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The livelihood of indigenous people, residing in the forest fringe area of developing countries like India, are primarily dependent on the forest. These forest fringe communities represent the country's poorest people and are the most vulnerable due to their high dependency on natural resources, lack of energy, unemployment, poor quality of life and poor socio-economic conditions. Additionally, climate change and lesser adaptive capacity have further exacerbated their struggle to meet their livelihoods. Thus, alleviating poverty, strengthening adaptive capacity to climate change and improving energy access are interlinked and complementary to each other, forming an energy–poverty–climate nexus. The study attempted to understand and analyse the nexus between poverty, energy access and climate vulnerability of the most impoverished villages of India. The study was conducted in 29 forest fringe villages, spread in Mandla and Hoshangabad districts of the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. The state has the distinction of having the highest forest cover and tribal population in the country. A detailed household survey was conducted to assess poverty, climate vulnerability and energy access of 325 households by using progress out of poverty index (PPI), climate change vulnerability index (CCVI) and energy access index (EAI), respectively. The data were collected through interview sessions with the respondents in the regional language. After computing scores of all indices, correlation, regression and chi-square were applied to test the integration of these three variables to understand the energy–poverty–climate nexus. The study found a nexus between energy access, poverty and climate vulnerability and also identified 14 indicators, which significantly influenced the nexus. These indicators were related to agriculture, energy, income and infrastructure, and education and awareness that together help to form an institutional framework for sustainable development. The framework suggests the formation of a block-level committee for monitoring and evaluation, a district-level committee for mobilizing funds, and a state-level inter-departmental committee for planning and implementation. Furthermore, the analysis on scores of different indices revealed that parameters like economic class, type of livelihood options/occupation and education level of a household may be the appropriate indicators for the selection of households to prioritize the target beneficiaries of programmes and policies related to poverty, energy and climate change in the forest fringe villages of India. Based on this, a site-specific framework was designed to act and prioritize programme implementation to achieve sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International trade plays an important role in promoting economic growth, but at the same time, it generates carbon leakage problems that pose challenges for global climate change mitigation. With the introduction of the Belt and Road Initiative for high-quality development, the issue of trade and environmental imbalance has become a growing concern for countries along the route. However, research on the impact of high-technology product exports on achieving climate change mitigation goals remains inadequate. The main aim of this study is to identify a mechanism by which increasing high-technology product exports helps in mitigating climate change. Among a sample of 50 countries along the Belt and Road observed over the period 2005–2019, this study employs multiple mediating structural equation modeling to analyze the impact of high-technology product exports on CO2 emissions. The results show a direct and negative relationship between high-technology product exports and CO2 emissions (β = − 0.195, p < 0.001), and further reveal that the renewable energy source (β = −0.186, p < 0.001) and human capital accumulation (β = − 0.054, p < 0.05) parallelly and partially mediate the relationship between high-technology product exports and CO2 emissions. The results imply that increasing the share of high-technology product exports in total exports should be viewed as an effective tool for the demonstration of sustainable development. Furthermore, the shifting to renewable energy use and investments in human capital are critical drivers in the relationship between high-technology product exports and CO2 emissions. Source: Compiled by the authors based onthe currententire study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rising GHG emissions and climate change have resulted in number of catastrophes such as floods, droughts and heat waves. Accordingly, researchers are interested in exploring the nexus between GHG emissions and economic growth. This research study is motivated to explore the moderation of transportation competitiveness for economic growth and carbon emissions of transport sector in global perspective. The annual time series data for study variables are used for time period from 2008 to 2018 for 121 countries. The panel quantile regression (PQR) estimation technique is used for analysis of results. The study results validated inverted U-shaped environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) for quantile group-1 and 2, while U-shaped EKC was validated for quantile group-3 and 4. The moderation of transport competitiveness significantly tends to achieve environmental sustainability for economic growth and carbon emissions of transport sector for quantile group-1 and 2. However, the moderation of transport competitiveness increases carbon emissions of transport sector in quantile group-4. The study results implicated that process of economic growth resulted in expansion of transport sector in quantile group-3 and 4 beyond sustainable level. The various policy recommendations are advocated to improve the quality of transport sector to mitigate carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is among the most pressing challenges for human advancement in the twenty-first century. Climate change is having a significant impact on the agricultural sector. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the food security status and sustainability of crop production under different climate change scenarios in the arid and semi-arid zones of Iran. To this end, the Statistical Down-Scaling Model (SDSM) and the outputs of the General Circulation Model (GCM) are employed to project future climate parameters under three climate scenarios. The study then employs the Just and Pope approach by using a panel dataset to evaluate the impact of climate change on crop production. Also, the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) technique is used to assess the sustainability of crop production from an economic, social, and environmental perspective in the context of climate change and baseline conditions. The results of the study show that precipitation has a significant favourable effect on crop yield in both zones. Maximum temperature is positively and significantly related to crop yield in the semi-arid area, while the relationship is negative in the arid region. Future projections reveal that under different climate scenarios, the production of irrigated wheat, dryland wheat, irrigated barley, dryland barley, and potato crops will change by a maximum of approximately 7.57%, 35.70%, 62.86%, 15.90%, and 26.88% in the semi-arid zone and − 24.07%, 29.73%, − 31.33%, − 4.80%, and 25.80% in the arid zone, respectively. The findings imply that climate change will decrease the food security index for all crops in the arid zone, while improving the situation for crops in the semi-arid region. The results also indicate that future climate change can have a significant adverse effect on economic water productivity, economic benefits, and the sustainability of strategic crop production in the arid zone compared to the semi-arid zone. Given that a large part of Iran is covered by an arid climate, designing coherent adaptation actions and mitigation policies need to be prioritized to tackle the negative impact of climate change on food production systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental issues need public support to be solved. But the theoretical model that supports providing the public scientific information to enhance their support for scientific issues, the deficit model, is confirmed in some studies but disapproved in others. Hypothesizing that the difference lies partially in the topic of issues used in those studies, this study tests the deficit model (and the expanded linkage from knowledge to attitude to behavioral intention in the hierarchy of response model) with the complex issue of climate change (N = 379), which is entangled with political and ideological confounders, and the new water–energy–food nexus (N = 524), which is involved with few confounders. The survey on climate change, a hotly debated issue deeply entangled with many social, economic, and political factors, revealed a substantial positive correlation between attitude and behavioral intention and no correlation between knowledge and attitude or behavioral intention, producing no evidence to support the deficit model and partial evidence to support the hierarchy of response model. The partial correlation analysis of this data, controlling age, gender, and ideology, also identified a negative relationship between knowledge and behavioral intention, further calling researchers' attention to the influence of the complexness of the scientific event on public information processing. The survey on the WEF nexus, a new scientific approach that systematically governs water, energy, and food as a nexus, showed positive correlations of knowledge with attitude and of attitude with behavioral intention, confirming the deficit model as well as the traditional response hierarchy model. The study suggests that when confounding variables do not intervene, the deficit model and the traditional response model hold to guide science communication projects and garner public support for science and the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming is a current problem that needs to be addressed by collaborating with researchers from different disciplines and expertise. There is a concern about training the next generation of scientists to holistically address climate change. One way to address this concern is gathering researchers to promote collaboration, as a critical aspect of the scientific perspective. This study focused on the interactions among 119 early career researchers from different disciplines and countries attending the São Paulo School of Advanced Science on Climate Change 2017 in Brazil. The aim of this research case study was to identify factors and social dynamics influencing the effective generation of collaborative networks. First, social perceptions were assessed to expose factors influencing the open exchange of knowledge and dynamics among the new researchers. Second, the occurrence of interdisciplinary and intercultural interactions was evaluated using social network analysis. Using the qualitative and quantitative outcomes, perceived indicators related to barriers (e.g., language and background) and drivers (e.g., gender and age) were linked to the structure of two social networks analyzed: workplace/studyplace, and professions. Social network analysis showed that although the participants aggregated challenging the goal of collaborative networks, they actively sought interdisciplinary approaches. Based on detected barriers, future events organizers searching for an interdisciplinary climate change approach are encouraged to actively overcome these limitations by taking into account the culture, beliefs, and conceptualization aspects at a group level without overlooking individual preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rising temperatures of 1.5–4 °C by the end of the twenty-first century and continuing after 2100 have caused climate change to threaten food security. Indeed, the rainfed production of strategic crops such as wheat in countries such as Iran, which are likely to be highly affected by climate change, is very important. This study aimed to identify the suitable areas for rainfed wheat cultivation and the yield gap estimation in current and future climatic conditions using geographical analysis, a crop simulation model, and the GYGA protocol in Iran. For this, environmental variables (including average, minimum, and maximum temperatures, rainfall) along with topographic (slope, elevation) and edaphic components (such as organic carbon, pH, EC, [CaCO3], exchangeable sodium percentage, cation exchange capacity, and soil erosion) were involved. The results revealed that around 30% of the total areas (6.62 million ha) are not suitable at all, while just 13% of total lands (2.97 million ha) were highly suitable and suitable. These areas are mainly located in the northern part of Iran. The study of the climate change scenarios indicated that the northern, northwestern, and western parts of the country have great potential for rainfed wheat production and future climate change will benefit wheat production in these areas, but in other parts of the country, more unfavorable conditions are expected. The mean water-limited potential yield (Yw) difference between marginally suitable to not suitable classes was narrow (< 0.3 t ha−1), while for highly suitable to moderately suitable classes was about 2.5 t ha−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change affects crops differently across different parts of the world. However, there is limited evidence on the impacts of climate change on several crops using models that simultaneously incorporate other production factors (such as credit, land and fertilizer) and account for both the short-run and long-run relationships of climate and factors of production on the output of different crops. We therefore investigated the impacts of climate change on six major crops in Nigeria using time-series data for a period of 39 years. We used the Augmented Dickey–Fuller and Phillips–Perron tests to determine the stationarity of the data and applied the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) regression to model the impacts of climate change, factors of production on the outputs of the crops. All the six ARDL models were structurally stable and they exhibited both short-run and long-run relationships between climate change, production factors and outputs of the crops. Specifically, land exhibited long-run positive relationships with the outputs of all the crops except for millet. Temperature had a negative impact on crop yam, cassava, millet, rice and sorghum outputs in the long run while rainfall significantly increased rice and maize production but insignificantly reduced yam, cassava, millet, and sorghum production in the long run. Credit significantly increased cassava, maize, and rice in the long run, while fertilizers showed mixed impacts on yam, cassava, rice and sorghum production in the long run. We recommended policies and programs that would increase access to credit to farmers, encourage nutrient budgeting and precision use of fertilizer, and promote uptake of climate smart agriculture through research on crop improvement by breeding crop varieties that would be resilient to climate shocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and environmental stress limit the growth of plants, including bananas. A systematic review and analysis of the topic are presented for the first time to identify physiological, biochemical, and molecular factors that may confer tolerance to climate change in Musa spp. Searches were conducted in six databases using pre-established inclusion and exclusion criteria (Web of Science, PubMed Central, SAGE, Google Scholar, Wiley, and Scopus Journals). A previously established process and inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to avoid publication bias. This systematic review was specifically focused on the Musa spp. production to climate change, the number of studies included was limited to only 76 articles. This indicates the need for additional research in this area and a potential change in research trends toward other strategies for mitigating the effects of climate change in bananas. Based on the review outcomes, we found a connection between changes in several climatic factors, which impacted banana production, and the cultivation of bananas in various geographic locations. Recently, few comprehensive studies on the effects of water stress on bananas have been conducted, however, they have yet to address the impacts of flood stress. Research gaps were identified addressing the characteristics of banana production and how this varies with location, elevation, and management factors, as well as the effects of changes in drought, water stress, and temperature. Evidence-based innovations are needed to reduce the effects of climate change in banana production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urgent action is needed to ensure the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030. Under climate change the intensity and frequency of heatwaves are projected to increase and urgent action is also needed to improve heatwave resilience now and in the future. Yet, it remains unclear how countries are planning and implementing policies and actions for this to happen. Interactions between the SDGs have been widely researched. However, little is known about the interactions between the SDGs and heatwave resilience. In response, this study focuses on mapping such interactions. This mixed methods study design with a diverse group of stakeholders from different sectors of society identified key interactions, sources of interactions and solutions for achieving both agendas. The analysis revealed that: (i) synergies largely outweigh trade-offs; (ii) a broad compatibility exists between the two agendas; (iii) no fundamental incompatibilities were found, and; (iv) the two agendas are not being consistently aligned. These findings are essential for parallel and effective achievement of both agendas and to enhance synergies and reduce trade-offs. A series of solutions were identified which can be implemented. Such integrated approaches would enhance success and overall performance by improving collaborations, using common language, regulation and planning, pooling resources, skills, inclusive information and translation to practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic emissions of reactive gases, aerosols and aerosol precursor compounds are responsible for the ozone hole, global warming and climate change, which have altered ecosystems and worsened human health. Environmental authorities worldwide have responded to these climate challenges through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In this context, it is key to ascertain empirically whether emission levels are converging among the countries forming the industrialized world. In doing so, we focus on 23 industrialized countries using a novel dataset with ten series of annual estimates of anthropogenic emissions that include aerosols, aerosol precursor and reactive compounds, and carbon dioxide over the 1820–2018 period. We apply four state-of-the-art panel unit root tests that allow for several forms of time-dependent and state-dependent nonlinearity. Our evidence supports stochastic convergence following a linear process for carbon dioxide, whereas the adjustment is nonlinear for black carbon, carbon monoxide, methane, non-methane volatile organic compounds, nitrous oxide, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide. In contrast, ammonia and organic carbon emissions appear to diverge. As for deterministic convergence, carbon dioxide converges linearly, while black carbon, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, non-methane volatile organic compounds and sulfur dioxide adjust nonlinearly. Our results carry important policy implications concerning the achievement of SDG13 of the global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which appears to be feasible for the converging compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While climate change adaptation policy has tended to focus on planned adaptation interventions, in many vulnerable communities, adaptation will consist of autonomous, 'unplanned' actions by individuals who are responding to multiple simultaneous sources of change. Their actions are likely not only to affect their own future vulnerability, but, through changes in livelihoods and resource use, the vulnerability of their community and resource base. In this paper, we document the autonomous changes to livelihood strategies adopted by smallholder coffee farmers in four Mesoamerican countries (Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica). Our aim is to gain insight into the process of autonomous adaptation by proxy: through an assessment of how farmers explain their choices in relation to distinct stressors; and an understanding of the set of choices available to farmers. We find that climatic stress is a feature in decision making, but not the dominant driver. Nevertheless, the farmers in our sample are evidently flexible, adaptive, and experimental in relation to changing circumstances. Whether their autonomous responses to diverse stressors will result in a reduction in risk over time may well depend on the extent to which policy, agricultural research, and rural investments build on the inherent logic of these strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming is perceived as one of the biggest global health risks of the twenty-first century and a threat to the achievement of sustainable (economic) development; especially in developing countries, climate change is believed to further exacerbate existing vulnerability to disease and food security risks, because their populations are, for example, more reliant on agriculture and more vulnerable to droughts and have a lower adaptive capacity. Furthermore, the health-related impacts of climate change are threatening to undo decades of development policies. The interactions between climate and non-climate factors are of vital importance in shaping human vulnerability to global warming. Climate change cannot be seen as 'a stand-alone risk factor,' but rather as an amplifier of existing health and food security risks and an additional strain on institutional infrastructures. In order to avoid a multiplication of health risks in the developing world, there is a need to better understand the multifaceted and complex linkages involved. This is further illustrated for two important climate change-induced health risks, namely malnutrition and malaria. As the amplification of existing and emerging health risks in the developing world might become the greatest tragedy of climate change, adaptation ranks high on developing countries' agendas. Of particular importance are the discussions about the 'Green Climate Fund,' which aims to administer billions of dollars for mitigation and adaptation. Of course, making funds for adaptation available is an important first step, but we also need to ask ourselves the question how such adaptation policies and projects should take shape. This paper demonstrates that an adequate response to climate change health risks should take a systems approach toward adaptation, acknowledging the importance of the local context of the most vulnerable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The capability of Pacific Island countries' agriculture to adapt to climatic and environmental changes is analysed. After presenting key features of the region's food cropping systems, findings of genetic diversity studies for the most important food crops are reviewed and their implications for adaptation are discussed. Biophysical and economic vulnerabilities of the food system are identified. For the major food crops, the needs for genetic improvement are detailed, and practical solutions for broadening genetic bases are suggested. The paper concludes by identifying areas for additional research on crops and agro-ecosystems adaptation aiming at increasing the flexibility of agriculture in the Pacific. In this region, plant breeding has to cope with the insularity constraints of the small island states. The new varieties need to satisfy farmers' agronomic requirements in very diverse environments. However, because of genotype-by-environment interactions (G × E), it is difficult to identify a variety that would be accepted by most farmers on different islands. A new type of breeding programme with a pragmatic approach is therefore necessary. The geographical distribution of allelic diversity appears as a practical and cost-efficient solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the role of animal production systems in a sustainable society; sustainability problems within animal production systems; and four measures for the improvement of the contribution to societal sustainability from animal production. Substantial potentials for improvements are identified that were not previously known. The methodological basis is multi-criteria multi-level analysis within integrated assessment where elements in Impredicative Loop Analysis are integrated with management tools in Swedish agriculture and forestry developed during thousands of years, during which the well-being of the Swedish society and its economic and military power were functions of the land-use skill. The issue-the sustainability footprint of global animal production-is complex and available data are limited. The Swedish case is used as a starting point for an analysis of international relevance. Data from FAO and OECD support the relevance of extrapolating results from the Swedish case to level. The four measures are (i) decrease the consumption of chicken meat in developed nations with 2.6 kg per capita and year; (ii) develop the capacity of ruminants to produce high-quality food from otherwise marginal agroecosystems; (iii) improve milk production per cow with a factor four on global level; and (iv) increase feeding efficiency in milk production globally would substantially improve the societal contribution in terms of increased food supply and decreased pressure on land. The impact of measures (i), (iii) and (iv) on increased global food security was estimated to in total 1.8 billion people in terms of protein supply and a decreased pressure on agricultural land of 217 million ha, of which 41 relate to tropical forests. The 41 million ha of tropical land are due to a decreased demand on soymeal, where this represents more than a halving of total area now used for the production of soymeal. These impacts are of the character either or. The quality of the measures is as first-time estimates, supporting choices of where to direct further efforts in analysis. Two areas were identified as critical for achieving this potential: Feeding strategies to dairy cows as well as methods commonly used to evaluate the sustainability contribution of animal production needs adjustment, so that they comply with the 'laws' of diminishing returns, Liebig's 'law' of the minimum and Shelford's 'law' of tolerance, that is, in agreement with well-known principles for efficient natural resource management and the priorities of UN Millennium Development Goals. If not, global food security is at risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work addresses increasing concerns about water management for rural productive activities in the vast dry regions of Latin America by assessing renewable energy technologies (RETs) that could be suitable for localized needs. Forecasted trends in climate change and variability make this analysis very relevant, in an area where very little published work exists. While Argentina is widely known for its fertile pampas, around 75 % of the country consists of dry lands. In addition, erosion is increasing by up to 650,000 hectares each year. The coordinated adoption of a set of actions, including land use planning and strengthening productive activities that guarantee access to water and improve water and soil management is needed. Renewable energies could help towards achieving these aims, if water is made available at affordable costs and with suitable technologies. This paper evaluates experiences with three RETs-photovoltaic pumping from deep wells, small wind turbine pumping, and high-power wind turbines, and discusses a potential role for use in rural Argentina. Although cheaper and more reliable renewable alternatives to energy sources such as diesel could be used for pumping from groundwater resources in isolated locations, limitations arise when pumping head and/or water volume requirements are large or highly seasonal. The cost increases and technical challenges of accessing this deeper water, as indicated by case studies, emphasize the importance of planning and support schemes development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of the clean development mechanism (CDM) on China's progress in building a resource-efficient and environmentally friendly society, referred to as a dual-goal society. It presents China's CDM activities from the perspective of policy directions, administrative arrangements and capacity building as well as outlines the regional trends and distribution of CDM projects across China's 30 provinces. Based on regression analysis of 2006-2009 panel data, the research was able to provide estimates at provincial level of the impacts of CDM activities on China's CO emission intensity, SO emission intensity and industrial dust emission intensity. The study concludes that the active CDM projects are mainly located in the less-developed central and west China where they have provided increased opportunities for sustainable development. Furthermore, the successful implementation of CDM projects across the country has significantly decreased the emission intensity of CO, SO and industrial dust, which means that these activities have enhanced China's ability to build the desired dual-goal society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commonly occurring natural events become natural disasters when they affect the population through death and injury, and/or through the destruction of natural and physical capital on which people rely for their livelihood and quality of life. Climate change plays a role in that it tends to increase the frequency and intensity of weather-related natural disasters. Additionally, climate change may put people at risk by influencing access to water, coastal flooding, disease and hunger, and leaving them with a more degraded environment, leading, in turn, to increased vulnerability. The purpose of this paper is to present a review and synthesis of the literature and case studies addressing differential impacts of climate change-related natural disasters on a society and its economy. Developed and developing countries show different vulnerabilities to natural disasters. Even within countries, impacts vary significantly across population and economic sectors. When losses from natural disasters are large, their cumulative effect can have notable macroeconomic impacts, which feed back to further pronounce existing income inequalities and lower income levels. Impacts tend to be most pronounced for women, the young and elderly, and people of ethnic or racial minorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within this paper, we analyze the fulfillment of the Kyoto emissions reduction commitment particularly in Germany and its implication on the long-term paths of all macro-variables. Germany, like all other industrial or Annex-B countries, must reduce its emissions by 2010 according to what we call a “Kyoto Forever” scenario. We specifically investigate tradable permits as reduction measures in a national overlapping generations (OLG) model, where we change the discounting technique by using generation adjusted discounting (GAD) in comparison to conventional OLG discounting. We show that within our model framework Germany is able to develop along growing paths of, for example, gross domestic product (GDP) in sharp contrast to conventional results of OLG simulations. At the same time, current generations must share higher burdens in terms of lower GDP, per capita consumption and employment which can be initially interpreted as contemporary costs for reaching sustainable paths and, second, contributions for internalizing external effects. However, all costs in terms of lower macro-variables for current living generations are re-compensated through higher future values. This effect can be interpreted as an intergenerational application of full cost bearance, or, in other words, the “polluter pays” principle which is oriented towards sustainability of greenhouse gases abatement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study was to identify the underlying latent dimensions that account for variation in sustainable behaviors (SBs) among American adults. Our strategy was to assess all of the SBs sampled in existing measures, as well as a number of other variables relevant to individual differences in SBs, in a community sample (N = 1234). Variation in SBs could be accounted for by four broad dimensions: (1) goods, (2) food, (3) transportation, and (4) engagement. These dimensions were related to a range of criterion variables involving values, attitudes, personality traits, and demographic characteristics. Some potentially important and unique links with outcomes supported the importance of distinguishing the dimensions that underlie SBs. This work provides an evidence-based organizational scheme for SBs in future studies and points to important new directions in research on individual differences in proenvironmental behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is focused on Colombia which is classified as one of the "megadiverse" countries in the world, but it has developed a dependence on fossil fuels and its CO2 emissions are not regulated. We developed this study to understand if the actions taken by the government, the regulatory pressure put on industries classified as sensitive to climate change and the internal factors of the companies impact on the disclosures that companies make about carbon emissions management. The main objective of this study is to identify the determinants of the quality of Carbon Management Strategy (CMS) disclosures in the sustainability reports of Colombian companies during the period 2016–2018. We designed a CMS disclosure index using a theoretical framework and content analysis of the companies' sustainability report. A robust OLS regression model is used based on balanced panel data of 60 listed Colombian companies for the period 2016–2018. Our findings suggest that the pressure exerted by the business context (the Colombian government with the implementation of the carbon tax, and the local government with specific climate change actions) and the inherent characteristics of the company (larger companies and companies belonging to industries sensitive to climate change) improve the quality of CMS disclosure in Colombian companies. Our results are useful for national and regional governments to understand how their actions can align the behavior of the private sector. Likewise, the CMS index is a useful indicator for companies to understand if they are doing business incorporating climate change mitigation actions to develop in a sustainable way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The availability of freshwater is limited for agriculture systems across the globe. A fast-growing population demands need to enhance the food grain production from a limited natural resources. Therefore, researchers and policymakers have been emphasized on the production potential of agricultural crops in a sustainable manner. On the challenging side, freshwater bodies are shrinking with the pace of time further limiting crop production. Poor-quality water may be a good alternative for fresh water in water scarce areas. It should not contain toxic pollutants beyond certain critical levels. Unfortunately, such critical limits for different pollutants as well as permissible quality parameters for different wastewater types are lacking or poorly addressed. Marginal quality water and industrial effluent used in crop production should be treated prior to application in crop field. Hence, safe reuse of wastewater for cultivation of food material is necessary to fulfil the demands of growing population across the globe in the changing scenario of climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study attempts to analyze the short- and long-run impacts of the probable change in rainfall and temperature simultaneously on food availability and access to food issues, as the two dimensions of food security, in Malaysia. It uses an integrated method comprising of a stochastic method and a computable general equilibrium model using the latest (2010) input-output table published in 2015. The stochastic method, which relates to the Monte Carlo simulation, provides the probable changes in rainfall and temperature patterns and their probability of occurrence based on historical data of rainfall and temperature and crop productivity. It was found that, simultaneous variation of rainfall and temperature, in both the short- and long-run, contracts the economic performance of Malaysia. Findings also show the negative impact of rainfall-temperature variability, in both time periods, on food availability and access to food due to a reduction in the supply of agricultural products, a commodity inflation pressure and a reduction in household income. Moreover, results suggest that the climate variability shocks lead to a reduction in the consumption and welfare of all household groups, particularly in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water has been the source of life since it was found. In recent years, the false assurance of the permanence of water services in Iran has led to the creation of institutional structures related to water in an inappropriate and incompatible manner with environmental changes, and when water crises occur, such as droughts, floods, and, on a larger scale, climate changes, they do not have the flexibility and resilience to these changes. To this end, recognizing the current water governance system in the country is considered an essential need. The present study examines the regime of water governance and its structural characteristics in the Kor River basin, which is one of the areas facing water shortage challenges. In order to analyze these characteristics and determine the regime of the water governance system, the method of social network analysis (SNA) was used in the network of formal and informal institutions of Kherameh county downstream of the Kor River basin. This research has been done in a period of 9 months and includes designing questionnaires, field visits, completing questionnaires and analyzing the results. The results showed that the water governance network in this region has an unstable and weak structure and as a result, the level of cooperation and coordination between the institutions is low and the level of power centralization is high. As a result, the governing regime is centralized, and therefore, the establishment of a polycentric governance system requires the improvement of horizontal relations between formal and informal institutions and protection and development institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the impact of farmers' livelihood assets and adaptation approaches on livelihoods. We proposed a new paradigm for the sustainable livelihoods of smallholders based on the grounded theory, to exploit seven household assets and used mixed methodological approaches of growers' livelihood assets and climatic adaptation strategies based on farmers' livelihood concerns in Sindh province of Pakistan and to better understand smallholder farmers' sustainable livelihoods and applied a partial least square path modeling. Considering central critical paths, psychological assets (PsyA) entail mediational factors into the sustainable livelihoods index. The findings show that the essential support of the livelihood of farmers' social, cultural, economic, and human assets positively impacts sustainable livelihoods, though physical and natural assets depict a nonsignificant impact on SLI. However, human and financial assets show comparatively substantial effects on smallholders' adaptation strategies; consequently, physical, social, and natural assets reveal significant impacts on farmers' livelihoods. The study further indicates that PsyA can, directly and indirectly, boost the human and physical assets and exploit the farmers' sustainable livelihoods index successfully. Lastly, this research proposed policy suggestions for poverty reduction and sustainable livelihoods of small-scale growers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human perceptions and concerns about the implications of climate change have a profound importance for adaptation to and mitigation of the impacts of climate change at various scales and in different economic and social sectors in a given geographical landscape. Although studies on public perceptions of climate change are increasing globally, they are still scant pertaining to the Himalayan region of Nepal. In order to fill this gap, this study aimed to understand individual and community perceptions of climate change in the Lower Mustang region of Nepal, where apple farming and agricultural activities have been significantly impacted by climate change over the last 30–40 years. The data collection for the study included a cross-sectional survey of 200 farmers with a structured questionnaire, seven focus group discussions, and 26 key informant interviews, which were administered in four rural municipalities: Kagbeni, Jomsom, Marpha, and Tukuche. Results of the study indicated that a majority of the participants experienced an increase in temperature with warmer summers (99% of the participants surveyed), a decrease in snowfall (100%), and variable rainfall patterns (87%). However, the warming climate-enhanced diversification of vegetables in Lower Mustang, and the changes in climatic patterns over the years have affected almost all the agricultural systems of the region. In particular, apple farming in lower elevations has been negatively impacted due to decreasing snowfall, necessitating an urgent attention to develop sustainable adaptation strategies in order to minimize the deleterious impacts of the changing climatic patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study develops and assesses the application of a livelihood vulnerability index (LVI), LVI-IPCC and livelihood effect index for the natural and agricultural resources in Northwestern Pakistan. By using structured questionnaire, primary data were collected from the targeted households in the study region. Data on socio-demographics, water security, health, social networks and climate variability were collected from the targeted respondents in this study area, and combined into indices. The IPCC framework was utilized that characterizes vulnerability into exposure, sensitivity and its adaptive capacity. Findings of our study showed that tehsil Shabqadar was more vulnerable among three studied tehsils particularly in natural disasters, health, water and land holding status. Tehsil Tangi was the second high vulnerable tehsil followed by tehsil Charsadda relative to other LVI components with the exclusion of livelihood strategies and financial constraints. Findings of this study provide a better understanding of the social and behavioral trends as well as an integrated and holistic view of the agriculture, climate change and livelihoods process in assessing the vulnerability. The findings and this pragmatic approach will be helpful in intending specific strategies and policy effectiveness to lessen susceptibility of households to climatic variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is intended to afford a comprehensive overview of the implications of COVID-19 on progress toward achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) set out in the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda and the state of related research activities on COVID-19 linked to the SDGs. Bibliometric techniques and visual mapping are proposed as methodological tools to better approach the objectives of the present work. This includes: retrieving related publications from Scopus database, investigating the trends and growth trajectories of research works, and analyzing the scenarios post-COVID-19 either optimistic or pessimistic outlooks. The national and international contributions and collaboration toward this theme of research are further analyzed at countries, institutions, and sources levels. This analysis indicates that research works conducted on the impacts of COVID-19 on the achievement of the SDGs are still in the immaturity level. The global research productivity on this topic was just 160 documents (0.19% of total global research productivity in all fields of science with relevance to COVID-19). The implications of COVID-19 on good health and well-being, SDG-3, have attracted considerable attention. It is followed by SDG-13 that concerned with climate changes. The post-COVID-19 scenarios showed deep and justified worries in relation to achieving the SDGs by 2030. This study figures the major issues debated in the literature with respect to COVID-19 and its implications on the SDGs. The study, furthermore, attempts to assess the required actions to advance the SDGs post-COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the perceptions of young people is a critical issue in the formulation and implementation of climate change mitigation strategies. Based on cognitive hierarchy theory, the present study aims to investigate the factors that motivate or hinder young people's perception of forestation as a strategy to mitigate climate change in post-conflict Somalia. This study hypothesized a model in which climate change knowledge, risk perception and forest value orientations (anthropocentric/biocentric) influence attitude toward forestation and attitude, in turn, predicts behavioral intentions. We randomly surveyed students from three universities in three different regions of Somalia and collected 434 structured survey questionnaires. Using structural equation modeling, the results showed that climate change knowledge is a significant predictor of behavioral intention but not attitude toward forestation. The results also revealed that young people's perception toward forestation as a strategy to mitigate climate change is significantly influenced by biocentric value orientation both directly and indirectly through attitude toward forestation. Contrary to previous studies, our results indicate that attitude partially mediates the relationship between biocentric value orientation and behavioral intentions and fully mediates the relationship between anthropocentric value orientation, risk perception and behavioral intentions, while it did not show any mediation results between climate change knowledge and behavioral intention. We found that the young people's climate action or inaction is mainly shaped by climate change knowledge, biocentric value orientation, and attitude toward forestation. Finally, climate change mitigation efforts should avoid relying solely on attitude for behavioral decision-making formation and instead incorporate other factors into a more comprehensive framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study explores to identify various climate change adaptation strategies adopted by farm households in the Gedeo zone, Ethiopia. It is based on cross-sectional data from 400 randomly selected sample farm households. By using cross-sectional data from a primary survey of 400 randomly selected sample farm households and applying a multivariate probit regression model, it identifies the factors determining farm households' adoption of climate change adaptation options. The study finds five major climate change adaptation options adopted by farm households, viz. agro-forestry, soil and water conservation, small-scale irrigation, crop diversification, and adjusting planting dates. Findings indicate that various demographics, socio-economic, institutional, biophysical and climate change risk factors determine adoption of climate change adaptation strategies. The study suggests the significance of formulating different information opportunities such as local climate forums, access to media centers, and training centers for farmers, which can help to increase adaptation of farm households to climate change. Therefore, policies and development plans that persuade the adoption of adaptation strategies to climate change must consider these factors to reduce the climate repercussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on quantifying the impacts of climate change on international tourism in Turkey through the estimation of the future number of international tourists for different tourism destinations. For this purpose, 30 tourism destinations were selected from different regions in Turkey offering different kinds of tourism attributes and climatic conditions. Future tourism demand was estimated based on comfort level change, a major determinant of tourist preference, and evaluated through the Tourism Climate Index. Changes in climate comfort levels between a base period (1963–2017), a projected medium term period representing the 2050s (2040–2069), and a projected long term period representing the 2080s (2070–2099) were correlated with the number of international tourists using a regression model developed by Hein et al. (Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability,1:170–178, 2009). The results of this study project extreme drops in demand, seasonal shifts, and the emergence of new alternative destinations. The study is significant as the first quantitative evaluation of climate change impacts on tourism demand in Turkey through a comparison of the spatial exposures of destinations. The results will help lead the way to a national tourism development roadmap in Turkey through the revelation of regional risks and opportunities and will serve as a benchmarking study for tourism destinations that have similar climate conditions and tourism patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North China Plain faces increasing pressure on fresh water resources due to economic development and climate variations. The effects of climate variations and human activities on the groundwater system in Tianjin, Northern China, were analyzed using an autoregressive integrated moving average model. Our result showed that the groundwater dynamics were influenced by climatic factors and that human activities gradually played a dominant role in the increasing groundwater withdrawal. During the period of 1950–2010, there were no significant trends in annual and wet season precipitation based on Mann–Kendall tests at the 5% significance level. Surface air temperature significantly increased, but potential evapotranspiration and phreatic water evaporation were not significantly changed. The effect of precipitation on groundwater-level fluctuation was decreasing, and the groundwater level declines mainly resulted from the groundwater withdrawal in Tianjin. Sustainable management of groundwater resources in the North China Plain will largely hinge on sustainable management of groundwater withdrawal, especially the efficient use of water for agriculture production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among all other leading challenges of this century, climate change affects people's livelihoods, particularly those residing in rural areas. This study is the first attempt to assess the Long-run (LR) and Short-run (SR) impacts of climatic factors, namely CO2 emissions, temperature, and precipitation on maize production in Nepal from 1983 to 2016, with the incorporation of cultivated area, fertilizers use, and credit supply as important input factors of maize production. To analyze the time-series dataset, we applied the Autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL), Vector error correction model (VECM), Impulse response function (IRF), and Variance decomposition (VD) methodologies. The results reveal that CO2 emissions and temperature decreased maize production in the short- and long-run while precipitation improved maize production in both cases. Also, cultivated area and fertilizers use significantly contributed to maize production in both periods. The results of the VECM causality indicate that rainfall and cultivated area have two-way causal associations with maize production. The CO2 emissions and credit represent unidirectional causality with maize production in the short-run. Besides, all variables share a significant long-run connection. Finally, the IRF and VD outcomes suggested that the effects of climatic and non-climatic factors are consistent on maize production. The policies recommend that better environmental quality is crucial for sustainable maize production in Nepal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managing and reducing the impacts of climate change depends on efficient actions from all societal scales. Yet, the household component is often missing from climate research, debate, and policies. This is problematic because households have been found to significantly contribute to of global greenhouse gas emissions and therefore have the potential to be part of a solution to climate change by mitigating climate change. This study seeks to understand which factors drive household-level mitigation actions. We conducted a household survey in Nuevo Leon, located in northeastern Mexico, to explore the extent to which climate change perceptions and the sociodemographic characteristics of households influence their reported mitigation performances and their perceived mitigation efforts. Results from linear regression analyses and generalized linear models revealed that sociodemographic characteristics are key drivers of the households' perceived mitigation efforts and reported mitigation performances and. We also found that climate change perceptions drive a household's efforts to mitigate climate change. These results could partly explain why despite the efforts households take to mitigate climate change, achieving an effective reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is challenging without further access to resources such as education and financial support. If governments intend to realize substantial reductions in future emission pathways, then household-level mitigation should be addressed with proper support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air temperature and precipitation are the elements that most impact the development of plants and are essential for good agricultural planning. Thus, it aimed to evaluate climate change in Maranhão of Brazil using the Thornthwaite (Geographical Review 38:55–94, 1948) climate classification. It used historical series of precipitation and air temperature between 1980 and 2016, obtained by the National Institute of Meteorology of Brazil (INMET). Reference evapotranspiration (ETo) was estimated using the Thornthwaite (Geographical Review 38:55–94, 1948) method and thus calculated the water balance by Thornthwaite and Mather (Laboratory of Climatology 8:104) for all locations in the studied state. Thornthwaite (Geographical Review 38:55–94, 1948) moisture index was used to classify localities to their level of humidity or aridity. We used the scenarios RCP-2.6, RCP-4, RCP-6, and RCP-8.5 for analyzing twenty-first-century projections (2041–2060 and 2061–2080 periods). The average values of air temperature, rainfall, and reference evapotranspiration in the state of Maranhão were 27.30(± 0.53) °C, 1678.52 (± 377.70) mm, and 1067.98 (± 73.36) mm, respectively. The average annual climatic characterization of the state of Maranhão was 53.4 (± 38.6) mm of the soil water storage, 698.71 (81.07) mm of the water surplus, and 395.85 (± 65.91) mm of the water deficit. Maranhão had seven climatic indexes. The most prevalent in the state was the Humid (B1, B2, B3, and B4), with 61% of the entire territory. RCP2.6 and RCP 8.5 are the driest. RCP6.0 and RCP8.5 show the most significant changes in the current situation. The humidity index's reduction will harm various economic activities in Maranhão, such as agriculture, livestock, and fishing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While climate change is a global phenomenon, it has significantly stifled agricultural productivity in the Global South due to changes of key atmospheric elements including extreme temperatures and unpredictable rainfall over the last fifty years. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in sub-Saharan Africa where rainfed agriculture is the dominant livelihood strategy, climate change is increasingly undermining rural livelihoods. Despite several policy efforts to improve climate adaptation in this context, smallholders' lack of access to credit constitutes one of the crucial dimensions of climatic vulnerability. Using an ordered logistic regression model, this study analyzed data from a cross-sectional survey (n = 1,100) in the Upper West Region to examine the relationship between smallholder farmers' access to credit and their perceived climate change resilience. Findings show that households with access to credit from informal sources were more likely (OR = 1.73, p ≤ 0.05) to report good resilience compared to those without access. Households that received remittances were also more likely (OR = 3.26, p ≤ 0.001) to report good resilience compared to non-receiving households. Further, households that did not rear any livestock surprisingly emerged more likely (OR = 2.00, p ≤ 0.001) to report good resilience compared to those that reared livestock. On the contrary, households that had experienced any climatic events in the past 12 months before the study were less likely (OR = 0.29, p ≤ 0.01) to report good resilience compared to households that did not experience any events. These findings highlight the potential contribution of informal credit sources to improving rural agricultural productivity and climate change resilience. Informal credit sources may be capable of providing smallholder farmers with the needed access to more flexible financial credit options. The study provides policy recommendations on what might be useful to vulnerable groups, and others in similar contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evapotranspiration is an important hydrological parameter that takes place due to water bodies and many physical features (plants, soil) on earth. Punjab lies in the zone of Pakistan that is mostly affected by climate change. A decrease in rainfall and an increase in temperature and potential evapotranspiration (PET) tend toward a more disastrous situation particularly in the southern region of Punjab. MODIS satellite imagery (MOD16) and climatic data over the 16 and 23 years' time periods (1993–2016) were utilized in this study. Firstly for the estimation of the average spatial and temporal trend of rainfall patterns. Maximum of 2000 mm annual rainfall was estimated in 1997, while in 2016 about 1300 mm of annual rainfall was estimated. A declining trend of annual rainfall has been observed both in satellite imagery and observed data results from 1993 to 2016. Modified Penman–Monteith equation was used to estimate PET and moisture index. Thornthwaite Moisture Index was applied on different scales for moisture observation. It was estimated that from 1993 to 2016 the trend of PET increased while that of moisture content decreased in the study area. Results obtained from both datasets showed that southern Punjab having less amount of rainfall and a gradually increasing trend in potential evapotranspiration as compared to the northern part of the province Punjab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study has mapped the hot spots vulnerable to changing climate and identified the underlying driving indicators in subtropical Trans and Upper Gangetic plains (TUGP) of India. The long-term trends indicate that the area between latitude 25 and 28° N has been more exposed to adverse climatic changes especially rise in maximum summer/monsoon and minimum winter temperatures. The more predominant correlates of vulnerability in the region come not from the exposure to adverse meteorological conditions but from prevailing socio-economic conditions (adaptive capacity) and the increased environmental pressure (sensitivity). Among the top 40 most vulnerable districts in the TUGP, in about two-third, the exposure was at moderate to low level, but sensitivity was high and adaptive capacity very weak. Among the sensitivity indicators, the factor loadings, obtained through modified principal component technique, were high for average size of landholdings, Temperature Humidity Index load and productivity of paddy and wheat crops. Irrigation intensity, farm mechanization, cropping intensity, livestock density, proportion of milch animals stock, rural literacy rate and veterinary institutions were the critical factors in determining the adaptive capacity of a district. The study outlines range of research and policy imperatives for enhancing resilience of crop–livestock production system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions entail a key component of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and are crucial for global warming and climate change issues. Although the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) pattern of the emissions–income nexus has intrigued many researchers for a long time, few studies cover a wide range of economic sectors and a large number of countries, which calls for the re-investigation of sector-wise EKC arguments. Thereby, we investigate the long-run equilibrium relationship between CO2 emissions and per capita income in a panel of 86 developing and developed countries for the period from 1990 through 2015. Our findings show that the EKC holds for three sectors: the electricity and heat production sector, the commercial and public services sector, and the other energy industry own use sector with the turning points of approximately 21,000 USD, 3000 USD, and 5000 USD, respectively. Additionally, emissions decrease monotonically for the manufacturing industries and construction sector, the residential sector, and the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector, whereas they increase monotonically with the development of the transport sector. Policymakers should consider adopting sector-specific environmental policies based on each sector's unique income–emission relationship, to mitigate CO2 emissions effectively, and attain sustainable economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the livelihood vulnerability to climate change of farm households in Northeast Vietnam. Data for the study is based on a survey with 534 farm households in the study site. The livelihood vulnerability index was used to measure the household vulnerability to natural hazards and climate variability. The results show that the livelihood of farm households in the study site is moderately vulnerable to natural hazards and climate variability. However, livelihood strategies, health and food are more susceptible than social networks, water, housing, land tenure and assets; while the socio-demographic profile is least vulnerable. The result suggests that to sustain the livelihood and improve the adaptive capacity of farm households to respond to climate change impacts, specific interventions for each component of the livelihood should be planned and applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A substantial amount of researches have been done on the understanding and assessment of resilience from multiple perspectives, e.g., ecological, social, economic, and disaster management; however, recent international approach is trending toward more systematic and comprehensive risk assessment processes. Pivotal element of such approach is to emphasizing on promoting resilience in the face of climate change impacts. Conceptualization and identification of parameters to assess climate change resilience is one of the remaining challenges that academia is facing. Reviewing the principles of the climate change resilience highlighted in the literature, the goal of this study is to introduce a theoretical model about the climate change resilience concept to facilitate and enhance future climate change resilience-related researches. The model proposed in this study is named as the climate change resilience of place (C-CROP) model, a geo-based model which is designed to assess climate change resilience for any geographic region with an approach to the incorporation of nature-based solution (NBS). C-CROP model considers vulnerability, exposure, sensitivity to climate change on one side; another side is co-benefit, climate proofing, and disservices of proposed NBS. An operational framework of the C-CROP model is also proposed, that allows spatially explicit assessment of climate change resilience in real world by developing an indicator-based framework and comprehensive mapping using the geospatial approach. Therefore, this model includes vulnerability hotspots identification; better understanding of the pathways of resilience; and solutions (i.e., NBS) to infer the impacts and effectiveness of resilience-building interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions has observable impacts on environment. Among the GHG emissions, carbon dioxide is the primary source of global climate change. In order to provide appropriate measures to control carbon emissions, it appears that there is an urgent need to address how such factors such as economic growth, exports, imports, and technology innovation affect carbon emissions in world's top carbon emitter countries. We thus employed an extended Environmental Kuznets Curve, Population, Affluence and Technology (STIRPAT) model combined with panel quantile regression to analyze the driving factors of carbon emissions across top 10 countries from 2000 to 2014. We also conducted the panel quantile regression to ascertain the relationship between variables and examine the EKC. The results obtained show that firstly, the main results are that income per capita significantly increases environmental pollution across top 10 carbon emissions countries; this study also supported the EKC hypothesis in the top 10 countries in China, USA, India, Russia, Japan, Germany, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, and South Africain China, USA, India, Russia, Japan, Germany, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, and South Africa. Second, with the top 10 countries, the STIRPAT model is verified using the panel quantile regression approach, and population, energy use, exports, and imports of information communication technology are found to be the key impact factors of higher level of carbon emissions. However, technology innovation is conducive to the carbon emissions reduction. The results obtained show that the EKC hypothesis holds across top 10 carbon emissions countries. The governments of these countries should institute policies for promoting environmental technology innovation and energy efficiency in order to achieve sustainable development of population, resources, and the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are a few regions in the world, where climate change impacts are more intense than other regions of the world, and Himalaya is the case. The Himalaya, one of the biodiversity hotspot regions and provider of ecosystem services to billion of people all across the world. Present study reviewed and synthesized climate change studies in the Himalayan region in general and Indian Himalayan region (IHR) in particular. Analysis of the literature indicates exponentially increase in climate change studies 2005 onward in the IHR, and maximum are from Jammu and Kashmir (105) followed by Uttarakhand (100) and Himachal Pradesh (77). Among the subject types, maximum climate change impact was studied on water resources/glacier retreat (141 studies) followed by agriculture (113) and forests/biodiversity (86). Increasing temperature, frequent drought spells, erratic rainfall and declining snowfall are commonly reported indicators of climate change. For instance, temperature is reported to increase by 1.5 °C in the Himalaya than an average increase of 0.74 °C globally in last century; however, it varied in eastern (0.1 °C per decade and western Himalayas (0.09 °C per decade. An increase in temperature between 0.28 and 0.80 °C per decade was reported for North-western Himalaya and 0.20–1.00 °C per decade for Eastern Himalaya. The higher altitude of Himalayan and Trans-Himalayan zone are reported to be warming at higher rates. Many of the glaciers were reported to be retreating in both eastern and western Himalaya. Heavy rainfall is becoming very common in the region often accompanied by cloudbursts that aggravate flood situation many times. Perception-based studies of the region reported to provide firsthand and detailed descriptions of climate change indicators and impacts from rural and remote areas, where no instrumental data are available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adverse effects of climate change on agricultural production systems threaten food security. In terms of dairy farming, it affects milk yield, quality, animal health, growth, reproduction, forage crops and rangelands. These effects are not only technically, but also socio-economically important, and adaptation is necessary to minimise losses. In this context, the purposes of this research are threefold. The first is to demonstrate how dairy farmers in the Thrace region are affected by climate change; the second is to investigate the adaptation methods they use to minimise farm-level negative effects and finally, to analyse the farm and farmer specific factors that determine the likelihood of adaptation. A total of 140 interviews with dairy farmers were carried out and logistic regression was used to investigate factors affecting their adaptation behaviour. One-third of the farmers changed the feed ration and using supplementary nutrients, while one-fourth of them used cooling systems. The logistic regression model showed that whether the farmer has non-agricultural income, education level, farm-scale, knowledge of climate change and whether children work in the farm were statistically significant factors for adaptation. In conclusion, extension services are recommended to inform smallholder farmers and raise awareness for adaptation by the middle-aged and elderly farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, 17 implications of changing cropping patterns (CP) to low water demand plants (LWDPs) were identified. Then, the experts were asked to determine the standard (optimal) level of each implication. In addition, the farmers were to determine the extent that each of these implications was implemented in the region under the study. Further, the status of each of the implications was evaluated both horizontally and vertically. In the horizontal mode, the level of implementation for each implication was compared to its standard level, while the ranking of the implementation level of the implications was evaluated with their standard level rank in the vertical mode. The results showed that the implementation level for all implications was lower than the standard level, and the difference means were significant in all of the 17 cases. Also, it has been found that the three implications, viz. (i) giving production input in the form of subsidy to farmers, (ii) making easier credit and facilities, and (iii) the use of local leaders and successful farmers to extend the cultivation of LWDPs, are the most important implications in changing the CP to LWDPs. The implementation priorities for these implications are 15, 12, and 1, respectively. The results indicated that none of the above implications have yet been met to change the CP in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an integrated hydrologic-economic model as decision support system for groundwater use and incorporates uncertainties of climate change. The model was developed with the Vensim software (Ventana Systems) for system dynamic simulations. The software permitted the integration of economic variables along with hydrologic variables, in a unified format with the aim of evaluating the economic impacts of climate change on arid environments. To test the model, we applied it in one of the upper Tunuyán River sub-basin, located in the Mendoza Province (Argentina), where irrigation comes from groundwater. The model defines the best mix of crops and the total land use required to maximize the total river sub-basin monetary income, considering as a limit the amount of water that does not exceed the natural annual aquifer recharge. To estimate the impacts of climatic changes, four scenarios were compared: the business as usual (with the number of existing wells) in a dry year with a temperature increase of 4 °C; the business as usual in a wet year with an increase in temperature of 1.1 °C; an efficient use of wells in a dry year and a temperature increase of 4 °C and an efficient use of wells in a wet year with a temperature increase of 1.1 °C. Outputs calculated by the model were: land use per crop, total sub-basin net benefit, total sub-basin water extraction, water extraction limit depending on river discharge and total number of wells required to irrigate the entire area. Preliminary results showed that the number of existing wells exceeded the optimized number of wells required to sustainably irrigate the entire river sub-basin. Results indicated that in an average river discharge year, if wells were efficiently used, further rural development would be possible, until the limit of 350 million m of water extraction per year was reached (650 million m for a wet year and 180 million m for a dry year). The unified format and the low cost of the software license make the model a useful tool for Water Resources Management Institutions, particularly in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The employment of renewable resources and their association with the real economy's growth in mitigating the problem of carbon emission risk has been debated in the literature in a specific group of countries and regions. However, their relations and effects for a better sustainable energy transmission would need further research works in an international context. Motivated by that reason, this study contributes to the ongoing literature by revisiting the effects of renewable energy consumption, electricity output, and economic activities on carbon risk using a global sample of 219 countries over the period of 1990–2020. Using GMM estimation, simultaneous quantile, and panel quantile estimations; the study finds supportive findings showing that the higher the countries with renewable energy consumption and electricity output the better the capacity those countries can mitigate the environmental degradation by reducing the amount of total carbon emission over time. However, those relations are changed when using system GMM approaches, implying the role of FDI inflows and the difference in income groups in the selected sample countries. This can be intuitively explained that emerging countries might give more priority to the economic growth receiving FDI inflows from more advanced economies and balancing the trade-off between economic growth and environmental protection, while the developed economies with their advantages in green technologies and financial flexibility might have higher advantages in acquiring a sustainable transition and maintaining the real economy's growth without significant trade-off concerns. Finally, the study provides important policy implications and avenues for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kyoto Protocol, signed in 1997 and enforced in 2005, aimed to reduce global emissions and establish three mechanisms: an emission trading system, a clean development mechanism, and a joint implantation mechanism. The transition from the Kyoto Protocol to the Paris Agreement requires a better understanding of the modalities, procedures, and accomplishments. This study examines the related commitments and achievements in the context of the legal framework, efficiency, carbon price, and the parties and sectors involved; it also draws implications for developing countries. Global emissions increased over the year despite commitments by Annex I members. Middle-income developing countries were largely responsible for this increase. Low-income developing countries could not fully benefit from the clean development mechanism due to insufficient access and implementation capacity. According to the data reported, most of the beneficiary host countries are in the category of middle-income countries (94%), while low-income countries account for only 2% of the related projects hosted, although they represent around 15% of the total countries. The transition to the Paris Agreement must involve a clear definition of the modalities, procedures, and certain enforcement elements for cases of non-compliance. The current experience of related parties, such as the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme and other flexibility mechanisms, has several implications for the developing world in terms of legal frameworks, efficiency, capacity building, the role of agriculture, and regional collaboration to address climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most crucial issues in water and food security is to assess the impacts of climate change on virtual water content (VWC) and crop yield of agricultural products. The objective of this study is to efficiently predict the VWC patterns and yields of different crops under various climate change conditions using three data mining approaches including artificial neural network (ANN), genetic programming (GP), and support vector machine (SVM). The study region included the eastern provinces of Iran containing North Khorasan, Khorasan Razavi, South Khorasan, Sistan-Baluchestan (in a range of latitude from 25 to 40°N). Specifically, VWC and crop yields were estimated for both baseline period (1985–2005) and several climate change conditions including four time horizons (2030, 2050, 2070, and 2090) under RCPs 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5 based on the second generation Canadian Earth System Model (CanESM2). The data mining models were evaluated with the RMSE and NSE goodness-of-fit criteria. The results showed that the SVM model achieved the highest NSE and lowest RMSE values. It was also found that under the climate change conditions, VWC increased from 6 to 42%, while crop yield decreased from 8 to 53% for all products in the southern regions. An opposite trend was observed in the northern regions for wheat and barley with an increase from 12 to 72% for VWC and from 4 to 27% for the yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims at developing a purposeful approach for estimating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and its possible use to recreate alternative scenarios that might potentially facilitate the attainment of the material productivity (MP) ratio needed for achieving territorial sustainable development (SDGs) and circular economy goals on climate. The propounded method associates these two key concepts (GHG-MP) with the domestic material consumption (DMC) and international trade of materials, including product life cycle emissions in the overarching GHG total estimation. Developed utilizing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and diverse data, linked to the suggested scheme, from the Basque Country (Spain), this work also relies its scientific foundation upon leading literature in this field to align territorial models of production and consumption with a more localized measurement of GHG emissions. According to its results, the emissions estimated allow advising more contextualized scenarios for the potential achievement of local MP target indicator, when expressed as the amount of economic output―based on gross domestic product (GDP)—generated per unit of materials consumed and traded―in terms of DMC. From a theoretical perspective, this work contributes to the local strategic management of circular economy research and 2030 Agenda, particularly on the subject of measuring progress in the achievement of territorial climate and circular economy goals. From a utilitarian perspective, the findings comprise promising implications for both multilevel policy makers and public/private organizations that further sustainable development and actions against climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]