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In the article, the author discusses their efforts as members of the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL) to help in mitigating climate change. Also cited are their strategies like recycling paper, food waste, and containers, their issuance of biodegradable membership cards, and their environmentally-responsible actions for their annual international conference.

Through a survey and analyses of observational data, we provide systematic evidence that institutional investors value and demand climate risk disclosures. The survey reveals the investors have a strong demand for climate risk disclosures, and many actively engage their portfolio firms for improvements. Empirical analyses of holdings data corroborate this evidence by showing a significantly positive association between climate-conscious institutional ownership and better firm-level climate risk disclosure. We establish further evidence of institutional investors' influence on firms' climate risk disclosures by examining a shock to the climate risk disclosure demand of French institutional investors (French Article 173). Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix , which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the feasibility of India achieving its stated objective of getting to net zero carbon emissions by 2070 and outlines a possible strategy for the next 10 years consistent with this goal. It recommends a combination of price-based measures and several sector-specific interventions. The ideal price-based measure would be a carbon tax. This may not be feasible for various reasons, but in its absence a well-designed emissions trading system, as described in the paper, could make a major contribution in reducing emissions. On sectoral interventions, the critical areas over the next 10 years would be (i) accelerated expansion of various forms of renewable energy capacity, which will require several policy changes, (ii) electrification of transport, and (iii) a shift from private to public transport in urban areas and from road to rail for freight. Action will also be necessary in other sectors such as industry, agriculture, and buildings, but a detailed strategy for these may take more time to put in place. Since responsibility for action in all these areas is spread across different ministries in the central government and, in many cases, state governments, evolving an internally consistent and cost-effective strategy will present a major challenge. There is a case for setting up a high-level commission chaired by the Prime Minister to approve a national strategy. The paper estimates that the additional investment needed to make this transition will be about 2 per cent of India's GDP by 2030, much of which will have to come from additional public and private savings. In this context, some form of carbon pricing would help generate additional revenue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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There is growing awareness that actions by policymakers and international organizations to reduce poverty, and those to mitigate and adapt to climate change, are inextricably linked and interwoven. This paper examines relevant academic and policy literature and evidence on this relationship and explores the potential for a new form of development that simultaneously mitigates climate change, manages its impacts , and improves the wellbeing of people in poverty. First, as a key foundation, it outlines the backdrop in basic moral philosophy, noting that climate action and poverty reduction can be motivated both by a core principle based on the right to development and by the conventional consequentialism that is standard in economics. Second, it reviews assessments of the current and potential future impacts of weakly managed climate change on the wellbeing of those in poverty, paying attention to unequal effects, including by gender. Third, it examines arguments and literature on the economic impacts of climate action and policies and how those affect the wellbeing of people in poverty, highlighting the importance of market failures, technological change, systemic dynamics of transition, and distributional effects of mitigation and adaptation. Finally, the paper surveys the current state of knowledge and understanding of how climate action and poverty reduction can be integrated in policy design, indicating where further research can contribute to a transition that succeeds in both objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South eastern Australia is a global warming hotspot, and is also home to ~70% of Australia's population and one of Australia's largest fisheries—the South East Scalefish and Shark Fishery. This fishery spans shelf to deep waters, subtropical to temperate waters, employs many gears, and interacts with over 100 species. Despite following best practice fisheries management principles, including taking an ecosystem perspective to overall fisheries interactions, management interventions have failed to arrest or recover the decline of some focal species. Using an Atlantis ecosystem model developed for the fishery over the past 20 years, this paper presents simulations that suggest climate change may be a major contributor to the trajectories seen for a number of species—such as jackass morwong (Nemadactylus macropterus), blue warehou (Seriolella brama), and gemfish (Rexea solandri). This kind of climate influence poses many challenges for fisheries management into the future, raising questions about what to do when climate change undermines or overrides fisheries management actions and objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper qualitatively investigates one of the influential transnational municipal networks, Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (CoM)'s position in three Turkish municipal governments in bridging the climate change science and climate change policy gap. In the last two decades, the importance of science-based policymaking for climate mitigation and adaptation and transnational municipal networks empowered by municipalities that guide city policies linked to international agreements has been recognized. In this paper, we argue that CoM has acted as a boundary-object in producing climate change policies and plans in Turkish municipal governments. However, CoM has done so to a certain extent; their effectiveness was limited due to the general atmosphere on climate change policies in Turkey. We substantiate this claim through a two-layer examination: a case-specific analysis of three municipalities and semi-structured interviews with thirteen experts in climate change policy-related issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the national and supranational levels of government embrace the concept of missions to solve wicked problems, the importance of understanding how missions move from one level of governance to another becomes essential. In this paper, we present a comparative case analysis of evolving regional biogas systems to consider how global missions on climate action are enacted in local practice. Referring to wickedness in terms of contestation, complexity, and uncertainty of both problems and solutions, we examine how such framings affect the operationalisation of the missions. Our results indicate that in the process of local translation, wickedness often increases, but additional wickedness does not always worsen the outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate finance is the study of local and global financing of public and private investment that seeks to support mitigation of and adaptation to climate change. In 2017, the Review of Financial Studies launched a competition among scholars to develop research proposals on the topic with the goal of publishing this special volume. We describe the competition, how the nine projects featured in this volume came to be published, and frame their findings within what we view as a broader climate finance research program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effectiveness of climate pledges and eco-taxation as strategies for mitigating climate change within a networked agricultural supply chain organisation. We utilise variational inequality techniques within a multicriteria decision-making framework and validate our theoretical findings through numerical simulations using a machine learning augmented algorithm. By employing this approach, we position the Agricultural Sector Roadmap, aimed at capping global warming at 1.5°C, within the wider agricultural sector's climate action framework. Our results demonstrate that environmental taxation emerges as the most effective approach for addressing climate change. Eco-taxation leads to a 57.87 per cent reduction in global emissions, whereas climate pledges only account for a 20.59 per cent reduction at the same level of production. Furthermore, eco-taxation results in a 45.68 per cent greater reduction in emission intensity compared to climate pledges. In contrast to climate commitments, an eco-fiscal policy is capable of achieving the objectives established by the European Union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The challenges of combatting climate change are unprecedented and now very urgent. Current approaches are not working fast enough. This paper, and this journal issue, conceive of the challenge as one of non-marginal structural and institutional change. Several different conceptual frameworks and pluralist theories are considered, emanating from complexity theory, economics, natural sciences, political economy, and strategy. These are deployed to identify potential accelerators, including synergies between climate action and other key political issues, and beneficial non-linear dynamics such as shifts in consumer preferences and technology learning curves. The delays in action also mean that removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is now necessary, and even unconventional geoengineering approaches may need to be considered. A pluralist and practical approach to climate action, accounting for different institutional and social contexts across countries, is argued to be required to accelerate action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on actual measurement data from a resort in the Maldives, this paper explores the criteria for the optimal off-grid renewable energy systems that contribute to greenhouse gas mitigation and climate adaptation efforts from three perspectives: technical, economic and environmental. Using Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Electric Renewables software, the optimal technical combination of hybrid energy system is determined. Moreover, indicators such as levelized cost of energy and net present cost are considered as economic criteria to determine the financial feasibility of the off-grid renewable energy systems. Finally, CO2 emission level and renewable shares are reviewed from environmental perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is often claimed that reducing population size would be advantageous for climate change mitigation, on the grounds that lower population would naturally correspond to lower emissions. This apparently obvious claim is in fact seriously misleading. Reducing population size would indeed, other suitable things being equal, reduce the emissions rate. But it is well recognised that the primary determinant of the eventual amount of climate change is not the emissions rate, but rather cumulative emissions. It is far less clear whether reducing population size would reduce cumulative emissions, or would in any other way prove an advantage for reasons related to climate change. This paper identifies and briefly discusses the issues relevant to assessing that less clear question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines international cooperation on technological development as an alternative to international cooperation on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions. In order to analyse the scope of cooperation, a three-stage technology agreement formation game is solved. First, countries decide whether or not to sign up to the agreement. In the second stage, the signatories (playing together) and the nonsignatories (playing individually) select their investment in R&D. In this stage, it is assumed that the signatories not only coordinate their levels of R&D investment but also pool their R&D efforts to fully internalize the spillovers of their investment. Finally, in the third stage, each country decides non-cooperatively upon its level of energy production. For linear environmental damages and quadratic investment costs, the grand coalition is stable if marginal damages are large enough to justify the development of a breakthrough technology that eliminates emissions completely, and if technology spillovers are not very important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid global economic growth, centered in Asia but now spread across the world, is driving rapid greenhouse-gas emissions growth, making earlier projections unrealistic. This paper develops new, illustrative business-as-usual projections for carbon dioxide (CO[sub2]) from fossil fuels and other sources and for non-CO[sub2] greenhouse gases. Making adjustments to 2007 World Energy Outlook projections to reflect more fully recent trends, we project annual emissions by 2030 to be almost double current volumes, 11 per cent higher than in the most pessimistic scenario developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and at a level reached only in 2050 in the business-as-usual scenario used by the Stern Review. This has major implications for the global approach to climate-change mitigation. The required effort is much larger than implicit in the IPCC data informing the current international climate negotiations. Large cuts in developed country emissions will be required, and significant deviations from baselines will be required in developing countries by 2020. It is hard to see how the required cuts could be achieved without all major developing as well as developed countries adopting economy-wide policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contrary to much of the conventional wisdom, taking stronger actions on climate change may enhance economic growth, even as conventionally measured, but even more so, in terms of societal well-being. We identify the flaws in the models and analyses which contend that there must be a trade-off and explain the mechanisms and dynamic forces which have the potential to enhance growth. Critically, there are numerous market failures that result in suboptimal economic performance. We explain how addressing climate change reduces the bite of these failures and enhances the incentives and political will to address them. We identify packages of policies that alleviate market failures, enhance growth, and reduce carbon emissions. Finally, we argue that the green transition is coming at a time when, both because of persistent deficiencies of aggregate demand and advances in technology, including artificial intelligence and robotization, the macroeconomic opportunity costs of strong climate actions may be especially low and the benefits particularly high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the findings of several 2016 studies about the declining oxygen level of high-seas biodiversities. These include the study published in "Global Biogeochemical Cycles" book which revealed the an increasing number of oxygen-minimum zones and areas with significantly diminished marine life and the paper published in "Conservation Letters" journal which called for expanding protected areas and the importance of global ocean system as a key role in mitigating climate change.

Biotechnology is a platform technology that may significantly contribute to climate change miti- gation and adaptation. Yet biotechnology is hardly ever referred to as a 'clean technology'. This paper investigates why biotechnology tends to be ignored in this context. A global stakeholder survey on biotechnology and climate change was conducted with 55 representatives of 44 insti- tutions. The results of a perception pattern analysis show that the majority of stakeholder repre- sentatives had a neutral or positive attitude towards the use of biotechnology and regarded its potential to address climate change problems as significant. The survey results further reveal a significant relationship between a representative's institutional and disciplinary background and his or her attitude. To a considerable extent, a person's background appears to determine whether biotechnology is framed as a risk or an opportunity for sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop damages by wildlife is a frequent form of human-wildlife conflict. Identifying areas where the risk of crop damages is highest is pivotal to set up preventive measures and reduce conflict. Species distribution models are routinely used to predict species distribution in response of environmental changes. The aim of this paper was assessing whether species distribution models can allow to identify the areas most at risk of crop damages, helping to set up management strategies aimed at the mitigation of human-wildlife conflicts. We obtained data on wild boar Sus scrofa damages to crops in the Alta Murgia National Park, Southern Italy, and related them to landscape features, to identify areas where the risk of wild boar damages is highest. We used MaxEnt to build species distribution models. We identified the spatial scale at which landscape mostly affects the distribution damages, and optimized the regularization parameter of models, through an information-theoretic approach based on AIC. Wild boar damages quickly increased in the period 2007-2011; cereals and legumes were the crops more affected. Large areas of the park have a high risk of wild boar damages. The risk of damages was related to low cover of urban areas or olive grows, intermediate values of forest cover, and high values of shrubland cover within a 2-km radius. Temporally independent validation data demonstrated that models can successfully predict damages in the future. Species distribution models can accurately identify the areas most at risk of wildlife damages, as models calibrated on data collected during only a subset of years correctly predicted damages in the subsequent year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, Gallagher et al. (2022) suggested that seaweed ecosystems are net heterotrophic carbon sources due to CO2 released from the consumption of external subsidies. Here we outline several flaws in their argument, which we believe confuse research on the blue carbon potential of seaweed ecosystems, and unjustifiably generate doubt around initiatives to protect and restore seaweed forests. Gallagher et al.'s evidence relies on 18 studies with highly variable measures of net ecosystem production, which do not statistically support their conclusion that most seaweed ecosystems are heterotrophic. This dataset is also inappropriate as it is incomplete and misrepresents seaweed ecosystems globally, particularly seaweed forests, which contribute disproportionately to global seaweed productivity. We maintain that the climate change mitigation value of an ecosystem depends on the net difference in CO2 uptake between the original ecosystem and its replacement ecosystem. We provide evidence that most seaweed ecosystems, which drawdown the largest carbon flux of any vegetated coastal habitat, are indeed net autotrophic ecosystems. We recognize that substantial uncertainties remain concerning the magnitude of CO2 drawdown by seaweed ecosystems and recommend that carbon fluxes around seaweed ecosystems should be considered more broadly and taken into account in estimates of their CO2 mitigation potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines three constitutional environmental provisions and how they have been applied by courts in Europe in three climate cases from Norway, Germany and France. In each of these cases, directive principles, that is, constitutionally entrenched state obligations to protect social values, generally by enacting legislation, played a key role in judicial decisions regarding climate change mitigation. We engage with Lael K. Weis's analytical framework on directive principles to clarify the allocation of institutional responsibility for climate change mitigation as applied in these three cases, and argue that clarifying these roles alleviates some of the criticism regarding the democratic legitimacy of judicial decision making on climate change. Importantly, while courts do not directly enforce these types of constitutional directive principles, they must adjudicate them. When courts interpret constitutionally mandated legislation in light of directive principles, they develop new constitutional environmental norms. While most scholarly analysis of environmental constitutionalism has focused on environmental rights, our examination confirms Weis's thesis that directive principles aimed at legislatures are also important forms of environmental constitutionalism, and deserving of further attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dutch courts in Urgenda ordered the government of the Netherlands to reduce national greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2020, compared with 1990. The case has been presented as a remarkable judicial victory of climate action advocates. With hindsight, this article questions the case's contribution to the mitigation of climate change. If the Urgenda target has been met, this had little to do with the few measures that the government took too late and too hurriedly to achieve genuine mitigation outcomes. Rather, these measures likely caused a slight increase in global long-term emissions. And while the case has raised awareness, there is no reason to assume that it has translated into momentum for climate action more than it has hindered new policy developments. This case study sheds light on practical limitations of court-imposed climate targets that may justify the greater restraint that other courts have exercised in comparable cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Climate change is impacting the health of individuals worldwide. At the same time, the healthcare sector contributes to carbon emissions. In Australia, healthcare contributes 7% of the country's carbon footprint. Research into the environmental impact and mitigation of carbon emissions in primary care is an emerging area. Objective To explore staff perspectives on facilitators and barriers to environmental sustainability in 3 Australian general practices seeking to reduce their environmental impact. Methods We used a qualitative, case-study approach, conducting 23 semistructured interviews with staff across the 3 practices including nurses, administrative staff, and doctors. Observation of systems and staff behaviour relating to environmental sustainability was undertaken at 1 practice. Thematic analysis was conducted to determine themes relating to factors influencing the implementation of environmentally sustainable initiatives within practice settings. Results Climate mitigation efforts raised by participants were largely focussed on energy and waste reduction, rather than prescribing pharmaceuticals and staff and patient transport. Three main factors influencing change towards sustainable practice were identified: "Leadership," "Staff Engagement and Workplace Culture," and "Concomitant Benefits." A leadership team and workplace culture that valued environmental sustainability were found to be important facilitators, as were concomitant benefits, in particular financial savings. Barriers included what interviewees described as a lack of knowledge about initiatives with the highest impact, lack of understanding described by staff of the evidence behind particular initiatives, waning staff engagement and infection control concerns. Conclusions Our research highlights several important factors that contribute to the implementation of intended environmentally sustainable initiatives in these 3 practices. Further education, research and high-level policy guidance on the potential environmental impact of prescribing pharmaceuticals, staff and patient transport and unnecessary tests and treatments are recommended to further promote environmental sustainability in primary care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Human activities have changed the environment so profoundly over the past two centuries that human-induced climate change is now posing serious health-related threats to current and future generations. Rapid action from all scientific fields, including behavioral medicine, is needed to contribute to both mitigation of, and adaption to, climate change. Purpose This article aims to identify potential bi-directional associations between climate change impacts and health-related behaviors, as well as a set of key actions for the behavioral medicine community. Methods We synthesized the existing literature about (i) the impacts of rising temperatures, extreme weather events, air pollution, and rising sea level on individual behaviors (e.g. eating behaviors, physical activity, sleep, substance use, and preventive care) as well as the structural factors related to these behaviors (e.g. the food system); and (ii) the concurrent positive and negative roles that health-related behaviors can play in mitigation and adaptation to climate change. Results Based on this literature review, we propose a first conceptual model of climate change and health-related behavior feedback loops. Key actions are proposed, with particular consideration for health equity implications of future behavioral interventions. Actions to bridge the fields of behavioral medicine and climate sciences are also discussed. Conclusions We contend that climate change is among the most urgent issues facing all scientists and should become a central priority for the behavioral medicine community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How we frame environmental problems and their solutions matters. Under the UK Net Zero Strategy and the European Green Deal, climate action—as a policy- and regulatory response to climate change—is framed overwhelmingly positive and coupled with the ambitions to generate growth, facilitate innovation, improve health and wellbeing, ensure inclusiveness and much else. This is done to project climate ambitions as part of a win–win scenario where no one is left behind. Yet it is unclear how each of the different aims relate to each other, which risks creating legal dilemmas, and possibly undermining climate action altogether. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the prospects of cooperation in a threshold public bad game. The experiment's setup allows us to investigate the issue of effort coordination between signatories and non-signatories to a climate agreement under the threat of a catastrophe. Motivated actorsmay signal willingness to lead by committing a share of investments to a 'clean' but less remunerative project. The game is parametrized such that the externality cannot be fully internalized by the coalition, so that some effort on the part of the second-movers is required if the catastrophic losses are to be avoided. We manipulate both the relative returns of two investments and the extent to which the gains from leadership diffuse to second-movers. We find that the likelihood of reaching a sizeable coalition of early investors in the clean technology is higher when the benefits are appropriated by the coalition. Conversely, spillovers can entice secondmovers' adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystem restoration is an important means to address global sustainability challenges. However, scientific and policy discourse often overlooks the social processes that influence the equity and effectiveness of restoration interventions. In the present article, we outline how social processes that are critical to restoration equity and effectiveness can be better incorporated in restoration science and policy. Drawing from existing case studies, we show how projects that align with local people's preferences and are implemented through inclusive governance are more likely to lead to improved social, ecological, and environmental outcomes. To underscore the importance of social considerations in restoration, we overlay existing global restoration priority maps, population, and the Human Development Index (HDI) to show that approximately 1.4 billion people, disproportionately belonging to groups with low HDI, live in areas identified by previous studies as being of high restoration priority. We conclude with five action points for science and policy to promote equity-centered restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As Earth's primary energy source, surface downward solar radiation (R s) determines the solar power potential and usage for climate change mitigation. Future projections of R s based on climate models have large uncertainties that interfere with the efficient deployment of solar energy to achieve China's carbon-neutrality goal. Here we assess 24 models in the latest Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 with historical observations in China and find systematic biases in simulating historical R s values likely due to model biases in cloud cover and clear-sky radiation, resulting in largely uncertain projections for future changes in R s. Based on emergent constraints, we obtain credible R s with narrowed uncertainties by ∼56% in the mid-twenty-first century and show that the mean R s change during 2050–2069 relative to 1995–2014 is 30% more brightening than the raw projections. Particularly in North China and Southeast China with higher power demand, the constrained projections present more significant brightening, highlighting the importance of considering the spatial changes in future Rs when locating new solar energy infrastructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International efforts to avoid dangerous climate change have historically focused on reducing energy-related CO2 emissions from countries with either the largest economies (e.g. the EU and the USA) and/or the largest populations (e.g. China and India). However, in recent years, emissions have surged among a different and much less-examined group of countries, raising concerns that a next generation of high-emitting economies will obviate current mitigation targets. Here, we analyse the trends and drivers of emissions in each of the 59 countries where emissions in 2010–2018 grew faster than the global average (excluding China and India), project their emissions under a range of longer-term energy scenarios and estimate the costs of decarbonization pathways. Total emissions from these 'emerging emitters' reach as much as 7.5 GtCO2/year in the baseline 2.5° scenario—substantially greater than the emissions from these regions in previously published scenarios that would limit warming to 1.5°C or even 2°C. Such unanticipated emissions would in turn require non-emitting energy deployment from all sectors within these emerging emitters, and faster and deeper reductions in emissions from other countries to meet international climate goals. Moreover, the annual costs of keeping emissions at the low level are in many cases 0.2%–4.1% of countries' gross domestic production, pointing to potential trade-offs with poverty-reduction goals and/or the need for economic support and low-carbon technology transfer from historically high-emitting countries. Our results thus highlight the critical importance of ramping up mitigation efforts in countries that to this point have been largely ignored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How did governmental experts respond publicly to the politicisation of climate change in the policy domain? Did they remain neutral to this process, resisted these efforts, or enabled them? Using longitudinal data derived from a content analysis of congressional testimonies provided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) between 1983 and 2015, I find that the proportion of climate-related advocacy statements increased over time, yet their prevalence varied with the political context. As the agency's position-taking on the issue intensified over time, this intensity was conditional on the political context. Most importantly, the EPA experts never denied the scientific basis of climate change, not even under presidential administrations that did, and instead advocated for climate action. These findings complicate traditional conceptualisations of experts as either independent from or subservient to politics, suggesting a more complex relationship where experts attempt to respond to contentious politics while maintaining continuity in their mission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legislators in the European Union have long been concerned with the environmental impact of farming activities and introduced so-called agri-environment schemes (AES) to mitigate adverse environmental effects and foster desirable ecosystem services in agriculture. This study combines economic theory with a novel machine learning method to identify the environmental effectiveness of AES at the farm level. We develop a set of more than 130 contextual predictors to assess the individual impact of participating in AES. Results from our empirical application for Southeast Germany suggest the existence of heterogeneous, but limited effects of agri-environment measures in several environmental dimensions such as climate change mitigation, clean water and soil health. By making use of Shapley values, we demonstrate the importance of considering the individual farming context in agricultural policy evaluation and provide important insights into the improved targeting of AES along several domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As with the global financial crisis, there are once again demands on central banks and financial regulators to take on new responsibilities, this time for supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy. Regulators can indeed facilitate the reorientation of financial flows necessary for the transition. But they may find themselves walking a tightrope, having to balance exaggerated expectations against limited capabilities and political economy constraints. Their diagnostic and policy toolkits are still in their infancy. Expanding their legal mandates to take on these new, essentially political, responsibilities should be done through the political process and be accompanied by strengthened governance and accountability arrangements. Taking on these new responsibilities can also have potential pitfalls and unintended consequences on financial markets. Ultimately, central banks and financial regulators cannot deliver a low-carbon economy by themselves and should not risk being caught again in the role of 'the only game in town'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The case for action on climate change with urgency and at scale rests on the immense magnitude of climate risk, the very rapid emissions reductions which are necessary, and that there is a real opportunity to create a new and attractive form of growth and development. The analysis must be based on a dynamic approach to the economics of public policy, set in a complex, imperfect and uncertain world. The economics of climate change, and further, economics more broadly, must change to respond to the challenge of how to foster rapid transformation. It is time for economics and economists to step up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric methane (CH4) concentrations have shown a puzzling resumption in growth since 2007 following a period of stabilization from 2000 to 2006. Multiple hypotheses have been proposed to explain the temporal variations in CH4 growth, and attribute the rise of atmospheric CH4 either to increases in emissions from fossil fuel activities, agriculture and natural wetlands, or to a decrease in the atmospheric chemical sink. Here, we use a comprehensive ensemble of CH4 source estimates and isotopic δ13C-CH4 source signature data to show that the resumption of CH4 growth is most likely due to increased anthropogenic emissions. Our emission scenarios that have the fewest biases with respect to isotopic composition suggest that the agriculture, landfill and waste sectors were responsible for 53 ± 13% of the renewed growth over the period 2007–2017 compared to 2000–2006; industrial fossil fuel sources explained an additional 34 ± 24%, and wetland sources contributed the least at 13 ± 9%. The hypothesis that a large increase in emissions from natural wetlands drove the decrease in atmospheric δ13C-CH4 values cannot be reconciled with current process-based wetland CH4 models. This finding suggests the need for increased wetland measurements to better understand the contemporary and future role of wetlands in the rise of atmospheric methane and climate feedback. Our findings highlight the predominant role of anthropogenic activities in driving the growth of atmospheric CH4 concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban sustainability policy provides opportunities for expanding global efforts for climate change mitigation. Yet local governments may not commit to make such policy efforts. It is well recognized that internal and external factors in state and local governments can be potential drivers. Less recognized is that green energy policy adoption can also be impacted by competitive federalism, under which state laws might influence the likelihood of local adoption. Drawing on prior studies on inter-governmental interactions and managerial turnover, we hypothesize the effect of intergovernmental influence, managerial turnover, and their interactions on city adoption of energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. Results of the multilevel regression model indicate that state influence via regulatory or financial tools can encourage city sustainable energy consumption and production, while managerial turnover can inhibit these conditions, but the negative impacts of managerial turnover can be reversed when the successors are recruited externally. Our tests support the existence of both local government free-riding and city mobilization to enact more green policies with externally hired city managers, thereby helping us to distinguish the impact of competitive federalism in local energy policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores whether an exceptional approach to standing rules is needed to square the gatekeeping function of the courts of states/international organisations that are signatories to the Aarhus Convention with the complexity and urgency of the climate crisis. The central claim is that standing rules do not necessarily need to be reconstructed to resolve this conflict. Rather, what European states and the European Union need to do is take their procedural human rights obligations under the Aarhus Convention seriously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon border adjustment measures (CBAMs) are instruments that can be used to mitigate climate change, but also have a positive impact on trade, climate leadership and even public finance. In this article, I challenge the view that they can serve as straightforward multi-purpose instruments. In a first step, I analyse each of the purposes that can be achieved through CBAMs and explain their underlying differences. In a second step, I discuss their legal design and explain how CBAMs' design features affect the types of purposes that they can achieve. I apply this two-step analytical framework to the European Union context, where a proposal for a regulation establishing a CBAM has been published by the European Commission in July 2021. I demonstrate that the design of the EU CBAM is inconsistent with the Commission's main objectives of promoting fair competition and climate mitigation in line with the Paris Agreement. The EU CBAM proposal is primarily an instrument of climate leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is one of the highest-ranking issues on the political and social agenda. Corporations are one of the main actors that will play a major role in the decarbonization of the economy. They need to put forward a net zero strategy and targets, transitioning to net zero by 2050. Yet, an important but rather overlooked stakeholder group in the sustainability debates can pose a significant stumbling block in this transition: employees. Although climate action has huge benefits by ameliorating adverse environmental events and is expected to have an overall positive impact on employment, net-zero transition in companies, especially in the energy sector in certain regions, will cause substantial adverse employment effects for the workforce. This has the potential to slow down or even derail the necessary climate action in companies. In this regard, just transition is a promising concept, which calls for a swift and decisive climate action in corporations while taking account of and mitigating adverse effects for their workforce. If well implemented, it can accelerate net-zero transition in companies. This potential clash of environmental (E) and social (S) aspects of environmental, social and governance agenda, materialized in the companies' net-zero transition, and its potential remedy, just transition, have important implications for corporate governance and finance, especially for directors' duties and executive remuneration, sustainability disclosures, institutional investors' engagement and green finance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the overwhelming scientific consensus, in many Western countries, there appears to be a considerable share of people questioning the existence and anthropogenic cause of climate change. Climate change disbelief includes the absolute rejection of the existence of anthropogenic climate change (climate change denial) as well as a lack of sureness about the anthropogenic cause of climate change (climate change uncertainty). Although considerable research on this phenomenon has been conducted, the roots of climate change disbelief are not yet fully understood. In this article, data from Round 8 of the European Social Survey are used to study the possible socioeconomic roots of climate change disbelief at the individual, regional, and country level. Results show that climate change denial is a marginal phenomenon among European populations but that a great share of people attributes climate change equally to human influences and natural processes. Thereby, it appears that the level of climate change disbelief varies between countries, and even more so between regions within countries. Results of various three-level multilevel models show that socioeconomic factors can partly explain this variation. Individuals who feel insecure about their economic future are significantly more likely to reject the existence of anthropogenic climate change. Furthermore, climate change denial and uncertainty are more common in more rural and less prosperous regions and in countries more economically dependent on fossil fuels. The results contribute to a deeper understanding of climate change disbelief among the European population and have important implications for climate change mitigation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The overall objective of this work is to assess the carbon sequestration potential and ecological service of savannah ecosystems in Cameroon. The destructive and non-destructive method was used to estimate the amount of carbon in different biomasses. The experimental setup used in this work is a random complete Fisher block device with four repetitions. The carbon stock in the aboveground biomass is ≥11.15 ± 2.41 tC/ha in the two regions. The carbon stock in litter biomass is ≥0.15 ± 0.02 tC/ha in the two regions. The carbon stock in herbaceous biomass is ≥3.00 ± 1.02 tC/ha in the savannah ecosystems within the regions. The carbon stock in dead wood biomass is ≥2.26 ± 1.09 tC/ha in the savannah ecosystems within regions. The carbon stock in the root biomass is ≥1.62 ± 0.18 tC/ha in the savannah ecosystems within the regions. Soil carbon stock is ≥3.74 ± 1.40 tC/ha in the two regions. The total carbon stocks ranged from 32.66 ± 3.05–71.06 ± 5.75 to 36.59 ± 3.50–69.85 ± 5.51 tC/ha in Adamawa and North regions, respectively. CO2 emissions are >100 tCO2/ha in the savannah ecosystems within the regions. These results therefore confirm the contributing role of savannah ecosystems studied in the fight against the mitigation of climate change in the Adamawa and North region of Cameroon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clean air policies in China have substantially reduced particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution in recent years, primarily by curbing end-of-pipe emissions. However, reaching the level of the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines may instead depend upon the air quality co-benefits of ambitious climate action. Here, we assess pathways of Chinese PM2.5 air quality from 2015 to 2060 under a combination of scenarios that link global and Chinese climate mitigation pathways (i.e. global 2°C- and 1.5°C-pathways, National Determined Contributions (NDC) pledges and carbon neutrality goals) to local clean air policies. We find that China can achieve both its near-term climate goals (peak emissions) and PM2.5 air quality annual standard (35 μg/m3) by 2030 by fulfilling its NDC pledges and continuing air pollution control policies. However, the benefits of end-of-pipe control reductions are mostly exhausted by 2030, and reducing PM2.5 exposure of the majority of the Chinese population to below 10 μg/m3 by 2060 will likely require more ambitious climate mitigation efforts such as China's carbon neutrality goals and global 1.5°C-pathways. Our results thus highlight that China's carbon neutrality goals will play a critical role in reducing air pollution exposure to the level of the WHO guidelines and protecting public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experimental mindset strips down and mimics social constructs in a setting we can use to understand how institutions create or destroy economic value. We explore how to use the mindset to consider climate change mitigation, in which more investment in climate mitigation by the collective, the less costly for each party. Using the lab to capture Conference of the Parties declining-cost environment with a jigsaw puzzle to mimic real-time costs, we find decreasing 'cost' of commitment increases contribution but not reaching the public good threshold. Highlighting the economies of scale might be an effective way to elicit greater commitment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CGIAR crop improvement (CI) programs, unlike commercial CI programs, which are mainly geared to profit though meeting farmers' needs, are charged with meeting multiple objectives with target populations that include both farmers and the community at large. We compiled the opinions from >30 experts in the private and public sector on key strategies, methodologies, and activities that could the help CGIAR meet the challenges of providing farmers with improved varieties while simultaneously meeting the goals of: (i) nutrition, health, and food security; (ii) poverty reduction, livelihoods, and jobs; (iii) gender equality, youth, and inclusion; (iv) climate adaptation and mitigation; and (v) environmental health and biodiversity. We review the crop improvement processes starting with crop choice, moving through to breeding objectives, production of potential new varieties, selection, and finally adoption by farmers. The importance of multidisciplinary teams working towards common objectives is stressed as a key factor to success. The role of the distinct disciplines, actors, and their interactions throughout the process from crop choice through to adoption by farmers is discussed and illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2017, the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) began a modernization process aimed at updating, clarifying, and modernizing a number of provisions of the Treaty. Considering the scope of application of the Treaty—cooperation in energy trade, transit, and investment—there is hardly any doubt that the modernization kicked off in 2017 offers a springboard for constructive reform and a unique opportunity to bring the Treaty closer in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. Although none of the items selected by the Energy Charter Conference and open for discussion and reform mention climate change or clean energy, a careful analysis of the relevant practice in both treaty drafting and adjudication can provide valuable insights as to how to steer the discussions on some of the existing items in a climate-friendly direction. The purpose of this article is to rely on this relevant practice to explore promising avenues to 'retool' the Treaty for climate change mitigation, in other words, to imagine a Treaty that would better reflect climate change concerns and clean energy transition goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Paris Agreement is the first universal climate change agreement requiring all parties to communicate ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets to achieve a long-term global temperature goal. The Paris Agreement is a game-changer at the international level, but has it been at the national (and sub-national) level? What has been the influence of the Paris Agreement on litigation to improve mitigation of, and adaptation to, climate change? This question is addressed in two articles. Both articles seek to look at a familiar topic—the Paris Agreement and climate litigation—in new and fresh ways. This first article examines how the Paris Agreement is directly implemented through incorporation into the domestic laws of the signatories as well as indirectly implemented through judicial decision-making in accordance with norms under the Paris Agreement. First, the article examines the international obligations created by the Paris Agreement, noting the flexible nature of the agreement and wide margin of discretion left to parties. Secondly, it explores how the Paris Agreement is incorporated in domestic laws and policies. The potential for litigation based on these international and domestic obligations will be considered. Thirdly, it discusses the courts' application of norms under the Paris Agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and increased urban population are two major concerns for society. Moving towards more sustainable energy solutions in the urban context by integrating renewable energy technologies supports decarbonizing the energy sector and climate change mitigation. A successful transition also needs adequate consideration of climate change including extreme events to ensure the reliable performance of energy systems in the long run. This review provides an overview of and insight into the progress achieved in the energy sector to adapt to climate change, focusing on the climate resilience of urban energy systems. The state-of-the-art methodology to assess impacts of climate change including extreme events and uncertainties on the design and performance of energy systems is described and discussed. Climate resilience is an emerging concept that is increasingly used to represent the durability and stable performance of energy systems against extreme climate events. However, it has not yet been adequately explored and widely used, as its definition has not been clearly articulated and assessment is mostly based on qualitative aspects. This study reveals that a major limitation in the state-of-the-art is the inadequacy of climate change adaptation approaches in designing and preparing urban energy systems to satisfactorily address plausible extreme climate events. Furthermore, the complexity of the climate and energy models and the mismatch between their temporal and spatial resolutions are the major limitations in linking these models. Therefore, few studies have focused on the design and operation of urban energy infrastructure in terms of climate resilience. Considering the occurrence of extreme climate events and increasing demand for implementing climate adaptation strategies, the study highlights the importance of improving energy system models to consider future climate variations including extreme events to identify climate resilient energy transition pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Analog' forestry is a novel silvicultural approach for reforestation of degraded land that seeks to establish trees that are analogous in structure and ecological function to the original climax or subclimax vegetation of the region where they are planted. Analog forestry aims to strengthen rural communities, both socially and economically, with tree plantings of high biodiversity, which provide commercial products and resiliency, while avoiding agrochemicals and fossil fuels. The latter links this strategy to climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, but there has been little analysis comparing the potential for above- and below-ground carbon storage in analog forests, as compared with more typical reforestation efforts via single-species plantations. We present the results of a study to estimate carbon sequestration levels, above- and below-ground, from an experimental analog forest system and a teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) plantation system, in comparison with a degraded pasture system. The study found that the analog and teak plantation forest systems stored higher quantities of total carbon (178 and 141 t C ha−1, respectively), when compared with a degraded pasture system (124 t C ha−1). However, the teak plantation had decreased soil carbon stocks, relative to the degraded pasture. The analog forest had the best balance of both above- and below-ground carbon stored over the 17-year study period and provided a more diverse array of timber and non-timber forest products when compared with the teak plantation. This suggests that analog forestry could be a viable social–ecological approach to carbon storage and reforestation in the study region and other places with large areas of degraded pasture and a good understanding of the structure and function of the original vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of financial instruments for climate change mitigation puts communities and nature at risk. Success is measured by capital accumulation rather than the ability to protect or enhance human and non-human nature. From cap and trade programmes that allow corporations to buy and sell 'units' of pollution on financialized markets, to forest offset credits, the financialization of nature presupposes the separation and quantification of the Earth's cycles and functions with carbon, water, and biodiversity. Financialization causes these cycles to be treated as units to be sold in financial and speculation markets. This article reviews the theoretical frameworks of financialization of nature and proliferating climate change policies. I explore the flaws of the new carbon pricing and carbon tax platform in Colombia and its impacts on Afro-Colombian communities in the coal mining region of Cesar, in northeast Caribbean and related Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) projects on the Pacific coast of Colombia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Bangladesh experienced its worst dengue fever (DF) outbreak in 2019. This study investigated the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) among university students in Bangladesh and significant factors associated with their prevention practices related to climate change and DF. Methods A social media–based (Facebook) cross-sectional KAP survey was conducted and secondary data of reported DF cases in 2019 extracted. Logistic regression and spatial analysis were run to examine the data. Results Of 1500 respondents, 76% believed that climate change can affect DF transmission. However, participants reported good climate change knowledge (76.7%), attitudes (87.9%) and practices (39.1%). The corresponding figures for DF were knowledge (47.9%), attitudes (80.3%) and practices (25.9%). Good knowledge and attitudes were significantly associated with good climate change adaptation or mitigation practices (p<0.05). Good knowledge, attitudes and previous DF experiences were also found to be significantly associated with good DF prevention practices (p<0.001). There was no significant positive correlation between climate change and DF KAP scores and the number of DF cases. Conclusions Findings from this study provide baseline data that can be used to promote educational campaigns and intervention programs focusing on climate change adaptation and mitigation and effective DF prevention strategies among various communities in Bangladesh and similar dengue-endemic countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]