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Climate change is a constant threat to global food security. In Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA), extended dry spells, heavy rainfall, flooding, and tropical storms have driven a large percentage of the population to a severe food crisis. Climate‐smart agriculture (CSA) is a potential comprehensive solution whose adoption can mitigate climate change and its ramifications on the state of food security in the region. CSA combines innovation, the use of technology, extensive research, stakeholder involvement, and data to increase food production, optimize resource allocation and utilization, and enhance the region's ability to feed its population. The adoption of CSA has succeeded in increasing agricultural productivity in several parts of SSA and will help towards the building of resilience food systems across the region amid constant and unpredictable climate change and its far‐reaching impacts in the region. For the sustained and universal adoption of CSA within the region, there is a need for more stakeholder involvement in its development and adaptation to the needs of specific communities. Furthermore, it is necessary to leverage the positive impact of the approach by expanding its scope beyond climate change mitigation to prevention and control, and ultimately help in achieving the United Nations SDG 2 and 13. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mount Everest (Qomolangma), the highest mountain on Earth, is an unrivaled natural research platform for understanding multispheric interactions over heterogeneous landscapes. The land--atmosphere interactions in this iconic mountain region have paramount importance for weather and climate predictions at both regional and global scales; however, observing and modeling these interactions is inherently challenging due to the extreme environment. The scarcity of multiscale observations hinders progress in this field. Thus, establishing a comprehensive network to systematically observe the land--atmosphere interactions across multiscales in this unrivaled region, is the basis for gaining a better understanding of weather, climate, and climate change. As one of the 69 national observation and research stations in China, the Qomolangma Special Atmospheric Processes and Environmental Changes (QOMS) observation network of land--atmosphere interactions has been established over the northern slope of Mount Everest since 2005. This network consists of six sites with different underlying surfaces, which significantly improves the observational capabilities for the climate system. These observations have promoted the understanding of land--atmosphere interactions and their impacts on multiscale weather patterns, atmospheric circulations, and climate and have provided data support for informing and guiding model development and remote sensing monitoring. Facing an unprecedented opportunity with enormous development possibilities, we emphasize the considerable potential of these observations for understanding and predicting weather and climate in the Himalayas and beyond. Additionally, we expect to extend the future focus to model--data fusion and to societally relevant applications, such as natural disaster prevention and climate change mitigation and adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the critical role of safety professionals in organizations. Topics include making organizations carbon-neutral by adopting approach with hierarchy of controls; adopting a safety and health framework to communicate climate change and mitigation; and leading their organizations towards sustainability and carbon neutrality.

Climate change has led to a multitude of ecological disruptions and downstream reproductive health consequences that impair our reproductive capacity and, in turn, harm the health and survival of future generations. Atmospheric changes, driven by anthropogenic emissions, expose global populations to droughts, heat waves, rising sea levels, and extreme weather events-posing major threats to public health and exacerbating environmental health disparities. Existing evidence demonstrates the potential for climate-driven events to impact reproductive health outcomes, yet very few studies have explored this relationship. Recently, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics released position statements regarding reproductive health and environmental exposures. Unfortunately, such initiatives have yielded little action within the health care system. To address this stagnation, health care workers must meld research findings into actionable preventive medicine strategies and transition to a more action-oriented approach to address the climate crisis. The objective of this article is to elucidate the urgency of the climate crisis in relation to reproductive health and push the health care workers to recognize their intrinsic opportunity as leaders in climate action at local, state, national, and international levels. We call on health care organizations and health care workers to leverage their inherent positions as climate action leaders to increase climate resilience and mitigate climate-related adverse reproductive health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Paris Agreement is a multinational initiative to combat climate change by keeping a global temperature increase in this century to 2°C above preindustrial levels while pursuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C. Until recently, ensembles of coupled climate simulations producing temporal dynamics of climate en route to stable global mean temperature at 1.5 and 2°C above preindustrial levels were not available. Hence, the few studies that have assessed the ecological impact of the Paris Agreement used ad‐hoc approaches. The development of new specific mitigation climate simulations now provides an unprecedented opportunity to inform ecological impact assessments. Here we project the dynamics of all known emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) colonies under new climate change scenarios meeting the Paris Agreement objectives using a climate‐dependent‐metapopulation model. Our model includes various dispersal behaviors so that penguins could modulate climate effects through movement and habitat selection. Under business‐as‐usual greenhouse gas emissions, we show that 80% of the colonies are projected to be quasiextinct by 2100, thus the total abundance of emperor penguins is projected to decline by at least 81% relative to its initial size, regardless of dispersal abilities. In contrast, if the Paris Agreement objectives are met, viable emperor penguin refuges will exist in Antarctica, and only 19% and 31% colonies are projected to be quasiextinct by 2100 under the Paris 1.5 and 2 climate scenarios respectively. As a result, the global population is projected to decline by at least by 31% under Paris 1.5 and 44% under Paris 2. However, population growth rates stabilize in 2060 such that the global population will be only declining at 0.07% under Paris 1.5 and 0.34% under Paris 2, thereby halting the global population decline. Hence, global climate policy has a larger capacity to safeguard the future of emperor penguins than their intrinsic dispersal abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four associations filed l'affaire du siècle, a climate legal action against the French State before the Administrative Court of Paris in May 2019. This lawsuit questions the State's actions and inactions in matters of climate change mitigation and adaptation. Even though the complaint is mainly based on legal constructions and theories that are well-known to French Courts, this paper focuses on three ground-breaking legal innovations brought by the plaintiffs: a pre-existing general State obligation to combat climate change, a pre-existing right to live in a sustainable climate system, and, eventually, the remediation of the pure ecological damage (préjudice écologique) linked to climate change through a formal demand for monetary compensation of one symbolic euro and an injunctive relief to take all measures to limit global warming under the 1.5 °C threshold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this study is to analyze and compare greenhouse gas emission profiles, dynamics thereof, and the climate change mitigation efforts of the major players in the global climate change arena, namely the G7 and BRICS countries that are accounting for more than 60% of the world greenhouse gas emissions as in 2017. Given that the energy sector is the major source of the greenhouse emissions in these countries, the framework of sustainable energy development indicators was applied to the comparative analysis. The analysis revealed the differences among the groups of countries in terms of greenhouse gas emission profiles and development trends of these profiles. The convergence of greenhouse gas emission profiles can be noticed between G7 and BRICS countries during 1990–2017 period. Greenhouse gas emissions per capita has decreased in G7 countries and increased in BRICS countries. Energy intensity, economic growth and carbon factor are the main drivers of greenhouse gas emissions per capita growth in both groups of countries. Carbon factor represents carbon intensity of a country's energy sector and is measured by greenhouse gas emissions per unit of total primary energy supply. The impact of carbon factor was least significant among the main drivers in both groups. Energy intensity was the major driver of decrease in greenhouse gas emissions per capita for both groups, however, the economic growth exceeded the contribution of energy intensity in BRICS countries and greenhouse gas emissions have increased in this group during investigated period. The comparative analysis of greenhouse gas emission profiles development trends and the main drivers of these trends in both groups of countries provides important insights in shaping future climate change mitigation policies and developing greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. Due to the high greenhouse gas profiles, low GHG reduction commitments and insufficient climate change mitigation the Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme in India efforts in both groups there is danger of postponing implementation of Paris commitments and achieving the 1.5° target. The policies implemented in high ranked countries, like or Integrated Resources Planning in South Africa or measures under Energy efficiency directive in EU can be applied in low ranked countries by providing the substantial contribution to the country's climate targets. Image 1 • The GHG profiles of G7 and BRICS were converging during 1990–2017. • GHG/capita has decreased in G7 countries and increased in BRICS countries. • Energy intensity, economic growth and carbon factor - the main drivers of GHG/capita. • Energy intensity - the major driver of decrease in GHG/capita for both groups. • However, the economic growth exceeded the contribution of energy intensity in BRICS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has been led to the increasing magnitude of frequency and severity of extreme weather, causing serious damage to overall economy of a country and individual economy of enterprises. Only relying on government subsidy to combat the impact of climate change, the work could be in vain. This study tries to use recycling action as mitigation strategies of climate change, and analyze the dominant influencing factors that affect recycling intention. This study stands in the perspective of green education in universities, regards the recycling intentions in response to climate change as pro-environmental behaviors, and revises and verifies the citizen pro-environmental behavior model. The green educations programs can communicate, promote, active and internalize the environmental citizenship through resource recycling intentions. Students learn about the importance of advocacy and activism to environmental citizenship, then generate environmentally sustainable and recycling intentions, and achieve the goal of improving the environment and mitigating to climate change. Image 1 • Exploring the determinants of recycling intention to mitigate climate change is a complex task. • The NEP values are conceptualized as connectedness to nature and environmental concerns constructs. • The advocacy and activism are viewed as adopting environmental citizenship behaviors. • Under the NEP, connection to nature and environmental concern affect individual to become an advocate. • The ECBOs and ECBIs significantly support advocacy and change recycling intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is perhaps the most important phenomenon to have dominated the discourse of sustainable development at this time. They add that in order to adapt to climate change, people need adaptive capacities to mobilse the social and physical resources they need to cope with climate change (Heeks & Ospina, [2]). In adaptation to climate change, the role of ICTs is in offering systemic resilience to climate change. Heeks and Ospina ([2]) suggest that ICTs offer adaptive capacity to climate change by helping strengthen physical preparedness through technologies such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS). [Extracted from the article]

Since the UK introduced a Climate Change Act (CCA) in 2008, similar legislation has followed in a number of states, with each having a slightly different take. What unites these examples is that they all represent framework legislation that aims to facilitate climate change mitigation by creating continuous policy processes whereby mechanisms for the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are developed and implemented. This article is concerned with the extent to which they are living policy processes or rather symbolic gestures. We analyse seven European CCAs with regard to GHG emission reduction targets, planning/implementation mechanisms, and feedback/evaluations prescribed by the laws. These three features correspond with three aspects of climate policy integration (CPI): interpretations of CPI as a norm; CPI as a process of governing; CPI as a policy outcome. We show that CCAs address all three aspects of CPI and constitute living policy processes, although to varying extents. However, CCAs are also policy processes in that they are part of a political system, affected by political forces external to the legislation, positively and negatively. Key policy insights CCAs can provide a normative basis for policymaking on climate change at the national level, especially through quantitative emission reduction targets. Whilst CCAs can bring some stability and predictability to policymaking on climate change (mainly because legislation is more difficult to amend or remove than policy strategies), they are still vulnerable to political developments. Most CCAs lack either short/medium-term (Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Sweden) or long-term (Austria) targets. Given EU Member States' aim to decarbonise in the next three decades and the Paris Agreement's global goal of pursuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C, states need to find ways to guide this process. One approach could be the inclusion of short-term, medium-term and long-term targets in their CCAs. Since sanctioning mechanisms are lacking across all the CCAs analysed here, it is not clear what will happen if legally binding targets are not met. Just as it is difficult to imagine speed limits and speed cameras without accompanying penalties, it is hard to imagine how CCAs without sanctions can deliver decarbonization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We quantified wood substitution benefits in the furniture sector for China. • Displacement factor is used to assess substitution effects on emission reduction. • The avoided emissions for the products were weighted by consumption statistics. • Each tC in wood used for material substitution reduces 1.46 tC of emissions. Wood and wood-based products have positive effects on climate change mitigation. These products can substitute for energy-intensive products made of conventional materials. The main objective of this study was to quantify substitution benefits of wood furniture for China via national-scale mitigation analyses. We selected a basket of representative furniture and estimated the emission reduction for two functionally equivalent products, which differentiate in wood intensity. The emissions avoided in each type of product were weighted by its share of the furniture market to ensure that the basket can represent the current situation. Then, avoided emissions were estimated for wood commodities contained in the products basket. Results demonstrated that wood materials exerted low environmental impacts. From the less to the more wood intensity products with the equivalent function, the proportion of energy-intensive materials decreased 24% while the proportion of their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions decreased 34%. The overall displacement factor for the wood material was 2.67 kg CO 2 eq/kg or 1.46 tC/tC. The findings highlight the importance of material selection in mitigating climate change in the furniture sector. It is urgent to use of the existing timber resources efficiently and pursue alternative schemes for emission reduction to achieve the goal of GHG mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate Action Planning is one of the top priorities of cities in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strengthening climate-resilience, as pointed out by the New Urban Agenda and the Paris Agreement. This study aims at assessing the development of climate change mitigation and adaptation planning in Italian cities. To this end, we analysed the availability of Local Climate Plans (LCPs) in 76 cities, which are included in the Eurostat Urban Audit (UA-2015) database. In a further step, we analysed the content of the urban climate change mitigation and adaptation plans available in a smaller sample of 32 Italian cities of 2007 Eurostat Urban Audit database (UA-3), looking at the single actions undertaken for addressing mitigation and adaptation to climate change. Results show the almost total absence of comprehensive and stand-alone urban climate change adaptation plans in Italy (except for two cities, Ancona and Bologna), whereas we found that in 61 out of 76 cities municipal civil protection plans are the instruments that deal with local emergencies associated to extreme weather events. On the other hand, 56 out of 76 urban climate change mitigation plans (i.e. Sustainable Energy Action Plans) are being developed in the framework of the Covenant of Mayors, which is a transnational network of local governments created by the European Union (EU) in 2012. The results obtained on the mitigation side point out that, in absence of a national law that imposes Italian cities to develop LCPs, transnational networks are an effective boost to voluntary commitment to reach EU climate and energy objectives. • The research shows a positive trend on urban climate change action in Italy. • Italian cities are more focused on mitigation than to adaptation. • Transnational networks have a crucial role in boosting climate planning in cities. • Cities need to adopt a more holistic approach in dealing with climate change. • More technical and financial resources are necessary to boost local climate actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is projected to increase the frequency, intensity and unpredictability of extreme weather events across the globe and these events are likely to have significant mental health implications. The mental health literature broadly characterises negative emotional reactions to extreme weather experiences as undesirable impacts on wellbeing. Yet, other research in psychology suggests that negative emotional responses to extreme weather are an important motivation for personal action on climate change. This article addresses the intersection of mental health and functional perspectives on negative emotions, with a specific focus on the potential that reduced negative emotional responses to extreme weather may also translate to diminished motivation to undertake climate change mitigation actions – which we term the 'resilience paradox'. Using survey data gathered in the aftermath of severe flooding across the UK in winter 2013/2014, we present new evidence indicating that self-appraised coping ability moderates the link between flooding experience and negative emotions and thereby attenuates the indirect link between flooding experience and climate change mitigation intentions. We conclude that support for flood victims should extend beyond addressing emotional, physical and financial stresses to include acknowledgement of the involvement of climate change and communication of the need for action to combat future climate risks. Key policy insights Psychological resilience to flooding and other extreme weather events can translate to diminished motivation to mitigate climate change Negative emotional reactions need to occur at an optimal level to enable people to respond appropriately to climate risks. Flood victims' subjective appraisal of their ability to cope does not necessarily encompass consideration of the role played by climate change. Therefore, support for victims of extreme weather should include explicit acknowledgement of the involvement of climate change and the need for action to mitigate future climate risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2015, El Niño caused severe droughts in equatorial Asia (EA). The severe droughts enhanced fire activities in the dry seasons, leading to massive fire emissions of CO2 and aerosols. Using large event attribution ensembles of the MIROC5 atmospheric global climate model, we suggest that historical anthropogenic warming increased the chances of meteorological droughts exceeding the 2015 observations in the EA area. Large probability increases in stronger droughts than the 2015 event are found in the ensemble simulations of 1.5 °C and 2.0 °C global warming according to the Paris Agreement goals. Further drying is projected in the 3.0 °C ensemble. We combine these experiments and empirical functions between precipitation, burned area, and fire emissions of CO2 and PM2.5. Increases in the chances of the burned area and the emissions of CO2 and PM2.5 exceeding the 2015 observations due to anthropogenic climate change in the past are not significant. In contrast, there are significant increases in the burned area and CO2 and PM2.5 emissions even if the 1.5 °C and 2.0 °C goals are achieved. If global warming reaches 3.0 °C, as is expected from the current mitigation policies of nations, the chances of the burned area, CO2 and PM2.5 emissions exceeding the 2015 observed values become approximately 100 %, at least in the single model ensembles. We also compare changes in fire CO2 emissions due to climate changes and the land-use CO2 emission scenarios of five shared socio-economic pathways, where the climate change effects on fire are not considered. There are two main implications. First, in a national policy context, future EA climate policy will need to consider these climate change effects regarding both mitigation and adaptation aspects. Second, the consideration of fire increases would change global CO2 emissions and the mitigation strategy, which suggests that future climate change mitigation studies should take these factors into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Africa is the most vulnerable region of the world due to anthropogenic climate change challenges on account of dependence on nature for the sustenance of agriculture as her main source of income, high level of poverty, and low level of literacy. Climate change adaptation involves strategies of adjusting to the negative effects of climate change, while climate change mitigation involves techniques that help to reduce production of greenhouse gases through burning fossil fuels. The African worldview from the frontier of Nigerian epistemological and ontological perspectives as it finds expression in climate change adaptation and mitigation is built on the foundations of its relationship with nature, traditional religion and belief systems, agricultural practices, and some other day-to-day practices. Worldview analysis of the contemporary Nigerian has been conducted and classified into Original African, Westernized African, and Little Here-and-There African, a paradigm existing in Nigerians irrespective of level of Western education. What will be the fate of the younger Nigerian climate scientist in a globalized and technologically competitive world? This question gives rise to further discussion on the principles and application of the theory of Culturo-Techno-Contextual Approach as postulated by Peter A. Okebukola and applied to creating an environment for meaningful learning on climate change adaptation and mitigation for the future generations of Nigerians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a Policy Forum, Cecilia Sorensen and colleagues discuss the implications of climate change for women's health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overlaps between economic development, sustainability and climate change objectives have both political and practical implications for the development of policies addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation. However, little empirical research has systematically investigated factors underlying these overlaps. Here, survey responses from 287 cities in the US are used to explore associations between the presence of such overlaps and these cities’ policy actions and contextual conditions. Patterns in the presence of these overlaps are described, which help shed light on the political economy underlying policymakers’ considerations about overlapping climate change mitigation and adaptation considerations with economic development or sustainability. Policymakers’ considerations about the possible political co-benefits and political trade-offs of these objective overlaps will play a critical role in shaping interconnected policy responses to complex challenges like climate change in the years ahead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For most urban areas, the challenges of adaptation are as urgent as those of mitigation. This is particularly the case where adaptive capacity is weak, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, and the benefits of global mitigation in the short term will be experienced beyond 2050. A focus on adaptive capacity-building in these vulnerable settings is imperative. Much of the emphasis in climate change since the early 1990s has been on basic science and how public policy should respond to it; less attention has been paid to the governance implications and connections with wider development processes. This article explores the governance challenges of adaptation in the Santiago Metropolitan Region. It points to weaknesses in the water and energy sectors, which have highly sectoral, horizontally unintegrated institutional structures and instruments that pose significant challenges for adaptation. Such cases point to the need to engage with both the wider planning concerns of existing development strategies and the basic elements of transdisciplinarity, finance and human capital-building, in order to forge a more integrated adaptation response. Without an engagement with the governance issue and wider debates around metropolitan planning and socioeconomic development, it is unlikely the response will move beyond a limited physical infrastructure investment programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eco-city projects are becoming increasingly prevalent throughout the globe and are often marketed as 'new' urban environments focused on achieving sustainable urban living while promoting environmental-economic transitions towards a low-carbon technological and industrial base. The article argues for the need to consider the thermal aspects of urban metabolism, while at the same time focusing on the link between individual buildings and eco-city master plans and wider economic development strategies at a state level. In so doing, the article encourages critical analysis of eco-city design and planning, while keeping a focus on the role of specific building structures within eco-cities as examples of the intermeshing of what can be termed a 'political ecology of scale' which stretches from specific buildings' climatic characteristics, to the metabolic master plan for eco-cities, to provincial, regional and state-level plans for the integration of eco-cities within wider economic and political development trajectories. The article focuses on Masdar, in Abu Dhabi, an eco-city under construction at the time of writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing number of cities in the global South are taking proactive action on climate change. Their plans provide insights into the potential for strategically bundling long-term development policymaking with the climate agenda. In this article I study the case of Delhi, the first city in India to adopt a climate change action plan. Drawing on the literature on urban ecological security, I examine: (1) the adaptation challenges that Delhi faces; (2) the multiple motivations that underlie early action; (3) the key actors, strategies, and associated action domains outlined in the plan; and (4) the extent to which the plan seeks to bring about systemic change. Proactive action at the city level serves multiple strategic goals. Delhi's case is significant in illustrating how it has leveraged emergent opportunities to advance its short-term development agenda, given the tight fiscal constraints and governance challenges it faces. The plan has been strategically formulated to enhance competiveness, facilitate image-building, garner support for pet projects and access alternative sources of funding. But the short-term orientation of the plan and its limited mechanisms for citizen engagement have severely restrained its capacity to address underlying social vulnerabilities or bring about transformative change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of carbon markets in governing global carbon flows triggers substantial debates among policymakers, social movements and social scientists. The present debate on carbon markets is different from the earlier debate on market-based instruments in environmental politics. Carbon markets represent both more radical and more risky forms of governing global carbon flows, as illustrated by an analysis of both regulatory and voluntary carbon markets operating on the global and personal level. To make use of their environmental potential and to prevent them from generating perverse consequences, carbon markets are to be regulated by state, market and civil society authorities. Embedding carbon markets in civil society means connecting carbon flows to the households and the lifestyles of citizen-consumers in a direct and meaningful manner, which can increase legitimacy and foreground climate change politics among citizen-consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most people think climate change and sustainability are important problems, but too few global citizens engaged in high-greenhouse-gas-emitting behavior are engaged in enough mitigating behavior to stem the increasing flow of greenhouse gases and other environmental problems. Why is that? Structural barriers such as a climate-averse infrastructure are part of the answer, but psychological barriers also impede behavioral choices that would facilitate mitigation, adaptation, and environmental sustainabilily. Although many individuals are engaged in some ameliorative action, most could do more, but they are hindered by seven categories of psychological barriers, or "dragons of inaction": limited cognition about the problem, ideological worldviews that tend to preclude pro-environmental attitudes and behavior, comparisons with key other people, sunk costs and behavioral momentum, discredence toward experts and authorities, perceived risks of change, and positive but inadequate behavior change. Structural barriers must be removed wherever possible, but this is unlikely to be sufficient. Psychologists must work with other scientists, technical experts, and policymakers to help citizens overcome these psychological barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change entails uncertainties in the timing and scale of future impacts, imposing challenges to decision-making with intertemporal trade-offs. When making intertemporal trade-offs, future impacts are often considered distant and discounted in present decision-making and policy design. The future, however, is not only temporally distant but also perceived in culturally and psychologically different ways. Based on national statistics and individual-level survey data, statistical analyses show that both national and individual differences in future orientation affect climate perception and mitigation. At the national level, countries with languages that grammatically highlight the future are associated with higher climate concern, lower carbon emissions and energy use, and more progress in climate mitigation. Individual-level evidence suggests that future orientation helps the public understand complicated climate issues, make more personal mitigation but not necessarily collective action or policy support. The findings indicate the important role that subjective future orientation plays in climate perception and decision-making. Both behavioral intervention and climate communication can be designed based on future orientation to better address climate change. • Climate change features both interpersonal and intertemporal trade-offs. • Future perception is of cultural and psychological difference to affect decision. • We show national language speaking associates with climate perception and mitigation. • The effect is likely from future orientation and abstraction of climate change. • The effect is not likely from perceived timing precision of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Paris Agreement on climate change has calls for urgent, radical, and transformative actions in mitigation and adaptation, particularly in terms of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. There are many terms used to describe the process of reducing GHGs, including decarbonization, low carbon development (LCD) or low carbon transition (LCT). The conceptualization of these terms remains puzzling and there has not been any consensus to explain the meaning and their interrelationship. Clearer definition and conceptual boundaries are necessary to improve the coherence of overarching practices to cut CO 2 emission. The paper aims to review key concepts related to climate change mitigation related to the reduction of CO 2 and efforts toward net-zero emission in the academic literature, by (1) examining progress of the literature over time, (2) identifying geographical locus and sectoral focus of the literature, (3) determining the interrelationships between the key concepts. We use a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method for data collection by selecting peer-reviewed literature from Scopus and analyzing the data with content analysis and bibliometric analysis. The findings are, firstly, the publications of the literature are influenced by global and national climate change policies and the interest of scholars affiliated to institutions from major emitter countries. Therefore, the literature is mostly originating from countries that emit the most CO 2 while also implement mitigations to reduce CO 2 emission. Secondly, China is the country where studies are mostly focused and also where the authors are affiliated/located. However, publications from the United Kingdom are cited the most. Thirdly, there are three clusters of literature found, namely that LCD and LCT are the terms used to identify visions for climate mitigation, while decarbonization is the actions and processes to achieve either LCD or LCT (as the visions). • The dynamic of climate change policies influence the literature trend. • The literature is mostly originating from major CO 2 emitter. • Low carbon development and low carbon transition are visional terms. • Decarbonization indicates the processes of decoupling CO 2 to achieve the visions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel climate mitigation action index to evaluate various aspects linked to the implementation of Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAP), which define the carbon dioxide emission reduction targets and outline the key actions to achieve these at the municipal level. A SEAP Implementation Index (SII) is developed and applied to study climate change mitigation actions implemented by 102 Municipalities belonging to the Metropolitan City of Milan (Italy) in the framework of the Covenant of Mayors (CoM). The SII is composed of six categories and 16 sub-indicators and results in a final score ranging from 1 to 10. The average rating obtained in the case study area is 4.2, and only eleven Municipalities achieved an evaluation higher than 6. The sensitivity analysis shows the index robustness against variations in the applied weight factors. The population engagement and the management of the initiative, neglected by many Municipalities mostly because of a lack of funding and personnel, are identified as the most critical aspects. Despite the massive participation in the CoM, no quantitative analysis of the SEAPs implementation has been proposed until now and this study shows some severe shortcomings in their application. • A novel climate mitigation action index at the local scale is proposed. • The index is applied to 102 Municipalities in the Metropolitan City of Milan. • Results show low implementation of climate actions; average score is 4.2/10 • Main obstacles: lack of funding and personnel, low population engagement. • Shortcomings of local climate mitigation action are quantified and compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study learns energy systems for climate mitigation from a systematic review. • Heterogeneity of energy system research is summarized for the first time. • A novel hand-coding typology analysis for energy systems is proposed. The energy supply sector is the largest contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. A good understanding of energy systems from existing research will provide multidimensional insights for appropriate actions against global warming. This study conducts a systematic review of the literature covering 1,184 articles on energy issues dealing with climate change mitigation. Using a novel hand-coding typology analysis, we characterize the body of knowledge and identify possible research gaps according to the heterogeneity of the energy process, time scale, geographic location, energy technology, and concerned end-use sector. We find that research interest mainly focuses on the energy supply (496 papers) and the end-use process (359 papers). Energy storage and the energy–water–land nexus are two emerging areas. Biomass, solar, wind, and nuclear energy are the technologies that attract the most attention, while interest in hydrogen energy production and waste-to-energy has grown very recently. The cost-benefit and mitigation potential of renewable generation are the most studied topics, followed by the impacts of climate change on electricity production. In contrast, little attention is paid to research on traditional oil and gas exploration. Regarding the end-use sector, residents and transport are the most evident sectors studied. China, the United States, and Europe are the most featured regions while very few studies focus on Africa, South America, and Small Island Developing States. Current research topics concentrate on how to maximize the co-benefit of greenhouse gas mitigation and eco-environment protection via cost-benefit reinventions of energy systems. Discussions of technological innovation are grounded in optimal technology portfolio deployment and cost reduction potential, along with financial and political incentives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines a pathway for small islands to replace fossil fuels by renewable sources, such as wind and solar, up to 100% to economically achieve energy security and satisfy The Paris Agreement to limit temperature rise as close as possible to 1.5 °C, in an economically beneficial manner. Using Jamaica, as an example, it is shown that the introduction of intermittent renewable energy to an island grid, which is electrically isolated, relying totally on itself for backup, causes serious frequency fluctuations and load shedding. Simulations show that a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) using Li-ion batteries can be employed to economically overcome these problems. It is also noted that the cost of batteries with longer discharge capacity is on the decline and their use is expected to be become economical in about 10 years. Looking at the reported pathway to satisfy The Paris Agreement, a 2-phase pathway is suggested. In the Phase 1 (2020–2030) 30% integration of intermittent renewables with BESS backup can be implemented in a manner that is not economically burdensome whilst the remaining fossil fuel system can provide the firm energy needed. In Phase 2 (2030–2055), more renewables can be implemented, provided sufficient long term storage, including batteries, can be added to provide firm energy. By 2030 the cost of such storage is expected to fall resulting in increased deployment without a financial burden to the islands. Ideally, during the period 2020 to 2055, there should be no new additions of fossil fuel plants and retiring plants should be replaced by renewable energy plants; although an account is necessary for plants already in the planning and development stages. The leeway period of 2020–2030 should be used for the preparation and planning of adding up to 100% renewables in all sectors. • Sensitivity of isolated island grid systems to intermittent renewables. • Demonstration of frequency regulation control using simulations of Li-ion battery storage. • Mitigation pathway utilizing 100% renewable to limit temperature rise to 1.5″.C [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A multi-GCM ensemble simulation and optimization approach is developed. • The developed approach can effectively tackle multiple uncertainties. • The impact of climate change on energy-economy-carbon nexus system is investigated. • Renewable energy will gradually replace fossil fuel for mitigating climate change. • There is a tradeoff between carbon dioxide emission and system cost. Climate change mitigation by reducing carbon dioxide emission becomes one of the major challenges for energy systems. In this study, a multi-GCM ensemble simulation and optimization approach is developed for analyzing the impact of climate change on China's energy-economy-carbon nexus system under multiple uncertainties through integrating techniques of multiple global climate models, support-vector-regression, Monte Carlo simulation, and interval chance-constrained programming within a general framework. The developed approach can tackle multiple uncertainties existed in global climate models, random carbon dioxide emission and complex optimization process. Results disclose that (i) the national electricity demand would grow around 58.6% in the next 30 years under climate change; (ii) for climate change mitigation and sustainable development, fossil fuel would be gradually replaced by renewable energy (i.e. the share of fossil fuel to the total energy supply decreasing 22.5% and the share of electricity generated from renewable energy increasing 27.0% by 2050); (iii) compared to the peak value in 2030, carbon dioxide emission would reduce 15.1% by 2050, most reduction from coal-fired power generation; (iv) there is a tradeoff between carbon dioxide emission and system cost as p-level decreases from 0.15 to 0.01 (i.e. carbon dioxide emission can reduce 1.9% with 3.7% of raised system cost). It is desired for China to adjust its current energy supply structure for reducing carbon emission and seeking a low-carbon developmental path. The most effective way is to eliminate some small coal-fired units. A number of wind-power and solar-power projects are expected to be implemented due to their abundant potential markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Integrated analysis of climate change mitigation and adaptation in the power sector. • Climate change constraints are incorporated into simulations of a power system expansion. • The impacts of climate change on the electricity demand and supply are quantified. • WEAP and LEAP software tools are used. • Results indicate the nexus between climate change mitigation and adaptation. Reductions in carbon emissions have been a focus of the power sector. However, the sector itself is vulnerable to the impacts of global warming. Extreme weather events and gradual changes in climate variables can affect the reliability, cost, and environmental impacts of the energy supply. This paper analyzed the interplay between CO 2 mitigation attempts and adaptations to climate change in the power sector using the Long-range Energy Alternative Planning System (LEAP) model. This paper presented a novel methodology to integrate both CO 2 mitigation goals and the impacts of climate change into simulations of a power system expansion. The impacts on electricity supply and demand were quantified, based on historical climate-related impacts revealed during fieldwork and existing literature. The quantified effects, together with climate mitigation targets, were then integrated into the LEAP modeling architecture. The results showed a substantial alteration in technology composition and an increase in installed capacities driven by the joint climate mitigation–adaptation efforts when compared with the scenario without mitigation and adaptation (reference). Furthermore, an increase in CO 2 emissions was observed under the mitigation-adaptation scenario compared with the mitigation only scenario, indicating that the power sector's adaptations for climate change are likely to hinder CO 2 mitigation efforts. Therefore, a nexus between mitigation and adaptation should be exploited in the policy development for a low-carbon and climate-resilient power system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study at the individual level the connection between actions to reduce energy consumption and beliefs about the personal responsibility for climate change mitigation. Also examined is the role of human values and differences between countries in shaping beliefs and actions. Using data from 23 (mostly) European countries, we find large heterogeneity in both beliefs and actions, with wealthy countries more likely to be concerned about the environment. Personal responsibility and efforts to save energy are positively but weakly related. Regarding human values, self-transcendence and openness are positively associated with responsibility, while self-enhancement and conservation are negatively correlated. Values are less connected to energy saving, with a relationship that is positive with conservation and negative with self-enhancement. • We compare energy reduction behaviour with perceived responsibility on climate change. • We study human values and country differences in shaping perceptions and behaviours. • We find large heterogeneity in the 23 (mostly) European countries considered. • Responsibility and energy reduction positively correlate, but the correlation is small. • Human values are more highly correlated with responsibility than with energy saving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combating global climate change calls for all countries to accelerate emissions reductions, and equity is an important guiding principle. A new indicator – the carbon Palma ratio, extended from the income Palma ratio and defined as the ratio of the total emissions of the top 10% emitters to those of the bottom 40% – is proposed, which provides a new perspective to inform the international community and the public of the distribution inequality of carbon emissions among individuals. The ratio is quantified within and across countries, by applying an elastic relationship between individual emissions and income. Results show that the carbon Palma ratios within most developing countries are overall high, suggesting them to focus more on coordinating regional and income differences and mainly guide high emitters to mitigate, so as to improve emissions and income equity simultaneously. The carbon Palma ratios within developed countries are comparatively smaller; however, the greater historical responsibilities to warming suggest them to substantially reduce emissions of all citizens, so as to enhance national mitigation contributions systematically. At a global scope, the current carbon Palma ratio is observably higher than within any country, reflecting an extremely severe inequality when looking at individual emissions beyond territorial limitations. The regional decomposition of emitters further suggests developed countries to take the lead in the post-Paris era in ratcheting up mitigation and climate finance ambition. Image 1 • Carbon Palma ratio is proposed to measure individual emissions inequality. • The ratio provides a new perspective to quantify and inform inequality. • The ratios in developed countries are overall lower than in developing countries. • The global ratio reflects an extremely severe inequality across the world. • Decomposition suggests developed countries to enhance mitigation and finance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

S. Nordio1-2, F. Flapp1-2, S. Fumich3This presentation is about an educational experience in which high school students are comparing historical end recent strong wind events and investigating traditional architectures which were designed to resist such weather phenomena and which may now provide interesting insights for local climate change adaptation strategies.The experience is being carried out in Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG) region (1.200.000 inhabitants, about 8.000 km2) in northeastern Italy and it is part of a long standing educational project regarding weather and climate science, which has been developed by a high school (Liceo Scientifico "Galilei") in Trieste in collaboration with the regional meteorological observatory (OSMER) belonging to the Regional Environmental Protection Agency (ARPA FVG) and with the non-profit organization UMFVG - Meteorological Union of FVG. Such educational activities are highly interactive and are often carried out through a peer-tutoring approach. In 2018 the Liceo "Galilei" students were also involved in promoting a survey about knowledge, perception and attitudes concerning climate change among their peers. 620 high school students answered the on-line questionnaire: some results will be presented as well.The most recent activity in the educational project focuses on wind, adaptation and climate change.The city of Trieste and the surrounding Carso highland are typically swept by a strong wind, the Bora, blowing from east-northeast in gusts often exceeding 110-120 km/h and reaching occasionally 160-170 km/h (daily average wind speed about 80-100 km/h). Over the centuries, people living in the area developed spontaneous architectures and building techniques in order to resist this strong wind, but in recent years other areas in Friuli Venezia Giulia have been affected by unusually strong wind events, related to severe weather phenomena (such as storms, thunderstorms, downbursts) and/or peculiar mesoscale meteorological situations. The impacts were serious and, as such situations are likely to occur more frequently because of climate change, local adaptation strategies and measures will be necessary in order to prevent and reduce risks and damages.In this context, thirty "Galilei" high school students (age 17-19) are being involved in:• analyzing climate statistics regarding the winds in FVG region;• investigating both extreme wind (Bora) events that took place in the past in the area of Trieste and the most recent ones that occurred in other areas of FVG region;• collecting information and evidence about spontaneous architectures and building techniques employed in Trieste and Carso houses, industrial facilities, harbor area etc. in order to resist the Bora gusts;• learning about global and local climate change and about mitigation and adaptation concepts.This process is helping students to become aware of the importance of adapting to the local climate and, increasingly, to a changing climate. Identifying adaptive solutions to resist strong wind events may provide cues for discussing possible adaptation strategies also with local stakeholders and decision makers. The outcomes of this work, together with the results of the 2018 survey, will be presented to the other students of the school and to the public, through conferences, online videos, radio broadcasts etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]