Greenhouse emissions

COST OF REDUCING GREENHOUSE EMISSIONS AND IMPACT ON ENERGY SYSTEMS... 

Compared with other alternative motor fuel options (reformulated gasoline, compressed or liquefied natural gas, ethanol from corn or coal, methanol and electricity), propane has the lowest greenhouse gas emissions except for natural gas. According to a 1998 study by the Institute of Transportation Studies, greenhouse emissions from propane vehicles arc 21.8 percent less than from gasoline or diesel. 

Some environmentalists have also touted natural gas as a way station on the road to a hydrogen fuel (carbon dioxide-free) economy. As seen in Table 1, per unit of energy released, natural gas generates about 23 percent less carbon dioxide than gasoline and about 30 percent less than heavy fuel oil. This is helpful in reducing greenhouse emissions, but the other excellent properties of natural gas are even... 

The US pollutes more, absolutely and per head, than any other country (it also produces more wealth). Its greenhouse emissions have raised by more than 11% since 1990 its Kyoto commitment was to reduce them by 6%. It is the only country to have signed the protocol and then to have repudiated it. President Bush said in March, 2005 the US would not ratify Kyoto, because he thought it could damage the US economy and because it does not yet require developing countries to cut their emissions. His domestic and foreign critics think the US will lose economically by staying alone. 

Developing countries like India are listed under Kyoto as Annex II countries, and they are not obliged to make any cuts in greenhouse emissions reduction yet. But as they raise living standards their emissions will obviously increase India s have risen by more than 52% since 1990. Under Kyoto, they will have to accept reduction targets in a few years from now. The protocol s architects say it is fair to allow them a grace period, because the problem has been caused by the industrialised countries. But India, with more than 1 bn people, will soon be a major polluter. 

The concern for primary energy is dominant while demanding increased safety and reduced noxious and greenhouse emissions, with the following expectations fewer than 35 000 annual fatalities in Europe by 2010 while aiming at fewer than 100 fatalities per million vehicles by 2015, with radical reductions of both NO and CO2 emissions and aiming at zero local emissions [3]. 

On the contrary, reducing oil imports and greenhouse emissions were implicit goals of the EPAct 2005 and are today explicit goals of the US energy policy. 

In contrast to the industrial lobbies, the courts seem to be "catching up" with the interests of the general public and have already played a positive role. In April 2007, the Supreme Court in a 5 4 decision rejected the administration s contention that C02 is not a pollutant and decided that under the Clean Air Act, the EPA has the power to regulate greenhouse emissions. It took eight years for the lawsuit filed by the EPA and eight states against the American Electric Power Company to force a reduction in its carbon emissions. 

International conferences, such as the 1997 Conference on Climate Change in Kyoto, Japan, provided a forum for politicians, business interests, and scientists to seek ways to cut greenhouse emissions. But the largest producer of CO2, the United States, refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and, as a result, many expect global warming and its associated effects on Earth s climate to increase. 

Methane is another greenhouse gas that is 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide. This fact is particuiariy significant for countries with iots of animais, because methane is produced by methanogenic archae that iive in the animais rumen. For exampie, sheep and cattie produce about 14% of Austraiia s totai greenhouse emissions. To reduce this ievei, Austraiia has initiated a program to vaccinate sheep and cattie to iower the number of archae present in their digestive systems. It is hoped that this effort wiii reduce by 20% the amount of methane emitted by these animais. 

In the United States there are presently about 100 operable nuclear reactors (over 400 worldwide) producing 21% of the country s electrical power. The number of operable reactors has decreased since it reached its peak in 1990, but there is some interest in reviving the nuclear industry because it is a zero greenhouse emission technology and because it does not consume limited resources of fossil fuels. 

Additionally, in comparison to hot asphalts, cold asphalts require less total energy to be produced and laid, the total greenhouse emissions is less and the working conditions and... 

A Figure 18.12 Ruminant animals such as cows and sheep produce methane in their digestive systems. In Australia sheep and cattle produce about 14% of the country s total greenhouse emissions. 

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