Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




CLIMATE SCIENCE
New study re-writes the rules of carbon analysis
by Staff Writers
Canberra, Australia (SPX) Jul 01, 2015


The team used the new method to analyze sustainable harvesting in Australia's southeast forests of NSW. Image courtesy Heather Keith. For a larger version of this image please go here.

A new study published in Nature Climate Change has found analyses of carbon emissions may be misleading as they failed to include the impacts of policies such as trading schemes, emission caps or quotas.

"The inclusion of policy mechanisms can radically alter the outcomes from life-cycle analyses and result in counter-intuitive outcomes," said Associate Professor Andrew Macintosh from The Australian National University (ANU) College of Law, lead author of the study.

"Traditional life-cycle analysis would find a person who regularly eats beef and builds their house with bricks and mortar has a greater impact on the climate than a vegan with a wooden house.

"But when the impacts of policy mechanisms are accounted for, the simple dichotomies that so often characterise climate debates like 'lentils good, beef bad' and 'wood good, cement bad' become impossible to maintain."

The paper develops a new framework for evaluating the impacts of policy mechanisms in life-cycle analysis and applies it to the issue of whether it is better for the climate to conserve native forests or to harvest them sustainably to produce wood products.

Contrary to the findings of many previous life-cycle analyses, the study found that, when policy effects are accounted for, conserving the native forests of southeast New South Wales resulted in better climate outcomes than if they continued to be sustainably harvested.

"The results showed that conserving the native forests resulted in significant reductions in domestic emissions over the 100-year projection period; 79 to 85 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, or almost 15 per cent of Australia's current annual emissions," said co-author Professor David Lindenmayer, from ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society.

"The simplest explanations for why conserving native forests reduces emissions is that, when these forests are harvested, only a small proportion of the biomass finds its way into long-lived wood products and burning wood does not generate much energy.

"The applicable policy mechanisms magnify these factors by shielding Australia from the emissions embodied in substitute imported wood products and ensuring that, when native forests are burnt for electricity, it displaces other types of renewable energy generation like wind and solar rather than fossil fuels," he said.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Australian National University
Climate Science News - Modeling, Mitigation Adaptation






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








CLIMATE SCIENCE
Obama and Rousseff focus on climate, play down spy row
Washington (AFP) June 30, 2015
US President Barack Obama and Brazil's Dilma Rousseff traded compliments and vowed to work together on renewable energy Tuesday, bidding to put a bitter spying row behind them. The pair met for extensive White House talks, a meeting originally planned for 2013 but scuppered by revelations the National Security Agency eavesdropped on Rousseff's calls. Turning on the charm, Obama hailed st ... read more


CLIMATE SCIENCE
Russia to Land Space Vessel on Moon's Polar Region in 2019

Moon engulfed in permanent, lopsided dust cloud

Crashing comets may explain mysterious lunar swirls

Google Lunar X-Prize meets Yoda

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Opportunity Gets Back to Work

NASA wants to send microbes to Mars to prepare for human habitation

Could This Become the First Mars Airplane

Curiosity Mars Rover Studies Rock-Layer Contact Zone

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Docking Adapter Sets Stage for Commercial Crew Crew

Targeted LEDs could provide efficient lighting for plants grown in space

NASA Gears Up to Test Orion's Powerhouse

McCain Blows His Top Over US Inability to Abandon Russian Rocket Engines

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Chinese earth station is for exclusively scientific and civilian purposes

Cooperation in satellite technology put Belgium, China to forefront

China set to bolster space, polar security

China's super "eye" to speed up space rendezvous

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Relief as Russian cargo ship docks at space station

Loss of SpaceX Cargo Resupply Mission No Threat to ISS Crew Security

Russia launches Soyuz Progress with supplies for ISS

Russia Confirms Elimination of US On-Board Computer Failure at ISS

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Final payload integration begins for next Ariane 5 launch

Licensed commercial spaceport to be built in Houston, Texas

More Fidelity for SpaceX In-Flight Abort Reduces Risk

Rocket Lab Announces World's First Commercial Launch Site

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Observing the birth of a planet

Precise ages of largest number of stars hosting planets ever measured

Can Planets Be Rejuvenated Around Dead Stars?

Spiral arms cradle baby terrestrial planets

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Ball delivers optical reference units for GRACE follow-on mission

'Pac-Man' space probe to gobble-up space debris

Advancing Ceramic Coatings for Engine Life and Efficiency

MRI imaging shows how plants can inspire new engineering materials




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.