Reduction of carbon dioxide emissions - Essay Example

? 6 June Reduction of Carbon Dioxide Emissions Why reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions? Global warming has become one of the biggest world issues in the present age because it is causing a lot of problems. With the increase in temperature, more and more glaciers are melting away every year and this water pours into rivers and seas. The resulting increase in the sea level is the main cause of the frequent and severe hurricanes, cyclones and tsunamis. The rise in temperature of water on the surface of sea facilitates in the building up of tsunamis. Natural disasters have blanketed the world in the recent years. Every year, many areas are flooded with water which is a potential threat to the life of animals and humans. Many people lose their lives in tsunamis. Glaciers that are melting away are depriving many animal species of their habitat. Glaciers are the primary source of food and shelter for polar bears. The rate at which glaciers are melting away presently will soon make the polar bears extinct from Earth completely. Also, thousands of cattle are drowned in floods whenever they occur. In addition to that, many people die of severe heat in the summer season every year because every summer season is getting much hotter than the preceding one. Air pollution has made people acquire many diseases. Thus, global warming is a big threat to life on Earth in many ways. Increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is the fundamental cause of global warming. CO2 is the fundamental greenhouse gas that causes the temperature to rise. In order to reduce the global warming, it is imperative that level of CO2 emissions is reduced. Two-thirds of the total electricity in the world is produced from fossil fuels which, along with doing this job, make one-third of the total CO2 emission in the world. Along with CO2, many other greenhouse gases are also produced from the fossil fuels that include but are not limited to methane and CO. Nature has blessed us with trees that consume CO2 to produce oxygen, but the sad part of the story is that trees are also decreasing in number with every passing day as more products are being made of wood. It takes much more time for a tree to grow than the rate at which they are being cut. As a result of this, the fundamental source of consumption of CO2 and reduction of its level in the atmosphere is readily vanishing. Thus, the level of CO2 in the atmosphere is increasing. Owing to the dreadful consequences of the increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere as discussed above, there is dire need to reduce its level. In order to make the world a habitable place for the future generations, measures need to be taken before it is too late. This can fundamentally be achieved by reducing the emission of CO2 which requires a combined effort from all countries. Technologies to reduce CO2 emissions: In order to reduce the CO2 emissions in the atmosphere, the first and foremost step that needs to be taken is the introduction of renewable energy in the transport sector. There is dire need to integrate the transport sector into the energy system in order to obtain maximum effect. CO2 emissions can be reduced in a lot of ways by controlling the transportation on land, sea and air. With every passing day, more and more cars are crowding the streets all over the world. The cars can be made quite fuel efficient in the least time. In order to solve the global energy system, the electric cars can be charged with the help of wind turbines. This would be a long term solution of the problem. Hydrogen can be used in place of fuel to drive the electric cars. Another way to reduce the CO2 emissions is by way of road charges. There is need to determine alternatives to the conventional sources of fuel so as to minimize the effect of supply shortages on the transport activities. Diesel engines have conventionally been made use of for the transportation on highways, though they release a lot of CO2 into the atmosphere. It is better to use gas engines instead of the diesel engines. In the contemporary age, the use of battery technology is not consistent with the trucks that are electrically powered. It is a good idea to make use of small electric vans in order to distribute goods around the city. 90 per cent of the transport of goods all over the world occurs through international shipping. Traffic of shipping needs to be made slower and sea routes need to be planned in a better way in order to reduce the CO2 emission. Ships need to be provided with better propellers so that the water resistance can be minimized. These measures, if taken, can reduce the emission of CO2 by 10 to 15 per cent. If the hydraulics in passenger planes are replaced with the electric engines, they can be made quite fuel efficient.   A Georgia Tech City and Regional Planning study on climate change, published February 10, 2009 online by Environmental Science and Technology, shows that “smart growth” combined with the use of hybrid vehicle technology could reduce cities’ carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions – the principal driver of global warming – significantly by 2050. (Nagel). Brian Stone, who is the associate professor of City and Regional Planning, says that it has been shown through research that the conversion of full vehicle fleet into the hybrid electric vehicle can reduce the estimated level of CO 2 emission from vehicles in 2050 to the levels of CO2 emission in the 2000 (Nagel). Examples of hybrid electric vehicles are Chevy Volt and Toyota Prius. In the same research, another conclusion that was drawn was that in 2050, if the population density of large cities in US doubles up, it would affect the reduction of CO2 emissions even more than the full hybridization of vehicle fleet. Stone said: In this study we looked at two general approaches on how to deal with the challenge of climate change. One approach is to improve vehicle technology and become more efficient. We can use less gas and reduce tailpipe emissions of CO2. The second approach is to change behavior by changing the way we design cities. We can travel less and take more walking and transit trips. (Nagel). Nevertheless, if the national vehicle fleet is fully hybridized by 2050, this would still not match the target levels of CO2 as determined by the Kyoto Protocol that is an agreement of international climate change signed by US. In order to meet the desired target, the emission of CO2 from all US sectors should be declined to the levels of 1990 or even lower than that. In order to control the CO2 emissions, things of everyday use should be recycled and reused. The reliance on oil and coal should be minimized. Use of HVAC should be minimized. Cars should be replaced with bicycles. Bicycles do not consume fuel and are thus, an environment friendly means of transport. People should make use of energy efficient products. Also, use of material in construction that is rich in carbon content should be minimized. Use of wood in make things should be banned and more plants should be grown everywhere. These measures, if taken, can cause a considerable decrease in the global warming and let Earth remain a habitable place for polar bears and a safe place for humans in the future. “We show that it’s critical to have both technology and land-use policies to deal with CO2 because we won’t be able to reach Kyoto [Protocol]-like targets without [both]” (Stone cited in Chatterjee). Along with the government, many successful companies have taken measures to make the businesses green. One such company is the Japanese Company INAX, which manufactures the bath, kitchen and toilet fixtures. This Company has used ceramics technology as a means to reduce the CO2 emissions. INAX has made low-carbon products and business practices through creativity in the manufacturing, utilization and recycling of products. INAX considers the individualistic features of every stage in the life cycle of products so as to ensure the reduced emission of CO2 during all stages. With a view to making its business greener, INAX plans to alter its ceramic production technologies. In 1990, 89 per cent of the total CO2 emitted by INAX came from the making of such ceramics as bathroom fixtures and tiles (Ohno). In order to produce the ceramics, INAX used to heat the entire kiln with the help of fossil fuels, whereas no more than 10 per cent of the total energy thus produced was actually utilized in making the ceramics inside the kiln. This was undoubtedly a very inefficient process. INAX is currently using research and development to make a new production system in which the thermal conductivity would be unusually high and more heat would be directed to the ceramics instead of the surroundings. “To achieve an 80 percent reduction in its CO2 emissions by 2050, the company estimates that it will need to cut emissions by 33 percent by introducing high-efficiency kilns and by 47 percent by using renewable energy” (Ohno). INAX has generally adopted such practices that are conducive for sustainable living. In addition to reducing the emission of CO2 in the atmosphere, INAX has also developed ways to reduce the consumption of water in its fixtures. In 2006, INAX introduced ECO6 in the market. ECO6 is a water saving toilet. It uses no more than 6 liters in one flush. As compared to the previous models, ECO6 offered a 60 per cent saving in water. Likewise, IAX developed a recycling facility in 2007, which is called as the INAX Eco-Center Tokoname. This facility serves to collect and recycle all sorts of used fixtures which is a potential way to minimize the waste as well as carbon content in the environment. Prudent businessmen are taking steps today to have sustained business tomorrow: I know that environmental issues are not limited to CO2 emissions, but this issue is symbolic of our whole Environmental Declaration. ... It delineates an ideal situation for 2050 with a specific numerical target. You may feel that 2050 is the distant future, but in 2050, today's new employees will be retiring. I asked them at their first training workshop to work together to keep our corporation sustainable even at that time. (Mizuno cited in Ohno). Policy making: Rational policies need to be made and implemented in order to reduce the CO2 emissions. To lower the CO2 emissions, such public policies should be made which tend to minimize the hindrances in the way of implementation of CO2 reducing strategies and which empower avenues of commerce, creativity and discovery so that progress can be made real and quantifiable. CO2 emissions have no single way of reduction. Formulation and implementation of policies which result in decreased carbon life-cycle emissions need such strategies which would address the lifecycle characteristics of the resources of energy like natural gas, coal and other renewable sources, formulation of systems of low carbon propulsion and transformation to the energy carriers like hydrogen, electricity, and fuels. These policies are presently not enforced at the federal level. However, these policies are increasingly being developed and implemented in many foreign countries. According to (ASME 25), CO2 emissions can be minimized by developing such a policy framework which includes: Mandatory and progressive goals for reducing the CO2 emissions from all primary sectors of energy that include but are not limited to transportation, power generation, residential and commercial buildings, manufacturing. The goals should be realized with respect to the near term, mid term, and long term timeframes. The approaches for increasing the motivation among the various economic sectors to limit the CO2 emissions should be made flexible as the limits vary from one sector to another. The approaches may include as per the requirements of a particular sector, guarantees of governmental loan, performance standards, market based incentives, tax reform, performance criteria, deployment, research and development, and several other policy tools. Such approaches should be devised that would tend to lower the emission of CO2 on a global scale rather than a regional scale. This requires mutual effort by all countries. Although it does not go in the interest of many countries to take measures to reduce the CO2 emissions given this comes as a compromise upon the profitability of business for many, yet the cause is bigger and all countries must unite to make a combined effort towards the reduction of CO2 level in the atmosphere. More money should be invested in the research and development so that newer and cost effective methods of making energy efficient technologies can be identified. Research should explore ways to enhance the efficiency of carbon energy systems. Government should pay great attention towards increasing the competency of workforce working for the advanced energy technologies. Their education and training is vital for their improved productivity. The infrastructures need to be improved in accordance with the demands of the technologies selected for the reduction of CO2 emissions. (ASME) has sufficiently thrown light upon all areas that need to be taken into consideration while making the policy for reduction of CO2 emissions. These areas largely cover all aspects of the story and proper measures, if taken, can greatly reduce the CO2 emissions and also make the process effective and cost efficient. Cities with reduced carbon emission – The Green Cities: It may come to many as a surprise but Ahmedabad in India is one city, whose greenhouse gas emissions and CO2 emissions are far below what the national average for India is according to the records maintained by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) (The Times of India). In the same report issued by (The Times of India), it is mentioned that a research was conducted between 2007 and 2008 in which 40 cities of India were investigated for the level of CO2 emission. Among all 40 of them, Ahmedabad was found to be the greenest with the least level of emission of CO2. The total amount of CO2 emissions found in Ahmedabad as a result of the research was found to be 6780752 tonnes. Of these, 1.97 lakh tonnes were released by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC’s) activities. CO2 emissions resulting from the community activities which the inhabitants of Ahmedabad performed was found to be 65.83 lakh tones. However, this analysis is only about the area limited within AMC. Many industries that are located on the outskirts of the city as well as the thermal and captive power plants were not included in the study. Had they also been included in the research, the level of CO2 emission determined would have increased manifolds. According to municipal commissioner IP Gautam, AMC has implemented numerous carbon emission reducing processes in Ahmedabad. Some of these processes include use of the methane gas which is released from the sewerage plant about 180 million litres per day (MLD). AMC has established a complete landfill site in Gyaspur. The waste-beads are burnt in order to generate electricity. All of these measures serve to reduce the emission of CO2 into the atmosphere. Various technologies have also been employed to cut down the consumption of electricity that include use of BRTS mass transit system, LED lighting source, e-governance and other kinds of green technologies. AMC has agreements with the three companies with a 60 per cent to 40 per cent profit sharing arrangement for carbon credit trade. Gujarat Urban Development Corporation is the main agency for the carbon credit trade in Gujarat. We would even put our BRTS project for carbon credit trade. (Gautam cited in The Times of India). According to the results of a survey conducted in 2008 mentioned in (CountryHome), top ten green cities in America were found in ascending order, to be Corvallis, Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, Bellingham, Santa Rosa-Petaluma, Boulder, Eugene-Springfield, Santa Cruz-Watsonville, Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Bend, and Santa Barbara-Santa Maria. These cities have made use of technology to improve the environment by way of reduction of CO2 emissions. In the contemporary age, the top most priority in all developing cities everywhere in the world in general, and in high-income economies in particular, is to make the cities green by implementing such town planning techniques that the living becomes sustainable and the city becomes greener. In order to achieve these purposes, many techniques are being implemented some of which have been discussed before. Works Cited: ASME. “Technology and policy recommendations and goals for reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the energy sector.” 2009. Web. 6 Jun. 2011. . Chatterjee, Rhitu. “Smart growtha solution to climate change?” Environ. Sci. Technology. vol. 43. no. 6. 2009. Web. 6 Jun. 2011. . CountryHome. “Best Green Cities: 2008 City Rankings.” 2011. Web. 6 Jun. 2011. . Nagel, Matthew. “Smart Growth, Technology Could Reduce CO2 Emissions.” 12 Feb. 2009. Web. 6 Jun. 2011. . Ohno, Taeko. “[Newsletter] Using Ceramics Technology to Reduce CO2 Emissions 80% by 2050 – INAX Corp.” 16 Mar. 2009. Web. 6 Jun. 2011. . The Times of India. “City has lowest carbon emission: Study.” 14 Oct. 2009. Web. 6 Jun. 2011. . Read More