Dangerous Climate Change Research Articles

Routes to a Carbon-Free World

Humans need to cut CO2 emissions rapidly to limit global warming and prevent dangerous climate change. Policies adopted so far in countries worldwide are not enough. The good news is that there are many things we can do. First, we can save energy by using the most energy-efficient technologies and by changing our lifestyles. Second, we can use CO2-free energy sources, such as solar, wind, or hydropower. Third, we can invest in technologies that can remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Finally, we can regrow forests all over the planet. Scientists imagine alternative future “scenarios” including different combinations of technology, energy, and lifestyle solutions. We know it is possible, but we need to act now to reduce CO2 emissions, even if it means making hard choices.

Making All Deserts Bloom: The Racist Space/Time of UAE-Israel Collaboration

ABSTRACT Since the normalisation of political relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, the so-called ‘desert tech’ industry has emerged as a key area of economic collaboration. Desert tech combines technological innovation with speculation and entrepreneurialism, claiming to offer lucrative yet sustainable solutions to the specific dangers of climate change in arid environments. By weaving together their respective climate and security expertise and technologies, political visions, and investment capital, Israel and the UAE promise to save arid states the world over from ecological catastrophe – making themselves and their political and territorial projects indispensable in the process. In this paper, we unravel their promethean vision of making ‘all deserts bloom’. We first situate this vision in the desert’s tangible histories of colonial environmentalism, retracing the inextricable relationship of climate science to the violent expropriation, securitisation and transformation of Indigenous life and land by white, European settlers. We then follow contemporary UAE-Israel desert-tech collaboration across the geographically expansive and historically layered sites and forms of violence that facilitate, circulate, and secure this industry’s vision of the future. In so doing, we argue that normalisation is underwritten by a racialised temporality – one that constructs desert landscapes as eternally on the threshold of climate catastrophe, erasing the deep, historical relationships of Palestinians, Bedouin and other racialised subjects to arid environments.

Examining Buyers’ Attitudes Toward Climate Change Policy and Their firms’ Corporate Reputation: The Serial Mediation Effect of Suppliers’ Engagement and Commitment

ABSTRACT Purpose Given the dangers of climate change, a nascent body of research emphasises the significance of business-to-business (B2B) firms’ views on implementing climate change policies (CCP) and its links to corporate reputation. Firms are implementing CCP, but face a range of challenges from various stakeholders. We examine the importance of buyers’ attitudes toward CCP implementation as a driver of corporate reputation using legitimacy theory as a theoretical lens. Design/methodology/approach A serial mediation model considering the engagement and commitment of suppliers was explored to assess the proposed relationship. In a two-stage quantitative research design executed in India, data was collected from 109 buyers from B2B firms to refine the measurement scales and then from 503 buyers from B2B firms to test the research model. Findings Using SPSS macro-PROCESS (Model-6), we found both the engagement and commitment of suppliers to be independent mediators of the relationship between the buyers’ attitude toward CCP implementation and their firms’ corporate reputation. Moreover, the engagement and commitment of suppliers toward CCP implementation partially mediated this relationship serially. Policy implications are presented that can be useful in developing corporate strategies to reduce environmental risks and improve the company’s reputation, bringing more business in the long run. Originality/value The study is significant as we conducted it when the United Nations called on all organizations to participate in the Race to Zero, intending to build sustainable businesses. This study contributes original value by demonstrating how buyer attitudes toward CCP implementation, mediated by supplier engagement and commitment, significantly influence corporate reputation, thereby offering actionable insights for developing sustainability strategies in B2B contexts.

Referentna vrijednost za novu drvenu zgradu s gotovo nultom potrošnjom energije u Europi

To mitigate dangerous climate change, a drastic reduction of CO2 emissions is needed by 2030. Buildings contribute significantly to emissions, with the use phase of existing buildings being responsible for the majority of energy consumption. In addition, environmental problems associated with the production of raw materials, construction, and the end of life of buildings are serious concerns that require urgent solutions. Life cycle assessment (LCA) and the EU-recommended Environmental Footprint (EF) are widely accepted tools to measure environmental impacts throughout a product life cycle. However, assessing the environmental performance of wooden buildings remains a challenge. This study presents a benchmark for an average new European wooden building fulfilling the European nearly Zero Energy Building (nZEB) requirement. The benchmark utilizes the recommended EU EF impact categories with normalization and weighting, allowing for easy and quick comparisons. The results communicate the average environmental impact per square meter of floor area over one year. This benchmark is a suitable comparison point for new wooden building designs and is used as an effective tool for architects and designers during the initial planning stages of wooden buildings. By using this benchmark, the environmental performance of the building can be improved, and the communication and interpretation of LCA results can be facilitated for customers and other relevant stakeholders.

Pathway to zero emissions in global tourism: opportunities, challenges, and implications

Human emissions must reach zero by 2050 to avoid dangerous climate change. Most sectors have achieved a downward path for their greenhouse gas emissions, but tourism’s emissions have continued to grow. We explore scenarios to reduce global tourism emissions and find only a narrow pathway to zero emissions tourism that could lead to net zero by 2050 while not severely damaging the tourism economy. Our study uses a system dynamics model. We describe the business-as-usual scenario, including its consequences for emissions and for tourism’s share of the remaining global carbon budgets if the world is to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 or 2 °C. We explore 45 possible policy approaches, like taxes and subsidies, infrastructure investments, off-sets, technology, behavioural changes, and sustainable aviation fuels. Key measures appear to be a mandate for e-fuel mixing up to 100% by 2050, and a multi-trillion USD investment in hydrogen-powered electric aircraft and high-speed rail infrastructure. We find that a limited renewable energy supply will constrain the growth of aviation if it is to be zero emissions in 2050. A risk-analysis explores the robustness of the policies. Finally, we discuss the consequences of the zero emissions tourism (ZET) scenario we propose.

When Are Carbon Border Adjustment Measures Just?

Arguments in support of carbon border adjustment measures are often based on considerations of justice. Implementing carbon border adjustment measures would be necessary to, first, promote fair competition between corporations and, second, make carbon pricing instruments more effective and thus prevent the harms of dangerous climate change. Yet, both arguments tend to obscure considerations of distributive justice relative to the burdens of climate policies and the benefits of economic cooperation. In this article, we first explain why the case for carbon border adjustment measures based on the ideal of fair competition between corporations is flawed. Second, if the priority of harm avoidance over fair burden-sharing can justify carbon border adjustment measures, we argue that it does not justify all kinds of carbon border adjustment measures. On the contrary, it puts significant constraints on their design. We contend that just carbon border adjustment measures should include design features that allow for some form of carbon leakage risk, either via country-differentiated prices or via country-specific exemptions.

Climate Change in the Context of World Christianity: Listening to African Voices

Although the planet is inhabited by diverse species, the one that generates the greatest amount of environmental degradation is the human species. For many decades, this has continued unabated until we are getting to tipping points in so far as the dangers of climate change are being experienced. This is contrary to the creation mandate where humans are given the responsibility of stewardship of the universe. Many conversations have been held on what can be done to reverse the trend of earth degradation and its various effects. This paper presents the voice of the discipline of World Christianity in the ongoing discourse. By use of predominantly Kenyan examples, the paper employs the African category of ubuntu and a decolonial perspective to retrieve submerged voices to aid the practice of African Christianity in the efforts to hold humanity accountable for the preservation of the earth. Towards this end, this paper decolonises hegemonic discourse on climate change mitigation by introducing African Christian perspectives and placing them at the centre of climate change discourse. It therefore in a representative way presents Kenyan voices in five categories that also show the effects of climate change in a continent that may arguably be seen as not yet in the state of experiencing the effects of climate change. Ultimately, the paper presents some theological proposals of ways in which the African church can add its voice toward saving our common home – Mother Earth.

Continuity and Change in Norm Translations After the Paris Agreement: From First to Second Nationally Determined Contributions

Abstract Following the Paris Agreement, states have submitted nationally determined contributions (NDCs) pledging how they aim to prevent dangerous climate change. These documents reveal how states translate the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) normative expectations based on their domestic circumstances. We examine continuity and change between first and second NDCs with an inductive method of quantitative text analysis—topic modeling. Overall, these pledges rely on UNFCCC’s norms, indicating the stability of the liberal order. Many norms are translated similarly in first and second NDCs. When states prioritize some norms over others, this continues to align with the annex divide, reflecting differences in domestic circumstances (e.g., vulnerability). Yet, some discourse coalitions also cut across this line. Two innovative translations stand out in the second NDCs: first, the low-carbon economy discourse adds a new spin to “liberal environmentalism,” apparently driven by competition among higher-income countries, and second, interlinkages with the human rights regime point to successful transnational socialization in democratic states. These findings indicate potential directions for global climate politics.

Farmers’ perception of climate change and livelihood vulnerability: a comparative study of Bundelkhand and Central regions of Uttar Pradesh, India

Indian farmers are vulnerable to changing climate with unpredictable rainfall distribution, rising temperature, and complex socioeconomic conditions. The present study aims to assess livelihood vulnerability of farmers in two regions of the most populous State of Uttar Pradesh namely Bundelkhand and Central region. By using multistage random sampling technique, a total of 480 samples from 16 villages, 8 development blocks, 4 districts, and 2 regions were selected to elicit grass-root information on farmers’ perception of climate change, their sensitivity and adaptive capacity to changing climate, and determinants of livelihood vulnerability. Further, this study has adopted methodology mentioned in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s fourth Assessment Report for the development of climate vulnerability index. The results show that farmers in Jhansi district were highly vulnerable to changing climate, while farmers in Barabanki district were relatively less vulnerable. The elevated degree of vulnerability to livelihood in Jhansi district attributed to its comparatively higher exposure and sensitivity to climatic change. The Binary Logistic Regression results show that illiterate farmers are relatively more vulnerable than literate farmers. On the contrary, higher income, assured irrigation, the use of certified seeds, and crop insurance are negatively associated with the LVI. In other words, farmers who have income from non-farm sources, use certified and recommended seed varieties, and avail themselves of crop insurance are relatively less vulnerable to climate change than those who do not have the aforesaid facilities. Hence, the present study suggests that farmers, must adapt to climate change to reduce its negative impact and reap the benefits of adaptation which can be achieved through capacity building, skill development (i.e., use of ultra-modern techniques), and capacity to strengthen the farmers’ ability to adapt. Further, there is also a need to sensitize government officials on the dangers of climate change and to provide appropriate technical support to farmers for their adaptation.

Symbiotic nitrogen fixation enhanced crop production and mitigated nitrous oxide emissions from paddy crops

Feeding a growing population and preventing dangerous climate change are two challenges facing humanity. Biological nitrogen (N) fixation is considered a sustainable production measure that helps maintain crop production and mitigate climate change by supplementing alternative N nutrients. However, the simultaneous impacts of symbiotic N fixation (SNF) by leguminous green manure crops on rice crop production and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions remain poorly understood. Here, a field experiment of two annual rotation cycles was conducted to monitor rice yield and the N2O emissions under rice (Oryza sativa subsp. japonica Kato.)-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (RW) and rice-hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth.) (RV) cropping systems at three N input rates (0 (N0), 50 (N1) and 100 (N2) kg ha−1) for the upland crops and 200 kg ha−1 for the rice crop. Growing hairy vetch introduced a significant amount of N as SNF to the agroecosystem, ranging from 123 to 182 kg ha−1. Compared to the treatments without N for the RV system, the N1 and N2 treatments significantly increased the amount of SNF by 44–47% and 19%− 24%, respectively. The cumulative N2O emissions from SNF ranged from 0.28–0.65 kg ha−1, with the N2O emission factor from SNF (EFSNF) ranging from 0.18%− 0.52% for the RV system. The RV system significantly decreased the N2O emission factor from the total N input (EFTN) by an average of 10.0% compared with the RW system. The RV-N1 treatment produced an obviously lower EFTN, averaging 0.37%, than the other treatments receiving N applications. Compared to the RW system, the RV system slightly increased rice yield by an average of 3.5%. Therefore, the most appropriate N application rate was 50 kg ha−1 for the leguminous crop, and SNF of leguminous green manure could serve as complementary to mineral N fertilizers for reducing N2O emissions while improving soil quality and rice yield in paddy field.

Climate Change: A Correlate of Educational Under-Development in Rivers State, Nigeria

The global focus on climate change has been driven by its profound influence on social, economic, educational, technical, and environmental domains. This research investigated the relationship between climatic change and educational under-development in Rivers State, Nigeria. Three objectives and three hypotheses guided this research. The study utilized a correlational survey design. The population included 286 principals of public senior secondary schools and 18,846 senior secondary school students in Rivers State, Nigeria. The research sample consisted of 559 respondents (167 principals and 392 students). The Taro Yamane method was utilized to determine the sample size. The research questions were analyzed using Simple Regression, while hypotheses were analyzed utilizing t-test associated with regression, at a significance level of 0.05. The results indicated a notable correlation between the view of principals and students about the effect of climate change and the educational underdevelopment in secondary schools. Furthermore, climate change substantially influences students’ academic performance in Rivers State, Nigeria. The survey found that the majority of instructors have not received proper orientation on the potential significance of climate change and how to adjust and minimize its influence on teaching and learning. Also, students understand better in the morning hour, which has a tendency to increase their academic performance. The researchers therefore, recommended, amongst others, that classroom lessons or workshop practice should be carried out in the morning and considerably in the evening to enable better student performance; teachers and students should be properly educated on the dangers of climate change and its mitigating measures.

Emissions Sufficientarianism

AbstractThis paper defends strong emissions sufficientarianism as an approach to assigning moral rights to generate greenhouse gas emissions. Strong emissions sufficientarianism holds that only subsistence emitting is morally permissible. This paper argues that, since it is uncertain how many subsistence emissions there will be, the present generation owes it to future generations to refrain from generating non-subsistence emissions, not to risk imposing on them a tragic choice between sacrificing themselves and contributing to very dangerous climate change. The paper also addresses the charge that emissions sufficientarianism, in general, is too permissive since it entails a right to contribute to very dangerous climate change. The overall message is that, given the moral urgency posed by climate change, there is little room for distributive principles besides emissions sufficientarianism. This casts doubt on the appropriateness of relying on carbon budgets in assigning rights to emit.

Doctor, Can We Reuse this Brace; Patient Attitudes towards Reuse of Orthopedic Braces

Introduction: Climate change presents an important threat to human health and wellbeing. Paradoxically, many facets of healthcare provision contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. An important example of this is the use of single use, disposable orthopedic orthotics, widely dispensed in emergency departments and fracture clinics. This study aimed to understand patients’ attitudes towards climate change, single use plastics, and recycling of orthotics. Materials and methods: Fracture clinic patients wearing orthotics were invited to complete a questionnaire examining attitudes toward climate change and the recycling of orthotics. Questions explored patient attitudes towards climate change, single use plastics and re-use of orthotics. Free text was also included to identify any patient’s perceived concerns regarding brace re-use. Results: 93 out of 211 patients in clinic wore orthoses (44.1%). 40 completed the questionnaire giving a 43% response rate. 95% of patients were aware of climate change, attributing an average importance of 7.7 on a Likert scale of 0 (least important) to 10 (most important). 92.5% understood the issue of single use plastics, ascribing an average score of 8 to this. 90% of patients were willing to recycle their orthosis, with 90% also willing to use a recycled orthosis. Free text analysis revealed concerns with infection and brace integrity. Conclusions: Orthopedic trauma patients recognize the danger of climate change and welcome efforts to address the issue of single use plastic in orthoses by recycling braces. Further research is required to facilitate the production of reusable orthoses and the reprocessing of current orthoses.

PRODUCTION OF BIOELECTRICITY FOR THE AQUEOUS EXTRACTS OF SOME PLANTS

Annual climate conferences draw public attention to the urgent need to ecologize CO2-neutral fuel systems and recognize that global temperature increases must be limited to less than 2 °C to avoid dangerous climate change. Based on the projections of the International Panel on Climate Change, it is now widely accepted that in order to stay within this temperature range, CO2 emissions need to be reduced by 80% by 2050. Furthermore, developing countries most affected by climate change are pushing for a reduction (as opposed to stabilization) of atmospheric CO2 equivalent levels from ~450 ppm to 350 ppm in order to stabilize at a 1.5 °C temperature rise. Electricity plays an important role in our everyday life, and its consumption is constantly increasing. Its traditional production based on fossil fuels has huge environmental problems, such as pollution of the atmosphere with greenhouse gases with further global consequences - the greenhouse effect. To overcome these effects, technologies based on non-conventional energy sources such as solar energy, wind energy, biofuels, etc. are being implemented. While solar photovoltaic and thermal energy are attractive, the need for bioenergy is becoming inevitable to replace fossil fuels. Natural photosynthesis offers the means for this, primarily through the use of plants. Land plants have already been used as a source of bioenergy, and this use will increase in the future, despite a number of associated problems. This study concerns a new technology of electricity production, namely, biotechnology, that is, the use of aqueous extracts of various plant resources. Some plants in nature have the ability to accumulate in their cells biologically active compounds capable of creating an electrolytic environment, in fact they are suitable for the production of electricity, which can be amplified.

Moral Reasoning in the Climate Crisis: A Personal Guide

Abstract This article substantiates the common intuition that it is wrong to contribute to dangerous climate change for no significant reason. To advance this claim, I first propose a basic principle that one has the moral obligation to act in accordance with the weight of moral reasons. I further claim that there are significant moral reasons for individuals not to emit greenhouse gases, as many other climate ethicists have already argued. Then, I assert that there are often no significant moral (or excusing) reasons to emit greenhouse gases. In any such trivial-cost – but not necessarily trivial-impact – cases, the individual then has an obligation to refrain. Finally, I apply the moral weighing principle to everyday situations of emitting and establish two surprisingly substantial implications: the relevance of virtues to the interpersonal assessment of environmentally harmful actions and the extensive individual ethical obligations that exist short of moral purity.

An energy justice index for the energy transition in the global South

In order to avoid dangerous climate change and to satisfy the global energy needs energy systems have to change. Hopes are especially high in countries of the Global South for the low-carbon transition to propel sustainable development. Yet, while the energy transition provides opportunities, it also raises questions on how to avoid new global inequalities. This study presents the first quantitative approach to measure the extent to which the energy transitions in the Global South incorporate elements of energy justice. In doing so, this study builds on a rich literature on energy justice that differentiates between distributional, recognition, and procedural justice, thus taking into account social and development objectives such as affordability and accessibility of energy, the inclusion of marginalised parts of society, as well as broader community involvement and participation. Though much important conceptual and qualitative work has been done, what has been lacking so far is a quantitative measure of the degree to which the energy transition lives up to the imperative of energy justice, going beyond the much-studied Global North. The proposed energy justice index is designed and applied to select countries from Southeast Asia (Malaysia), sub-Saharan Africa (Kenya), the MENA region (Jordan), and Latin America (Chile). The index stands the test of the empirical application and demonstrates significant variation between countries along the different dimensions of energy justice. The study also emphasizes the importance of further testing and of improving data quality for informed policy making of energy justice issues in the Global South.

Climate adaptation and resilience indices for the Caribbean region: an assessment of four leading indices

ABSTRACT Countries of the Caribbean region share a common vulnerability and risk of disappearing if the dangers of climate change and global warming are not addressed collectively and urgently. Over the last decade, four open-source international indices, the Global Climate Risk Index (GCRI), Good Life Index (GLI), Norte Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), Yale Environmental Performance Index (EPI), have been developed and employed in research and policy as a measurement tool to aggregate data and examine risks exacerbated by climate change. Countries are ranked internationally based on their level of vulnerability and readiness to implement adaptation solutions. No index is explicitly developed for the Caribbean. However, there is an imperative to bridge community and national adaptation planning, which remains to be better integrated into climate policy and adaptation. Thus, we provide a timely assessment of the four most widely employed indices, reviewing individual country performances, 2010–2020. The results show some similarities regarding the best and worst performers, but significant variation is observed in the rate of improvement and degree of inertia. Each index has strengths and weaknesses. ND-GAIN is the index with the region's most transparent methodology and comprehensive coverage.

The role of agri‐food 4.0 in climate‐smart farming for controlling climate change‐related risks: A business perspective analysis

AbstractThe impact of climate change, including fires, droughts and storms, on natural resources and agricultural output is increasing. In addition to these problems, resource depletion and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, agriculture also contributes to global warming. To reduce the dangers of climate change, farmers are using sustainable practices. This article aims to link agri‐food 4.0 technology with climate‐smart agriculture (CSA) to lessen the two‐way interaction (both affecting and impacted) between the agricultural sector and global warming, as well as dangers related to the agri‐food business. In light of this information, the research methodology of the paper is twofold. Initially, related risks towards climate change and the CSA and agri‐food 4.0 technologies to overcome these risks were determined through a literature review. Then, risks and technologies are evaluated by adopting the TODIM (an acronym in Portuguese for Interactive and Multicriteria Decision Making), which is used for evaluating the criteria set with the related technologies to overcome climate change‐related risks and provide a guiding map for academics and practitioners to eliminate risks associated with these climate change‐related factors. According to the study's findings, the highest‐priority concerns in the agri‐food industries that are connected to climate change include energy consumption, food safety and GHG emissions. Internet of Things (IoT), bio‐innovation and artificial intelligence are thought to be the most promising technological solutions to address these problems.

Remediating the sky: the role of geoenvironmental engineers and applied geoscientists in geochemical carbon dioxide removal

The largest environmental remediation project in human history has begun – that of removing hundreds of billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from the atmosphere over the coming century. This removal, together with deep and rapid emissions reduction, will be essential in preventing dangerous climate change. This briefing introduces the field of geochemical CO 2 removal (gCDR), which proposes to accelerate the natural reaction of atmospheric CO 2 with rocks or anthropogenic materials. It also explores the critical role that geoenvironmental engineers and geoscientists will have in researching and deploying these technologies. While currently at an early stage of development, it is possible that gCDR will operate at a global scale (billion tonnes of CO 2 per year) by mid/late-century, resulting in an industry that generates hundreds of billions to a trillion dollars in annual revenue, equivalent in scale to the present-day oil industry. The core technical competencies of this industry will be derived from geoscience disciplines requiring the contribution of thousands and possibly tens of thousands of workers globally. To realize these opportunities, our community needs to lead in the development of gCDR, help to pioneer its deployment, create standards for monitoring and verification, and incorporate gCDR into existing education programmes and professional development. Thematic collection: This article is part of the Climate change and resilience in Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/topic/collections/Climate-change-and-resilience-in-engineering-geology-and-hydrogeology

BARRIERS TO TRANSFORMATIVE CLIMATE CHANGE EDUCATION: MITIGATION AND RESILIENCE-BUILDING

The urgency with which climate change education is required demands massive coordination across all formal education systems (primary, secondary and tertiary institutions), non-formal systems (community-based and non-governmental organisations), and informal systems (museums, over the radio, in libraries, or bus stops). It also demands attention from individuals in both low and high-carbon emitting countries, as well as within and across sectors (education, energy, agriculture, transportation and urban planning). Rather positively though, education has a ripple effect that goes beyond the individual learner and has the potential to build greater environmental enlightenment and concern amongst family members and communities. Accordingly, education (formal, informal and non-formal) would also help individuals and communities build resilience and lessen their vulnerabilities to a rapidly changing climate. Hence, this paper explores the barriers that impede enhanced climate change education with a view to helping surmount them and enlighten learners and communities at large, on the dangers of climate change and strategies of minimising human activities that bring about or accelerate climate change, even as communities get sensitised on resilience measures. Accordingly, the barriers to effective climate change education as determined by this review are inadequate political leadership, low eco-literacy levels, cognitive challenges, scepticism of scientific evidence, misinformation and disinformation of facts about climate change, limited knowledge and skills to impart to learners during climate change instruction, moral and behavioural challenges and psychological and social barriers. It is thus, recommended that salient aspects of climate change be integrated into teacher-training curricula worldwide and policies be enacted aimed at mitigating scepticism and disinformation concerning climate change. Furthermore, coordination of efforts between the private sector, government, community members and civil society to promote climate change education is strongly recommended together with the adoption of transformative learning that results in perspective and behaviour change