Energy Supply Research Articles

Life cycle assessment of biochar filters for on-site wastewater treatment

Biochar is a promising filter material for wastewater treatment. This study evaluated the environmental (climate, eutrophication, acidification) impacts of biochar filters for onsite wastewater treatment and compared them with those of a conventional sand filter. Using a parameterised life cycle assessment (LCA) approach, these three impact categories were quantified for two designs of biochar filter and a sand filter, used in normal and sensitive areas as defined by Swedish government recommendations. Different scenarios for the biochar filters, with different combinations of biochar supply chain, biochar end-of-life and energy system, were simulated and analysed. The eutrophication impact of the biochar filters was similar to that of the sand filter, while the acidification impact was generally slightly higher than that of the sand filter in sensitive areas, and lower in normal areas. The climate impact of the biochar filter varied considerably, from substantially higher to lower than that of the sand filter, depending on specific scenario. A few scenarios in which biochar filters had lower overall impacts than the sand filter were identified. In general, the biochar filters had lower environmental impacts in a renewable energy context than in a fossil fuel context. Using biochar in landscaping soil was a better end-of-life alternative than combustion. Biochar from syngas-heated pyrolysis performed considerably better than biochar from electricity-heated pyrolysis in a fossil energy context. Direct emissions to air and water from the wastewater treatment process, production of biochar and biochar end-of-life contributed most to the total impacts and variation in these for all biochar systems.

Renewable energy integration impact on power quality of supply of transmission system

Electrical energy is known as an essential part of our day-to-day lives. Renewable energy resources can be regenerated through the natural method within a reasonably short time and can be used to bridge the gap in extended power outages. Achieving more renewable energy (RE) than the low levels typically found in today’s energy supply network will entail continuous additional integration efforts into the future. This study examined the impacts of integrating renewable energy on the power quality of transmission networks. This work considered majorly two prominent renewable technologies (solar photovoltaic and wind energy). To examine the effects, IEEE 9-bus (a transmission network) was used. The transmission network and renewable sources (solar photovoltaic and wind energy technologies) were modelled with MATLAB/SIMULINK®. The Newton-Raphson iteration method of solution was employed for the solution of the load flow owing to its fast convergence and simplicity. The effects of its integration on the quality of the power supply, especially the voltage profile and harmonic content, were determined. It was discovered that the optimal location, where the voltage profile is improved and harmonic distortion is minimal, was at Bus 8 for the wind energy and then Bus 5 for the solar photovoltaic source.

CSTF2 Supports Hypoxia Tolerance in Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Enabling m6A Modification Evasion of PGK1 to Enhance Glycolysis

Abstract Cleavage stimulation factor subunit 2 (CSTF2) is a fundamental factor in the regulation of 3'-end cleavage and alternative polyadenylation of pre-mRNAs. Previous work has identified a tumor-promoting role of CSTF2, suggesting that it may represent a potential therapeutic target. Here, we aimed to elucidate the mechanistic function of CSTF2 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). CSTF2 upregulation was frequent in HCC, and elevated levels of CSTF2 correlated with poor patient prognosis. While CSTF2 inhibition did not suppress HCC growth under non-stress conditions, it supported tolerance and survival of HCC cells under hypoxic conditions. Mechanistically, CSTF2 increased PGK1 protein production to enhance glycolysis, thereby sustaining the energy supply under hypoxic conditions. CSTF2 shortened the 3' untranslated region (3' UTR) of phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1) pre-mRNA by binding near the proximal polyadenylation site (pPAS). This shortening led to a loss of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification sites that are bound by YTH N6-methyladenosine RNA-binding protein F2 (YTHDF2) and increase degradation of PGK1 mRNA. Concurrently, hypoxia increased m6A modification of PGK1 mRNA near the pPAS that was recognized by the YTH N6-methyladenosine RNA-binding protein C1 (YTHDC1), which recruited CSTF2 to enhance the shortening of the PGK1 3’-UTR. A small molecule screen identified masitinib as an inhibitor of CSTF2. Masitinib counteracted PGK1 upregulation by CSTF2 and suppressed the growth of HCC xenograft and patient-derived organoid models. In conclusion, this study revealed a function of CSTF2 in supporting HCC survival under hypoxia conditions through m6A modification evasion and metabolic reprogramming, indicating inhibiting CSTF2 may overcome hypoxia tolerance in HCC.

Research on Changes in International Energy Trade Pattern under the Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The impact of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine on world energy markets has received great attention. Some researchers have found that the Russia-Ukraine conflict has caused an energy crisis to a certain extent. However, there is a lack of overview of the changes in the trade pattern and the scope of its impact. Therefore, through a comprehensive analysis of changes in policies and economic data, this study analyzes the different response measures taken by countries in different regions such as Europe and Asia to deal with the reduction in Russia's exports of major energy products and the fluctuations in international energy prices. This study also analyzes how the mutual sanctions between Russia and Western countries have contributed to the shift of Russia's energy export focus to the Asia-Pacific region and the diversification of Western countries' energy supply. Research results show that energy trade is at risk of being affected by geopolitical factors such as regional conflicts and mutual sanctions. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has strengthened the attention of countries on energy security issues. The research also highlights the implications for future policies and actions, providing an understanding of emerging trends in the future. Economically, this study, based on past data, emphasizes the inevitability of the Russia-Ukraine conflict affecting energy fluctuations and affirms that the Russia-Ukraine conflict is conducive to global new energy transformation and sustainable development in the long term.

Sustainable Resource Management in an Agro-Industrial Cluster: A Case Study

Introduction: The challenge of water supply and sustainable energy is crucial for addressing long-term clean water and energy challenges. Moreover, there has been an increase in water and air pollution resulting from the community's activities. Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate conservation strategies must be enacted to reduce dependency on clean water and energy supplies. Theoretical Framework: In this topic, the main concepts and theories that underpin the research are presented. Cost reductions, environmental sustainability, and an improved public image for understanding are context of the investigation. Method: The methodology adopted for this research comprises the case study uses a quantitative descriptive method to identify the estimated potential amount of biogas and water quality produced from tapioca and sago industrial wastewater. Data collection was carried out through the specific methods used, such as interviews, questionnaires, observations,and laboratory testing. Results and Discussion: The results obtained revealed energy generation from starch wastewater and recycled water from tapioca wastewater. The wastewater was treated in a biogas reactor as primary treatment to reduce the environmental load and produce biogas simultaneously. The wastewater recycling scheme for the tapioca industry, the quality and quantity of treated water recycled. Research Implications: Biogas production from wastewater reduces energy costs in starch industries. Recycling wastewater saves fresh water daily for starch production. Excess methane can be used for electricity generation or distributed to the community. Implementing anaerobic reactors minimizes environmental pollution. The system boosts sustainability, lowering reliance on external water and energy sources. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the literature by innovative integration of water recycling and biogas generation in starch industries. First application of CoLAR technology for energy self-sufficiency in tapioca and sago sectors. Demonstrates significant cost savings by reusing treated wastewater in production. Offers a scalable model for sustainable water and energy use in agro-industrial clusters. Contributes to reducing environmental impact through waste-to-energy conversion.

Current hydrogen production methods and their economic and environmental analysis

As global temperatures continue to rise due to the extensive use of fossil energy sources, concerns about the environment continue to deepen. Accelerating the energy transition is a major trend, and countries are continuously increasing the proportion of clean energy in the energy supply. Hydrogen energy is one of the most promising clean energy sources and a hot research topic in various countries. Hydrogen production is a key step in the use of hydrogen energy, this paper focuses on the current mainstream hydrogen production methods including electrolysis of water, solar decomposition of water, biomass hydrogen production, nuclear technology, steam methane reforming, coal gasification, methane pyrolysis, etc. And the economic and environmental benefits of each method. According to studies, the mainstream method of producing hydrogen today involves burning fossil fuels, and more recent methods—like the electrolysis of water—need a lot more testing and development before they can be used extensively. The implementation of CCS or CCUS technology can considerably lower the carbon emissions of the hydrogen production process when it comes to hydrogen produced from fossil fuels, but doing so will result in higher energy costs and hydrogen production costs. This paper is expected to support future research directions and help governmental decision-making in the energy transition.

A Quantified Methodology for Evaluating Engineering Sustainability: Ecological Footprint Measurement Modeling

With the gradual increase in public awareness of ecological environmental protection, how to manage the increasingly tight supply of natural ecological energy and resources and the more evident greenhouse effect, how to properly treat and deal with the relationship between people, engineering and the ecological environment during the construction phase of engineering projects as well as how to evaluate the degree of environmental friendliness and sustainable development ability of engineering projects will become an urgent issue. Stakeholders in engineering projects must seriously consider these vital issues. Existing studies on the evaluation of engineering–ecology sustainable development capacity mainly focus on the regional and industry levels, with less research focusing on the sustainability of individual engineering projects; furthermore, they are primarily concentrated on the qualitative evaluation perspective. In order to refine these shortcomings, based on the viewpoint of the ecosystem of construction projects, this paper integrates the concept of whole life cycle with the ecological footprint measurement model and defines the notion of the ecological footprint of the whole life cycle of construction projects. Subsequently taking the above concept as the foundation and making the ecological footprint of various activities throughout the life cycle of a construction project a specific study object, the research establishes the ecological footprint measurement model of the whole life cycle of the project, and comprehensively evaluates the impacts on the surrounding environment, which include the consumption of energy resources, CO2 and the absorption of solid wastes across the whole life cycle of the project. We then measure the sustainable development ability of engineering projects by comparing the ecological footprint with the ecological carrying capacity of a certain surrounding region. Finally, the practicability and reliability of the model is verified through the example’s application. Thus, the results of the study have significant theoretical and practical implications: (1) the introduction of the ecological footprint addresses the gap about the quantitative evaluation of the sustainability of individual engineering projects from a micro perspective; (2) it compensates for the shortcomings of other evaluation methods that only evaluate a single element, such as only CO2, resources, energy or solid waste and so on; and (3) stakeholders can use the measured model to quantitatively assess the sustainability of new projects or urban renewal projects, providing strong support for project feasibility studies and project-establishment.

Co-pyrolysis of rubber seed oil and industrial hemp stem: Asym2sig deconvolution, thermal behavior, synergistic reaction and kinetic

Evaluation of Kinetic triplets and thermodynamics of the co-pyrolysis of industrial hemp stem (IHS) and rubber seed oil (RSO) contributes to the efficient utilization of agricultural waste. The thermodynamics and kinetics of four pseudo components from mixture (RSO: IHS=1: 1) are investigated using Asym2sig deconvolution. The results show that the Eα of pseudo hemicellulose, pseudo cellulose, pseudo triglyceride and pseudo lignin are 76.019, 193.587, 231.764 and 408.552 kJ/mol. The average differences in Eα and ΔH for the four pseudo-fractions also are 4.439, 4.929, 5.576 and 6.018 kJ/mol. Lower energy barrier favors the reaction. The frequency factor values for four pseudo-components pyrolysis are 1.07 × 108 s−1 for pseudo hemicellulose, 1.78 × 1019 s−1 for pseudo cellulose, 6.04 × 1018 s−1 for pseudo triglyceride, and 6.96 × 1031 s−1 for pseudo lignin. The four pseudo-components have different pyrolysis reaction mechanisms. The synergistic effect calculations show a significant interaction between RSO and IHS. According to thermodynamic analysis, the pyrolysis of the four pseudo components requires the provision of external energy. FT-IR results indicate that RSO can significantly increase the release of C2H2, C2H4, C2H6 and CH4 during the co-pyrolysis of RSO and IHS. The co-pyrolysis of IHS and RSO can increase the content of alkene, alkane and MAHs, which improve the quality of bio-oil significantly. Besides, it can reduce the content of PAHs, which reduces the viscosity of the bio-oil. The results can provide new insights into the synergistic and efficient disposal of triglycerides and lignocellulosic biomass.

Management of the Fuel Supply Chain and Energy Security in Poland

Management of the Fuel Supply Chain and Energy Security in Poland

The dominant mechanisms of nutrient cycling in high-dam reservoirs: retention, transport or transformation?

Abstract High-dam reservoirs can significantly affect nutrient cycling processes across the globe. However, the research community now has two contradictive views (i.e. retention versus transformation) about the impact of high-dam reservoirs on nutrient cycling due to incomplete information obtained from limited field samplings. To resolve this issue, we develop a physically-based, three-dimensional water quality model to examine the spatiotemporal distributions of biogenic elements (nitrogen and phosphorus) in high-dam reservoirs with high spatial and temporal details. We apply the model to the Xiaowan Reservoir, a representative high-dam reservoir in the Lancang River Basin. By scrutinizing the spatiotemporal distributions of biogenic elements across space and over time, we find a unique ‘retention-transformation-transportation’ process of nitrogen and phosphorus in the high-dam reservoir, with dominant transformation occurring in the water zone before the dam during non-flood period while dominant retention occurring in the middle part of a reservoir during flood period. We further find that transformations of biogenic elements are enhanced only in low-temperature and low-oxygen environments. Our findings show solid scientific basis to resolve the contradictive views about nutrient cycling mechanisms in high-dam reservoirs, and provide important policy implications for the operation of high-dam reservoirs to achieve improved water quality while maintaining clean energy supply.

Nutrition, hydration and supplementation considerations for mountaineers in high-altitude conditions: a narrative review

Staying and climbing in high mountains (>2,500 m) involves changes in diet due to poor access to fresh food, lack of appetite, food poisoning, environmental conditions and physiological changes. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current knowledge on the principles of nutrition, hydration and supplementation in high-altitude conditions and to propose practical recommendations/solutions based on scientific literature data. Databases such as Pubmed, Scopus, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar were searched to find studies published from 2000 to 2023 considering articles that were randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, narrative review articles, systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The manuscript provides recommendations for energy supply, dietary macronutrients and micronutrients, hydration, as well as supplementation recommendations and practical tips for mountaineers. In view of the difficulties of being in high mountains and practicing alpine climbing, as described in the review, it is important to increase athletes’ awareness of nutrition and supplementation in order to improve well-being, physical performance and increase the chance of achieving a mountain goal, and to provide the appropriate dietary care necessary to educate mountaineers and personalize recommendations to the needs of the individual.

Innovative Microgrid Services and Applications in Electric Grids: Enhancing Energy Management and Grid Integration

Currently, microgrids are a reliable solution for integrating distributed energy resources and managing demand on electricity grids, serving as a pathway towards a responsible energy transition. However, the evolving needs of the sector require specialized approaches to enhance grid flexibility and support the increasing penetration of renewable energy sources and their rising demand. This article explores and characterizes various advanced and innovative services offered by microgrids to improve the resilience, security, and reliability of electricity grids. It analyzes technical advances and novel control methodologies that demonstrate the potential for microgrids beyond mere energy provision. These include ancillary services, services aligned with demand response programs, and advanced asset management and energy resource optimization services. A global case study is conducted to provide a framework for the services that microgrids can provide. The case study validates the efficiency and reliability of electric grids with microgrids and addresses challenges related to their stability and resilience. This research provides a comprehensive perspective on the benefits of implementing microgrids and proposes new guidelines for the deployment of these systems in both urban and rural areas within the framework of energy communities in the Colombian electricity system, emphasizing the need for collaboration among stakeholders to ensure sustainable energy solutions.

Energy and protein nutrition adequacy in general wards among intensive care unit survivors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Adequate energy and protein provision is mandatory to optimize survival chances in critical illness, prevent loss of muscle mass, and reduce length of stay. Data are available concerning feeding adequacy in intensive care unit (ICU) participants, but little is known about the adequacy in post-ICU participants. This systematic review aimed to evaluate feeding adequacy in post-ICU participants and addressed causes of feeding interruption leading to suboptimal adequacy. For this systematic review, a bibliographic search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Randomized controlled studies, non-randomized controlled studies, and observational studies conducted between January 1990 and November 2023 fulfilling the inclusion criteria were withheld. Eight studies were included. Outcomes reported were energy and protein adequacy, barriers, and feeding routes. Energy and protein requirements were determined in various ways, including indirect calorimetry and standardized and weight-based formulas. Energy adequacy ranged from 52% to 102% and protein adequacy between 63% and 86%. Participants were mainly fed with enteral nutrition (EN) or a combination of oral nutrition and EN. The main barrier reported for inadequate nutrition intake was feeding tube removal. Next to different ways in calculating targets and reporting results, a wide range in energy and protein adequacy was observed, but with constant protein underfeeding. Participants fed with EN or a combination of EN and oral nutrition had the best adequacy; inappropriate tube removal is a common barrier leading to inadequate therapy. Standardized reporting and larger studies are needed to guide nutrition care for post-ICU participants.

Juvenile hormone controls trehalose metabolism by regulating trehalase 2 activity in ovarian development of Helicoverpa armigera.

Trehalase (Treh) is crucial for ovarian development as it directly regulates the energy supply by hydrolyzing trehalose into glucose. Juvenile hormone (JH) is also essential for ovarian development, but how it affects Treh2 activity remains unclear. This study, which employed Helicoverpa armigera as a model, showed that HaTreh2 transcription and enzymatic activity peaks coincided with the peak of JH titers (the 2 and 3 days after emergence). Compared to the dsGFP control, knockdown of HaTreh2 transcription severely impaired ovarian development. LC-MS/MS and site mutation experiments demonstrated that JH triggered the serine 345 phosphorylation of HaTreh2 via the GPCR-cAMP-PKA pathway, thereby activating its enzymatic activity. Additionally, HaTreh2 is directly bound with trehalose transporter (HaTreT) under JH induction, thus controlling intracellular trehalose and glucose contents as well as the transcription of HaTreT. TreT controls the amount of trehalose, which serves as a substrate for Treh1, entering the cell. Treh2, on the other hand, uses extracellular trehalose as substrate, and the hydrolysis product glucose is further transported into the cell. Here, HaTreh2 regulated the substrate that HaTreh1 can act upon in the cell by directly binding with HaTreT during ovarian development when JH is induced. Therefore, JH systematically regulated trehalose metabolism during ovarian development through regulating the activity of HaTreh2. This study sheds light on the coordinated interplay between JH pathway and sugar metabolism in ovarian development.

Data-Driven Day-Ahead Dispatch Method for Grid-Tied Distributed Batteries Considering Conflict Between Service Interests

The rapid advancement of battery technology has drawn attention to the effective dispatch of distributed battery storage systems. Batteries offer significant benefits in flexible energy supply and grid support, but maximising their cost-effectiveness remains a challenge. A key issue is balancing conflicts between intentional network services, such as energy arbitrage to reduce the overall electricity costs, and unintentional services, like fault-induced unintentional islanding. This paper presents a novel dispatch methodology that addresses these conflicts by considering both energy arbitrage and unintentional islanding services. First, demand profiles are clustered to reduce uncertainty, and uncertainty sets for photovoltaic (PV) generation and demand are derived. The dispatch strategy is originally formulated as a robust optimal power flow problem, accounting for both economic benefits and risks from unresponsive islanding requests, alongside energy loss reduction to prevent a battery-induced artificial peak. Last, this paper updates the objective function for adapting possible long-run competition changes. The IEEE 33-bus system is utilised to validate the methodology. Case studies show that, by considering the reserve for possible islanding requests, a battery with limited capacity will start to discharge after a demand drop from the peak, leading to the profit dropping from USD 185/day (without reserving capacity) to USD 21/day. It also finds that low-resolution dynamic pricing would be more appropriate for accommodating battery systems. This finding offers valuable guidance for pricing strategies.

Long-term load forecasting for Smart Grid

Abstract The load forecasting problem is a complicated non-linear problem connected with the weather, economy, and other complex factors. For electrical power systems, long-term load forecasting provides valuable information for scheduling maintenance, evaluating adequacy, and managing limited energy supplies. A future generating, transmission, and distribution facility's development and planning process begins with long-term demand forecasting. The development of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) has greatly expanded the amount of real-time data collection on large-scale electricity consumption. The load forecasting techniques have changed significantly as a result of the real-time utilization of this vast amount of smart meter data. This study suggests numerous approaches for long-term load forecasting using smart-metered data from an actual distribution system on the NIT Patna campus. Data pre-processing is the process of converting unprocessed data into a suitable format by eliminating possible errors caused by lost or interrupted communications, the presence of noise or outliers, duplicate or incorrect data, etc. The load forecasting model is trained using historical load data and significant climatic variables discovered through correlation analysis. With a minimum MAPE and RMSE for every testing scenario, the proposed artificial neural network model yields the greatest forecasting performance for the used system data. The efficacy of the proposed technique has been through a comparison of the acquired results with various alternative load forecasting methods.

Enhancing offshore parcel delivery efficiency through vessel-unmanned aerial vehicle collaborative routing

Offshore oil and gas production is vital for global energy supply, but it faces logistical challenges due to the high costs and inefficiencies of traditional supply methods. This paper introduces the vessel-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) routing problem with multiple visits in a single flight (VURP-M), a novel logistical model that addresses aimed at enhancing the replenishment of offshore platforms with small, essential items. The VURP-M allows the UAV to perform multiple visits during a single flight, optimising the delivery process. To tackle the VURP-M, we propose two mixed-integer second-order cone programs that capture the problem's complexities. Given its NP-hard nature, we employ an adaptive large neighbourhood search (ALNS) method, featuring a segmented initialisation process and problem-specific operators guided by a rule-based mechanism to improve solution efficiency. The ALNS formulates an initial solution by solving a travelling salesman problem to create a giant tour, which is then used to group sequential targets into multiple UAV flights. The subsequent optimal resolution of a SOCP determines the take-off and landing points for each flight. Subsequently, the ALNS refines the initial solution through destroy and repair operators, enhancing the search for superior sequences and allocation schemes. The effectiveness of our approach is demonstrated through a real-world case study and numerical experiments on random instances featuring up to 100 platforms. The results offer implications of the collaborative vessel-UAV model for the offshore logistics industry.

N-glycosylation Modification Reveals Insights into the Oxidative Reactions of Liver in Wuzhishan Pigs

Although porcine liver contributes to their growth and development by nutrition production and energy supply, oxidative stress-induced hepatocyte damage is inevitable during metabolism. N-glycosylation is a common modification in oxidation; nevertheless, the effects of N-glycosylation on pig liver oxidative reactions remain undefined. In this study, liver proteins with N-glycosylation were detected in Wuzhishan (WZS) pigs between 4 and 8 months old and Large White (LW) pigs at 4 months old based on LC-MS/MS. The results showed that the number of differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) was larger between different pig cultivars than that between WZS pigs at various growth periods. The enriched pathways of DEPs were mainly related to oxidative reactions, and 10 proteins were finally selected that primarily consisted of CYPs, GSTs and HSPs with expressions significantly correlating to liver size and weight. The oxidative genes shared N-glycosylation-modified models of N-x-S and N-G. Five out of 10 proteins were upregulated in WZS pigs compared to LW pigs at 4 months old, while five proteins increased in WZS pigs from 4 to 8 months old. In conclusion, this research provides valuable information on the N-glycosylation motifs in liver oxidation genes of WZS pigs.

Ichnological record in gateways and other high-energy deepwater environments: a palaeo- and neoichnological approach

The evolution of gateways determines variations in palaeoenvironmental (ecological and depositional) conditions affecting tracemaker communities, and hence biogenic structures. With respect to palaeogateways, bottom currents and associated deposits (i.e. contourites) may be approached through trace-fossil studies. Ichnological analysis – individual ichnotaxa and changes in ichnofacies – of Late Miocene contourites and associated facies from the Rifian Corridor palaeogateway (Morocco) reveals a major impact of food supply, flow velocity, seafloor heterogeneity and hydrodynamic energy. The fact that Eocene to middle Miocene deep-marine deposits, mainly contourites, from the nearby Indian palaeogateway (Cyprus) show ichnofacies replacement is evidence of increased bottom-current flow velocity associated with sea-level variations. Moreover, ichnofabric changes reflect pelagic, gravitational and bottom-current processes that simultaneously influence sedimentation. Changes in the trace-fossil composition of both areas, and in the shape of burrows, reflect intermittent bottom-current processes that governed contourite deposition. Neoichnological studies complement and validate the trace-fossil record of high-energy deep-sea environments that can occur in palaeogateways. Modern traces ( lebensspuren ) observed on the seafloor show variable features (e.g. diversity, density, morphology) depending on the type of disturbance that high-energy conditions exert on the trace-making benthic fauna. Parameters such as substrate consistency, nutrient availability/distribution and the duration and intensity of energetic events play a major role in determining lebensspuren features. We conclude that an integrative palaeo- and neoichnological approach is a powerful tool when used to improve our knowledge of benthic ecosystems in high-energy deep-sea environments such as gateways.

Russian exports amid geopolitical instability: The case of physical and transitional climate risks

The paper examines the impact of physical and transitional climate risks, which to some extend shape the geopolitical situation in the world, on Russian exports. The gravity model of international trade was employed to model the existing relationship. Estimation of the gravity equation by means of the Poisson Pseudo Maximum Likelihood (PPML) method using data on Russian export flows to 72 countries over the period 2010—2021 revealed that climate change and the ambitions of trading partner states towards low-carbon development determine the dynamics of Russian exports. In particular, national physical climate risks have a detrimental impact on Russia’s exports due to the destruction of infrastructure, loss of capital, reduced quality and availability of natural resources, and increased social tensions. Extreme climatic events and climate change measures in trading partner countries spur the development of Russian exports. Namely, physical climate risks of importing countries may increase the demand for key Russian goods for economic recovery purposes. Changes during the transition to a low-carbon economy in trading partner countries also generate opportunities for Russian export growth due to the country’s role as a major supplier of energy and mineral products, as well as technologies for the alternative energy production and electrification of transport