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This document is an introduction to a special issue of the journal "Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers. Civil Engineering" titled "Infrastructure resilience to the climate challenge." The special issue includes seven papers that explore various aspects of climate change and its impact on infrastructure. The papers cover topics such as emergency management of highway networks, sustainable drainage systems, climate change resilience in the railway industry, reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Middle Eastern construction, and the design and operation of ports and inland waterways in the face of climate change. The introduction emphasizes the need for action to address climate change and highlights the role of engineers in developing solutions. [Extracted from the article]

High Speed Two, a planned high-speed railway in the UK, could play a key role in reducing national greenhouse gas emissions. The project has adopted whole-life carbon dioxide emissions reduction as a core project value and is using the PAS 2080 specification to implement carbon dioxide management. Effective leadership and governance, metrics, innovation and standards, and commercial solutions underpin the approach. This paper outlines the carbon dioxide management work undertaken to date, describes the proposed next steps to enhance the approach and summarises the lessons learned for other infrastructure projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WaterNSW is responsible for the management of Sydney's drinking water catchment and the prevention or reduction of water quality risks through the supply system from catchment to customer in line with the principles of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. WaterNSW is currently in the process of developing an integrated modelling system for both water quantity and quality that encompass the entire supply chain. This paper will focus on the water quality calibration and validation of grazing, forested, and roads and rails land uses across the drinking water catchments of Avon and Cataract. The primary land use within each catchment drove the manual calibration for the land use across all other catchments, using Event Mean Concentration and Dry Weather Concentration models in Source. The manual input process was automated with a python script. Simulation periods used for calibration and validation of each catchment were constrained by fire exclusion periods and data availability, with calibration using 80% of data and validation using the remaining 20% of data. The water quality parameters calibrated and validated within the models were selected for their impact on the receiving lake models. These include Ammonium, Nitrogen Oxides, Soluble Reactive Phosphorus, Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen, Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus. This paper discusses the water quality calibration and validation results through timeseries, cumulative and flow percentile box plots, and pollutograph and cumulative load graphs. It will also discuss the challenges encountered in the process, with a focus on the outcomes of calibrating for multiple land uses across multiple catchments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since weather plays an important role in many ways in our everyday life, the study of meteorological phenomena by school children becomes of great importance in enhancing their scientific literacy. This necessity becomes even more important today, as these phenomena are connected to serious environmental problems such as climate change and air pollution. The reported research deals with the investigation of children's conceptions about the movement of air masses in the troposphere, as this movement constitutes an important factor in the generation of the meteorological phenomena and the dispersion of air pollutants. Thirteen children from 12 up to 18 years old were interviewed by using a semi-structured questionnaire. From the analysis of their answers, it was found that the children of all ages had difficulties in explaining the mechanisms of movement of air masses in troposphere. Moreover, it was found that they held many misconceptions concerning the role of science concepts such as density, pressure, temperature, heat, and forces in connection with the motion of air masses in the troposphere. Also, it was found that, in their explanations, they don't use knowledge taught in school, and the construction of their ideas about these issues was influenced by their sensations, the mass media, as well as utilitarian considerations. (Contains 13 references.) (Author/YDS)

The article presents several conference paper abstracts on organizations and the natural environment. "Sustainable Organizational Innovation via Stakeholder Engagement," focuses on how economic growth affects strategic decision-making. "Corporate Greening Through ISO 14001: A Rational Myth?," discusses research on the standard in environmental management. "Resourcing Environmental Strategy: Behavioral and Resource-Based Perspectives," investigates what kinds of firm resources are most useful for corporate environmental strategies.

Return periods (Ts) are used to estimate the interval of time between natural hazard occurrences of a certain size and assess the risks associated with hydrological occurrences, climate extremes, structural failures and seismicity. Despite Ts being widely used, they are characterized by strong misconceptions and ambiguities. Moreover, although they have been successfully used when discussing storm surges, high tides and extreme precipitation, concerns arise from their use in assessing probabilities of future global mean sea level rise (SLR). Most papers discuss SLR return periods considering storm surges or high tides and not SLR itself, as a separate and unique hazard. Sea level rise due to storm surges or tides is regional and temporary and differs from the global SLR, which is a long lasting and slow phenomenon. This paper discusses these misconceptions and misuses of return periods in assessing flood risk and the probability of sea level rise at the global level and suggests a method for assessing likelihoods of climate change risks that can be widely accepted and commonly used by all stakeholders and decision makers for all types of climate hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Offshore Wind (OSW) developers and governments will critically rely on port infrastructure to enable the growth of this OSW industry in Australia. This will increasingly lead to a surge in demand for port infrastructure in the competitive OSW development process, and offer opportunities for ports to diversify their business. However, this will require major capital upgrades and market growth proportional to the infrastructure capabilities. This paper aims to highlight the scale of the demand and critical nature of requirements on ports to enable the deployment of Offshore Wind (OSW) in Australia. The paper also addresses challenges and opportunities to developing sustainable infrastructure to support the industry. The paper explores the Australian OSW market as well as the timeline of when and where the demand will be required. Taking this along with the national context on overall port capability, geographic spread and unique characteristics to Australia, the paper will describe the technical and commercial challenges to develop the necessary infrastructure to support the OSW industry. It concludes with some key recommendations for ports to develop competitive facilities to support the industry and the major requirements and options to engage in the OSW industry with a sustainable approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amid global sustainability challenges, such as climate change, companies operating in different industries face increasing demands for accountability and transparency. To meet these demands, sustainability reporting (SR) has become a mainstream business practice in communicating companies' positive and negative sustainability impacts. This short paper aims to increase our understanding of how companies may release negative information while seeking to maintain their legitimacy. For this purpose, the paper bridges the gap between legitimacy strategies, impression management and neutralisation techniques by reviewing their associated literature. The nature of neutralisation techniques and how organisations use them in the SR context is underexplored by scholars. Finally, the paper presents prospective discussions of an ongoing study that examines negative sustainability disclosure in the tourism transportation context, namely the airlines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This section presents abstracts of papers related to business policy and strategy, including "Competition, Learning, or Legitimacy: Understanding the Adoption of Websites by Consumer Magazines," about corporate earnings restatements; "A Road to Directorship: How Corporate Executives Secure Positions on Other Firm's Boards," about the role of outside directors; and "A Selection that Cannot Stand the Test: Succession Context and New CEO Dismissal," about executive succession.

Carbon capture and utilization (CCU) has been recognized as an important pathway toward mitigating climate change, but research on this topic has been heavily technology-oriented. Hence, this study aims to build understanding of CCU from a business perspective by a) exploring and conceptualizing the types of business model innovations (BMIs) employed by companies to harness CCU and b) analyzing what factors drive and determine economic value capture of these BMIs. We conducted a qualitative thematic analysis from a multiple-case study with nine industrial companies supported by a document analysis. Our results display 12 distinct CCU BMIs across carbon dioxide processing, engineering, and system optimization business domains and 17 value capture determinants grouped under four drivers, namely, policy and regulation, technology, markets and demand, and business compatibility. This study integrates carbon circulation into the circular business model and innovation management literature and strengthens the business angle of CCU research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arid and semi-arid regions, including Cyprus, are increasingly experiencing severe weather events due to climate change. These events, characterized by prolonged droughts and flash floods, pose significant challenges to the environment, economy, and societal well-being. This paper aims to analyze the challenges of Flood Risk Management (FRM) in dry areas, focusing on Cyprus as a case study. It reviews historical data on temperature and rainfall patterns, flood types, and severity to propose effective, nature-based mitigation measures. The study examines temperature and rainfall trends over the last 30 years in Cyprus, categorizes floods since 1859 based on severity, and identifies prevalent flood types. The investigation reveals a decrease in annual rainfall and an increase in average temperatures in Cyprus, leading to heightened flood risks. The study categorizes floods into fluvial, pluvial, flash, and coastal types, with pluvial floods being the most common due to urbanization. The paper underscores the role of community and individual participation in adopting nature-based solutions such as permeable materials, rain gardens, tree planting, and roof gardens. Addressing flood risks in Cyprus requires a combined effort of government initiatives and community engagement. The adoption of sustainable, eco-friendly practices can significantly mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on flood hazards. This holistic approach is imperative for enhancing resilience against future climate-related challenges in Cyprus and similar arid regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hawkesbury Nepean has very serious flood evacuation problem with over 64,000 people needing to evacuate in a 1% Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP) event and 90,000 in a 1 in 500 AEP event (INSW, 2019). The flood evacuation strategy of the valley is based on a carefully staged evacuation where different sectors are triggered when key water levels are forecast to be exceeded. This strategy allows low lying areas to escape before key routes are cut or congested. Monte Carlo modelling has been used to test various flood mitigation options as it better represents the natural variability in the flood producing mechanisms compared to the design rainfall method. While running thousands of flood simulations was possible using an efficient 1D hydrodynamic model, only a subset of these runs can be used to test evacuation strategies due to the high computational cost of evacuation models. However, selecting a subset of flood events is a challenging task. Selected events need to represent the variability and characteristics of both the peak level and time to rise as these define the evacuation problem. While selecting representative events based on peak flood level tends to preserve most magnitude-based characteristics, selecting them to reproduce secondary flood characteristics such as time to rise is much more complicated. This is because flood events with similar peak levels can exhibit different time to rise. This paper demonstrates a new method based on the Stratified Monte Carlo Sampling approach for selecting representative events that preserve important characteristic of the entire data set to be used for further evacuation analysis. This data set was ultimately used to test the evacuation model and guide planning decisions and to calculate key metrics for comparing mitigation option and evacuations strategies such as average annual trapped vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate design flood estimation is important as they are costly and pose a risk to life. This paper forms part of a larger study investigating the significance of the relationship between storm mechanism and flood magnitude in different regions of NSW, with the goal to provide recommendations on how to consider this impact in design storm estimation. There is a general question about whether the ensemble of 10 temporal patterns recommended by the recent Australian Rainfall and Runoff (ARR2019) are a good representation of various storm patterns, and whether they are the source of the underestimation bias observed in NSW. This paper addresses this question in the East Coast of NSW by running a large sample of storm patterns from different storm types through a catchment hydrology model and comparing the range in peak outflow. Over 2000 storms were extracted from pluviographs located in the East Coast of NSW for events rarer than 20% AEP and with critical durations between 1-72 hours. These storms were broadly classified into Convective, East Coast Lows, and Frontal events. The temporal pattern comparison was completed at over 200 catchments of varying size and proximity to the coast in NSW. The flow estimates at different flow quantiles derived from the ARR ensemble approach were compared to the full suite of event patterns. The results of this comparison suggest that the ARR ensemble patterns are largely unbiased. They sufficiently captured the mean and spread produced by the pseudo-population of storms extracted from the storm database. This was true across all of the storm types tested, and for catchments with differing areas. This study suggests the underestimation bias in NSW is not due to the temporal patterns, meaning preburst, loss mechanism and areal reduction factors are to be investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WaterNSW is currently building ten catchment models for the operational Decision Support System (DSS), which links a set of hydrological-hydrodynamic-water quality models. The very first step of the DSS is to build, calibrate and validate these catchment models with the objective of producing a set of inflow boundary condition data to the lake/reservoir models for a particular scenario. This paper identifies challenges encountered and solutions identified as part of the calibration and validation of the Avon, Cataract and Nepean catchment models developed in the first stage. Sub-catchments of these models were delineated based on the points of interests in the catchments ensuring relatively small variations within the sub-catchment sizes. Typically, the 80% of the period was selected for calibration and the remaining 20% for validation, however, this was tailored for each calibration gauge ensuring both the calibration and validation periods comprised of a range of flow conditions and recurrences. Calibration was undertaken for approximately 65% of the gauged time series available and validation is undertaken for the remaining 35%, excluding the data for 4 years following whenever at least 10% of catchment was burnt. Models were built at an hourly time step using disaggregated daily gridded rainfall and evapotranspiration data and has shown to provide a satisfactory representation of historical flows. Twenty-two Sacramento meta parameters were calibrated for each catchment and the 3 parameters related to land-use runoff generation (ADIMP, PCTIM and PFREE) were kept consistent across the models. This paper discusses the calibration strategy adopted to calibrate the meta-parameters and the performance of the calibrated models against the adopted peer-reviewed performance measures as well as the adjustments made to improve the model performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floods are recognised as the costliest natural disaster in Australia. The escalating flood risk is attributed to the combined factors of urbanisation, which increases the value and vulnerability of exposed assets and the impacts of climate change. To effectively address these challenges and promote sustainable growth, it is essential to incorporate a comprehensive understanding of disaster risks into urban development planning. Understanding disaster risk also forms the primary step within the flood management frameworks implemented by flood authorities. Therefore, it is essential to thoroughly assess new development projects to ensure that the proposed designs do not adversely impact flood risk for both people and properties. It is understood that flood authorities are employing afflux tools to evaluate the project's impacts, and some may aim for zero affluxes. This article examines the challenges associated with zero flood level impact approaches. It examines the modelling tolerance and reliability of hydraulic models in accurately representing the actual impacts on risk levels. This paper discusses various influencing factors that can affect the results and ultimately lead to different conclusions when comparing flood levels before and after development. These factors include flood modelling techniques, input data limitations and accuracy, resolution and post-processing methods for output data, assumptions and parameters related to hydrology, and the approach taken in hydraulic modelling. In addition, this paper discusses the importance of differentiating between hazard assessment (flood level impacts) and risk mitigation. It highlights the need to transition from hazard management and attempts to achieve a blanket of zero impacts. It provides examples of ways to achieve more comprehensive risk mitigation, while managing project costs effectively and achieving sustainable and resilient development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, there is an increased interest in startups’ creation and acceleration programs. A key part of these programs consists of exposing these startups to a dynamic ecosystem, where startups have difficulties to access on their own. Additionally, if it is considered a market composed by public entities, it is even more challenging. Especially for startups aiming to work in/with the public sector, cities in p articular, including not only corporates, academia and investors introduce a wide variety of public institutions. This paper displays the Clean Cities ClimAccelerator project as a case study on a European-wide startup acceleration program focused on the climate challenges faced by cities, where all actors collaborate for a systemic change. This paper aims to describe, analyze, and assess how the interaction between all actors involved is developed through the concepts indicated. The results presented here may facilitate improvements in the dynamics and as guidelines to implement within a multi-level and multi-stakeholder ecosystem through cocreation and collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This section presents abstracts of several articles appearing in the issue, including "Environmental Regulation and the UK Automotive Sector," by Jo Crotty and Mark Smith, "Development and Validation of Critical Factors of Environmental Management," by Hesan A. Quazi and Soo Wee Yeo, and "Enacting Sustainability in the Multinational Corporation," by Lynne Andersson, Sridevi Shivarajan, and Gary J. Blau.

Climate change has become an important issue since 196 countries in the world agreed to sign the Paris Agreement at COP21 in 2015. This is an important issue because Climate change has a wider impact in the long term such as rising air temperatures, increasing volume of sea water, extreme and unpredictable weather changes, shifting populations and wildlife habitats and affecting human health. One of the causes of climate change is air pollution produced by burning conventional vehicles or we can call Internal Combustion Engine (ICE). For this reason, various countries in the world are innovating by converting fossil-based vehicles into electric vehicles with the main raw material being batteries. As a result, several countries in the world such as Japan, Brazil, Germany, France and Sweden have succeeded in reducing their emission levels in the 2015-2018 period by starting to develop electric vehicles. This paper was conducted through literature study and in-depth analysis using qualitative research methods. This paper aims to analyze whether the transformation from an internal combustion engine-based vehicle to an electric vehicle is able to reduce the level of emissions in a country in order to overcome the problem of climate change. In addition, this paper also analyzes other supporting factors to find the right solution to overcome the problem of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amid the ascension of climate change and global warming as pervasive issues of worldwide relevance, the urgency for environmental entrepreneurship and sustainable development has been notably emphasized. This focus becomes critical within rapidly maturing economies such as Indonesia, where the potential to significantly influence climate neutrality and business competitiveness is immense, contingent upon the effective cultivation of green entrepreneurial ethos. However, the integration rate of eco-friendly business tenets remains discouragingly static, largely due to acute insufficiencies in consciousness-raising, pedagogical resources, and sector-specific proficiency. The present paper embarks on a critical scrutiny of environmental business opportunities within the Indonesian milieu. A comprehensive discrepancy analysis pertaining to the development of green entrepreneurship proficiencies is detailed, predominantly from a community vantage point. This inquiry constitutes a part of the European-endorsed initiative, the ASEAN Network for Green Entrepreneurship and Leadership (ANGEL), purposed to fortify entrepreneurial competence and sustainable perspective among diverse community stakeholders. Through a methodologically structured survey, engagement with academia, requisite support for communal development, and perceived hindrances to nurturing green entrepreneurship are explored. The findings highlight a substantial interest to the promotion of green entrepreneurship within the community, with resource scarcity emerging as a formidable challenge. Moreover, our discrepancy analysis underscores a pressing need for escalated cooperation among key participants, including local enterprises, governmental agencies, and residential communities, to enable the efficacious actualization of green entrepreneurial ventures. The paper extends its probe to capture the community's perspective on green entrepreneurship, considering the viewpoints of women, minority groups, and financially marginalized segments within urban and rural contexts. Despite a robust commitment towards green entrepreneurship detected in the survey responses, the manifestation of sustainability-centred initiatives remains sparse. The paper concludes by delineating the impediments encountered in the proliferation of green entrepreneurship, underlining the vital need for sustained efforts to overcome these barriers and further propel Indonesia's journey towards sustainability. The research delineated in this paper represents a significant leap towards comprehending and fostering green entrepreneurship in Indonesia, providing crucial insights to stakeholders aiming to act as catalysts for future progression in this domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BlueScope Steel has been operating a steelworks in Port Kembla for almost 100 years. It is the largest steel production facility in Australia with throughput of crude steel of over three million tonnes per annum. BlueScope own and operate five berths within Port Kembla. These assets underpin BlueScope as a critical part of the company's supply chain. To maintain the reliability, uptime, and function of the wharves, BlueScope and Beca have sought to solve one of the largest port and wharf challenges: how to turn aging port information, drawings, and schematics into a digital asset that can reduce rework, improve decision-making, and reduce costs. The project area spans more than 1.5km, including thousands of assets. BlueScope and Beca have been working together to create a spatially accurate three-dimensional digital twin of the Port. The Twin is designed to create new efficiencies for future projects and operations for BlueScope as it looks forward to the next century. The Twin can help the organisation unlock greater berth flexibility, reduce tendering costs, minimise risk, minimise shutdowns, and drive productivity enhancements in design, construction, operations, and maintenance activities. This paper outlines the project's motivations and requirements, as well as the strategies employed by the project team to overcome challenges associated with utilizing historical archive drawings and spatial data. By developing a reliable digital twin for BlueScope's port assets in Port Kembla, this paper also shares valuable insights that owners of similar assets can adopt to more quickly reap the benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China Beach is located near the mouth of the Coal River estuary, via Pitt Water, in SE Tasmania and is opposite the spit at the conjunction of Seven Mile and Five Mile Beaches. China Beach and Okines Beach are separated by China Creek. Pitt Water, a large waterway (380 km²), is predominantly tidal; numerous watercourses drain into it from a 540 km² catchment with the largest inflow being from the Coal River at the upper 'end'. Pitt Water is relatively shallow downstream from the Midway Point and Sorell Causeways albeit the main channel is deep (10 m); at lower tides the sandy seabed is often exposed over large areas. China Beach is eastwards from the estuary and has a wide low tide terrace backed by a sand dune that is eroding noticeably. Some small swell waves can occur there but that's uncommon and the conditions are relatively benign. The key influence is the predominantly northwest winds down the axis of the estuary near Lewisham and the short waves caused by same. Tides usually reach the dune toe which causes scarp slumping. Erosion of the dune has been occurring for longer than 50 years but seemingly its progress has accelerated as evidenced by the undermining of many mature trees that then topple onto the beach. Several theories have been posited about what causes the dune erosion and these are discussed in this paper. What is its fate to be? Options for remediation have been considered including sand scraping. However, that was subsequently abandoned due to the possible environmental consequences (the terrace is home to and a food source for a vulnerable bird species). This paper discusses possible revetment types for dune stabilisation although local opinion varies about whether it should be a 'hard' type or not. Time will tell!. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal harbours are often subject to periodic surface water level and current speed oscillations ('seiche') of the order of 1 minute and longer. These oscillations can impede harbour operations by causing vessels to surge and sway at their berth; strain or break mooring lines; or cause other damage through overtopping or scour. Harbours known to seiche typically require investigations utilising both physical and numerical models to minimise or mitigate adverse impacts by any proposed development that may alter the resonant characteristics of the harbour or its response to incident forcing functions. This paper compares the use of wavelets, Fourier analysis and white noise simulation in a Coffs Harbour physical model and prototype harbours at Coffs, Crowdy Head, Port Kembla, Ulladulla and Eden Harbours. The paper will discuss some of the limitations and advantages of these methodologies to inform proposed development such as the boat ramp in Coffs Harbour and the proposed development at the ports of Coffs and Ulladulla. The paper will also present some of the successes and difficulties encountered by the authors in measuring and analysing seiching in NSW harbours resulting from a meteotsunami recorded in January 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Port of Brisbane's future capacity to grow is supported by the ~224-hectare Future Port Expansion (FPE) area on Fisherman Islands. The FPE is surrounded by a geotechnically engineered seawall and divided into a series of paddocks which are progressively being reclaimed over the long-term using Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd (PBPL) owned dredgers, TSHD (Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger) Brisbane or the Ken Harvey, a clamshell dredger. The materials placed in the FPE predominantly come from channel maintenance programs and are often black clay (mud) and clayey sand, as well as clean white sand dredged from Moreton Bay in accordance with permit conditions. However, the Holocene materials that the Port of Brisbane is founded on are normally to slightly overconsolidated and highly compressible clay layers, up to 35 metres in thickness. Therefore, ground improvement is required to manage the geotechnical challenges presented by the reuse of dredged muds as reclaimed land, and the nature of the Holocene clays. This paper presents the ground improvement strategies adopted at the Port of Brisbane and the lessons learnt from developing on hydraulically placed dredged mud. The paper discusses the effectiveness of ground improvement methods adopted at the Port of Brisbane to achieve long-term post construction settlement targets, including traditional preloading/surcharging, the use of prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs), and vacuum consolidation. It also presents the challenges with providing a suitable working platform over the dredged mud due to its very low undrained shear strength and susceptibility to short-term bearing capacity failures or mud-waving, and the processes implemented at the FPE to overcome these challenges. The findings of this paper will be beneficial to the development of future projects that involve the reuse of dredged materials as reclaimed land, and also to the wider geotechnical community dealing with challenging soil conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review paper discusses a multi-faceted methodological approach to investigate the presence and vectors of invasive marine species in ports in the context of climate change. Native species are organisms that occur naturally in a particular geographic region and have evolved in that ecosystem over time. They have adapted to the physical and biological conditions of that ecosystem and play important roles in maintaining its ecological balance. Invasive species, on the other hand, are non-native species that have been introduced into a new ecosystem and have the potential to cause harm to the environment, economy, or human health. They often have few natural predators or competitors in their new environment and can outcompete native species for resources and spread rapidly once introduced into a new ecosystem, leading to a decline in biodiversity and ecosystem function. This paper highlights the importance of understanding the vectors and the potential for species to adapt to changing environmental conditions. This paper also discusses the role of surveillance and monitoring programs, as well as predictive modelling and risk assessment approaches, in identifying and managing invasive species in ports. We will discuss the different vectors such as ballast water, hull fouling, recreational boating, commercial fishing, and the various measures put in place to combat incursions. It further explores the potential impacts of climate change on the distribution and abundance of invasive species and the implications for port management and biosecurity. The paper concludes by emphasizing the need for integrated, multidisciplinary approaches to investigate invasive marine species in ports and mitigate the impacts of climate change. This approach can help inform management decisions to prevent and control the spread of invasive species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasingly rapid environmental degradation, pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss have led to the urgent need to address these issues. A response within linguistics is the emergence of ecolinguistics. Focused on fostering environmental awareness and sustainability, ecolinguistics has much to offer. It, however, still seems to be somewhat neglected. This paper sheds light on the current state of ecolinguistics, highlighting its appropriateness for addressing tourism-related texts. After discussing the main aspects of ecolinguistics, and a brief look at some relevant contributions, it ends with a small-scale qualitative analysis of eco-relevant terms in two government documents for defining the course of tourism development in Serbia. The findings indicate a shift towards more ecologically beneficial narrative, yet with a continued focus on economic prosperity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper delves into the evolving landscape of agrochemicals, exploring the pivotal role of innovation and resourcefulness in shaping the future trajectory of agriculture. With the growing challenges posed by climate change, population growth, and diminishing natural resources, the agricultural sector faces an urgent need for sustainable solutions. This paper examines the innovative approaches and technologies that hold promise for addressing these challenges while ensuring food security and environmental stewardship. Through a comprehensive review of current trends, emerging technologies, and case studies, it elucidates the transformative potential of novel agrochemicals in enhancing crop productivity, minimizing environmental impact, and promoting resilience in the face of evolving agricultural dynamics. By analyzing the synergies between scientific advancements, regulatory frameworks, and market dynamics, this paper provides insights into the opportunities and challenges in navigating the future path of agrochemicals towards a more sustainable and prosperous agricultural future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of climate change are already evident. Like all infrastructure, High Speed Two (HS2) needs to be climate resilient so it can function in a future where there will be warmer and wetter winters, hotter and drier summers, and more extreme weather. Without resilience measures, climate change could affect HS2 through an increased construction programme, network performance impacts and service delays with associated costs, as well as affecting staff and passengers. The policy for HS2 is to build a 'climate-resilient railway', taking part in the collective endeavour to combat climate change by setting ambitious carbon dioxide reduction targets for HS2's overall operations to be net zero from 2035 and embedding adaptation measures to increase resilience to climate change. HS2 is one of the first projects to take a holistic approach to incorporating climate change into planning, design and construction. Learning from the approach used for HS2 is set out in this article. The key outputs of this paper are descriptions of how climate resilience thinking has been embedded into all project stages, how bespoke and innovative processes have fed into industry-leading best practice, reporting and guidance, and examples of climate-resilient design solutions. It is vital to integrate climate resilience and adaptation into infrastructure projects now to ensure infrastructure is prepared for our changing climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts on topics about organizations and the natural environment which include barriers to greening the relief supply chain, alignment of consumers around low-carbon competitiveness, and the application of scenario analysis in industry sectors regarding climate change adaptation.

The areas occupied by permanent grasslands constitute one of the most important ecosystems of the Earth, occupying almost half of it. The use of land covered by grasslands and climate changes are the main stressors of grass communities and implicitly of grassland ecosystems. Its multifunctionality (food source for ruminants, insect habitat, means of soil and water conservation, as well as outdoor activities, etc.) is gradually affected, thus diminishing the mentioned functions. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the evolution of some indices characterizing permanent grasslands over a three-year period 2020-2023. Observations were made for three years on two permanent grasslands located in the vicinity of Hitia? and Căpăt (belonging to the same UAT Racovi'a). The monitored indices were the agronomic ones, namely the pastoral value (PV), the grazing capacity (GC), as well as the ecological ones (the Shannon-Weaver and Simpson indices). For each analyzed permanent grassland, three analysis points were taken and the resulting data represent the average. The analysis methods were the linear one to study the vegetation and the indices, and correlation analysis was used for the statistics. Thus, it may be concluded that there are differences from one year to the next in the structure of the vegetation and in grassland communities. This aspect is also reflected in the agricultural fodder potential of the studied grasslands. The results of this study enable starting points for urgent measures to improve these permanent grasslands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), as a significant step forward in the testing of good practices in environmental taxation. The main objective of this mechanism is in fact to shift the focus from the mere obtaining of tax revenues towards the achievement of climate objectives. The European Commission has introduced this tool aware of its leading role in the environmental field, aiming to influence the decisions of third countries in the fight against the global climate emergency. However, the CBAM raises concerns about its potential use as a tool for European market protectionism, creating tensions with the world's main economic players. Despite the critical issues, the CBAM proposal could accelerate the convergence of legal systems and foster scientific evidence regarding the relationship between global warming and greenhouse gas emissions, in addressing global environmental challenges. In a world where global emergencies require global responses, CBAM can therefore become an important tool to prevent the circumvention of law enforcement mechanisms and penalize non-virtuous behavior. In this context, environmental taxation, now supported in many countries by direct constitutional coverage, can play a strategic role in the implementation of international commitments, promoting an ecological transition with an eye to sustainable development and the effective allocation of resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change, marked by rising temperatures, poses significant health risks to indoorbound individuals. This paper stresses the need for proactive public health measures, especially for vulnerable groups like the elderly and economically disadvantaged who lack access to air conditioning. As heatwaves worsen, traditional solutions, like energyintensive air conditioning, are problematic due to increased energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and cost issues. Instead, this paper proposes an affordable solution: electric fans, natural ventilation, and window shadings to combat heat stress indoors. The study examines the effectiveness of electric fans, window shading, and natural ventilation in mitigating extreme heat's impact. Findings show a notable reduction in heat exposure, even in worst-case scenarios, with electric fans reducing heat strain hours. The methodology employs EnergyPlus and Design Builder software for a comprehensive numerical simulation of a sample building representative of the ones constructed between 1961 and 1975 located in Trieste, Italy. The simulations employ historical weather data, extreme conditions, and future projections to enhance the analysis's depth and relevance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing impacts of climate change have necessitated a comprehensive reassessment of large infrastructure projects, particularly highways, to ensure their resilience and sustainability. The article focuses on the analysis of climate change vulnerability, mitigation measures, and adaptation strategies within the context of a major highway project in Romania. With climate change accelerating, highways in Romania are becoming increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather events, shifting precipitation patterns, temperature fluctuations, and related environmental changes. The paper highlights key findings from vulnerability assessments, emphasizing the project's exposure to climate-induced risks and its implications for the highway's infrastructure. Mitigating the impact of climate change is a fundamental objective for this highway project. The article discusses mitigation efforts, which include minimizing greenhouse gas emissions during construction and operation phases, incorporating sustainable construction materials, and adopting energy-efficient technologies and practices. These measures align with Romania's commitment to reducing its carbon footprint. Also, the paper outlines adaptation measures, such as engineering design solutions to withstand extreme weather events, the integration of flexible design elements, and the establishment of climate monitoring and early warning systems to mitigate disruptions. In conclusion, the article underscores the urgency of integrating climate change vulnerability assessments, mitigation measures, and adaptation strategies into the planning and construction of highways in Romania. By adopting a comprehensive approach that addresses climate-related challenges, this highway project aims to contribute to a sustainable, resilient, and environmentally conscious transportation network for the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2016 Australian flood modellers were introduced to a new draft version of Australian Rainfall and Runoff (AR&R), incorporating a significantly revised procedure and supporting data for design flood estimation. This document was formally released in 2019. Over the past seven years, various concerns have been raised regarding application of the Design Flood Estimation (DFE) procedure set out in this document. This paper discusses the Authors' concerns, as both flood modellers and developers of software to implement hydrologic modelling in accord with AR&R2019 and provides recommendations on how these concerns might be addressed. These concerns include both technical issues with the AR&R DFE procedure and more recent changes to AR&R procedures and data in state and local government modelling guidelines. The increasing development and mandating of state or local government variations to the AR&R DFE procedure and its underlying data, without a response from a representative of AR&R, or integration into AR&R, has greatly confused what is best practice in calculating a catchment DFE. This confusion does little to maintain the status of AR&R2019 as the pre-eminent national reference in this field. In the Authors' view, it is imperative that a properly funded body of experts be assembled, without delay, to replace the now disbanded teams responsible for development of AR&R 2019, so that the maintenance and development of AR&R as a respected national guideline can be assured into the future. A major effort has been made over the last 70 years to develop a cutting edge, highly respected national guideline for design flood estimation. Allowing this respect to be eroded through lack of support, post publication, cannot be in the profession's best interest. It is the Authors' view that the technical and administrative concerns reported in this paper need to be addressed in a timely manner if AR&R is to retain its role as the preeminent source for guidance on national best practice for design flood estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rating curves play a crucial role in hydraulic engineering, providing a relationship between water level and discharge. This paper presents a case study on the use of 2D hydraulic models to establish rating curves, with the intent of offering improved accuracy and spatial representation for complex floodplains. The study which includes the analysis of several complex river systems in Queensland, was modelled using a 2D hydraulic model (TUFLOW). The results demonstrate the advantages and additional considerations of 2D models in capturing flow patterns and hydraulic behaviour. The derived rating curves from the 2D models were compared with observed data from the Queensland Government Water Monitoring Information Portal (WIMP). The analysis shows that careful consideration of modelling parameters and software limitations are necessary for establishing informed rating curves. Such considerations include compound channel analysis, appropriate cell size, and corresponding Manning's roughness values. This paper discusses challenges in implementing 2D models, such as model configuration and data availability. It also explores future directions for advancing the use of 2D hydraulic models for rating curves. Overall, this study highlights the potential of 2D hydraulic models in enhancing rating curve development, providing valuable insights for the hydrological and water resources community in improving hydraulic analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrastructure upgrade projects within the Melbourne region are confronted with a significant objective of attaining zero afflux during flood occurrences. This aspiration introduces many challenges that demand comprehensive contemplation by designers and modellers throughout the stages of design, modelling, and mitigation. This paper explores various crucial aspects that must be addressed for achieving zero afflux. The paper presents a comprehensive case study of the Hall Road East Upgrade (HREU), located in Melbourne's southeastern metropolitan area. Considering all the possibilities to appropriately modelling the existing and proposed condition, and the collaborative efforts of the road and drainage design team and the flood modelling team has led to the successful navigation of all the considerations, ultimately enabling the project to achieve the zero afflux outcome. Determining an appropriate timeframe for assessing existing conditions has been crucial, accounting for potential changes during the project's lifespan. It was ensured that sufficient and accurate data was available as it was essential for accurately representing the current state within the model. The next important point was effectively modelling the pit and pipe system within the overall flood modelling framework. Mitigating flood storage loss due to infrastructure upgrades was explored through the integration of basins and underground storages. This has also helped with the attenuation of the additional runoff created by the infrastructure upgrade. Gravitational flow transfer, diverting maximum surplus runoff to designated basins, was recommended for evaluation as an effective solution. Outlet of the storages have been sized in a way that the peak discharge rate toward downstream were no more than the existing condition flow rates. The pits located downstream of the development have been checked to ensure there was no extra pit surcharge causing afflux. The drainage system has also been designed in a way that it can help with mitigating the afflux. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water containment structures at resource operations in northern Australia are designed to contain wet season rainfall. Government regulations set design freeboards at annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs) between 5% and 0.1 % AEP. Studies of rainfall frequency typically focus on durations of interest for flood studies, and the Bureau of Meteorology's (BoM's) design rainfalls are available up to 7 days. For longer durations, designers derive design rainfalls by analysing long-term at-site records by fitting probability distributions to series of accumulated 2 to 4 month wet season rainfall. Over northern Australia, long continuous rainfall records are sparse. As a result, long-term timeseries derived from gridded rainfall estimates (such as those from the SILO Australian climate database) are often used for the analysis. In this paper, the Generalised Extreme Value (GEV) distribution was fitted (using LH-moments) to wet season rainfall maxima series extracted at each SILO grid point to yield maps of design wet season rainfall across northern Australia. This approach differs from BoM's derivation of design rainfalls, in that: • The parameters are derived from at-site rainfall datasets - as opposed to regionalisation of L-moment ratios across pools of gauges. All rainfall datasets are long and continuous - but comprise temporally and spatially interpolated records. In areas of sparse rainfall station coverage, the resultant distributions are based entirely on interpolation of distant daily rainfall records (as opposed to regionalisation of probability distribution parameters derived from shorter, more-distant rainfall records). The design rainfall estimates might therefore be susceptible to sample bias, with the presence or absence of individual large events disproportionately affecting the design rainfalls. The potential magnitude of these effects was estimated by comparing 7-day rainfall depth grids to the BoM's design rainfalls. Comparison maps show that in areas of higher rainfall station density, design rainfalls derived from gridded data are generally similar to BoM values, but where point data is sparse, the gridded data estimate can be significantly lower. While likely less susceptible to sample bias than 7-day rainfalls, wet-season totals derived from at-site analysis should be used with caution in regions where 7-day totals are signficantly less than design 7-day IFD rainfalls. This paper identifies regions where consideration should instead be given to estimating wet season rainfalls from at-site analysis of station data from, say, the nearest four rainfall stations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate time-series forecasting of streamflow can allow for better preparation against natural disasters, alongside improving water resource planning and facilitating operational decision-making for water supply and hydropower. This paper describes a time series streamflow forecasting method using Neural Networks (NN). With the rapid expansion of machine learning methods in different disciplines, including hydrology, it is important to test NNs for reliable streamflow forecasting. Streamflow data is non-linear with multiple variables affecting its generation and subsequent behaviour. Neural networks are known to be able to deal with this type of non-linear time series data well. Temporal variability is an important factor in the behaviour of streamflow, which is why a NN model with capacity to deal with time series data was employed in this study. The proposed model is a multivariate time series NN where streamflow values are forecast based on weather parameters and previous values of streamflow. The upper Snowy River, upstream of Guthega Dam, in New South Wales, Australia, was used as the case study for this work. Inputs used included hourly weather data (rainfall, temperature, windspeed, snow depth, and other data) and streamflow data for the period of January 2009 to January 2016. The model was trained to make it capable of predicting future streamflow values. It was then tested to evaluate its prediction accuracy. This paper will describe this training and testing regime, including the use of the Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) as the evaluation metric. Model predictions were compared to actual measured streamflow to validate and verify results. Results demonstrate that the model can predict streamflow values, with future work aiming to improve accuracy, and extend the proof of concept shown in this paper to operational forecasting of hydropower reservoir systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sydney Water manages over 200km of concrete-lined urban creeks and drainage channels within the Sydney metropolitan area and is undertaking a long-term program of rehabilitation of these assets to remediate damaged sections of channel where the design life has been exceeded. Sydney Water has used such rehabilitation schemes to improve the health of urban creeks and drainage channels by incorporating naturalisation and new habitat creation features into the scheme designs. These features enhance existing open spaces, provide new habitats for birds, frogs and other native wildlife and facilitate cooling of the surrounding urban environment. This paper sets out the social and environmental benefits of these schemes and the multi-disciplinary technical challenges that need to be addressed in the design to realise the scheme objectives. Design challenges typically include striking a balance between managing flood risk to adjacent land and maximising new habitat creation, designing protection for vulnerable new habitat areas during flood events when scouring velocities occur, selecting the most appropriate bank protection measures that promote the establishment of vegetation while resisting extreme event flood velocities and designing features that encourage the interaction of communities with the waterway corridors whilst protecting the new habitats and the safety of people. The design also needs to consider the constructability of the schemes by addressing the management, reuse and disposal of contaminated in situ material and the management of surface and groundwater during construction, which may include contaminated sources of water from upstream wastewater discharges and contaminated groundwater inflow to open excavations. The paper discusses the long-term sustainability objectives of the schemes, describing how they can continue to enhance liveability and environmental outcomes into the future with minimal future maintenance and intervention. The paper will present a number of case studies that demonstrate the positive and transformational effects of creek rehabilitation and naturalisation in urban catchments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2018 'Papua New Guinea Flood Estimation Manual' represents the most up to date guidance for the estimation of catchment design rainfalls in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Critical inputs provided include Intensity-Frequency-Duration (IFD) curves, restricted sampling factors, Areal Reduction Factors (ARF) and temporal patterns. The rainfall characteristics of the Highlands region of PNG mainland are often distinct from that of the coastal and 'Lowlands' regions, with annual means typically between 2,000 and 10,000 mm. Rainfall is predominately generated by convective thunderstorms, of limited duration (1 to 1.5 hrs) and areal extent (often less than 130 km²) and heavily influenced by topography. The 2018 Manual provides guidance on IFD curve estimation based on analysis of 338 daily read rainfall stations, allowing estimates of design rainfalls for durations greater than or equal to 24 hrs, however, due to lack of sub-daily rainfall data, sub-daily rainfall scaling factors, rainfall restricted sampling factors and temporal patterns have been mostly based on Australian rainfall datasets. The Highlands region hosts a number of long-term mining sites, including the Ok Tedi, Porgera and Frieda River projects, which have collated a significant database of 'closely spaced' daily and sub-daily rainfall, in some cases with approximately 30 year records. This paper provides analysis of these rainfall datasets including sub-daily frequency analysis of point rainfalls, calculation of rainfall restricted sampling factors, rainfall temporal patterns and estimation of small catchment ARF's. An associated set of IFD sub-daily rainfall scaling factors are presented, allowing factoring of existing PNG 24hr design rainfall estimates to sub-daily design rainfalls. Comparison between Ok Tedi, Porgera and Frieda River projects indicates similar scaling factors are likely applicable across the PNG Highlands region, allowing potential to reduce reliance on Australian rainfall datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The built form of the South African post-apartheid city continues to perpetuate the paradigm that only one culture is available for consumption. Culture is consumed by South Africans who form part of a nation diverse in culture, and by an international tourist market, seeking the provision of diverse cultural experiences. Yet, most African cultural artifacts are found encased in colonial architecture museums, where the narrative is restricted to the observed, and where the cultures are entombed and thereby unable to reach out and affect the city around it. This places these cultures as either historical records and artifacts, or something foreign to the city, belonging to the fringes of the post-apartheid city, and not as an existing way of living that is held by city dwellers that lacks places that allow them to bear fruit and serve. In this paper, the authors argue that there is an opportunity to provide built form interventions that will accommodate the many cultures alive and active within South Africa. These cultures may be represented in built form, as a facilitator for first-hand experience, and may then further establish a market for cultural consumption and contemporary tourism that is more authentic. To do so, secondary data is presented on the current social and economic melee of how culture is consumed as a value-add good product in the post-apartheid city. Furthermore, two cultural architectural interventions are presented as case studies. A conceptual framework is constructed, showcasing the lessons learned, as well as expanding the conversation around culture, consumption, and climate - as well as how responsible tourism may support positive responses to each. By introducing the climate emergency, architecture's complicity in driving consumption is further exposed. An argument is presented whereby existing architectural interventions in the post-apartheid city are shown to fall short in their attempts to transform the city away from the colonial capitalist linear economy consumption practices that degrade the environment. The paper concludes with a vision for future architectural interventions that better succeed in providing space and place for diverse cultural inclusion, thoughtful consumption patterns and climate change mitigation. There is a market for the consumption of culture as an experience. An indigenous circular economy of locally produced, and locally consumed culture is an alternative to current human consumption patterns that damage the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Science Communication Interest Group Division of the proceedings contains the following 7 papers: "Forecasting the Future: How Television Weathercasters' Attitudes and Beliefs about Climate Change Affect Their Cognitive Knowledge on the Science" (Kris Wilson); "The Web and E-Mail in Science Communication: Results of In-Depth Interviews" (Rebecca Dumlao and Shearlean Duke); "Book Reviewers' Recognition of Environmental Ethics in Aldo Leopold's 'A Sand County Almanac'" (James F. Carstens); "Environmental Threats, Information Sources and Optimistic Bias: Environmental Risk in Appalachia" (Daniel Riffe and Jan Knight); "Context in Print and Online Environmental Articles" (Ryan Randazzo and Jennifer Greer); "Framing the Environmental Agenda: A Qualitative Comparison of 1970 Nixon Speeches and 'Time' Magazine" (Diana Knott); and "Source Credibility and Global Warming: A Content Analysis of Environmental Groups" (Terence (Terry) Flynn). (RS)

This paper examines the issues that could arise regarding the implementation of noise policy in the context of the need and desire to deal with the effects of climate change. Is it going to be necessary to compromise the standards used or implied in noise policy in order to enable measures to tackle climate change to be put in place? Based on the author's extensive experience of developing and implementing noise management policy, this paper will consider how the pressures of tackling climate change could impinge on the outcomes that should be sought through noise management policy. The paper will consider the various types of noise policy that have and do exist and explore the issues that might now have to be addressed in order to secure a more sustainable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The knowledge-based bioeconomy has been prioritized through European Union (EU) research and innovation policies. In December 2017, the government approved the Latvian Bioeconomy Strategy 2030, which set the horizontal strategic goal of achieving "research excellence in traditional bioeconomy industries and efficient transfer of knowledge". Therefore, the aim of the present research is to examine one of the submeasures "promoting research excellence and efficient knowledge transfer within traditional bioeconomy industries" for the implementation of the strategic goal of the Latvian Bioeconomy Strategy 2030 regarding "Knowledge and Innovations" in Latvia. The research found that the development of research on the bioeconomy depends on the overall situation in research and development (R&D) in the country. In 2021 in Latvia, total expenditure on scientific research was low, only 0.71% of GDP, of which 64% was EU funds and private funding. The national Smart Specialization Strategy (RIS3) defines five main fields to be developed in Latvia, and one of them is a knowledgeintensive bioeconomy. In 2018, 1600 scientists worked in this field, which was 23% of the total number of scientists engaged in RIS3 fields. The amount of R&D funding attracted to the bioeconomy field in 2014-2018 was only EUR 27 mln. or 14% of total funding for RIS3 fields, which indicated the insufficient ability of bioeconomy scientists to attract funding and their lower labour productivity. Nine main research institutions employed 89% of the total personnel engaged in the bioeconomy field, who were the authors of 98% of WoS-indexed research papers published in 2014-2018. In the future, the most important research priorities for the bioeconomy field are going to be mitigation of negative climate change impacts, as well as food and energy security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to study the effects and risks of climate change in Romania. The research methodology used is based on the analysis and synthesis of information from the climate change literature. The main research method used in the paper is content analysis. The authors of the paper find that climate change is already having many negative consequences on health, environmental and economic issues in Romania, affecting all regions. The importance of publishing this study is to increase and improve the content of the literature in the field. The authors' analysis found that, in general, the effects of climate change jeopardise economic development prospects, increase the risks of famine and thus potentiate conflict and forced displacement, and deepen existing vulnerabilities, socio-economic inequalities and gender discrimination. In recent decades, countries around the world, including Romania, have focused their efforts both on mitigating the impact of climate change through measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and on increasing their capacity to adapt to the effects of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to observe the possible future desalination techniques. Currently, the different types of technologies are proposed by the desalination industry. The number of RO applied worldwide increased over other desalination methods. In PLN, RO represents 39% of the total installed capacity, about 31% is provided by MSF, and MED units produce 30%. Therefore, this paper discussed the opportunities and challenges of desalination plants by reviewing the published papers and based on application experience in PLN. The traditional review method is used by summarizing previously published on-topic, further elaborating with PLN research in 2017 according to the context of this study. The results reveal that membrane, corrosion, and fouling are common problems in applying RO globally and based on practice in PLN. Meanwhile, the significant issues in thermal processes are problems with the instrument, pumps, and electrical systems. Optimization in material use, the mechanical design of evaporator systems, and performance rates are the main areas of improvement in thermal. These improvements are expected to reduce the energy demand of thermal processes due to the consumption of energy for thermal is higher than RO. Emerging trends in desalination innovation are also described in this paper. Since climate change has urged the energy transition worldwide by increasing the adoption of renewable energy for both electricity supply and direct use, renewable energy with desalination for future purposes has become a significant choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the integration of social innovation in Europe, facilitated by the EU-funded CHESS Project, which aims to construct ecosystems capable of addressing complex societal challenges. It delves into both the theoretical and practical aspects of social innovation ecosystems, using a comprehensive framework that encompasses norms, structures, roles, and functions to decode the dynamics within these systems. The study includes participatory action research and the testing and refinement of innovation tools designed to bolster collaboration among a diverse array of stakeholders in Slovenia, Italy, Lithuania, and Greece. This research outlines the process of tool selection, application, and evaluation through multiple phases of experimentation and reflection with the aim of creating a sustainable ecosystem that connects social actors and fosters lasting social change across Europe. The overarching goal is to develop robust social innovation ecosystems that not only interlinks diverse social actors but also sustains significant and lasting social transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is getting more attention in recent years as it is bringing more devastating natural disasters such as heat waves, drought and floods around the world. Human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, which produce heat-trapping gases, are the main driver of climate change. The enormous amount of greenhouse gases that are released into the atmosphere accelerates the pace of global warming. On the other hand, renewable energy is usually clean and sustainable. Thus, turning down the role of fossil fuel in the energy sector should be a priority and facilitating the use of renewable energy is the best solution to mitigate climate change. To have a clear picture on the current situation, the paper will include a literature review about climate change, greenhouse gases and renewable energy. The methodology, analysis methods and results will be included in the paper. Data collection, pre-processing, data analysis and data visualisation dashboard will be involved during the process. A data analysis dashboard will be created to incorporate the background of the story and the results of the data analysis. The users will be exploring the trends of renewable energy and greenhouse gas emissions with data analysis tools to gain useful insights from the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing problems of energy shortage and environmental damage, rational recycling of resources and the development of green energy have become an important direction of research. The mechanism and research goals for the photocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) to hydrocarbons are the main topics of this paper. Inspired by natural photosynthesis, photocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction utilises the strong reducing properties of photogenerated electrons to form hydrocarbons by reacting chemically and thermodynamically stable CO2 with H+ in H2O under mild conditions. This paper provides a detailed summary of the application of semiconductor materials such as metal-organic frameworks, bismuth-based materials, tungsten oxide materials and graphene in photocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction and finds that modified or composite materials tend to exhibit superior catalytic performance. For example, NH2-UiO-66(Zr) constructed with mixed ligands showed a 50% increase in formic acid yield in the reaction over NH2−UiO-66(Zr) constructed with a single ligand. In addition, this paper also points out the problems in the current study, such as narrow spectral response range, low product selectivity and low efficiency. In general, photocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction offers a favourable and promising approach to the treatment of greenhouse gases and resource recycling, which is crucial for preventing global climate change and advancing sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The western area of Romania, like the entire country, due to its geographical position - in the temperate zone, is exposed to a wide range of risk weather and climate phenomena with the potential to occur throughout the year. The purpose of this work is to identify some indicators that most correctly express the extreme nature of the manifestations of some meteorological parameters and their characterization over a four-year period. The paper analyzes the main meteorological parameters from the profile stations in the western part of the country, respectively from Timis and Arad counties, in order to have an overview of the weather-climate characteristics for the studied period. The more detailed analysis of certain phenomena was done to capture exceptions, special extreme situations or more significant meteorological elements. The location of Romania in a certain context of action of the main baric centers imprints the temperate character of the climate. The location of the analyzed territory in the western part of the country and the configuration of the relief nuance this character, imprinting sub-Mediterranean characteristics in the southern part of Timis county. The risk aspects provided by the weather stations in the two studied counties, in the interval of four years, highlight the specific climatic changes that occur in certain intervals. Knowing the weather-climate characteristics of the region is important for all areas of human activity and life, all extreme phenomena being grafted onto the main background of the aforementioned weather-climate characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]