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Background: The implementation of sustainability at universities means that they can also play a key role in the transition to a low carbon economy, and in assisting global efforts towards decarbonisation. Yet, not all of them have so far fully engaged in this area. This paper reviews the state of the art on trends in decarbonisation, and outlines the need for decarbonisation efforts at universities. It also reports on a survey aimed at ascertaining the extent to which universities in a sample of 40 countries across the various geographical regions are engaged in carbon reduction efforts, identifying the challenges faced. Results: The study has shown that the literature on the topic has been evolving over time and that increasing a given university's energy supply from renewable energy sources has been the cornerstone of university-based climate action plans. The study also indicates that even though several universities are concerned with their carbon footprint and actively seeking ways to reduce it, there are some institutional obstacles that need to be overcome. Conclusions: A first conclusion which can be drawn is that efforts on decarbonisation are becoming more popular, with a special focus being placed on the use of renewable energy. Also, the study has shown that, from the range of efforts being made towards decarbonisation, many universities are setting up a team with carbon management responsibilities, have Carbon Management Policy Statements, and review them. The paper points towards some measures which may be deployed, so as to allow universities to take better advantage of the many opportunities an engagement in decarbonisation initiatives offers to them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decarbonizing the energy system is critical for addressing climate change. Given the dominance of fossil fuels in the energy system, decarbonization requires rapid and significant industrial transition of the energy supply at scale. This includes explicit and coordinated plans not only for zero carbon phase‐in, but for fossil carbon phase‐out. Even very rapid decarbonization will likely take decades, leading to a medium‐term future where the conventional, fossil‐based energy system coexists with a new, zero‐carbon energy system. Each imposes operational constraints on the other: what we call the mid‐transition. Notably, this coexistence means that the new, zero‐carbon system will develop under fossil carbon system constraints. The mid‐transition will therefore likely require specific analytical metrics designed to support decision making under dynamic and uncertain conditions. Many aspects of transition will be felt, and shaped, directly by individuals because of our direct interactions with energy systems. Even rare missteps are likely to have significant and potentially system design‐relevant impacts on perception, political support, and implementation. Comparisons of the new system to the old system are likely to rest on experience of a world less affected by climate change, such that concerns about lower reliability, higher costs, and other challenges might be perceived as inherent to zero‐carbon systems, versus energy systems facing consequences of climate change and long‐term underinvestment. This review assesses and evaluates medium‐term challenges associated with the mid‐transition in the United States, emphasizing the need for explicit planning for joint and coordinated phase‐in and phase‐out. This article is categorized under: The Carbon Economy and Climate Mitigation > Decarbonizing Energy and/or Reducing Demand [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a key component in mitigating global warming and achieving sustainable development strategies, wind power has received widespread attention and support from governments around the world. Numerous countries are engineering ambitious programs to map and project the mitigation potential of wind energy expansion to combat future global warming. Here, using the global installed wind capacity data, we identity that a total of 837 GW of wind energy installed capacity (WEIC) in 31 countries generated about 2186 TWh of electricity, that is 1311 Mt of CO 2 mitigation, in 2021. Considering power mix transformation, wind power could account for more than 30% of total global electricity generation by the mid-21st century, when many countries expect to realize carbon neutrality, and could reduce CO 2 emission up to 14871 Mt by 2050 and 32864 Mt by 2100. Meanwhile, the global phenomenon of the future southward shift of wind energy resources makes the wind energy development in low-latitude countries, such as Brazil, Vietnam, and Central African, more confident. Combined with the Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs), we find that the mitigation benefits of wind energy expansion are significant and will directly reduce global warming by up to 0.64 °C by the end of the century (NZE deployment scenario, SSP3-7.0). For China and the United States, the share of renewable energy will reach 78% and 84% by 2050 (APS scenario) and the cumulative climate mitigation by wind power will be 0.12 °C and 0.11 °C during 2020–2100, respectively. The findings strongly support the development and practice of global climate mitigation energy solutions. • This study quantifies wind energy's impact on CO 2 and temperatures reduction. • Global wind energy can currently mitigate 1311 Mt CO 2 , up to 32864 Mt by 2100. • Wind energy expansion could mitigate global warming by up to 0.64 °C in 2100. • China and the U.S. lead global CO 2 reductions in wind power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Relative and absolute home retrofit targets are reviewed and discussed. • Retrofit depth is determined by policy targets or practical cost-effectiveness. • Research studies find feasible energy savings of around 60% maximum. • Neighbourhood is optimal spatial scale to large-scale deliver home energy retrofit. • Future retrofits to be phased instead of one-off, and less primacy of fabric first. Home energy retrofit has been a publicly-funded policy in many countries since the 1990s. Government motivations have spanned from combating energy poverty to climate action and sustainability. Given the ambition of public policy, this paper reviews the targets, spatial scales and metrics used to deliver and evaluate home energy retrofit. Large-scale retrofit projects do differ: by spatial area, by retrofit depth and in evaluation metrics (if used). This review surveys first, the quantities of homes and inhabitants in intermediate spatial scales used to plan retrofit programmes. Second, the optimal spatial scale and retrofit depth to deliver large-scale home retrofit. Third, the quantitative metrics to evaluate retrofits, and future trends in occupant-based metrics. Neighbourhood is found to be the optimal spatial scale for home energy retrofit. Deep retrofit is described as 60% energy savings that, in synergy with energy supply decarbonisation, promises to deliver 80% or higher emission reductions. Recent evidence shows a shifting primacy from fabric-first retrofit to decarbonisation of heat generation and occupant health and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the normative significance of understanding issues related to climate change. Topics covered include the distribution of permissions to allow carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels as well as the lack of cumulative carbon budget to address the problems with climate change. Also mentioned is the opportunity to protect rights of people to understand their need for having essential energy supply.

Making a low carbon economic future for the UK has been declared a key priority by both the previous Labour government and also the current coalition government. Yet there is a large gap between the symbolic representations of a low carbon future and their material manifestations in low carbon technologies and infrastructure in particular places. This paper addresses this gap through focusing on the organisation of urban low carbon transition activity. There is often significant capacity to act in reconfiguring urban energy systems that remains latent due to a missing organisational context for its co-ordination according to a mutually defined rationale or vision. This paper develops a conceptual framework to demonstrate and understand different modes of urban energy intermediation. Examples are used of intermediary organisation in London and Manchester to understand the strengths and partiality of each mode of intermediation and the necessity to integrate these different aspects of urban intermediary governance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper engages with the progressive politics of climate change and resource constraint developed by the Transition ‘movement’ which looks to develop a positive local politics of the transition to a low carbon economy and society. At the heart of this politics is a vision of economic localisation rooted in a geographical imaginary of market towns with agricultural hinterlands. Consequently, the question of how the Transition model can be applied in urban settings has not been clear, leading to the implicit assumption that urban Transition initiatives are more complex and difficult. In contrast, this paper argues that the plasticity of Transition politics means that, in some cases, an urban context might be more productive for the development of Transition initiatives because it allows for a greater diversity of political action as well as providing a density of networks and resources that can be critical for the survival of grassroots interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Substitution between energy and CO2 intensive materials is a potentially important climate mitigation strategy. We compare buildings with concrete frames and wooden frames concerning their life-time carbon dioxide emissions as well as their total material, energy and carbon dioxide costs. By using consistent energy systems scenarios meeting stringent targets for atmospheric CO2 concentrations we investigate the impact of higher energy and carbon dioxide prices as well as of the availability of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies. We find that wooden frames cause lower carbon dioxide emissions given the prevailing energy system, but concrete frames obtain about the same emissions as the wood frame in a system where CCS is not used for wood incineration in the demolishing phase. The net present costs for the different buildings are also affected by the future energy supply system, even though the impact is small, especially compared to the total construction cost. We conclude that it is unclear whether wood framed buildings will be a cost-effective carbon mitigation option and that further analyses of costs should be performed before prescriptive materials policies are enforced in the buildings sector. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A multi-GCM ensemble simulation and optimization approach is developed. • The developed approach can effectively tackle multiple uncertainties. • The impact of climate change on energy-economy-carbon nexus system is investigated. • Renewable energy will gradually replace fossil fuel for mitigating climate change. • There is a tradeoff between carbon dioxide emission and system cost. Climate change mitigation by reducing carbon dioxide emission becomes one of the major challenges for energy systems. In this study, a multi-GCM ensemble simulation and optimization approach is developed for analyzing the impact of climate change on China's energy-economy-carbon nexus system under multiple uncertainties through integrating techniques of multiple global climate models, support-vector-regression, Monte Carlo simulation, and interval chance-constrained programming within a general framework. The developed approach can tackle multiple uncertainties existed in global climate models, random carbon dioxide emission and complex optimization process. Results disclose that (i) the national electricity demand would grow around 58.6% in the next 30 years under climate change; (ii) for climate change mitigation and sustainable development, fossil fuel would be gradually replaced by renewable energy (i.e. the share of fossil fuel to the total energy supply decreasing 22.5% and the share of electricity generated from renewable energy increasing 27.0% by 2050); (iii) compared to the peak value in 2030, carbon dioxide emission would reduce 15.1% by 2050, most reduction from coal-fired power generation; (iv) there is a tradeoff between carbon dioxide emission and system cost as p-level decreases from 0.15 to 0.01 (i.e. carbon dioxide emission can reduce 1.9% with 3.7% of raised system cost). It is desired for China to adjust its current energy supply structure for reducing carbon emission and seeking a low-carbon developmental path. The most effective way is to eliminate some small coal-fired units. A number of wind-power and solar-power projects are expected to be implemented due to their abundant potential markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]