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• Pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS) landfill sites have GHG assessment challenges. • GHG fluxes measured by chambers with (F +) and without (F-) a frame were compared. • Flux relationships up to 80 % were shown between F- and F + chambers (the standard) • Correction factors for F- chambers were built to estimate fluxes from F + chambers. • The approach can refine GHG inventories on PPMS landfill sites. Assessments of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in managed areas are facing various challenges. A non-flow-through, non-steady-state (NFT-NSS) chamber coupled to a frame permanently inserted into the landfilled substrates is a standard method for quantifying GHG emissions in managed areas, such as pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS) landfill sites. Frequent measurements are needed to minimize uncertainties on GHG emission factors at the landfill site scale. However, maintaining a frame inserted into the substrates for a long time period is often impossible due to landfilling management operations. Therefore, GHG measurements using NFT-NSS chambers placed directly on substrates' surface could be an interesting option. Our objectives were to determine the relationships between CO 2 , CH 4 , and N 2 O fluxes measured with (F +) and without (F-) a frame inserted in the substrates' surface and to develop correction factors for fluxes measured without a frame. Measurements were made at different PPMS landfill sites in the province of Québec, Canada. Stronger GHG flux relationships were observed at the provincial (across sites) than the specific site scale: the variance in GHG fluxes from F- chambers explained up to 80 % of variance in fluxes from F + chambers. The measured CO 2 , CH 4 , and N 2 O fluxes in F- chambers were on average 53, 78, and 63 % lower, respectively, than those estimated by the models at provincial scale. The correction factors developed with this approach could greatly extend the number of sites where in situ GHG measurements can be done and would help refining GHG inventories at the provincial and national levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Increases in global temperatures and extreme weather events associated with climate change have complex yet poorly understood detrimental impacts on human health. We reviewed the current published literature on climate change–related effects and rheumatic conditions. Methods: To summarize our current understanding of the likely effects of climate change, including increased air pollution, on rheumatic disease, we searched the published, peer‐reviewed English‐language literature from January 2000 to December 2022. Articles were reviewed by a team of rheumatologists and clinical and translational science researchers. Systematic review articles were not included but informed additional literature searches. Results: After extensive examination and adjudication, 88 articles met inclusion criteria and were selected for review. Much of the epidemiologic investigations assessed associations between air pollution and increased risk of development of rheumatoid arthritis, anti–citrullinated protein antibodies, flares of gout, and hospitalizations for systemic lupus erythematosus. Increased heat vulnerability was associated with higher odds of recurrent hospitalizations across rheumatic conditions. Mechanisms for observed associations are poorly understood but could include the effects of epigenetic changes, oxidative stress, and inflammatory cytokines. Studies had limitations, including restricted geography and populations studied without focus on historically marginalized communities at highest risk for adverse effects from pollution and climate change, the relative lack of mechanistic evaluations, and most with only indirect links to climate change. Conclusion: To date, the published literature lacks studies that directly examine effects of climate change on rheumatic diseases. Collaborative translational and epidemiologic research is needed to enhance our understanding and awareness in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adopting a scoping review method, we examined peer‐reviewed academic papers published about human–lion conflict (HLC) (including coexistence) and identified knowledge gaps. We searched papers published between January 1981 and December 2023 using academic databases, with the key terms African lion, human–lion conflict, human–lion coexistence, and human–lion interaction. This produced 485 records, reduced to 137 after using additional criteria. Ninety‐eight papers were focused on lions in Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. Ten pan‐African studies were identified in our review. Our inductive analysis identified four themes related to HLC: attitudes and perceptions toward lions, causes of HLC, consequences of HLC, and mitigating HLC. Some limitations identified in systematic reviews of human–wildlife conflict have been addressed in recent years, such as broadening the geographical scale of research. However, some knowledge gaps remain, including a lack of assessment of mitigation strategies and studies on climate changes impact on human–lion conflict. Addressing the knowledge gaps highlighted in this review will require diversifying the disciplinary composition of the research teams and increasing researcher reflexivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well-known that energy consumption is increasing around the world on a daily basis. In the construction sector, a highly effective solution for reducing energy consumption involves exploring both modern and traditional buildings designed to adapt to climate changes. One promising approach is to use paper waste and bio-sourced materials as the basis for insulation. The purpose of this study was to improve the sustainability of buildings by using recycled waste materials that have a positive impact on the environment, people, and the economy. A novel insulating material composed of recycled paper waste and Ampelodesmos mauritanicus leaves and fibers was developed and used in non-load-bearing elements. The paper waste was transformed into pulp and mixed with the bio-sourced materials to create a composite material that exhibits excellent insulation properties. The resulting material is lightweight, durable, and cost-effective. Furthermore, different mechanical and thermal analyses were performed on specimens with varying dosage ratios. The results showed that the developed material has good thermal insulation, with a value of 0.027 W/m.K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: During overwintering diapause, the gynes of paper wasps (Polistes sp.) are mainly dormant in sheltered hibernacles, protecting them against predators and adverse weather conditions but hardly against low temperatures. By measuring the temperature inside hibernacles occupied by species from both Mediterranean (Italian; P. dominula, P. gallicus) and temperate (Austrian; P. dominula) climates (mean hibernacle temperatures: 8.5 °C and 3.2 °C, respectively), we were able to calculate the energetic demand of overwintering. The cumulative energetic costs differed between the populations. Costs were lowest for the P. dominula population from the cooler Austrian winter climate and significantly higher in P. dominula and P. gallicus from the warmer Italian climate. The lower costs of the temperate species were a result of the lower winter temperature and physiological acclimation processes. Energetic calculations with an assumed temperature increase of up to 3 °C due to climate change predict a dramatic increase of up to 40% in overwintering costs in all species. Gynes of paper wasps (Polistes sp.) spend the cold season in sheltered hibernacles. These hibernacles protect against predators and adverse weather conditions but offer only limited protection against low temperatures. During overwintering diapause, wasps live on the energy they store. We investigated the hibernacles' microclimate conditions of species from the Mediterranean (Italy, P. dominula, P. gallicus) and temperate (Austria, P. dominula) climates in order to describe the environmental conditions and calculate the energetic demand of overwintering according to standard metabolic rate functions. The temperatures at the hibernacles differed significantly between the Mediterranean and temperate habitats (average in Austria: 3.2 ± 5.71 °C, in Italy: 8.5 ± 5.29 °C). In both habitats, the hibernacle temperatures showed variance, but the mean hibernacle temperature corresponded closely to the meteorological climate data. Cumulative mass-specific energetic costs over the studied period were the lowest for the temperate P. dominula population compared with both Mediterranean species. The lower costs of the temperate species were a result of the lower hibernacle temperature and acclimation to lower environmental temperatures. Model calculations with an increased mean temperature of up to 3 °C due to climate change indicate a dramatic increase of up to 40% in additional costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Civic Freedom in an Age of Diversity: The Public Philosophy of James Tully" is a book edited by Dimitrios Karmis and Jocelyn Maclure that explores the work of political philosopher James Tully. The book is structured into six sections and includes 19 chapters that cover topics such as Tully's philosophy in relation to John Rawls, feminist philosophy, civil disobedience, global governance, Indigenous views and concerns, federalism, and thinking and acting differently. The book also includes Tully's responses to each chapter, providing a comprehensive and engaging dialogue. Overall, this collection of essays serves as an excellent introduction to the work of James Tully. [Extracted from the article]

The Review of Radical Political Economics is calling for papers for a special issue on climate change and capitalism. The journal is seeking manuscripts that provide a range of critical political economic perspectives on the topic, as well as a variety of methods, approaches, and geographic focuses. They particularly encourage submissions from climate activists, scholars in the Global South, early career researchers, and scholars from historically excluded groups. The journal provides a list of possible subjects for the special issue, including theoretical and empirical interventions, historical or contemporary analyses, critiques of economic analysis, and models of climate justice and anti-capitalist struggles. Submissions must adhere to the journal's guidelines and will undergo peer review. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: The European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) Green Paper aims to address the challenge of environmental sustainability in intensive care and proposes actionable strategies for integrating sustainability into intensive care unit (ICU) stakeholder actions.The ESICM Executive Committee appointed a task force of topic experts and ESICM committee representatives to develop the ESICM Green Paper. The task force convened biweekly from January to June 2024, identifying key domains for environmental sustainability and prioritizing actions. Drafts were iteratively refined and approved by the ESICM Executive Committee.Climate change will impact activities in intensive care in many ways, but also the impact of ICU activities on the environment is considerable; drivers for this include extensive resource use and waste generation in ICUs from energy consumption, use of disposable items, and advanced therapies for critically ill patients. The ESICM Green Paper outlines a structured approach for ICUs to reduce their environmental impact, emphasizing energy efficiency, waste reduction, and sustainable procurement. Furthermore, it endorses the need for awareness and education among healthcare professionals, integration of sustainability into research, and sustainable policies within scientific societies.The ESICM Green Paper reviewed the relevance of climate change to intensive care and provided suggestions for clinical practice, research, education, and ESICM organizational domains. It underscores that reducing intensive care's ecological footprint can coexist with high-quality patient care. Promoting a resilient, responsible healthcare system is a joint responsibility of all ICU stakeholders.Methods: The European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) Green Paper aims to address the challenge of environmental sustainability in intensive care and proposes actionable strategies for integrating sustainability into intensive care unit (ICU) stakeholder actions.The ESICM Executive Committee appointed a task force of topic experts and ESICM committee representatives to develop the ESICM Green Paper. The task force convened biweekly from January to June 2024, identifying key domains for environmental sustainability and prioritizing actions. Drafts were iteratively refined and approved by the ESICM Executive Committee.Climate change will impact activities in intensive care in many ways, but also the impact of ICU activities on the environment is considerable; drivers for this include extensive resource use and waste generation in ICUs from energy consumption, use of disposable items, and advanced therapies for critically ill patients. The ESICM Green Paper outlines a structured approach for ICUs to reduce their environmental impact, emphasizing energy efficiency, waste reduction, and sustainable procurement. Furthermore, it endorses the need for awareness and education among healthcare professionals, integration of sustainability into research, and sustainable policies within scientific societies.The ESICM Green Paper reviewed the relevance of climate change to intensive care and provided suggestions for clinical practice, research, education, and ESICM organizational domains. It underscores that reducing intensive care's ecological footprint can coexist with high-quality patient care. Promoting a resilient, responsible healthcare system is a joint responsibility of all ICU stakeholders.Results: The European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) Green Paper aims to address the challenge of environmental sustainability in intensive care and proposes actionable strategies for integrating sustainability into intensive care unit (ICU) stakeholder actions.The ESICM Executive Committee appointed a task force of topic experts and ESICM committee representatives to develop the ESICM Green Paper. The task force convened biweekly from January to June 2024, identifying key domains for environmental sustainability and prioritizing actions. Drafts were iteratively refined and approved by the ESICM Executive Committee.Climate change will impact activities in intensive care in many ways, but also the impact of ICU activities on the environment is considerable; drivers for this include extensive resource use and waste generation in ICUs from energy consumption, use of disposable items, and advanced therapies for critically ill patients. The ESICM Green Paper outlines a structured approach for ICUs to reduce their environmental impact, emphasizing energy efficiency, waste reduction, and sustainable procurement. Furthermore, it endorses the need for awareness and education among healthcare professionals, integration of sustainability into research, and sustainable policies within scientific societies.The ESICM Green Paper reviewed the relevance of climate change to intensive care and provided suggestions for clinical practice, research, education, and ESICM organizational domains. It underscores that reducing intensive care's ecological footprint can coexist with high-quality patient care. Promoting a resilient, responsible healthcare system is a joint responsibility of all ICU stakeholders.Conclusions: The European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) Green Paper aims to address the challenge of environmental sustainability in intensive care and proposes actionable strategies for integrating sustainability into intensive care unit (ICU) stakeholder actions.The ESICM Executive Committee appointed a task force of topic experts and ESICM committee representatives to develop the ESICM Green Paper. The task force convened biweekly from January to June 2024, identifying key domains for environmental sustainability and prioritizing actions. Drafts were iteratively refined and approved by the ESICM Executive Committee.Climate change will impact activities in intensive care in many ways, but also the impact of ICU activities on the environment is considerable; drivers for this include extensive resource use and waste generation in ICUs from energy consumption, use of disposable items, and advanced therapies for critically ill patients. The ESICM Green Paper outlines a structured approach for ICUs to reduce their environmental impact, emphasizing energy efficiency, waste reduction, and sustainable procurement. Furthermore, it endorses the need for awareness and education among healthcare professionals, integration of sustainability into research, and sustainable policies within scientific societies.The ESICM Green Paper reviewed the relevance of climate change to intensive care and provided suggestions for clinical practice, research, education, and ESICM organizational domains. It underscores that reducing intensive care's ecological footprint can coexist with high-quality patient care. Promoting a resilient, responsible healthcare system is a joint responsibility of all ICU stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article titled "Call for Papers: IEEE ETHICS-2025" discusses the theme of the 2025 IEEE ETHICS conference, which is "Emerging Technologies, Ethics, and Social Justice." The conference aims to explore various topics related to the ethical and social implications of emerging technologies, such as automation, AI ethics, social innovation, and the future of work. It also highlights the connection between emerging technologies and UN Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the importance of teaching AI ethics. The article provides information on the submission deadline for papers and poster abstracts. [Extracted from the article]

• EFIM publishes a position paper about Environment Degradation and Climate Change. • Health industry should reduce its ecological footprint. • Internists should be involved in policy decisions related to climate change. • Internists must be active agents in advocating sustainable practices for the environment. • Internists should be role models in the adoption of environmentally friendly behavior. The current data on climate change and environmental degradation are dramatic. The consequences of these changes are already having a significant impact on people's health. Physicians — as advocates of the patients, but also as citizens — have an ethical obligation to be involved in efforts to stop these changes. The European Federation of Internal Medicine (EFIM) strongly encourages the Internal Medicine societies and internists across Europe to play an active role in matters related to climate change and environmental degradation. At a national level, this includes advocating the adoption of measures that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and environmental degradation and contributing to policy decisions related to these issues. At a hospital level and in clinical practice, supporting actions by the health sector to reduce its ecological footprint is vital. At the level of EFIM and its associated internal societies, promoting educational activities and developing a toolkit to prepare internists to better care for citizens who suffer from the consequences of climate change. In addition to advocating and implementing effective actions to reduce the ecological footprint of the health industry, recommending the introduction of these themes in scientific programs of Internal Medicine meetings and congresses and the pre- and postgraduate medical training. At a personal level, internists must be active agents in advocating sustainable practices for the environment, increasing the awareness of the community about the health risks of climate change and environmental degradation, and being role models in the adoption of environmentally friendly behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B Mar Satorras b is Urban Sustainability Researcher at the Institut Metròpoli, Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain, and affiliated researcher at the Urban Transformation and Global Change Laboratory (TURBA, IN3, UOC), Barcelona, Spain. We take the nomination of Best Paper and Honourable Mention very seriously, so the selection process is a bit elaborate. Both selections are on important institutional issues that have gained salience in the twenty-first century - how to reoperate reservoirs in a highly stressed basin to meet the challenges of climate change and competing demands, and how to finance the remunicipalization of urban water. [Extracted from the article]

Sustainable degrowth offers effective alternative strategies for tackling social and environmental problems such as climate crisis, resource depletion, biodiversity loss, and species hecatomb. However, it plays a marginal role in policy. Moreover, researchers need to operationalise many degrowth proposals in a more sufficient way for the policy. This mainly conceptual-methodological article conceptualises the problem of sustainable degrowth in policy as the problem of knowledge utilisation. How well research papers on the topic adapt to the needs of policy-makers is an important factor influencing this utilisation. This adaptation is under the control of researchers and may be seen as a necessary first step in the introduction of degrowth proposals into policy-making and further implementation. I argue that translating research papers into legislative drafts by researchers can be understood as adaptation of these papers to the policy-makers' needs. This is because the law can be understood as universal basis of public policies and fundamental language to express these policies. The legal system has a systematic, hierarchical, and logical structure while its language tends to be precise, clear, and unambiguous. Legal language may also be salient for many policy-makers. I labelled this way of adaptation as the Translational Legal Approach to Knowledge Utilisation (TLA). It can be applied beyond texts on sustainable degrowth as well. Based on the literature review, I theoretically and conceptually discuss the aforementioned hypotheses by looking at the corresponding criteria of research adaptation with characteristics of law and legal language. I provide the strongest support for the theses that translation of research papers into provisions of legislative drafts can increase readability, comprehensibility, precision, and operationalisation of degrowth research proposals, as well as helps to give them more systemic nature and incorporate policy-makers' context. Future research is needed to create a methodological framework for TLA as well as to empirically verify hypotheses made in this article. • Degrowth plays a marginal role in policies and needs better operationalisation. • The role of degrowth in policy can be seen as a problem of knowledge utilisation. • Law could be a common language between researchers and policy-makers. • Translating research papers into legislative drafts adapts them for policy-makers. • Translating degrowth proposals into legislative drafts supports their utilisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional nature conservation has attempted to protect biodiversity, ecological integrity (i.e., composition and biomass/abundance of native species), and ecosystem services in parallel, assuming generally positive relationships among them. However, many native species are potentially weakened by and maladapted to a new, warmer climate. Such native species may not be able to offer ecosystem services at previous levels. If the relationship between ecosystem services and native species is no longer positive due to climate change, pursuing ecological integrity could be ineffective for maximizing ecosystem services. Hence, there is room to investigate future relationships among biodiversity, ecological integrity, and ecosystem services. This investigation can be done by describing the changes in ecosystem services as a function of biodiversity and ecological integrity. Herein, biodiversity and ecological integrity can be expressed by phylogenetic diversity and species intactness indices based on abundance, respectively. According to my hypothetical figure, the metrics of biodiversity and ecological integrity are potentially not positively but rather negatively related to ecosystem services. The hypothetical figure can be examined and improved using three different approaches: computer simulations (e.g., the LANDIS‐II forest simulation model), collection of actual data (e.g., measuring ecosystem services of some sites with psychrophilic and thermophilic species), and questionnaire surveys about cultural services (e.g., using digitally manipulated photographs and generative adversarial networks). Thus, we can successfully enable practitioners to understand new relationships, which will be relevant to ecosystem management under changing climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change represents one of the most pressing societal and scientific challenges of our time. While much of the current research on climate change focuses on future prediction, some of the strongest signals of warming can already be seen in Arctic and alpine areas, where temperatures are rising faster than the global average, and in the oceans, where the combination of rising temperatures and acidification due to increased CO2 concentrations has had catastrophic consequences for sensitive marine organisms inhabiting coral reefs. The scientific papers highlighted as part of this anniversary issue represent some of the most impactful advances in our understanding of the consequences of anthropogenic climate change. Here, we reflect on the legacy of these papers from the biotic perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of the broad disjunction between Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest on biodiversity has been the theme of several discussions in recent decades. Here, we evaluate the effects of dependence on humid environments and the role of historical factors on the level, distribution and structuring of genetic variation in widely distributed Neotropical insects. For such, we test whether climatically stable zones (i.e. refuges) in both Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest concentrate higher genetic diversity in the social paper wasps Angiopolybia pallens and Synoeca surinama. We found that historical events have avoided the interchange of A. pallens between both rainforests at least since the Early Pliocene and that ancient colonization in north-western Amazonia and the Bahia refuge significantly predicts genetic diversity in populations of this species. Conversely, the split between the Atlantic Forest and remaining western populations of S. surinama is more recent (Plio-Pleistocene); this species has considerably lower genetic diversity than A. pallens and such diversity is mostly concentrated in Amazonia and in the cerrado biome (savanna) than in the Atlantic Forest. Finally, we propose that the occurrence of species that exhibit such distribution patterns should be taken into consideration when establishing areas for conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the printing and packaging industry, sustainability is defined as manufacture and practices that reflect responsibility for the environment and resources to meet the needs and expectations of future generations. In this article, raw material management, cellulose resources, industrial forests, ecological and renewable alternative fiber resources were examined in the framework of the sustainability of the printing and packaging industry. The recycling of printed materials and packaging and the effects of paper-ink types and product design in this recycling have been discussed. The effect of separation and processing at the source on the efficiency of paper recycling, economy and ecology was emphasized. The greenhouse gas emissions of solvents used in inks and cleaners, the impact on climate change, water footprint and carbon footprint issues were examined. Suggestions have been made on environmental sustainability in the printing industry, what needs to be done for a competitive production, successful optimization, minimization of waste, use of existing possibilities, recycling and evaluation of alternatives and use of clean energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare contributes to environmental harm. Trainee-led Research and Audit in Anaesthesia for Sustainable Healthcare (TRA2SH) is an Australasian network focused on sustainable anaesthesia practice. TRA2SH hypothesised that trainee-led audits alongside education presented on a scheduled national day, called Operation Clean Up, can improve engagement with sustainability initiatives. This paper aims to describe the first two years of Operation Clean Up in terms of goals, achievements and data collected so far. Environmental themes for Operation Clean Up were chosen based on available evidence (life cycle analyses and observational studies). The first Operation Clean Up (OCU 2020) focused on reducing the unnecessary use of single-use disposable absorbent pads (known as 'blueys' in Australia, 'greenies' in New Zealand). OCU 2021 included: refuse desflurane, reduce bluey use, reuse drug trays, and recycle paper and cardboard. TRA2SH provided an information pack to trainees who presented educational material to their department and fed back procurement figures to quantify each item. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse de-identified pooled data submitted to a centralised database. Eight departments submitted data for OCU 2020 and six provided follow-up data. Bluey use was reduced from a median of 37 to 34 blueys per ten surgical encounters. Fifteen departments submitted pre-campaign data for OCU 2021 with follow-up data to be collected during OCU 2022. Baseline data showed a median bluey use of 31 per ten surgical encounters. Volatile-related emissions were calculated; desflurane's proportion was 70% of these emissions yet was 11% of volatile procurement. Two participating departments removed desflurane from their formulary following OCU 2021. Operation Clean Up is a practical model for implementing sustainability initiatives using trainees as eco-leaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pulp and paper industry accounts for approximately 5% of total industrial energy consumption and contributes 2% of direct carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions from industries. World paper and paperboard demand and production are increasing significantly, leading to an increase in this sector's energy use and CO 2 emissions. Although current studies identify a wide range of energy-efficiency technologies that have already been commercialized for the pulp and paper industry, information is limited or scattered regarding new energy-efficiency technologies that are not yet fully commercialized. Development of emerging or advanced energy-efficiency technologies and their deployment in the market will be crucial for this industry's mid- and long-term energy saving and climate change mitigation strategies. This paper compiles available information on energy savings, environmental and other benefits, costs, and commercialization status for 25 emerging technologies to reduce the energy use and CO 2 emissions. The purpose is to provide a well-structured comprehensive review on these emerging energy-efficiency technologies for engineers, researchers, investors, policy makers, pulp and/or paper companies, and other interested parties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three challenges with the greatest bearing on Australia's security and prosperity each came to a head in 2020, viz. climate change; a novel coronavirus pandemic; and China. The world has become poorer, more dangerous and more disorderly. As we emerge from this crisis year, Australia's ability to project itself globally will start with its strength and vitality at home. Its favourable geography gives it the potential to become a leader in renewables. Given our geopolitical challenges, this is a strategic imperative. Yet, for now, the gap between reality and expectations has never been greater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper has shaped society for centuries and is considered one of humanity's most important inventions. However, pulp and paper products can be damaging to social and natural systems along their lifecycle of material extraction, processing, transportation, and waste handling. The pulp and paper industry is among the top five most energy-intensive industries globally and is the fourth largest industrial energy user. This industry accounts for approximately 6% of global industrial energy use and 2% of direct industrial CO 2 emissions. The pulp and paper industry is also the largest user of original or virgin wood, with deleterious impacts on both human health and local flora and fauna, including aquatic ecosystems. This critical and systematic review seeks to identify alternatives for mitigating the climate impacts of pulp and paper processes and products, thus making the pulp and paper industry more environmentally sustainable. This study reviews 466 studies to answer the following questions: what are the main determinants of energy and carbon emissions emerging from the pulp and paper industry? What are the benefits of this industry adopting low-carbon manufacturing processes, and what barriers will need to be tackled to enable such adoption? Using a sociotechnical lens, we answer these questions, identify barriers for the pulp and paper industry's decarbonization, and present promising avenues for future research. •This review identifies carbon-intensive processes in the pulp and paper industry. •Presents decarbonizing practices, potential transformations and innovations. •Presents promising avenues for future research. •No agreed consensus on the most promising technologies to achieve net-zero in the pulp and paper industry. •Pulp and paper products are associated with other sociotechnical systems that create compelling interdependencies among industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research has indicated high economic and environmental costs of human paper usage. Technologies have been developed to reduce consumers' paper use behavior, including mechanical dispensers that institute a delay between opportunities to obtain each consecutive unit. However, there is no empirical evidence that these dispensers or delays reduce paper use. In Experiment 1, implementing a delay between paper-unit deliveries using mechanical dispensers in a university café resulted in a significant decrease in units per person, material per person, and cost per person, compared to free-access dispensers. In Experiment 2, a relatively long delay was more effective than a short delay in reducing paper consumption in a laboratory experiment using mechanical dispensers. These results indicate that delays could be used to decrease paper use in many contexts on a larger scale. More research is necessary to determine the underlying behavioral mechanisms responsible for the observed reduction and the cost–benefit relationship under different circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pulp and paper industry is a high energy consuming and polluting sector, and carbon emissions emitted from this sector are worthy of attention. This article, based upon an analysis of China’s Pulp and Paper Industry (CPPI), provides estimates of each of the following: carbon emissions from energy consumption, pre-treatment sector, combustion of condensed black liquor, and methane emitted from incomplete aerobic digestion during sewage treatment of CPPI. During the study period (2005–2012), total CO 2 emissions ranged from 126.0 Mt to 155.4 Mt. Energy consumption was estimated to be the largest source of carbon emissions, however, due to the application of the local emission inventory rather than the IPCC inventory, energy consumption decreased by 4.7%, a lower percentage than was calculated in a previous study. According to this study’s estimation, the emissions caused by the recovery of biomass energy contributed 26–29% of the total CO 2 emissions. CH 4 generated from sewage treatment accounted for 9–11% of the total carbon emissions. The CO 2 intensity dropped during the study period, which reflected the improvement of energy efficiency in the pulp and paper industry. The outcome of this study provides not only detailed information about CPPI’s carbon emissions, but also a calculation framework for studying carbon emissions from pulp and paper sector in the other regions. It suggests that the local carbon emissions inventory should be used for estimating carbon emissions and to reduce the fossil fuel energy, increase energy recovery from biomass, and that promoting cleaner production is essential to achieve a low carbon development of the pulp and paper industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate-change-induced unpredictable weather patterns are adversely affecting global agricultural productivity, posing a significant threat to sustainability and food security, particularly in developing regions. Wealthier nations can invest substantially in measures to mitigate climate change's impact on food production, but economically disadvantaged countries face challenges due to limited resources and heightened susceptibility to climate change. To enhance climate resilience in agriculture, technological solutions such as the Internet of Things (IoT) are being explored. This paper introduces a digital twin as a technological solution for monitoring and controlling temperatures in a greenhouse tunnel situated in Stellenbosch, South Africa. The study incorporates an aeroponics trial within the tunnel, analysing temperature variations caused by the fan and wet wall temperature regulatory systems. The research develops an analytical model and employs a support vector regression algorithm as an empirical model, successfully achieving accurate predictions. The analytical model demonstrated a root mean square error (RMSE) of 2.93 °C and an R 2 value of 0.8, while the empirical model outperformed it with an RMSE of 1.76 °C and an R 2 value of 0.9 for a one-hour-ahead simulation. Potential applications and future work using these modelling techniques are then discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tick-borne diseases are a public health issue. To predict vector tick abundance and activity, it is necessary to understand the driving factors for these variables. In this study, the activity of Ixodes ricinus was investigated in forest and meadow habitats in Germany with a focus on abiotic factors. Ixodes ricinus adults, nymphs and larvae were caught by flagging over a period of 2 years. Microclimatic and weather conditions were recorded at the collection sites. Statistical models were applied to describe correlations between abiotic factors and tick activity in univariable and multivariable analyses. Tick activity was observed in a broad range of air temperature between 3 and 28 °C, and air humidity varied between 35 and 95%. In general, tick activity of nymphs and larvae was higher in forest habitats than that in meadows. With the exception of a single specimen of Dermacentor reticulatus, all ticks were Ixodes ricinus, most of them nymphs (63.2% in 2009 and 75.2% in 2010). For the latter, a negative binomial mixed-effects model fitted best to the observed parameters. The modelling results showed an activity optimum between 20 and 23 °C for air temperature and between 13 and 15 °C for ground temperature. In univariable analyses, the collection site, month, season, ground and air temperature were significant factors for the number of ticks caught and for all life stages. In the multivariable analysis, temperature, season and habitat turned out to be key drivers. Ixodes ricinus positive for RNA of tick-borne encephalitis virus was only found at a single sampling site. The results of this study can be used in risk assessments and to parameterise predictive models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This rapid review is designed to identify existing tools in the Canadian literature that assess the impacts of climate change on the health of perinatal families, particularly those who are equity-denied. Addressing the needs of equity-denied perinatal populations in the face of climate change is crucial to promoting equitable and inclusive perinatal care in Canada. Methods: Rapid review methodology was selected to provide evidence in a timely and cost-effective manner. PubMed/MEDLINE and gray literature (Google and Google Scholar) were searched for English and French papers published from 2013 onward. The original research question, focused on climate change and health, yielded very few relevant results. Therefore, the search was broadened to include environmental health. Garrity et al.'s (J Clin Epidemiol 130:13–22, 2021) nine-stage process was used to identify 11 relevant papers, extract the relevant data, and complete the narrative synthesis. Synthesis. This review revealed a significant lack of tools for comprehensively assessing climate-health impacts on perinatal families and equity-denied perinatal families. While Canadian perinatal health screenings focus on equity via indicators of several social determinants of health (e.g., income, social support), they largely omit climate considerations. Environmental health factors are more commonly included but remain minimal. Conclusion: Climate-health screening tools are lacking yet needed in routine perinatal healthcare. Given the seriousness of climate change, urgent engagement of health systems and healthcare workers is essential to help mitigate and adapt to climate-health challenges, particularly for perinatal families experiencing health inequities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study leverages explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) techniques to analyze public sentiment towards Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors, climate change, and green finance. It does so by developing a novel multi-task learning framework combining aspect-based sentiment analysis, co-reference resolution, and contrastive learning to extract nuanced insights from a large corpus of social media data. Our approach integrates state-of-the-art models, including the SenticNet API, for sentiment analysis and implements multiple XAI methods such as LIME, SHAP, and Permutation Importance to enhance interpretability. Results reveal predominantly positive sentiment towards environmental topics, with notable variations across ESG categories. The contrastive learning visualization demonstrates clear sentiment clustering while highlighting areas of uncertainty. This research contributes to the field by providing an interpretable, trustworthy AI system for ESG sentiment analysis, offering valuable insights for policymakers and business stakeholders navigating the complex landscape of sustainable finance and climate action. The methodology proposed in this paper advances the current state of AI in ESG and green finance in several ways. By combining aspect-based sentiment analysis, co-reference resolution, and contrastive learning, our approach provides a more comprehensive understanding of public sentiment towards ESG factors than traditional methods. The integration of multiple XAI techniques (LIME, SHAP, and Permutation Importance) offers a transparent view of the subtlety of the model's decision-making process, which is crucial for building trust in AI-driven ESG assessments. Our approach enables a more accurate representation of public opinion, essential for informed decision-making in sustainable finance. This paper paves the way for more transparent and explainable AI applications in critical domains like ESG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is a widespread natural hazard resulting from an extended period of reduced rainfall, with significant socioeconomic and ecological consequences. Drought severity can impact food security globally due to its high spatial and temporal coverage. The primary objective of this paper consists of a comparative spatiotemporal analysis of environmental extremes (drought/wetness) through the estimation of a twelve-month Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI12) between three distinct vulnerable agricultural regions in the Mediterranean basin (i.e., Spain, Lebanon and Tunisia), under a climate change environment in the last 38 years (1982–2020). The added value of this paper lies in the simultaneous estimation of temporal and spatial variability of drought and wetness periodic events, paying special attention to the geographical patterns of these extremes both in annual and interannual (seasonal) time scales. The results indicated that Spain and Tunisia (western Mediterranean) exhibit similar patterns over the studied period, while Lebanon demonstrates contrasting trends. Comparing the two extreme dry hydrological years, the Spanish study area faced the highest drought intensity, areal extent and duration (SPI12 = −1.18; −1.84; 28–78%; 9–12 months), followed by the Lebanese (SPI12 = −1.28; −1.39; 37–50%; 7–12 months) and the Tunisian ones (SPI12 = −1.05; −1.08; 10–34%; 8 months). Concerning the wettest hydrological years, the Lebanese study domain has recorded the highest SPI12 values, areal extent and duration (SPI12 = 1.58; 2.28; 66–83%; 8–11 months), followed by the Tunisian (SPI12 = 1.55; 1.79; 49–73%; 7–10 months) and Spanish one (SPI12 = 1.07; 1.99; 21–73%; 4–11 months). The periodicity of drought/wetness episodes is about 20 years in Spanish area and 10 years in the Lebanese area (for drought events), whereas there seems no periodicity in the Tunisian one. Understanding the spatial distribution of drought is crucial for targeted mitigation strategies in high-risk areas, potentially avoiding broad, resource-intensive measures across entire regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three decades of interdisciplinary research within the Sagalassos Archaeological Research Project has provided extensive archaeological, environmental and geoarchaeological datasets. This paper seeks to bring together these datasets to explore diachronic socio-ecological dynamics within the Sagalassos Study Area, SW Türkiye. For this, we will use the Adaptive Cycles and Resilience Theory framework to explore socio-cultural development during changing climatic and environmental conditions. The paper aims to serve as an in-depth case study of these frameworks, integrating archaeological and environmental data, which – despite the increasing popularity of resilience theory – remains underdeveloped within the field of archaeology, especially within Mediterranean and Anatolian archaeology. We will explore the utility of the adaptive cycle framework for reconstructing diachronic human-environment interactions through changing settlement patterns documented during surveys conducted by the Sagalassos Project. Critical phases within the settlement record can be identified during the last 8000 years including apparent periods of 'rupture' during the Middle Chalcolithic, Middle-Late Bronze Age, Hellenistic and Middle-Byzantine periods; representing times of serious upheaval in 'normal' cultural traditions and lifeways. The adaptive cycle framework will help distinguish between the effects of environmental changes and social dynamics, as well as their potential interrelations in causing long-term social transformation in the Sagalassos Study Area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To provide the first document map of sustainability and decarbonisation actions across the Australian healthcare sector, as reported in publicly available documents online, and to identify gaps in actions. Methods: Healthcare providers were identified across all state and territories. Structured Google searches between August and December 2022 were followed by document searches. Updates were undertaken, most recently in December 2023. Targeted documents included position statements, strategies, and reports. Key points from these documents pertaining to sustainability and/or decarbonisation were extracted and descriptively analysed. Results: A total of 294 documents were included, mostly focused on power generation, transport, building design, and circular procurement/waste pathways. In contrast, relatively few plans for decarbonisation of clinical care were identified (n = 42). National and two state governments (New South Wales, Western Australia) have established healthcare sustainability and decarbonisation units, and two further states have publicly committed to doing so (Queensland, Tasmania). However, these documents generally reported separate, siloed actions. While attempts were made to make this review comprehensive, some documents may have been missed or are only available inside an organisation, and new actions will continue to emerge. Conclusion: Broad sustainability plans have been developed by many healthcare providers; however, to achieve net zero, decarbonising of clinical practices is also needed, and this is where the least action is currently occurring. To decarbonise clinical care, the sector needs to come together in a more coordinated way. What is known about the topic? Little is known about what actions are occurring to make healthcare more sustainable and to reduce the carbon footprint of healthcare in Australia. What does this paper add? This paper provides a snapshot of publicly available documents from healthcare providers and professional organisations as they relate to healthcare sustainability and helps reveal the gaps and siloed nature of current actions. What are the implications for practitioners? This paper can help jurisdictions identify gaps or areas for improvement and may aid in targeted and coordinated interventions, especially as they relate to decarbonised clinical care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The auto/biographical genre offers theoretical and methodological starting points that are key to a just and ecological mobilities transformation. Just as the COVID-19 pandemic response and its impacts made diverse lifecourse visible, climate change and its contingencies will have similar effects. Simultaneously, digital cultures provide new scope for practising auto/biography and telling about diverse life stories. Through a critical review of the literature and drawing on the new insights of this Special Issue, the paper argues that a research agenda grounded in the auto/biographical is a priority. In contrast to some of the anti-biographical positions that have been influential in mobilities scholarship, the paper argues that: i) the feminist auto/biographical genre accommodates a human subject that is social and historical before being individual, with its performativity being a crucial form for unheard voices to be heard; 2) that it plays a significant role in contesting the frameworks of lifecourse that inform institutional and policy contexts; and, 3) that there is scope for a re-engagement of the non-human and the more-than-human within auto/biographical studies, which though contentious, provides a way to radically re-think how diverse life stories are (im)mobile, and the ways that human and non-human lives are valued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobility practices in everyday life are often highly routinised and resistant to change. But they can also change significantly over the life course, reflecting sudden ruptures linked to incisive life events and more gradual shifts related to changing societal and environmental conditions. Combining insights from practice-theoretical mobility studies and mobility biographies research, this paper critically examines the role of material, social and cultural elements in transforming routine mobility practices, focusing on car ownership and use across the life course. Drawing on mobility-biographical interviews with people who live in Munich (Germany) and who do not own a car, it reveals the complexity of both one-off and daily decisions that help to establish and routinise carless mobility practices, linking them to social and material conditions past and present. The paper also documents the role of environmental and climate-related arguments in the transition towards carlessness, alongside shifts in infrastructure, social and economic circumstances and mobility-related skills and meanings. It concludes with some recommendations for sustainable mobility policy that works with the dynamics of car ownership and use across the life course and that incorporates both social and material aspects underpinning people's decision to give up their private car. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper contributes to the theme of the special issue by making auto/biography the focal point of analysis and theorising its potential to be mobile or immobile. The theoretical developments of the paper are grounded in a mobilisation of life-without-children auto/biographical non-fiction across the last 10–15 years, in which those who do not have children, whatever the reason, have opened-up about their stories and found ways to share them with one another. The paper explicates an original concept immobile autobiography defined as: 'life narratives that are invisible and side-lined, essentialized or not told in first person, and whose circulation both within (intra) and between (inter) generations is structurally limited'; and its converse mobile autobiography. (Im)mobile auto/biographies include, but cannot be reduced to, digital and physical mobilities. The potential of the concept lies in its ability to consider how lives, and the stories told about them, evolve, circulate and perform transformation, as they intersect with, transgress and re-shape changing cultural climates of a mobile world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change poses a severe risk for economic growth. The negative effects of climate change are, however, variegated depending on the region and the type of dominant industries fuelling their economies. Winter tourism in the Alps presents a case of a regionally specific and climate-vulnerable growth driver. Despite increasing climate-related physical risks to winter tourism such as snow scarcity, investments into infrastructure expansion continue. This raises the question of why a potentially unviable growth strategy is actively maintained considering the inevitable climate change scenario. Through semi-structured interviews, field work and archival research, this paper explores how the winter-touristic growth coalition responds to climate change. The findings show that key actors discursively decouple climate change from their growth strategies, which allows them to maintain the winter-touristic growth driver. 'There is no alternative' narratives and sustainability frameworks characterise the growth coalition´s response to the challenge of climate change. This paper makes an important contribution by exploring winter tourism as regional growth driver that contributes to a national export-oriented growth model. It thereby provides a unique perspective on regional underpinnings of growth models and the politics perpetuating growth model stasis under vulnerable climate conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decade, architectural history has responded to the climate crisis by strongly integrating environmental topics into its research agenda. The change has been so dramatic that it can be referred to as a paradigm shift within the discipline. The article reviews research tendencies in the environmental history of architecture by discussing the papers presented at a conference organized in Reykjavik in 2023 and several recent publications. The introduction of environmental perspectives in architectural history appears to call into question consolidated ways of understanding its relationship with planning history. Cities are no longer seen as an essential field of analysis to achieve meaningful generalizations in architectural research; many recent works privilege, on the contrary, the investigation of the flows and movements linking individual buildings to processes taking place at a global or planetary level. The paper discusses the question from three interrelated perspectives (the scales of observation, the articulation of temporalities, and the public role of historians). It argues that the environmental turn affecting many fields of the humanities open the way for rethinking patterns of cross-disciplinary collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effect of climate change on cereal yields via malaria prevalence in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. To achieve this objective, this paper uses a model composed of a system of two equations estimated with the 3SLS method, the semi-parametric approach and the two-stage system GMM method. Panel data from 31 SSA countries over the period 2000–2019 are used. Results reveal, on the one hand, that a change in temperature and rainfall leads to a significant increase in malaria prevalence. On the other hand, malaria prevalence reduces cereal yields by 2.6% on average in most SSA countries, via its effects on household's agricultural productivity. To reduce malaria prevalence to increase agricultural yields, policy-makers may need to disseminate malaria-reduction-related practices such as the use of insecticide-treated bed-nets and improving access to malaria treatments in rural dwellings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Aim Location Time Period Major Taxa Studied Methods Results Main Conclusions Climate change is altering forest communities at an unprecedented pace. Current knowledge on trees' responses to climate shifts is based mostly on adults. Yet, germination traits and intraspecific variation can notably modulate species niches. This paper provides a quantitative review about warming effects on tree species' germination, the role of population effects and its implications under future climate.Global; covering boreal, temperate, Mediterranean and tropical–subtropical biomes.1996–2024.Tree species.We reviewed 50 papers addressing 63 species and 250 populations. Then, we conducted a meta‐analysis to assess warming effects on germination percentage and time, and how germination is modulated by climate at seed origin. We further evaluated populations' adaptation to local temperature on 27 species. Finally, we estimated population‐based germination niches in eight of these species under current climate conditions and a 2080 climate scenario (SSP5‐8.5).Warming induced more consistent shifts in germination time than in percentage across biomes, hastening germination. Temperature at seed origin shaped responses to warming in boreal and temperate species. In Mediterranean and tropical–subtropical species, different responses were associated with variation in precipitation‐related variables. Local adaptation was more frequent in species from the tropics, while adaptation lags towards warmer‐than‐today conditions observed in the other biomes. Simulation of germination niches yielded slight although extensive germination reductions in tropical–subtropical species under future climate, whereas the temperate and boreal ones showed overall increases.Population‐level adjustments are key moderators of germination percentage and phenology response to warming. Their roles vary depending on the prevailing climate in each biome. Temperature at seed origin is an important factor modulating temperate and boreal species' responses, while precipitation‐related variables are more relevant in Mediterranean and tropical–subtropical ones. Local adaptation in the tropical species increases their vulnerability to warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractIn discussions of the capitalism–climate change interplay in the agrarian world, the intrusiveness of corporate and state-guided capitalism has been pre-eminent. This ‘hard capital’ focus obscures indirect linkages like how ‘soft capital’, although disoriented from raping nature, unlike the former, exacerbates climate change effects in ways that accelerate the destabilisation of agrarian economies. This indirect connection is evident in agrarian settings in Ghana’s Northern Region, where the resultant peasants’ revolt is directed at neither corporations nor the state but rather local landowning elites (soft capital), who transfer the burden of the twin pressures of climate change and hard capital (state intervention and privatisation of fertiliser supply) to their labourers. Using Marxian social relations of production as a theoretical lens, this paper unpacks how this capitalism–climate change interface plays out in Gushiegu, Northern Ghana. By highlighting that interface and the resultant agrarian struggles, this paper does two things: (1) invites agrarian scholars to transcend the commercialisation of agriculture and carbon capitalism in analysing how the intersection of capitalism and climate change destabilises the agrarian world; (2) encourages scholarship that transcends the more obvious herder–farmer conflicts over land and water in examining the destabilising effects of the aforementioned intersection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transport planning as a formalised profession is relatively young and there is no doubt it has evolved over time. In Europe, Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans reflect a change in emphasis from keeping traffic moving to place-based, people-centric planning. Three new developments of significance present themselves to contemporary transport planning: the collision and merging of the digital age with the motor age; a widespread sense of deep (and possibly deepening) uncertainty about the future; and the imperative to address the climate emergency and decarbonise transport. Taken together, such developments are reflected in the recent notion of Triple Access Planning which sits within a so-called 'decide and provide' paradigm – contrasted with traditional transport planning within the 'predict and provide' paradigm. The world is changing significantly with a strong sense that transport planning needs to change accordingly. This paper draws upon the '7 Questions Interview' technique to explore with 23 practitioners in the UK their experience of transport planning practice over time, their hopes and fears for its future and what could be achieved, and their views on enablers of, and barriers to, positive change. The interviews reveal a strong sense that transport planning can face a Sisyphean (seemingly impossible) task of advocating measures that could push towards realisation of economic, social and environmental aspirations, only to find progress with measure approval and implementation thwarted by perennial challenges including lack of political will and public buy-in. While the three new developments mentioned represent potential catalysts for significant change, such change relies on multiple other factors. These include collaborative cross-sector working, a long-term perspective, appropriate funding and political agency, and enhanced communication skills to win hearts and minds. The paper concludes that Sisyphus may continue to struggle to push the transport planning boulder to the top of the hill; unless perhaps Hercules can lend a hand. • Transport planning is evolving in the face of changing circumstances in society. • There is a degree of consensus among transport practitioners on goals and obstacles. • The digital age, climate emergency and deep uncertainty may be catalysts for change. • Effectiveness of transport planning rests in the hands of the public and politicians. • The profession faces a sobering outlook that may be akin to the plight of Sisyphus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractClimate change education is crucial to addressing the climate crisis. Studies show that parents and guardians can play an important role in transmitting knowledge, competencies, and a pro-environmental orientation to their children. Whilst climate change education can span many disciplines, it has been effective within science education. In this paper we embrace evidence-based effective approaches to science education, with parents. Climate change education research literature published to date focusses on school-based interventions and there is a dearth of literature on parental involvement. This paper describes the development of, and outcomes associated with, a programme to promote engagement with climate change education for families from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. Data were gathered through post semi-structured interviews and reflections on posters and photos created and collected throughout the programme. Findings indicate that this approach engaged parents in climate change education with their children and successfully addressed various misconceptions. The programme presents a real opportunity to engage parents in their children’s formal education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting rural regions is crucial for societies all over the world. Prosperous and vital rural regions can contribute to solving many pressing problems that threaten humanity, such as climate change, poverty, hunger, health or clean energy. The attractiveness of rural regions can be improved through targeted measures and support. For the design of such targeted interventions, high-quality assessments of rural attractiveness can provide a solid information basis. However, the attractiveness of rural regions is a complex construct and therefore difficult to assess. Thus, in this paper, we present tools for the assessment of rural attractiveness that address these complexities and support use and interpretation of the results of rural attractiveness assessments by stakeholders: First, we develop a Rural Attractiveness Index (RAI) which provides a general blueprint for assessing rural attractiveness, yet still is flexible and adaptable to each specific context. As integrated measure of rural attractiveness it also facilitates interpretation by stakeholders. Second, to further enhance interpretation and communication, we propose to visualize the RAI in map-based form. We demonstrate the application of these tools through an illustrative showcase in a European context. We discuss strengths, limitations and challenges of the presented tools and highlight directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Violence against women (VAW) and violence against the Earth (VAE) have always shared a unique and complex associa- tion yet to be explored. The fields of VAW and VAE have evolved in separate routes, with divergent theoretical foundations but with little integration. While the impact of VAW has received much attention over the years, relatively little thought has gone into the intersections. Drawing parallels between society’s treatment of the physical and natural environment and its treatment of women, this paper will pull in insights to broaden and clarify the way VAW has been conceptualized, its association with the physical and natural environment (Mother Earth), and the constructs and the commitments that flow from them. In this paper, we formulate, cast, and present an expanded understanding of the relationship between violence against the physical and the natural environment and VAW. The article, an offshoot of our conceptualization on the inter-linkages between VAW and VAE, is being submitted for interpretation and application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the contributions to this special issue suggest, IR has had a problematic relationship with environmental issues. Indeed it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that IR has treated environmental change almost as a distraction from important concerns of global politics, and gives us few significant resources for understanding these challenges or addressing them effectively. This is perhaps most starkly evident in the subfield of security studies, despite increasing recognition that environmental change warrants consideration as a security issue. This paper examines this engagement with a particular focus on climate change. Ultimately, the paper advances two arguments. First, examinations of the climate change–security relationship located in traditional security studies struggle to come to terms with the nature of the Anthropocene challenge and more specifically with the questions of who needs securing; what the nature of the threat posed is; and who is capable of or responsible for addressing this threat. Second, however, we can see progressive potential in engagement with the security implications of climate change in IR where such scholarship parts ways with traditional accounts of security; does not allow existing configurations of power to define the conditions for thinking about agency and sites of politics; and reflexively and self-consciously draws on insights from beyond the IR discipline. The increasing volume of work consistent with this more critical engagement is grounds for hope for this field of study in engaging productively even with a challenge as complex and significant as climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North-South divide forms the central axis along which scholars study the contemporary global order. Yet many countries fall in-between the cracks of a world divided into core and periphery. This paper develops a structural account to understand the position of countries in this space of in-betweenness. The focus is on Central and Eastern Europe. I draw on already existing scholarship on liminalities, the varieties of capitalism and transition studies to argue that a liminal identity of in-betweenness goes hand-in-glove with a domestic logic of transitioning, as the state seeks to move somewhere else. Furthermore transitioning dynamics position the state in the semi-periphery, as the transition to the civilizational core requires capital and know-how from abroad. The resulting semi-peripheral position further underlines the liminal identity. The paper uses this apparatus to understand why CEE countries are typically climate change laggards within the EU. Their continuing liminal identity results in frustration over and resistance against the schooling tendencies of Brussels and Western European capitals. The dynamics of a sense of imposition of climate change mitigation policies stem from CEE's liminal positioning as apprentices, but the reasons for the perceived alienness of such policies are located in domestic societal dynamics, and CEE countries' economic structure. The specific political structures of communism and the communist transition have strengthened particularistic personal ties of friendship and family between individuals and the localities they live in, while simultaneously weakening general and abstract conceptions of the public good. Accordingly initiatives for preserving specific localities can be strong, but conceptions of protecting an abstract, global climate, are not well developed. Additionally, the material costs of protecting the climate are higher in post-communist economies due to their comparative advantage in resource and labour intensive industries, their reliance on foreign capital, and a lack of domestic innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper mainly explores the feasibility of using desert sand (DS) and recycled aggregate in cement-stabilized bases. Recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) and DS serve as the substitutes of natural coarse and fine aggregates, respectively, in cement-stabilized bases. A four-factor and four-level orthogonal test is designed to analyze the unconfined compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and compressive resilient modulus. Furthermore, this paper investigates the effects of cement content, fly ash (FA) replacement rate, RCA replacement rate, and DS replacement rate on the road performance of cement-stabilized bases composed of RCA and DS. The test results reveal that the performance of cement-stabilized bases with partial RCA instead of natural coarse aggregate (NCA) and partial DS instead of natural fine aggregate satisfies the road use. The correlation and microscopic analyses of the test results imply the feasibility of applying DS and recycled aggregate to cement-stabilized bases. This paper calculates and evaluates the life cycle of carbon emissions of desert sand and recycled coarse aggregate cement-stabilized macadam (DRCSM) and finds that both DS and RCA can reduce the carbon emissions of CSM, which has a positive effect on improving the environment and solving the climate crisis. It is hoped that this paper can offer a solid theoretical foundation for promoting the application of DS and recycled aggregate in road engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing impact of climate change necessitates innovative approaches in modeling and prediction to mitigate its adverse effects. This paper introduces a novel methodology integrating Neutrosophic Soft Functions (NSFs) into climate change prediction frameworks. NSFs, a hybrid of Neutrosophic Set Theory and Soft Set Theory, provide a flexible framework for handling uncertain and imprecise information inherent in climate data. This study explores the application of NSFs in capturing the complex interplay of various climatic variables, including temperature, precipitation, humidity, and atmospheric pressure, thereby enhancing the accuracy and reliability of climate change predictions. By incorporating NSFs into existing predictive models, such as neural networks and fuzzy systems, this research demonstrates significant improvements in forecast precision, particularly in scenarios with limited or noisy data. Additionally, the paper discusses the integration of NSFs with advanced machine learning algorithms for climate pattern recognition and anomaly detection, enabling timely identification of climate change indicators and facilitating proactive measures for adaptation and mitigation. Through empirical validation using real-world climate datasets, this study underscores the efficacy of NSFs in enhancing the predictive capabilities of climate change models, thereby contributing to more informed decision-making in climate-related policies and strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2023 was a landmark year for climate change, with hundreds of climate records broken around the world concurrent with the conclusion of the IPCC Sixth Assessment (AR6) process and the first United Nations (UN) Stocktake on climate action. This special issue builds on the AR6 with three papers on key global tourism and climate change knowledge gaps (tourism and climate policy integration, pathways to deep emission reductions, tourism demand) and nine in-depth assessments of tourism climate and carbon risk in each of the IPCC regions. These important contributions of 65 different authors from 30 countries also supported the first ever global stocktake of climate action in the tourism sector. The papers in this special issue make clear that global tourism as we know it in the early twenty first century will be transformed by the climate crisis. Based on the collective contributions, this introduction to the special issue summarizes the state of tourism and climate change research, sets out a research agenda related to the low carbon transition, adapting to accelerating climate disruption, and climate justice, and emphasizes the urgent need to mobilize the tourism academy in this decisive decade for climate action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first climate action stocktake cycle under the Paris Agreement was completed in 2023 to assess global progress on mitigation, adaptation, and climate finance goals. State-driven action needs to be complemented by sectoral efforts, and this paper builds on the first Tourism Stocktake undertaken in 2023 that examined climate action in the tourism sector. First, an expert elicitation survey was conducted to validate and deepen the findings from the stocktaking activity. Second, an analysis of the Stocktake's 40 metrics was undertaken against six criteria of indicator quality. The expert survey revealed a sector still in the early stages of implementing its climate response, with a consensus that 2030 tourism emission reduction targets would not be achieved. Tourism policy and investment were deemed inconsistent with climate ambitions, and current adaptation is insufficient for projected climate change, so that future impacts will restrict tourism development in some destinations. Analysis of the metrics exposed significant data gaps and a core set of 13 robust metrics to measure change over the next stocktaking cycle is identified. The paper concludes with recommendations to advance sector capabilities and collaboration to monitor progress on climate action for an updated Tourism Stocktake in 2026. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]