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While climate change is often understood as a collective action and a market problem, we look at it as a problem of planning and coordination. Long-term planning is necessary to promote structural change, which will be required to keep the Paris Agreement's temperature goals. By encouraging states to develop a long-term climate strategy, the Paris Agreement invites countries to turn anticipatory governance into an international governance instrument. In this paper we explore how these strategies describe countries' climate plans and what the perceptions of government officials are about the potential for realization of these strategies. Using mixed methods, we explore both 1) planning dimensions (actions, actors and policies described in the strategies) by applying a topic modeling analysis to 50 documents; and 2) perceptions of the content and challenges to their realization among domestic policy professionals of four major emitters. Our results show that the strategies lack a detailed discussion on how decarbonization pathways could be materialized and who has the responsibility for implementation of long-term targets. Moreover, rather than being a steering instrument, the strategies are dominated by scenario planning and there is also a lack of attention to political issues. Taken together, we contend that strategies are limited in the way they present the future possibilities of low emissions development. To make them more effective in steering long-term decarbonization, greater attention needs to be placed on potential conflicts, barriers and stumbling blocks that may arise along the way. • Long-term climate planning has potential to shift the way we address climate change. • The language used in the strategies are dominated by technical terms and GHG emissions scenarios. • The strategies tend to reduce the political and social complexities of climate change. • As governance instruments, the strategies lack capacity to guide implementation and guidance on how to solve goal conflicts. • The strategies' main value is to provide a platform for alternative discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS) is an organic residual generated from the wastewater treatments. PPMS management involves economic, environmental and social costs that will likely increase in the future as landfilling tends to be reduced or banned in certain jurisdictions. The reduction or the banning of landfilling may be considered as a climate change mitigation measure since organic waste disposal is normally associated with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This critical review aims to (1) describe the variety of the current and emerging PPMS management practices that are alternatives to landfilling and (2) underline the crucial need for GHG emission assessments. The management practices of the three main PPMS types (primary, secondary and de-inking) comprised in this review are land application (agriculture, silviculture, land reclamation and composting), energy recovery (combustion, anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis, bioethanol, hydrogen production and direct liquefaction) and integration in materials (biocomposite, cement, asphalt and adsorbent–absorbent). Future research should focus to increase the comprehension of known GHG determinants from the PPMS management practices and reveal unknown factors. Life cycle analyses, based on direct GHG emission measurements, are needed to determine GHG emissions from current and emerging practices and plan a responsible future reduction or banning of landfilling. Such analyses will contribute to assist decision makers in implementing the best PPMS management practices with the least impact on climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper industry''s climate change gas emissions are growing. This article considers how to reduce emissions from cut-size office paper by bypassing stages in its life cycle. The options considered are: incineration, which cuts out landfill; localisation, which cuts out transport; annual fibre, which cuts out forestry and reduces pulping; fibre recycling, which cuts out landfill, forestry and pulping; un-printing, which cuts out all stages except printing; electronic-paper, which cuts out all stages. Un-printing may offer the greatest climate change emission reduction. There are uncertainties in this result, particularly in estimating the proportion of waste office paper would be suitable for un-printing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This article introduces a bottom-up global model of the pulp and paper sector (PULPSIM) with a focus on energy consumption and carbon emissions. It is an annual recursive simulation behavioural model with a 2030 time horizon incorporating several technological details of the industry for 47 world regions. The long time horizon and the modular structure allow the model users to assess the effects of different environmental, energy and climate policies in a scenario comparison setup. In addition to the business as usual developments of the sector, a climate commitment scenario has been analysed, in which the impacts of changing forest management practices are also included. The climate scenario results reveal that there is a significant carbon reduction potential in the pulp and paper making, showing a number of specific features: the central role of the fibrous resource inputs and the potential impact of increased waste wood and black liquor based heat generation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Entered into force in 2011, the Protocol on Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) in the Mediterranean is a major innovation in that it is the first supra-State legal instrument aimed at coastal zone management. However, the nature and magnitude of change it is actually generating, or is likely to generate, in domestic coastal zones management systems, are highly uncertain. Investigating such prospects for change in contrasted contexts around the Mediterranean, and therefore providing a critical view of the Protocol as a game-changer, is the aim of this article. Results call for vigilance: the risk is real that the Protocol will not change much and that it will become a paper-protocol only. Ratifying it is – relatively – easy. Avoiding “ratifications of convenience” is more demanding. For various reasons the Protocol is likely to have mostly limited impacts on domestic coastal law development. It probably has more potential in terms of influencing changes in governance processes and increasing the social demand for ICZM. But this potential may only be translated into facts under stringent conditions on political will and good faith from Parties to adopt an ambitious understanding of the Protocol, and on appropriation by civil societies around the Mediterranean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In life cycle assessment (LCA) of paper products, it is common to either assume that the carbon impacts of forestry are neutral (i.e. no net emissions) or to credit harvested wood products as a carbon store. When comparing virgin and recycled materials, this means that forest carbon flows are either shown as nil or a net sequestration credit. However, harvested wood products typically account for less than half of the carbon stored in a forest, with additional stores in below ground biomass, deadwood, litter and soils. Each of these stores may be affected by changes in demand for virgin pulp and paper. In this study the countries likely to provide pulp displaced by moving to recyclate, or used when switching from recyclate were identified for both the UK and China (the largest export market for UK-derived recyclate). Changes in forest carbon stores in each country were then assessed and attributed to the extraction of a unit of timber in each country where demand for pulp and paper was identified as a driver for change. The analysis shows that when switching from virgin to recycled content within the UK and China, no additional biogenic CO2 emissions are avoided with the exception of Canadian pulp, where the data suggests that forests are being degraded, with associated carbon losses. When switching from recycled to virgin content, net biogenic CO2 emissions are seen from most relevant countries. In the example of newsprint, this is equivalent to 2–23 tonnes CO2 per tonne of newsprint. The exceptions to this are Chile and Russia, where demand for virgin fibre does not appear to be associated with deforestation. Despite limitations, the research highlights that biogenic carbon is a significant issue which may dominate the outcome of LCAs assessing the climate change impact of switching between virgin and recycled pulp. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Black liquor gasification–combined cycle (BLGCC) is a new technology that has the potential to increase electricity production of a chemical pulping mill. Increased electricity generation in combination with the potential to use biomass (e.g. bark, hog fuel) more efficiently can result in increased power output compared to the conventional Tomlinson-boiler. Because the BLGCC enables an integrated pulp and paper mill to produce excess power, it can offset electricity produced by power plants. This may lead to reduction of the net-CO2 emissions. The impact of BLGCC to offset CO2 emissions from the pulp and paper industry is studied. We focus on two different plant designs and compare the situation in Sweden and the US. The CO2 emissions are studied as function of the share of recycled fibre used to make the paper. The study shows that under specific conditions the production of “CO2-free paper” is possible. First, energy efficiency in pulp and paper mills needs to be improved to allow the export of sufficient power to offset emissions from fossil fuels used in boilers and other equipment. Secondly, the net-CO2 emission per ton of paper depends strongly on the emission reduction credits for electricity export, and hence on the country or grid to which the paper mill is connected. Thirdly, supplemental use of biomass to replace fossil fuel inputs is important to reduce the overall emissions of the pulp and paper industry. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The climate change policy debate and ensuing discussions about industrial energy use and carbon emissions have highlighted the need to: (a) aggregate engineering information to a level relevant for economic policy analysis while maintaining sufficient detail so that results are meaningful for industry decision makers, (b) properly represent an industry’s capital vintage structure to better understand inertia associated with changes in aggregate industrial emissions profiles, and (c) identify policy instruments that leverage an industry’s potential for technological change such that carbon emissions can be noticeably reduced. This paper presents an econometric analysis of energy use and emissions profiles of the US Pulp and Paper Industry and uses the resulting set of equations to specify a dynamic model for the analysis of select climate change policies. Scenarios of cost of carbon, energy tax, and investment-led policies indicate that a combination of cost of carbon and investment-led policies can achieve the desired result of rapidly improving overall efficiency of the industry and promoting changes in fuel mix, which together can result in drastic reductions of carbon emissions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Staying can be an alternate climate change adaptation strategy. • Staying and mobility are re-imagined with ideas of resilience and evolution. • Four key research areas linking climate change, staying and resilience. • Historical context and translocal networks shape immobility. • Equity and governance identify population differentials and choice of im(mobility). This paper brings work on mobility and 'staying' together with theoretical ideas of resilience to consider responses to climate change. To date, the majority of work that has explored the impacts of climate change on human populations has taken a migration-centred perspective, with an emphasis on mobility as a key response in crises, including extreme climatic events and civil conflict. However, evidence suggests that people may alternatively – and pro-actively – adopt a different approach involving "staying" as a climate change adaptation strategy. This is important as recent evolutionary approaches to resilience have highlighted how resilience is an on-going process of adaptation which emphasises the temporal, fluid and open-ended aspects of individuals' experiences and practices in shaping everyday lives. In turn, this means that individuals' experiences and practices can lead to different strategies of staying (as well as moving) in the face of climate change. Consequently, the paper highlights four key areas where more research is required in order to explore the links between climate change, 'staying' and resilience. These include the importance of historical context in disentangling and contextualising the "multicausal" nature of individuals' mobility decisions; translocal networks in shaping mobility or immobility; the influence of equity, diversity and gendered social expectations on staying; and the importance of governance responses in facilitating resilience, adaptation and subsequent decisions by individuals to stay or move. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy sources, driven by the global concern for climate change and the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, are gaining increasing importance. Among them, solar energy stands out as a crucial renewable source and accurate solar irradiance forecasting is vital for its effective utilisation. Deep learning (DL) techniques have emerged as state-of-the-art solar irradiance forecasting methods in past years. However, traditional models that are widely used have inferior accuracy in forecasting. To bridge this gap, this paper presents an improved state-of-the-art model that leverages the convolutional property to forecast the time series data. We got a reduction of 8.32% in MAE compared to the base model. The paper's findings highlight the potential of DL-based approaches to significantly improve the accuracy of solar irradiance forecasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As temperatures increase across the globe due to climate change, human exposure to extreme heat is a public health challenge. During sporting events, athletes, officials, spectators, and staff are at risk of heat stress and resulting illness. The objective of this review was to explore the impact of heat on the health outcomes of these groups and the wider health system and discuss implications for outdoor mass-gathering sporting events in Australia. A systematic review was undertaken to identify literature published from 2010 to 2023. Seven databases were searched: Web of Science, SportDiscus, Scopus, Medline, CINAHL, Emcare, and PsychInfo, for relevant key search terms such as heatwave, heat stress, extreme heat, stadium, arena, sports facilit*, sport, athletic, and Olympic. An inductive thematic analysis was undertaken. Articles were quality checked using Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools and data were extracted, tabulated, and synthesized. Forty papers were included in the final analysis: 17 quantitative, and 23 descriptive and qualitative (including reviews). Health outcomes explored across the literature included exertional heat illness, exertional heat stroke, hyperthermia, and general heat related illness. Six recommendation themes emerged: planning, mitigation strategies, medical, policy, research, and education. The impact of heat on health outcomes during sporting events is significant, and should be considered by individuals, coaches, officials, and organizers before, during, and after mass-gathering sporting events. These findings can inform evidence-based preparedness strategies to protect the health of those attending and competing in mass-gathering sporting events now and into the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the background of growing concern about climate change, this study attempts to examine the impact of US climate policy uncertainty on exchange rate volatility. Specifically, this paper explores whether climate policy changes and their extreme observations, as well as the short-term asymmetry of exchange rate volatility, can help predict future exchange rate volatilities. The in-sample estimation results show that the uncertainty of US climate policy significantly affects the volatility of the US exchange rate, and extreme positive shocks of climate policy uncertainty have a greater impact on the exchange rate than extreme negative shocks of the same magnitude. In addition, we find significant asymmetries in the short-term components of exchange rate volatility, especially in the USD-CNY exchange rate and the USD-EUR exchange rate. Multiple out-of-sample forecasting tests show that models incorporating extreme values of climate policy uncertainty exhibit superior forecasting performance. Notably, the predictive performance of these models tends to be stronger during periods of low volatility and relatively weak during periods of high volatility. This paper provides valuable insights for stakeholders to make informed decisions and optimize strategies in the face of uncertain climate policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stakeholder participation is increasingly seen as beneficial for short and long term responses to climate change risks. Past research highlights the role social networks play as both a key outcome of participation, as well as an important step towards other environmental governance goals. This paper focuses on the social relation of mutual understanding , which is often discussed in the environmental governance literature, but has yet to be studied as an empirical social network in its own right. Our paper builds and tests a conceptual framework linking participation to mutual understanding and social learning. We analyze three waves of network and perceptions data gathered on stakeholders participating in the Integrated Coastal Resiliency Assessment (ICRA) project, a 2.5 year-long project aimed at developing a collaborative research assessment on the vulnerabilities to climate change experienced by an island community located in the Chesapeake Bay, USA. Our findings suggest that participation (measured as co-attendance in project events) leads to the formation of mutual understanding ties among stakeholders, but these ties do not necessarily lead to more similarity in stakeholders' perceptions on climate change. We reflect on these findings, and the project more broadly, noting that our study lends support to scholars arguing that feelings of mutual understanding are potentially more important for certain forms of collective action, as opposed to whether or not stakeholders increase their shared beliefs or perceptions about the environmental problem in question. • We conceptualize and test the links between participation, mutual understanding and social learning. • We use Stochastic Actor Oriented Models (SAOMs) to examine the evolution of mutual understanding as a non-directed, cognitive network. • Findings show tendencies for stakeholder participation leading to mutual understanding. • There is no support for mutual understanding leading to greater similarity in climate change perceptions. • For certain collective actions, mutual understanding is more important than increased similarity in perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the relational architecture of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) focussing on the individuals that, in the thirty years of its existence, have assured the connection between its different components. To study relational bridging within the IPCC, we created a unique database of all the individuals who have contributed to the organisation since its establishment and noted in which workstream they participated (i.e., function + Working Group + Assessment Report). From this database we extract the participants-workstreams affiliation network and use it to compute several metrics of bridgeness, which we discuss, validate, and compare. We use these metrics to investigate the general distribution and evolution of bridging in the IPCC, but also to identify individuals who more actively provided connections between its authors and government representatives (functional bridges), its Working Groups (thematic bridges) and its assessment cycles (temporal bridges). Focussing on the role of key bridge individuals and their trajectories within the organisation, we provide insights on the IPCC as a network organisation. • The paper is based on an original dataset of more than 8000 individuals who have contributed to the IPCC since 1988. • The paper investigates the individuals who have contributed to keeping together the different components of the IPCC. • The paper identifies temporal, thematic and functional bridge individuals and qualitatively analyses their career in the IPCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extent to which a policy actor is perceived as being influential by others can shape their role in a policy process. The interest group literature has examined how the use of advocacy tactics, such as lobbying or media campaigns, contributes to an actor's perceived influence. The policy networks literature, in turn, has found that network ties and occupying certain institutional roles can explain why actors are perceived as influential. When investigating what explains perceptions of influence, interest groups scholars have not accounted for network interdependencies and network scholars have so far not examined the advocacy tactics used by interest groups. This paper addresses the gap at the intersection of these two literatures by investigating the relationship between network ties, institutional roles, advocacy tactics and the presence of influence attribution ties in climate change policy networks. Exponential random graph models are applied to network data collected from the organisations participating in the national climate change policymaking processes in six EU countries that vary by the extent to which they are majoritarian or consensual democracies: Czechia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, and Sweden. The results show that network ties and institutional roles are better predictors of influence attribution ties than advocacy tactics and that there is no pattern in the relationship between advocacy tactics and influence attribution ties across different institutional contexts. These findings suggest that because influence is primarily associated with structural factors (network ties and institutional roles) that more established policy actors are likely to have more influence, which may inhibit the need for a significant step change in climate policies. • This paper investigates what determines perceptions of influence in climate change policy networks. • Network ties and institutional roles are better predictors of influence than advocacy tactics. • Advocacy tactics rest on relational assumptions, and as such, can be fruitfully integrated with the policy network approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life cycle engineering (LCE) was introduced in the early 1990s with a focus on eco-efficiency, hence designing products to reduce the environmental impact over their life cycle while maintaining or increasing the value created. In the meantime, the world has seen the emergence of a climate crisis and a biodiversity crisis despite significant eco-efficiency improvements of individual products and services over the years, highlighting the gap between bottom-up LCE activities and top-down sustainability concepts such as planetary boundaries and net-zero targets for climate change. This paper presents a structured LCE approach for practitioners, supporting life cycle engineering of product life cycles with an absolute sustainability perspective towards achieving net-zero targets. An industrial case is provided to demonstrate the applicability of the methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple international organizations and many governments around the world have declared climate emergency. There is a pressing need to minimize the environmental impacts of human activities including manufacturing processes. Machining by mechanical cutting is a fundamental manufacturing process and minimizing and eliminating its environmental impacts is vital. In this keynote paper, sustainability in the context of machining is identified. The resources used in machining have been categorized and the social and environmental impacts and potential methods to reduce them have been identified. The findings are critically discussed and the gaps and challenges for future research direction are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Emerging nurses must be literate in Planetary Health if they are to practice in the escalating impacts of climate change. • Adequate support (internal and external), an understanding of rationale, concept, and process, and personal belief and confidence are key factors that can influence the success of curriculum change and delivery. • Academics must utilize levers to integrate Planetary Health into the curricular as a matter of priority. Due to the escalating severity of the impact of climate change on human and ecological health and its implications for nursing practice, it is imperative that planetary health is embedded into the undergraduate nursing curriculum. This rapid review was undertaken to identify the barriers and enablers to implementing planetary health into the undergraduate Bachelor of Nursing curriculum. Databases (PubMed, Education Source, CINAHL, and Scopus) were searched for relevant studies between 2013 and 2023. Seven papers were eligible for review. The studies demonstrated that adequate knowledge, skill development, social support, a supportive organization, and access to adequate resources were required to embed changes into the curriculum. This study has identified enablers that can be leveraged to successfully integrate planetary health into the undergraduate nursing curriculum, preparing nurses who are working in a practice environment impacted by climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an era dominated by the intersection of advanced technology and traditional industries, the domain of agriculture is on the verge of a revolutionary transformation. This article introduces a solution for vineyard producers, harnessing satellite imagery, weather data, and deep learning (DL) to identify vineyard diseases robustly. This solution, designed for proactive plant health management, stands as a transformative tool towards digital viticulture. Such tools transition from luxuries to essentials as vineyards confront evolving challenges like climate change and new pathogens. Our research builds on the hypothesis that customising deep learning architectures for specific tasks is crucial in enhancing their effectiveness. We contribute by introducing a tailored convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture, developed specifically for the classification of plant diseases using vineyard imagery. The experimental results demonstrate that our custom CNN architecture exhibits performance on par with established state-of-the-art models like ResNet50 and MobileNetV2, underscoring the value of specialized solutions in addressing the unique challenges of viticulture. This paper introduces an overview of the solution's architecture, presents the implementation of DL modules with their corresponding results, and describes use case scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a commentary on Lyons, K. and Westoby, P. (2014) Carbon colonialism and the new land grab: Plantation forestry in Uganda and its livelihood impacts, Journal of Rural Studies, 36, 13-21. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal erosion as a threat to Ghana's coastline is being exacerbated by natural and anthropogenic processes. Adaptation to coastal erosion helps in managing the impacts and the levels of destruction to livelihoods, properties and investments along the coastline. Government intervention in adaptation to coastal erosion has always focused on the development of coastal sea defences without the integration of Indigenous knowledge and initiatives of coastal dwellers. This paper contributes to this gap by examining the Indigenous adaptation responses to coastal erosion in selected coastal communities of Ghana, factors influencing the choice of adaptation responses and the extent to which these Indigenous adaptation responses are addressing coastal erosion. Findings from the explorative qualitative study revealed that coastal dwellers are engaged in different forms of planned and reactive adaptation responses to coastal erosion. It was also found out that most of the Indigenous adaptation responses to coastal erosion were unsustainable in addressing coastal erosion and the choice of Indigenous adaptation response to coastal erosion was shaped by socio-economic and ecological factors or perception. Maladaptation responses by coastal dwellers were contributing to the phenomenon of coastal erosion. Coastal dwellers have survived the impacts of coastal erosion in the absence of support from central and local governments and their unsustainable adaptation responses have become a cyclical ritual over a period of time. The paper contributes to the debates on adaptation to climate change and the consideration of Indigenous knowledge into climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies in coastal zone planning and management. • Indigenous adaptation responses to coastal erosion are autonomous and reactive. • There is no collective community action towards addressing coastal erosion. • Adaptation responses are shaped by socio-economic and ecological considerations. • Maladaptation responses are counterproductive to addressing coastal erosion. • Hard Indigenous adaptation responses are a physical limitation to coastal resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming and rare weather caused by climate change continue to affect ecosystems, human health, and economic systems, which pose serious climate risk challenges for humanity. To address and adapt to climate change risks and to facilitate the process of achieving carbon peaking and carbon-neutral targets, the financial industry has become more concerned about the information spillover effects of extreme climate events on green financial products. Therefore, this paper adopts the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) to describe climate change and investigates the influence of the SOI on the volatility of the NASDAQ OMX Green Economy Index (OMX-GEI) under a variant of the Double Asymmetric GARCH-MIDAS (DA-GM-X) model. The results show that the SOI provides relevant information for OMX-GEI volatility forecasting and the DA-GM-X model yields outstanding forecasting performance in statistical and economic terms. This conclusion indicates that considering SOI and its asymmetry changes can significantly improve the prediction accuracy of econometric models. Also, several robustness tests confirm our findings. Overall, the findings of this paper suggest that to achieve the two-carbon goal and combat climate change, governments should pay more attention to policy formulation that combines environment, climate, health, energy, and economy, and actively promote green, low-carbon, and sustainable energy development globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morocco's commitment to the Marrakech and Paris Agreements' sustainability goals necessitates the implementation of Net Zero Energy Building (NZEB) initiatives to mitigate climate change and promote sustainable development for the built environment industry. Utilizing Morocco's abundant solar resources, NZEBs aim to minimize energy use and carbon emissions in buildings, aligning with global climate objectives and enhancing economic stability through reduced energy costs. This approach aids Morocco in adapting to climate change and achieving international financial and environmental targets. This paper explores Morocco's energy strategy and the regulatory framework for Nearly Zero Energy Buildings, providing a NZEB definition, assessment metrics, and performance indicators, while addressing the challenges posed by existing laws on energy-efficient buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, we are confronted with the presence of two significant transformations. The emergence of technologies like artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, social media, Industry 4.0, and Society 5.0 is significantly impacting the behavior of individuals, societies, and countries in the 21st century. The second transformation pertains to various critical issues such as climate change, desertification, food and water security, and the future of life on our planet. This paper aims to analyze the impact of emerging technologies on mitigating climate change. The central inquiry at hand is whether humanity possesses the ability to transform the ongoing digital revolution into effective climate action. Specifically, we will analyze the fundamental question. Do digital technologies and information management contribute to the problem or offer a solution? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is considered as one of Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) controller algorithm developed for PhotoVoltaic system (PV) to guarantee a maximum power extraction under different climatic conditions of temperature and irradiation. Classical MPPT algorithms like Perturbe and Observe (P&O), PSO, Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) are an effective method for tracking the maximum power point (MPP) for the PV systems, but the problems with these approaches that they are less stable, high oscillation around steady state and slower convergence to the MPP. Based on recent research, the purpose of this paper is to introduces a novel MPPT controller based on a modified version of heterogeneous multi swarm PSO algorithm using an adaptive factor selection strategy (FMSPSO), to overcome the previous shortcomings and compared with conventional PSO, ANFIS and classical P&O controllers. Simulation and experimental results revealed that the new FMSPSO algorithm can overcome the previous shortcomings providing the superior performance to track the MPP efficiently with a shorter convergence time and small oscillations compared to other algorithms. The experimental confirmation of the FMSPSO algorithm has been carried out using NI-myRIO-1900 card and shows that with the proposed MPPT approach efficiency can reach a value greater than 99% even in climatic variation of irradiation and temperature. • A classical MPPT controller cannot track the dynamic the MPP, has obvious oscillations, and converges slowly. • A novel MPPT controller based on a modified version of MSPSO algorithm using an adaptive factor selection strategy (FMSPSO) is proposed. • A FMSPSO based MPPT algorithm is compared with conventional PSO, classical P&O and ANFIS controllers for validation. • The proposed FMSPSO algorithm provides the superior performance by boosting the PV system tracking efficiency more than 99%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and the resulting extreme weather events bring significant economic losses and many unstable factors. It is an important means to actively seek environmental protection and climate governance countermeasures to meet severe challenges. As an environmental protection tool widely used by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), environmental taxes are expected to play an important role in combating climate change and reducing extreme weather events. Based on public goods theory, collective cooperation theory, externality theory and double dividend theory of environmental taxes, this paper takes 36 OECD countries as research samples and empirically tests the role of environmental taxes in mitigating climate change process and reducing extreme weather events through the establishment of panel Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model. The empirical results show that the environmental taxes on the whole is conducive to reducing the frequency of abnormal temperature weather and plays a positive role in reducing carbon dioxide emissions in OECD countries. Further research shows that environmental budget and environmental technologies play a positive role in the process of environmental taxes to delay climate change and reduce extreme weather events. In other words, we should attach importance to the investment of environmental protection funds and the research and development of environmental protection technology while carrying out environmental taxes. The robustness test shows that the main regression results of this paper have strong robustness. The research in this paper enriches theories and existing literature related to environmental taxes and climate change, and provides new research ideas and policy guidance for delaying the process of climate change and responding to extreme weather events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of climate change, innovative financing solutions and the rapid development of financial technology (fintech) offer great potential for the growth of renewable energy. Based on panel data from 30 provinces in China, this paper explores the impact of fintech on renewable energy growth by employing the instrumental variable-generalized method of moments (IV-GMM). We also pay attention to the nexus between fintech and renewable energy growth at different quantiles. This paper also explores the moderating role of the digital economy and the mediating role of green technological innovation. The main results indicate that (1) fintech positively affects renewable energy growth in China; (2) the positive effect between fintech and renewable energy is stronger in provinces with lower levels of renewable energy growth; (3) the digital economy, on the one hand, can significantly accelerate renewable energy growth; on the other hand, under the help of the digital economy, fintech can play a more effective role in increasing renewable energy growth; and (4) fintech indirectly promotes renewable energy growth by increasing the level of green technology innovation. The findings provide meaningful references for governments and policymakers and encourage the accelerated adoption of fintech in the sustainable energy sectors. • The role of financial technologies "fintech" on renewable energy growth is explored. • Fintech successfully stimulates the development of renewable energy. • The impact of fintech on renewable energy growth is asymmetric. • Digital economy facilitates the positive role of fintech in increasing renewable energy growth. • Green technology innovation is the path through which fintech affects renewable energy growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the discussion on climate change impacts, livelihood diversification, and deagrarianization in arid and semi-arid regions. Using the semi-arid region of Guinea as a case study, this paper is the first to discuss the primary factors driving smallholder farmers into artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in arid and semi-arid regions. Drawing on in-depth interviews and root-cause analysis, we find that increasing climate change impacts 'force' smallholder farmers to switch into artisanal gold mining. Smallholder farming in semi-arid Guinea is largely rainfed and erratic rainfall and increasing temperatures have affected crop production and farmers' income, driving many smallholder farmers into artisanal gold mining to have a more sustainable income. While artisanal gold mining has improved smallholder farmers' socioeconomic conditions, the agriculture exodus has significantly affected crop production, food prices, and rural agriculture labor dynamics. Agroecological, financial, and technical support could improve the adaptive capacity of climate impacted smallholder farmers in arid and semi-arid regions. • Agrarian communities are now transforming into artisanal mining communities due primarily to climate change. • Dry farmlands, low farm productivity, and low farm income are secondary factors that drive farmers into the ASM economy. • Farmers converted to miners to cope with climate change impacts and not necessarily to 'get rich quick'. • Smallholder farmers in semi-arid Guinea lack access to climate adaptive strategies. • Livelihood diversification from farming to ASM affects rural socioeconomics and threatens food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the politics of epistemological claims which link climate change, conflict, migration and terrorism in causal relationships. The paper contends that attempts to establish such causal relationships in conditions of empirical complexity are characterised by a contested politics of implication. Drawing on a critical discourse analysis of a UN Security Council debate on climate security (December 9, 2021), and the concept of linguistic implicature (referring to the non-explicit, inferential meanings which can follow from language use), the paper traces two logics which could suggest a politics of racial implication in climate security discourses: first, a compulsive climatic determinism which roots risks of terrorist violence in climate-affected populations; and second, a logic of proxy geographies in which dehumanisation could be implicated through natural world metaphors. Overall, this paper seeks to provide an understanding of how the inferential meanings associated with claims linking climate change, migration, conflict and terrorism could constitute potentially unequal outcomes in climate security politics and policymaking. • Causal claims about the links between climate change and terrorism are politically contested. • Such claims could implicate racial logics of climatic determinism and dehumanisation. • It is important to study the pragmatic implicatures which could follow from causal claims in climate security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing rice production efficiency in developing countries is important to improve the livelihoods of farmers and to ensure global food security for a growing population. Despite significant progress in recent decades, rice production is facing multiple challenges from climate change to the increasing competition for land, labor and capital from urbanization and industrialization. Given the fact that Vietnamese farmers often suffer from shocks and financial capital constraints, our paper aims to (i) investigate the impact of credit and shocks on rice production efficiency, and to (ii) examine the role of credit in mitigating the impact of shocks. Our findings show that weather shocks and land fragmentation are major sources of the inefficiency. Meanwhile, livestock, farm mechanization, and education are factors promoting rice production efficiency. Our results also show that access to credit plays a significant role in mitigating the negative impact of weather shocks. Our paper calls for more assistance and support to farmers in mitigating the severe effects of weather shocks, in particular via the promotion of rural credit markets. In addition, the encouragement of farm mechanization, land defragmentation, livestock farming, and the improvement of rural education should be given high priority to improve rice production efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the viability of environmental taxes as a means to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions within the European Union (EU) using the panel threshold model on two balanced panel data comprising countries from the European Union: the Northern and Western countries and Southern and Eastern countries for the period 2000–2020. The study's empirical results support the Pigouvian theory for developed countries, as they indicate an optimal minimum threshold for environmental taxes, where these taxes effectively contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, the results diverge for emerging countries, revealing a maximum threshold for environmental taxes beyond which their impact in curbing emissions diminishes. To achieve the ambitious goal of climate neutrality, policymakers must adopt a comprehensive and diversified approach. This includes a combination of environmental taxes, more stringent regulations, and emission standards for industries. Additionally, the implementation of carbon pricing mechanisms, promotion of investments in sustainable fuels and technologies, and the establishment of low-carbon emission infrastructure are essential components of this strategy. By integrating these various measures, policymakers can better navigate the path toward climate neutrality and effectively combat climate change in the EU and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions and climate change risk have become constraints on global economic sustainable development. Environmental regulation (ER) is a key method for achieving synergy in CO 2 and pollution reduction in China. This paper is the first study to explore the effects of ER on CO 2 emissions by exploiting the National Environmental Protection 11th Five-Year Plan (NEP11-FYP). The implementation of the NEP11-FYP significantly decreases CO 2 emissions by 19.73% in key environmental cities relative to other cities. Heterogeneity analyses suggest that this negative impact is larger in western cities and cities with more pressure to reduce CO 2 emissions. Scale effects, structural effects, and technical effects might be three potential influencing channels through which ER contributes to the CO 2 reduction effect. In addition, the results of the spatial externality of the NEP11-FYP demonstrate a positive spillover effect in neighboring cities within a distance of 300 km and a negative spillover effect in cities more than 500 km away. Our empirical findings provide policy implications for implementing low-carbon transition strategies and reducing CO 2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of extreme precipitation on Chinese industrial output and its total factor productivity (TFP) using data from the annual survey of industrial firms (ASIF) and daily weather data. The findings demonstrate a significant reduction in industrial firm output as a result of precipitation, with extreme daily precipitation decreasing output by approximately 1.22%. We provide an explanation for this precipitation-industrial output relationship from four perspectives: per capita wages, labor productivity, inventory, and depreciation. The effects of extreme precipitation are more pronounced in high-income and high-precipitation regions, as well as among foreign firms and low-technology firms. Our research suggests that extreme daily precipitation poses a serious obstacle to the development of the manufacturing industry. These results are crucial for understanding the economic impact and concealed costs of climate change, highlighting that extreme precipitation should be recognized as one of the primary sources of damage associated with climate change in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change induced by carbon emissions has received extensive global attention. However, with the ever-increasing environmental attention from governments, whether firms, as main contributors to carbon emissions, have responded to the government's call to achieve carbon abatement target is uncertain. To answer this question, we manually collected urban government work reports from 2007-2016 and extracted environment-related textual content to quantify government environmental attention (GEA). Employing firms' carbon emission data from National Tax Survey Database (NTSD), this paper explores the impact of GEA on firms' carbon emissions governance. We observe that the increase in GEA cuts firms' carbon emissions. The results remain solid after using the instrumental variable method to alleviate endogeneity problems. The mechanism analysis reveals that GEA reduces firms' carbon emissions via three environmental-related decision-making behaviors of government: environmental regulations, fiscal expenditure and subsidy policies, and energy structure transformation strategies. Heterogeneity analysis shows that GEA notably reduces firms' carbon emissions from burning coal and oil energy. Moreover, firms in eastern-north, central, and western regions are more susceptible to GEA, while the impact is insignificant for firms in eastern regions. Furthermore, the carbon reduction performance is more pronounced for enterprises in capital-intensive, technology-intensive, and high polluting industries. This study provides a reference for policymakers to ensure the enforcement of carbon emissions governance of firms and to reach carbon abatement targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predicting and influencing consumer behavior can aid in combating the climate crisis. Previously, Matthews et al. (2022) modelled the influence of relational framing on consumer purchasing, where relational training established pro- and anti-environmental coordinated classes. The current paper extends Matthews et al.'s (2022) analysis by empirically modelling complex relational networks consistent with Relational Density Theory (RDT; Belisle & Dixon, 2020). In the experiment, participants completed a pre- and post- relational training multidimensional scaling procedure including positive and negative valence environmental related imagery and unfamiliar symbols. The relational training was designed to establish coordination between the symbols and evaluative climate functions. This analysis allowed for the development of a geometric model of complex relational behavior that were consistent with shifts in purchasing behavior observed in the prior study, supporting the link between relational behavior and overt behavior that may be of interest to behavior and climate scientists. Moreover, the current study provides a direct translational extension of existing research on RDT to a topic of immense social importance. • Introduction provides a comprehensive overview of relational frame theory and relational density theory as applied to consumer behavior influencing earth's climate. • Preliminary experiment with a convenience sample extends results reported by Matthews et al. (in press) by graphing climate relational frames in a two-dimensional geometric space. • Results also demonstrate latent class organization that is contextually influenced by observing repeated stimulus pairing within a SPOP observation task. • Discussion delineates future research that can utilize relational density frameworks to evaluate complex relational networks involving climate arbitrary symbolic relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is increasingly recognised that the perceptions and lived experiences of climate change are grounded in places. This paper brings together work on place and climate imaginaries to develop a situated and emplaced understanding of climate change futures. Empirically, the paper examines local climate imaginaries on the North Frisian Wadden Sea coast of Germany. The low-lying islands are vulnerable to anthropogenic sea-level rise and face an uncertain future. Based on 21 semi-structured interviews conducted with coastal dwellers, the study examines all interviews from a grounded theory perspective. A refined in-depth analysis of the language helps to reveal climate imaginaries and systematise the ways through which local climate futures are articulated, structured and constructed. The aim of the paper is threefold: to synthesise research undertaken on place and climate imaginaries, to empirically analyse emplaced climate imaginaries and to explore – though tentatively – their role in developing regionally grounded climate change adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change adaptation is currently an important community concern in developing countries like Bangladesh. The conceptualization of adaptation within the government system matters for the promotion of activities such as employment generation for local communities. The lesser the gap between government policy and the local community's needs for adaptation the more effective outcomes are for ensuring policy success and promoting sustainable community livelihoods or vice versa. This interface between policy and community is important for climate change adaptation which is explored in this paper along with the findings of the research project, DEltas, vulnerability and climate change: Migration and Adaptation (DECCMA) conducted during 2014–2018 in Bangladesh, Ghana, India, and the United Kingdom. The data from Bangladesh was collected from 1384 survey respondents, 19 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), 3 workshops, and 43 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs). The findings of the paper show that government adaptation activities mainly reflect the Reactive Approach of Limited Action (RALA) perspective rather than the Proactive Approach To Adaptation (PATA). The RALA perspective is characterized by piecemeal and top-down approaches to adaptation which fail to recognize a community conceptualization of climate change, policy perspectives for coping with local concerns, and governance approaches for effective adaptation. In response, the government needs to focus on the PATA in policy, programs, and projects with the governance approach implemented from the bottom-up or, in other words, from the local perspective. Community participation in decision-making processes is characteristic of this bottom-up governance model. Local community participation, consultation, and representation are essential parts of PATA in adaptation policy formulation and execution, providing important lessons for Bangladesh. • Adaptation to climate change is a high policy priority for developing countries such as Bangladesh. • The conceptualization of adaptation in government policy matters for community sustainability. • The top-down, centralised Reactive Approach of Limited Action (RALA) causes further concern for effective adaptation policy. • A Proactive Approach to Adaptation (PATA) is better for community sustainability. • Community participation and representation within governance approaches can expedite a PATA approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal resilience strategies are vital for managing the impacts of climatic shocks and stresses that bedevils coastal zones globally. Coastal strategies that reflect indigenous knowledge and practices as well as local adaptation efforts are productive in promoting resilience to coastal erosion at the local level. However, there has been less common research in conventional literature on how national level strategies impact adaptation measures by local governance institutions and coastal dwellers in addressing coastal erosion. Using an explorative qualitative case study of selected coastal communities in Ghana, the paper contributes to this gap by assessing how national level strategies impact adaptation to coastal erosion at the local level. It also examines the institutional and community perception of coastal erosion, its causes and impacts. Findings indicate that all the coastal dwellers in the study communities are aware of coastal erosion with most of the community interviewees attributing the phenomenon to sea-level rise as the main driver of coastal erosion. Also, interviews with local government authorities and state agencies found that the national level coastal erosion adaptation strategies to a large extent do not promote local innovation in addressing climatic shocks and stresses of coastal communities. The paper contributes to contemporary debates in indigenous knowledge in climate change mitigation and adaptation by multilevel governance towards coastal resilience by recommending a collaborative effort between coastal communities and the District Assemblies in promoting indigenous knowledge in climate change adaptation and the preparation of coastal management plans that incorporates indigenous knowledge in adaptation to coastal erosion. • Coastal dwellers perceive coastal erosion through direct observation. • National level coastal resilience strategies promote indigenous knowledge. • Their implementation is at variance with local level adaptation. • State institutions perceive indigenous knowledge and adaptation as unsustainable. • Formal integration of indigenous knowledge affects local level adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme weather alerting systems are one of the central tools utilised in adapting to changing weather patterns resulting from climate change. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of the current alerting systems for hot and cold weather used in England to notify the health and social care sector of upcoming extreme weather events. We consider the views of stakeholders on the current system and explore their perspectives on the proposal to move towards an impact-based system. The paper concludes that while the current system is an effective tool, stakeholders feel they need to draw on additional material to assist with the development of an appropriate response. We also highlight that many stakeholders are concerned about the potential for creating alert fatigue due to a lack of clarity of the geographical area impact of some of the alerts. Consequently, there was a high level of support from stakeholders for the move towards an impact-focused system. • Extreme weather alerting systems are an important tool for protecting public health. • Impact-focused alerting systems can help planners and front-line staff deliver a more effective response to extreme weather. • It is important alerts are not sent out unnecessarily to protect the credibility of the system and avoid alert fatigue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small island states are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, despite not contributing much to global greenhouse gas emissions. Crafting effective science-based adaptive strategies to conserve and sustain natural resources in the face of the changing climate has important socio-economic, political, and ecological dimensions. The analysis in the current paper reveals that the island of Mauritius has been warming at a rate of 0.0216 °C/year over the period 1971–2020, with an increase in precipitation averaging 2.29 mm/year over the 1981–2020 period. The changing climate over time has had severe repercussions on the native ecosystems of the island and is threatening the long-term freshwater supply system. Science-based policy measures proposed revolve around the expansion and re-design of protected areas to be strategically located in climate-resilient regions that seek to offer refuge to native fauna and flora. To increase the resilience on freshwater supply on the island, measures proposed include the introduction of a freshwater coordination-based system that operates on water stress level, in addition to increasing the network of freshwater catchment areas in regions where precipitation is increasing over time. The insights in this paper are expected to be valuable for other small islands in adapting to climate change. [Display omitted] • Quantifications of the changes in temperature and rainfall over time have been conducted. • The spatial distribution of the changing climate of a small island state is modelled. • Adaptation measures are proposed to conserve native island fauna and flora. • Science-based policies are proposed to improve sustainability of freshwater supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Africa is particularly affected by climate change due to its exposure to climate hazards, high vulnerability, and low adaptive capacity. Yet, Africa is also a continent rich in Indigenous and Local Knowledge (ILK) that has a long history of informing responses to climatic variability and change. This paper explores the extent to which ILK has been used in climate change adaptation in Africa. It deploys a bibliometric analysis to describe the connections between ILK and climatic change adaptation in Africa, complemented by an analysis of ILK literature and case studies. We consider four key dimensions of ILK, 1) type, 2) contexts of application, 3) value for adaptation, and 4) outcomes and effects in responses to climate change in Africa. Examples drawn from 19 countries across Africa highlight ILK systems are closely connected with biocultural relationships associated with observed patterns of climate change and where adaptation can be more effective when informed by ILK. This body of knowledge is critical to the delivery of climate change adaptation in Africa. The paper suggests some measures through which ILK may be more widely leveraged, both for improved adaptation outcomes, as well as enhancing the biocultural heritage value of ILK systems across Africa. The study commends the remarkable value of ILK in Africa for climate change adaptation and its value for supplementing climate services, particularly in areas with limited access to modern climate and weather forecasts as well as the encouragement of Indigenous communities to develop senses of ownership and active contribution to the sustainability of the future interventions. • Role of Indigenous Knowledge in Climate Change Adaptation in Africa. • The study commends the remarkable value of ILK in Africa for climate change adaptation. • its value for supplementing climate services particularly in areas with limited access to modern climate. • the paper concludes outlining measures through which ILK may be more widely leveraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Rural Australia" has long been a special site of political contestation. Staking the terms of public depictions of "the rural", "the bush", or "country life" is a constitutive thread running through Australian settler colonial identity and a cornerstone of national electoral politics. This paper analyses major News Corporation media outlets' presentation of an evolving political campaign, comparing contesting representations of farming and rural Australia deployed by the Morrison Coalition government and advocacy group Farmers for Climate Action, in the period between the government's re-election in May 2019 and July 2021. The paper steps through the key tactical discursive moves made by these contesting parties. It argues that in their depictions of rural Australia there are two important features that these perspectives share. Both embrace a discourse of increased agricultural productivity inspired by high-tech innovation, and both are silent on the related social and economic transformations that undergird the "crisis" of the rural. Consequently, public political contestation over rural policy unfolds without engaging transforming structural arrangements that fundamentally organise work and life on the land. • Presents comparative depictions of rurality by the Australian prime minister and advocacy group Farmers for Climate Action. • Political contests over the representation of the rural during the time of accelerating climate change are shown to have strong temporal framings. • Both government and Farmers for Climate Action embrace a discourse of increased agricultural productivity inspired by high-tech innovation and both are silent on socio-economic transformations. • Farmers for Climate Action have made significant steps towards normalising the idea that farming and climate activism go hand in hand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal communities and their environments are facing unprecedented changes, with climate change driving rising global mean sea level, exacerbating extreme sea level events, and increasing hazards. Whilst adaptations to change have been central to coastal life for millennia, climate change brings a speed and intensity of change not previously experienced. Researchers are noting that adaptations are needed that are large scale and systemic with significant changes to lives and livelihoods – Transformational Adaptations – yet there is little evidence of this in practice, and there remains an operationalisation gap between ambitions and actions. This paper uses a qualitative case study method to assess how existing policy may enable and inhibit local stakeholder involvement in transformational adaptation in English coastal flood and erosion risk management. Through twenty interviews with coastal management stakeholders, the capacity for local coastal management stakeholders to initiate transformational adaptation and the perceived involvement of residents are analysed. The results indicate that transformational adaptation remains a distant aspiration in the English coastal management system, with local stakeholders possessing limited capacity to initiate it. The perceived role for residents in adaptation processes is often focused on their being recipients of adaptation interventions, and there are a range of barriers to their further involvement. The paper concludes that despite the theoretical interest in transformational adaptation, there is limited evidence its implementation in English coastal flood and erosion risk management, and there are multiple priority areas for policy development to support capacity for engaged transformational adaptation practices in coastal management contexts. • There are few examples of transformational adaptation in the English coastal flood and erosion risk management. • The perceived role for residents in adaptation processes is often focused on their being recipients of interventions. • There are a range of barriers for local stakeholders to develop and enact coastal adaptation policy or practice. • There are multiple priorities for policy development to support capacity for engaged transformational adaptation practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Editorial summarizes the papers published in the Special Issue on "People-Environment-Infrastructure Relationship in Future Cities", highlighting the importance of people-environment-infrastructure interactions in future cities. While the topics are wide-ranging, a common theme of all papers is the need for future cities to embrace changes. These changes may come from climatic change, urban decays, human disruptions, technological advancements, human behavioral changes, and rising expectations. All these changes have implications on urban infrastructure, including green infrastructure, blue infrastructure, and grey infrastructure. The ultimate aim is to enhance urban sustainability and resilience. Worldwide, there is an urgent need for municipal governments, industry and individuals to be aware of the changing people-environment-infrastructure interactions. In particular, it is important to consider people's needs and the local contexts when planning future cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mangrove restoration involves complex decision-making processes and can often lack adequate stakeholder engagement and empowerment to inform effective restoration outcomes. Decision science has the potential to overcome such challenges by facilitating structured approaches to make informed, participatory, and defensible decisions through the use of decision-support frameworks and tools. In this paper, we conduct a bibliometric and scoping review of peer-reviewed scientific literature to identify how decision science has been applied to advise mangrove restoration efforts and the extent to which social, economic, and ecological variables have been used to inform these studies. We find a steady increase in the number of mangrove restoration studies that employ decision science from 1990 to 2022, with an annual growth rate of 4.4%. We identified over 300 decision support tools used in mangrove restoration literature. Spatial data was the most documented tool to support mangrove studies. We also find that most papers focused on ecological variables (85.5%), while social (27.2%) and economic (15.1%) variables received less attention. Studies that used decision support frameworks were also sparse, where the most featured framework was Systematic Conservation Planning. The number of studies explicitly incorporating social and economic variables was limited, and there was also a scarcity of studies incorporating variables associated with governance. Regardless of the dominance of ecological variables, this review highlights a shift towards incorporating social dimensions into decision tools, emphasizing concepts like vulnerability to climate change, ecosystem services, and social benefits. Collaboration among countries, scientists, and practitioners is crucial to operationalise a socio-ecological framework within decision science. Enhancing the utility of scientific research for practitioners remains a critical goal in addressing the challenges faced by mangrove restoration projects globally. • The use of decision frameworks is infrequent in the mangrove restoration literature. • There is a recent shift from ecological-based decision tools to include social variables. • Mangrove restoration decision science overlooks governance and economic variables. • Scientists commonly support mangrove restoration decisions using spatial data. • Collaboration is crucial for decision science with a socioecological lens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Earth's climate is projected to warm significantly in the 21st century, and this will affect human societies in many ways. Since sleep is a basic human need and part of everyone's life, the question of how temperature affects human sleep naturally arises. This paper examines the effect of daily mean temperature on sleep duration using nationally representative Hungarian time use surveys between 1976 and 2010. Compared to a day with an average temperature of 5–10 °C, colder temperatures do not influence sleep duration. However, as daily mean temperatures rise, sleep duration starts to strongly decline. The effect of a hot (>25 °C) day is −13.3 minutes, but if preceded by a few other hot days, the effect is even stronger, −24.7 minutes. The estimated sleep loss is especially large on weekends and public holidays, for older individuals, and men. Combining the estimated effects with temperature projections of twenty-four climate models shows that the warming climate will substantially decrease sleep duration. The projected impacts are especially large when taking into account the effects of heatwave days. This study also shows that different groups in society are likely to be affected in significantly different ways by a warming climate. • This paper examines the effect of temperature on sleep duration. • Exposure to heat reduces the amount of time spent sleeping. • The effect of heat wave days is much stronger. • The sleep loss is especially large on weekends. • The effects are stronger for older people, people with less education and men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transformative adaptation (TA) places emphasis on changing the underlying causes of climate risk. Little is known about how TA can be achieved in practice in southern African cities. This paper reports on a set of criteria, derived from the literature and transdisciplinary engagements, for taking TA from theory into practice. These are: fundamental/sustainable changes in thinking and doing; inclusivity; challenging power asymmetries; demonstrability; responsive and flexible; and holistic, complex systems thinking. These criteria were explored through five water-related projects in Durban (South Africa) and Harare (Zimbabwe), which were identified by actors as having transformative potential to reduce urban climate risks. The study suggests that trade-offs might need to be made between several of these criteria, with strong synergies between others. Challenging power asymmetries is important in southern African cities where adaptation should change the structures of society that give rise to highly differential climate vulnerabilities. Challenging power structures largely requires true inclusivity and an equal stake in shaping decisions as opposed to tokenistic participation. While TA is needed in southern African cities, the complexity of these contexts and the scale of TA ambition introduces practical challenges when compared with incremental adaptation, i.e. small changes to existing practices to reduce climate impacts within the current development paradigm. Given such practical limitations, the paper concludes that TA in southern African cities might pragmatically be attempted as part of a process of ongoing learning to identify opportunities for gradual restructuring and expanding, in scale and ambition towards transformation. • Incremental adaptation achieves demonstrable results quickly. • Transformative adaptation needs to expand activities gradually in scope and scale. • Trade-offs exist at points along the incremental-transformative continuum. • Greater inclusivity in transformative adaptation introduces governance challenges. • Going beyond incremental adaptation requires challenging power asymmetries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent discussions within urban planning support nature as a potent ally to facing climate change in cities. Among all, nature-based solutions (NbS) and their upscaling have been proposed to address climate change challenges in the urban environment. Different visions on how NbS uscapling is advanced in the urban context, by whom, and for what purpose have generated conflicting imaginaries by which the city of the future could look like. Yet, this plurality has generated confusion and controversies on the 'right way' to perform NbS upscaling. Stemming from urban sustainability transition and governance research, the paper proposes a working definition of upscaling NbS based on three analytical dimensions: discourses, practices, and relations. The combination of the three dimensions suggests a new understanding of the complex phenomenon of NbS upscaling that implies the effort of different actors to frame a winning picture of NbS to be normalised as an implementable solution in the pursuit of a selected nature-based future imaginary. The paper argues for an alternative perspective on human–nature relationship that puts at the centre nature and considers tradition and locality for NbS upscaling for a greener and more just future in cities. • NbS upscaling can be seen as a pathway to pursuing a specific urban future of human–nature relationships. • Literature on urban sustainability transition and urban governance offers insights on how to study NbS upscaling in cities. • Future studies allow us to conceptualize NbS upscaling as a process of 'futuring' to enact socio-natural imaginaries. • Discourses, practices, and relations make up for different conflicting socio-natural imaginaries of the urban future. • NbS upscaling is not about the invention of new technology but rather the rediscovery and use of traditional solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil companies, which are critical element of the energy system today, will evolve to navigate a challenging climate policy environment. In this context, the objective of this paper is to use structural analysis to identify the pivotal variables that will act as key drivers in navigating the challenges presented by this future scenario. This methodology enables the depiction of a system through a matrix that connects all its components, emphasizing the relationships among a comprehensive set of variables. Subsequently, critical variables can be identified Godet (1986). The paper explores the theoretical foundation of the method and elucidates its practical implications for the oil industry. The objective of the study is to seek answers to questions such as: What are the primary drivers of long-term development in the crude oil industry? Which of these factors are the most strategically positioned to drive significant changes? We suggest a starting point by choosing a comprehensive set of internal and external variables. In light of the methodology's software constraints, we are specifically selecting the six most critical variables. Our analysis reveals that, in the long term, six out of the 27 variables examined are likely to exert a significant impact on the oil industry. This reduction in the potential to explain the system with a parsimonious number of critical drivers constitutes the main contribution of the paper. • Structural analysis allows to identify the critical variables of a system. • The oil industry evolve could be explored by analyzing its critical variables. • Structural Analysis represents reality in an abstract and subjective way. • One utility of prospective structural analysis is to stimulate collective thinking. • Between variables there are both: direct and indirect relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]