scenarios of resource and emission savings from material efficiency in residential buildings and cars

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Pauliuk ◽  
Niko Heeren ◽  
Peter Berrill ◽  
Tomer Fishman ◽  
Andrea Nistad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Use ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Passenger Vehicles ◽  
Material Efficiency ◽  
Wood Construction ◽  
Ghg Reduction ◽  
Low Carbon Energy

AbstractMaterial production accounts for a quarter of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Resource-efficiency and circular-economy strategies, both industry and demand-focused, promise emission reductions through reducing material use, but detailed assessments of their GHG reduction potential are lacking. We present a global-scale analysis of material efficiency for passenger vehicles and residential buildings. We estimate future changes in material flows and energy use due to increased yields, light design, material substitution, extended service life, and increased service efficiency, reuse, and recycling. Together, these strategies can reduce cumulative global GHG emissions until 2050 by 20–52 Gt CO2-eq (residential buildings) and 13–26 Gt CO2e-eq (passenger vehicles), depending on policy assumptions. Next to energy efficiency and low-carbon energy supply, material efficiency is the third pillar of deep decarbonization for these sectors. For residential buildings, wood construction and reduced floorspace show the highest potential. For passenger vehicles, it is ride sharing and car sharing.

scholarly journals Energy Performance Modelling and Consumption Forecasting in Built Environments

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 569-575
Keyword(s):  
Energy Use ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Performance Modelling ◽  
Energy Models ◽  
Term Energy ◽  
And Control

For all sector of the economy including the construction sector, energy consumption forecasting is critical for future planning. The building sector accounts for a staggering 30% of the world’s energy use and one-third of associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide. Modeling of building energy performance and consumption forecasting is significant for energy policy formulation, fixing targets and control energy usage to provide a long term energy security. Many energy models are accessible now, but the area is still under development and needs perfection on several counts. To select the most suitable and appropriate model for a specific purpose, it is often hard to evaluate the various models and their characteristics. This article provides a broad analysis of modeling methods, classification, and applications in constructed settings with an improved focus. A critical assessment of various models is also provided based on their composition, input-output relationships, strengths, and weaknesses to define study gaps and provide directions for future studies.

scholarly journals Energy recovery in the water industry using micro-hydropower: an opportunity to improve sustainability

Water Policy ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 168-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aonghus McNabola ◽  
Paul Coughlan ◽  
Lucy Corcoran ◽  
Christine Power ◽  
A. Prysor Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Return On Investment ◽  
Energy Recovery ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Water Industry ◽  
Turbine Efficiency ◽  
Water And Wastewater ◽  
Society Today

The water industry as a whole consumes a considerable amount of energy in the treatment and distribution of water and wastewater. Like all sectors of society today, the industry is focusing efforts on reducing its CO2 emissions and improving the sustainability of its systems and practices. One way of achieving this is through the use of micro-hydropower (MHP) installations in water infrastructure for energy recovery purposes. This paper presents a review of energy use and CO2 emissions in the water industry as well as highlighting the opportunities and challenges for MHP energy recovery. The results indicate that significant potential exists for energy recovery in the water industry. However, many previous investigations have not considered key complexities such as variations in flows or turbine efficiency. Similarly, accurate costing and return on investment data are often absent or lacking sensitivity analysis. Further research is required to address the risks and long-term reliability of installations, alongside the development of firm policy to direct and incentivise sustainability gains in this area.

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