Integrating Sustainable Thinking into Greenhouse Impact Assessment
Traditional impact assessments for greenhouse gases (GHGs) are typically little more than a straightforward tally, or simple inventory of GHG emissions from the proposed or existing development. Increasing awareness of GHG issues by industries, government and the community has made these traditional approaches to GHG assessments redundant due to their relative lack of nuanced sophistication. A more innovative approach to GHG impact assessment focuses on assessing the interactions between the root cause of GHG emissions and the potential for climate change impacts at various operational and spatial scales.
This paper presents a series of case studies that illustrate how policies that encourage energy use efficiency and reductions in GHG emissions can be successful drivers for ongoing technology advances by large industrial emitters. Examples are highlighted that show how a combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches can be successfully integrated to target key sources of greenhouse gas emissions. These can address electricity use, fuel consumption or specific process emissions of potent greenhouse gases. Further, the paper shows how the improvements in GHG performance and energy efficiency can be implemented at the process, systems and facility levels.
These studies show how the integration of smart thinking about greenhouse gas impacts can be beneficial for legislative compliance as well as public education and acceptance, and ultimately lead to a better financial and environmental performance.