Dein Suchergebnis zum Thema: buch

Footprints are powerful indicators for evaluating the impacts of a country’s bioeconomy on environmental goods, both domestic and abroad. We apply a hybrid approach combining a multi-regional input-output model and land use modelling to compute the agricultural land footprint (aLF). Furthermore, we added information on land-use change to the analysis and allocated land conversion to specific commodities. Using Germany as a case study, we show that the aLF abroad is 2.5 to 3 times larger compared to impacts within the country. When allocating land conversion of natural and semi-natural land-cover types in 2005 and 2010 to import increases by Germany, conversion rates were found to be 2.5 times higher than for the global average. Import increases to Germany slowed down in 2015 and 2020, reducing land conversion attributed to the German bioeconomy as well. Our results indicate that looking at a static import pattern is not sufficient to draw a realistic picture of the land footprint of a country. For a more detailed assessment that also considers temporal dynamics and impacts of biomass use and trade, our newly developed set of indicators also captures changes of import patterns over time. The case study shows that our enhanced land footprint provides clear and meaningful information for policymakers and other stakeholders.
Pattern Allocation 23.12.2021 Publikationen Energie & Klimaschutz Bücher

Analyse der dritten Bundeswaldinventur
So hat der Anteil an naturnahen Baumarten – besonders von Buche und Eiche – genauso

Fossil-based emissions can be avoided by using wood in place of non-renewable raw materials as energy and materials. However, wood harvest influences forest carbon stocks. Increased harvest may reduce the overall climate benefit of wood use significantly, but is widely overlooked. We reviewed selected simulation studies and compared differences in forest carbon and amount of wood harvested between harvest scenarios of different intensities for three different time perspectives: short- (1–30 years), mid- (31–70 years), and long-term (71–100 years). Out of more than 450 reviewed studies 45 provided adequate data. Our results show that increased harvest reduces carbon stocks over 100 years in temperate and boreal forests by about 1.6 (stdev 0.9) tC per tC harvested (referred to as carbon balance indicator (CBI)). CBI proved to be robust when outliers explicitly influenced by factors other than changes in the harvest rate, such as fertilization or increase in forest area, were removed. The carbon impacts tend to be greatest in the mid-term, but no significant difference in was found for average values between short and long time-horizons. CBI can be interpreted as carbon opportunity costs of wood harvest in forests. Our results indicate that even after 100 years, CBI is significant compared to the typical GHG credits expected in the technosphere by avoiding fossil emissions in substitution and increasing carbon stocks in harvested wood products. Our estimates provide typical values that can directly be included in GHG balances of products or assessments of mitigation policies and measures related to wood use. However, more systematic scenarios with transparent information on influencing factors for forest carbon stocks are required to provide better constrained estimates for specific forest types.
on forest carbon 11.06.2022 Publikationen Energie & Klimaschutz Bücher

The current energy systems are undergoing fundamental changes driven by the climate crisis, unfolding digitalisation and increasing calls for a more active citizens‘ engagement. The impact of these ongoing trends on the future energy system, however, is far from straightforward. Although there is an increasing shift towards a decentralisation, it is not clear yet how exactly this new decentralised configuration will unfold and materialise. In this article we explore the rationales behind current trends towards a more decentralised electricity system. Given the developments in the electricity system, our study centres on emerging initiatives led by citizens and their values. Theoretically, we first mobilise the notion of socio-technical system as constituted and reproduced by actors, institutions, and technology, operating based on certain shared principles. We use this lens to describe the past and current energy system organisation. Secondly, based on two dimensions of value orientation and steering directio
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Fossil-based emissions can be avoided by using wood in place of non-renewable raw materials as energy and materials. However, wood harvest influences forest carbon stocks. Increased harvest may reduce the overall climate benefit of wood use significantly, but is widely overlooked. We reviewed selected simulation studies and compared differences in forest carbon and amount of wood harvested between harvest scenarios of different intensities for three different time perspectives: short- (1–30 years), mid- (31–70 years), and long-term (71–100 years). Out of more than 450 reviewed studies 45 provided adequate data. Our results show that increased harvest reduces carbon stocks over 100 years in temperate and boreal forests by about 1.6 (stdev 0.9) tC per tC harvested (referred to as carbon balance indicator (CBI)). CBI proved to be robust when outliers explicitly influenced by factors other than changes in the harvest rate, such as fertilization or increase in forest area, were removed. The carbon impacts tend to be greatest in the mid-term, but no significant difference in was found for average values between short and long time-horizons. CBI can be interpreted as carbon opportunity costs of wood harvest in forests. Our results indicate that even after 100 years, CBI is significant compared to the typical GHG credits expected in the technosphere by avoiding fossil emissions in substitution and increasing carbon stocks in harvested wood products. Our estimates provide typical values that can directly be included in GHG balances of products or assessments of mitigation policies and measures related to wood use. However, more systematic scenarios with transparent information on influencing factors for forest carbon stocks are required to provide better constrained estimates for specific forest types.
on forest carbon 11.06.2022 Publikationen Energie & Klimaschutz Bücher

In view of the current geopolitical situation, the EU and its Member States are accelerating efforts to reduce their dependency on fossil fuel imports, while simultaneously tackling the climate crisis. With heating in buildings accounting for a large share of the energy consumption in the EU, policies to phase-out fossil fuels for heating and to switch to renewables are key elements. In the context of the proposed actions to phase-out fossil fuels at EU level, this article provides a systematic analysis of current and planned phase-out regulations for fossil fuel boilers in the EU Member States. The paper quantifies the share of energy consumption for heating that is addressed by such regulations and finds that the current regulations only address about 10% of the total fossil energy consumption for heating in the EU. The share increases to almost 30% when considering the planned regulations, reflecting the fact that large energy consumers such as Germany and the Netherlands have announced such regulations. The analysis shows that several Member States with high energy consumption for heating have neither implemented nor announced plans to introduce phase-out regulations for fossil fuel heating. The study concludes that immediate policy action is needed both at EU and at Member State levels. At EU level, the proposed introduction of an end-date for stand-alone fossil fuel boilers needs to be substantiated and implemented into the legislative framework. At the national level, phase-out regulations for fossil fuel boilers need to be expanded both in quantity and scope.
heating in the EU 04.09.2023 Publikationen Energie & Klimaschutz Bücher

The ongoing needs to develop power systems towards more environmentally friendly technologies with respect to climate change in conjunction with the continuous evolution of the respective market conditions is leading to a transition away from the traditional system operation. The upcoming challenges have motivated the development of an increasing number of models for transmission grids. Nevertheless, the high complexity of such models renders it exceedingly difficult to compare their results as well as any corresponding conclusions. In this paper, we develop an open framework to compare a variety of pan-European transmission grid models with a strong focus on the German power system. The comparison is performed in both a qualitative and quantitative manner, depending on the investigated modeling aspect including input data, methods, system boundaries and results. The quantitative model comparison is done by performing harmonized model experiments, one for 2016 as back testing and one for 2030 for analyzing the future system. Core elements of our comparison framework are: We proved that our comparison framework is suitable to make similarities and differences between the different model results visible, e.g. using quadratic heat maps. To ensure transparency and to support the open modeling community, the fact sheets with the model specifications and the database with selected model results are uploaded on the open energy platform.
Publikationen Energiewende und Klimapolitik Energie & Klimaschutz Bücher

The ongoing needs to develop power systems towards more environmentally friendly technologies with respect to climate change in conjunction with the continuous evolution of the respective market conditions is leading to a transition away from the traditional system operation. The upcoming challenges have motivated the development of an increasing number of models for transmission grids. Nevertheless, the high complexity of such models renders it exceedingly difficult to compare their results as well as any corresponding conclusions. In this paper, we develop an open framework to compare a variety of pan-European transmission grid models with a strong focus on the German power system. The comparison is performed in both a qualitative and quantitative manner, depending on the investigated modeling aspect including input data, methods, system boundaries and results. The quantitative model comparison is done by performing harmonized model experiments, one for 2016 as back testing and one for 2030 for analyzing the future system. Core elements of our comparison framework are: We proved that our comparison framework is suitable to make similarities and differences between the different model results visible, e.g. using quadratic heat maps. To ensure transparency and to support the open modeling community, the fact sheets with the model specifications and the database with selected model results are uploaded on the open energy platform.
Publikationen Energiewende und Klimapolitik Energie & Klimaschutz Bücher

Reducing power consumption is a vital building block for transforming the energy system. In the contribution, we will present insights from an ongoing research project “Power efficiency classes for households” studying how power consumption in households can be sustainably reduced and stabilized over the long term. The approach uses the concept of efficiency classes to provide a comparative feedback on households’ total power consumption. The power efficiency classes of households are developed as an indicator for households to more easily estimate their total power consumption and better implement specific goals for saving power. The efficiency classes range from 1-7 – like the power label of the European Union –, with 1 being the best possible class, i.e. the lowest power consumption. On this basis the power efficiency label pools the total power consumption of a household and assigns it a consumption class. A labelling process for particularly frugal households or households achieving a significant reduction in power use that is harmonized with this procedure makes things simple and transparent and thus increases the motivation to attain a better power efficiency class. An energy audit and corresponding power saving packages help households identify saving potentials in order to improve their power efficiency class. This approach is implemented in 100 selected households in cooperation with power companies and manufacturers of appliances in a field test. The aim of this test is to evaluate the households’ sensitization for their own power consumption and the suitability of the various power saving packages. In the contribution, we will present the power efficiency classes for households and report results from the field test in the participating households. Against this background, we will discuss some implications for implementing and scaling-up sustainable consumption and production (SCP) practices in relation to sustainable energy use, to improve efficiency on a household level and to raise awareness for rebound effects.
Energiewende und Klimapolitik Publikationen Produkte & Stoffströme Bücher

An important share of developed countries’ energy consumption is used for heating. In the past decades, increasing living space has been one of the main drivers for energy demand in the housing sector. Based on a social innovation framework and drawing on two case studies from Germany and Switzerland, this paper explores options to reduce living space in the residential sector. Both cases focus on senior owners of single family houses (SFH), an important target group, as they remain in large family dwellings after their children have moved out. In the paper, we present the results of empirical work conducted in both projects, exploring how living in large dwellings is perceived by SFH-owners and which alternative options seem feasible and promising. These insights are linked to an intervention perspective, drawing on targeted workshops for homeowners in Switzerland. The findings show that options such as densification, letting out or moving to a smaller apartment, can be appealing to senior SFH-owners, if they are linked to attractive and positive visions about living in old age. Drawing on these empirical insights, we discuss how senior SFH-owners can be made aware of the advantages of managing with less space, and how they can be motivated and enabled to do so. Based on the social innovation approach and the findings from the surveys, we add suggestions on a broader supportive policy framework.
reducing living space 31.10.2019 Publikationen Produkte & Stoffströme Bücher