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Environmental catastrophes, including the increased severity and frequency of climate extremes, can act as "windows of opportunities" that challenge citizens' mental models and motivate them to engage in reflective processes, challenging their pre-conceived ideas. Less well understood is whether experiencing changing weather conditions, common in mid-latitudes, can have a similar effect and increase the citizens' concerns about climate change and their willingness to accept more stringent climate policies. In this paper, we investigate the effects of changing seasonal temperature on the perceived seriousness of climate change and willingness to mitigate climate change. We use data from four yearly waves of a spatially explicit representative population survey in Germany and weather records from the postal code areas in which they live. To our knowledge, this study is the first analysis to link individual perceptions towards climate change and different mitigation options with seasonal temperature changes at specific locations in Europe. The analyzed perceptions were strongly influenced by socio-demographic characteristics and broader societal changes, as well as individual experiences of seasonal temperatures. The results show that experienced seasonal temperature change influences personal climate change concerns as well as the willingness to mitigate climate change, although with a weaker effect. The results indicate that it is the absolute temperature variation experienced that is important, rather than whether it is getting colder or warmer than usual. Considering the influences identified in this study can offer a window of opportunity for more stringent and targeted climate change policy. • Seasonal temperature changes influence climate change perception. • Effects can offer a window of opportunity for more stringent climate change policy. • Governmental mitigation policy solutions less supported than self-determined options. • Perceptions influenced by broader societal changes as well as individual experiences. • Need for targeted climate change communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change poses serious risks to rural communities which rely heavily on climate-sensitive resources. Rural communities are also significant contributors to GHG emissions given the prevalence of agriculture and related activities and are therefore expected to develop courses of action that tackle climate change. This includes either formulating a standalone plan that outlines mitigation and adaptation strategies or integrating these priorities into existing plans. The extent to which municipalities fulfill these planning functions, and how well, has been found to vary considerably from one community to another. In this study, we sought to contribute to knowledge about how well rural municipalities are planning for climate change risks. To this end, we systematically evaluated the contents and quality of rural climate change plans in Ontario (Canada). Using a well-established plan quality evaluation framework, we found that rural plans generally contained strong mechanisms for coordination between departments, and most had outlined specific goals concerning climate change action. By contrast, few plans provided a meaningful fact base to support their goals, many lacked specific policies to guide decision-makers in achieving climate goals, and most contained weak provisions for monitoring and evaluation. After drawing out some key themes from the plan quality analysis, the article concludes by pointing to areas of rural climate change planning that require further attention, and by outlining some areas for further study. • Rural municipal climate change planning is in its infancy in Ontario, Canada. • There is an emphasis on climate mitigation over adaptation. • There is a lack of meaningful fact base to support climate change goals. • Plans lacked specific policies to guide decision-makers in achieving climate goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban areas have key roles in climate mitigation, including increasing renewable energy penetration in smart energy systems. The potential of urban areas in limiting global warming, however, is not quantified. This research work develops a new framework to analyse urban emissions and land use efficiency scenarios with coupling to the transient climate response to cumulative carbon dioxide emissions. Two new parameters that quantify contributions to and avoidance of increments of global warming from urban areas are formulated and applied to twelve scenario combinations. The results for 465 urban areas indicate that a green-growth scenario with lower ambition in reducing urban emissions can lead up to a 0.13 °C additional increment of global warming in 2050 based on the best estimate of the transient climate response to cumulative carbon dioxide emissions. Those of the most ambitious urban emissions scenario with green-growth and renewable energy are limited to 0.06 °C. When combined with the most ambitious land use efficiency scenario for 135 urban areas, it is possible to avoid more than double or 2.09 times additional increments of global warming in comparison to other integrated urban scenarios. The mean and 5–95th percentile range of the results are compared based on 10,000 Monte Carlo simulations. Informing on the urgency to ensure ambitious mitigation action in urban areas can support a climate future that remains within critical thresholds and tipping elements of the planet. [Display omitted] • A new framework couples urban scenarios and increments of additional global warming. • Cumulative urban emissions of 465 urban areas can be 291.04 GtCO 2 eq in 30 years. • A green-growth oriented renewable energy scenario can avoid up to 0.09 °C in 2050. • Cumulative sequestration penalties of 135 urban areas are up to 2.01 GtCO 2 in 30 years. • Joint ambitious mitigation and land use efficiency in this case averts 0.039 ± 0.016 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The port governance literature has charted the trend towards devolution of port services to the private sector, also showing how the increasing influence of external private actors such as shipping lines and global terminal operators affects decisions on expansion and service provision, producing a more multifaceted and polycentric kind of port governance. In this paper we extend these notions to cover both mitigation of and adaptation to climate change. A growing body of literature on green ports discusses the various actions that can be taken to limit emissions in the port area, while another body of literature is growing on climate change adaptation measures, including the uncertain risks and rewards. Both mitigation and adaptation actions are partly linked to the commercial decisions of port actors but also partly driven by external actors (e.g. society, government, regulators). The analysis produces an updated conceptualisation of port governance under climate change, based on four stakeholder groups (public policy, commercial actors, indirect actors and international shipping governance) and produces three key conclusions. First, concession contracts and commercial relationships will need to change, with a more integrated vision and approach to sharing future (sometimes undefined or uncosted) costs and benefits between the port authority and commercial partners. Second, diversification of the port business model will see a larger focus on energy production and provision, requiring the more explicit inclusion of external stakeholders, particularly energy companies, in port governance. Third, port governance will see a return to prominence of the public dimension, both in terms of national decarbonisation plans and particularly regarding adaptation to an uncertain and turbulent future. As ports are both commercial activities and national infrastructure, these different identities will need to be united in a joint vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is urgent need for the transformation of built environments to tackle climate change. The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to achieve the Paris Agreement goal of limiting warming to well below 2 °C is of paramount importance, as is planning for future climate change risks. Architects, as designers of the built environment hold an important role in advocating and enabling the necessary mitigation and adaptation actions required in the design and construction of new buildings, and the reuse of existing built fabric – to reduced embodied carbon and achieve operational energy efficiency. Despite the importance, most built environments do not yet adequately address climate change. Limited research has examined the barriers that architectural professionals encounter when integrating climate change action in their projects during their role designing built environments. This is the gap that this research addresses. Interviews with twenty-two Australian architectural practitioners were undertaken, to investigate their experience of barriers to and facilitators of climate change action in their professional practice. Four key themes were found: 1) actors, 2) processes and structures, 3) information and knowledge, and 4) the role of government. Barriers and facilitators were found to be embedded in architects' perception of their role, the processes and practices they undertake, and their relationship with other stakeholders. The facilitators identified can assist drive better outcomes for future design and construction of buildings. Recommendations identified include: 1) build architects' confidence and capability to be advocates; 2) develop of architects' climate change knowledge and competence; 3) transform design processes to be more circular, interdisciplinary and long term focused, and 4) reform current built environment policy to adequately consider climate change. [Display omitted] • Architects are crucial to achieving climate change action, but there is limited information on how to achieve this. • This study interviewed Australian architects about the barriers and facilitators they face to climate change action. • Key barriers for architects to enable change include limited influence, reach and decision-making capabilities. • Barriers and facilitators to climate action are influenced by both internal and external factors. • Identifies initiatives to facilitate climate change action: building knowledge and capacity, and transforming design processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The pandemic did not halt, nor slow down climate change. • Africa faces challenges in financing climate action. • COVID-19 drained resources and attention for climate action. • Africa will be less sustainable and resilient post-COVID-19. • Approaches used to address COVID-19 should be adopted for climate change. This study assesses the potential for establishing a sustainable and climate-resilient African economy, post-COVID-19, focusing on Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe. Utilising the United Nation's Climate-Positive Action Framework, document analysis, and a systematic literature review, it examines these nations' investment in climate action. Findings reveal a decrease in climate funding during the pandemic, with notable gaps in climate finance, including reallocations away from climate-related ministries and delays in project implementation. This decline in climate action poses risks to sustainability and climate resilience. To mitigate these risks, the study emphasizes the need for frameworks to mobilize external and domestic resources for climate action. Despite ongoing challenges posed by COVID-19, proactive measures are essential to maintain focus on climate action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Examines how the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) performs as 'mapmaker'. • Illustrates how it acts a corridor maker, effectively narrowing down the range of possible climate futures to a limited range consistent with the relevant 1.5 or 2 °C temperature targets. • Explores the implicit, rarely explicated assumptions made about the feasibility of CDR technologies that justify model and policy choices. • Illustrates how these assumptions pre-empt political consideration of alternative futures. • Concludes by giving a more comprehensive understanding of what is at stake in the politics of anticipation. The article examines how the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) performs its self-proclaimed role as 'mapmaker. We seek to contribute to the emerging literature on global environmental assessments (GEA) and climate politics by reconstructing how the IPCC imagines the corridor for climate mitigation. Our particular focus is on the emergence of Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) as the preferred scientific approach to projecting mitigation pathways consistent with average global temperature target. Taking our lead from current research in science and technology studies (STS) and sociology of futures, we reconstruct the emergence of a science policy tradition of modeling in the field of climate change as a particular mode of anticipation. We summarize the main findings of this literature in order to illustrate the historical and socio-political context in which this mode of anticipation is embedded. Based on this genealogy, we demonstrate how, in its role as mapmaker, the IPCC has also functioned as a corridor maker. We highlight how the IPCC has achieved consensus on a limited set of mitigation pathways, thus effectively narrowing down the discursive space for imagining potential futures to pathways that are deemed technically feasible and cost-efficient. We conclude by discussing the political consequences of this mode of anticipation in order to give us a more comprehensive understanding of what is at stake in the politics of anticipation. We elucidate why the techno-economic framing of current mitigation pathways is highly restrictive, especially when it omits many cultural, political, and other dimensions involved in deploying CDR at scale in their 'real-world' context of application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agroforestry, a sustainable land-use system that integrates trees with crops and/or livestock, is recognized as an effective strategy for synergizing climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts in India. However, the prevalence of limited land under agroforestry indicates the presence of significant constraints hindering its widespread implementation. To address this challenge, the State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) represents a potentially potent policy tool for driving the expansion of agroforestry at the sub-national level. The aim of this study was to examine (i) how the SAPCCs recognized and reported the benefits of agroforestry for climate change adaptation and mitigation, and (ii) what policy approaches are put forth to operationalize agroforestry in India. For this study, the information on agroforestry was coded using a hybrid approach (a combination of deductive and inductive coding) followed by thematic analysis and peer debriefing (for validation of the generated codes and themes). Many of the mitigation and adaptation benefits of agroforestry are reflected in the SAPCCs. However, the predominant focus of these SAPCCs has been on tree-based agroforestry, with insufficient attention given to the crop-tree-livestock nexus, which could offer greater scope for reducing agricultural emissions. Furthermore, existing constraints to the expansion of agroforestry have not been adequately addressed, and the strategies proposed lack the necessary precision to enable effective implementation on the ground. These shortcomings are further compounded by the absence of accurate budgetary estimates, thereby hindering the ability to execute meaningful actions at the grassroots level. The results of this study could offer valuable perspectives on how the potential benefits of agroforestry may be harnessed more prudently to realize mitigation and adaptation outcomes in India while aligning with the country's Nationally Determined Contributions and building sustainable livelihood. [Display omitted] • India's sub-national climate change action plans acknowledge agroforestry's potential for climate change adaptation and mitigation. • However, the plans primarily focus on adding trees to expand agroforestry and overlook the potential of agrosilvopastoral systems. • The existing constraints of agroforestry adoption in India are not sufficiently addressed, and budget estimates vary significantly among states. • To address these issues, the plans require revision to incorporate specific actions and a clear implementation roadmap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much recent research on climate change mitigation has focused on carbon intensities, i.e. emissions per unit of economic value, to better understand interrelationships of decarbonization with value. This paper studies large tourism enterprises, which account for a large share of tourism's emissions. Based on annual reports, the paper evaluates greenhouse gas emission and revenue interrelationships for a total of n = 29 large tourism companies including airlines, cruise lines and accommodation businesses. Together, these companies represent about 13% (365 Mt CO 2) of global tourism emissions, generating revenues of US$477 billion (in 2019). The paper tracks their total emissions and emission intensities over the period 2015–2019, revealing that large tourism firms are not on track to net-zero. Results show considerable differences in emission intensities between the three tourism subsectors and between individual firms within the subsectors. These findings are discussed against emission reduction needs to mid-century. There is strong evidence that continued growth at industry's expected rates represents an insurmountable barrier to net-zero, contradicting industry narratives of progressively and successfully engaging with climate change mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Climate action on the state level is dependent on political context (specifically, Republicanism)—an influence far less prominent on the local level. • At both state and local scales of governance, climate mitigation is somewhat more strongly influenced by power dynamics compared to climate adaptation. • State-level power dynamics best predict state climate action and, to a substantially weaker extent, combined state and local power dynamics best predict local climate action. • Power dynamics outweigh the influences of politics and climate risk on state and local climate action. American cities have played an increasingly critical role in advancing US climate change mitigation and adaptation. Subnational government support for these efforts, however, varies across social, political, economic, and biogeophysical contexts. While the influence of politics on US climate mitigation is well established, further research is required to identify barriers to—and discern complex influences on—US subnational climate action. This study examines the influences of power dynamics between public and private interests, political party affiliation within government and the public, and risk of climate impacts, on observed climate mitigation and adaptation efforts within 136 urban US cities and 33 states. The findings of this study shed light on the motivations of subnational governments to take climate action, and identify significant dynamics influencing the likelihood of key state or local government decision-makers to take climate action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• COVID-19 pandemic aside, climate change is the ultimate challenge of our time • There is lack of political thrust to facilitate appropriate climate action • Climate change-induced mortality and morbidity are expected to rise globally • Little time is left to develop and implement mitigation and adaptation strategies COVID-19 pandemic aside, climate change is the ultimate challenge of our time. However, to date, there has been insufficient political thrust to make that much-needed climate action a reality. Infectious diseases represent only one facet of the threats arising from climate change. Direct impacts from climate change include the more frequent occurrence and increased magnitude of extreme weather events, as well as changing temperatures and precipitation patterns. For climate-sensitive infectious diseases, these changes implicate a shift in geographical and temporal distribution, seasonality, and transmission intensity. Susceptibility to the deleterious effects of climate change is a net result of the interplay of not only environmental factors, but also human, societal, and economic factors, with social inequalities being a major determinant of vulnerability. The global South is already disproportionately affected by the climate crisis. The financial capacity to pursue adaptation options is also limited and unevenly distributed. Climate change-induced mortality and morbidity from both infectious and non-infectious diseases, among other adverse scenarios, are expected to rise globally in the future. The coming decade will be crucial for using all remaining opportunities to develop and implement adequate mitigation and adaptation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Global and local climate change cause overheating in coastal cities like Sydney. • We modelled 2018 and 2050, with and without land-use change and heat mitigation. • We performed energy simulations assessing building adaptation technologies. • Mitigation technologies are not enough to counteract global and local climate change. • Building adaptation and urban mitigation must be combined. In several areas of the world, the population concentrates along the coastal regions, benefitting from the sea breeze, with warmer inland areas. However, increasing population is driving urban sprawl in traditionally low-density areas, enhancing the synergies between global and local climate change. Here we show that local climate mitigation can reduce the impacts of climate change, with the analysis of a new development area in Sydney, 50 km from the coast. With meso-scale climate modelling, we computed that by 2050 the peak summer temperature will increase by 0.8 °C and the daily average summer temperature by 1.6 °C. Mitigation with cool materials, greenery, and irrigation will lower the peak and average daily temperatures respectively by 2.2 °C and 1.6 °C with respect to the unmitigated future climate scenario. Mitigation techniques when applied in the whole Sydney area yield to cooling energy needs reductions by 6.7–8.6 kWh/m2 (13.4–19.3%) for typical residential, office, and school buildings, with a negligible heating penalty, compared to an unmitigated future scenario. Combined adaptation and mitigation can reduce the future cooling energy needs by 31.3 kWh/m2 (70%), 29.3 kWh/m2 (57.3%), and 20.9 kWh/m2 (59.4%) for typical residential, office, and school building, respectively. Our study indicates that the consolidated and widely available mitigation technologies alone cannot counteract the energy impact of both global and local climate change. A structured system of interventions at building and urban scale is necessary while developing novel and higher efficiency mitigation technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of universities in climate change education (CCE) is of great importance if the scientific, social, environmental and political challenges the world faces are to be met. Future leaders must make decisions from an informed position and the public will need to embed climate change mitigation tools into their work and private life. It is therefore essential to understand the range of CCE strategies being taken globally by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and to explore and analyse the ways that HEIs could better address this challenge. Consistent with this research need, this paper offers an analysis of the extent to which HEIs in 45 countries approach CCE and provides a conceptual framework for exploring how HEIs are embedding CCE into their curricula. In addition to the specialist approach (where students choose to study a degree to become experts in climate change adaptation and mitigation tools), the CCE framework developed identifies and highlights three other approaches HEIs can deploy to embed CCE: Piggybacking, mainstreaming and connecting (transdisciplinary). Using data gathered in an explorative international survey involving participants working across academic and senior management, this paper illustrates the different approaches taken and analyses practical examples of current CCE practice from across the world. Responses from 212 university staff from 45 countries indicated that CCE was highly variable – no clear pattern was identified at the country level, with CCE approaches varying significantly, even within individual HEIs. This plurality highlights the wide range of ideas and examples being shared and used by institutions in very different countries and contexts, and underlines the importance of the independence and autonomy of HEIs so that they can choose the right CCE approaches for them. To highlight the breadth and variety of approaches that were uncovered by our survey, the paper offers a range of examples illustrating how climate change education may be embedded in a higher education context, some of which could be replicated in HEIs across the world. The conceptualisation of CCE and the examples given in this paper are valuable for anyone who is thinking about strategies for embedding more climate education in the higher education curriculum. • The emphasis to climate change at universities programmes is limited at present. • Possibilities for implementation of climate change in the curriculum are overseen. • A conceptual framework to describe climate change at universities was developed. • Practical examples show how it can be incorporated at universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Analyzes European household's willingness to mitigate climate change through changes in consumption behavior. • New analytical perspective through Qualitative Comparative Analysis in large-N design. • Highlights the contribution of health information for willingness to mitigate. • Demonstrates limitations of financial incentives to motivate behavioural change. • Points to need for different policy design to motivate household mitigation of GHG emissions. Abstract The climate change mitigation potential of the production side has been discussed very frequently, but private citizens and households have received less systematic attention. Thus, this paper focuses on the willingness of private households to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. While many scholars study the socio-economic characteristics of people to then recommend policies, we change the analytical perspective and look at the characteristics of climate mitigation actions that affect households' willingness to adopt these measures: Costs, emission reductions, behavioral change, and consumption sector. The paper uses data from HOPE (HOusehold Preferences for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in four European high-income countries), an interdisciplinary project investigating households' preferences for reducing greenhouse gas in four countries (France, Germany, Norway and Sweden). We use a fuzzy-set QCA (fsQCA) to analyze which attributes are necessary or sufficient conditions for specific actions to be selected by participants of HOPE. The results of the fsQCA show that Food & Recycling actions are particularly popular. The general pattern that was found shows that people prefer actions that are easy to implement even though they often do not reduce the CO2e-Footprint by much. Therefore, the condition Behavioral Change is the most important lever in improving households' willingness to act on climate change. Moreover, the analysis of Health Information suggests that there is an urgent need to go beyond financial arguments in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Cities, the core of the global climate change mitigation and strategic low-carbon development, are shelters to more than half of the world population and responsible for three quarters of global energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG). This special volume (SV) provides a platform that promotes multi- and inter- disciplinary analyses and discussions on the climate change mitigation for cities. All papers are divided into four themes, including GHG emission inventory and accounting, climate change and urban sectors, climate change and sustainable development, and strategies and mitigation action plans. First, this SV provides methods for constructing emission inventory from both production and consumption perspectives. These methods are useful to improve the comprehensiveness and accuracy of carbon accounting for international cities. Second, the climate change affects urban sectors from various aspects; simultaneously, GHG emissions caused by activities in urban sectors affect the climate system. This SV focuses on mitigation policies and assessment of energy, transport, construction, and service sectors. Third, climate change mitigation of cities is closely connected to urban sustainable development. This SV explores the relationships between climate change mitigation with urbanization, ecosystems, air pollution, and extreme events. Fourth, climate change mitigation policies can be divided into two categories: quantity-based mechanism (e.g., carbon emission trading) and price-based mechanism (e.g., carbon tax). This SV provides experiences of local climate change mitigation all over the world and proposes the city-to-city cooperation on climate change mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As interest in natural climate mitigation solutions continues to grow, there is an essential role for coastal and ocean ecosystems ("blue carbon") to play. To meet mitigation targets, however, it is crucial that human actions to protect or restore blue carbon sinks are based on solid science and actionable human management opportunities to increase sinks and reduce emissions from ecosystem loss. Here, we reaffirm the role of coastal wetlands in climate mitigation opportunities. We update the state of the science regarding existing blue carbon pathways and explore expanding the blue carbon opportunities to new systems. Specifically, we analyze new science for those blue carbon pathways we categorize as "emerging" (e.g., management interventions involving macroalgae - both cultivated and wild, tidal flats, and marine sediments) where human action may be able to increase these sinks, but we currently have insufficient information to ensure that their climate mitigation benefit is additional. We revisit those that are "non-actionable" (e.g., management interventions involving calcifying organisms and marine fauna) where the scientific evidence is clear that there is no mitigation benefit, or the science is too uncertain to claim that human action can definitively increase these carbon sinks. With limited funding for climate action, it is critical that efforts focus on projects with the most mitigation potential. Blue carbon management is only one piece in the climate mitigation challenge, but it is an important one. Continued scientific research and investment in developing policy pathways is warranted for these actionable and emerging systems. At the same time, the world must continue to work to decrease emissions rapidly, invest in other natural climate solutions, and scale renewable energy technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, transportation and manufacturing emit large amount of greenhouse gases that needs to be lowered for reaching agreed upon clim ate goals. In this context evidence of mitigation activities among eighty-five companies and their forty-five parent companies in these two polluting sectors were traced focusing on a country that has committed itself to leading the implementation of ambitious climate-mitigation goals worldwide. Documentation from the companies in the transportation and manufacturing sectors was scrutinized (yearly reports, homepages and sustainability reports, if available) for evidence of any mitigation efforts, including emissions reporting and reduction goals. The study’s results found that two thirds of the companies seemed to have done nothing to mitigate climate change, while efforts in the remaining companies were modest at best; mitigation activities among the forty-five parent companies were only slightly more ambitious. The implications of these depressing findings are discussed in the light of possible caveats and the possibilities of new policy measures such as gender quotas in company boards. The conclusion is that the study’s results most likely reflect reality in the studied sectors and that novel approaches and more sector oriented research is needed in the quest for a carbon-neutral society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Paris Agreement aims to limit global mean temperature rise this century to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels. This target has wide-ranging implications for Europe and its cities, which are the source of substantial greenhouse gas emissions. This paper reports the state of local planning for climate change by collecting and analysing information about local climate mitigation and adaptation plans across 885 urban areas of the EU-28. A typology and framework for analysis was developed that classifies local climate plans in terms of their alignment with spatial (local, national and international) and other climate related policies. Out of eight types of local climate plans identified in total we document three types of stand-alone local climate plans classified as type A1 (autonomously produced plans), A2 (plans produced to comply with national regulations) or A3 (plans developed for international climate networks). There is wide variation among countries in the prevalence of local climate plans, with generally more plans developed by central and northern European cities. Approximately 66% of EU cities have a type A1, A2, or A3 mitigation plan, 26% an adaptation plan, and 17% a joint adaptation and mitigation plan, while about 33% lack any form of stand-alone local climate plan (i.e. what we classify as A1, A2, A3 plans). Mitigation plans are more numerous than adaptation plans, but planning for mitigation does not always precede planning for adaptation. Our analysis reveals that city size, national legislation, and international networks can influence the development of local climate plans. We found that size does matter as about 80% of the cities with above 500,000 inhabitants have a comprehensive and stand-alone mitigation and/or an adaptation plan (A1). Cities in four countries with national climate legislation (A2), i.e. Denmark, France, Slovakia and the United Kingdom, are nearly twice as likely to produce local mitigation plans, and five times more likely to produce local adaptation plans, compared to cities in countries without such legislation. A1 and A2 mitigation plans are particularly numerous in Denmark, Poland, Germany, and Finland; while A1 and A2 adaptation plans are prevalent in Denmark, Finland, UK and France. The integration of adaptation and mitigation is country-specific and can mainly be observed in two countries where local climate plans are compulsory, i.e. France and the UK. Finally, local climate plans produced for international climate networks (A3) are mostly found in the many countries where autonomous (type A1) plans are less common. This is the most comprehensive analysis of local climate planning to date. The findings are of international importance as they will inform and support decision-making towards climate planning and policy development at national, EU and global level being based on the most comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge of local climate planning available to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ambitious goals to limit global warming can only be reached with a broad acceptance and participation of the general public. This paper relies on surveys among citizens in China, Germany and the U.S. and investigates the determinants of the acceptance of national and international adaptation and mitigation efforts. The empirical findings indicate that specific beliefs and environmental awareness are important drivers in all three countries, while political attitudes and socio-economic characteristics are the main sources of cross-country heterogeneity. The study thereby points at important starting points and target groups for raising the acceptance of national and international climate policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literature suggests a significant potential for synergies among climate change adaptation and mitigation (CCA&M) policies, especially in urban areas. However, the understanding of how best to integrate CCA&M is limited despite the fact that there is an increasing interest, particularly in Southeast Asian countries, in achieving the integration. One such synergistic approach is to improve land-use with climate change consideration. This study aims to test this idea, conducting a pilot project with four local governments in the Silang-Sta. Rosa subwatershed of the Philippines, focusing on flood prevention that has strong spatial implications. The application of participatory watershed land-use management (PWLM), a systematic process with practical tools (e.g. scenario simulation, risk assessment), indicated that planned land-use conversion and projected climate change are likely to increase the intensity of flooding in the study area. Zoning enhancement is essential as a countermeasure. As one example, runoff neutral development measures would reduce the number of flood-affected people from approximately 226,410 to 183,349 in the future (year 2025), while preserving existing vegetation would prevent up to 528,142 tons of CO 2 emissions. Illustrating the PWLM approach, this paper demonstrates the concrete use of scientific knowledge (i.e. flood hazard) for local planners to design climate change action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is central for climate policy to understand, monitor and forecast greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, generating insights on the key factors and actions with a greater impact to mitigate and adapt to global warming. Focusing on the leading role of cities, it is relevant to build robust and reliable GHG emissions prospects for every city committing to mitigate and adapt to climate change. In this paper, a novel methodology is proposed to build those prospects, presenting a case study with 6231 EU-27 cities and local municipalities taken from the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM). Key GHG emissions predictors for the target years of 2020 and 2030 refer to the baseline energy consumption and associated GHG emissions, as well as the population and the national emissions per capita trend. Additionally, other informative predictors are the baseline inventory year, the reduction target, the disaggregated baseline emissions by type of fuel (fossils or renewables), the heating and cooling degree days and the NUTS urban/rural categorization. The proposed methodology allows assessing the cities' achievements based on their expected performance, and it could be further implemented to support new cities willing to commit to a significant reduction of their GHG emissions. • A robust methodology is proposed to predict GHG emissions for cities committing to climate change mitigation and adaptation. • Key predictors refer to local, regional and national sources of information. • A case study is performed with 6231 European cities: 2030 commitments are expected to achieve a 40 % GHG emissions reduction. • The models described in this paper provide useful information to urban policy makers in the climate action planning process. • The results are replicable in the context of transnational initiatives involving cities in the fight against climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the climate emergency declaration (CED) movement in cities and its effects and synergies with local climate planning. Urban areas are experiencing a wide range of climate-induced extreme events, particularly those located in the Mediterranean hotspot. The focus is on Italian cities, which have only recently become key players in climate planning. The method is based on the collection, analysis, and comparison of data on CEDs and local climate plans (LCPs), integrated with information on city membership in climate networks, to extrapolate key performance indicators of the CED movement. The results show that the CED movement can motivate municipalities to become more ambitious in climate action. As of February 2021, the "climate emergency" movement was supported by 105 Italian cities geographically concentrated in the northern regions (66.7%). The motivation behind a CED is often attributable to local populations calling for concrete climate action (91.1% referred to the Fridays for Future movement) but also to a greater perception of the impacts of climate change (85.6% referred to the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C). Networking plays an important role (85 cities in the Covenant of Mayors). Interestingly, 36 cities (34.3%) were not engaged in local climate planning previously, but the CED shows now they see the urgency to act. 24.4% cities aim at carbon neutrality in their CEDs (most with local adaptation aspirations), with a much smaller fraction of cities doing so in LCPs and generally lower ambition in terms of greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. [Display omitted] • Case study: 105 IT cities that have declared climate emergency (66.7% in the north). • Motivation: 91.1% refer to the FFF movement, 85.6% to the 2018 IPCC Special Report. • Networking: 85 cities are members of CoM and 33 of the Italian Green City Network. • 34.3% of the CED cities had not previously a mitigation or adaptation plan. • 24.4% of CEDs aim at carbon neutrality, while LCPs have less ambitious GHG targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of global environmental change make extensive use of scenarios to explore how the future can evolve under a consistent set of assumptions. The recently developed Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) create a framework for the study of climate-related scenario outcomes. Their five narratives span a wide range of worlds that vary in their challenges for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Here we provide background on the quantification that has been selected to serve as the reference, or ‘marker’, implementation for SSP2. The SSP2 narrative describes a middle-of-the-road development in the mitigation and adaptation challenges space. We explain how the narrative has been translated into quantitative assumptions in the IIASA Integrated Assessment Modelling Framework . We show that our SSP2 marker implementation occupies a central position for key metrics along the mitigation and adaptation challenge dimensions. For many dimensions the SSP2 marker implementation also reflects an extension of the historical experience, particularly in terms of carbon and energy intensity improvements in its baseline. This leads to a steady emissions increase over the 21st century, with projected end-of-century warming nearing 4 °C relative to preindustrial levels. On the other hand, SSP2 also shows that global-mean temperature increase can be limited to below 2 °C, pending stringent climate policies throughout the world. The added value of the SSP2 marker implementation for the wider scientific community is that it can serve as a starting point to further explore integrated solutions for achieving multiple societal objectives in light of the climate adaptation and mitigation challenges that society could face over the 21st century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term scenarios play an important role in research on global environmental change. The climate change research community is developing new scenarios integrating future changes in climate and society to investigate climate impacts as well as options for mitigation and adaptation. One component of these new scenarios is a set of alternative futures of societal development known as the shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs). The conceptual framework for the design and use of the SSPs calls for the development of global pathways describing the future evolution of key aspects of society that would together imply a range of challenges for mitigating and adapting to climate change. Here we present one component of these pathways: the SSP narratives, a set of five qualitative descriptions of future changes in demographics, human development, economy and lifestyle, policies and institutions, technology, and environment and natural resources. We describe the methods used to develop the narratives as well as how these pathways are hypothesized to produce particular combinations of challenges to mitigation and adaptation. Development of the narratives drew on expert opinion to (1) identify key determinants of these challenges that were essential to incorporate in the narratives and (2) combine these elements in the narratives in a manner consistent with scholarship on their inter-relationships. The narratives are intended as a description of plausible future conditions at the level of large world regions that can serve as a basis for integrated scenarios of emissions and land use, as well as climate impact, adaptation and vulnerability analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy makers and citizens must choose from among a growing variety of strategic options as they try to cope optimally with climate change. As a means of more accurately predicting different types of climate change engagement, we empirically distinguish individuals’ felt responsibility for mitigation (FRm) from felt responsibility for adaptation (FRa), and assess support for different climate action strategies (mitigation and adaptation). We surveyed two U.S. samples two months apart, and the replication study confirmed Study 1′s findings of differing predictive powers for FRm vs. FRa. Each type of felt responsibility, controlling for the other, served as a mediator between belief in global warming (as well as belief in anthropogenic cause of climate change) and its corresponding climate action strategy (mitigation vs. adaptation). FRa predicted adaptation measures but not mitigation measures, while FRm predicted mitigation measures more strongly than it predicted adaptation but did predict both action strategies. We also found important individual differences: people’s disposition toward behaving proactively correlated positively with all types of climate engagement, and political orientation (liberal/conservative ideology) interacted with climate action strategy (mitigation vs. adaptation) in predicting all engagement variables. Comparing levels of support across the political spectrum, the mitigation measures were highly polarizing, while the adaptation measures were less divisive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indonesia is the largest archipelagic country in the world and has vast natural resources. In the maritime sector, efforts to realize the sustainability of natural resources in coastal ecosystems have focused on mangroves and seagrass meadows, also known as blue carbon ecosystems, that have an important role in regulating the Earth's climate. The need for ecosystem-based climate change mitigation combined with economic recovery and improved environment conditions has shifted the motivation and escalated mangrove restoration efforts in Indonesia. As the richest mangrove nation with the greatest mangrove carbon stocks in the world, recently Indonesia has taken significant steps in the land use sector to reduce emissions by acknowledging the 'true' value of mangrove carbon and setting priorities for mangrove conservation and restoration within Indonesia's climate actions. This paper reviews opportunities and challenges in mainstreaming mangrove blue carbon into policy in Indonesia. We evaluate the gaps in regulations and policies and propose pathways for the national blue carbon action. As mangroves are embedded in both forestry and marine sectors and the responsibilities for management lies within several government ministries, an integrated framework is suggested to support the national blue carbon strategy. The Indonesia Blue Carbon Strategy Framework (IBCSF) encompasses three main elements that should be considered in order to address challenges and seize opportunities in blue carbon: coordination, policy and funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though the need for holistic climate change education has been realized around the world, there is a lack of studies that examine the multidimensional impact of climate change education in higher education. To amend for this gap in literature, this paper uses a pre- and post-questionnaire (N = 245) to examine how students' knowledge, values, worldview and willingness to take mitigative climate actions change during a course on climate change. Though the course was designed to be multidisciplinary and holistic, the results show that the course had limited impact. First, the pre-post tests showed a significant increase in science knowledge, but knowledge on mitigative actions remained unchanged despite related course assignments. Second, though participants' worldview seemed to change or strengthen during the course, minimal changes were seen in students' willingness to take mitigative actions. However, an increase in biospheric values -a strong predictor of pro-environmental behavior - was seen in some segments of participants, potentially predicting a lower carbon footprint for those students in the future. Furthermore, the findings suggest that during the course, individuals found new, environmentally friendly ways to address their hedonic pleasures, also potentially having long-term positive effects. Some differences in gender and field of study were noted. Implications of the findings are discussed in relation to planning and implementing holistic climate change education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM) initiative, cities present their action plans committing to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and/or adapt to climate change. One concrete objective consists in setting a reduction target, by which cities commit to reduce their baseline GHG emissions for a chosen target year. In monitoring their emissions, cities report inventories for any arbitrary year(s), making available only discrete readings in what can be considered a very sparse yearly time series. Examining the performance of the cities for the target years of 2020 and 2030, the actual measurements are usually not available. Therefore, a machine learning methodology is proposed to predict the GHG emissions inventories for each city on their target year, enabling the assessment of the cities' performance inside a common reporting framework. Using the reported inventories, the methodology identifies a model for each city, minimizing the error for the last known reported value. As a result, the proposed method allows predicting GHG emissions for cities from their yearly inventories, controlling the uncertainty associated to the estimations and extracting reliable information that can be updated as soon as new emissions inventories become available. • A methodology is proposed to forecast the GHG emissions of cities monitoring their actions on climate change. • Forecasting models are validated by the novel Leave Last Known Value Out technique. • The proposed method predicts GHG emissions for cities from their yearly inventories. • The methodology is illustrated for a group of 1950 cities and local administrative units in the EU-27. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism is one of the most climate-sensitive economic sectors, but also a contributor to climate change. With the effects of climate change becoming an increasing concern, the tourism sector must urgently and realistically respond by mitigating its emissions and adapting tourism businesses and destinations to the changing climate conditions. This work presents a generic methodological framework to plan, manage and implement climate change mitigation and adaptation measures in the tourism context. The methodological scheme is based on Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for prioritizing available options applicable to a defined tourism area. The proposed framework is implemented for Greece, one of the world's most popular tourism destinations, and optimally ranks 18 mitigation and 16 adaptation measures under 4 criteria i.e. environmental benefit, applicability, cost and social acceptance. The analysis indicates that rational energy use, improvement of energy efficiency and water management/saving measures should be primarily put forward for the Greek case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of increasing crop production while reducing resource inputs and land-use change cannot be overstated especially in light of climate change and a human population growth projected to reach nine billion this century. Mutualistic plant–microbe interactions offer a novel approach to enhance agricultural productivity while reducing environmental costs. In concert with other novel agronomic technologies and management, plant-microbial mutualisms could help increase crop production and reduce yield losses by improving resistance and/or resilience to edaphic, biologic, and climatic variability from both bottom-up and top-down perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the use of impact indicators with respect to climate change in the 2007–2013 Rural Development Programme (RDP) of the European Union, with particular reference to the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP). It concludes that the policy context has highlighted the need for the rural land use sector to respond to climate change but that the associated Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (CMEF) did not develop suitable indicators to assess the impact of SDRP measures on GHG emission mitigation. It suggests improved impact indicators based on the relationship between rural land use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions: first, an indicator based on net GHG emissions per holding; and a second based on net GHG emissions per unit volume of output. The paper points out the challenges in measuring land-based emissions accurately. It further proposes screening of RDP measures to ensure that climate change mitigation impacts are properly appraised. It is recognised that climate change policy in relation to rural land use is still at an early stage of development but greater sophistication of policy instrument design and evaluation will be required if the RDP is to contribute significantly to climate change policy objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to energy can significantly contribute to the development of the living standards of the energy poor. Also if the provision of access to energy is sustainable, i.e. via renewable energy sources, there is an added benefit of contributing to mitigation of climate change. Currently, the percentage of population with access to energy varies significantly between countries and across regions. This is due to the nature of national socio-economic situations and energy resource availability in differing settings. This article addresses issues and hindrances to energy access in regional contexts and also examines, in particular, the prospects of how regional cooperation initiatives linked with climate change mitigation objectives could assist in widening energy access. Existing relevant regional cooperation initiatives that may be upscaled or used as models to widen access to modern energy services are evaluated. Findings are that regional cooperation initiatives linked with climate change mitigation can potentially facilitate widening energy access. However, in order to realise such potential, synergies from regional cooperation that are indirectly linked to energy and wider climate change mitigation programs should be harnessed. Recommendations are made for development of sustainable energy programs in energy deprived regions that will also mitigate climate change impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lawmaking body plays an important role in developing comprehensive policies and regulations that integrate aspects of climate mitigation and adaptation, and disaster risk reduction. The present research aims to understand how the effects of climate change in coastal areas have been addressed in the Brazilian policies and normative framework. A thorough review was carried out to identify and evaluate the main legislative documents and proposed management instruments available. Although only about half of the documents include detailed and explicit coastal guidelines, the analyzed normative framework presented a comprehensive scope that enables managers to tailor actions to their particular needs on the littoral. Policies addressing climate challenges are concentrated on a national scale. For instance, financial support actions to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions stand out, such as the economic resources presented by the National Climate Change Fund. Along the same lines, both the National Disaster Protection Policy and the Sectoral Plan for Sea Resources point out how the process of climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction is fundamentally related to financial investment in Marine Sciences and the permanent ocean and meteorological monitoring. Regarding the management instruments, only 13 are currently implemented, of which 10 explicitly address climate change. As an example, the Federal Coastal Zone Action Plan aims to establish future scenarios and subsidize adaptation strategies. In the state of Santa Catarina, the State Policy on Climate Change stands out as one of the most comprehensive available pieces of legislation, even though not specifically designed for the coastal zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restoration of composition, structure, and function in oak dominated ecosystems is the focus of management in temperate forests around the world. Land managers focused on oak ecosystem restoration are challenged by the legacy effects of complex land-use histories, urbanization, climate change, and potential stakeholder response to management. Trade-offs may exist between managing forests for climate mitigation (e.g., maximizing C storage or sequestration) and promoting shade-intolerant species historically associated with frequent or high-severity disturbances. This study assessed the potentially conflicting goals of sustained live biomass accrual and increased oak regeneration in the East Woods Natural Area at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL, USA. We evaluated how biomass trends and oak regeneration were related to management regimes, land-use history, current stand structure and composition, and topoedaphic factors. Our results indicated no significant trade-off between sustained live biomass accrual and oak regeneration. Live biomass was increasing across the landscape (biomass increment averaged 18,186 kg ha −1 yr −1 ) and was not strongly related to differences in management or land-use history. Oak regeneration was rare, especially beyond the seedling stage (∼226 seedlings and 9 saplings ha −1 ) and was also not strongly related to recent management. Our results indicate that even 20+ years of annual prescribed burning combined with understory thinning has failed to produce the open canopy conditions and high light availability that are necessary for successful oak recruitment. The absence of any trade-offs between biomass accrual and oak regeneration may, therefore, be largely related to the ineffectiveness of current management for promoting oak regeneration. More intensive management utilizing canopy manipulations could produce greater trade-offs, but is likely necessary to establish and release oak regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-term economics of mitigating climate change over the long run has played a high profile role in the most important analyses of climate change in the last decade, namely the Stern Report and the IPCC's Fourth Assessment. However, the various kinds of uncertainties that affect these economic results raise serious questions about whether or not the net costs and benefits of mitigating climate change over periods as long as 50 to 100 years can be known to such a level of accuracy that they should be reported to policymakers and the public. This paper provides a detailed analysis of the derivation of these estimates of the long-term economic costs and benefits of mitigation. It particularly focuses on the role of technological change, especially for energy efficiency technologies, in making the net economic results of mitigating climate change unknowable over the long run. Because of these serious technical problems, policymakers should not base climate change mitigation policy on the estimated net economic impacts computed by integrated assessment models. Rather, mitigation policies must be forcefully implemented anyway given the actual physical climate change crisis, in spite of the many uncertainties involved in trying to predict the net economics of doing so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Social risk perceptions affect farmers' response to climate change. • Farmers perceive social risks associated with belief in climate science and the adoption of associated practices. • Farmers' concerns include reduced access to neighborly networks of reciprocity. • Social risk perception can slow the pace and scale of climate action. • Agricultural advisors often reinforce climate change perceptions expressed by farmers. • Accounting for perceived social risks may improve climate policy and program effectiveness. Crop and livestock farmers must respond to climate change, including a range of physical and cultural impacts and risks. In rural northern California, farmers face extreme drought and catastrophic wildfires with increasing frequency. I draw on an extended case study of farmers and agricultural advisors in Siskiyou County to understand how rural agriculturalists perceive risks when navigating climate change discourses. While farmers are changing their management practices in response to the physical effects of climate change, many perceive substantial social risks within their communities if they align themselves publicly with climate change beliefs or actions. Perceived social consequences included loss of access to the benefits of membership in formal and informal farming groups. Efforts focused on educating or convincing farmers of climate science may, in some contexts, increase rather than decrease the perceived social risks of climate action. The framing of climate policies, programs, and practices – especially by public agricultural advisors like Cooperative Extension Advisors and local USDA staff (e.g., Farm Service Agency) – is important not only for increasing farmer participation, but also for reducing perceived social risks associated with climate change. Interventions that focus on livelihood impacts and validate existing land stewardship-oriented values have more potential to increase the pace and scale of climate change mitigation and adaptation in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global climate is going through a transformation due to increased GHG emissions. Urban transportation is one of the leading contributors to increased GHG emissions due to its dependency on fossil fuels. Mitigation measures are evaluated globally to reduce the emissions from the transport sector. These mitigation strategies have a disproportionate effect on the income-gender groups, and the emissions contribution is non-uniform across income levels and gender. It is imperative to understand the emissions contribution of these groups. In this study, the CO 2 and PM 2.5 emissions from a combination of eight income-gender groups together are estimated for four urban transport mitigation policy bundles. Further, the emission potential of each mitigation policy bundle for each income-gender group is calculated by comparing emissions from each policy bundle with respective BAU scenario emissions. For a better understanding, policy implication on each income-gender group's specific travel parameters like mode share, average trip length and vehicle kilometres travelled are also assessed. Bundle 4, which is a blend of planning, regulatory, economic and technological policy instruments, showed the highest mitigation potential across all income-gender groups. The study finds that the majority of the female groups showed the highest mitigation potential for both pollutants for 2030 and 2050. • Impact of climate change mitigation policies for urban transportation on income-gender. • Stricter policies with faster public transportation systems reduce emissions significantly. • Emissions reduction from female groups is higher than male groups. • Discussions on how analysis can influence transport planning and policy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to ensure success for climate change mitigation policies? For the past decades, local climate action has been amongst the main global priorities. The Covenant of Mayors initiative is a major example of bottom-up climate initiative gathering municipalities of all sizes towards GHG reduction under a harmonised framework. Now, after the end of the first phase of the initiative in 2020, would be the time to assess the impact and effectiveness of the planed actions, based on the results of the monitoring exercise. However, the level and quality of monitoring reported by participating municipalities was not as expected and required an initial deep analysis. This study investigates the reasons behind this low number by comparing statistically the action plans of the 1643 CoM municipalities monitoring their emissions against the 3411 municipalities not doing it. The paper describes how, despite technical and financial barriers, key factors such as the direct involvement of local staff, stakeholders in participatory processes from an early stage, accurate budget allocation, or the development of the plan and deployment of actions as soon as possible, enabling municipalities to track and monitor their progress towards their climate target. • Assessing CoM impact is challenging due to the lack of monitoring/progress reports. • The lack of monitoring is explained by technical and financial barriers. • Direct engagement of local staff and stakeholders is key for successful monitoring. • Barriers and drivers found are a valuable guidance for global climate actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• There is no single explanation for mitigation planning in European cities. • Four qualitatively different factor configurations are sufficient for planning. • City network membership is sufficient for about one half of the planning cities. • Domestic support only plays a positive role in combination with local capacity. Research on urban climate action has identified a broad range of potential factors explaining why and how local governments decide to tackle climate change. However, empirical evidence linking such factors in order to explain actual urban climate action has so far been mixed. To address this roadblock, our paper relies on a novel approach, postulating that different configurations of factors may lead to the same outcome ("equifinality"), through a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). It is based on an available data set of local climate mitigation plans in 885 European cities. We find that urban climate action is systematically associated with four qualitatively different configurations of factors, each with its own consistent narrative ("networker cities", "green cities", "lighthouse cities", "fundraising cities"). Crucially, some factors play a positive role in some configurations, a negative in others, and no role in further configurations (e.g., whether a city is located in a country with supportive national climate policies). This confirms that there is no single explanation for urban climate action. Achieving greater robustness in empirical research about urban climate action may thus require a shift, both conceptual and methodological, to the interactions between factors, allowing for different explanations in different contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Climate smart forestry (CSF) indicators based on forest inventory are presented. • Indicators were projected under management scenarios with a simulation model. • National carbon stock increases with current management, but regions differ. • Trade-offs occur between mitigation, adaptation and ecosystem services (ES). • The presented framework can support policy in balancing ES in the context of CSF. Climate-smart forestry (CSF) has gained increasing attention in recent years. Yet, a framework to assess the three pillars of CSF, in terms of mitigation and adaptation to climate change and ecosystem service (ES) provision based on national forest inventory (NFI) data is currently lacking. In this study, we present an assessment framework of CSF based on forest indicators derived from NFI. To quantify the three pillars of CSF we defined 1) mitigation based on the forest carbon stock, 2) adaptation using biodiversity and susceptibility to disturbances caused by storm and bark beetles and 3) ES provision with timber production and protection against avalanches and rockfall. We demonstrate the application of this framework using Swiss NFI data and projections of future forest development under four different management scenarios. Our results show that, in general, the carbon stock is increasing at the national scale when current management practices are maintained. Increases are especially pronounced in the Jura and Southern Alps regions. Trade-offs occur between enhancing mitigation and adaption, and the sustainable provision of ES such as timber production. Scenarios with increased harvesting intensities lead to a higher timber supply in the short-term, while decreasing the carbon stock, biodiversity-related old-growth indicators and the protective function of forests. The indicator framework presented in this study provides a first methodological approach that can support policy making to balance the different forest services in the context of CSF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy plays a crucial role in both climate change mitigation and adaptation in highly climate-vulnerable nations such as Nepal. This paper reviews various types of renewable energy technologies and their status, potential for adoption, relationship to climate change, and mitigative and adaptive roles in Nepal. Nepal has installed micro-hydro projects, solar power, improved cooking stoves, biogas technology, improved water mills, and wind energy to mitigate and adapt to climate change. There is a growing potential for renewable energy development in Nepal, such as hydropower, solar, wind energy, biogas, and improved cooking stoves. Roughly 70% of Nepal's energy consumption is generated from traditional energy sources while renewable energy accounts for approximately three percent. The gradual increase in the use of renewable energy has reduced greenhouse gas emissions and enhanced carbon sequestration. By adopting renewable energy technologies, Nepal has reduced emissions by 221,129 tCO 2 e from 2017 to 2018. Nepal's second Nationally Determined Contribution targets a 15% increase in national energy use from renewables with a reduction of 23% of CO 2 emissions by 2030 using biogas and improved cooking systems. Furthermore, a significant increase in the adoption of renewable energy has become a pivotal strategy in adaptation to climate change in social, health, and economic sectors resulting in time savings, alternative income sources, improved health and educational status, local job opportunities, and the promotion of social capital. The benefits of adapting to climate change and mitigating CO 2 emissions via renewable energy are significant at the local, national, and international levels. This study recommends that the government of Nepal focus work on energy policy reviews to address local energy demand and climate change issues by utilizing renewable energy resources at the local level, which has global implications. • Suitable, potential renewable energy technologies in Nepal. • The relationship between energy and climate change. • Relevant data on energy and climate change in tables and figures. • Social, economic, and environmental benefits of renewable energy. • Climate change adaptation and mitigation via renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmers' adoption of climate change mitigation measures is key to successfully reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. This article investigates the role of non-cognitive skills, namely self-efficacy and locus of control, in farmers' uptake of mitigation measures. The study is based on a combination of survey and census data from 105 farmers in Switzerland. Almost all farmers in our sample already adopt some of the considered measures to reduce greenhouse gases on their farm. On average, 37% of the mitigation measures available to the specific farm type are adopted. We find that a one standard deviation increase in non-cognitive skills is associated with a 20 to 40% higher share of adopted mitigation measures. This relationship is robust to the inclusion of a comprehensive vector of controls, inspired both from the agricultural economics and the psychology literature. Additionally, we find that omitted variable bias would need to be implausibly large to refute our findings. Finally, we explore potential mechanisms. The suggested pathway through which non-cognitive skills are associated with the adoption of climate change mitigation measures is the innovativeness of the farmers. Fostering farmers' non-cognitive skills could be an effective policy lever to accelerate the diffusion of climate change mitigation measures. • Understanding farmers' climate change mitigation behavior is key for reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. • Non-cognitive skills are positively associated with adoption of mitigation measures adoption. • Innovativeness is the suggested mechanism towards the uptake of greenhouse gas mitigation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The questionnaire assessed environmental awareness and knowledge about CCS technology. • The interviews were conducted using a face-to-face approach. • A structured research was employed using an ordinal qualitative scale. • Respondents were aware of the climate change. • Climate change mitigation actions are not a priority for respondents. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is considered an important option to mitigate climate change. However, the success of the new technology does not only depend on engineering practices and techniques but also involves social, political, and economic factors, as well as public acceptance. The discussion about CCS in Brazil is recent and few papers addressing Brazilian public perception and engagement with CCS were found. In this sense, this paper aims to analyze the environmental awareness about climate change and the citizens' perception of CCS technology. A public perception survey was conducted with 800 people in two Brazilian cities. Descriptive statistical techniques combined with hypothesis tests were performed to depict the results and to verify associations between different demographic groups to climate change issues and support for the development of CCS technology in Brazil. The results show that the public is aware of climate change and its consequences. However, despite public support for governmental development and investments in CCS technology, investments to mitigate climate change are not a priority for the population. Only 2% and 5% of interviewed citizens in the cities of São Mateus and Vitória, respectively, considered investments in climate change mitigation as a priority. More than 70% of respondents considered that other social elements, as health, public safety, and job creation, should be prioritized by the Brazilian government. The results suggest that the population needs more information about CCS technology and its impacts. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new definition of 'climate change transformation' and an accompanying typology is presented. • Climate change transformation is defined to include: 1) the explicit coordination of adaptation and mitigation actions. • 2) a new regime of 1.5 degrees Celsius (only) of warming by 2100. • 3) sufficient actions to be well adapted to this new regime. • The definition and typology aim to guide climate change decision making in the built environment. Climate change presents a threat to the sustainability of cities and their societies, and must be adequately addressed. Urban environments (cities) are responsible for the creation of a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions which are the source of climate change. Cities have been increasingly the focus of action to address climate change, yet emissions are not significantly reducing. Additionally, there a lack of integration between adaptation and mitigation. This prevents responses adequate to limit global warming to 1.5OC, and to be well adapted to anticipated changes. This paper critically analyses existing definitions and typologies of climate change actions. A definition of 'climate change transformation' is proposed which includes the integration of adaptation and mitigation goals to enable a new regime in which global warming is limited to 1.5OC. A new three-part typology: 'coping, malaction and transformation,' is presented for categorising climate change actions by the extent to which they integrate adaptation and mitigation, and define a new regime. The typology is accompanied by illustrations to demonstrate the relationship between adaptation and mitigation. The definition, typology and illustration serve to guide effective climate change decision making, and provides principles to guide application in urban environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Evaluates urban planning policy documents across scales of government and sectors. • Limited inclusion of climate change in urban policy documents was found. • Limited integration of climate change mitigation and adaptation was evident. • Identifies opportunities for climate change action to be implemented in land use planning. • Framework developed can assist urban planners meet Paris Agreement targets. Well-designed urban planning policy can mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to anticipated climate change impacts. However, there has been limited analysis of the extent to which urban planning policy documents addresses climate change adaptation and or mitigation. There is a need to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100, and to be well adapted to this change (in line with the Paris Agreement). Achieving this goal will assist in limiting damage and loss to humans and the natural environment. This paper presents a detailed qualitative and quantitative evaluation of urban planning documents (policy, regulation and law) in the state of Victoria, Australia, and the degree to which climate change mitigation and adaptation (with a focus on sea level rise) are addressed and integrated. Two scales of government (state and local) were analysed across three policy disciplines (urban planning, climate change and flood management). The evaluation framework contributes to the few tools for analyzing legislation, regulation and strategic policies for climate change adequacy. The findings reveal limited climate change adaptation and mitigation actions in urban planning documents. Additionally, there is limited integration of adaptation and mitigation actions. Important opportunities for better alignment of policies across disciplines and government levels in line Paris Agreement goals are identified, to ensure implementation in decisions made about land use and development. The analysis finds that urban planning policy must do more to include and integrate climate change adaptation and mitigation actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many cities around the world are increasingly developing plans and policies for mitigation and adaptation to climate change. These plans and policies are often focused on either mitigation or adaptation. This dichotomized approach can be problematic and result in trade-offs. In other words, efforts aimed at enhancing mitigation (adaptation) may hinder achieving adaptation (mitigation) objectives. Additionally, conflicts may arise as there might be inconsistencies between some mitigation and adaptation measures. Since trade-offs and conflicts between adaptation and mitigation measures can undermine effectiveness and efficiency of municipal activities, efforts should be made to avoid or minimize them. This study aims to provide a better understanding of potential trade-offs and conflicts through reviewing literature on the interactions between urban adaptation and mitigation measures. This is done through bibliographic analysis and detailed content analyses of selected papers. Results of this review show that research on trade-offs and conflict has gained traction since the publication of the fourth assessment report of The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. However, there is still a lack of empirical studies. In particular, limited research exists on the Global South cities. Also, according to the findings, existing research is mainly focused on trade-offs associated with measures related to energy, land use, transport, water, building, green infrastructure, and waste sectors. It is found that mitigation measures may have negative impacts on adaptation by increasing exposure to risks such as the urban heat island effect and flooding and/or by eroding livelihood options of poor and marginalized groups and causing equity concerns. In contrast, adaptation measures may increase greenhouse gas emissions by, among other things, reducing efficiency and increasing energy demand. It is discussed that integrated assessment frameworks should be utilized to deal with trade-offs and conflicts. Finally, some recommendations for better uptake of integrated frameworks are provided. • Conflicts and trade-offs between urban adaptation and mitigation measures are explored. • Conflicts and trade-offs have received more attention since publication of IPCC AR4 report. • Most trade-offs are related to energy, land use, transport, water, and building sectors. • The most recurring trade-offs of mitigation measures are related to equity and adaptive capacity. • Integrated assessment frameworks should be used to deal with conflicts and trade-offs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Farmers´ preferences for actions towards climate change were analyzed. • Preferences were related to farmers' ecocentric environmental attitude and farm typology. • Farmers tend to prefer the adaptation actions more frequently than the mitigation one. • Using low polluting emission machinery and new irrigation infrastructure were preferred. • Designing agricultural policy tools should be inclusive and developed at micro level. Climate change compromises sustainable agricultural development. It has deep economic, environmental, and social impacts, particularly on vulnerable rural regions in developing countries where agriculture constitutes the backbone of the economy. This study analyzes farmers' preferences regarding the potential implementation of several mitigation and adaptation actions addressing climate change. Data were collected on 370 farmers in the "Valle del Carrizo" region of northwestern México. Using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodology, the farmers' preferred mitigation and adaptation actions were identified and related to their stated attitudes regarding risks using the Multiple Price List (MPL) lotteries approach. Farmers' environmental beliefs and perceptions as key means of understanding concepts of sustainability were related to their preferences. The use of less polluting machinery and investment in improving irrigation infrastructure were identified as the most preferred actions. Environmental opinions reviewed using the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale allowed for the identification of the participants' ecocentric and anthropocentric attitudes, highlighting the commitment of most farmers to the sustainable use of natural resources. Agricultural policies should be developed according to farmers' preferences and behaviors. The design and implementation of measures and policy tools addressing climate change should be inclusive and developed at the micro-level considering farm and farmer typologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The climatic mitigation potential of façade is assessed for four different climates. • The impact of facade and ground properties on T mrt is assessed. • A novel Ladybug workflow which couples indoor and outdoor is validated. Within the bounds of climate change, the design of public spaces and buildings must contribute to the local thermal mitigation. In this context, there has been a considerable body of research emphasis on reducing the Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon via the resurfacing of public spaces, streets and roofs, with vegetation and cool materials. At the time of writing, minor attention has been given to how buildings' façades could affect outdoor temperature ranges. Whereas facades are studied according to their capabilities of reducing building energy demand and grant indoor comfort, but scarce attention has been given to how their surfaces properties are affecting local microclimates. The proposed work thus assesses the thermal mitigation potential of façades properties such as windows to wall ratios and finishes attribute, such as reflectivity and emissivity. The study, starting from the definition and calibration of a Ladybug Tools' simulation workflow for the assessment of outdoor comfort conditions, simulates urban canyons located in three climate types (temperate warm, temperate cold, and tropical arid), parametrises façade types, along with canyon aspect ratios and ground thermal properties. By creating a hierarchy of importance of interventions between aspect ratios, ground and façade finishes, the work offers information useful to foster site-specific climate mitigation plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanisation and industrialisation led to the increase of ambient particulate matter (PM) concentration. While subsequent regulations may have resulted in the decrease of some PM matrices, the simultaneous changes in climate affecting local meteorological conditions could also have played a role. To gain an insight into this complex matter, this study investigated the long-term trends of two important matrices, the particle mass (PM 2.5) and particle number concentrations (PNC), and the factors that influenced the trends. Mann-Kendall test, Sen's slope estimator, the generalised additive model, seasonal decomposition of time series by LOESS (locally estimated scatterplot smoothing) and the Buishand range test were applied. Both PM 2.5 and PNC showed significant negative monotonic trends (0.03–0.6 μg m−3. yr−1 and 0.40–3.8 × 103 particles. cm−3. yr−1, respectively) except Brisbane (+0.1 μg m−3. yr−1 and +53 particles. cm−3. yr−1, respectively). For the period covered in this study, temperature increased (0.03–0.07 °C.yr−1) in all cities except London; precipitation decreased (0.02–1.4 mm. yr−1) except in Helsinki; and wind speed was reduced in Brisbane and Rochester but increased in Helsinki, London and Augsburg. At the change-points, temperature increase in cold cities influenced PNC while shifts in precipitation and wind speed affected PM 2.5. Based on the LOESS trend, extreme events such as dust storms and wildfires resulting from changing climates caused a positive step-change in concentrations, particularly for PM 2.5. In contrast, among the mitigation measures, controlling sulphur in fuels caused a negative step-change, especially for PNC. Policies regarding traffic and fleet management (e.g. low emission zones) that were implemented only in certain areas or in a progressive uptake (e.g. Euro emission standards), resulted to gradual reductions in concentrations. Therefore, as this study has clearly shown that PM 2.5 and PNC were influenced differently by the impacts of the changing climate and by the mitigation measures, both metrics must be considered in urban air quality management. Image 1 • Both PM 2.5 and PNC had a monotonic downward trend in all cities except Brisbane. • Extreme events due to changing climates caused positive step-changes to PM 2.5. • Negative step-changes in PNC were observed upon regulation of sulphur in fuels. • Gradual reduction of PM 2.5 and PNC was achieved by traffic and fleet management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With nearly 70% of the world population expected to live in cities by 2050, assessing the sustainability of urban systems, both existing and future ones, is becoming increasingly relevant. Making cities more sustainable is a global priority, which is highlighted by 'Sustainable Cities and Communities' being listed as one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) adopted by United Nations Member States in 2015. This Virtual Special Issue (VSI) explores the implementation and assessment of policies and technologies that contribute to the transition to a sustainable, energy efficient and regenerative society. We organized the issue according to four main research themes: 1) Renewable Energy Systems (i.e., different types of systems, qualitative assessments and public acceptance); 2) Sustainable Built Environment (which includes construction, operation and refurbishment); 3) Multi-Scale Models (considering urban sustainability transition from building to districts, or cities and regions to multi-country comparisons and their scaling across different countries); and 4) Governance and Policy (climate change mitigation and adaptation plans/policies that are reported across countries, urban services and infrastructures). This paper serves two purposes. The first is to provide an analysis about patterns, correlations and synergies found across the different topics that have been addressed over the last 20 years in the literature about cities' sustainability paths. A bibliometric analysis and a contingency matrix show the degree of correlation between scientific journals and main topics addressed by published articles. Secondly, the paper acts as an Editorial to the VSI, introducing the wealth of research articles and topics included in it. Both the bibliometric analysis and the papers published in this VSI demonstrate the interconnectedness of energy consumption, pollutant emissions and the competition for finite resources. The aim is to present advances and challenges of this exciting and ever-evolving research field to inform and guide future studies of urban sustainability. • We carried out a bibliometric analysis of the literature using the Cortext Manager platform· Using network analysis of a corpus of paper spanning 20 years we identified 8 major clusters. • The paper serves also as editorial for a virtual special issue dealing with urban sustainability pathways. • The virtual special issue is organised in four main themes, which touch upon different Sustainable Development Goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]