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Climate change mitigation by increased paper recycling can alleviate the two-sided pressure on the Swedish forest sector: supplying growing demands for wood-based products and increasing the forest carbon sink. This study assesses two scenarios for making use of a reduced demand for primary pulp resulting from an increased paper recycling rate in Sweden, from the present 72% to 78%. A Conservation scenario uses the saved primary pulp to reduce pulplog harvests so as to increase the forest carbon sink concomitant with constant overall wood product supply. In contrast, a Substitution scenario uses the saved primary pulp to produce man-made cellulosic fibers (MMCF) from dissolving pulp replacing cotton fiber, implying increased overall wood product supply. Our results suggest that utilizing efficiency gains in paper recycling to reduce pulplog harvests is better from a climate change mitigation perspective than producing additional MMCF to substitute cotton fiber. This conclusion holds even when assuming the use of by-products from dissolving pulp making and an indirect increase in MMCF availability. Hence, unless joint improvements across the value chain materialize, the best climate change mitigation option from increased paper recycling in Sweden would seemingly be to reduce fellings rather than producing additional MMCF.

Samples of plastic and paper waste were collected and subjected to various procedures including drying, manual sorting, pulverization, and homogenization. The elemental analysis of the samples was conducted following the ASTM D3176-15 standard, revealing that the plastic-paper composite samples had lower carbon and hydrogen content compared to the PL100 plastic benchmark. While thermogravimetric tests were performed on the samples in a thermal analyzer according to the ASTM procedure. Interestingly, the composite samples showed a higher presence of elemental oxygen, except for the sample with 25%wt. of paper. Moreover, sulfur content increased in composite samples with 25% wt., 50% wt., and 75% wt. of paper, while the sample with 100% wt. of paper exhibited a decrease in sulfur content. Combustibility was assessed based on the peak temperature at the maximum weight loss rate, indicating that samples PL100, PL50+PA50, and PL75+PA25 displayed higher combustibility compared to samples PL25+PA95 and PA100. Hence, these samples could be recommended for use as refuse-derived fuel due to their potential for energy recovery. The impact of waste-to-fuel research will be felt in waste reduction (SDG 7), clean energy (SDG 12), climate action (SDG 13), and ecosystem protection (SDG 15). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recycling is emerging as both a viable alternative to extraction in many industries and a cornerstone of the circular economy. In this paper, we assess the role of paper and cardboard recycling on the forest sector, from both an economic and carbon perspective. For this purpose, we add the recycling industry to an existing forest-sector model in an attempt to capture its effects on other wood products and the overall forest resource. As the forest sector has an important potential for climate change mitigation, this model allows us to assess the effects of increased paper and cardboard recycling on the availability of the natural resource and the carbon balance of the forest sector. We show that these results are strongly linked to the hypotheses of substitutability and/or complementarity of recycled pulp and virgin pulpwood. Although we find increased emissions at the pulp sector level, the effects on emissions in other wood products are small. When pulp products are considered substitutes, we find the impact on total net sequestration to be positive. In the case where pulp products are considered complements, we find the impact on total net sequestration to be negative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deinking paper sludge (DPS) soil amendments have potential as a climate change mitigation strategy. Understanding how DPS application affects carbon mineralization in different soil textures is crucial but has not been well investigated. We performed a 120 days incubation experiment to evaluate the effect of soil texture and DPS amount on CO2 emissions. Three different textures were tested: silty clay, sandy-silt and sandy with three DPS doses: 0, 30 and 60 t.ha-1. Results showed that DPS mineralization without soil seemed very rapid with a high mineralized carbon amount (more than 2.500 gC.kg-1DPS), but did not reach the stable phase. For amended soils, soil texture effects are marked at the end of incubation. The cumulative carbon mineralization depended significantly on soil texture and DPS doses with a significant interaction. Among all soils with different dose application, the highest cumulative carbon mineralization was revealed for silty-clay soil by applying 30 t.ha-1 as well as 60 t.ha-1 of DPS. However, the lowest values occurred for sandy soil. Only this latter achieved the stabilization phase after 120 days and therefore stopped CO2 emission. The highest potential mineralization rate (C0) was achieved for silty-clay soil by applying the two DPS doses. The mineralization rate (C0*k) was two times higher for this soil than the sandy soil. The kinetic deviation of carbon mineralization applying the highest DPS doses (60 t.ha-1) is similar for the four studied soils because of C-decomposition blockage. These findings highlight the necessity to consider the combined effects of the DPS amount and soil texture for assessing C release in DPS-amended soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2013, the Graedel Prizes were established to honor Professor Thomas Graedel, now emeritus at Yale University, after an outstanding career as researcher and pioneer in the field of industrial ecology (IE). Photo credit: P. Chatzimpiros gl GLO:FL1/01apr20:jiec12944-fig-0002.jpg PHOTO (COLOR): David Font Vivanco, lead author of the paper awarded the 2018 Graedel Prize for best paper by a junior author. [Extracted from the article]

Carbon abatement efforts in China are penetrating to sub-national level. Zhejiang province, as the 4th wealthy region in China and important player in global market (e.g., textiles, cloth, petroleum, and chemical products), lacks in-depth study of its climate change mitigation efforts, especially after China's accession to the WTO in 2001. This paper analyzed carbon emissions and intensity in Zhejiang province using most comprehensive and time-series dataset available to date since 2002. Its carbon emissions were growing at a declining speed, and carbon intensity was almost halved. The leading emitters largely agglomerate around Hangzhou Bay, close to Zhoushan Port and Shanghai Port. The growth in absolute emissions primarily arose from higher investment (323.1 Mt) and exports (280.6 Mt), while the slower growth was mainly due to efficiency improvements (− 245.7 Mt) stemming from energy and carbon abatement policies and inflows of emission-intensive products from the rest of China. Similarly, declined carbon intensity was mainly attributed to efficiency improvement. Major contributors were sector S13-Non-metallic minerals, S12-Chemicals, S26-Transport, storage and post, S07-Textiles, and S10-Paper. Economic restructuring played different roles on emissions and intensity during various development stages. Policy implications of the findings are discussed for future developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We utilize a coupled economy–agroecology–hydrology modeling framework to capture the cascading impacts of climate change mitigation policy on agriculture and the resulting water quality cobenefits. We analyze a policy that assigns a range of United States government’s social cost of carbon estimates ($51, $76, and $152/ton of CO2-equivalents) to fossil fuel–based CO2 emissions. This policy raises energy costs and, importantly for agriculture, boosts the price of nitrogen fertilizer production. At the highest carbon price, US carbon emissions are reduced by about 50%, and nitrogen fertilizer prices rise by about 90%, leading to an approximate 15% reduction in fertilizer applications for corn production across the Mississippi River Basin. Corn and soybean production declines by about 7%, increasing crop prices by 6%, while nitrate leaching declines by about 10%. Simulated nitrate export to the Gulf of Mexico decreases by 8%, ultimately shrinking the average midsummer area of the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic area by 3% and hypoxic volume by 4%. We also consider the additional benefits of restored wetlands to mitigate nitrogen loading to reduce hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico and find a targeted wetland restoration scenario approximately doubles the effect of a low to moderate social cost of carbon. Wetland restoration alone exhibited spillover effects that increased nitrate leaching in other parts of the basin which were mitigated with the inclusion of the carbon policy. We conclude that a national climate policy aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the United States would have important water quality cobenefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporate image, European Emission Trading System and Environmental Regulations, encourage pulp industry to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Kraft pulp mills produce CO2 mainly in combustion processes. The largest sources are the recovery boiler, the biomass boiler, and the lime kiln. Due to utilizing mostly biomass-based fuels, the CO2 is largely biogenic. Capture and storage of CO2 (CCS) could offer pulp and paper industry the possibility to act as site for negative CO2 emissions. In addition, captured biogenic CO2 can be used as a raw material for bioproducts. Possibilities for CO2 utilization include tall oil manufacturing, lignin extraction, and production of precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC), depending on local conditions and mill-specific details. In this study, total biomass-based CO2 capture and storage potential (BECCS) and potential to implement capture and utilization of biomass-based CO2 (BECCU) in kraft pulp mills were estimated by analyzing the impacts of the processes on the operation of two modern reference mills, a Nordic softwood kraft pulp mill with integrated paper production and a Southern eucalyptus kraft pulp mill. CO2 capture is energy-intensive, and thus the effects on the energy balances of the mills were estimated. When papermaking is integrated in the mill operations, energy adequacy can be a limiting factor for carbon capture implementation. Global carbon capture potential was estimated based on pulp production data. Kraft pulp mills have notable CO2 capture potential, while the on-site utilization potential using currently available technologies is lower. The future of these processes depends on technology development, desire to reuse CO2, and prospective changes in legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This introductory view of the relationships and issues that connect contemporary urban regeneration with the climate crisis and its consequences represents a work in progress. While noting many close connections between regeneration and climate action, the paper suggests that full understanding of the connections and their further development requires much more work in clarifying the detail around climate change challenges. These challenges come at every level of society from individual people to international governments, and good practice is emerging. As well as mitigation and adaptation -- the two key actions in response to climate change -- there is need for clear communication, both to educate us all about these actions and to support campaigning to encourage other groups and agencies to do so as well. The burning question overall is what will good and effective regeneration look like under these changing conditions? There is a need to review and potentially replace past solutions with approaches that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, so that we can become more fit for the 22nd century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I Sustainability and Climate Change i is a peer-reviewed publication dedicated to furthering the paradigm of sustainability, sustainable development, and climate change. B I Sustainability and Climate Change i b is opening a Call for Papers for a special focus issue on Student Research. [Extracted from the article]

Harvested wood products (HWP) play an important role in global climate change mitigation. The Production Approach, an internationally accepted HWP carbon accounting approach by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has been revised several times to enhance the accuracy of the accounting results. This study compared the methodological differences in the Production Approach elaborated in the 2013 Revised Supplementary Methods and Good Practice Guidance Arising from the Kyoto Protocol (PA2013) and 2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (PA2019). We used PA2019 to calculate the HWP carbon stock in China under different wood utilization scenarios. In terms of recycling and reusing of recovered paper, we found that PA2019 has a more accurate representation of the increasing proportion of paper and paperboard materials produced using recovered paper in the world. In 2019, the HWP carbon stock in China was 815.94 Mt (1 Mt = 106 t) using PA2019. In detail, the carbon stock of sawnwood, wood-based panels, and paper and paperboard were 208.52 Mt, 559.73 Mt, and 47.69 Mt, respectively. Scenario simulation results show that half-life was an important factor that affecting HWP carbon stock. China can improve HWP carbon stock by increasing the recovered paper utilization rate for paper products or increasing the utilization rate of HWP with long half-life in construction (structural material). The additional carbon stock obtained by changing the utilization structure of wood and improve the half-life of HWP will not be large until decades later but nonetheless important.

The combination of rapid urbanization and industrialization expansion increased waste volumes. Most of the wastewaters generated from either domestic or industrial sources are still discharged without adequate treatment processes, and impact on the environment and public health. The objective of this paper was to provide a comprehensive literature review on the application of horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands in treating a variety of wastewaters, discussing its feasibility in pollutant removal efficiency and additional benefit in climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration. The following results were obtained: 98%, 96%, 85%, 90%, 92%, 88% for BOD5, COD, TSS, TN, NH4 -N, PO43- respectively in Kenya; 98.46% and 98.55% for COD and BOD5 in Indonesia; and ranges from 94-99.9%, 91.7-97.9% and 99.99% for BOD5, COD and TFC respectively in Costa Rica. Whereas in Ethiopia, the HSSFCW achieved the following abatement efficiencies: COD ranges from 58 to 80%, BOD ranges from 66 to 77%, TKN ranges from 46-61%, sulfates ranges from 53 to 82%, and NH4 - N range from 64 to 82.5% for tannery wastewater treatment. For domestic wastewater treatment; 99.3%, 89%, 855, 84.05%, 77.3%, 99% and 94.5% were achieved for BOD5, COD, TSS, TN, PO4³-, TP, Sulfate, and TFC, respectively. In addition to improving water quality, CWs have a CSP. For example, CWs showed CO2 equivalent of 4119.54 g C/m²/yr CSP (carbon sequestration potential) which is 15118.7118 g CO2. The methane equivalent to this amount of carbon sequestration is 604.748472 g/m²/yr. Generally, research results indicated that constructed wetlands are efficient wastewater treatment techniques and should be encouraged for wastewater management as a strategy to reduce wastewater pollution. However, constructed wetland performance efficiency sustainability is affected by the operational conditions of HSSFCW including plant species, media/substrate types, water depth, hydraulic loading, and hydraulic retention time and feeding mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel governance concept for sustainable development, introducing the 'Safe System Approach' as a transformative model that shifts focus from individual behavioural change to systemic transformation. This approach challenges traditional governance models that emphasize individual responsibility in achieving sustainable development and decarbonization. Instead, it advocates for creating an enabling environment that inherently guides individuals and communities towards sustainable actions. The Safe System Approach is centred on delivering low-carbon services across essential sectors, including electricity, mobility, industry, buildings, human settlements, and agriculture, thereby embedding sustainability as a default choice in societal systems. Drawing parallels with successful models in road safety, the paper explores the potential of this approach in urban development and climate action. It emphasizes the need for a broad coalition and integrated approaches in managing shared resources, highlighting the significance of systemic adjustments over individual behavioral change. By proposing a structure where sustainability is facilitated by the system's design, the paper builds on key concepts from seminal works by scholars like Garrett Hardin, Mancur Olson, Elinor Ostrom, and Ahrend Lijphart. It discusses the challenges and opportunities in creating safe operating spaces for sustainable development, emphasizing the need for multi-actor, multilevel governance systems that can manage shared resources sustainably and are resilient to political volatility. The paper aims to offer a robust, efficient, and inclusive pathway to sustainable development, contributing to the global discourse on environmental and social resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the 50th Seminar of the European Group of Risk and Insurance Economists (EGRIE) and the special issue of the Geneva Risk & Insurance Review (GRIR) that was published to celebrate this milestone. The seminar featured presentations and discussions on various topics related to risk and insurance, including self-protection, adverse selection in insurance markets, evaluating sustainability actions under uncertainty, the impact of big data and AI on insurance markets, and methodological challenges in insurance experiments. The article highlights the contributions of EGRIE researchers and calls for further research in these areas. [Extracted from the article]

The paper by Kiss and Szalay ([12]) titled I Sensitivity of buildings' carbon footprint to electricity decarbonization: a life cycle-based multi-objective optimization approach i examines how changes in electricity mix impacts GHG emissions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emphasizes the need to immediately tackle climate change by significantly reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and capping global warming at 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels (IPCC, [8]). The study found that total GHG emissions from maize production were on average 429 ± 27 kg CO2-eq/ton grain, with the highest emissions occurring during the dry season. This SI further contributes to raising awareness to the topic of measuring GHG emissions, decarbonization measures as well as climate neutrality. [Extracted from the article]

It is no longer a myth that climate change‐related disasters are on the rise globally, with severe and devastating consequences in developing countries, particularly in Sub‐Saharan Africa, where many of the world's poor people reside. Thus, the emphasis on adaptation to climate change is no longer a choice or a deferred problem into the future, but rather an urgent matter of concern which must be considered a policy priority. As a response to retrogressive climate change challenges on social‐economic development and environmental degradation, the government of South Africa has in the last two and half decades, embarked on the progressive formulation of different policy instruments and strategic frameworks to curb and minimize the impacts of climate change on all sub‐sectors of the economy. Although much remains to be achieved, some level of success has been realized, particularly in the space of policy formulation, albeit the poor record of implementation. Using research methods inspired by the tradition of qualitative research and an appraisal of existing literature, this paper discusses the complexities of climate change adaptation governance at a local government level in South Africa, focusing on the Eastern Cape Province. It is argued in the paper that one of the major challenges for climate change governance at local municipality levels in South Africa emanates from the gap between aspirations and actions across the entire national governance system. The absence of an integrated climate change governance system has posed significant systemic challenges, and these have tended to constrain decision‐making and implementation processes. These issues have been discussed within the broader discourse of the sustainable development goals, particularly goals number 13, 16 and 17. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green bonds serve as an imperative financial tool for mitigating climate change risk and environmental sustainability. It has received significant attention in the current literature, with increased worldwide efforts to fight against global climate change. Yet, the direction of green bonds' literature is currently unclear. Therefore, this paper aims to deliver a comprehensive vision of the literary landscape of green bond research, in consideration of policymakers, major market players, and investors. To achieve this, bibliometric analysis is performed on 342 filtered articles found in the Scopus database, through VOSviewer and Biblioshiny package. A detailed and descriptive evaluation of scholarly data demonstrates the significance of green bonds in accomplishing the objective of sustainable finance and mitigation of climate change. This study broadens our understanding of the literature and conceptual growth of scholarly discussion of green bonds, which gives insight into developing a strong conceptual foundation and future directions for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]