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• Pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS) landfill sites have GHG assessment challenges. • GHG fluxes measured by chambers with (F +) and without (F-) a frame were compared. • Flux relationships up to 80 % were shown between F- and F + chambers (the standard) • Correction factors for F- chambers were built to estimate fluxes from F + chambers. • The approach can refine GHG inventories on PPMS landfill sites. Assessments of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in managed areas are facing various challenges. A non-flow-through, non-steady-state (NFT-NSS) chamber coupled to a frame permanently inserted into the landfilled substrates is a standard method for quantifying GHG emissions in managed areas, such as pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS) landfill sites. Frequent measurements are needed to minimize uncertainties on GHG emission factors at the landfill site scale. However, maintaining a frame inserted into the substrates for a long time period is often impossible due to landfilling management operations. Therefore, GHG measurements using NFT-NSS chambers placed directly on substrates' surface could be an interesting option. Our objectives were to determine the relationships between CO 2 , CH 4 , and N 2 O fluxes measured with (F +) and without (F-) a frame inserted in the substrates' surface and to develop correction factors for fluxes measured without a frame. Measurements were made at different PPMS landfill sites in the province of Québec, Canada. Stronger GHG flux relationships were observed at the provincial (across sites) than the specific site scale: the variance in GHG fluxes from F- chambers explained up to 80 % of variance in fluxes from F + chambers. The measured CO 2 , CH 4 , and N 2 O fluxes in F- chambers were on average 53, 78, and 63 % lower, respectively, than those estimated by the models at provincial scale. The correction factors developed with this approach could greatly extend the number of sites where in situ GHG measurements can be done and would help refining GHG inventories at the provincial and national levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While climate change is often understood as a collective action and a market problem, we look at it as a problem of planning and coordination. Long-term planning is necessary to promote structural change, which will be required to keep the Paris Agreement's temperature goals. By encouraging states to develop a long-term climate strategy, the Paris Agreement invites countries to turn anticipatory governance into an international governance instrument. In this paper we explore how these strategies describe countries' climate plans and what the perceptions of government officials are about the potential for realization of these strategies. Using mixed methods, we explore both 1) planning dimensions (actions, actors and policies described in the strategies) by applying a topic modeling analysis to 50 documents; and 2) perceptions of the content and challenges to their realization among domestic policy professionals of four major emitters. Our results show that the strategies lack a detailed discussion on how decarbonization pathways could be materialized and who has the responsibility for implementation of long-term targets. Moreover, rather than being a steering instrument, the strategies are dominated by scenario planning and there is also a lack of attention to political issues. Taken together, we contend that strategies are limited in the way they present the future possibilities of low emissions development. To make them more effective in steering long-term decarbonization, greater attention needs to be placed on potential conflicts, barriers and stumbling blocks that may arise along the way. • Long-term climate planning has potential to shift the way we address climate change. • The language used in the strategies are dominated by technical terms and GHG emissions scenarios. • The strategies tend to reduce the political and social complexities of climate change. • As governance instruments, the strategies lack capacity to guide implementation and guidance on how to solve goal conflicts. • The strategies' main value is to provide a platform for alternative discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitigating the effects of human-induced climate change requires the reduction of greenhouse gases. Policymakers must balance the need for mitigation with the need to sustain and develop the economy. To make informed decisions regarding mitigation strategies, policymakers rely on estimates of the social cost of carbon (SCC), which represents the marginal damage from increased emissions; the SCC must be greater than the marginal abatement cost for mitigation to be economically desirable. To determine the SCC, damage functions translate projections of carbon and temperature into economic losses. We examine the impact that four damage functions commonly employed in the literature have on the SCC. Rather than using an economic growth model, we convert the CO 2 pathways from the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) into temperature projections using a three-layer, energy balance model and subsequently estimate damages under each RCP using the damage functions. We estimate marginal damages for 2020-2100, finding significant variability in SCC estimates between damage functions. Despite the uncertainty in choosing a specific damage function, comparing the SCC estimates to estimates of marginal abatement costs from the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) indicates that reducing emissions beyond RCP6.0 is economically beneficial under all scenarios. Reducing emissions beyond RCP4.5 is also likely to be economically desirable under certain damage functions and SSP scenarios. However, future work must resolve the uncertainty surrounding the form of damage function and the SSP estimates of marginal abatement costs to better estimate the economic impacts of climate change and the benefits of mitigating it., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Optimizing crop distribution stands as a pivotal approach to climate change adaption, enhancing crop production sustainability, and has been recognized for its immense potential in ensuring food security while minimizing environmental impacts. Here, we developed a climate-adaptive framework to optimize the distribution of staple crops (i.e., wheat, maize, and rice) to meet the multi-dimensional needs of crop production in China. The framework considers the feasibility of the multiple cropping systems (harvesting more than once on a cropland a year) and adopts a multi-dimensional approach, incorporating goals related to crop production, water consumption, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. By optimizing, the total irrigated area of three crops would decrease by 7.7 % accompanied by a substantial 69.8 % increase in rain-fed areas compared to the baseline in 2010. This optimized strategy resulted in a notable 10.0 % reduction in total GHG emissions and a 13.1 % decrease in irrigation water consumption while maintaining consistent crop production levels. In 2030, maintaining the existing crop distribution and relying solely on yield growth would lead to a significant maize production shortfall of 27.0 %, highlighting a looming challenge. To address this concern, strategic adjustments were made by reducing irrigated areas for wheat, rice, and maize by 2.3 %, 12.8 %, and 6.1 %, respectively, while simultaneously augmenting rain-fed areas for wheat and maize by 120.2 % and 55.9 %, respectively. These modifications ensure that production demands for all three crops are met, while yielding a 6.9 % reduction in GHG emissions and a 15.1 % reduction in irrigation water consumption. This optimization strategy offers a promising solution to alleviate severe water scarcity issues and secure a sustainable agricultural future, effectively adapting to evolving crop production demands in China., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Local actors have growing prominence in climate governance but key capacities and powers remain with national policymakers. Coordination between national and local climate action is therefore of increasing importance. Underappreciated in existing academic and policy literature, coordination between actors at different scales can be affected not only by politics and institutional arrangements, but also by methods of data analysis. Exploring two datasets of GHG emissions by local area in England-one of consumption-based emissions and the other of territorial emissions-this paper shows the potential for a data scaling problem known as the modifiable areal unit problem and its possible consequences for the efficacy and equity implications of climate action. While this analysis is conceptual and does not identify specific instances of the modifiable areal unit problem or its consequences, it calls attention to methods of data analysis as possible contributors to climate governance challenges. Among other areas, future analysis is needed to explore how data scaling and other aspects of data processing and analysis may affect our understanding of non-state actors' contribution to climate action., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Rice production is a primary contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, with unclear pathways towards carbon neutrality. Here, through a comprehensive assessment of direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emission using DNDC model and indirect GHG emission using emission factor methods, we estimated the annual crop yield, GHG emission amount and intensity, and economic benefits of different cropping patterns in the climate-sensitive regions of rice production in China. Through the expansion of single-rice and cropping pattern change from the wheat-rice to wheat-rice-rice in the climate-sensitive regions of single and triple-cropping cultivations, the total grain yield increased by 4.4 % and 4.5 % compared with the current national grain production, the GHG emission would increase by 2.4 % and 5.4 % of the current national GHG emissions from rice and wheat production, the net economic benefits could increase 0.9 % and decrease 2.0 % of the national output value of rice and wheat production. The study takes the entire-life cycle of crop growth as the principal line, and could provide a valuable reference for the regulation of the cropping pattern and the formulation of carbon reduction policies in the climate-sensitive region., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Much of the existing research analyses on emissions and climate policy are dominantly based on emissions data provided by production-based accounting (PBA) system. However, PBA provides an incomplete picture of driving forces behind these emission changes and impact of global trade on emissions, simply by neglecting the environmental impacts of consumption. To remedy this problem, several studies propose to consider national emissions calculated by consumption-based accounting (CBA) systems in greenhouse gas (GHG) assessments for progress and comparisons among the countries. In this article, we question the relevance of PBA's dominance. To this end, we, firstly, try to assess and compare PBA with CBA adopted in greenhouse gas emissions accounting systems in climate change debates on several issues and to discuss the policy implications of the choice of approach. Secondly, we investigate the convergence patterns in production-based and consumption-based emissions in 35 Annex B countries for the period between 1990 and 2015. This study, for the first time, puts all these arguments together and discusses possible outcomes of convergence analysis by employing both the production- and consumption-based CO 2 per capita emissions data. The empirical results found some important conclusions which challenge most of the existing CO 2 convergence studies.

Soil adsorption, which could be seen as a crucial ecosystem service, plays a pivotal role in regulating environmental quality and climate dynamics. However, despite its significance, it is often undervalued within the realms of research and policy frameworks. This article delves into the multifaceted aspects of soil adsorption, incorporating insights from chemistry and material science, ecological perspectives, and recent advancements in the field. In exploring soil components and their adsorption capacities, the review highlights how organic and inorganic constituents orchestrate soil's aptitude for pollutant mitigation and nutrient retention/release. Innovative materials and technologies such as biochar are evaluated for their efficacy in enhancing these natural processes, drawing a link with the sustainability of agricultural systems. The symbiosis between soil microbial diversity and adsorption mechanisms is examined, emphasizing the potential for leveraging this interaction to bolster soil health and resilience. The impact of soil adsorption on global nutrient cycles and water quality underscores the environmental implications, portraying it as a sentinel in the face of escalating anthropogenic activities. The complex interplay between soil adsorption mechanisms and climate change is elaborated, identifying research gaps and advocating for future investigations to elucidate the dynamics underpinning this relation. Policy and socioeconomic aspects form a crucial counterpart to the scientific discourse, with the review assessing how effective governance, incentivization, and community engagement are essential for translating soil adsorption's functionality into tangible climate change mitigation and sustainable land-use strategies. Integrating these diverse but interconnected strata, the article presents a comprehensive overview that not only charts the current state of soil adsorption research but also casts a vision for its future trajectory. It calls for an integrated approach combining scientific inquiry, technological innovation, and proactive policy to leverage soil adsorption's full potential to address environmental challenges and catalyze a transition towards a more sustainable and resilient future., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Over the past two decades, the Taiwan government promulgated some regulatory measures and promotional actions on energy efficiency promotion and renewable energy development. In March 2022, the "Taiwan's Pathway to Net-Zero Emissions in 2050" was announced to respond to the Paris Agreement. In order to achieve the goal, the Climate Change Response Act (CCRA) was passed on February 15, 2023, requiring the de-carbonization measures and adaptation strategies. The main aim of this paper was to analyze the changes in GHG emissions and renewable energy supply by using the updated data from the official statistics in connection with the trends of environmental and energy sustainability since 2000. The findings showed that total installed capacity of renewable power (especially in solar power and wind power) showed an amazing increase over the past decade, leading to the inclined GHG emissions and thus supporting the environmental and energy sustainability toward a low-carbon society. Furthermore, this paper summarized the development history and main differences concerning the carbon neutrality policy and legislation in Japan and South Korea. For achieving the staged targets of GHG emissions by 2030 and 2050, this paper finally addressed the technological approaches for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 in Taiwan, focusing on the transformation of energy and industry, and the policy implications by all levels of government., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Tackling climate change remains a critical challenge for society. Achieving climate neutrality requires a massive expansion of renewable energies such as wind and photovoltaics (PV). Agriculture plays a key role in this context, especially as the expansion of ground-mounted PV systems often leads to land-use conflicts. Agrivoltaics (AV), which combines agricultural and electricity production, can be a solution, but the synergies are particularly dependent on local agronomic conditions. There is also a knowledge gap in how AV expansion impacts greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the landscape level and how it contributes to regional emission reduction targets. In this study, we analysed the economic and climate change mitigation impacts of AV expansion pathways in the German state Baden-Württemberg using an integrated land use model and life cycle assessment under the assumption of general rentability of electricity production by AV. We found that implementing AV on 1%-5% of the regions's arable and grassland area reduced the total agricultural gross margin by a maximum of approximately 0.5%. Concurrently, AV implementation reduced GHG emissions by about 1.2 million to 5.9 million metric tons of CO 2 equivalent (Mt CO 2 -eq). Even if this reduction is almost exclusively accounted for in the energy sector, in absolute terms it amounts to more than the current GHG emissions from Baden-Württemberg's agricultural sector (about 4.4 Mt CO 2 -eq in 2021). In the 5% expansion scenario, almost 90% of the installations were installed on grassland, but this share dropped to 72% when considering landscape quality constraints. Although we found considerable regional disparity, our findings still suggest that AV is an essential component for regional emission reduction targets. These results are particularly relevant for policymakers in spatial planning, agricultural and energy policy., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Engineering biology (EngBio) is a dynamic field that uses gene editing, synthesis, assembly, and engineering to design new or modified biological systems. EngBio applications could make a significant contribution to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, policy support will be needed if EngBio is to fulfil its climate mitigation potential. What form should such policies take, and what EngBio applications should they target? This paper reviews EngBio's potential climate contributions to assist policymakers shape regulations and target resources and, in so doing, to facilitate democratic deliberation on desirable futures., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS) is an organic residual generated from the wastewater treatments. PPMS management involves economic, environmental and social costs that will likely increase in the future as landfilling tends to be reduced or banned in certain jurisdictions. The reduction or the banning of landfilling may be considered as a climate change mitigation measure since organic waste disposal is normally associated with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This critical review aims to (1) describe the variety of the current and emerging PPMS management practices that are alternatives to landfilling and (2) underline the crucial need for GHG emission assessments. The management practices of the three main PPMS types (primary, secondary and de-inking) comprised in this review are land application (agriculture, silviculture, land reclamation and composting), energy recovery (combustion, anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis, bioethanol, hydrogen production and direct liquefaction) and integration in materials (biocomposite, cement, asphalt and adsorbent–absorbent). Future research should focus to increase the comprehension of known GHG determinants from the PPMS management practices and reveal unknown factors. Life cycle analyses, based on direct GHG emission measurements, are needed to determine GHG emissions from current and emerging practices and plan a responsible future reduction or banning of landfilling. Such analyses will contribute to assist decision makers in implementing the best PPMS management practices with the least impact on climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher levels of economic activity are often accompanied by higher energy use and consumption of natural resources. As fossil fuels still account for 80% of the global energy mix, energy consumption remains closely linked to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and thus to climate change. Under the assumption of sufficiently elastic demand, this reality of global economic development based on permanent growth of economic activity, brings into play the Jevons Paradox, which hypothesises that increases in the efficiency of resource use leads to increases in resource consumption. Previous research on the rebound effects has limitations, including a lack of studies on the connection between reinforcement learning and environmental consequences. This paper develops a mathematical model and computer simulator to study the effects of micro-level exploration-exploitation strategies on efficiency, consumption and sustainability, considering different levels of direct and indirect rebound effects. Our model shows how optimal exploration-exploitation strategies for increasing efficiency can lead to unsustainable development patterns if they are not accompanied by demand reduction measures, which are essential for mitigating climate change. Moreover, our paper speaks to the broader issue of efficiency traps by highlighting how indirect rebound effects not only affect primary energy (PE) consumption and GHG emissions, but also resource consumption in other domains. By linking these issues together, our study sheds light on the complexities and interdependencies involved in achieving sustainable development goals. This article is part of the theme issue 'Climate change adaptation needs a science of culture'.

The paper by K. L. Blaxter and J. L. Clapperton (1965) 'Prediction of the amount of methane produced by ruminants. Br J Nutr 19, 511–522' has been cited 656 times according to Web of Science and continues to be cited with increasing frequency to the present day. The analysis described in the paper, or meta-analysis as it would be known now, is of methane production from cattle and sheep based on forty-eight trials using closed-circuit respiration chambers, all carried out at the Hannah Research Institute, Ayr, UK, between 1955 and 1965. Methane emissions per unit of diet fed were shown to vary depending on diet, level of feeding and individual animal. As such, previous notions that methane emissions were essentially proportional to energy intake were set aside. The main reasons for the paper's continuing citation are the set of equations that can be used to predict methane emissions from ruminants when the technically demanding respiration chambers are unavailable, and that it was the first definitive study to describe the complexities of methane emissions with respect to animals and diets. The paper thus provided abundant insights of the relations between ruminant methane emissions and nutritional biology, and rumen microbiology, in particular, that have informed countless research projects in the intervening half-century. Given the importance of methane as a greenhouse gas in the climate change scenario, these insights are at least as relevant today as they were in 1965. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, environmental pollution from microplastic (MPs: <5 mm) and climate change have received international attention. However, these two issues have been primarily investigated separately hitherto, although they exhibit a cause-and-effect relationship. Studies considering MPs and climate change as causal entities have focused only on MP pollution in marine environments as a contributor to climate change. Meanwhile, systematic causal studies have not been performed inadequately to understand the role of soil, which is a primary terrestrial sink of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the context of MP pollution, in climate change. In this study, the causal effect of soil MP pollution on GHG emissions as direct and indirect contributors to climate change is systematically analyzed. The mechanisms underlying the contribution of soil MPs to climate change are discussed, and future research perspectives are suggested. Approximately 121 research manuscripts pertaining to MP pollution and its associated effects on GHGs, carbon sinks, and soil respiration, recorded between 2018 and 2023, are selected and cataloged from seven database categories in PubMed, Google Scholar, Nature's database, and Web of Science. Several studies demonstrated that soil MP pollution directly contributes to climate change by accelerating the emission of GHGs from the soil to the atmosphere and indirectly by promoting soil respiration and adversely affecting natural carbon sinks, such as trees. Other studies correlated the release of GHGs from the soil to mechanisms such as the alteration of soil aeration, methanogen activity, and carbon and nitrogen cycles, and improved the abundance of carbon and nitrogen soil microbial functional genes adhering to plant roots to create anoxic conditions for plant growth. In general, soil MP pollution increases the release of GHGs into the atmosphere, thereby contributing to climate change. However, further research is to be conducted by investigating the underlying mechanisms using more practical field-scale data., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Green energy production has become a common and recognized method of electricity generation. Giving up reliance on non-renewable energy sources is an important trend in the economies of many countries. The paper presents an analysis of the impact of indicators like increased green energy production on the level of vulnerability to climate change. The model of the Climate Change Vulnerability Index (VCC) recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (considering three aspects: exposure, vulnerability, and adaptive capacity of the studied spatial unit/society) was applied. Sensitivity analysis, spatial heterogeneity, and temporal dynamics of indicators characterizing changes in electricity consumption, renewable energy production, greenhouse gas emissions, and variability of financial losses due to extreme weather events and their number were implemented. Several findings arose. First, the vulnerability to climate change (the level of the VCC index), does not decrease after the implementation of a single action, like the development of green energy production. The level of index of vulnerability to climate change (VCC1) from the reference year (2017) relative to VCC2 (2021) has changed slightly, despite the development of RES. The variation does not exceed a 1% reduction in the value of the VCC1 index. Second, the decrease in the level of the vulnerability requires global, coordinated action. The value of the VCC3 index, reflecting, including changes in green energy production (X15), electricity consumption/inhabitant (X38), and green-house gas emissions (X14), exhibited more favorably the impact of these indicators on vulnerability to climate change, compared to the VCC1 reference value. In eleven poviats, the VCC3 index decreased between 1 and 4%. In seven of these poviats, green energy production increased, resulting in an average 10% decrease in the X15 indicator, the X14 indicator representing green-house gas emissions decreased by an average of 7%, while the X38 indicator describing electricity consumption/per capita decreased by an average of 16%. Third, harmonized and inclusive action by the population holds the potential to be the clue to reducing vulnerability to climate change.

Climate change has repeatedly been shown to impact the demography and survival of marine top predators. However, most evidence comes from single populations of widely distributed species, limited mainly to polar and subpolar environments. Here, we aimed to evaluate the influence of environmental conditions on the survival of a tropical and migratory seabird over the course of its annual cycle. We used capture-mark-recapture data from three populations of Bulwer's petrel (Bulweria bulwerii) spread across the NE Atlantic Ocean, from the Azores, Canary, and Cabo Verde Islands (including temperate to tropical zones). We also inferred how the survival of this seabird might be affected under different climatic scenarios, defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Among the environmental variables whose effect we evaluated (North Atlantic Oscillation index, Southern Oscillation Index, Sea Surface Temperature [SST] and wind speed), SST estimated for the breeding area and season was the variable with the greatest influence on adult survival. Negative effects of SST increase emerged across the three populations, most likely through indirect trophic web interactions. Unfortunately, our study also shows that the survival of Bulwer's petrel will be profoundly affected by the different scenarios of climate change, even with the most optimistic trajectory involving the lowest greenhouse gas emission. Furthermore, for the first time, our study predicts stronger impacts of climate change on tropical populations than on subtropical and temperate ones. This result highlights the devastating effect that climate change may also have on tropical areas, and the importance of considering multi-population approaches when evaluating its impacts which may differ across species distributions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Abstract: In life cycle assessment (LCA) of paper products, it is common to either assume that the carbon impacts of forestry are neutral (i.e. no net emissions) or to credit harvested wood products as a carbon store. When comparing virgin and recycled materials, this means that forest carbon flows are either shown as nil or a net sequestration credit. However, harvested wood products typically account for less than half of the carbon stored in a forest, with additional stores in below ground biomass, deadwood, litter and soils. Each of these stores may be affected by changes in demand for virgin pulp and paper. In this study the countries likely to provide pulp displaced by moving to recyclate, or used when switching from recyclate were identified for both the UK and China (the largest export market for UK-derived recyclate). Changes in forest carbon stores in each country were then assessed and attributed to the extraction of a unit of timber in each country where demand for pulp and paper was identified as a driver for change. The analysis shows that when switching from virgin to recycled content within the UK and China, no additional biogenic CO2 emissions are avoided with the exception of Canadian pulp, where the data suggests that forests are being degraded, with associated carbon losses. When switching from recycled to virgin content, net biogenic CO2 emissions are seen from most relevant countries. In the example of newsprint, this is equivalent to 2–23 tonnes CO2 per tonne of newsprint. The exceptions to this are Chile and Russia, where demand for virgin fibre does not appear to be associated with deforestation. Despite limitations, the research highlights that biogenic carbon is a significant issue which may dominate the outcome of LCAs assessing the climate change impact of switching between virgin and recycled pulp. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Black liquor gasification–combined cycle (BLGCC) is a new technology that has the potential to increase electricity production of a chemical pulping mill. Increased electricity generation in combination with the potential to use biomass (e.g. bark, hog fuel) more efficiently can result in increased power output compared to the conventional Tomlinson-boiler. Because the BLGCC enables an integrated pulp and paper mill to produce excess power, it can offset electricity produced by power plants. This may lead to reduction of the net-CO2 emissions. The impact of BLGCC to offset CO2 emissions from the pulp and paper industry is studied. We focus on two different plant designs and compare the situation in Sweden and the US. The CO2 emissions are studied as function of the share of recycled fibre used to make the paper. The study shows that under specific conditions the production of “CO2-free paper” is possible. First, energy efficiency in pulp and paper mills needs to be improved to allow the export of sufficient power to offset emissions from fossil fuels used in boilers and other equipment. Secondly, the net-CO2 emission per ton of paper depends strongly on the emission reduction credits for electricity export, and hence on the country or grid to which the paper mill is connected. Thirdly, supplemental use of biomass to replace fossil fuel inputs is important to reduce the overall emissions of the pulp and paper industry. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

While the Global North is historically responsible for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, Newly Industrializing Countries (NICs) are expected to overtake developed country emissions in the coming years. At the same time, NICs are climbing the ladder of the global economy, increasing their competitiveness on the global stage and catching up with technological competencies of developed economies. Against this background, this paper explores innovation and collaboration in Climate Change Mitigation Technologies (CCMTs) in NICs. The research question is whether the propensity to innovate and diffuse CCMTs is impacted by technological collaboration with two highly developed countries, Germany and The United States. The sample of NICs includes the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) plus Israel, Mexico, and Turkey, in a panel from 1995 to 2015. The empirical results suggest that collaboration with both Germany and the U.S. is highly significant for domestic CCMT innovation in NICs. These findings are important because, stepping beyond the literature on the merits and drawbacks of global climate governance tools such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and related UNFCCC processes, they show that collaboration for climate and environmental technologies could become a key tool to significantly improve the chances to stay in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. Finally, the policy advice for NICs and developing countries is to, above all else, focus on incubating strong technological innovation systems, including strengthening domestic Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), as well as to enhance technological collaboration with developed countries., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Science has a role to play in providing the evidence on both climate change and the solutions to it. In this paper, we look at the nature of expert advice to public policymakers and examine one approach to the synthesis of scientific evidence. We focus on a series of briefings for policymakers that summarize evidence from 12 areas of science and technology which are keys to accelerating progress towards net zero greenhouse gas emissions and resilience to climate change. This article is part of the theme issue 'Developing resilient energy systems'.

Plastic pollution and climate change have commonly been treated as two separate issues and sometimes are even seen as competing. Here we present an alternative view that these two issues are fundamentally linked. Primarily, we explore how plastic contributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the beginning to the end of its life cycle. Secondly, we show that more extreme weather and floods associated with climate change, will exacerbate the spread of plastic in the natural environment. Finally, both issues occur throughout the marine environment, and we show that ecosystems and species can be particularly vulnerable to both, such as coral reefs that face disease spread through plastic pollution and climate-driven increased global bleaching events. A Web of Science search showed climate change and plastic pollution studies in the ocean are often siloed, with only 0.4% of the articles examining both stressors simultaneously. We also identified a lack of regional and industry-specific life cycle analysis data for comparisons in relative GHG contributions by materials and products. Overall, we suggest that rather than debate over the relative importance of climate change or marine plastic pollution, a more productive course would be to determine the linking factors between the two and identify solutions to combat both crises., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Cement is a basic requirement of today's society and is the only thing that humans consume more volume than water, but cement manufacturing is the most energy- and emission-intensive process. Hence, the cement industry is currently under pressure to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions. Climate change mitigation strategies implemented in the industry leads to GHGs reduction, climate risks, pollutants, and another adverse impact on the environment. In order to implement climate change mitigation strategies in the cement industry, a careful analysis of barriers that hinder the emission reduction must be taken. However, most existing research on the barriers to mitigation measures is focused on developed countries. Among the most important emerging economies, India, the second-largest producer and consumer of cement, faces challenges to implement emission reduction measures. To bridge this gap, this paper identifies and evaluates the barriers and solutions to overcome these barriers in the context of India. This study employs a three-phase methodology based on fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) to identify barriers and solutions to overcome these barriers to climate change mitigation strategies adoption in Indian cement industry. Fuzzy AHP is employed to prioritize these barriers, and to rank solutions of these barriers, Fuzzy TOPSIS is employed. Ten Indian cement manufacturing industry is taken to illustrate the proposed three-phase methodology. Finally, the result of the analysis offers an effective decision support tool to the Indian cement industry to eliminate and overcome barriers to mitigation strategies adoption and build their green image in the market.

Therefore, crop mechanism models play an important role in assessing the effects of climate change on crop production and proposing effective coping strategies. Climate change and its impacts on agricultural production and food security are a significant source of public concern around the world. The paper by Shayanmehr et al. [[13]] constructed a new integrated climate-hydrological-economic model to assess the impact of future climate change on water resources and crop production. [Extracted from the article]

Anthropogenic climate change is adversely impacting people and contributing to suffering and increased costs from climate-related diseases and injuries. In responding to this urgent and growing public health crisis, mitigation strategies are in place to reduce future greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) while adaptation strategies exist to reduce and/or alleviate the adverse effects of climate change by increasing systems' resilience to future impacts. While these strategies have numerous positive benefits on climate change itself, they also often have other positive externalities or health co-benefits. This knowledge can be harnessed to promote and improve global public health, particularly for the most vulnerable populations. Previous conceptual models in mitigation and adaptation studies such as the shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) considered health in the thinking, but health outcomes were not their primary intention. Additionally, existing guidance documents such as the World Health Organization (WHO) Guidance for Climate Resilient and Environmentally Sustainable Health Care Facilities is designed primarily for public health professionals or healthcare managers in hospital settings with a primary focus on resilience. However, a detailed cross sectoral and multidisciplinary conceptual framework, which links mitigation and adaptation strategies with health outcomes as a primary end point, has not yet been developed to guide research in this area. In this paper, we briefly summarize the burden of climate change on global public health, describe important mitigation and adaptation strategies, and present key health benefits by giving context specific examples from high, middle, and low-income settings. We then provide a conceptual framework to inform future global public health research and preparedness across sectors and disciplines and outline key stakeholders recommendations in promoting climate resilient systems and advancing health equity.

A critical examination of the US Environmental Protection Agency's (US EPA's) Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) database provided an opportunity for the largest evaluation to date of landfilled waste decomposition kinetics with respect to different US climate regimes. In this paper, 5-8 years of annual methane collection data from 114 closed landfills located in 29 states were used to estimate site-specific waste decay rates (k) and methane collection potentials (Lc). These sites account for approximately 9% of all landfills required to report GHG emissions to the US EPA annually. The mean methane collection potential (Lc) for the sites located in regions with less than 635 mm (25 in) annual rainfall was significantly (p<0.002) lower than the mean methane collection potential of the sites located in regions with more than 635 mm (25 in) annual precipitation (49 and 73 m3 methane Mg-1 waste, respectively). This finding suggests that a fraction of the in-place biodegradable waste may not be decomposing, potentially due to a lack of adequate moisture content of landfills located in arid regions. The results of this evaluation offer insight that challenges assumptions of the traditional landfill methane estimation approach, especially in arid climates, that all methane corresponding to the total methane generation potential of the buried solid waste will be produced. Decay rates showed a significant correlation with annual precipitation, with an average k of 0.043 year-1 for arid regions (< 508 mm (20 in) year-1), 0.074 year-1 for regions with 508-1,016 mm (20-40 in) annual precipitation, and 0.09 year-1 in wet regions (> 1,016 mm (40 in) year-1). The data suggest that waste is decaying faster than the model default values, which in turn suggests that a larger fraction of methane is produced during a landfill's operating life (relative to post-closure)., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. The employment of Pradeep Jain and James Wally with Innovative Waste Consulting Services LLC does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Greenhouse gas emissions are known to influence the planet's temperature, mainly due to human activities. To allow hypothesis testing, as well as to seek viable alternatives for mitigation, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggested 3 main scenarios for changes projected for the year 2100. In this paper, we subjected Colossoma macropomum Cuvier, 1818 (tambaqui) individuals in a microcosm to IPCC scenarios B1 (mild), A1B (intermediate), and A2 (extreme) to test possible impacts on their genome. We found chromosome heterochromatinization in specimens exposed to the A2 scenario, where terminal blocks and interstitial bands were detected on several chromosome pairs. The behavior of Rex1 and Rex3 sequences differed between the test scenarios. Hybridization of Rex1 resulted in diffuse signals which showed a gradual increase in the tested scenarios. For Rex3, an increase was observed in the A2 scenario with blocks on several chromosomes, some of which coincided with heterochromatin. Heterochromatinization is an epigenetic process, which may have occurred as a mechanism for regulating Rex3 activity. The signal pattern of Rex6 did not change, suggesting that other mechanisms are acting to regulate its activity., (© 2019 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Agriculture represents the "cause" and the "victim" of climate change. Almost 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from the agricultural sector. They contribute to global warming and therefore significantly affect the sustainability of agricultural production systems. The aim of the paper is to determine which factors have the greatest influence on the greenhouse gas emission from agriculture. For this purpose, a dynamic panel analysis for 26 members of the European Union in the period from 2013 to 2021 in the paper is conducted. The results of the analysis suggest that the capacity for biofuel production, organic agricultural production and greenhouse gas emissions from the previous period have the greatest impact on the same emissions from agriculture. The results of this research can serve policy makers in formulating strategies for the development of food systems that will pollute the environment to a lesser extent and use available resources more rationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, paper production is a major industry that contributes about 3 percent of Gross World Product. The paper cycle involves a broadrange of natural resource and environmental impacts because fiber supply relies on trees, paper manufacturing requires fuel inputs, and paper waste disposal can contribute to emissions of the potent greenhouse gas (GHG), methane (CH4). In some countries, the papercycle may be seen as a net sink for GHG because of reliance on renewable wood by-products and the maintenance of forest plantations. On aworldwide basis, however, this study demonstrates that the paper cycle is a significant contributor to GHG emissions, adding emissions atleast comparable in magnitude to that of Australia each year. The estimated global warming contribution of paper in landfills is estimated to be similar to that of paper manufacturing processes, on a heating-equivalent basis. In some temperate regions, original old-growth forests are still harvested to supply pulpwood, resulting in a significant loss of carbon (C) storage. In theory, the paper cycle holds the promise of achieving zero net emissions if pulpwood production, consumption and disposal are carefully managed. In practice, even stabilization of emissions at current levels would be challenging and entail changes comparable to a 20 percent reduction in CH4 generation from landfilled paper, and a 2.5 percent annual increase in plantation establishment would be needed to offset the projected increasein emissions from paper manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, mitigation strategies and the accompanying health co-benefits in different economic sectors have not been fully investigated. The purpose of this paper is to review comprehensively the evidence on GHG mitigation measures and the related health co-benefits, identify knowledge gaps, and provide recommendations to promote further development and implementation of climate change response policies. Evidence on GHG emissions, abatement measures and related health co-benefits has been observed at regional, national and global levels, involving both low- and high-income societies. GHG mitigation actions have mainly been taken in five sectors: energy generation, transport, food and agriculture, household and industry, consistent with the main sources of GHG emissions. GHGs and air pollutants to a large extent stem from the same sources and are inseparable in terms of their atmospheric evolution and effects on ecosystem; thus, GHG reductions are usually, although not always, estimated to have cost effective co-benefits for public health. Some integrated mitigation strategies involving multiple sectors, which tend to create greater health benefits. The pros and cons of different mitigation measures, issues with existing knowledge, priorities for research, and potential policy implications were also discussed. Findings from this study can play a role not only in motivating large GHG emitters to make decisive changes in GHG emissions, but also in facilitating cooperation at international, national and regional levels, to promote GHG mitigation policies that protect public health from climate change and air pollution simultaneously., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background and Objectives: Public health co-benefits from curbing climate change can make greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation strategies more attractive and increase their implementation. The purpose of this systematic review is to summarize the evidence of these health co-benefits to improve our understanding of the mitigation measures involved, potential mechanisms, and relevant uncertainties., Methods: A comprehensive search for peer-reviewed studies published in English was conducted using the primary electronic databases. Reference lists from these articles were reviewed and manual searches were performed to supplement relevant studies. The identified records were screened based on inclusion criteria. We extracted data from the final retrieved papers using a pre-designed data extraction form and a quality assessment was conducted. The studies were heterogeneities, so meta-analysis was not possible and instead evidence was synthesized using narrative summaries., Results: Thirty-six studies were identified. We identified GHG mitigation strategies in five domains - energy generation, transportation, food and agriculture, households, and industry and economy - which usually, although not always, bring co-benefits for public health. These health gains are likely to be multiplied by comprehensive measures that include more than one sectors., Conclusions: GHG mitigation strategies can bring about substantial and possibly cost-effective public health co-benefits. These findings are highly relevant to policy makers and other stakeholders since they point to the compounding value of taking concerted action against climate change and air pollution., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Climate change has been described as the biggest global health threat of the 21st century. The atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, have increased significantly since the start of the Industrial Era around 1750, with much of this increase occurring over just the last 50 years or so. This is resulting in warming of the climate system as well as changes in precipitation and weather and climate extremes. These changes in climate are having wide-ranging impacts on the Earth's physical, biological and human systems, including human health. It is these impacts of climate change on human health that are the focus of this paper, particularly the impacts on allergens and allergic diseases. Such impacts are particularly significant in many countries where the prevalence of such diseases is high and/or increasing. There is now compelling evidence that rising air temperatures and carbon dioxide concentrations are, in some plant species, resulting in increased pollen production and allergenicity and advancement and lengthening of the pollen season. Changes in extreme events, such as thunderstorms and tropical cyclones, will also have impacts on allergic diseases, with, for example, the flooding associated with tropical cyclones leading to proliferation of mould growth in damp homes. The article also considers a range of responses to these health threats, including greenhouse gas mitigation, and adaptation strategies, such as enhanced environmental monitoring and health surveillance and adequate planning for the future medical workforce., (© 2018 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.)

The transport sector is one of the main sources of greenhouse gases, adding in Spain near a quarter of the total national emissions, the majority in road transport. Therefore, road contribution to climate change should be mitigated to achieve the proposed goals in the fight against climate change. Policies and strategies suggest several preventive mitigation options, but have paid little attention to compensatory mitigation. We have conducted a theoretical case study in a Spanish province, Segovia, estimating the carbon dioxide emissions in the road network between 2015 and 2050, and analysing different compensation possibilities through conservation agriculture, agroforestry, afforestation and hedgerow plantation. We have calculated carbon sequestration in the reference period and costs per tonne for each option, estimating the budget range of offsetting road carbon emission, and funding possibilities, especially through fuel taxes. The paper demonstrates that offsetting carbon emissions produced by roads in this area is technically possible and highly desirable, unifying carbon sequestration, biodiversity improvement and rural development. The main challenge is funding, which depends largely on the political will and the awareness of the citizens., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)