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"Sustainability Matters: Prospects for a Just Transition in Calgary, Canada's Petro-City" is a book by Noel Keough and Geoff Ghitter that explores various issues related to sustainability in the city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The authors cover topics such as urban planning, transportation, energy, equity, diversity, and governance. The book argues that Calgary's growth and development have been driven by land developers and business interests, resulting in a large ecological footprint and an unsustainable city. The authors propose solutions and draw on examples from other cities to increase sustainability in Calgary. However, the book lacks discussion on how to build political support for these proposals and appeal to a broader range of political values. [Extracted from the article]

In the context of global carbon emission reduction, solar photovoltaic (PV) technology is experiencing rapid development. Using high-resolution remote sensing images to accurately obtain PV information over a large region, including location and size, has the advantages of high statistical efficiency and timely data update for the PV energy management. Due to the intra-class diversity of PV panels and the intricate variability in their deployment environments, existing semantic segmentation methods often have problems such as under-segmentation and mis-segmentation. To alleviate these problems, this paper proposes an improved DeepLabv3+ semantic segmentation network to more accurately extract PV panels from high-resolution remote sensing images. With the aim of alleviating under-segmentation, a multi-level context aggregation module is developed. This module can enhance the model's ability to learn the characteristics of PV panels and their surrounding environment by aggregating rich contextual information from multi-scale and semantic levels. To alleviate the problem of mis-segmentation, a hybrid attention module is introduced. This module sequentially and adaptively adjusts the weight distribution in both the channel and spatial dimensions, thus enabling the model to focus more on the feature information and spatial positions of PV objects. Experiments conducted on a self-constructed Beijing PV segmentation dataset show that the method in this paper has advantages of completeness and accuracy in extracting PV panels compared to the baseline model and current mainstream semantic segmentation network. In addition, the results of experiments on extracting PV panels in real region show that our model also has good stability and generalization capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transitioning to a low-carbon economy while promoting sustainable development requires behavioural changes and mobilization of significant investments. Key instruments being used for that include carbon pricing initiatives, such as carbon taxes and cap-and-trade policies, and, more recently, green bonds. Although the literature has provided some evidence on emission reduction associated with carbon pricing initiatives, there is a lack of investigations on the environmental performance of green bonds; and only theoretical models describe the potential benefits of combining both. Aiming to fill this gap, this study uses regression analysis and annual data for 150 countries between 1990 and 2019 to assess how carbon pricing initiatives and green bonds relate to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This paper makes two main contributions. First, it examines how two climate instruments, carbon pricing and green bonds, relate to CO2 emissions. Previous research has focused only on individual instrument assessments and mainly on carbon pricing. Second, this paper empirically analyses whether there are interaction effects of the two instruments, an assessment not previously undertaken. The results suggest that the implementation of nationwide carbon pricing initiatives is associated with an 11% reduction in CO2 emissions on average. By comparison, green bond issuances are associated with an average 14% reduction in CO2 emissions. Further, no statistically significant interaction effects between carbon pricing initiatives and green bonds were observed. The results must be cautiously interpreted and cannot be attributed solely to the instruments studied since heterogeneous effects, biases from distinct sources, and the existence of complementary policies might influence the results. Carbon pricing initiatives, such as carbon taxes and cap-and-trade schemes, and green bonds are being used to promote the transition to a low-carbon economy. Investigation into green bonds and their impact on emissions is scarce and to date, only theoretical models analysed potential interaction effects of their combination with carbon pricing. The results show an average of 11% reduction in CO2 emissions associated with carbon pricing initiatives and of 14% reduction in CO2 emissions associated with green bonds issuances. While the results show promise in the emission reduction performance of these two instruments, caution in interpreting these results is advised as complementary policies, biases from distinct sources, and evidence of heterogeneous effects make it challenging to disentangle the effect of individual policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the transition from conventional to renewable energy sources (RESs), from internal combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs), and from the main grid to microgrids (MGs) are essential goals to both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ensure the stability of power systems. However, the transitions cause new concerns in the grid including technical challenges and financial viability. This study examines the RES-based MG under realistic conditions considering the uncertainty in fleet size of EVs, emergency generator capacity, solar irradiation, and wind speed in island mode. The work aims to provide effective solutions including conventional methods alongside today's trend namely doubly fed electrical generators (DFIG), vehicle-to-grid mechanism (V2G), maximum power point tracking controller (MPPT), voltage source inverter (VSI) with high switching frequency for technical challenges, and virtual synchronous generator (VSG) mechanism for financial viability. The paper provides a guide for resizing the emergency generators capacity depending on system instability. The observations verify that the control mechanisms reinforce the system to remain stable by decreasing the range of frequency fluctuation from 3.1 to <0.05 Hz, the peak point of frequency from 51.8 to 50.05 Hz, and the emergency generator capacity from 0.7605 to 0.3420 MVAr at MATLAB and Simulink. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions or collecting and converting existing greenhouse gases has become a global concern. One of the most effective methods of utilizing CH4 and CO2 resources is the dry reforming of methane (DRM). Transition metal carbide catalysts have attracted wide attention because of their excellent catalysis performance and carbon deposition resistance. However, pure-phase carbides are easily oxidized and deactivated at atmospheric pressure in DRM reactions. There is a problem of poor dispersion (Mo2C 17 m² /g). Therefore, this paper summarizes the effects of adding active sites and supported carbides on the DRM reaction, discusses the role of active sites and supports in the catalyst, and introduces the different preparation methods of transition metal carbides. This paper also reviews the catalyst mechanism of transition metal carbides in DRM reactions. Nevertheless, the current research in this field needs to be deepened. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the exploration of various catalyst preparation methods and mechanisms, so as to realize future improvement in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses two interlinked problems in sustainable development and suggests a methodology to resolve them. The first is the reduction of atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide. The second is the maintenance of biodiversity. Current carbon financing and environmental stewardship mechanisms underwhelm, often diluting intended positive effects. Most existing carbon credits do not have protection after 40 years, placing projects substantially beneath the C02 radiative forcing cycle. This paper presents the 'Balance' approach to sustainable development, including contractual principles ensuring C02 reduction, biodiversity enhancement and financial accountability. We describe two novel measures: a carbon calculator for commercial entities, and a new metric, the Balance Unit, combining biodiversity creation with carbon credits. A case study, spanning over 20 years at the Forest of Marston Vale, is then presented. It finds an increase in tree cover, CO2 sequestration, reduction in agricultural GHG emissions, sulphur dioxide and particulate matter absorption, and annual local economic benefits totalling £UK12.83 million. Expository detail regarding the 'Planting Principles' practised at Marston Vale is also provided. We argue that the Balance methodology, especially the Balance Unit, enables greater measurement reliability and long-term efficacy for maintaining biodiversity and reducing GHG emissions than current carbon financing approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2010, the Chinese government has developed several batches of low-carbon pilot provinces and cities continuously. And in the backdrop of carbon peak and carbon neutralisation recently, the carbon emission reduction policies and achievements of China have attracted more and more worldwide attention. In the field of human health, this paper investigates whether the Low-carbon Province Pilot Policy of China has positive effects on residents' health based on the micro data of China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) from 2010 to 2016. Using the time-varying difference-in-difference model to solve the endogeneity problem commonly faced in the literature, we find that Low-carbon Province Pilot Policy has a positive impact on public health through air quality improvement and the unemployment level alleviation mainly. And in urban areas, the policy effect is more obvious than that in rural regions. This paper expands the content of national low-carbon governance effects to residents' health further and contribute to China's low-carbon development. Specifically, it reminds us to focus on the dynamic adjustment and effective continuation of the policy, and also the all-round support for 'the disadvantaged' in environmental governance process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

City leaders around the world are setting ambitious targets for emissions reductions. Yet the pathway to achieving this remains largely unspecified. Starting with this objective, the paper explores the merits of deploying a mission-oriented framework within the context of a 'wicked problem' by looking at a mid-sized city, Glasgow, which has a target for net zero by 2030. Focusing on themes drawn from one high-emitting sector – transport – the paper points to the real-world policy implications that stem from such a mission-oriented approach to suggest aspects of the approach that may be usefully developed further. The latter hinges on a-priori considerations given to: agency, boundaries and inter-temporality, leading to questions about the nature and scope of wickedness and argues that core issues of wickedness – uncertainty, contestation and complexity – can be amplified in local and multi-layered policy making contexts. Key policy insights Many cities are looking to reduce emissions including establishing net zero targets and a mission-oriented framework – 'concrete targets within a challenge that act as frames and stimuli for innovation' (Mazzucato and Dibb, 2019) – has been a popular framing vehicle. Such a framework reveals challenges inherent in such a 'wicked problem' at urban scales, which are interwoven with regional and national issues, institutions and influences. Exploring these for Glasgow, which hosted COP26, we highlight the policy 'problem' and 'solution' space for mid-sized cities more generally. We highlight three dimensions that reflect the nature of the urban decarbonization challenge: agency – the responsibilities of various actors in delivering change; boundaries – the interactions between actions to reduce emissions alongside wider policy ambitions such as a 'Just Transition' and 'green jobs'; and intertemporal issues – including how ambitions for rapid change might interact with the glacial progress of structural policy change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has established three rounds of low-carbon pilot city initiatives. However, a gap exists between policy making and successful implementation, and the effects on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction were found to be different among pilots. This paper considers the question of how low-carbon policies in cities can be implemented effectively and how policy combinations are adopted for GHG emissions reduction. It uses a mixed research approach, including Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and field investigation in Pilot Y (situated in the southwest China). The results show that, first, financial support and monitoring systems are necessary conditions, while political leadership is a sufficient condition. This means that the absence of financial support or monitoring systems could lead to increased GHG emissions, while the presence of political leadership always promotes the reduction of GHG emissions but may not be sufficient on its own to achieve them. Second, the target responsibility system (TRS) – a system used by higher government levels to assess the policy implementation of lower government levels – and human resource mechanisms cannot effectively lead to the promotion of GHG emissions reduction. Finally, in the absence of TRS and human resource mechanisms, environmental information disclosure (EID) was found to effectively promote low-carbon urban development by encouraging public participation. This paper reveals the complexity of the implementation of low-carbon policies in cities, identifies the link between city-level and national action, and enriches the theoretical explanation of governance and low-carbon policy implementation gaps in China. Key policy insights China's low-carbon pilot city project is critical for reducing GHG emissions, however, the effects of the low-carbon pilot city programmes varied greatly. Financial support and monitoring systems are necessary conditions, while political leadership is a sufficient condition to achieve cities' GHG emissions reduction goals. Local low-carbon development is limited and not put into practice at the city level in China, in part because of the absence of financial support and limited political attention. This study highlights the key conditions of organizational behaviour at the meso-level, and enriches the theoretical explanation of environmental policy implementation gaps in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon farming presents an opportunity for the land sector to generate income and transition to more sustainable land management practices. In Australia, establishing a carbon project and earning carbon credits is complex, with project proponents needing to satisfy eligibility requirements and adhere to rigorous measurement, verification, and reporting protocols of approved methods. To address these challenges, a human centered design (HCD) approach was used to deliver a digital solution, serving landowners' needs related to method discovery and reconfiguring how the methodological and scientific complexity of abatement potentials was delivered. The solution, called LOOC-C (pronounced "Look-see"), supports the discovery of abatement methods that are available for a given land area and provides an initial estimate of the potential quantum of carbon sequestered/emitted and the nature of co-benefits associated with each eligible method. Reporting on LOOC-C development and its observed impact demonstrates the role that human centered digital tools have in promoting land management actions that are both sustainable and reasonable to undertake. It equally demonstrates the power of integrating environmental market and user requirements with a robust design methodology. With similar opportunities in environmental markets globally, additional applications of an HCD approach are proposed. In 2012, the Australian government established the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) to reward landowners (via awarding Australian Carbon Credit Units, or ACCUs) for the implementation of management practices that either sequester carbon and/or reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Rigorous eligibility and method requirements are intended to provide confidence in abatement outcomes, but they introduce significant complexity that participants must overcome. 11 years later, uncertainties in the implementation and ACCU generation potential of ERF projects and implications on productivity/co-benefits have limited uptake and the quantum of ACCU generation of land sector enterprises. Digital tools that support the discovery of options and provide estimated potential outcomes, such as the LOOC-C tool described in this paper (), can generate interest and empowerment, helping to initiate decisions toward market participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Road transport has been one of the largest contributors to global carbon emissions. In the Philippines, one such measure is the introduction of a relatively new public transport mode called the “Premium Point-to-Point (P2P) Bus Service”, which features shorter travel time and lower emission intensity than conventional buses. In light of the significant deficiency in transport emission studies for Philippine cities, this paper presents a scenario-based method for quantifying the potential emission reduction benefits of the P2P bus in Metropolitan Manila. Based on a pro rata mode shift assumption, it is estimated that a 1% mode shift of passengers from existing motor modes to P2P buses would lead to 0.64% reduction of total emissions over selected travel routes in Metro Manila. The analytical method addresses the acute emission data scarcity in the Philippines, and provides early evidence on the aggregate environmental benefits of P2P buses. Extensive sensitivity tests are conducted to verify the simulation results and identify key determinants of emission reduction. The tests confirm the robustness of research findings and further uncover the great potential of increasing vehicle occupancy levels to mitigate vehicle emissions in Metro Manila. Policy implications for enhancing the environmental benefits of P2P buses are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bike sharing contributes to public health by providing physical exercise opportunities. Meanwhile, the shift of vehicular travel demand to bike sharing may cut vehicular emissions and severe crashes. However, according to each city's different composition of travel modes, the net health benefits are not clear and worth studying case by case. In this paper, we focus on the Citi Bike bike-sharing program in New York City. We modify the Integrated Transport Health Impact Model and assess the net health effects by comparing a baseline scenario (with Citi Bike) against a hypothetical scenario (without Citi Bike). For each scenario, we investigate the overall health effects of the Citi Bike program in the unit of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) in three categories: physical activity, fine inhalable particles (i.e., PM 2.5) exposure, and road traffic injuries. The results indicate that the implementation of Citi Bike plays a positive role in improving public health. It is worth noting that the emission reduction due to the shift from vehicular transport to Citi Bike contributes the most health benefit to the public. Hence we further propose a sensitivity analysis of the Citi Bike market share illustrating the potential benefits of promoting Citi Bike among non-users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To limit global warming to within 2°C above pre-industrial levels, the incorporation of environmental considerations into the design of products – also known as ecodesign, has been identified as a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Decisions in the design stage often have the most impact in affecting attributes of a product such as the product's environmental sustainability. Although the impacts and benefits are obvious, the development of environmentally sustainable products is often avoided due to a lack of trained designers. Different tools have thus been developed to address this deficiency. In this paper, we review ecodesign tools developed to aid designers in product design. Through a systematic literature review, 141 articles were assessed and grouped into design generation, assessment, and selection. The goal of the review is to identify existing ecodesign tools in the literature, find out how these tools help designers to lower the environmental impact of their designs, and the limitations of existing tools. Finally, we propose an ecodesign system comprising 10 modules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, 79% of Local Authorities (LAs) in England have a climate plan to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 or sooner. Yet questions remain over the collective impact of these plans and targets in terms of their contribution to a national net zero carbon budget given that the LA targets are voluntary and largely uncoordinated. There is therefore scope to explore if and how the LA target-setting process could be improved. We evaluate regional ambition in the emissions targets of 311 English LAs. We assess whether the subnational targets are aligned with a national net zero carbon budget and whether LAs take proportionate action based on their respective capabilities. It is also unclear whether LAs have the resources to implement the often highly ambitious targets they have committed to. Using a composite indicator approach, we assess the relative capability of different LAs to decarbonize, as well as the degree of ambition they are demonstrating. We find that many LAs are not taking as much action as other LAs that may have less capability to act. This suggests that burden-sharing between regions and LAs is inequitable. We offer a series of policy recommendations to improve the fairness and effectiveness of the LA target-setting process as a climate governance mechanism, including establishing a statutory target-setting requirement with appropriate resourcing, and introducing a national net zero indicator framework to monitor progress. This framework could be used in England, or in other countries, to assess progress. It would also allow funding and resources to be better directed to regions and LAs that require more support to reach net zero emission targets, rendering the transition more 'spatially just' and enabling its delivery. Key policy insights The English LA targets contribute to achieving a national net zero carbon budget. However, there is still a 1.2 GtCO2 gap in achieving this by 2050. The most ambitious LAs did not necessarily score highly in terms of capability. Seven of the ten LAs with the highest capability scores were in London; the least capable LAs were more dispersed. Greater standardization, oversight and coordination could improve the effectiveness and fairness of LA target-setting, and help direct resources from the central government to less capable LAs and regions. This could render the targets 'spatially just' and enable their delivery. This could be achieved by developing a statutory target-setting requirement and national net zero indicator framework such as the one laid out in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge about how implemented policy instruments have performed is important for designing effective and efficient policy instruments that contribute to reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. This paper carries out a meta-evaluation of ex-post evaluations of climate policy instruments in the freight transport sector. By analysing the outcomes and quality of evaluations, the aim is to identify whether estimated effects of policy instruments can be compared between evaluations and if the results are appropriate to use for evidence-based decision making. To analyse these aspects, commonly applied evaluation criteria are assessed and classified according to an assessment scale. We confirm that few ex-post evaluations are carried out and that there is a gap between evaluation theory and how ex-post policy evaluations are performed in practice, where evaluation criteria recommended in policy evaluation guidelines are found to often be neglected in evaluations. The result is a lack of systematic climate policy evaluation which hinders reliable conclusions about the effect of policy instruments. There is a need for more systematic monitoring and evaluation of implemented policy instruments and we suggest that evidence-based decision making can be improved by adjusting current policy evaluation guidelines and by introducing an evaluation obligation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Net zero has become the new organizing principle of climate politics. Though the adoption of net zero targets has created optimism in the climate regime, there remain significant concerns that it is little more than a vague aspiration. Studies have focused on various net zero definitions, as well as the adoption and robustness of net zero goals. This paper builds on these works by conducting a systematic meta-review of scholarly research on net zero from 1991 to 2021. First, we find that the literature focuses on establishing pathways and creating policies, with much less research on target-setting and implementation. Second, most net zero scholarship focuses on the energy sector, including buildings, while hard to abate sectors are underexamined. Third, there is a disproportionate focus on creating policies for net zero buildings, which are relatively easy to measure and decarbonize compared to other sectors. Finally, there is a notable absence of work on the political factors that enable or constrain the implementation of net zero policies, as well as the efficacy of these policies. This indicates an urgent need for more research on the politics of net zero. Existing scholarly research focuses primarily on the science of net zero, setting goals and translating those goals to emissions pathways. Substantively, the majority of scholarship is focused on energy – including buildings, transportation and power generation. There is a need for more research on other, often hard-to-abate sectors such as industrial processes, manufacturing and construction, agriculture and waste. More scholarly research on net zero is also needed to evaluate existing policies, both to understand which ones contribute to decarbonization (and not simply emissions reductions), and under what conditions. There is an urgent need for greater understanding about the political conditions which promote or constrain the creation and implementation of net zero policies across sectors. Without filling these research gaps, policymakers may struggle to design and implement effective net zero policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combating global warming-related climate change demands prompt actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide. Biomass-based biofuels represent a promising alternative fossil energy source. To convert biomass into energy, numerous conversion processes are performed at high pressure and temperature conditions, and the design and dimensioning of such processes requires thermophysical property data, particularly thermal conductivity, which are not always available in the literature. In this paper, we proposed the application of Chemoinformatics methodologies to investigate the prediction of thermal conductivity for hydrocarbons and oxygenated compounds. A compilation of experimental data followed by a careful data curation were performed to establish a database. The support vector machine algorithm has been applied to the database leading to models with good predictive abilities. The support vector regression (SVR) model has then been applied to an external set of compounds, i.e. not considered during the training of models. It showed that our SVR model can be used for the prediction of thermal conductivity values for temperatures and/or compounds that are not covered experimentally in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measures that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions also have impacts on achieving other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Given the enormous challenge of achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and the SDGs, insight into these impacts provides information on how to improve the feasibility of climate change mitigation measures by maximizing the co-benefits and managing the risks of possible trade-offs across SDGs. In this paper, we explore the impact of 20 promising climate mitigation measures on achieving the other SDGs for 11 world regions. Using the IMAGE modelling framework, the paper explores the GHG emission reduction potential of these measures aggregated by the sector under three scenarios. Based on peer-reviewed articles, the impact of the measures on other SDGs is assessed for the top three sectors with the highest GHG reduction potential in each region. We conclude that the number of synergies between the selected climate change mitigation measures and other SDGs dwarf the number of trade-offs in all regions. The magnitude of these synergies and trade-offs, however, varies by regional and socio-economic context. In high- and middle-income regions, the mitigation measures show few trade-offs that are generally associated with technology choices that could aggravate inequality and impact biodiversity. In low-income regions, some measures, especially land-use related ones, could interfere with efforts to reduce poverty, end hunger and improve well-being, if not complemented by additional policies that aim to protect the poor from increasing food and energy prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture is one sector under pressure when it comes to mitigation of climate change. To overcome the economic barriers preventing greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation measures from being implemented, this paper explores whether crowdfunding could be a feasible solution to this problem. The paper theoretically and empirically explores sociocultural barriers and enablers for crowdfunding aimed at agricultural GHG mitigation measures in Norway. The empirical analysis is based on focus-group interviews with farmers as potential fund-seekers and citizens as potential backers. The data are analysed in light of certain cultural characteristics previously identified as typical for Norway. Our findings indicate that, while these cultural characteristics manifest themselves in a crowdfunding context, they are not all-embracing. Our analysis points to opportunities for successful crowdfunding for GHG mitigation measures in agriculture given the right premises and including the right motivated people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This perspective paper explores the potential of climate finance to support Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) efforts in achieving their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. Through a content analysis of sixteen Caribbean countries NDCs, it provides, first, a comprehensive overview of SIDS countries' perspectives on climate financing needs for mitigation and adaptation activities in meeting their climate targets. Second, the paper examines whether Caribbean SIDS acknowledge a role for domestic financing and international and domestic fiscal policy reform within their NDCs, as a way to address climate change mitigation and adaption. The analysis of Caribbean SIDS NDCs reveals that only eight countries provide clear cost estimates for mitigation activities, five for adaptation and one with a combined cost. This gives a total of US$51.3 billion for the combination of Caribbean countries across their NDCs. The majority of climate change activities identified in the NDCs are conditional on the provision of international climate finance. While some countries discuss domestic sources of finance, few note the need for domestic fiscal policy reform to counteract direct and underlying drivers of greenhouse gas emissions and their reduction. The findings suggest that, while much attention is directed to inadequate quantities of international climate finance, fiscal policy and the use of domestic finances are important for realizing transformative change and yet receive little attention from in-country policymakers. Caribbean SIDS suffer from a significant climate finance gap. Caribbean countries cannot remain dependent on international climate finance and must pursue more innovation and diversified options to achieve climate goals. Caribbean countries struggle to use domestic policy and investment options to align finance and incentives to promote their climate goals. The region faces challenges inherent in aligning domestic fiscal policies and other economic and regulatory incentives, as well as private sector investment, to complement and augment international climate finance objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy sector will need to employ novel strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as the increase of steam temperatures/pressures or the use of low carbon fuels (i.e. biomass). Both cause heat exchanger materials' degradation issues, due to the formation of more/different corrosive deposits, which requires the use of expensive nickel-based materials or coatings. This paper focuses on the behaviour of three different coatings (HVOF NiCrFeSi, laser clad FeCrAl and Laser Clad NiCrFeSi) deposited on TP347HFG, at 700°C (up to 1000 h exposure). Tests were performed using the 'deposit recoat' method (KCl deposit) in simulated biomass combustion environments. Cross-sections were analysed using dimensional metrology, to determine distributions of metal loss and internal damage. Intergranular damage and pits were identified using SEM/EDX. A 'diffusion cell' behaviour was observed, which led to depletion of alloying elements from the coating and consequent increase in damage. The results suggested a severe degradation of all coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academics have long regarded air travel as vital to pursuing a successful career. Meanwhile, many academics are at the frontline of climate change science and advocate the urgency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The conflict between combating global warming and high aeromobility practices traps academics in a loop of hypocrisy. However, COVID-19 presents an opportunity for academics to advance their research and careers with reduced aeromobility. This research investigates how academics have adapted to virtual working experiences during COVID-19 and the implications for establishing changes in aeromobility practices. Informed by the theory of practice change, this paper reports the findings of a comprehensive survey and interview programme in New Zealand. It provides insights into the prospects for reduced aeromobility and the institutional policy frameworks required to embed a new normal, considering the unique circumstances faced by academics working at geographically remote institutions. The findings reveal that instead of being trapped in a loop of hypocrisy, New Zealand academics face a moral quandary in being concerned about climate change and wishing to reduce aeromobility practices, while wanting to avoid compromising career success. Recommendations for academics to face this moral quandary and their institutions to support practice change are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To facilitate and balance regional economic development and to reduce carbon emissions, China has implemented a series of policies to promote the redistribution of industries and economic activities across regions since 2000. This paper employs a logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) to analyse the dynamic net effect on carbon emissions of Chinese policies promoting economic redistribution across sub-national regions, using a panel data of five sectors in 30 provinces during 1995–2017. The results of our analysis show that the redistribution of industry in particular, but also business and construction activities, leads to an increase in CO2 emissions, while the relocation of agriculture and transportation activities reduces emissions. We also find that the emission increase effect of the transfer of carbon intensive industries to new (host) regions is higher than the emission reduction effect induced by the agglomeration of clean industries in the original (home) regions. However, from 2014–2017, alongside the gradual industrial redistribution, China has also reduced aggregate CO2 emissions by 58.6 MT. In addition, the results show that population migration, which is due to redistribution of industry and other economic activity, has caused higher emission increases than emission reductions due to redistribution policies. We further calculate the marginal effect of industrial redistribution on CO2 emissions and draw out relevant policy implications. Key policy insights Industrial (and other economic activity) redistribution within a county can be not only an economic policy, but also an important policy instrument to mitigate CO2 emissions. This is the case in China. In the process of regional industrial redistribution, policymakers should aim to reduce the emission increase effect of transfer of carbon-intensive industries to host regions and to raise the emission reduction effect induced by an agglomeration of clean industries in home regions. Industrial redistribution is usually a long-term strategy for regional development within a county, and any reduction effects on CO2 emissions are likely to need time to appear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This book covers the food question worldwide in terms of its sustainability and the environmental changes, which are arising. The papers are arranged in four parts, Greening Food Supply, Greening Food Demand, Greening Food Waste, and Conserving Land and Sea to Support Food Security. The present system of I subsidies i will have to be progressively reformed into one of I incentives i which may be possible in countries where industrial agriculture and large-scale farming occur with a small workforce. [Extracted from the article]

Thailand's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) aims to reduce 20 to 25% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with respect to the projected reference level of NDC in 2030, respectively, in its unconditional and conditional scenarios. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C would require net zero carbon dioxide emissions globally by around 2050. Thailand's current energy system is highly fossil fuel dependent and requires enormous transformations to achieve more stringent GHG emission reduction targets beyond its NDC. This paper seeks to estimate the level and the intensities of Thailand's energy system and their economy-wide effects post-2030 under the business as usual and 16 GHG emission reduction scenarios ranging from 30 to 100% by 2050. A computable general equilibrium analysis using the AIM/Hub model is employed to estimate the macroeconomic impacts of meeting the unconditional and conditional emission reductions of Thailand's NDC in 2030 along with varying GHG emission reductions in 2050. Results show that renewables – constituting solar, wind, biomass and hydro and carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies account for more than 95% in the power generation mix by 2050, if 100% GHG emission reduction from the 2010 level is to be achieved. Electricity generation based on biomass both with and without CCS will occupy a major share in the investments by 2050 in all the conditional and unconditional NDC scenarios. A rapid increase in carbon sequestration occurs from 2040 onwards through the deployment of CCS and bioenergy with CCS (BECCS) technologies in all the conditional and unconditional NDC scenarios. Carbon prices lie in the range of 3.4–266.2 US$/tCO2eq during 2025–2050 to achieve 100% GHG emission reductions in 2050. Imposition of early stringent mitigation target lowers the carbon prices in the conditional scenarios towards 2050 when compared to the unconditional scenarios. The rapid uptake of CCS, energy efficiency improvements and electrification of the end-use technologies are identified to be the key measures to transform the energy system of Thailand. By 2050, the Thai economy would face a higher fall in both the GDP and household consumption in the unconditional scenarios than those in the conditional scenarios at all levels of GHG emission reduction. Results indicate that early mitigation efforts can be less costly than the delayed ones in the long-term. The cumulative investment needed to achieve decarbonization in Thailand is estimated to exceed 355 billion US$2005 over the period 2010–2050 in the 100% GHG reduction scenarios. The transmission and distribution investments in the power sector need to increase by 30–35% to attain 100% GHG emission reductions during 2010–2050. The trade deficit improves by up to 23–29% in the various GHG mitigation scenarios in 2050. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia would support efforts by the UN system to strengthen human rights mechanisms and remains open to further examination of how existing international human rights law and frameworks can be upheld and applied to these emerging issues (Gyngell, [9], 220-221). These include gender equity initiatives within the UN Secretariat and across the UN system more generally and bolstering youth participation and engagement in UN deliberations (Payne, [14]). A productive way forward would be for Senator Wong to appoint a committee of public servants and experts to prepare a White Paper on Australia's relations with the UN system. In welcoming the I Agenda i Australia's Ambassador to the UN stated: 'Australia remains steadfast in our support for a UN system that is fit for purpose, effective, open, transparent, and accountable to all Member States'.[1] Australia's contributions to the consultations to date suggest careful interest in following developments, albeit unevenly focussed on a rather select set of issues. [Extracted from the article]

In December 2020, Canada released its national strengthened climate change plan with focus on cutting energy waste, cutting pollution, and build clean industrial advantage. Two weeks later, the national hydrogen strategy was announced urging all involved stakeholders to delve into the deployment of large-scale clean energy technologies. Ontario, Canada's largest economy and leading manufacturing province, it releases its provincial hydrogen strategy and roadmap later this year. represents a viable solution for reducing CO2 emissions from large industry pollutants by integrating our innovative copper chlorine (Cu-Cl) thermochemical water splitting cycle with the energy intensive and polluting industry of cement manufacturing. The paper highlights the nexus between the production process of two valuable commodities, namely cement and Hydrogen, and the role their integration introduces for increased energy efficiency and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, as most of the thermal energy demand in cement manufacturing is utilized during the kiln processes, the paper proposes several energy mix scenarios involving the use of hydrogen to partially meet the kiln's heat demand. The results from these scenarios show the possibility of achieving over 15% to 19.6% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to coal-based kiln production, along with reduced recurring cost for operating the kiln. On-site large-scale hydrogen production, mixed with natural gas, was found to be financially viable and environmentally advantageous alternative to power the kilns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many of the gases released by industrial processes pollute the environment and are largely responsible for climate change. Also, large amounts of low-temperature waste heat are generated by the industrial sector in different production processes. The waste heat can be recovered and reincorporated into the industrial process by means of an Absorption Heat Transformer (AHT), to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce the consumption of fossil fuels, and increase energy savings. Therefore, three important aspects of the AHT are emphasized in this paper: first, the thermodynamics parameters of the AHT that influencing in its performance, second, heat recovery study and third CO2 emissions avoided analysis. For this purpose, a thermodynamic model was implemented for AHT using two working mixtures, namely, LiBr- H2O and Carrol-H2O. Besides, a heat recovery study was carried out considering the Mexican textile industry as a case study, to determine the stages of the textile process in which it is possible to return the recovered heat, as well as the best location to install an AHT. The results show that the Coefficient of Performance values increase when the absorber thermal levels range from 100 to 150°C, source temperatures from 80 to 90°C and condensation temperature from 25 to 30°C. The study of heat recovery in the textile industry describes that it is possible to install an AHT at five states in Mexico, with the potential to recover and return heat in 6 of the 7 stages of the textile process, it was also determined that with the Carrol-water mixture it is possible to obtain higher thermal levels in the absorber and recover more heat than with the water/lithium bromide mixture. The emissions analysis showed that the technology is environmentally sustainable by avoiding up to 119 tonnes of CO2eq per year into the atmosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to solve the state's hydropower dependence, build energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through a hybrid renewable energy system and its implementation in Willingdon Island. Hybrid Optimisation of Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER) is used to find the optimal solution for two grid-connected and off-grid scenarios. Of the 19 solutions, an optimal off-grid, an optimal grid-connected, a 100% variable renewable energy, and a diversified energy portfolio option are selected, analyzed, and ranked based on their techno-economic and emissions characteristics. The results suggest the combination of PV/Wind/Grid with a cost of energy of $0.044 as an optimal solution for the Island. The diversified energy solution takes the second position, having 51.4% and 38.8% solar and wind, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green buildings have gained increasing relevance and market share in recent decades. Also, higher education institutions are progressively incorporating the conceptualisation of sustainable development by greening campuses. Thus, given the construction sector relevance in climate change mitigation and the role universities have to play as models for society, the purpose of the present paper is twofold. First, the authors develop a baseline study to determine the extent to which green buildings' features and certifications are being incorporated in public Chilean higher education institutions, as a first of its kind effort in the higher education sector in Chile. Second, the authors explore the opportunities that can support the advancement of campus greening through green buildings deployment on university campuses in Chile. This study follows a qualitative strategy approach in the form of a survey design based on the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking that was administered through an online questionnaire to representatives who hold the position of Sustainability or Infrastructure Heads in public universities, which are united in the Chilean State Universities Consortium. The main findings suggest a general maturation process of green building features´ incorporation on campuses at Chilean public higher education institutions in early or transitional stages. The leading indicators relate to open space, pedestrian paths, and efficient appliances, whereas the reported performance is lower with respect to sustainability budget, zero emission vehicles, and greenhouse gas emission reduction programmes. The opportunities identified for promoting the implementation of green buildings relate to three entrenched dimensions: research, promotion, and public policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emissions from aviation are expected to grow. With evidence that the International Civil Aviation Organization's Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation is an inadequate mitigation mechanism, there is interest in upscaling the sector's climate-related policies. This paper reviews potential aviation emissions mitigation policies against the background of emerging complexities, such as the large share of radiative forcing not covered under any policy agreement, as well as highly skewed demand distributions. In total, 30 voluntary, market-based and regulatory "transition policies" are identified and evaluated with regard to their potential to reduce emissions from air passenger transport and to initiate the transition to new fuels and propulsion technologies. The paper also discusses the potential public acceptance of differing policies. It concludes that the removal of fossil fuel and related subsidies represents a priority, supported by policy mixes comprising levies (CO2, frequent fliers, premium classes) and a feed-in quota for definitively established sustainable aviation fuels. To reduce flight emissions is feasible in principle, but will require policy initiatives at the national level or at the level of regional jurisdictions such as the European Union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given a duopoly of firms that produce differentiated outputs maximizing profits and emitting pollution, this paper introduces an emission charge as an environmental policy and analyses its static and dynamic effects on emission reductions. Among other results, it is shown that the emission charge effectively controls the aggregate emission level. Although increasing an emission charge could increase the individual emissions, it is also shown that such adverse response is limited to the case where the own-market size elasticity is larger than the cross-market size elasticity in absolute value. From a dynamic point of view, it is demonstrated that the emission charge has double stabilizing effects; increasing the charge is, first, to enlarge the stability region and second, to stabilize unstable oscillations through a period-halving bifurcation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The German Federal Climate Change Act includes binding annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emission targets for the economic sectors energy, industry, buildings, transport, agriculture and waste. For sectors that fail to meet their targets, climate policy measures have to be implemented immediately. However, some sectors may only have achieved their targets thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, while others may have missed their targets because of COVID-19. For policy making, it is therefore important to disentangle the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic from the effects of policy and other drivers on emissions. In this paper, the effects of the pandemic on GHG emissions in Germany in 2020 are estimated at the national level and at the levels of the economic sectors. Counterfactual emissions are estimated here based on autoregressive econometric models, thereby distinguishing between different factors of emissions based on decomposition analysis. The findings at the national level suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic lowered GHG emissions in 2020 in Germany by about 41 Mt CO2-eq (5.15%) compared to counterfactual emissions. Accordingly, about 58% of the reduction in emissions between 2019 and 2020 in Germany may be attributed to the pandemic. The findings at the sectoral level imply that without the COVID-19 pandemic, all sectors with the exception of the transport sector, would have met their emissions target in 2020 as set in the Federal Climate Change Act. The transport sector would have missed its emission target in 2020 without COVID-19, suggesting that existing policies were not strong enough to bend the curve of emissions trends sufficiently down. In contrast, the buildings sector failed to meet its target in 2020 because of COVID-19, prompting immediate climate policy measures in this sector. The COVID-19 pandemic lowered greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Germany in 2020 by 5.5% compared to counterfactual emissions and accounted for about 58% of total estimated reductions between 2019 and 2020. Without COVID-19, all sectors but the transport sector would have met their emissions targets. Climate policy response should take into account the effects of extraordinary events like COVID-19 suppressing GHG emissions based on counterfactual emissions because failure to implement measures early on may turn out to be costly in the medium term once the transitory emissions reductions no longer occur. Counterfactual emissions should be considered prior to crediting emissions surplus or deficit to subsequent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effectiveness of different energy scenarios for achieving early reductions in global energy-related CO2 emissions on trajectories to zero or near-zero emissions by 2050. To keep global heating below 1.5°C without overshoot by 2050, global CO2 emissions must decline by about half by 2030. To achieve rapid, early emission reductions entails substantially changing recent pre-COVID (2000–2019) observed trends, which comprise increasing total primary energy supply (TPES) and approximately constant fraction of TPES derived from fossil fuels (FF fraction). Scenarios are developed to explore the effects of varying future trends in these variables in the absence of substantial CO2 removal, because relying on the latter is speculative and risky. The principal result is that, to reduce energy-related emissions to at least half the 2019 level by 2030 en route to zero or near-zero CO2 emissions by 2050, either TPES must be reduced to at least half its 2019 value by 2050 or impossibly rapid reductions must be made in the FF fraction of supply, given current technological options. Reduction in energy consumption likely entails economic degrowth in high-income countries, driven by policies that are socioeconomic, cultural and political, in addition to technological. This needs serious consideration and international cooperation. Key policy insights If global energy consumption grows at the pre-COVID rate, technological change alone cannot halve global CO2 emissions by 2030 and hence cannot keep global heating below 1.5°C by 2050. In the absence of substantial CO2 removal, policies are needed to reduce global energy consumption and hence foster degrowth in high-income economies. Policies to drive technological and socioeconomic changes could together cut global energy consumption and thus total primary energy supply and associated emissions by at least 75% by 2050. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Financial agglomeration and green economic growth have become a trend in global financial and economic development. This paper analyzes the impact mechanism of financial agglomeration on green economic growth from two angles: growth promotion and energy conservation/emission reduction. Based on the Slacks Based Model-Data Envelopment Analysis (SBM-DEA) of undesired outputs, the green economic growth efficiency of 30 regions in China from 2008 to 2017 was measured. The study uses a spatial measurement model and finds that financial agglomeration has a significant positive effect on green economic growth. The specific manifestation is that with a 1% increase in the level of financial agglomeration, the productivity of green total factor increases by about 0.1837% and 0.0964% green economic growth in neighboring areas. Further analysis shows that this improvement in green total factor productivity is mainly achieved through technological advancement that promotes coordinated economic growth, energy saving and emission reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If there is a dominant global imaginary of climate change in low-lying islands, it is of displacement risk. This paper uses a mobilities perspective to consider anticipated displacement as a contested concept, reporting on emerging anti-displacement mobilities and re-emplacements in a rural, low-lying islet of Tuvalu named Funafala. Anti-displacement mobilities are defined as processes in which ideas, people and/or matter become mobile in order to counter anticipated displacement materially or symbolically, while re-emplacements are the new ideas, people and/or matter which together constitute the remaking of place through anti-displacement mobilities. These hitherto relatively unexplored mobilities and place-making practices are pragmatic and political acts that resist climate displacement, through reclaiming and redefining territory that has been categorised as highly exposed to climate change impacts and potentially unliveable. Grassroots anti-displacement and re-emplacement are interpreted in internal population mobility to Funafala, where Indigenous culture is being revitalised by re-emplacing homes and livelihoods in a remote, rural area. Mobilities are a way to repossess and revitalise place, and reclaim the meaning of habitability in the face of climate risk. These anti-displacement mobilities and re-emplacements reject dominant climate mobility regimes and reaffirm Indigenous rights and identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the control design for parameter-dependent input-delay linear parameter-varying (LPV) systems with saturation constraints. A linear differential inclusion approach is implemented to formulate the saturation nonlinearity. Subsequently, a gain-scheduled dynamic output-feedback controller is structured to conform to the saturation representation. By means of a Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional, sufficient delay-dependent conditions are derived for the analysis and feedback control synthesis of the closed-loop system in the presence of uncertainties and exogenous disturbances. Disturbance rejection objectives following an induced L 2 -norm and an L 2 − L ∞ norm formulation are examined. Estimation of the domain of attraction with the parametrisation of the admissible LPV controllers is presented. Three different optimisation objectives with respect to disturbance rejection, disturbance tolerance, and domain of attraction expansion are formulated. The proposed design methodology is examined in the context of the air-fuel ratio (AFR) regulation in a spark ignition (SI) engine with a speed-dependent delay and model parameters in the presence of canister purge disturbances and AFR dynamics uncertainty. The injector is restricted in the amount of fuel it can deliver to the cylinder. The three-way catalytic converter's performance in terms of oxygen storage and emission reduction is taken into consideration. Closed-loop simulation results are provided to validate the methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to realize cleaner production of Sewage Treatment Plants and reduce the emission of carbon, the current situation of various sewage treatment plants of varying scales in Nort-Central China from 2019 to 2020 was investigated. For contrast, the energy consumption and material consumption of each sewage treatment plant and their cleaner production potential were analyzed. The results revealed that the implementation of a cleaner production scheme in the 14 investigated sewage treatment plants resulted in a cost reduction of 2.13 million annually. Further, the energy-saving effects of the cleaner production schemes of the sewage treatment plants were compared, and the results revealed that the use of a magnetic levitation fan reduced the power consumption of the wastewater treatment unit and carbon emission by 13.16–17.87 and 4.58–7.69%, respectively. In addition, the utilization of a modified precise aeration system reduced the wastewater power consumption and carbon emission by 2.8–6.33 and 10.37–17.24%, respectively. This study demonstrates that the Sewage Treatment Plants can become cleaner by using magnetic levitation fan and precise aeration system. The paper highlights the value of increased energy efficiency and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses optimal solutions for supplying electricity to consumers in the Dibba area, which requires 27 MW of power. Data on wind speed and average monthly solar radiation were collected and projected seven-year power demand was assessed. According to HOMER software analyses, the best solution for Dibba according to the software would be a combination of wind, natural gas, and diesel. Pursuing such a hybrid energy solution would result in electricity produced for USD$ 0.0787/kWh. A solution incorporating multiple energy sources would require the lowest amount of fuel annually and would do the least damage to the environment due to a reduction in greenhouse gases emission. Using these hybrid systems for off-grid connections will definitely provide a safer power supply to Dibba while strengthening Oman's existing power supply system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is continuously growing stronger. Realization of the direct correlation of quality of life to the environmental aspects of the energy sector has been at the heart of the new energy paradigm. In light of this, ensuring full awareness of current and potential emissions, with regard to market circumstances and policy implications, is crucial in acquiring a better overview on the current issues and the future development of the energy system. Research presented in this paper offers a method for calculating direct CO2 emissions from electricity generation. It also offers an insight into current issues and future prospects of the South East Europe electricity market. Observing various scenarios, the region's emission intensity is evaluated, with special consideration given to the potential impact of varying carbon prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emerging concerns towards sustainability have encouraged industrial stakeholders to get involved and cooperate to achieve a sustainable supply chain. This paper develops a coordination mechanism for a closed-loop supply chain, operating under several policies to control the carbon emission, namely a carbon tax regulation, government incentives policy, green technology investment, and energy-saving investment. The carbon tax regulation is implemented to lessen the emissions from the manufacturer’s activities. Whereas, to encourage the manufacturer to cut down the emission as well as to increase the product return and energy savings, the government provides incentives based on a target level. The system operates under a variable market demand which is affected by the retailer’s selling price, green technology, and energy-saving levels. The proposed problem is formulated under two different scenarios, which are the centralized model and the decentralized model. To improve the supply chain coordination, we also propose two different contracts, namely the green technology revenue-investment-sharing contract (GRIS contract) and the energy saving revenue-investment-sharing contract (ERIS contract). The system inflicted with two types of inspection error in classifying the returned products. The models are formulated mathematically and optimized using a proposed algorithm. The result shows that the centralized model performs better in maximizing the total profit compared to the decentralized model. The results also imply that the government incentives toward product returns, green technology, and energy-saving actually affect the optimal decision of the supply chain system. In addition, the proposed contracts are proven to provide win– win solutions and improve supply chain coordination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses how the use of genetically modified seed (GM) crop seed technology has impacted on greenhouse gas emissions at a global level. The main technologies of relevance are crops modified to be tolerant to specific herbicides so as to facilitate improved weed control and crops resistant to a range of crop insect pests that otherwise damage crops or typically require the application of insecticides to control them. Over the 24 year period examined to 2020, the widespread use of GM insect resistant and herbicide tolerant seed technology has led to important cuts in on-farm fuel use and facilitated farmers moving from plow-based systems to reduced and no tillage systems that they have continued to operate for a number of years. This has led to a significant reduction in the release of greenhouse gas emissions from the GM cropping area, which in 2020 was equal to a saving of 23,631 million kg of carbon dioxide, equivalent to taking 15.6 million cars off the road for a year (equal to 49% of registered cars in the UK). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two key benefits of building retention and adaptation, over demolition and new build are identified in the academic literature as: the conservation of heritage, and reductions in embodied greenhouse gas emissions from construction materials. A four-year research project, including expert interviews, focus groups and three detailed case studies, developed extensive data on how these benefits are considered in decisions to demolish or retain buildings within larger urban development sites. The research found that heritage and embodied impacts are considered quite differently. Heritage is frequently a key driver towards retaining individual buildings, whilstembodied emissions are rarely key considerations. Where there are insufficient arguments based on heritage value, many buildings are therefore demolished and replaced rather than retained. To reduce the impact of construction on the environment it is crucial that we calculate the embodied as well as operational impacts of demolition decisions and retain and refurbish buildings where this is the lower carbon choice. Using heritage arguments as a basis, this paper proposes that the introduction of policy drivers for retention and against demolition, and the conversion of environmental value into economic uplift, are likely to be necessary conditions to encourage the retention of buildings for lower whole life carbon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global climate change governance has changed substantially in the last decade, with a shift in focus from negotiating globally agreed greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets to nationally determined contributions, as enshrined in the 2015 Paris Agreement. This paper analyses trends in adoption of national climate legislation and strategies, GHG targets, and renewable and energy efficiency targets in almost all UNFCCC Parties, focusing on the period from 2007 to 2017. The uniqueness and added value of this paper reside in its broad sweep of countries, the more than decade-long coverage and the use of objective metrics rather than normative judgements. Key results show that national climate legislation and strategies witnessed a strong increase in the first half of the assessed decade, likely due to the political lead up to the Copenhagen Climate Conference in 2009, but have somewhat stagnated in recent years, currently covering 70% of global GHG emissions (almost 50% of countries). In comparison, the coverage of GHG targets increased considerably in the run up to adoption of the Paris Agreement and 89% of global GHG emissions are currently covered by such targets. Renewable energy targets saw a steady spread, with 79% of the global GHG emissions covered in 2017 compared to 45% in 2007, with a steep increase in developing countries. Key policy insights The number of countries that have national legislation and strategies in place increased strongly up to 2012, but the increase has levelled off in recent years, now covering 70% of global emissions by 2017 (48% of countries and 76% of global population). Economy-wide GHG reduction targets witnessed a strong increase in the build up to 2015 and are adopted by countries covering 89% of global GHG emissions (76% not counting USA) and 90% of global population (86% not counting USA) in 2017. Renewable energy targets saw a steady increase throughout the last decade with coverage of countries in 2017 comparable to that of GHG targets. Key shifts in national measures coincide with landmark international events - an increase in legislation and strategy in the build-up to the Copenhagen Climate Conference and an increase in targets around the Paris Agreement - emphasizing the importance of the international process to maintaining national momentum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a detailed analysis of the Tokyo Metropolitan Emissions Trading Scheme (Tokyo ETS), Japan’s first emissions trading scheme with mandatory cap initiated by the government of Tokyo. Unlike trading schemes in other countries, the Tokyo ETS covers indirect emissions from the commercial sector. It is well known that a variety of market barriers impede full realization of energy efficiency opportunities, especially in the commercial sector. Experiences with the Tokyo ETS should therefore provide important lessons for the design of climate change mitigation policies, especially when targeting the commercial sector. The emissions from covered entities have been drastically reduced from those at the scheme’s outset, with an average 14% reduction as of the end of the first commitment period of five years (2010-2014) compared with 2009 levels. This paper shows that the Tokyo ETS alone did not cause these reductions; there were other drivers. Among them, the energy savings triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 were crucial. The contribution of credit trading, in contrast, was limited since most of the covered entities reduced emissions by themselves. Through an investigation of official reports, an assessment of the emissions data from the covered entities compared to those of uncovered entities and in-depth interviews with firms covered by the scheme, this paper confirms that the main drivers of emissions reductions by covered entities were separate from the ETS. In fact, the advisory aspect of the scheme seems to be much more important in encouraging energy-saving actions. Key policy insights Most of the observed emission reductions were not caused by the Tokyo ETS alone. An advisory instrument was crucial to the effectiveness of the Tokyo ETS. The experience of the Tokyo ETS suggests that making full use of the advantages of emissions trading is difficult in the case of the commercial sector. Price signals have not provided a stimulus to climate change mitigation actions, which implies that establishing a cap to yield effective carbon prices poses a challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advances in satellite remote sensing and the wealth of earth observation (EO) data now available have improved efforts toward determining and quantifying historical land use and land cover (LULC) change. Satellite imagery can overcome the absence of accurate records of historical land use; however, the variability observed in the case study regions demonstrates a number of current challenges. Differences in spatial coverage, resolution and land cover classification can lead to challenges in analyzing historical data sets to estimate LULC change and associated GHG emissions. This paper demonstrates the calculation of LULC change from three existing, open-source data sets to show how this can lead to significant variation in estimates of GHG emissions related to differences in land classification methodologies, EO input data and period of investigation. This article focuses on selected regions of Indonesia, where quantifying land use change is important for GHG assessments of agricultural commodities and for evidencing progress against corporate and government deforestation commitments. Given the significance of GHG emissions arising from LULC change and the increasing need for emissions monitoring, this research highlights a need for consensus building to develop consistency in historical and future LULC change estimates. This paper concludes with a set of recommendations for improvements to ensure consistent LULC mapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Swiss climate policy consists of three regulatory instruments for greenhouse gas emissions reduction: A CO 2 levy, the Swiss Emissions Trading System (CH EHS) and an additional program for medium-sized plants that is labeled 'nonEHS' and consists of command-and-control elements plus a sizeable abatement subsidy. Our paper informs about this tripartite climate policy, which is unique in the international context. Second, we estimate the differential impact of the CH EHS and the nonEHS program on plants' emissions. Our empirical strategy exploits a policy change in 2013 that instituted a mandatory emissions trading system for a subset of previously regulated plants. We find that the nonEHS outperforms the CH EHS for a minority of plants, but that on average, the two programs result in similar abatement efforts despite very different financial incentives. Plants that previously engaged in abatement efforts continue to do so even after the financial incentives were reduced by an order of magnitude. Key policy insights We find similar pollution abatement for plants regulated by an emissions trading system relative to plants receiving an abatement subsidy in Switzerland This is surprising given that the allowance price in the CH EHS is an order of magnitude lower than the abatement subsidy Emissions reductions in the ETS are especially pronounced for large plants, and for plants that had engaged in significant abatement in the past [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper clarifies the competing discourses of sustainability and climate change and examines the manifestation of these discourses in local government planning. Despite the increasingly significant role of sustainability and climate change response in urban governance, it is unclear whether local governments are constructing different discourses that may result in conflicting approaches to policy-making. Using a governmentality approach, this paper dissects the contents of 15 Canadian local governments' sustainability plans. The findings show that there are synergies and tensions between discourses of sustainability and climate change. Both share discursive space and shape local governance rationalities, though climate change response logics are not necessarily highlighted even where the action could result in greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions. In some cases, existing GHG intensive practices are being rebranded as 'sustainable'. This suggests a tension between discourses of sustainability and climate change that may complicate attempts to address climate change through local sustainability planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper updates previous assessments of the environmental impacts associated with using crop biotechnology (specifically genetically modified crops) in global agriculture. It focuses on the environmental impacts associated with changes in pesticide use and greenhouse gas emissions arising from the use of GM crops since their first widespread commercial use 22 years ago. The adoption of GM insect resistant and herbicide tolerant technology has reduced pesticide spraying by 775.4 million kg (8.3%) and, as a result, decreased the environmental impact associated with herbicide and insecticide use on these crops (as measured by the indicator, the Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ)) by 18.5%. The technology has also facilitated important cuts in fuel use and tillage changes, resulting in a significant reduction in the release of greenhouse gas emissions from the GM cropping area. In 2018, this was equivalent to removing 15.27 million cars from the roads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a greenhouse gas inventory of a synthetic fibre industrial plant from 2008 to 2014. Using long-term inventory data, a mathematical model was designed to forecast tCO2e emission on a monthly basis, which is important for the company's business with others that set emission targets for suppliers. Based on the inventory results, statistical analyses were carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of greenhouse gas emission reductions resulting from boiler fuel changes. The inventory methodology follows the Clean Development Mechanism. Indirect emission reductions are calculated. These are not considered in the methodology. The viability of the company's entering the voluntary carbon credit market is calculated on the basis of successful emission reductions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]