Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Improving Air Quality
2
2
fuels are major contributors to global climate change. The old path is a road
to ruin.
But the new path is… new, and that can be scary. Better illumination of this
path will help to bring many people along, and the goal of this book is to help
provide some of that light.
Like any new direction, there are a number of different aspects to explore.
Erickson et al. (2017) spent an entire book looking at just the effects of more
electric vehicles, greater solar power infrastructure, and the interactions of
these two trends. The current book includes these parts of the new path,
but also expands to focus on air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, climate
change, and the interrelationships between these issues.
The first steps towards this new path were set out by an international
accord often referred to as the Paris Agreement (see Chapter 2). On
December 12, 2015, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change was adopted
by the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC, 2015). This agreement has a goal to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions until carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere stop
increasing (Erickson et al., 2017; UNFCCC, 2015). The Paris Agreement
came into force on November 4, 2016 after more than 55 countries that emit
more than 55% of greenhouse gases ratified the agreement (Erickson, 2017).
In November 2017, the UN Conference of the Parties was held in Bonn,
Germany, with many meetings to address implementation issues; however, the significant action is happening in the member countries, where
efforts are in progress to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. China is moving
forward with actions to increase the installation of solar panels for electricity generation, and sales of electric vehicles are increasing rapidly. In
September 2017, plug- in electric and hybrid vehicle sales were about 59,000
in China compared to about 21,000 in the USA and about 123,000 in the
world (Bohlsen, 2017; Cole, 2017). In 2017, sales in China exceeded 570,000
vehicles, and at the end of 2017, more than 3 million plug- in vehicles
were in service (McCarthy, 2018). A number of major car manufacturers
(Volkswagen, Mercedes- Benz) have plans to eventually shift all of their
new production to electric vehicles.
1.2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The Paris Agreement focuses on greenhouse gas emissions for several
reasons: They can be defined and measured fairly clearly, and they are
at the nexus of the fundamental concerns that motivate the Agreement.
The goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 has been
proposed and it is considered to be a reasonable objective. Accomplishing
2
2
fuels are major contributors to global climate change. The old path is a road
to ruin.
But the new path is… new, and that can be scary. Better illumination of this
path will help to bring many people along, and the goal of this book is to help
provide some of that light.
Like any new direction, there are a number of different aspects to explore.
Erickson et al. (2017) spent an entire book looking at just the effects of more
electric vehicles, greater solar power infrastructure, and the interactions of
these two trends. The current book includes these parts of the new path,
but also expands to focus on air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, climate
change, and the interrelationships between these issues.
The first steps towards this new path were set out by an international
accord often referred to as the Paris Agreement (see Chapter 2). On
December 12, 2015, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change was adopted
by the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC, 2015). This agreement has a goal to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions until carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere stop
increasing (Erickson et al., 2017; UNFCCC, 2015). The Paris Agreement
came into force on November 4, 2016 after more than 55 countries that emit
more than 55% of greenhouse gases ratified the agreement (Erickson, 2017).
In November 2017, the UN Conference of the Parties was held in Bonn,
Germany, with many meetings to address implementation issues; however, the significant action is happening in the member countries, where
efforts are in progress to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. China is moving
forward with actions to increase the installation of solar panels for electricity generation, and sales of electric vehicles are increasing rapidly. In
September 2017, plug- in electric and hybrid vehicle sales were about 59,000
in China compared to about 21,000 in the USA and about 123,000 in the
world (Bohlsen, 2017; Cole, 2017). In 2017, sales in China exceeded 570,000
vehicles, and at the end of 2017, more than 3 million plug- in vehicles
were in service (McCarthy, 2018). A number of major car manufacturers
(Volkswagen, Mercedes- Benz) have plans to eventually shift all of their
new production to electric vehicles.
1.2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The Paris Agreement focuses on greenhouse gas emissions for several
reasons: They can be defined and measured fairly clearly, and they are
at the nexus of the fundamental concerns that motivate the Agreement.
The goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 has been
proposed and it is considered to be a reasonable objective. Accomplishing