Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Mitigation in Developing Countries The Case of Lebanon

摘要

Global climate change has been one of the challenging environmental concerns facing policy makers in the past decade. The characterization of the wide range of greenhouse gas emissions sources and sinks as well as their behavior in the atmosphere remains an on-going activity in many countries. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions can be achieved when these countries collaborate at an international level to enhance emission reduction programs. At a national level, the first step in that direction is the identification of emission sources, estimation of the amount of emissions and development of potential mitigation measures limiting emissions of greenhouse gases and enhancing potential sinks. An inventory of greenhouse gases in the country of Lebanon was conducted following the guidelines set by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The gases considered are carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, nitrous oxide, methane, non-methane volatile organic compounds, sulfur dioxide and hydrofluorocarbons. This paper provides a comparative assessment of greenhouse gas emissions from developing and developed countries, describes the methodology adopted in estimating country wide greenhouse gas emissions, evaluates the relative significance of emissions sources and sinks, and presents potential mitigation measures to reduce gaseous emissions taking into consideration country specific economic and technological conditions.