Strategies And Technologies For Greenhouse Gas Mitigation

First published in 1999, this volume provide a useful contribution to global CO2 mitigation in an effort towards effective climate protection achieved through national and international efforts. This volume forms part of an international monograph publishing series covering new research into the ‘green’ issues such as government, corporate and public responses to environmental hazards, the economics of green policies and the effectiveness of environmental protection programmes.

Significant reduction of local, regional, national and international greenhouse gas emissions in homes, businesses, industries and communities has become an international priority. This book describes in clear, concise, and understandable terms the nature and scope of the climate change problem. The authors combine their considerable expertise to offer guidelines for defining and applying effective carbon reduction policies, strategies, and technologies. They propose a well-defined road map which can be implemented to help control and abate the alarming increases in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.

Any mention of the "greenhouse effect" tends to ignite controversy. While the rising atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases-especially carbon dioxide- are certainly among the most pressing issues today, theoretical and perceived consequences have been subject to conjecture and misinformation. That raging debate has obscured an important fact: scientists and engineers are hard at work on methods to reduce CO2 emissions, and devise practical methods for their remediation. Greenhouse Gas Carbon Dioxide Mitigation: Science and Technology sheds light on the most recent advancements, documented by two of the world's leading researchers on CO2. Aware of the complexity and still-unknown factors behind climatic change, the authors consider the need to make CO2 mitigation viable for both environmental and economic gain. To that end, Professor Halmann offers new insights into interesting chemical pathways for the conversion of CO2 to useful products. Steinberg adds real-life engineering solutions, applicable to heavy CO2-producing industrial processes, and improving efficiency of energy conversion. Exciting theories and pilot projects are also testing the potential for CO2 utilization, conversion, reduction, and disposal. Greenhouse Gas Carbon Dioxide Mitigation: Science and Technology reports on the use of biomass, such as ocean fertilization and "energy farms," to put CO2 to practical and safe use. Professional and academic readers involved with CO2 research will find Greenhouse Gas Carbon Dioxide Mitigation: Science and Technology an invaluable roadmap for information and inspiration-a way to move beyond argument, and into action.

Contributed articles presented at a workshop held at Ahmedabad on Dec. 8, 1995; dealing in the Indian context in particular and developing countries in general.

At the recent UN Climate Change Conferences in Copenhagen, Cancun and Durban, the developed nations promised hundreds of billions of dollars in financial aid to help developing countries overcome global climate change dangers. The developed nations will need to spend many more billions to limit their own greenhouse gas pollution, the main cause of global warming and climate change. Will all this money and effort be wasted? This book argues that nearly all of the world's climate policy makers and expert advisors have been making tragic mistakes that ensure the failures of climate change mitigation attempts.The great majority of climate change programs, from American congressional bills to cap-and-trade economic incentive schemes to the Kyoto Protocol and other international treaties, rely on greenhouse gas emissions-reduction targets that will prove "too little, too late" by deferring strict pollution controls too far into the future. The inadequate emissions-reduction measures also will not be able to bridge the gap between the highest priorities of developed and developing nations. Vast discharges of greenhouse gases authorized by weak emissions-reduction programs in the next several decades virtually guarantee that the cumulative concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will keep increasing while climate change continues to grow worse.Rather than adopting ineffectual emissions-reduction programs that cannot limit the cumulative concentration of greenhouse gases in the air, this book proposes a shift to a "clean" technology-replacement strategy that could support current lifestyles and expanding economic development without further damaging our climate. The only way to reduce the greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere enough to decrease climate change hazards is to replace large pollution sources as rapidly as feasible in as many industrial sectors and geographic regions as possible with "clean" alternative technologies, processes, and methods.

This book describes guidelines prepared by the U.S. Country Studies Program for the evaluation of options to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. Country Studies Program developed these guidelines in collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to provide developing countries and countries with economies in transition with reference materials for national mitigation assessments. Over 50 countries participating in the program have used the guidelines, which have been refined to reflect their comments. The guidelines delineate a step-wise methodology for evaluating greenhouse gas mitigation options for the energy and non-energy sectors and describe the applications of common analytical tools. The U.S. Country Studies Program uses these guidelines in conjunction with intensive training workshops and follow up technical assistance during the lifetime of each country's study. The program uses similar reference materials to assist counties with their greenhouse gas emission inventories and evaluations of climate change vulnerability and adaptive responses. These guidelines serve three purposes: to assist countries in making decisions about the scope and methodology for mitigation assessments; to provide countries with guidance and step-by-step instructions on each element of a mitigation assessment; and to help countries determine which analytical tools are best suited to their needs and describe procedures for applying these tools. This book describes the application of the most common and readily available methods and analytical tools. Countries are encouraged, where appropriate, to use their own methods.

The GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard helps companies and other organizations to identify, calculate, and report GHG emissions. It is designed to set the standard for accurate, complete, consistent, relevant and transparent accounting and reporting of GHG emissions.

Organised by the International Energy Agency Greenhouse Gas Research and Development Programme, the International Conference on Technologies for Activities Implemented Jointly was held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, May 26-29 (1997). The papers presented at the conference and published in these proceedings reflect the theme that Activities Implemented Jointly (AIJ) is a major tool to facilitate practical demonstration and development of greenhouse gas mitigation technologies. Published in a single volume under the title Greenhouse Gas Mitigation, the proceedings cover the following key areas: Key Note Presentations; International Initiatives; Enhancing Sinks and Stores; Maximising Joint Benefits; Improved Energy Technology; Asian Development Bank; Transport; Transmission and End Use. The concept of AIJ will facilitate international cooperation to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations and mitigate effects of climate change. In publishing these internationally-relevant conference proceedings, Greenhouse Gas Mitigation is likely to prove an invaluable reference tool for those engaged in research and application of initiatives to combat climate change.