Title:
The Paris - Lifestyle - Analysis and Assessment of Biomass Use for Low Carbon Lifestyles to Reach the Climate Targets 2050
Author(s):
Jungmeier, G., Lettmayer, G., Bird, N., Schwarzinger, S.
Document(s):
Paper
Abstract:
A key to reaching the 1.5° C target in the year 2100, as set out in the Paris Agreement, is to alter our lifestyles significantly. Growing consumer-groups have become increasingly aware of the climate impact connected to their choices over the past years and new climate oriented lifestyles are developing. We study the spread and development of this emerging “Low Carbon Orientation” in consumption which stimulates growing demand for low carbon products and services, for which sustainable integrated biomass use for food, feed, material, chemical and energy plays a crucial role. “Low-Carbon Lifestyles” are characterized by having significantly (> 80%) lower greenhouse gas emissions than most of the current lifestyles in industrialized countries. The „Paris Lifestyle“ is an innovative and satisfying „Low Carbon Lifestyle” characterized by having very low greenhouse gas emissions contributing to the Paris Agreement of limiting global warming to below 2°C. The Paris Lifestyle creates new economic opportunities and challenges by stimulating an increasing demand for low Carbon products and services. A model - „LIFESTYLE 1.0“ – is developed to calculate the consumption based greenhouse gas emissions (2000 – 2014) of the 8 Mio Austrian inhabitants in comparison to the national GHG inventory. Based on the statistics the consumption and demand of annual products and services with a detailed focus on biomass use for the various needs e.g. food, mobility, information are quantified. The results demonstrate that the consumption based GHG emissions in Austria are significantly higher (45 - 55%) than the national inventory show. The GHG emissions abroad for electricity, food and consumption are higher than the GHG emissions in Austria. The GHG emissions and area demand in agriculture and forestry of different lifestyles are strongly determined by the sustainable and integrated use of biomass. The results confirm that future sustainable, modern and comfortable lifestyles with very low GHG emissions („low carbon lifestyles“) are possible. A first set of main influences on the GHG emissions of different lifestyles are identified and its consequences on the future sustainable use of biomass, e.g. vegetarian diet, innovative mobility, annual income. The following conclusions are made: 1) The research on low carbon lifestyles focuses on four questions: „How much?”, “Of What?”, “Who?” and “Why?” 2) In most of the analyzed cases the question „How much?“ is more relevant for the life cycle based GHG emissions than the question “Of what?”. 3) Low GHG emissions for heat and electricity can be realized much quicker, easier and cheaper than for mobility, consumption and food. 4) The GHG emissions can be reduced by energy efficiency and renewable energy technically relatively easy compared to the land demand in agriculture and forestry. 5) Biomass as renewable material and energy source in innovative sustainable value chains plays a crucial role to provide a broad range of services and products in the Low Carbon Bioeconomy. 6) A future comfortable, innovative and sustainable lifestyle is possible e.g. „Low Carbon Lifestyle“. 7) Already today there are many excellent and tracked examples and approaches that might become megatrends for “Low Carbon Lifestyles” to reduce GHG emission significantly. And 9) This sustainable Low Carbon Lifestyle is called „Paris Lifestyle©“, which is characterized by very low GHG emissions and which contributes to the climate targets of the Paris agreement to limit global warming (< 2°C ) by 2100.
Keywords:
bioeconomy, life cycle assessment (LCA), GHG reduction lifestyle
Topic:
Biomass Policies, Markets and Sustainability
Subtopic:
Resource efficient bioeconomy and social opportunities
Event:
25th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
4DO.8.3
Pages:
1537 - 1539
ISBN:
978-88-89407-17-2
Paper DOI:
10.5071/25thEUBCE2017-4DO.8.3
Price:
FREE
