Class Project Report, Spring 2014E 449/549 Sustainable Air Quality

Sustainability Transition of Sulfurous Air Quality 1960-2013

Emissions and Causality Drivers - Lesley OlsonAmbient Sulfurous Air Quality - Andrew Martahus

Control Measures - Jennifer Elwell

Instructor: Rudolf B. HusarWashington University, St. Louis, MO, May 2, 2014

The Need for Control Measures• Human health effects

– Acute and chronic lung infections, disease and cancer; asthma; heart disease– Reduced life span

• Ecosystem damage – Acid rain– Corrosion– Weather and climate

• Psychological effects • Esthetic effects• Economic effects

– Damage to agriculture– Reduced tourism

Traditional views of Sustainable Development

• Brundtland Commission (1987)– Meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of

future generations to meet their own needs• National Academy of Sciences – Our Common Journey: A Transition Towards Sustainability– Call for evaluation of major trends and transitions needed to

determine what issues must be tackled

Traditional Linear Causality Model(Emission Drivers)

PopulationP

EconomyGDP$/yr

Energy UseBTU/yr

Fuel Cons.T/yr

EmissionsT/yr

Air Qualityppm

Per Capita GDP(GDP/P)

Energy Intensity(BTU/GDP)

Fuel Eny. Factor(T/BTU)

Emissions Factor(T/T)

Air Quality Factor(ppm/T)

NAAQS and AQM in the US

Linear Causality Framework and Bachmann AQM Loop

Establish Goals(Fed NAAQS)

Develop programsTo achieve goals

PopulationP

EconomyGDP$/yr

Energy UseBtu/yr

Fuel Cons.T/yr

SOX Emiss.T/yrPer Cap Econ

(GDP/P) Energy Efficiency

(Btu/GDP)Fuel Eny.

Factor (T/Btu) Emissions

Factor (T/T)

Air Qualityppm

DetermineEmission

Reductions

Implement andEnforce Strategies

Track andEvaluate Results

Health effectsDetermined by

Medical sciences

:Information driver :Control/actionMechanism

Sustainability ScienceHarvard Sustainability Science Program

• Defining human well being as a goal inter and intra generationally– Assets, institutions and knowledge

• Methodology change from NAS mode– Research defined explicitly by a practical issue, not the other way

around• Linking knowledge with action for an adaptive management

control mechanism

Using New Technology to Increase Transparency and Improve Environmental Regulation

• Introduction of an Emission Trading System (ETS) in 3 of the most polluted industrial areas in India. • PM CEM devices will be installed and correlated, collect PM emission data from specific sources. • This data will then be published periodically and be made available to the public to ensure

transparency. • With accurate and transparent measurements, a market efficient ETS will then be developed

creating a more efficient and regulated system.

Emission Monitoring

Market BasedEmission TradingSystem

PopulationP

EconomyGDP$/yr

Energy UseBtu/yr

Fuel Cons.T/yr

SOX Emiss.T/yrPer Cap. Econ. (GDP/P) Energy Efficiency (Btu/GDP) Fuel Eny. Factor

(T/Btu) Emissions Factor (T/T)

CEMS Installation

PublicEmissions Reporting

:Information driver :Control/actionMechanism

Is There an Energy Efficiency Gap? Measuring Returns to Efficiency with a Field Experiment in India

• Government and private consultancy partnerships to promote investment in improved industrial energy efficiency. • The costs and returns of investments are measured to determine if there is a win-win scenario for the environment and industry – where efficiency

improvements pay off and cost industry less in the long run.• Use of energy manger specialists to suggest improvements and determine the best methods for adaptation through field testing.

Monitoring: EnergyEfficiency Audit

Action:Implementation

Of Efficient Practices

PopulationP

EconomyGDP$/yr

Energy UseBtu/yr

Fuel Cons.T/yr

SOX Emiss.T/yrPer Cap. Econ.

(GDP/P)

Energy Efficiency

(Btu/GDP)

Fuel Eny. Factor (T/Btu) Emissions Factor (T/T)

:Information driver :Control/actionMechanism

Improving Household Efficiency through Information and Incentives

• Arm homeowners with the information necessary to make them aware of their energy consumption. • Tactics used to incentivize individuals to use less energy on a household day-to-day basis. • Curb the increasing residential energy use that is coming in India with increased wealth and westernized lifestyles. • Awareness, competition and rewards for favorable behavior are consistently found to be powerful human motivators and as a result, these are

going to be provided in the form of comparative energy use report cards for households. • Residential energy use should decrease while cultural awareness and general energy saving practices should increase.

PopulationP

EconomyGDP$/yr

Energy UseBtu/yr

Fuel Cons.T/yr

SOX Emiss.T/yrPer Cap. Econ.

(GDP/P)

Energy Efficiency

(Btu/GDP)

Fuel Eny. Factor (T/Btu) Emissions Factor (T/T)

Monitoring ofHouseholdEnergy Use

Action: Distribution ofInfo and Incentives

:Information driver :Control/actionMechanism

Can Regulation Reduce Household use of Polluting Fuels?

• Decreasing the use of fuels in rural areas that contribute greatly to indoor air pollution issues, particularly biomass burning. • Making light petroleum gas (LPG) and stoves more accessible and affordable for a greater number of households. • Regulatory practices to alleviate the supply-side barrier to the adoption of modern fuel sources. • Study in household decision making in order to determine the real demand for the fuel.• Decreased use of dirtier burning fuels, source emissions will decrease and a fuel with a more favorable environmental factor will be used therefore

decreasing indoor air pollution

PopulationP

EconomyGDP$/yr

Energy UseBtu/yr

Fuel Cons.T/yr

SOX Emiss.T/yrPer Cap. Econ.

(GDP/P)

Energy Efficiency

(Btu/GDP)

Fuel Eny. Factor (T/Btu) Emissions Factor (T/T)

Development ofEfficient Reg.

Practices

Increased distribution and availability of LPG

:Information driver :Control/actionMechanism

Causality Loop Feedback