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Climate disruption today represents a threat to the environment and sustainable development. Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) is an appropriate adaptation approach to climate change. It allows producers to improve their production and act on their food security, despite the conditions of climate change while limiting the causes arising from agriculture. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of CSA, through the use of harvest residues in cassava fields, on the income and food security of cassava producing households in Savalou. The three-stage sampling method made it possible to draw a random sample of 360 cassava producers including 180 users of pigeon pea, mucuna and peanut harvest residues. The average income from cassava production during the last 12 months (until July 2023) is 366,400 FCFA with 387,340 FCFA for beneficiaries compared to 322,060 FCFA for non-beneficiaries. The impact analysis was done with the matching method based on propensity scores. The results of this impact study showed that this adoption contributes to improving income from cassava production by 35,135 FCFA and household food security by 0.10 points, on average per household per year. It would therefore be useful to promote and improve this type of agriculture, in order to ensure sustainable development of the agricultural sector and improve food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of removing sulfur compounds and aromatic compounds to produce clean fuel is an important and effective contribution to the processes of mitigating and adapting to climate change. In contrast, it is necessary to find an innovative way to remove sulfur and carcinogenic aromatic compounds because clean, low-sulfur diesel is commonly used in all countries of the world at the present time. Therefore, in this work, we have studied the effect of the microwave radiation power and the irradiation time with the use of more than one type of organic solvent; methanol, acetonitrile and ethyl acetoacetate; as an extractant and solvent to feed ratio impact on the removal of sulfur and aromatic compounds of a real diesel fuel feed which has 450 ppm sulfur content and 16 wt% aromatic Content. The results showed that the best solvent used during this work was ethyl acetoacetate. According to the results, high sulfur removal (≈ 92%) was accomplished with microwave-assisted extractive desulfurization technique under the following ideal conditions: the irradiation time is 7 min, the solvent feed ratio is 3:1 and the microwave intensity is 180 W. To reveal the mechanism of microwave-assisted extractive desulfurization via different organic solvents, a theoretical study including structural examination and interaction energy analysis on the interaction between dibenzothiophene (DBT) or dimethyl dibenzothiophene (DMDBT) and the different organic solvents was also conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming poses an unprecedented threat to agroecosystems. Although temperature increases are more pronounced during winter than in other seasons, the impact of winter warming on crop biomass carbon has not been elucidated. Here we integrate global observational data with a decade-long field experiment to uncover a significant negative correlation between winter soil temperature and crop biomass carbon. For every degree Celsius increase in winter soil temperature, straw and grain biomass carbon decreased by 6.6 (± 1.7) g kg-1 and 10.2 (± 2.3) g kg-1, respectively. This decline is primarily attributed to the loss of soil organic matter and micronutrients induced by warming. Ignoring the adverse effects of winter warming on crop biomass carbon could result in an overestimation of total food production by 4% to 19% under future warming scenarios. Our research highlights the critical need to incorporate winter warming into agricultural productivity models for more effective climate adaptation strategies. This study reveals that winter soil warming causes significant crop biomass carbon loss due to soil organic matter degradation. Ignoring this effect could lead to a 4-19% overestimation of future food production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The south-western coastal area of Bangladesh proximity to Sundarbans is a hot spot of climate change. The perception and problems along with associated risks to the adaptation of climate change are not well understood. However, the present study was conducted in 2020–2021 through a multistage sampling technique, questionnaire survey, and focus group discussions (FGD). In addition, the Likert scale and the INFORM model are used to understand perceptions, problems, and extent of risks response to climate change adaptation in the study area. This study illustrates that early-aged illiterate, medium families (5–7 in numbers) and $ 18.45–$ 36.88 per month income level are more susceptible to the adaptation of climate change. The majority of the respondents are dependent on natural resources, such as rainwater (67.3%), dried leaves (65.4%, and fishing from Sundarbans (80.6%). Besides, most of the respondents experienced disasters (66.7%), water logging and salinity (65.05%), waterborne diseases (89.5%), and monetary problems (81%), which forced them to stay in a more critical lifestyle. The perception level was high in the unconcerned level (77.15%) followed by concerned (11.4%) and very concerned (9.5%), while only 1.95% showed neutral and none of them were very concerned. Likewise, in the study region, respondents are confronted with a variety of risks and exposure (42%), vulnerabilities (33%), and lack of capacity (25%). Also, significant differences in perception level and no significant differences were observed in risk level in this study. These findings insights into the necessity of educational and financial interventions to optimize identified risks and problems and increase the perception level of effective policy-making processes and adaptation strategies to the adaptation of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scots pine is of greatest importance in northern Germany regarding its cultivation area and expected capability to perform in climate change. However, pine predominantly occurs in monocultures. Therefore, future pine forestry depends on an adaptation to climate change while improving ecological and economic forest functions. Yet future development of pine remains uncertain due to leeway in silvicultural guidelines and future climate. This study questions: (i) what is the range of future pine shares under climate change and different silvicultural management in northern Germany, (ii) how will the current stands develop and (iii) what is the range of uncertainty arising from climate models and silvicultural options? To answer these issues we (i) selected forest development types site- and climate-sensitively to either minimize or to maximize pine shares, (ii) simulated four, now practiced forest management scenarios for 50 years based on the German National Forest Inventory and (iii) analyzed the differences, to be interpreted as uncertainty. Novel to our approach is the site- and climate-sensitive selection of forest development types on large scales which emphasizes the contrasts of the different management guidelines. The results show that growing stock and cultivation area will decrease even if pine is promoted in forestry. The predicted restoration rate ranges from 50 to 72% depending on scenario and previous thinning regime. In conclusion, under the given management concepts and considering today's high proportion of old pine, restoration is alarmingly slow. Amid the rapidly changing climate, we recommend to further adjust the management guidelines to accelerate forest restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to understand a physical mechanism to determine the surface temperature of clothes in calm and fine conditions of outdoors. We observed surface temperatures of polo shirts of the same material and design but different colors. The shirts were placed in unshaded and well-ventilated outdoor, open spaces on sunny summer days. The maximum difference between dark green or black and white was more than 15 °C during calm, fine weather and was greatest when the solar radiation was strong. If the transmission of solar radiation energy through a shirt is ignored to calculate the absorption by the shirt, the difference in solar radiation absorption due to different colors is as much as 24% in the maximum, and if considered, we concluded that an absorption difference of 34% led to a temperature difference of 15℃. When we compared the brightness of the colors, we found that the albedo of both the visible and NIR bands explained why the red and green colors were so different with respect to the surface temperatures we observed. The reflection in the NIR bands was also an important determinant of the surface temperature. An additional experiment using masks showed that the temperature difference between white and black was almost eliminated at a wind speed of ~ 3 m/s. The color of clothing is therefore a target for small-scale adaptation to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) has become the most widely grown cereal crop in the Nordic-Baltic region, but due to climate change, its yields are under increasing risk. Here we present results of an international effort to use available wheat germplasm from the region to identify tools and genotypes for breeding wheat varieties with improved stability. We formed a panel of 300 spring wheat genotypes from the Nordic-Baltic region and studied their phenotypic diversity across environments to identify genotypes with high potential for adaptation to a changing climate. Field experiments were carried out in 2021 and 2022 in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Norway. The performance and stability of yield (GY), protein content (PC), thousand kernel weight (TKW), test weight (TW), length of growing period (GP), and nine other traits were studied. Drought and excessive rainfall occurred in the Baltic countries in 2021–2022, whereas the weather in Norway was more stable. High variability for most traits, and significant GxE effects for all studied traits, were identified. We identified stable genotypes combining yield and quality using the AMMI model-based Weighted Average of Absolute Scores index (WAASB). Finally, we selected nineteen superior genotypes that combined high yield with high values of important quality traits. Thus, combining broad Nordic-Baltic wheat germplasm with extensive field phenotyping, we identified promising breeding material to develop climate-ready spring wheat varieties for the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Living with wildfires in an era of climate change requires adaptation and weaving together many forms of knowledge. Empirical evidence of knowledge co-production in wildfire management is lacking in Mediterranean European areas. We explored how local ecological knowledge can be leveraged to reduce wildfire risk through an adaptation pathways process in the Montseny massif and wider Tordera River watershed of Catalonia, Spain: an area stewarded through forestry and agriculture, tourism, nature conservation, and fire management. We combined different methods (e.g., a timeline and Three Horizons framework) throughout three workshops with agents of change to co-create adaptation pathways to reduce wildfire risk, integrating a historical perspective of the landscape while envisioning desirable futures. Our results showed that local ecological knowledge and other soft adaptation strategies contribute to innovative sustainable development initiatives that can also mitigate wildfire risk. The adaptation pathways approach holds much potential to inform local policies and support wildfire-based community initiatives in diverse contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the uncertainties posed by climate change, resilience has become an increasingly important variable for evaluating regional ecosystem stability. The assessment of Ecological Network Resilience (ENR) is crucial for establishing mitigation strategies and sustainable socioeconomic development in arid regions. Shiyang River Basin is an arid watershed in Northwest China with complex characteristics, its ENR and spatial differentiation characteristics in 2020 were investigated in this work based on the Complex Adaptive System (CAS) theory. The results indicated that the mean Ecological Network Resilience Index (ENRI) value for the Shiyang River Basin was 0.390 in 2020, and the mean values in the southern mountainous, middle oasis, and northern desert regions of the basin were 0.598, 0.461, and 0.237, respectively, demonstrating evident spatial differences. Additionally, the ENR of the basin exhibited distinct distribution characteristics across different dimension, whereas the trend of the integrated ENR of the basin was consistent with that of elemental, structural, and functional resilience, indicating the constructed three-region ENR model based on the logical relationship of element-structure-function was suitable for evaluation of the ENR in arid inland river watersheds. Furthermore, strategies for enhancing regional ENR were proposed from the perspective of adapting to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to analyse the potential impact of future climate change on grassland cover in Burkina Faso. MODIS NDVI 250 m time series were used to monitor changes in grassland over 2000–2022. The random forest regression (RFR) model was fit by regressing reference data of grassland cover against current climatic and other environmental predictors to predict the current grassland cover map (2022). Projected climate model data of CMIP6 used under SSP 126 and SSP 585 scenarios were integrated into the fit RFR model to predict future change. The results revealed that grassland areas were largely dominated by non-significant productivity change (55%) during 2000–2022. In this period, grassland area knew more increased productivity (35%) than decrease (10%). Burkina Faso is predicted to face more decreased areas of grassland cover than increase by 2061–2080 under SSP 126 and SSP 585 scenarios. The findings of this study can help to set up appropriate adaptation measures to combat climate change in Burkina Faso. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work combines the Support Vector Machine (SVM) model with Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD) to present a novel method for drought prediction. The EEMD-SVM model is assessed for drought forecasting, comparing it to conventional Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) and SVM models. This study uses monthly precipitation data from Bamyan province in Central Afghanistan, spanning January 1970 to December 2019, including Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) timelines: SPI 3, SPI 6, SPI 9, and SPI 12. To evaluate predictive effectiveness, statistical measures such as R-squared (R²), mean absolute error (MAE), and root-mean-square error (RMSE) are used. Each SPI series is decomposed into Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs) and a residual series using the EEMD approach. The next stage projects each IMF component and residual using the appropriate SVM model. The final step creates an ensemble forecast for the original SPI series by combining the anticipated results of the residual series with the modeled IMFs. Compared to traditional ARIMA and SVM models, results show that the EEMD-SVM technique greatly improves drought forecasting accuracy, especially for mid- and long-term SPI. For example, in the testing period, SPI 9 yields an RMSE of 0.1632, MAE of 0.1208, and R² of 0.9357, while for SPI 12, RMSE is 0.1078, MAE is 0.0745, and R² is 0.9141, indicating the best criteria with the lowest RMSE and MAE and highest R² compared to conventional ARIMA and SVM. This novel technology could enhance the capacity to forecast drought episodes, leading to more efficient water resource management and climate adaptation plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nations worldwide are committing to international environmental agreements and defining aspirational goals aligned with their sustainable development priorities and responsibilities. The post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework is an example of such aspirations. Under this framework, nations aim to expand protected areas or create new ones as one way to integrate conservation and climate change agendas. However, implementing those high-level agreements does not necessarily align with local realities and dynamics. In this paper we examined the operational challenges experienced by protected areas actors to adapt conservation strategies to climate change. Based on interviews at the local level and a policy analysis, we identify adaptation narratives and explore potential mismatches in their implementation at the national and local level (protected areas) in three countries: Australia, Colombia, and South Africa. We assess how local visions and interpretations of adaptation align with high-level policies and how existing institutional arrangements facilitate or constrain the implementation of adaptation and, therefore, aspirations for long-term sustainability. We found that adaptation narratives at the local level are framed by common ideas and identities based on local relations within a territory. At the same time, existing governance arrangements and political contexts determine the feasibility of adaptation. The primary mismatches are high-level political and economic interests denoting different interpretations about the territory and of local realities, including the readiness, technical, and resource capacity of protected areas actors to implement adaptation. Place-based adaptation provides a common ground for scaling adaptation. However, scaling adaptation requires enabling institutional contexts, clear rules and policies to facilitate deliberations and coordinated responses across different actors and sectors, while guiding the uptake and integration of local needs and realities within national agendas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is predicted to cause severe economic, social, and environmental impacts to cities across the globe. As such, it is paramount for cities to implement cost-effective and functional adaptation policies that reduce these negative impacts. One such approach is the incorporation of ecosystems services into the built environment as a form of green infrastructure. This approach leverages the provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services of ecosystems to build urban resilience that persists with ongoing climate uncertainty. To connect concepts in literature to planning policy and contribute a Canadian example to global discourse, this paper has two overarching objectives: (1) to assess the extent to which the City of Edmonton's policy approach to build urban resilience includes ecosystem services; and, (2) to identify gaps in this approach and provide recommendations for improvement. Findings highlight that ecosystem services are associated with the key themes of climate resilience, public health benefits, biodiversity preservation and economic savings. This research also identifies key gaps in Edmonton's resilience-building endeavor which include the frequent separation of human and non-human systems, limited consideration for social accessibility, and an underdeveloped approach to ecosystem service evaluation. Recommendations are provided to address these gaps. Highlights: The adaptive capacity of ecosystems supports urban resilience. Edmonton leverages ecosystems for climate, health, and economic benefits. Human and non-human systems are viewed as separate, limiting policy effectiveness. Equity and accessibility should be better incorporated into ecosystem provisioning. The urban integration of green infrastructure benefits from a systems approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has caused several significant risks to agro-economy in developing regions. Adaptations to climate change can improve farmers' resilience in agricultural production. Several studies revealed that farmers' adaptations are not based purely on farmers' individual competencies. This study attempts to contribute to the existing literature by exploring the relationship between social capital and farmers' climate change adaptations (CCA). We specified social capital into two components including social networks and training participation. Based on the primary data collected from 422 banana farmers in Southern China, poisson endogenous treatment effect model (PET) was used to estimate the effect of social capital on farmers' adoption intensity of CCA and examine the determinants of farmers' participation in social capital. The results reveal that social capital through both components significantly increased farmers' adoption intensity of CCA, highlighting the importance of social capital to boost farmers' intensity adoption of CCA in rural areas. Furthermore, education, political participation, land fertility, membership in farmer-based organizations, and income were significant incentives influencing farmers' participation in social capital. Policymakers are suggested to better understand farmers' adaptation decisions under weather variability and consider social capital in promoting adaptation strategies to enhance farmers' resilience in farming activities under climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural loans are critically linked with agricultural productivity. Agricultural productivity has a significant dependency on climate contingencies. This motivates us to explore the impacts of the climate change on recovery of agricultural loans caused by losses in agricultural productivity. Using panel data from 82 districts of Pakistan over a period of 21 years, i.e., 2000–2020, we estimate the sensitivity of agricultural productivity to climate change in each district. Using these sensitivities, we then apply Panel-Corrected Standard Errors (PCSE) Regression to estimate whether climate change sensitivities of agricultural productivity have any impact on the recoveries of agricultural loans across the sampled districts. We find that the impact of climate change on agricultural loan recoveries is asymmetric. Specifically, negative sensitivities to climate change result in lower recoveries, while positive sensitivities led to enhanced loan recoveries. Our study is unique as it provides evidence of the impact of climate change on agricultural productivity as well as loan recoveries in a set of district-level data. We built a unique climate change index to measure the level of climate change and also introduced a framework to measure climate change sensitivities of agricultural productivity in our sample districts. We believe that this novel approach is an addition to the existing literature on climate change. We suggest that while devising agricultural and credit policies the governments and banks must consider investing in educating the farmer's on climate change adaptation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing disaster risk governance is crucial for improving the ability to cope with and adapt to the impacts of climate change. China experiences a diverse range of natural disasters distributed widely across the country. The evolving demographic, socio-economic, and geographic landscape requires heightened attention as it significantly shapes the extent and dynamics of regional vulnerability to natural hazards. This study aims to evaluate the spatial and temporal changes of social vulnerability in China based on data at the county level in the years of 2000, 2010 and 2020. The Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) was constructed by adopting nine demographic and socio-economic variables drawn from the variables in the US CDC SVI framework using Principal Component Analysis. Both economic development and demographic factors played important roles in determining the patterns of spatial distribution of SVI over the period. Result of spatial data analysis reveals distinctive and stable spatial heterogeneity of social vulnerability across counties. Furthermore, we applied the SVI with real-world impact data to validate the effectiveness and relevance of the constructed index. Using drought risk as an illustrative example, the research also assessed the applicability of the SVI in evaluating drought risks in China, considering hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. Public and private decision-makers can use the constructed SVI to identify hot spots and population subgroups that are most vulnerable to natural hazards to inform and facilitate adequate risk prevention and management at the national and local levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In March 2020, an extreme rainfall in Baixada Santista, Brazil, led to a series of landslides affecting more than 2800 people and resulting losses exceeding USD 43 million. This attribution study compared extreme rainfall in two large ensembles of the UK Met Office Hadley Centre HadGEM3-GA6 model that represented the event with and without the effects of anthropogenic climate change. Antecedent rainfall conditions on two different timescales are considered, namely extreme 60-day rainfall (Rx60day) which relates to the soil moisture conditions and extreme 3-day rainfall (Rx3day) which represents landslide triggering heavy rainfall. In the scenario including both natural and human-induced factors the antecedent 60 day rainfall became 74% more likely, while the short-term trigger was 46% more likely. The anthropogenic contribution to changes in rainfall accounted for 20–42% of the total losses and damages. The greatest economic losses occurred in Guarujá (42%), followed by São Vicente (30%) and Santos (28%). Landslides were responsible for 47% of the homes damaged, 85% of the homes destroyed, all reported injuries, and 51% of the deaths associated with heavy rainfall. Changes in land cover and urbanization showed a pronounced increase in urbanized area in Guarujá (107%), São Vicente (61.7%) and Santos (36.9%) and a reduction in farming area. In recent years, the region has experienced an increase in population growth and a rise in the proportion of irregular and/or precarious housing in high-risk areas. Guarujá has the highest number of such dwellings, accounting for 34.8%. Our estimates suggest that extreme precipitation events are having shorter return periods due to climate change and increased urbanization and population growth is exposing more people to these events. These findings are especially important for decision-makers in the context of disaster risk reduction and mitigation and adaptation to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses a state-of-the-art regional climate model (RCM) to examine how tropical deforestation affects the meteorology of the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM). Incorporating insights from existing research on deforestation by climate scientists, alongside evidence of environmental deterioration in semi-arid, hilly and tropical regions of Southeast Asia, this research seeks to elucidate the critical influence of anthropogenic reasons of climate change on the hydroclimate of ISM. Employing "tropical deforestation" design experiments with the ICTP-RegCMv4.4.5.10 RCM the study evaluates the effects on meteorological parameters including precipitation, circulation patterns and surface parameters. This experimental design entails substituting vegetation type in the land use map of RegCMv4.4.5.10 model, such as deciduous and evergreen trees in Southeast Asia with "short grass" to mimic tropical deforestation. Findings reveal that deforestation induces abnormal anti-cyclonic circulation over eastern India curtails moisture advection, diminishing latent heat flux and moisture transport, leads to a decrease in precipitation compared to control experiment scenario. Alterations in albedo and vegetation roughness length attributable to deforestation impact temperature, humidity, precipitation, consequently exacerbating drought and heatwave occurrences. Additionally, the study also explores deforestation-induced feedback on ISM precipitation variability. The study concludes that deforestation substantially alters land-surface characteristics, water and energy cycle, and atmospheric circulation, thereby influencing regional climate dynamics. These findings offer foundational insights into comprehending land-use and land-cover changes and their implications for climate change adaptation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of reclaimed water is expected to increase in the coming years, mainly in water-scarce areas. In the European Union (EU), an increase in the use of reclaimed water is expected to play a significant role within the European circular economy strategy and climate change adaptation policies with the aim to enhance overall sustainability of water resource management. While several institutions have offered estimations of the potential of reclaimed water reuse in the EU context, these estimations tend to overestimate potential reuse volumes since they fail to fully consider the following important issues: (a) the role of return flows in basins where cascade reuse is crucial in maintaining downstream uses (including ecological flows); (b) the availability of abundant (and cheaper) conventional resources; and (c) the economic productivity of water as an indicator of users' willingness to pay for reclaimed water. This study focuses on the Spanish case since this is currently the EU member state with the highest potential for reclaimed water reuse. Findings show that previous estimations of reusable water volumes in Spain may have overestimated potential volumes. The proposed analysis can be extrapolated to other EU regions, where realistic estimations of the potential of reclaimed water might be much needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Reliable infrastructure is vital for Nordic societies, but they face escalating climate risks. Climate change is increasing magnitude and frequency of floods, storms, and landslides, making adaptive solutions crucial. Methods: This review explores Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) for mitigating natural hazards along Nordic linear infrastructure. The motivation of the review comes as result of a preliminary survey conducted among to the main infrastructure managers in the Fennoscandian peninsula. The objective was to pinpoint the natural hazards that pose greatest concern under future climate scenarios, as well as to understand which specific information is needed to adopt NbS Results: Floods, erosion, landslides and rockfalls emerged as primary hazards of concern for the infrastructure owners, hence the review process was focused only on NbS aimed at mitigating the effects of these specific hazards. A total of 78 documents were identified from the review process and were integrated with examples and case studies from other relevant on-going and past projects. Despite only a few of the NbS identified in these documents were directly implemented for linear infrastructure such as roads and railways, and none dealing with electric grids, several NbS were identified to have a potential for implementation for Nordic linear infrastructure. A list of NbS options, not all implemented along linear infrastructure but with potential for it, is provided. This list is meant to serve as "vade mecum" for a quick and easy access to NbS as mitigation options for linear infrastructure managers in the Nordic Countries. The NbS are classified in green, blue, green/blue and hybrid approaches, and supported by examples of case studies both in the Nordic Countries as well as countries having similar climates. Conclusions: This review underlines the challenges and opportunities of adopting NbS. Challenges such as the lack of expertise, space and climate constraints, and path dependency on adoption of traditional infrastructure must be addressed to mainstream NbS. The review highlights the importance of standardization, European guidelines, and technical manuals in promoting NbS adoption among infrastructure managers, as well as the necessity of accounting for the wider co-benefits of NbS, including carbon sequestration, biodiversity and ecosystem services. This paper contributes to the understanding of NbS as potential natural hazards mitigation options for Nordic infrastructure networks in the face of evolving climate risks, providing valuable insights for infrastructure managers and policymakers alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Case studies from global cities contribute to more focused analyses of global warming challenges and demonstrate the performance and effectiveness of mitigation and adaptation strategies to identify lessons about success at the city scale. The case studies were chosen to demonstrate aspects of the critical messages for action priorities in global warming mitigation and adaptation. This work focuses on best practices and initiatives for mitigation and adaptation approaches from developed and developing economies, including North American cities, European cities, Asian cities, and other global cities worldwide. The case studies were grouped to examine, identify, and emphasize important factors in various areas (e.g., local programs and alliances, governance, stakeholder engagement, community actions, and scientific research) that determined the success of adaptation strategies in various global cities. Many recent studies showcase mitigation approaches, particularly those relating to blue-green infrastructure and nature-based strategies. The case studies selected reflect vulnerable regions and demonstrate how increasing global warming significantly concerns individuals, societies, and their infrastructure. The selected studies include Amsterdam in Netherlands; Singapore, as a city in a garden; Boston in USA; Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan in India, aimed at implementing strategies with the objectives of climate adaptation planning; Copenhagen, as a coastal town, is more susceptible to flooding; Portland, the most progressive city in USA; Hamburg in Germany, one of the biggest harbours in Europe; and the 'Rain City Strategy', in Vancouver, Canada. Not all global cities respond the same way, but undertaking joint complex efforts helps mitigate the impacts. [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]

Smallholder farmers, who mostly engage in low-value agriculture in the drylands of Northern Africa, were the first to have felt the effects of climate change, with threats to their livelihoods and food security. The increasing costs of agricultural production, poor water and energy infrastructure, loss of agricultural land due to urban expansion, fragmented resource management, and unsustainable management practices all contribute to this vulnerability to climate change. This highlights the urgent need for innovative practices in farming systems. Within the framework of the water–energy–food–ecosystem nexus, this paper explores innovative practices in dryland farming systems, by assessing their impact on water, energy, food, and ecosystem through stakeholder perception. In this work, we aim to present a systems approach for assessing the resilience of the water–energy–food–ecosystem nexus in arid and semiarid regions. By using a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) approach, the study—which focuses on the Fès–Meknès region in Morocco—involves local actors to help researchers identify the key variables in order to assist farmers in their adaptation to climate change. The findings revealed different priorities between farmers and other stakeholders regarding the adoption of agricultural innovations. Farmers prioritize innovations that guarantee higher profitability and more market opportunities, such as integrating olive trees with cereal crops, by highlighting the importance of sustainable income sources. Meanwhile, stakeholders, such as researchers, engineers, government officials, and agribusiness entrepreneurs, prioritize innovations that emphasize high water use efficiency, which is crucial for the resilience of dryland farming areas: for instance, rainwater harvesting or the use of drought-resistant crop varieties that directly address the need for water conservation. But in doing so they are overlooking broader aspects within the water–energy–food–ecosystem nexus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to assess agricultural vulnerability in the context of climate change, focusing on the diverse districts of Odisha. Acknowledging that vulnerability is influenced by exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity, our research incorporates the growth rate and instability of vital performance indicators to evaluate the relative vulnerability of each district. A key strength of this approach is the use of normalized indicators, weighted in accordance with the proportional acreage of major crops in each district relative to the state, culminating in a comprehensive vulnerability index through the aggregation of these weighted components. Our findings reveal significant variability in the vulnerability profiles across districts, thereby necessitating state-level intervention through tailored "Location Performance Vulnerability" based adaptation strategies. These strategies, including early weather warning systems, development of new and early maturing crop varieties, and adjustment of crop planting dates, are crucial for mitigating the adverse effects of climate change on agriculture. The study's methodology and findings offer significant contributions to the field, providing policymakers and stakeholders with a district-specific framework for climate change adaptation. This approach is especially relevant for the international academic and policy-making communities, as it highlights the importance of localized adaptation strategies in the broader context of global climate change resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate-driven changes in freshwater inputs have been shown to affect the structure and function of coastal ecosystems. We evaluated changes in the influence of river runoff on coastal systems of Northwestern Patagonia (NWP) over recent decades (1993–2021) by combined analysis of long-term streamflow time series, hydrological simulation, satellite-derived and reanalysis data on sea surface conditions (temperature, turbidity, and salinity). Significant decreases in minimum streamflow across a zone spanning six major river basins were evident at weekly, monthly, and seasonal scales. These changes have been most pronounced in mixed-regime northern basins (e.g., Puelo River) but appear to be progressing southward to rivers characterised by a nival regime. In the adjacent two-layer inner sea, reduced freshwater input corresponds with a shallower halocline and increased surface temperatures across northern Patagonia. Our results underscore the rapidly evolving influence of rivers on adjacent estuarine and coastal waters in NWP. We highlight the need for cross-ecosystem observation, forecasting, mitigation and adaptation strategies in a changing climate, together with corresponding adaptive basin management of systems that supply runoff to the coastal marine waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has caused pastoralists to face serious challenges all around the world. To reduce climate change vulnerability, adaptation strategies need to be adopted by pastoralists. In this regard, the present research was done to seek the reasons for the failure of the northeastern pastoralists of Iran in adopting climate change adaptation strategies. The study is descriptive, which conducted by a field survey. The target population included 249 pastoralists from 7 pastoral units, of whom 148 people were selected as sample size using the stratified random sampling technique. The survey instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire. The content validity and face validity of the questionnaire were checked by the experts. Convergent validity was also confirmed based on the average variance extracted (AVE). Cronbach's α coefficient and composite reliability (CR) were used to evaluate the internal consistency of the questionnaire. The results showed that social and, regulatory and insurance components were the most critical internal and external weaknesses of the pastoralists' failure in adopting climate change adaptation strategies, respectively. Structural equation modeling showed that external weaknesses had positive and significant effects on internal weaknesses of the pastoralists' failure in adopting climate change adaptation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of rainfall-induced slope failure has attracted more attention from geotechnical engineers as a consequence of global warming. Current cumulative waste disposal has generated scientific interest in the utilization of waste materials in geotechnical design for climate change adaptation measures. Taking into consideration the effect of slope height and angle, steel slag—a waste product derived from the production of steel—was investigated as a slope cover against rainfall. To assess the stability of the slope and the infiltration of water into the soil, numerical analyses were conducted using both SEEP/W and SLOPE/W software in conjunction with rainfall conditions. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that increasing the slope's elevation and inclination will have an adverse effect on its safety factor. Steel slag can nevertheless be utilized for minimizing rainwater infiltration into the slope, as indicated by the pore-water pressure variations and graphs of the safety factor versus time. For a 20-m slope height, steel slag slopes have demonstrated a lower factor of safety difference in comparison to the initial slope without remediation. Regardless of slope angle and slope height, the safety factor reduces marginally during rainfall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continued threat from climate change and human impacts on water resources demands high-resolution and continuous hydrological data accessibility for predicting trends and availability. This study proposes a novel threefold downscaling method based on machine learning (ML) which integrates: data normalization; interaction of hydrometeorological variables; and the application of a time series split for cross-validation that produces a high spatial resolution groundwater storage anomaly (GWSA) dataset from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and its successor mission, GRACE Follow-On (GRACE-FO). In the study, the relationship between the terrestrial water storage anomaly (TWSA) from GRACE and other land surface and hydrometeorological variables (e.g., vegetation coverage, land surface temperature, precipitation, and in situ groundwater level data) is leveraged to downscale the GWSA. The predicted downscaled GWSA datasets were tested using monthly in situ groundwater level observations, and the results showed that the model satisfactorily reproduced the spatial and temporal variations in the GWSA in the study area, with Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) correlation coefficient values of 0.8674 (random forest) and 0.7909 (XGBoost), respectively. Evapotranspiration was the most influential predictor variable in the random forest model, whereas it was rainfall in the XGBoost model. In particular, the random forest model excelled in aligning closely with the observed groundwater storage patterns, as evidenced by its high positive correlations and lower error metrics (Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 54.78 mm; R-squared (R²) of 0.8674). The downscaled 5 km GWSA data (based on random forest) showed a decreasing trend in storage associated with variability in the rainfall pattern. An increase in drought severity during El Niño lengthened the full recovery time of groundwater based on historical storage trends. Furthermore, the time lag between the occurrence of precipitation and recharge was likely controlled by the drought intensity and the spatial recharge characteristics of the aquifer. Projected increases in drought severity could further increase groundwater recovery times in response to droughts in a changing climate, resetting storage to a new tipping condition. Therefore, climate change adaptation strategies must recognise that less groundwater will be available to supplement the surface water supply during droughts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) is a major cause of upper and lower respiratory tract infections and respiratory tract disease in humans. While accumulated pieces of epidemiological evidence suggest an association between meteorological factors and the risk of M. pneumoniae pneumonia, comprehensive nationwide studies on this topic are lacking. We aimed to systematically assess the effect of meteorological factors such as mean temperature and relative humidity on the incidence of M. pneumoniae pneumonia in Japan over a 15-year period from 2005 to 2019. The exposure − response relationships between incidence of M. pneumoniae pneumonia, mean temperature, and relative humidity in all 47 Japanese prefectures (covering whole country) for 2005 − 2019 were quantified by using a distributed lag non-linear model for each prefecture and the estimates from all the prefectures were then pooled using a multivariate mete-regression model to derive nationwide average associations. The study encompassed a total of 162,845 M. pneumoniae pneumonia cases. Our findings indicate that seasonal variations in weekly mean temperature and relative humidity were positively associated with the incidence of M. pneumoniae pneumonia. Specifically, when considering − 1.3 °C as the reference, the relative risk (RR) peaked at 16.8 °C (with RRs of 1.50, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.32–1.70). Similarly, when using 45.5% relative humidity as the reference, the RR reached its peak at 87.7% (with RRs of 1.49, 95% CI: 1.33–1.67). These results emphasize the necessity of implementing climate change adaptation strategies and public health interventions in regions vulnerable to M. pneumoniae pneumonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study delves into the complexities of prolonged El Niño (PE) and La Niña (PL) events, examining their behaviour, dynamics, and representation in climate models participating in CMIP6. These events deviate from the typical cycles of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) system and significantly impact global weather patterns and socioeconomic systems. The study aims to enhance our understanding of these multi-year ENSO events through a comparative analysis of observational data and model simulations. Observational data reveal the distinct characteristics of PE and PL events, with prolonged warming or cooling anomalies persisting in the equatorial Pacific beyond the usual timeframe associated with canonical El Niño (CE) and La Niña (CL) events. However, while climate models generally capture the general trend of sustained warming or cooling, discrepancies exist in the magnitude and timing of SST anomalies, particularly during peak phases. The analysis highlights limitations in the ability of current climate models to simulate consecutive El Niño events following PE events and strong El Niño events preceding PL events accurately. Furthermore, discrepancies in the representation of subsurface oceanic dynamics and zonal wind stress patterns underscore challenges in capturing the intricate interactions driving ENSO variability. The study emphasizes the importance of refining climate models to capture better the intricacies of prolonged ENSO events, which have significant implications for future climate projections and adaptation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bangladesh, a sub-tropical monsoon climate with low-lying areas, is very susceptible to the impacts of climate change. However, there has been a shortage of studies about the periodicity and projected changes in extreme temperature in this area, which is a crucial part of adapting to climate change. A study employed a multimodal ensemble (MME) mean of 13 bias-corrected CMIP6 GCMs to fill this knowledge gap. The purpose of this study was to project changes in 8 extreme temperature indices (ETIs) across Bangladesh for the near future (2021–2060) and far future (2061–2100) under two different Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs): medium (SSP2-4.5) and high (SSP5-8.5) scenarios. The research analyzed the average spatiotemporal changes by considering the reference period from 1995 to 2014 for each indicator in future periods. The results indicate that Bangladesh is projected to see a rise in average annual temperature in the 21st century, aligning with the global average. Warm days (TX90p) and nights (TN90p) were projected to increase, while cold days (TX10p) and nights (TN10p) were expected to decrease across the country for both the near (2021–2060) and far future (2061–2100). The projected highest increase in TX90p and TN90p was 6.90 days/decade in the northeast, and the highest decrease in TX10p and TN10p was 6.22 days/decade in the southwest. The study revealed a higher rise in TN90p than TX90p, indicating a faster decline in cold extremes than a rise in hot extremes. The rising temperature would cause an increase in the spell duration index (WSDI) and growing degree day (GDD) by 5–6 and 6–7 days/decade, respectively. Therefore, immediate measures must be taken to mitigate the detrimental effects of extreme temperatures, leading to heat stress. To reduce the effects on agriculture, ecosystems, human health, and biodiversity, policymakers and stakeholders must understand these anticipated changes and adopt appropriate actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollen grains are central to sexual plant reproduction and their viability and longevity/storage are critical for plant physiology, ecology, plant breeding, and many plant product industries. Our goal is to present progress in assessing pollen viability/longevity along with recent advances in our understanding of the intrinsic and environmental factors that determine pollen performance: the capacity of the pollen grain to be stored, germinate, produce a pollen tube, and fertilize the ovule. We review current methods to measure pollen viability, with an eye toward advancing basic research and biotechnological applications. Importantly, we review recent advances in our understanding of how basic aspects of pollen/stigma development, pollen molecular composition, and intra- and intercellular signaling systems interact with the environment to determine pollen performance. Our goal is to point to key questions for future research, especially given that climate change will directly impact pollen viability/longevity. We find that the viability and longevity of pollen are highly sensitive to environmental conditions that affect complex interactions between maternal and paternal tissues and internal pollen physiological events. As pollen viability and longevity are critical factors for food security and adaptation to climate change, we highlight the need to develop further basic research for better understanding the complex molecular mechanisms that modulate pollen viability and applied research on developing new methods to maintain or improve pollen viability and longevity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the impacts of climate change intensify globally, scholars and policymakers are increasingly interested in determining the factors that lead to the success or failure of climate adaptation strategies. This paper investigates the well-being outcomes of ex-pastoralists in northern Kenya who have migrated to towns in response to severe droughts. Focusing on Marsabit Town, the study employs a comparative design with primary survey data to analyze the well-being outcomes resulting from migration as an adaptation strategy. We contrast two heterogeneous groups of former pastoralists: a "settled group" that was already residing in Marsabit Town before ending their pastoral activities and a "migrant group" that relocated to Marsabit Town at the time of abandoning pastoralism. Our analysis reveals significant differences in well-being outcomes between these groups, with the migrant group often experiencing deterioration in their well-being levels. Key predictors of poorer well-being outcomes include the loss of all livestock, informal housing, and failure to transition into agricultural work, which often results in dependence on casual labor. Additionally, many migrants continue to experience poor subjective well-being—referring to their personal satisfaction with the quality of life—years after their livelihood transition. These insights offer a nuanced understanding of the well-being outcomes of migration-as-adaptation among heterogeneous groups of ex-pastoralists and underscore the need for customized livelihood support strategies for the most at-risk populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The planned relocation of communities away from areas of climate-related risk has emerged as a critical strategy to adapt to the impacts of climate change. Empirical examples from around the world show, however, that such relocations often lead to poor outcomes for affected communities. To address this challenge, and contribute to developing guidelines for just and sustainable relocation processes, this paper calls attention to three fundamental tensions in planned relocation processes: (1) conceptualizations of risk and habitability; (2) community consultation and ownership; and (3) siloed policy frameworks and funding mechanisms. Drawing on the collective experience of 29 researchers, policymakers and practitioners from around the world working on planned relocations in the context of a changing climate, we provide strategies for collectively and collaboratively acknowledging and navigating these tensions among actors at all levels, to foster more equitable and sustainable relocation processes and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change threatens the lives and livelihoods of smallholder farmers throughout the global South. In order to address the challenges these farmers face, researchers and practitioners need reasonable theoretical models of how humans and the environment interact within social–ecological systems (SES). Social–ecological resilience theory has proved to be a popular model for understanding human environment relationships within SES; however, the theory lacks a sophisticated understanding of power, relying instead on outdated functionalist sociological approaches. We reconstruct social–ecological resilience theory through a case study of smallholder climate change adaptation in Southern Province, Zambia. Farmers in the region focus on cattle and maize production. Though the changing environment would seem to favor different crops and livestock, institutional (power) dynamics determine whether or not individuals have the capacity (or desire) to adapt. Our critical reconstruction provides researchers and practitioners with an improved social–ecological lens for understanding the causes and consequences of vulnerability and adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change disproportionately impacts coastal residents in the United States. Existing studies document institutional efforts to adapt to sea level rise through projects like seawalls, beach nourishment, and property acquisitions to protect communities from rising seas. Such studies capture institutional adaptations, but do not include ad hoc adaptations by homeowners impacted by climate change. How are homeowners adapting to climate hazards? This paper analyzes ethnographic and interview data from 100 households in two coastal counties in North Carolina, a state with one of the most climate vulnerable shorelines in the country. This analysis of homeowner response considers ad hoc adaptations along the North Carolina coast. Results show that homeowners recognize climate hazards and regularly adapt on their own within the context of institutionally maintained flood protection infrastructure and transportation access to the places where they live. Residents are aware of and attempt to access support for home adaptations when programs or funds are available to them after disasters and do so with varying levels of success, though the more pervasive adaptations to chronic stress are not supported by government programs or insurance mechanisms. Ad hoc adaptations may provide short-term protection from climate hazards but have questionable long-term efficacy as sea levels rise and storm strength and frequency increases. Leaving communities and households to adapt on their own as chronic climate hazards outpace institutional response exacerbates existing inequalities by relying on residents with different levels of resources and agency to adapt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salt marshes act as natural barriers that reduce wave energy during storm events and help protect coastal communities located in low-lying areas. This ecosystem can be an important asset for climate adaptation due to its particular capability of vertically accrete to adjust to long-term changes in water levels. Therefore, understanding marsh protection benefits thresholds in the face of sea-level rise (SLR) is important for planning future climate adaptation. In this context, the main goal of this manuscript is to examine how the storm protection benefits provided by salt marshes might evolve under SLR projections with different probability levels and emission pathways. In this study, a modeling framework that employs marsh migration predictions from the Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM) as parameterization into a hydrodynamic and wave model (ADCIRC + SWAN) was utilized to explicitly represent wave attenuation by vegetation under storm surge conditions. SLAMM predictions indicate that the SLR scenario, a combination of probability level and emission pathways, plays a substantial role in determining future marsh migration or marsh area loss. For example, results based on the 50% probability, stabilized emissions scenario show an increase of 45% in the marsh area on Maryland's Lower Eastern Shore by 2100, whereas Dorchester County alone could experience a 75% reduction in total salt marsh areas by 2100 under the 1% probability, growing emissions scenario. ADCIRC + SWAN results using SLAMM land cover and elevation outputs indicate that distinct temporal thresholds emerge where marsh extent sharply decreases and wave heights increase, especially after 2050, and exacerbates further after 2080. These findings can be utilized for guiding environmental policies and to aid informed decisions and actions in response to SLR-driven environmental changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, within the built environment, railway infrastructures play a key role to sustain national policies oriented toward promoting sustainable mobility. For this reason, national institutions and infrastructure managers need to increase their awareness in relation to the current and future climate risks on their representative systems. Among climate change impacts, preventing the effects of sea-level rise (SLR) on coastal railway infrastructures is a priority. The first step in the climate change adaptation policy cycle is the development of an ad hoc climate risk assessment. In this view, this research develops a vulnerability and a risk assessment metric to identify the hotspots within a national coastal railway due to the SLR impacts. The proposed methodology required different steps to quantify the SLR projections and the vulnerability characteristics of the assets, in terms of sensitivity and adaptive capacity. The investigated case study is the coastal railway infrastructure in Italy, thanks to an initial approach of co-design participative processes with the national Infrastructure Manager: Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI). The results of this application, although not included in the paper due to confidential reasons imposed by the infrastructure manager — led to a clear identification of the areas and the coastal railway sections which are exposed to high levels of risks and of the places which require priority actions for urgent adaptation in a view of climate proof infrastructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of genotypes with high yield and yield stability under drought is the first step towards the generation of novel lines with better adaptation to climate change variation. The aim of this work was to explore the efficiency of ten different drought tolerance indices to identify superior genotypes. Ten wheat genotypes were evaluated for two years under two irrigation regimes: control and water deficit. As expected, the water deficit reduced the phenotypic values, of the evaluated traits in tested wheat cultivars. Significant positive correlations were found considering the grain-yield under both regimes (Yp, Ys), and three drought tolerance indices (DTIs): the Mean Productivity Index (MP), the Stress Tolerance Index (STI) and the Geometric Mean Productivity (GMP). These correlations were confirmed in Bi-plot analysis and the graphical separation of tested genotypes associated with different performances in drought indices. MP, STI and GMP indices consistently selected BioInta 2002, Baguette 9 and BioInta 2004 as the drought tolerant materials, and conversely, Baguette P. 11, BioInta 1005 and Pampeano as drought susceptible materials. These analyses positionate MP, STI and GMP as appropriate tools to find genotypes with contrasting drought response to drought to later be incorporated as genetic resources into breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smallholder farmers are disproportionally vulnerable to climate change, and knowledge on cognitive factors and processes is required to successfully support their adaptation to climate change. Hence, we apply a qualitative interview approach to investigate smallholder farmers' adaptation intentions and behavior. The theoretical Model of Private Proactive Adaptation to Climate Change has guided data collection and analysis. We conducted twenty semi-structured interviews with smallholder farmers living and working in Tiruchirappalli District in South India. We applied a qualitative content analysis by combining a content-structuring with a type-building approach. The systematic analysis resulted in four types of smallholder farmers that differ in the formation of adaptation intentions. Three of these types intend to adapt and follow different adaptation plans: (i) innovative measures that are new to the farm or region and are considered effective to overcome the detriments experienced from past efforts, (ii) contractive measures such as selling land or livestock, and (iii) retaining past measures they consider effective while relying on their access to resources. Only one type does not intend to adapt, emphasizing that rain is absolutely necessary to continue farming. We conclude that public efforts could focus on education and training programs adjusted to the farmers' needs, measures to maintain or increase the fertility of land and farmers' livelihood, flexible water conservation technologies and regular checking of dams, fostering combined adaptation and mitigation measures, providing access to loans up to debt cancellation, and offering physical and mental health programs. [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]

Enabling diverse actors to address interlinked sustainability issues is important and challenging. This paper focuses on how to design a dialogue-based knowledge co-production process to nurture collective action. Using the conceptualization of systems, target, and operational knowledge as the guiding framework, we designed and combined different complementary activities to invite actors to look at a wicked problem through multiple lenses and reflect on their own positions, perspectives, knowledge, and values. With a carefully documented workshop series held with local actors on Öland, Sweden, as our empirical case study, we demonstrate how we moved from exploring the multifunctionality of landscapes and understanding actors' different values, preferences, and priorities, to developing four strategies for effectively accelerating and expanding efforts to adapt to climate change. Our study reveals how the process of mobilizing, articulating, and connecting individually held systems, target, and operational knowledge nurtures collective action. It also leverages dialogue-based processes as cornerstones in addressing sustainability challenges in an inclusive and equitable way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change in developing nations has become a severe obstacle to extensive land productivity. Farmer's resilience to climate change impact can be boosted via adaptation measures. Smallholder farmers' expertise, however, can be fragmented and inconsistent, especially in times of climatic stress. It is worth mentioning that social networks play a part in how farmers decide how to adapt. Formal and informal social ties are the categories we use to categorize social networks. Using primary data obtained from banana growers on the island of Ngazidja in the Comoros archipelago, this study need to analyze the variable effects of social ties on farmers' adaptation decisions and further assess the impact of adaptation strategies on land productivity under climate change. According to the findings, less than 32% of banana growers used adaptation measures to lessen the effects of climate change on agricultural practices. Banana producers favored replanting trees, boosting sucker reduction, improving irrigation, and mixing crops. Farmers applied adaptation tactics at a higher rate when they were members of agricultural cooperatives and connected to sellers of agricultural inputs. The connection to local farmers, on the other hand, prevented farmers from taking proactive measures to counteract climate change. We also revealed that banana producers' land production increased dramatically due to adaptation measures. These results illustrate the significance of smallholder farmers' various social connections when formulating a policy package to improve land productivity and increase their responses to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Paris Agreement stands as a landmark in global economies' commitment to accelerate their sustainable transition and promote food security. Efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change are high on the agenda of both policymakers and researchers who increasingly acknowledge the criticality of innovative measures to support those efforts. However, it is still unclear how climate change factors and innovative capabilities affect food production in the long run, especially for developing countries, which are most threatened by climate change. Using an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) cointegration approach, this study evaluates the long-run effects of climate change and innovative capabilities on food production in Algeria over the period 1970–2019. To do so, food production is posited as a function of a set of climate change variables (CO2 emissions, mean temperatures, and mean precipitations) and innovative capabilities (human and physical capital). The novelty of this approach helps to tease out the distinct effects of these factors on food production, both in the long run and the short run. The results not only support the presence of long-run relationships between the variables but also show that, while precipitations, human capital, and physical capital positively affect food production, temperatures have a negative relationship with food production. Moreover, CO2 emissions do not appear to have a long-run effect on food production, at least not directly. In the short run, results confirm that food production is positively related to precipitation and stock of physical capital. Results from this study thus suggest that mitigating climate change impacts and ensuring food security, especially in developing countries, will require investments in agricultural innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analysed households' use of formal and informal finance, non-finance livelihood diversification and the social safety net measures in coping with droughts and floods. It employed a cross-sectional survey of 1370 households across 27 counties in Kenya that are prone to droughts and floods. Bivariate probit regressions reveal that households employ multiple coping measures related to finance, the social safety net and non-finance choices. The use of coping measures vary by household income, household dependency ratio, geographic and agro-climatic contexts, as well as the household head's age and educational attainment. Further, the findings reveal that the use of the social safety net and non-finance coping mechanisms demonstrate complementarities in coping with droughts, suggesting that opportunities to benefit from the social safety net do not dampen livelihood diversification initiatives by the households. Additionally, households in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) depend to a large extent on the social safety net and non-finance livelihood diversification coping mechanisms, signalling the need to explore ways that encourage private sector development in promoting market-oriented coping strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In dryland pastoral environments, political and geographical marginalization has historically led to development strategies that poorly account for individual and communities’ spatial and socio-economic realities. These development legacies, including long-standing epistemic biases in defining what should be adapted, are often insufficiently considered within adaptation research and practice. This article sets out to analyze the historical emergence and enactment of formal education as a contested adaptation pathway in southern Kenya. For this, I combine the strengths of the historically situated analyses of the pathways scholarship and feminist political ecology’s attention to the performance of intersectional relations of power in everyday livelihood practices. I bring together both archival data and qualitative primary data from focus group discussions (n = 16) and individual interviews (n = 122) conducted in three pastoral communities. The results exemplify the ways that non-climatic factors, such as increased formal school enrolment, (re)shape everyday livelihood practices and social aspirations, molding the current adaptation space. Notably, enacting formal education as an adaptation pathway requires one to navigate increasing cash pressures, mobility, and labor constraints. Wealth disparities, gendered norms, and geographies intersect to shape patterns of vulnerability, with poorer pastoralists residing further away from school centers facing difficult trade-offs on their time and resources. Understanding pathways enactments contributes to problematizing current logics of development and adaptation needs, while yielding important information on socio-spatial differentiation processes in pastoral systems. It also opens the space for further research to use these critical insights to identify alternative adaptation pathways that support more just transformations towards sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of rising the seas, relying solely on seawalls and other reinforced coastlines is unsustainable due to the high costs associated with their construction and upkeep and unforeseen effects on habitats. Restoring and conserving coastal habitats can be more affordable, long-term solutions for protecting the coast. Yet, basic knowledge about where, how, and for whom habitats decrease the risk of coastal disasters is typically lacking from decision-makers. This study investigates how climate change may affect coastal areas and how natural coastal habitats may help protect them. We studied two small tropical islands, Bintan and Seribu Islands, Indonesia. The research applied the InVEST Coastal Vulnerability model to calculate the hazard index. To assess the effect on the vulnerable population, a grid system for the coastal population was created and overlaid with the hazard index. The comprehensive analysis indicates that if the coastal habitat is lost in the future, Bintan and Seribu Islands will face a severe threat from rising sea levels, with 96% and 63% of the inhabitants being highly exposed to climate hazards. Furthermore, the model shows that preserving natural coastal habitats by 2040 could help protect approximately 104 and 17 km of coastline areas in Bintan and Seribu Islands, respectively. Ecosystems offer safeguards to certain thinly inhabited, distant coastal villages, certain of those with a large, vulnerable population. Thus, this study highlights that natural coastal habitat is essential in climate change adaptation. Enhancing and safeguarding these natural habitats is crucial for mitigating climate-related hazards and ensuring community resilience.Article Highlight: The first semi-quantitative assessment in Indonesia showcasing the role of natural capital in reducing the risk of climate hazards in the small islands was conducted. Coastal habitats protect roughly one-third of the shoreline length in both study sites. The coastal habitat could save about one-third and two-thirds of the most vulnerable communities along the Bintan and Seribu Islands coastal areas. [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]

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]

Climate adaptation for Indigenous communities is not as simple as making good policy; it is equally about how policy is implemented and how collaboration unfolds between settler governments and Indigenous stakeholders. Rural Alaska Native villages are among the most environmentally threatened communities in the United States. Their ability to effectively manage environmental change and preserve sovereignty depends upon successful collaboration with a range of stakeholders, especially federal agencies. For more than two decades, academics and government agencies have documented a consistent pattern of failures, particularly by federal actors, to effectively manage adaptation challenges. These obstacles are sometimes misrepresented as policy failures. While poor policy is certainly involved in these poor outcomes, this paper highlights a set of barriers to successful collaboration that are not policy issues, per se, but rather micropolitical issues; that is, they pertain to the conduct of government in the context of Tribal relationships. Unaddressed, these micropolitical issues have created obstacles to Alaska Native communities' self-determination as they adapt to a changing landscape. These barriers are explored in a case study drawn from Typhoon Merbok, which struck Western Alaska in 2022, and empirically grounded in a series of interviews and participant observation with experts, elders, elected officials, and Tribal staff. This article concludes with several concrete recommendations to improve the practice of domestic diplomacy between Indigenous communities and colonial governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]