Territorial greenhouse gases inventory, analysis and reduction plan design : Analysis of greenhouse gas emissions from a predefined territory (Territoire de la Côte Ouest) on the island of Réunion

Abstract: This report presents a summary of the work done by the author for the Eco2 Initiative, a French energy consulting company, during the development of an official document (PCET) concerning the climate and a French island off the Madagascar coast in the Indian Ocean. Firstly, the thesis examines some background details including a short description of the PCET contents and goals, and describes the studied regional territory occupying the western quarter of La Réunion. The PCET aims at reducing both the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on the territory and the territory's vulnerability to climate change in the future. The report treats only the GHG inventory and the beginning of an action plan design for the reduction of GHG emissions from all possible local sources. Secondly, the methodology is discussed. The chosen method for the inventory is Bilan Carbone® which accounts for all Kyoto protocol gases the territory is responsible for or depends on, during one year. The emissions are split into ten categories: energy industry, industrial processes, residential, tertiary, agriculture and fishing, freight, people transportation, roads and construction, waste management, and import and local goods production. Finally, the results of the inventory are displayed for each of the ten categories. The design process of the action plan is then described and an account example of selecting and adding an action is given. The current state of the PCET is also displayed, warning the reader that the analysis can further be extended and more actions can be added until a final feasible version is reached for any specific territory. As a conclusion, the main results are summarized, the directions for the next steps in the particularly studied region are pointed out, and a critical point of view is adopted for the wider implementation of the devised action plan and its influence on the decision making process for future energy policies.