The Politics of Green Capitalism: Formulating the Low Carbon Growth Partnership between Japan and Indonesia

Green capitalism is a term that emerged as capitalists’ response to the ecological crisis in which capitalist system can continue to grow by creating sustainability and applying market efficiency in nature commodities. Despite the fact that Japan has no longer committed to the Kyoto Protocol, Japan has been involved in green capitalism by establishing the East Asia Low Carbon Growth Partnership (LCGP) since 2011. Through the LCGP, Japan has proposed proposals which review emissions target of Greenhouse Gas Emission (GHG) from a zero base and developed bilateral offset mechanism referred as the Joint Credit Mechanism ( JCM) to evaluate the contribution of CO2 emissions reduction from energy outside the country. This paper explains the cooperation between Japan and Indonesia in implementing JCM. By utilizing domestic politics analysis, this paper argues that even though the implementation of green capitalism reflects the interests of trade and investment between Indonesia and Japan, however, it also highly influenced by the interaction between domestic political groups (executive and legislative) and domestic societal interest groups in Japan’s domestic politics. The implementation of LCGP between Japan and Indonesia, therefore, does not only display mutual interest on trade and investment of both parties but also reflects a compromise between different domestic political actors’ position on climate change issue in Japan. The cooperation also indicates the green capitalism is possible in the form of government cooperation to deal with the environmental issue yet it is still acceptable from business community’s point of view.   Keywords: Green Capitalism, Low Carbon Growth Partnership, Domestic Politics Analysi

Integration of e-business strategy for multi-lifecycle production systems

Internet use has grown exponentially on the last few years becoming a global communication and business resource. Internet-based business, or e-Business will truly affect every sector of the economy in ways that today we can only imagine. The manufacturing sector will be at the forefront of this change. This doctoral dissertation provides a scientific framework and a set of novel decision support tools for evaluating, modeling, and optimizing the overall performance of e-Business integrated multi-lifecycle production systems. The characteristics of this framework include environmental lifecycle study, environmental performance metrics, hyper-network model of integrated e-supply chain networks, fuzzy multi-objective optimization method, discrete-event simulation approach, and scalable enterprise environmental management system design. The dissertation research reveals that integration of e-Business strategy into production systems can alter current industry practices along a pathway towards sustainability, enhancing resource productivity, improving cost efficiencies and reducing lifecycle environmental impacts. The following research challenges and scholarly accomplishments have been addressed in this dissertation: Identification and analysis of environmental impacts of e-Business. A pioneering environmental lifecycle study on the impact of e-Business is conducted, and fuzzy decision theory is further applied to evaluate e-Business scenarios in order to overcome data uncertainty and information gaps; Understanding, evaluation, and development of environmental performance metrics. Major environmental performance metrics are compared and evaluated. A universal target-based performance metric, developed jointly with a team of industry and university researchers, is evaluated, implemented, and utilized in the methodology framework; Generic framework of integrated e-supply chain network. The framework is based on the most recent research on large complex supply chain network model, but extended to integrate demanufacturers, recyclers, and resellers as supply chain partners. Moreover, The e-Business information network is modeled as a overlaid hypernetwork layer for the supply chain; Fuzzy multi-objective optimization theory and discrete-event simulation methods. The solution methods deal with overall system parameter trade-offs, partner selections, and sustainable decision-making; Architecture design for scalable enterprise environmental management system. This novel system is designed and deployed using knowledge-based ontology theory, and XML techniques within an agent-based structure. The implementation model and system prototype are also provided. The new methodology and framework have the potential of being widely used in system analysis, design and implementation of e-Business enabled engineering systems

Sustainability Benefits Analysis of CyberManufacturing Systems

Confronted with growing sustainability awareness, mounting environmental pressure, meeting modern customers’ demand and the need to develop stronger market competitiveness, the manufacturing industry is striving to address sustainability-related issues in manufacturing. A new manufacturing system called CyberManufacturing System (CMS) has a great potential in addressing sustainability issues by handling manufacturing tasks differently and better than traditional manufacturing systems. CMS is an advanced manufacturing system where physical components are fully integrated and seamlessly networked with computational processes. The recent developments in Internet of Things, Cloud Computing, Fog Computing, Service-Oriented Technologies, etc., all contribute to the development of CMS. Under the context of this new manufacturing paradigm, every manufacturing resource or capability is digitized, registered and shared with all the networked users and stakeholders directly or through the Internet. CMS infrastructure enables intelligent behaviors of manufacturing components and systems such as self-monitoring, self-awareness, self-prediction, self-optimization, self-configuration, self-scalability, self-remediating and self-reusing. Sustainability benefits of CMS are generally mentioned in the existing researches. However, the existing sustainability studies of CMS focus a narrow scope of CMS (e.g., standalone machines and specific industrial domains) or partial aspects of sustainability analysis (e.g., solely from energy consumption or material consumption perspectives), and thus no research has comprehensively addressed the sustainability analysis of CMS. The proposed research intends to address these gaps by developing a comprehensive definition, architecture, functionality study of CMS for sustainability benefits analysis. A sustainability assessment framework based on Distance-to-Target methodology is developed to comprehensively and objectively evaluate manufacturing systems’ sustainability performance. Three practical cases are captured as examples for instantiating all CMS functions and analyzing the advancements of CMS in addressing concrete sustainability issues. As a result, CMS has proven to deliver substantial sustainability benefits in terms of (i) the increment of productivity, production quality, profitability & facility utilization and (ii) the reduction in Working-In-Process (WIP) inventory level & material consumption compared with the alternative traditional manufacturing system paradigms

Carbon Catcher Design Report

Overview. The design of the overall Carbon Catcher project can be separated into four distinct systems, each of which is assigned a specialized committee. The committee names and responsibilities are listed below: Air Mover The overall goal for the Air Mover committee is the design of the turbine assembly. As the overall goal of the project is to collect and separate carbon dioxide from the air, one of the most important parts is to actually get the air to pass through the carbon-catching membrane. Passive air would not give a significant enough yield rate to make the carbon dioxide collection rate impactful, thus air must be sucked through a vacuum/turbine. Membrane The goal of Membrain is to create a membrane that can filter out CO2 through various methods. These methods are limited, due to there being such variety, to certain techniques and membrane material types that have been decided, prior, by the committee. Most membranes will be geared towards utilizing temperature and pressure along with gaseous speed and flow rate. In addition, examining certain treatments, such as regeneration of material, and replacements will be looked into as well, to see how it fares in sustainability. Carbon Storer The Carbon Storer committee will design a store and transport system for fluid CO2 after it is extracted from the atmosphere. Primary considerations include geological solutions, cost-effective materials, and analysis methods to improve overall capacity and efficiency. Additionally, the committee will select an environmentally and economically sustainable method of recycling the captured CO2. PyControl The PyControl committee will design a series of sensors and actuators, which will primarily support the sequestration and pipeline systems present in the Carbon Storer Committee and direct air capture system in Air Mover. The design can be broken into four control layers: Input/Output, Field Controllers, Data, and Supervisory. Goal The overarching goal of Carbon Catcher is to design a cost-effective, scalable atmospheric carbon dioxide removal system that is capable of being deployed in a variety of urban environments and may fit a variety of different customer requirements or requests

Assets and aspirations: Carbon management opportunities in remote indigenous communities

Two current pressing global challenges, climate change due to anthropogenic carbon emissions and poverty, are inextricably intertwined. In Australia these two issues are particularly pertinent. The nation is one of the highest per capita carbon emitters in the world, and despite being one of the most developed, the socio-economic disadvantage of its Indigenous peoples continues. This thesis provides a contribution to the dual fields of resilient and sustainable community development and climate change mitigation, with a sub-focus on asset-based assessment models for enabling community-directed low-carbon development in remote Indigenous communities. The remaining socio-economic disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians has revealed a need for an alternative approach to the past policy incrementalism that focuses on issues and needs, and improved engagement with remote communities. Therefore, an asset-based model, the Resilient Community and Livelihood Asset Integration Model (ReCLAIM), with a focus on aspirations and a continuous participatory appraisal cycle was developed for application with a community Advisory Committee. The six-step decision support model was applied, via a series of workshops, with two remote Indigenous communities to assist their selection of goal-oriented carbon management strategies. The application of the model identified the existing and aspirational assets of the communities, their current carbon emission profiles, the carbon management strategies they preferred for their settlement areas, the modelled outcomes and implementation plans. The carbon profiles and strategies selected differed between the two communities highlighting the need for a community-directed approach to understanding the drivers of carbon emissions, removals and mitigation responses. Economic benefits were highlighted with expected cost savings to communities and service providers. The model could be adapted to a variety of contexts including urban municipalities or remote villages in developing countries

Assessing the Impact of Heat Mitigation Measures on Thermal Performance and Energy Demand at the Community Level: A Pathway Toward Designing Net-zero Energy Communities

In the context of escalating global energy demands, urban areas, specifically the building sector, contribute to the largest energy consumption, with urban overheating exacerbating this issue. Utilizing urban modelling for heat-mitigation and reduction of energy demand is crucial steps towards a sustainable built-environment, complementing onsite energy generation in the design and development of Net-zero Energy (NZE) Settlement, especially in the context of Australian weather conditions. Addressing a significant gap in existing literature, this study offers empirical analysis on the climate and energy efficacy of integrated heat mitigation strategies applied in 14 neighbourhood typologies located in Sydney, Australia. Examining the application of cool materials on roads, pavements, and rooftops, alongside urban vegetation enhancement, the analysis demonstrates scenario effectiveness on heat mitigation that leads to reduce ambient temperature and energy demands along with CO2 emissions within the neighbourhoods. Considering building arrangement, built-area ratio, building height, and locations, ENVI-met and CitySim are utilized to assess the heat-mitigation and the energy demand of neighbourhoods, respectively. Results indicate that mitigation measures can lead up to a 2.71 °C reduction in ambient temperature and over 25% reduction in Cooling Degree Hours, with a 34.34% reduction in cooling energy demand and overall energy savings of up to 12.49%. In addition, the annual energy-saving yields a CO2 reduction of approximately 141.12 tonnes, where additional vegetation further amplifies these reductions by enhancing CO2 absorption. This study showcases the pathway towards achieving NZE goals in climates similar to that of Australia, highlighting significant benefits in heat-mitigation, environmental impact, and energy-savings

Competitive advantage of carbon efficient supply chain in manufacturing industry

The competitiveness of the manufacturing industry is fundamentally intertwined between sustainable production and carbon efficiency in the supply chain. There is a growing level of alertness to environmental protection vis-a-vis emission control and the climate change. Apart from the cost reduction, network optimization, profit maximization, risk mitigation, and value-added services, the modern manufacturing has added carbon footprint reduction to their performance indices. Therefore, the focus is changing to green manufacturing and carbon efficient supply chain, which is intended to improve their production and product consumption as a result of competitive advantage. However, mitigating the climate change demands a more fundamental shift in the way the manufacturing industry delivers products and services to the end users. This research investigates how the competitive advantage of a carbon efficient supply chain can be sustained. Some automobile manufacturing company in the United Kingdom were considered as the case study. Data were sourced through interview, survey questions and from the existing literature. The cross-case synthesis was applied to draw comparison among different companies used as the case study. Influencing drivers and barriers associated with the automobile manufacturing supply chain were identified. The investigation revealed that consumers are the major driver of competitive advantage in manufacturing, with the competition now moved to supply chain which is associated with a different level of product consumption. The impact of other existing strategic factors was also identified. A flow chart for the strategic implementation of carbon efficiency practices along the supply chain was developed. In overall, the study revealed the need for the implementation of carbon reduction strategies in business development

Carbon footprint and embodied energy assessment of roof-covering materials

The residential building sector regularly satisfies a diverse range of housing needs whilst addressing respective capital-cost considerations. Designers and builders must also be aware of the environmental implications of their design specifications; the work here adds to a body of knowledge concerned with carbon footprint and embodied energy demand, specifically through an examination of alternative roof-covering materials. A life cycle assessment (LCA) has been carried out, within a West Australian context, to compare impacts for the roof specification options of: clay tile; concrete tile; and sheet metal. In locations where recycling facilities are unavailable and thus disregarded, it is found that clay tiles have the lowest carbon footprint of 4.4 t of CO2 equivalent (CO2e-) and embodied energy demand of 52.7 Mega Joule (MJ) per 100 m2, while sheet-metal roofing has the highest carbon footprint (9.85 t of CO2e-), with concrete roof tiles having the highest embodied energy demand (83 MJ). Findings confirm that a sheet-metal roof can obtain significant carbon and embodied energy saving benefits (i.e. 71–73%) compared to clay tile or concrete roof covers through ongoing encouragement of recycling strategies and increased local recycling facilities able to embrace residual cradle-to-cradle material reus

Towards BitCO2, an individual consumption-based carbon emission reduction mechanism

Human activities, such as burning fossil fuels for electricity generation, heating, and transport, are the primary drivers of a large amount of greenhouse gases emission. The individual consumers, able to influence the supply chains behind the commodities their chose to fulfil their needs is the driver behind production and, consequently, its impacts. Thus, the active and willing participation of citizens in combatting climate change may be pivotal to address this issue. The present work is aimed at presenting and modelling a novel market-based carbon emission reduction mechanism, called BitCO2, designed to incentivize individual consumption choices toward lower carbon footprints. This mechanism is tested for the Italian private transportation sector thanks to an ad hoc developed System Dynamics model. The Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) adoption, if compared with the Internal Combustion Engine Vehicle (ICEV) one, cause less CO2 emissions per km travelled. After a certain number of travelled km, a BitCO2 token is assigned to BEV owners for each ton of avoided CO2. This token can be exchanged in a dedicated market and used to get a discount on insurance services. Assuming a Social Cost of Carbon of 9.22 [2.13-22.3] euro/tonCO2eq, model results show that the BitCO2 mechanism would allow for a cumulated CO2 emission reduction of 973 [68.9-5'230] ktonCO2eq over 20 years of operation with a peak of 39.3 [5.34-189] thousand additional BEV registration per year

Developing a model for carbon neutral settlements: A mine site village case study

The built environment in Australia is responsible for around 40 percent of the nations’ greenhouse gases. Consequently carbon neutral buildings and precincts are areas of increasing interest to sustainability practitioners and researchers. This thesis focuses on mine site village development as a contribution to an Australian Research Council research project entitled “Decarbonising Cities and Regions.” It dissects the many areas of carbon emissions attributable to the construction and operation of a typical mine site village, how this carbon footprint can be reduced to a point of carbon neutrality, and how the process could be applied to other built formats. The scientific literature was found to be essentially silent on the issue of sustainability and carbon footprint of this type of built form. Several research questions were posited regarding the carbon footprint: what are its constituents for a typical mine site village, how can it be calculated and substantially reduced or become ‘carbon neutral’? After deducting the effects of energy efficiencies and behaviour change programs what effect does the introduction of renewable energy have in both standalone and grid connected configurations? After all aforementioned reductions what proportion remains to be offset by the introduction of accredited offset purchases? A conceptual model was designed to delineate the components of the village’s carbon footprint. These were the carbon emissions from: embodied energy of the built form; energy required to operate the village; transport of supplies to the village; fly-in/fly-out access by employees of the mine; water supply and waste water treatment; food production, and; solid waste disposal. The model was applied to a mine site village in Western Australia. A life cycle analysis tool, eTool™, was used to determine the embodied energy of the built form and services infrastructure for village life spans of 5, 10, 15 and 20 years. A comprehensive on-site energy monitoring system was set up to measure the village’s fossil fuelled operational energy; village deliveries were assessed on site; fly-in/fly-out emissions were calculated according to site visits and researched emissions from air travel; desalinated water and waste water treatment energy was monitored; and food consumption and solid waste were estimated. In addition a significant energy efficiency experiment was carried out to test a thermal ceramic coating applied to a typical mine site accommodation module (donga). Methods to reduce carbon emissions were made by applying energy efficiencies and behaviour change to camp infrastructure and occupants, followed by determining potential penetration into the power generation system of appropriate renewable energy systems, and finally the purchase of accredited carbon sequestrating offsets. Significant results can be summarized: total village carbon footprints for the life spans 5 to 20 years were calculated to be between 3233 and 2424 tonnes CO2-e per annum respectively, equating to 19 to 14.4 tonnes CO2-e per village worker annum, equivalent to the average Australian’s domestic carbon footprint to which they would contribute when they return home. In terms of net present costing converting the village energy system to a standalone type gave a clear financial advantage to the owners in averting the capital expenditure of connecting the village to mine site generation plant. With a maximum penetration of 71 percent into the village’s 1.09MWh energy consumption per annum the carbon reduction was small in terms of the village’s overall footprint. The donga coating experiment resulted in a 10 percent saving in air conditioning energy consumption. A generic model, LEVI (Low Energy Village Infrastructure) was developed in the form of an Excel workbook to provide a systematic method to calculate the carbon footprint of a built environment similar to that of a mine site village, such as caravan parks, remote tourism resorts, retirement villages, military camps, Aboriginal settlements and isolated research stations. LEVI was then applied specifically to the case study mine site village. Further research is required to evaluate the potential of alternative village design and operation, for example, by means of comprehensive cost-benefit analysis or multi-criteria assessment of options. Isolated examples exist in the literature and this thesis highlights areas where so much more could be achieved in the vein of carbon reduction in the built environment