Public knowledge, attitudes and perception of ecological debt

The concept of ecological debt describes the ecological relations between industrialized (developed) and developing countries and the environment. It refers to the responsibility held by those who live in industrialized countries, as well as their accomplices in the South, for the continuing destruction of the planet due to production and consumption patterns. Ecological debt is a potentially powerful tool for re-discussing relations between North and South and for rethinking sustainable development policies. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the public's knowledge, attitude towards, and perceptions of topics related to the concept of ecological debt. A survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire among residents of Athens, the capital of Greece. To the best of our knowledge this is the first time that this issue has been explored, with regard to public opinion and this is the beginning of a discussion on public understanding of ecological debt. The survey reveals that the concept of ecological debt is not widely understood; but the participants seem to agree on the causes of its generation and on its association with external financial debt. The research findings guide alternative proposals to relevant social movements and/or organizations for the design of wake-up policies. Keywords: ecological debt, sustainable development, public acceptance, financial deb

A Methodological Framework for the Comparative Analysis of the Environmental Performance of Roadway and Railway Transport

Low-carbon transport is a priority in addressing climate change. Transport is still almost totally dependent on fossil fuels (96%) and accounts for almost 60% of global oil use. Sustainable transport systems, both passenger and freight, should be economically and technically feasible, but also low-carbon and environmentally friendly. The calculation of greenhouse gas emissions in transport projects is becoming a primary target of transport companies as a part of an endeavor for low-carbon strategies to reduce the energy demand and environmental impact. This paper investigates the CO2 impact of construction and operation of the main highway and railway line infrastructure in Greece, which connects Athens and Thessaloniki, the capital and the second biggest city in Greece respectively and provides a comparative analysis in roadway and railway transport

Impact of Economic Crisis on Passenger Transportation – Case of Travelling to the Greek Mainland from Crete

The Greek economic crisis of 2009 onwards has affected all aspects of social and economic life of the country, including transportation. The present study focuses on the impact of economic crisis on the long distance transportation between the island of Crete in Greece, the largest Greek island and one of the largest in the Mediterranean Sea, and the Greek mainland. A questionnaire survey was used to investigate the opinions of the Cretans on the way the economic crisis influenced their transportation to the Greek mainland. The results of the survey show that the frequency of the Cretans’ travels was significantly limited, owing to the increased direct or indirect associated cost, due to the economic crisis. Especially for those who struggled to make ends meet, the transportation to the mainland dropped to the bare essentials. Furthermore, the respondents deemed that the&nbsp;deregulation of the Greek maritime and airline markets was also to blame for the high fares, thus they favoured a regulated public transport sector and were against privatization. Inevitably, financially vulnerable individuals were the most preoccupied with these issues. A feeling of isolation and exclusion was revealed by the sample on occasions when the scheduled trips were cancelled by the operators due to exogenous parameters.</p

Influence of the addition of LPG-reformate and H2 on an engine dually fuelled with LPG–diesel, –RME and –GTL Fuels

AbstractDual fuel compression ignition engine has been proposed as one approach to reduce diesel engine regulated emissions (NOX and Soot) and to also allow the utilisation of other non-traditional fuels in transportation, in order to improve fuel security and CO2 emissions. In an attempt to improve the combustion characteristics of the LPG–diesel dual fuelled engine the influence of the (a) hydrogen and reformate (H2 and CO) additions and (b) properties of the in-cylinder injected diesel fuel, in this case diesel, biodiesel and synthetic diesel fuel were investigated.Improvements on engine thermal efficiency and HC (including particular HC species) emissions with the reformate and further improvements on CO, soot and particulate matter with hydrogen with respect to LPG–diesel dual fuel combustion were obtained. However, an increase in NOX was obtained due to the high in-cylinder temperature as a result of the shorter advanced premixed combustion. Moreover, the RME’s oxygen content, different injection (i.e. different high bulk modulus) and combustion characteristics as a result of its properties modified the combustion process and hence produced even lower HC, CO, soot and PM emissions. On the other hand, the lower density of GTL has changed the diesel fuel injection and combustion characteristics in dual fuelling mode which resulted in the increased regulated (HC and CO) and unregulated emissions. However, LPG–GTL dual fuelling with reformate and H2 addition showed better smoke-NOX trade-off compared to that of ULSD and RME

Assessment of the Greek National Plan of Energy and Climate Change&mdash;Critical Remarks

The Greek National Energy and Climate Plan was validated by the Greek Governmental Committee of Economic Policy on 23 December 2019. The decisions included in this plan will have a significant impact on the Greek energy mix as the production of electricity from lignite combustion ceases in 2028, when lignite will be replaced by natural gas (NG) and renewable energy sources (RES). This work presents an assessment of the Greek National Energy and Climate Plan by analyzing its pros and cons. The main critiques made are focused on the absence of risk analysis and alternative scenarios, the proposed energy mix, the absence of other alternatives on the energy mix and energy storage, the low attention given to energy savings (transport, buildings), the future energy prices, and the economic and social impacts. This analysis shows that delaying this transition for some years, to better prepare it by taking into consideration the most sustainable paths for that transition, such as using more alternatives, is the best available option today

Analysis of the CO2 emissions and of the other characteristics of the European market of new passenger cars. 2. Segment analysis

This article analyzes the engine and vehicle characteristics and the CO2 emissions of the new passenger cars for all segments of the European market. As in the first article of this work, the target is to find the real market parameters influencing exhaust CO2 emissions. The present analysis is focused on the segment sales distribution (EU average and within each country) and also in four parameters of each segment influencing CO2 emissions: average vehicle weight, average engine capacity, average maximum and specific power. The second part of this work concerns the CO2 emissions of each segment on the New European Driving Cycle and its urban and extra urban parts.CO2 emissions Vehicle weight Engine capacity

Analysis of the CO2 emissions and of the other characteristics of the European market of new passenger cars. 1. Analysis of general data and analysis per country

Exhaust CO2 emitted from passenger cars is one of the major greenhouse effect gases. Several parameters influence the exhaust CO2 emissions of each passenger car: its characteristics (fuel used, vehicle weight, ...) and its use (annual mileage, driving conditions, ...). CO2 emissions from passenger cars decrease during last years; however, this decrease seems to reach its limits. Several parameters of the EU15 new PCs market, such as new passenger cars registrations, type of fuel used, engine capacity, max. power, max. specific power, segment distribution, vehicle weight and their CO2 emissions on the New European Driving Cycle are analyzed here. The target is to find the real market parameters influencing exhaust CO2 emissions. Because of the many data used and the parameters examined, this first part of the work is focused on the average values of each parameter studied and the values of each country, while the second part is based on the analysis of each PC segment and the third one on the analysis of the major brands presented in the European market.Vehicle weight Engine capacity Power

Analysis of CO2 emissions and of the other characteristics of the European market of new passenger cars. 3. Brands analysis

This article analyses the engine and vehicle characteristics and CO2 emissions of the new passenger cars for the thirteen major brands of the European market. As in the first two articles of this work, the target is to find the real market parameters influencing exhaust CO2 emissions. This analysis is focused on the sales distribution of the major brands, EU average and within each country, and four main parameters of each brand having an impact on CO2 emissions: average vehicle weight, average engine capacity, average maximum and specific power. The average CO2 emissions of each brand on the new European driving cycle and its urban and extra urban parts are examined at the last part of this article.Brand Vehicle weight Engine capacity