There is no doubt that climate change poses a grave danger, if there are any questions to be raised, they should be on our level of preparedness to face this challenge head on. We need to identify innovative ways of coming up with the most effective solutions in renewable energy and sustainability.

One of the most effective ways of combating climate change would be to improve specific aspects of our everyday interaction with the environment, transportation is a case in point.

The transport sector globally is the single highest energy consumer (around 19% ) producing around a quarter of the world’s CO2 emissions, this is probably not surprising given that much of the world depends on one form of motorised transport or another in their day-to-day lives.

Although road transport accounts for 75% of worldwide transport CO2 emissions according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), aviation and shipping are rapidly catching up . If we continue on the current path, the amount of energy we use and the associated CO2 emissions that are likely to be produced could increase by 50% by 2030, clearly an unsustainable prospect.

To mitigate this scenario, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommends that CO2 emissions be reduced by 50% by 2050, this may seem like a tall order particularly for the world’s governments, vehicle manufacturers, aircraft makers and ship builders but we are already seeing meaningful progress in these areas.

For example, the global aviation industry today contributes around 2.1% of CO2 emissions and initiatives in the use of alternative fuels for air transport are beginning to really take off!

Here in the Middle East, aviation is a particularly strong growing transport sector, as the region rapidly develops economically and emerges as the modern world’s crossroads between East and West. As transit hubs in the UAE and Qatar see their respective airline fleets rapidly swell, we could witness an increasing interest and investment in reducing their carbon footprints.

Indeed, we have seen real steps being taken in this direction, in my role as Assistant Professor at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology I have been fortunate enough to lead a unique study into jet fuel made from saltwater plants – which are abundant in this region – in partnership with Abu Dhabi based Etihad Airlines, Boeing and Honeywell’s oil and gas processing arm, UOP. Other international carriers such as KLM, Lufthansa and Continental Airlines have been testing various types of biofuels with Aeromexico launching the world’s first transcontinental flight powered partially by oil from the Jatropha Curcas oilseed plant.

Back on the ground, the world’s first carbon-neutral city, Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, began a year-long electric vehicle pilot project with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to look into the feasibility of having a point-to-point transport system. If successful, the scheme could not only have major implications for the future of road transport at Masdar City but for the Middle East region at large.

These are just the kinds of initiatives that have the potential to impact our daily lives but they also need the encouragement and support of the world community in order to make the journey from the drawing board or the testing stage into real world sustainable transportation solutions. Recognising this, the Zayed Future Energy Prize seeks to not only highlight but stimulate and inspire renewable energy and sustainable solutions every year by awarding innovative and deserving candidates in this field from all around the world.

This year once again, I have had the privilege to chair the Review Committee meeting which was held last week to shortlist the top 33 candidates for the $4 million 2012 Prize. Over the course of the two-day meeting, we had the chance to review some excellent submissions representing parts of the renewable energy and sustainability community that are either directly or indirectly related to transportation. In 2010 we saw Toyota awarded for bringing us all one major step closer to sustainable transport with its efforts in mass-producing the world’s first hybrid fuel, the Prius since 1997.

The Zayed Future Energy Prize represents the latest in a whole host of bold moves for the UAE in renewable energy and sustainability, with the increase in the number of candidates who have submitted their green initiatives for the 2012 Prize, it’s clear that there is a genuine hunger for clean and sustainable innovations.

Article by Dr. Sgouris Sgouridis, Assistant Professor at the Masdar Institute of Science & Technology. Sustainable transportation is one of his research areas.

References
(i) TRANSPORT ENERGY EFFICIENCY (information paper), Implementation of IEA Recommendations since 2009 and next steps (Sept 2010)
(ii) IEA – Transport, energy and CO2 – Moving toward sustainability (2009
(iii) IEA -Transport, energy and CO2 – Moving toward sustainability (2009)

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A drought that affected large areas of the Amazon rainforest in 2010 triggered the release of about 1.8 million tons of carbon dioxide, more than the total annual CO2 emissions of India, according to a new study.

After combining a NASA carbon cycle simulation model and satellite data that reflects the “greenness” — or light interception capacity — of forest canopies, researchers at the NASA Ames Research Center found that net primary production in some forest areas decreased by an average of 7 percent compared with 2008 data. The drought not only reduced the amount of CO2 absorbed by the rainforest, but the drying of normally flooded areas also released large amounts of CO2 through the decomposition of soil and dead wood.

According to the study, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, the results suggest “a more widespread and long-lasting impact to Amazonian forests than what could be inferred based solely on rainfall data.”

While the NASA scientists said the effects could ultimately be offset by plant growth when normal conditions resume, other researchers warn that an increase in severe droughts could portend the collapse of the Amazonian rainforest system.

Article appearing courtesy Yale Environment 360.

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A new study says the explosive growth in China’s construction sector is now driving the country’s steep increase in carbon emissions, reversing a long-term trend in which consumption and exports were the dominant factors.

According to the study, published in journal Environmental Science & Technology, increased capital investment in infrastructure projects has fueled an expansion of the energy-intensive construction industry in recent years.

Until 2002, the most critical factor driving Chinese CO2 emissions was the growth of consumption and factory production for exports, said Jan C. Minx of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and lead author of the study. From 2002 to 2007, however, researchers found that improved energy efficiency actually offset the rise in emissions from increased consumption. But emissions continued to skyrocket during that period — with the average annual CO2 emissions growth rivaling the UK’s total CO2 emissions— largely because of growth in the construction sector and related energy-intensive products such as steel and concrete.

“Emissions grow faster and faster because CO2 intensive sectors linked to the building of infrastructure have become more and more dominant,” Minx said.

Article appearing courtesy Yale Environment 360.

photo: lamazone

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A bipartisan panel of scientists, former government officials, and energy experts is urging the U.S. government to explore the potential benefits, costs, and risks of geoengineering schemes to slow global warming.

In a new report, the 18-member panel convened by the Washington, D.C.-based Bipartisan Policy Center concedes that the use of technology to slow or reverse global warming — such as scattering light-reflecting aerosols into the atmosphere or seeding the oceans with iron to trigger CO2-absorbing algae blooms — is “no substitute” for cutting carbon dioxide emissions. But with the failure of the U.S. and the international community to take meaningful measures to reduce CO2 emissions, the panel recommends that the U.S. government should begin researching and testing alternatives in case the Earth’s climate system reaches a “tipping point” and immediate remedial action is required.

“The federal government is the only entity that has the incentive, responsibility, and capacity to run a broad, systematic, and effective program,” the report says. “It can also play an important role in effectively establishing international research norms.”

Article appearing courtesy Yale Environment 360.

photo: NASA

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Global carbon dioxide emissions increased by 45 percent between 1990 and 2010, reaching a record high 33 billion tons last year, according to a report by the European Commission’s Joint Research Center. The report said that increased energy efficiency, renewable energy, and nuclear power are not compensating for a surge in emissions from developing countries, most notably China — with a 257 percent increase in CO2 emissions from 1990 to 210 — and India, whose emissions increased by 180 percent. By contrast, the European Union’s emissions declined by 7 percent from 1990 to 2010, and Russia’s dropped 27 percent. U.S. emissions increased by 5 percent from 1990 to 2010. After a slowdown in CO2 emissions at the height of the recession in 2008 and 2009, global emissions saw a record-breaking increase of 5.8 percent from 2009 to 2010, the report said. Meanwhile, a study in the journal Climate Change Letters said that even if average global temperature increases can be held to 2 degrees C (3.5 F) this century — an increasingly unlikely prospect — 70 to 80 percent of the globe’s land surface will experience summertime temperatures that exceed observed historical extremes in at least half of all years.

Article appearing courtesy Yale Environment 360.

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Global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2)increased by 45 % between 1990 and 2010, and reached an all-time high of 33 billion tons in 2010. Increased energy efficiency, nuclear energy and the growing contribution of renewable energy are not compensating for the globally increasing demand for power and transport, which is strongest in developing countries. This increase took place despite emission reductions in industrialized countries during the same period. Even though different countries show widely variable emission trends, industrialized countries are likely to meet the collective Kyoto target of a 5.2 % reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2012 as a group, partly thanks to large emission reductions from economies in transition in the early nineties and more recent reductions due to the 2008-2009 recession. These figures were published yesterday in the report “Long-term trend in global CO2 emissions”, prepared by the European Commission’s Joint Research Center and PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency.

Over the period 1990-2010, in the European Union and Russia CO2 emissions decreased by 7% and 28% respectively, while the USA’s emissions increased by 5% and the Japanese emissions remained more or less constant. The industrialized countries that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol (so called ratifying Annex 1 countries) and the USA, in 1990 caused about two-thirds of global CO2 emissions.

Their share of global emissions has now fallen to less than half the global total. Continued growth in the developing countries and emerging economies and economic recovery by the industrialized countries are the main reasons for a record breaking 5.8% increase in global CO2 emissions between 2009 and 2010. Most major economies contributed to this increase, led by China, USA, India and European Union with increases of 10%, 4%, 9% and 3% respectively. The increase is significant even when compared to 2008, when global CO2 emissions were at their highest before the global financial crisis. It can be noted that in Europe, CO2 emissions remain lower in absolute terms than they were before the crisis (4.0 billion tons in 2010 as compared to 4.2 billion tons in 2007).

At present, the USA emits 16.9 tons CO2 per capita per year, over twice as much as Europe with 8.1 tons. By comparison, Chinese per capita CO2 emissions of 6.8 tons are still below the Europe average, but now equal those of Italy. It should be noted that the average figures for China and Europe hide significant regional differences.

After a 1% decline in 2009, global carbon dioxide (CO2)emissions increased by more than 5% in 2010, which is unprecedented in the last two decades, but similar to the increase in 1976 when the global economy was recovering from the first oil crisis and subsequent stock market crash. CO2 emissions went up in most of the major economies, led by China and India with increases of 10% and 9% respectively. The average annual growth rate in CO2 emissions over the last three years of the credit crunch, including a 1% increase in 2008 when the first impacts became visible, is 1.7%, almost equal to the long-term annual average of 1.9% for the preceding two decades back to 1990. However, most industrialized countries have not recovered fully from their decreases in emissions of 7 to 12% in 2009.

Article by Andy Soos, appearing courtesy Environmental News Network.

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Carbon dioxide emissions from the exploitation of Alberta’s tar sands will far outweigh emissions reductions in other sectors of Canada’s economy and will be a major contributor to the country missing its 2020 targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new report.

Environment Canada, the country’s chief environmental agency, said that the tar sands development — which injects steam into thick oil deposits to produce oil — will produce 62 million metric tons of CO2 emissions from 2005 to 2020, more than offsetting 31 million metric tons in CO2 reductions as Canada’s power plants switch from burning coal to natural gas.

Another analysis by Canada’s Pembina Institute estimates that by 2020 Alberta’s tar sands will account for 12 percent of Canada’s total CO2 emissions, a major reason why Canada will exceed its 2020 CO2 emissions reductions target by 178 million metric tons.

Industry officials said, however, that the Environment Canada and Pembina reports overestimate future CO2 emissions from the tar sands because new technologies being employed there will help reduce emissions in the coming years.

Article appearing courtesy Yale Environment 360.

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Heavy sigh. I just read an article that dampened my day – and that’s saying something considering the rainy Vancouver weather we’ve been experiencing this spring. I read that the carbon dioxide emitted by energy use hit a record high globally in 2010. After a slight dip caused by the global financial crisis in 2009, CO2 emissions are estimated to have reached 30.6 Gigatonnes. That’s a lot of tons.

While this news isn’t necessarily surprising, it is troublesome. And worrying.

You see, there was a goal set by our various global leaders at the UN climate change talks in Cancun, which was held, ironically, in 2010. That goal was to limit the rise in the global average temperature to no more than a 2°C increase by the year 2020. Breaching that threshold would greatly raise the risk of flooding, storms, rising sea levels, species extinction, and more. This is jarring considering we’re already experiencing some significant incidences of those events.

According to the International Energy Agency, in order to achieve the above-mentioned goal, we have to keep our CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere in the range of about 450 parts per million (which is where we currently stand), and we cannot have more than 32 Gigatonnes of CO2 in the atmosphere by the year 2020. In 2009, the CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere were at about 29.3 Gigatonnes and they jumped to 30.6 Gigatonnes by 2010. That’s a 5% jump in about one year. Here’s the kicker, folks: Staying under the 2°C mark means that over the next 10 years the CO2 emissions in our atmosphere must rise less in total than they did between 2009 and 2010. All together now… heavy sigh.

It will be challenging, but as a species I think we could be up to the task. It’s not exactly like we have a choice, non?

One incredible hotel in Bali is definitely stepping up to this challenge. It’s the world’s first zero carbon 5-star hotel! Zero carbon! The hotel, aptly named the Bali Net Zero Hotel Resort, is powered by the sun and also features a generating solar power plant that will provide energy to the local Balinese community! It will generate close to 2.5MW of power each day, which is more than double what the hotel requires. This hotel, launched by Christine Hadiningrat in collaboration with Sauter Carbon Offset Design, is going above and beyond simply offsetting its carbon usage. The profits it makes from the sale of the extra solar power will be used to cover the cost of installing and maintaining the systems as well as potentially expanding the infrastructure to cover additional local municipality facilities. Saving the planet, supporting the local community, and a return on their investment? Can we get a round of applause for them please!

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One of my least favorite things to do is go grocery shopping. I’m usually there at the worst times (right after work, along with the rest of the population of Vancouver), I usually forget my list (and subsequently all the items of which I’m most in need), and I almost always end up in line behind someone who’s paying for their bill in nickels, dimes and pennies (or, you know, I’m that person). Some people love it, some people don’t. I definitely fall into the latter category. But, while I do not enjoy grocery shopping, I do enjoy food and therefore find myself at the grocery store at regular intervals.

What has never crossed my mind until quite recently however, was how much energy these supermarkets use to power their refrigeration systems. There are a lot of coolers and freezers in supermarkets and a lot of them are open to the air, which means they are running constantly and using up a significant amount of electricity.

According to Energy Star, supermarkets use about 50 kilowatt-hours per year. What does that translate to? Well, that kind of energy consumption equates to about $4 per square foot of space, and considering the average-sized supermarket is about 50,000 square feet, this ends up being around $200,000 per year in energy bills. That also mean 1,900 tons of CO2 emissions (the equivalent of the emissions of 360 vehicles) being stuffed into our atmosphere’s grocery bag every year. And that’s just for one supermarket. Yikes.

Seems as though the supermarket sector could benefit from an energy efficiency plan, n’est pas?

Luckily, some supermarket chains are taking steps to rein in their energy consumption and reduce their carbon emissions. We’ve discussed the various behavioural and organizational changes one can implement an energy efficiency plan (click here for a reminder), but technological changes can also be extremely effective. Yes, technological upgrades or retrofits can seem costly at first, but remember that the more energy efficient the systems are, the more dollars you’ll save on your energy bill. Everyone loves it when an investment pays for itself – just ask these guys.

Smartcool’s Monitoring &Verification team recently visited a local supermarket to download their energy consumption data from a logger we had previously installed. Check out the video of their little adventure! As you can see, there are a lot of compressors slogging away to keep the refrigeration system running and the food nice and cold. This is also where I finally took notice of how much energy it takes to run an average supermarket. Thankfully, this particular supermarket is taking the technological steps to become more energy efficient and, considering the above-mentioned CO2 tonnage that supermarkets contribute to our atmosphere, I’d say that’s a step in the right direction!

But what else does it mean? Well, since the profit margins in supermarkets are very thin (around 1-3%), it’s suggested that a 10% reduction in energy cost can increase net profits by as much as 16%! That, my friends, is significant and once again points out the win-win situation we can find ourselves in. Saving the planet and saving money while you’re at it!

Now, if you could excuse me, I’ve got to run out and get some milk…

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Turning things off doesn’t always turn things off.

Sure, most people nowadays try their best to be responsible – turning lights off when we leave a room, doing the same with the televisions. However, if you think that your appliances shut completely “off,” when the switch is turned off, you’d be wrong.

Think about it. Your T.V. is off, but the DVR and cable box are still going strong. The cordless phone isn’t in “use,” but it’s certainly will still be powered. Same thing goes with your computer, your printer, your coffee pot and myriad other appliances scattered throughout the house.

These are examples of the energy-wasting phenomenon called “phantom power,” or vampire energy. Simply put, this is the power that is used when electronic devices draw energy from the grid into your home just by being plugged in, when you aren’t looking and you aren’t using them.

The most likely culprits are appliances that can be operated with a remote control, or have power clocks or timers with miscellaneous LED status lights. The vampire power is consumed by power supplies (the black cubes—sometimes called “wall warts”—converting AC into DC) which have two teeth (the plugs) and “suck” electricity all day and night.

Phantom energy can account for about 10 percent of a residential home’s electricity use. It might not sound like much, until you consider that eliminating that 10 percent is like getting over a month of free electricity every year!

Standby power in commercial buildings is smaller but still significant. Altogether, standby power on a global scale is thought to be roughly responsible for one percent of global CO2 emissions.

Quick steps to combat phantom power can be as simple as unplugging your devices when they aren’t in use. But it can definitely be annoying to crawl behind the TV every time you finish watching it.

An easier way would be to use a power strip with a switch to control clusters of products. The most likely targets are computer clusters (PC, display, printer, scanner, speakers, wireless transmitter, etc.), video clusters (TV, DVD player, powered speakers, game consoles, etc.), and audio clusters (receiver, amplifier, CD players, etc.). Be sure to keep the set-top box and modem on a separate circuit to avoid any loss of connection.

When buying new electronics, check for low “stand-by” energy use; most Energy Star rated appliances have the lowest standby levels.

Many new technologies can improve the efficiency of power supplies, manage power use more carefully, and limit power use of displays. Experts believe that it is technically feasible to reduce standby power by 75 percent overall. Most savings will be less than a watt, but other cases could be as large as 10 watts.

By keeping phantom power levels low, home owners can really make a dent in their utility bills and improve energy conservation levels.

Bari Faye Siegel is a technology writer and marketing consultant at Noveda Technologies. Visit www.noveda.com for more information.

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