Building more energy efficient and sustainable urban areas that will both mitigate the effect of climate change and adapt for the future climate, requires the development new tools and methods that can help urban planners, architect and communities achieve this goal. In the current study, we designed a workflow that links different methodologies developed separately, to derive the energy consumption of a university school campus for the future. Three different scenarios for typical future years (2039, 2069, 2099) were run as well as a renovation scenario (Minergie-P). We analyse the impact of climate change on the heating and cooling demand of the buildings and determined the relevance of the accounting of the local climate in this particular context. The results from the simulations showed that in the future there will a constant decrease in the heating demand while for the cooling demand there will be a significant increase. It was further demonstrated that when the local climate was taken into account there was an even higher rise in the cooling demand but also that the proposed renovations were not sufficient to design resilient buildings. We then discuss the implication of this work on the simulation of building energy consumption at the neighbourhood scale and the impact of future local climate on energy system design. We finally give a few perspective regarding improved urban design and possible pathways for the future urban areas.

An indisputable fact about our planet is that its atmospheric temperature has risen dramatically during the past century. Combustion of fossil fuels and their subsequent greenhouse gas emissions are thought to be the main contributors to recent changes within the Earth’s ecosystem. The transportation sector and electricity generating power plants are each responsible for approximately one-third of these emissions. Shifting towards a cleaner and renewable resources to generate electricity is believed to omit a big portion of polluting substances. Improvements in vehicles’ fuel efficiency and the introduction of alternative fuels besides strategic plans to control travel demand are among the most promising approaches to alleviate emissions from the transportation sector. Recent technology advancements, however, drew much attention to the production and manufacturing of alternative fuel vehicles, electric vehicles in particular. Since these vehicles use electricity as part of or all their powertrain, assessing the amount of emissions they produce is closely tied to the cleanliness of the electricity source. In order for a valid comparison to be made between internal combustion and electric vehicles, hence, a life cycle assessment procedure needs to be followed from production stages to terminal life of vehicles. Involvement of numerous affecting factors during the lifetime of a vehicle on one hand, and the ambiguity in the exact source of electricity used to charge electric vehicles on the other hand bring about more complexities. The latter case is more commonly known as the marginal grid problem, which deals with how a combination of sources used to generate electricity can influence the life cycle emissions. There are also other concerns regarding the growth in fuel-efficient and electric vehicles. Transportation planners argue that new developments in the vehicle industry may attract more people to owning and driving cars. This phenomenon which is better known as a rebound effect not only will result in increased traffic congestion, but it can also outpace the environmental benefits from utilizing electric vehicles. Moreover, since fuel taxes comprise the majority of Highway Trust Funds, alternative ways to compensate for state and federal revenues should be devised. This paper is an attempt to review the existing literature to better elaborate on the role of the transportation sector in controlling climate change threats. More specifically, issues around the use of electric vehicles and how they can contribute to more environmentally friendly communities are discussed.

Washing hands, social distancing and staying at home are the preventive measures set in place to contain the spread of the COVID-19, a disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. These measures, although straightforward to follow, highlight the tip of an imbalanced socio-economic and socio-technological iceberg. Here, a System Dynamic (SD) model of COVID-19 preventive measures and their correlation with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is presented. The result demonstrates a better informed view of the COVID-19 vulnerability landscape. This novel qualitative approach refreshes debates on the future of SDGS amid the crisis and provides a powerful mental representation for decision makers to find leverage points that aid in preventing long-term disruptive impacts of this health crisis on people, planet and economy. There is a need for further tailor-made and real-time qualitative and quantitative scientific research to calibrate the criticality of meeting the SDGS targets in different countries according to ongoing lessons learned from this health crisis.

Structural information of biological macromolecules is crucial and necessary to deliver predictions about the effects of mutations—whether polymorphic or deleterious (i.e., disease causing), wherein, thermodynamic parameters, namely, folding and binding free energies potentially serve as effective biomarkers. It may be emphasized that the effect of a mutation depends on various factors, including the type of protein (globular, membrane or intrinsically disordered protein) and the structural context to which it occurs. Such information may positively aid drug-design. Furthermore, due to the intrinsic plasticity of proteins, even mutations involving radical change of the structural and physico-chemical properties of the amino acids (native vs. mutant) can still have minimal effects of protein thermodynamics. However, if a mutation causes significant perturbation of either folding or binding free energies, it is quite likely to be deleterious. Mitigating such effects is a promising alternative to the traditional approaches of designing inhibitors. This can be done by structure-based in silico screening of small molecules for which binding to the dysfunctional protein restores its wild type thermodynamics. In this review we emphasize on the effects of mutations on two important biophysical characteristics, stability and binding affinity, and how structures can be used for structure-based drug design to mitigate the effects of disease-causing variants on the above biophysical characteristics.

The overwhelming evidence supports the assertion that the climate is undergoing change. Understanding the perception of locals of the magnitude of climate change and its influence on non-timber forest products (NTFPs) challenge at a global scale. Although studies on climate change, value addition, and the multiple uses of NTFPs and their impact on local livelihoods have been conducted, locals' perceptions of these factors have not been fully explored. This study aims to assess various social factors, including education, gender, and religion, and their influence on locals' perceptions of the abovementioned factors. The research focused on five regions where NTFPs are prevalent in Ghana (Western North, Bono, Ahafo, Ashanti, and Eastern regions). To investigate the impact of social factors on local perceptions of climate change, value addition, and the multiple values of NTFPs within rural communities, a total of 732 interviews with a team of interviewers across these five regions in Ghana were carried out. We applied a logistic regression model to assess the social factors and their influencing locals’ perceptions of the mentioned variables. It was revealed that age, gender, education, and occupation did not significantly influence locals' perceptions of climate change. However, religion was found to influence locals' perceptions of climate change. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that gender (P<0.000328) and education (P<0.00426) strongly influenced locals' perceptions of value addition to NTFPs. In contrast, religion and constraints (related to time, finance, and skills) did not significantly influence locals' perceptions. Additionally, it was observed that gender (0.00132), education (0.00692), and religion (8.12e-05) significantly influenced how locals perceive and use NTFPs. In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into the intricate interplay among local perceptions, climate change, value addition, multiple uses of NTFPs, and the capacity of NTFPs to enhance the well-being of forest fringe communities. These findings underscore the importance of comprehensive, tailor-made interventions that consider local perspectives and adhere to sustainable approaches, with the aim of optimising the positive impacts of NTFPs in poverty alleviation and overall community development.

Considering the multifaceted nature of neurodegenerative diseases like dementia and the neces-sity for interprofessional knowledge, this research extends its scope to encompass professionals with diverse levels of training and experience in dementia care. A need analysis for the project “My INdividual Digital EDucation.RUHR” (MINDED.RUHR) is conducted to develop an au-tomatized recommender system for individual learning content using AI. In this sub-study, the aim was to reveal didactic specialties, knowledge gaps and structural challenges of further edu-cation in dementia care of different health professions and to derive learning preference personae. Eight focus group interviews among nine health professions and up to six participants (n = 34) each took place to survey distinct didactic experiences and learning needs. The results reflect various learning preferences, with a propensity to multimedia, practical and interactive tasks. Health professions are used to digital education but show aversions against certain e-learning formats. The derived learning preference personae constitute profound blueprints for a us-er-centred digital education design process, aiming to establish personalized and representative further education in dementia care applicable to various individual preferences and structural workplace challenges of healthcare professions.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful tool for addressing the challenges posed by climate change and their impact on public health. By leveraging its capacity to analyze and predict climatic patterns, AI offers opportunities to enhance resource management and develop effective strategies for climate change mitigation. Moreover, AI can contribute to generating sustainable solutions that address the complex and interconnected nature of climate change. For example, AI can enable the optimization of energy consumption and facilitate the integration of renewable energy sources into existing systems. It can also support the development of climate models that provide timely and accurate predictions, enabling policymakers to implement proactive measures for disaster preparedness and response. Furthermore, AI-powered disease surveillance and mitigation techniques can improve public health outcomes by identifying patterns and trends in the spread of diseases in relation to climatic factors.However, the widespread adoption of AI-based solutions is not without challenges. Ethical concerns surrounding privacy and data ownership must be addressed, as the use of AI requires access to large datasets, raising potential privacy risks. Technical constraints, such as limited computational power and the need for sophisticated algorithms, also pose obstacles to the implementation of AI in climate change mitigation strategies. Furthermore, issues related to the accessibility and affordability of AI technologies must be resolved to ensure equitable distribution and maximize its potential impact on public health.To fully harness the power of AI in addressing climate change and improving public health outcomes, it is crucial to promote innovation, multidisciplinary collaboration, and open data science. Innovation can drive the development of new AI algorithms and technologies specifically tailored to address climate change challenges. Multidisciplinary approaches that bring together experts from diverse fields, including climate science, public health, and computer science, can foster a holistic understanding of complex systems and enable the design of comprehensive solutions. Finally, open data science practices, such as sharing data and algorithms, can facilitate collaboration and accelerate progress in mitigating climate change and its public health impacts.In conclusion, AI offers promising opportunities for effectively addressing climate change and its impact on public health. However, to fully realize its potential, it is essential to tackle ethical and privacy concerns, overcome technical constraints, and ensure accessibility and affordability. By promoting innovation, multidisciplinary collaboration, and open data science, we can unlock the transformative power of AI in mitigating climate change and improving public health outcomes.

Most petrochemical plants still maintain a Proportional-Integral-Differential controller(PID) system, which is a feedback control system. However, gradually, the PID system is being extended and introduced to the Advanced Process Controller (APC) system, which is an integrated control system of feedforward and feedback that predicts external influences in advance. In the process of conducting on-site plant tests and calculating APC model parameter for the application of APC systems, a problem arises that Model Parameter are implemented differently depending on the proficiency of APC engineers. To minimize this problem, a technique for estimating APC model parameter without a plant test is required. In order to estimate the APC model parameter, it is necessary to train on dynamic interval data. In this paper, we use statistical techniques such as PELT, Linear Kernel, and Radial Basis Function Kernel of Change Point Detection (CPD) to extract dynamic data with minimum Mean Absolute Error (MAE) from time series data of a real petrochemical plant. Then, the hyper parameter is fixed and the APC model parameter is estimated by learning the dynamic section data. By applying the estimated APC model parameter to the APC Model Tool and measuring the fitting rate, it was confirmed that it is possible to estimate the APC model parameter with excellent control performance without plant test.

This study assesses the perception and vulnerability of the farming communities to climate change in the southwestern parts of Ethiopia. Data were collected from 442 households in four districts: Jimma Arjo, Bako Tibe, Chewaka, and Sekoru. The vulnerability of the farming communities was assessed using the households’ livelihood vulnerability index. A total of 40 indicators were applied to calculate household livelihood vulnera-bility to climate change, which were categorized into five major capitals: natural, social, financial, physical, and human. The household percep-tions of climate change results showed that there existed a statistically significant relationship between climate change perceptions and changes in rainfall pattern (75.6%, p<0.001), temperature pattern (69.7%, p<0.001), drought (41.6%, p=0.016), flood (44.1%, p=0.000), and occurrence of early (53.2%, p<0.001) and late rain (55.9%, p<0.001). The results showed that households in Sekoru district were the most vulnerable (0.61), while Jimma Arjo district were less vulnerable (0.47) to the effect of climate change. The vulnerability of the households in the study areas is mainly related to the occurrence of drought, lack of much-needed infrastructure facilities and weak institutional support. Links with the financial organization are also lacking among the household. The findings of this study will support policymakers to design climate change adap-tation strategies to combat climate change impacts. To support disaster risk management on the one hand and increase the resilience of vulnera-ble societies to climate change on the other hand, we recommend a detailed assessment in the remaining districts of the region.

We developed an artificial neural network as an air quality model and estimated the scope of the impact of climate change on future (until 2064) summertime trends of hourly Ozone (O3) concentrations at an urban air quality station in Tehran, Iran. Our developed scenarios assume that present-time emissions conditions of O3 precursors will remain constant in the future. Therefore, only the impact of climate change on future O3 concentrations is investigated in this study. GCM projections indicate more favorable climate conditions for O3 formation over the study area in the future: the surface temperature increases over all months of the year, solar radiation increases, and precipitation decreases in future summers, and summertime daily maximum temperature increases about 1.2 ∘C to 3 ∘C until 2064. In the scenario based on present-time O3 conditions in 2012 summer without any axceedances, the summertime exceedance days of 8-hr O3 standard are projected to increase in the future by about 4.2 days in the short term and about 12.3 days in the mid-term. Similarly, in the scenario based on present-time O3 conditions in 2010 summer with 58 days of exceedance from 8-hr O3 standard, exceedances are projected to increase about 4.5 days in the short term and about 14.1 days in the mid-term. Moreover, the number of Unhealthy and Very Unhealthy days in 8-hr AQI is also projected to increase based on pollution scenarios of both summers.

PM2.5 and PM>2.5 were separately collected in Kanazawa, Japan in every season from the spring of 2017 to the winter of 2018, and nine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and six nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) were determined by HPLC with fluorescence and chemiluminescence detections, respectively. Atmospheric concentrations of both PAHs and NPAHs showed seasonal changes (highest in the winter and lowest in the summer), which were different from the variations of TSP and PM2.5 (highest in the spring). Contributions of major sources to combustion-derived particulate (Pc) in PM2.5 were calculated by the NP-method using pyrene and 1-nitropyrene as representative markers of PAHs and NPAHs, respectively. The annual average concentration of Pc accounted for only 2.1% of PM2.5, but showed the same seasonal variation as PAHs. The sources of Pc were automobiles (31%) and coal heating facilities/industries (69%). The source of Pyr was almost entirely coal heating facilities/industries (98%). A backward trajectory analysis showed that automobile-derived Pc was mainly from Kanazawa and its surroundings and that coal heating facilities-derived Pc was transported from city areas in central and northern China in the winter and during the Asian dust event in the spring. These results show that large amounts of PAHs were long-range transported from China in the winter. Even in spring when the coal heating season was over in China, PAHs came over to Japan after Asian dust storms passed through Chinese city areas. The main contributor of NPAHs was automobiles in Kanazawa and its surroundings. The recent Pc concentrations were much lower than those in 1999. This decrease was mostly attributed to the decrease in the contribution of automobiles. Thus, changes of atmospheric concentrations of Pc, PAHs and NPAHs in Kanazawa were strongly affected not only by the local emissions but also long-range transport from China.

Development of the continental shelf has accelerated significantly as nations around the world seek to harness offshore renewable energy. Many areas marked for development align with submerged palaeolandscapes. Poorly understood and difficult to protect, these vulnerable, prehistoric landscapes provide specific challenges for heritage management. Indeed, there now appears to be a schism between what underwater cultural heritage policy intends and what it is achieving in practice. Shortcomings in international and national legislature ensures that large parts of the continental shelf, including areas under development, may have little or no legal protection.

Tesso Nilo National Park is one of the protected areas designated as KPA by the Decree of the Minister of Forestry No.225/Menhut-II/2004 dated July 19, 2004 covering an area of ​​38,576 ha, then expanded again through the Decree of the Minister of Forestry No.663/Menhut/2009 dated 19 October 2009 with an area of ​​± 83,068 ha. The Tesso Nilo National Park area is experiencing the dynamics of land cover changes, namely the conversion of forest land which causes the forest area to become increasingly narrow in this area. With the reduction in forest area in this area, it causes a decrease in ecosystem network connectivity due to forest fragmentation that occurs, so that forests are separated and further apart. This study aims to analyze changes in land cover in the Tesso Nilo National Park area to find out information on changes in habitat ecosystems in the last 20 years. the observations were made using satellite images in 1999, 2010 and 2019. so that it can be seen the effect of forest fragmentation on ecosystems in the Tesso Nilo National Park area. From the results of the analysis, it was found that the area of ​​forest cover in the Tesso Nilo National Park decreased from 1999 to 2019 and caused changes in the connectivity network of forest ecosystems, which was found in the study, the weakest connectivity separated forest fragments as far as 17394.47 meters due to forest cover fragmentation.

Deforestation is an important environmental problem in México and a key promoter of regional climate change through modifying the surface albedo. The objective of this research was to characterize the impact of deforestation and land use changes on surface albedo (α) and climate patterns in the Municipality of Tapalpa, Jalisco, México between the years 2014 and 2021. The main land cover types are coniferous forests (CF), oak and gallery woodlands (OGW), and annual agriculture (AA); which represent more than 88% of the regional territory (1066.03 km2). We used 2014 and 2021 Landsat 8 OLI images with topographic and atmospheric correction, in order to develop an inventory of albedo values for each land cover type in both time scenarios. Albedo images were generated by using the equation proposed by Liang in 2001, which is based on the reflectance of the bands 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7. Differences in albedo values were calculated between the years 2014 and 2021, and those differences were correlated with variations in climate parameters, for which we used climate data derived from the WRF model. In addition, the different land use changes found were classified in terms of triggers for increasing or decreasing surface albedo. Results showed that between 2014 and 2021, at least 38 events of land use change or deforestation occurred, with albedo increments between 1 and 11%, which triggered an average increment of 0.57% of the regional surface albedo in comparison to 2014 scenario. From 2014 to 2021, the albedo for CF, OGW, and AA, increased significantly (p&lt;0.001; Mann-Whitney U Test) by 79, 12, and 9%, respectively. In addition, the regional albedo increment was found to be significant and negatively correlated (p&lt;0.01 Spearman’s coefficient) with relative humidity (RH), maximum temperature (Tmax), minimum temperature (Tmin), and diurnal thermal range (DTR). The decrease in the regional values of relative humidity in 2021, occurred even when in that year the annual precipitation levels were higher than those of 2014, hence, reinforcing the fact of a possible climatic effect of the regional albedo changes. Conversion of CF and OGW into AA, perennial agriculture (PA), or grassland (GR) always yielded an albedo increment, whilst the conversion of AA to irrigation agriculture or PA triggered a decrease in albedo, and finally, the pass from GR or AA to protected agriculture caused albedo increase or decrease, depending on the greenhouse covers materials. Reducing deforestation of CF and OGW, conversion of AA or GR into PA, and selecting adequate greenhouse covers could help to mitigate regional climate change.

Spatio-temporal Land-Use and Land-Cover (LULC) changes have been affecting geo-environmental and climate change globally. This study aims to analyze LULC changes in Bahir Dar city and its surrounds. Landsat 5 TM (1987), Landsat 7 ETM+ (2002) and Landsat 8 OLI (2017) and SPOT images, and aerial photographs, master plan map and Google Earth Landsat images were used to analyze changes. In Bahir Dar city and its surrounds, LULC has been changing in space and time. During 1987-2017, more than 50% of the study area was covered with cropland. Settlement areas have increased from 3.3% in 1987 to 9.13% in 2017. However, wetland vegetation, shrubland, grassland, forest, and waterbodies have degraded. These changes are mainly attributed to population growth and its effect on the environment. Land-use and land-cover is a serious problem and it causes land and environmental degradation, climate change and loss of the biological environment.

Barchan dune fields are a dominant landscape feature in SE Qatar and a key element of the peninsula’s geodiversity. The migration of barchan dunes is mainly controlled by dune size, wind pattern, vegetation cover and human impact. We investigate the variability of dune migration in Qatar over a time period of 50 years using high-resolution satellite and aerial imagery and explore its relation to the regional Shamal wind system, teleconnection patterns, and limitations in sand supply associated with the transgression of the Arabian Gulf. We detect strong size-dependent differences in migration rates of individual dunes as well as significant decadal variability on a dune-field scale, which was found to be correlating with the intensity of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM). High uncertainties associated with the extrapolation of migration rates back into the Holocene, however, do not permit to further specify the timing of the loss of sand supply and the onset of the mid-Holocene relative sea-level (RSL) highstand. For the youngest phase considered in this study (2006–2015), human impact is anticipated to have accelerated dune migration under a weakening Shamal regime through sand mining and excessive vehicle frequentation upwind of the core study area.

Colombia has initiated the process of participating in the environmental projects of the United Nations global agenda for the mitigation of climate change and the protection of biodiversity. Consequently, organizations within the solidarity sector have devised projects with the objective of aligning themselves with regional programs and of promoting leadership in the rural development through solidarity-based environmental initiatives. These include the organizations Canapro Ambiental, Cooperación Verde and Cootregua, which have participated in and accompanied local environmental projects. This study has identified the common elements related to the principles of organizational design proposed by Elinor Ostrom as a result of the adoption of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for the purpose of a sustainable growth. The above findings serve to corroborate the relevance of the principles of organizational design as a qualitative assessment methodology for environmental solidarity initiatives. In particular, the methodology demonstrates the value of supporting the objectives of environmental sustainability and governance in the long term, by means of the strengthening of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for the purposes of the solidarity ecosystem.

Generating early warning signals of reduced resilience in ecosystems is crucial for conservation and management endeavors. However, the practical implications of such early warning signal systems are still limited by the lack of data and uncertainties associated with predicting complex systems such as ecosystems. This research aims to investigate the feasibility of developing an early warning system capable of identifying an upcoming critical transition within mangrove forest ecosystems. Using time series analysis of remote sensing images, the resilience of mangrove forests was explored across two distinct study sites. One site (Qeshm Island) has been adversely affected by land-use and land-cover changes, while the other (Gabrik) serves as a reference ecosystem. The study uses data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite to quantify three remotely sensed indices: the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI), and the Modified Vegetation Water Ratio (MVWR). In addition, Landsat data has been used to explore temporal alterations in land-use and land cover. To identify early warning signals, indicators such as autocorrelation (acf(1)), standard deviation (SD), and skewness (SK) are applied. The findings indicate a signal of reduced resilience by a significant increase in NDVI statistical metrics (acf(1): 0.50, SD: 0.9). Although MNDWI showed significant early warning signals in Qeshm Island (acf(1); 0.86, SD: 0.90), it provided a false alarm in the reference study site. MVWR failed to generate early warning signals of reduced resilience (acf(1); -0.100, SD: -0.07, SK: -0.21). Land-use land-cover change may explain reduced resilience in the forests. This study not only emphasizes the potential of remote sensing in monitoring the state of mangrove forests but also contributes to advancing our understanding of ecosystem dynamics. The findings of this study can be integrated with ecosystem management tools to enhance the effectiveness of conservation efforts aimed at safeguarding mangroves. This is the first report of the successful application of remote sensing in generating early warning signals of reduced resilience within mangrove forests in the Middle East.

In a rapidly evolving global landscape characterized by increased international travel, migration, and ecological shifts, this study sheds light on the emergence of protozoal and helminthic infections targeting the central nervous system (CNS) within Europe. Despite being traditionally associated with tropical regions, these infections are progressively becoming more prevalent in non-endemic areas. By scrutinizing the inherent risks, potential outcomes, and attendant challenges, this study underscores the intricate interplay between diagnostic limitations, susceptibility of specific population subsets, and the profound influence of climate fluctuations. The contemporary interconnectedness of societies serves as a conduit for the introduction and establishment of these infections, warranting comprehensive assessment. This study emphasizes the pivotal role of heightened clinician vigilance, judicious public health interventions, and synergistic research collaborations to mitigate the potential consequences of these infections. Though rare, their profound impact on morbidity and mortality underscores the collective urgency required to safeguard the neurological well-being of the European populace. Through this multifaceted approach, Europe can effectively navigate the complex terrain posed by these emergent infections.

The Impact Chain framework for risk assessment has proven to be a robust and effective It is very useful to set up the conceptual framework associated to a given risk and allows accommodating naturally the different components that shape that However, the operationalization of the impact chain may not be straightforward, in particular due to the inherent uncertainties associated to the selected indicators and the assigned In this paper, we introduce an extension to the Impact Chain framework that allows to consider uncertainties in the different components of the risk In the framework of the UNCHAIN project, a web-based tool has been developed to ease the task of implementing that The tool has been applied to a case study on the loss of tourist attractiveness due to heat stress conditions on the Balearic island, Spain, to illustrate how uncertainties in different components of the impact chain can affect the robustness of the final risk Also, the tool provides an estimate of the sensitivity of the final risk to each component, which can be used to guide risk mitigation Finally, a proposal for the validation of the risk assessment is presented.

In order to explore the grassland ecosystem productivity and landscape ecological patterns of main pastoral grasslands in China, it provides a theoretical basis for the efficient implementation of ecological engineering and rational management of grassland resources in the region. This study analyzed the changes in grassland area, landscape index (LSI), and net primary productivity (NPP) in seven major pastoral areas in China in 1985, 1995, 2005, and 2015. Results showed that (1) the sizes of the grassland study area in 1985, 1995, 2005, and 2015 were 248.34, 243.93, 245.80, and 244.660 km2 respectively. (2) The dominance of grassland in the landscape pattern increased from 2005 to 2015 as compared with that in 1985–1995 and 1995–2005. The degrees of spatial heterogeneity were reduced. (3) The grassland NPP showed spatial and temporal differences. The average NPP of grassland increased by 21.30%, 16.47%, and 36.17% during 1985–1995, 2005–2015, and 1985–2015, respectively. From 1995 to 2005, the average NPP decreased by 5.05 gC/m2, which is equivalent to -3.61% of the average NPP in 1995. The total amount of grassland NPP in the study area was the greatest in 2015, showing increments of 36.37% and 16.61% compared with those in 1985 and 2005, respectively.

Temporal changes of population densities and species richness of three main pollinator groups: moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera), bees, wasps and sawflies (Hymenoptera) and hoverflies, horse-flies, tachninids and bee flies (Diptera) were investigated in the Carpathian Basin. Maintaining pollinator divesrity is a crucial factor for preserving our biodiversity and ecosystems, furthermore several pollinator species has strong economic role in maintaning crop and fruit cultures. Our conclusions are based on our three or four decades of faunistic surveys in various regions of the Carpathian Basin. Analysing and comparing our data with the historical data of the last 50 years, we concluded, densities of some pollinators were declined during the past decade and the half (Symphyta, hoverflies), although populations of several species of Mediterranean-origin were grown (Aculeata) and even new species were migrated from the warmer regions. In numerous cases, this decrease was dramatic: more than 90% decrease of certain butterfly species were detected. On the other hand, the composition of pollinator fauna significantly changed due to the disappearance of some montaneous or mesophyle species. The main reason of decrease of pollinator communities is partly the climatic change and partly anthropogenic factors. Our conclusion: in our region, the pollinator crisis is present, but moderate; however, there is clear sign of the gradual transition of our pollinator fauna towards the Mediterranean type.

The province of Jaén (Andalusia, Spain), despite being declared the European territory with the largest number of defensive constructions (castles, fortifications, etc.), has few conservation plans, with many remains included on the Red List of Spanish Heritage ly-ing abandoned. This poses a challenge for landscape conservation and the optimal use of the province’s tourism potential. In this paper we present the early implementation of an ongoing methodological approach designed to alleviate this situation. It takes advantage of data from the Sentinel 2A and 2B satellites, HBIM, RPAS, GIS and fieldwork that will be applied across five archaeological case studies. It has been tested for the first time in the village of Magaña. Three main objectives and phases of this methodological approach have been designed: 1. Preparation of an Environmental Risk Chart with which to answer such ques-tions as “How have climate change, anthropic alterations and environmental characteris-tics affected the state of conservation of certain heritage sites?” 2. Preparation of HBIM models to foster monitorisation and conservation policies for the main archaeological remains and improving their protection based on digital and technological tools. 3. Building a Smart Tourism App for mobile devices aimed at promoting smart tourism by digitalising and virtualising tourist itineraries and archaeological remains. Finally, public administrations will be apprised of the need to implement a conservation policy for cultural assets and their surroundings in a simple, quick and cost-effective man-ner.

The Congo River Basin is the second-largest watershed globally, flowing through nine countries before reaching the Atlantic Ocean. The Kasai River Basin (KARB), containing about one-fourth of Congo’s freshwater resources, plays a strategic role in sustaining navigation, food production, and hydroelectricity generation in Central Africa. A multi-model framework suited for data scarce regions is applied for climate change impacts on water availability in the KARB to propose effective development plans in the future. This includes consideration of two conceptual hydrological models calibrated using four reanalysis datasets and fed with bias-corrected outputs of 19 climate models under two future Representative Climate Pathways (RCPs). Changes in mean annual discharge in the KARB from -18% to +3% are projected depending on the considered modeling configuration. This shows the sensitivity of impact assessment to the choice of models as well as input data. Moreover, about 9%, 18%, and 13% decline in streamflow signatures (Q10, Q50 and Q90) are projected based on the ensemble of models under RCP 8.5. A decrease of 14% and 5% in annual hydropower potential of the mainstream is estimated under RCPs 4.5 and 8.5, respectively. These changes in flows conditions should be considered in decision-making around constructing reservoirs and hydroelectricity generation.

The global carbon neutrality challenge places a spotlight on forests as carbon sinks. However, greenhouse gas (GHG) balances of wood for material and energy use often reveal GHG emission savings in comparison with a non-wood reference. Is it thus better to increase wood production and use, or to conserve and expand the carbon stock in forests? GHG balances of wood products mostly ignore the dynamics of carbon storage in forests, which can be expressed as the carbon storage balance in forests (CSBF). For Germany, a CSBF of 0.25 to 1.15 t CO2/m³ wood can be assumed. When the CSBF is integrated into the GHG balance, GHG mitigation substantially deteriorates and wood products may even turn into a GHG source, e.g. in the case of energy wood. Here, building up the forest carbon sink would be the better option. We conclude that it is vital to include the CSBF in GHG balances of wood products if the wood is extracted from forests. Only then can GHG balances provide political decision-makers and stakeholders in the wood sector with a complete picture of GHG emissions.

Under the “Korean emission trading system in the forestry sector (KETSF)” initiative, the South Korean government has developed several greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction programs that include forestry activities as the cornerstones of the initiative. Forest management is deemed to be a major strategy to implement KETSF; this has been confirmed by most participants in the program, who have shown their preference for forest management projects as the most effective and encouraging strategy to participate in the KETSF program. For a successful implementation of KETSF projects is essential to explore methods that optimize the positive impacts of such strategies, thereby maximizing the economic returns and carbon stocks that result from the implementation of forest management activities. Thus, this study investigated several value-added KETSF projects in South Korea, which included simulated scenarios under two main forest management strategies: one based on an extension of the rotation age, and a second one based on reforestation with new species. Five forest management scenarios were examined and evaluated in their ability to maximize carbon stocks and economic returns. Based on the results, Scenarios 2 and 4 were identified as the best KETSF projects in terms of carbon stock increments. Additionally, the results indicated that projects including reforestation with new species added more economic value than projects that considered an extension of the rotation age. The study also revealed that KETSF projects generated revenue in both scenarios, by either extending the rotation age or by implementing reforestation with new species.

COVID‑19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, has spread rapidly across the globe since the end of 2019 and brought impressive changes in our life and living through partial or full lockdown and reduced anthropogenic activities. Hence, it is imperative to investigate the impacts and consequences of COVID-19 on global eco-system and environment. The present study accordingly addresses the impacts and consequences of COVID-19 by ten environmental indicators; viz., global warming (or greenhouse gas emission), stratospheric ozone depletion, ozone formation (on human health), fine particulate matter formation, smog, ionizing radiation, human carcinogenic toxicity, human non-carcinogenic toxicity, water resource consumption, and effect on human health. The overall study has been performed in agreement with the standard principle and guidelines of life cycle assessment. Worldwide changes in consumption of fossil fuels, viz., petroleum, coal and natural gas, as a result of COVID-19 pandemic, has been the core theme of the study. Outcomes from the study show that COVID-19 has been a ‘blessing in disguise’ for the global environment with most of the above-mentioned indicators declining by approximately 20-30% in 2020 in comparison to the 2019 level.

The increase in tobacco production while ameliorating the condition of the participant households has caused challenges to stakeholders particularly those in the governance of forest resources upon which the sector is hinged. Massive deforestation has proceeded at an alarmingly high level, in a way that threatens the long term viability of the tobacco sector and sustainability of natural forest resources. The entrance of previously disadvantaged majority into the once minority-dominated tobacco sector (and economy) in a quest to improving their livelihoods, is driving forest landscape changes that pose inherent environmental challenges including climate change. This article adopts institutional and landscape approaches to explore and explain the drivers, nexus and implications of smallholder tobacco as a livelihood strategy to the forest landscape changes and the subsequent imperative for governance of the sustainable utilization of forest resources in Zimbabwe. Drawing on documentary evidence the paper concludes that this situation poses a dilemma to forest and livelihood policies, hence the need to examine new institutional and livelihood initiatives.

Flood inundation causes socioeconomic losses for coastal tourism under climate extremes, progressively attracting global attention. Mapping, evaluating, and predicting the flood inundation risk (FIR) is significant for coastal tourism. The study develops a spatial tourism–aimed framework integrating a weighted k-Nearest Neighbors (WkNN), Geographic Information Systems, and flood-related spatially environmental criteria such as precipitation, elevation, soil, and drainage systems. These model inputs were standardized and weighted using distance, and integrated into WkNN to infer regional probability and distribution of FIR. Zhejiang province, China, was selected as a case study. The resulting map was pictured to denote the likelihood of the criteria at various risk categories, which was validated by historical Maximum Inundation Extent (MIE) extracted from World Environment Situation Room. The result indicates 80.59% of WkNN results reasonably confirm the MIE. Precipitation and elevation make a negative contribution to high-medium risk, and drainage systems positively alleviate the regional stress of FIR. The results can help stakeholders make suitable strategies to protect coastal tourism, and also weigh WkNN is superior to kNN in FIR assessment. The framework provides a productive way to yield a reliable assessment of FIR and can also be extended to other risk-related environmental studies under climate change.

Agroecology is a holistic approach to farming that emphasizes the use of local resources and ecological processes to increase productivity, reduce environmental impact, and enhance resilience. Despite its potential benefits, the adoption of agroecological practices in Sub-Saharan Africa has been slow. This paper examines the opportunities for promoting agroecology in the region, including the growing demand for organic and sustainable food, the availability of local knowledge and resources, and the potential for agroecology to improve rural livelihoods and support climate change adaptation. The premise is that the promotion of agroecology faces several challenges. which include, inadequate policy and institutional support, lack of access to credit and markets, limited extension services, and weak land tenure systems. The paper draws on case studies from across Sub-Saharan Africa to illustrate the opportunities and challenges of promoting agroecology in the region. These case studies highlight the diversity of agroecological practices and the importance of context-specific approaches. Overall, the paper maintains that agroecology has the potential to transform agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa, but that realizing this potential will require concerted efforts from governments, civil society, and the private sector.

Due to rising global warming and climate change, biodiversity protection has become a critical ecological concern. The rich biodiversity zones are under threat and are deteriorating, necessitating national, regional, and provincial efforts to safeguard these natural areas. The effective conservation of National Parks and Nature-protected Areas helps to improve biodiversity conservation, forest, and urban air quality. The continuous encroachment and abuse of these protected areas have degraded the ecosystem over time. While exploring the geophysical ecology and biodiversity conservation of these areas in West Africa, Kainji National Park was selected for this study because of its notable location, naturalness, rich habitat diversity, topographic uniqueness, and landmass. The conservation of national parks and nature-protected areas is a cornerstone of biodiversity conservation globally. This study is aimed at the target of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 13, 2030- Climate Action, targeted at taking urgent action towards combating climate change and its impacts. The study captures both flora and fauna that are dominant in the study area. The 15 identified tree species were selected from over 30 species with 563,500,000 (an average of 3,700,000 in each sample frame) trees for every tree species/type with a total of 63% tree green canopy cover. The study areas divided into three zones were randomly sampled within a stratum of 25x25km frames divided into 150 sample frames for proper analyses using the i-Tree Eco v6.0.23. The following microclimatic data were captured and analyzed; photosynthetically active radiation, rain/precipitation, temperature, transpiration, evaporation, water intercepted by trees, avoided a runoff by trees, potential evaporation by trees, isoprene and monoterpene by trees. This study also further discusses the tree benefits of a green, low carbon, and sustainable environment within the context of biodiversity conservation considering carbon storage, carbon sequestration, hydrology effects, pollution removal, oxygen production, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). There is a quick need for remotely-sensed information about the protected areas at regular intervals and government policies must be strict against illegal poaching, logging activities and other hazardous human impacts.

International data suggests that exposure for nature is beneficial for mental health and well-being. The restrictions related to Covid-19 pandemic have created a setting that allows us to investigate the importance of greenness exposure on mental health during a period of increased isolation and worry. Based on 2060 responses from an online survey in the Stockholm County, Sweden, we investigated: 1) weather the Covid-19 pandemic changed peoples’ life-style and nature-related habits, and 2) if peoples’ mental health differed depending on their exposure to greenness. Neighbourhood greenness levels were quantified by using the average Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) within 50m, 100m, 300m, and 500m buffers surrounding the participant’s place of residence. We found that the number of individuals that reported that they visited natural areas “often” was significantly higher during the pandemic than before the pandemic. Higher levels of greenness surrounding one’s location of residence were in general associated with higher mental health/wellbeing and vitality scores, and less symptoms of depression, anxiety, and perceived and cognitive stress, after adjustments for demographic variables and walkability. In conclusion, the results from the present study provided support to the suggestion that contact with nature may be important for mental health in extreme circumstances.

Countless disasters have resulted from climate change, with severe damage to infrastructure and the economy. Their societal impacts require mental health services for the millions affected. To prepare for and respond effectively to these events, it is important to understand people’s emotions and incidents both before and after a disaster strikes. The emotions and other life incidents expressed on Twitter during the 2017 Hurricane Harvey were mined in this case study. Between August 20 and August 30, we collected a dataset of approximately 400,000 public tweets that related to the storm. Using a BERT-based model, we predicted the emotions attached to each tweet. After that, we used various natural language processing techniques to analyze the tweets themselves to understand what kind of ’topics’ were being discussed when people expressed certain ’emotions’. Applying the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) technique for topic modeling sidesteps the need for manual content analysis and allows us to find meaningful patterns in the data. Results show that there is a significant change of emotions occurred when the hurricane is at most devastating and many of life incidents become pressing demands/concerns from population such as evacuation plan, animal safety, safety update, public policy, helps, flood, and fake news.

The promotion of active travel is deemed a crucial component of the transition to sustainable urban mobility. Several barriers hinder its policy implementation and uptake. Some evidence suggests that capacity building could be a useful tool for deepening sustainability efforts. However, a clear framework for understanding the dimensions of capacity building for active travel is lacking. Most research and findings use cases within a Global North context, constricting implications and transferability to the Global South, especially to African cities. This study responds to the dearth of scholarly work exploring Global South cases and fills a knowledge gap regarding capacity building in the case of active travel. Through a literature review, this study examines the dimensions of capacity building that are necessary to improve active travel in selected African countries. We focus on multilevel trans-portation governance, with highlights from five (5) African cities. Our findings suggest that the literature and policies on transport in Africa have key dimensions for capacity building for active travel but lack the introduction of key instruments and strategic pathways to meet these requirements for improved sustainable mobility. We propose a thematic guiding framework under three (3) levels of governance for integrating capacity building for active travel policies and implementation at institutional, individual, and environmental levels.

Abstract: Purpose – In this article we lay out the change management practices adopted by financial firms in small states within the Eurozone. We determine whether these organisations have the ability to identify triggers for change (Red Flags) and subject them to eight thematic elements to understand whether management practices can continue to exist and support operational environments, even when unexpected circumstances affect their day to day operations and processes. In doing this we examine the extent to which the eight thematic elements from the model designed by Dalli Gonzi, (2019) (The Dali Model) can assist organisations in risk identification and business continuity planning. Design/methodology/approach – A self-administered questionnaire purposely designed for this study was administered to personnel working in internal controls within financial institutions of small Eurozone states. The participants were asked to grade statements using a 5-point Likert scale, ‘1’ being ‘totally disagree’ and ‘5’ being totally agree’ to the statement posed under the thematic elements forming the basis of the Dali Model. Findings – Factor analysis provided support for the eight hypothesised dimensions of the decision-making model: connection, capacity, governance, network, policy, training, process improvement, standards. Originality/value – The study provides a better understanding and support of “best practice” in change management through an understanding and assessment of the eight factors that are the basis of this model. It addresses practical recommendations to ensure application to a wider frame of use.

Batch combustion in wood log stoves is a promising application for latent heat storage (LHS), due to the transient heat production with high peak effects. The current study aimed at designing a compact, passive and durable LHS system storing a substantial part of the heat release during batch combustion and effectively releasing the stored heat to the room for 6 to 10 hours after the last batch. The LHS system consists of a coaxial cylinder located at the top of the wood stove, replacing part of the regular stovepipe. Internal metallic fins were applied as heat transfer enhancement to homogenize the temperature distribution inside the PCM. The effect of radial fin lengths was numerically investigated through a parametric study using five different fin lengths within the PCM. Using 35-mm fins in the 70-mm PCM layer yielded the best trade-off for the application. This configuration enabled achieving a slow but close to complete melting of the PCM within a realistic combustion duration, while avoiding overheating the PCM above its degradation temperature. Thereafter, the discharge allowed releasing the stored latent heat for 6 hours. The exhaust gas inlet temperature proved to have a strong influence on the PCM thermal performance.

Climate change from anthropogenic activities represents a serious threat to life in earth. Agriculture releases significant emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG), but also offers low-cost opportunities to mitigate GHG emissions. This paper assesses agricultural GHG emissions in Aragon, one important and representative region for agriculture in Spain. The Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC) approach is used to analyze the abatement potential and cost-efficiency of mitigation measures under several scenarios, with and without taking into account the interaction among measures and their transaction costs. The assessment identifies the environmental and economic outcomes of different combinations of measures. Moreover, we develop future mitigation scenarios for agriculture toward the year 2050, in order to assess the impacts on GHG emissions. Results highlight the importance of assessing biophysical processes in mitigation measures, and the significant effects of interactions between measures that reduce the abatement potential and worsen the cost-efficiency. The inclusion of transaction costs provides a better ranking of measures and a more accurate estimation of implementation costs. The scenario analysis shows how the combinations of measures could reduce emissions and promote sustainable agriculture in the future. Keywords: Climate change; mitigation measures; biophysical processes; cost-efficiency; abatement costs; transaction costs; policy scenarios.

The study aims to identify the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) hazard area, mitigation method, and possible sustainable development in a changing global climate. The critical environmental hazards are artificial light at night (ALAN) and air pollution with ambient PM2.5. People use nighttime outdoor environments for their needs, and the nocturnally migrating birds are attracted to urban ALAN during seasonal migration, which could increase the birds' exposure to PM2.5. A comparative study examines PM2.5 concentrations and the spatial correlation between ALAN and PM2.5 within urban versus rural areas. The author used the nighttime data of the artificial light on the Earth's surface and the PM2.5 level of concentration to estimate the extent of air pollution associated with PM2.5 in the ground-level atmosphere. The results can assist in determining the required PM2.5 control areas and designing and executing environmental conservation planning. Furthermore, the results of this study are not only beneficial to understanding accurately the regional differences of spatiotemporal PM2.5 emission dynamics and helpful for proposing alleviation policies in air pollution control and providing scientific support for regional sustainable development in changing climate. The integrated hazards of ALAN and air pollution are most significant and likely to increase within the urban and decrease within rural areas. This study was undertaken by the first author and built upon the context of the academic, scientific, and technological challenges to identify the PM2.5 concentration in urban and rural areas and the expected outcomes.

Organic carbon (OC) accumulation in soil mitigates greenhouse gases emission and improves soil health. We aimed to quantify the dynamics of OC stock in soils and to justify technologies that allow annual increasing OC stock in the arable soil layer by 4‰. We based the study on a field experiment established in 1936 in the 9-field crop rotation with a fallow on Chernozem in European Russia. The RothC version 26.3 was used for the reproducing and forecasting OC dynamics. In all fertilizer applications at FYM background, there was a decrease in the OC stock with preferable loss of active OC, except the period 1964-71 with 2-5‰ annual OC increase. The model estimated the annual C input in the arable soil layer as 1,900 kg·ha-1. For increasing OC stocks by 4‰ per year, one should raise input to 2400 kg·ha-1. Simulation was made for 2016-2090 using climate scenarios RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. Crop rotation without fallowing provided an initial increase of 3‰ and 6‰ of stocks in the RCP8.5 and RCP4.5 scenarios accordingly, followed by a loss in accumulated OC. Simulation demonstrates difficulties to increase OC concentration in Chernozems under intensive farming and potential capacity to rise OC stock through yield management.

Prunus armeniaca L. is the native species of cultivated apricot, which is important information for studying the origin, succession pattern, pest control, sustainable development of biodiversity of economic tree species of the genus Apricot, etc. However, with global climate change and increasingly intense human activities, the survival environment of Prunus armeniaca L. is under serious stress, and exploring the potential survival space of Prunus armeniaca L. is an important way to protect the health and development of Prunus armeniaca L.. Exploring the potential living space of Prunus armeniaca L. is an important way to protect the healthy development of Prunus armeniaca L. The Yili River Valley is a typical distribution area of Prunus armeniaca L. . Exploring the potential distribution suitable area of Prunus armeniaca L. in the Yili River Valley and analyzing its future change trend can provide scientific guidance for the protection, development, and utilization of Prunus armeniaca L.. Based on the Geographic Information System software platform combined with the MaxEnt Model, we simulated the potential distribution areas and the degree of adaptation of Prunus armeniaca L. in the Yili River Valley, and predicted the potential distribution changes of Prunus armeniaca L. in the future under different situations. Based on the above methods, the following results were obtained: (1) The MaxEnt Model simulated the geographic distribution of Prunus armeniaca L. with high accuracy and an AUC value of 0.969, and the area of the currently suitable area for Prunus armeniaca L. in the Yili River Valley was about 10407.77 km2, accounting for about 18.45% of the overall land area of the Yili River Valley; the area of the highly suitable area was about 1380.9 km², accounting for about 13.26%, the area of the medium suitable zone is about 2830.15km², and the area of low suitable zone is about 6196.05km². (2) The maximum increase in the total area of the suitable zone under the future low-radiation forcing scenario is 11.49%, and the minimum increase under the future medium-high forcing scenario is 4.94%. (3) The overall migration was in the southwest direction, with the largest migration angle under the SSP245 scenario and the largest migration distance under the SSP585 scenario. Under the background of future climate change, there is a tendency for the potential habitat of Prunus armeniaca L. in the Yili River Valley to expand from low altitude to high altitude, and altitude is the dominant geographic factor influencing the distribution of Prunus armeniaca L.. By simulating and studying the potential geographic distribution of Prunus armeniaca L. in the Yili River Valley under the background of climate change, we can reveal the response mechanism between the geographic distribution of Prunus armeniaca L. and the natural environment, which can provide scientific guidance and data support for the exploitation and protection of Prunus armeniaca L. in the future.

Large scale cropland erosion rates mapping and dynamic monitoring are critical for agricultural planning but extremely challenging. In this study, by using field investigation data collected from 20,155 land parcels in 2,781 sample units in the National Soil Erosion Survey, land use change data for two decades from the National Land Use/Cover Database of China (NLUD-C), we proposed a new point to surface approach to quantitatively assess long-term cropland erosion based on the CSLE model and non-homogeneous voting. The results show that cropland in Yunnan suffers from serious problem with unsustainable mean soil erosion rate of 40.47t/(ha·a) and erosion ratio of 70.11%, which are significantly higher than those of other land types. Engineering control measures (ECMS) have a profound impact on reducing soil erosion, soil erosion rate of cropland with and without ESMs differs by more than five times. Over the past two decades, the cropland area in Yunnan continues to decrease, with a net reduction of 7461.83 km2 and a ratio of −10.55%, which causes corresponding 0.32×108 t (12.12% ) decrease in cropland soil loss. We also quantified the impact of different LUCC scenarios on cropland erosion, and extraordinarily high variability was found in soil loss in different basins and periods. Conversion from cropland to forest contributes the most to cropland erosion reduction, while conversion from grassland to cropland contributes 56.18% of the increase in soil erosion. Considering the current speed of cropland regulation, it is the sharp reduction in land area that leads to cropland erosion reduction rather than treatments. The dilemma between the Grain for Green Policy and Cropland Protecting Strategy in mountainous areas should be treated carefully with shared understanding and collaborations from different roles.

The measures related to climate change and international technology transfer have been closely intervened as most international environmental instruments, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and Kyoto Protocol as well as Paris Agreement which contain the provisions concerning environmentally friendly technology transfer. However, technologies have not been transferred adequately owing to the flaws in the relevant provisions and due to the fact that most technologies are possessed by transnational corporations and other private sectors. In order to undertake the commitment by the governments of developed countries and at the same time, to conform the commercial activities of their respective private sectors to the level of promised international obligation, an uniform international technology transfer agreement needs to be established separately, particularly under the World Trade Organization regime in Post Pairs-Agreement era. This paper first explores the defects and challenges found in provisions related to technology transfer in existing environmental agreements, and examines the possibilities of concluding an international technology transfer agreement both from theoretical and practical perspectives. climate change;environmentally sound technology;international technology transfer;Post Paris-Agreement Era

This study investigates proximate drivers of cropland and forest degradation in Kloto district (Togo, West Africa) as, way of, exploring integrated sustainable landscape approaches in respect to socio-economic and environmental needs and requirements. Net change analysis of major cash and food crops based on three time steps Landsat data (1985–2002, 2002–2017 and 1985–2017) and quantitative analysis from participatory survey data with farmers and landowners are used. Study underlines poor agricultural systems and cassava farming as major impediments to alarming forest losses between 1985–2017. Significant net loss in forests cover by 23.6% and surface areas under cultivation of cocoa agroforestry and maize by 12.99 and 10.1% from 1985 to 2017, due to, intensive cassava cropping (38.78%) and settlement expansions (7.84%). Meanwhile, loss in forest cover between 2017 and 2002 was marginal (8.36%) compared to the period 1985–2002 for which the loss was considerable (15.24%). Based on participatory surveys, majority of agricultural lands are threatened by erosion or physical deterioration (67.5%), land degradation or salt deposits and loss of micro/macro fauna and flora at 56.7%, declining in soil fertility (32.5%), soil water holding capacity (11.7%) and changes in soil texture (3.3%). Majority of farmers adhere to the adoption of the proposed climate smart practices with emphasis on cost effective drip irrigation systems (45.83%), soil mulching (35%) and adoption of drought resilient varieties (29.17%) to anticipate drought spells adverse. The study concludes that low adoption of improved soil conservation, integrated water management and harvesting systems and low productive and adaptive cultivars entail extreme degradation of croplands and crops productivity decline. Therefore, farmers are forced to clear more forests in search of stable and healthy soils for production and extraction of forest products to meet their food demands and improve their livelihoods conditions. Capacity building on integrated pathways of soil and land management practices are therefore needed to ensure sustainable and viable socio-ecological systems at local scale.

This narrative review explores the utilization of psychedelic states in therapeutic contexts, deliberately shifting the focus from psychedelic substances back to the experiential phenomena they induce, in alignment with the original meaning of the term "mind-manifesting." The review provides an overview of various psychedelic substances used in modern therapeutic settings and ritualistic indigenous contexts, as well as non-pharmacological methods that can arguably induce psychedelic states, including breathwork, meditation, and sensory deprivation. While the occurrence of mystical experiences in psychedelic states seems to be the strongest predictor of positive outcomes, the literature of the field yields several other psychological processes, such as awe, perspective shifts, insight, emotional breakthrough, acceptance, re-experiencing of memories, and certain aspects of challenging experiences, that are significantly associated with positive change. We additionally discuss in detail mystical experience related changes in metaphysical as well as self-related beliefs and their respective contributions to observed outcomes. We conclude that a purely medical and neurobiological perspective on psychological health is reductive and should not overshadow the significance of phenomenological experiences in understanding and treating psychological issues that manifest in subjective realities of human individuals.

Pharmacists must acquire the necessary knowledge to provide better drug therapy to patients. In other words, educational programs need to facilitate behavioral changes among pharmacists. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate how the behavior of pharmacists changed after attending a palliative care educational program. We conducted a web-based questionnaire survey examining the behavior of pharmacists regarding palliative care before participating in the program, two months after participating in the program, and eight months after participating in the program, to determine the behavior and changes over time. For all questions, scores were higher at two and eight months after attending the program than before attending the program (P &lt;0.05). In addition, no significant difference was observed between two and eight months after attending the program for all questions (P =0.504-1.000). The knowledge gained from the educational program was used to repeatedly intervene with patients with cancer, to address the various symptoms they experienced and maintain their behavior. The proven effectiveness of this program serves as a stepping stone for a nationwide rollout across Japan’s 47 prefectures.

The conversion of caatinga vegetation areas into pastures in the Brazilian semiarid region has depleted soil fertility due to degradation. The natural regeneration of the caatinga has been the alternative adopted to restore soil fertility. However, the real effectiveness of this practice in re-covering organic carbon (SOC) and nutrient stocks is unknown. This work evaluated the effect of natural regeneration of the caatinga vegetation on the restoration of levels and stocks of SOC, N, and P as a strategy to maintain the sustainability of the environment. We collected soil samples every 5 cm, up to 20 cm deep, in areas of degraded pasture, caatinga in regeneration (10 years), and regenerated caatinga (35 years) to evaluate the levels and stocks of SOC, N, and P. The depth sig-nificantly affects the levels and stocks of SOC, N, and P. Stocks and levels of SOC, N, and P were higher in regenerated caatinga > regenerating caatinga > degraded pasture. The regenerated caatinga increased SOC, N, and P stocks by 115%, 110%, and 117%, respectively, compared to the degraded pasture. Although 35 years of regeneration of the caatinga has improved soil fertility, the levels and stocks of SOC, N, and P remain low.

The variation of river hydrologic process can not only reflect the impact of natural factors, but also the impact of human activities. The purpose of this study is to reveal the change trend of the hydrologic regime of the Yellow River and its response to ecological protection in the river basin. Based on the daily water and sediment observation data of representative gauging stations in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, it was analyzed the variation trend of the annual and monthly runoff and suspended sediment load (SSL), and monthly mean runoff, suspended sediment transport rate (SSTR), sediment inflow coefficient, and hydrological regime in decadal average of the gauging stations during the period 1960-2019. The results show that the variation of annual runoff and SSL, as well as the monthly mean runoff and SSTR in decadal average, has a significant decreasing trend in the 1960’s-1990’s, which was mainly in response to the gradual implementation of ecological protection measures such as afforestation, grass planting, terrace construction, and check dam construction, etc. in the basin. In 2000’s and 2010’s, the annual runoff increased, while the SSL increased slightly. This was a response to the implementation of new river management measures such as ensuring the ecological water demand of the lower reaches and scouring the riverbed by manually regulated clear water discharged from the Xiaolangdi Reservoir. In the same time, the monthly mean runoff and SSTR for the flood season (Jun.-Oct.) decreased remarkably, while the process curve of the monthly mean discharge and sediment concentration, changed from a clockwise loop to a counterclockwise loop in the river reach below the Xiaolangdi dam. This was a comprehensive response to the environmental protection measures in the Yellow River basin, in which the construction and operation of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir played a key role. This study can provide reference for river basin management.

This study focusses on identifying a set of representative future climate projections for the Upper Indus Basin (UIB). Although a large number of GCM’s predictor sets are nowadays available in the CMIP5 archive, the issue of their reliability for specific regions must still be confronted. This situation makes it imperative to sort out the most appropriate, single or small-ensemble set of GCMs for the assessment of climate change impacts in a region. Here a set of different approaches is adopted and applied for a step-wise shortlist and selection of appropriate climate models for the UIB under two RCPs: RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5, based on, a) range of projected mean changes, b) range of projected extreme changes, and c) skill in reproducing the past climate. Furthermore, because of higher uncertainties in climate projection for high mountainous regions like the UIB, a wider range of future GCM climate projections is considered by using all possible future extreme scenarios (wet-warm, wet-cold, dry-warm, dry-cold). Based on this two-fold procedure, a limited number of climate models is pre-selected, out of which the final selection is done by assigning ranks to the weighted score for each of the mentioned selection criteria. The dynamically downscaled climate projections from the Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) available for the top-ranked GCMs are further statistically downscaled (bias-corrected) over the UIB. The downscaled projections up to year 2100 indicate temperature increases ranging between 2.3 °C and 9.0 °C and precipitation changes that range, from a slight annual increase of 2.2% under the drier scenarios, to as high as 15.9% for the wet scenarios. Moreover, for all scenarios, the future precipitation will be more extreme, as the probability of wet days will decrease, while, at the same time, the precipitation intensities will increase. The spatial distribution of the downscaled predictors across the UIB also shows similar patterns for all scenarios, with a distinct precipitation decrease over the south-eastern parts of the basin, but an increase in the northeastern parts. These two features are particularly intense for the “Dry-Warm” and the “Median” scenarios over the late 21st century.

This research provides an in-depth analysis of drought impacts in West Pokot, Kenya, utilizing both remote sensing surveys and focus group discussions. The study commenced by assessing the impact of drought on vegetation health via spatial sensors. It then utilized surveys and focus group discussions (FGDs) to engage farmers from the most drought-affected areas in Kacheliba and Sigor sub-counties. The analysis of remote sensing data from 1990 to 2022 highlighted that Sigor and Kacheliba experienced significant drought events during the years 1995, 2000, 2002, 2005, and 2009, and 1991, 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2019, respectively. This study delves into both the meteorological and socio-economic effects on local communities. Using the Multinomial Logistic Regression (MLR) model with the glm function, the research uncovered the impacts of so-cio-economic factors and agricultural practices on household livestock production. Additionally, the study employed Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) to explore the dynamics between livestock production, community resilience, and crop production. The findings underscore the urgent need for tailored interventions to enhance community resilience in the face of increasing climatic extremes, serving as a blueprint for similar arid and semi-arid regions worldwide.

During disaster response, clouds or darkness can prevent the use of optical images for detecting consequences of natural disasters, including landslides. In these situations, radar images can be used to detect changes more rapidly. However, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) backscatter intensity images are underutilized for landslide detection. Unfortunately, there remains a lack of understanding about how to interpret landslide signatures in SAR imagery. In this study, we investigate how the morphometric features and material properties of landslides, and preexisting land cover, control their expression in SAR backscatter intensity change images. Trends in the spatial and temporal signatures of over 1000 landslides in 30 diverse case studies are investigated, using multi-temporal composites and dense time-series of Sentinel-1 C-band SAR backscatter intensity data. The results show that the orientation of landslide surfaces relative to the sensor, pre-existing land cover, and the roughness of the landslide surface, determine whether landslides will produce an increase or decrease in backscatter intensity values. In certain cases, we can identify morphometric features of landslides (e.g. scarps, transit zone, deposits, ponding) and material properties. Generally, we see that landslides appear most clearly with a strong increase in intensity when they occur in herbaceous vegetation or non-vegetated ground surfaces, due to an increase in surface roughness. While in forested or densely vegetated areas, landslides produce a more complex signature with both decreases due to radar shadow and vegetation removal, and an adjacent edge of increased intensity due to double bounce and direct return from vertical tree trunks and convex edges. In most cases, rough deposits produce an increase in intensity, while smooth deposits (e.g. from mudslides) exhibit specular reflection, and thus show decreased values. Landslides are less visible in cases with pre-event very rough ground, or mixed vegetation conditions. The conceptual model developed can aid interpretation of landslides in SAR imagery, and provide domain knowledge needed to train models for automatic landslide detection.

The purpose of the evaluation of the Peruvian energy generation system is to project the electricity generation and demand until the year 2050. To achieve this, three alternative scenarios have been defined and analyzed using the LEAP (Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning) software. The scenarios are as follows: the first one, Business-as-Usual scenario, based on normal trends according to historical data and referencing projections made by Peruvian state entities; the second one is focused on Energy Efficiency, the highlighted characteristic is taking into consideration the efficient conditions in transmission and distribution of electric energy; and the third one, centered on Geothermal Energy, focused on the development of this type of energy source and prioritizing it. The primary purpose of this analysis is to identity advantages and disadvantages inherent in each scenario in order to get the best of each one. In this way, the intention is to propose solutions based on Peru’s national reality or possible uses of the country’s energy potential to supply its energy demand. Currently, Peru’s energy demand relies on fossil fuels, hydraulic, and thermal energy. However, there is the possibility of transforming this system into a sustainable one, by strengthening existing and growing energy sources such as solar and wind energy, and new technologies for hydraulic and thermal energy, in addition to considering geothermal energy as the main energy source in the third scenario. The new system mentioned satisfactorily indicate that the CO2 equivalent emissions decrease significantly in the third scenario, with a 15.8% reduction compared to the first scenario and a 9.7% reduction in comparison to the second. On the other hand, the second scenario shows a 5.6% decrease in CO2 emissions compared to the first, resulting from improvements in technology and energy efficiency without requiring significant modifications or considerable investments, as in the third scenario.

Introduction: Papatasi fever, or three-day fever, is a viral disease transmitted by a species of female sandfly called Phlebotomus papatasi that has symptoms similar to influenza. Robat Karim County, due to the high abundance of Sandfly and climate change in recent years, provides a suitable environment for the growth and reproduction of Sandfly, especially Phlebotomus papatasi Therefore, the aim of this study was molecular monitoring of Papatasi fever virus in Sandfly of Robat Karim County, Tehran province. Materials and methods: In 7 selected areas in Robat Karim County, 679 Sandfly using sampling methods including traps and aspirators were caught and 500 samples were randomly selected according to the fishing location and transferred to the laboratory of the Medical Entomology Department. After fixing Sandfly on the slide surface, identification and percentage of frequency of sandfly species were determined and then by Real-time PCR method, molecular examination of Papatasi virus infection was performed at Tehran Pasteur Institute. Findings: Out of 679 samples taken, 310 (45.65%) belonged to males and 369 (54.35%) belonged to females. 7 species including 3 species of Sandfly of the genus Phlebotomus and 4 species of the genus Sergentomyia were identified among the samples, the highest percentage of catch belonged to Phlebotomus sergenti (28.57%). Of the 500 samples sent to the laboratory for testing for phleboviruses by Real-time PCR, no positive cases of Papatasi virus infection were observed in them. Conclusion: Robat Karim is one of the endemic areas of infectious diseases such as leishmaniasis. Due to climate change in this region that conditions for the growth and reproduction of Sandfly, especially Phlebotomus papatasi as a Vector of sandfly fever and since the sandfly fever disease is not vaccinated therefore, preventive measures to control and reduce diseases transmitted by Sandfly are important.

(1) Background: Among the chronic complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus, cancer became the leading cause of death in several countries. Our objective was the determination of whether prevalent type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with a higher incidence of cancer. (2) Methods: This study is a nationwide analysis performed in Hungary. Study population was divided into a group with type 2 diabetes mellitus and into a non-diabetic group. The primary outcome was the risk related to overall cancer incidence. A key secondary outcome was the overall incidence of cancer in distinct study years. Further outcomes were the annual percent changes. (3) Results: The odds ratio related to the overall incidence of cancer was 2.50 (95% confidence interval: 2.46-2.55, P&lt;0.0001) in patients with diabetes as related to controls. The odds ratio was higher in males than in females. The highest risk was found in the 18-39-year-old subgroup. The annual cancer incidence rate declined in controls, but not in patients with diabetes. Several types of cancer showed a decreasing tendency in non-diabetic controls.; (4) Conclusions: type 2 diabetes is associated with a higher risk of cancer. High risk in young patients with type 2 diabetes suggests that these young individuals should be considered as a risk group.

Identifying ambient noise-based (ANb) signatures of streams can help in the estimation of their erosive potential (EP) that promotes reverie landslides and soil losses in the fluvial valleys. This is particularly imperative on flooding or rainy days, leading to stronger erosion-prone conditions (colluvium and boulders) of the valley beds inferred from georadar attribute analysis. Developing such research direction can benefit the local communities, as is the case with the Cerrado region of Brazil, where these phenomena have high destructive potential with social, economic, and climatic implications. For the present study, a seasonal stream in the Federal District of Brazil was investigated by ANb monitoring supported by Ground Penetration Radar (GPR) for site characterization. The ANb monitoring was conducted (at a safe distance) with a seismometer over several durations of dry and rainy conditions. The power spectral density (PSDs) was computed as a function of several variables, including weather conditions (rainfall, wind speed, and pressure), time-frequency spectrograms, and ambient noise displacement root mean square (RMS). This analysis also considered the single station horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR), where rain, wind, pressure, river flow and anthropogenic signatures were evident (at selective frequency ranges). Multi-peaks that emerged on the HVSR curve were further analyzed to identify amplitude and frequency changes, and the three peaks shift on average to a lower position during the rainy period. The GPR amplitude and waveform variation features were attributed to the stratigraphy (i.e., the boundary between valid and invalid regions and coherence value) of the floodplain and regions susceptible to erosion (erosion-prone lithological spots). This approach provides the basis for non-destructive monitoring tools enabling the detection of 'seismic signatures' and weak spots of the fluvial channels for improving environmental management.

This work assesses sea-level rise using three different models created on Free and Open-Source Software for Geographic Information System (FOSS4GIS). Based on regional projections of Special Report on Climate Change and Oceans and Cryosphere (SROCC) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the models were applied to a case of study on Rio Grande do Sul coast – Brazil under different sea-level rise scenarios by the end of this century. The End Point Rate for QGIS (EPR4Q), calculates a shoreline projection using End Point Rate method. The Uncertainty Bathtub Model (uBTM), analyses the sea-level rise impact by the uncertainty of sea-level projec-tions and vertical error of the Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM/DTM). The Bruun Rule for Google Earth Engine Model (BRGM) predicts the shoreline position with sea-level rise, using topographic and bathymetric data from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and Coastal Modelling System (SMC – Brazil), respectively. The results indicated a maximum shoreline retreat for 2100 of -502 m and -1727 m using EPR4Q and BRGM, correspondingly. The uBTM using the land-use of Mapbiomas showed a maximum of 44.57 km2 of urban area impacted by the sea-level flood. This research highlights the possibility of performing coastal management analysis in GIS environ-ment using non-commercial software.

Social, cultural, environmental and economic factors closely regulate the selection, allocation and consumption of maternal diets. We developed a nutrition behaviour change intervention to promote a balanced diet in pregnancy through practical demonstration in rural Bangladesh and tested the impact with a cluster randomised controlled trial. This paper presents the findings of the process evaluation and describes the strategies that worked for intervention compliance. We conducted in-depth interviews with pregnant women, women who birthed recently, and their husbands; focus groups with mothers and mothers-in-law; key-informant interviews with community health workers, and observation of home visits. We identified six key areas within the intervention strategy that played a crucial role in achieving the desired adherence. These included practical demonstration of portion sizes; addressing local food perceptions; demystifying animal-source foods; engaging husbands and mothers-in-law; leveraging women’s social networks; and harnessing community health workers’ social role. Practical demonstration, opportunity to participate and convenience of making of the plate with the food available in their kitchen or neighbours’ kitchen were the most commonly mentioned reasons for acceptance of the intervention by the women and their families. The balanced plate intervention helped women through practical demonstration to learn about a balanced meal by highlighting appropriate portion sizes and food diversity. The women needed active involvement of community health workers in mobilising social support to create an enabling environment essential to bring changes in dietary behaviours. Programs to promote a nutritious maternal diet should focus on encouraging the use of healthy foods through practical demonstration of portion sizes and engagement of the women and family instead of replicating the traditional information-based counselling.

The clothing industry is a hotbed for exploitative working conditions and environmental damages, of which affluent global North countries remain a substantial driver. The circular economy is a potential solution to these issues, but its social implications remain unclear. Using the UK as a case study, this article analyses the global social impacts of a transition to circular clothing economies in the global North, finding these to be (almost) entirely dependent upon the intentions and design of the associated politics. Some aspects of a transition will be unambiguously good for some people; others will only be beneficial with careful governance. Moreover, entrenched global economic inequalities leave trade-offs borne largely by the global South, highlighting the need for circular economy research – its drive for localisation notwithstanding – to look globally to consider how a fair transition can be achieved.

The enterprise software sector is experiencing a significant transformation driven by rapid technological progress and evolving business needs. An effective release management process is crucial for the solution providers and customers, as they incorporate the principles of Industry 4.0 and 5.0. With the growing dependence on software solutions and services, ensuring their quality, reliability, and security is highly necessary. The release management process incorporates strategic planning, regression testing, accurate deployment, and continuous monitoring of software updates. However, the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) create a unique challenge to the release management process. The existing research needs to address the necessary adaptations for Industry 5.0, mainly in product-based software organizations, to the release management process without a change management system. After working with several software solution stakeholders, based on the responses from SaaS project stakeholders, we have presented a revised software release readiness workflow by incorporating a change management module. The preliminary result based on data over a limited period of time indicates that the revised workflow has the potential to improve the management of slippage, particularly by more effectively addressing NFR-related issues, thereby resulting in more predictable and reliable release cycles.

Both climate change and anthropogenic activities contribute to the deterioration of terrestrial water resources and ecosystems worldwide. Central Asian endorheic basins are among the most affected regions through both climate and human impacts. Here, we used a digital elevation model, digitized bathymetry maps and Landsat images to estimate the areal water cover extent and volumetric storage changes in small terminal lakes in Burabay National Nature Park (BNNP), located in Northern Central Asia (CA), for the period of 1986 to 2016. Based on the analysis of long-term climatic data from meteorological stations, short-term hydrometeorological network observations, gridded climate datasets (CRU) and global atmospheric reanalysis (ERA Interim), we have evaluated the impacts of historical climatic conditions on the water balance of BNNP lake catchments. We also discuss the future based on regional climate model projections. We attribute the overall decline of BNNP lakes to long-term deficit of water balance with lake evaporation loss exceeding precipitation inputs. Direct anthropogenic water abstraction has a minor importance in water balance. However, the changes in watersheds caused by the expansion of human settlements and roads disrupting water drainage may play a more significant role in lake water storage decline. More precise water resources assessment at the local scale will be facilitated by further development of freely available higher spatial resolution remote sensing products. In addition, the results of this work can be used for the development of lake/reservoir evaporation models driven by remote sensing and atmospheric reanalysis data without the direct use of ground observations.

Together with display and input, storage and processing are requisite to computing. While storage technologies have improved tremendously in capacity and speed over the years, the basic principles enabling information storage into digital 1 and 0 remains the same: induction of phase change in the storage substrate. But recently, there has been much research into structural phase change material (SPCM) and exploration of its possible use in various types of memory storage applications. Despite unconventional use of structural change between amorphous and crystalline state as well as that between crystal structures for encoding information, key barriers for its widespread use remains access speed, capacity to cost ratio, and fidelity of storage. Hence, given the performance requirement of SPCM for memory applications, what are the material and design considerations that feed into translating a promising application into a practical reality? Given the important role of kinetic and thermal energy in structural organization of a phase change material, precise characterization of structural change in the material with external physical factors such as heat, voltage and current, is critical for storage material design. Next comes the precision at which individual memory cells for storing single bits of information could be defined reproducibly and at high fidelity using SPCM. In congruent with memory cell definition lies the equally important aspect of constraining the field characteristics used in modulating the phase state of the memory medium. Specifically, while heat is useful for mediating the “melting” of a crystalline material into its amorphous state, heat conduction is less useful for transferring the “switch command” from the effector to the memory material. More importantly, choice of structural phase change material for memory applications likely revolves around those where individual memory cells could be defined in a cross array format, which is amenable to high density information storage. Durability and fidelity of information storage are additional factors of design that favours selection of SPCM with phase change occurring at narrow operating windows without hysteresis over extended cycling. But, the most important requirement is speed of access. To this end, energetic cost of phase transitions might affect operation of the phase change memory at the system level: for example, usage of large current for high energy transition step may impact on device durability. Ultimately, there is a fundamental limit on the number of reproducible phase transitions in a SPCM before fidelity of information storage is no longer guaranteed. Hence, what are the drivers for uptake of phase change memories in consumer devices? Performance gains must be realized in access speed, storage capacity, form factor, and fidelity of information storage for practical application of structural phase change memories.

Crop plants should be resilient to climatic factors in order to feed ever-increasing populations. Plants have developed stress-responsive mechanisms by changing their metabolic pathways and switching the stress-responsive genes. The discovery of plant transcriptional factors (TFs) as key regulators of different biotic and abiotic stresses have opened up new horizons for plant scientists. TFs perceive the signal and switch certain stress-responsive genes on and off by binding to different cis-regulatory elements. The above 50 species of plant TFs have been reported in nature. DREB, bZIP, MYB, NAC, Zinc-finger, HSF, Dof, WRKY, and NF-Y are important with respect to biotic and abiotic stresses whereas the role of many TFs is yet to explore. In this review, we summarize the role of different stress-responsive TFs with respect to biotic and abiotic stresses. Further, challenges and future opportunities linked with TFs for developing climate-resilient crops are also elaborated.

The results reveal CILSS as the most accurate data set with a Kappa coefficient of 68% and an overall accuracy of 83%. CILSS data shows a decrease of savanna and forest whereas an increase of cropland over the period 1975 to 2013. The increase of cropland area of 30.97% from 1975 to 2013 can be related to the increase in population and their food demand, while the losses of forest area and the decrease of savanna are further amplified by using wood as energy sources and the lack of forest management. The three datasets were used to simulate future LULC changes using the Terrset Land Change Modeler. The validation of the model using CILSS data for 2013 showed a quality of 50.94%, it is only 40.04% for ESA and 20.13% for Globeland30. CILSS data was utilized to simulate the LULC distribution for the years 2020 and 2027 because of its satisfactory performances. The results show that a high spatial resolution is not a guarantee of high quality. The results of this study can be used for impact studies and to develop management strategies for mitigating negative effects of land use and land cover change.

Biodiversity conservation planning is highly important in the current context of global change. Biodiversity conservation can be achieved by understanding changes in land use at the landscape scale. Such understanding is needed to reverse the unprecedented pressure on natural resources that has been reported by many studies conducted on biodiversity conservation within the Oti-Keran-Mandouri protected areas. Land cover maps reflecting different dates (1987, 2000, and 2013) and depicting different management systems, with overall accuracy ranging from 73% to 79%, were analyzed to understand the processes that lead to habitat degradation within these protected areas. The nature of change, within a given land cover class, was determined by comparing land cover maps on different dates using a decision tree algorithm that compares the number of patches, their areas, and their perimeters at different time periods (T₁ and T₂). Specifically, two time-periods were considered for this analysis: 1987–2000 and 2000–2013. Croplands and settlements increased at an average of 108.13% and 5.45%, respectively, from 1987 to 2000. From 2000 to 2013, croplands gained from all other land categories and continued to increase at a rate of 11.77% per year, whereas forests and savannas decreased at an annual average rate by 5.79% and 2.32%, respectively. The dominant processes of habitat change from 1987 to 2000 were the creation of forests, dissection of savannas, attrition of wetlands, and creation of croplands. Meanwhile, from 2000 to 2013, there was attrition of forests, as well as attrition of savannas, dissection of wetlands, and aggregation of croplands. In general, from 1987 to 2013, natural habitats regressed and were replaced by croplands; forests, savannas, and wetlands decreased at an average annual percentage 5.74%, 3.94%, and 2.02%, respectively, whereas croplands increased at an average annual rate of 285.39% of their own area. Aggregation, attrition, dissection, and creation were the main habitat change processes identified for the overall period from 1987 to 2013. There was habitat loss in forests and savannas and habitat fragmentation in wetland due to attrition and dissection, respectively. Identifying and understanding habitat change processes would enable the taking of appropriate biodiversity conservation actions.

Proactive deprescribing is the process of stopping a medicine before harm occurs. This study aimed to specify and validate with an international sample of healthcare professionals, a proactive deprescribing process of steps and constituent activities. We developed a proactive deprescribing process framework of steps which we populated with literature-derived activities required to be undertaken by healthcare professionals. We distributed a survey to healthcare professionals in-ternationally requesting for each activity; the frequency of its occurrence in practice and whether it was important. Extended response questions invited barriers and enablers to deprescribing. The 263 survey respondents were from 25 countries. A proactive deprescribing process was developed comprising four steps: (1) Identify a patient for potential stop of a medicine, (2) Evaluate a patient for potential stop of a medicine, (3) Stop a medicine(s), (4) After a medicine has been stopped, and 17 activities. All activities were considered important by ≥70% respondents. Nine activities re-quired healthcare professionals to undertake in direct partnership with the patient and/or care-giver, of which seven were only sometimes undertaken. Deprescribing interventions should focus on addressing the barriers and enablers of healthcare professionals undertaking the activities that require direct partnership with the patient and/or caregiver.

In this study, we develop a stochastic partial differential equation (SPDE) model to assess the regional severity of temperature increases due to global warming. The model incorporates various stochastic processes to account for uncertainties such as solar explosions, economic upheavals, rising emissions, and irreversible changes in the climate system. Our base temperature model, influenced by latitude, is enhanced by these random factors to simulate realistic and diverse outcomes of climate change. Numerical simulations on a global grid provide a heatmap representing potential temperature increase severity across different regions. The results highlight the significant impact on tropical and polar regions, demonstrating the utility of SPDE models in understanding and predicting the complex dynamics of climate change. This approach offers valuable insights for policymakers and researchers aiming to develop adaptive strategies for mitigating the adverse effects of global warming.

In the process of climate change mitigation and adaptation, the focus on climate risk driven by transition innovations has received widespread attention from governments, regulators, and investors. Based on the identification of low-carbon patents through the Green and Low-carbon Technology Inventory in China, this study constructs low-carbon innovation measurements of listed firms in China from 2015 to 2021. Then, an empirical model is used to investigate the impact and mechanism of climate transition innovations on the default risk. The baseline regression model shows that low-carbon innovations can mitigate the default risk of listed firms. Moreover, our findings are supported by instrumental variable regressions that use the time costs of innovation. Finally, the mediation effect demonstrates that investor attention, total factor productivity, and technology spillovers are paths through which transition innovations can affect the default risk. This study reveals that low-carbon technological advances have a positive effect on climate transition risks.

Climate change is challenging the agricultural sector worldwide. The pressure exerted by the altered thermal conditions drives the zonal shift for various cultivations. This study presents the multiyear analysis of the Growing Degree Days (GDD) index over the Northern Mediterranean Basin (NMB), focused on the high-value vine cultivation derived from the E-OBS dataset. To handle this extensive environmental dataset, R-language scripts and packages were applied, along with the capabilities of the GIS software. The investigated time period spans from 1969 to 2018, and the performed analysis indicates a broad shift/expansion in areas of GDD exceeding 2000 heat units. The extracted results specify the viticultural areas where the GDD index surpasses the suitable values for vine cultivation, owing to the increase of the thermal stress risk. In addition to mapping areas with GDD ≥ 2000, spatial calculations of the surface of areas meeting this criterion per country in the study area were made. In the northern parts of the NMB, the rise of the GDD index values indicates the establishment of vine plantations in the future.

Every year since the last fifty years, the world is waking up to higher and higher average temperature of the earth. Initially it was thought that this trend is a part of cyclical warming and cooling of the earth and nothing to be much worried about. However, with weather conditions become erratic and unusual over a large swath of the planet more and more frequently and regularly, scientists started to speak of Climate Change and people started to listen. In this paper we briefly discuss the link between global warming, climate change and current policies in the developing world to drive home the urgent need for alternative thinking. We briefly discuss the theoretical link between economic development and greenhouse gas emission and lay the micro foundation of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) before providing some evidence of global climate change and why this is a matter of concern for social scientists. Then we explore two avenues through which human activities are aggravating the situation especially in developing countries – the role of business architecture and the role of built architecture. We argue that these twin architecture are aggravating global warming by moving away from sustainable development policies.

Social, environmental and economic problems are the concern in the agroecological communities. To address these issues, it is important to understand how communities think and act towards existing sustainable practices. There are various agriculture practices which are aboriginal to particular region, and have the knowledge of environment in deep sense thus, locals utilize it for coexisting with nature, by preserving environment and fulfilling the human needs for food alongside protecting the disappearing practices. At present, India has only three designated GIAHS sites and no proposed sites at present, despite having a diverse physical environment and area. Therefore, this paper acknowledges the need to recognize potential indigenous agricultural heritage site as GIAHS and its multidimensional Sustainability and vulnerability by climate change, Traditional value, ecological value, socio cultural values and value-added behavior which can increase the economic value and appeal towards agricultural commodities in later phase. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the potential AHS site in the north east region of India, which is known as Zabö or Ruza and changes in the LULC of the area. Alongside assessing the present agricultural Heritage systems and changes GIAHS recognition brought to it.

Objective: Local ablation therapies (radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and microwave ablation (MWA)) are important as curative treatment option in patient with early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and option for intrahepatic tumor volume reduction in those with unresectable HCC. Various techniques; contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), real-time virtual sonography (RVS), artificial pleural and ascites fluid infusion, and body position change (BPC) have been used to accurately and safely perform local ablation therapies. However, there have been few reports on the usefulness of BPC. Therefore, this study focused on the usefulness of BPC during local ablation therapies in patients with HCC. Methods: We evaluated the technical success rates, treatment time, and prognosis of 283 nodules treated with local ablation therapies. Furthermore, we defined nodules adjacent to large vessels or extrahepatic organs, or poorly visible nodules using US as HCC in high-risk locations. High-risk locations HCC were classified into phase 1 (before active use of BPC, January 2018 to December 2019) and phase 2 (after active use of BPC, January 2020 to January 2022). Results: One hundred seventy-six nodules (62%) were classified as high-risk location group. Compared to non-high risk HCC, treatment-assist techniques, such as BPC (61 vs. 24 %, p<0.001), artificial pleural fluid infusion (24 vs. 5.6%, p<0.001), artificial ascites infusion (50 vs. 11%, p<0.001), fusion imaging (28 vs. 8.4%, p<0.001) and CEUS (26 vs. 4.7%, p<0.001) were performed more frequently for high-risk HCC. The technical success rates were 96% (271/283 nodules), 96% (167/173 nodules) and 95% (102/107 nodules), for all nodules, the high-risk location group and the non-high risk location group, respectively. In the high-risk location group, the technical success rates of the group without BPC were lower than that with BPC (91 vs. 99%, p=0.015). Only BPC was a related factor for the technical success rate for high-risk locations HCC (OR 10 (1.2-86), p=0.034). In contrast, no differences were found in the treatment time, the local tumor progression rates, intrahepatic distant recurrence rates, and overall survival between the group with BPC and that without BPC in the high-risk location HCC. Conclusion: BPC during local ablation therapies in patients with HCC in high-risk locations was safe and efficient. Body position should be adjusted for HCC in high-risk locations to maintain good US visibility and ensure safe puncture route in patients undergoing local ablation therapies.

Climate change related issues, such as yield decline, quality losses, accelerated phenology, extreme abiotic stress, pose growers new challenges in olive growing areas. Main cultural solutions that could alleviate stress and improve long-term sustainability of modern olive orchards are here briefly reviewed. Selecting varieties that are more resistant to drought or high temperatures would be the optimal solution to mitigate the effects of climate change, but the available scientific information is relatively scarce. Sustainability of irrigation implies that the less water is used, the better. Best results in terms of saving water and uniform application are obtained using micro-irrigation methods. Water can also be saved by not fully satisfying the tree water needs and different deficit irrigation strategies have been developed and tested for olive orchards. The use of green covers and the application of organic mulches and shredded pruning materials should be encouraged as these practices tend to stock carbon, increase organic matter content and water holding capacity of the soil. Olive orchards are efficient CO2 sinks as they can store considerable amounts of carbon in their organs and permanent structures. Using environmental friendly practices improves the ecosystem carbon budget and contributes to mitigate climate change.

Coastal ecosystems provide a wide range of goods and services for the lives of human beings and aquatic species. Nevertheless, climate-induced extreme events cause unprecedented impacts on these areas, instigating a reduction of aquatic goods and services, destruction of infrastructure, and loss of human lives. Hence, this review investigated the impacts of climate-induced coastal hazards and adaptation responses. A systematic review method was used to address the objectives of this literature review. The main data sources were Research Gate, Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed databases. A total of 40 research articles (2012-2023) were selected using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA 2020) methodology. The findings of this review revealed that Bangladesh was the leading country based on the number of studies published on the impacts of climate-induced coastal hazards and coastal adaptations (20%), followed by the USA, which accounts for about 15%. Sea-level rise, coastal flooding, and climate change and variability were the most studied climate-induced coastal hazards, each accounting for 55%, 52.5% and 52.5% respectively. Coastal hazards have had significant impacts on the fishery, water, coastal ecosystems and biodiversity, agriculture, tourism, and infrastructure sectors. Besides, they caused migration and death of humans and animals. About 35% of the articles explored the assessment of vulnerability to climate-induced hazards. Moreover, 32.5% of the articles investigated anticipated climate-induced hazards. Hard, soft, ecosystem-based, and hybrid adaptation measures were used to adapt to the impacts of diverse climate-induced coastal hazards. In conclusion, developing countries are more vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate-induced coastal hazards than developed countries. The coastal area’s vulnerability to climate change risks will continue unless all stakeholders act proactively. Thus, it is suggested that the adaptation policies of vulnerable coastal areas should give due attention to nature-based solutions to reduce the adverse impacts of coastal hazards sustainably.

This study was investigate the possible hydrological impact of climate change in stream flow of Arba River based on the downscaled precipitation and temperature data at West Harerghe Zone, Oromia regional state, Ethiopia. The case study, Arba River is one of the tributaries of Awash River Basin and the catchment of the river at Bordode flow gauging station covers around 72 square kilometers. Dynamically downscaled Regional Climate Model (RCM) HIRHAM derived by ICHEC-EC-EARTH global climate model under two scenarios RCP 4.5 and 8.5 was used in this study. The future time periods are divided into two time horizons with equal length of time as the base line period 2021–2050 and 2051–2080. For both projected periods relatively the minimum average monthly percentage change in precipitation will be happened from May to October under RCP4.5 except August and from March to October under RCP8.5. The variation under RCP4.5 is relatively high when compared to RCP8.5. The average monthly per-centage of flow increment may vary from (7.6 to 81.8) for 2021-2050 and (22.3 to 107.8) for 2051-2080 under RCP4.5. Under RCP8.5 scenario, from July to January except the December for 2021-2050, simulated flow is expected to increase while from February to June decreases for both time horizons. Generally, the change of simulated flow under both scenarios and both near and far time period is follows the pattern of precipitation. However, the flow change will have less variation than the precipitation change.

In recent days, the adverse effect of climate change on soil properties in the agriculture sector is a dreadful reality worldwide. Climate change-induced abiotic stresses such as salinity, drought and temperature fluctuations are devastating the crops’ physiological responses, productivity and overall yield which is ultimately posing a serious threat to global food security and agroecosystems. The applications of chemical fertilizers and pesticides contribute towards further deterioration and rapid change in climate. Therefore, more careful, eco-friendly and sustainable strategies are required to mitigate the impact of climate-induced damage on agriculture sector. This paper reviews the recently reported damaging impacts of abiotic stresses on various crops along with two emerging mitigation strategies; biochar and biostimulants, in light of recent studies for combating the worsening impact of deteriorated environment and climate change on crops physiological responses, yields, soil properties, and environment. Here we highlighted the impact of climate change on agriculture and soil properties along with recently emerging mitigation strategies applying biochar and biostimulants, towards protecting the soil, agriculture and environment.

This treatise offers a philosophical odyssey into the exigency of conservation within the broader context of an increasingly interconnected world, beset by the perils of globalization, climate change, and the looming specter of global warming. Employing the evocative metaphor of a jellyfish, it endeavors to shed light on the paramount role of humanity as the principal protagonist in the saga of environmental predicaments, thereby accentuating our profound moral responsibility to navigate the labyrinthine pathways toward viable solutions. While this discourse abstains from presenting empirical or case-specific inquiries, it unfurls an incisive analytical vantage point that enriches our cognitive grasp of the intricate interplay between human societies and the pristine realms of the natural order. By expounding upon poignant exemplars of environmental degradation and unveiling the resplendent tapestry of statistical observations, the profound ethical imperatives that undergird the imperative to confront predicaments such as climate change are thrust into the limelight of intellectual inquiry. Consequently, by delving deep into these philosophical bedrocks, this magnum opus augments our erudition concerning the multifaceted nexus that binds humankind to their surroundings, thus affording us a glimpse into the subtle tapestry of a complex relationship that must be diligently nurtured and preserved.

Current nutritional guidelines for stomach cancer survivors (SCS) mainly focus on the influence of surgical resection of the stomach, with limited guidance regarding a wider range of food options. We aimed to investigate the factors associated with healthier dietary changes in Korean adult SCS. This cross-sectional study assessed dietary pattern change after cancer treatment for 11 food categories, using a self-administered questionnaire. A ‘healthier dietary change’ was operationally defined as reduced consumption of red and processed meat, grains, salt, and burnt food, and increased consumption of poultry, fish, vegetables, fruits, legumes, and dairy products. Among a total of 624 SCS, approximately 60% of participants reported healthier directional dietary changes in three or more food categories, while 9.1% reported no changes. There was no significant difference in dietary habit changes between surgery types. Multivariable adjusted analysis showed that elderly and long-term survivors were inversely associated with a healthier dietary change. SCS with higher educational achievement and income were more likely to make healthier changes in their intake of processed meat, vegetables, fruits, burnt food, or salt. SCS with higher levels of fear of cancer recurrence, anxiety, or depression were more likely to follow healthier dietary changes for fish, meat, fruits, grains, or burnt food. Change in dietary pattern varied across different food items and was associated with various characteristics of SCS. It is crucial to repeatedly provide SCS with information about healthier dietary patterns, considering their sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological characteristics.

Climate change (CC) poses severe consequences, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where poverty rates may escalate by 2050 without significant climate and development action. The health impacts are diverse, encompassing communicable and non-communicable diseases. Mozambique, a climate-vulnerable nation, has experienced significant natural disasters in the past 42 years, impacting its health system. This study aims to assess Mozambique’s health sector vulnerability and adaptation needs to climate change. Following a methodology proposed by the World Health Organization and Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change, a six-step vulnerability and adaptation assessment was conducted. The Health Vulnerability Index (HVI), integrating historical climate, epidemiological, and socio-economic data at the district level (n=162), was computed using exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity dimensions. The Results revealed spatial patterns in exposure to climate variables, extreme weather events, and variations in sensitivity and adaptive capacity across the country. The HVI mirrored the exposure findings. Notably, high vulnerability was observed in several districts, while major urban centers displayed lower vulnerability. These findings highlight the country’s vulnerability to climate change and underscore the potential for adverse impacts on livelihoods, the economy, and human health. The study provides a foundation for developing strategies and adaptation actions.

Climate change in the coming decades could intensify extreme events such as severe droughts. Combined with the possible increase of water demands, these changes exert a large pressure on the water systems. In order to confirm this assumption, a set of scenarios was proposed in this study to consider the combined impact of climate changes and the increase in water demand on the main multiple-use reservoirs of São Francisco River, Brazil. For this purpose, five CMIP6 climate models were used considering two greenhouse gas emissions scenarios: the SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5. The naturalized and withdraw streamflows were estimated to the adopted reser-voirs considering all existing, new and projected demands. The conjunction of scenarios indicat-ed an increase in Potential Evapotranspiration, a possible significant reduction in water availa-bility, a growth in water demand mainly for irrigation and a substantial reduction in the perfor-mance of the evaluated reservoirs.

It is now widely accepted the climate change is having a profound impact on the weather systems around the world. These, in turn, have a considerable effect on two important elements of the Tuscan economy: wine producing and tourism. This case study sought to explore the relationship between the perception of Tuscan wine-producing agritourism owners of the potentially abstract notion of climate change and their concrete experiences as entrepreneurs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight wine-producing agritourism owners or managers in Val d’Orcia, a small area of Siena, Tuscany and analyzed thematically. The impact of climate change on the area’s viticulture is undeniable but the responses to the challenges are more nuanced. Political leadership on the climate crisis appears absent and perhaps as a consequence, these small-scale operators lack knowledge and funds to enable them to plan ahead: they react often day-to-day to the immediate weather conditions rather than planning long term. While recognizing the difficulties they face from climate change as viticulturists, as agrotourism owners they welcome the longer seasons which enable them to open in the formally barren shoulder seasons but struggle with last-minute cancellations due to unpredictable weather in the area.

Drought occurrences in Rakai district take a strange model and it has been rampantly increasing causing reduced income levels for farmers, reduced farm yields, increased food insecurity and migration, wetland degradation, illness and loss of livestock. The purpose of this study was to investigate past and future characteristics of drought due to climate change in Rakai district. Datasets used include dynamically downscaled daily precipitation and temperature data from Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) at 0.44°×0.44° resolution over the Africa domain. R software (Climpact2 package), was used to generate SPI values, Mann Kendall trend test and Inverse Distance Weighting methods were used to examine temporal and spatial drought characteristics respectively. Results depicted more extreme and severe drought conditions for SPI12 under historical compared to SPI3,Kakuto, Kibanda and Lwanda sub counties were the most drought hot spot areas, positive trends of drought patterns for both time scales were observed, though only significant under SPI12. Projected results revealed extreme and severe drought conditions will be observed under RCP8.5 SPI12, and the least will be under RCP8.5 SPI3 and SPI12. Results further reveal that Kakuto, Kibanda, Kiziba, Kacheera, Kyalulangira, Ddwaniro and Lwanda sub counties will be the most drought hot spot sub counties across all time scales. Generally projected results reveals that the district will experience more drought conditions under RCP8.5 compared to RCP4.5 for time scale SPI12 and therefore urgent actions are needed.

While the scientific community has focused on documenting environmental degradation and developing scenarios that help identify the operational margins for system Earth, less attention has been given to the mental models of decision-makers that underpin environmental policies. We suggest that global efforts to stop deforestation and biodiversity loss are failing in part due to a critical blind spot in the analysis—human agency. To address this weakness, we propose to formulate mental models and translate them into strategy games. This will increase the representation of agency in scenario development and create spaces for deliberation between different worldviews. We claim that personal transformation can be achieved through transparent democratic dialogues that identify, challenge, and respond to the human and social limitations inherent to decision-making and we present empirical examples that validate that claim. Their transformation through gaming gives decision-makers access to the experience of consciousness: “what is it like being a stakeholder?”. Such experience will help to break free of established norms in science and political processes.

The national study analyzes sea level rise (SLR) impacts based on 36 different SLR and storm surge scenarios across 5.7 million geographic locations and 3 time periods. Taking an approach based on engineering design guidelines and current cost estimates, the study details projected cost impacts for states, counties, and cities. These impacts are presented from multiple perspectives including total cost, cost per-capita, and cost per-square mile. The purpose of the study is to identify specific locations where infrastructure is vulnerable to rising sea levels. The study finds that Sea Level Rise (SLR) and minimal storm surge is a $400 billion threat to the United States by 2040 that includes a need for at least 50,000 miles of protective barriers. The research is limited in its scope to protecting coastal infrastructure with sea walls. Additional methods exist and may be appropriate in individual situations. The study is original in that it is a national effort to identify infrastructure that is vulnerable as well as the cost associated with protecting this infrastructure.

In this study, I extend the Fama and French five-factor asset pricing model with a sixth factor, namely, carbon risk, to investigate its impact on equity returns. To measure carbon risk, a new factor ‘pollutant minus green,’ is developed using the difference between the weighted average returns of pollutant and green firms across 51 developed and emerging countries across four categories—North America, Europe, Emerging Markets, and the Asia Pacific. The results reveal that North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific markets have a carbon risk premium that gets eliminated in small-cap firms. The carbon risk factor is further tested in left-hand side (LHS) test asset portfolios and found to be more pronounced with size-effect anomaly; specifically, small stock firms report greater declining average returns because of more exposure than the mega-cap stocks to carbon dioxide emissions. Furthermore, size-effect anomaly prevails with profitability and investment factors across firms. Therefore, high profitability, as well as high investment small firms, show a greater decline than the big stock firms in average returns when their carbon dioxide emissions increase. The asset pricing model evaluation is carried out through the Gibbons, Ross, and Shanken test. The six-factor model directed at capturing carbon risk patterns in average equity returns performs better than the three-factor and five-factor models of Fama and French (1993 and 2015) in the majority of categories under 3x3 sorting and compete with both Fama and French model under 2x4x4 sorted LHS portfolios. The finding of this study offers various useful applications for investors, policymakers, brokers, corporations, governmental pollution abatement institutions, and other stakeholders who wish to obtain carbon risk premium.

Accompanied by increasing population growth and urban sprawl, most coastal cities are unprecedentedly vulnerable to climate change and its impacts, such as sea level rise, increasing extreme storm events, and coastal flooding. Coastal resilience and sustainable development are antidotes to vulnerability; they aim to enhance the adaptive capability of absorbing disturbances and resisting uncertainty. This study explores building a quantitative assessment framework to measure resilience and provide an objective and comparable method to understand the strengths and weaknesses in a given region. The proposed 25 resilience indicators incorporate the aspects of essential livelihood protection, infrastructure and natural resource maintenance, emergency facilities and institutions, floodplain management regulations, and adaptive planning process. Each indicator is assigned the resilience quality that includes robustness, resourcefulness, redundancy, and rapidity. The aggregated resilience quality scoring reflects the systematic performance of the city to cope with the coastal hazards. The innovative part of this framework is combining hazard mitigation measures, climate adaptation strategies, and sustainable development goals together to achieve a comprehensive assessment method. In the case of New Haven, the resilience assessment is taken as a practical monitoring tool and decision-making support.

The interest in renewable energy to replace fossil fuel is increasing as the problem caused by climate change become more severe. Small hydropower (SHP) is evaluated as a resource with high development value because of its high energy density compared to other renewable energy sources. SHP may be an attractive and sustainable power generation environmental perspective because of its potential to be found in small rivers and streams. The power generation potential could be estimated based on the discharge in the river basin. Since the river discharge depends on the climate conditions, the hydropower generation potential changes sensitively according to climate variability. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the SHP potential in consideration of future climate change. In this study, the future prospect of SHP potential is simulated for the period of 2021 to 2100 considering the climate change in three hydropower plants of Deoksong, Hanseok, and Socheon stations, Korea. As the results, SHP potential for the near future (2021 to 2040) shows a tendency to be increased and the highest increase is 23.4% at the Deoksong SPH plant. Through the result of future prospect, we have shown that hydroelectric power generation capacity or SHP potential will be increased in the future. Therefore, we believe that it is necessary to revitalize the development of SHP in order to expand the use of renewable energy. Also, a methodology presented in this study could be used for the future prospect of the small hydropower potential.

Leclère et al.¹ have outlined the possibility of a biodiversity transition for the 21^st century, a line of thinking equivalent to the Forest Transition theory and what it says about forest cover globally². The authors use a suite of global models to explore the impacts on global biodiversity of interventions on land-use, consumption and production patterns. They outline six strategies that have the potential to stop the downfall of global terrestrial biodiversity by 2050 and redress it to a pre-1970 level by 2100. Although robust, sophisticated and well-illustrated, the conclusions of this paper cannot alone be used to frame a post-2020 biodiversity strategy.

Three decades have now passed since the first papers linking climate change to issues in human disease and healthcare. One of the most active topics in this area has been the implication of climate change events, particularly temperature and humidity fluctuations, in the northward spread of vector-borne viruses from more tropical regions into Europe and North America. However, some detailed studies of one such emerging disease, tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEv), have called the connection into question, concentrating the debate on the investigation of precise mechanisms for the spread of viral disease. More recently, firmer statistical correlations have been made between climate variables, the presence of insect vectors and the prevalence of viral disease, particularly for West Nile Virus (WNV). These insights suggest avenues for mechanistic confirmation of the involvement of climate change in other diseases where the connection remains conjectural.

Failure to adapt to climate change is currently considered one of the major threats affecting humanity. Hence, much effort is being put into discussing adaptation approaches. While many adaptation options have been identified, the academic literature does not present a simple process that local councils and community members can use to rank adaptation options. In this context, community members participating on planning processes are presented with many adaptation options, but with no objective approach for selection, which adds challenge to the planning process. With the objective of addressing this issue, this work proposes a simple equation that allows calculating the applicability level of adaptation options. Results can then be plotted into graphs that allow correlating adaptation options and applicability level, which can be easily understood by community members. To develop such equation, this work built on existing sophisticated models from where the indicators used on the equation were identified, as well as the relationship between them. A scale was proposed to help on identifying adaptation options that should be implemented on the short, medium and long term, and options that should only be implemented if the circumstance change.

Crop domestication and breeding considerably increased productivity over centuries, but simultaneously involved unconscious selection against ‘selfish plant behavior’. Paradoxically, modern-day crop breeding largely enhances individual plant-fitness. As agriculture relies on community performance, embracing an “Agroecological Genetics and Genomics” viewpoint might maximize communal yield by matching crop genotypes to target environments.

Study of spatiotemporal dynamics of temperature is vital to assess changes in climate, especially in the Himalayan region where livelihoods of billions of people living downstream depends on water coming from the melting of snow and glacier ice. To this end, temperature trend analysis is carried out in Narayani river basin, a major river basin of Nepal characterized by three climatic regions: tropical, subtropical and alpine. Temperature data from six stations located within the basin were analyzed. The elevation of these stations ranges from 460 to 3800 m a.s.l. and the time period of available temperature data ranges from 1960–2015. Multiple regression and empirical mode decomposition (EMD) methods were applied to fill in missing data and to detect trends. Annual as well as seasonal trends were analyzed and a Mann-Kendall test was employed to test the statistical significance of detected trends. Results indicate significant cooling trends before 1970s, and warming trends after 1970s in the majority of the stations. The warming trends range from 0.028 ∘" style="position: relative;">∘C year−1" style="position: relative;">−1 to 0.035 ∘" style="position: relative;">∘C year−1" style="position: relative;">−1 with a mean increasing trend of 0.03 ∘" style="position: relative;">∘C year−1" style="position: relative;">−1 after 1971. Seasonal trends show highest warming trends in the monsoon season followed by winter, pre-monsoon, and the post-monsoon season. However, difference in warming rates between different seasons was not significant. An average temperature lapse rate of −0.006 ∘" style="position: relative;">∘C m−1" style="position: relative;">−1 with the steepest value (−0.0064 ∘" style="position: relative;">∘C m−1" style="position: relative;">−1) in pre-monsoon season and least negative (−0.0052 ∘" style="position: relative;">∘C m−1" style="position: relative;">−1) in winter season was observed for this basin. A comparative analysis of the gap-filled data with freely available global climate datasets show reasonable correlation thus confirming the suitability of the gap filling methods.

The Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) was used to evaluate the impact of urbanization, climate change, and implementation of Low Impact Developments (LIDs) at the Mahabad Dam watershed, Iran. Several scenarios of urbanization, with and without climate change impacts, in different locations were defined, including near outlet, middle, far end, and whole watershed. Climate change was considered to change the intensity of rainfall and increase evaporation. Vegetative swales were implemented as LIDs to evaluate their applicability to reduce pollutant loads. Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the area was input into ArcGIS, and the watershed was delineated using the ArcSWAT extension to identify topographic features. Water quality properties were defined in the software, and each scenario was run for a twelve-hour simulation. The results indicated that urbanization affects the imperviousness of sub-catchments, and location of urbanization affects the amount and timing of runoff and pollutant yields. Fifty-percent urbanization near the watershed outlet resulted in 23.1% and 27.4% increases in runoff and pollutant loads, respectively. Fifty-percent urbanization in the middle resulted in 28.8% and 35.4% increases in runoff and pollutant loads; and, at the far end, 23.1% and 3.9% increases in runoff and pollutant loads were the result; Fifty-percent urbanizing the whole watershed gave 58.6% and 66.3% increases in runoff and pollutant loads, respectively; Under climate change scenarios (higher intensity, shorter duration rainfall) peaks occurred earlier. Moreover, results showed LIDs decreased pollution loads up to 25%.

The expansion of concrete subjected to extreme elevated temperature is linked with intricate micro-structural variations, such as the transformation of the constituent phases. This study proposes a model to predict the thermal expansion of cement paste and concrete considering micro-structural changes under elevated temperatures ranging from 20°C to 800°C. The model presented can consider characteristics of various aggregates in the calculation of thermal expansion for concrete. The model is a combination of a multi-scale stoichiometric model and a multi-scale composite model. At the cement paste level, the model satisfactorily predicted a test result. At concrete level, upper bounds from the model were matched relatively well with test results by previous researcher. If the mechanical properties, such as elastic modulus (E), Poisson’s ratio (ν), and thermal deformation, of the aggregates used in concrete are given, it is likely that the model will reasonably predict experimental results.

The Wester coastal Delta zone of the Netherlands, the relatively more crowded area of the country hosting ten out of seventeen heading to twenty million people, asks for a growing alertness on the topic of resiliency the light of climate-change, like many coastal urban areas do. Approaches of resiliency are often pre-dominated by governmental rescue planning and mobilization of technology innovative solutions. By comparing the float disasters of the 2015 Katrina and 2012 Sandy thunder-storms that hit respectively New Orleans and New York we can learn that the behaviour of people can make the difference in overcoming climate change impact disasters. Post-PhD research with focus on the Dutch Zaanstreek-Waterland area north of the city of Amsterdam, where in 1916 a severe flood took place, proved such. The outcome from focus group sessions is that the alertness and availability of the people to act in case of disaster urgency makes a positive difference, if the memory of the area residents to previous disaster handling is kept alert. This Zaanstreek-Waterland research showed that the disaster from 100 year before still kept the residents alert into resiliency. With that result the defi-nition of resilience should be improved by adding: ‘the interplay in a triangular relationship of civil servants, technicians and residents’.

The Wester coastal Delta zone of the Netherlands is the relatively more crowded area of the country where ten of the seventeen million people live. The governmental prognosis is that this number of people will increase steadily in the coming decennia, unless the threat of climate-change seawater level rising. This is the picture in more Delta zones globally what makes the topic of resiliency for these delta-areas of importance. Approaches of resiliency are often dominated by governmental rescue planning and believe in technology solutions, while in the process the behaviour of people can make the difference in overcoming climate-change impact disasters. In the struggle against high water storming and flooding, the Dutch people prove this by developing societal resilient behaviour in a broad spectrum of activities. Post-PhD research on Dutch resilient behaviour in the in 1016-flooded Zaanstreek-Waterland area near the city of Amsterdam confirms that. Recently research by questionnaire among citizens in this region shows that people have favour for shared responsibility with government and related professional organizations. The Dutch examples of societal resiliency carried by people also show a action-learning perspective intertwined with governmental contingency planning. Therewith the Dutch practice shows a positive cross-fertilization of practice and knowledge development.

As climate is not only a valuable tourism resource but also a factor influencing travel experience, estimating climate change can provide implications to sustainable development of the tourism industry. This study develops Climate Volatility Index (CVI) using GARCH model and estimates the relationship between CVI and Japanese tourism demand for Korea using a tourism demand model, based on data from January 2000 to December 2013. Time lag is applied based on a decision making process regarding travel destinations. The result shows that an increase in volatility of climate change leads to a decrease in tourism demand.

Oriented strand board (OSB) panels are widely marketed for several applications, from building to packaging. The manufacturing of poplar OSB started recently in Northern Italy representing a relevant innovation in the sector since this product is usually made of coniferous wood. The thermal treatment is widely used for reducing the hygroscopicity of wood-based products, nonetheless it influences the mechanical behavior and degrades the main components of wood, which can affect their finishing. Therefore, it is important to know the properties of the treated surfaces. To this purpose, in this study a lot of OSB panels, made of poplar wood, 15 mm thick and with a density of 590 kg/m³, were thermally treated under vacuum conditions at 190 °C for 2 h and then subjected to accelerated weathering. The changes in color and in wettability due to treatment and accelerated weathering were studied. The thermal treatment determined a significant darkening of the color; the accelerated weathering darkened the untreated surfaces and, on the opposite, lightened the thermo-treated surfaces. The wettability decreased after thermal treatment and increased after weathering, more evidently in treated panels. Overall, this study improves the knowledge about the behavior of the surface of thermo-treated poplar OSB, which is relevant for the industrial coating of this product.

The Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) are the new global development trends that inform global and regional climate change research. They have the potential to foster the integration of socioeconomic scenarios within assessments of future climate-related health impacts. To date, such assessments have primarily superimposed climate scenarios on current socioeconomic conditions only. Until now, the few assessments of future health risks that employed the SSPs have focused on future human exposure—i.e., mainly future population patterns—neglecting future human vulnerability. This paper first explores the research gaps—mainly linked to the paucity of available projections—that explain such a lack of consideration of human vulnerability under the SSPs. It then highlights the need for projections of socioeconomic variables covering the wide range of determinants of human vulnerability, available at relevant spatial and temporal scales, and accounting for local specificities through sectoral and regional extended versions of the global SSPs. Finally, this paper presents two innovative methods of obtaining and computing such socioeconomic projections under the SSPs—namely the scenario matching approach and an approach based on experts’ elicitation and correlation analyses—and applies them to the case of Europe. They offer a variety of possibilities for practical application, producing projections at sub-national level of various drivers of human vulnerability such as demographic and social characteristics, urbanization, state of the environment, infrastructure, health status, and living arrangements. Both the innovative approaches presented in this paper and existing methods—such as the spatial disaggregation of existing projections and the use of sectoral models—show great potential to enhance the availability of relevant projections of determinants of human vulnerability. Assessments of future climate-related health impacts should thus rely on these methods to account for future human vulnerability—under varying levels of socioeconomic development—and to explore its influence on future health risks under different degrees of climate change.

The overarching aim of this paper is to investigate the lake ecosystem response to different drivers over a long term period by a paleolimnological study in Lake Narlay (46°64N, 5°91E) located in the Jura Mountains of France. It is a small, hard-water lake with a maximum water depth of 40 m and extended anoxic condition of the bottom water. Previous results on sediments analysis have documented a differential response of the lake to the environmental changes that occurred in AD 1600 when major shift in the trophic reliance on methane of the benthic food web were observed. From 1920 with intensification of modern agriculture, animal farming and the construction of a cheese making facility, the lake become eutrophic, with Oscillatoria rubescens bloom. However, the lake showed pronounced changes in an older period that remained unanswered. In this paper we aim at reconstructing in more detail the limnological conditions of this Lake over the last 1200 yrs. using combined analyses of specific algal carotenoids and subfossil diatom remains. A comparison with other proxies (chironomid, pollen, and instrumental climatic reconstruction) will be used to better identify, between the complex combination of climate and anthropogenic pressure, the driving factors that determined the ecological trajectory of Lake Narlay.

Recent findings show that preferences for food items can be modified without external-reinforcements using the cue-approach task. In the task, the mere association of food item images with a neutral auditory cue and a speeded button press, resulted in enhanced preferences for the associated stimuli. Here, in a series of 10 independent samples with a total of 255 participants, we show we can enhance preferences using this non-reinforced method for faces, fractals and affective images as well as snack foods, using auditory, visual and even aversive cues. This change was highly durable in follow-up sessions performed one to six months after training. Preferences were successfully enhanced for all conditions, except for negative valence items. These findings promote our understanding of non-reinforced change, suggest a boundary condition for the effect and lay the foundation for development of novel applications.

The dissolution of CO₂ in seawater in the form of bicarbonate ions is an attractive alternative to the storage in geological formations, on the conditions that the storage is stable over long times and does not harm the marine environment. In this work, we focus on the long-term chemical stability of CO₂ absorbed in seawater as bicarbonate, by monitoring the physico-chemical properties of the solutions (pH, dissolved inorganic carbon and alkalinity), in six different sets of experiments on both natural and artificial seawater lasting up to three months. The bicarbonate treatment of natural seawater consists in pouring pre-equilibrated solutions obtained from the reaction of CO₂ and Ca(OH)₂. If the pre-equilibrated mixture does not exceed a critical threshold (ca. 1000-1500 mmol/L), the resulting bicarbonate-rich solutions can be stable for over three months.