A Review of Solutions and Challenges to Addressing Human Population Growth and Global Climate Change

The global human population is still growing such that our collective enterprise is driving environmental catastrophe. Despite a decline in average population growth rate, we are still experiencing the highest annual increase of global human population size in the history of our species-averaging an additional 84 million people per year since 1990. No review to date has accumulated the available evidence describing the associations between increasing population and environmental decline, nor solutions for mitigating the problems arising. We summarize the available evidence of the relationships between human population size and growth and environmental integrity, human prosperity and wellbeing, and climate change. We used PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science to identify all relevant peer-reviewed and gray-literature sources examining the consequences of human population size and growth on the biosphere. We reviewed papers describing and quantifying the risks associated with population growth, especially relating to climate change. These risks are global in scale, such as greenhouse-gas emissions, climate disruption, pollution, loss of biodiversity, and spread of disease-all potentially catastrophic for human standards of living, health, and general wellbeing. The trends increasing the risks of global population growth are country development, demographics, maternal education, access to family planning, and child and maternal health. Support for nations still going through a demographic transition is required to ensure progress occurs within planetary boundaries and promotes equity and human rights. Ensuring the wellbeing for all under this aim itself will lower population growth and further promote environmental sustainability.

Leveraging emotion for sustainable action

Imposing versus Enacting Commitments for the Long‐Term Energy Transition: Perspectives from the Firm

In 2000, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published a new set of baseline greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions scenarios in the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) (Nakicenovic et al., 2000). The SRES team defined four narrative storylines (A1, A2, B1 and B2) describing the relationships between the forces driving GHG and aerosol emissions and their evolution during the 21st century. The SRES reports emissions for each of these storylines by type of GHG and by fuel type to 2100 globally and for four world regions (OECD countries as of 1990, countries undergoing economic reform, developing countries in Asia, rest of world). Specific assumptions about the quantification of scenario drivers, such as population and economic growth, technological change, resource availability, land-use changes, and local and regional environmental policies, are also provided. End-use sector-level results for buildings, industry, or transportation or information regarding adoption of particular technologies and policies are not provided in the SRES. The goal of this report is to provide more detailed information on the SRES scenarios at the end use level including historical time series data and a decomposition of energy consumption to understand the forecast implications in terms of end use efficiency to 2030. This report focuses on the A1 (A1B) and B2 marker scenarios since they represent distinctly contrasting futures. The A1 storyline describes a future of very rapid economic growth, low population growth, and the rapid introduction of new and more efficient technologies. Major underlying themes are convergence among regions, capacity building, and increased cultural and social interactions, with a substantial reduction in regional differences in per capita income. The B2 storyline describes a world with an emphasis on economic, social, and environmental sustainability, especially at the local and regional levels. It is a world with moderate population growth, intermediate levels of economic development, and less rapid and more diverse technological change (Nakicenovic et al., 2000). Data were obtained from the SRES modeling teams that provide more detail than that reported in the SRES. For the A1 marker scenario, the modeling team provided final energy demand and carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) emissions by fuel for industry, buildings, and transportation for nine world regions. Final energy use and CO{sub 2} emissions for three sectors (industry, transport, buildings) for the four SRES world regions were provided for the B2 marker scenario. This report describes the results of a disaggregation of the SRES projected energy use and energy-related CO{sub 2} emissions for the industrial, transport, and buildings sectors for 10 world regions (see Appendix 1) to 2030. An example of further disaggregation of the two SRES scenarios for the residential buildings sector in China is provided, illustrating how such aggregate scenarios can be interpreted at the end use level.

Better information on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and mitigation potential in the agricultural sector is necessary to manage these emissions and identify responses that are consistent with the food security and economic development priorities of countries. Critical activity data (what crops or livestock are managed in what way) are poor or lacking for many agricultural systems, especially in developing countries. In addition, the currently available methods for quantifying emissions and mitigation are often too expensive or complex or not sufficiently user friendly for widespread use.The purpose of this focus issue is to capture the state of the art in quantifying greenhouse gases from agricultural systems, with the goal of better understanding our current capabilities and near-term potential for improvement, with particular attention to quantification issues relevant to smallholders in developing countries. This work is timely in light of international discussions and negotiations around how agriculture should be included in efforts to reduce and adapt to climate change impacts, and considering that significant climate financing to developing countries in post-2012 agreements may be linked to their increased ability to identify and report GHG emissions (Murphy et al 2010, CCAFS 2011, FAO 2011).

Simple SummaryMinimizing the effects of climate change by reducing GHG emissions is crucial and can be accomplished by truly understanding the carbon footprint phenomenon. This study aims to improve the understanding of carbon footprint alteration due to agricultural management and fertility practices. It provides a detailed review of carbon footprint management under the impacts of environmental factors, land use, and agricultural practices. The results show that healthy soils have numerous benefits for the general public and especially farmers. These benefits include being stable and resilient, resistant to erosion, easily workable in cultivated systems, good habitat for soil micro-organisms, fertile and good structure, large carbon sinks, and hence lower carbon footprint. Intensive tillage is harmful to soil structure by oxidizing carbon and causing GHG emissions. If possible, no-till; if not, minimum tillage frequency and depth of tillage, and optimum moisture are recommended. The soil should be at an appropriate level of moisture when tillage takes place. Diverse cropping systems are better for the soil than monocultures. Minimizing machinery operations can help to avoid soil compaction. Building soil organic carbon in the most stable form is the most efficient practice of sustainable crop production.Global attention to climate change issues, especially air temperature changes, has drastically increased over the last half-century. Along with population growth, greater surface temperature, and higher greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, there are growing concerns for ecosystem sustainability and other human existence on earth. The contribution of agriculture to GHG emissions indicates a level of 18% of total GHGs, mainly from carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). Thus, minimizing the effects of climate change by reducing GHG emissions is crucial and can be accomplished by truly understanding the carbon footprint (CF) phenomenon. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to improve understanding of CF alteration due to agricultural management and fertility practices. CF is a popular concept in agro-environmental sciences due to its role in the environmental impact assessments related to alternative solutions and global climate change. Soil moisture content, soil temperature, porosity, and water-filled pore space are some of the soil properties directly related to GHG emissions. These properties raise the role of soil structure and soil health in the CF approach. These properties and GHG emissions are also affected by different land-use changes, soil types, and agricultural management practices. Soil management practices globally have the potential to alter atmospheric GHG emissions. Therefore, the relations between photosynthesis and GHG emissions as impacted by agricultural management practices, especially focusing on soil and related systems, must be considered. We conclude that environmental factors, land use, and agricultural practices should be considered in the management of CF when maximizing crop productivity.

Population growth and the pressures spawned by increasing demands for energy and resource-intensive goods, foods, and services are driving unsustainable growth in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Recent GHG emission trends are consistent with worst-case scenarios of the previous decade. Dramatic and near-term emission reductions likely will be needed to ameliorate the potential deleterious impacts of climate change. To achieve such reductions, fundamental changes are required in the way that energy is generated and used. New technologies must be developed and deployed at a rapid rate. Advances in carbon capture and storage, renewable, nuclear, and transportation technologies are particularly important; however, global research and development efforts related to these technologies currently appear to fall short relative to needs. Even with a proactive and international mitigation effort, humanity will need to adapt to climate change, but the adaptation needs and damages will be far greater if mitigation activities are not pursued in earnest. In this review, research is highlighted that indicates increasing global and regional temperatures and ties climate changes to increasing GHG emissions. GHG mitigation targets necessary for limiting future global temperature increases are discussed, including how factors such as population growth and the growing energy intensity of the developing world will make these reduction targets more challenging. Potential technological pathways for meeting emission reduction targets are examined, barriers are discussed, and global and U.S. modeling results are presented that suggest that the necessary pathways will require radically transformed electric and mobile sectors. While geoengineering options have been proposed to allow more time for serious emission reductions, these measures are at the conceptual stage with many unanswered cost, environmental, and political issues.Implications: This paper lays out the case that mitigating the potential for catastrophic climate change will be a monumental challenge, requiring the global community to transform its energy system in an aggressive, coordinated, and timely manner. If this challenge is to be met, new technologies will have to be developed and deployed at a rapid rate. Advances in carbon capture and storage, renewable, nuclear, and transportation technologies are particularly important. Even with an aggressive international mitigation effort, humanity will still need to adapt to significant climate change.

Over the last half-century, global attention has focused on climate change, particularly changes in air temperature. Concerns about the sustainability of the Earth’s ecosystems and other human life on the land are increasing along with population growth, rising surface temperature, and higher greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Agriculture is responsible for ~18% of total GHG emissions. Therefore, mitigating the effects of climate change by reducing GHG emissions is essential and can be achieved by careful evaluation of the carbon footprint (CF). The goal of this study was to gain a better understanding of the changes in CF due to agricultural management practices. Carbon footprint is a popular concept in agro-environmental sciences owing to its role in the environmental impact assessments related to alternative solutions and global climate change. The CF of agricultural products is one of the most crucial indicators to assess the effectiveness and long-term viability of agricultural products. Soil-moisture content, soil temperature, porosity, and anoxic conditions are some of the soil properties directly related to GHG emissions. The GHG emissions are also affected by different land-use changes, soil types, and agricultural management practices. Globally, better soil-management techniques can alter atmospheric GHG emissions. Therefore, the relation between photosynthesis and GHG emissions is impacted by agricultural management practices, especially focusing on soil and related systems. When maximizing crop productivity, environmental factors, land use, and agricultural practices all should be considered in CF management. The current review highlights the importance of CF and its role in maintaining the sustainability of agricultural systems.

A decadal outlook for global aquaculture

Impact of governance quality, population and economic growth on greenhouse gas emissions: An analysis based on a panel VAR model

I. BACKGROUND II. CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS IN ARIZONA III. EXECUTIVE ORDER 2005-02 AND THE CLIMATE CHANGE ADVISORY GROUP IV. EXECUTIVE ORDER 2006-13 V. ARIZONA'S CLEAN CAR GHG STANDARDS VI. ARIZONA'S RENEWABLE ENERGY STANDARD VII. THE WESTERN CLIMATE INITIATIVE VIII. OTHER REGIONAL EFFORTS A. Arizona-Sonora Climate Change Initiative B. Southwest Climate Change Initiative C. The Climate Registry IX. OTHER ARIZONA EFFORTS A. Executive Order 2005-05 B. Smart Growth & the Growth Scorecard X. CONCLUSION I. BACKGROUND In the absence of meaningful federal action, it has been up to the states to show leadership on this critical issue. And that is exactly what we have done. Governor Janet Napolitano (1) Arizona is one of the newest and fastest growing states in the country. Over the last twenty years, Arizona's population has nearly doubled. (2) During that same time, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Arizona have skyrocketed, due substantially to the state's population growth. An inventory and forecast of Arizona's GHG emissions prepared in 2005 for the Arizona Climate Change Advisory Group (CCAG) at the direction of then-Governor Janet Napolitano found that, between 1990 and 2005, Arizona's net GHG emissions increased by nearly 56 percent, from an estimated 59.3 million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent (MMtCO2e) to an estimated 92.6 MMtCO2e. (3) Two sectors directly related to Arizona's rapid population growth--transportation and electricity--accounted for nearly 80 percent of Arizona's total GHG emissions in 2005. (4) Both sectors are growing at relatively high rates as Arizona's population grows. Indeed, with Arizona's population expected to continue to grow at a vigorous pace in the decades ahead, (5) the 2005 inventory and forecast projected that Arizona's GHG emissions would increase 148 percent over 1990 levels by 2020 if steps are not taken to reduce the emissions. (6) Because of Arizona's reliance on gasoline-fueled automobiles and demand for electricity produced by coal-fired power plants, Arizona's GHG emissions increased at a rate more than twice the national average during 1990-2005. (7) Further, Arizona's projected 148 percent growth-rate between 1990 and 2020 is more than three times the projected national average over the same period. (8) Arizona's forecasted GHG increase is the highest known projected emissions growth rate in the country. (9) On the other hand, because of Arizona's mild winters and relative absence of manufacturing and heavy industry, the state's per capita GHG emissions (the total level of statewide emissions divided by state population) is significantly less than the national average: 14 MtCO2e versus 22 MtCO2e. (10) Moreover, while the percentage of GHG emissions from electricity production in Arizona is greater than the national average, Arizona gets slightly less electricity from coal and more from low-GHG-emitting sources, such as nuclear power, hydroelectric power and renewable energy (such as solar and biomass). (11) While Arizona's high emissions growth rate presents challenges, it also provides major opportunities. Because nearly 80 percent of Arizona's GHG emissions are directly related to energy and transportation, Arizona can significantly reduce its GHG emissions by focusing on those sectors. Improved energy efficiency, increased use of renewable energy sources, building new infrastructure right, and increased use of cleaner transportation modes, technologies and fuels are key elements in accomplishing these reductions. They are also all essential ingredients of a new, greener economy toward which the state must move in any event. (12) II. CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS IN ARIZONA It is critical that Arizona take action to reduce its GHG emissions because the scientific evidence is clear that Arizona and the Southwest will be especially hard-hit by the impacts of climate change in the future. …

To mitigate climate change at local, regional, and global scales, we must begin to think beyond greenhouse gases.

There is a curious disconnect in climate change discourse, between explanations of the causes of global climate change (GCC) and discussions of possible solutions. On the one hand, it is widely acknowledged that the primary causes of climate change are unremitting economic and demographic growth. As the Fourth Assessment Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) succinctly puts it: “GDP/per capita and population growth were the main drivers of the increase in global emissions during the last three decades of the 20th century … At the global scale, declining carbon and energy intensities have been unable to offset income effects and population growth and, consequently, carbon emissions have risen.” On the other hand, most proposals for climate change mitigation take growth for granted and focus on technical means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Climate scientists speak of the “Kaya identity”: the four primary factors which determine overall greenhouse gas emissions. They are economic growth/per capita, population, energy used to generate each unit of GDP, and greenhouse gases generated per unit of energy. Over the past three and a half decades, improvements in energy and carbon efficiency have been overwhelmed by increases in population and wealth.

Time to change course on climate

Purpose. The aim of the study is to highlight the peculiarities of managing tourism enterprises in the conditions of reorientation to sustainable practices in the context of global climate change. Methodology of research. The following general scientific and special methods were used in the research process: induction and deduction – at the stage of collecting, systematizing and processing about the current state of the tourism industry; abstract and logical – to summarize information from various sources and create a comprehensive view of the problem under study, formulate theoretical conclusions and generalizations; tabular and graphical – for visualization of research results. Findings. The study identified the current state of the tourism industry in the world and its vulnerability to climate change. It was found that climate change significantly affects the popularity of tourist destinations, seasonality of demand, and infrastructure readiness. A qualitative analysis of the traditional and new management model in the context of its reorientation to sustainable practices is carried out according to such criteria as: focus of activity, strategic planning and interaction with local communities, resource management, technological innovation, marketing and communication, performance evaluation, customer service. The necessity of transition to sustainable practices in the context of climate change in tourism to minimize negative environmental impacts is substantiated. The importance of implementing climate strategies at the management level of tourism enterprises is emphasized. The need for international cooperation to develop effective solutions in response to the global challenges of climate change is emphasized. Originality. The study for the first time compares the traditional model of management of tourism enterprises and the new management model in the context of reorientation to sustainable practices in the context of climate change. Practical value. The results of the study can be useful for managers of tourism enterprises, as they can help tourism enterprises develop strategies for adaptation to climate change, ensuring the sustainability of their business in the long term. Key words: temperature rise, sea level rise, tourism industry, tourist flows, management system, strategic management, management of a tourism enterprise.