TECH TALK
Sources of GHGs and Ways to Reduce Them
PART TWO
In 1987 , the United Nations defined sustainability as “ meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs .” In 2005 , the acronym ESG - Environmental , Social Responsibility , and Governance – was coined and in many conversations is interpreted to mean ‘ environmental sustainability .’ However , ‘ environmental ’ is just one of the 3 pillars of ESG . In Part 1 of this article , insight is provided as to what a greenhouse gases ( GHG ) are , what their primary sources are and suggests that the greatest opportunity for GHG reductions in the key sources . An explanation of the first key source , Power Generation ( Electric / Heat ), concluded the article . Now , Part 2 will highlight the remaining key sources .
By Tim Goedeker , Senior Principal Environmental Consultant - Phillips 66
Agriculture
Agriculture accounts for about 15 % of worldwide GHGs , primarily methane ( CH 4 ) and nitrous oxide ( N 2O ), driven by societal behavior .
Ways to reduce GHGs from the agricultural sector include :
• Reduce meat and dairy consumption ,
• Develop and produce low carbon meat and dairy production ,
• Reduce overall food waste .
Figure 1 shows relative greenhouse gas emissions across the agricultural products .
Production and consumption of beef is the largest source of emissions in this sector ( see Figure 2 ).
Transportation
Transportation represents approximately 14 % of world GHGs . Some have forecasted a significant reduction in passenger transport GHGs by 2050 ( see Figure 3 ) from consumer behavior shifts ( buying electric vehicles ( EVs ) instead of gasoline / diesel vehicles ) along with a significant transition in the ‘ mix ’ and ‘ mode ’ of passenger transport ( see Chart 1 ).
• Reduction in GHGs from Transportation could come from :
• Reduced fuel carbon intensity ( CI )
• Improved fuel energy intensity
• Improvement in transport infrastructure efficiency
• Reduction in transport demand
Figure 1 : Source : Treating beef like coal would make a big dent in greenhouse-gas emissions | The Economist .
Opportunities to Reduce GHGs in Transportation
Opportunity
Mode of Transport
Passenger Freight / Shipping Aviation
Reduce fuel carbon intensity ( CI )
Battery , Plug-in hybrid EVs N / A N / A
CNG , LNG , H2 N / A
Biofuels
Improve fuel energy intensity
Improved ICE ( internal combustion engine ) vehicle technologies ( gasoline , diesel )
Improve transport infrastructure efficiency
Public transport , cycling , walking N / A N / A
Urban planning – reduce distance traveled
N / A N / A
“ Modal ” shift – High speed rail N / A
Reduce transport demand
Improved broadband & video technology
N / A
Chart 1 : Source : Transportation to 2050 : A strategy to decarbonize the global transport sector by 2050 , explained | International Council on Clean Transportation ( theicct . org ).
12 Valve World Americas | September 2022 • www . valve-world-americas . net