Dissertations / Theses: 'Carbon offsets'

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Bergman, Herman, Anna Persson, Evelina Silfverskiöld, and Babos Theodora Todea. "Carbon Offsets - Klimatkompensering : En analys av olika projekttyper utifrån FN:s hållbarhetsmål." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Institutionen för fysik, kemi och biologi, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-157706.

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Greenhouse gasses, such as carbon dioxide and methane absorb and emit heat radiation, which contribute to global warming. Human activities such as increased emissions through burning of fossil fuels and deforestation drive this climate threat. International treaties such as the Paris agreement, enables stakeholders to mitigate effects of climate impact and create new sustainable markets. Various carbon offset projects on the voluntary market are an attempt to neutralize climate impact. In this report we identify five main project types for carbon offsets: i) forestry and land use, ii) renewable energy and energy effectivization, iii) transport, iv) waste handling and v) household devices. These project types are evaluated against UNs 17 sustainable development goals. The results show a net positive impact on goal 13, Climate action, for all project types, which is congruent with the focus on carbon offsetting. The results also show that impact varies depending on how the project is deigned. Climate offsetting has enabled multiple stakeholders to contribute to climate change mitigation. Despite many global benefits, carbon offsets have been subject to criticism in cases where the concept is not used as intended. There are currently no clear guidelines as to when focus for companies should shift from internal reduction to external reduction through offsetting. Validation of carbon offsets is another problematic aspect, as there is no one standard for the market to secure the quality of projects.

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Bumpus, Adam G. "The geographies of carbon offsets : governance, materialites and development." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2009. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.509899.

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Boushel, Corra Nuala Donnelly. "Assembling the taken-for-granted : carbon offsets and voluntary standards." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/16880.

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Carbon is a metric at the centre of contemporary debates. It is invoked to explain responses to climate change and justify political decisions over the economy and environment. Its ubiquity might suggest that the definition of carbon is broadly agreed upon, but along with greenhouse gas (GHG) measurements, articulating carbon as a commodity has incorporated debates over sustainable development (SD). The use of market-based mechanisms to manage carbon quantities results in articulations of the concept that reinforce consumption as a means to achieve public policy aims, but these are also contested. This research examines the concept of carbon to explore what might be taken-for-granted or overlooked when carbon is invoked. The research takes an ethnographic approach to carbon by examining offsetting – paying for reductions in GHG emissions at one location to make up for a continuation or increase of emissions at another. The novelty, complexity and lack of trust in carbon offsetting have resulted in numerous voluntary standards to improve consumer confidence in this commodity. The standard organisations’ position in codifying, measuring and accrediting carbon makes them valuable sites at which to describe the materialities of the concept. I use data collected from the administrative offices of two voluntary carbon offset standards in 2010-11 to explore what is included and excluded within carbon as it was enacted at these sites. Carbon is described in this research as an assemblage and a multiplicity – it is articulated in varying ways by actors within offset markets. Through the work of standards organisations, the “orthodoxies” of offsetting are identified as taken-for-granted features of carbon. In contrast, the position of SD is identified as variable across different articulations of carbon. Using a post-Actor Network Theory approach innovatively combined with Suchman’s typology of legitimacy, this diversity in carbon is not normatively evaluated; instead the focus is on how assemblages of carbon differentiate the legitimacy of SD as a feature of offsetting. Some take SD for granted as an inherent aspect of offsetting, for others it is a desirable feature, but not necessary. Alternatively it could be offered as an add-on possibility without suggesting SD implied better offsetting, and for others offsetting was best enacted without assembling SD concerns. Exploring carbon as an assemblage demonstrates the continuous and flexible constructions of carbon as a commodity and concept. When examined in detail, the marketing strategies and technical rules of different standards produce varying articulations of carbon. Furthermore, this research explores how the work of voluntary carbon offset standards excludes the scrutiny of sites of consumption of offsets. This exclusion, as with the integration of SD, is notable for the differences in how it is articulated by standard staff – challenged by some, taken-for-granted by others but with diverse rationales for each position. These features are informative in relation to the roles ascribed to voluntary standards across other commodities as well as in relation to carbon. Attending to the multiplicity that exists in the daily practices of offset markets suggests possibilities for those looking to stabilise or reform the concept of carbon as well as understanding the activities of voluntary standards.

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Ideskär, Sandra. "Carbon Storylines : The discursive struggle over carbon offsets as a decarbonization pathway in the Swedish Climate Policy Framework." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Tema Miljöförändring, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-177167.

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This study addresses discourses and how they affect climate policy, through the example of carbon offsets as a tool to reach domestic emissions reductions in the Swedish Climate Policy Framework. An interpretation of Maarten Hajer’s argumentative discourse analysis is applied to understand the ideas and arguments that inform the policy debate on carbon offsets as a supplementary measure in this policy process. By mapping, comparing and finding dominating storylines, it presents how Swedish government actors, businesses- and non-governmental organizations legitimize, justify and contest carbon offsets. The findings suggest that the dominating storylines largely remain in the status quo on carbon offsets, connecting to the larger policy discourses of ecological modernization and green governmentality. They also show a potential attempt to divorce of international development from carbon offset mechanisms, as a way to increase efficiency. However, in a Paris Agreement and Article 6 landscape, room to reimage and critically evaluate the use of carbon offsets has also emerged. Established actors join civil society in raising uncertainty and doubt of the future of carbon offsets. These discursive shifts may impact how Sweden intends to exercise leadership in deep decarbonization going forward.

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Lansing, David M. "The Spaces of Carbon: Calculation,Technology, and Discourse in the Production of Carbon Forestry Offsets in Costa Rica." The Ohio State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1250637819.

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Chandrasena, Rajapakshage Inoka Ilmi. "The cost of agriculturally based greenhouse gas offsets in the Texas High Plains." Thesis, Texas A&M University, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/85.

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The broad objective of this thesis involves investigation of the role agriculture might play in a society wide greenhouse gas emissions reduction effort. Specifically, the breakeven price for carbon emission offsets is calculated for agriculturally based emission reducing practices. The practices investigated in the Texas High Plains involve reduced tillage use, reduced fallow use, reduced crop fertilization, cropland conversion to grassland, feedlot enteric fermentation management and digester based dairy manure handling. Costs of emission reductions were calculated at the producer level. The calculated offset prices are classified into four cost categories. They are: negative cost, low cost (less than $20 per ton of carbon saved), moderate cost ($20 through $100 per ton of carbon saved), and high cost (over $100 for tons of carbon saved). Negative cost implies that farmers could make money and reduce emissions by moving to alternative practices even without any carbon payments. Alternatives in the positive cost categories need compensation to induce farmers to switch to practices that sequester more carbon. All fallow dryland crop practices, dryland and irrigated cotton zero tillage, dryland and irrigated wheat zero tillage, irrigated corn zero tillage, cotton irrigated nitrogen use reduction under minimum tillage and dryland pasture for all systems, and anaerobic lagoon complete mix and plug flow systems fall in the negative cost category. Dryland and irrigated wheat under minimum tillage are found to be in the low cost category. Cotton dryland under minimum tillage and cotton irrigated with nitrogen use reduction under zero tillage fell into the moderate cost class. Both corn and cotton irrigated minimum tillage are found to be in the high cost category. This study only considers the producer foregone net income less fixed costs as the only cost incurred in switching to an alternative sequestering practice. More costs such as learning and risk should probably be included. This limitation along with other constraints such as use of short run budget data, lack of availability and reliability of local budgets, overlooking any market effects, and lack of treatment of costs incurred in selling carbon offsets to buyers are limitations and portend future work.

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Kim, Man-Keun. "Economic investigation of discount factors for agricultural greenhouse gas emission offsets." Diss., Texas A&M University, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/2187.

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This dissertation analyzes the basis for and magnitudes of discount factors based on the characteristics of greenhouse gas emission (GHGE) offsets that are applied to the GHGE reduction projects, concentrating on agricultural projects. Theoretical approaches to discount factors, estimation and incorporation of discount factors procedures are developed. Discount factors would be imposed by credit purchasers due to noncompliance with regulatory program of the credits with GHG program including consideration of shortfall penalties and limited durations. Discount factors are proposed for (i) additionality, (ii) leakage, (iii) permanence, and (iv) uncertainty. Additionality arise when the region where an AO project is being proposed would have substantial adoption of the AO practice in the absence of GHG programs (business as usual GHGE offset). Leakage arises when the effect of a program is offset by an induced increase in economic activity and accompanying emissions elsewhere. The leakage effect depends on demand and supply elasticities. Permanence reflects the saturation and volatility characteristics of carbon sequestration. Carbon is stored in a volatile form and can be released quickly to the atmosphere when an AO practice is discontinued. The permanence discount depends on the project design including practice continuation after the program and the dynamic rate of offset. Also, consideration of multiple offsets is important. Uncertainty arises due to the stochastic nature of project quantity. The uncertainty discount tends to be smaller the larger the size of the offset contract due to aggregation over space and time. The magnitude of these discounts is investigated in Southeast Texas rice discontinuation study. The additionality and the leakage discounts are found to play an important role in case of rice lands conversion to other crops but less so for pasture conversions and yet less for forest conversions. The permanence discount is important when converting to other crops and short rotation forestry. When all discounts are considered, rice lands conversion to forest yields claimable credits amounting to 52.8% ~ 77.5% of the total offset. When converting rice lands to pasture, the claimable credits 45.1% ~ 64.2%, while a conversion of rice lands to other crops yields claimable credits 38.9% ~ 40.4%.

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Banki, Ahmad. "Insurance purchasing under ambiguity, and its applications for forest carbon offsets: an experimental study." Thesis, McGill University, 2011. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=97116.

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The limitations of the expected utility theory in predicting risk preference under low probabilities have been discussed by various experimental studies. However, the ex-isting studies have not arrived at a consensus in this area. There are signs of both over-insurance and under-insurance for low-probability loss events. The topic has particularly not been addressed when ambiguity is coupled with low probability estimates. This paper theoretically analyzes the implications of ambiguity aversion for insurance purchasing in loss events involving low probabilities. The topic has been looked into under the light of forest carbon offsets and the need for insurance for unavoidable losses of the sequestrated carbon. The paper offers an experimental design involving three phases, including a replica of a previous study on insurance behaviour, addition of the ambiguity factor, and two methods of measuring ambiguity preference. Wildfire losses are associated with small probabilities and ambiguity, and ambiguity increases the individual's willingness to pay for insurance. Therefore, the government can set a higher price for its mandatory insurance program provided on forestry offset credits.
Les limites sur la théorie de l'utilité anticipée utilisée pour prédire les préférences de risque sous de faibles probabilités ont été discutées dans plusieurs études expérimenta-les. Toutefois, les études existantes n'en sont pas arrivées à un consensus. Il y a des si-gnaux tant pour une confiance élevée que basse dans des situations de faibles probabilités de pertes. Le sujet n'a pas été particulièrement questionné lorsque l'ambigüité est combi-née avec des estimations de faibles probabilités. Cette étude analyse théoriquement les implications de l'aversion de l'ambigüité lors de l'achat d'assurance dans un contexte de situations comprenant de faibles probabilités de perte. Cette étude examine les crédits de carbone au niveau forestier ainsi qu'aux besoins d'assurances afin d'éliminer d'inévitables pertes reliées aux séquestrations de carbone. Cette étude offre un design expérimental comprenant trois phases, incluant une réplique des études existantes sur les comportements des consommateurs d'assurances, ajoutant le facteur d'ambigüité ainsi que deux méthodes de mesures pour les préférences d'ambigüité.

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Abbruzzini, Thalita Fernanda. "The role of biochar on greenhouse gas offsets, improvement of soil attributes and nutrient use efficiency in tropical soils." Universidade de São Paulo, 2015. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/11/11140/tde-30092015-115437/.

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The solid product of pyrolysis, called \"biochar\" (BC) in the context of improving soil properties as part of agronomic or environmental management, also got into focus as a climate mitigation strategy. The researcher investigated the effects of BC on soil attributes, nitrogen (N) use and GHG emissions. In Chapter 1 the origin of BC was commented. In Chapter 2, BC from sugarcane straw was characterized, and its priming on native SC was evaluated with the treatments: (T1) Soil; (T2) BC; (T3) Soil + BC 10 Mg ha-1; (T4) Soil + BC 20 Mg ha-1; and (T5) Soil + BC 50 Mg ha-1. In Chapter 3, it was evaluated the combination of BC, filter cake (F) and vinasse (V), in relation to soil attributes and carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. The treatments were: (T1) Soil + FC + V; (T2) Soil + FC + V + BC 10 Mg ha-1; (T3) Soil + FC + V + BC 20 Mg ha-1; and (T4) Soil + FC + V + BC 50 Mg ha-1. In Chapter 4, the nitrogen (N) use efficiency was investigated in a pot trial under wheat using NH4[15N]O3 and rates of BC, with the treatments: (T1) Soil, with N, no BC; (T2) Soil, with N, BC 10 Mg ha-1; (T3) Soil, with N, BC 20 Mg ha-1; and (T4) Soil, with N, BC 50 Mg ha-1. BC had C and N contents higher compared to the feedstock. Total K, Mg and P also increased. The lowest CO2 fluxes were for BC, and CO2 from soil and soil + BC did not differ. The highest CO2 - C4 was in the first day, and there were no differences in the CO2 - C3. The BC presents characteristics to improve soil attributes. BC stability is an opportunity to reduce CO2 emissions. In Chapter 3, soil pH, P and base contents increased and Al3+ decreased with BC to sandy soil. Impacts of BC on the CEC were higher in sandy soil. Mineral N decreased with BC. Cumulative CO2 in T1 were higher in sandy and clayey soils than the control. T2 and T3 in sandy soil increased CO2 emissions, but T4 did not differ from T1. BC reduced N2O emissions from sandy and clayey soils relative to T1. BC with FC and V affected pH, CEC, P and base contents. However, those effects were higher in sandy soil. The BC supressed N2O from V and FC. In Chapter 4, BC decreased N2O from N fertilization compared to only N fertilizer. T4 had higher tillering and grain yield. Also, T2 to T4 had higher 100-grain weight and shoot. T3 and T4 had the highest N in grains. The application of BC to soil improves N availability and use efficiency, enhances grain yields and reduces N2O from N fertilization. This study opened encouraging perspectives to the evaluation of sugarcane straw BC to improve soil quality and mitigate GHG emissions.
O produto sólido da pirólise, denominado \"biochar\" (BC) no contexto da melhoria nos atributos do solo como parte do manejo agrícola e ambiental, também tem se destacado na mitigação das mudanças climáticas. O pesquisador investigou os efeitos do BC nos atributos do solo, uso do nitrogênio (N) e emissões de GEE. No Cap. 1 comentou-se a origem do BC. No Cap. 2, caracterizou-se o BC de palha de cana-de-açúcar e avaliou-se o potencial de decomposição do C do solo, com os tratamentos: (T1) Solo; (T2) BC; (T3) Solo + BC 10 Mg ha-1; (T4) Solo + BC 20 Mg ha-1 (T4); e (T5) Solo + BC 50 Mg ha-1. No Cap. 3, avaliou-se a combinação BC, torta de filtro (TF) e vinhaça (V) em atributos do solo e fluxos de dióxido de carbono (CO2), metano (CH4) e óxido nitroso (N2O) nos tratamentos: (T1) Solo + TF + V; (T2) Solo + TF + V + BC 10 Mg ha-1; (T3) Solo + TF + V + BC 20 Mg ha-1; e (T4) Solo + TF + V + BC 50 Mg ha-1. No Cap. 4 investigou-se a eficiência de uso do N num experimento em vasos com trigo usando NH4 [15N]O3 e doses de BC, com os tratamentos: (T1) Solo, com N, sem BC; (T2) Solo, com N, BC 10 Mg ha-1; (T3) Solo, com N, BC 20 Mg ha-1; e (T4) Solo, com N, BC 50 Mg ha-1. Os teores de C e N do BC foram maiores comparado à biomassa. K, Mg e P totais também aumentaram. Os menores fluxos de CO2 foram do BC. O CO2 do solo e solo + BC não diferiram. Observou-se maior CO2 - C4 no primeiro dia de incubação, porém sem diferenças no CO2 - C3. O BC apresenta características para melhorar atributos do solo e reduzir as emissões de CO2. No Cap. 3, pH, P e bases aumentaram e o Al3+ diminuíu com o BC. Os impactos do BC na CTC foram maiores em solo arenoso. O N mineral diminuíu com o BC. O CO2 acumulado no T1 foi maior nos solos arenoso e argiloso comparado ao controle. O T2 e T3 aumentaram o CO2 acumulado do arenoso relativo ao T1, enquanto T4 e T1 não diferiram. O BC reduziu as emissões de N2O pelos solos arenoso e argiloso comparado ao T1. O BC combinado à TF e V afetaram pH, CTC, P e bases do solo arenoso. O BC suprimiu o N2O de solos com V e TF. No Cap. 4, o BC diminuíu as emissões de N2O comparado ao fertilizante N apenas. T4 teve rendimento de grãos superior ao T1. T2 a T4 apresentaram maior peso de 100 grãos e biomassa aérea. T3 e T4 tiveram maior N em grãos. O BC melhora o uso do N, a produção de grãos e reduz o N2O de fertilizante N, abrindo perspectivas para a avaliação do BC de palha de cana-de-açúcar na melhoria da qualidade do solo e mitigar das emissões de GEE.

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Kim, Jieun S. M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Carbon offsets as a cost containment instrument : a case study of reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/59584.

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Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2010.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 56-60).
Carbon offset is one type of flexibility mechanism in greenhouse gas emission trading schemes that helps nations meet their emission commitments at lower costs. Carbon offsets take advantage of lower abatement cost opportunities from unregulated sectors and regions, which can be used to offset the emissions from regulated nations and sectors. Carbon offsets can also meet multiple objectives; for example, the Clean Development Mechanism in the Kyoto Protocol encourages Annex I countries to promote low carbon sustainable projects in developing countries in exchange for carbon offsets. Alternatively, the costs under cap-and-trade policies are subjected to uncertainties due to uncertainties about technology, energy markets, and emissions. There are several cost-containment instruments to address cost uncertainties, such as banking, borrowing, safety valve, and allowance reserves. Although carbon offsets are verified to reduce expected compliance costs by providing a surplus of cheap allowances that can be used by Annex I countries to help meet their commitments, they have yet to be studied as a cost-containment instrument. Carbon offsets could potentially be a cost-containment instrument as purchasing carbon offsets during instances of high carbon price volatility could potentially provide some relief from high prices. This paper analyzes the effect of carbon offsets on carbon prices, specifically under carbon price uncertainty. I use carbon offsets from abatement activities that reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) as a case study example. My results show that carbon offsets reduce upside costs and thus can be an alternative cost-containment instrument, but cost-effectiveness can be limited by supply uncertainties, offset purchasing restrictions, emission target stringency and competition over demand. Carbon offsets, such as REDD, can serve as a flexibility instrument for developed nations, encourage global participation in reducing GHG emissions, and provide sustainable development support to developing nations.
by Jieun Kim.
S.M.in Technology and Policy

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Connell, Tamara, Melanie Dubin, and Magdalena Szpala. "Carbon Neutrality as Leverage in Transitioning a Financial Organisation Towards Sustainability." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Avdelningen för maskinteknik, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-2714.

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Climate change is one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time, as it threatens the survival of human civilisation. With the increasing number of initiatives trying to address climate change, it is important to examine how effective they are and what other roles these initiatives can serve in transitioning society towards sustainability. This thesis investigates the role of one such initiative, carbon neutrality, within a strategic approach to sustainable development, based on the case study of the North American Credit Union (NACU). A scientific understanding of climate change and sustainability provide a strict evaluation of the carbon neutrality concept with its benefits and challenges, including the role of carbon offsets. Within this context, recommendations are provided for roles and actions that a financial organisation such as NACU can take in order to set high standards in this new and still evolving market of voluntary carbon offsets, while striving for full sustainability and leadership within the community.

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Segerstedt, Anna [Verfasser]. "Expanding the markets for environmental protection : recent initiatives on certification, voluntary carbon offsets, protected area certificates, and emission trading / Anna Segerstedt." Hannover : Technische Informationsbibliothek und Universitätsbibliothek Hannover (TIB), 2015. http://d-nb.info/1074260171/34.

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Trotignon, Raphaël. "In search of the carbon price : The european CO2 emission trading scheme : from ex ante and ex post analysis to the protection in 2020." Thesis, Paris 9, 2012. http://www.theses.fr/2012PA090052.

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Cette thèse est une évaluation des deux premières phases du Système Communautaire d’Echange de Quotas d’Emission (SCEQE). Il s'articule autour de la construction progressive d'un modèle de simulation, ZEPHYR-Flex, qui vise à reproduire les évolutions du prix et des émissions observés entre 2005 et 2012, et à les projeter jusqu'en 2020 sous différentes séries d'hypothèses. L'analyse ex post des huit premières années du système révèle que, pour comprendre son évolution, il est nécessaire d'étudier en détail le rôle joué par trois mécanismes de flexibilité: les échanges de quotas, la flexibilité spatiale (crédits carbone), et la flexibilité temporelle (banking/borrowing). Dans un premier temps, nous construisons un cadre technico-économique servant de base au mécanisme simulant les échanges de quotas dans le modèle. Le rôle des crédits carbone est ensuite examiné et un scénario pour leur utilisation jusqu'en 2020 est calculé sur cette base. Ensuite, la flexibilité temporelle est introduite dans le modèle qui, une fois les trois mécanismes de flexibilité réunis, peut reproduire la trajectoire passée du prix et des émissions. Le modèle et les leçons tirées des deux premières phases sont ensuite utilisés dans différents scénarios prospectifs à l'horizon 2020. Parmi les scénarios testés, seul un renforcement du plafond d’émission en ligne avec l'objectif européen de 2050 est en mesure de restaurer la confiance et les anticipations associées au système, deux facteurs qui conditionnent l'efficacité du SCEQE à long terme. La nécessité d’articuler correctement le SCEQE avec les autres politiques climat-énergie est également soulignée
This thesis is an evaluation of the first two phases of the EU ETS. It is articulated around the progressive construction of a simulation model, ZEPHYR-Flex, which aims at being able to replicate the observed price and emissions trajectories between 2005 and 2012, and to project them until 2020 under different sets of assumptions. The ex post analysis of the first eight years of the system reveals that to understand its development, it is necessary to study in details the role played by three flexibility mechanisms: trading, spatial flexibility (offsets), and time flexibility (banking/borrowing). In a first stage, we build a technical-economic framework for the core trading mechanism of the model. The role of offsets is then scrutinized and a scenario for their use up to 2020 is calculated on this basis. Next, the time flexibility and the related banking and borrowing behavior are introduced into the model which can then replicate the past price and emission trajectory. The model and the lessons from the first two phases are then used in different prospective scenarios to 2020. Among the scenarios tested, only a strengthening of the cap in line with the 2050 European reduction target is able to restore confidence and anticipations, two factors needed for the efficiency of the EU ETS in the long term. The issue of correctly articulating the EU ETS with other climate-energy policies is also underlined

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Flores, Saul Domingo. "Cost benefit analysis of wind turbine investment in Oberlin, Ohio." Oberlin College Honors Theses / OhioLINK, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin1354547391.

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Olsson, Alexander. "An evaluation of solar powered irrigation as carbon offset projects." Licentiate thesis, KTH, Energiprocesser, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-188562.

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Carbon offsets have been developed as one tool to incentivise investments by developed nations in climate change mitigation activities in developing countries. The carbon offsets can be used towards the countries’ own mitigation targets but are also meant to benefit developing countries by providing a pathway to clean development. Photovoltaic water pumping (PVWP) technology is a solution to use PV for irrigation, which can be used to restore degraded grasslands and help farmers adapt to climate change. Restoration of degraded grasslands increases the production of grass and will therefore increase the amount of carbon in the soil, a process that may mitigate climate change. However, poor farmers often have limited access to irrigation technology and this thesis assesses how carbon offsets may bring revenues to increase adaption of PVWP technology in remote areas of the Chinese grasslands. PV modules can be used to mitigate climate change in different ways; the most common is to produce electricity to replace fossil fuel power capacity. The novelty of this thesis is that it assesses the alternative mitigation possibilities for the PVWP project proposed here. Further, consideration of water constraints that limit the applicability of the technology and a framework to assess the trade-offs between potential downstream water impacts and environmental co-benefits of the project add to the novelty of this thesis. Policy barriers for the project will also be considered. Used to restore severely degraded grasslands, PVWP projects show high carbon sequestration potential and successfully compete with grid electricity as carbon offset projects. A case is analysed and it shows that the carbon market could play a role in increasing the feasibility of PVWP projects. However, water issues make project implementation very site-specific and some indicators to determine feasibility is proposed to be blue water availability, evaporation recycling ratio and water productivity. Water use must also be looked at with respect to climate, food and energy security, calling for a nexus approach to evaluate the project suitability. In May 2016, grassland management projects are excluded from the Clean Development Mechanism to the Kyoto Protocol, and this limits project implementation to the voluntary markets.
Avhandlingen är ämnad att läsas av beslutsfattare inom klimatområdet samt aktörer på de olika klimatkompensationsmarknaderna. Klimatkompensation har utvecklats som ett verktyg för att stimulera industriländers investeringar i klimatprojekt i utvecklingsländer. Klimatkompensation kan användas för att nå industriländernas egna klimatmål men är också tänkta att gynna utvecklingsländer genom att tillhandahålla en ”ren” utvecklingsmöjlighet. Solcellsdrivna vattenpumpar (eng. photovoltaic water pumping: PVWP) är en teknik för att använda solceller för bevattning. Tekniken kan användas för att restaurera degraderade gräsmarker och för att hjälpa jordbrukare anpassa sig till klimatförändringarna. Restaurering av gräsmarker ökar produktionen av gräs vilket medför ökad mängden kol i marken, en process som kan mildra klimatförändringarna. Men fattiga bönder har ofta begränsad tillgång till bevattningsteknik och denna avhandling utvärderar hur klimatkompensation kan ge intäkter för att öka användningen av PVWP i avlägsna delar på den kinesiska slätten. Solceller kan användas för att mildra klimatförändringarna på olika sätt och vanligast är att producera el för att ersätta fossila bränslen. Det är därför viktigt att titta på alternativkostnaden för PVWP-projekten som föreslås här. Vidare begränsar vattentillgången projekten och ett ramverk för att tydliggöra avvägningar mellan vattenrelaterade problem och miljömässiga fördelarna med ett projekt är nödvändigt. Klimatpolitiska styrmedel sätter också upp vissa begränsningar för projekten. Om PVWP används för att återställa mycket degraderade gräsmarker, visar projekten hög klimatnytta och de kan framgångsrikt konkurrera med solel till nätet som klimatkompensationsprojekt. En fallstudie visar att klimatkompensationsmarknaden skulle kunna spela en viss roll för att öka antalet PVWP-projekt. Däremot gör vattenfrågan projektens geografiska plats viktig och indikatorer för att avgöra genomförbarheten föreslås vara ”blåvattentillgång”, ”förångningsåtervinning” och ”vattenproduktivitet”. Vattenanvändningen måste också ses i förhållande till klimat, mat- och energisäkerhet, vilket kräver en nexusstrategi för att utvärdera projekten. I skrivande stund (maj 2016) är projekt rörande skötsel av gräsmarker exkluderade från mekanismen för ren utveckling (CDM) till Kyotoprotokollet och detta begränsar projekten till de frivilliga klimat-kompensationsmarknaderna.

QC 20160711

Demonstration and Scale-Up of Photovoltaic Solar Water Pumping for the Conservation of Grassland and Farmland in China

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Tyers, Roger. ""Nudging the jetset to offset" : voluntary carbon offsetting for air travel." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2016. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/407314/.

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In recent years in both academia and in many western governments, ‘Nudge’-style interventions have been tested and applied to various policy areas including public health, road safety, and saving domestic energy. Often these have been successful in terms of changing behaviour, partly because the interests of the citizen-consumer (pro-self ends) and those of the environment/society (pro-social ends) are in convergence. Less research has been conducted into using nudges for solely pro-social behaviours. In this thesis I discuss the application of nudges to promote one pro-social behaviour: voluntary carbon offsetting for air travel. Testing nudges through randomised controlled trials and evaluating them through qualitative focus groups, nudges were found to have limited utility in promoting this target behaviour. Two explanations are proposed, one in terms of the design of the nudges, and one in terms of the substantive problems associated with this target behaviour. In terms of the design of the interventions trialled in this study, ‘too much information’ being provided, a ‘distant’ social norm message, and a lack of attention to ‘intrinsic values’ at the expense of more technical language may be barriers which pro-social nudges ought to avoid. Secondly and more substantively, it is argued that when pro-social behaviours are not perceived as ‘common’, are not ‘visible’ (i.e. others cannot ‘see’ them being done, and so they are resistant to the power of social norms), and they are associated with negatively-constructed ‘cousins’ (as carbon offsetting is associated with invasive ‘extra’ services), then nudges are unlikely to be effective. This is a key empirical contribution to the literature regarding the practical boundaries at which nudging may start to fail. These findings act as an empirical demonstration of the theoretical contribution of the thesis, which is a novel portrayal of the nudge paradigm as macro-libertarianism and micro-paternalism: a form of neo-liberal behavioural governance which is politically attractive, but is often ineffectual. The thesis concludes by arguing that when the interests of the citizen-consumer and those of the environment/society are not in convergence, nudging may be inadequate and tougher regulatory approaches, such as ‘budging’, may be necessary. Implications for both behavioural public policy and sustainable aviation are discussed.

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Laurent, Arthur. "Standardism as government : voluntary carbon certification and the Peruvian cookstove sector." Thesis, Paris, Institut d'études politiques, 2014. http://www.theses.fr/2014IEPP0013.

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Le marché volontaire du carbone est un mécanisme de marché de compensation d’émissions de gaz à effet de serre pour les entreprises et les particuliers non assujettis à un quota de réduction d’émissions. Jusqu'à présent, il n’a fait l’objet que de peu de recherches académiques. Ce travail s’intéresse à la gouvernance de la chaîne d’acteurs impliqués dans ce marché. Il utilise une approche pluridisciplinaire centrée sur les relations internationales, la science politique appliquée à la compensation et aux standards volontaires environnementaux et s’appuie sur une analyse anthropologique des projets de développement. Il s’agit de répondre à la question: comment les projets de compensation volontaire du carbone sont-ils gouvernés ? L’étude de cas d’un programme de diffusion de foyers améliorés au Pérou se focalise d’abord sur le contexte social et culturel de la cuisson dans les Andes avant d’étudier quatre projets avant financement carbone. Ensuite, le standard utilisé pour certifier ce projet, ainsi que le détaillant des crédits carbone générés par le projet et trois de ses entreprises clientes sont présentés. On peut alors aborder la création, la gestion et les premiers résultats du programme au travers d’une ethnographie de l’entreprise sociale qui en est à l’origine pour comprendre finalement l’influence du projet dans le secteur péruvien. Cette recherche montre un système de gouvernance multi-niveaux et pluri-acteurs majoritairement privée qui agit en grande partie en parallèle de l'État. Ce mode de gouvernance caractérisé par une succession de standards qui tentent de faire coller la réalité à un modèle est appelé standardisme
The voluntary carbon offset market is a market mechanism for offsetting greenhouse gases emissions for organizations and individuals that are not legally committed to reductions. Until now it has not been studied much in academic circles. This dissertation looks at the governance of the chain of actors involved in the mechanism. A pluri-disciplinary approach is used based on international relations, political science of offsets and standards combined with an anthropological analysis of development projects. The central question is thus: how are carbon-offset programs governed? The empirical work is a case study of a new stove (improved cookstoves) diffusion program in Peru under the Gold Standard. The first focus is on the social and cultural context of cooking in the Andes. Then four projects before carbon funding are studied. The standard is the subject of the following section and the retailer of the credits generated by the programme and three different types of clients are then presented. We can then discuss the creation, design and management of the standard through an ethnography of the social business that implements. Finally, the influence of the projects on the sector can be discussed. The chain studied presents a governance system that is multi-level and multi-actors, with mainly private actors that act parallel to the state. This type of governance is characterized by a series of standards that define the model the reality should resemble to and is called standardism

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Sparrow, Lori. "Forest carbon offset projects in coastal British Columbia : Aboriginal criteria, awareness and preferences." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/44357.

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Aboriginal groups are still developing recognition of their rights, title and capacity to co-manage their forestland. Provincially there are a number of changes in legislation and regulation that affect Aboriginal groups, particularly in the area of climate change. Aboriginal groups that are actively negotiating their legal rights need to integrate the discussion of climate change, particularly in the area of forests with their evolving legal rights. Aboriginal groups have been proactive in British Columbia but there are many critical gaps that should be explored. My objectives are to identify the key cultural, social, environmental and economic criteria of five selected Aboriginal groups in British Columbia for forest carbon offset projects, to assess their awareness and to identify their key preferences in forest carbon agreements. I travelled to five Aboriginal communities where I conducted twenty individual interviews in total to collect the qualitative data to support my research objectives. Results showed all five selected Aboriginal groups are struggling with balancing economic and environmental values for managing their forests. Cultural, social, and environmental values were closely related to each other and were preferred over economic values. However, there was recognition of the importance of generating revenue and creating employment from forest resources. The five selected Aboriginal groups in this study are at different stages of looking at carbon offsets as a new, potential forestry activity to add to their economic development portfolios. Approximately half of the Aboriginal groups in this study have a low awareness of basic carbon terminology. There was no consensus across the five Aboriginal groups for preferences for carbon project types, acceptable forest stand tending techniques and contractual arrangements, except for a high group-to-group consensus across the five Aboriginal groups on a renewable type of carbon contractual arrangement.

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Liu, Yan. "The economics of forest carbon offset trading: the design of an economic experiment." Thesis, McGill University, 2009. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=40740.

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The proposed Domestic Emission Trading System in Canada included an offset market that was expected to provide cost-efficient carbon offsets to the Large Final Emitters. The objective of this thesis was to design an economic experiment that incorporated this institutional design. The experimental design included both regulated and non-regulated sectors and is based on a “cap and trade” carbon emission model. Three markets are included in the experimental design: timber, carbon, and electricity. The electricity sector represents the regulated sectors with a carbon emission cap while the forestry sector represents the non-regulated sectors, i.e. they do not have a carbon emission cap. The decision making framework of the forestry sector is based on a joint-product model; i.e. timber and carbon. The price of carbon offset credits impacts both timber and electricity supply.
Le système d’échange de droits d’émission envisagé au Canada incluait un marché compensatoire qui devait fournir aux grands émetteurs finaux des crédits compensatoires pour le carbone rentables. L'objectif de cette thèse était de concevoir une expérience économique qui incluait cette conception institutionnelle. L'expérience a été conçue pour inclure des marchés réglementés et non-réglementés et elle est basée sur un modèle “cap and trade” d’échange d’émissions de carbone. Elle a été menée sur trois marchés : celui du bois, celui du carbone et celui de l’électricité. Le marché de l’électricité représente les marchés réglementés avec un cap sur émissions de carbone tandis que le secteur forestier représente les marchés non-réglementés, c.-à-d. il n’y a pas de cap sur émissions de carbone. Les décisions de production dans le secteur forestier sont basées sur un modèle de production conjoint ; c.-à-d. celui du bois et du carbone. Le prix des crédits compensatoires pour le carbone ont une influence sur l’offre de bois et d’électricité. La réglementation de l’émission du carbone est incorporée dans l’expérience en utilisant une courbe de l’offre coudée pour l’électricité. Les prévisions de la théorie et du comportement ont été faites en se basant sur les incitatifs proposés dans l’expérience ainsi que sur l’expérience d’expériences antérieures.

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Pena-Valderrama, Sara. "Entangling molecules : an ethnography of a carbon offset project in Madagascar's eastern rainforest." Thesis, Durham University, 2016. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/11475/.

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In this dissertation I explore the multiple social lives of ‘carbon’ as key object of contemporary forms of global environmental governance. Through an ethnography of a forest carbon project, I detail the many forms that ‘carbon’ takes as it is deployed in a small locality in the forests of Madagascar. TAMS was a forest carbon project that ran for two decades in eastern Madagascar. Its aim was to reforest degraded fallows from slash-and-burn agriculture, or tavy, and to provide farmers with alternative livelihoods through the benefits obtained from the sale of carbon credits. Carried out by major conservation organisations, international institutions and the Malagasy government, TAMS was once hailed as a pilot carbon project for the whole of Africa. Six years after reforestation began, however, it came to a halt due to a series of complications and it was abandoned. My ethnography focuses on a series of glimpses into ‘carbon’ in its many guises as part of TAMS. This leads me to an analysis of the ways in which carbon credits are produced by, and at the same time re-articulate, ideas of value and waste in relation to forests and tavy; the peculiar materiality of ‘carbon’ as natural resource and form of labour; the experiences of ‘carbon’ as an instance of state oppression for farmers; and the complexity that arises from project actors’ efforts to turn grounded trees into mobile carbon credits. All along, we see how, far from the bounded CO2 molecule, the ‘carbon’ of forest carbon projects is not a fixed or stable object, but rather appears and disappears in multiple ways through diverse material and discursive practices. My aim is to show how specific forms of ‘carbon’—in their articulation of people’s relationships to each other and to their environments—open or foreclose particular socio-natural futures.

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Teichmann, Dorothee. "The role of public-private partnerships in local infrastructure : the case of carbon offset projects." Paris 9, 2011. http://basepub.dauphine.fr/xmlui/handle/123456789/8201.

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L’investissement dans des infrastructures locales sobres en carbone est considéré comme une composante importante de la lutte contre le changement climatique. Les mécanismes de règlementation climatique (comme la compensation carbone) font supporter aux développeurs de projet les risques liés à la réduction des émissions de gaz à effet de serre (GES): les risques opérationnels, technologiques ou liés au monitoring environnemental et aux mécanismes régulateurs. Nous montrons que l’efficacité environnementale et économique des projets dépend en grande partie des modalités de partage de ces risques entre les différents acteurs impliqués dans le projet. Sur un échantillon de projets de torchage des gaz d’enfouissement financés par le Mécanisme pour un Développement Propre, il est montré que la délégation de la fourniture de la technologie crée des risques supplémentaires. La délégation de l’élaboration de la documentation du projet selon les règles formelles de l’UNFCCC et la séparation de l’opération de la décharge et du projet MDP semblent être maîtrisables par la mise en place de mesures de partage de risques
Investment in low carbon infrastructure is considered an important component of the fight against climate change. The mechanisms of climate regulation (such as carbon offsets) transfer to project developers the risks associated with reducing emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, i. E. Operational and technological risk, or risks associated with the environmental monitoring and the regulatory mechanism itself. The success of projects depends importantly on the risk sharing arrangements between the private and public partners. It is shown that the delegation of tasks between the partners can create risks that affect the environmental effectiveness and economic efficiency of the project. For a sample of landfill gas flaring projects financed under the Clean Development Mechanism, it is shown that the outsourcing of the provision of technology creates additional risks. The outsourcing of the development of the official project documentation required by the UNFCCC and the separation of the operation of the landfill and the CDM project development appear to be manageable by risk sharing arrangements

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Valiergue, Alice. "Vendre de l’air : sociologie du marché "volontaire" des services de compensation carbone." Thesis, Paris, Institut d'études politiques, 2018. http://www.theses.fr/2018IEPP0013/document.

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Cette thèse porte sur le marché dit « volontaire » des services de compensation carbone. Sur ce marché, des entreprises, qui n’ont aucune obligation de souscrire à ces services, achètent à des opérateurs privés, ONG ou entreprises, des « crédits carbone » pour « compenser » leurs émissions de gaz à effet de serre (GES). Pour obtenir ces crédits carbone, les opérateurs du marché mettent en œuvre des projets de réduction des émissions de GES dans les pays du Sud. Ces nouveaux échanges marchands du début des années 2000 ne sont pas sans susciter de critiques. Journalistes, ONG environnementales et scientifiques considèrent que ce marché, d’une part, ne permet pas de réduire efficacement les émissions de GES et, d’autre part, que les populations du Sud encourent de potentiels dangers avec la mise en œuvre de tels projets. La thèse interroge ainsi l’apparent paradoxe du choix des entreprises d’investir dans des services environnementaux contestés alors que ces derniers ne constituent pas une obligation réglementaire et peuvent mettre en danger leur réputation. En considérant le marché « volontaire » comme un « marché contesté », selon le sens donné à cette notion par Steiner et Trespeuch (2014), la thèse rend compte des conditions d’existence et de maintien de ce marché. A partir d’entretiens, d’observations et de l’analyse de sources écrites, elle examine le rôle de divers dispositifs, du travail marchand ainsi que de l’appropriation de l’offre par les acheteurs dans l’organisation de ce marché. La thèse interroge plus généralement le rapport entre économie et environnement et s’intéresse aux ressorts de l’engagement « volontaire » des entreprises pour le climat
This dissertation deals with the so-called “voluntary” carbon offset market. In this market, companies, which have no obligation to subscribe to these services, purchase “carbon credits” to “offset” their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from private operators (NGOs or businesses). To obtain carbon credits, operators implement GHG emission reduction projects in Southern countries. These new trade exchanges, which date from the early 2000s, provoke critics. Journalists, environmental NGOs and scientists believe that this market on the one hand does not effectively reduce GHG emissions to fight against climate change, and on the other hand that people in the South face potential dangers linked to the implementation of carbon offsetting projects. The dissertation thus questions the apparent paradox of the choice of companies to invest in contested environmental services when they are not a regulatory obligation and may endanger their reputation. By considering the “voluntary” market as a “contested market”, according to the meaning given to this notion by Steiner and Trespeuch (2014), the dissertation explores the conditions of existence and maintenance of this market. Through interviews, observations and written sources, our research analyzes the role of various market devices, but also commercial work as well as the appropriation of the offer by buyers in organizing this market. In doing so, it questions more generally the relationship between economy and the environment and is interested in the determinant factors of the “voluntary” commitment of companies for the fight against global warming

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Shen, Wei. "The political economy of CDM market in China : business actors in the governance of carbon offset." Thesis, University of East Anglia, 2013. https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/48086/.

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This thesis examines the role of business actors in networking, influencing and shaping the governance of China’s CDM market. By adopting a neo-pluralistic view of business power, it reveals how companies in the CDM market in China are wielding their unique capabilities and technics to affect policy making and implementing process both at the national and local level. It is based on a qualitative case study strategy to investigate and reveal the detailed context and causes for some worrying problems around CDM in China. 42 interviews, plus large number of document, and field observations have been carried out to collect data. The study also illustrated their constraints to achieve their goals and strategic preferences due to the confrontational interests among business actors. In general, it contributes insights of the reform era political economy in China’s environmental and climate governance.

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Watt, Robert. "The moral economy of carbon offsetting : ethics, power and the search for legitimacy in a new market." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2017. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/the-moral-economy-of-carbon-offsetting-ethics-power-and-the-search-for-legitimacy-in-a-new-market(8bfa845b-b944-4c38-acaf-b6043b16c2d3).html.

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Carbon offsetting has been an institutionalised response to climate change for over a decade. Over this period, climate change has become more severe and calls for climate justice have become increasingly insistent. Yet the normative controversies of carbon offsetting remain unresolved, as debates about the environmental quality, development impacts and ethical implications of carbon offsetting continue. This thesis explores the relationship between morality and carbon offsetting in three domains. First it provides an evaluation of the ethics of offsetting. Second it gives an account of the 'lay normativity' of the market, describing how carbon market actors interpret and act upon issues of moral concern. And third, it explains offsetting's moral economy. First, the thesis examines the moral rationales for and problems of offsetting in order to clarify the bases of criticisms levelled at offsets by researchers concerned about trends in neoliberal environmental governance. In evaluation of the ethics of offsetting, the PhD recognises some limited rationales, but mainly highlights widespread problems including lack of environmental integrity and failure to produce 'sustainable development'. The structure of the market is shown to create opportunities for malpractice and difficulties for reform. Second, building on work in cultural political economy, the research describes carbon offsetting's lay normativity. The account is based on interviews with over sixty carbon offset market actors including project developers, consultants, auditors, regulators, retailers and buyers in the UK, continental Europe, and in India. Findings show that the market is founded on ethical principles: offsetting is nothing without notions of environmental and developmental care. Critiques of, and reforms to, offsetting are also grounded in principled debate. But carbon market actors often use their power to further commercial interests that are not aligned with production of environmental or developmental value. And yet, even as rationales are ignored and problems are amplified, market actors maintain a discursive semblance of moral behaviour through forms of justification, story-telling and identity work. Third, the thesis explains how principles, profit and power combine to affect the governance of offsetting. It shows that the concentration of power among profit-seeking actors drives the production of offsetting's moral problems in the stages of project development, regulation and retail. Commercial interests in the politics of knowledge lead to manipulation of the discursive framings through which people come to understand offsets. Ethical narratives are deployed to sustain the market in states of dysfunction, enabling privileged groups to gain exchange value at the expense of climate protection and sustainable development. Through this explanatory work, the PhD contributes an original application of ideas about moral political economy to the case of climate change and carbon trading, demonstrating that powerful actors can shape culture and alter our perceptions of right and wrong.

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Broderick, John Foreman. "Business as usual? : instituting markets for carbon credits." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2011. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/business-as-usual-instituting-markets-for-carbon-credits(fbf35455-6dc6-4ad9-a0e9-1757dff6cfac).html.

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Climate change mitigation necessitates substantial alterations to patterns of worldwide economic activity, be that reduction in demand, switches to new technology or 'end-of-pipe' abatement of greenhouse gases. There are profound political, economic and ethical questions surrounding the governance of the means, rate and location of change. Within advanced capitalist economies and internationally through the auspices of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change emissions trading systems have been introduced as part of the broader neoliberal attempts to 'correct market failure' through the definition of new property rights.This thesis investigates the development, constitution and consequences of institutions for the production, exchange and consumption of credits for emissions reductions. Such credits are financial instruments awarded to organisations for putative reductions in emissions from 'business as usual'. In consumption, credits are equated with a quantity of emissions released elsewhere. The 'Instituted Economic Process' framework (Randles and Harvey, 2002) is used to distinguish the various classes of agent involved in these exchanges and identify the economic and non-economic relationships that constitute these institutions. Inspired by the economic anthropology of Karl Polanyi, this approach asks how economic activity is organised and stabilised within society without presuming that there are universal economic laws of 'the market', that there are essential properties of commodities and agents, or that all economic transfers are conducted within markets.I argue that crediting is a socially contingent process of commodification of atmospheric pollution which is both ontologically and normatively problematic. Extant institutions are shown to be precarious by appealing to neutral techno-scientific justifications but remaining reliant on subjective judgement. However, they are sufficiently consistent and credible that they persist and expand. These findings are of interest to the academic communities of political economy and environmental and economic geography, climate change policy makers and the environmental movement more broadly.

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Herrero-Garcia, Victoria. "Minimizing carbon offset purchase| A framework for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the building sector." Thesis, Philadelphia University, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10012696.

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Currently, GHG emissions from buildings represent approximately 44% of the total emissions in the U.S. (Architecture 2030, 2013b). Buildings are "in the grip of a dangerous greenhouse gas (GHG) habit " (Kirby, 2008, p. 6). Some researchers claim that if approximately two-thirds of the new and renovated stock in the U.S. will be built between now and 2050 (Ewing, Bartholomew, Winkelman, Walters, & Chen, 2007), there is a significant potential for the building sector to reduce its emissions.

This thesis studies the main GHGs, their global warming potential (GWP) and the sources of emissions within buildings. In general, when thinking about GHG emissions reductions in buildings, the attention goes to reducing operations energy usage, since electricity from the combustion of fossil fuels is the most responsible for CO₂ emissions within buildings. But in fact, there are other GHG that can be reduced and whose GWP is higher than CO₂. Carbon neutral buildings reduce emissions in a holistic way, considering other sources of emissions rather than just operation (La Roche, 2012).

Building codes and regulations do not seem to give enough attention to GHG emissions reductions. Neither are some voluntary rating systems, such as LEED. LEED has been adopted as a benchmark for many Federal Agencies and institutions; usually the minimum requirement is to become LEED Silver certified, which is proven that is not enough for carbon neutrality (The American Institute of Architects, 2012b).

Finally, a framework has been developed to guide architects, builders and developers on how to design, build and operate a zero emissions building, thus minimizing the purchase of carbon offsets.

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Anderson, Linse N. "A greenhouse gas emissions inventory and emissions offset strategies for the University of Wyoming." Laramie, Wyo. : University of Wyoming, 2008. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1663116701&sid=2&Fmt=2&clientId=18949&RQT=309&VName=PQD.

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Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wyoming, 2008.
Title from PDF title page (viewed on August 4, 2009). Interdisciplinary thesis in International Studies and Environment and Natural Resources. Includes bibliographical references (p. 58-63).

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Kruse, Wilhelm, and Simon Wahlberg. "Klimatkompensation – en översikt." Thesis, KTH, Hållbar utveckling, miljövetenskap och teknik, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-277719.

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Klimatkompensation är en relativt nyutvecklad mekanism och har till viss del standardiserats efter Kyotoprotokollet. Rapporten syftar till att kartlägga mekanismens applika- tioner, bakgrund, certifikat och program genom en komparativ litteraturstudie. Svenska företag som Tricorona och ZeroMission har utvecklat en verksamhet centrerad i meka- nismen. Aktörerna har en uppenbar positiv syn på klimatkompensation men åsikten är dock inte universal. Miljörörelser som GreenPeace och Jordens vänner är kritiska till mekanismen, specifikt skogsprojekt som enligt organisationerna saknar permanens. Vidare menar de att endast Gold Standard projekt anses legitima, WWF delar åsikten men menar att vissa skogsprojekt är legitima. Naturskyddsföreningen har en liknande upp- fattning, organisationen menar att mekanismen även kan ge en ekonomisk uppfattning av utsläpp. Miljörörelsen har en kollektiv uppfattning om att klimatkompensation bör tolkas som en sista utväg efter interna reformer genomförts. Vidare har Arla, MAX och IKEA analyserats med avseende på deras hållbarhetsstrategier. Företagen är starkt förankrade till hållbarhet genom en omfattande marknadsföring. Det konstateras att Arla och MAX klimatkompenserar primärt genom skogsprojekt. Bå- da företagen redovisar klimatneutrala produkter vilket åstadkommits genom omfattan- de applikation av mekanismen genom ZeroMission. Till skillnad från Arla och MAX klimatkompenserar IKEA genom internt producerade skogsprojekt samt vattenrening. Företaget redovisar skepsis mot skogsprojektens permanens och vill därför undersöka framtida alternativ såsom energiutveckling. Samtliga företag har ambitioner att bli klimatneutrala inom en snar framtid. Rapporten jämför även Project Drawdowns lista över åtgärder för att nå 1,5-gradersmålet med de relaterade projekten. Vidare utförs en komparativ analys mellan företagens ut- släpp relaterad till Sveriges. Det visar sig att projekten som redogörs för rapporten är prioriterade på ett adekvat sätt jämfört med Project Drawdowns lista. Det konstateras att en bred projektportfölj som är prioriterad enligt samma lista är önsk- värd för effektiv klimatkompensation. Mekanismen kan möjliggöra en mjukare reform till ett hållbarare samhälle, men innebär samtidigt rebound effekter och försummande av nödvändiga och svåra förändringar. Därav måste klimatkompensationens alla perspektiv beaktas för att skapa en legitim hållbarhetsstrategi.
Carbon offsetting is a relatively new developed mechanism that has, to some extent, been standardised since the Kyoto Protocol. This report aims to show the mechanisms appli- cations, background, certificates and programs, through a comparative literature study. Swedish companies as Tricorona and ZeroMission have developed a business model based on the mechanism. The companies share a positive view on carbon offsetting , however, it is not universal. Enviromentalists as GreenPeace and Friends of Earth are critical to the mechanism, specifically to projects related to forestry, which according to the enviromentalists lack permanence. Furthermore, the enviromentalists declare the Gold Standard certificate as the only legitimate option. WWF share some of the ideas, yet still think some forestry projects are legitimate. The Swedish organization Natur- skyddsföreningen have a similiar opinion, also, they belive that the mechanism can pro- vide an economic view of emissions. The environmentalists have a collective view that climate compensation should be interpreted as a last resort after internal reforms have been implemented. Furthermore the Swedish companies Arla, MAX and IKEA has been analyzed based on their sustainable strategies. The companies are firmly rooted in sustainability due to extensive marketing. It is found that Arla and MAX carbon offset primarily through forestry projects. Both companies offer climate-neutral products, which have been ac- hieved through extensive application of the mechanism through ZeroMission. In con- trast to Arla and MAX, IKEA carbon offsets through internally developed forestry- and watercleaning-projects. The company declares skepticism towards the permanence of the forestry projects. All companies have ambitions to become climate-neutral in the near future. The report also compares Project Drawdown’s list of measures to reach the 1.5-degree goal with the related projects. Furthermore, a comparative analysis is carried out between the companies’ emissions related to the Swedish. It turns out that the projects presented in the report are adequately prioritized compared to Project Drawdowns’ list. It is stated that a broad project portfolio which is prioritized accordingly is desirable for efficient carbon offsetting. The mechanism may allow a smoother reform to a sustai- nable society, but at the same time involve rebound effects and neglecting necessary and difficult actions. Therefore, all of the perspectives related to carbon offsetting must be taken into consideration in order to create a legitimate sustainable strategy.

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Nieskens, Liesa. "Forest Management Decentralisation in a REDD+ World : A Case Study of a REDD+ Pilot Project in the Kolo Hills Forests, Kondoa District, Tanzania." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Institutionen för naturgeografi, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-154107.

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Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradatin (REDD+) is a market-based approachto address tropical deforestation as a key driver of anthropogenic climate change. In Tanzania, participatory forest management (PFM) was used as a vehicle for the institutionalisation of REDD+and implementation of pilot initiatives. With the lens of political ecology, this thesis analyses the effects of the REDD+ pilot project ‘Advancing REDD+ in the Kolo Hills Forests’ (ARKFor) inKondoa District, Tanzania, on structures of access and use of forest resources for local communities. This analysis is done by using qualitative interviews with villagers living within the REDD+ project area and government actors involved in forest management as well as textual analysis of a PFMagreement and community bye-laws established within the ARKFor project. The findings suggest that REDD+ pilot activities were planned without real participation by local communities and failed to take complex conservation histories and underlying power structures into account. Community access rights were not legally secured which resulted in processes of re-centralisation of forest managementand ‘green grabbing’ after the conclusion of project activities in 2014. The study underscores that successful forest management decentralisation needs to be based on localised, longer-term adaptive processes which clash with the globally driven, neoliberal conservation logic of REDD+.

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Khor, Karen Lei-Chen. "From theory to practice in joint implementation of the climate change convention : New England Power's forestry carbon offset projects in Malaysia." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/11542.

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Chang, Lisa, Albin Nguyen, and Joakim Vingeskog. "Vägen till klimatneutralitet : Utmaningar och möjligheter med klimatkompensation." Thesis, Högskolan i Borås, Akademin för textil, teknik och ekonomi, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hb:diva-26466.

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På senaste år har trender inom hållbarhet och miljöarbetet fått mer uppmärksamhet. Allt fler organisationer och privatpersoner börjar bli mer medvetna om potentiella hot som kommer från klimat- och miljöförändringarna, därmed ökar efterfrågan på olika sätt att klimatkompensera. Många tidigare studier har tytt på att det huvudsakliga bakomliggande motivet till att klimatkompensera ska främst vara på grund av etiska skäl och att många företag vill helt enkelt bara ta ansvar för sina miljöskadliga aktiviteter. Dock finns det även andra anledningar som motiverar företagen till att klimatkompensera, bland annat ekonomiska skäl. Syftet med detta arbete är att identifiera genomförbara lösningar till hur små och mellanstora företag kan klimatkompensera för verksamhetens befintliga leveransflöden. Denna studie är baserad på den kvalitativa metoden med en deduktiv ansats. Datainsamling har gjorts i form av intervjuer och litteraturstudier, totalt fyra semi-strukturerade intervjuer har genomförts under arbetets gång. Alla intervjuer är inspelade och därmed transkriberade för att undvika låg validitet samt reliabilitet. Resultatet visade för att lyckas med klimatkompensation så krävs det förståelse om både om hur mycket utsläpp som ska kompenseras för samt vilket projekt som är mest relevant att finansiera. Det finns många aktörer som kan stå till hjälp för mindre företag som inte har resurser att genomföra en kartläggning om utsläpp på egen hand.
In recent years, there has been an uprising trend of sustainability and different environmental works have received more attention than before. Many organizations and individuals are becoming more aware of the potential threats that come from climate and environmental changes, thus increasing the demand for different ways of carbon offsetting. Many previous studies have suggested that the main underlying motive for carbon offsetting is mostly due to ethical reasons and that many companies just simply take responsibility for their environmentally harmful activities. However, it is believed that there could also be other reasons that motivate companies to carbon offset, namely economic reasons. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate and find possible solutions for how small and medium-sized companies can carbon offset for their supply chain regarding transportation. This study uses a qualitative method with a deductive approach. Data was collected through interviews and literatures, four interviews in total were conducted and was performed in a semistructural way. The Interviews were recorded and transcribed to avoid low validity and reliability. The result showed that in order to successfully compensate for your emissions, the company is required to understand both by how much of the emissions need to be compensated for and which project is most relevant to invest in. There are many actors who can be of much help to the smaller companies that lack the resources to do their own emission mapping.

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Sirsly, Francesca. "Using option value games with an embedded risk preference measure to study behavior of market participants faced with short and long term carbon offset choices." Thesis, McGill University, 2009. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=40667.

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This study uses economic experiments to examine agricultural producers’ incentives to supply permanent and/or temporary credits to a carbon offset market. Their decision to partake in an investment project with an uncertain outcome and a flow of information about future conditions was mimicked through two types of games in the laboratory. The timing games consist of a three-period investment project in which subjects must decide if and when to invest, knowing that they can delay their decision until more information about the future outcomes is known. Their behavior was compared with the theoretical solution based on expected value calculations and an assumption of risk neutrality; further analysis then explores the possible causes of non-optimal results. Next, bidding games tested the choice to delay the investment until the outcome was certain as both the expected value of the gamble and the variance between possible payoffs increase. Participants were also asked to state the minimum compensation they would be willing to accept to sell the gamble. The option value component was measured as the difference between the value of the game with an option to delay and the value of the game without the option to postpone investment. The last element of the experiment was a game to determine the risk preference of the subjects. The experimental results show non-optimal behavior in the timing and bidding games, although risk-aversion predictions fit the data quite well. Stated willingness-to-accept values observed in the bidding games were on average close to the predicted levels. Option values were found to be increasing as the risk level and expected value of the gambles increase, switching from a negative to a positive value.
Cette étude utilise l’économie expérimentale à fin d’examiner les facteurs qui peuvent pousser les producteurs agricoles à fournir des crédits compensatoires de carbone permanents et/ou temporaires. Leur décision de participer à un projet d’investissement avec des revenus incertains et une source d’information sur les conditions futures est étudiée à travers deux types de jeux dans le laboratoire. Le premier jeu consiste à décider si et à quel moment les participants veulent investir dans un projet de trois périodes, sachant qu’ils peuvent attendre et obtenir plus d’informations sur les conditions futures avant de prendre leur décision. Leur comportement est comparé aux solutions théoriques basées sur des calculs de valeurs attendues; une analyse plus approfondie examine aussi les causes possibles des résultats non optimaux. Le deuxième jeu teste le choix de retarder la décision d’investir jusqu’à ce que les conditions futures soient déterminées, lorsque la valeur attendue du projet et la variance entre les résultats possibles sont augmentés. Les participants doivent aussi révéler la compensation minimale qu’ils seraient prêts à recevoir en échange de la vente du projet d’investissement. La valeur d’option est calculée en soustrayant la valeur du jeu qui comporte l’option de retarder l’investissement à la valeur de ce même jeu mais qui ne contient pas l’option de délai. Finalement, les participants doivent répondre à une dernière question qui mesurera leur préférence de risque. Les résultats démontrent des stratégies d’investissement non optimales dans plusieurs cas, mais les prédictions d’aversion de risque se rapprochent beaucoup plus des données obtenues dans l’expérience. Les valeurs des compensations minimales du deuxième jeu sont en moyenne près des niveaux prédits. Les valeurs d’option augmentent au fur et à mesure que le niveau de risque et la valeur attendue$

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Tigges, Jan. "Assessing carbon in urban trees: benefits of using high-resolution remote sensing." Doctoral thesis, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.18452/18597.

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Vorliegende Arbeit zeigt die jüngsten Möglichkeiten hochauflösender Fernerkundung am Beispiel von Stadtbäumen in Berlin, Deutschland. Es wurden neuste methodische Ansätze eingesetzt, wie beispielsweise maschinelles Lernens und individuelle Baumdetektion. Sie erwiesen sich von großem Vorteil für die detaillierte Analyse urbaner Ökosystemdienstleistungen in einer heterogenen Umwelt. Neueste Fernerkundung von hoher zeitlicher Auflösung hat Möglichkeiten gezeigt, Veränderungen des Stadtwaldes präziser zu untersuchen. Diesbezüglich konnten Baumspezies klassifiziert werden auf Grundlage saisonaler Veränderungen, die mittels Fernerkundungsdaten aufgenommen wurden. Dies ist für den urbanen Bereich einmalig und über große Flächen noch nicht durchgeführt worden. Darüber hinaus haben diese Baumarten einzelnen Bäumen zugeordnet werden können, deren Abmessung fernerkundlich erfasst worden ist. Diese neu erzeugten Umweltinformationen einzelner Bäume können damit verbundene urbane Ökosystemdienstleistungen präzise aktualisieren. Zum Beispiel haben so Unsicherheiten in der Schätzung zur Kohlenstoffspeicherung städtischer Wälder reduziert werden können. Es ist zudem von Vorteil gewesen, den gegenwärtigen Mangel an räumlich expliziten dreidimensionalen Informationen über Stadtwälder anzusprechen. Allerdings ist die Rolle städtischen Wälder, das Treibhausgas CO2 langfristig auszugleichen, immer noch wenig untersucht. Gerade der Mangel an präzisen, konsistenten und aktuellen Details führt zu großen Unsicherheiten im Rahmen von Lebenszyklus-Analysen. Auf Grund des aktuellen Fortschritts in hochauflösender Fernerkundung könnten diese Unsicherheiten reduziert werden. Dazu werden Möglichkeiten ausgiebig kritisch bewertet und anhand einer Lebenszyklus-Analyse am Beispiel Berlin andiskutiert, inwieweit sie präzisere langfristige Prognosen zum Stadtwald als Kohlenstoffspeicher liefern.
This work shows recent options for implementing high resolution remote sensing in assessing urban trees in Berlin, Germany. State-of-the-art methodological approaches like machine learning and individual tree detection proved to be highly advantageous for analyzing details of urban ecosystem services within a heterogeneous urban environment. Recent remote sensing of high temporal resolution offers new options for more precisely addressing urban forest dynamics. This successfully shows that tree species could be identified from seasonal changes of remotely sensed imagery, though this has not yet been applied across cities. Furthermore, these tree species results could be combined with remotely sensed individual tree dimensions. This newly generated data can be suggested to update spatially explicit information on related urban ecosystem services. For example, this could reduce the uncertainties of such estimates as urban forest carbon storage, and also address the present lack of spatially explicit three-dimensional information on urban forests. However, few studies have considered the local scale of urban forests to effectively evaluate their potential long-term carbon offset. The lack of precise, consistent and up-to-date forest details is challenging within the scope of life cycle assessments. This can cause high uncertainties in urban forest carbon offset. Although, recent progress in high resolution remote sensing is promising to reduce these uncertainties. For this purpose, remote sensing options are extensively reviewed and briefly discussed using an example of life cycle assessment for Berlin, which allow more precise long-term prognoses of urban forest carbon offset.

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Vice, President Research Office of the. "Undermining Emissions." Office of the Vice President Research, The University of British Columbia, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/9509.

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Once a source of environmental concern, mine tailings could now contribute to the fight against climate change. Greg Dipple and team are discovering how mines can potentially ofset their own emissions.

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Partridge, Ian Alexander. "Potential contribution of a carbon offset scheme to the costs of greenhouse gas emissions reductions in developing countries." 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/19565.

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The energy sector in the developing world is expected to account for 27% of global emissions of greenhouse gases from fossil fuel combustion in 2035 – in 1990 it accounted for 7%. The increase is concentrated in rapidly growing countries in Asia that depend on coal for power generation. Maximizing electricity generation using renewable technologies in these countries provides an obvious approach to slowing global emissions growth. A barrier to increased use of renewable generation is cost: financial incentives could help to increase its use in developing countries. The principal objective of this research is to examine the practicability and potential scale of an offset scheme aimed at providing this incentive. Offset schemes have a poor reputation due to problems experienced with the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). I identify the CDM’s failure to ensure the additionality of projects as a key issue and propose an approach to the assessment of additionality specific to grid connected generation projects. I present case studies of wind and small hydro projects in China and India in which I calculate the marginal abatement cost of emissions cuts and use the new approach to additionality to draw conclusions regarding the eligibility of projects to receive offsets in some hypothetical future scheme. My analysis shows that the proposed approach offers advantages over methodologies permitted by the CDM. I analyze the supply and demand for credits from existing schemes during 2013-2020 and show that oversupply will continue to impact their price, removing any incentive for investment in renewable generation. Using an original approach based on IEA forecasts for the energy sector, I estimate the maximum availability of offsets from a post-2020 scheme based on renewable generation, and assess the potential global demand.
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Swisher, Joel Nelson. "Prospects for International trade in environmental services an analysis of international carbon emission offsets /." 1991. http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/26246172.html.

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Sabelli, Andrea. "Carbon Opportunities and Carbon Losses in the Peruvian Amazon: Farmers' Interests in the Offset Business." Thesis, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1807/18862.

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Carbon-based forestry (CBF) projects for the carbon market have been proposed with the aim of mitigating climate change, enhancing forest cover and improving livelihoods in developing countries. Debate has ensued regarding the validity of applying market-based mechanisms to climate mitigation in the form of CBF activities. Through in-depth interviews and focus groups, this study explores the various stakeholders’ involvement in the development of CBF projects in the Peruvian Amazon and reveals how their interests influence the types of activities that are established. Farmers’ perceptions on the carbon trade are examined and it is demonstrated that the potential of earning a carbon credit may influence farmers’ current land management practices in favor for implementing reforestation or agroforestry systems on their terrain. Regardless, the number of obstacles and the preferences of stakeholders significantly limit the ability of small-scale farmers to access and benefit from the emerging market.

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Biggs, Jeffrey. "Marketing Institutions of Afforestation Generated Carbon Offsets in Canada: Political Sustainability, Ideology and the New Institutional Economics." Thesis, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1807/19259.

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Anthropogenically forced climate change has emerged as one of the most important, and polarizing, issues of our time. Afforestation generated carbon offset projects hold a position in Canada as potentially influential, yet frustratingly under-utilized, options to mitigate climate change. This dissertation responds to the question, “what are the economic implications of afforestation generated carbon offset institutions in Canada – and how appropriate are the tools of the New Institutional Economics (NIE) in their identification?” I establish the context for discussion by arguing that the NIE, as practiced, seems incapable of providing rigorous analysis while simultaneously responding to questions of power and distribution. The case of afforestation generated carbon offset marketing is presented as an appropriate context for exploring this point. A literature review is then used to establish general patterns regarding aggregating institutions for offset production and marketing, and aggregating institutions are presented as a response to the effects of transaction costs on the Canadian offset market. I then develop supply and demand curves to describe the equilibrium state of the Canadian offset market, into which the transaction costs borne by three aggregators are integrated. Their performance in fulfilling various policy objectives is evaluated. The results indicate that the primary variation between scenarios is the distribution of benefits. This focus on the distribution of benefits continues through demonstrating how subtle variations in modeling coefficients affect the regional distribution of afforestation projects within Canada, identifying the power associated with policy maker ideology. The role of policy maker ideology is then explicitly examined through a survey of government analysts and technicians and the application of discriminant analysis. The primary axes of afforestation ideology are identified, and demonstrated to be independent of concerns of transaction costs and aggregation. These results are integrated to argue that distributional concerns, particularly when ideologies are active in informing policy maker preferences, are critical to achieving sustainable policy outcomes, and that the NIE can respond to such concerns, but only if reform takes place to legitimate these techniques as part of the standard economic discourse.

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Coelho, Ricardo Sequeiros. "The high cost of cost efficiency: A critique of carbon trading." Doctoral thesis, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10316/29560.

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Tese de doutoramento em Governação, Conhecimento e Inovação, apresentada à Faculdade de Economia da Universidade de Coimbra
O comércio de carbono, enquanto uma política climática de mercado que permite aos poluidores cumprir com compromissos de redução de emissões recorrendo a direitos de poluição transacionáveis, é apresentado pelos seus proponentes como a alternativa mais eficiente para a mitigação das alterações climáticas, enquanto oponentes contrapõem que o argumento baseado na custo-eficiência negligencia os prejuízos que resultam da mercantilização do carbono. Esta tese contribui para este debate, que é fundamental para o futuro das políticas ambientais, expondo os custos sociais do comércio de carbono e posicionando-se contra a inclusão do comércio de carbono no leque de políticas climáticas. A argumentação aqui desenvolvida é baseada nas contribuições teóricas sobre os custos sociais de atividades privadas e conflitos de valores, assim como perspetivas críticas sobre a neoliberalização da natureza e os limites do mercado. O comércio de emissões foi primeiramente proposto como uma alternativa às taxas ambientais pigouvianas maximizadoras da eficiência. Baseado na perspetiva sobre custos sociais assente em direitos de propriedade, o comércio de emissões permitiria ao regulador escapar à impossível tarefa de calcular um nível ótimo de poluição e providenciaria em alternativa uma forma custo-eficiente de atingir um nível de poluição determinado exogenamente. Esta transição teórica permitiria à Economia centrar-se na discussão dos melhores meios par atingir fins dados e esquivar-se à discussão dos fins. A dicotomia fins-meios, no entanto, não se aplica fora da teoria económica, tal como a descrição do comércio de emissões como uma alternativa simples e eficiente à regulação direta. Como a experiência dos EUA com o comércio de emissões demonstra, criar mercados para direitos de poluição transacionáveis requer investimento governamental num aparato regulatório que não é menos complexo do que é requerido pela regulação direta ou pela taxação. Esta experiência também ilustra o quanto a alegada eficiência dos mercados de emissões é resultado do seu fraco desempenho ambiental e da sua desconsideração pela justiça social e pela participação democrática. Os mercados de carbono criados ao abrigo do Protocolo de Quioto suscitam problemas adicionais. Comparados com os esquemas de “limitação e comércio” baseados num único poluente e um número restrito de fontes, esquemas como o Sistema Europeu de Comércio de Licenças de Emissão são mais complexos e requerem maior intervenção governamental. Para mais, instrumentos flexíveis como o Mecanismo de Desenvolvimento Limpo permitem aos países industrializados poluir além dos seus compromissos de emissões e suscitam preocupações com a integridade disputável de metodologias que contabilizam reduções de emissões de projetos de compensação em relação a um cenário de referência arbitrário. O fraco desempenho ambiental destes esquemas é ilustrado pela sua incapacidade de incentivar a descarbonização, enquanto distribuem rendas aos poluidores e criam novas fontes de corrupção. Estas questões não são redutíveis a discussões sobre procedimentos contabilísticos e outras tecnicalidades. Abrindo a “caixa negra” da quantificação e comensuração do carbono, é revelado que os seus cálculos marginalizam incertezas relevantes e assumem um grau de precisão que o conhecimento científico e a tecnologia não podem providenciar no presente. No entanto, dado que contabilizar aumentos e reduções de emissões requer decisões políticas sobre o que deve ser contabilizado, qual a métrica relevante e o que é um grau de incerteza aceitável, avanços científicos e tecnológicos não são condição suficiente para que seja possível produzir os números inequívocos que o comércio de carbono requer. Indo mais longe na discussão sobre as implicações da comensuração e abstração de carbono, esta tese apresenta um argumento contra a inclusão do comércio de carbono no leque de políticas climáticas, baseado em quatro críticas normativas. Com o apoio da literatura crítica, é defendido que o comércio de carbono é ineficaz, antidemocrático, injusto e antiético e que, por estas razões, só pode ser considerado como uma política custo-eficiente quando os seus custos sociais são ignorados. Um argumento contra o reformismo do comércio de carbono é então apresentado mostrando como tentar contrariar os efeitos negativos dos mercados de carbono através de restrições ao comércio conduz à erosão destes mercados. Uma melhor alternativa é o apoio a políticas climáticas que fomentam uma pluralidade de valores e providenciam benefícios sociais. A tese conclui defendendo uma mudança no debate sobre política climática no sentido da discussão dos valores que são fomentados ou prejudicados por cada política. Um enquadramento geral é proposto que respeita o pluralismo de valores e reconhece conflitos entre valores incomensuráveis, o que não é compatível com políticas de mercado.
Carbon trading, as a market-based climate policy that allows polluters to comply with emissions reductions commitments with tradable pollution rights, is presented by its proponents as the most cost-efficient alternative for climate change mitigation, while critics counter that the cost-efficiency argument ignores the harms that result from commodifying carbon. This thesis contributes to this debate, which is fundamental for the future of environmental policies, by exposing the social costs of carbon trading and making the case against its inclusion in the climate policy-mix. The argument developed here draws from theoretical contributions on the social costs of private activities and on value conflicts, as well as critical perspectives on the neoliberalization of nature and the limits of the market. Emissions trading was firstly proposed as an alternative to efficiency-maximizing or pigouvian environmental taxation. Based on the property rights approach to social costs, emissions trading would allow regulators to escape the impossible task of calculating the optimal level of pollution and offer instead a cost-efficient way to achieve an exogenously determined level of pollution. This theoretical shift would allow economics to be centred on discussing the best means to achieve given ends and relived it of discussing ends. The ends-means dichotomy, however, does not hold outside textbook economics, as well as the description of emissions trading as a simple and efficient alternative to direct regulation. As the US experience with emissions trading shows, creating markets for tradable pollution rights requires government investment in a regulatory apparatus that is no less complex than what is required for direct regulation or taxation. This experience also illustrates how the purported efficiency of emissions trading systems is a flip side of their weak environmental performance and their disregard for social justice and democratic participation. Carbon trading schemes created under the Kyoto Protocol raise additional problems. Compared to “cap and trade” schemes based on a single pollutant and a restricted number of sources, schemes like the EU Emissions Trading System are more complex and require further government intervention. Furthermore, flexibility instruments like the Clean Development Mechanism allow industrialized countries to pollute beyond their emissions commitments and raise issues with the disputable integrity of methodologies that account for emissions reductions from offset projects relative to an arbitrary baseline. The dismal performance of these schemes is illustrated by their inability to provide an incentive to decarbonization, while distributing rents to polluters and creating new sources of corruption. These issues are not reducible to discussions on accounting procedures and other technicalities. Opening the “black box” of carbon quantification and commensuration reveals that its calculations sideline relevant uncertainties and assume a degree of accuracy that scientific knowledge and technology cannot deliver in the present. Yet, since accounting for emissions increases or reductions requires political decisions on what is to be accounted for, what is the relevant metric and what is an acceptable degree of uncertainty, further scientific and technological developments are not enough to make it possible to produce the unambiguous numbers that carbon trading requires. Going further on the discussion of the implications of carbon commensuration and abstraction, this thesis presents an argument against the inclusion of carbon trading in the climate policy-mix based on four normative critiques. With the support of critical literature, it is argued that carbon trading is ineffective, undemocratic, unjust and unethical and that, for these reasons, it can only be considered as a cost-effective policy when its social costs are ignored. An argument against carbon trading reformism is then presented by illustrating how trying to mitigate the negative effects of carbon markets by imposing restrictions on trading leads to the erosion of these markets. A better alternative is claimed to be supporting climate policies that foster a plurality of values and deliver social benefits. The thesis concludes by advocating a shift in the climate policy debate to a discussion on the values that are fostered or hindered by each policy. A general framework is proposed that respects value pluralism and acknowledges conflicts between incommensurable values, which is not compatible with market-based policies.
FCT - "Projeto BECOM" - FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-009234

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Roberts, ALLAN. "Connections between Climate Policy and Forests in the Western Climate Initiative Cap-and-Trade System." Thesis, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1974/5301.

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The Western Regional Climate Action Initiative (WCI) was signed by the governors of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington, on February 26, 2007. Upon the release of the September 2008 Design Recommendations for the WCI Regional Cap-and-Trade Program, the WCI also included Montana, Utah, and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. A WCI goal is to reduce regional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 15% below 2005 levels by 2020. It has previously been recognized that the region’s forests can be important carbon sinks and sources, and it has been suggested that the carbon-storage capacity of forests may have economic value. Here, connections between forests and the developing WCI cap-and-trade system design are examined. Qualitative comparative analysis is used to examine characteristics of US states participating in the WCI. Content analysis is used to identify what advocacy groups promote what forest-related WCI cap-and-trade rules. A combination of low per capita GHG emissions, and strong environmental politics, is found to be related to regional climate initiative participation by US states, with important exceptions among WCI participants. Forest industry presence alone does not obviously influence participation. Electric utility and industry groups, including the forestry sector, are found to support an extensive WCI carbon offset system. Forest industry groups are also found to support the carbon neutrality of forest biomass combustion, and oppose regulating forest carbon emissions. Several environmental non-governmental organizations are found to oppose extensive carbon offset use, and oppose the unconditional consideration of biomass combustion as carbon neutral. Forest related aspects of the WCI Design Recommendations of September 2008 are found to largely agree with forest industry advocated policies. Some WCI provisions may provide incentives for forest carbon loss, or weaken the GHG emissions cap. Three recommendations are made: consideration should be given to appropriately discounting forest offset projects to address carbon emissions leakage; forest carbon emissions from land conversion should be accounted for; combustion of forest biomass from old-growth forests should not be considered carbon neutral.
Thesis (Master, Environmental Studies) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-29 22:29:48.499

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Wang, Chiu-Yi, and 王秋宜. "Exploring the Relationships among Air Passengers’ Environmental Knowledge, Carbon Offset Attitude, and Carbon Offset Intentions." Thesis, 2015. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/65608581889636504987.

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碩士
國立高雄海洋科技大學
航運管理研究所
103
This study aims to explore the air passengers’ perceptions about environmental knowledge which is delivered by different media and its impact on passengers’ attitudes toward carbon offsetting, intentions to offset, and willingness to change travel behavior. This study selects passengers who had experiences in outbound travel in past two years and collects their data via online survey. We totally received 522 samples; among which, 269 are from the manipulation of card media and 283 are from the manipulation of video media. This study uses descriptive statistics analysis and test of two-population mean difference to analyze the data. Further, we adopt Knowledge-Attitude-Behavior (KAB) model as the framework to verify the relationships among environmental knowledge about aviation, attitudes toward carbon offsetting, and willingness to support the offset or change travel behavior. Through analysis, this study finds that it is necessary to educate travelers to know more about the environmental impacts of air transportation. Hence, air passengers’ attitudes toward carbon offsetting and intention to offset, even their willingness to change travel behavior can be improved. Moreover, the communication effects using video are much better than card. Finally, the environmental knowledge about aviation has not only direct impacts on passengers’ intentions to offset or change travel behavior, but also has impacts mediated by attitudes (dependent on what media tools received by the sample).

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Xiao, Hui-Ming, and 蕭惠名. "Economic Order Quantity Models under the Carbon Offset Consideration." Thesis, 2016. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/49552060341829278728.

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碩士
國立中央大學
工業管理研究所
104
Due to the climate change is increasingly aggravating, the concepts of green supply chain management and carbon footprint are taken more seriously. In order to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, it is one of way to the Energy Efficiency and Carbon Reduction for enterprise to the carbon footprint of products process from the acquisition of raw material, manufacturing, transportation, using to the recycling. This thesis applies the carbon policy of the carbon offset, cabon cap and add the revenue sharing mechanism to the consideration of emission reduction. Exploring a sharing pathway which is considered the carbon reduction with a retailer and a supplier makes the retailer’profit change. Therefore, this thesis mainly refers to the profit function which was proposed by the Hovelaque and Bironneau (2015) and the Chen et al. (2013) in the concepts of carbon cap and carbon offset. It expresses the change of the retailer’s profit after increasing the emission reduction factors. This thesis is mainly exploring a retailer and a supplier’s product ordering and saling problems as a benchmark. In addition, it also adds the carbon offsets and revenue sharing mechanism. Therefore, this study explores the model under the three scenarios. Additionally, we analyze the change of the retailer’s profit in different circumstances. It makes the models in this thesis are not only exploring the product’s ordering and saling but also fulfilling the current market trend. This study expresses the influences of retailer’s profit after the transaction and displays the change of retailer’s profit which was paid out the cost of carbon offset in the Energy Efficiency and Carbon Reduction. It can provide the consideration of total profit for retailer in the different economic ordering model.

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Nelson, Jones, and 彭笠. "The Impact of Carbon Offset Schemes on Low-Cost Carriers." Thesis, 2014. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/65023876431162624696.

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碩士
長榮大學
航運管理研究所
102
The development of low-cost carriers (LCCs) in the Asian region has driven the growth of air traffic in Asia. With the ongoing competition between LCCs and full service network carriers (FSNCs), there are also negative impacts on the environment at the same time. To achieve sustainable development, implementing a carbon offset program is one of the methods that airlines have undertaken to mitigate the impacts of aircraft engine pollutants. Given the unique characteristics of the LCC business model, this thesis investigates the implications of carbon offset schemes on LCC’s operating costs and the carbon offset cost per passenger¸ focusing on intra-Asian short-haul flights, and comparing the difference between LCCs and FSCs. With a carbon offset price at NT$1,200 per tonne, the impact of a carbon offset program is an increase of around 4.5% of operating costs for carriers, and hence on air fares, assuming the cost is fully borne by passengers. The carbon offset cost on short-haul routes using narrow-bodied aircraft would account for 3.31% - 4.78% of air fares. When operating wide-bodied aircraft, the carbon offset cost would be increased to 4.01% - 6.90% of air fares. Using the most appropriate aircraft for a given route can reduce the cost of carbon offsetting, and, hence, the impact on passengers.

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Wang, Yu-Ping, and 王又平. "The Study of Airline Passenger’s Behavioral Intention to Carbon-Offset." Thesis, 2014. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/18213699564310738047.

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碩士
國立暨南國際大學
土木工程學系
102
In recent years, air transportation or driving also contributes to global warming. Therefore, the airline passenger to voluntarily offset the carbon emissions caused by their air travel. This study integrated TAM and TPB as the basic model, while considering the additional factors that expected risk and media. To construct the Airline Passenger’s Behavioral Intention to Carbon-Offset. In addition to using a structural equation model (SEM) to construct a complete TAM, TPB, risk and media model. And to avoid the estimation bias due to a large portion of zero willingness to pay, the Spike model is used to overcome this issue. The estimation results show that the willingness to pay for TPE- LAX route is higher than TPE-SIN route. Analysis of the overall structural relationships showed that the route both perceived ease of use were positively associated with perceived usefulness, media were positively associated with perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and media were positively associated with attitude, media were positively associated with subjective norm, and perceived usefulness, attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavior control were positively associated with intention. However, the associations between the perceived usefulness and the attitude, and the associations between the risk and the intention are not significant by LAX route.

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HONG, YUE-RONG, and 洪悅容. "The Integration Management of Energy Saving, Landscape Carbon Sequestration and Carbon Offset for Sustainable Building Transition." Thesis, 2016. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/56718786688733189030.

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碩士
國立臺北大學
自然資源與環境管理研究所在職專班
104
To respond to global warming and climate change, transit to sustainable building is a priority climate policy around the world. White certificate could improve 30% energy efficiency of building, which has been verified by the Europe experiences; Landscape architecture is now performing an important value in carbon sinks, rather than amenities; Personal emissions trading is a key to offset the CO2 emissions for net zero emissions building. This study establishes a greening building optimal control model to discuss the integration management strategies which include white certificate, landscape architecture and carbon offset mechanism for towards carbon neutral buildings. Furthermore, this study uses a case of house-style community patterns to assess the potential of 50 year carbon sinks on landscape architecture and energy saving for carbon neutral. Then, this paper will introduce a green life style for offset left GHG emission to approach genuine carbon free buildings.

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Shen, Huai-Ling, and 沈懷玲. "The implications of carbon trading and offset schemes on airline operations." Thesis, 2013. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/62064039875576614743.

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碩士
長榮大學
航運管理學系碩士班
101
Apart from setting new CO2 emission standards for aircraft engines, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has been considering the potential global market-based measures as a means of mitigating the climate impact of aviation in response to the inclusion of the air transport industry in the European union Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS). The current proposed measures include carbon trading and carbon offset schemes, which might affect all international and domestic flights in the world. This paper investigates the impacts of various forms of carbon trading and offset scheme on airline operating costs and on ticket prices, focusing on the air carrier operations of Taiwanese airlines. In addition, various measures either from airline or government initiatives will be evaluated in light of their potential for reducing aircraft carbon emissions or carbon costs. Analytical mathematical models are developed for estimating the increase in airline costs and fares. The outcomes will assist policy makers in airlines and government in response to the implementation of ICAO’s carbon offset and carbon trading.

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Takahashi, Shingo. "A policy analysis of forest carbon offset system alternatives for Japan." Thesis, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/16822.

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Forest resources provide us with various kinds of environmental benefits^ water purification, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration among others. Enhancing sustainable forest management and avoiding deforestation have become increasingly important in the context of global warming issues. The Kyoto Protocol (KP) was established for abatement of climate change in 1997, and came into effect in February 2005. Annex I countries will have to reduce their Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to meet their assigned targets. Japan will also have to reduce its GHG emissions by 6% below the 1990 levels by 2010. In order to meet the Kyoto target, additional policy countermeasures need to be implemented in Japan. Under the KP, Japan is allowed to figure in a 3.9% emission reduction (l3Mton-C: 47.7Mton-C02e) for a potential increase in the carbon storage (carbon sink) associated with forests, which is achievable through changes in forest management. Hence, increasing carbon storage through forest management has become an increasingly important issue in Japan. Forest degradation is another important issue in the Japanese forest sector. The Japanese forest sector has been in a long-term slump since the 1970s. The domestic timber prices have remained low because of the massive supply of low-price imported timber. It is obvious that additional policy measures need to be implemented for the forest sector to recover from the long slump. Creating a carbon offset system is considered one potential policy countermeasure to address both these issues. In this research, based on three case study results, a policy analysis regarding the introduction of a forest carbon offset system in Japan is conducted. Policy variables associated with the introduction of a carbon offset system are identified, and possible policy alternatives are discussed. Finally, the best policy option suggested for Japan is one that starts with the "Rigid and conservative" strategy, estabhshing a rigid system at the initial stage, and that gradually adds flexible mechanisms to provide economic incentives to stakeholders. In conclusion, several policy recommendations for introducing a carbon offset system in Japan are discussed.
Science, Faculty of
Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES), Institute for
Graduate

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HSIEH, CHIA-JUNG, and 謝佳蓉. "Exploring the Relations Between Air Passenger's Attitude Toward Carbon-Offset and Their Behavioral Intentions." Thesis, 2013. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/04637438563097554855.

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碩士
長榮大學
航運管理學系碩士班
101
Air travel demand has been increasing with the growth of tourism and business activities. However, air transportation also contributes to global warming. Hence, several air carriers as well as countries request travelers to voluntarily offset the carbon emissions caused by their air travel. This study adopts value-belief-norm theory as a base model to construct a relationship between travelers’ attitudes toward carbon offset and willingness to offset. The impacts of several non-economic variables can thus be identified. This study proposes a measurement including attitudes toward air travel, attitudes toward carbon offset awareness of consequences, attributes of responsibilities, personal norms, personal environmental protection behavior, and intentions of willingness to offset the emissions. We collected data of Taiwanese passengers and received totally 431 samples. Through primarily analysis, two segments of travelers were identified: the group of travelers who attribute the responsibility of carbon offset to the whole stakeholders (group A) and the group of travelers who attribute the responsibility to government and carriers mostly (group B). Structural equation models are further used for empirical analysis. The results find that travelers of group A obviously aware the consequence of carbon emissions of air travel protection and feel that every stakeholder should take the responsibility to offset the emissions. Although a part of travelers think government and air carriers should be responsible for the carbon emissions, they still feel they have duties on the carbon offset. Finally, this study suggests that airlines should educate travelers to understand the consequence of air travel to environment; hence, the travelers will take more responsibilities and know the importance of carbon offsets.

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Iverson, Chad. "In search of standards for forest carbon offset projects in BC : a review of Georgian and Californian state standards." 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/16099.

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Forests represent both, one of the strongest drivers of, and solutions to, the rapid shift in the earth’s climate. Integrating the use of forests as a cost effective solution into emerging global carbon markets however has proven extremely difficult. The incentive for companies to utilize carbon credits as a means to offset emissions is heavily dependent upon the credibility of the project that created it. The difficulty proving the credibility of forest projects is largely due to the inherent variation associated with forest environments. British Columbia’s pine beetle epidemic provides an extreme example of just how quickly vast carbon sinks can suddenly become sources. As such, the creation of standards to ensure the security of carbon sequestered by forest projects has proven to be instrumental in encouraging their acceptance into the market. British Columbia has recognized that its forests play an integral role in its contribution to the global carbon cycle. As a result, heavy consideration is being made as to how this resource may be integrated as a source of carbon offsets for its own Cap-and-Trade market. This will mean establishing specific standards for forest projects in a BC context. This report reviews two regional standards from the states of Georgia and California, which could be applied as templates for a set of BC specific protocols for forest carbon sequestration projects. It is intended that through a comparison and analysis of these standards that potential problems faced in applying similar standards here will be identified.

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McMastser, Michael T., and 麥思特. "Analysis of the Effect of the 2005 Kyoto Protocol on World Bank Carbon Offset Lending and Projects." Thesis, 2011. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/76590493183043999703.

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碩士
國立臺灣大學
企業管理碩士專班
99
ABSTRACT In 2005 the United Nations ratified the Kyoto Protocol in order to formally create a set of guidelines to control the emission of greenhouse gasses. These were then regulated by a cap-and-trade system among signature countries. This cap-and-trade system allowed for the creation of a ‘carbon market’ as well as the purchase of carbon offset credits by public and private institutions. The basic carbon credit represents 1 ton of carbon dioxide (or one of 4 other gasses) that is not released into the atmosphere due to reduction programs or changes in the physical structure of facilities. These credits now can be bought or sold on the carbon market by companies, aid organizations or governments. International lenders use carbon credits in order to promote the cap-and-trade mechanism and give financial incentives to individual aid projects in their portfolios as a way of promoting clean energy usage. This thesis titled “Analysis of the Kyoto Protocol on World Bank Carbon Offset Lending and Projects” makes a study of the effect of the 2005 Kyoto treaty on carbon offset spending both before and after the adaptation of the Kyoto protocol. It then pursues those details to see its effect on selected individual projects. The major points of the comparison between Pre-Kyoto and Post-Kyoto projects were analyzed in terms of the numbers of projects, financing averages per project, total dollars spent on carbon offset projects and changes evident in World Bank environmental restructuring. To analyze this study was conducted by the researcher of all World Bank carbon offset loans from their start in the year 2000 thru 2010. Research was also done on four projects from different regions that were approved both before and after the Kyoto Protocol to analyze if they were affected by the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol. The researcher uncovered data that showed a large increase in World Bank lending and reform after the adoption of Kyoto in 2005. The specific increases in the data collected show that the Numbers of carbon offset projects from pre-Kyoto until post-Kyoto rose from 22 to over 126 projects by the end of 2010. The average amount of financing per project increased from $3.9 million USD to $9.2 million USD after Kyoto. Total dollars spent on carbon offset projects rose from the 2000 to 2005 Pre-Kyoto amount of $86.1 Million USD to $739 Million USD Post-Kyoto for the period of 2006 to 2010. Other significant data shows that loan approval rates for all sectors (Education, Health, etc.) of World Bank projects stayed the same for the period of 2000 to 2010 at a 91% approval. However, environmental approval rates rose from 91% to 96% in loans approved for environmental projects. Overall this shows the internal change in the Bank’s lending portfolio that came about as part of its environmental reform restructuring. Data analyzed on the four World Bank offset projects showed that ¾ of the projects studied were affected by the passing of the protocol in some way. Some projects were simply given increased money for sectors containing carbon offset purchases while other projects that were initiated prior to 2005 were restructured to add additional development phases after Kyoto was passed. Overall the thesis data shows that the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol had a large effect on lending policy and environmental reforms sponsored by the World Bank. More importantly the data shows that the additional commitments from the World Bank did reach down to the individual project level and influence local governments and communities. It is shown in the data that three of the four case studies have drawn additional funding and/or future project commitments directly from the passage of Kyoto into law in 2005. The Kyoto protocol was not the start of environmental lending by the World Bank but was seen as a mandate which justified the increased focus on world environmental projects.

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Carbon offsets'

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