Identification of reduction in carbon footprint using new technologies
Abstract : Climate change and global warming are internationally recognized as current issues, driving negative effects on humanity, and being mainly caused by GHG emissions generated both from industrial activities, and from other anthropogenic activities. Restoring the ecological balance requires urgent action to reduce GHG emissions. In this respect, the European Union has set the target to reduce the GHG emissions by 20% until 2020, compared to 1990 level. This paper presents a methodology to develop a model for carbon footprint calculation, for assessing and reducing GHG emissions generated by European funds financed projects.
? The construction industry is known for its conservative nature, so widespread substitution is likely to be a success only if the new materials are superior to existing ones.
? There exist opportunities for the development of new materials that can capture CO2 from ultra-dilute gas streams and also, operate under a wide degree range of humidity.
? This needs to be seen as a compliment to intermittent renewable power sources and an ancillary to the existing grids.
? The process analysis is a bottom-up approach to analyze a product from creation to the end of its life, taking into account direct and some secondary emissions, but having the disadvantage of double counting.
? EIO involves a top-down approach and is applied on sectoral level, expanding boundaries and eliminating the problem of double counting.
? The concept began to be publicized independently, since 2005 and refers to the impact of human activities on the environment and especially on the climatic conditions, in terms of greenhouse gases emissions.
• The proposed method uses both mathematical approaches and suggested software as a more practical industrial method considering the complexity of the existing systems.
• The proposed method focuses on addressing the UN sustainable development goal—SDG 7, that emphasizes access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all and adopts a two-fold approach of first measuring the CO2 emissions and second monitoring the CO2 emissions to calculate carbon footprints.
• The proposed method capable of unraveling Green ITs as a greenhouse gas emission game change in the world is two-fold.
? Some experts believe that the market for trading carbon emissions can be a beneficial demarche both for companies and also for the planet in the long term, because it involves an efficient and rapid method for emissions reduction in the energy industry.
? The measures implemented by Romania to reduce GHG emissions include Joint Implementation (JI) projects, in collaboration with other states, to achieve the technology transfer for GHG decreasing and for energy efficiency, improvement of environmental quality and biodiversity conservation.
? It is a model for carbon footprint analysis of an investment project, that can be presented along with cost-benefit analysis and economic efficiency indicators, such as NPV and IRR.
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