Search

This paper examines the current and prospective greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of e-fuels produced via electrolysis and Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) for the years 2021, 2030, and 2050 for use in Germany. The GHG emissions are determined by a scenario approach as a combination of a literature-based top-down and bottom-up approach. Considered process steps are the provision of feedstocks, electrolysis (via solid oxide co-electrolysis; SOEC), synthesis (via Fischer–Tropsch synthesis; FTS), e-crude refining, eventual transport to, and use in Germany. The results indicate that the current GHG emissions for e-fuel production in the exemplary export countries Saudi Arabia and Chile are above those of conventional fuels. Scenarios for the production in Germany lead to current GHG emissions of 2.78–3.47 kgCO2-eq/L e-fuel in 2021 as the reference year and 0.064–0.082 kgCO2-eq/L e-fuel in 2050. With a share of 58–96%, according to the respective scenario, the electrolysis is the main determinant of the GHG emissions in the production process. The use of additional renewable energy during the production process in combination with direct air capture (DAC) are the main leverages to reduce GHG emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenhouse gas emissions depend on natural and anthropic phenomena; however, to reduce emissions, we can only intervene in terms of anthropic causes. Human activity is very different in various countries and cities. This is mainly due to differences in the type of urban environment, climatic conditions, socioeconomic context, government stability, and other aspects. Urban building energy modeling (UBEM), with a GIS-based approach, allows the evaluation of all the specific characteristics of buildings, population, and urban context that can describe energy use and its spatial distribution within a city. In this paper, a UBEM is developed using the characteristics and consumption of eight typical buildings (archetypes) in the climate zone of Santiago de Chile. The archetype-based UBEM is then applied to the commune of Renca, a critical suburb of Santiago, with the use of QGIS to analyze the energy demand for space heating and the potential for energy saving after four retrofitting interventions. Knowing the costs of the retrofitting interventions and the energy price, the simple payback time was evaluated with the reduction in GHG emissions. Starting from the actual building stock, the results show that the most effective retrofitting intervention for the commune of Renca is the thermal insulation of walls and roofs; due to the type of dwellings, this particular intervention could be more convenient if associated with the installation of solar technologies. This methodology can be replicated with the data used by urban planners and public administrations available for many Chilean cities and in other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and its effects are one of the main concerns of both administrations and citizens in many countries. One of the most important causes of climate change is greenhouse gas emissions, especially CO2, and its reduction is a target for governments around the world. In this sense, the article aims to measure the regional imbalances in CO2 emissions, through the use of a spatial shift-share analysis of the variable intensity of emissions. This methodology will be applied to the regional emissions of Chile for the year 2014, which will be obtained from the application of a multi-regional input–output model. The results of the paper have been structured in two parts: firstly, regional imported and exported emissions have been estimated, from which the responsibilities of the producer and the consumer were determined. Secondly, the Shift Share analysis has been applied to determine regional imbalances in emissions. Large imbalances have been found in the distribution of the intensity of emissions at a regional level. These imbalances may be due to differences in regional economic and production systems, which are manifested through the components that represent the sectoral structure, the localization economies and the regional effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Investigaciones Geograficas is the property of Universidad de Alicante, Instituto Universitario de Geografia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Forest plantations can substantially contribute to carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation at the country and global scales. Forest fires (especially when combined with droughts) may remarkably reduce such carbon sequestration capability. The IPCC has global-scale estimates for such losses, but they can vary widely depending on crops, climate, topography, and management, among other factors. The IPCC defines a factor for biomass loss as a consequence of forest fires, expressed as a fraction of total biomass. This methodology implies using aggregated data and the default emission factor, which are only recommended for countries where wildfires are not a key category. In Chile, over the last decade, there have been between 5000 and 8000 wildfires annually (an average of 6398 for the period 2011–2020), burning an average of 122,328 hectares each year. Countries may progress in the refinement of such factors depending on the availability and reliability of local values. This paper aims at estimating C f values for the main forest plantation species in Chile, Pinus radiata, Eucalyptus nitens, and Eucalyptus globulus, across different age-classes and forest fire severity. To achieve this aim, we assessed the biomass loss after forest fires for a stratified sample of forest plots for the season 2018–2019. We fitted a model to predict the amount of biomass loss during fires, and in this way, predict the emissions associated with wildfires. The model employs very simple predictive variables, age and species, because statistics for burnt areas in plantations are only provided by age-classes and species, without details about productivity or management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many regions around the world are suffering from water stress, and desalinated water and recycled water are seen as alternatives for meeting the water demand. However, high energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions are some of the main environmental impacts. This is notable for many arid and semi-arid countries where desalination and water recycling are considered options for ensuring water resources availability. This research presents the incorporation of the quantification of greenhouse gas emissions generated during the operation of desalination and wastewater treatment plants in the assessment of water stress levels using the water stress indicator adopted by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Chile was chosen as a case study, as it is a country where there is a considerable difference between the availability of conventional water sources and the water demand, and the electrical grid is fed mainly by fossil fuels. The methodology proposed allows calculating the indirect greenhouse gas emissions due to electrical consumption for the operation of desalination and wastewater treatment plants, and the direct greenhouse gas emissions coming from biological processes used in wastewater treatment plants. The results showed that Chilean arid climate zones will not experience water stress in the future at the regional level, mainly because of the installation of several desalination plants by 2030. Meanwhile, recycled water from the urban sector will slightly contribute to the reduction in the level of water stress in almost all Chilean regions by 2030. Moreover, desalination and wastewater treatment plant will contribute only between 0.34% and 0.75% of total greenhouse gas emitted in Chile by 2030. Therefore, the operation of these industrial systems for facing water scarcity problems in northern and central zones of Chile is a suitable alternative because it does not generate large environmental problems., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Due to its high efficiency and zero direct greenhouse gas emissions, the direct utilization of geothermal energy could play a crucial role in addressing climate change. Low-enthalpy geothermal projects, such as geothermal heat pumps (GHPs), have the potential to contribute to greenhouse gases reduction and replace polluting systems like wood burning, which are extensively used in countries such as Chile. The implementation of this technology presents various challenges, encompassing not only economic and technical aspects but also cultural and social factors. This paper addresses the latter two, providing empirical findings from a social and qualitative perspective by examining three GHP projects in educational spaces in Chilean Patagonia. An inductive approach was employed to describe the social perception of GHP projects in three public buildings, specifically educational facilities, located in the Aysén region of Chile. The questions that guided the research were how users interact with technology in these environments and what factors influence their acceptance. Data were collected through various methods, including in-depth interviews and participant observation, with a focus on social perceptions and everyday practices. The paper argues that there is a general lack of information regarding GHP technology. This type of system is often perceived as an 'elegant' and almost 'untouchable' technology. Nevertheless, motivational factors such as preventing deforestation and reducing air pollution were identified as the primary drivers supporting this type of initiative. One of the cases studied, which demonstrated sustainability over time, revealed that the participants' main motivation was to see themselves as agents of change. This allowed them to build a coherent narrative around the project. Consequently, the cultural meaning attached to the new practice became central for change and sustained adoption of social practices. • There is a social distance between GHP technology and local communities. • There is a low level of information about geothermal energy. • Sustainable adoption of GHP requires cultural and social changes. • GHP projects require the development of new skills and monitoring activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a reliable and robust open dynamic chamber for measuring greenhouse gas exchange in peatlands with minimal disturbance of the ground. This chamber, called the "skirt chamber", is based on a transparent plastic film placed above an open frame made of sparse interwoven wires and expanded around the base of the chamber below a steel chain that ensures contact to the ground, avoiding damage, trenching, and cutting vegetation. Gas exchange is determined using a portable gas analyzer from a mass balance in which the imperfect sealing of the chamber to the ground is quantified through the injection of a methane pulse. The method was tested on a pristine peatland dominated by Sphagnum magellanicum located on Navarino Island in the subantarctic Magellanic ecoregion in Chile. Our results indicate that the skirt chamber allowed the determination of methane fluxes and ecosystem respiration in about 20 min, with a limit of detection of 0.185 mg CH 4 m -2 h -1 and 173 mg CO 2 m -2 h -1 , respectively. We conclude that the skirt chamber is a minimally intrusive, fast, portable, and inexpensive method that allows the quantification of greenhouse gas emissions with high spatial resolution in remote locations and without delay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assesses the environmental and social impacts of a modified softwood produced using radiata pine sourced from New Zealand or Chile. The LCA found that differing forestry and transport burdens associated with each location broadly cancelled each other out, giving overall product footprints that were very similar. Boiler gas and phenol-formaldehyde resin were the biggest emitters of GHG emissions, and normalization highlighted toxicity impacts as significant, largely due to the resin input. SLCA hotspots analyses suggest that the forestry sector in Chile has more potential social risks than the equivalent sector in New Zealand. However, each sector scored poorly in different social aspects making it difficult to recommend a sector without introducing subjective judgements. Combining LCA with SLCA is still novel, but this study found it added useful insights into a broader range of impacts associated with sustainable production, especially given the similarity of the environmental LCA results taken alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]