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The action required to stem the environmental and social implications of climate change depends crucially on how humankind shapes technology, economy, lifestyle and policy. With transport CO2 emissions accounting for about a quarter of the total, we examine the contribution of CO2 output by scientific travel. Thankfully for the reputation of the scientific community, CO2 emissions associated with the trips required to present a paper at a scientific conference account for just 0.003% of the yearly total. However, with CO2 emissions for a single conference trip amounting to 7% of an average individual’s total CO2 emissions, scientists should lead by example by demonstrating leadership in addressing the issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is a global issue that affects every country, a pressing issue that requires global response. Nigeria is one of the countries that are most affected by climate change. The Nigerian government has recognized the impact of climate change on the country's economy, health, and environment, and has put in place laws and policies to address the issue. However, the question remains whether these laws and policies are effective in mitigating the impact of climate change or if they are simply symbolic gestures with no real impact on the ground. This paper examines the Nigerian climate change laws and policies to determine whether they are contributing to progress or stagnation. The paper provides an overview of the Nigerian climate change laws and policies, including the Climate Change Policy and Response Strategy (2012) and the National Climate Change Policy (2013). It1 also examines the legal framework for climate change in Nigeria, including the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) and the Environmental Impact Assessment Act (1992). The paper then analyses the effectiveness of Nigeria's climate change laws and policies, especially the 2021 Act. The analysis is based on a review of relevant literature, as well as interviews with key stakeholders in Nigeria's climate change sector. The analysis reveals that while Nigeria has made some progress in addressing climate change, there are still significant challenges to be overcome. These challenges include a lack of funding, limited public awareness and understanding of climate change, and weak institutional frameworks. It concludes by recommending measures that can be taken to improve Nigeria's climate change laws and policies. Overall, the paper suggests that while Nigeria has made some progress in addressing climate change, there is still much work to be done to ensure that the country is better prepared to tackle this critical issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an overall performance assessment of hybrid-electric medium-range transport aircraft, with the aim to evaluate the potential of such a propulsion technology towards the reduction in the environmental impact of aviation transport, in terms of both local air quality degradation in airport areas and climate change. The proposed approach presents distinct analyses of the environmental impact of transport aircraft, distinguishing climate-changing effects from local pollution effects so that the integration of hybrid-electric propulsion is carried out to face the two issues specifically. The proposed analysis, although of conceptual nature, presents a clear scenario in which, given the technological limitations of batteries, the use of hybrid-electric propulsion on medium-haul aircraft can only be useful to reduce local pollution. In contrast, other solutions are needed to mitigate the climate-changing impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geotechnical constructions involve consumption of a vast amount of non-renewable natural resources and energy- and carbon dioxide-intensive materials (e.g. cement and steel) that contribute significantly to global warming and climate change. This paper uses drilled shafts as an example to illustrate the importance of environmental impact assessment in the design phase of foundations. Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is used to quantify the environmental impacts of construction of single drilled shafts and groups embedded in sandy soil profiles. Parametric studies are conducted to investigate the effects of soil properties, design parameters and hauling distances of construction materials and equipment on the environmental impacts of single drilled shafts. For pile groups, different configurations, applied load, centre-to-centre spacing and thickness of pile cap are considered in the parametric study. The global warming impact and human toxicity of a typical drilled shaft are found to be 39 and 486% of annual world impact per person, respectively. Based on the study, charts and tables are developed that may be used for quick estimation of the global warming impact of drilled shafts without the use of specialised LCA software programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Municipalities face the direct impact of climate change events, but many are challenged to assess the potential outcomes of future climate action policies. It is essential for local municipalities to be able to evaluate cross-sector and cross-scale policy interventions, but many lack the expertise and resources for wholistic forecasting. This paper used a hybrid interscalar and interdisciplinary modeling approach to evaluate, compare, visualize, and reveal the performance of climate actions at building and neighbourhood scales of future 'what-if' scenarios for three neighbourhood urban form types (dispersed, corridor, nodal) in three cities in British Columbia, Canada (Vancouver, Victoria, Prince George). Results found that increases in population density combined with strict building standards and retrofitting older buildings decreased per person emissions per year by up to 84% by 2050. Within the neighbourhoodscale areas, building form and location had less impact. Population density and frequency of transit service were most important for mobility mode shifts. Concentrating density at transit nodes or along commercial corridors improved the percentages of residents within a fiveminute walk of those services, but proximity to greenspaces showed mixed results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life cycle assessment (LCA) in the building sector has become a widely used method for quantifying environmental impacts of a building over its entire life cycle. Currently, however, no standardized procedure exists for considering refurbishment measures. In addition, the LCA, according to the European standard EN 15978, is limited to building level only. This paper shows how a methodological LCA framework of refurbishment methods can be applied at three levels: single building, neighbourhood, and municipality. Initially, the proposed methodological approaches are introduced while the framework rules are defined for each of the three levels. The system boundaries of the LCA differ regarding the assessment levels within the given methodology and are adapted accordingly. In addition, the three levels of assessment are defined by the accuracy of measurement results, and data requirements, as well as by the specific value of the calculations and the ownership of the building stock. The assessment levels provide a specific quality and quantity of environmental indicator results. Thus, the complex interrelationships of the assessment levels are shown. The developed framework for the environmental assessment of refurbishment measures provides comparability at the building level. At the neighbourhood level, emissions from refurbishment measures are compared with the reductions of emissions through heating energy demand. Ultimately, the potential of refurbishment measures at the municipal level can be identified on a large scale and used as a decision-making tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climate of the Republic of Moldova and its Central Region is temperate continental with a transitional character and is formed under the influence of three groups of climatogenesis factors: radiative, dynamic and physicogeographical. Also, the climate of our Republic is characterized by mild and short winters, with little snow, long, hot summers, but with an insufficient amount of atmospheric precipitation, which fall predominantly in the warm period of the year in the form of showers. In this paper will be examined the ecological status of Costuleni locality, Ungheni district. The evaluation and study were carried out according to the standards and normative acts in force for the Republic of Moldova. The research consists in identifying the ecological status of the locality, through observations, comparisons, as well as, data collection, organization and evaluation. Environmental impact assessment - represents the assessment (quantification) of the effects of human activities and negative natural processes on natural elements and factors, ecosystems, human health and safety, as well as on material goods. Various specialized publications, scientific papers, legislative and normative acts, plans and strategies for sustainable development, statistical and activity reports of the Ministry of Environment and State Ecological Inspectorate, as well as those of the Ungheni Ecological Inspection were studied. Ensuring the long-term survival of ecological systems, the main provider of resources on which development and human well-being depend, can only be achieved in the case of sustainable development. Equally important is the role of biodiversity in providing services provided by ecological systems, such as determining soil and climate conditions, water purification, mitigating the effects of natural disasters, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the aggravation of global warming and the increasing demand for energy, the development of renewable energy is imminent. Floating photovoltaic (FPV) is a new form of renewable energy generation. However, the impact of FPV on the aquatic environment is still unclear. By long-term empirical monitoring and data analysis, this paper reveals the shading effect of large-scale FPV power station on aquatic environment for the first time. The results show that: (1) Compared with the non-photovoltaic (NP) zone, FPV only significantly reduces the concentration of dissolved oxygen in the photovoltaic (P) zone. (2) The concentration of chlorophyll a , nitrate nitrogen and total phosphorus increase, while pH and ammonia nitrogen decrease. FPV only causes an effect of the same order of magnitude as the initial concentration, and has no significant adverse effects on the nutritional status of the water body at a coverage ratio less than 50%. (3) FPV has a cooling effect on the water body during the daytime and a thermal insulation effect at night, with the most pronounced impact on peak water temperature (T w). The heating and cooling process of T w in P zone usually lags behind the NP zone by 1–3 h. The diurnal fluctuation and vertical difference of T w as well as the stability of water body are reduced under the shading of FPV, alleviating the influence of climate change on T w and water body stratification. (4) If 10% of the water area larger than 1 km2 in China are used to develop FPV, more than 900 million tons of CO 2 emissions can be reduced, and about 5 billion m3 water can be saved, which is significant in the context of climate change. In general, this paper provides a reference for the future aquatic environmental impact assessment of FPV and the formulation of related policies. • The impact of FPV on aquatic environment has been assessed. • The scale effect of FPV and impact of "fish-photovoltaic integration" are revealed. • Spatial-temporal and object specificity of impact on aquatic environment is reviewed. • The responds of FPV to the challenges of global climate change are further discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Literature review papers related to the tourism-energy nexus are analyzed. • Four main groups are identified considering the quantitative methodology used. • Topics and discussions on the nexus between tourism and energy are developed. • Future research is discussed. The high dependence of tourism activities on energy consumption, and particularly on non-renewable energy, is a major barrier to building sustainable tourism models. For this reason, the analysis of tourism and energy use is a growing field of study within sustainability debates. Despite this, there is a gap in the literature and, to the best of our knowledge, there is no previous study that critically reviews the vast literature on the energy-tourism nexus. This paper aims to fill this gap in tourism knowledge. The main objective of this article is to conduct a systematic review of scientific studies with a quantitative empirical basis that examine this nexus, trying to answer the following questions: What are the main methodologies used to approach the tourism-energy nexus? which indicators or variables are relevant?; is there a consensus on the results?; and what are the main lines of discussion on the use of energy in tourism? To this end, we particularly focus on the main methodologies, results and perspectives during the period 2001–2021. A total of 1,189 articles were reviewed by abstract and title, 236 were included for the full review and 163 were finally selected. The results show how the nexus and energy dependence of tourism is assessed mainly from four major methodological groups: G1) econometric models, regressions and other statistical methodologies (67% of the sample); G2) surveys, questionnaires and energy audits (15%); G3) Life Cycle Analysis (13%) and G4) other approaches and environmental impact indicators to assess the relationship between energy and tourism (5%). The analysis between the causal relationships between tourism development, economic growth, energy use, environmental degradation and energy efficiency of accommodations are the main issues evaluated, considering a wide range of indicators/variables. Based on the gaps and limitations found in the literature review on tourism and energy, it is discussed how some findings should be interpreted with caution due to their methodological approaches and differences. Finally, some of the main lines of future research in this field are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis of wind generated waves due to the prevailing climate change induced by global warming is vital for benefit to the coastal community. In the present paper, the hindcasting of decadal variation namely (i) 1979–1992, (ii) 1993–2006, and (iii) 2007–2019 of wind-wave climate over seasonal and annual scale through 41 years starting from 1979 is carried out using ERA5 reanalysis wind-forcing with a daily temporal and 0.5° × 0.5° spatial resolution. The numerical simulations are executed over the computational domains (i) Global—Indian Ocean and (ii) Regional—south Gujarat to north Goa for evaluating the variability analysis of annual and seasonal mean significant wave heights. The evaluation framework is validated over three in-situ measurement locations with good correlation as compared to the simulated results. The results indicate that at this site the wind and wave activity is noted to increase during transition from 1979–1992 to 1993–2006, then a declination of mean significant wave height is noted during the span 2007–2019. Further, along with the spatial variation estimation, 27 locations along 15 m bathymetric contour at 25 km interval are selected for trend line study. All the 27 locations exhibits a similar kind of trend by variation of decreasing trend from 1979–2019 with variations 0.07–0.22 cm/year. This study highlights the significance in simulating the prevailing wind-wave changes at a regional level considering the impact of the climatology and seasonality changes for effective coastal management, environmental impact assessments and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analysed and summarised the significant research outputs published on the environmental impact assessment of mining and mineral processing industries through life cycle assessment. The paper presents valuable insights in identifying the gaps, where should the focus be in the mining and mineral processing industries for a sustainable future. Mining and mineral processing industries have been the key focus of research in many countries due to its increasing sustainability concerns that affect global warming and climate change. Use of heavy equipment that consumes electrical energy, mechanical energy, and an enormous amount of process heat is a key contributor to the overall impacts in the industry. Due to the use of heavy equipment and associated energy consumption, these industrial sectors contribute notably to global warming, human health, ecosystems, and resources. Among the various environmental impact assessment tools which are widely used to identify sustainability indicators, life cycle assessment (LCA) is a well-justified approach among the practitioners and researchers. Though state of the art technological tools and resources are being used now a days, there is still a research gap in identifying the key mining processes which need to be the focus of attention. Renewable energy integration in the mineral processing sector and process heating from green energy sources is becoming the emergent field of research. The review results reveal, the assessment indicators in human health and ecosystems are key factors that are mostly missing in the previous studies which are crucial for people or community living nearby mining area. This review paper identifies the research gaps to the existing literature that can form the base for future research direction in the field of LCA and sustainable energy integration in mining and mineral processing industries. • A review based on life cycle assessment studies in mining and mineral processing. • 16 metal mining industries are reviewed. • Summarised key factors of environmental effects using LCA. • Future research directions are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the consideration of climate change in environmental assessment (EA) in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector, British Columbia, Canada. Based on an analysis of recent EA applications, results show that climate change is considered, to some extent, in all phases of EA for most LNG projects. However, stakeholders indicate a dissatisfaction with practice – often based on expectations about EA that exceed what it can deliver as a project-based tool, and sometimes based on an incomplete understanding of existing climate change legislation and targets. Results also indicate inconsistent application of existing climate change requirements across project EAs. Notwithstanding proponents often addressing climate change in their EA applications, climate change tends to receive little attention in project decision and approval conditions. The paper concludes with recommendations for better practice climate change consideration in EA that is commensurate with the scope and scale of project-level issues, complemented by more strategic EA and economic instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air travel forms a substantial component of an organisation's carbon profile, and questions around business travel are becoming more pertinent given the accelerating climate crisis. The current coronavirus pandemic, however, has effectively stopped much travel and organisations had to adapt by switching most interactions to online meetings. Drawing on social practice theory, this paper examines changes in staff air travel behaviour observed in a New Zealand government agency, following the nationwide lockdown in 2020. Integrating air travel data, a staff wellbeing survey and 18 interviews, the research reveals fundamental differences in the meaning of face-to-face versus online meetings, the inseparable nature of productivity and personal wellbeing, and the change processes that staff noted when faced with a (temporary) new reality of restricted mobility. Whether modified routines remain or not will not only be influenced by the government's imposed carbon budgets, but also will be a question of organisational leadership, politics, and ultimately the ethics of trading off environmental impacts with other perceived needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is a current concern in our society, with consequences increasingly felt worldwide. Alongside territories and communities, large infrastructures such as dams may be vulnerable to climate change and need to be resilient to related impacts. Consequently, their approval should require a comprehensive assessment of associated climate change risks. This concern is addressed by several international guidelines that suggest incorporating the evaluation of climate change risks in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process to overcome it. It is also evidenced in several national EIA regulations updated accordingly. Based on a systematic review of scientific literature published in the last twenty years, this paper explores how has the scientific community addressed the integration of climate change risks in the EIA of dams. The findings show that the potential of EIA to address climate change risks is widely acknowledged. However, published systematic studies assessing how the analysis of these risks is being included in dams' EIA current practice, are rare. This gap suggests a research potential around the topic and a new niche for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In this study, we used material flow analysis and life cycle assessment to quantify the environmental impacts and impact reductions related to wood consumption in Japan from 1970 to 2013. We then conducted future projections of the impacts and reductions until 2050 based on multiple future scenarios of domestic forestry, wood, and energy use. An impact assessment method involving characterization, damage assessment, and integration with a monetary unit was used, and the results were expressed in Japanese yen (JPY). We found that environmental impacts from paper consumption, such as climate change and urban air pollution, were significant and accounted for 56% to 83% of the total environmental impacts between 1970 and 2013. Therefore, reductions of greenhouse gas, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur oxide emissions from paper production would be an effective measure to reduce the overall environmental impacts. An increase in wood use for building construction, civil engineering, furniture materials, and energy production could lead to reductions of environmental impacts (via carbon storage, material substitution, and fuel substitution) amounting to 357 billion JPY in 2050, which is equivalent to 168% of the 2013 levels. Particularly, substitution of nonwooden materials, such as cement, concrete, and steel, with wood products in building construction could significantly contribute to impact reductions. Although an increase of wood consumption could reduce environmental impacts, such as climate change, resource consumption, and urban air pollution, increased wood consumption would also be associated with land‐use impacts. Therefore, minimizing land transformations from forest to barren land will be important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The Sustainable Development Goals agreed by the United Nations in September 2015 comprise 17 goals and 169 targets aimed at integrating matters related to sustainable development into the overall economic, environmental and social frameworks of countries. Whereas the SDGs have a global dimension, their action implementation depends on the level of priority different countries give to them, and on how sustainability issues compete with a country's main problems. The aim of this paper was to identify the main Sustainable Development Goals approached by experts from different geographic regions, according to their experience and research area, and to discuss the relation between these goals and the main local issues and challenges of each region. The methodology starts with snowball sampling to collect information from experts from all geographic regions, through contact networks of universities in different countries. With the information about the goals researched by the participating experts, an analysis of the relation between the study focus and the geographical regions of origin was conducted. A total of 266 specialists from North America, Latin America/Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania participated in the survey. Based on the sample used, it can be said that there is a relation between the local problems or challenges observed in some regions and the main areas of interest of the surveyed experts, with a general emphasis on the study of goals 4, 11 and 13. Based on the data gathered, the paper presents a set of examples of positive and negative situations in the various regions, and considers the extent to which some Sustainable Development Goals are being pursued by research on a worldwide basis. Graphical abstract Image Highlights • The SDGs are now being implemented by many countries. • There are differences in the emphasis to the implementation of the SDGs across different geographical regions. • Goals related to Climate Action, Sustainable Cities and Education seem to be among the most popular ones. • The research gaps suggest that many SDGs deserve more attention in order not to "leave anyone behind". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Countries in the East African region have for decades been synonymous with natural disasters, conflicts and severe environmental degradation. About 10 million out of the 65.6 million displaced persons globally are found in this region. This paper presents an empirical analysis of environmental impacts caused by forced displacements in five East African countries. Contrary to a widely-held opinion, there is sufficient anecdotal and empirical evidence depicting environmental damage caused by refugees and/or Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). A spatial analysis of current and former refugee and/or IDP camps in these five countries suggests the formation of “deforestation clusters” with concentrations of camps that compound environmental impacts. Technological advancements such as remote sensing capabilities can provide the means for assessing and implementing environmental protection measures. This paper recommends environmental care in humanitarian settings be considered an integral part of the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and climate change/variability agenda, based on cost- and responsibility-sharing, employing technology, and incorporating appropriate monitoring tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an overview of the interrelationships between tourism and sustainability from a cross-disciplinary perspective. The current challenges and barriers in the tourism sustainability, such as high energy use, extensive water consumption and habitat destruction, are first reviewed. Then the key cross-disciplinary elements in sustainable tourism, including green energy, green transportation, green buildings, green infrastructure, green agriculture and smart technologies, are discussed. To overcome the challenges and barriers, a few implementation strategies on achieving sustainable tourism from the aspects of policy/regulation, institution, finance, technology and culture are proposed, along with the framework and details of a key performance indicator system. Finally, prospects of the potential for tourism to contribute to the transformative changes, e.g., a green economy system, are illustrated. This paper shine a light on issues of importance within sustainable tourism and encourage researchers from different disciplines in investigating the inter-relationships among community/culture, environment/ecology, and energy/water/food more broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local reactions to climate change and sustainable development take various forms. The literature on grassroots innovation has grown recently, and it illustrates the myriad of initiatives that are actively working with the issues. The eco-village movement is one example of a grassroots innovation that reacts and adapts to its prerequisites, all striving for an alternative living with reduced environmental impact. This paper focuses on the development of eco-villages in Sweden, arguing that in recent years a fourth generation of initiatives has emerged, with ideals close to the pioneers of the first generation’s idealistic views and ambitions for alternative living as a way of reacting to global trends. The fourth generation is highly diverse in form and goals, but with an emphasis on outreach and networking as well as more focus on small-scale agriculture and permaculture. This paper presents, through literature reviews, database searches and interviews, how the eco-village idea has moved between initiatives and has taken various forms over the generations. In the first generation via books, reports and personal contacts, in the second and third also via contractors and professionals, and in the fourth via the internet and social media in order to attract members and have impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper provides a comprehensive conceptual analysis of disaster resilience in climate-vulnerable communities. • The research employs the Walker and Avant Method to elucidate the notion of resilience within the framework of climate vulnerability. • A practical framework and a set of ecological indicators are proposed for environmental impact assessments in disaster resilience. • The research provides tangible illustrations of the proposed approaches and indicators in practical contexts. Resilience is a prior term of debate in vulnerability research irrespective of discipline. Nowadays the resilience concept has been used abnormally in many cases without realizing its intended meaning. Therefore, this study clarifies the resilience concept in the context of climate vulnerability. An integrated review of the literature has been done by the PRISMA approach to identify the most relevant documents. Besides Walker and Avant Method has been used to analyze the concept of resilience. The use of concept in different disciplines, historical perspectives, dimensions, attributes, consequences, and relationship with vulnerability and adaptability have been reviewed to clarify it. This study also provides a theoretical and workable definition of resilience from the perspective of climate change and natural hazards. A conceptual framework has been developed with concept mapping, contributing to the existing debate on resilience study. A case analysis has been done by focusing on a climate-vulnerable community living in the riverine islands in Bangladesh. This article shows that socio-ecological systems approach to defining small island disaster resilience has shortcomings. Additionally, the research-policy divide in resilience studies is exacerbated by the paucity of studies that use the participatory approach to identify disaster resilience indicators. The study makes a compelling case for further research on how to turn academic discoveries into a resource that might benefit local people, particularly those on small islands. The study suggests that social community-based resilience should be developed to protect geographically isolated communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change adaptation has multiple definitions, to have a reference conceptual framework we understand it as the reduction of vulnerability to climate variability. This paper's objective was to assess the adaptive capacity and response to climate variability in three rural communities at Sierra de San Pedro Martir National Park. We applied discourse analysis and non-participatory observation. As for data collecting, we carried out structured interviews during community workshops and semi-structured ones to external stakeholders. Results show that communities recognized droughts as the most important climate phenomenon, given that it impacts their economic activities and daily life alike. But inhabitants did not associate water availability to environmental services provided by the National Park. Our main contribution was modifying the methodological tool. Conclusions indicate that adaptive responses are associated with social characteristics of the local population and their strategies diversity. The public institutions' role in rural adaptation was not addressed in-depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excessive heat generation by the high solar radiation is the major issue for agricultural greenhouses in hot climatic regions. This issue has become the great concern for summer greenhouses and has continuously been under study. Effective cooling of greenhouses needs to be undertaken to minimize the issue. There are several techniques of greenhouse cooling and among them, evaporative cooling has completely revolutionized the system of cooling in greenhouses since the nineteenth century and still it is being used around the world. The current paper presents a review study covering the past and the latest kinds of evaporative cooling techniques, which have been utilizing for agricultural greenhouses in summer. The paper attempted to show the performance characteristics of the individual cooling systems, like fan-pad systems, fog cooled systems, roof cooling systems, dissector pad-fan systems, two-stage cooling system and seawater greenhouse systems. A brief survey of literature revealed that evaporative cooling could be applied to any environmental condition to reduce greenhouse excess thermal load depending upon the types of the system. Finally, some innovative cooling ideas have been provided for further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the first of a series of four GMD papers on the PMIP4-CMIP6 experiments. Part 2 (Otto-Bliesner et al., 2017) gives details about the two PMIP4-CMIP6 interglacial experiments, Part 3 (Jungclaus et al., 2017) about the last millennium experiment, and Part 4 (Kageyama et al., 2017) about the Last Glacial Maximum experiment. The mid-Pliocene Warm Period experiment is part of the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP) - Phase 2, detailed in Haywood et al. (2016). The goal of the Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project (PMIP) is to understand the response of the climate system to different climate forcings for documented climatic states very different from the present and historical climates. Through comparison with observations of the environmental impact of these climate changes, or with climate reconstructions based on physical, chemical, or biological records, PMIP also addresses the issue of how well state-of-the-art numerical models simulate climate change. Climate models are usually developed using the present and historical climates as references, but climate projections show that future climates will lie well outside these conditions. Palaeoclimates very different from these reference states therefore provide stringent tests for state-of-the-art models and a way to assess whether their sensitivity to forcings is compatible with palaeoclimatic evidence. Simulations of five different periods have been designed to address the objectives of the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6): the millennium prior to the industrial epoch (CMIP6 name: past1000); the mid-Holocene, 6000 years ago (midHolocene); the Last Glacial Maximum, 21 000 years ago (lgm); the Last Interglacial, 127 000 years ago (lig127k); and the mid-Pliocene Warm Period, 3.2 million years ago (midPliocene-eoi400). These climatic periods are well documented by palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental records, with climate and environmental changes relevant for the study and projection of future climate changes. This paper describes the motivation for the choice of these periods and the design of the numerical experiments and database requests, with a focus on their novel features compared to the experiments performed in previous phases of PMIP and CMIP. It also outlines the analysis plan that takes advantage of the comparisons of the results across periods and across CMIP6 in collaboration with other MIPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural hazard risk is largely projected to increase in the future, placing growing responsibility on decision makers to proactively reduce risk. Consequently, decision support systems (DSSs) for natural hazard risk reduction (NHRR) are becoming increasingly important. In order to provide directions for future research in this growing area, a comprehensive classification system for the review of NHRR-DSSs is introduced, including scoping, problem formulation, the analysis framework, user and organisational interaction with the system, user engagement, monitoring and evaluation. A review of 101 papers based on this classification system indicates that most effort has been placed on identifying areas of risk and assessing economic consequences resulting from direct losses. However, less effort has been placed on testing risk-reduction options and considering future changes to risk. Furthermore, there was limited evidence within the reviewed papers on the success of DSSs in practice and whether stakeholders participated in DSS development and use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifying a proposed project's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and scrutinizing their effect on climate change are increasingly required in Canadian environmental assessment (EA) processes. This paper investigates to what degree an EA authority's intention for the inclusion of GHG considerations has resulted in implementation into environmental impact statements (EISs) by proponents and how these considerations influence the achievement of GHG reduction targets. Fifteen projects across five Canadian jurisdictions were reviewed. The examination revealed that well-developed intentions by EA authorities did not necessarily result in proponents following guidelines for GHG consideration in their EISs due to the absence of regulation or clearly defined policies. Conversely, even though intentions by an EA authority are underdeveloped in some jurisdictions, EISs sometimes exhibited thorough GHG assessments due to mechanisms in the EA process through which GHG consideration by the proponent could be compelled. The examination did not reveal how GHG consideration in EA currently assists in meeting reduction targets. A GHG emissions limit imposed during the EA process could link EA to success in meeting these targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal aquifers provide a source of water for more than one billion people, with island freshwater lenses being some of the most vulnerable coastal groundwater systems due to their susceptibility to saltwater intrusion. Basic hydrogeological and hydrochemical knowledge regarding the recharge and salinisation processes of freshwater lenses is important to ensure sustainable utilisation, especially considering possible climate change effects. This paper makes an assessment of the fate of a freshwater lens in a drying climate through a comparison of current and historic hydrochemical data, which to the author’s knowledge is unique to this study. Fresh groundwater stable isotope signatures (δ 18 O, δ 2 H) reflect local amount weighted rainfall signatures (δ 18 O: −3.8‰; δ 2 H: −15.1‰), and confirm rainfall as the origin of fresh groundwater (δ 18 O: −4.47 to −3.82‰; δ 2 H: −20.0 to −16.6‰). Mixing with seawater was identified through enriched groundwater δ 18 O and δ 2 H signatures (maximum values of −0.36‰ and −1.4‰ respectively) compared to local rainfall and higher salinity (maximum 29,267 mg/L Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)) in a number of monitoring wells around the freshwater lens. Enhanced seawater intrusion detected in the northern section of the lens area was identified through significantly increased TDS values over the last 20–40 years, with increases of up to 3000% observed between 1990 and 2014. A reduction in the extent of freshwater by approximately 1 km 2 was identified since 1977, which was found to be primarily caused by a reduction in recharge to the freshwater lens due to a ∼20% decline in winter rainfall in the south-west Western Australian region since the mid 1960s. Groundwater abstraction was found to equate to between 5% and 9% of the estimated recharge for the island, and is not a significant factor in the reduction of the lens extent compared to the observed decline in rainfall recharge. Interestingly, seawater intrusion into the fresh water lens was found to occur by older seawater (0.03–0.09 TU) in regions of the lens that were previously fresh or slightly brackish, while one sample (0.67 TU) suggests either modern seawater intrusion or mixing of older saline groundwaters (>60 years) with rainfall recharge. The use of tritium dating in this island aquifer was essential in identifying ‘older’ seawater that was previously unidentified until now. The isotopic and hydrochemical tools used in this paper quantify the effects of groundwater abstraction and climate variability on the freshwater lens and have implications for the sustainable management of the groundwater resource on Rottnest Island, and elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capital-intensive industries consume fossil fuels for mass production with little concern for nature's assimilative capacity, which results in an accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Pollution abatement systems based on market-induced correctives and multi-national agreements works as ex-post remedial measures and have limited effectiveness in the reduction of GHGs. In this paper, we formulate the sustainable-structure-conduct-performance (S-SCP) paradigm as an ex-ante remedial measure by mimicking the structure-conduct-performance (SCP) paradigm to reduce the GHGs. By using a dynamic panel data, the workability of the S-SCP paradigm was tested on CO 2 emissions for selected major Indian iron and steel industries (IISI). Our findings show that the green relative index was positively significant in respect of green value added (GREVA). However, green R&D and barriers to entry and exit were negatively significant in respect of GREVA. Overall, the S-SCP paradigm's test in ISII suggests that the incorporation of social cost into the firm's structure and conduct will achieve sustainable performance-oriented production practices that reduce CO 2 emissions. We propose general suggestions on industrial parks for green technology innovation, management responsibility mechanisms, environmental impact assessment notifications and an Indian sustainable development commission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Rivers are among the ecosystems most sensitive to climate change. Whilst methods quantifying the impact and uncertainty of climate change on flow regime are well-established, the impact on hydroecological response is not well understood. Typically, investigative methods are qualitative in nature or follow quantitative methods of limited scope, whilst the effect of uncertainty is frequently minimised. This paper proposes a coupled hydrological and hydroecological modelling framework to assess the impact of climate change on hydroecological response quantitatively. The characterisation and reduction of modelling uncertainties was critical to the development of the framework. The ability of the framework is illustrated through application to a case study river, the River Nar, Norfolk, England, using the UKCP09 probabilistic climate projections (high emissions scenario, SRES A1F1). The results show that, by the 2050s, a reduction in instream biodiversity is virtually certain if future emissions follow the assumptions of SRES A1F1. Disruption to the natural low flow processes, essential to ecosystem functioning, is also indicated. These findings highlight the importance of the framework in water resources adaptation, particularly with respect to future environmental flows management. Highlights • We propose a modelling framework to assess hydroecological response to climate change. • Characterisation and reduction of uncertainty considered throughout. • Provides quantifiable measure of the uncertainty in the hydroecological projections. • Case study sees reduced instream biodiversity and disruption to flow processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Sustainable development as a concept of societal development encompasses some problems that need to be addressed carefully. They relate to overcoming the technical limits of individual systems, reducing environmental impact, social inclusion, green economic progress involving all stakeholders, limiting the impact of human activities, etc. Over the past few years, as a result of the increasingly pronounced climate change, more and more studies are addressing these problems and stress the importance of sustainable development. The key to sustainable development are, therefore, the solutions to the problems currently encountered by various stakeholders, that together contribute to the preservation of the environment for future generations. This is no longer based on the goodwill of individuals, but has become the responsibility of the entire generation. This article presents some examples of the solutions for the problems arising from sustainable development and is an overview of recent scientific achievements in the field of sustainable development that emerged from recent Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES) conferences. As such, it acts as an editorial paper for the virtual special issue of the Journal of Environmental Management, that is dedicated to the SDEWES2017 conference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Systemic changes in environmental conditions, such as climate, can have a significant impact on both natural and human systems. This paper provides an improved understanding of the spatio-temporal variations in underlying climate processes, and the potential effects climate change may have on Vietnam's agricultural sector. Statistical methods were combined with geostatistical techniques to test the statistical significance of long-term trends in the climatic variables, graphically representing the distribution of climate patterns, identifying variations and trends of changes over time and their likely effects on agricultural production. By using records of monthly precipitation and temperature for a relatively long-term period (1975–2014) over a high density of 112 meteorological stations across the country, robust statistical and visual evidence of climatic change throughout Vietnam are provided. The Mann-Kendall trend test confirms the statistically significant long-term trends of rainfall and temperature in many regions across the country. The visual analysis shows remarkable changes in the spatio-temporal distribution patterns of those variables and most of the 'hotspot' areas identified by geostatistical mapping are in areas with confirmed long-term trends. The long-term significant trends are also concentrated in areas with very high proportion of agricultural land, particularly land used for rice production in the Red River and Mekong River deltas. The findings deliver a better understanding of underlying climate processes and impacts across regions of Vietnam and provide a basis to develop effective climate-related policies for agricultural production in response to changing climatic conditions. Highlights • We use data from weather stations at high spatial density recorded over a long period. • Robust visual and statistical evidence of climate change across Vietnam is provided. • We identify key rice-growing areas that are affected with pronounced climatic change. • We evaluate the likely effects of the ongoing climatic change on rice production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Comparison of two hydrological modeling studies at the local scale in the Everest region. • At high altitudes, snow-pack is the main driver of the discrepancy between the two models. • The time step impacts the snow-pack simulation, in particular during the summer season. • Estimations of soil processes are associated with high uncertainties due to models structure. Abstract This paper compares the hydrological responses at the local scale of two models using different degrees of refinement to represent physical processes in sparsely instrumented mountainous Himalayan catchments. This work presents the novelty of applying, at a small spatio-temporal scale and under the same forcing conditions, a fully distributed surface scheme based on mass and energy balance equations (ISBA surface scheme), and a semi-distributed calibrated model (J2000 hydrological model). A new conceptual module coupled to the ISBA surface scheme for flow routing is presented. Two small catchments located in mid- and high- mountain environments were chosen to represent the very different climatic and physiographic characteristics of the Central Himalayas in the Everest region of eastern Nepal. The results show that both models globally represent the dynamic of the processes for evaporation, quick runoff and discharge in a similar way. The differences in the model structures and results mainly concern the snow processes and the soil processes. In particular for the high-mountain catchment, the snow-pack simulation is shown to be the main driver of the discrepancy between the two models. The sub-daily variations of snow processes are shown to significantly influence the estimation of the snow-melt contribution to discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In recognition of the impact of the refrigeration sector on climate change, global commitments are achieved to replace hydrofluorocarbon substances with more planet-friendly alternatives. In this regard, countries with high ambient temperatures (HAT) face additional problems in identifying suitable alternatives due to the impact of such temperatures on energy performance in vapor compression systems. This paper presents an experimental analysis using R134a and two lower global warming potential (GWP) mixtures in a small capacity vapor compression refrigeration system for HAT environments. The range of evaporating and condensing conditions was selected to simulate a refrigeration system working at HAT conditions. The experimental operating results show that although R450A values are acceptable, R513A shows better adaptation to the refrigeration system in terms of pressure ratio, discharge temperature, and mass flow rate. Then, attending to experimental energetic results, R450A energy performance (quantified by COP) and cooling capacity are lower than R513A and R134a. TEWI analysis of a small refrigeration unit shows CO 2 equivalent emission saving when using R450A in the different condensation conditions. However, taking into account the variation of cooling capacity, R513A system results in the lowest TEWI when normalizing per unit of delivered cooling capacity. Highlights • R450A and R513A are analyzed as drop-in replacements to R134a. • Selected middle condensing temperatures are 40, 50 and 60 °C. • R513A and R450A shows proper adaptation to R134a system. • R513A energy performance is comparable to R134a at most conditions. • Normalized TEWI gives better results for R513A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • An integrated approach is developed for environmental sustainability. • Climate variability has significant impacts on local environmental sustainability. • Rio Grande Basin is sustainable under current climate conditions. • Rio Grande Basin will become less sustainable in the late 21st century. Abstract Extreme weather events have been affecting local environmental sustainability. Previous literature in this field evaluates environmental sustainability based mainly on past and current resource consumption and availability, however, knowledge about the status and potential changes of environmental sustainability under future climate extremes is missing. This paper proposes an integrated approach (combining the Ecological Footprint Analysis with econometric regressions) to predict future environmental sustainability under different climate scenarios. Based on the case study of the U.S. Rio Grande Basin, the results show that this region has been sustainable in 1982–2012, although sustainability levels have been declining over time. In addition, projections for the future show that the entire region will most likely move away from sustainability by the end of this century under the high emission scenario (e.g., RCP8.5). These findings are relevant for sustainable resource management and allocation of local environmental resources as well as for decision-making support regarding climate risk adaptation and mitigation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In commenting on our review about barriers to climate change adaptation and mitigation (Williamson and Nelson 2017, Can. J. For Res. 47(12): 1567–1576, doi:10.1139/cjfr-2017-0252), Wellstead et al. (2018, Can. J. For. Res. 48(10), doi:10.1139/cjfr-2017-0465) argue that the "functionalist assumptions" underlying barriers analysis in general and our paper in particular are problematic. They also argue that barriers analysis — a method widely employed both in scholarly climate change adaptation research and in national and international climate change assessments — should be replaced by approaches that remain untested in the context of climate change adaptation research, particularly in forestry adaptation and mitigation research. We believe that neither the scholarly research on adaptation and mitigation barriers nor our review have characteristics of functionalism or imply functionalist assumptions. Moreover, we disagree that barriers analysis can be replaced by the methodologies that they propose because these latter approaches address different aspects and features of processes supporting movement toward comprehensive and integrated adaptation and mitigation in forest management. We do agree that there are knowledge gaps relative to examinations and explanations of causal mechanisms to explain decision-making and policy process outcomes that have already occurred, and we encourage research to address these gaps. Ultimately, this aspect of social science research is complementary to, not a substitute for, barriers research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents life-cycle environmental impacts and health hazards of the ilmenite and rutile processing routes which are very little explored despite a significant quantity of production worldwide. The study is carried out through a life-cycle environmental-impact assessment of the ilmenite and rutile mining production processes in Australia, using the International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) method under 14 significant impact categories and the Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) method for 10 significant impact categories. The dataset is collected from EcoInvent and the Australian Life cycle assessment database considering Australia as the geographic region. The major impact categories are climate change, human health (cancer), human health (non-cancer), ecotoxicity, and eutrophication. The analysis results show that the highest impact is caused in climate change, at 0.295 kg CO 2 eq, which is due to the large amount of electricity consumption in the ilmenite extraction process. Then, human toxicity-non cancer effects (4.42E-09 CTUh) and particulate matter (0.000155 kg PM 2.5 eq) are also noteworthy. Water resources depletion is affected due to the chemical emissions from ilmenite ore, which are found to be 0.00163 m 3 water eq. Rutile production impacts greatly on climate change at 1.535 kg CO 2 eq owing to large-scale electricity consumption. Electricity consumption for rutile also affects human toxicity-non cancer (2.3E-8 CTUh), particulate matter (0.00081 kg PM2.5 eq), and terrestrial eutrophication (0.024 molc N eq). Water-resources depletion from rutile is due to the ore, which are found to be 0.0085 m 3 water eq. The comparative assessment between ilmenite and rutile implies that rutile has more impact on the environment than ilmenite due to the electricity consumption and fossil fuel consumption. This result is validated through further analysis using the Cumulative Energy Demand method. A sensitivity analysis is also carried out to elucidate that the electricity grid mix from country-to-country contributes to sustainability by reducing the environmental impacts significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social Impact Assessment (SIA) in South Africa is still considered to be a neglected component of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), but the perspectives of the practitioners on the status and practice of SIA have never been probed, despite their key role in SIA. This paper explores those perspectives by means of a two-part survey conducted with an availability sample of 11 SIA practitioners in 2012 and 13 practitioners in 2016 following a qualitative Action Research Approach. Four themes emerged (i.e. SIA in practice, Problems in SIA, Effectiveness of SIA and the Future of SIA). It is evident that the practitioners generally agree about the nature and purpose of SIA, that SIA has problems but is healthy and will benefit from some regulation, that SIA is an important and valuable tool, although with limited effectiveness, and the practitioners are optimistic about the future of SIA. The perspectives of the practitioners are aligned with international trends towards enhancement and sustainability assessment, but they must remain committed to best practice in SIA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The predictive drought capacity of a seasonal forecast system was assessed using contingency tables. • An aggregate index for assessing predictive drought capacity was proposed. • The proposed methodology is useful for assessing the skill of climate models to predict droughts. • The dynamical System4 coupled model can be used for forecasting drought events. Abstract Droughts cause significant socio-economic and environmental impacts, so it has become an extremely important element in decision-making within water resource systems. For this reason, the research in this field has increased considerably over the last few decades. In order to be capable of making early decisions and reducing drought impacts, it is necessary to predict the occurrence of such events months or even years in advance. In this sense, various methods have been used to predict the occurrence of droughts. At present, seasonal forecast data can be used to forecast meteorological, hydrological, agricultural and operational droughts. However, the seasonal forecast data of these dynamical ocean-atmosphere coupled models must be analyzed in an exhaustive way, since it is known that these models may not adequately represent the climatic variability at river basin scale. Hence, this paper presents a new methodology for assessing the skill of a climate forecasting system in order to predict the occurrence of droughts by using contingency tables. The indices obtained from the contingency tables are necessary to perform the analysis of the predictive ability of the model in a semi-distributed way. All this taking into account the intensity of droughts using different scenarios based on the threshold below which it is considered to be in drought. Finally, a single value is obtained to determine the predictive ability of the forecasting model for the entire basin. The proposed methodology is applied to the Júcar river basin in Spain. It has been found that the analyzed forecast model shows better results than those obtained using an autoregressive model. Further work is needed to enhance climate forecasting from the perspective of water resources management, however, it should be mentioned that this type of data could be used for drought forecasting, allowing possible mitigation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transdisciplinary research is increasingly used in projects dealing with transitions to sustainable, resilient and low-carbon societies. Transdisciplinary research projects require collaboration and coordination between researchers from different disciplinary backgrounds. Academic literature provides valuable insights on designing, facilitating, leading and evaluating transdisciplinary projects. While a substantial body of literature explores the challenges associated with transdisciplinary research, there is a scarcity of case studies exploring the challenges faced during different phases of project execution. In this paper we present a reflective account and analysis of our experiences during the first fifteen months of a transdisciplinary research project. The project is used as a case study, following a participatory action research methodology. Our findings verified the three types of challenge mentioned in the literature – inherent, institutional and teamwork related. This paper identifies a fourth type – emergent – that has not been discussed in the literature. Emergent challenges introduce uncertainty into TDR projects and are uncontrollable. Such challenges require research consortium leaders to develop adaptive strategies, and to take a mediation and leadership role in dealing with them. The article makes the following recommendations: emergent challenges require emergent strategies; funding should be more flexible to account for the nature of TDR research; TDR could be evaluated on the basis of its overall impact rather than on inflexible ‘deliverables’; academic publishing strategies must be incorporated into TDR projects; team development and co-location should be facilitated; and academic institutions should include performance and promotion criteria encouraging researchers to undertake roles in TDR projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the methodological and practical issues relevant to the ways in which natural scientists, historians and archaeologists may collaborate in the study of past climatic changes in the Mediterranean basin. We begin by discussing the methodologies of these three disciplines in the context of the consilience debate, that is, attempts to unify different research methodologies that address similar problems. We demonstrate that there are a number of similarities in the fundamental methodology between history, archaeology, and the natural sciences that deal with the past (“palaeoenvironmental sciences”), due to their common interest in studying societal and environmental phenomena that no longer exist. The three research traditions, for instance, employ specific narrative structures as a means of communicating research results. We thus present and compare the narratives characteristic of each discipline; in order to engage in fruitful interdisciplinary exchange, we must first understand how each deals with the societal impacts of climatic change. In the second part of the paper, we focus our discussion on the four major practical issues that hinder communication between the three disciplines. These include terminological misunderstandings, problems relevant to project design, divergences in publication cultures, and differing views on the impact of research. Among other recommendations, we suggest that scholars from the three disciplines should aim to create a joint publication culture, which should also appeal to a wider public, both inside and outside of academia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the evidence for climatic changes in the Eastern Mediterranean for the period 200–800 AD and offers hypotheses on the role of climatic fluctuations in the societal developments that occurred in this region at the end of Antiquity. The geographical focus of the paper includes Anatolia and the Levant, two major regions of the Eastern Roman Empire that are rich in environmental, historical and archaeological data. The paper starts with the review of current research on the economic, settlement and vegetation history of the Eastern Mediterranean in Late Antiquity, which provides the necessary framework for the study of potential climate impacts. The core of the article is devoted to the analysis of the palaeoclimatic evidence, which is divided in two groups. The first one encompasses the direct evidence, that is palaeoclimate proxies and the textual record of extreme weather events, while the second includes indirect information on climate, in particular multi-proxy studies that include pollen analysis, archaeological evidence, and the historical evidence of subsistence crises. We conclude that during our study period there occurred three periods of substantially different climatic conditions. A late Roman drought ∼350–470 AD was followed by a dramatic shift to much wetter climatic conditions. These in turn changed into increasing dryness after ∼730 AD in Anatolia and ∼670 AD in the Levant. The lack of chronological precision in the dating of the archaeological evidence and of some climatic records makes it impossible at present to make conclusive observations regarding the societal responses to these climatic fluctuations. Nonetheless in all probability, the extended and – in some areas - severe late Roman drought did not cause any major social upheaval or economic decline in Anatolia or the Levant, although it appears to have contributed to a change in patterns of water use in the cities. In contrast, the increased availability of moisture after ∼470 AD does appear to have contributed to the expansion of rural settlement and agriculture into environmentally marginal terrain, including semi-arid areas such as the Negev. In this way climate probably contributed to the general economic prosperity of the late Roman Empire in the east of the Mediterranean basin. The end of this late Roman world system came about finally in mid-7th c. and, at least in Anatolia, is not directly associated with any shift in climatic conditions. Aridity during early Medieval times may be one of the main factors behind the gradual long-term decline of settlement on the marginal lands in the Levant following Islamic conquest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though Lithuania has seen extensive social and political transformations, there is still a gap in the literature on environmental performance of Lithuanian economy. Specifically, the environmental pressures stemming from economic activities have never been analysed in lines with the principles of production economics. This paper, therefore, aims to estimate the environmental performance index (EPI) for Lithuanian economic sectors. The paper presents the underlying trends in greenhouse gas emissions in Lithuania. The environmental performance index is estimated by employing the data envelopment analysis in the spirit of the Hicks-Moorsteen indices. The present analysis is based on the data from the World Input-Output Database. Specifically, the environmental technology is defined in terms of the value added, carbon and nitrous oxide emissions, labour, capital and energy. Results of the analysis imply that the analysed economic sectors can be grouped into the four clusters with respect to the mean EPI and its rate of growth. Pulp, paper and agricultural sectors fall into the best-performing group, featuring the highest mean EPI and the highest growth rate. Petroleum production and air transport sectors are those featuring the lowest environmental performance. Therefore, the latter sectors should be given an especial importance when developing strategies for increase in sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental system thresholds have been crossed for a number of dimensions of global environmental pollution, such as greenhouse gas emissions. Under this scenario, institutions and corporations are required to implement sustainable policies as a condition for humanity staying within planetary boundaries. Accordingly, the European Union created the largest Emissions Trading Scheme in the world with the aim of properly managing corporations' carbon dioxide reductions. This paper aims to contribute to the literature focused on testing the effectiveness of institutional environmental management policies. Specifically, this research evaluates whether the objectives of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme are partially achieved by analyzing the dynamics of carbon assets and the main energy commodities worldwide. This paper provides relevant information both for policy makers and company managers so that contributions towards the common goal of developing a clean energy future and curbing climate change are ameliorated. Based on wavelet coherence analysis, this paper proposes a model-free way of estimating the time-varying correlations between carbon assets and energy commodities at both high and low frequencies. Our central results reveal that carbon assets and energy commodities present a changing lead/lag behavior at different frequencies. The energy commodities lead the European Union Allowances returns at medium frequencies, but the contrary was true for the highest investment horizons. This finding should be in line with the goal of significantly reducing emissions because during long cycles if the majority of companies have not switched to cleaner industrial processes, they must buy more carbon assets, increasing their prices. In that case, energy commodities would be more expensive because of the energy commodities' market behavior during long-term horizons with European Union Allowances lead. The Certified Emissions Reductions lead in a negative way most of the energy commodities at medium frequencies, thus indicating that investors handling energy commodities-oriented portfolios could incorporate the mentioned carbon assets for diversification purposes. These specific findings suggest that polluting activities would be more expensive, which would provide an incentive to companies to implement environmentally–friendly industrial processes. The European Union Emissions Trading Scheme can result in significant emission reductions and compliance of the European Union with the objectives of the Kyoto Protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Screening is a critical first stage of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process, vetting development proposals to determine whether or not they require a full assessment. Inadequately executed significance tests undermine EIA's purpose of environmental protection. There is considerable variation across jurisdictions in terms of prescriptive and discretionary significance tests and the criteria and thresholds within them. Of all aspects of EIA, screening is cited as the most frequent source of actual infringements, yet there is a dearth of research in this area. This paper presents an empirical study from South Australia that investigates the adequacy of its discretionary screening process. The findings suggest that improvements are much needed toward improved consistency and transparency of decision-making and, ultimately better environmental protection. The paper prompts a thorough examination of significance testing elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

With increased acknowledgment of global climate change and warming, governments, consumers, and firms are responding collectively to create today's low-carbon economy. Carbon footprint labeling has developed as a meaningful instrument to motivate greenhouse gas emission reductions. This paper reviews existing research and implementation examples to understand the development of carbon labeling. This includes discussing the evolution of the carbon labeling concept, and different measurement methodologies and standards for carbon labels. These methods and standards include life cycle assessment, Public Available Standard 2050, Greenhouse Gas Protocol, and International Organization for Standardization 14067. The review also considers carbon label implementation in different countries and the potential impacts of carbon labeling schemes. The paper closes with recommendations for carbon label implementation, summarizing the advantages and drawbacks of carbon labeling approaches. Governments, consumers, and firms may use this review to adjust their strategy for future carbon label implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]