Outcome Evaluation of U.S. Department of State Support for the Global Methane Initiative
Outcome Evaluation of U.S. Department of State Support for the Global Methane Initiative

Author: Nicholas Burger

Publisher: RAND Corporation

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 102

ISBN-13:

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Methane is a short-lived greenhouse gas that is released during the production and transport of coal, natural gas, and oil; the raising of livestock and other agricultural practices; and the decay of organic waste in municipal solid waste landfills and some wastewater treatment systems. Although it is short-lived, methane has more than 20 times the atmospheric warming effect of carbon dioxide. However, it is a primary component of natural gas, so efforts to reduce methane emissions can take advantage of technologies that capture and reuse the gas as a fuel, potentially bringing about cost-effective reductions in emissions. The Global Methane Initiative (GMI) is a voluntary international partnership that promotes methane recovery and reuse activities in developing and transition economies. Program partners and funders include national governments, private-sector firms, development banks, and nongovernmental organizations. As a founding member of the partnership, the U.S. government contributes funding and other types of support to GMI primarily through the U.S. Department of State (specifically, its Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs and its Office of Global Change) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. To help gauge the effects and value added of its support for the program, the Department of State requested an evaluation of GMI0́9s activities and outcomes relative to its contributions in fiscal years 20060́32010. The evaluation employed a mixed-methods approach that combined quantitative and qualitative information to document program resources and activities and to illustrate program outcomes, including information from in-country site visits.. The report also presents some recommendations for how data collection could be improved to answer more sophisticated questions in the future about the effectiveness of GMI and the value added by the department0́9s contributions.

Outcome Evaluation of U.S. Department of State Support for the GlobalMethane Initiative
Outcome Evaluation of U.S. Department of State Support for the GlobalMethane Initiative

Author: Nicholas E. Burger

Publisher:

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 76

ISBN-13: 9780833081131

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Methane is a short-lived greenhouse gas that is released during the production and transport of coal, natural gas, and oil; the raising of livestock and other agricultural practices; and the decay of organic waste in municipal solid waste landfills and some wastewater treatment systems. Although it is short-lived, methane has more than 20 times the atmospheric warming effect of carbon dioxide. However, it is a primary component of natural gas, so efforts to reduce methane emissions can take advantage of technologies that capture and reuse the gas as a fuel, potentially bringing about cost-effective reductions in emissions. The Global Methane Initiative (GMI) is a voluntary international partnership that promotes methane recovery and reuse activities in developing and transition economies. Program partners and funders include national governments, private-sector firms, development banks, and nongovernmental organizations. As a founding member of the partnership, the U.S. government contributes funding and other types of support to GMI primarily through the U.S. Department of State (specifically, its Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs and its Office of Global Change) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. To help gauge the effects and value added of its support for the program, the Department of State requested an evaluation of GMI's activities and outcomes relative to its contributions in fiscal years 2006-2010. The evaluation employed a mixed-methods approach that combined quantitative and qualitative information to document program resources and activities and to illustrate program outcomes, including information from in-country site visits. The report also presents some recommendations for how data collection could be improved to answer more sophisticated questions in the future about the effectiveness of GMI and the value added by the department's contributions.

Improving Characterization of Anthropogenic Methane Emissions in the United States
Improving Characterization of Anthropogenic Methane Emissions in the United States

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2018-08-25

Total Pages: 251

ISBN-13: 0309470501

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Understanding, quantifying, and tracking atmospheric methane and emissions is essential for addressing concerns and informing decisions that affect the climate, economy, and human health and safety. Atmospheric methane is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) that contributes to global warming. While carbon dioxide is by far the dominant cause of the rise in global average temperatures, methane also plays a significant role because it absorbs more energy per unit mass than carbon dioxide does, giving it a disproportionately large effect on global radiative forcing. In addition to contributing to climate change, methane also affects human health as a precursor to ozone pollution in the lower atmosphere. Improving Characterization of Anthropogenic Methane Emissions in the United States summarizes the current state of understanding of methane emissions sources and the measurement approaches and evaluates opportunities for methodological and inventory development improvements. This report will inform future research agendas of various U.S. agencies, including NOAA, the EPA, the DOE, NASA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Global Trends 2040
Global Trends 2040

Author: National Intelligence Council

Publisher: Cosimo Reports

Published: 2021-03

Total Pages: 158

ISBN-13: 9781646794973

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"The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic marks the most significant, singular global disruption since World War II, with health, economic, political, and security implications that will ripple for years to come." -Global Trends 2040 (2021) Global Trends 2040-A More Contested World (2021), released by the US National Intelligence Council, is the latest report in its series of reports starting in 1997 about megatrends and the world's future. This report, strongly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, paints a bleak picture of the future and describes a contested, fragmented and turbulent world. It specifically discusses the four main trends that will shape tomorrow's world: - Demographics-by 2040, 1.4 billion people will be added mostly in Africa and South Asia. - Economics-increased government debt and concentrated economic power will escalate problems for the poor and middleclass. - Climate-a hotter world will increase water, food, and health insecurity. - Technology-the emergence of new technologies could both solve and cause problems for human life. Students of trends, policymakers, entrepreneurs, academics, journalists and anyone eager for a glimpse into the next decades, will find this report, with colored graphs, essential reading.

Valuing Climate Damages
Valuing Climate Damages

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2017-06-23

Total Pages: 281

ISBN-13: 0309454204

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The social cost of carbon (SC-CO2) is an economic metric intended to provide a comprehensive estimate of the net damages - that is, the monetized value of the net impacts, both negative and positive - from the global climate change that results from a small (1-metric ton) increase in carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions. Under Executive Orders regarding regulatory impact analysis and as required by a court ruling, the U.S. government has since 2008 used estimates of the SC-CO2 in federal rulemakings to value the costs and benefits associated with changes in CO2 emissions. In 2010, the Interagency Working Group on the Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases (IWG) developed a methodology for estimating the SC-CO2 across a range of assumptions about future socioeconomic and physical earth systems. Valuing Climate Changes examines potential approaches, along with their relative merits and challenges, for a comprehensive update to the current methodology. This publication also recommends near- and longer-term research priorities to ensure that the SC- CO2 estimates reflect the best available science.

2016 Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
2016 Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Office of Management and Budget. Executive Office of the President

Publisher:

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 1780

ISBN-13: 9780160936357

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Identifies and describes specific government assistance opportunities such as loans, grants, counseling, and procurement contracts available under many agencies and programs.