External White Papers

From other community stakeholders

Climate Change Central

The Wedges Approach of Stabilizing Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Application to CorporationsThe Wedges Approach of Stabilizing Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Application to Corporations

Abstract

The 'wedges approach' is a simple and elegant method of illustrating how unabated growth of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) might be stabilised. Wedges, based on different types of technologies, are used to sub-divide this otherwise monumental reduction challenge, into smaller more actionable components. Thus far, wedges have been used to illustrate emissions and reduction possibilities from an international, national and sectoral perspective. This paper describes how the wedges approach can be adapted and applied to individual corporations.

'Corporate Wedges' provide a framework that can be customised to an organisation’s specific structure and activities. Once identified, components of corporate wedges can be disaggregated and analysed for GHG emissions reduction and offset potential.

Customised corporate wedges will be a valuable strategic planning and management tool for organisations, as they will enable:

• Identification of emission sources and associated liabilities
• Evaluation of multiple reduction options
• Cost comparisons of internal options with the market price for offset credits, and
• Optimisation of GHG reduction and offset activities over time

The Corporate Wedges approach will identify GHG reduction and compliance options and be of interest to organisations that are likely to have their GHG emissions regulated in the future. See complete discussion paper

BROADENING ALBERTA’S CARBON MARKETS - PHASE I: QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS

Executive Summary

Alberta is the first jurisdiction in North America to establish a compliance-based greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions trading system (ETS). Now that compliance-based ETSs have been established in Europe and are emerging at both national and regional levels in North America, Australasia and Japan, Alberta has the option of linking with these systems to broaden its carbon market. Linking can, however, have implications for economic, environmental and distributional outcomes.

To develop a nuanced understanding of how economic forces operate to shape carbon market outcomes, what outcomes particular market design features promote, and how these outcomes affect market players, Climate Change Central is conducting a study of the implications of broadening Alberta’s carbon market. The intent is to provide a policy neutral ‘thought piece’ which stakeholders may find useful in working through the complexities of linking Alberta’s ETS to other compliance-based ETSs or offset systems.

The study is being conducted in two phases:

1. Phase 1 - a qualitative analysis of the implications of linking Alberta’s ETS to other carbon markets, and to discuss how these impacts are affected by the type of linkage established and various design features of the linked systems.

2. Phase 2 - a quantitative analysis of economy-wide effects of different linking scenarios as they may affect Alberta.

This briefing summarizes the findings of Phase 1. See complete discussion paper

Feasibility of Ground Source Heat Pumps in Alberta

Executive Summary

Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) are a technology available as a green alternative to conventional heating and cooling of residential, industrial and commercial buildings. This type of system is also known as geothermal energy. This discussion paper examines the use of GSHPs and looks at their economics and greenhouse gas emissions.

GSHPs provide heat and cooling energy and.are increasingly becoming more economical for both residential and small commercial/institutional applications, however under current energy pricing conditions in Alberta, they are not as economical as conventional forced air gas furnaces and have higher associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in residential applications. However, when green power is purchased, the GHG emissions of GSHPs are lower than emissions associated with traditional residential heating. See complete discussion paper