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Bamboo has being used as alternative raw material for construction, reinforcing fibers, paper production, among other applications. Although its recognized potentials as raw material, there are doubts about its environmental performance compared to traditional wood-based products, including paper production, which hinders bamboo-based paper plants in large scales. This study aims to assess the environmental performance of producing office paper from bamboo. Emergy synthesis (with 'm') and global warming potential indicators are calculated and compared with the traditional eucalyptus paper-based production. Results highlights the importance in including the renewability fractions of each input resources into emergy calculations for production systems with high human-labor intensity such as the bamboo agricultural production. Office paper produced from bamboo has similar renewability (28%), moderate environmental load (3.23 vs. 2.49), and emergy unsustainability (0.34 vs. 0.60) compared to paper produced from eucalyptus, but bamboo showed lower performance for global efficiency (568 vs. 442 sej/ton paper), emergy yield (1.09 vs. 1.49), and emergy investment (10.79 vs. 2.05). Focusing on global warming potential, office paper produced from bamboo releases 98 kgCO 2 eq. /ton paper compared to 56–267 kgCO 2 eq. /ton paper for eucalyptus. Notwithstanding, bamboo-based office paper demands four times more land area of agricultural production than eucalyptus, but it has a positive social aspect by requiring higher amount of direct human labor. This work shows the advantages of using eucalyptus rather than bamboo in producing office paper from an emergy and land demand perspectives, while global warming can still be considered inconclusive. Future efforts should consider a quantitative and qualitative analysis of human labor availability in both systems, as well an economic analysis to support discussions towards more sustainable office paper production from different raw materials. • Environmental load of bamboo and eucalyptus for office paper production are compared. • Bamboo has lower emergy performance than eucalyptus. • Including the renewability fraction of labor and services better reflects emergy results. • Bamboo paper emits 98kgCO2eq/ton, eucalyptus paper emits 56–267kgCO2eq/ton. • Bamboo paper needs 4x land compared to eucalyptus and requires more human labor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Although paper production demonstrates high energy and water sensitivity in their life cycles, only a few systematic analyses have focused on these issues. Therefore, an energy and carbon coupled water footprint analysis of five types of Kraft wood pulp-based paper (i.e., specialty-, art-, household-, light coated-, and tissue paper) is conducted in this study to help improve the environmental performance of the paper industry. All investigations are conducted with an impact-oriented approach based on ISO standards. Results show that elemental-chlorine-free bleaching is more environmentally friendly than chlorination-alkaline extraction-hypochlorite bleaching, specifically for global warming, aquatic eutrophication, and human health (i.e., carcinogens and non-carcinogens). Gray water footprint along whole life cycles of each product is approximately twice of blue water footprint. Direct processes contribute approximately 50% to water scarcity, while their impact on aquatic eutrophication ranges from 0.002% to 50.72%. For other midpoints, indirect processes dominate the influences. Meanwhile, COD, BOD 5 , CO 2 , TP, Cr (Ⅵ), Ti, Hg, and As are key contributors. Finally, reusing sludge by direct burning in the recovery furnace, reclaiming organic compounds in black liquor before alkali recycling, and integrating black liquor gasification technology are expected to provide substantial environmental benefits. Amelioration of wastewater treatment, optimization of the national energy structure, and improvement of the efficiency of chemicals and freshwater are recommended. Highlights • Energy and carbon coupled water footprint analysis of Kraft pulp paper is applied. • The environmental benefit of black liquor recovery is dominated by reused alkali. • Direct processes contribute a lot to water scarcity and aquatic eutrophication. • COD, BOD, TP, and heavy metals are key substances. • Optimizing waste reuse and availability efficiency of chemicals is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aeration, as a process in pulp and paper wastewater treatment, uses the greatest share of the energy. Therefore, if the energy efficiency of the treatment has to be improved, the focus must be on aeration. A key finding from the trials conducted for this paper, with effluent from a paper and pulp mill, was that the oxygen transfer coefficient could be doubled and the chemical oxygen demand could be decreased by 25%, if the effluent was pre-treated with 30 mg/l of aluminium coagulant (equivalent to 9.4 tonnes per day of AVR to 20000 cubic metres of effluent). Decrease in oxygen requirement implies decreases in aeration energy use. Pulp and paper mill effluents are not as biodegradable as municipal sewage, and the improvement in oxygen transfer properties of the effluent will have a positive influence over a longer period of time in the biological treatment. If the sludge is digested anaerobically, pre-treatment will also result in doubling the potential for methane generation. A holistic analysis of modifications to processes entails a study of the economic and environmental consequences as well. While the economic aspect is beyond the scope of this paper, only the net global warming as an environmental impact category has been studied, by taking recourse to specific emission coefficients. Of the four dosages of ferric aluminium sulphate considered in this analysis, the net greenhouse gas emissions are the least – 426 kg carbon dioxide equivalent per day when the daily consumption is 9.4 tonnes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to satisfy the demands for both safety and global warming reduction, a high-strength seismic reinforced steel bar is required in the structural steel market. Recent developments in computational thermodynamics and related application software have made it possible to design a suitable material as well as support engineers of steel manufacturing companies in the production of the designed material with minimum benchmarks in practical operations. This paper reports our recent success in developing grade 600 MPa reinforced steel bars for seismic safety in South Korea. First, conventional alloy design based on CALPHAD-type computational thermodynamics was carried out. For this purpose, a typical alloy system of Fe-0.30C-0.23Si-1.37Mn-0.14V-0.22Cu (in wt%) was selected, and thermodynamic and kinetic calculations were carried out using MatCalc and JMatPro software. Second, in order to reduce V content in the steel for economic reasons, a cooling process designed using finite element (FE) simulation based on the thermodynamic database was performed. For this application, Fe-0.34C-0.22Si-1.34Mn-0.04 V (in wt%) alloy was chosen, and the FE software ABAQUS was applied for modeling the TempCore process. The mechanical properties of the steel products with a diameter of 32 mm produced based on the simulated results satisfy the required properties for grade 600 MPa seismic reinforced steel bars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intensification of global warming has resulted in extremely hot weather in many parts of the world, posing a severe challenge to the health and safety of outdoor workers. Passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) textiles with no energy input requirements can effectively achieve temperature management. However, few wearable radiative cooling devices have been successfully prepared. This study demonstrates a radiative cooling paper (RCP) with tunable stiffness for the thermal management of human head by using SiO 2 fibers and fumed SiO 2 as emitters. The as-prepared RCP exhibits high sunlight reflectivity of 0.97, and high emissivity of 0.91 in the atmospheric window. The results demonstrate that the RCP hat can prevent hair from overheating by reducing the temperature by an average of 12.9 °C compared with a white cotton hat under peak daylight conditions. Besides, the RCP exhibits outstanding integrated properties of high mechanical properties, waterproofness, and air permeability. Therefore, it is more suitable than other textiles for the manufacture of radiative cooling hats, and offers a promising solution to solve the problem of head thermal management in outdoor conditions. [Display omitted] • This study designed and prepared a ceramic fiber paper with remarkable passive daytime radiative cooling performance. • The radiative cooling paper (RCP) exhibits good impact strength, superhydrophobicity, and air permeability. • The RCP is suitable for the manufacture of radiative cooling hat to achieve the thermal management of human head. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel aviation CO 2 emissions reduction method by introducing a market-based incentive mechanism. An aviation carbon emissions prediction model is proposed to characterize both the microscopic flight dynamics and the macroscopic air traffic demand trend. Based on emissions prediction, a linear climate response model is applied to evaluate the environmental impact of the aviation carbon emissions. Finally, a market-based framework for aviation CO 2 emissions reduction is established based on a two-phase carbon trading model, which provides a piecewise charge method through emission taxation and cap-and-trade. A case study is carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework using a real-world dataset from the Hefei Air Traffic Control Zone in China. Three scenarios are defined to describe the possible development speed of sustainable aviation fuel application in the future: not applied, medium-speed development, and high-speed development. The results show that the carbon peak will be reached in 2025 in the high-speed development scenario, when the emission amount and associated environmental impact will be reduced by 23.7% and 22.3%, respectively. Thus, the market-based framework proposed in this paper can effectively reduce aviation CO 2 emissions and mitigate the effects of global warming. • An aviation CO 2 emissions prediction model is proposed considering both microscopic flight dynamics and macroscopic traffic demand. • A more efficient market-based CO 2 emission reduction framework is developed based on a two-phase carbon trading model by means of taxation and cap-and-trade. • Case study shows that the proposed method has a more optimal incentive for CO 2 emission reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) maintains a fine balance between scientific credibility and policy-relevance. The IPCC's review process plays an important role in ensuring that this takes place. This paper looks at the review process of the Summary for Policymakers of the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 Degrees (SR15) published in 2018. We apply a framework for the making of policy-relevant knowledge – that of salience, legitimacy, and credibility – to investigate the acts of knowledge selection, and conflicts over what constitutes policy-relevant knowledge on climate change. We find that knowledge is shaped through discussions surrounding the themes of scope, communication, framing, and IPCC procedures and evidence, and that these themes were articulated in different ways in relation to salience, credibility and legitimacy. Our analysis shows how the practices of salience, legitimacy and credibility interact with each other in the making of policy-relevant knowledge. In particular we see that a focus on credibility and salience, whilst central may take place at the expense of legitimacy. Overall we see that this interplay in the review was important in shaping the story of the SR15, and the knowledge that gets included in the final SPM. • This paper explores the role of review in the IPCC 1.5 degrees Special Report. • The practices of salience, legitimacy and credibility shape the story the report tells. • Decisions made referring to scope, communication, framing, IPCC procedure/evidence. • Reviewers and authors play role in shaping report, but authors maintain final choice. • Choices made considering salience and credibility are common, at expense of legitimacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal stratification widely exists in large reservoirs, causing significant inflow-outflow temperature difference (IOTD), which goes against the downstream ecology. Reservoir optimal operation has recently been conducted to regulate the outflow temperature, while its effects for cascade reservoirs urgently needed to be illuminated. Taking the typical Xiluodu-Xiangjiaba cascade reservoirs (XXCR) as study case, this paper had built a multi-objective optimal operation model combing the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) and a hydrodynamic-temperature model, and the total power generation (TPG) and IOTD were simultaneously considered. The effects of different inflow discharge and global warming scenarios were analyzed. This paper showed the following: (1) The IOTD and TPG of XXCR showed a positively linear relationship with the water level of the superior Xiluodu Reservoir (XLD), instead of the inferior Xiangjiaba Reservoir (XJB). (2) The reservoir with larger water volume and depth (such as XLD) determined the thermal structure and hydropower generation in cascade reservoirs, compared with the inferior reservoir (such as XJB). (3) As the inflow discharge or air temperature increased, the slope between the IOTD and TPG in the Pareto front curve increased. The results of this paper could support the ecological operation for cascade reservoir to regulate the outflow temperature. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving energy efficiency is regarded as a key path to tackling global warming and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In 2020, the energy consumption of the world's ten major energy-consuming countries accounted for 66.8% of the global total. This paper applied data envelopment analysis (DEA) to calculate these ten major energy-consuming countries' total-factor energy efficiency (TFEE) at national and sectoral levels from 2001-2020, and explored the influencing factors of total-factor energy efficiency with the Tobit regression model. The results showed significant difference in the ten countries' energy efficiency. The United States and Germany topped the list for total-factor energy efficiency, while China and India were at the bottom. Meanwhile, the energy efficiency of the industrial subsector has increased significantly over the past two decades, while that of the other subsectors has been relatively flat. The industrial structure upgrading, per capita GDP, energy consumption structure, and foreign direct investment had significant impacts on energy efficiency with national heterogeneity. Energy consumption structure and GDP per capita were determinative factors of energy efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Need to increase the areas of PV on buildings by using facades due to limited roof areas. • Largest amounts of generated energy from PV with horizontal axis tracking on East and South facades. • Fixed PV on optimal tilt angle on South, East and West façades achieve considerable amounts of generated renewable energy. • Application level of PV on building facades depends on energy needs and targeted amount of generated renewable energy. The increase of energy needs and its impacts on global warming and energy prices made it imperative to utilize various renewable energy sources including PV. Accordingly, there is a need to increase the areas of installing PV on buildings by using facades due to limited roof areas. This paper aims at investigating the impacts of design configurations including positions, dimensions, orientations, areas of PV and movement options to track the sun on increasing the amount of generated renewable energy. This is achieved through introducing various application levels of PV on building facades including small, intermediate and large levels with distinctive design configurations and movement options to develop 92 diverse application scenarios and conduct energy simulation of these scenarios. The obtained results from energy simulation showed that the highest amount of generated renewable energy is 417.68 kWh/m2 and achieved using horizontal axis tracking PV on solid surfaces and windows on East façade. Other application scenarios of PV with considerable amounts of generated renewable energy are determined including the top ten application scenarios. These include 405 kWh/m2 from using horizontal axis tracking PV on solid surfaces or windows on East façade, 399.55 kWh/m2 from using horizontal axis tracking PV on solid surfaces and windows on South façade and 388.4 kWh/m2 from using horizontal axis tracking PV on solid walls on East and South Facades. The results of this paper offer useful recommendations for installing PV on building facades to increase the amounts of generated renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a new high-resolution (up to decadal) palaeoecological evidence based on detailed AMS radiocarbon dating, plant macrofossils, testate amoebae, loss on ignition, peat humification, elemental and stable isotopic records, obtained from a palsa peatland located in vicinities of Igarka town. This gave us a unique possibility to examine the mid-to late Holocene environmental changes in a poorly investigated area in Yenisei Siberia. The obtained data show that the peatland initiation occurred at about 6350 cal yr BP by paludification of a larch forest in the conditions of climate warming and high surface wetness, possibly, due to permafrost thaw. The first sign of palsa formation occurred about 5360 cal yr BP and coincided with the temperature decrease, wetter and anoxic conditions in peatland. After several phases of uplifts (and relatively dryer conditions) and partial thawing and subsidence of its surface (wetter conditions) between 5360 and 2250 cal yr BP, the continuous rise of the perennial frost mound (up to the height of 5 m) accomplished by drying its surface and colonization by drought-resistant plant species, evidently, encouraged by the climate cooling and permafrost aggradation during the last two millennia. The high-resolution analyses of elemental (C and N) and stable isotope content (δ13C and δ15N) of the peat sequence revealed the strong linkages between the plant composition and mineralization/humification processes. Our multi-proxy study revealed detailed features of peat accumulation patterns driven by multiple interrelated allogenic and autogenic forcings, influencing changes in peat macroelement content and stable isotope composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO 2) capture via flue gas is an advanced technology for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Its significance lies in the potential for retrofitting this technology to the current inventory of coal-fired power plants. This review paper aims to present the state of art in the technologies of adsorption techniques in post-combustion technologies to capture CO 2 from flue gas streams. These techniques have demonstrated numerous potential benefits when compared to conventional CO 2 capture methods that utilize aqueous amine solvents. Additionally, this overview presents the development in the field of novel solid sorbents for post-combustion CO 2 capture, focusing on their enhanced performance and favorable economic feasibility. The promising potential of mesoporous silica has been recognized to evaluate the enhanced capacity of CO 2 adsorption offered by these materials. Several research studies have reported different techniques of functionalizing porous silica by introducing amine groups. Various methods of functionalization for mesoporous silica, such as impregnation, grafting, and hybrid approaches, have been examined to improve the efficiency of the sorbents. Furthermore, this work summarises the research challenges with porous silica materials and indicates the possibilities for future studies to improve post-combustion carbon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic grocery bags are one of the most ubiquitous single-use packaging products. Recently, 'eco-friendly' options of plastic grocery bags have gained traction such as kraft paper, cotton, biodegradable, and reusable polypropylene non-woven bags. However, the impact of using various grocery bags in cities with dense population, well-developed infrastructure and thermal treatment as an end-of-life waste management option has been insufficiently documented. In this study, commonly found single-use (HDPE, biodegradable plastic, kraft paper) bags and reusable (cotton, polypropylene non-woven) bags were considered for the life cycle assessment (LCA). The usage characteristics (reusability, dimensions, carrying capacity) of bags, the production process (raw materials extraction, production processes), and emissions were determined as the significant factors contributing to the negative environmental impacts. In a model city with confined waste management, the assessment determined that the reusable polypropylene non-woven bag (PNB) caused the least overall negative environmental impacts when there are 50 instances of reuse, followed by single use HDPE plastic bag (HPB). The global warming potential (excluding biogenic carbon) was 14, 81, 17 and 16 times higher for HDPE plastic, kraft paper, cotton woven and biodegradable polymer bags, respectively, when compared to PNB. Moreover, kraft paper or cotton woven bags demonstrated the highest negative impacts for the impact categories including abiotic fossil depletion, freshwater-, marine- and terrestrial-ecotoxicities, human toxicity, acidification and eutrophication potentials. Further, sensitivity analysis indicated that the inflexion point for the PNB was minimum 4 reuses to avoid emission equivalent to the HPB. Singapore was adopted as the model city with confined waste management structure that imports most of the grocery bags, either as finished goods or as raw materials. Through comprehensive insights based on the new outlook of the integrated LCA model (cradle-to-grave) that included full-scale transportation component, the usage of the real case data from a city to develop the life cycle inventory, and consideration of the existing grocery bags options, the environmental assessment along with critical evaluation was conducted. • Case specific life cycle assessment of grocery bags in the context of Singapore. • Plastic bags presented lower environmental footprint than paper and cotton bags for Singapore. • Plastics are an environmental friendly option for waste management structures with end-of-life thermal treatment. • Multiple reuse of plastics is a means to minimize environmental footprint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen is a potential future solution addressing global warming, climate change, and energy security challenges. It efficiently allows for storing excess renewable energy and generating heat and electricity without increasing greenhouse gas emissions. It can create a practical pathway to replace fossil fuel vehicles and move toward a net-zero transport sector. Various hydrogen strategies and industry roadmaps have been developed to identify key goals, set targets for progress, and develop strategic plans to remove barriers. As identified through these documents, the development of consistent national and international codes and standards and the creation of clear procedures and regulations are essential for the safe implementation and adaptation of hydrogen systems, leading to the successful process of hydrogen sector. This paper provides a comprehensive and critical review of the different aspects of hydrogen safety to advance hydrogen regulations, codes, and standards. While it summarises the key international hydrogen frameworks, the main focus of the paper is on Australian plans, progress, and working groups for hydrogen deployment that will help future green energy society. • The safety developments affect the cost of Australian hydrogen scaling targets. • Training and safety developments are essential to achieve public trust in Australia. • Better community engagement is needed to move from hydrogen planning to its development. • Data-based tools assist the development of hydrogen safety procedures in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from wetlands have exacerbated global warming, attracting worldwide attention. However, the research process and development trends in this field remain unknown. Herein, 1865 papers related to wetlands GHG emissions published from January 2000 to December 2023 were selected, and CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used for bibliometric analysis to visually analyze the publications distribution, research authors, organizations and countries, core journal and keywords, and discussed the research progress, trends and hotspots in the fields. Over the past 24 years, the research has gone through three phases: the "embryonic" stage (2000–2006), the accumulation stage (2007–2014), and the acceleration stage (2015–2023). China has played a pivotal role in this domain, publishing the most papers and working closely with the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and Australia. In addition, this study synthesized 311 field observations from 123 publications to analyze the variability in GHG emissions and their driving factors in four different types of natural wetlands. The results suggested that the average carbon dioxide (CO 2), methane (CH 4), and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) fluxes in different wetlands were significantly different. River wetlands exhibited the highest GHG fluxes, while marsh wetlands demonstrated greater global warming potential (GWP). The average CO 2 , CH 4 and N 2 O fluxes were 60.41 mg m−2·h−1, 2.52 mg m−2·h−1 and 0.05 mg m−2·h−1, respectively. The GWP of Chinese natural wetlands was estimated as 648.72 Tg·CO 2 -eq·yr−1, and CH 4 contributed the largest warming effect, accounting for 57.43%. Correlation analysis showed that geographical location, climate factors, and soil conditions collectively regulated GHG emissions from wetlands. The findings provide a new perspective on sustainable wetland management and reducing GHG emissions. [Display omitted] • A 24-year bibliometric analysis of GHG emissions from wetlands was conducted. • The historical evolution and future trends in the field were summarized. • River wetlands exhibited the highest GHG fluxes. • GWP of China's wetlands was estimated to be 648.72 Tg·CO 2 -eq·yr−1. • CH 4 emissions contribute 57.43% to the GWP value in China's wetlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HFC refrigerants as R134a, R404A, R407C and R410A are commonly used in heating, air conditioning and refrigeration (HACR) systems since Kyoto protocol. However, they are phased-out due to their high global warming potential (GWP). There are various options to replace high GWP refrigerants, among all hydrofluorolefin (HFO) fluids, such as R1234yf, represents an excellent alternative. With GWP <1, R1234yf is a promising substitute for R134a. This paper presents the most relevant researches concerning the application of R1234yf in the last decade. This review paper regroups experimental and theoretical studies which assess the performance of pure R1234yf as working fluid of the compression systems such as mobile and residential air conditioning, air and water heat pump, domestic refrigerator and freezer. Studies depict that R1234yf can be recommended for small-scale systems instead of R134a, but an optimization process is necessary to achieve the optimum operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change constitutes a complex challenge posing an urgent threat to our planet and life and creating an entirely different way of conceptualising the world and our chances to provide safe food within it. There are currently numerous studies dealing with the potential effect of increased temperature, extreme weather events and cascading events on food safety and subsequently human health. In contrast to food safety, the available data on the impact of climate change on food quality, including food spoilage, are very limited. This paper presents an overview of the potential impact of climate change on both food safety and microbial spoilage at various stages of the food chain. Among the different hazards related to climate change, mycotoxin and marine biotoxin contamination, environmental residuals derived from various anthropogenic activities and zoonosis diseases are identified as climatic-driven emerging risks to human life and discussed further in this paper. Global warming is projected to affect all microorganisms, including spoilage bacteria and fungi. Hence, this paper also discusses the potential increased risk of microbial spoilage for bulk dried foods and non-refrigerated processed foods which could be high susceptible to climate change in relation to growth of spoilage organisms. The paper concludes that climate change requires multidisciplinary approaches to gain in-depth knowledge and identify potential emerging risks. In addition, this paper goes beyond food safety and addresses an overlooked aspect of climate change, namely the microbiological spoilage of foods that may require a high level of preparedness by both the food industry and policy makers. • Τhe potential impact of climate change on food safety and food spoilage is reviewed. • The most important climatic-driven emerging risks are discussed. • Climate change may promote pathogens proliferation and foodborne diseases outbreaks. • Spoilage bacteria and fungi are expected to be affected due to climate change. • Non-refrigerated foods are the most susceptible to spoilage due to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• In the energy sector prevail fossil fuel incumbents that might inhibit renewable energy entrants. • Our paper provides a game-theoretic stylization of competition between those two types of firms, while incumbents set prices the entrants respond with quantity adjustments. • Solutions are obtained through a Non-linear Model Predictive Control algorithm. • In contrast to previous studies, in this proposed model, both firms are strategically interacting. • Results highlight the importance of the initial cash-flow levels and fiscal subsidies for fringe firms' performances. Governments attempt to provide the energy sector with incentives to replace old technologies with new renewable energy ones as the most effective way to combat climate change. Yet, in the energy sector prevail fossil fuel incumbents that might inhibit renewable energy entrants. Our paper provides a game-theoretic stylization of competition between those two types of firms. Incumbents set prices, and entrants respond with quantity adjustments. In the context of a dynamic limit pricing model, we study the entry dynamics in a market in which the dominant firms (fossil fuel energy suppliers) face the entry of a group of competitive fringe firms (renewable energy suppliers) when the dominant firms have easier access to financial markets but, the fringe firms fund their expansion with internal finance. We also investigate the effect of the public support for renewable energy firms through subsidies. Our model is built on Judd and Peterson (1986, JET), but our solutions are obtained through a non-linear model predictive control (NMPC) algorithm. By this technique, we can predict the outcome of the competition between incumbents and entrants and the impact of financial and fiscal policies considering moving-horizon strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents new data and reviews previously obtained results on the late glacial to Holocene history of peatlands in the southern part of the Baikal region under conditions of regional climate changes. To better understand climate signals, we have combined vegetation and geochemical variation data in 4.6 m thick peat deposits in the Vydrino bog located on the Tankhoi piedmont plain south of Lake Baikal. The territory has been swamped since 13.1 cal ka BP when the peatland started developing as a fen upon a sedimentary substrate. The 13.1–9.5 cal kyr climate record included two events of warming separated by an excursion of dry cold climate. Warming continued till 9.0 cal ka BP and eutrophic peat formation occurred in favorable temperature and moisture conditions. Another warming episode between 9.0 and 8.4 cal ka BP ended up with the Holocene climate optimum while the bog became mesotrophic. About 7.3–6.5 cal ka BP, the temperature and moisture inputs were no longer optimal for fir and spruce forests in the Vydrino area, which led to dramatic changes in landscape and vegetation. The wet and warm climate gradually became drier and colder from 6.5 to 2.3 cal ka BP, with a brief warm excursion about 5.5–5.3 cal ka BP. The peat deposition was interrupted in a cold climate from ∼2.3 cal ka BP to ∼0.7 cal ka BP, and the bog became oligotrophic afterwards. The newly obtained data allowed us to compare the paleoclimatic indicators available for the south Baikal region to determine their compatibility and inconsistency. In addition, we provide a general view to the quality of the climate and environmental reconstructions in the Baikal region by comparison of the data on its peatland study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indo-Pacific Warm Pool (IPWP) is the primary supplier of heat and moisture to the global atmosphere, and exerts a significant impact on tropical and worldwide climate variability. This special issue expands our understanding of the paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic evolution of the IPWP since Neogene times with implications for understanding future change. It contains fifteen research articles addressing two primary themes: (1) Ocean-atmosphere coupled processes via the ocean water-column, sea surface, atmospheric evaporation/precipitation; and (2) Sediment source-to-sink and biogeochemical carbon-cycles, and their interactions with oceanographic, hydrological, tectonic and other factors. These contributions improve our understanding of thermocline temperature, salinity, oxygenation, hydrography, carbon cycle, biological productivity, and sedimentary response in the IPWP across Neogene and Quaternary time scales, as well as aiding in the forecast of future climate responses in the context of current global warming. The special issue will capture the attention of geologists, climatologists, and anybody else interested in global climate change. • This is the editorial preface for the VSI on Indo-Pacific Warm Pool. • 15 papers are included and shortly introduced. • Two themes are included. • The 15 papers provide new views on paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic changes in the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Permafrost in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) accounts for a total area of 1.05 × 106 km2. Many highway engineerings have been through the permafrost regions of the QTP, including the Qingkang Highway (QKH), Qinghai-Tibet Highway (QTH), and Gonghe-Yushu expressway (GYE), and the Qinghai-Tibet expressway (QTE) will be constructed in the future. Under the action of roadbed construction and global warming, permafrost under roadbed is degraded and causes serious pavement damage. Although many useful cooling measures have been applied to prevent permafrost degradation, their application presents significant challenges on account of the stronger endothermic action of asphalt pavement. This paper summarizes the working principle of existing cooling measures, and ascertains the relationship between pavement damage and ground temperature distribution of permafrost under roadbed. Based on the relationship, geotemperature distribution criteria and requirements for the cooling measures are proposed, and some suitable composite structures and measures are suggested. The results reported in this paper can provide a valuable guidance for the design and construction of the QTE in the future. • Relationship between temperature distribution and damage characteristics is revealed. • Geotemperature distribution criteria for the cooling measures are established. • Some composite measures are proposed for roadbed in permafrost regions of the QTP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Product service systems (PSS) are an example of a novel business model billed as having the potential to significantly reduce the environmental burdens of production and consumption processes. However, despite widespread interest in PSS, consensus regarding their actual environmental impacts, particularly with regard to salient issues such as global warming, is lacking. Hence this paper explores existing research to investigate the state of the art regarding the climatic impacts of PSS, alongside the set of factors that influence climatic impacts. The paper comprises a systematic review of peer-reviewed academic literature, quantifying the extent to which different types of PSS have the capacity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across multiple product categories. Our study shows that significant reductions in climatic emissions are possible, but PSS are in many cases associated with more modest reductions and, in some cases, increased emissions. Further, we observe no clear differences in climatic impacts according to the type of PSS model that is deployed. Rather, differences in climatic impact are influenced by factors such as production and design alongside use-phase impacts and contextual factors such as transportation and the energy mix. The study argues that further research is needed to establish a more robust baseline upon which to draw conclusions regarding the sources of climatic impacts, and outlines fruitful ways for companies to tackle the complexities of climatic emissions that are beyond their control. • In some cases, product service systems can reduce climatic impacts by up to 80%. • In other cases, climatic impacts increase compared to traditional product sales. • Climatic impacts are influenced by use intensity, transportation and production. • Other contextual factors such as the energy mix play a role. • More quantitative assessments are needed with less reliance on estimations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been a notable surge in focus on the mitigation of carbon emissions, mostly motivated by the urgent concern about global warming and its adverse impacts on the Earth's climate. Power-to-gas (PtG) systems have emerged as a promising technological solution in the pursuit of mitigating carbon emissions. This paper presents a mathematical modeling framework that aims to accurately represent the power-to-gas system integrated with wind power plants while taking into account the technological constraints of the system in practical scenarios. To analyze the proposed system under the stresses, worst situations caused by existing uncertain parameters, especially wind power, is modeled using a risk modeling technique called downside risk constraints (DRC). The DRC endeavors to mitigate the likelihood of situations resulting in significant stresses by incorporating an expected downside risk into the proposed framework. This paper will provide a number of conservative tactics to be employed in the decision-making process under the realizations of uncertainties. These tactics, including strategic operational control strategies, provide a structured approach for decision-making under uncertain conditions. By incorporating downside risk constraints, the framework enables conservative decision-making that prioritizes mitigating potential losses and minimizing the operational risk within scheduling horizon of proposed PtG facility. The findings demonstrate that the implementation of PtG technology has the potential to yield a substantial reduction in external energy consumption, namely by 39.1 %. Additionally, it has been seen that PtG may effectively mitigate carbon emissions, resulting in a decrease of 38.9 %. The utilization of PtG technology and gas storage will result in a substantial reduction in wind curtailment, ultimately leading to a near elimination of curtailment. Further study is conducted on the model in order to explore the benefits of carbon and methane storage, as supported by the results obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a vital freshwater resource for one-sixth of the world's population, snowmelt provides great convenience for residents in terms of livelihood and production, agricultural irrigation, and hydroelectric power generation. However, snowmelt can also have an important impact on the formation of surface runoff and the process of soil erosion. In contrast to glacier melt, snowmelt erosion has received relatively little attention in the past. This paper reviewed the generation of snowmelt runoff, the characteristics of erosion and sediment yield during snowmelt, the snowmelt erosion mechanism, and the applications of snowmelt modeling. The published results of sediment yield driven from snowmelt runoff ranged from 1 to 300 t km−2 a−1, with the largest value of 1114 t km−2 a−1. Snowmelt erosion is extremely sensitive to warming climate. With global warming, there is a trend towards earlier snowmelt periods and a significant increase in runoff volume, as well as a significant increase in sediment yield from snowmelt in most of the study cases. Moreover, snowmelt erosion compared to rainfall erosion has more complex mechanistic processes which can be influenced by various factors such as snowfall, freeze-thaw, topography, etc. In particular, the occurrence of rain-on-snow events will lead to more severe soil erosion. In addition, current studies of sediment yield from snowmelt erosion account for a small percentage of snowmelt, and snowmelt erosion modeling is rarely applied in practical studies. In future research, the field monitoring of snowmelt erosion in the context of climate change needs to be further strengthened and the effects of multiple factors on snowmelt erosion need to be investigated. The inclusion of rain-on-snow and specific erosion types in the model will improve the applicability of models under climate change scenarios and in multi-scale environments. This paper is intended to show the achievements as well as the limitations of snowmelt erosion research, while suggesting future research directions that need to be further explored and developed for better understanding and forecasting of snowmelt erosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The challenge of global warming requires deep decarbonization of the electricity system, which can be achieved with a higher share of renewables in the electricity mix. However, the driving mechanism for renewable penetration in electricity production has not been clearly revealed so far. Using the data of the European Union (EU) during 2001–2017, this paper aims to investigate the spatial-temporal heterogeneity and dynamic evolution mechanism of renewable electricity penetration. To this end, from the investment-production-consumption perspective, renewable electricity generation is decomposed into seven factors through temporal and spatial factor decomposition methods. Then, this paper integrates the factor decomposition results into a coupling elasticity analysis to study the dynamic evolution mechanism of renewable penetration in electricity production. The results are as follows. (1) Investment structure contributes the most to increasing renewable electricity generation, while the energy intensity effect and renewable generation-to-capacity ratio effect are the main reasons for the reduction in renewable electricity generation. The effect of technological structure is minor. (2) The economic scale effect and the investment structure effect are dominating factors accounting for the regional difference of renewable power generation between the EU countries and the benchmark region. (3) The progress of renewable electricity penetration accelerates over time for the EU, western EU, and eastern EU. The Western EU has realized remarkable progress in facilitating renewable electricity penetration during 2009–2017. (4) On the whole, the investment effect makes the largest contribution to promoting renewable electricity penetration, while the production effect is the major inhibiting factor, showing that there is considerable potential in renewable generation efficiency improvement in the EU. This paper provides insightful implications for energy policies aimed at the shift towards a low-carbon electricity system in the EU, which also gives a reference for other economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The NHS accounts for 5.4% of the UK's total carbon footprint, with the perioperative environment being the most resource hungry aspect of the hospital. The aim of this systematic review was to assimilate the published studies concerning the sustainability of the perioperative environment, focussing on the impact of implemented interventions. A systematic review was performed using Pubmed, OVID, Embase, Cochrane database of systematic reviews and Medline. Original manuscripts describing interventions aimed at improving operating theatre environmental sustainability were included. 675 abstracts were screened with 34 manuscripts included. Studies were divided into broad themes; recycling and waste management, waste reduction, reuse, reprocessing or life cycle analysis, energy and resource reduction and anaesthetic gases. This review summarises the interventions identified and their resulting effects on theatre sustainability. This systematic review has identified simple, yet highly effective interventions across a variety of themes that can lead to improved environmental sustainability of surgical operating theatres. Combining these interventions will likely result in a synergistic improvement to the environmental impact of surgery. • Perioperative environments use 3–6 times more energy than the hospital in general. • Paper/cardboard recycling bins in operating areas led to a 50–67% recycling rate. • Reusable items can lead to 70% reduction in waste generation. • Alcohol scrub solutions vs handwashing saves ∼930,000 L/year/hospital of water. • Dispensing propofol in 20 mL bottles instead of 50/100 mL reduces drug wastage by 90%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased emissions of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere has adversely been contributing to global warming as a result of burning fossil fuels. Therefore, the energy sectors have been looking into renewable sources such as wind, solar, and hydro energy to make electricity. However, the strongly fluctuating nature of electricity from such energy sources requires a bulk energy storage system to store the excess energy as a buffer and to fulfill the demand constantly. Underground storage is a proven way to store a huge amount of energy (electricity) after converting it into hydrogen as it has higher energy content per unit mass than other gases such as methane and natural gas. This paper reviews the technical aspects and feasibility of the underground storage of hydrogen into depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs, aquifers, and manmade underground cavity (caverns). Mechanisms of underground hydrogen storage (UHS) followed by numerous phenomena such as hydrodynamics, geochemical, physiochemical, bio-chemical, or microbial reactions have been deliberated. Modeling studies have also been incorporated in the literature to assess the feasibility of the process that are also reviewed in this paper. Worldwide ongoing lab study, field study together with potential storage sites have been reported as well. Technical challenges along with proper remedial techniques and economic viability have been briefly discussed. Finally, this paper delivers some feasible strategies for the underground hydrogen storage process, which would be helpful for future research and development of UHS. • Underground hydrogen storage (UHS) is comprehensively reviewed. • Potential storage sites and their characteristics are discussed. • Mechanisms of UHS are discussed. • The challenges and proper recommendations for UHS are deliberated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an attempt to examine the long-run and short-run relationship between inflation, exchange rate, and renewable energy use in Mexico during the period 1990–2019 by employing ARDL bounds test approach. The results of the study show that in the long-run there is a bidirectional causality between inflation and exchange rate. Renewable energy use in Mexico also impacts both inflation and exchange rate but exchange rate and inflation do not impact renewable energy in the long-run. The short-run ARDL model results provides that an increase in renewable energy use in Mexico has the impact of encouraging exchange rate appreciation. The results of this paper shows that renewable energy does not only reduce carbon-dioxide emissions which causes global warming, rather it encourages exchange rate appreciation in Mexico. Therefore, renewable energy use should be encouraged since it will cause currency appreciation of nations as well as leading to zero carbon in the future, a goal by the United Nations. High inflation in Mexico is also found to cause currency depreciation and vice versa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern lifestyles have popularised the use of food containers, also known as food savers or Tupperware. However, their environmental impacts are currently unknown. To fill this knowledge gap, this paper presents the first comprehensive assessment of the life cycle environmental sustainability of reusable plastic and glass food savers and evaluates different options for improvements, focusing on European conditions. Taking a cradle-to-grave approach, the paper considers twelve environmental impacts, including global warming potential (GWP), acidification, eutrophication, human and ecotoxicities. The results suggest that, for example, the total GWP of using both types of food saver in the European Union (EU) amounts to 653 kt CO 2 eq./year, equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions of Bermuda. The use stage is the main contributor to the impacts (>40%), related to the washing of containers. Glass food savers have 12%–64% higher impacts than the plastic and should have up to 3.5 times greater lifespan to match the environmental footprint of plastic containers. Three improvement scenarios have been considered at the EU level for the year 2020: low-carbon electricity mix; implementation of the EU eco-design regulation for dishwashers; and adoption of more resource-efficient hand dishwashing techniques. The results suggest that the implementation of all three improvement options would reduce the impacts by 12%–47%. The option with the greatest potential for reducing the impacts (12%–27%) is improved hand dishwashing to reduce the amount of water, energy and detergents used. Thus, policy makers and manufacturers should devise strategies to raise awareness and guide consumers in adopting these techniques with the aim of reducing the environmental impacts associated with reusable food savers used by millions of people worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper proposes a concept that utilizes historical time-series data from transmission system operators (TSOs) to estimate the optimal day-ahead energy-mix proportion for a power system dominated by converters. • This paper employs a long short-term memory (LSTM) network as a data-driven model to forecast the day-ahead values of key parameters. • To ensure secure system functioning, an energy-mix operation and reserve scheduling model is developed. • This paper emphasizes the importance of power system security in incorporating inverter based resources (IBRs). Advancements in various scientific fields have encouraged the development of novel tools, techniques, components, methodologies, and innovations aimed at addressing the challenges encountered in modern power systems dominated by inverter-based resources (IBRs). This paper focuses on a concept that leverages historical time-series data obtained from transmission system operators (TSOs) to enhance the secure management and operation of power systems. By employing a data-driven model, the day-ahead values of power generation and load consumption are estimated and integrated with a dynamic model of the power system for further analysis. To optimize energy generation and ensure grid stability, an energy-mix operation and reserve scheduling model is utilized. This model optimally combines different power-generating technologies, including synchronous generators (SGs), grid-following converters (GFLs), and grid-forming converters (GFMs), to meet the energy demands of the day while enhancing the overall system strength. The findings are supported by quantitative analysis utilizing variables such as frequency, power production, terminal voltages, and system non-synchronous penetration (SNSP). Simulation results demonstrate that implementing the proposed concept enables the power system under consideration to operate securely, even in the face of a 38% increase in immediate load, with a maximum SNSP ratio of 59%. These findings highlight the effectiveness of the proposed approach in addressing the reliability, system dynamics, stability, control efficiency, and security challenges posed by IBR-dominated power systems. Furthermore, it is believed that this research contributes to the ongoing efforts in decarbonization, renewable energy integration, and combating global warming by facilitating the secure and optimized operation of renewable energy-dominated power systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The mechanism of rolling resistance of asphalt pavements is presented. • The measuring and modelling approaches of rolling resistance are summarised. • The prediction methods of fuel consumption and environmental impact are reviewed. In the context of climate change and global warming, the attention on the environmental cost of pavements is increasing. To scientifically quantify the environmental cost of pavements, accurate prediction of rolling resistance and fuel consumption is important. In this paper, a comprehensive review on rolling resistance of asphalt pavements and its environmental impact was presented. At first, the commonly used definitions of rolling resistance and texture characterisation methods of pavement surface were introduced. Then, the influence of different factors on rolling resistance was discussed. Next, the measuring and modelling approaches of rolling resistance were reviewed. At last, methods which can be used to predict fuel consumption and environmental impact were presented. It was found that an ideal approach for texture characterisation of pavement surface is to make use of the entire wavelength spectrum of road profiles and consider the enveloping curve of tire treads. Furthermore, the fact that rolling resistance can be influenced by different factors introduces difficulties in accurate measurement and modelling of rolling resistance. Moreover, testing methods and conditions have a significant effect on the empirical modelling of rolling resistance, while it is difficult and time-consuming to consider all the energy loss in the computational modelling of rolling resistance. In addition, the prediction of fuel consumption and environmental impact highly depends on the formulating methods and measuring conditions. The work presented in this paper will help to gain more insight into rolling resistance and its environmental impact, which ultimately promotes the construction of environmentally friendly pavements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Permafrost extent and ALT changes on the TP were evaluated. • The SOC stocks and storage in TP permafrost areas were estimated. • Thawed and perennially frozen state of SOC in permafrost areas is distinguished. • Dynamics of thawed SOC in TP permafrost areas from 1901−2020 were assessed. Large amounts of frozen carbon stored in the permafrost of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are gradually thawing due to climate warming. The thaw of frozen carbon allows more active soil organic carbon (SOC) on the TP to participate in the global carbon cycle, which has usually been neglected in previous studies of permafrost carbon. This paper assesses the thawed SOC stock and its historical dynamics in TP permafrost areas based on a data-driven scheme. The results show that the current permafrost area of the TP is 1.14 × 106 km2, and the SOC stock in the top 10 m of permafrost areas is 47.36 Pg. The active layer of the TP permafrost has a regional average thickness of 2.37 m during the baseline period (2000−2020), storing 18.19 Pg of SOC, accounting for about 38.4 % of the total SOC stock in the top 10 m, with the remaining more than 60 % perennially frozen in permafrost. The dynamics of thawed SOC are calculated based on baseline period SOC pools. Despite significant fluctuations, there is a general trend of 0.074 Pg SOC thaw per decade over 1901−2020 as the active layer has deepened. Significantly, the thaw trend of frozen SOC after 1976 is more prominent, reaching 0.420 Pg decade−1. Moreover, this paper reconstructs the SOC pool at the beginning of the last century by incorporating historical deep carbon emissions (1 − 10 m) in the current SOC pool. It recalculates the thaw trend of frozen carbon based on this and finds that the general thaw trend of SOC from 1901−2020 is more significant, with a rate of 0.092 Pg decade−1. Additionally, the dynamics of SOC pools in surface soils (0 − 1 m) of TP permafrost areas are also discussed. Our study highlights the importance of permafrost carbon thaw and provides valuable information for TP carbon studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper investigates multi-energy transactive microgrid (METMG) systems. • The X2X technologies are used for converting different forms of energy to each other. • The energy hub is connected to all the METMGs and both receive and sends converted forms of energy to METMGs. • Both the economic and environmental concerns are considered. • The fuzzy algorithm is used to ensure fairness in optimizing dual cooperative objectives. The environmental concerns, most notably the release of greenhouse gases due to global warming effects, are significant to energy production processes. This paper investigates multi-energy transactive microgrid (METMG) systems considering environmental and economic concerns using energy conversion technologies (X2X). Utilizing the conversion of a different form of energy by the X2X technologies is a new concept that this paper tries to investigate its usefulness in economic and environmental aspects. The X2X technologies are used in an energy-hub unit that has the duty of converting different forms of energy to each other. The energy hub is connected to all the METMGs and both receive and sends converted forms of energy to METMGs. Both the economic and environmental concerns are considered by optimizing two separate objective functions for each one in a cooperative manner. The goal of the economic objective function is to decrease operational costs, and the goal of the environmental objective function is to reduce the release of emission gases. The fuzzy algorithm is used to ensure fairness in optimizing dual cooperative objectives. The simulation model consists of three METMG and an energy hub where the conversion of different forms of energy is conducted. The METMGs have different forms of energy sources and energy carrier loads such as power, heat, and hydrogen. It is concluded that by applying X2X technologies in the energy hub operation, the costs and the released emissions are reduced by 56 % and 48 %, respectively. This shows the effectiveness of the proposed structure in the reduction of costs and emissions which answers the economic and environmental concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• OpenBIM quickly quantifies the social cost of carbon (SCC) at building design stage. • Different life cycle impact assessment models greatly vary SCC results. • A case building is optimized to verify the original OpenBIM-based tool. • Some low-carbon measures can significantly reduce SCC at low economic cost. Buildings produce many carbon emissions in their life cycle, which leads to global warming, human disease, ecosystem destruction, and food shortages. These harms are translated and revealed into the social cost of carbon (SCC), but assessing the building SCC considering protection objects is still difficult due to the lack of adequate and rapid tools. Therefore, this paper proposes a method based on OpenBIM to calculate the SCC through the building life cycle. This method reflects the cause-effect chains of carbon emissions on human health, ecosystem quality, and social assets under LIME, EPS, and ReCiPe approaches. An original tool, NMBIM, is developed based on this proposed method, which calculates the SCC of a case building by directly importing industry foundation classes (IFC) files. The case results show that the maximum life cycle SCC reaches 5872.4 RMB/m2, which exceeds the construction cost. Although SCC results obtained by different LCIA models vary widely, the ones of human health are the most concerned protection objects. This paper provides an effective method for standardly storing and optimizing SCC at the project design stage, which contributes to construction industry planning, construction company decision-making, and public regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and global warming have led to an increased incidence of flooding across the world. Against the backdrop of the recent devastating floods in the Kwazulu-Natal province of South Africa, this paper explores psychotraumatology of natural disasters. In particular, we explore the impact of internal migration in South Africa, as well as apartheid spatial planning and inequality on the consequences of the flooding. We also focus on the psychotraumatology resulting from flooding, in general, and in particular on the victims of the flooding in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. We conclude that the psychopathological consequences of such natural disasters are ignored even though they seriously affect the people concerned. The development of specific trainings for psychologists in psychotraumatology and the care of victims should be a priority in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass is the most widely used renewable energy source which is highly appreciated due to its high availability and non-intermittent nature. Considering problems such as reduction of fossil fuels, global warming, and emission of greenhouse gases, lack of attention to the existing situation may cause irreversible damage to the future of the planet. In addition to using renewable energy sources, improving the efficiency of systems will also be helpful. Polygeneration systems play an important role in increasing efficiency and reducing pollution. So, the use of biomass in polygeneration systems seems to be a great approach for sustainable development. Recent studies on biomass-based polygeneration systems have focused on how to use biomass and integrate diverse subsystems to achieve the best performance from energy and exergy viewpoints. The present paper reviews biomass-based systems, and the parameters affecting the performance of these systems. The literature review shows that the high exergy destruction rate in the gasifiers is the most frequent problem among recent articles. In addition, despite the advantages of anaerobic digestion process, the number of studies conducted on the use of this method for biomass conversion is small. In the end, results, limitations, and future outlooks of these systems are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The so-called global change refers to changes on a planetary scale. The term encompasses various issues like resource use, energy development, population growth, land use and land cover, carbon and nitrogen cycle, pollution and health, and climate change. The paper deals with challenges for dairy cattle production systems in Europe arising from climate change as one part of global changes. Global warming is increasing, and therefore ecosystems, plant and animal biodiversity, and food security and safety are at risk. It is already accepted knowledge that the direct and indirect effects of global warming in combination with an increasing frequency of weather extremes are a serious issue for livestock production, even in moderate climate zones like Central Europe. The potential and already-measurable effects of climate change (including increase in temperature, frequency of hot days and heat waves), in particular the challenges on grassland production, fodder quality, nutrition in general, cow welfare, health as well as performance of dairy production, will be reviewed. Indirect and direct effects on animals are correlated with their performance. There are clear indications that with selection for high-yielding animals the sensitivity to climate changes increases. Cumulative effects (e.g. higher temperature plus increased pathogen and their vectors loads) do strengthen these impacts. To cope with the consequences several possible adaptation and mitigation strategies must be established on different levels. This includes changes in the production systems (e.g. management, barn, feeding), breeding strategies and health management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a review of research works where the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology has been applied to assess environmental impacts of chemical processes. To accomplish this goal, a total of 46 papers, published in English-speaking peer reviewed journals from 2015 to 2019, were reviewed. These papers have been analyzed in terms of the most important decisions taken in LCA studies. These decisions include the goal of the LCA study, the applied system boundary, the functional unit used, the type of process considered, the database and software utilized, the impact categories considered, the LCIA method chosen and the type of analyses conducted to interpret the results. Most of the reviewed papers (73.9%) are comparative LCA studies considering a cradle-to-gate system boundary and a functional unit related with the mass of an input or output of the system under study. Petrochemical production processes are the focus of the majority (58.7%) of the LCA studies. SimaPro and Ecoinvent are the most used LCA software and database, respectively. Environmental impacts were mostly assessed using ReCiPe and global warming is the most analyzed impact category. Most reviewed papers (82.6%) focus on identifying the hotspots of the studied system, while including sensitivity and scenario analyses. This review shows that, although significant work has been done in recent years in life cycle assessment application to assess the environmental impacts of chemical processes, there is still work to be done where the selection of more impact categories and the inclusion of uncertainty analysis are promptly crucial lines of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growing need for residential buildings as a result of population growth, the building sector is a high-priority area in climate change due to its large share of CO 2 emissions, the significant energy saving opportunities it represents, and the increasing expectations for occupant comfort. This paper presents the results of climate change impact assessment on a typical mid-rise residential building in four representative cities with different climatic characteristics in Turkey. Three different scenarios that characterize different solutions towards space cooling are developed, from naturally ventilated to fully air-conditioned. The energy requirements and corresponding CO 2 emissions due to space conditioning as well as occupant thermal comfort are the investigated building performance metrics. The preliminary results based on energy simulations indicate that pronounced overheating will be experienced in the future, which will have a strong effect on cooling energy use and/or occupant comfort. The projected energy demand also points to the future need to explore measures for climate change adaptation of buildings and the importance of the decarbonization of the electricity industry for climate change mitigation. The analysis results presented in this paper provide a basis for future studies on building retrofit for climate change. • Evaluation of climate change impact on a typical residential building in Turkey. • Cooling is to dominate thermal loads due to increased temperatures. • Warmer climates to be influenced most by negative effects. • Severe overheating for poorly ventilated, highly insulated buildings. • Adaptation measures needed for climate-proofing existing buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasingly inter-connected global food system is becoming more vulnerable to production shocks owing to increasing global mean temperatures and more frequent climate extremes. Little is known, however, about the actual risks of multiple breadbasket failure due to extreme weather events. Motivated by the Paris Climate Agreement, this paper quantifies spatial risks to global agriculture in 1.5 and 2 °C warmer worlds. This paper focuses on climate risks posed to three major crops - wheat, soybean and maize - in five major global food producing areas. Climate data from the atmosphere-only HadAM3P model as part of the "Half a degree Additional warming, Prognosis and Projected Impacts" (HAPPI) experiment are used to analyse the risks of climatic extreme events. Using the copula methodology, the risks of simultaneous crop failure in multiple breadbaskets are investigated. Projected losses do not scale linearly with global warming increases between 1.5 and 2 °C Global Mean Temperature (GMT). In general, whilst the differences in yield at 1.5 versus 2 °C are significant they are not as large as the difference between 1.5 °C and the historical baseline which corresponds to 0.85 °C above pre-industrial GMT. Risks of simultaneous crop failure, however, do increase disproportionately between 1.5 and 2 °C, so surpassing the 1.5 °C threshold will represent a threat to global food security. For maize, risks of multiple breadbasket failures increase the most, from 6% to 40% at 1.5 to 54% at 2 °C warming. In relative terms, the highest simultaneous climate risk increase between the two warming scenarios was found for wheat (40%), followed by maize (35%) and soybean (23%). Looking at the impacts on agricultural production, we show that limiting global warming to 1.5 °C would avoid production losses of up to 2753 million (161,000, 265,000) tonnes maize (wheat, soybean) in the global breadbaskets and would reduce the risk of simultaneous crop failure by 26%, 28% and 19% respectively. • Climate data from the atmosphere-only HadAM3P model were used to estimate the risks of climatic extreme events in the global breadbaskets. • To analyse the risks of simultaneous breadbasket failure, the copula methodology was applied. • Projected wheat, maize and soybean yield losses in the global breadbaskets increase disproportionately between 1.5 and 2 °C global warming. • The highest simultaneous climate risk increase in the breadbaskets between the two warming scenarios was found for wheat, followed by maize and soybean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy innovation is a key requirement to limit global warming and tackle climate change in the years to come. A better understanding of the public R&D mechanism is likely to improve allocation of resources for energy innovation. Thus, the present paper evaluates the impacts of public R&D and knowledge spillovers on the development of renewable energy sources. To achieve this goal, knowledge flow has been modeled as a function of public R&D expenditures, cumulative knowledge stocks and knowledge spillovers. To show the application of the model, the Nordic countries as one of the pioneers in renewable technologies have been chosen. Results show the cumulative knowledge stock will increase to 2.4 billion USD until 2030, by focusing on biofuels, solar and wind energy. Results also indicate that the knowledge spillovers reduce the domestic R&D investment and may strengthen the knowledge stock. These impacts of knowledge spillovers are more effective when the absorptive capacity of the country becomes greater. The model helps policy makers to design effective policies for creating a balance between domestic R&D expenditures and knowledge spillovers. Finally, some important policy insights and some recommendations for further research are concluded. • The present paper studies the impact of public R&D and knowledge spillovers on the development of renewable energy sources. • When knowledge spillovers are modeled, the domestic R&D investment will decrease. • The impacts of knowledge spillover are more effective when the absorptive capacity of the country becomes greater. • The RES knowledge accumulated in the Nordic countries will increase to 2.4 billion USD until 2030. • The RES knowledge in the Nordic countries has focused on biofuels, solar and wind energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid escalation of climate change and global warming underscores the critical role of CO 2 emissions, necessitating effective mitigation strategies. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has emerged as a promising way to address this challenge. It is estimated that CCS could account for 25–67% of emissions reductions in heavy industries. Nonetheless, the realization of large-scale CCS deployment demands a meticulous evaluation of associated risks (e.g., pure and speculative) and uncertainties (e.g., aleatoric, epistemic and Knightian) across the entire process. This review paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the risks and uncertainties (R&U), both technical (e.g., oprational and site chractrization) and non-technical (e.g., financial, political and social) inherent in CCS initiatives. Drawing from a diverse array of recent literature sources—including more than 400 CCS-related articles, books, theses, and reports—the analysis spans the period from 2015 to 2023. The methodology adheres rigorously to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, ensuring methodical precision and coherence. Our analysis indicates that approximately 47% of studies found from 2015 focused on technical R&U in CCS, while the remaining 53% addressed non-technical R&U. This distribution demonstrates a relative equilibrium in the research landscape as depicted in the literature. This review by considering R&U within the CCS landscape can provide crucial insights for engineers and researchers in decarbonization. It serves as a vital guide for navigating intricate challenges in CCS projects. Moreover, administrators and developers can use this knowledge to enhance technological security and cost-efficiency. Ultimately, this paper identifies practical strategies and methodologies that enhance the feasibility of CCS, offering concrete recommendations and suggestions to elevate the success potential of CCS endeavors. • Systematic review of 500 recent CCS-related articles, books, theses, and reports. • Technical and none-technical risks & uncertainties for CCS projects development. • Results show CCS progress remains slow until risks & uncertainties are Tackled. • Obstacles in identifying and quantifying risks and uncertainties are underlined. • Potential solutions to mitigate risks & uncertainties for CCS projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper aims at quantifying the factors affecting vegetation growth in the western of Inner Mongolia, and judging the relative contribution of natural factors and man-made factors. • It is obtained through geodetectors (GD) that Rainfall is the most important driving factor, with the q-value of 0.77 and GDP also having a huge impact on vegetation growth, q-value of 0.64. • Different from most studies, human activity also has a positive effect on vegetation growth. • The relative contribution of human activities reached 51.75%, slightly exceeding the influence of natural factors. Vegetation is an essential component of terrestrial ecosystems, and understanding the drivers of vegetation change is of great importance for ecological management. In recent years, vegetation growth has increased under the combined effect of global warming and human activities in Inner Mongolia. The net primary productivity (NPP) was used as an indicator to study the spatial and temporal changes in vegetation in the Qimeng Region (QR). The residual trend analysis method was used to analyze the relative contributions of climate variations (CV) and human activities (HA) to NPP changes across the QR, while their drivers were explored using a geographical detector approach to quantify the driving forces of NPP. The results show that (1) NPP exhibited a fluctuating growth trend from 2003 to 2020, with an overall growth rate of 2.91%/year. (2) Precipitation, GDP and population density were the dominant driving factors for the spatial distribution of NPP. The combined explanatory power of any two dominant factors exceeded the power of any dominant individual factor, and the interaction between climate and human factors had a significant effect on NPP. (3) The change in NPP was influenced by the combined effect of HA and CV, accounting for 37.69% of the total area, with the relative contribution of HA being 51.75%. Finally, the relative contribution of human activities was slightly higher than that of climate change, confirming the initial success of the Grain to Green Program as well as ecological conservation projects. This paper provides a scientific basis for the local government to carry out the conversion of cropland to forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saturated fluorocarbons (SFCs) of the form C n F (2n+2) are chosen for their optical properties (high transparency in the near UV, adapted refractive index and low chromatic dispersion over wavelength ranges of interest) for use as Cherenkov radiators. The COMPASS and LHCb experiments currently use C 4 F 10 and CF 4 gas radiators. SFCs have high Global Warming Potentials (GWPs), however (in the range 5000–9000). There is thus an impetus to reduce their use and wastage through leaks in existing installations. Newer fluids of the form C n F 2n O, including the 3M NOVEC® range, can offer similar optical performance to SFCs of the same order, n , but with GWPs equivalent to CO 2. These GWPs are, however, geometry-specific: closed molecular rings having an oxygen atom as a link can have GWPs as high as those of SFCs, and should be avoided. While the optical constraints of RICH detectors can motivate a "special case" argument to retain the use of preferred SFCs, legislation and external market forces will limit their future availability, leaving "holes" in the C n F x spectrum that might not be filled by NOVEC equivalents. This situation might require the blending of low molar concentrations of heritage-stock higher-order SFCs and NOVEC vapours with transparent light gases such as nitrogen, and is the subject of this paper. While continuous optical measurement of refractive index in dynamically changing gas mixtures is very demanding, the monitoring of sound velocity has been historically shown to provide simple, reliable and continuous real time mixture information. Indeed the speed of sound is, in itself, a monitor of the speed of light and the Cherenkov threshold in a gas radiator. This ultrasonic ("sonar") technique was first used for controlling the real-time blending C 5 F 12 with N 2 in the SLD CRID at the SLAC linear collider. The technique could become important again in future operation to meet the optical and low GWP constraints of future Cherenkov gas radiators. Some examples are explored in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, carbon capture has gained increased attention as a sustainable way for mitigating global warming. One of the promising technologies for carbon capture is the adsorption-based process. Accordingly, many researchers are focusing on the development of novel adsorbents with desired characteristics, such as high capacities and selectivities, to accelerate the deployment/design of adsorption-based CO 2 capture processes. This paper aims at identifying a group of optimum adsorbents with high capture capacity and selectivity based on the previously published data on different adsorbents. It provides different stakeholders (including experts in process design) with comprehensible and clear human interpretable patterns/rules. This facilitates the selection of optimum adsorbents for carbon capture at the simulation, lab-scale, and pilot-scale levels. Moreover, this work benefits other stakeholders such as researchers in the field of material design by providing the adsorbent characteristics needed to have high capacities and selectivities. Hence, data was collected from different sources including research papers, literature reviews and publicly available datasets. Additionally, an ensemble of diversified (explainable and interpretable) machine learning techniques was utilized to classify these collected data with a classification accuracy above 98%. The extracted rules for achieving the desired characteristics were revised by experts and were found to be appropriate. For instance, it is recommended to design a chemically modified adsorbent with high surface area, large pore volume and small pore diameter to be more selective. The preferred operating conditions are low temperature and low pressure, i.e., near atmospheric. Regarding capacity, high pressures are preferred. Explainable and interpretable machine learning were selected to overcome the black-box prediction problems of commonly used techniques. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food, energy, and water, as the basic resources supporting human survival, are fundamental to the sustainable development of humanity. Urban space plays an influential role in promoting the sustainable development of the three resources. As environmental problems such as global warming, ecological destruction, and resource shortages become increasingly severe, there is also a growing recognition of the importance of community as the fundamental component of urban space in sustainable development. In order to systematically understand the impact between food–energy–water nexus and community spatial planning, this paper provides a comprehensive literature review to bridge the current gaps in this area. This paper uses the nexus approach to summarize the trends and results of the food–energy–water nexus research in the community space field from the following five aspects: spatial scale, spatial interface, interactions, synergistic effects, and research methods. The results show that food–energy–water systems in community space are closely related to each other. However, the existing studies mostly focus on resource interaction and environmental impact, and lack of discussion on how food–energy–water nexus affects community spatial planning and its optimization. Finally, based on the current results, this paper proposes a conceptual research framework of the food–energy–water nexus in community space including influential mechanisms, space utilization, disciplinary integration, new technology application, data and methods. Therefore, the major findings of this review highlight the importance of the impact between food–energy–water nexus and community spatial planning and develop a conceptual framework for research. • This paper reviewed the FEW nexus research in the community space field. • It shows that FEW systems in community space are closely related to each other. • Researchers mainly focus on interactions of the FEW but rarely on other constraints. • It summarized new FEW system integration approaches to promote synergistic effects. • A conceptual research framework for the FEW nexus in community space is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Arctic Ocean is rapidly warming. In this paper, we document changes in the source, distribution, and accumulation rate of organic matter (OM) for three sediment cores in the Bering and Chukchi seas to investigate changes to the oceanic carbon cycle over the past ∼75 years. Analyses were undertaken using bulk properties, such as total organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), stable carbon isotope (δ13C), OC to TN molar ratio (C/N), and biomarkers (lignin phenols). The OC, TN, and lignin (Σ8, in mg (g sediment)−1) contents were found to be significantly related to the fraction of sand (Sand%) as a result of sediment sorting and/or different sediment sources. Using an end-member mixing model, we estimated marine OM accounted for ∼67% of all organic matter in all cores, being the dominant source. Moreover, terrestrial OM mainly originated from angiosperm non-woody tissue, while moss contribution was negligible. In the Bering Sea shelf, OC% has not changed over time, but there have been some extreme peaks around the 1960s–1970s and in 2005, which correspond to increased terrestrial input from North American rivers. In the southern core from the Chukchi Sea, the OC% showed an apparent decrease after 2000, accompanied by an increase in sand content, likely due to enhanced delivery of volcanic rocks by the Pacific Inflow from the Bering Sea. In contrast, in the northern core from the Chukchi Sea, the OC% showed a significant increasing trend, with some peaks occurring at the same time as in the Bering Sea core. The mean increase rate was compared to the increase in Siberian riverine discharge, which both could be caused by long-term climate changes. The results highlight the regional differences in the response of OC preservation to climate change and other controlling factors. Further studies with higher spatial resolution are required to better understand the preservation of OC in response to climate change. [Display omitted] • The main vegetation source was vascular plant, contribution from moss was limited. • Marine source accounted for ∼67% of the sedimentary OC in the (sub)Arctic cores. • OC preservation changed differently in the (sub)Arctic Ocean in past decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pesticide residue and thermal stress resulting from global climate change are parallel stressors for soil fauna. However, it remains ambiguous how elevated temperatures and pesticides can interact to threaten soil fauna. In the study, the acute and chronic clothianidin (CTD) toxicity to earthworms (Eisenia fetida) at different temperatures, and the effect of increasing temperature on antioxidant defense mechanisms in response to CTD were investigated. The acute toxicity of CTD was exacerbated by increased temperature in both filter paper contact tests (a decrease in the 48-h median lethal concentration (LC 50) from 0.077 μg/cm2 at 20 °C to 0.009 μg/cm2 at 30 °C) and natural soil tests (a decrease in the 48-h LC 50 from 0.774 mg/kg at 20 °C to 0.199 mg/kg at 30 °C). Exposure to CTD or high temperature (30 °C) triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS) overgeneration and increased antioxidant enzyme activities in earthworms; and the effect was particularly pronounced after exposure to both higher temperatures and CTD. At 20 and 25 °C, there was no significant change in the growth and reproduction of E. fetida after 56-d exposure to CTD-contaminated soil. However, the combined effect of CTD and high temperature (30 °C) significantly reduced the weight change rate, cocoon number, hatching rate, and number of juveniles on day 56. These results indicated that elevated temperature could aggravate acute and chronic CTD toxicity to earthworms. The findings emphasize that evaluating changes in pesticide toxicity under global warming is worth further investigation. [Display omitted] • Elevated temperature aggravated acute toxicity of clothianidin to E. fetida. • Clothianidin and thermal stress interacted synergistically on E. fetida. • Higher temperature magnified growth and reproductive toxicity of clothianidin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global Sea Surface Temperature (SST) trends have garnered significant attention in several ocean-related domains, including global warming, marine biodiversity, and environmental protection. This involves having an accurate and efficient forecast of future SST to ensure early detection and response in time to these events. Deep learning algorithms have become popular in SST prediction recently, although directly obtaining optimal prediction results from historical observation data is not simple. In this paper, we propose STA-SST, a new deep learning approach for forecasting SST, by combining the temporal dependencies of SST using the Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM) model, spatial features extracted from the convolution layer, and relevant information from the attention mechanism. To assess how well the Attention-BiLSTM with convolution layer predicts SST, we conducted a case study in the Moroccan Sea, concentrating on five different areas. The proposed model was compared against alternative forecasting models, including LSTM, XGBoost, Support Vector Regression (SVR), and Random Forest (RF). The experimental results show that STA-STT produces noticeably the best prediction results and is a solid choice for field implementation. • STA-SST combines BiLSTM, Conv1D, and attention mechanism for accurate SST forecasting. • Spatial features enhance the prediction of time series data. • STA-SST outperforms traditional models in SST forecasting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In High Mountain Asia, human-induced climate warming threatens the cryosphere. Expected long-term reductions in future runoff from glacial catchments raises concerns regarding the sustainability of these natural 'water towers' and the implications of reduced water availability for regional human and ecological systems. Ice-debris landforms (I-DL), containing ice whether moving or not include rock glaciers and ice-cored moraines, and are likely to be climatically more resilient than debris-covered and debris-free glaciers. Recent work has shown that rock glaciers contain globally valuable water supplies yet over High Mountain Asia information regarding their number, spatial distribution, morphometric characteristics and water content are scarce. Here, we present the first systematic estimate of the current extent and distribution of rock glaciers for a subset of High Mountain Asia (the Himalaya). A sample of 2070 intact and relict rock glaciers were digitized on Google Earth imagery from the Western, Central and Eastern Himalaya regions and then quantitative and qualitative characteristics were analysed regionally based on topographic data from the NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Version 3.0 and then aggregated across the Himalaya using an "upscaling" method. The majority of the digitized landforms (∼65%) were categorised as intact rock glaciers (i.e., ice-debris Landforms, or I-DLs, containing ice) and the remainder as relict rock glaciers (i.e., discrete debris accumulations or DDAs, not containing ice). They range in elevation from 3225 to 5766 m a.s.l., with the lowest in the Central Himalaya. Sampled relict and intact rock glaciers are primarily situated on northern quadrants. Over the entire Himalaya, we identified ∼25,000 landforms, with a total estimated areal coverage of 3747 km2. The area upscaling method was validated in the Manaslu region of Nepal using high-resolution Planet data (5 m) and freely available, fine spatial resolution optical satellite data accessed through Google Earth Pro and ESRI basemaps. In absence of complete rock glacier inventories over the Himalaya, our approach proves useful to investigate the nature, distribution and infer potential future behaviour of these landforms across the Himalaya in a changing climate. • Climate change in the mountains of the Himalaya is driving glacier melting and associated changes in water supplies to downstream areas. • This impacts the water supplies for hundreds of millions of people and ecosystems and is seen as a great challenge for future sustainable development in this part of central Asia. • However, large volumes of ice are contained are contained in rock glaciers (ice-debris landforms common in high arid mountains) although research on the number and extent of these in the Himalaya is limited. • In this paper, we present the first systematic estimate of the current extent and distribution of rock glaciers for the Himalaya and show that around 25,000 landforms exist in the region, with a total estimated areal coverage of 3747 km2. • We argue that rock glaciers constitute hydrologically valuable long-term water stores and, with continued climatically-driven glacier recession and mass loss, their value is likely to become increasingly important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]