Greenhouse Gas Emission Rates Research Articles

Comparative study of regular and smart grids with PV for Electrification of an academic campus with EV charging.

The current global greenhouse gas (GHG) emission rates will increase the average global temperature by 1.5°C by 2050. This will be detrimental for organisms and ecosystems, as well as human well-being. Many countries have pledged to halve their emissions by 2030 and reach net zero targets by 2050. Optimum generation of electricity from sustainable green sources and its use to charge electric vehicle (EV) batteries will solve this problem to greater extent. The best places to capture solar energy, use it to meet load demand and charge EV batteries are the large open car parking areas near retail stores, academic institutes, industrial areas, and offices. This study targets the open parking areas of an academic campus (King Saud University, Riyadh) to meet the load demand of 25,000 kWh/day with a peak load of 4180kW and charging the batteries of parked EVs. Four system designs, simple grid, standalone photovoltaic (PV), simple grid and PV, and smart grid and PV, are compared. Currently, the cost of energy (COE) of the grid is US $ 0.085 in KSA. In comparison, the COE of standalone PV is almost 4.5 folds higher and in simple grid with PV, it is around 58% higher. However, a renewable penetration of 53.8% is achieved. In the third option, smart grid with PV, the COE is 24% lower compared to the base case. A 54.3% of the total energy produced is sold back to the grid, and the total renewable penetration of 77.7% is achieved. To observe the effect of energy sale limit on project parameters, the sensitivity analysis is performed. It can be observed that with a 1MW increase in the limit, the COE decreases by around 20% and net present cost (NPC) by around 6%. The proposed models for the solar car parks can be used elsewhere with similar climatic conditions.

Striving for the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals (SDGs) in BRICS economies: The role of green finance, fintech, and natural resource rent

AbstractIn terms of policy, the BRICS region has prioritized achieving environmental sustainability. Environmental problems are mostly caused by the area's continuous reliance on fossil fuels to meet its energy requirements. It is also challenging to significantly reduce the region's reliance on fossil fuels because historically, the region has been a big importer of fossil fuels. As a result, the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission rates of the BRICS countries have been rising over time. Furthermore, the area has enormous untapped reserves of renewable energy sources that can be exploited to produce electricity without negatively impacting the ecosystem. In light of this, this research analyses, while controlling for energy innovation, economic growth, and natural resource rent, the combined effects of green finance (GFN) and financial technology (fintech) in reaching the region's carbon neutrality goals from 1990 to 2020. The findings for the BRICS economies, which are consistent with the EKC theory, imply that environmental sustainability is promoted by GFN, fintech, and energy innovation (ENI). NRR (natural resource rent) and GDP (economic growth) compromise environmental quality, nevertheless. It has also been demonstrated that there is a two‐way causal relationship between CO2 emissions and GFN, fintech, and NRR. However, it has been demonstrated that GDP and ENI have a one‐way causal relationship with CO2 emissions. It is recommended that the BRICS nations speed up the development of green financial products and increase the capacity of banks and financial institutions to offer green credit facilities based on the empirical findings. The basic study of how green finance solutions might be used while lowering the related risks should receive more funding.

Influence of seasonal water-level fluctuations on depth-dependent microbial nitrogen transformation and greenhouse gas fluxes in the riparian zone

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from riparian zones affect the global GHG balance, contribute to global warming and climate change, and generate adverse effects on ecological health as well as environmental, economic and social sustainable development. However, the influence of water-level fluctuations on depth-dependent soil properties, nitrogen transformation and GHG emissions in riparian zone ecosystems during wetting–drying cycles remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed seasonal nitrogen dynamics under seasonal water-level fluctuations at seven different depths (0–20, 20–40, 40–60, 60–80, 80–100, 100–120 and 120–140 cm) along a typical transect in the Jianghan Plain, Central China for 2018–2019. Changes in depth-dependent soil physical and chemical properties, soil textural characteristics and mineralogy, potential nitrification rate (PNR) and potential denitrification rate (PDR), as well as soil GHG emission rates were determined across a range of meteorological conditions and surface water and groundwater level fluctuations. Groundwater levels varied significantly between seasons with rising water-levels during the wet seasons and falling water-levels during the dry seasons. The physicochemical properties and chemical composition in the three studied riparian soil textures revealed higher spatiotemporal variability during the wet seasons as compared to the dry seasons. Our results showed that groundwater level depth was a crucial influencing factor controlling the microbial nitrogen transformation in the soil profiles. The PNR values were characterized by substantial seasonal variation with the same or higher metabolic activity in the dry season than in the wet season owing to water-level fluctuations, while they declined with depth. Compared to the wet season, the PDR values in the studied riparian zone were typically lower in the dry season due to extremely low soil water content constrained by fluctuating water-levels. Besides, the PDR values in the silt loam layers were higher than that in the sandy loam layer for most of the monitoring period. The depth-dependent GHG flux rates highlighted that the riparian zone ecosystem was a key source of CO2 and N2O and a sink for CH4. In summary, our findings suggest that fluctuating water table management in riparian ecosystems must be considered to more effectively control seasonal fluctuations of nitrogen dynamics and mitigate GHG emissions. Thus, a suitable riparian groundwater quality control and management scheme is urgently necessary to bring awareness of seasonal water-level fluctuations of riparian zones to catchment managers and policy makers.

Fire Resistance of Phosphogypsum- and Hemp-Based Bio-Aggregate Composite with Variable Amount of Binder

Bio-aggregate composites (BACs) are typically formed by binding plant origin aggregates using organic or inorganic binders. Composite boards are being manufactured from hemp shives and Portland cement or lime and such material is associated with the so-called “hempcrete”. To reach a low greenhouse gas emission rate, alternative binders must be considered. Gypsum binder releases a seven times lower amount of CO2 during production compared with Portland cement, while waste gypsum can be even more efficient. In this research, gypsum-based BACs were elaborated and tested. Phosphogypsum was evaluated as an alternative binder. The objective of the research was to evaluate the fire resistance of gypsum- and phosphogypsum-binder-based BAC. In this study, the amount of binder was varied and BACs with a density from 200 to 400 kg/m3 were tested. For the first time, commercial gypsum- and phosphogypsum-based hemp shive BAC fire performance was evaluated using a cone calorimeter. Results indicate that the role of gypsum content has a significant effect on the fire resistance. Time on ignition increased from 14 to 19 s and the heat release rate peak was reduced by 57%. Phosphogypsum binder, compared with commercial gypsum, showed a slight improvement of fire resistance as impurities with high water attraction are in the structure of PG.

Greenhouse Gas (CO2, CH4 & N2O) Emissions from Electricity Consumption in Private Sectors Universities of Karachi.

Increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is worsening the climate change and its impacts all over the world. Currently there are number of techniques to estimate the GHG emissions and their concentration in the atmosphere. This study estimates the GHG (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) footprint based on the one-year average fossil fuel consumption in selected Private Sector Universities of Karachi. The annual average GHG emissions from all of the universities were calculated to be 2,183.84 Tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), 41.3544 kg of methane (CH4) and 7.2612 kg of nitrous oxide (N2O). The CO2 emission from individual universities were in the range of 800 to 5,000 tons per year. Similarly, the CH4 was emitted in the range of 15-90 kg per year. N2O emission from all the selected universities was found very low in the range 2-16 kg per annum. The study found that the overall rate of GHG emissions is rapidly increasing with an increase in fuel consumption resulted from high number of enrollments in selected universities. Study recommends the energy saving measures and the transition from fossil energy to renewable energy.

Green finance, fintech, and environmental sustainability: fresh policy insights from the BRICS nations

ABSTRACT The BRICS region has considered achieving environmental sustainability a top priority in terms of policy. Environmental distress is mostly brought on by the region’s continued reliance on fossil fuels to supply local energy needs. Besides, the region has historically been a significant importer of fossil fuels, making it difficult to substantially reduce the region’s reliance on them. As a result, the BRICS nations’ greenhouse gas (GHG) emission rates have steadily increased over time. Moreover, the region offers vast untapped amounts of renewable energy sources that may be used to generate power without adversely harming the environment. In light of this, this paper examines the combined effects of green finance (GFN) and financial technology (fintech) in achieving the region’s carbon neutrality goals from 1990 to 2020, while controlling for energy innovation, economic growth and natural resources rent. The results for the BRICS economies, which are supported by the EKC hypothesis, suggest that GFN, fintech and energy innovation (ENI) promote environmental sustainability. However, natural resources rent (NRR) and economic growth (GDP) degrade environmental quality. Additionally, it has been shown that the bidirectional causality exists between CO2 emissions and GFN, fintech, and NRR. However, GDP and ENI have been shown to exhibit unidirectional causality with CO2 emissions. Based on the empirical findings, it is suggested that the BRICS countries should speed up the development of green financial products and expand the ability of banks and financial institutions to provide green credit facilities, and put into the research on the usage of GFN solutions.

Enzymes for consumer products to achieve climate neutrality

Abstract Today, the chemosphere’s and biosphere’s compositions of the planet are changing faster than experienced during the past thousand years. CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion are rising dramatically, including those from processing, manufacturing and consuming everyday products; this rate of greenhouse gas emission (36.2 gigatons accumulated in 2022) is raising global temperatures and destabilizing the climate, which is one of the most influential forces on our planet. As our world warms up, our climate will enter a period of constant turbulence, affecting more than 85% of our ecosystems, including the delicate web of life on these systems, and impacting socioeconomic networks. How do we deal with the green transition to minimize climate change and its impacts while we are facing these new realities? One of the solutions is to use renewable natural resources. Indeed, nature itself, through the working parts of its living systems, the enzymes, can significantly contribute to achieve climate neutrality and good ecological/biodiversity status. Annually they can help decreasing CO2 emissions by 1–2.5 billion-tons, carbon demand by about 200 million-tons, and chemical demand by about 90 million-tons. With current climate change goals, we review the consequences of climate change at multiple scales and how enzymes can counteract or mitigate them. We then focus on how they mobilize sustainable and greener innovations in consumer products that have a high contribution to global carbon emissions. Finally, key innovations and challenges to be solved at the enzyme and product levels are discussed.

Modeling the effect of time delay in implementation of mitigation policies on the control of atmospheric greenhouse gases

Mitigation of the enhanced greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in the Earth’s atmosphere is imperative to meet the climate change mitigation objective. Governments of many countries are developing and implementing various mitigation strategies to reduce their GHG emissions. However, a time delay between the formulation and implementation of these mitigation policies can affect their effectiveness in controlling greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere. This work presents black a nonlinear mathematical model to investigate the effect of application of mitigation strategies and the delay involved in their implementation over the reduction of atmospheric greenhouse gases. In model formulation, it is assumed that the mitigation strategies work two-fold; first they black reduce the GHG emission rate from the anthropogenic source and second they increase the black removal rate of greenhouse gas from the atmosphere. black A comprehensive stability analysis of the proposed model system is made to examine its long-term behavior. The model analysis shows that an increase in the implementation rate of mitigation strategies and their efficiencies to cut down the GHG emission rate from point sources and increase the GHG uptake rate lead to reduction in equilibrium GHG concentration. It is found that a long delay in the execution of mitigation policies can destabilize the system dynamics and leads to the generation of periodic oscillations. The expression for the threshold value of the delay parameter at which periodic oscillations arise via Hopf-bifurcation is determined. The stability and direction of bifurcating periodic solutions are discussed. A sensitivity analysis is performed to investigate the effect of changes in key parameters over system dynamics.

Antarctic permafrost degassing in Taylor Valley by extensive soil gas investigation

Ongoing studies conducted in northern polar regions reveal that permafrost stability plays a key role in the modern carbon cycle as it potentially stores considerable quantities of greenhouse gases. Rapid and recent warming of the Arctic permafrost is resulting in significant greenhouse gas emissions, both from physical and microbial processes. The potential impact of greenhouse gas release from the Antarctic region has not, to date, been investigated. In Antarctica, the McMurdo Dry Valleys comprise 10 % of the ice-free soil surface areas in Antarctica and like the northern polar regions are also warming albeit at a slower rate.The work presented herein examines a comprehensive sample suite of soil gas (e.g., CO2, CH4 and He) concentrations and CO2 flux measurements conducted in Taylor Valley during austral summer 2019/2020. Analytical results reveal the presence of significant concentrations of CO2, CH4 and He (up to 3.44 vol%, 18,447 ppmv and 6.49 ppmv, respectively) at the base of the active layer. When compared with the few previously obtained measurements, we observe increased CO2 flux rates (estimated CO2 emissions in the study area of 21.6 km2 ≈ 15 tons day−1). We suggest that the gas source is connected with the deep brines migrating from inland (potentially from beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet) towards the coast beneath the permafrost layer. These data provide a baseline for future investigations aimed at monitoring the changing rate of greenhouse gas emissions from Antarctic permafrost, and the potential origin of gases, as the southern polar region warms.

Physics-Guided Multitask Learning for Estimating Power Generation and CO2 Emissions From Satellite Imagery

Fossil fuel combustion produces large quantities of carbon dioxide (CO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> ), a major Greenhouse Gas (GHG), which is one of the main drivers of Climate Change. A quantitative assessment of GHG emissions is fundamental to predicting climate change effects, enforcing emission regulations, and monitoring pollution trading schemes. Unfortunately, the reporting of GHG emissions is only required in some countries, resulting in insufficient global coverage. At the same time, the transition from fossil fuels to zero carbon in order to limit climate change is at the heart of several ecological movements, hence the need for quantifying energy production, as well. In this work, we propose an end-to-end method to estimate power generation rates for fossil fuel power plants from satellite images, based on which we approximate GHG (CO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> ) emission rates. We present a physics-guided multitask deep learning approach able to simultaneously predict from a single satellite image of a power plant: (i) the pixel-area covered by plumes, (ii) the type of fired fuel, and (iii) the power generation rate. To ensure physically realistic predictions from our model we account for environmental conditions and empirical physical constraints. We then convert the predicted power generation rate into estimates for the rate at which CO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> is being emitted, using a fuel-dependent conversion factor. Experimental results show that our multitask learning approach improves the power generation estimation MAE by 23% compared to a single-task network trained on the same dataset. Code <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1</sup> and dataset <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> utilized in this work are publicly available.

N2 solar activation: ammonia as a hydrogen vector for energy storage.

From the plethora of energy-intensive synthetic processes, ammonia production has a particularly negative impact due to the high-energy consumption caused by the Haber-Bosch process and the high greenhouse gas (GHG) emission rate. Thus, new and effective ways to activate N2 and synthesise NH3 are crucial to reduce production costs and the anthropogenic footprint derived from the current harsh reaction conditions. In this study, two-dimensional materials have been employed in the photoactivation of nitrogen in an aqueous medium; MI(II)MII(III) (with MI = Cu or CuNi, and MII = Cr or Al) layered double hydroxides have been synthesised using a simple, economical and scalable co-precipitation/filtration method. The structural and functional properties were systematically investigated by XRD, SEM, TPR and BET; the results indicate that the prepared LDHs were successfully synthesised, possess high surface areas and, in the case of CuAl LDH, the material showed a nanoplate-like structure, thus confirming the two-dimensional nature of this class of catalyst. The N2 fixation performances were evaluated using a scalable, cost-effective and low-energy-consuming setup; from the catalytic tests, a NH3 production rate of 99 μmol g-1 h-1 was observed, demonstrating LDHs' high potential and the scalability of the overall process.

THE USE OF BIODIESEL TO REDUCE CO2 EMISSIONS CAUSED BY THE URBAN BUS FLEET OF RIO DE JANEIRO

For several years, the use of oil to move vehicles, transport people, generate energy and other activities necessary for social life, has made the world very dependent on this input. Among the alternative fuels studied, we have the biodiesel, a fuel obtained through the transesterification process of vegetable oils or animal fats, which has become a potential substitute for petroleum diesel. Among the advantages of using this fuel, the following stand out: being renewable, reducing the country’s dependence on oil, and having lower rates of greenhouse gas emissions than petro diesel. Among those gases stands out the CO2, which contributes to the global warming and will be the target of this study. Based on the calculations made taking into account the consumption of petro diesel in Rio de Janeiro, it is intended to quantify the emissions from its use up to 2030 in the fleet of urban buses of the city of Rio de Janeiro and, in parallel, calculate the potential to reduce emissions with the use of biodiesel in the percentages established by the Brazilian Government in the same period.

Impacts of surface water interchange between urban rivers and fish ponds in Chu river of Nanjing, China: A potential cause of greenhouse gas emissions

Surface water interchange between aquaculture ponds and urban rivers is commonly used for the abatement of water pollution and regulating ecological services. Although, underlying impact of surface water interchange for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is yet to be explored. In this study, sediment microcosm incubation and field observation has been employed to understand the impact of surface water interchange on GHG potential over aquaculture ponds and urban rivers, and further characterize their underlying mechanism. Results showed that Fish pondinterchange (Pint) and Chu River riparian (CRR) exhibit a similar variation pattern of GHG emission rate. Consequently, annual accumulative emissions of methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide of CRR were 0.89, 2.1, and 20.83 folds than that of Pint, respectively. For the incubation experiment, primarily it was assessed that fish-pond-overlying water treatments had larger accumulative GHG emissions than deionized water treatments, which is in agreement with the field observation. Secondly, the process of surface water interchange altered the concentrations of nutrients in benthic sediment from both sites of CRR and Pint, thereby increased the GHG accumulative in the CRR and showing reciprocate results in case of Pint. This study could be helpful to reduce the potential GHG emissions from urban freshwater bodies in the future by adopting strategic mitigation measures like catchment area treatment plans in the vicinity of urban river catchment.

Navigating sustainability and health trade-offs in global seafood systems

Seafood is expected to play a key role in improving access to healthy diets while providing food products with relatively low rates of greenhouse gas emissions. However, both nutrients and carbon footprints vary among species and production methods, and seafood consumption is further influenced by price and consumer preference, such that it is unclear which species are best placed to provide low-emissions nutritious seafood. Here, we use seafood production data to assess the nutritional value, carbon emissions, sustainability, affordability, and availability of seafood available to UK consumers. Globally, most seafood products are more nutritious and emit lower greenhouse gases than terrestrial animal-source foods, particularly small pelagic fishes and bivalves that contributed to recommended intakes for 3–4 essential dietary nutrients at the lowest emissions. For seafood products relevant to UK markets and consumers, Atlantic mackerel had the highest availability (i.e. landings) of all wild-caught UK seafood and lowest carbon footprint of all finfish, with one fillet portion exceeding recommended intakes of three nutrients (selenium, vitamins B12 and D). We found that price and sustainability of UK seafood, both factors in consumer demand, had considerable trade-offs with nutrients, carbon footprint, and availability. Farmed salmon, for example, were produced in large volumes but were relatively more expensive than other seafood, whereas highly nutritious, low-emissions farmed mussels had limited production volumes. The UK’s seafood system is therefore not currently optimised to produce nutritious, low-emissions seafood in large amounts. Policies that promote local consumption of affordable species already produced in high volumes, such as mackerel, could improve intakes of nutrients that are deficient in the UK population at relatively low environmental cost.

Greenhouse Gases Emission from Rice Paddy under Different Tillage Intensity during Fallow Season

Reduced tillage is a useful practice to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) stock and decrease methane (CH4) emission in a rice paddy. However, the impacts of reduced tillage on the global warming potential (GWP) are generally analyzed for CH4 fluxes only during rice cultivation season. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of tillage on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission including both CH4 and nitrous oxide (N2O) and SOC stock changes were evaluated during the fallow season under two different tillage systems (conventional tillage and reduced tillage practice). The emission rate of GHG emissions was monitored using the closed chamber method. The SOC stock changes were estimated by the net ecosystem C budget (NECB), which is defined as the difference between total organic C input and output. Finally, the net global warming potential (net GWP), which was calculated as CO2 equivalents was compared between the different tillage system in rice paddy during fallow season. The net GWP of tillage and reduced tillage treatment were 4.09 and 4.96 Mg CO2 eq. ha-1, respectively during fallow season. However, the net GWP was not significantly different tillage systems. The decrease of SOC stock as CO2 emission was the most influential part on increasing the net GWP. Our study suggest that regardless of tillage conditions, it is necessary to establish a greenhouse gas reduction strategy focusing on increasing SOC accumulation during the fallow season. However, as this study was conducted for only single fallow season, long-term study is required to estimate the cumulative effects of tillage treatment on GHG emissions during fallow seasons in paddy.Net global warming potential (net GWP) under different tillage systems during fallow season in rice paddy (CT, conventional tillage; RT, reduced tillage).

Back to the future: Climate change effects on habitat suitability of Parnassius apollo throughout the Quaternary glacial cycles

Abstract Alpine grasslands above the treeline are severely threatened by climate change, mainly due to forest expansion driven by warmer conditions. Analogous lowland grasslands experience severe reductions due to land‐use abandonment and forest encroachment. To address how climate change impacted open‐areas insects, we used Parnassius apollo as a model, a butterfly with wide Palearctic distribution inhabiting both alpine and low‐altitude steppe grasslands. We modelled upper Pleistocene range changes from the Last Interglacial (130 Kya) to the present and future (2050/2070), using medium and high greenhouse gas emission rates for the latter. We combined bioclimatic variables (Worldclim, Paleoclim, Chelsa) with distribution records of P. apollo and two of its most often used larval host plants (Sedum album; Hylotelephium telephium) to formulate species distribution models (SDMs) via the Maximum entropy method. We estimated a substantial range expansion during cold periods (last glacial maximum, 22 Kya) and contractions in warmer periods. Including the host plants in the models brought reduced suitable areas estimate, possibly due to differences in climatic requirements of hosts and the butterfly. Future projections of the extent of suitable climates are surprisingly better than would be expected from a warming climate, likely because the current distribution, especially at lower elevations, is probably restricted by habitat loss due to land abandonment and afforestation. We recommend preventing afforestation in critical habitats across Europe and Asia, and increasing survey activities to perform more accurate SDMs.

Ecological assessment of the nitrogen budgets of livestock production systems in Ukraine

The nitrogen budgets was modeled on the example of 5 typical Ukrainian livestock farms of different livestock production systems. The relative anthropogenic load of different livestock systems and the efficiency of the use of nutrients in the production of crop and animal products are shown. Input flows of nitrogen (N) — in the fodder for livestock, fertilizers, biofixation, atmospheric deposition, crop residues and output flows with agricultural crop &amp; livestock products were determined. It was established that the efficiency of nitrogen use (NUEfarm) is 21.0–69.9% on the investigated farms, i.e., such amount of soil nutrients and imported feed in nitrogen equivalent was deposited in the sold products, and the rest of N was deposited in by-products (crop residues &amp; manure). The ratio of produced main and by-products in nitrogen equivalent was determined. In crop production, 1.06– 1.11 Mg N of grain is obtained for 1 Mg of N crop residues. In livestock, only 0.15–0.78 Mg N of the main products (milk, meat, wool) are obtained for 1 Mg of manure nitrogen production (nitrogen excretion). According to the level of output of the main products relative to by-products, the livestock systems are in the following ranked order: cattle farming — 0.15 Mg N of milk and live weight gain per 1 Mg manure nitrogen production; pig farming — 0.43 Mg N of live weight gain per 1 Mg N excreted and broiler farming — 0.78 Mg N of live weightgain, respectivel. It was established that the livestock production systems cause a significant anthropogenic load on the surrounding natural environment — intensive soil load (balance from –30.2 to –42.2 kg N/ha/year) and high rates of ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions (NH3, NOx and N2O) from manure management systems and agricultural land (16.3–1456.4 kg/ha/year). It was established that 132.4 kg of NH3, NOx and N2O are emissed for 1 Mg of live weight gain of calves; 7.6 kg of NH3, NOx and N2O per 1 Mg of produced cow’s milk; 30.3 kg of NH3, NOx and N2O per 1 Mg of live weight gain of pigs (on average); 22.2 kg of NH3, NOx and N2O per 1 Mg of live weight gain of broiler chickens; 53.7 kg of NH3, NOx and N2O per 1 Mg of produced live weight and wool of sheep.

The First Czech Climate Judgment: A Novel Perspective on the State’s Duty to Mitigate and on the Right to a Favourable Environment

Abstract In June 2022, a Czech climate lawsuit, Klimatická žaloba ČR, z. s. and Others v. Government of the Czech Republic and Others was decided by a first-instance court. The litigation was led against the Czech state for insufficient climate mitigation and adaptation effort. The Municipal Court in Prague largely upheld the plaintiffs’ claim that the Czech mitigation measures adopted to date were contrary to the Paris Agreement; and it found that the country must substantially strengthen its reduction rate of greenhouse gas emissions. This result—the first of its kind in the Czech Republic—was a surprise to many in a country whose courts have been conservative in environmental matters. The judgment fits in well with current trends in climate litigation and follows the arguments of landmark climate cases such as Urgenda. This article provides a summary of the lawsuit and analyses two of the most important parts of the judgment: the court’s reasoning on the state’s obligation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and its ‘climatic’ interpretation of the fundamental right to a favourable environment, as guaranteed by the Czech Constitution.

An economic analysis of a zero-deforestation policy in the Brazilian Amazon

This work aims to evaluate alternatives to conciliate economic growth and the Amazon preservation. For this, we measured the economic costs to preserve the Brazilian Amazon by simulating a zero-deforestation policy. We also evaluate the scenario of deforestation in Brazil in the last decades. We observed a marked growth in deforestation starting in 2014. However, in the last two years, such growth has been even more expressive, which shows the urgency of thinking in multiple ways for the problem of deforestation in the Amazon Biome. Through an economic model for Brazil, we simulated a shock on land use, which shows that there are negative effects on economic dynamism in the Amazon region and that, through a spillover effect, there may be even higher rates of greenhouse gas emissions. This work also shows that the problem of deforestation in the Amazon does not mean only the issue of reducing deforestation rates, but that it must be accompanied by a serious and plural policy aiming to reduce regional inequalities. Finally, a public and private effort is needed so that sustainable practices become more widespread and information about the importance of maintaining the forest standing and conserving the biome can be disseminated.

Predicting the effects of climate change on the cross-scale epidemiological dynamics of a fungal plant pathogen

The potential for climate change to exacerbate the burden of human infectious diseases is increasingly recognized, but its effects on infectious diseases of plants have received less attention. Understanding the impacts of climate on the epidemiological dynamics of plant pathogens is imperative, as these organisms play central roles in natural ecosystems and also pose a serious threat to agricultural production and food security. We use the fungal ‘flax rust’ pathogen (Melampsora lini) and its subalpine wildflower host Lewis flax (Linum lewisii) to investigate how climate change might affect the dynamics of fungal plant pathogen epidemics using a combination of empirical and modeling approaches. Our results suggest that climate change will initially slow transmission at both the within- and between-host scales. However, moderate resurgences in disease spread are predicted as warming progresses, especially if the rate of greenhouse gas emissions continues to increase at its current pace. These findings represent an important step towards building a holistic understanding of climate effects on plant infectious disease that encompasses demographic, epidemiological, and evolutionary processes. A core result is that neglecting processes at any one scale of plant pathogen transmission may bias projections of climate effects, as climate drivers have variable and cascading impacts on processes underlying transmission that occur at different scales.