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.

Effects of strategic tillage on short-term erosion, nutrient loss in runoff and greenhouse gas emissions

Soil Research ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 201 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. Melland ◽  
D. L. Antille ◽  
Y. P. Dang
Keyword(s):  
Nitrous Oxide ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Heavy Rainfall ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Nutrient Loss ◽  
Nitrous Oxide Emissions ◽  
Nutrient Losses ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2

Occasional strategic tillage (ST) of long-term no-tillage (NT) soil to help control weeds may increase the risk of water, erosion and nutrient losses in runoff and of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared with NT soil. The present study examined the short-term effect of ST on runoff and GHG emissions in NT soils under controlled-traffic farming regimes. A rainfall simulator was used to generate runoff from heavy rainfall (70mmh–1) on small plots of NT and ST on a Vertosol, Dermosol and Sodosol. Nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) fluxes from the Vertosol and Sodosol were measured before and after the rain using passive chambers. On the Sodosol and Dermosol there was 30% and 70% more runoff, respectively, from ST plots than from NT plots, however, volumes were similar between tillage treatments on the Vertosol. Erosion was highest after ST on the Sodosol (8.3tha–1 suspended sediment) and there were no treatment differences on the other soils. Total nitrogen (N) loads in runoff followed a similar pattern, with 10.2kgha–1 in runoff from the ST treatment on the Sodosol. Total phosphorus loads were higher after ST than NT on both the Sodosol (3.1 and 0.9kgha–1, respectively) and the Dermosol (1.0 and 0.3kgha–1, respectively). Dissolved nutrient forms comprised less than 13% of total losses. Nitrous oxide emissions were low from both NT and ST in these low-input systems. However, ST decreased CH4 absorption from both soils and almost doubled CO2 emissions from the Sodosol. Strategic tillage may increase the susceptibility of Sodosols and Dermosols to water, sediment and nutrient losses in runoff after heavy rainfall. The trade-offs between weed control, erosion and GHG emissions should be considered as part of any tillage strategy.

Methods to Reduce Traffic Speed in High-Pedestrian Rural Areas

2003 ◽  
Vol 1828 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Kamyab ◽  
Steve Andrle ◽  
Dennis Kroeger ◽  
David S. Heyer
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Speed Limit ◽  
Single Word ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Speed Reduction ◽  
Traffic Calming ◽  
Reduction Strategies ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
The Impact

Many Minnesota counties are faced with the problem of high vehicle speeds through towns or resort areas that have significant pedestrian traffic. The impact of speed reduction strategies in high-pedestrian areas in rural counties of Minnesota was investigated. Speed data were collected at two selected study sites under their existing conditions ("no-treatment" or "before" condition) and after the proposed speed reduction strategies were installed. Second "after" data conditions were collected to study the short-term and long-term impact of the implemented strategies. The traffic-calming techniques employed at the Twin Lakes site consisted of removable pedestrian islands and pedestrian crossing signs. A dynamic variable message sign that sent a single-word message ("Slow") to motorists traveling over the speed limit was installed at the Bemidji site. The research study shows that the traffic-calming strategy deployed in Twin Lakes was effective in significantly reducing the mean speed and improving speed limit compliance in both the short term and long term. Despite proven effectiveness, the deployed speed reduction treatment in Bemidji Lake failed to lower the speed at the study site. The single-word message on the sign and the location of the sign, as well as a lack of initial enforcement, were the primary reasons for such failure.

scholarly journals Influence Mechanism on Supplier Emission Reduction Based on a Two-Level Supply Chain

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (23) ◽  
pp. 12439
Author(s):  
Lina Ma ◽  
Xinran Zhang ◽  
Yushen Du
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Social Welfare ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Optimal Choice ◽  
Emissions Reduction ◽  
Governmental Intervention ◽  
The Government ◽  
Reduction Effort ◽  
Better Than

The purpose of this paper is to investigate environmental performance of a supply chain which consists of an upstream supplier and a downstream firm. A mathematical model considering both downstream firm’s monitoring and governmental intervention is developed. Afterwards, a numerical example is presented to show the equilibriums of these models and the optimal choices of firms and government. The results show that when customers’ environmental awareness increases, both total environmental impact and social welfare decrease. The downstream firm’s monitoring will certainly reduce the total environmental impact. In most cases, it does not matter whether the downstream firm chooses to monitor the supplier or not, the total environmental impact and social welfare would not be affected when the government chooses subsidy. If a subsidy is present, firms and environment will be better than those without subsidy. Hence, the government is more likely to choose to provide subsidy and the downstream firm will not monitor the supplier’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction effort. In a few cases when environmental impact is too large, taxation may be the optimal choice for the government and the downstream firm will choose to monitor the supplier’s GHG emissions reduction investment.

Comparison of RZWQM2 and DNDC Models to Simulate Greenhouse Gas Emissions under Combined Inorganic/Organic Fertilization in a Subsurface-Drained Field

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 771-787
Author(s):  
Qianjing Jiang ◽  
Zhiming Qi ◽  
Chandra A. Madramootoo ◽  
Ward Smith ◽  
Naeem A. Abbasi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Measured Data ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
N Management ◽  
Better Than

HighlightsRZWQM2 was compared with DNDC to predict greenhouse gas emissions.RZWQM2 was applied to simulate the greenhouse gas emissions under manure application.RZWQM2 performed better than DNDC in simulating soil water content and CO2 emissions.Abstract. N management has the potential to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Process-based models are promising tools for evaluating and developing management practices that may optimize sustainability goals as well as promote crop productivity. In this study, the GHG emission component of the Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM2) was tested under two different types of N management and subsequently compared with the Denitrification-Decomposition (DNDC) model using measured data from a subsurface-drained field with a corn-soybean rotation in southern Ontario, Canada. Field-measured data included N2O and CO2 fluxes, soil temperature, and soil moisture content from a four-year field experiment (2012 to 2015). The experiment was composed of two N treatments: inorganic fertilizer (IF), and inorganic fertilizer combined with solid cattle manure (SCM). Both models were calibrated using the data from IF and validated with SCM. Statistical results indicated that both models predicted well the soil temperature, but RZWQM2 performed better than DNDC in simulating soil water content (SWC) because DNDC lacked a heterogeneous soil profile, had shallow simulation depth, and lacked crop root density functions. Both RZWQM2 and DNDC predicted the cumulative N2O and CO2 emissions within 15% error under all treatments, while the timing of daily CO2 emissions was more accurately predicted by RZWQM2 (RMSE = 0.43 to 0.54) than by DNDC (RMSE = 0.60 to 0.67). Modeling results for N management effects on GHG emissions showed consistency with the field measurements, indicating higher CO2 emissions under SCM than IF, higher N2O emissions under IF in corn years, but lower N2O emissions in soybean years. Overall, RZWQM2 required more experienced and intensive calibration and validation, but it provided more accurate predictions of soil hydrology and better timing of CO2 emissions than DNDC. Keywords: CO2 emission, Corn-soybean rotation, Inorganic fertilization, Manure application, N2O emission, Process-based modeling.

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 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.

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