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Most people in rural sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity and rely on traditional, inefficient, and polluting cooking solutions that have adverse impacts on both human health and the environment. Here, we propose a novel integrated agroforestry-bioenergy system that combines sustainable biomass production in sequential agroforestry systems with biomass-based cleaner cooking solutions and rural electricity production in small-scale combined heat and power plants and estimate the biophysical system outcomes. Despite conservative assumptions, we demonstrate that on-farm biomass production can cover the household's fuelwood demand for cooking and still generate a surplus of woody biomass for electricity production via gasification. Agroforestry and biochar soil amendments should increase agricultural productivity and food security. In addition to enhanced energy security, the proposed system should also contribute to improving cooking conditions and health, enhancing soil fertility and food security, climate change mitigation, gender equality, and rural poverty reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable livestock management plays a crucial role in food production, climate change mitigation, and cultural preservation. Our study aimed to identify and analyse the diversity of social–ecological conditions that characterize extensive livestock systems in southern Patagonia. We integrated data collected from interviews and secondary sources and analysed data using hierarchical cluster analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling to identify distinct ranching types. A qualitative analysis of key informant interviews identified key social–ecological changes for each type. The results emphasize the impact of administration, production, and biophysical factors on shaping different livestock ranching schemes. Further, we identified three significant social–ecological changes driving the dynamics of these systems, including shifts from (1) sheep to cattle ranching, (2) domestic to feral cattle ranching, and (3) landowners to tenant land managers. These findings have implications for policymakers seeking to develop strategies tailored to diverse realities, ensuring the sustainability of livestock systems in Tierra del Fuego. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although accelerated urbanization has led to economic prosperity, it has also resulted in urban heat island effects. Therefore, identifying methods of using limited urban spaces to alleviate heat islands has become an urgent issue. In this study, we assessed the spatiotemporal evolution of urban heat islands within the central urban area of Fuzhou City, China from 2010 to 2019. This assessment was based on a morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) model and an urban thermal environment spatial network constructed using the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model. Optimization measures for the spatial network were proposed to provide a theoretical basis for alleviating urban heat islands. The results show that the heat island area within the study area gradually increased while that of urban cold island area gradually decreased. The core area was the largest of the urban heat island patch landscape elements with a significant impact on other landscape elements, and represented an important factor underlying urban heat island network stability. The thermal environment network revealed a total of 197 thermal environment corridors and 93 heat island sources. These locations were then optimized according to the current land use, which maximized the potential of 1599.83 ha. Optimization based on current land use led to an increase in climate resilience, with effective measures showing reduction in thermal environment spatial network structure and function, contributing to the mitigation of urban heat island. These findings support the use of current land use patterns during urban heat island mitigation measure planning, thus providing an important reference basis for alleviating urban heat island effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the impact of environmental policies on trade and innovation, utilizing an expanded dataset sourced from the WTO Environmental Database (EDB). It makes two contributions to the literature: First, employing advanced text analysis algorithms, we extracted valuable information from the EDB, enhancing its usefulness for future research and policy analysis. Second, we leverage this augmented dataset to evaluate the impact of environmental measures on trade and green innovation. Our empirical findings suggest that environmental policies not only elevate demand for environmental goods and stimulate imports but also bolster competitiveness and amplify exports of environmental goods. Additionally, these policies appear to stimulate green innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compliance with green requirements is becoming increasingly important in assessing the performance of companies. The new CSRD legislation requires a wider range of companies to produce sustainability reports and their content is influenced by the EU's taxonomy regulation setting out the framework for sustainable finance. The disclosure of information affects the perception of companies' sustainability performance, which will affect their access to financial resources and development opportunities. The main question is, both in theory and in practice, how companies can comply with the legislation in the future. It is essential for the competitiveness of Hungary's food industry to keep pace with future environmental sustainability requirements, so we examined the sustainability reporting practices of the sector's key companies in terms of their contribution to the environmental objectives set out in the taxonomy regulation. The research fits well with the EU's overall green transition regulatory procedure and our study is gap-filling at macro-regional and sectoral levels. The sustainability reports were assessed by content analysis using a scoring method. The results show that the sustainability reporting practices of food processing companies in Hungary differ significantly. Furthermore, greater emphasis must be placed on reporting and the credibility of the reports to meet future expectations. Foreign-owned companies and companies with more than 500 employees attribute greater importance to reporting. In the food processing sector, the disclosure of information and data under the taxonomy objectives of mitigation of climate change, sustainable use of water and marine resources, and transition to a circular economy was most common. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urgent climate action, especially carbon emissions reduction, is required to achieve sustainable goals. Therefore, understanding the drivers of and predicting emissions is a compelling matter. We present two global modeling frameworks—a multivariate regression and a Random Forest Regressor (RFR)—to hindcast (until 2021) and forecast (up to 2035) emissions across 117 countries as driven by 12 socioeconomic indicators regarding carbon emissions, economic well-being, green and complexity economics, energy use and consumption. Our results identify key driving features to explain emissions pathways, where beyond-GDP indicators rooted in the Economic Complexity field emerge. Considering current countries' development status, divergent emission dynamics appear. According to the RFR, a −6.2% reduction is predicted for developed economies by 2035 and a +19% increase for developing ones (referring to 2020), thus stressing the need to promote green growth and sustainable development in low-capacity contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Science should drive policies and regulations to ensure a sustainable (environmentally, socially, and economically) green transition to a Net-Zero / Net-Negative circular economy. Since 2015, which saw COP21 in Paris, Net Zero has been a global target that must be rapidly accompanied by a Net Negative strategy to mitigate climate change. Accordingly, biochar's role as a durable carbon removal method is gaining attention and increasing. In this work, we discuss the durability of the carbon in biochar and the need for analytical techniques to support stakeholders on a project level. The different ecologically relevant groups of carbon forms contained in biochar are presented, and possible project-based methods to assess the quality and durability of the product versus the regulatory requirements for the permanence of carbon removals are summarized. Biochar is today one of the CDR technologies with the highest technology readiness level (TRL 8–9) that can ensure permanent removals for time frames relevant to climate change mitigation projects, combined with co-benefits that are gaining relevance in terms of mitigating climate impacts in agricultural soils. Biochar comprises different carbon forms, for which permanence is discussed here. Biochar can deliver cost-effective long-term Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR), which is possible to deploy at large scale. Project-level Biochar Carbon Removal (BCR) can be verified by analytical techniques and third-party certification. Certified BCR can be accounted towards nation-wide climate targets. Site-specific co-benefits can be generated, supporting the shift to more sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of energy-econometrics techniques were employed for a 5-year time span between 2016 and 2020. The tests of Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis were conducted essentially to examine the significance of economic growth (GDP), energy consumption (EC), with energy intensity (EI), and on-road passenger vehicles (PV) as related to economic development on the mitigation of carbon emissions (CO2-eq) in the transportation industry of South Africa. The findings from the prevailing research imply that, with respect to South Africa's transportation industry, CO2-eq emissions increased in the course of early phases of economic growth while it tends to decline at certain levels of economic threshold. Though the nation maintains the edge of turning points in both the industrial and circular economy. The results further indicate a nexus between GDP and EC, which consequently affect the CO2-eq emissions. The findings proffer the needs to monitor the EC from the long-run impacts alongside the short run impacts of the forecast. The per capita GDP from the short-run impacts of t-stat—(4.928) to the long run effects of t-stat—(5.033) rises, indicating its improper influence in the industry. To limit the use of fossil-based fuels, as demonstrated in the negative signal of EI for long-run impacts of a p-value (0.2835), then to the short run effects which possess a significant p-value. It also highlights the directional correlation surfacing between EC, EI and South Africa's on-road PV. In the computation context, the series was determined to be stationary at its first differences, as evident by the R2 combined with the R2 (Adjusted) values of 0.9837 and 0.9827, respectively, for both long-run and short-run assessments. The indication of the research among others further reveals that public transportation systems of road and rail options, which have the potentials to incorporate alternative energy sources, can be the required efforts to mitigate climate change and global warming effects in the transportation industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Understanding the complex relationship between vegetation dynamics and land surface temperature (LST) is crucial for comprehending ecosystem functioning, climate change impacts, and sustainable land management. Hence, this study conducts a temporal analysis of leaf area index (LAI) and LST data derived from Sentinel-2 and Landsat Operational Land Imagery (OLI) in the Mille River Basin, a tropical region in Ethiopia. LAI data were generated using Sentinel-2 imagery processed with the Sentinel Application Platform (SNAP) toolbox, an open-access earth observation analysis tool, while Landsat OLI collection 2 level 2 data were utilized for precise LST retrieval. The Mann–Kendall test was used to detect trends in the time series data. Results: The trends in the mean LAI were statistically significant at P values of 0.05 and 0.10 for the annual and seasonal trends, respectively. The mean LST trends were insignificant throughout the study period except for the summer season, for which the P value was 0.07. The correlation between the LAI and LST was weak (R2 = 0.36) during the crop-growing seasons (summer and spring) but moderate in winter (R2 = 0.46) and autumn (R2 = 0.41). Conclusion: The findings of this research clarify the complex relationships between variations in surface temperature and vegetation growth patterns, providing insight into the environmental mechanisms driving the dynamics of localized ecosystems. The study underscores the implications of these findings for informed decision-making in sustainable land management, biodiversity conservation, and climate change mitigation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar, produced from the thermochemical conversion of biomass waste, has various applications owing to its broad utility and advantageous properties. This study employs a scientometric approach to comprehensively assess the advancements in biochar application from 2022 to 2023. Utilizing 13,357 bibliographic records sourced from the Web of Science Core Collection with the search term "biochar", the analysis focuses on authorship, national contributions, and keyword trends. Findings demonstrate a continual rise in annual publications since 2009, albeit with a moderated growth rate in 2023. China leads in publication outputs, followed by USA and India, with Hailong Wang emerging as a prominent figure in biochar research. Keyword co-occurrence analyses identify key research themes such as biochar's role in climate change mitigation, easing salinity and drought stress, immobilizing toxic metals, degrading organic pollutants, serving as additives in anaerobic digestion, and functioning as electrodes in microbial fuel cells. Among these, biochar's application for global climate change mitigation gains significant attention, while its utilization as electrodes in microbial fuel cells emerges as a promising research frontier, indicating the growing need for sustainable energy sources. The study also outlines critical research gaps and future priorities for enhancing biochar application. Overall, it highlights the diverse applicability of biochar and offers valuable insight into research progression and forthcoming directions in biochar studies. Highlights: Utilization of bibliometric review for keyword analysis. Examination of recent developments in biochar application. The emerging focus on biochar's effectiveness as electrodes in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Suggested future research directions and priorities for sustainable biochar application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The way in which climate change-related information is framed can influence not only cognitive outcomes but also emotional responses. This web-based experiment (n = 331) investigated the effects of strategy framing and issue framing on emotions and online climate action intentions in the context of climate relationship between China and the United States. Results indicated that strategy framing increased negative emotions (i.e., anxiety and anger), whereas issue framing triggered more positive emotions (i.e., pride and excitement). No significant difference was observed regarding climate action intentions between two groups. Additionally, anxiety and anger mediated the effects of message framing on online climate action intentions. Habitual worry about climate change and attitude toward China-U.S. climate collaboration moderated the effects of strategy framing and issue framing on discrete emotions. The findings offer theoretical insights regarding emotional responses to strategy framing and practical implications on climate communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Nigeria Government through the Energy Commission of Nigeria has been promoting biomass as one of the renewable energy sources with little emphasis on biogas technology. These efforts were meant to encourage the adoption of alternate sources of energy and shift from traditional forms of energy like firewood which have devastating effects on the environment. A policy reviewed of was conducted and identified that Nigeria's Energy Policy has no technology listed to aggregate and deploy biogas as a tool for Nigeria's climate goals and enhance energy access. This study aims to investigate through scientific and policy review of how biogas technology penetration could be legislated in the Nigeria energy policy. Works of literatures reviewed (over 70 scientific articles) revealed that policy among other factors is prominent as the main caveat that limits the penetration of biogas technology in many developing countries including Nigeria. Social acceptance, awareness and availability of feedstock are also regarded as part of the challenges facing adopting biogas technology as an alternative clean energy source. The current study has also presented a strategic policy framework that could be considered for biogas policy adoption. In addition, the study has revealed that identification and appropriate stakeholder consultation is key to enhance achieving a holistic policy that fully supports biogas technology in Nigeria. The study has provided robust policy recommendations for deploying biogas technology in the Nigeria energy policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change presents a substantial global threat to human health and wellbeing. Planetary health, an emerging field, provides a comprehensive framework to comprehend the intricate interplay between ecological stability, human health, and ecosystems, particularly within the context of climate change. This study investigates the planetary health perspective on climate change by exploring global knowledge. The Scopus database is used as the source of data. The analysis encompassed a performance evaluation aimed at scrutinizing both quantitative and qualitative indicators. Visualization techniques utilizing VOSviewer software were deployed to analyze collaboration patterns, co-citation links among prominent knowledge-sharing platforms, and key topics derived from keyword co-occurrence matrices. Additionally, using SciMAT software, the study conducted thematic evolution and intellectual analyses to identify both driving and emerging themes, while also examining coherence among different themes across various periods. The study also explores policy implications, and the relevance of COVID-19 in the context of planetary health and climate change. Through this analysis, 261 relevant publications are identified, with the United States being the leading contributor (90 documents; 34.5% of publications). At the institutional level, the Australian National University secured the top position, representing 4.6% of the total with 12 documents. The Lancet Planetary Health journal was the most prolific source, contributing 15 documents (5.7%). In terms of impact, The Lancet journal held a central position as the most cited source. The primary funding organization was the Wellcome Trust, based in the United Kingdom. Motor themes shaping the future of this field include vector-borne diseases, human demographics, informal settlements, air pollution, carbon footprint of animal-based foods, and pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors. The study underscores the significance of leveraging the momentum surrounding infectious diseases like COVID-19 and the impacts of climate change to advance planetary health concepts. Integration of the social sciences and enhanced multidisciplinary cooperation are crucial for progress. Additionally, increased funding for developing countries, and legislative empowerment are essential to foster further research. Article Highlights: Planetary health and climate change global knowledge is analyzed using performance analysis and visualization mapping. Stimulating collaboration to advance the principles of planetary health is fundamental for effectively combating climate change. Managing the socioeconomic determinants of equity and health deserves to be the top priority of climate change initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study takes a unique approach to analyzing the sustainability and climate planning in major Hungarian cities. It conducts a qualitative analysis, examining the selected cities' sustainability and climate strategy objectives/goals. The aim is to comprehensively assess the extent of harmony between these objectives and identify potential hindering factors. An impact series with six distinct levels (+ + , + , 0, NR, −, –) was established for this analysis, from which positive (+ + , +), neutral (0, NR), and negative (−,–) categories were formulated. The main result of the study presents the efficiency score of the sustainability and climate goals, in which only the ratio of the positive impacts are covered. The findings reveal that the impacts of sustainability objectives show significant differences among the cities, particularly concerning positive and neutral effects. However, climate objectives present a more modest discrepancy regarding positive, neutral, and negative effects observed among the cities. There was no clear regional pattern in terms of sustainability and climate planning efficiency; on the other hand, Budapest, Győr, and Nyíregyháza emerged with outstanding performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis), an ecologically and economically important forest species in East Asia, plays vital roles in carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation. However, intensifying climate change threatens moso bamboo survival. Here we generate high-quality haplotype-based pangenome assemblies for 16 representative moso bamboo accessions and integrated these assemblies with 427 previously resequenced accessions. Characterization of the haplotype-based pangenome reveals extensive genetic variation, predominantly between haplotypes rather than within accessions. Many genes with allele-specific expression patterns are implicated in climate responses. Integrating spatiotemporal climate data reveals more than 1050 variations associated with pivotal climate factors, including temperature and precipitation. Climate-associated variations enable the prediction of increased genetic risk across the northern and western regions of China under future emissions scenarios, underscoring the threats posed by rising temperatures. Our integrated haplotype-based pangenome elucidates moso bamboo's local climate adaptation mechanisms and provides critical genomic resources for addressing intensifying climate pressures on this essential bamboo. More broadly, this study demonstrates the power of long-read sequencing in dissecting adaptive traits in climate-sensitive species, advancing evolutionary knowledge to support conservation. Moso bamboo is a critical species for carbon sequestration and mitigating climate change. This study presents a haplotype-based pangenome that uncovers substantial genetic diversity associated with climate adaptation and enables predictions of genetic vulnerability under future emission scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass is a clean and green renewable energy source that can address the energy needs of rural India. This paper is a case study of three villages—Ranoli, Pranpura, and Kishanpur—in Bawal tehsil of Haryana, India, assessing the biomass resource and power generation potential, greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), and climate impact. The results show that study area can produce 2.13 kt of biomass annually, equivalent to 258.6 kW of power, with biomass resource density ranging between 0.167 and 0.205 kt/km2. The estimated emissions from biomass power generation are 453.91 t of CO 2 , 1.79 t of CH 4 , and 0.174 t of N 2 O . The global temperature change potential (GTP) climate metric is used to estimate the impacts of biomass power emissions on global surface temperature, showing that the first year's emissions would increase the global temperature by 0.27, 1, and 0.54 nK for biomass, coal, and natural gas-based power, respectively. The study highlights the potential of biomass in climate change mitigation and identifies challenges, such as spatio-temporal distribution, low power density, and competing uses, that need to be addressed for its large-scale adoption. Overall, this study contributes to the understanding of biomass energy potential and its role in sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the urgency of climate change action and the significant climate impact of household emissions, understanding the drivers of individuals' sustainable behavior patterns is more important than ever. Consequently, we investigate whether different clusters of individual users can be distinguished regarding sustainability-related values, attitudes, and intentions. If these diverse clusters exist, we can explore tailored approaches to promote sustainable behavior patterns among them based on their unique needs and targets. For this purpose, we employ a mixed-method approach combining qualitative interviews with a quantitative survey. The obtained insights help us identify core factors that drive sustainable behavior, develop representations of different user groups, and suggest individualized interventions for supporting sustainable behavior patterns. The qualitative part comprised interviews with ten participants, resulting in the development of qualitative personas. Emerging differences could subsequently be used to select validated psychological scales for the quantitative part to confirm the differences. Applying data-driven clustering, we identify five intention-based clusters that vary regarding factors such as belief in climate change, collaboration, or skepticism concerning sustainability. Building on both qualitative and quantitative insights, five validated personas are created for research and practical use. These personas include Socially Sustainable, Responsible Savers, Unconcerned Spenders, Comfort-Oriented, and Skeptical Consumers. Individuals corresponding to the selected persona may, for example, respond positively to sustainability benefits, while others may be more receptive to hedonistic benefits. Addressing related varying motivational factors raises the demand for individualized interventions. These could be achieved by incorporating the personas' needs with more individualized products and services to promote sustainable behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last two decades, an exponentially growing number of meta-analyses (MAs) synthesize thousands of peer-reviewed studies on the environmental impacts of farming practices (FPs). This paper describes the iMAP-FP evidence library, a comprehensive dataset on the effects of 34 categories of FPs (such as agronomic practices, cropping and livestock systems, land management options and mitigation techniques) on 34 impacts including climate mitigation, soil health, environmental pollution, water use, nutrients cycling, biodiversity, and agricultural productivity. Through systematic screening, 570 MAs published since 2000 were selected and categorized according to the type of FP. We assessed their impacts, the geographic regions covered, and their quality. We extracted 3,811 effects and their statistical significance associated with sustainable FPs (intervention) compared to a control (typically conventional agriculture) across 223 different intervention-control pairs. Our dataset is accompanied with an online free-access library, which includes a catalogue of synthetic reports summarizing the available evidence on each evaluated FP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing of forests is a powerful tool for monitoring the biodiversity of ecosystems, maintaining general planning, and accounting for resources. Various sensors bring together heterogeneous data, and advanced machine learning methods enable their automatic handling in wide territories. Key forest properties usually under consideration in environmental studies include dominant species, tree age, height, basal area and timber stock. Being proxies of stand productivity, they can be utilized for forest carbon stock estimation to analyze forests' status and proper climate change mitigation measures on a global scale. In this study, we aim to develop an effective machine learning-based pipeline for automatic carbon stock estimation using solely freely available and regularly updated satellite observations. We employed multispectral Sentinel-2 remote sensing data to predict forest structure characteristics and produce their detailed spatial maps. Using the Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) algorithm in classification and regression settings and management-level inventory data as reference measurements, we achieved quality of predictions of species equal to 0.75 according to the F1-score, and for stand age, height, and basal area, we achieved an accuracy of 0.75, 0.58 and 0.56, respectively, according to the R2. We focused on the growing stock volume as the main proxy to estimate forest carbon stocks on the example of the stem pool. We explored two approaches: a direct approach and a hierarchical approach. The direct approach leverages the remote sensing data to create the target maps, and the hierarchical approach calculates the target forest properties using predicted inventory characteristics and conversion equations. We estimated stem carbon stock based on the same approach: from Earth observation imagery directly and using biomass and conversion factors developed for the northern regions. Thus, our study proposes an end-to-end solution for carbon stock estimations based on the complexation of inventory data at the forest stand level, Earth observation imagery, machine learning predictions and conversion equations for the region. The presented approach enables more robust and accurate large-scale assessments using limited annotated datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dry Afromontane forests play a vital role in mitigating climate change by sequestering and storing carbon, as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Despite previous research highlighting the importance of carbon stocks in these ecosystems, the influence of canopy cover and environmental factors on carbon storage in dry Afromontane forests has been barely assessed. This study addresses this knowledge gap by investigating the effects of environmental factors and vegetation cover on carbon stocks in Desa'a forest, a unique and threatened Afromontane dry forest ecosystem in northern Ethiopia. Data on woody vegetation, dead litter, grass biomass, and soil samples were collected from 57 plots. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed at a 95% confidence level (α = 0.05) to examine the influence of canopy cover and environmental factors on the carbon stocks of various pools. Results: Among the 35 woody species identified, Juniperus procera was the most dominant, while Carissa edulis Vahl and Eucalyptus globulus were the least dominant. The average total carbon stock was 92.89 Mg ha−1, with contributions from aboveground carbon, below-ground carbon, litter carbon, grass carbon, and soil organic carbon. Among the carbon pools, soil organic carbon had the highest carbon stock, accounting for 76.8% of the total, followed by above-ground biomass carbon at 17.7%. Significant variations in carbon stocks were found across altitude class and canopy level but not slope and aspect factors. Conclusions: In summary, altitude and canopy level were found to significantly influence carbon stocks in Desa'a forest, providing valuable insights for conservation and climate change mitigation efforts in dry Afromontane forests. Forest intervention planning and management strategies should consider the influence of different environmental variables and tree canopy levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid growth of offshore wind farms (OWFs) is driven by concerns for energy security and climate change mitigation. However, their impact on marine environments remains poorly understood due to limited research. This study analyzes the effects of an OWF along China's Jiangsu Coast on seawater quality using data from different development phases. Results show the major pollutants were different across phases. Heavy metal pollution reached alert levels during construction compared to the safe levels observed in the pre-construction and operational phases, mainly due to increases in Pb, Cd, and Hg concentrations. Eutrophication was mild throughout all periods but exhibited a continuous decrease, primarily attributed to reductions in PH and COD concentrations. As a result, the comprehensive pollution level during construction was increased, but it was improved to a clean level during the operational phase. Besides, significant variations were observed in the spatial distribution patterns of major pollutant indices across different scenarios. These changes may stem from a combination effect of land-based pollution, aquaculture, OWF-induced disturbances to atmosphere and hydrodynamics, OWF-related drain and leakage contamination, and marine management policies. Understanding these effects informs OWF optimization, rational wind resource utilization, and marine ecology protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a collection of datasets holding information on the energy and climate action plans of 6,850 municipalities, taking part in the transnational initiative of the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM). This collection includes commitments for reducing net GHG emissions by at least 20% by 2020, 55% by 2030 and becoming climate neutral by 2050. The signatories commit to addressing any of the three pillars of the initiative, namely climate change mitigation, adaptation and energy access. Following two previous releases, the third release of the GCoM collection is introduced, with closing date September 2022. The datasets include information on the action plans and monitoring reports as they are self-reported by signatories, undergoing a quality-harnessing procedure before publication. Additionally, an external comparison is developed with the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR v7), controlling for comparable sources and activity sectors, ensuring the usability of the GCoM datasets for relevant research on local policies and their effects on reducing the impact of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flash droughts, characterized by rapid onset and development, present significant challenges to agriculture and climate mitigation strategies. Operational drought monitoring systems, based on precipitation, soil moisture deficits, or temperature anomalies, often fall short in timely detection of these events, underscoring the need for customized identification and monitoring indices that account for the rapidity of flash drought onset. Recognizing this need, this paper introduces a global flash drought inventory from 1990 to 2021 derived using the Soil Moisture Volatility Index (SMVI). Our work expands the application of the SMVI methodology, previously focused on the United States, to a global scale, providing a tool for understanding and predicting these rapidly developing phenomena. The dataset encompasses detailed event characteristics, including onset, duration, and severity, across diverse climate zones. By integrating atmospheric variables through their impact on soil moisture, the inventory offers a platform for analyzing the drivers and impacts of flash droughts, and serves as a large, consistent dataset for use in training and evaluating flash drought prediction models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The massive deployment of clean energy technologies plays a vital role in the strategy to attain carbon neutrality by 2050 and allow subsequent negative CO2 emissions in order to achieve our climate goals. An emerging challenge, known as 'From Emissions to Resources,' highlights the significant increase in demand for critical raw materials (CRMs) in clean energy technologies. Despite the presence of ample geological reserves, ensuring sustainable access to these materials is crucial for the successful transition to clean energy, taking into account the environmental and social impacts. The commentary centers on four renewable energy technologies namely solar photovoltaics, wind turbines, Li-ion batteries, and water electrolysers. Four pathways for mitigation are quantitatively examined to assess their potential in reducing the vulnerability of the CRM supply chain for these four clean energy technologies: (i) Enhancing material efficiency, (ii) employing substitutivity strategies, (iii) exploring recycling prospects, and (iv) promoting relocalisation initiatives. It is important to note that no single mitigation lever can completely eliminate the risk of CRM supply, rather the accelerated adoption of all four levers is necessary to minimize the CRM supply risk to its absolute minimum. Hence, the study underscores the significance of increased research, innovation, and regulatory initiatives, along with raising social awareness, in effectively addressing the challenges faced by the CRM supply chain and contributing to a sustainable energy transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2000, Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) instruments on Aqua and Terra satellites have recorded top-of-atmosphere (TOA) clear-sky outgoing radiation fluxes. Over northwest India, analysis of these two decades of data revealed significant negative trends in reflected shortwave radiation, indicating positive shortwave radiative forcing. To understand the drivers of this trend, we investigate changes in the surface reflectance, aerosol optical depth (AOD), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and land surface temperature from MODIS observations during the same period. We find decreasing trends in surface reflectance and AOD, while NDVI shows a pronounced increase. Notably, despite positive shortwave radiative forcing, daytime land surface temperature exhibits a significant decrease, with only a slight nighttime increase. Sensitivity analysis using a radiative transfer model identifies decrease in the surface reflectance as the primary contributor to the decrease in TOA shortwave fluxes. This suggests that the observed greening, potentially linked to expanded irrigation projects, has played a crucial role by reducing both surface reflectance and aerosol production. Our findings highlight the potential for increasing vegetation as a locally effective strategy to mitigate the effects of global warming through enhanced evapotranspiration process, even in the presence of positive shortwave radiative forcing. Investigating regional climate trends is vital for understanding and quantifying climate change; these results highlight the need for future climate change impact studies to consider interplay between vegetation dynamics and regional climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon emission accounting is an important basis for global climate governance. Based on the consumption-based accounting (CBA) method, the characteristics of carbon flow between national, regional, and product processes could be more clearly reflected. Therefore, CBA is more conducive to clarifying the attribution of responsibilities between producers and consumers, with the principles of fairness and justice. By accounting for carbon emissions in typical countries from 1990 to 2019, we found that the CBA emissions are higher than the production-based accounting (PBA) emissions in major developed countries, while the results are reversed for developing countries. In the past 30 years, the CBA emissions in targeted developed countries generally have shown a downward trend, while in developing countries, they have shown an upward trend. CBA emissions in China have shown a continuous growth trend from 1990 to 2019, but the pace has slowed down significantly over the last decade. Meanwhile, the embodied carbon intensity of China's exports continues to decline, indicating that China is providing more green and low-carbon products to the world. Taking the PV industry as an example, this study further reveals the contribution of specific product industries to the country's carbon transfer through product carbon footprint analysis. In order to provide a scientific basis for global mitigation and climate governance, it is urgent to innovate a scientific, practical, and standardized CBA technology system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the centre of the global policy response to climate change. The Paris Agreement, a legally binding treaty under the UNFCCC, has located climate change adaptation as a critical component of the global response to climate change. The Paris Agreement also establishes an enhanced transparency framework to track progress towards Parties climate change commitments. However, the UNFCCC has consistently maintained a marked difference in provisions for reporting climate change adaptation and climate change mitigation. Consequently, reporting on climate change adaptation lags far behind in detail when compared to that for reporting on climate change mitigation. Using literature review as the main method of analysis, this paper aims to understand the underlying factors that have resulted in the lack of specificity of reporting provisions of the UNFCCC for climate change adaptation and the consequences of non-mandatory provisions for reporting on climate change adaptation on national and global adaptation practice. The paper then highlights the benefits of regular reporting of climate change adaptation to the UNFCCC. It makes important contribution to the growing literature on global environmental governance, especially on national reporting of adaptation information, an under-studied and a poorly understood field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the regional implementation of an International Environmental Agreement, the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as waterfowl habitat (Ramsar), using the Arctic as a case study. With almost a quarter of the world's wetlands located in the Arctic, accounting for the planet's largest regional storehouse of carbon, the region is facing threats from climate change-induced permafrost degradation and increasing human activities. Therefore, effective management of these wetlands is crucial for global climate change adaptation and mitigation. The research question addressed by this paper is how effective Arctic states are in achieving the goals outlined in the Ramsar Convention. To address this question, the study employs several methods, including compiling and analyzing data on the status and trends of Ramsar-designated wetlands in the Arctic, comparing state performance against Ramsar commitments, assessing Ramsar reporting mechanisms to monitor implementation progress, and considering potential modifications to enhance the relevance of Ramsar reporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driven by the motivation to raise the ambition level of climate action and to foster the transformation of economies, current climate policy discourse revolves around ways to improve cooperation between industrialized countries and emerging economies. We identify three broad types of initiatives—multilateral-cross sectoral, multilateral, sector specific, and climate and development partnerships—and assess them for potentials to deliver on such objectives with a specific focus on industry transformation. This paper provides new reflections on the institutionalization of international climate cooperation. Specifically, we demonstrate the urgent need to understand what values, norms, and underlying principles drive a cooperation in order to draw conclusions on how to best institutionalize climate cooperation rules.in-use. We conclude that an overemphasis on a CO2 price and on carbon border adjustment mechanisms, such as in the context of the initial proposals for a cross-sectoral climate club envisaged by G7 countries, would have contributed to a further polarization of the international landscape. We find, however, that multilateral, sectoral alliances play an important role for international goal setting and the convergence on standards, metrics, and benchmarks. Based on our analysis, we recommend strengthening multilateral, sector-specific partnerships. These can be focused on sectoral topics as a connector between countries, allowing for a strategically-aligned, increasingly deep collaboration. However, for any initiative to succeed, processes of international institutionalization will be needed in order to agree on rules for implementation based on aligned interests and equity. Building such institutions may well serve as a steppingstone toward more durable cooperation structures between developed economies and emerging economies. In sum, no existing cooperation approach is perfect, but three actions may be taken to move the agenda forward: First, reform of the carbon border adjustment mechanism and removing it from the center of climate club discussions, second, coupling sectoral alliances with climate and development partnerships, and three, designing them in a way to address fears of political influence seeking and superimposition of global north agendas on the global south. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing carbon emission performance was crucial to achieving carbon neutrality goals. However, few studies have explored the driving mechanisms of carbon emission performance from the perspective of policy combinations. This study combined new energy demonstration cities and low-carbon cities as the subjects of policy combinations and analysed the impact of these two policy combinations on carbon emission performance. This study integrated the superefficiency epsilon-based measure model and the propensity score matching difference-in-differences method. We utilized panel data from 2007 to 2020 covering 271 Chinese cities to investigate the effects of these two policy combinations on carbon emission performance. First, this study employed the superefficiency epsilon-based measure model to measure carbon emission performance. Subsequently, the propensity score matching difference-in-differences approach was used to assess policy effects. The results indicated that the combination of these two policies significantly enhanced carbon emission performance, with a combined effect surpassing that of independent policy impacts by 48.47%. Furthermore, this study revealed that these two policy combinations enhanced carbon emission performance through green technological innovation and industrial structure upgrading. This study offers new insights for improving carbon emission performance, provides fresh perspectives for selecting pilot cities, and provides empirical evidence from China for the international community to adopt policy combination strategies for climate change mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the relationship between institutional trust from an individual and societal perspective and perceived corruption and climate attitudes of individuals in Latin America. To this end, multilevel modeling was used to test whether the attitudes of individuals from 285 regions of Latin America are influenced by these constructs. Based on the results, it was found that in contrast to studies in developed countries, where institutional trust is positively associated with pro-climate attitudes, in Latin America institutional trust acts as an inhibiting factor and is inversely related to climate attitudes. Furthermore, the perception of corruption in public institutions was also identified as a factor inhibiting collective action to combat climate change. Moderation analysis revealed that individuals' level of education significantly influences this relationship, with a notable difference in climate attitudes between individuals with low and high levels of trust, especially among those with less education. These findings highlight the importance of taking regional specificities into account when examining the relationship between institutional trust, perceptions of corruption, and climate attitudes, and underscore the need for public policies that promote transparency and accountability of institutions to foster effective collective action on climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local actors have growing prominence in climate governance but key capacities and powers remain with national policymakers. Coordination between national and local climate action is therefore of increasing importance. Underappreciated in existing academic and policy literature, coordination between actors at different scales can be affected not only by politics and institutional arrangements, but also by methods of data analysis. Exploring two datasets of GHG emissions by local area in England—one of consumption-based emissions and the other of territorial emissions—this paper shows the potential for a data scaling problem known as the modifiable areal unit problem and its possible consequences for the efficacy and equity implications of climate action. While this analysis is conceptual and does not identify specific instances of the modifiable areal unit problem or its consequences, it calls attention to methods of data analysis as possible contributors to climate governance challenges. Among other areas, future analysis is needed to explore how data scaling and other aspects of data processing and analysis may affect our understanding of non-state actors' contribution to climate action. Research highlights: Data scaling could affect the efficacy and equity of climate action in the UK. Enabling local actors can help to overcome the effects of data scaling. Relationships between methods of data analysis and governance need more attention. Research is needed on data scaling and the climate actions of non-state actors is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current agri-food systems are unable to fulfill global demand and account for 33% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Conventional agriculture cannot produce more food because of the scarcity of arable land, the depletion of freshwater resources, and the increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, it is important to investigate alternate farming methods. Algae farming is a feasible alternative that produces food, feed, and feedstock using wastelands and unconventional agricultural settings such as coastal regions, salt-affected soils, and urban/peri-urban environments. This review focuses on three emerging scenarios. First is seawater, which makes up 97.5% of the water on Earth. However, it is nevertheless used less often than freshwater. Second is a growing trend of people moving from rural to urban regions for improved employment prospects, living standards, and business chances. However, most rural migrants are essentially skilled in agriculture, which limits their applicability in metropolitan environments. The third scenario focuses on excellent crop yields and soil fertility; it is essential to maintain appropriate levels of organic matter and soil structure. In this case, algae have remarkable potential for osmoregulation-based salt tolerance and may provide valuable metabolites when cultivated in brackish or saltwater. Using brackish water, treated wastewater, and saltwater, algal culture systems may be established in arid/semi-arid, urban/peri-urban, and coastal areas to fulfill the increasing need for food, feed, and industrial feedstocks. It may also provide migrants from rural areas with work possibilities, which would allay environmental footprints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Snowdrifts on lake ice provide vital breeding habitats for the endangered Saimaa ringed seal. In this study, a lake ice model of Watershed Simulation and Forecasting System (WSFS-Ice) was developed for improved estimation of ice and snow conditions in Lake Saimaa during the pupping season of the Saimaa ringed seal. The WSFS-Ice model is based on energy balance, enabling reliable estimation of the ice cover evolution in current and future climate. In addition, a simple snowdrift model was used to simulate formation of snowdrifts, which are essential for the seals breeding success in Lake Saimaa. The model was calibrated against ice thickness, ice type and snow depth measurements. According to our results based on climate scenarios with intermediate representative concentration pathway (RCP4.5), the breeding habitat of the Saimaa ringed seal is significantly deteriorating during the twenty-first century. The mean depth of the snowdrifts is projected to decrease approximately to half from the 1981–2010 to 2070–99 period and at the same time the ice-covered period is reduced by one and a half months. During the mildest winters the ice cover is projected to melt even before the pupping season has ended. The results highlight the importance of climate change mitigation and active conservation measures to enhance seal population growth, enabling it to survive in a changing climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is important to understand how individuals in affluent societies reason around their own actions in relation to climate change. However, much of the research has focused on sceptics and those who have little interest in change. Studying those who want to contribute to a transition and why they fail is also of interest. This study is qualitative and deals with the internal reasoning of a self-selected sample of Swedes with sustainable values who argue in relation to a failed intention. Ca 400 responses were analysed. We used topos theory to identify thinking structures that guide the arguments used to deal with the cognitive dissonance that acting against knowledge and intention results in. The most common ways to argue were to imagine a climate account with possible deposits and withdrawals, or a budget which you strive to keep. Also common was to compare with something or someone that was "worse". Redirecting responsibility was also an argument, albeit complicating the issue of responsibility. The limits of reality were used as an excuse for action, whereas articulating the goal conflicts of a less emitting life made choices visible. Finally, the human condition of not always meeting your own standards was mentioned. These arguments only partly overlap common discourses of delay in the public sphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest management allows the sustained removal of significant amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. Within different activities in the forest, wood utilisation has the most significant man-made environmental impact which affects the carbon balance, which is important to know, to be able to accurately identify its role in climate change. This study aims to determine the carbon footprint of logging during utilisation based on scenario analysis in national default and theoretical assortment structures (11 additional scenarios for each forest stand) within the entire life cycle of raw wood products. Based on a common functional unit (100 m3 of cut wood), a comparative environmental life cycle analysis (LCA) for intermediate and final cutting was performed in shortwood forestry work systems in beech (Fagus spp.), oak (Quercus spp.), spruce (Picea spp.), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), and hybrid poplar (Populus x euramericana) stands in Hungary. After obtaining the results, the present study calculated the carbon footprint order for the utilisation life cycle phases and the entire tree utilisation life cycle. The distribution of absolute carbon footprint (ACF: considered emitted CO2 from fossil and biotic origins together) by final cutting exhibited the following order: hybrid poplar (6%)—spruce (8%)—beech (26%)—oak (27%)—black locust (33%). The ACF ranking for the whole technological life cycle (intermediate and final cutting, 400 m3 of cut wood) was hybrid poplar– spruce—oak—beech–black locust. The carbon footprint rankings of the studied stands were expanded to the national level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Portugal's income tax system is very progressive and has a greater redistributive effect than the European Union average. This progressive income redistribution, however, comes at a cost to the environment. This note finds that—using Portuguese time series data over the period 1970–2018—income redistribution increases carbon dioxide emissions in the long run. This is consistent with the theoretical literature, which suggests that redistributing income increases consumption among the bottom class group (and thereby emissions). We propose some policy recommendations to help policymakers find a balance between social equity and climate goals. In addition, this note also shows that the most common proxy of income redistribution used in the empirical literature may be inappropriate and lead to false conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Rice production in Northeastern Vietnam is livelihood-oriented with a small farm size in the northern mountainous and midlands region. This study aims to determine the contribution of agronomic and input factors to the total carbon (C) footprint of rice production to identify solutions that can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in agriculture in this region. Methods: We used a life cycle assessment method for the C footprint of rice production from planting to harvesting. Agronomic parameters and input data in both spring and summer crops were collected through interviews conducted with 50 rice-farming households in the Quang Minh commune, Viet Yen district, Bac Giang province, using questionnaires. Additionally, in-depth interviews were conducted to gather information on energy used for land preparation and harvesting. Results and discussion: The C footprint per hectare and per tonne of grain of the summer rice crop (15.6 ± 3.3 t CO2-eq/ha, 2.34 ± 0.54 t CO2-eq/t) was significantly higher than that of the spring crop (9.5 ± 1.8 t CO2-eq/ha, 1.3 ± 0.26 t CO2-eq/t). GHG emissions were due mainly to direct methane emissions during rice growth, accounting for 89.5% of the total C footprint of the summer crop and 80.5% of that of the spring crop. Fertilizer emissions also contributed significantly, accounting for 5.4% and 10.4%, respectively, nearly 75% from N-fertilizer emissions. A higher C footprint (per grain basis) was generally associated with straw incorporation, continuous flooded irrigation, longer rice growth duration, and lower rice yield, indicating the importance of agronomic management of crop residues, water and nutrients, choice of varieties, and growing seasons. Small farm size did not lead to higher carbon intensity. Conclusions: The solutions to avoid direct incorporation of rice straw, to conduct intermittent irrigation, to reduce the amount of N-fertilizer, and to use short-duration rice varieties (especially for summer crop) with high yield potential along with optimal agronomic management practices should be highlighted. Greater adoption of these measures will contribute significantly to reducing the C footprint of rice production in Northeastern Vietnam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adaptation measures in the forestry sector are essential to mitigate climate change and to support sustainable development. Reducing emissions through improved forest management is a critical approach for climate change adaptation. Several previous investigations have estimated carbon stock for forest ecosystems. However, the drivers of this function are less understood, especially in the tropical context. Hence, this investigation intended to explore the factors affecting the carbon stock potential of dry Afromontane forest in southern Ethiopia. Employing a systematic sampling system, ten transects were laid out with 125-m intervals along the altitudinal gradient. The main plots (size 20 m × 20 m each and two subplots (each: 10 m × 10 m) were laid out in the opposite corner of the main plots and in total 46 main plots and 92 subplots were used for vegetation and dead wood data collection respectively. The plots were arranged on transects at 125 m interval to measure trees and shrubs, respectively. Moreover, a total of 230 sub-sub plots (1 m × 1 m) were arranged at the four corners and in the center of the main plots to collect herbs and litters for the assessment of non-woody carbon stocks. The altitude and topographic aspects of the sample plots were recorded using Garmin GPS and Silva compass, respectively. The carbon stock was calculated using allometric equations developed for the estimation of dry Afromontane forest carbon stocks. The effect of species type, altitude, and topographic aspects on above-ground and below-ground carbon stock was analyzed by using one-way ANOVA. The results revealed that the total above-ground and belowground carbon stock of dry Afromontane forest is 1943.2 tons/ha. The carbon stock of woody species stock increased with increasing altitudinal gradient but opposite trend was found for non-woody species. Moreover, the carbon stock of both woody and non-woody species significantly varied among topographic aspects and plant family types. The carbon stock was higher for Cupressaceae (811.5 tons/ha) followed by Podocarpaceae (630.9 tons/ha). The highest carbon stock of woody biomass was recorded in the southwest aspect (663.30 tones/ha), and the lowest carbon (141.8 tons/ha) was recorded in the northwest topographic aspect. In conclusion, the environmental and vegetation structure need to be considered in devising forest conservation strategy for climate change mitigation and adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting plant-based diets as a response to climate crisis has clear implications for producers of animal derived foods, but surprisingly little research considers their perspectives on this. Our exploration focused on farming strongly associated with meat production in Wales, UK. Mindful of polarised debates around plant-based diets, we considered dietary transition as an opportunity to produce for new markets. The first aim was to identify whether transition towards plant-based diets might trigger transformation of livestock agriculture. Findings indicate a potential trigger event once livestock farmers are certain that consumer trends and climate mitigation require change. Livestock farmers who regard their meat as climate-friendly might resist transitions felt to unfairly disadvantage them. We then considered livestock farmers' likely capacity to produce plant crops, and how this transformational capacity might be enhanced. Participants highlighted forms of financial and environmental inflexibility, plus social norms regarding "good" Welsh farmers, combining to make transformation risky. Transformational capacity might be enhanced through levering occupational and place attachments by portraying plant crops as a revival of historic practices from traditional farming landscapes. Improved linking capacity will also be beneficial, as producing for new markets requires connections to new supply chains, and learning across divisions within rural communities. We present these preliminary insights to livestock farmers' attitudes and transformational capacity to inform future research with them to advance just agricultural transitions. Our study indicates potential to avoid confrontational discussion of dietary transition and we hope that others will pursue its focus on opportunities for farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policies to address climate change have been implemented worldwide in recent years. The core of these policies is to control greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which primarily stem from the consumption of fossil fuels. Consequently, the implementation of climate policies can affect other energy-related issues, such as energy poverty, a critical element of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper uses cross-country data from 2000 to 2020 to study the possible policy spillovers from climate actions to energy poverty. We show that a spillover effect does exist. In other words, a higher number of climate policies is associated with a lower level of energy poverty. The spillover is realized through improvements in energy efficiency, the promotion of renewable energy, and support for innovations. In addition, legislative policies are found to have stronger spillover effects. While the overall policy effects are positive for executive policies, regulations tend to have negative impacts on energy development. There is also evidence demonstrating heterogeneous effects between long-term and short-term policies, and between developed and developing countries. Discovering this spillover effect gives extra motivation for countries to adopt climate policies and actively seek synergies in achieving broader sustainable goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change negative impacts on food production systems have forced large scale food producers to make available less healthy products. Although available on the markets, tomatoes are no more tasting as they used to be and providing fewer nutrients compared to then. This study investigates and compares the quality and yield of organic tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) produced in an insect net covered photovoltaic greenhouse against ambient production. Plant's physical characteristics were measured, yields and nutrient content were found at harvest, and environmental conditions (temperature, relative humidity, solar irradiance and CO2) were recorded. Plants grew as high as 160 cm inside the greenhouse under an average afternoon temperature of 30.71 °C and a vapor pressure deficit (VPD) of 1.88 kPa against outside plant growth of 72 cm height under averages of 36.04 °C and 3.05 kPa. Although, inside greenhouse tomatoes were physically more attractive and firm with two times healthier tomatoes (98%), 52.39% higher content in protein, 13.31% more minerals and 13.19% more dry matter than outside tomatoes, the yield from outside environment was 4.57 times higher than that of inside due to probably the used crop variety adapted to the harsh climate. Using a crop variety optimum for greenhouse, increasing ventilation and using better fertilizers with enough irrigation could help increase productivity while keeping high fruit quality inside the greenhouse, leading to healthier fruits for food security in the Sahel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our case-oriented analysis of the drivers of climate change highlights the barriers and pathways to climate action. We employ Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), specifically fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), to trace the ways in which combinations of climate change drivers helps us develop a better understanding of climate change, with a special emphasis on nation-states making a disproportionate contribution to this problem. World Bank data is used to analyze 179 countries allowing us to explore how population, gross domestic product per capita (Treadmill of Production), and military spending as a percentage of GDP (Treadmill of Destruction) provide different recipes for understanding two climate change outcomes as they relate to UN Sustainable Development Goals (particularly SDGs 10 and 13). Our analysis yields new insights, illuminating two distinct recipes, thereby indicating that a focus on mechanisms provides new ways of understanding social processes and their connection to carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses four relevant climate actions in Indian agricultural sector through the lens of United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to understand how climate actions (SDG 13) are linked with other SDGs and their targets and what measures can be taken to scale up these actions. Four board categories of climate actions are considered for this exercise: shift to less-flooded paddy water management practices; minimizing overuse of nitrogen-based fertilizer, system of rice intensification and climate smart agricultural practices. A mixed method has been followed: first, scoping review of literature between 2010 and 2022 is undertaken to capture the growing body of literature and then a normalized weighted score is used to understand the net strength of the linkages. Scoping review helped in identifying 100 studies spanned across Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) and the eastern part of Peninsular India. Findings from the scoring method suggest that these practices have linkages with 15 SDGs and as many as 43 SDG targets. Almost all linkages are positive (synergy) but there are a few negative linkages (trade-offs) as well. Trade-offs include exacerbating inequalities including gender, high upfront cost, requirement of skilled labor, lack of access to information and finance. This paper provides a detailed description of these trade-offs and suggests measures to tackle and minimize them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Greenhouse gas Observations of Biospheric and Local Emissions from the Upper sky (GOBLEU) is a new joint project by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and ANA HOLDING INC. (ANAHD), which operates ANA flights. GOBLEU aims to visualizes our climate mitigation effort progress in support of subnational climate mitigation by collecting greenhouse gas (GHG) data as well as relevant data for emissions (nitrous dioxide, NO2) and removals (Solar-Induced Fluorescence, SIF) from regular passenger flights. We developed a luggage-sized instrument based on the space remote-sensing techniques that JAXA has developed for Japan's Greenhouse gas Observing SATellite (GOSAT). The instrument can be conveniently installed on a coach-class passenger seat without modifying the seat or the aircraft. Results: The first GOBLEU observation was made on the flight from the Tokyo Haneda Airport to the Fukuoka Airport, with only the NO2 module activated. The collected high-spatial-resolution NO2 data were compared to that from the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) satellite and surface NO2 data from ground-based air quality monitoring stations. While GOBLEU and TROPOMI data shared the major concentration patterns largely driven by cities and large point sources, regardless of different observation times, we found fine-scale concentration pattern differences, which might be an indication of potential room for GOBLEU to bring in new emission information and thus is worth further examination. We also characterized the levels of NO2 spatial correlation that change over time. The quickly degrading correlation level of GOBLEU and TROPOMI suggests a potentially significant impact of the time difference between CO2 and NO2 as an emission marker and, thus, the significance of co-located observations planned by future space missions. Conclusions: GOBLEU proposes aircraft-based, cost-effective, frequent monitoring of greenhouse emissions by GOBLEU instruments carried on regular passenger aircraft. Theoretically, the GOBLEU instrument can be installed and operated in most commercially used passenger aircraft without modifications. JAXA and ANAHD wish to promote the observation technique by expanding the observation coverage and partnership to other countries by enhancing international cooperation under the Paris Agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several countries have introduced dedicated national climate ministries in the last two decades. However, we know little about the consequences of these ministries. We demonstrate that the introduction of climate ministries helps to reduce carbon emissions. A difference-in-differences analysis of a global sample of countries reveals robust and statistically significant evidence that introducing a dedicated climate ministry lowers carbon emissions substantially. At the same time, establishing such climate ministries does not significantly influence the introduction of new climate policies. This indicates that climate ministries primarily amplify climate action by improving the effectiveness of the governmental measures taken rather than by increasing the number of climate policies themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research addresses the issue of the heritage preventive conservation in the perspective of energy sustainability, for contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and towards the EU Green Deal. The study analyses and compares four cases associated with different microclimate thresholds as suggested by the standard EN 16893:2018 (Cases 1–3) and as derived from the outputs of three degradation models for preserving paper, wood, and canvas paintings (Case 4). Weather-based indices (degree and gram days) were calculated to estimate trends in the potential energy demand of collection facilities in three European cities belonging to different Köppen-Geiger climate zones (Cfb, Csa, and Dfb), under recent past (1981–2010) and near/far future climate scenarios (2021–2050 and 2071–2100) from two Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5). The findings suggest that adapting facilities' management strategies to focus on collections preservation can facilitate the achievement of 5 out of 17 SDGs, offering a viable alternative to costly energy retrofits and encouraging the development of shared solutions for similar facilities in the same climate zone. The results can contribute to inform the revision of EN 16893 and to face major challenges such as the preservation of paper collections in southern latitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Household consumption accounts for 65–72% of total greenhouse gas emissions globally, and therefore, a change in current consumption patterns has the potential to mitigate climate change and provide emission reductions. There is knowledge on the consumption options with a high mitigation potential, but this information has not been combined with a consumer behavior information. This study examines the emission-reduction potential of suburban residents in Finland through a survey that assesses their willingness to adopt climate actions, and by calculating the potential impact of various actions. Finnish suburban households have already implemented low-impact climate actions (recycling, reducing food waste), but the implementation of high-impact actions in households could also be increased. Transitioning to a vegetarian diet, reducing air travel and limiting consumption are identified as the most effective mitigation actions when the potential increase in the implementation rate and impact on greenhouse gas emissions are considered. However, the results suggest that voluntary individual efforts alone are not sufficient to achieve the 1.5 °C carbon budget. Thus, alongside behavioural changes, strong policy measures and technological advancements are necessary. These findings emphasise the specific individual actions that should be prioritised when formulating climate policies at the national or city levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate advocates and finance industry titans suggest firms' climate policies have economic payoffs. We examine whether stock markets reward firms that have joined the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), a voluntary climate program that verifies firms' emission reduction pledges. Our analysis of S&P 500 companies' quarterly stock prices for 2010–2023 finds little evidence that SBTi verification (of any type) increases stock prices. If stock markets are not incentivizing firms to voluntarily undertake climate actions, policymakers and climate advocates need to focus on providing nonfinancial rewards to encourage firms to invest in emission reductions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Offshore wind energy (OWE) will play a significant role in achieving climate neutrality. For example, several scenarios for Germany (e.g., Kopernikus base, Kopernikus 1.5 degree, Prognos CN65, and CN60) depict substantial OWE annual installed capacity additions, especially after 2030. This tendency promotes OWE technology development as deployment expands, allowing manufacturers to gain expertise and optimize wind turbine construction. The global trend towards ever-larger components (e.g., hub height and rotor diameter) is critical to achieving higher-rated capacities. These aspects and others, such as wind quality, influence not only OWE annual electricity production but also its environmental performance. In addition, future supply chains might reduce their environmental impacts and enhance OWE climate change mitigation. In this paper, a prospective life cycle assessment (pLCA) is developed and applied exemplarily for a 9.5-MW offshore wind turbine (OWT) on the North Sea coast of Germany for the years 2030 and 2050. Considering that the current OWTs under construction in Europe have an average capacity of 10 MW, Germany plans to instal OWTs of 9.5-MW. This exemplary OWT describes the potential advances for offshore wind turbines in 2030 and 2050, considering component scale-up and learning effects. Yet, the methodology is adaptable to various installed capacities and regions. This approach allows us to analyse not only the potential future characteristics of wind turbines, but also future developments in OWE supply chains. Therefore, relevant parameters related to OWT construction and operation (e.g., rotor diameter, hub height, distance to the shore, lifetime, etc.) as well as prospective life cycle inventory data for background systems that reflect potential future developments in the broader economy are considered. In this way, scenarios (e.g., optimistic, moderate, and pessimistic) for OWE elucidate the expected environmental impacts, such as climate change, marine eutrophication, and abiotic depletion potential, in 2030 and 2050. Results: The findings describe the variability of the environmental impacts of a 9.5-MW offshore wind turbine representing the technologies expected to be available in Germany in 2030 and 2050 and show that climate change impacts could vary between 7 and 18 g CO2-eq per kWh produced in 2030 and between 5 and 17 g CO2-eq per kWh in 2050. However, marine eutrophication could experience a significant increase (100% increase), depending on the consideration of hydrogen as a fuel in the electricity mix, as demonstrated in the climate-neutral scenarios adopted for Germany. Overall, construction efficiency improvements in 2050 might reduce the required materials, leading to a 6% decrease in abiotic depletion potential compared to 2030 values. Conclusions: This paper highlights the need to consider temporal improvements in LCA studies, particularly when assessing the environmental impacts of offshore wind turbines. The complex nature and rapid growth of offshore wind technology require a comprehensive life cycle approach to deepen our understanding of its potential environmental impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]