The effect of household consumption patterns on energy use and greenhouse gas emissions: comparison between Spain and Sweden

The purpose of this study is to provide a better understanding of the effect of increasing income on energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by analyzing Spanish household consumption patterns and afterwards, comparing them with Swedish household consumption patterns (Nässén et al, 2009). In order to carry out this goal, the relationship between household expenditure and both energy use and CO2-eq emissions are calculated with the help of input-output methodology. Furthermore, a regression analysis is used to evaluate how energy use and CO2-eq emissions change when there is an increase in household expenditure on a certain commodity. Additionally, this study also provides an empirical contribution to the literature focused on understanding consumer behavior and options to change towards more sustainable consumer practices. In this research, three analyses have been performed. In the first one, the Spanish case is analyzed and it shows that energy use and CO2-eq emission are strongly linked to household expenditure. Subsequently, the Spanish consumption patterns are investigated with respect to the Swedish intensity factors (i.e. energy and GHG emissions). As an outcome, energy use linked to these consumption patterns is similar to the first study whereas GHG emissions would decrease by more than half if Spain had the Swedish production system. Finally, the Spanish and the Swedish cases are compared. Both countries have similar consumption patterns on average and on the margin; the former are dominated by housing and food products while the latter are dominated by mobility, luxury goods and leisure services. These patterns shift implies an increase by almost 0.9% in energy use and 0.85% in GHG emissions when income is increased by 1% for both countries. However, there are some small differences in the composition of consumption patterns in both countries that influence the total energy use: Swedish households use 27% more energy than Spanish households implying 15% more GHG emissions

Land-Use and Climate Effects of Bioenergy: Carbon balances of Swedish forest bioenergy systems – and – Geospatial biomass supply-and-demand matching for Europe

In order to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius, greenhouse gas emissions have to be drastically reduced. Bioenergy can play a role in climate change mitigation by substituting for energy from fossil fuels; however, biomass is a limited resource associated with emissions from land use and land-use change. Climate benefits of using biomass for energy have been called into question, with studies reaching conflicting conclusions. These conflicts can in part be explained by differences in methodological approaches and critical parameters, as well as by differences among the assessed bioenergy systems, e.g., the geographic location and associated land use. This thesis combines five papers to provide a better understanding of the interactions between biomass supply and demand and the implications for land use and for climate change and other environmental impacts. Papers I and II bring together different methodological perspectives to analyze the effects on land use, biomass production, and forest carbon balances of using forest bioenergy. The papers show how the climate benefits of forest bioenergy systems can depend on the scale of the assessment, structure of the forests studied, market prospects for bioenergy and other forest products, and energy system developments. Paper III analyzes the role of the Swedish forest sector in future energy scenarios and in reaching the 2050 goal of climate neutrality. The paper finds that the Swedish forest can make an important contribution by supplying forest fuels and other products while maintaining or enhancing carbon storage in vegetation, soils, and forest products. The results are placed in the context of the 2-degree target by allocating a CO2 emissions budget to Sweden. Paper IV presents a geographical information system modeling framework (1,000 m resolution) for assessing and analyzing the availability and cost of forest and agricultural residues in relation to localized biomass demand for co-firing with coal. The paper shows that using agricultural residues reduces transport distances and thereby transport costs. Paper V extends the modeling framework used in Paper IV to include energy crops in assessing biomass availability and costs in the context of bio-electricity and bio-refineries, and considers potential environmental consequences associated with energy crops. The paper shows that lignocellulosic crops can complement residues and help mitigate a selected number of environmental impacts on agricultural land

The effect of household consumption patterns on energy use and greenhouse gas emissions: comparison between Spain and Sweden

The purpose of this study is to provide a better understanding of the effect of increasing income on energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by analyzing Spanish household consumption patterns and afterwards, comparing them with Swedish household consumption patterns (Nässén et al, 2009). In order to carry out this goal, the relationship between household expenditure and both energy use and CO2-eq emissions are calculated with the help of input-output methodology. Furthermore, a regression analysis is used to evaluate how energy use and CO2-eq emissions change when there is an increase in household expenditure on a certain commodity. Additionally, this study also provides an empirical contribution to the literature focused on understanding consumer behavior and options to change towards more sustainable consumer practices. In this research, three analyses have been performed. In the first one, the Spanish case is analyzed and it shows that energy use and CO2-eq emission are strongly linked to household expenditure. Subsequently, the Spanish consumption patterns are investigated with respect to the Swedish intensity factors (i.e. energy and GHG emissions). As an outcome, energy use linked to these consumption patterns is similar to the first study whereas GHG emissions would decrease by more than half if Spain had the Swedish production system. Finally, the Spanish and the Swedish cases are compared. Both countries have similar consumption patterns on average and on the margin; the former are dominated by housing and food products while the latter are dominated by mobility, luxury goods and leisure services. These patterns shift implies an increase by almost 0.9% in energy use and 0.85% in GHG emissions when income is increased by 1% for both countries. However, there are some small differences in the composition of consumption patterns in both countries that influence the total energy use: Swedish households use 27% more energy than Spanish households implying 15% more GHG emissions

Green cleaning service: a management approach by industrial ecology

Based on the “UPC Sustainable Plan 2015” the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) is developing different actions related to the improvement of the university community from a sustainability perspective. One of these activities is the introduction of the Industrial Ecology (IE) discipline into its educational program. Taking advantage of that, the purpose of this paper is to check whether IE framework is applicable and viable to improve sustainability at UPC. IE concept is focused on an integrated and systemic view by taking into account the interactions between the different involved stakeholders; as well as the way they manage the whole process from “cradle to cradle” . That means an analysis which goes from the extraction of the raw materials till the reintegration of the final wastes, closing the loop. In order to reach the goal of this research, the principles of IE will be applied to one of the services offered by the university, such as the cleaning service. This one is a good exemplary case of study due to different stakeholders involved and to environmental impact produced in each step of this process. This study is focused on the analysis of the management process by using some of IE tools. Furthermore, the study will be taking into consideration IE´s strategy which is to substitute toxic substances by others less hazardous while dematerialize and decrease waste, by reducing the usage of resources such as water, energy and cleaning products. Once the process has been analyzed, it will be verified whether IE has been applying the proper frameworks which reduce the environmental impacts and, at the same time, produce a positive impact on daily good practices to the university, community and society.Peer Reviewe

Geospatial supply-demand modeling of lignocellulosic biomass for electricity and biofuels in the European Union

Bioenergy can contribute to achieving European Union (EU) climate targets while mitigating impacts from current agricultural land use. A GIS-based modeling framework (1000 m resolution) is employed to match biomass supply (forest and agricultural residues, complemented by lignocellulosic energy crops where needed) with biomass demand for either electricity or bio-oil production on sites currently used for coal power in the EU-28, Norway, and Switzerland. The framework matches supply and demand based on minimizing the field-to-gate costs and is used to provide geographically explicit information on (i) plant-gate supply cost; (ii) CO2 savings; and (iii) potential mitigation opportunities for soil erosion, flooding, and eutrophication resulting from the introduction of energy crops on cropland. Converting all suitable coal power plants to biomass and assuming that biomass is sourced within a transport distance of 300 km, would produce an estimated 150 TW h biomass-derived electricity, using 1365 PJ biomass, including biomass from energy crops grown on 6 Mha. Using all existing coal power sites for bio-oil production in 100-MW pyrolysis units could produce 820 PJ of bio-oil, using 1260 PJ biomass, including biomass from energy crops grown on 1.8 Mha. Using biomass to generate electricity would correspond to an emissions reduction of 135 MtCO2, while using biomass to produce bio-oil to substitute for crude oil would correspond to a reduction of 59 MtCO2. In addition, energy crops can have a positive effect on soil organic carbon in most of the analyzed countries. The mitigation opportunities investigated range from marginal to high depending on location

Carbon balances of bioenergy systems using biomass from forests managed with long rotations: bridging the gap between stand and landscape assessments

Studies report different findings concerning the climate benefits of bioenergy, in part due to varying scope and use of different approaches to define spatial and temporal system boundaries. We quantify carbon balances for bioenergy systems that use biomass from forests managed with long rotations, employing different approaches and boundary conditions. Two approaches to represent landscapes and quantify their carbon balances–expanding vs. constant spatial boundaries–are compared. We show that for a conceptual forest landscape, constructed by combining a series of time-shifted forest stands, the two approaches sometimes yield different results. We argue that the approach that uses constant spatial boundaries is preferable because it captures all carbon flows in the landscape throughout the accounting period. The approach that uses expanding system boundaries fails to accurately describe the carbon fluxes in the landscape due to incomplete coverage of carbon flows and influence of the stand-level dynamics, which in turn arise from the way temporal system boundaries are defined on the stand level. Modelling of profit-driven forest management using location-specific forest data shows that the implications for carbon balance of management changes across the landscape (which are partly neglected when expanding system boundaries are used) depend on many factors such as forest structure and forest owners' expectations of market development for bioenergy and other wood products. Assessments should not consider forest-based bioenergy in isolation but should ideally consider all forest products and how forest management planning as a whole is affected by bioenergy incentives–and how this in turn affects carbon balances in forest landscapes and forest product pools. Due to uncertainties, we modelled several alternative scenarios for forest products markets. We recommend that future work consider alternative scenarios for other critical factors, such as policy options and energy technology pathways

On the contribution of forest bioenergy to climate change mitigation

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have to be drastically reduced to keep global warming below 2 degrees. Bioenergy can play a role in climate change mitigation by substituting for fossil fuels. However, climate benefits associated with forest-based bioenergy are being questioned, and studies arrive at contrasting conclusions, mainly due to diverging methodological choices and assumptions. This thesis combines three papers to bring together different methodological perspectives to improve the assessment and understanding of the contribution of forest bioenergy to climate change mitigation. The thesis concerns carbon balances and GHG-mediated climate effects associated with the use of forest biomass for energy in Sweden. More specifically, the focus is on methodological choices including definition of spatial and temporal system boundaries, and character of forests and forest product markets, e.g., forest owners’ responses to changes in demand for forest products, and how different assessment scales and metrics capture the difference in timing between emission and sequestration of carbon in forests that are managed with long rotations.The results show that the assessed climate benefits of promoting forest bioenergy systems can differ depending on the scale of the assessment, the forest structure, market prospects for bioenergy and other forest products, and energy system developments. Based on these findings, we recommend that assessments intending to support policy-making (i) consider how an increase in bioenergy demand affects the forest carbon stock at the landscape level, i.e., the scale at which forest operations are typically coordinated; (ii) be context-specific rather than feedstock-specific; (iii) consider changes in forest management driven by increased bioenergy demand, which can affect forest carbon stock and climate change mitigation; (iv) combine the assessment with energy system modeling to understand the size and development of bioenergy demand and different technology pathways; and (v) acknowledge short-term vs. long-term benefits, as some bioenergy systems could be associated with initial forest stock losses but great long-term benefits that can be overlooked if the temporal scope is too narrow. The latter is especially relevant when the ultimate goal is a long-term climate target, e.g.., the 2-degree target.This thesis also shows that the Swedish forest sector can make an important contribution to the 2045 goal of climate neutrality, i.e., no net GHG emissions to the atmosphere, by supplying forest fuels and other products while maintaining or enhancing carbon storage in vegetation, soils, and forest products. The results indicate that the neutrality target can only be reached by 2050 if the net carbon balance effect from the forest is considered. Additionally, measures to enhance forest productivity can increase the output of forest products (including bioenergy) and also enhance carbon sequestration in forests and products, reaching net negative emissions earlier. All in all, studies intending to support policy- and decision-making may provide more relevant information if the focus is shifted from assessing individual bioenergy systems to consider all forest products and how forest management planning as a whole is affected by bioenergy incentives - and how this in turn affects carbon balances in forest landscapes and forest product pools. Studies should preferably employ several alternative scenarios for critical factors, including policy options, forest product markets, and energy technology pathways

On the contribution of forest bioenergy to climate change mitigation

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have to be drastically reduced to keep global warming below 2 degrees. Bioenergy can play a role in climate change mitigation by substituting for fossil fuels. However, climate benefits associated with forest-based bioenergy are being questioned, and studies arrive at contrasting conclusions, mainly due to diverging methodological choices and assumptions. This thesis combines three papers to bring together different methodological perspectives to improve the assessment and understanding of the contribution of forest bioenergy to climate change mitigation. The thesis concerns carbon balances and GHG-mediated climate effects associated with the use of forest biomass for energy in Sweden. More specifically, the focus is on methodological choices including definition of spatial and temporal system boundaries, and character of forests and forest product markets, e.g., forest owners’ responses to changes in demand for forest products, and how different assessment scales and metrics capture the difference in timing between emission and sequestration of carbon in forests that are managed with long rotations.The results show that the assessed climate benefits of promoting forest bioenergy systems can differ depending on the scale of the assessment, the forest structure, market prospects for bioenergy and other forest products, and energy system developments. Based on these findings, we recommend that assessments intending to support policy-making (i) consider how an increase in bioenergy demand affects the forest carbon stock at the landscape level, i.e., the scale at which forest operations are typically coordinated; (ii) be context-specific rather than feedstock-specific; (iii) consider changes in forest management driven by increased bioenergy demand, which can affect forest carbon stock and climate change mitigation; (iv) combine the assessment with energy system modeling to understand the size and development of bioenergy demand and different technology pathways; and (v) acknowledge short-term vs. long-term benefits, as some bioenergy systems could be associated with initial forest stock losses but great long-term benefits that can be overlooked if the temporal scope is too narrow. The latter is especially relevant when the ultimate goal is a long-term climate target, e.g.., the 2-degree target.This thesis also shows that the Swedish forest sector can make an important contribution to the 2045 goal of climate neutrality, i.e., no net GHG emissions to the atmosphere, by supplying forest fuels and other products while maintaining or enhancing carbon storage in vegetation, soils, and forest products. The results indicate that the neutrality target can only be reached by 2050 if the net carbon balance effect from the forest is considered. Additionally, measures to enhance forest productivity can increase the output of forest products (including bioenergy) and also enhance carbon sequestration in forests and products, reaching net negative emissions earlier. All in all, studies intending to support policy- and decision-making may provide more relevant information if the focus is shifted from assessing individual bioenergy systems to consider all forest products and how forest management planning as a whole is affected by bioenergy incentives - and how this in turn affects carbon balances in forest landscapes and forest product pools. Studies should preferably employ several alternative scenarios for critical factors, including policy options, forest product markets, and energy technology pathways

The effect of household consumption patterns on energy use and greenhouse gas emissions: comparison between Spain and Sweden

The purpose of this study is to provide a better understanding of the effect of increasing income on energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by analyzing Spanish household consumption patterns and afterwards, comparing them with Swedish household consumption patterns (Nässén et al, 2009). In order to carry out this goal, the relationship between household expenditure and both energy use and CO2-eq emissions are calculated with the help of input-output methodology. Furthermore, a regression analysis is used to evaluate how energy use and CO2-eq emissions change when there is an increase in household expenditure on a certain commodity. Additionally, this study also provides an empirical contribution to the literature focused on understanding consumer behavior and options to change towards more sustainable consumer practices. In this research, three analyses have been performed. In the first one, the Spanish case is analyzed and it shows that energy use and CO2-eq emission are strongly linked to household expenditure. Subsequently, the Spanish consumption patterns are investigated with respect to the Swedish intensity factors (i.e. energy and GHG emissions). As an outcome, energy use linked to these consumption patterns is similar to the first study whereas GHG emissions would decrease by more than half if Spain had the Swedish production system. Finally, the Spanish and the Swedish cases are compared. Both countries have similar consumption patterns on average and on the margin; the former are dominated by housing and food products while the latter are dominated by mobility, luxury goods and leisure services. These patterns shift implies an increase by almost 0.9% in energy use and 0.85% in GHG emissions when income is increased by 1% for both countries. However, there are some small differences in the composition of consumption patterns in both countries that influence the total energy use: Swedish households use 27% more energy than Spanish households implying 15% more GHG emissions