Papers by Kenneth Newcombe
Springer eBooks, 1980
Papua New Guinea has developed a large and rapidly growing dependency on imported petroleum produ... more Papua New Guinea has developed a large and rapidly growing dependency on imported petroleum products for commercial energy supplies. Analysis of energy trends and evaluation of possible scenarios for future energy demands indicated clearly that the fuel requirements of PNG would continue to grow, whilst the global capacity and motivation of oil producers to supply the market would decrease. Therefore there is a great need to develop a less energy intensive, more resource conserving energy policy for the future of PNG (Newcombe 1979).
The input-output and end-use of extrasomatic energy use is reported for 1971. Trends in Hong Kong... more The input-output and end-use of extrasomatic energy use is reported for 1971. Trends in Hong Kong's energy use are examined over a period of 17 years in relation to the rapidly changing urban setting and alternative sources of energy which may be adopted in the future. Forty per cent of Hong Kong's energy input is lost in conversion processes, the end-use of energy is inefficient and potential for conservation and recycling is considerable. Upto 15% of total energy use could be supplied by direct solar irradiation and bioconversion of organic wastes generated in Hong Kong. From a sector end-use analysis of energy use it is clear that Hong Kong is moving towards more energy intensive industry and more energy expensive transport. Also,new commercial and residential buildings are heavily reliant on energy-use to remain fit for human use. An analysis of spatial and temporal patterns of energy use show a range of intensity of energy use from 0.02 x 10⁸ MJ/km² in rural areas to 109.46 x 10⁸ MJ/km² in heavy industrial/residential areas. Energy consumption is 26% higher in summer than in winter. Artificial heat generation over all Hong Kong is 1.7% of mid-summer and 2.3% of mid-winter incoming solar radiation; but reaches double incoming solar radiation over 24 hour periods in some parts of the urban area. It is demonstrated, through a study of energy use in the Hong Kong food system, that the energetic efficiency of food production in the Hong Kong region has decreased by 10 to 250 times in the past 40 years. The energy input-output ratio for all Hong Kong crop production in 1971 was 0.8:1; but where high technology production modes were practiced the ratio was 7.6:1. It is estimated that 40-50% of the energy invested in the Hong Kong food system could be conserved without a decline in crop production. A nutrient balance is established for the Hong Kong ecosystem. Losses of nutrients in human food are upto 20% of total input for important nutrients. The flow of phosphorous in the Hong Kong food system is examined in det [...]
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 2002
In line with its mission of alleviating poverty through support for environmentally and socially ... more In line with its mission of alleviating poverty through support for environmentally and socially sustainable economic development, The World Bank (along with some other multilateral development banks) is working to help developing countries capture a share of the emerging global market in greenhouse-gas-emissions reductions ('carbon trading'). Under the Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Joint Implementation instrument and the Clean Development Mechanism now provide an opening for substantial international resource transfers and potential for supporting sustainable development through the transfer of cleaner technologies or sustainable forestry and agro-forestry practices. For example, carbon sequestration represents a non-extractive non-consumptive sustainable use of living natural resources that can be incorporated within a multiple-use 'integrated ecosystem management' approach. The World Bank initiated the Prototype Carbon Fund (PCF) in April 2000, to help spur the development of a global carbon market and to 'learn by doing' how to use carbon-purchase transactions across a range of energy-sector technologies (and some forestry applications) to achieve environmentally credible and cost-effective emissions reductions that benefit developing countries and economies in transition. Building on the success of the PCF ($145 million raised from public and private-sector investors), The World Bank expects to launch two new funds in 2002: the Biocarbon Fund and the Community Development Carbon Fund. These funds will target synergies between carbon markets and objectives such as biodiversity conservation, combating desertification and small-scale community-driven development. Experience from the PCF shows that developing countries can have a comparative advantage in supplying this global market, as emissions reductions can be achieved in developing countries in the range of $3-$5 per ton of CO(2) equivalent, compared with a marginal abatement cost of $10-$15 per ton of CO(2) equivalent in most countries within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. However, realizing this economic potential over the next decade, and targeting the market to the rural poor, will require substantial assistance with project development and government legal and institutional capacity building. Specific needs include raising awareness of the potential of carbon markets at all levels (particularly in energy and land-use sectors), clarifying property rights, particularly in the case of communally held land and resources, ensuring the existence of an attractive investment climate, eliminating policies that create perverse incentives and constraints, and mitigating logistical, political and 'reputational' risks that could deter private-sector investors. It will also be necessary to find ways to reconcile the short-term needs of the rural poor and the typically long-term revenue stream associated with carbon sequestration.
The Annals of Regional Science, 1987
It has proven difficult to quantify the economic benefits of large-scale rural afforestation and ... more It has proven difficult to quantify the economic benefits of large-scale rural afforestation and to establish the priority for public sector investment in traditional rural energy supply visa -vis investment in the supply of modern fuels (electricity, petroleum) to the urban industrial market. This paper outlines, in simple terms, the biological links between deforestation and agricultural production at the subsistence level and quantifies the economic benefits of increased food production obtained by replacing animal dung as a fuel with firewood from rural forestry programs.
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Papers by Kenneth Newcombe