United Nations Climate Change Research Articles

A review of Madagascar's derived grasslands: Low palatability following anthropogenic fires may threaten food security

Societal Impact StatementThe 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference emphasised the need to modify practices that negatively impact biodiversity and food security in the context of global change. Following Madagascar's drought‐induced famine, our systematic review supports the theory that grasslands of the Malagasy Central Highland that are subjected to human‐lit fires are anthropogenically derived. Furthermore, these overly frequent fires that characterise much of the Malagasy Central Highland grasslands select poorly palatable grasses. Given the reliance on pastoralism as insurance against crop failure in Madagascar, fire‐dependent practices that degrade rangeland emerge as a threat to food security and biodiversity. Education can mitigate against future humanitarian crises.SummaryFood insecurity is greatest in countries where impacts of global change are predicted to be severe. Many, like Madagascar, rely on livestock‐based pastoralism (and consequently palatable rangelands) for insurance against natural disasters and crop failure. It is recognised that derived grasslands can impact climate and biodiversity. Furthermore, the well‐established palatability‐flammability trade‐off predicts that overly‐frequent fires select increasingly unpalatable, fire‐adapted grassland. The drought‐induced Malagasy famine of 2021 highlights the need to identify factors that threaten food security. Given the ubiquitous practice of rangeland preparation through annual, landscape‐scale human‐lit fires, we evaluate whether Malagasy grasslands are derived and then test for fire‐driven selection of increasingly degraded and unpalatable rangelands across Madagascar's largest grassland system, the Malagasy Central Highland (MCH). We conducted a systematic literature review, evaluating for a palatability‐flammability trade‐off, by determining dominant Malagasy grass species, and then applying functional traits, and palatability ratings to these species. Data were extracted using a suite of relevant search terms, and of 1977 studies identified, 145 were directly relevant to the questions posed. Evidence from the review is compelling for much of the Malagasy highland grassland being derived. Furthermore, Malagasy dominant grass species are fire‐adapted with poor forage‐value, suggesting current burning practices negatively impact both biodiversity and pastoralism. Decreasing rangeland palatability caused by human‐lit fires in a society suffering food insecurity emphasises the need to re‐evaluate pastoralist burning practices. Identifying optimal fire frequencies can avert breaching fire‐induced tipping points to rangeland palatability and the humanitarian crises that may follow.

Towards a ‘pluralist’ approach for examining structures of interwoven multimodal discourse on social media

This study proposes a framework for examining hashtagged content on social media, which captures how specific issue frames (i.e. hashtags) contribute to navigable structures. We introduce ‘interwoven multimodal discourse’ as a pluralist alternative to the widely applied unitary approach in which trending hashtags serve as primary sites of analysis. The study argues that ‘interweaving’ of social media discourse takes place through practices such as hashtag colocation, which result in ambient and navigable structures. Analysis of hashtag colocation networks can serve as an approach for mapping ambient affiliations accessible through such structures. We analyse a hashtag colocation network constructed using a sample of 1100 Instagram posts related to climate change uploaded during the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2021 (COP26) held in Glasgow to demonstrate two structural properties of interwoven discourse on Instagram: (1) hashtags contribute to multiple thematic clusters and (2) micro-level hashtags representing secondary topics are nested within larger thematic clusters.

Land and the feminine: Silence as a Room #1 of #5, Richmond, Karoo

abstract We cannot fight ‘climate change’– we objectify that which we cannot touch. The ‘fight’ refers instead, to our observations, reflections and concerns on the impact these shifts in climate patterns (as a result of a substantial increase in global warming) have made on our lives and on the natural environments that we rely on for sustenance. It refers to the devastation these shifts have created, impacting vulnerable peoples significantly. The media particularly during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), focused attention on the myriad ways in which the change in climate could be blamed for the state of hunger and poverty, political and social unrest – globally. This begs the question of why Climate Justice – the elephant in the room – is embedded in the agenda; and as a concern within this ‘fight’, cannot find its way to restore women to land ownership in previously colonised areas of the world. This photo essay, through the lens and experience of the making of Silence as a Room#1 of #5, Richmond, Karoo, considers the ways in which our relationships to land and ‘the feminine’ have formed a significant impact on all areas of our survival; where women in particular for the past few centuries have been severed from the land rendering many destitute, without means and by extension without dignity or autonomy. Speaking through a visual language (as seen here: https://coral4art.co.za/silence-as-a-room/), a work in and of the land (and the feminine), the structure, created to draw attention to silence in the land as experienced and created by a brown woman; was developed by manually working the land, observing ownerships, access and power to and on the site. The work highlights and speaks to the gendered power and authority inherent in our access to land drawing attention to the engine − capitalism that ultimately should pay the price of affected and vulnerable peoples the world over, but does not. I consider that this is no coincidence.

Palliative Justice Post-COP27.

The climate crisis is a planetary existential threat, disproportionately affecting the poorest populations worldwide. People in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) experience the most detrimental consequences of climate injustice, endangering their livelihoods, safety, overall wellbeing, and survival. Although the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) put forth several internationally salient recommendations, the outcomes fall short to efficiently tackle the suffering that exists at the intersection of social and climate injustice. Individuals with serious illness living in LMICs have the highest burden of health-related suffering globally. In fact, more than 61 million people experience serious health-related suffering (SHS) each year that is amenable to palliative care. Despite this well-documented burden of SHS, an estimated 88-90% of palliative care need is unmet, the majority in LMICs. To equitably address suffering at individual, population, and planetary levels in LMICs, a palliative justice approach is crucial. The interplay of human and planetary suffering requires that current planetary health recommendations be expanded to incorporate a whole-person and whole-people perspective that recognizes the need for environmentally conscious and community-based research and policy initiatives. Conversely, palliative care efforts should incorporate planetary health considerations to ensure sustainability in capacity building and service provision. In sum, the optimal health of the planet will remain elusive until we can holistically recognize the value of relieving all suffering due to life-limiting conditions, as well as the value in preserving the natural resources of countries in which all people are born, live, age, suffer, die, and grieve.

Green innovation, environmental governance and green investment in China: Exploring the intrinsic mechanisms under the framework of COP26

The United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP26, has highlighted the crucial role of increasing climate investment in mitigating climate change through ecological governance and the diffusion of green innovations. In response, we conducted a study using data from 30 regions in China between 2011 and 2019, employing a spatial model to investigate the relationship between green innovation, environmental regulations (ER), and green investment. We also examined the potential nonlinear relationships and influence mechanisms underlying these effects. Our study reveals that ER can stimulate green innovation both locally and in surrounding regions. Furthermore, ER and green innovation are found to benefit from green investment, forming a positive feedback loop. Enhancing government support, financial development, and ER can potentially amplify the impact of green investment in promoting green innovation. These findings provide a theoretical and institutional foundation for firms to promote green innovation by addressing institutional and investment gaps. Moreover, the study offers important practical implications for environmental policy-making and addressing environmental issues within the COP26 agenda.

Renewable energy, forest cover, export diversification, and ecological footprint: a machine learning application in moderating eco-innovations on agriculture in the BRICS-T economies.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) recommended that the member nations enhance their technological progression and structural transformation to mitigate the problems of climate change. The BRICS-T countries consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and Turkey agreed to implement COP26's policy suggestions. These countries accounted for 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2017, thus posing severe threats to the global environment. The current study explores the role of renewable energy, forest depletion, eco-innovations, and export diversification in impacting the ecological footprint for those BRICS-T countries. We further examine the moderating effect of eco-innovations on agriculture on the BRICS-T nations. The study contributes to the existing literature by providing newer empirical insights on how eco-innovations and export diversification, along with renewable energy, forest cover, and agriculture, affecting the ecological footprint in the BRICS-T nations. It utilizes novel empirical methods like parametric and non-parametric techniques to derive the short-run and long-run empirical results. The empirical findings based on the augmented mean group and the kernel regularized least square methods document that economic growth, agriculture value added, and forest depletion increase the ecological footprint. In contrast, renewable energy and eco-innovations decrease the level of ecological footprint. In the long run, a 1% rise in GDP leads to a rise in the ecological footprint by 0.64% using the augmented mean group (AMG) estimation. The mean marginal effects are - 0.27%, 0.29%, and 0.17% for renewable energy; agriculture and forest cover, respectively, using the kernel-based regularized least square methods. The study suggests that policies designed for controlling the ecological footprints focus on the use of energy efficient technologies, particularly in the agricultural sector.

Policy innovation through local, sustainable development evaluation

The global political agenda has included some high-profile environmental summits over the past few months. Three of these events stand out. The 2022 United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, was held from 6–20 November 2022. This was followed from 7–19 December 2022 by the UN Biodiversity Conference in Montréal, Canada, and the UN-Water Summit at UN Headquarters in New York City from 22–24 March 2023. Of these three events, the Biodiversity Summit made the most impact as delegates committed to protecting 30% of land and 30% of coastal and marine areas by 2030. This pledge is remarkable because it re-establishes political commitments to protect biodiversity, which is a key component of climate action. At the same time, many observers of the summit questioned how nation-states will implement this goal. Like the SDGs, the “30 by 30” commitment is long on aspirations but short on operationalization details. This observation is not a criticism of the agreement per se but a recognition of the challenges preventing ambitious biodiversity conservation plans from being fully implemented.

Strategy for Climate Crisis: Introducing Innovative System for CO2 Fixation and Storage

The so-called Paris Agreement was reached at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP20) in 2015. This agreement was based on the requirement to keep the increase in the mean global temperature below 2°C relative to the temperature prior to the industrial revolution, and preferably less than 1.5°C. At present, this goal is challenging based solely on the development of carbon-neutral energy systems. The concept of the carbon-neutral society by 2050 seems to be far too late. Herein, we propose an innovative system based on simple chemical reactions using NaOH and CaCl2 via the electrolysis of NaCl or seawater. The generated H2 from the electrolysis of NaCl can be used as a clean energy source for fuel batteries, supplying electricity for the operation of the system. When other renewable energy sources power the system, H2 can be generated as a clean energy alternative. Furthermore, this system produces stable and harmless CaCO3 as a final product, along with NaCl, which can be reused as an electrolysis starting material. The proposed system provides a safe and inexpensive approach for simultaneous CO2 fixation and storage.

Spotlight on the Youth and Early Career Special Interest Group

Spotlight on the Youth and Early Career Special Interest Group

Testing the role of digital financial inclusion in energy transition and diversification towards COP26 targets and sustainable development goals

This study investigates the impact of digital financial inclusion, energy transition, and diversification on achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Climate Change Conference (COP26) targets in the context of emerging seven economies (E-7). The SDGs include objectives related to sustainable energy consumption, the availability of sustainable energy, economic growth, sustainable development through technology, and climate change actions. This research employs novel econometric panel quantile regression and ordinary least square methods for benchmark estimations and pooled mean group for causality analysis. The empirical results indicate that energy transition and diversification, technological innovation, and foreign direct investment negatively correlate with CO2 emissions across all quantiles. Conversely, digital finance inclusion, energy consumption, and economic growth are the primary contributors to the environmental deterioration in the E-7 region. The PMG causality findings demonstrate a feedback effect for the indicators. Furthermore, our results are robust to alternative measures by Augmented Mean Group (AMG) and Common Correlated Effect Mean Group (CCEMG), which may assist policymakers in developing long- and short-term environmental protection initiatives. Based on the outcomes, we suggest that strategies to reduce carbon emissions and achieve the SDGs and COP26 targets should prioritize sustainable energy, and policymakers should enhance incentives for inclusive green funding. The findings recommend a comprehensive policy framework through which E-7 states may proceed toward reaching the SDGs (7-8-9-11-12 and 13) and COP26 commitments.

IHL in the era of climate change: The application of the UN climate change regime to belligerent occupations

AbstractThis article invites the reader on a journey through the legal arguments that would confirm the application of the United Nations (UN) climate change regime to belligerent occupations. Although the regime is silent on this issue, its application should not be limited to peacetime due to the seriousness of global climate change and its adverse effects on the environment and living entities. A harmonious interpretation and application of the UN climate change regime and the law of occupation would allow Occupying Powers to ensure the safety and well-being of the civilian population and contribute to the protection of the Earth's climate system.

'Loss and damage' agreement in Egypt

The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP27 closed with what has been described as a ‘breakthrough agreement to provide loss and damage’ funding for vulnerable countries hit hard by climate disasters.

Advisory opinions on climate change: Some preliminary questions

AbstractThe recent requests for advisory opinions from the International Court of Justice, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and the Inter‐American Court of Human Rights are understandable, given the slow pace of the climate change negotiations. But are they a good idea? Will an advisory opinion by an international tribunal be likely to strengthen the international response to climate change and, if so, in what ways? Will it complement or compete with the United Nations climate change negotiations? What are the risks, both to the negotiations and to the court's own legitimacy, and do the potential benefits of an advisory opinion justify these risks? To what extent should international climate change law be developed through negotiations or adjudication, by States or by courts? Before jumping on the advisory opinion bandwagon, this article poses some questions to consider.

MAPPING INDIA’S POSITION IN UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCES (UNFCCC) – WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO COP-26

One of the crucial challenges of the 21s century is Climate Change that has severe impact all over the world. It is a universal phenomenon with local effects. So, the issue should be determined by collective efforts. The United Nations voiced concern about this in the 1970s and called for an international summit in Stockholm, which caused in the establishment of global environmental governance in 1972 and the creation of the United Nations Environment Program (UNDP).Later, The First Global Climate Conference was planned for in 1979. From October 29 to November 7, 1990, Geneva hosted the Second International Climate Conference. Its primary duty was to evaluate the WCP (World Climate Program) that WCC-1 had established. It was an important phase towards a inclusive climate accord. The WCC-2 called for the establishment of a climate convention along with foster international efforts to address climate change that led to the establishment of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) in 1992 that implemented in 1994 by singing of 154 countries. Since then from 1995 onwards Parties to the Convention, i.e, called Conference of Parties (COP), the ultimate body have met annually to access and review in dealing with climate change. Significantly, from the starting, India has been very concern in the environmental degradation and took part every global environmental conferences with binding coomitments. However, this paper seeks to study India’s Response in United Nations Climate Change Conferences in General and trying to analyse India’s stance in COP – 26 that was held in Glasgow, Scotland in particular.

How does environmental policy stringency influence green innovation for environmental managements?

In the struggle to limit global climate change and rising temperatures, the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) was held in Egypt last November. Bringing together nations to recognize climate change as a global concern and to create new “building blocks” to enhance the implementation of the Paris Agreement through actions that can move the world toward a greener, and carbon free future. This study examines a panel of high-income economies from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to investigate the empirical linkage between Green Innovations (GI), Disaggregated trade (exports and imports), Environmental policy stringency (EPS), and Consumption-based carbon dioxide emissions from 1990 to 2020. We proceed with the panel cointegration check based on the results of the diagnostic tests. The method of moment quantile regressions (MMQR) is used to investigate the relationships between CCO2 and various variables in different quantiles. The data show that GI, export, imports, and EPS are major contributors in explaining the substantial variance in CCO2 emissions in the chosen panel. Specifically, severe environmental rules boost the benefits of green technologies through the use of environmentally friendly technology. Imports, on the other hand, have been determined to be harmful to environmental quality. As a result, member economies should reform their environmental policies to include consumption-based emissions objectives and discourage people’ desire for carbon-intensive items from developing countries. This will eventually result in a decrease in consumption-based carbon emissions, assisting in the achievement of true emissions reduction goals and COP27 targets.

OPTIMIZATION OF VACUUM SYSTEM ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN AN INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT

Greenhouse emissions are increasing, and the future of the earth and humanity is at stake. Many governments in the world have committed to reduce carbon emissions. At the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, France, an agreement has been reached to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels. Vacuum systems are very present in industry (agrifood, pharmaceuticals, chemicals) and energy consumers. There is a lack in the literature on this subject. This study includes an in-depth analysis of the possibilities for reducing energy consumption on vacuum systems and the financial savings as well. It is demonstrated that energy consumption can be reduced between 90% and 99% (depending on the application).

Rapid decarbonization in the Chinese electric power sector and air pollution reduction Co-benefits in the Post-COP26 Era

The 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) has promulgated pivotal climate change mitigation goals for our planet. Decarbonization efforts that align the COP26 goals are underway, especially in high emission sectors. Decarbonization plays a role in reducing air pollution from power plants because of co-benefits. This study proposes a new method to quantify the co-benefits of air pollution reduction by integrating two models, where the effects of reduced air pollution from end-of-pipe measures and climate strategies are disentangled. Results show that in a more rapid future decarbonization scenario in the Chinese electric power sector (International Energy Agency's Sustainable Development Scenario), climate strategies bring about 10–87 times more co-benefits of reduced air pollution than in a slower decarbonization scenario (International Energy Agency's New Policies Scenario). The fossil fuel use factor contributes the most to the additional co-benefits of air pollution reduction from decarbonizing. Substitution of non-fossil energy sources for fossil fuels plays a pivotal role in facilitating these co-benefits. Future decarbonization policies, such as increased end-use efficiency and generation efficiency in power plants can also reduce additional air pollution from power plants as they accelerate the decarbonization process.

The UN Climate Change Regime Thirty Years on: A Retrospective and Assessment+

This article provides a retrospective assessment of the United Nations climate change regime at age thirty. It begins by reviewing the four key stages in the development of the regime. It then discusses how, despite considerable changes in the world, the climate change regime has stayed much the same, and analyzes why the issue has been so intractable. It introduces three models of how international law might address the climate change problem—a prescriptive, contractual, and facilitative/catalytic model—and argues that the facilitative/catalytic approach reflected in the Paris Agreement is best suited to address the climate change problem. It concludes with a report card on how the regime is doing on its 30th anniversary.

Carbon as a commodity, retention as a service

United Nations Climate Change convention protocols (2016; 2005) addressed the issue of anthropogenically reducing CO2 emissions but failed to view carbon as a commodity that can be measured when sequestered in terrestrial biometric sinks. Forestry science tools quantify tree capture of atmospheric carbon volume annually, and in what tree parts it resides. Trees photosynthesize carbon by converting atmospheric carbon dioxide to sequester carbon atoms in trees. Carbon can be commodified and traded in competitive markets via conservation easement agreements legally binding willing buyers and sellers to consented terms. Based on biometric data projections, carbon is measured in discrete forestland areas as tons per year to express a balance between its emissions and its inferred sequestered volume. Timber harvest decisions viewed through the lens of its quantified carbon volume can serve as a powerful mechanism in offsetting carbon emissions while lengthening financially optimal timber harvest rotation decisions. A commodity trading framework is articulated to link willing carbon sequestration agents (forestland owners) with willing carbon sequestration buyers in an equitable trading platform with legal terms applied through temporally defined conditions. The framework to determine carbon sequestration allowances and carbon storage payments is discussed in terms of agreements which market participants enter. In a brief synopsis, we offer our view on aligning carbon emitters with forestland sequestration operatives articulating meaningful financial and social benefits for those involved.

Conjuring a cooler world? Imaginaries of Improvement in Blockchain Climate Finance Experiments

Meeting on the second anniversary of the Paris Agreement signing, the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat founded the Climate Chain Coalition (CCC) in 2017. Backed by a number of multi-stakeholder groups like the Blockchain for Climate Foundation, the Ottawa-based CCC promotes the use of this emergent technology as a pathway to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. What kind of ‘cooler’ world are blockchain-based climate projects conjuring? This article scrutinizes the shared visions materializing in particular across climate finance experiments, locating them as extensions of existing imaginaries of how financial markets can address planetary concerns. The imaginaries identified underpin these ‘cool’ technological feats yet provide only incremental improvements to existing modes of market-led climate governance that are far from the scale required to actually conjure a cooler planet.