Environmental damage from the combustion of fuels: Challenges and methods of economic assessment

Abstract

Nowadays the assessment of caused and prevented environmental damage according to Russian methodology requires the determination of the negative impacts of polluting toxic substances and energy emissions, which lead to the deterioration of the environment. Herewith, other types of negative impacts that the combustion of hydrocarbon fuels can cause are ignored. The purpose of this paper is to substantiate a methodological approach to the assessment of the environmental damage caused by hydrocarbon fuel combustion. Research has revealed that an economical assessment of the environmental damage to the atmospheric air caused by fuel combustion requires a consideration of the negative impacts of not only toxic substance emissions but also the consumption of atmospheric oxygen and the adverse effects of carbon dioxide emissions on the environment. This will ensure more reliability and objectivity of the assessment. The dynamics of energy resources consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, both in Russia and globally, were analyzed. It was concluded that one of the priority problems in Russia is to reduce CO 2 emissions from vehicles. This problem can be solved by improving the quality of gasoline and diesel fuel which, with invariable structure of vehicle fleet, will ensure less environmental damage from carbon dioxide emissions caused by motor fuel combustion along with the reduction of gasoline and diesel fuel consumption. © 2014 WIT Press.