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| Top Environmental Policy Paper |
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The Carbon Footprint of Nations has been recognized as the Top Environmental Policy Paper in 2009 by Environmental Science & Technology (announcement).
It is a big honor for us to win that award. ES&T is the most important journal in environmental science and environmental technology, publishing 1500 papers in 2009. We were apparently among 80 papers nominated for the award. Most likely, the popular appeal and policy relevance of our paper was an important factor in our favor.
We have previously been awarded by ES&T. In 2007, Glen Peters and his collaboration parters won the award for their analysis of China's growing CO2 emissions, identifying the growth of the urban population and investment in infrastructure as important causes.
In 2005, Edgar Hertwich was the runner-up to the Top En...
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Posted by Edgar Hertwich at Thursday, March 11, 2010
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| Carbon Footprint - Updated |
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A recent update of our study on the carbon footprint of nations highlights the role of China, Russia, the USA and the EU.
Steven Davis and Ken Caldeira have just published an analysis of the carbon footprint of nations using the GTAP 7 database, allowing for a comparison of the years 2004 and 2001. The paper published in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS for short) uses the same methods, research questions and data sources as our 2008 and 2009 papers. It highlights the role of the most important polluters and largest trade flows by emissions embodiment.
According to Davis and Caldeira, 23% of the global CO2 emissions from fossil fuel burning were connected to the production of goods ultimately consumed in a different country. The largest trade flo...
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Posted by Edgar Hertwich at Thursday, March 11, 2010
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| Sharing the atmosphere |
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The Climate Conference in Copenhagen has ended as expected: with a political declaration instead of a legally binding agreement. Nonetheless, there seems to be wide-spread disappointment among the public. Commentators are busy portioning out blame for the failure of the negotiations, where the U.S., China, and the unwieldy UN procedures receive the largest shares. Those involved in the negotiations process see Copenhagen as a stepping stone rather than a finish line: they point out that the Copenhagen Accord keeps going the process towards a final agreement – scheduled for next winter’s meeting in Mexico City. Furthermore, as a first international document to trace developing country commitments, the Accord is necessary to get the US Senate to pass climate legislation. From my ...
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Posted by Edgar Hertwich at Monday, December 28, 2009
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| “Exported Emissions” at COP15 |
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The Guardian and industry actors call for considering Carbon Embodied in Trade as part of a climate deal at Copenhagen.
On December 7, 2009, 56 newspapers from 20 countries published a joint editorial calling world leaders to use the 14 days of climate negotiations in Copenhagen in order to come to an effective and fair agreement to limit climate change.
At the time I am writing this, it is too early to see whether the call will be heeded. The editorial points correctly to what has emerged as the core element of the negotiations: the need to fairly distribute the responsibility for reducing emissions. A critical passage of the editorial, calls for recognizing the issue of emissions embodied in trade:
Social justice demands that the industrialised world digs deep into its pockets and p...
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Posted by Edgar Hertwich at Monday, December 14, 2009
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| The Environmental Footprint of Biofuels |
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A new UN report emphasizes the importance of addressing land use, water, and biodiversity impacts of biofuels.
The jury is now in on biofuels: Current government mandates in the United States, Europe and other countries to blend biofuels into ordinary car fuels cause substantial environmental damage, do little to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and have a questionable contribution to energy security. A new UN report and a new book document many, sometimes fascinating facets of this intricate issue. There are many types of biomass, different options for growing this biomass, a few technologies for converting the biomass to various liquid fuels. It is not surprising that the environmental impacts depend on the particularities of the growing, harvesting, transporting, converting and use ...
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Posted by Edgar Hertwich at Sunday, November 15, 2009
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| Carbon Market Promises and Woes |
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Economists argue that the carbon market suffices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and attack additional policy tools for increasing mitigation costs. Time to look at how the carbon market works in practice!
In my last blog I have pointed to the campaign of a few Norwegian economists against climate policy tools such as the newly established green certificate market, which ensures a higher electricity price for renewable electricity. I published a similar critique in Dagens Næringsliv, a business daily. The prompt response by Professor Michael Hoel of the University in Oslo was that I did not understand the quota market. Professor Hoel lectured me on basic microeconomics, pointing to the fact that increased renewable energy would lead to reduced prices for emissions allowances and he...
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Posted by Edgar Hertwich at Sunday, October 18, 2009
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| Hurra for Green Electricity! |
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Some economists argue that support for renewable electricity leads to more coal power. Their reasoning is curiously flawed and oversees the crucial role of technological learning.
A curious discussion about climate policy has arisen in Norway now that the country has agreed with Sweden to join Sweden’s ”green certificate” market (a.k.a. el-certificate, similar to the renewable portopholio standard) . This policy tool creates de-facto a niche-market for specific kinds of renewable energy, which are traded at higher prices than on the spot market for electricity. Economists like Böhringer and Rosendahl, Michael Hoel and Odd Godal (DN 9 and 11 Sept.) now argue that the increased production of renewable electricity in Nordic countries will have no effect on the emission...
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Posted by Edgar Hertwich at Sunday, September 13, 2009
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| Can Technology Spare the Earth? |
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The IPCC says that we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 % by 2050 to achieve the goal of limit global warming to not more than 2°C, agreed to by the EU and the G8.
Recent research indicates that the cumulative emissions in the period 2000-2050 should be not more than 1000 billion tons of CO2. In the first 7 years of this 50 year period; 234 billion tons were already emitted. Even if we give up the 2°C goal, risking unpredictable feedback mechanisms disrupting the climate in more severe manners, quick, deep emission reductions are required to stabilize atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Given that energy access is so essential for the economy, we need to ask ourselves:
How can such reductions be achieved?
What is the role of technology, behavior change, and a c...
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Posted by Edgar Hertwich at Thursday, August 27, 2009
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