Climate Change Mitigation Technologies Research Articles

Evolution of technology collaboration networks for climate change mitigation and mechanisms for their impacts

The number of patent ap plications for climate change mitigation technologies (CCMT) in China has shown a rapid development trend over the past decade. This study applies social network analysis (SNA) method and directed time-exponential random graph model(TERGM), while considering endogenous network structure variables, node variables and external network covariates, to analyze the Climate Change Mitigation Technology Innovation Cooperation Network (CCMTICN) formed in Chinese provinces, and analyzes the influencing factors and evolution of the CCMTICN from 2011 to 2021 using CCMT patent data from the Himmpat database. The results show that CCMTICN shows obvious core-edge structural characteristics; endogenous network structural variables have a non-negligible influence on the formation of the network, and other factors such as the information exchange network, industrialization level, knowledge level, and the degree of governmental intervention can promote the formation of CCMTICN; whereas, foreign direct investment, urbanization level, and carbon dioxide(CO2) emissions can inhibit the formation of CCMTICN. When considering the 11-year time effect of CCMTICN, it is found that the CCMT cooperative relationship between provinces remains relatively stable.

Measuring Enterprise–University–Institute collaborative innovation network of climate change mitigation technologies in China: a social network analysis approach

Measuring Enterprise–University–Institute collaborative innovation network of climate change mitigation technologies in China: a social network analysis approach

Fueling a net-zero future: The influence of government-funded research on climate change mitigation inventions

This study examines the pace and content of Climate Change Mitigation Technology (CCMT) inventions, focusing on the influence of government-funded research on patent characteristics. Utilizing data from the USPTO, we analyze the trends in CCMT patenting from 1988 to 2017 and reveal a significant increase in CCMT inventions. However, patents in hydrogen technology and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) are comparatively low, suggesting these fields are still in the early development stages. CCMT inventions rely heavily on government-funded research, particularly in CCS and hydrogen technology. CCMT inventions relying on government research are more complex and generate larger and more pervasive knowledge spillovers than their counterparts. However, they are less likely to be novel and tend to consolidate rather than destabilize existing technologies. Interestingly, the effect of government research reducing the likelihood of novelty is only observed in CCMT inventions and does not extend to utility patents. These findings highlight the role of government-funded research in facilitating high-quality CCMT inventions through knowledge spillovers. Our study underscores the importance of sustained and targeted public investment in CCMT R&D.

Climate mitigation technology for holistic resource management in sub-Saharan Africa: Impact on greenhouse gas emissions

This study investigates the impact of climate change mitigation technologies, specifically agricultural land management and renewable energy consumption and production, on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) over the period of 1991 to 2015. Our analysis was conducted using an ARDL panel data model with data from 26 countries representing four sub-regions. The results demonstrated that an increase in renewable energy consumption is significantly associated with a decrease in GHG emissions, with a long-term coefficient of -0.422 and a short-term coefficient of -0.757. Additionally, natural resource rents, agricultural land use and population density have a positive impact on greenhouse gas emissions, with coefficients of 0.0605, 0.392 and 0.690, respectively. However, renewable energy production does not have a significant effect on greenhouse gas emissions. This suggests that promoting renewable energy consumption can be an effective way to combat greenhouse gas emissions in the region, and policymakers should implement policies and programs that encourage and facilitate the adoption of renewable energy whilst taking into consideration the impact of agricultural land use. Overall, this study emphasizes the importance of promoting renewable energy consumption and managing agricultural land use as a viable approach to combating greenhouse gas emissions in sub-Saharan Africa, and highlights the potential of climate mitigation technology as a tool for regulators to optimize policy development and counter climate change.

Specialization in climate technologies at the regional level in Europe: relatedness and the moderating role of policy direction

This study focuses on the influence of related and unrelated variety on specialization in climate change mitigation technologies on a regional level in Europe. We consider two dimensions of specialization: the degree of specialization and being specialized or not. We also investigate the moderating role of public policy direction towards climate change mitigation at regional, national, and EU regime level. Based on a fixed effect specification of patent data relating to climate technologies in 194 regions during the period 2008–2017, we find that related variety positively influences the degree of specialization in climate technologies, but only in regions with a low degree of specialization. We also report a weakening effect of national policy level environmental taxation and of the European Regional Development Fund for related variety. Regarding being specialized as a region in climate technologies, our study reveals a positive role played by unrelated variety and a negative moderating effect exerted by both national policy level environmental taxation and European Regional Development Fund policy support. We discuss implications for policymaking in the field of climate change mitigation technologies.

Global climate change mitigation technology diffusion: A network perspective

There is a rapidly growing number of studies on transnational climate change mitigation technology (CCMT) diffusion. Most of these studies have adopted a bilateral perspective, treating countries as primary agents driving the diffusion process. However, CCMT diffusion typically arises from the interactions between firms and involves strong network effects. In this paper, we explore the global CCMT diffusion from a network perspective, with multinational corporations (MNCs) as network makers. We first propose a methodology to construct the global CCMT diffusion networks, leveraging CCMT-related patent data, intra-firm relationships, and business scales of the selected MNCs. We then calculate the network capital for each country, utilizing it as the input for the econometric analysis to investigate the network effects on CCMT development. The network statistical analysis reveals an uneven geographical distribution of network capital, underscoring the presence of global disparities in CCMT development. Moreover, the econometric analysis identifies significant network effects originating from linkage volumes and structural positionalities within the CCMT diffusion networks.

Global trend of methane abatement inventions and widening mismatch with methane emissions

Substantially reducing methane emissions is the fastest way to repress near-term warming and is an essential prerequisite for reaching the 1.5 °C target. However, knowledge about the global invention trend, sectoral and national distribution and international diffusion of methane-targeted abatement technologies (MTATs) remains limited. On the basis of patent data, we identify more than 175,000 MTAT inventions applied between 1990 and 2019 by 133 countries or dependent territories. Our results revealed that after sustained growth of more than fourfold, the number of global high-quality MTAT inventions declined by 3.5% annually from 2010 to 2019. The sectoral and national-level distributions of MTAT inventions and methane emissions are strongly mismatched. Additionally, the international diffusion of MTATs is 11.1% lower than that of overall climate change mitigation technologies and most transfers occur between developed countries or flow to China, South Korea and Brazil; however, other developing countries and the least developed countries are rarely involved.

Achieving ecological sustainability in European Union: The role of fiscal decentralization and green innovation

European Union member states are dedicated to bring standards and create climate change mitigation strategies at the center stage of public policy, prioritizing energy sector's transition from non-renewable to renewable sources by the means of innovation. Though there are a plethora of studies on determinants of environmental degradation, the nexus between fiscal decentralization and ecological intensity has been lacking of empirical evidence. To bridge this shortcoming, this study aspires to investigate the direct impact of fiscal decentralization, economic abundance, human capital, energy use and green innovation on environmental degradation and how green innovation moderates the impact of fiscal decentralization on environmental degradation. Using the theoretical setting of environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) phenomenon, this study analyzes the determinants of environmental degradation measured by ecological intensity and carbon intensity respectively across the nine European Union member states over the time span from 1995 to 2018. This study built upon a panel Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) with fixed effects and the ordinary least squares (OLS) regression with Driscoll-Kraay (DK) standard errors to validate the appropriateness of the EKC hypothesis in the observed sample authenticating the inverted U-shaped pattern between economic abundance and environmental degradation. Insofar as the direct impacts are considered, human capital and green innovation are efficient in abating environmental degradation of the countries under examination whereas energy use and fiscal decentralization aid in to environmental degradation. Regarding the indirect impacts, green innovation negatively moderates the association between fiscal decentralization and both indicators of environmental degradation namely, ecological intensity and carbon intensity. In the light of these findings, it is imperative for European Union member states to authorize the local governments to reduce pollution through innovation in climate change mitigation technologies to reinforce the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.

A review of the indoor air quality in residential Passive House dwellings

The Passive House (PH) Standard is a voluntary building energy performance standard focused upon reducing space heating demand to a very low level and therefore considered a viable climate change mitigation technology. Besides comfort and energy requirements, the PH standard also defines criteria with respect to ventilation. However, the question remains, how well do PH dwellings perform when they are occupied? Does the PH approach provide good indoor air quality (IAQ) for its occupants and how does IAQ compare to non-PH homes, in particular, naturally ventilated homes? Additionally, can PH certification improve the quality of installed ventilation systems? This paper summarizes indoor air quality relevant aspects of the PH standard and presents results from measurements examining in-use IAQ in more than 600 PH or PH-like, newly built or retrofitted dwellings. The results reveal that pollutant and carbon dioxide concentration are generally lower compared to naturally ventilated homes, presumably due to the requirement to install a balanced Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) system. Results also suggest that the quality assurance measures of PH certification are capable of improving ventilation and IAQ performance. However, the lack of cooking fume capture requirements in the PH standard, in combination with efforts to avoid energy losses associated with a possible extraction kitchen hood, may lead to elevated particulate matter concentration in PHs. Future research on cooking induced IAQ impairment is encouraged to assess the effectiveness of recently published PH-specific recommendations. Future efforts in empirical IAQ research should also address the lack of high quality IAQ measurement data and the standardisation of IAQ assessment methods and protocols.

Y02 as Climate Praxis

This article introduces the recently adopted Y02 patent classification scheme, covering the broader cross-sectoral technologies that “allow adapting to the adverse effects of climate change,” and explores the relationship of this global innovation initiative to environmental design and planning praxis. The Y02 classification includes specific subcategories Y02A for “Technologies for Adaptation to Climate Change” and Y02B, “Climate Change Mitigation Technologies Related to Buildings,” making it highly relevant to the climate adaptation practices of architecture, landscape architecture, and planning. The YO2A and Y02B classification schemes (a subclass of Y02) were launched in 2018 and are now implemented by patent offices globally to categorize a range of adaptation technologies across sectors such as coastal systems, flood control, building systems, adaptation of existing infrastructure, green infrastructure, human health, and technologies for mapping and sensing the environment. Tagging and organizing patent innovations in this broad sector consolidates information on the subject, allows for the rapid diffusion of innovation, and builds adaptive capacity by creating a knowledge infrastructure and anticipatory framework for future technological trends. The fast pace of innovation in these sectors and the wealth of readily available information present the allied fields of environmental design and planning a distinct opportunity to integrate Y02A and Y02B into climate praxis. This article explores how innovation in these sectors may inform practices of scenario building in planning and design through discourse on probable, plausible, pluralistic, and performative futures. It elucidates the potential of these newly established patent classifications as an anticipatory framework for technological innovation in the built environment.

Transformative Technologies and Innovation in Climate Change Mitigation and Sustainable Environmental Stewardship. A Systematic Literature Review.

This systematic literature review bears the objective of exploring the transformative potential of transformative technologies and innovations in climate change mitigation and environmental stewardship. The study provides an overview of the current research trends, practical implications, and implementation of transformative technology and innovation between 2018 and 2024. The methodology entailed a comprehensive search of scholarly databases resulting in the selection and analysis of the relevant studies. The findings reveal that transformative technology and innovations in mitigating climate change play a significant role in ensuring environmental stewardship and sustainability as they lower greenhouse gas emissions, reduce pollution levels, and ensure a strategic balance between profit, people, and environmental consideration in relation to natural resources exploitation. Additionally, it provides for a discussion on the benefits as well as challenges associated with the adoption of transformative technology and innovation to mitigate climate change such as cost implications. The review concludes with recommendations for future research and practical implications for the regulators and industry players.

How open are African inventors? Open green technologies and patenting activities in Africa

Open green innovation is essential to accelerate decarbonization in Africa. The dearth of empirical evidence on the current trajectory of green innovation in Africa often hinders appropriate green innovation policy design. This study investigates the incidence of collaboration in inventive activities within Africa using the ‘designation of the inventor’ in the online European Patent database. We identify and assess open and closed climate adaptation and mitigation inventions using explorative and network analysis techniques. Our research shows that even though climate change adaptation technologies are more valuable, climate change mitigation technologies are more responsive to open innovation. We also discovered that the number of green inventions is slightly increasing, but there are very few collaborative open green inventions in Africa as many of the inventions are closed. These results accentuate the fragmented national innovation systems in many African countries. The lack of collaboration and the disconnect between universities and firms shows that most African knowledge institutions have not evolved into vibrant sources of firm learning for national economic development.

Indium‐based Catalysts for CO2 Hydrogenation to Methanol: Key Aspects for Catalytic Performance

AbstractCO2 hydrogenation utilizing sustainably produced hydrogen and CO2 derived from industrial exhaust gas represents a pivotal technology for chemical energy storage and climate change mitigation. This work aims to identify the best combination of catalyst support, synthesis method and promotor for In2O3/ZrO2 catalysts in a typical fixed‐bed configuration. Intense characterization using ICP‐OES, XRD, XPS, N2‐physisorption, CO2‐TPD, H2‐TPR and SEM‐EDX provide molecular insights into the different effects caused by various synthesis methods and doping elements. Doping the most promising In2O3/ZrO2 (M‐SG) catalyst with 0.7 wt. % NiO by wetness impregnation using an ethanol/water mixture as a solvent, an increased methanol production rate of 0.497 gMeOH ⋅ ⋅ h−1 could already be achieved at 250 °C. Hereby, the low amount of highly dispersed NiO promotes H2 activation via hydrogen spillover, leading to sustained catalytic activity for 100 hours of time‐on‐stream.

Taking the carbon capture and storage, wind power, PV or other renewable technology path to fight climate change? Exploring the acceptance of climate change mitigation technologies – A Danish national representative study

Despite numerous prior studies regarding public acceptance of climate change mitigation technologies, most academic papers focus on individual technologies in their analyses. Little is known about the acceptance of multiple low-carbon energy technologies. This study bridges this research gap and explores the cross-technology acceptance of various energy solutions at different locations. Thus, we provide a comprehensive understanding of public acceptance patterns by analysing a broader range of technologies concurrently, focusing on: (a) nuclear power, (b) district heating, (c) energy-saving technologies, (d) onshore, nearshore, and offshore wind power (WP), (e) photovoltaics (PV) installed on agricultural land, industrial roofs, and private roofs, and (f) carbon capture and storage (CCS) in offshore, nearshore, rural onshore, and urban onshore locations. Based on Danish nationally representative survey data, our results give strong policy indications that PV on industrial rooftops is accepted at the highest level. In contrast, nuclear power, onshore rural and urban CCS, and nearshore CCS are the least accepted technologies to combat climate change among the Danish public. Additionally, we discover that the acceptance of a specific technology is contingent on locations. Specifically, the public acceptance of PV, WP, and CCS depends on the place of living and the potential location of technology placement. Finally, this study explores subgroup analyses to compare acceptance differences according to gender, age, education, income, and location of residence.

Does risk preference influence farm level adaptation strategies? – Survey evidence from Denmark

Farmers’ decisions to adopt new technology or measures for agricultural production processes are crucial for adapting to climate change. Meanwhile, risk preference has received great attention over the years in agriculture-related studies as it has been identified as a strong driver for agricultural production decisions. However, empirical studies on the relationship between farmers' risk preferences and adaptation choices in response to climate change remain scant. The present study, utilizing data from a farmer survey in Denmark, aims to examine farmer risk attitude and determine to what extent it influences crop choice decisions, such as crop changes, as an important part of farm level adaptation strategies. Applying a logit regression method, our study finds that: (1) the majority of farmers in the survey were identified as risk tolerant; (2) several demographic and socio-economic factors, such as work experience and farmland tenure were significantly related with farmer risk preference; (3) actual adoption of the majority of farm level adaptation strategies through crop changes and management was found to be significantly less likely for risk averse farmers compared to risk tolerant farmers. Therefore, policy development to promote successful adaptation measures in the agricultural sector should take into account farmers' risk preferences. To this end, risk averse farmers may need better targeting strategies. Future studies could further investigate the role of farmers' risk preferences on the adoption of a wider range of climate change adaptation and mitigation measures and technologies.

Impacts of anthropogenic activities & climate change resulting from increasing concentration of Carbon dioxide on environment in 21st Century; A Critical Review

The human population explosion and rapidly increasing urbanization are two major problems of the current century. According to an estimate world human population is about 8 billion, while in the previous century, it was about 2.0 billion. These figures and facts shows that the future impacts of anthropogenic activities will be more harsh and comprise a more complex nature. Carbon emission induced in environment by anthropogenic activities is major cause for global warming. Climate change, different types of environmental pollution, wastage of raw materials, and ecosystem degradation are major important ecological challenges which are being faced by humanity. These problems are increasing every year due to increasing human population. Forests represent one of most frequent types of green area in cities. Their environmental settlement include perfection in air, water and soil quality, conservation of energy, carbon sequestration, low air temperatures, reduction in ultraviolet radiation and reduction in environmental pollution especially air pollution. The political ecology approach is based on interactions between humans and nature, talking about climate change mitigation and adaptation and technologies that are used for these purposes. Many environmental experts have initiated concept of green revolution to achieve mitigation and adaptation strategies. If human population explosion and establishment of new industrial structures go on increasing without considering the importance of trees then certainly there would be more critical changes for living organisms on surface of the earth in near future. So, “green revolution is the best solution to arrest the environmental pollution” in this changing climate of the world.

Toward sustainable development: Does the rising oil price stimulate innovation in climate change mitigation technologies?

Existing research concerning determinants of climate change mitigation technology (CCMT) development mainly focuses on the role of climate policy, environmental awareness, or R&D intensity. What has been rarely noticed is that the oil price, as an indication of primary energy costs, can make countries with high energy intensity lean toward renewable energy consumption and invest more in the innovation activities of CCMT. Employing a panel investigation of 30 economies from 1990 to 2019, We find strong evidence that rising oil prices promote CCMT performance. The positive effect of increased oil prices on CCMT is imposed by lowering energy intensity, increasing renewable energy consumption, and promoting energy-technology R&D. Such an impact is more pronounced for CCMT related to energy generation and efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions, and transportation. To obtain more concrete policy implications, we also explore heterogeneities of this promoting effect across different levels of economic development and oil dependence.

Does climate vulnerability promote green investment under energy supply restriction?

This research investigates the impact of climate vulnerability on green investment using panel data of 107 countries over the period 1995–2019. We find that climate vulnerability reduces green investment in both climate change mitigation and climate change adaptation technologies. This finding holds up under a series of robustness tests and after taking into consideration the time lag effect, cross-sectional dependence, and endogenous problems. We further present that it is socioeconomic-related climate vulnerability that hinders green investment, whereas physical vulnerability does the opposite. Analyses of moderating channels show that the negative impact of climate vulnerability on green investment is more pronounced in countries with lower levels of adaptation readiness, economic development, and technical innovation, and higher levels of energy supply restriction.

Barrier analysis to leverage the climate change mitigation-adaptation implementation action in mangrove forest and its surrounding community villages

In the Nationally Determined Contribution document (NDC), Indonesia has a target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions of 29% on its own capability and 41% with international assistance by 2030, and plans to initiate action to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 as outlined in the Long-term Strategy for Low Carbon and Climate Resilience (LTS-LCCR) 2050 document. Mangrove forest ecosystems can absorb carbon emissions 4-5 times greater than terrestrial forests, are used as one of source to achieve Indonesia’s NDC and LTS-LCCR targets. Mangrove forest is also as a barrier to coastal abrasion. Mangrove forests can be damaged by natural cause and also due to human activities. Socialization of its importance and improving the economic community welfare around mangrove forests are important factors to prevent damage and maintain its sustainability. The improving economic community efforts can be carried out by applying mitigation-adaptation actions/economic activities of the community. This activity aims to analyse the barrier and challenges in preserving and restoring, as well as rehabilitating the mangrove forests ecosystem in the Indramayu and Brebes regencies. The data obtained from field surveys while the methodology for barrier analysis refers to the methodology that has been used in the preparation of Indonesia’s Climate Change mitigation and adaptation Technology Action Plans (TAPs) documents. The barrier analysis includes regulatory/policy, technical, financial, coordination, and social and/or institutional barrier aspects. These barriers have been analysed, mapped and identified, then causal relations of the barriers have been carried out and identified. Then the cross-cutting issued/integrated the measures of both issues and prioritized the cross-cutting issued can be determined.

Assessing the viability of CO[formula omitted] storage in offshore formations of the Gulf of Mexico at a scale relevant for climate-change mitigation

We investigate the feasibility of industrial-scale geological carbon sequestration as an effective climate change mitigation technology. We do so by performing numerical simulations of coupled multiphase flow and geomechanics on a representative field-scale geological model in the Gulf of Mexico that could become a typical CO2 storage site. We use our representative model to investigate two potential hazards associated with large-scale CO2 storage: (1) The potential that CO2 might migrate to shallower formations and (2) The potential that CO2 injection might induce seismicity due to destabilization of pre-existing faults. At our study location, we find that extensive distribution of clay minerals in fault zones in combination with large fault throws result in widespread occurrence of low-permeability faults that prevent migration of CO2 outside of the injection interval. Low-permeability faults act as flow barriers and can result in reservoir compartmentalization and pore pressure build-up. For our field-scale geological model, we find that the risk of induced seismicity is controlled by the choice of the injection location with respect to pre-existing low-permeability faults. Our model results indicate that industrial-scale CO2 storage in the Gulf of Mexico is feasible, but that a priori reservoir characterization and the choice of injection location are crucial to mitigate the potential occurrence of induced seismicity and CO2 migration to shallower formations.