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Copyright of Serbian Journal of Management is the property of Serbian Journal of Management and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Governments and policymakers worldwide have been setting targets to achieve an ambitious net‐zero emission target by 2050 to tackle the pressing issue of climate change. However, achieving the net‐zero emission target by 2050 depends on the factors determining the transition from traditional fossil fuel energy sources to renewables. In connection with this, policymakers have emphasised the need to transition from a linear to a circular economy. In this paper, we investigate the effectiveness of the progress towards a circular economy in reducing CO2 emissions and promoting environmental sustainability. To do so, we use annual historical data for a panel of 29 European countries from 2000 to 2020. Using an identification strategy that adopts heteroscedastic‐based instrumental variables and addresses endogeneity issues, we find that progress towards a circular economy significantly improves environmental quality via reducing CO2 emissions. Our findings suggest that business strategies promoting recycling and circular economy practices play an important role in environmental sustainability by reducing emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: The presented results can be used to evaluate the energy-saving potential and ecological impact of electric motors of various energy efficiency classes in various applications of electric drive. The high energy intensity of the modern industry and the threat of climate change determine the high urgency of increasing the energy efficiency of electric motors. In this paper, energy consumption, energy costs, payback periods, and CO2 emissions of 75 kW, 4 pole induction motors with direct grid supply in a fixed-speed pump unit are evaluated. Motors of the IE2, IE3, and IE4 efficiency classes according to IEC 60034-30-1 standard are compared in terms of life-time energy savings, payback period, and CO2 emissions. To carry out the analysis, polynomial interpolation of the data from the available manufacturer datasheets of the motors is used. It concluded that even though the initial investment cost of the IE4-motor is higher than that of IE3-motor, the IE4-motor is more profitable if more than 3 years of operation are considered and also provides significant reductions of CO2 emissions. The paper presents a calculation method of the aforementioned indicators which can be useful for companies, researchers, and engineers for quick assessment and selection of technical solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As concerns around climate change and global warming intensify, extreme weather events such as heavy rain, blizzards, and smog-induced haze have greatly impacted the commuting travel mode selection of urban residents. Such behavioral shifts have in turn led to changes of the carbon emissions generated from these residents. This paper constructs a "extreme weather (W)–travel behavior (B)–carbon emissions (C)" research framework. Using a multiple logistic regression model, the transportation mode shift model, and the econometric model of urban resident's travel behavior under the influence of extreme weather conditions were constructed. The marginal effects of weather on residents' commuter behavior, through the use of transportation type and distance of travel were also obtained. The study found that the overall carbon dioxide emission levels of daily commuting has gradually decreased due to the influence of extreme weather. However, as some travelers still adopted high-emission commuting modes through the use of taxis or ride-sharing services, there was still a slight increase in CCDE levels in certain extreme weather contexts. In particular, when haze was prevalent, vehicle restriction policies only reduced CCDE by 2.18%, while the remaining 77.83% of total CCDE remaining unchanged. This research provides a key reference point for governmental departments in urban transportation management and environmental protection to formulate policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global climate change adversities have particularly sparked the urgency in mitigating carbon dioxide emissions across the world. Against this backdrop, the paper attempts to investigate the validity of the carbon dioxide emission-induced Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis controlling for the impacts of export quality on the economic growth-carbon dioxide emission nexus in the context of selected South Asian economies: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Using annual data from 1972 to 2014, the results from the panel data econometric analyses provide statistical validity to the EKC hypothesis while the country-specific results depict heterogeneity of the findings in this regard. The EKC hypothesis is validated only for Bangladesh and India while in the context of Pakistan the economic growth-carbon dioxide emission nexus portrays a U-shaped association. In contrast, economic growth is found to monotonically decrease carbon dioxide emissions in Sri Lanka and Nepal. Besides, the results from both the panel and time-series analyses suggest that improvement in export quality lead to lower levels of carbon dioxide emissions. Moreover, the statistical significance of the interaction term between economic growth and export quality implies that the overall impacts of economic growth on carbon dioxide emissions are conditional on the quality of the exports. Thus, enhancing the quality of the export products is pertinent with respect to ensuring environmental sustainability across South Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel probabilistic method for evaluating the sustainability performance of reinforced concrete (RC) structures made with conventional and green concretes and subjected to carbonation is presented. • The method is based on the combination of life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) methodologies. • The method takes into account the impact of climate change, which is illustrated for three locations with different types of climate. • It is shown that green concretes demonstrate superior sustainability performance compared to conventional concrete, both in terms of CO 2 emissions and costs, and that climate change does not affect that. The paper presents a probabilistic method based on two methodologies – Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), for evaluating the sustainability of reinforced concrete (RC) structures in terms of their costs and CO 2 emissions. The method considers the whole life of a RC structure by taking into account CO 2 initially embodied in its construction materials, the absorption of CO 2 by concrete due to carbonation during the service life of the structure, potential damage to the structure due to carbonation-induced corrosion of reinforcing steel that may require repairs, and relevant costs. Since there are numerous uncertainties associated with the calculation of CO 2 emissions and costs, a probabilistic approach is beneficial. The emphasis is made on RC structures made of the so-called "green concretes", in which Portland cement is partially replaced with supplementary cementitious materials such as fly ash and ground granulated blast-furnace slag. The issue of a changing climate is also addressed. The method is illustrated by assessing the sustainability of a multi-story RC carpark made of different concrete types at three different locations (London, Paris and Marseille) for present and future climate conditions. This assessment's results show that using green concretes leads to a major reduction in CO 2 emissions and a small decrease in the life-cycle cost of the carpark RC elements. The relative sustainability performance of green concretes slightly improves compared to Portland cement concrete for future climate conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are a major cause of climate change. However, CO2 emissions data for 178 countries from 1960 to 2018 revealed inequality in global CO2 emissions. For example, we found that 50% of the world's population (ca. 3.75 billion people) was responsible for just 8.9% of the global cumulative carbon emissions. These people are concentrated in low- and middle-income countries. Conversely, 10% of the world's population (ca. 757 million people), concentrated in high-income countries, were responsible for 46.8% of the global emissions. Furthermore, the literature review disclosed evolution of CO2 emission inequalities within countries. A significant (p < 0.001) negative (r2 = −0.52) correlation was detected between carbon emissions and climate change impacts on national incomes. Such correlation indicated that countries most likely to experience the greatest effects of climate change are also those who make the smallest contributions to its underlying causes. Similar disparities were observed within countries where low-income groups who make the smallest contributions to climate change are subjected to its worst implications. Evaluations of the data from the literature showed that migration could be the result of climate change, though such migration does not happen in isolation. In other words, this kind of migration is frequently linked to other issues such as the fragility and lack of adaptability of the communities. Furthermore, reviews showed that climate change catalyzes instability and conflict. On the other hand, conflict damages the environment and climate in multiple ways. Therefore, it is necessary to collaborate to resolve these two issues concurrently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the concern about climate change and the associated negative impacts, fossil fuels continue to prevail in the global energy consumption. This paper aimed to propose the first model that relates CO2 emissions of Sao Paulo, the main urban center emitter in Brazil, with gross national product and energy consumption. Thus, we investigated the accuracy of three different methods: multivariate linear regression, elastic-net regression, and multilayer perceptron artificial neural networks. Comparing the results, we clearly demonstrated the superiority of artificial neural networks when compared with the other models. They presented better results of mean absolute percentage error (MAPE = 0.76%) and the highest possible coefficient of determination (R2 = 1.00). This investigation provides an innovative integrated climate-economic approach for the accurate prediction of carbon emissions. Therefore, it can be considered as a potential valuable decision-support tool for policymakers to design and implement effective environmental policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The aim of this paper is to evaluate and compare the techno-economic performance of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) power systems for a rooftop solar PV building containing 14 families in five climate zones in China. The techno-economic performance of grid-connected PV system in the five regions was evaluated using the HOMER software. Monthly average electric production, economic and environmental considerations, and sensitivity analyses were all considered. The results show that the pollutants from grid-only, grid/PV, and grid/PV/battery systems come mainly in the form of CO 2 emissions. In addition, this study concludes that grid/PV systems are technically, economically and environmentally feasible for all five climate zones. The excess electricity, NPC, and COE values of the grid/PV systems for all five climate zones increased with PV penetration increased, whereas the CO 2 emissions for these climate zones decreased due to the increasing PV sizes. For the grid/PV systems of five climate zones, Kunming is the most economical with the least NPC ($113,382) and COE ($0.073/kWh). The lowest CO 2 (38,975 kg/yr), SO 2 (35.4 kg/yr), and NO x (165 kg/yr) emissions of grid/PV systems occurred in Kunming. From an economic and environmental perspective, Kunming, with its mild climate conditions, may be especially suitable for grid/PV power generation. Highlights • The techno-economic performance of grid/PV system is evaluated using HOMER in five climate zones. • The grid/PV systems are feasible in five climate zones, China. • Kunming is the most economical with the least NPC ($113,382) and COE ($0.073/kWh). • Kunming may be especially suitable for grid/PV power generation. • The grid/PV system is a better choice for all five regions than the other studied systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Africa continues to suffer from the effects of climate change in many ways. Records show that the continent's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have seen tremendous upward adjustments over the past decades. While international tourism and renewable energy have been touted as sources of reducing CO2 emissions, the empirical evidence has been mixed, and it is also unclear how exchange rates moderate the effect of tourism on CO2 emissions. With the recent pace of tourism and renewable energy development, as well as exchange rate fluctuations in Africa, the study assesses the impact of international tourism, exchange rate, and renewable energy on CO2 emissions of seven most visited countries in Africa. Carbon dioxide emission was modelled within the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. Regression analyses were performed using the quantile regression and fully modified OLS. Regression analysis from the fully modified OLS method shows that the EKC hypothesis holds for the selected countries; renewable energy and international tourism reduce carbon dioxide emissions; and exchange rate interacts with international tourism to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The quantile regression shows variations in the impacts across the various quantiles. Countries in this study can rely on economic expansion, international tourism, and renewable energy to curb carbon dioxide emissions. It is recommended, among other things, that there should be the development of additional tourism locations and renewable energy adoption be scaled up as a means of reducing heavy polluting energy sources to reduce emissions emanating from the energy sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between maximizing forest revenue and reducing environmental pollution has been a challenging one. It is every country's responsibility to protect its forest reserves and mitigate climate change. Studies on the relationship between forest economic models and climate change are limited, and most of them focus on maximizing forestry products. This study aims at filling the gaps and makes scientific contributions by providing a detailed account of various economic models and their correlations with climate change, as well as identifying the ecological footprint of forest products, fossil fuel consumption, forest cover, foreign direct investment, economic growth, and population in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. In this study, we observed that most forest economic models focus on forest profit maximization and disregard climate impact. The empirical results suggest that the ecological footprint of forest products increases CO2 emissions. In addition, forest cover helps to reduce CO2 emissions. A case study of China's tremendous growth and the associated CO2 emissions levels reported a recent decrease in such levels, largely due to an increase in forest cover. Although these findings are not exhaustive, they provide new insights into forestry economic models and the impact of climate change, offering theoretical and practical implications for future reference and forest governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 2009 Copenhagen Accord, China agreed to slash its carbon intensity (carbon dioxide emissions/GDP) by 40% to 45% from the 2005 level by 2020. We assess whether China can achieve the target under the business-as-usual scenario by forecasting its emissions from energy consumption. Our preferred model shows that China's carbon intensity is projected to decline by only 33%. The results imply that China needs additional mitigation effort to comply with the Copenhagen commitment. The emission growth is more than triple the emission reductions that the European Union and the United States have committed to in the same period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese Government just released its Energy Revolution Strategy (2016–2030) as an official policy response to President Xi Jinping’s urge. Withdraw of the US from Paris Climate Agreement has turned the global focus on if China can comply with its climate change commitments. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a comprehensive assessment on this utterly important question. We find that the 2030 Strategy is consistent with the GDP CO 2 intensity target but cannot deliver CO 2 peak earlier than 2030. We also explore the possibility for China to realize leapfrog in energy efficiency and contribute more to global society in CO 2 emissions abatement. Given China’s economic restructuring potential, continuous efforts in energy efficiency could lead to much lower primary energy demand than the Strategy proposed and thus peak energy-related CO 2 emissions around 2020. It can also make China a new champion in the world with highest energy efficiency level at comparable income level during the economic development process. A much lower primary energy demand can also facilitate China’s non-fossil primary energy share target and the low-carbon power system transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cuestiones Políticas is the property of Revista Cuestiones Politicas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Many international organizations have called for an increased usage of renewable energy as a means to reduce CO 2 emissions and address climate change. This paper uses a large panel data set of 93 countries and recently developed panel estimation techniques to answer the question by how much does increasing non-fossil fuels in electricity generation reduce the subsequent carbon dioxide emissions. For the full sample, we find long-run displacement elasticities for non-fossil fuel consumption per capita of approximately −0.38; however, for the share of non-fossil fuels used in electricity generation, those long-run displacement elasticities are −0.82. Thus, a one percent increase of the share of non-fossil fuel electricity generation reduces CO 2 emissions per capita from electricity generation by about 0.82%. Long-run share displacement elasticities for non-OECD countries are substantially higher than those for OECD countries (approximately −0.98 to −0.54). These results have a number of policy implications. Our results are important in establishing that a very rapid increase in the share of non-fossil fuels used in electricity generation is needed in order to have a meaningful impact on per capita CO 2 emissions from electricity generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humans have altered the earth in unprecedented ways, and these changes have profound implications for global climate change. However, the impacts of human pressures on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions over long time scales have not yet been clarified. Here, we used the human footprint index (HF), which estimates the ecological footprint of humans in a given location, to explore the impacts of human pressures on CO2 emissions in China from 2000 to 2017. Human pressures (+13.6%) and CO2 emissions (+198.3%) in China are still on the rise during 2000–2017 and are unevenly distributed spatially. There was a significant positive correlation between human pressures and CO2 emissions in China, and northern China is the main driver of this correlation. The increase of CO2 emissions in China slowed down after 2011. Although human pressures on the environment are increasing, high-quality development measures have already had noticeable effects on CO2 emission reductions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A synthesis of the complex relationships, including synergies and trade-offs, between urban development projects and climate change mitigation and adaptation objectives can ensure that all these relationships are taken into consideration. We used a systems approach and applied an impact matrix and chain effect analysis methods to projects in the highly urbanized Taipei metropolitan region to identify the influences and effects between urban development projects and climate change objectives. Three types of urban plans and projects were analyzed: flood control, transportation, and urban planning. The magnitudes of the influences and effects between these projects and plans were derived through interviews with experts familiar with Taipei's urban development. This pilot study found no synergy in the response to climate change mitigation and adaptation for the urban development projects analyzed. The current standalone policies and plans related to urbanization in Taipei have resulted in trade-offs for flood control and public transit projects because they contribute positively toward one climate objective but negatively impact another. A high-level policymaking mechanism that ensures coordination and collaboration between different sectors is needed to supervise sectoral policies. Prior to the approval and implementation of a plan, policymakers should request the assessment of synergies and trade-offs between plans and projects to ensure a synergistic effect to climate change issues. This study confirms that the strategy from individual sector in a metropolitan region will result in trade-off between climate change issues is a global problem. This paper also strengthens the concept that the assessment of synergy/trade-offs between policy and plans should be conducted using systemic approach. • A systems approach can assess synergy/trade-offs between mitigation and adaptation. • Synergy doesn't exist due to a lack of comprehensive urban climate policy in Taipei. • There are trade-offs between analyzed mitigation and adaptation projects. • Minimizing trade-offs is an immediate concern for urban climate policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a major carbon dioxide-emitting country, China set carbon trading market to reduce enterprise carbon emissions through the rational allocation of carbon quotas among different enterprises and regions. The market has also conducted a preliminary exploration for the country to achieve carbon dioxide emissions peak in 2030 and carbon neutrality in 2060 while actively addressing the challenges of global climate change. This study analysed the emission reduction effect of China's carbon trading pilot policy, especially the role of carbon quota and carbon trading price. The analysis used county-level panel data from 1997 to 2017, regarded the implementation of the carbon trading pilot policy as a quasi-natural experiment, and used the difference-in-differences method. The results showed that, first, the policy implementation not only reduced regional carbon emissions but also inhibited carbon dioxide emissions per capita, with long-term effects. Second, the carbon emission reduction effect brought by the carbon pilot policy showed significant heterogeneous results with the different degrees of regional carbon emissions and environmental supervision. The effect was greater in areas with higher carbon emission density and stronger legal supervision. Third, the difference in carbon quota allocations resulted in different emission reduction effects, among which the historical method had the strongest effect. The carbon quota price and number of enterprises participating carbon trading market were the key factors affecting carbon emission reduction. • This paper investigates the impact of carbon emission trading market on the carbon reduction. • China provides an excellent "Quasi-natural Experiment" for assessing the role of carbon emission trading market in environmental management. • It is found that policy implementation has significantly reduced various types of carbon emissions, and this reduction effect is long-term. • Stimulating the vitality of the carbon market and expanding the supply and demand of carbon quotas are the main ways to achieve carbon emission reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is considered a moral, ethical and social issue, which makes it different from other developmental issues. The foremost instance of lack of justice regarding climate change is that the worst impacted areas are the ones with the lowest contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, such as the southwestern coastal region of Bangladesh (SWCRB). Climate change is principally triggered by the presence and eventual spread of industrialization. This study employed the mixed method, combining qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection and analysis for development of a framework for climate justice. Data and information were obtained from both primary and secondary sources. In primary sources, quantitative data were collected from climate vulnerable community households using a structured close ended questionnaire and interactive sessions such as focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, key informant interviews, workshops, and case studies. This study explored the perceptions of people in the SWCRB, currently experiencing devastating effects of climate change and sea level rise including extreme natural disasters, seasonal changes, flooding, salinization, riverbank erosion, and waterlogging. These climate-induced changes are causing loss of housing, livelihoods, and land to the natives, in addition to a lack of access to proper nutrition, potable water, and healthcare thus exacerbating social injustice. A capability-based approach to climate justice is introduced in this paper, which allows for residents of this region to prepare and rebuild their own communities and create adaptive mechanisms based on their specific capabilities. This approach requires compensation (funding) from the global community, in addition to organizational connection between local people and other stakeholders. The people in the SWCRB are increasingly opting for community-based disaster management and inclusion in policy making. Persistent issues faced by these communities require sustainable development of embankments and infrastructure, as well as affordable and sustainable access to potable water. Industrialized nations should provide this compensation for climate change, in addition to acting promptly to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and opt for renewable energy to avoid worst-case scenario. Lastly, involuntarily displaced climate refugees must be provided rights, compensation, and relocation assistance.

Due to the alarming rate of climate change, fuel consumption and emission estimates are critical in determining the effects of materials and stringent emission control strategies. In this research, an analytical and predictive study has been conducted using the Government of Canada dataset, containing 4973 light-duty vehicles observed from 2017 to 2021, delivering a comparative view of different brands and vehicle models by their fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. Based on the findings of the statistical data analysis, this study makes evidence-based recommendations to both vehicle users and producers to reduce their environmental impacts. Additionally, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and various regression models have been built to estimate fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions for future vehicle designs. This study reveals that the Univariate Polynomial Regression model is the best model for predictions from one vehicle feature input, with up to 98.6% accuracy. Multiple Linear Regression and Multivariate Polynomial Regression are good models for predictions from multiple vehicle feature inputs, with approximately 75% accuracy. Convolutional Neural Network is also a promising method for prediction because of its stable and high accuracy of around 70%. The results contribute to the quantifying process of energy cost and air pollution caused by transportation, followed by proposing relevant recommendations for both vehicle users and producers. Future research should aim towards developing higher performance models and larger datasets for building APIs and applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study attempts to evaluate the energy and carbon footprint within the framework of international environmental treaties and the efforts made by 11 large polluting countries to mitigate climate change. The econometric methodology accounts for the presence of cross-sectional dependence while it employs second-generation panel unit root tests and cointegrated relationships. To secure the robustness of our findings, we conduct an ARDL approach employing dynamic panel data techniques. Dynamic OLS is also applied to verify the validity of the empirical results. The empirical analysis supports that the reduction in CO2 emissions can be achieved without a slowdown in economic activity for the sample countries. The findings suggest insightful policy implications for policymakers and government officials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the concern about climate change and the associated negative impacts, fossil fuels continue to prevail in the global energy consumption. This paper aimed to propose the first model that relates CO2 emissions of Sao Paulo, the main urban center emitter in Brazil, with gross national product and energy consumption. Thus, we investigated the accuracy of three different methods: multivariate linear regression, elastic-net regression, and multilayer perceptron artificial neural networks. Comparing the results, we clearly demonstrated the superiority of artificial neural networks when compared with the other models. They presented better results of mean absolute percentage error (MAPE = 0.76%) and the highest possible coefficient of determination (R2 = 1.00). This investigation provides an innovative integrated climate-economic approach for the accurate prediction of carbon emissions. Therefore, it can be considered as a potential valuable decision-support tool for policymakers to design and implement effective environmental policies.

Background: International awareness of the impact of global warming and climate change is increasing. Developing countries face the task of achieving sustainable economic growth while also improving the efficiency of their energy consumption. The E7 countries (Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, People's Republic of China, Russia, and Turkey) are all highly concerned with the promotion of carbon-emission-reduction strategies. Methods: This research uses a bootstrap autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bound test with structural breaks to examine the cointegration and causality relations between economic growth, energy consumption, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the E7 countries. Results: There is no cointegration between economic growth, energy consumption, and CO2 emissions for People's Republic of China, Indonesia, Mexico, and Turkey. Evidence of cointegration is found for Brazil when CO2 emissions are the dependent variable and for India and Russia when energy consumption is the dependent variable. For all of the E7 countries except Indonesia, short-run Granger causality was found to exist from energy consumption to CO2 emissions and from economic growth to CO2 emissions for Brazil, India, Mexico, and People's Republic of China. Short-run Granger causality was also found from economic growth to energy consumption for Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and People's Republic of China, and from CO2 emissions to energy consumption for all E7 countries. Conclusions: The results consistently show that energy consumption is the main cause of CO2 emissions, which has led to the emergence of global warming problems. Increases in CO2 emissions compel the E7 countries to develop sound policies on energy consumption and environmental pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The consequences of climate change heavily influence the Mediterranean region. However, the Portuguese CO2 emission shows a decreasing tendency, the evolution of livestock and animal production have significantly increased its level in agriculture. The article investigates the role of the agricultural output and energy consumption in the environmental pollution in Portugal. It explores the short and long-run cointegration between carbon dioxide emissions and agricultural activities such as crop production, livestock production, and agricultural land use applying Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL), Granger causality, Newey-West Standard Errors regression, as well as ARIMA model for the period of 1960-2015. The causality relation between CO2 emissions and agriculture is also analyzed. The Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) unit root tests suggest that all variables are stationary. ARDL model demonstrates a long-run relationship between CO2 emissions, agriculture, and energy consumption. Results indicate that agricultural activities and energy use have a positive effect on environmental pollution; therefore, the Portuguese agriculture needs to achieve a higher level of sustainable development, with reducing the impact of animal husbandry and intensive crop production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to examine the stochastic convergence of per capita carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 21 OECD countries and 19 emerging market economies. After approximating both sharp and smooth breaks, the panel unit root tests are performed to test the convergence. The empirical results suggest stochastic convergence for the two groups of countries. However, the results are different when tests for individual countries are conducted separately. Specifically, CO2 emissions of only four OECD countries and four emerging market economies show evidence of convergence if smooth breaks are not considered. With the inclusion of both sharp and smooth breaks, convergence is observed for 11 OECD countries and 10 emerging market economies. These findings may have implications for climate change policy making in selected economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mineral Resources Management / Gospodarka Surowcami Mineralnymi is the property of Mineral & Energy Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Continuous threat posed by climate change caused by carbon dioxide emission has reignited global advocacy to confront its negative ramification with the greatest possible firmness. Global food security and agriculture face major challenges under climate change as a result of the potential negative effect of production and implementation of sectoral action to limit global warming. Overall, agricultural greenhouse emissions continue to rise and the analysis of superior data on emissions from farming, livestock, and fisheries can help countries identify opportunities to contemporaneously reduce emissions and address their food security. This study seeks to contribute to the recent literature by examining the causal relationship between agriculture production and carbon dioxide emissions in selected emerging economies for the period 1971 to 2013. The study, therefore, disaggregated agriculture production into crop production index and livestock production index to explicate the distinct and to find individual variable contribution to carbon dioxide emissions. By using FMOLS and DOLS, empirical results indicate that 1% increase in economic growth, crop production index, and livestock production index will cause a proportional increase in carbon dioxide emission by 17%, 28%, and 28% correspondingly, while 1% increase in energy consumption and population improves the environment of emerging economies. The direction of causality among the variables was, accordingly, examined using PMG estimator. Potentially, for emerging countries to achieve Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring zero hunger for their citizenry requires the need to alter their farming production techniques and also adopt agricultural technology method, which is more environmentally friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has shown that democracies exhibit stronger commitments to mitigate climate change and, generally, emit less carbon dioxide than non-democratic regimes. However, there remains much unexplained variation in how democratic regimes perform in this regard. Here it is argued that the benefits of democracy for climate change mitigation are limited in the presence of widespread corruption that reduces the capacity of democratic governments to reach climate targets and reduce CO2 emissions. Using a sample of 144 countries over 1970-2011, the previously established relationship between the amount of countries’ CO2 emissions and their level of democracy is revisited. It is empirically tested whether this relationship is instead moderated by the levels of corruption. The results indicate that more democracy is only associated with lower CO2 emissions in low-corruption contexts. If corruption is high, democracies do not seem to do better than authoritarian regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humans use combustion for heating and cooking, managing lands, and, more recently, for fuelling the industrial economy. As a shift to fossil-fuel-based energy occurs, we expect that anthropogenic biomass burning in open landscapes will decline as it becomes less fundamental to energy acquisition and livelihoods. Using global data on both fossil fuel and biomass burning emissions, we tested this relationship over a 14 year period (1997-2010). The global average annual carbon emissions from biomass burning during this time were 2.2 Pg C per year (+0.3 s.d.), approximately one-third of fossil fuel emissions over the same period (7.3 Pg C, +0.8 s.d.). There was a significant inverse relationship between average annual fossil fuel and biomass burning emissions. Fossil fuel emissions explained 8% of the variation in biomass burning emissions at a global scale, but this varied substantially by land cover. For example, fossil fuel burning explained 31% of the variation in biomass burning in woody savannas, butwas a non-significant predictor for evergreen needleleaf forests. In the land covers most dominated by human use, croplands and urban areas, fossil fuel emissions were more than 30- and 500- fold greater than biomass burning emissions. This relationship suggests that combustion practices may be shifting from open landscape burning to contained combustion for industrial purposes, and highlights the need to take into account howhumans appropriate combustion in global modelling of contemporary fire. Industrialized combustion is not only an important driver of atmospheric change, but also an important driver of landscape change through companion declines in human-started fires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to market failures that allow uncompensated negative externalities from burning fossil fuels, there has been a growing call for climate change-related litigation targeting polluting companies. To determine the most intensive carbon dioxide (CO2)-emitting facilities in order prioritize liability for climate lawsuits, and risk mitigation strategies for identified companies as well as their insurers and investors, two methods are compared: (1) the conventional point-source method and (2) the proposed bottleneck method, which considers all emissions that a facility enables rather than only what it emits. Results indicate that the top ten CO2 emission bottlenecks in the U.S. are predominantly oil (47%) and natural gas (44%) pipelines. Compared to traditional point-source emissions methods, this study has demonstrated that a comprehensive bottleneck calculation is more effective. By employing an all-inclusive approach to calculating a polluting entity's CO2 emissions, legal actions may be more accurately focused on major polluters, and these companies may preemptively mitigate their pollution to curb vulnerability to litigation and risk. The bottleneck methodology reveals the discrete link in the chain of the fossil-fuel lifecycle that is responsible for the largest amount of emissions, enabling informed climate change mitigation and risk management efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an analysis of the impacts of climate change on thermal comfort and energy performance of residential buildings in Ghana, in sub-Saharan Africa, and explores mitigation as well as adaptation strategies to improve buildings' performance under climate change conditions. The performances of the buildings are analyzed for both recent and projected future climates for the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions of Ghana, using the IDA-ICE dynamic simulation software, with climate data from the Meteonorm global climate database. The results suggest that climate change will significantly influence energy performance and indoor comfort conditions of buildings in Ghana. However, effective building design strategies could significantly improve buildings' energy and indoor climate performances under both current and future climate conditions. The simulations show that the cooling energy demand of the analyzed building in the Greater Accra region is 113.9 kWh/m2 for the recent climate, and this increases by 31% and 50% for the projected climates for 2030 and 2050, respectively. For the analyzed building in the Ashanti region, the cooling energy demand is 104.4 kWh/m2 for the recent climate, and this increases by 6% and 15% for the 2030 and 2050 climates, respectively. Furthermore, indoor climate and comfort deteriorate under the climate change conditions, in contrast to the recent conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]