PeerJ Preprints: Coupled Natural and Human Systemshttps://peerj.com/preprints/index.atom?journal=peerj&subject=3680Coupled Natural and Human Systems articles published in PeerJ PreprintsAll change for climate changehttps://peerj.com/preprints/279822019-09-242019-09-24Tony R Walker
Governments, corporations and individuals all need to take immediate action to help change the global economy toward a circular economy. A circular economy which uses fewer resources and based on renewable clean technologies to help limit global warming to 1.5 °C. The 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report warned that limiting global warming to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels would require current greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions to be cut in half by 2030. Yet actions by governments, corporations and individuals are lagging behind. Many countries are failing their obligations made under the 2015 Paris climate agreement. Even the International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency set a 50% reduction target of GHG emissions for global shipping by 2050, but this falls short of the IPCC target by 20 years. The United Nations climate summit in New York this week (September 2019) needs to send a strong wake up call to the entire world for us all to change. Change makers like Greta Thunberg has already done that. Individual actions to change consumer behaviour can play a major role to help reduce GHG emissions. Even reducing use of single-use plastics (a petroleum derivative) and incineration can help reduce GHG emissions. GHG emissions from plastics could reach 15% of the global carbon budget by 2050 if not curbed. In Europe, plastic production and incineration emits an estimated ~400 million tonnes of CO2 per year. Therefore, reducing single-use plastic use could curb GHG emissions.
Governments, corporations and individuals all need to take immediate action to help change the global economy toward a circular economy. A circular economy which uses fewer resources and based on renewable clean technologies to help limit global warming to 1.5 °C. The 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report warned that limiting global warming to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels would require current greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions to be cut in half by 2030. Yet actions by governments, corporations and individuals are lagging behind. Many countries are failing their obligations made under the 2015 Paris climate agreement. Even the International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency set a 50% reduction target of GHG emissions for global shipping by 2050, but this falls short of the IPCC target by 20 years. The United Nations climate summit in New York this week (September 2019) needs to send a strong wake up call to the entire world for us all to change. Change makers like Greta Thunberg has already done that. Individual actions to change consumer behaviour can play a major role to help reduce GHG emissions. Even reducing use of single-use plastics (a petroleum derivative) and incineration can help reduce GHG emissions. GHG emissions from plastics could reach 15% of the global carbon budget by 2050 if not curbed. In Europe, plastic production and incineration emits an estimated ~400 million tonnes of CO2 per year. Therefore, reducing single-use plastic use could curb GHG emissions.Public priorities on locally-driven sea level rise planning on the East Coast of the United Stateshttps://peerj.com/preprints/279332019-09-022019-09-02Adam T Carpenter
Sea Level Rise poses a substantial concern to communities worldwide. Increased inundation, storm surge, salt water intrusion, and other impacts create challenges which will require considerable planning to address. Recognizing the broad and differing scope of sea level rise issues and the variability of policy options to address them, local planning frameworks are necessary in addition to tools and resources available from state and federal governments. To help assess priorities and preferences on sea level rise planning, a survey of 503 persons affiliated with coastal communities on the East Coast of the United States was conducted in December 2017. This survey studied key aspects locally-driven sea level rise plans, including planning priorities, funding options, methods to resolve conflict, and potential responses. Six key findings address these and other concerns to provide the foundation of a locally driven framework for public officials.
Sea Level Rise poses a substantial concern to communities worldwide. Increased inundation, storm surge, salt water intrusion, and other impacts create challenges which will require considerable planning to address. Recognizing the broad and differing scope of sea level rise issues and the variability of policy options to address them, local planning frameworks are necessary in addition to tools and resources available from state and federal governments. To help assess priorities and preferences on sea level rise planning, a survey of 503 persons affiliated with coastal communities on the East Coast of the United States was conducted in December 2017. This survey studied key aspects locally-driven sea level rise plans, including planning priorities, funding options, methods to resolve conflict, and potential responses. Six key findings address these and other concerns to provide the foundation of a locally driven framework for public officials.Governance planning for sustainable oceans in a small island statehttps://peerj.com/preprints/279162019-08-272019-08-27Gerald G SinghMarck OduberAndres Cisneros-MontemayorJorge Ridderstaat
Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will require coordinated policymaking for achievement. Aruba is a Small Island State (SIDS) with 90% of its jobs and GDP dependent on the oceans has prioritized SDG 14 – life below water, or the SDG Ocean goal – for achievement. We have developed a planning process, building off of the the literature on SDG interactions and stratetic policy planning literatures, to guide SDG policy development and implemented it in Aruba. We used a structured expert elicitation process to carry out the analysis for this process. The process involves first identifying priority areas based on determining which SDG Ocean target provides the most co-benefit across other SDGs. Next we determine the SDG areas that most contribute to key SDG Ocean targets. Using this information we determine the key policy areas important for promoting sustainable oceans. Finally, we determine the Aruban ministries and institutions responsible for the various SDG areas and based on which SDG areas are most important for SDG Ocean achievement we visualize a new institutional network to support the achievement of SDG Oceans. First, we determined that while increasing economic benfits for SIDS (SDG 14.7) was the most important SDG Ocean target when considering direct impacts, reducing marine pollution (SDG 14.1), restoring marine habitats (SDG 14.2), and marine protection (SDG 14.5) were the most important SDG Ocean targets when considering indirect impacts. SDG areas with the most beneficial consequences for the SDG Ocean targets were mitigating climate impacts (SDG 13), international partnerships (SDG 17), jobs and economy (SDG 8), conserving terrestrial area (SDG 15), strengthening institutions (SDG 16), and promoting sustainable consumption and production practices (SDG 12). When links between SDGs are not considered, the institutional network supporting sustainable oceans is relatively simple, with the Department of Nature and the Environment most central: it coordinates across the largest number of relevant institutions supporting the SDG Oceans goal. However, when SDG relationships are considered, the institutional network is relatively complex, and the Social and Economic Council is determined to be the most central and important in coordinating activities across the largest number of Aruban instutions that support the SDG Ocean goal. Transitioning to a sustainable future requires policymaking that works across social-ecological dimensions, and need to design coherent and integrative institutional structures with which to do this.
Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will require coordinated policymaking for achievement. Aruba is a Small Island State (SIDS) with 90% of its jobs and GDP dependent on the oceans has prioritized SDG 14 – life below water, or the SDG Ocean goal – for achievement. We have developed a planning process, building off of the the literature on SDG interactions and stratetic policy planning literatures, to guide SDG policy development and implemented it in Aruba. We used a structured expert elicitation process to carry out the analysis for this process. The process involves first identifying priority areas based on determining which SDG Ocean target provides the most co-benefit across other SDGs. Next we determine the SDG areas that most contribute to key SDG Ocean targets. Using this information we determine the key policy areas important for promoting sustainable oceans. Finally, we determine the Aruban ministries and institutions responsible for the various SDG areas and based on which SDG areas are most important for SDG Ocean achievement we visualize a new institutional network to support the achievement of SDG Oceans. First, we determined that while increasing economic benfits for SIDS (SDG 14.7) was the most important SDG Ocean target when considering direct impacts, reducing marine pollution (SDG 14.1), restoring marine habitats (SDG 14.2), and marine protection (SDG 14.5) were the most important SDG Ocean targets when considering indirect impacts. SDG areas with the most beneficial consequences for the SDG Ocean targets were mitigating climate impacts (SDG 13), international partnerships (SDG 17), jobs and economy (SDG 8), conserving terrestrial area (SDG 15), strengthening institutions (SDG 16), and promoting sustainable consumption and production practices (SDG 12). When links between SDGs are not considered, the institutional network supporting sustainable oceans is relatively simple, with the Department of Nature and the Environment most central: it coordinates across the largest number of relevant institutions supporting the SDG Oceans goal. However, when SDG relationships are considered, the institutional network is relatively complex, and the Social and Economic Council is determined to be the most central and important in coordinating activities across the largest number of Aruban instutions that support the SDG Ocean goal. Transitioning to a sustainable future requires policymaking that works across social-ecological dimensions, and need to design coherent and integrative institutional structures with which to do this.Is there an empirical environmental Kuznets curve relationship between mismanaged plastic waste per capita and income per capita? A caveathttps://peerj.com/preprints/278832019-08-032019-08-03Takuro UeharaMateo Cordier
A study by Barnes (2019) concluded that there exists an empirical environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) relationship between mismanaged plastic waste per capita and income per capita. However, this result needs careful interpretation. The study adopted data that used the World Bank database to compute mismanaged plastic waste amounts. Because data to compute them were not available for all countries, missing data were estimated by relating them to economic classification (i.e., income level). In other words, the data used for the analysis by Barnes simply assumed—without scientific validation—that mismanaged plastic waste amounts are related to economic classification (i.e., income level).
A study by Barnes (2019) concluded that there exists an empirical environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) relationship between mismanaged plastic waste per capita and income per capita. However, this result needs careful interpretation. The study adopted data that used the World Bank database to compute mismanaged plastic waste amounts. Because data to compute them were not available for all countries, missing data were estimated by relating them to economic classification (i.e., income level). In other words, the data used for the analysis by Barnes simply assumed—without scientific validation—that mismanaged plastic waste amounts are related to economic classification (i.e., income level).Socio-environmental extremes: rethinking extraordinary events as outcomes of interacting biophysical and social systemshttps://peerj.com/preprints/278772019-07-302019-07-30Jennifer BalchVirginia IglesiasAnna BraswellMatthew RossiMaxwell B JosephAdam L MahoodWilliam TravisTrisha ShrumCaitlin T WhiteVictoria SchollBryce McGuireClaire KarbanMollie Buckland
Extreme droughts, heat waves, fires, hurricanes, floods, and landslides cause the largest losses in the United States, and globally, from natural hazards linked to weather and climate. There is evidence that the frequency of such extremes is increasing, particularly for heat waves, large fires, and intense precipitation, making better understanding of the probability and consequences of these events imperative. Further, these events are not isolated, but rather interact with each other, and with social and ecological vulnerability, to amplify impacts. Less is known about the nature and strength of these interactions. Natural and social science subfields frame extreme events with different definitions and analytical approaches, and most analyses neglect interactions and the subsequent novel extremes that can arise. Here we propose a framework for socio-environmental extremes, defined as extraordinary events that emerge from interactions among biophysical and social phenomena and have some degree of social impact. We review how different fields approach extremes as interacting phenomena and propose a synthetic framework for conceptualizing and defining extremes from both an environmental and social perspective. This approach recognizes multiple drivers and responses that yield extreme events and extreme outcomes, and reconciles the gap between understanding extremes as biophysical processes and their social underpinnings and impacts. We conclude with a future research agenda that adds clarity and direction to understanding the extreme events that matter to society. This agenda will help to identify where, when, and why communities may have high exposure and vulnerability to socio- environmental extremes—informing future mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Extreme droughts, heat waves, fires, hurricanes, floods, and landslides cause the largest losses in the United States, and globally, from natural hazards linked to weather and climate. There is evidence that the frequency of such extremes is increasing, particularly for heat waves, large fires, and intense precipitation, making better understanding of the probability and consequences of these events imperative. Further, these events are not isolated, but rather interact with each other, and with social and ecological vulnerability, to amplify impacts. Less is known about the nature and strength of these interactions. Natural and social science subfields frame extreme events with different definitions and analytical approaches, and most analyses neglect interactions and the subsequent novel extremes that can arise. Here we propose a framework for socio-environmental extremes, defined as extraordinary events that emerge from interactions among biophysical and social phenomena and have some degree of social impact. We review how different fields approach extremes as interacting phenomena and propose a synthetic framework for conceptualizing and defining extremes from both an environmental and social perspective. This approach recognizes multiple drivers and responses that yield extreme events and extreme outcomes, and reconciles the gap between understanding extremes as biophysical processes and their social underpinnings and impacts. We conclude with a future research agenda that adds clarity and direction to understanding the extreme events that matter to society. This agenda will help to identify where, when, and why communities may have high exposure and vulnerability to socio- environmental extremes—informing future mitigation and adaptation strategies.Ground data confirm warming and drying are at a critical level for forest survival in western equatorial Africahttps://peerj.com/preprints/278482019-07-102019-07-10Emma R BushKathryn JefferyNils BunnefeldCaroline TutinRuth MusgraveGhislain MoussavouVianet MihindouYadvinder MalhiDavid LehmannJosué Edzang NdongLoïc MakagaKatharine A Abernethy
Background.The humid tropical forests of Central Africa influence weather worldwide and play a major role in the global carbon cycle. However they are also an ecological anomaly, with evergreen forests dominating the western equatorial region despite less than 2000mm total annual rainfall. Meteorological data for Central Africa are notoriously sparse and incomplete and there are substantial issues with satellite-derived data because of inability to ground-truth estimates and persistent cloudiness. Long-term climate observations are urgently needed to verify regional climate and vegetation models, shed light on the mechanisms that drive climatic variability and assess the viability of evergreen forests in equatorial Africa under future climate scenarios.
Methods. We have the rare opportunity to analyse a 34-year dataset of rainfall and temperature (and shorter periods of absolute humidity, wind speed, solar radiation and aerosol optical depth) from Lopé National Park, a long-term ecological research site in western equatorial Africa. We used linear mixed models and spectral analyses to assess seasonal and inter-annual variation, long-term trends and oceanic influences on local weather patterns.
Results. Lopé’s weather is characterised by a light-deficient, cool, long dry season. Long-term climatic means have changed significantly over the last three decades, with warming occurring at a rate of 0.23°C per decade (minimum daily temperature) and drying at a rate of 50mm per decade (total annual rainfall). Inter-annual variability is highly influenced by sea surface temperatures of the major oceans. In El Niño years Lopé experiences both higher temperatures and less rainfall with increased contrast between wet and dry seasons. Lopé rainfall observations lend support for the role of the Atlantic cold tongue in “dry” models of climate change in the region.
Conclusions. Dry season cloud in western equatorial Africa plays a key role in reducing evaporative demand during seasonal drought and maintaining evergreen tropical forests despite relatively low annual rainfall. In the context of a rapidly warming and drying climate, urgent research is needed into the sensitivity of clouds to ocean temperatures and the viability of humid forests in this dry region should the clouds disappear.
Background.The humid tropical forests of Central Africa influence weather worldwide and play a major role in the global carbon cycle. However they are also an ecological anomaly, with evergreen forests dominating the western equatorial region despite less than 2000mm total annual rainfall. Meteorological data for Central Africa are notoriously sparse and incomplete and there are substantial issues with satellite-derived data because of inability to ground-truth estimates and persistent cloudiness. Long-term climate observations are urgently needed to verify regional climate and vegetation models, shed light on the mechanisms that drive climatic variability and assess the viability of evergreen forests in equatorial Africa under future climate scenarios.Methods. We have the rare opportunity to analyse a 34-year dataset of rainfall and temperature (and shorter periods of absolute humidity, wind speed, solar radiation and aerosol optical depth) from Lopé National Park, a long-term ecological research site in western equatorial Africa. We used linear mixed models and spectral analyses to assess seasonal and inter-annual variation, long-term trends and oceanic influences on local weather patterns.Results. Lopé’s weather is characterised by a light-deficient, cool, long dry season. Long-term climatic means have changed significantly over the last three decades, with warming occurring at a rate of 0.23°C per decade (minimum daily temperature) and drying at a rate of 50mm per decade (total annual rainfall). Inter-annual variability is highly influenced by sea surface temperatures of the major oceans. In El Niño years Lopé experiences both higher temperatures and less rainfall with increased contrast between wet and dry seasons. Lopé rainfall observations lend support for the role of the Atlantic cold tongue in “dry” models of climate change in the region.Conclusions. Dry season cloud in western equatorial Africa plays a key role in reducing evaporative demand during seasonal drought and maintaining evergreen tropical forests despite relatively low annual rainfall. In the context of a rapidly warming and drying climate, urgent research is needed into the sensitivity of clouds to ocean temperatures and the viability of humid forests in this dry region should the clouds disappear.The expanding wall and the shrinking beach: Loss of natural coastline in Okinawa Island, Japanhttps://peerj.com/preprints/277792019-06-032019-06-03Giovanni D MasucciJames D Reimer
Okinawa is the largest and most populated island of the Ryukyu Archipelago in southern Japan and is renowned for its natural resources and beauty. Similar as to what has been happening in the rest of the country, Okinawa Island has been affected by an increasing amount of development and construction work. The trend has been particularly acute after reversion to Japanese sovereignty in 1972, following 27 years of post-war American administration. A coastline once characterized by extended sandy beaches surrounded by coral reefs now includes vast portions delimited by seawalls, revetments, and other human-made hardening structures. Additionally, a significant part of coastal Okinawa Island is now constituted by artificially reclaimed land. Nevertheless, the degree of severity of the current situation is unclear, due to the lack of both published studies and easily accessible and updated datasets. The aims of this study were to quantify the extension of coastline alterations in Okinawa Island, including the amount of land-filling performed over the last 51 years, and to describe the coastlines that have been altered the most as well as those that are still relatively pristine. Our analyses were performed using a reference map of Okinawa Island based on GIS vector data extracted from the OpenStreetMap (OSM) coastline dataset, in addition to satellite and aerial photography from multiple providers. We measured 431.8 km of altered coastline, equal to about 63% of the total length of coastline in Okinawa Island. Habitat fragmentation is also an issue as the remaining natural coastline was broken into 239 distinct tracts (mean length = 1.05 km). Finally, 21.03 km2of the island’s surface were of land reclaimed over the last 51 years. The west coast has been altered the most, while the east coast is in relatively more natural condition, particularly the northern part, which has the largest amount of uninterrupted natural coastline. Given the importance of ecosystem services that coastal and marine ecosystems provide to local populations of subtropical islands, including significant economic income from tourism, conservation of remaining natural coastlines should be given high priority.
Okinawa is the largest and most populated island of the Ryukyu Archipelago in southern Japan and is renowned for its natural resources and beauty. Similar as to what has been happening in the rest of the country, Okinawa Island has been affected by an increasing amount of development and construction work. The trend has been particularly acute after reversion to Japanese sovereignty in 1972, following 27 years of post-war American administration. A coastline once characterized by extended sandy beaches surrounded by coral reefs now includes vast portions delimited by seawalls, revetments, and other human-made hardening structures. Additionally, a significant part of coastal Okinawa Island is now constituted by artificially reclaimed land. Nevertheless, the degree of severity of the current situation is unclear, due to the lack of both published studies and easily accessible and updated datasets. The aims of this study were to quantify the extension of coastline alterations in Okinawa Island, including the amount of land-filling performed over the last 51 years, and to describe the coastlines that have been altered the most as well as those that are still relatively pristine. Our analyses were performed using a reference map of Okinawa Island based on GIS vector data extracted from the OpenStreetMap (OSM) coastline dataset, in addition to satellite and aerial photography from multiple providers. We measured 431.8 km of altered coastline, equal to about 63% of the total length of coastline in Okinawa Island. Habitat fragmentation is also an issue as the remaining natural coastline was broken into 239 distinct tracts (mean length = 1.05 km). Finally, 21.03 km2of the island’s surface were of land reclaimed over the last 51 years. The west coast has been altered the most, while the east coast is in relatively more natural condition, particularly the northern part, which has the largest amount of uninterrupted natural coastline. Given the importance of ecosystem services that coastal and marine ecosystems provide to local populations of subtropical islands, including significant economic income from tourism, conservation of remaining natural coastlines should be given high priority.Drought, freshwater availability and cultural resilience on Easter Island (SE Pacific) during the Little Ice Agehttps://peerj.com/preprints/276812019-05-312019-05-31Valenti Rull
After decades of human-deterministic explanations for the collapse of the ancient Rapanui culture that inhabited Easter Island (Rapa Nui) before European contact (1722 CE), paleoecological studies developed over the last decade have provided sound evidence of climate changes and their potential socioecological impacts. Especially significant is the occurrence of a century-scale (1570-1720 CE) drought occurred during the Little Ice Age. Freshwater is a critical resource on Easter Island that heavily depends on rain, which maintains the only three permanent surficial freshwater sources on the island: two lakes (Rano Kao and Rano Raraku) and a marsh (Rano Aroi). Under these conditions, the LIA drought could have significantly affected human life; however, the Rapanui society remained healthy, showing remarkable resilience. There are two main hypotheses on how the ancient Rapanui could have obtained freshwater to guarantee its continuity. The intra-island migration hypothesis proposes that Rano Raraku, the cultural center of this culture, dried out and the Rapanui were forced to migrate to Rano Kao, which was likely the only surficial freshwater source during the LIA drought. This shift was accompanied by a profound cultural reorganization. The coastal groundwater hypothesis dismisses the use of lakes and other surficial freshwater sources to maintain the water-stressed Rapanui population and contends that the only routine freshwater sources during the LIA drought were the abundant and widespread coastal seeps fed by fresh/brackish groundwater. The pros and cons of these two hypotheses are discussed on the basis of the available archeological and paleoecological evidence, and it is concluded that in the present state of knowledge, neither can be rejected. Therefore, these two proposals could be complementary, rather than mutually exclusive.
After decades of human-deterministic explanations for the collapse of the ancient Rapanui culture that inhabited Easter Island (Rapa Nui) before European contact (1722 CE), paleoecological studies developed over the last decade have provided sound evidence of climate changes and their potential socioecological impacts. Especially significant is the occurrence of a century-scale (1570-1720 CE) drought occurred during the Little Ice Age. Freshwater is a critical resource on Easter Island that heavily depends on rain, which maintains the only three permanent surficial freshwater sources on the island: two lakes (Rano Kao and Rano Raraku) and a marsh (Rano Aroi). Under these conditions, the LIA drought could have significantly affected human life; however, the Rapanui society remained healthy, showing remarkable resilience. There are two main hypotheses on how the ancient Rapanui could have obtained freshwater to guarantee its continuity. The intra-island migration hypothesis proposes that Rano Raraku, the cultural center of this culture, dried out and the Rapanui were forced to migrate to Rano Kao, which was likely the only surficial freshwater source during the LIA drought. This shift was accompanied by a profound cultural reorganization. The coastal groundwater hypothesis dismisses the use of lakes and other surficial freshwater sources to maintain the water-stressed Rapanui population and contends that the only routine freshwater sources during the LIA drought were the abundant and widespread coastal seeps fed by fresh/brackish groundwater. The pros and cons of these two hypotheses are discussed on the basis of the available archeological and paleoecological evidence, and it is concluded that in the present state of knowledge, neither can be rejected. Therefore, these two proposals could be complementary, rather than mutually exclusive.Setting a price for carbon for implementing a carbon tax or a cap and trade system for controlling carbon dioxide emissionshttps://peerj.com/preprints/277652019-05-292019-05-29Wenfa Ng
Carbon tax and cap and trade are two main policy tools for market-based mechanisms aimed at curbing carbon dioxide emissions. But, their implementation requires a careful calibration of the price of carbon, on which a carbon tax is levied, or which helps price carbon credits in an emissions trading system. Hence, setting a price on carbon, tuned to the fundamentals of the local economy, is a profound question in environmental economics, important for benchmarking the price of many goods and services dependent on fossil fuel energy for material input or function. One approach to setting a price on carbon is to progressively increase the price of carbon through regulatory statute from an initial low price. This would help industries and the economy to gradually adapt to a marketplace where there is an additional regulatory price on carbon in addition to a material and services price. On the other hand, a one-off approach at setting the final price of carbon in the economy may deliver a severe demand and supply shock, which may have repercussions beyond businesses needing to factor the price of carbon in their economic calculus. Thus, whether a progressive price increase in carbon or setting the final price, pricing carbon is a delicate economic issue with significant implications for the functioning of an economy choosing either the carbon tax or cap and trade system for regulating carbon dioxide emissions.
Carbon tax and cap and trade are two main policy tools for market-based mechanisms aimed at curbing carbon dioxide emissions. But, their implementation requires a careful calibration of the price of carbon, on which a carbon tax is levied, or which helps price carbon credits in an emissions trading system. Hence, setting a price on carbon, tuned to the fundamentals of the local economy, is a profound question in environmental economics, important for benchmarking the price of many goods and services dependent on fossil fuel energy for material input or function. One approach to setting a price on carbon is to progressively increase the price of carbon through regulatory statute from an initial low price. This would help industries and the economy to gradually adapt to a marketplace where there is an additional regulatory price on carbon in addition to a material and services price. On the other hand, a one-off approach at setting the final price of carbon in the economy may deliver a severe demand and supply shock, which may have repercussions beyond businesses needing to factor the price of carbon in their economic calculus. Thus, whether a progressive price increase in carbon or setting the final price, pricing carbon is a delicate economic issue with significant implications for the functioning of an economy choosing either the carbon tax or cap and trade system for regulating carbon dioxide emissions.Fuel efficiency standards’ roles in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutantshttps://peerj.com/preprints/277632019-05-282019-05-28Wenfa Ng
Fuel efficiency standards are often touted to help reduce greenhouse gases and air pollutants’ emissions, but where does the correlation ends, and does a limit exists on fuel efficiency? Specifically, is there a limit beyond which fuel efficiency of vehicles running on fossil fuels could not be improved further? And what is a better yardstick for environmental sustainability for electric and hybrid vehicles? Could energy efficiency calculated based on the efficiency in which energy is used in transporting a specific weight per kilometer be used in place of fuel efficiency? Searching for answers to the above questions, this analysis describes the conceptual underpinning of how improving fuel efficiency is related to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and common air pollutants (such as nitrous oxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide etc.), but expounds on whether a finite limit exists in fuel efficiency for gasoline powered vehicles, as well as whether energy efficiency would be a better environmental sustainability measure for vehicles moving forward, especially with the use of renewable energy for charging electric vehicles.
Fuel efficiency standards are often touted to help reduce greenhouse gases and air pollutants’ emissions, but where does the correlation ends, and does a limit exists on fuel efficiency? Specifically, is there a limit beyond which fuel efficiency of vehicles running on fossil fuels could not be improved further? And what is a better yardstick for environmental sustainability for electric and hybrid vehicles? Could energy efficiency calculated based on the efficiency in which energy is used in transporting a specific weight per kilometer be used in place of fuel efficiency? Searching for answers to the above questions, this analysis describes the conceptual underpinning of how improving fuel efficiency is related to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and common air pollutants (such as nitrous oxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide etc.), but expounds on whether a finite limit exists in fuel efficiency for gasoline powered vehicles, as well as whether energy efficiency would be a better environmental sustainability measure for vehicles moving forward, especially with the use of renewable energy for charging electric vehicles.