Conducting A Baseline Greenhouse Gas Inventory for MichiganClientsFaculty AdvisorStudent Project MembersIntroductionProject ObjectiveResearch QuestionsResearch MethodsM5. Methane Emissions from Natural Gas and Oil SystemsM6. Non-Energy GHG Emissions from Industrial ProcessesM7. Domesticated AnimalsM8. GHG Emissions from Livestock Manure ManagementM10. Agricultural Soil ManagementM11. Agricultural Crop WastesM13. Solid Waste DisposalM14. GHG Emissions from WastewaterA number of emissions sources have been extrapolated into the current Michigan GHG emissions data based on national DOE and EPA data.TimelineBudgetCurriculum Vitae of StudentsConducting A Baseline Greenhouse Gas Inventory for MichiganClientsMichigan Department of Environmental QualityMichigan Environmental CouncilU.S. EPAFaculty AdvisorDr. Gregory A. KeoleianStudent Project MembersPierre BullColin McMillanAsako YamamotoIntroductionProject ObjectiveThe United States is responsible for nearly one-fourth of all global GHG emissions. Michigan, located in the industrial and heavily populated Midwest, is even more energy intensive than the U.S. average. Global climate change is predicted to have major effects on the Great Lakes Region with significant regional climate changes arriving as early as 2050. Environmental changes include more extreme weatherevents, lower lake levels, and deterioration of wildlife habitat. This will have a big impact on Michigan’s most economically important industries such as agriculture, shipping and tourism1.Although the U.S. EPA has conducted a national inventory, no comprehensive, Michigan-specific analysishas been done. Without an accurate accounting of the state’s GHG emissions, Michigan officials cannot develop an effective policy for greenhouse gas mitigation. Therefore, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), Michigan Environmental Council, and partners in the non-profit community propose to collaborate with SNRE graduate students on developing a baseline GHG inventoryfor Michigan. In this project, the team will conduct a comprehensive or partial (depending on the 1 Confronting Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region http://www.ucsusa.org/greatlakes.2availability of data) inventory of annual GHG emissions from Michigan sources between two appropriate time points between 1990 and 2003. Research QuestionsThe following research questions will be explored over the course of the project:1. What is the yearly generation of greenhouse gases from the state?2. What is the rate of change of GHG emissions from the major economic sectors?3. What is the relative contribution of the different greenhouse gases to the total warming effect in terms of MMTCE?4. Which economic sectors are the biggest emitters?a. What sectors can have reduced emissions from simple policy changes? b. Are there any carbon sinks worth noting and how can they be measured? 5. How much of the emissions are a result of economic activity in which demand is from another state or country? Corollary: How much GHG does Michigan import as a result of goods/servicessupplied from other states or countries? 6. Can accurate models be created to project future greenhouse gas emissions from the state?7. At what resolution can the research team disaggregate data from each economic sector? Research MethodsStudents will employ U.S. EPA’s State Greenhouse Gas Inventory Tool (State Inventory Tool, or SIT). Because the SIT contains a large amount of default activity data and greenhouse gas emissions for Michigan that were extrapolated from national data, one project task will be to vet the accuracy of this 3data. Where default data are either inaccurate or missing, new data must be gathered and entered into the SIT. Ongoing technical support will be available to the project team from Michigan DEQ, U.S. EPA and the Michigan Environmental Council. The process will include periodic meetings or conference calls to monitor progress and share information. The team will treat the data mainly based on IPCC and EPA Guidelines, but will consult with other guidelines and methodologies used in other states as appropriate. After completing the inventory, the team will verify and evaluate the appropriateness of the inventory, andwill compare the results with those from other states, estimating the magnitude of its emissions due to demand from other states2.Each project team member will complete two to four data modules defined by the SIT program, of which,eleven modules apply to the economic activity in Michigan. It is anticipated that two modules, greenhouse gas emissions from coal mining (module 4) and methane emissions from rice cultivation (module 9), will not be used because these activities do not take place at significant levels in the state.M1. Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Fossil Fuel CombustionFossil fuels include coal, oil, and natural gas. To estimate state emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from fossil fuels, six steps should be performed: (1) obtain the required energy data; (2) estimate the total carbon content in fuels; (3) estimate the total carbon stored in products; (4) calculate net potential carbon emissions; (5) estimate the carbon oxidized from energy uses; and (6) convert net carbon emissions to units of metric tons of carbon equivalent (MTCE).An optional step—subtracting the carbon potentially emitted from bunker fuel consumption—can be conducted as part of Step 4 if state data are available. Additionally, it is recommended that states estimate net imports of electricity, which can be useful in considering strategies to reduce emissions. The estimation (and exclusion) of emissions from bunker fuel consumption and the estimation of emissions from electricity imported from other states is also required. The analysis to be employed in this module is 2 U.S. EPA. (2003) Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-20014more data-intensive and detailed than most of the other greenhouse gas estimation modules. There are three reasons for this:1. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) collects detailed energy use statistics, which are available at the state level2.CO2 from energy use is the principal source of greenhouse gas emissions at the state and nationallevel3.A detailed analysis of energy-related emissions provides insight on mitigation opportunities for reducing CO2 emissionsM2. Methane and Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Stationary CombustionThe recommended
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