...Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. PAPER View Article Online View Journal | View Issue Investigating public perceptions of carbon dioxide utilisation (CDU) technology: a mixed methods study† C. R. Jones,*ac D. Kaklamanou,b W. M. Stuttard,a R. L. Radforda and J. Burleya Received 5th May 2015, Accepted 10th June 2015 DOI: 10.1039/c5fd00063g Carbon dioxide utilisation (CDU) technologies hold promise for helping to limit atmospheric releases of CO2 while generating saleable products. However, while there is growing investment in the research and development required to bring CDU to the market, to date there has been very little systematic research into public perceptions of the technology. The current research reports upon the findings of a series of six qualitative focus groups (and an associated questionnaire) held with members of the UK public in order to discuss the perceived benefits and risks of CDU technology. The findings reveal that public awareness of CDU is currently very low and that there is a desire to learn more about the technology. While our participants did, on average, appear to develop an overall positive attitude towards CDU, this attitude was tentative and was associated with a number of caveats. The implications for the findings in terms of the development of communication and broader strategies of public engagements are outlined. Introduction Anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) are a primary cause of current global...
Words: 11497 - Pages: 46
...Abbreviations GHG – Greenhouse Gas CO2 - Carbon dioxide CH4 - Methane N2O – Nitrogen oxide LNG- Liquefied Natural Gas Abbreviations GHG – Greenhouse Gas CO2 - Carbon dioxide CH4 - Methane N2O – Nitrogen oxide LNG- Liquefied Natural Gas Highlights * We model two major oil and gas companies. * We examine causes of Climate Change * Increase in further research may produce other alternative to exist source of energy * Combined efforts will help to meet carbon reduction target ABSTRACT Playing a major role in the world, the oil and gas industry is faced with the challenge of climate change. This paper establishes the fact that climate change troubles our planet today. In establishing this fact the paper examines the causes of climate change, the relationship between climate change and the oil and gas industry through CO2. It further evaluates the various methods available to reduce CO2 emissions and the challenges the companies have in implementing the methods. This paper uses two major oil companies as case studies, to establish the above stated facts and concludes that oil and gas companies need to be involved in more research and development of alternative supply of energy, in order reduce CO2 emissions, in collaboration with other sectors of the economy in achieving the targets made regarding climate change, environmental laws and policies. Keywords: CO2, Climate Change, Industry, Oil and Gas. 1. INTRODUCTION Climate change is a global...
Words: 3987 - Pages: 16
...Druckman and Jackson aim to understand carbon dioxide emissions from economic activity and “explore the variation in carbon footprints across different segments of society.” Druckman and Jackson found that affluence was a big factor in determining carbon emission disparities but it was not the only factor. Using a Local Area Resource Analysis (LARA) model, they realised that dwelling type and household composition also played a part. Using a variety of different methods and data, Druckman and Jackson tried to understand the variations in the UK’s carbon emissions. Examples of the different types of data in the literature were: “Allocation table for high level functional uses”, trends in CO2 and household expenditure in the UK and “CO2 emissions attributable to Supergroups”. In almost all research projects there are assumptions and limitations and this was also the case in this literature. Druckman and Jackson are attempting to understand emissions linked to consumption, something that requires a great amount of data collecting due to embedded consumption. This consumption accounting requires Environmental Input-Output modelling which has not been used in the UK since 1995. Druckman and Jackson therefore have to use alternative methods (in this case, the “1995 Leontief Inverse and Imports...
Words: 1020 - Pages: 5
...technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan d Department of Business and Economics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark e Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Science, Shenyang, Liaoning Province 110016, PR China b a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 2 March 2011 Received in revised form 12 March 2012 Accepted 12 March 2012 Keywords: Carbon footprint Reverse logistics Greenhouse emissions Case study a b s t r a c t Due to the environmental legislation and regulations, manufacturing firms have realized the importance of adopting environmental friendly supply chain management (SCM) practices. In this paper, a mixed integer linear model is developed for a carbon footprint based reverse logistics network design. The proposed model aims at minimizing climate change (specifically, the CO2 footprint), and it employs reverse logistics activities to recover used products, hence combining the location/transportation decision problem. The proposed model is validated by examining a case study from the plastic sector. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction With the increasing environmental concern, resource reduction, depleting landfill capacities in many countries and...
Words: 4160 - Pages: 17
...gases. Greenhouse gases are natural gases such as CO2, Nitrous Oxide or Methane and are created in one of two ways. The first way is, through natural cycles, for instance, CO2 is released through animal respiration or plant photosynthesis. The alternative greenhouse gas production comes from man’s use of different fuels and products; this can lead to anthropogenic climate changes. Anthropogenic Climate Changes are changes in the atmosphere brought on by human activity, and there is evidence of these kinds of changes all over. By studying the size of the polar ice caps we can see that they are shrinking and this may be due to a warmer atmosphere temperature brought on by none other than an anthropogenic climate change. An IPCC report from 2007 showing levels of some of the greenhouse gases also shows that the levels of greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere has skyrocketed since the post-industrial era, this can only be attributed to man-made machines that have come to rise. So how does human activity attribute to the climate rise? Greenhouse gases are natural occurring gases that hold in some of the heat energy that comes from the sun and bounce off of the earths’ surface; it’s not that these gases are bad in nature, we actually depend on them to keep the climate of our earth at a sustainable temperature, with that being said though, they are only positive for our atmosphere in moderation. In nature the gases such as CO2, Nitrous Oxide and...
Words: 2788 - Pages: 12
...Global Warming: Fact or Fiction Abstract The purpose of this paper is to educate U.S. Congress on the facts and unreliable theories of the progression of global warming. What is global warming? The topic of global warming has been met with much controversy over the past several years. What is it, does it exist, and do the facts support the claims of greenhouse gases and high levels of CO2 created by emissions from fossil fuels. Or is there another explanation for the radical weather changes, which have increased severe storms, flooding, droughts and other extreme patterns across our great nation that has claimed many lives. In the following paragraphs we will analyze, and introduce information that can be used to evaluate the claims of global warming and the effects on our universal weather patterns, as well as introduce theories of others that indicates that global warming may not exist and isn’t a problem at all. Outline Thesis statement: 1. Background on global warming. A. Facts that support global warming does exist. 1. Analysis of research criteria done by NASA on the existence of global warming. 2. Additional information that substantiates claims that global warming is a fact. B. Seasonal changes and weather patterns linked to early migration and breeding. 1. Industrial Revolution CO2 levels associated with burning of fossil fuels, A. Changes in weather patterns and rising temperatures. B. Elucidation on the process...
Words: 1511 - Pages: 7
...Abstract: Carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas (GHG), is the major exhaust gas due to human activities contribution to79% of Canada’s total emission. CO2 is released into the atmosphere by means of burning fossil fuels, coal, and land clearance. As the concentration of CO2 accumulates into the atmosphere, climate change and global warming becomes worse. Canada is the leading country in piloting the carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) technology to reduce the emitted CO2 into the atmosphere by storing the captured CO2 underground, it could reduce GHG by 14-19% before 2050. Shell Ltd. Quest project is the first project to use CCS technology in the Athabasca oil sand projects in Canada. The Post combustion method is being used today at a smaller scale than desired. It is estimated that if post-combustion was to occur at a large industrial scale, it required energy of 25-37% of the total energy, and an estimate of about $3500/kW for the capital cost of an IGCC capture plant installation. Pre-combustion capture has a lower cost in carbon capture and higher capture percentage (90-95%) than the post-combustion capture, but requires more expense on the equipment in order for the process to work. Oxyfuel has the best efficiency (~90%) but requires 15% or more of the overall energy with a capital cost for oxyfuel installation of $1000/kW and a $60/MWh retrofit cost. Geological storage is a favourable method, where the captured CO2 travels to the storage site usually through pipelines...
Words: 2701 - Pages: 11
...the largest active carbon sinks, absorbing up to 30% of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) produced (Sabine et al., 2004). Anthropogenic CO2 absorbed by oceans form carbonic acid, which dissociates to produce hydrogen ions. This has alleviated the impacts of global warming to an extent. However, human activities such as burning fossil fuels and urbanisation have caused ocean acidity to increase by 26 % from preindustrial levels till today. (IPCC, 2014). Being terrestrial creatures, our focuses are on environmental impacts occurring on land, and less so in oceans. Yet, oceans are so fundamentally important that ignoring...
Words: 2028 - Pages: 9
...and finishing processes, such as washing, scouring, bleaching and dyeing. Hence, the elimination of process-water and chemicals would be a real breakthrough for the textile dyeing industry, and it seems this has now come to fruition, with the launch of the world’s first ever industrial dyeing machines that uses super carbon dioxide (CO2) as a replacement for water. The manufacturer behind this system is the Dutch company, DyeCoo Textile Systems BV. Years of extensive research and development has gone into producing the novel, completely water-free dyeing process which has considerable lower operational costs compared to conventional dyeing processes. Award-winning process 8 From an environmental point of view, the new dyeing machine is revolutionary. The machine was unveiled this summer and is so new it has yet to be given a name, although the technology behind the process was unveiled to the world last year when DyeCoo won the Herman Wijffels Innovation Award for the best innovative eco-based product for 2009/2010. Reinier Mommaal of DyeCoo explains that the idea for water-free dyeing is nothing new. ‘The principle of Issue 3 | 2010 dyeing with CO2 was invented in Germany twenty-five years ago. Developing a wellfunctioning machine, however, turned out to be too expensive.’ DyeCoo Textile Systems’ parent company,...
Words: 804 - Pages: 4
...Position Paper Global Warming and Common Sense The following are my thoughts as a concerned individual regarding global warming and the current efforts on CO2 reduction. I am not an expert in this field nor have I studied climatology or the chemistry of greenhouse gases on the environment. However, I have read many papers and reports on both sides of the global warming issue, and I have adopted the following conclusions along with many others who have studied the global warming problem more extensively than I have. • • Global warming is real and man-made. It will have a serious impact on humans and the environment toward the end of this century. Statements about the strong, ominous and immediate consequences of global warming are often widely exaggerated. This is unlikely to result in good policy. We need simpler, smarter and more effective solutions for global warming rather than excessive, if well intentioned efforts. Large and very expensive CO2 cuts made now will have only a rather small and insignificant impact farther into the future. Many other issues are much more important than global warming. We need to get our perspective back. There are many more pressing problems in the world, such as hunger, poverty and disease. By addressing them, we can help more people at lower cost with a much higher chance of success than pursuing drastic climate policies at a cost of trillions of dollars. • • These four points will rile a lot of people. We have become so accustomed...
Words: 1451 - Pages: 6
...Presentation to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee for Water and Environmental Affairs, 29 March 2011, Parliament, Cape Town “If we do not know where we are going, we could claim a step in any direction as progress” (Overheard during a robust discussion on the Presidency’s outcome‐based approach to prioritisation, planning and reporting) “Set a target for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as part of our responsibility to protect the environment and promote sustainable development, and to participate in sharing the burden with the global community under a common framework of action” (One of the climate change resolutions of the ANC’s 52nd National Conference in Polokwane in 2007) Presentation overview The mitigation challenge – the South African Greenhouse Gas (GHG) profile A quick introduction to Arithmophobia Concerns around the numbers. The ‘non‐numbers’ – The Long‐Term Mitigation Scenarios’ (LTMS) Required by Science trajectory – “our aspirational goal” Cabinet’s 2008 ‘peak, plateau and decline’ directive The 2009 ‘Copenhagen Undertaking’ Finding a definition that is sensitive to the concerns. A possible way forward. South Africa’s GHG profile (2000) South Africa’s GHG profile – Energy Emissions South Africa’s GHG profile – Fuel Combustion Energy Industries South Africa’s GHG profile – Initial update figures Arithmophobia ‐ Fear of Numbers Arithmophobia is also known as 'numerophobia'. Having a fear of numbers has an adverse effect on the ...
Words: 2552 - Pages: 11
...environment. It is designed to impose a fee on high-carbon vehicles and give a rebate to low-carbon vehicles, so that it aims to shift consumer purchases to low-carbon vehicles. Starting from 2015, Korean government will plan to implement this policy for this purpose. To evaluate the effectiveness of this policy, this paper conducts research from three different aspects: its effects on Korean auto industry, fiscal neutrality, and consumer welfare. Based on the evaluation, this paper concludes whether it is timely or premature that a car feebate program is introduced in Korea as planned. 1. Introduction Due to a fee imposed on high-carbon vehicles and a rebate given to low-carbon vehicles, the relative price adjustment arises among vehicles: the price of high-carbon vehicles relatively goes up, whereas that of low-carbon vehicles relatively goes down. This paper asks how this relative price adjustment affects Korean auto industry. Moreover, given the fact that this policy pursues “fiscal neutrality”, which means the amount of fees imposed equals to that of rebates given, this paper doubts whether or not it could secure the fiscal neutrality. Lastly, this paper shows how this policy influences on consumer welfare. As global warming has been getting worse due to vehicle exhaust emissions, many countries are introducing environment-protecting policies. A car feebate program is one of them. It is reported that Korean government will plan to introduce this policy in 2015. However...
Words: 2522 - Pages: 11
...that Earth will have the ability to sustain life for many many many future generations to come. Human activity has been linked to Earth's warming temperatures, rising seas, more intense storms, and a host of other environmental woes, because increases in greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation trap heat that would otherwise escape from Earth which results in global warming; however, global warming may just be caused by natural occurrences, such as cosmic rays, the sun, volcanic activity and the ocean. The combustion of fossil fuels input enormous emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere causing the atmospheric CO2 levels to rise radically. The academic textbook, Contemporary Environmental Issues states, “CO2 is the principal gas contributing to the enhanced greenhouse effect…three main greenhouse gases, CO2, CH4, and N2O, are rising because of human activities such as the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas” (Turk & Bensel, 2011). Levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have increased substantially through the industrial revolution. In particular, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by roughly 35 percent since...
Words: 2300 - Pages: 10
...Date: March 11th, 2012 To: From: Subject: Proposal to Research Alternative Energy in Vehicles I have received your RFP and have written up a proposal based on the requirements you have listed. This proposal outlines the research I would like to continue regarding the feasibility of alternative energy sources in vehicles, particularly in hybrid vehicles. I have included a summary of the topic, a description of the graphics I plan to use, deadlines that will be met, costs involved, and an outline for the report. I am quite eager to research this topic more and appreciate you taking the time to read through this proposal. If you need to get a hold of me, you can reach me at bpryan@ualberta.ca. Attached: “Proposal: Are Hybrids Really That Good?” Proposal: Are Hybrids Really That Good? Introduction The following is a proposal to write a research report analysing the efficiency and environmental sustainability of switching from a traditional fuel burning vehicle to a hybrid. This proposal will contain some information on the contents of the research paper, a presumed audience level, a schedule and outline for the areas I will address in the paper, as well as my qualifications for researching this topic. A budget as well as a list of project deadlines will also be added to the end of this proposal. With regards to my topic, it will focus on the most common type of hybrid: the electric hybrid. This vehicle combines an internal combustion engine with one...
Words: 1138 - Pages: 5
...Carbon Sequestration and Carbon Sink More than 40 percent of CO2emissions in the US are due to electric power generation. Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and sequestration (CCS) technology could reduce these emissions from power plants by 80 to 90 percent. For example, if CCS technology was applied to a 500 MW coal-fired power plant, emitting 3 million tons of C02 per year, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions avoided is equal to: • Planting more than 62 million trees, and waiting at least 10 years for them to grow • Avoiding annual electricity-related emissions from more than 300,000 homes CCS technology would also significantly reduce emissions from other industrial processes such as gas operations and cement facilities (EPA, 20xx). The world has lost 50 to 70 percent of its original carbon stock. This translates into a huge amount of soil carbon released into the atmosphere. Not long ago, in the 19th century, the US was home to vast tracts of prairie grass with rich, fertile soils. Today only three percent of those prairies are in existence. Current studies on carbon sinks center on soil carbon, how it escaped from the earth and how this process can be reversed. To take the research further, investigators are interested in how this knowledge can be used to slow rise of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is a known cause global warming. There is hope that carbon can be placed back into the soil in places like the North China Plain, the interior of Australia and the...
Words: 637 - Pages: 3
