scholarly journals Impact of Agriculture and Energy on CO2 Emissions in Zambia

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (24) ◽  
pp. 8339
Author(s):  
Joseph Phiri ◽  
Karel Malec ◽  
Alpo Kapuka ◽  
Mansoor Maitah ◽  
Seth Nana Kwame Appiah-Kubi ◽  
...  

The world has experienced increased impacts of anthropogenic global warming due to increased emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), which include carbon dioxide (CO2). Anthropogenic activities that contribute to CO2 emissions include deforestation, usage of fertilizers, and activities related to mining and energy production. The main objective of this paper was to assess the impacts of agriculture and energy production on CO2 emissions in Zambia. This research used econometric analysis, specifically the Autoregressive-Distributed Lag (ARDL) Bounds Test, to analyze the relationship between CO2 emissions and GDP, electricity consumption, agricultural production, and industry value added. The results showed the presence of cointegration, where the variables of CO2 emissions, GDP, electricity, and agriculture converge to a long-run equilibrium at the rate of 74%. Further, there was a short-run causality towards CO2 emissions running from agriculture and the consumption of energy as indicated by the Wald test. This is the first study of its kind that empirically shows the impact of agricultural activities and energy consumption on the Zambian environment through their contribution to CO2 emissions at a macro (country) level. This paper also presents recommendations that are pertinent to mitigate these effects. To deescalate environmental degradation, we propose increasing the number of access points for multiple renewable energy sources across the country; discouraging deforestation, the usage of conventional fertilizers, and the burning of vegetation for fertilizers; encouraging afforestation and reforestation, in addition to providing subsidies, training, and financial support to farmers and entrepreneurs who decide to use environmentally friendly agricultural methods and renewable energy. This research highlights the serious impacts of anthropogenic activities on CO2 emissions. The study was intended to assist Zambian policymakers in formulating and implementing environmentally friendly policy measures or systems that will contribute towards environmental protection commitments and sustainable economic development.

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-114
Author(s):  
Ana Radojevic ◽  
Danijela Nikolic ◽  
Jasna Radulovic ◽  
Jasmina Skerlic

The implementation of energy efficiency measures and use of renewable energy sources in educational buildings can significantly contribute to reducing energy consumption, but also to CO2 emissions in the entire public sector. The paper shows the comparison of energy consumption indicators for 61 elementary school buildings which have previously been divided in 12 groups, according to the period of construction and size, based on the national typology called TABULA, as the first step of further study on how to use the renewable energy sources. The aim of this paper is to use the energy benchmarking process to select representative facilities which are suitable for applying renewable energy sources, for their further energy efficiency improvement. Indicators of annual specific electricity consumption and CO2 emissions per unit area [kWh/m2] and per user [kWh/user] were calculated. After that, from two groups (in which the highest electricity consumption and CO2 emissions are 68.37% and 74.53% of the total consumption/ emissions), one representative facility was selected.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aynur Kazaz ◽  
Seyda Adiguzel Istil

Global warming has been on the agenda over the past few years. Solutions to global warming and energy efficiency problems have brought with them the need for green building market. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a certification system regulating the compliance of green buildings to certain standards and is essential for construction projects focusing on sustainability and innovation. This study investigates the effects of sunshine duration on construction projects reducing annual electricity consumption and increasing renewable energy production. In this study, the effects of sunshine duration times on construction projects are located in different cities in Turkey which has gained point from LEED BD+C (NC) (LEED, Building Design + Construction: New Construction) certificate were analyzed with the help of getting the impact of annual electricity consumption and renewable energy production rates. It was our aim that the results will be used for construction projects in compliance with the “Energy and Atmosphere” category of the LEED BD+C certification system.


Author(s):  
Izabela Wielewska

The aim of the study was to present issues of the environmental effects of renewable energy sources. Research was conducted in July 2016 among 269 inhabitants of rural areas of the Chojnice district. A diagnostic survey was employed as the research method. The research showed that renewable energy sources have a positive impact on the environment, and that environmental hazards are not as great as those of conventional energy production. According to the respondents, the greatest environmental damage in the field of RES is related to landscape changes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (14) ◽  
pp. 5634
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Czaplicka-Kotas ◽  
Joanna Kulczycka ◽  
Natalia Iwaszczuk

One of the priority lines of action in Poland is to increase energy production from renewable energy sources (RESs). Based on the “Poland’s national energy and climate plan for the years 2021–2030”, Poland aims to achieve 21%–23% of RES share in gross final energy consumption by 2030. While coal is still the most important source of energy, new technological and organisational solutions for increasing RESs are being tested and implemented. Therefore, the creation of energy clusters based on the idea of urban and industrial symbiosis was first proposed by the Ministry of Energy in 2016. To date, there are 66 clusters in different regions in Poland, but only a few of them are active and innovative. One of them is located in the city of Zakopane, a mountain resort, which attracts about 3 million tourists annually and has developed the wide-ranging use of geothermal sources for energy supply and recreation. The paper aims to analyse the impact of the creation of energy clusters on the city’s development, including economic, social, and environmental aspects. The “willingness to pay” (WTP) method was used to calculate the impact of air pollution on Zakopane and to compare it with the Polish average to estimate the significance of the transformation to RESs in this tourist city. The results from the studies are as follows: health cost per capita in Zakopane is between 252.07 and 921.30 euro. The investigations presented can be the basis for recommendations in strategic documents in the field of regional development and environmental protection, especially on the use and promotion of urban symbiosis for increasing use of RESs.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (20) ◽  
pp. 6762
Author(s):  
Jan Bednarczyk ◽  
Katarzyna Brzozowska-Rup ◽  
Sławomir Luściński

In this article, we aim to identify the determinants that profoundly impact renewable energy sources development in Poland. To this end, the authors have conducted qualitative and quantitative analyses of Poland’s renewable energy sector. In this paper, we demonstrate an original approach considering the different development levels of the given sector across provinces (voivodeships). It uses panel data from the Local Data Bank of the Statistics Poland on electricity production from renewable energy sources in individual voivodeships in Poland from 2005 through 2019. The study confronts the results of previous studies and sheds light on the situation in Poland—specifically, upon the changes that have happened over the ten years (2010–2019). The qualitative analysis shows a negative correlation between energy consumption and the share of renewable energy sources in total energy production. Evidence shows that favorable changes are underway in the energy production structure: RES share is growing and by degrees satisfying energy demand, and there is growing potential of energy entities in Poland. Furthermore, the analysis shows that R&D and total expenditures on environmental protection and water management investments do not significantly affect the development of RES. A dynamic panel data model has been used to analyze the group and time effects on the dependent variable. The findings confirm the existence of the persistency effect and indicate positive effects of total installed electric capacity (IEC) and household electricity consumption (HEC). Nonhousehold electricity consumption (NHEC) has a negative effect on the endogenous variable, i.e., the renewable energy sources share in the gross final energy consumption (RESS). The research results may be applicable as recommendations for energy efficiency policy development based on renewable energy sources depending on the RES development level in the regions of Poland.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 9028
Author(s):  
Lucas Roth ◽  
Özgür Yildiz ◽  
Jens Lowitzsch

This article analyses two major trends of the 21st century. Firstly, the transition from fossil fuel-based energy production to renewable energy sources. Secondly, the inexorable urbanisation which can be witnessed all over the globe. The most promising renewable energy production technologies for the near future, i.e., wind and solar energy, are volatile by nature which makes matching supply and demand essential for a successful transition. Therefore, the aspects that determine the willingness of consumers to flexibilise their demand has gained growing attention. Initial research shows that different settings for (co-)ownership in terms of available prosumption options and used production technologies have a varying impact on demand flexibility. However, existing research has analysed flexibility drivers solely for the general population as an aggregate without any distinction regarding spatial, economic, or social factors. In this article, the authors go one step further and analyse whether those drivers for flexible consumption behaviour differ in rural or urban areas acknowledging differences in day-to-day life in both cases. This study is based on 2074 completed questionnaires from German consumers which were analysed using propensity score matching. The results show that people from rural and urban areas do not significantly differ in their willingness to be demand flexible in general. However, (co-)owners of RE installations from rural areas are generally significantly more demand flexible than (co-)owners of RE installations from urban areas. Further, when looking at different RE technologies, the results show that (co-)owners of solar installations are significantly more demand flexible if they are from rural areas. Lastly, when looking at usage options, people who solely consume produced electricity are more demand flexible if they are from rural areas as well.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-85
Author(s):  
Ernest Ali Baba ◽  
Bismark Amfo

The quest to achieve economic development worldwide has increased carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, which could vary in high- and low-income economies due to differences in economic activities. Using empirical evidence from the panel data for the period 1960–2018 obtained from the World Bank, we investigate differences in the impact of population, gross domestic product (GDP), and renewable energy on CO2 emissions in high- and low-income economies. For that purpose, we applied the Pesaran cross-sectional dependence test (for cross-sectional dependence), Levin-Lin-Chu unit root test (for Unit roots), Granger causality Wald test (for the possibility of Granger causality among the variables), fixed-effects and random-effects regressions. We established that population, GDP and energy consumption considerably influence CO2 emissions. Results of the Granger causality Wald test, fixed-effects and random-effects regressions clearly demonstrated that growth in population and GDP directly correlates with CO2 emissions in high- and low-income economies, while renewable energy consumption has an indirect correlation. While there are no differences in terms of directions, we revealed differences in the magnitude in high- and low-income economies. The impact of population and renewable energy consumption on CO2 emissions in low-income economies is greater than that of high-income economies. The impact of GDP on CO2 emissions is greater in high-income economies than in low-income economies. Thus, to reduce CO2 emissions, policy makers should promote low carbon emission economic activities and implement population control measures.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-66
Author(s):  
Wojciech Czekała ◽  
◽  
Filip Tarkowski ◽  
Patrycja Pochwatka ◽  
◽  
...  

The increased demand for energy determines the need to search for its next sources. One of them could be renewable energy sources, whose importance is increasing, among others, due to the limited resources of fossil fuels. In addition, renewable energy production has many benefits, mainly environmental and economic. Moreover, the social aspects associated with it cannot be ignored. The aim of this work was to discuss selected social benefits resulting from the production of renewable energy. Among the most important advantages of renewable energy sources is their local aspect, since energy production solves many regional problems, mainly related to its transport. The issue of energy security is also essential. In the case of biofuel production, the possibility of involving waste in energy production is extremely beneficial. The use of renewable energy itself directly affects the improvement of the environment, which in turn has a positive effect on people. Nowadays, sustainable development is one of the most critical challenges of humanity. These activities are closely related to the use of renewable energy sources. It is important to pay attention not only to subjects related to the environmental and economic aspects but also the impact of renewable energy sources on society.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (18) ◽  
pp. 5775
Author(s):  
Sylwester Kaczmarzewski ◽  
Piotr Olczak ◽  
Maciej Sołtysik

In Poland, a dynamic increase in the share of renewable energy sources in the national energy mix has been observed in recent years. Until now, these were mainly installations used for the needs of single-family houses and large-scale installations used on the RES auction market. However, due to the fact that the carbon footprint of the offered products is taken into account, this aspect is becoming more and more important. The carbon footprint can be offset by, among others, by covering the energy needs of the industrial plant by its own renewable energy sources. The article analyzes four sample electricity demand profiles of production plants operating in the mining industry, mainly located in Upper Silesia. Using statistical methods, the fitting of potential photovoltaic sources production profiles to the electricity consumption profiles in the analyzed case studies was checked. The analysis was carried out for each hour of the day and for the profiles weighted by the electricity price from the Polish Power Exchange on the Day-Ahead Market, because matching profiles at different hours has a different monetary value and, as a result, a different impact on operation costs. The highest correlation coefficient between electricity consumption and insolation on an annual basis was −0.29 in the Spearman rho-statistic for the case of M1 enterprise. On the other hand, the highest value at the level of 0.48 was achieved by the Pearson r-correlation coefficient determined on a monthly basis between the monetary value of electricity consumed and insolation in June for the M2 enterprise.


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