Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Even if all the greenhouse gas emissions suddenly ceased, the inertia associated
with climatic systems would mean that the rise in the sea level, ocean acidification
and extreme atmospheric events will continue at least in the next one hundred years.
The majority of CO
2
emissions come from burning fossil fuels for energy
production. Oil accounts for 32.8 %, coal for 27.2 % and natural gas for 20.9 %
(Hook and Tang
2013
).
In 2009, China became the largest energy consumer (IEA
2010
), and Chinese
coal plants are responsible for 80 % of electricity generation (Shealy and Dorian
2009
). Still is fair to say that although China is the responsible for the major CO
2
emissions in the world (9,700 million tonnes), it has just a 7.2 tonnes per capita.
While for instance Canada, the USA and Australia have, respectively, 16.2, 17.3
and 19 tonnes per capita (JCR
2012
).
The 2009 Copenhagen Summit recognized the scientific view ''that the increase
in global temperature should be below 2 degrees Celsius'' despite growing views
that this might be too high. However, a comprehensive agreement that could have
a significant impact on reducing carbon emissions was not reached (Dimitrov
2010
; New et al.
2011
).
Instead different countries decide to adopt different targets. The European
Union agreed to reduce its overall emissions by 20 % in the year 2020 in the
reference to the year 1990. The USA agreed to reduce its overall emissions by
17 % in 2010, in the reference to the year 2005. China and India did not accept a
reduction in their total emissions, but rather a reduction in their carbon intensity
(carbon/unit of GDP) relative to 2005 levels until 2020, between 40 and 45 % for
China and between 20 and 25 % for India.
Goldenberg and Prado (
2010
) reviewed the above-cited goals and reported that
they simply follow the standard ''business as usual'' for the period 1990-2007,
which is clearly insufficient to achieve significant reductions by the year 2020.
This view is confirmed by other authors (Peterson et al.
2011
).
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development estimates that by
2050 a fourfold-tenfold increase in efficiency will be needed (COM (
2011c
) 571).
According to the World Energy Outlook 2012, energy-efficiency improvements
show the greatest potential of any single strategy to abate global GHG emissions
from the energy sector (IEA
2012
). However, worldwide investment in energy-
efficiency projects is very scarce. A recent report shows that energy efficiency
amounts to a very small portion of the US$343-385 billion flowing into climate
finance each year (Ryan et al.
2012
).
2 European Union Situation
Europe has the world's highest net imports of resources per person, and its open
economy relies heavily on imported raw materials and energy.
The building sector is the largest energy user responsible for about 40 % of the
EU's total final energy consumption (Lechtenbohmer and Schuring
2011
.
