ALBERT

Description: Marine Ökosysteme wie Mangrovenwälder, Seegraswiesen, Salzwiesen und Makroalgen sowie marine Sedimente verfügen über die Eigenschaft, Kohlenstoff in ihrer Biomasse und Sedimenten zu speichern. Durch die Rehabilitation, Wiederherstellung und den Schutz dieser Ökosysteme kann somit das Potential des Ozeans zur Aufnahme von atmosphärischem CO2 erhöht werden. Dieses Potential wurde in Vorbereitung der 15. UN-Klimakonferenz in Kopenhagen 2009 unter dem Konzept „Blue Carbon" eingeführt und wird seitdem weiter erforscht und in politischen Prozessen weiterentwickelt. Die langfristige Sequestrierung von atmosphärischem CO2 durch Blue-Carbon-Ökosysteme unterstützt Umsetzungsprozesse zur Erreichung der Ziele des Pariser Abkommens. Das über Blue-Carbon-Ökosysteme sequestrierte CO2 zählt als Teil der globalen Kohlenstoffsenke als „negative Emissionen". So erreichte negative Emissionen sollten jedoch nicht zur Umgehung von ohnehin notwendigen politischen und wirtschaftlichen Schritten in Richtung einer CO2-neutralen Zukunft führen. Die Wiederherstellung und Rehabilitation von Blue-Carbon-Ökosystemen zur Erhöhung der natürlichen Kohlenstoffsenke des Planeten sollte zusätzlich zu einer signifikanten globalen Emissionsreduktion eingesetzt werden. Diese Studie erörtert die wissenschaftlichen, ökonomischen und politischen Fortschritte im Bereich Blue Carbon und stellt mögliche politische Handlungspfade vor, die das Potential von Blue-Carbon-Ökosystemen zum Klimaschutz in, durch und mit Deutschland stärken. Für die verschiedenen Blue-Carbon-Ökosysteme wird aufgezeigt, inwiefern die Ausweitung und der Schutz dieser Ökosystemen weitere Ziele der Klimaanpassung und der nachhaltigen Entwicklung unterstützen. Aufbauend auf einer Auswertung praktischer Umsetzungsbeispiele von Blue-Carbon-Projekten und möglicher Finanzierungsmechanismen wird nachfolgend ein politischer Handlungsleitpfaden für Deutschland in Bezug auf Blue Carbon entwickelt. Die politischen Handlungsempfehlungen wurden gemeinsam mit dem Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Nukleare Sicherheit entwickelt.

Description: Marine ecosystems like mangroves forests, seagrass meadows, salt marshes and macroalgae can store carbon in their biomass and sediments. Rehabilitation, restoration and conservation of these ecosystems can increase the potential for atmospheric carbon uptake by the ocean. This concept was first introduced as ‘blue carbon’ during the preparation for the 15th UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in 2009 and since then it has seen continuous incorporation into politics and research. The long-term sequestration of atmospheric CO2 via blue carbon ecosystems supports the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement. The CO2 that is sequestered by blue carbon ecosystems is part of the global carbon sink and therefore it can be counted as ‘negative emissions’ in the global carbon stocktake. However, such negative emissions should not be implemented as a substitute for necessary political and economic measures towards a carbon neutral future. Rehabilitation and restoration of blue carbon ecosystems as a natural carbon sink is one of many measures but cannot replace the significant reduction of global emissions needed for the realisation of the global climate targets. This study discusses the scientific, economic and political realm of blue carbon. Furthermore, possible courses for political action “in”, “by”, and “through” Germany that could strengthen the potential of blue carbon ecosystems to sequester carbon are explored. The study investigates a variety of blue carbon ecosystems to determine to what extent the expansion and conservation of blue carbon ecosystems can support additional climate adaptation targets and Sustainable Development Goals. The evaluation of a multitude of implemented and ongoing blue carbon projects across the globe gives insight to best practices and possible financing mechanisms. A political guideline for Germany regarding blue carbon was developed together with the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.

Description: Energy system models are advancing rapidly. However, it is not clear whether models are becoming better, in the sense that they address the questions that decision-makers need answered to make well-informed decisions. Therefore, we investigate the gap between model improvements relevant from the perspective of modellers compared to what users of model results think models should address. Thus, we ask: What are the differences between energy model improvements as perceived by modellers, and the actual needs of users of model results? To answer this question, we conducted a literature review, 32 interviews, and an online survey. Our results show that user needs and ongoing improvements of energy system models align to a large degree, so that future models are indeed likely to be better than current models. We also find mismatches between the needs of modellers and users, especially in modelling of social, behavioural and political aspects, the trade-off between model complexity and understandability, and the ways that model results should be communicated. Our findings suggest that a better understanding of user needs and closer cooperation between modellers and users is imperative to truly improve models and unlock their full potential to support the transition towards climate neutrality in Europe.

Description: Public acceptance is central to the success of a transition agenda but with the increasing uptake of renewable energy technology, achieving and sustaining the public legitimacy for accelerating the energy transition is at risk. This study provides an updated account of the energy transition development in Germany and Australia with a focus on institutional legitimation. Drawing on the distinction between input and output legitimacy, we query how enabling community participation can enhance the legitimacy of policy instruments. We employ two case studies of energy transitions – those of Germany and Australia – to explain where and how community participation has supported the legitimacy of policy interventions. While input legitimacy remains high in both Germany and Australia, both examples illustrate how policy instruments can lack legitimacy if decision-makers lose sight of or never properly consider the output dimension of legitimacy.

Description: The Pan-Third Pole (PTP) owns complex geography and demographic features where aerosol roles and their impact cannot be neglected as it jeopardizes both the environment and human health. Therefore, we analyzed spatio-temporal aerosol concentration, the influence of meteorological conditions, and underlying aerosol transport mechanisms over the PTP by leveraging observation, satellite dataset, and model outputs. The observation and model simulation result showed that aerosol concentrations exceeded the world health organization (WHO) and China guideline values in most of the locations. This study revealed distinctive seasonality with the highest and lowest aerosol concentrations during the winter and summer seasons, respectively, which could be favored by meteorological conditions and emissions from biomass burning. In response to higher aerosol concentrations, the maximum aerosol optical depth (AOD) values were observed over the major hotspot regions however, interestingly summer high (AOD 〉 0.8) was observed over the Indo Gangetic Plain (IGP) in South Asia. The columnar aerosol profile indicated that the higher aerosol concentrations were limited within 1–2 km elevation over the densely populated regions over South Asia and Eastern China. However, the significant aerosols concentrations found to be extended as high as 10 km could potentially be driven by the deep convection process and summer monsoon activities. Regionally, the integrated aerosol transport (IAT) for black carbon (BC) and organic carbon (OC) was found to be maximum over SA. Noticeable OC IAT anomaly (~5 times 〉 annual mean) found during spring that was linked with the biomass burning events. Yet, the dust transportation was found to be originated from the arid land and deserts that prolonged especially during summer followed by spring seasons. This study highlights the driver mechanism in aerosol seasonality, transport mechanism, and further motivates the additional assessment into potential dynamic relation between aerosol species, aerosol atmospheric river, and its societal impact.

Description: Durch die ambitionierten Klimaschutzziele Deutschlands und der EU nimmt der Dekarbonisierungsdruck auf die ganze Gesellschaft zu, insbesondere auf die Industrie. Liefer- und Wertschöpfungsketten ändern sich und müssen gleichzeitig angepasst werden. Das Diskussionspapier fasst die Ergebnisse einer Workshopreihe zusammen, die die dena gemeinsam mit dem IASS Potsdam und der Stiftung Arbeit und Umwelt der IGBCE im Herbst 2021 zu diesem Thema durchgeführt hat. Es analysiert Chancen und Herausforderungen der anstehenden Veränderungen und identifiziert relevante Handlungsfelder für die Politik.

Description: We analyze long-term aerosol and precipitable water vapour (PWV) properties at two high-altitude sites (Nainital and Hanle) over the central Himalayan and western Trans-Himalayan region from 2008 to 2018. First-time assessment of the seasonality and variation in combined aerosol and water vapour radiative effects are also attempted, aiming to investigate the atmospheric effect on solar radiation over the Himalayan range that is especially important for the regional climate. A synergy of ground-based measurements from sun photometers, GPS (Global Positioning Systems) observations, radiosondes, along with satellite and reanalysis data was used to examine inter-annual and seasonal variability of PWV and specific humidity over both sites. The PWV is highest in monsoon and much lower during the dry winter season with slightly higher values at Nainital compared to Hanle. This is due to the lower altitude (∼2 km amsl) of Nainital, which is also directly affected by the Indian summer monsoon, compared to the Trans-Himalayan region. The vertical profiles of PWV from satellite and reanalysis data reveal a great consistency on a seasonal basis. The PWV is considered as one of the main greenhouse gases that exhibits a positive radiative effect at the Top of the Atmosphere (TOA) in the order of about 10 W m−2 at Nainital and 7.4 W m−2 at Hanle. The atmospheric radiative effect due to water vapour is about 3–4 times higher compared to aerosols, resulting in atmospheric heating rates of 0.94 and 0.96 K Day−1 at Nainital and Hanle, respectively. The results highlight the importance of water vapour and aerosol radiative effects in the climate sensitive Himalayan range.

Description: Translating the agricultural eco(logical)-intensification model to European aquaculture hosts the potential for sustainably providing local food for local communities. Using online and printed surveys, we investigated the relationship between social factors such as age, gender, and education to seafood consumption behavior and the perception of aquaculture production. The frequency of seafood consumption was significantly lower in young and female respondents, whereas respondents with a higher level of education consume more frequently. Furthermore, high-frequency seafood consumers had a significant preference for wild-caught fish. Young and female respondents also perceived sustainability of aquaculture lower, whereas the level of education had a significantly positive relation to the attitude towards aquaculture. To foster the acceptance of eco-intensified aquaculture production, we suggest that communication efforts need to be group-tailored, focusing on the reduced environmental impacts, increased animal welfare, and novel products like seaweed to meet the values of the German consumer groups.

Description: Over 30% of the world’s population lives within 100 km of the oceanic coast. More than three billion people rely on fishing and other ocean-related livelihoods. The ocean is a biodiversity hotspot and moderates the climate, having absorbed around 40% of the world’s total carbon emissions. Oceanscapes provide an essential cultural good, offer recreational opportunities, health benefits, artistic inspiration and an entire cosmology and way of life for indigenous communities. However, anthropogenic pressures have seriously impacted the ocean and threaten its ability to provide human societies with the required climatic and ecosystem conditions for life on earth. The German G7 presidency has proposed a G7 “Ocean Deal” for the sustainable use, protection and effective governance of the ocean and its resources. Several ongoing global ocean governance processes require strong multilateral leadership and close alignment between the G7, in particular in this period of serious international tensions following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. At the One Ocean Summit in February 2022, global leaders have put forth first commitments to make 2022 a decision year for the ocean. Building on the final declaration of the summit and the UK G7 Ocean Decade Navigation Plan, we highlight that a G7 “Ocean Deal” should include provisions for 1) ambitious ocean governance to safeguard ocean health and climate (in the G7’s own waters and through leadership in international settings), 2) improving ocean observation, data infrastructure and knowledge sharing, and 3) financing the transition towards more sustainable interactions with the ocean. Specifically, we recommend that G7 states: 1a. Eliminate national subsidies that contribute to overfishing and push to finalize the related WTO agreement; step up international cooperation, financial & technical assistance to prevent IUU fishing. 1b. Reduce marine debris through a comprehensive global agreement on plastic pollution. 1c. Pause deep sea mining until risks are better understood and a transparent, inclusive and accountable institutional structure is in place that guarantees the effective protection of the marine environment. 1d. Expand marine protected areas in line with the proposed goal of at least 30% by 2030, and accelerate work in the coming months to successfully finalize negotiations for a legally binding instrument to conserve and sustainably use marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ). 1e. Fully recognize the importance of the ocean-climate nexus and strengthen the ocean dimension in key climate negotiations. 2a. Adopt a legal framework and binding commitments for a sustained and shared global coordination of ocean observations and infrastructure on marine data, compliant with FAIR and CARE principles. 2b. Ensure long-term, guaranteed funding, clear institutional affiliations, coordinated and integrated data products to enable continuous, comprehensive observations supporting policy monitoring & evaluation 3a. Redesign and scale up ocean finance by increasing funding of early-stage, nature-positive and science-based opportunities, and large-scale investment into zero-carbon, resilient and nature-based coastal blue infrastructure, and by integrating ocean criteria into sustainability finance frameworks (EU Taxonomy, Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD)).

Description: Background: Ambient air pollution poses a major risk for the development and aggravation of respiratory diseases. Evidence suggests that even in low-level air pollution environments there is a risk for an increase in adverse respiratory symptoms. We examined whether variations in daily air pollution levels of nitrogen dioxide, ozone, or particulate matter in Berlin, Germany were associated with hospital admissions of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma patients in a time series analysis. Methods: We calculated single and multi-pollutant models, investigated possible lags in effect, and analysed the influence of meteorological variables on the results. Data from January 2005 through December 2015 were used to quantify the concentration–response. Results: The risk ratio for asthma patients to be hospitalised on the same day of NO2 exposure was 1.101 per 10 µg/m3 NO2 increase (95% CI: 1.013 to 1.195), for COPD patients 1.123 (95% CI: 1.081 to 1.168). Neither the exposure to ozone (95% CI: 0.904 to 1.020), PM10 (95% CI: 0.990 to 1.127), nor PM2.5 (95% CI: 0.981 to 1.148) was associated with an increased risk ratio for asthma patients to be hospitalised. Risk ratios for the hospital admission of COPD patients were also not increased due to ozone (95% CI: 0.981 to 1.033), PM10 (95% CI: 0.988 to 1.032), or PM2.5 (95% CI: 0.966 to 1.019) exposure. The presented risk ratios and confidence intervals relate to the day of exposure. We found no increased hospitalisation risks with a delayed occurrence on subsequent days. Conclusions: A quantifiable, statistically significant increase in risk for asthma and COPD exacerbations owing to NO2 exposure at levels well below European regulatory limit values was observed.

Description: Economic disruption associated with the Covid-19 pandemic and the current energy and – potentially economic – crisis related to the war in Ukraine emphasize the importance of understanding and managing crises’ immediate and lasting effects on decarbonisation. Theory shows that the expected effects of crises are contested and could be supportive or detrimental to decarbonisation. This article examines the timing and mechanisms for how countries peak emissions and whether such peaks are related to economic crises. We empirically investigate the timing of CO2 emissions peaks in OECD and G20 countries 1965-2019, and the effects of major economic crises on the activity-related and structural drivers of emissions. We show that in all but two countries that have peaked emissions, the peak occurred just before or during a recession, by the combined effect of lower GDP growth and decreasing energy and/or carbon intensity during and after the crisis. In peak-and-decline countries, crises have typically magnified pre-existing improvements in energy and carbon intensities. Almost all peaking countries have returned to economic growth post-crisis, implying that structural change – not lost economic activity – was the critical driver of emission peaks. In non-peaking countries, the GDP growth was less affected, and structural change effects were weaker or rather increased emissions. Crises do not automatically trigger peaks but may strengthen ongoing decarbonisation trends through several mechanisms.

Description: 30 Jahre GAIA – ein guter Zeitpunkt, um innezuhalten, zurückzublicken und einen Ausblick in die Zukunft zu wagen. Wir haben zwei Personen eingeladen, die wir zu ihren Eindrücken zur aktuellen Lage der Nachhaltigkeit und zu GAIA befragt haben. Die Interviewgäste sind: Arthur Braunschweig, Gründungsmitglied des Vereins Gaia, dessen Schatzmeister und Vorsitzender des GAIA-Kuratoriums, sowie Mira Kapfinger, Mitbegründerin und Koordinatorin des Netzwerks Stay Grounded und Vertreterin der jüngeren Generation von GAIA-Leser(inne)n. Die Gesprächsleitung hat Ortwin Renn, Präsident des Vereins Gaia und Mitherausgeber der Zeitschrift.

Description: A survey of members of a scientific society focused on risk analysis suggests substantial support for seeing their scientific society pursue the communication goal of “trying to ensure that policymakers consider scientific evidence.” Support for pursuing this goal was largely predicted by researchers’ beliefs that it was ethical for the society to pursue the goal, that it would be satisfying to see their society pursue the goal, and the belief that the society could have a positive impact on society by pursuing the goal. Normative beliefs about pursuing the goal and organizational efficacy beliefs were not good predictors of goal support. Goal support was measured using a direct measure of perceived goal importance as well as measures focused on the degree to which respondents wanted their society to put resources into providing members with opportunities to pursue the goal and the amount of funding that members thought the society should devote to pursuing the goal. The theory underlying the work argues that we can treat science communicators’ choices about communication goals, objectives, and tactics as “planned behaviors” and thus study them using traditional behavior change models.

Description: Este documento sirve de pauta orientativa para quienes deseen colaborar con las Organizaciones Regionales de Ordenación Pesquera (OROP) y explica cómo lograr medidas de conservación en una OROP, mediante el establecimiento de decisiones jurídicamente vinculantes. Se trata de una destilación de experiencias personales que incluye éxitos, fracasos y reflexiones sobre algunos de los aspectos más arcanos o complejos de las OROP. El propósito de este documento es el imperativo del proyecto STRONG High Seas: explorar el fracturado régimen de gobernanza de los océanos y, más explícitamente, ofrecer orientación práctica para apoyar la implementación de la conservación espacial en alta mar. Por lo tanto, este trabajo se enmarca en el contexto de la obtención de medidas de conservación espacial, usando ejemplos de otros esfuerzos de conservación de la biodiversidad a la vez que ofrece orientación para lograr medidas vinculantes para cualquier asunto, en cualquier OROP.

Description: We investigated the role of the passive volcanic plume of Mount Etna (Italy) in the formation of new particles in the size range of 2.5–10 nm through the gas-to-particle nucleation of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) precursors, formed from the oxidation of SO2, and their evolution to particles with diameters larger than 100 nm. Two simulations were performed using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model coupled with chemistry (WRF-Chem) under the same configuration, except for the nucleation parameterization implemented in the model: the activation nucleation parameterization (JS1 = 2.0 × 10−6 × (H2SO4)) in the first simulation (S1) and a new parameterization for nucleation (NPN) (JS2 = 1.844 × 10−8 × (H2SO4)1.12) in the second simulation (S2). The comparison of the numerical results with the observations shows that, on average, NPN improves the performance of the model in the prediction of the H2SO4 concentrations, newly-formed particles (~2.5–10 nm), and their growth into larger particles (10–100 nm) by decreasing the rates of H2SO4 consumption and nucleation relative to S1. In addition, particles formed in the plume do not grow into cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) sizes (100–215 nm) within a few hours of the vent (tens of km). However, tracking the size evolution of simulated particles along the passive plume indicates the downwind formation of particles larger than 100 nm more than 100 km far from the vent with relatively high concentrations relative to the background (more than 1500 cm−3) in S2. These particles, originating in the volcanic source, could affect the chemical and microphysical properties of clouds and exert regional climatic effects over time.

Description: The challenges facing European regions undergoing structural transformations as they transition towards sustainable development pathways have attracted increasing interest in recent years. Straddling the border between Germany and Poland, Lusatia is experiencing considerable transformation pressure. Various domestic and European funding programmes, for example under the umbrella of the European Green Deal, are intended to cushion the impacts of the phase-out or reduction of coal-fired power generation. The recently adopted EU Just Transition Mechanism aims to support sustainable structural transformations and the broader goal of achieving climate neutrality by mitigating impacts on the workforce and contributing to the diversification of economies in the most affected areas. Funds made available through this mechanism should be deployed in consultation with regional stakeholders in Lusatia to complement national support measures. Further funding programmes are available targeting various policy areas and could be harnessed to strengthen integration throughout the region. Funding programmes that are centrally managed by the European Commission (i.e. not under shared management with national governments) are of particular interest in this context. Closer political and economic cooperation, coupled with a deeper exchange of experience, can accelerate regional integration and guide processes of structural transformation towards sustainable outcomes. However, there are some practical hurdles to overcome in border regions. The primary objectives in using available EU funding are to mitigate the social impacts of processes of structural transformation and to deliver a just transition at all levels. Measures funded through these programmes should be aligned with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and contribute to the goal of achieving climate neutrality.

Description: Ce rapport a été préparé dans le cadre du projet STRONG High Seas, à partir d’une série d’enquêtes menées auprès des parties prenantes et de l’expérience tirée de divers ateliers organisés dans la région de l’Atlantique du Sud-Est, ainsi que d’études documentaires et d’avis d’experts. Le rapport a été revu par plusieurs experts dans le but de valider les résultats et de garantir la rigueur du contenu. Ce document s’inscrit dans une série de rapports couvrant les questions de gouvernance des océans en mettant l’accent sur les ZAJN du Pacifique du Sud-Est et de l’Atlantique du SudEst et s’appuie sur les rapports précédents publiés par le projet STRONG High Seas. Les autres rapports du projet portent sur le cadre juridique et institutionnel applicable aux ZAJN, l’état écologique et l’importance socio-économique des ZAJN dans les régions du projet, les options de gestion et les mesures de conservation de la biodiversité marine dans les ZAJN, et les considérations relatives à la gestion intégrée des océans. Ces rapports sont disponibles sur le site web du projet STRONG High Seas.

Description: Taking the early tissue culture experiments of Alexis Carrel in the 1910s–1930s as its example, the article explores the relationship between advances in biotechnological control over living matter and a holistic ontology of life, which stresses the temporal specificity of living things. With reference to Henri Bergson, Carrel argued that physiological time depends on an organism’s relationship to its milieu. By developing a laboratory apparatus and culture media, new objects of investigation could be made to live outside the organism and be brought to behave in novel temporal ways. In difference to recent biotechnological advances, like for example genome editing, which seek to ‘engineer’ living organisms by rebuilding them from their DNA up, then, early twentieth century interventionist laboratory practices were often linked to an understanding that biological plasticity results from organismic complexity and interactions between organism and milieu. These notions contributed to shaping laboratory apparatuses and techniques; they also helped to establish an understanding of environmental control that would allow for the production of novel ‘living things’.

Description: Das Soziale Nachhaltigkeitsbarometer untersucht die gesellschaftlichen Dimensionen der Energie- und Verkehrswende. Dabei werden die Anliegen, Erwartungen und Erfahrungen der deutschen Bevölkerung rund um die Ausgestaltung und Umsetzung der Transformationsprozesse im jährlichen Abstand erhoben. Die vorliegende Broschüre stellt die Ergebnisse der im Frühjahr 2022 im Rahmen des Kopernikus-Projekts Ariadne zum zweiten Mal in Folge durchgeführten Panelstudie vor. Dazu wurden in der Zeit vom 23. März bis 13. April 2022 mehr als 6.500 Personen ab 18 Jahren online befragt. Zusätzlich erfolgte im gleichen Zeitraum eine Kurzbefragung mit derselben Stichprobe zu dem Schwerpunktthema Energiekrise und Klimapolitik der Bundesregierung. Die im Folgenden dargestellten Befunde werden entlang des Befragungskonzepts beziehungsweise der Dimensionen und Indikatoren sozialer Nachhaltigkeit der Energie- und Verkehrswende dargestellt.

Description: Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) offers flexible and decarbonised power generation and is one of the few switchable renewable technologies that can generate renewable power on demand. Today (2018), CSP only contributes 5 TWh to European electricity generation but has the potential to become an important generation asset for decarbonising the electricity sector within Europe as well as globally. This chapter examines how factors and key political decisions lead to different futures and the associated CSP use in Europe in the years up to 2050. In a second step, we characterise the scenarios with the associated system costs and the costs of the support policy. We show that the role of CSP in Europe depends crucially on political decisions and the success or failure of policies outside of renewable energies. In particular, the introduction of CSP depends on the general ambitions for decarbonisation, the level of cross-border trade in electricity from renewable sources and is made possible by the existence of a strong grid connection between the southern and northern European Member States and by future growth in electricity demand. The presence of other baseload technologies, particularly nuclear energy in France, diminishes the role and need for CSP. Assuming a favourable technological development, we find a strong role for CSP in Europe in all modelled scenarios: Contribution of 100 TWh to 300 TWh of electricity to a future European electricity system. The current European CSP fleet would have to be increased by a factor of 20 to 60 over the next 30 years. To achieve this, stable financial support for CSP would be required. Depending on framework conditions and assumptions, the amount of support ranges at the EU level from € 0.4 to 2 billion per year, which represents only a small proportion of the total support requirement for the energy system transformation. Cooperation between the Member States could further help reduce these costs.

Description: This chapter introduces nature and the source of climate change and its effects on human society and natural systems. It discusses the role of sustainable energy in climate change mitigation and adaptation. It also highlights the global initiatives to move toward net-zero emission by mid-century.

Description: To achieve the ambitious but necessary climate targets set by the Paris Agreement, the IPCC model pathways for limiting global warming to 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels make apparent the need for safeguarding and enhancing the natural global carbon sink – including via carbon dioxide removal (CDR). A range of ocean-based CDR approaches, also termed “negative emissions technologies” (NETs), has been proposed to make use of the ocean’s potential to take up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in water, biomass, and sediments. The governance framework in place to regulate CDR in the ocean, at this time, is limited to the direct and articulate regulation of ocean fertilization. Meanwhile, other NETs such as ocean alkalinity enhancement and artificial upwelling emerge, but a comprehensive and foresight-oriented regulation for the testing or even deploying at larger scale is missing. Specifically, there is large uncertainty on unintended (positive and negative) effects of these technologies on the condition of the ocean, in addition to enhanced carbon uptake and storage, and how these may impede on or support other global sustainability goals. The deployment of NETs in the ocean poses additional governance complexities relating to unknowns, uncertainties, and transboundary issues. In a study that is part of the EU H2020-project OceanNETs, we explore to what extent the current global governance framework directly or indirectly regulates emerging ocean-based NETs and reflect on the particularities and requirements for their comprehensive governance. The analysis considers the gaps, challenges, needs, and opportunities for comprehensive governance of ocean-based NETs.

Description: Este informe se ha elaborado en el marco del proyecto STRONG High Seas, basándose en una serie de encuestas a las partes interesadas, en la opinión de expertos y estudios bibliográficos, así como en la experiencia adquirida en varios talleres celebrados en la región del Pacífico Sudeste. El informe fue revisado por expertos para validar las conclusiones y garantizar un contenido sólido. Este informe forma parte de una serie de trabajos que abarcan cuestiones de gobernanza de los océanos, centrándose en las ABNJ de las regiones del Pacífico Sudeste y del Atlántico Sudeste, y se basa en informes anteriores publicados por el proyecto STRONG High Seas. Otros informes del proyecto abarcan el marco jurídico e institucional aplicable a las ABNJ, el estado ecológico y la importancia socioeconómica de las ABNJ en las regiones de interés, las distintas opciones en cuanto a medidas de gestión y conservación para la conservación de la biodiversidad marina en las ABNJ y las consideraciones para la gestión integrada de los océanos. Estos informes están disponibles en el sitio web del proyecto STRONG High Seas. Tras este capítulo introductorio, el capítulo 2 ofrece el contexto pertinente en relación con la gobernanza de los océanos en las zonas que se encuentran fuera de la jurisdicción nacional, las negociaciones en curso para alcanzar un nuevo acuerdo en el marco de la CONVEMAR y las necesidades y enfoques de desarrollo de capacidades relacionados. El capítulo 3 presenta un breve resumen de las encuestas realizadas por el proyecto STRONG High Seas en relación con las necesidades de capacidad en la región del Pacífico Sudeste y el capítulo 4 es un resumen de los correspondientes esfuerzos de desarrollo de capacidad llevados a cabo por parte del proyecto STRONG High Seas. El capítulo 5 ofrece reflexiones y recomendaciones para futuras actividades de desarrollo de capacidades más allá del ámbito del proyecto y destaca las lecciones aprendidas a lo largo de los cinco años de este proyecto. En los Anexos se ofrece información adicional sobre los antecedentes.

Description: The global transition to a low-carbon economy will significantly impact existing energy value chains and transform the production to consumption lifecycle, dramatically altering interactions among stakeholders. Thanks to its versatility, green hydrogen is gaining economic and political momentum and could play a critical role in a carbon-free future. Furthermore, its adoption will be critical for decarbonizing industrial processes at scale, especially hard-to-abate ones such as steel and cement production. Overall, hydrogen demand is expected to grow by 700% by 2050 (BP, 2019). Currently, the two central challenges to green hydrogen adoption and use at scale are limited infrastructure availability and cost. While recent spikes in fossil fuel prices due to the war in Ukraine have made green hydrogen cost-competitive with blue and grey hydrogen (Radowitz, 2022), from a long-term perspective, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) predicts a decline in green hydrogen costs by up to 85% by 2050 (IRENA, 2020), making it the dominant hydrogen form (IRENA, 2022).

Description: As a major contributor to climate change, the cement sector urgently needs to develop and implement greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation technologies to drastically lower its emissions to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. Among the most promising technologies is CO2 mineralisation in which CO2 is transformed into a thermodynamically stable carbonate. CO2 mineralisation not only offers permanent storage of CO2 but also potentially avoids emissions by partially substituting conventional cement with the obtained carbonation products. Besides overcoming technical barriers, successful development and implementation of CO2 mineralisation require support from key stakeholders. While existing studies already provide technology-related data and assess CO2 mineralisation pathways, knowledge remains scarce about stakeholder priorities and perceptions. Using a multi-stakeholder expert survey, the present study examines: a) the priorities of different stakeholders in supporting CO2 mineralisation, b) their perceptions on the performance of CO2 mineralisation concepts, and c) their priorities if tasked with communicating CO2 mineralisation technologies to other groups. Hereby, we follow a multi-criteria decision analysis approach, based on an analytical hierarchy process, by comparing indicators from the three common sustainability pillars (i.e., environmental, economic, and social impacts). Our results indicate that key stakeholders strongly prioritise the health implications of CO2 mineralisation technologies and generally value social impacts highly. Hence, an in-depth research is needed to provide knowledge-based guidance on health issues and ways to fairly distribute costs and create positive employment outcomes. Additionally, stakeholders of all affiliations give second priority to reducing carbon footprint of cement, showing that they discount potential environmental and economic trade-offs associated with emission reduction goals. The results reveal that these concepts are perceived as compatible with other GHG mitigation approaches, such as carbon capture and storage. Moreover, if tasked with convincing different target groups to support CO2 mineralisation, stakeholders prioritise diverse themes, recognising that communication strategies must address the specific concerns of each group. Overall, the results can help investors, managers, and policymakers to ensure that upcoming decisions in R&D, investments, and the design of support mechanisms align with the priorities of key stakeholders. Our results facilitate communicating technological potentials and risks and can foster successful development and implementation of CO2 mineralisation pathways.

Description: Cette étude est le fruit de la collaboration d’une équipe de recherche pluridisciplinaire composée de juristes, de sociologues et de philosophes et s’inscrit en outre dans la transversalité juridique (droit public et droit privé / droit interne et international). Réalisée sur une période de deux années et demie, elle a eu pour objectif d’identifier, dans un premier temps, les idées et les réalisations pouvant être rattachées au transhumanisme. Pour ce faire, des enquêtes de terrain ont été menées auprès d’acteurs divers et aux opinions variées situés en France, en Angleterre et en Espagne : militants transhumanistes, penseurs critiques, « personnes augmentées » (personnes ayant recours sciemment à des modifications technologiques pour « augmenter » leurs capacités physiques et/ou cognitives), professionnels de santé (de diverses spécialités) et chercheurs dans la lutte contre le vieillissement, l’intelligence artificielle et les prothèses. La synthèse de ces échanges permet de conclure, tout d’abord, qu’il n’existe pas un mais des transhumanismes et que les partisans de cette idéologie ne mettent pas tous l’accent sur les mêmes priorités. Elle met ensuite en exergue l’existence de glissements parfois imperceptibles, dans le domaine médical, vers l’augmentation technologique et/ou génétique de l’être humain. Il importe d’ores et déjà de penser le transhumanisme dans sa complexité pour en normer les conséquences ramifiées pouvant conduire à de véritables changements civilisationnels. Un droit de la condition humaine future reste à construire en conscience de responsabilité envers les générations futures. C’est ainsi que, dans un second temps, l’équipe a mis à l’épreuve certaines notions fondamentales du droit – telles que les notions de personne, de responsabilité, de propriété, de patrimoine, de droits humains et de souveraineté – à l’aune du transhumanisme. Cette recherche s’inscrit dans une dynamique résolument prospective et imaginative. Elle vise à éprouver les forces et les faiblesses de ces notions cardinales du droit et à s’interroger sur leur adaptabilité et leur perméabilité aux idées et réalisations transhumanistes.

Description: From 7 to 18 March 2022, governments will continue negotiations on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction under the auspices of the United Nations. After a break of nearly two years due to the coronavirus pandemic, a binding UN instrument should be ready this year.

Description: The climate is already changing, making climate change adaptation (CCA) an essential component of any sustainable development strategy. Similarly, the capacities of different actors to adapt to climate change are significantly affected by social and economic factors including nutrition, health, and employment. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) characterize progress toward the aforementioned factors as well as CCA through targets under SDG 13 (Climate Action). More recently, the 2019 Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) illustrates the interactions within and between SDGs, showing how many other SDGs influence progress toward CCA and vice versa. Businesses need to be mindful of these complex interdependencies when developing risk management, supply chain management, and sustainability strategies to make effective contributions to CCA while avoiding ineffective or maladaptive strategies. In this chapter, we demonstrate these interdependencies by modeling the interactions defined in the 2019 GSDR using the cross-impact balances (CIB) method, which identifies self-reinforcing scenarios and traces the systemic effects of interventions. We focus our analysis on how existing global business priorities may push the system toward certain scenarios over others, centering the implications for CCA. Through our analysis, we find six self-reinforcing scenarios for global SDGs, half of which indicate progress in CCA. We also identify six SDGs that appear critical to achieving all SDGs, highlighting gaps in current business efforts and areas for additional focus. Among these critical SDGs is SDG 13 (Climate Action), reaffirming the importance of CCA in progress toward sustainable development.

Description: This report was prepared as part of the STRONG High Seas project, based on a series of stakeholder surveys and experience gathered through various workshops held in the Southeast Pacific region, as well as on literature surveys and expert opinion. The report was reviewed by experts to validate findings and ensure robust content. This report is part of a series of reports covering issues of ocean governance with a focus on the ABNJ of the Southeast Pacific and the Southeast Atlantic regions and builds on previous reports published by the STRONG High Seas project. Further project reports cover the legal and institutional framework applicable to ABNJ, the ecological state and the socioeconomic importance of ABNJ in the project regions, options for management and conservation measures for conservation of marine biodiversity in ABNJ, and considerations for integrated ocean management. These reports are available through the STRONG High Seas project website. Following this introductory chapter, Chapter 2 provides relevant context with regards to ocean governance in areas beyond national jurisdiction, the ongoing negotiations towards a new agreement under UNCLOS and related capacity development needs and approaches. Chapter 3 presents a short summary of the surveys undertaken by the STRONG High Seas project with regards to capacity needs in the Southeast Pacific region and Chapter 4 is a summary of the corresponding capacity development efforts undertaken as part of the STRONG High Seas project. Chapter 5 provides reflections and recommendations for future capacity development activities beyond the scope of the project and highlights lessons learned through the five years of this project. Additional background information is provided in the Annexes.

Description: Le professeur de politique publique Andreas Goldthau et l’économiste Simone Tagliapietra expliquent, dans une tribune au « Monde », comment un club climatique ouvert pourrait contribuer à la justice climatique et aider les pays pauvres.

Description: Recently, there has been an intense debate around the concept of mobility justice, which has been developed from approaches in political theory in articulation with social struggles. In this paper, I argue that a political–economic foundation of the concept is helpful to determine the constitutive meaning of inequality within the framework of capitalist societies and, based on this, to elicit the possibilities and limits of implementing the concept in practice. The analysis focuses on the debate concerning the ongoing sustainable transformation of transportation and mobility (the Verkehrswende) in Germany. I contend that issues of justice are fundamental to such a transition and, in practice, are implicitly negotiated; nevertheless, at present, narrow interpretations of the Verkehrswende (as shaped and constrained by dominant political and economic actors) effectively marginalise considerations of mobility justice. Aspects of justice (climate justice, just transition) that are compatible with straightforward automotive electrification are taken up, whereas aspects that go beyond this, such as resource justice or questions of access to mobility, remain marginalised.

Description: Systemic risks, as opposed to conventional risks, bear the danger of destroying entire systems. Their understanding and governance remain a serious challenge. The phenomena of systemic risks show many analogies with those of dynamic structure generation in the systems of nature, technology, and society, including simple model systems of physics and chemistry. By analyzing these model systems, the elementary processes and the generic mechanisms by which they generate macroscopic dynamic structures become evident. Generalizing these insights makes it possible to formulate the basic framework of a theory of systemic risks with elements providing hints for adequate governance strategies. Although these insights cannot be applied to societal processes one by one, they reveal generic patterns and clusters.

Description: Connectivity is essential to consider in area-based marine conservation measures because it greatly impacts vital ecological processes (e.g., recycling nutrients, regulating temperature, sequestering carbon, and supporting the life cycle of species). However, it is generally not well studied or integrated into conservation measures, particularly in the Southeast Pacific. This region is home to the Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges, two adjacent seamount chains that stretch between the Peruvian coast and Rapa Nui (i.e., Easter Island). The area has been recognized for its exceptional natural and cultural significance as well as one of the most important global areas to protect. However, over 73% of the ridges are in areas beyond national jurisdiction, where they are unprotected and under threat. This study provides a synthesis of what we know about connectivity in the Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges and provides practical recommendations for integrating this knowledge into conservation and management measures for the region. While data on connectivity is still limited, it should not constrain the development of conservation measures, which should be co-designed and co-developed, leveraging the expertise of international working groups throughout the region. Due to their high rates of endemism, as well as importance as migratory corridors, enacting large-scale conservation measures would address important conservation considerations for both connectivity and endemism. Enacting such large-scale conservation measures would not only elevate the Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges as an exemplary case study, providing lessons for other marine regions seeking to implement similar measures, but could also help raise awareness on the severity of externally originating threats like climate change and plastic pollution to global audiences.

Description: The chapter defines environmental sustainability and creates a linkage between energy and the environment. It highlights the impact of both renewable energy technologies and nonrenewable energy usages on the environment. The complementarities and conflict of energy security and environmental securities are discussed along with some case studies.

Description: Humanity faces an array of grave, long-term challenges, now often labeled “global systemic risks.” While scientific knowledge of the individual risks spawning these crises is deep, our understanding of causal links among risks remains shallow. These observations raise two key questions: What causal processes might be accelerating and amplifying risks within global natural and social systems and synchronizing risks (and their concomitant crises) across these systems? And what might humanity do to mitigate or even reverse these processes? We argue, however, that these trends, by themselves, do not fully explain this moment’s seemingly sharp amplification, acceleration, and synchronization of systemic risks. We offer a novel analytical framework to aid identification of hitherto unrecognized, complex teleconnections and self-reinforcing feedbacks among global systems. Research is urgently needed, because the ultimate result of such unrecognized processes could be a global polycrisis—a single, macro-crisis of interconnected, runaway failures of Earth’s vital natural and social systems that irreversibly degrades humanity’s prospects.

Description: Local cooperation between civil society and the public sector is becoming increasingly important – in local transformation projects, in science, and occasionally in politics and administration. Commons-Public Partnerships (CPPs) provide a way to frame, promote and extend this collaboration. In civil society, CPPs are typically defined by the practice of commoning, where local communities exercise self-regulation based on the principles of community welfare and the common good. This discussion paper examines the theory and practice of commoning and other forms of cooperation. While focusing on the challenges of social-ecological transformation, the paper also identifies areas where CPPs can be implemented and highlights fields of tension exposed by the concept.

Description: Industry 4.0 is fundamentally changing industrial employment around the globe. Yet, the burgeoning scientific and societal discourses both highlight the need for more empirical evidence of how Industry 4.0 affects industrial employment by taking into consideration varying circumstances and preconditions. Given the heterogeneity of industrial development and technology proliferation between countries, it is crucial to understand and compare future outlooks of industrial practitioners from different regions. This study analyses how Industry 4.0 will affect industrial employment comparing practitioners’ perceptions from Brazil, China, and Germany. Moreover, in our analysis we provide insights for different industrial sectors and company sizes. The study provides evidence that the effects of Industry 4.0 on staffing requirements differ between domains. Domains generally associated with larger shares of relatively low-skilled labour are expected to experience declines in staffing requirements, suggesting an increase in the polarisation between high- and low-skilled labour in terms of job opportunities. This effect is observable especially in larger companies. Moreover, an increase in the required employee qualifications is expected in all domains. Unlike in the other two countries, the inter-sectoral variability of perceptions is very small in China. There the company size seems to have the reverse effect on required qualifications compared to Brazilian and German companies, where less respondents expect higher qualifications for SMEs. Although we find sectoral differences both within and between countries, there is no clearly discernible trend allowing for generalizable sectoral conclusions, highlighting that impacts of Industry 4.0 on qualification should be further investigated under consideration of underlying contextual factors.

Description: In Zeiten postfaktischer Verunsicherung kommt der wissenschaftlichen Politikberatung besondere Bedeutung zu. Denn die komplexen Probleme bei der politischen Gestaltung der Zukunft lassen sich kaum ohne die Einbindung wissenschaftlicher Evidenz bewältigen. Gleichzeitig hat sich aber auch das Selbstverständnis der Wissenschaft verändert: Komplexität, Unsicherheiten und Kontextualität der Erkenntnisse machen es immer schwieriger, den Dialog zwischen Wissenschaft und Politik fruchtbar werden zu lassen. Der Beitrag zeigt auf, wo die besonderen Aufgaben der Politikberatung liegen und wie diese in Zeiten postfaktischer Verunsicherung erfüllt werden können.

Description: Systemic risks are characterized by high complexity, multiple uncertainties, major ambiguities, and transgressive effects on other systems outside of the system of origin. Due to these characteristics, systemic risks are overextending established risk management and create new, unsolved challenges for policymaking in risk assessment and risk governance. Their negative effects are often pervasive, impacting fields beyond the obvious primary areas of harm. This article addresses these challenges of systemic risks from different disciplinary and sectorial perspectives. It highlights the special contributions of these perspectives and approaches and provides a synthesis for an interdisciplinary understanding of systemic risks and effective governance. The main argument is that understanding systemic risks and providing good governance advice relies on an approach that integrates novel modeling tools from complexity sciences with empirical data from observations, experiments, or simulations and evidence‐based insights about social and cultural response patterns revealed by quantitative (e.g., surveys) or qualitative (e.g., participatory appraisals) investigations. Systemic risks cannot be easily characterized by single numerical estimations but can be assessed by using multiple indicators and including several dynamic gradients that can be aggregated into diverse but coherent scenarios. Lastly, governance of systemic risks requires interdisciplinary and cross‐sectoral cooperation, a close monitoring system, and the engagement of scientists, regulators, and stakeholders to be effective as well as socially acceptable.

Description: A space for reflection, dialogue and co-creation at the UN Climate Change Conference COP27, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, 7–18 November 2022

Description: Dieses Positionspapier analysiert die Chancen und Risiken, die mit der Entwicklung von grünem Wasserstoff und der Power-to-X-Technik verbunden sind, sowie die Ausgangslage und Trends auf dem Kontinent. Eine abschließende Stellungnahme empfiehlt Maßnahmen, um mögliche Ungerechtigkeiten und negative Auswirkungen zu minimieren und den Nutzen für die grüne, sozioökonomische Entwicklung des Kontinents zu maximieren.

Description: Measures to support conservation efforts must put the protection of biodiversity and/or ecological integrity as the primary objective and consider cumulative pressures on the marine environment. This also means including ecological connectivity (e.g., migratory routes of marine species, transboundary impacts of human activities), and climate change impacts in their design and implementation. Moreover, the complexity and dynamic nature of the ocean, including in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ), requires that conservation efforts acknowledge uncertainty, include options to address it or adapt swiftly to new scientific information, and consider the three-dimensional space of the ocean. This also requires that the best available interdisciplinary scientific and indigenous knowledge provide the basis for the design and implementation of such measures. It will be essential that measures to support conservation efforts apply mechanisms for cross-sectoral consultation, cooperation, and collaboration, as well as consider appropriate spatial and temporal scales for implementation. They must reflect broad societal goals and consider uneven distribution of socio-economic outcomes resulting from exploitative activities in ABNJ. Governance and management actions must recognise coupled and diverse social-ecological systems, and the interconnection between ocean health and human wellbeing, including diverse stakeholder considerations in the design and implementation of the measure or approach. It is essential that the design and implementation of measures to support conservation efforts include appropriate means to ensure the regular monitoring, control, and surveillance of human activities as well as the compliance and enforcement of the laws and regulations in place. States are familiar with legal instruments, such as those under the United Nation Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), International Maritime Organisation (IMO) conventions, International Seabed Authority (ISA), and management measures adopted by the Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs). They have developed governance structures and capacity to support their implementation. The recommendation in this context would be for States to support the consolidation and further development of measures to support conservation efforts with the aim to ensure that they integrate their approach with considerations for ecological connectivity, biodiversity protection, ecosystem-based integrated ocean management and climate change implications for the conservation and management of biodiversity in ABNJ. To be effective, any measures to support conservation efforts proposed for ABNJ in the Southeast Atlantic region must consider the socio-economic and political realities of the countries whose Exclusive Economic Zones border these areas. In this sense, it is important to note the important role that the fishing sector has historically played and continues to play for most economies of this region. The proposed Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Instrument in negotiation at the United Nations, will be fundamental for establishing the legal basis for developing and implementing cross-sectoral measures to support conservation efforts in ABNJ. The way in which the proposed BBNJ Instrument is integrated and how the link to existing conservation and sustainable use measures established under existing management organisations is made will determine the effectiveness of the possible measures to support current and future conservation efforts. In this regard, it is particularly important for the Southeast Atlantic region how existing RFMOs will be able to interact with the proposed BBNJ Instrument. Considering the capacity (technological, experience, financial, logistical) challenges of many of the countries in the Southeast Atlantic, it is important that measures to support conservation efforts under existing international treaties or legal mechanisms be integrated, practical, and cost-effective. The different legal status of the water column and the deep seabed beyond national jurisdiction and the different legal provisions in place represent a challenge for the development of a coherent, comprehensive, and integrated approach to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in ABNJ. Lack of uniformity in compliance among flag States and the lack of monitoring and enforcement mechanisms in ABNJ jeopardise the achievement of an integrated approach for conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in these vast areas of ocean. The wide array of existing instruments can be used to improve conservation of biodiversity in ABNJ through improved monitoring and enforced compliance. This remains the responsibility of individual flag States, but at present there is limited reporting of vessels and minimum follow up action by flag or port States.

Description: The dataset presented in this article contains information about marine Area-Based Management Tools (ABMTs) used to assess their contribution to the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Following the scope of the analysis, ABMTs were identified by scrutinizing international and regional legal sources related to ocean management in the fields of marine conservation, fisheries, deep sea bed mining, underwater natural and cultural heritage, environmental conservation, and marine spatial planning. Legal sources were screened to depict the following characteristics of individual ABMTs: i) management objectives; ii) authorities responsible for delivering such objectives; iii) the system of management and planning entailed in the ABMT including the zoning type; and iv) the specific spatial scope and domain each ABMT refer to in vertical depth and horizontal domain. Data were generated through an internal expert elicitation. Experts, initially trained in the data analysis and related protocol, contributed to the data production because of their specific knowledge and experience in ocean management. This dataset represents a unique source of information for advancing research about monitoring and assessment of the achievement of sustainable development goals that encompasses different types of ABMTs.

Description: This Policy Brief depicts the opportunities for Mpumalanga in becoming a clean energy hub. The jobs that will be lost in the coal sector can be partially replaced by jobs in the renewable energy sector. To fully replace the lost coal sector jobs, industrialisation of the renewable energy value chain is required, while also maximising the associated opportunities in related industries (water, agriculture, tourism). To make this happen, and to achieve local value-creation opportunities, massive investment in renewable energy capacity is required. The investment should be in combination with initiatives to build associated local industries. In addition, the transition from fossil-based to renewable energy sources presents an opportunity to improve conditions for women working in the energy sector in Mpumalanga.

Description: The cement industry which is characterised by the highest carbon intensity per unit of revenue among all major industries needs to rapidly reduce their CO2 equivalent (CO2e) emissions to reach carbon neutrality. To do so economically optimal strategies for emission reductions need to be formulated that lead the cement industry to reach net-zero-CO2e by mid-century. While all suggested strategies might have their advantages and disadvantages (e.g.,some can be expected to lead to the produced cement qualities to change, while for others like carbon capture and storage the produced cement types will remain the same) and will come with different costs, a holistic comparison of all strategies from an economic perspective is currently lacking. To tackle these knowledge gaps, we here present a spatio-economic model for estimated cost burden associated with different CO2e emission reduction strategies. As a case study we present preliminary estimates on the cost burdens for the United Kingdom and Germany in form of marginal abatement cost curves for emission reduction in these countries’ cement industries.

Description: The global financial crisis of 2008 has shown that the present financial system involves global systemic risks. The dimension of these risks is hard to grasp with the conceptual tools that have been developed to tackle conventional risks like fire or car accidents. While modern societies know quite well how to deal with conventional risks, we have not yet been equally successful at dealing with global systemic risks. For managing this kind of risks, one needs to understand critical features of specific global systems where many human agents interact in ever changing complex networks. Here we apply two specific dimensions of complexity theory for dealing with global systemic risk in an integrated fashion: normal accidents and extended evolution. Both of them have successfully been applied to the analysis of systemic risks. As a paradigmatic example of global systemic risks, we focus on the global financial crisis that began in 2008, and suggest that the future evolution of the financial system could either see a further increase in complexity, or a reversal to a less complex system. We explore and contrast the implications of normal accident theory and extended evolution perspectives and suggest a four‐point research strategy informed by complexity theory for better understanding global systemic risks in financial systems.

Description: The rapid uptake of renewable energy technologies in recent decades has increased the demand of energy researchers, policymakers and energy planners for reliable data on the spatial distribution of their costs and potentials. For onshore wind energy this has resulted in an active research field devoted to analysing these resources for regions, countries or globally. A particular thread of this research attempts to go beyond purely technical or spatial restrictions and determine the realistic, feasible or actual potential for wind energy. Motivated by these developments, this paper reviews methods and assumptions for analysing geographical, technical, economic and, finally, feasible onshore wind potentials. We address each of these potentials in turn, including aspects related to land eligibility criteria, energy meteorology, and technical developments of wind turbine characteristics such as power density, specific rotor power and spacing aspects. Economic aspects of potential assessments are central to future deployment and are discussed on a turbine and system level covering levelized costs depending on locations, and the system integration costs which are often overlooked in such analyses. Non-technical approaches include scenicness assessments of the landscape, constraints due to regulation or public opposition, expert and stakeholder workshops, willingness to pay/accept elicitations and socioeconomic cost-benefit studies. For each of these different potential estimations, the state of the art is critically discussed, with an attempt to derive best practice recommendations and highlight avenues for future research.

Description: In this deliverable, we focus on the third and final step of the overall SENTINEL stakeholder engagement strategy and we aim (a). to present stakeholder feedback on the usefulness of the SENTINEL modelling results for the case studies regarding the improvement of stakeholders’ decision-making as well as recommendations for improved integration of model components, and (ii). to produce a final set of results and lessons learnt after further model application within the case study framework. To meet these objectives, we applied a four-tier participatory multi-method approach consisting of stakeholder interactions in 10 events (workshops, conferences, focus groups, bilateral meetings, etc.), in which SENTINEL modelling teams and more than 90 stakeholders participated. We discussed with stakeholders about 12 model applications to the case studies (9 for the ontinental and 3 for the National case study) to examine the usefulness of our models and modelling results as well as identify modelling gaps requiring further improvements. During the different stakeholder engagement activities, modellers had the chance to receive various perspectives from multiple stakeholders. Discussion topics spanned from general issues related to energy system modelling, like model integration and intercomparison as well as its added value and complementarity with other approaches, to more specific ones, focusing on learning curves for technology costs and infrastructural needs, crucial environmental criteria to be considered, or the behavioural change importance for achieving decarbonisation. Stakeholders also provided useful advice in terms of disseminating and further exploiting modelling results. We also present further modelling refinements that SENTINEL modellers have implemented or planned for providing more useful and policy-relevant implications that can be leveraged by policymakers and civil society. Moreover, we elicit key modelling challenges and lessons learnt based on the model application process to the case studies and reflect on further research areas regarding energy system modelling. One important lesson learnt from our work is that modellers need to put more effort into involving non-technical audiences in the energy modelling process by making sophisticated outputs more understandable to them. This can further enable the mainstreaming of energy system modelling, as stakeholders with no background in this area can also provide feedback on the relevance of modelling and their needs. Furthermore, we also find out that stakeholders with technical background pay close attention to how various models were integrated and how modelling outcomes compare to those of other models when using similar scenario specifications and assumptions. We observe that further research and modelling studies should aim at better capturing the effects of fossil-fuel price uncertainty and eliciting strategic choices about a quicker reduction in the reliance on fossil fuels, particularly Russian oil and gas. In addition, stakeholders are interested in learning how citizen-led energy transition pathways can be realised and consider that people-powered storylines should be further disseminated in energy scenario specifications. Finally, we find out that behavioural change is a critical challenge towards achieving the climate neutral goal.

Description: Reclaiming self-sovereignty for all South African citizens’ data by 2030 This paper consists of eight vignettes, followed by a concluding section. Each vignette has been contributed independently and they do not necessarily link to each other in a logical sequence. Four key questions do however run across the contributions: - How can the South African education and training system be reset in a way that allows it to leapfrog many of its contemporaries? - How can the key ideals of open, fair, and self-sovereignty be realised? - What developments are already in place that can be strengthened and combined? - What new governance models exist, and how can they be realised in the South African context? As authors we invite robust engagements with our contributions and trust that this paper will provide an important anchor point for discussions addressing unemployment in South Africa through the development of digital platforms. We strongly advocate that these discussions are underpinned by an awareness of and respect for individual data privacy rights, enhanced interoperability across data systems, and new thinking on the recognition of learning through digital credentialing.

Description: Nexus governance recognises that sustainability concerns such as water, energy, and food security are interlinked and provides an alternative to fragmented governance. Although it has been applied mostly in the domestic context, the need for nexus governance is also apparent at a planetary scale, as highlighted by interacting planetary boundaries, global telecoupling, and global tipping cascades. However, international environmental law is unable to facilitate what we call ‘planetary nexus governance’. This is mainly because international environmental law lacks an ecological Grundnorm and because its primary rules of conduct remain fragmented in the absence of effective secondary rules on how primary rules should relate to each other. Recognising this challenge, scholars have recently proposed earth system law as a new framework to rethink, in an integrated way, law in an Anthropocene context. Building on this framework, we suggest that international environmental law should adopt a unifying Grundnorm such as planetary integrity. We also suggest that international institutional law, as a body of secondary rules, has an important role to play in facilitating planetary nexus governance by bringing together fragmented bodies of international law. We briefly discuss ways in which international environmental law could reorientate itself to better facilitate planetary nexus governance.

Description: Background: Since the novel coronavirus SARS-COV-2 was first identified to be circulating in the US on January 20, 2020, some of the worst outbreaks have occurred within state and federal prisons. The vulnerability of incarcerated populations, and the additional threats posed to the health of prison staff and the people they contact in surrounding communities underline the need to better understand the dynamics of transmission in the inter-linked incarcerated population/staff/community sub-populations to better inform optimal control of SARS-COV-2. Methods: We examined SARS-CoV-2 case data from 101 non-administrative federal prisons between 5/18/2020 to 01/31/2021 and examined the per capita size of outbreaks in staff and the incarcerated population compared to outbreaks in the communities in the counties surrounding the prisons during the summer and winter waves of the SARS-COV-2 pandemic. We also examined the impact of decarceration on per capita rates in the staff/incarcerated/community populations. Results: For both the summer and winter waves we found significant inter-correlations between per capita rates in the outbreaks among the incarcerated population, staff, and the community. Over-all during the pandemic, per capita rates were significantly higher in the incarcerated population than in both the staff and community (paired Student’s t-test p = 0.03 and p 〈 0.001, respectively). Average per capita rates of incarcerated population outbreaks were significantly associated with prison security level, ranked from lowest per capita rate to highest: High, Minimum, Medium, and Low security. Federal prisons decreased the incarcerated population by a relative factor of 96% comparing the winter to summer wave (one SD range [90%,102%]). We found no significant impact of decarceration on per capita rates of SARS-COV-2 infection in the staff community populations, but decarceration was significantly associated with a decrease in incarcerated per capita rates during the winter wave (Negative Binomial regression p = 0.015). Conclusions: We found significant evidence of community/staff/incarcerated population inter-linkage of SARS-COV-2 transmission. Further study is warranted to determine which control measures aimed at the incarcerated population and/or staff are most efficacious at preventing or controlling outbreaks.

Description: Die „Letzte Generation“ blockiert den Flugverkehr, Menschen protestieren gegen Windräder und die Regierung muss eine Energiewende und -krise gleichzeitig managen. Dieses Dilemma zeigt deutlich die Grenzen des Klimaschutzes auf: Demokratisch akzeptabel scheint nur eine Transformation zu sein, die Preise niedrig hält und am Wohlstandsniveau nichts ändert.

Description: For a long time, Germany was regarded as a pioneer in climate policy. Recently, conflicts have intensified over the phase-out of coal from the energy sector. In 2020, the German Bundestag created the legal basis for a coal phase-out by 2038, subsequently revised to 2030 by the new coalition government of September 2021. This article analyzes the recent controversies from a political-economy perspective and shows the interrelationships and tensions between capitalism, democracy, and sustainability within Germany. In particular, the rise of right-wing populist attitudes opposing a coal phase-out, highlights the conflictual character and the social embeddedness of sustainability politics. The analysis of the conflicts surrounding the coal phase-out makes it possible to situate the future of energy supply in the overall societal context.

Description: A positive perception of aquaculture products is essential to boost production by using more sustainable and eco-friendly solutions. However, consumer perception and resulting purchasing decisions remain poorly understood. In most European countries, the consumer perception tends to be rather negative, which is reinforced by knowledge gaps and misleading information from the media. This is believed to have the greatest impact on the current low consumption rate of farmed fish across Europe. Previous research has suggested that consumers may often be reluctant to change their seafood purchasing behaviour despite having a solid scientific understanding of aquaculture products and their mode of production. In this study, we investigated the extent to which country-specific contexts and degree of scientific knowledge contribute to the purchasing behaviour of consumers across Europe. To this end, interactive poster surveys and semi-structured interviews were conducted at eight different knowledge transfer events (KTEs) across three countries, targeting 383 participants. The application of a yet underutilized method, an interactive poster survey, underscored the need to use new approaches to tackle consumer behaviour. Our results indicate that increased scientific knowledge does not lead to changes in purchasing behaviour per se. Perceptions and purchasing habits are very contextual and vary from culture to culture. This points to the highly interlinked nature of country-specific marine food culture that ranges between individual awareness, scientific knowledge, and socio-cultural contexts, all of which renders in resulting individual purchasing decisions. Our results suggest focusing more on the sustainability of a product and emphasising the ongoing transition towards a circular economy approach in the aquaculture sector may be a promising pathway to foster more sustainability-driven purchasing decisions in the seafood sector. Our findings also question whether trying to educate the public about more sustainable purchasing criteria is really the key to foster more sustainable consumption patterns or whether we are working from misleading assumptions that lead to wrong approaches. In conclusion, a lack of clear and easily accessible information appears to be the main barrier to social acceptance of sustainable aquaculture products in Europe.

Description: Energy enables the functioning of modern society. However, humanity’s reliance on fossil fuels since the industrial revolution has contributed to many societal problems including climate change, environmental degradation and pollution, and the transition to a renewable and carbon-free energy system is one of the grand challenges for the 21st century. The aim of this editorial is to outline the importance of a fast and transparent sharing of energy research and discuss key themes of the Energy Gateway of F1000Research.

Description: Technical innovations of the digitization lead to significant changes in society. From the point of view of computer science, the main focus is at the technical side of innovations or at the clear economical aspects for the clients. Not very often they see the consequences of the created "digital ecosystems" for the people and their living together. The remarks enlighten these topics and propose ethical guidelines for human actions and interactions with the technical innovations.

Description: The RECIPES guidance advises on how to deal responsibly with uncertain risks in the development and implementation of technology in the EU. It helps EU risk regulation and innovation policy to use the precautionary principle for responsible technological innovation. Target groups of this guidance are primarily EU policy makers, EU agencies, and EU policy support organisations and bodies that are concerned with risk regulation or the governance of science, technology and innovation. The guidance offers them ideas about how to further improve addressing uncertain risks in EU risk regulation and innovation policy. The guidance also addresses researchers and innovators and the multitude of societal actors who can contribute to a society-wide innovation system. The guidance illustrates these target groups that their contributions are needed for applying the precautionary principle for responsible technological innovation.

Description: Ideas of temporality are of key importance for understanding the relationship between democracy and sustainability. Moreover, engaging with different conceptions of temporality brings the centrality of issues of social and intergenerational justice for democratic sustainability transformations to the fore. As normative ideas, sustainability and democracy advocate for the possibility of an open future – a future that is formable and more just and ecologically feasible. However, for both concepts it is important to understand the lasting effects of historical inequalities and unsustainable practices on our material and institutional present environments. The past is here considered as not just preceding the present but as an integral part of any present and future politics. This chapter will compare teleological and non-linear notions of history, with the aim of developing a more inclusive understanding of different temporal experiences of democracy, justice, and sustainability. With reference to the notion of Kair ós the chapter further argues that the present can be understood not just as a bridge between past and future but as a space of opportunities that needs to be politically negotiated.

Description: Firms from various industries are investing in carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies as part of their circular economy efforts. Hence, managers and policy makers need to develop strategies to create value and “win” sustainability transformations. This study investigates how CCU innovations are connected to economic progress at the firm and industry levels. First, we characterize economic progress from sustainability innovations as a spectrum of combinations of transformation and growth targets, and derive a configurational perspective for such innovations. Consequently, through an empirical study based on 25 in-depth expert interviews with corporate innovation managers, triangulated via additional quantitative and qualitative data, we investigate the causal configurations of R&D activities in CCU that are expected to lead to economic progress, using a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis. Our results show a hierarchy of transformation strategies based on investments and value creation which may support policy makers in deciding on appropriate support mechanisms. To enable the emergence of more profitable CCU solutions and facilitate their commercialization, regulators should adapt existing policies to accommodate CCU and consider developing an integrated policy framework. Moreover, managers across industry should develop adaptive strategies for achieving value creation and progress from CCU within changing environments.

Description: Ce document fournit un tour d’horizon des mécanismes de contrôle du respect des obligations (section 2) et examine les bonnes pratiques et les retours d’expérience des comités de mise en œuvre et de contrôle du respect des obligations au sein de plusieurs accords multilatéraux sur l’environnement (AME), en se fondant sur un examen approfondi de la documentation et des dispositions existantes, ainsi que sur des entretiens ciblés (section 3). Enfin, il propose des réflexions et des options possibles pour l’élaboration du traité BBNJ (section 4).

Description: Die Perspektive der Nachhaltigkeit bezieht sich auf die Dauerhaftigkeit humaner Lebensbedingungen sowie den Erhalt der dazu notwendigen natürlichen Lebensgrundlagen für die heutigen Menschen weltweit und künftigen Generationen. Ein Streben nach nachhaltiger Entwicklung fordert von den heute lebenden Menschen eine Lebensweise, die berücksichtigt, dass auch ihre Nachkommen berechtigte Ansprüche an ihre Leben haben werden. Wenn sich eine Gesellschaft zu einer nachhaltigen Lebens- und Wirtschaftsweise verpflichtet und sich darauf festlegt, nicht auf Kosten der nachfolgenden Generationen zu leben, dann hat das Konsequenzen für Wirtschaft, Politik und eigene Lebensgestaltung. Nachhaltigkeit nicht nur zu predigen, sondern auch zu leben, muss das gemeinsame Ziel sein. Dazu kann die Enzyklika Laudato si‘ ein wichtiger Impuls, Ratgeber und Motivator sein.

Description: The European Union will implement a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), in order to address potential carbon leakage due to ambitious climate policies. However, there are concerns regarding the climate justice implications of this measure. We provide evidence from a recent study that that there is an unequal distribution of CBAM impacts with most countries facing relatively high risks located in Africa and South-Eastern European countries. Therefore, CBAM could shift the burden of fighting climate change to more vulnerable low-income and middle-income countries who are less responsible for climate change. We suggest ways to mitigative these risks and ensure international cooperation to fight climate change: Use the revenues generated through the EU CBAM to support decarbonization and strengthen emissions monitoring and verification capacities of low-income and middle-income countries. Continue and intensify consultations with stakeholders outside the EU and involve such stakeholders in CBAM design.

Description: Countries are increasingly linking climate and trade with measures like the US Inflation Reduction Act and EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) although other countries have critiqued these measures including at COP27. However, the EU maintains that the CBAM will only minimally impact trade while simultaneously leveraging further climate action. As the design of CBAM is being negotiated, with the trial period beginning in early 2023, what should we know about CBAM?

Description: Mit der Inszenierung "#friedenohnegrenzen" über die DDR-Bürgerrechtsbewegung ‚Frauen für den Frieden‘ und das Leben der Malerin und politischen Aktivistin Bärbel Bohley gelingt es Kahmann & Scharpff, einen vielschichtigen Diskursraum über ostdeutschen Feminismus, Krieg und Frieden zu eröffnen, der durch seine historische Linse auch gegenwärtige Debatten bereichert.

Description: In April 2021, under the “IMPACT R” project, IASS Potsdam and HEDERA Sustainable Solutions GmbH in Berlin, together with University of Rwanda and Sustainable Villages Foundation (SVF), conducted a household survey in two villages in Rwanda. SVF has started an integrated village development pilot project in those two villages and wanted to better understand the local populations’ needs and establish a baseline for impact measurement, in order to track the project’s progress over time. In parallel, focus group discussions and key stakeholder interviews were carried out. The main results are as follows: Over 80 % of households get their main income from agriculture, largely on small plots. Two-thirds of the households have USD 45 or less to spend on a 5-person family, on average. There is no public electricity grid. Half of the households have access to very basic electricity through solar systems; the other half has none at all. Over 90 % of households use wood and open fire pits or handmade clay stoves for cooking, mostly indoors, causing deforestation and health problems because of the smoke. There is no public or private drinking water supply. Villagers collect rainwater and/or surface water, which has to be carried over several kilometers by adults and children. The water is dirty and not treated before drinking in one-third of households, which triggers diseases. Only 26 % of households are classified as food-secure, whereas 15.5 % are above the severe food insecurity threshold. A significant percentage of the inhabitants does not eat a balanced diet due to lack of resources. The local community especially emphasized the need for: Priority 1: Safe drinking water Priority 2: Electricity Priority 3: Clean cooking devices Another severe challenge is poverty in general. There is a shortage of food in terms of quantity and quality for a significant portion of the population. This is caused by households’ limited financial capacity and insufficient agricultural yield due to the absence of water for irrigation and inefficient agricultural techniques. Furthermore, teacher qualification in English and information technology (IT) is not satisfactory, and the primary school has no electricity in most of the classrooms and no computers. Professional training options are only offered far away from the villages and are very costly. New business development is hindered by the lack of electricity. The target communities seek for support to address all the above challenges and are willing to contribute their part.

Description: Crises like climate change, the recent pandemic and the war in Ukraine have a profound effect on all of us. Crises are growing in number, severity and complexity, and at an accelerating pace. The connectedness of European societies increases their vulnerability, and today’s crises have multiple cascading and rippling effects that can extend to all parts of society, the economy and environment. The need for effective strategic crisis management is evident and, given the increasingly transboundary nature of crises, the EU has emerged as an important player. Crisis management can be highly sectoral and not always geared to effective performance over the long term, especially when crises become protracted. The consequences of failed or ineffective crisis management can be severe, with rising inequalities and negative impacts such as political fragmentation, societal polarisation and economic disruption. Recent crises have illustrated starkly the need for preparation, improved capacity and resources. This Evidence Review Report is designed to address issues described in the scoping paper,1 which sets out the formal request for advice from the European College of Commissioners to the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors to the European Commission. This report synthesises the evidence in response to the main question from the scoping paper: Based on a broad and multidisciplinary understanding, how can the EU improve its strategic crisis management? This report focuses on the strategic level, involving those decision-makers and policymakers who are responsible and accountable for the outcome of a crisis. During the response phase in particular, strategic issues are often neglected because of the urgent need to act and react. For a response to be effective, it is essential to develop rapid decision-making capabilities and appropriate resources. Although crises are all different in terms of their type, duration and governance arrangements, there are underlying principles that are common to their management. This report identifies fundamental generic principles and frameworks that relate to the roles played by the EU in strategic crisis management. It provides concrete examples of past and ongoing crises, reflecting on trends and developments in the field. Importantly, it embeds strategic crisis management within the context of risk and resilience.

Description: Der Erfolg der Krisen- und Risikokommunikation einer Institution beruht auf einer offenen und dialogorientierten Kommunikationspolitik sowie auf einer Kongruenz zwischen den Erwartungen, die ihr gegenüber gehegt werden, und deren Erfüllung. Zentral für die Verständigung mit anderen Akteuren und mit der Bevölkerung ist ein gegenseitiges Vertrauensverhältnis. In diesem Beitrag werden Faktoren beschrieben, die maßgeblich dafür verantwortlich sind, ob und in welchem Ausmaß Institutionen eine Vertrauensbasis und Glaubwürdigkeit schaffen können. Es wird diskutiert, wie eine vertrauensvolle Risikokommunikation auch in Krisenzeiten gelingen kann. Gelingende Risikokommunikation ist an ein Verfahren gebunden, das Glaubwürdigkeit und Kompetenz durch Offenheit der Ergebnisse, überzeugende Vermittlung von wissenschaftlicher Evidenz, den Einbezug pluraler Werte und Kriterien sowie die Synthese von System- und Orientierungswissen vermittelt. Angesichts der Unsicherheit von Wissen und der Unübersichtlichkeit der Kommunikationsvorgänge in der Gesellschaft ist diese Aufgabe nicht leicht zu erfüllen. Trotz dieser Schwierigkeiten können Institutionen der Risikobewertung und -regulierung durch geschickte Koalitionsbildung mit Organisationen und Gruppen mit hohem Vertrauenspotenzial, durch transparente, ergebnisoffene Formen der Kommunikation und durch die Einbindung von Stakeholdern und betroffenen Individuen in das Risikomanagement Vertrauen aufbauen und über die Zeit verstetigen.

Description: The success of institutional crisis and risk communication is based on an open and dialogue-oriented communication policy as well as on a congruence between the expectations of all parties involved and their fulfillment. Central to communication with other actors and with the population is a mutual relationship of trust. This paper describes factors that are instrumental in determining whether and to what extent institutions can establish a basis of trust and credibility. It discusses how trustworthy risk communication can succeed even in times of crisis. Successful risk communication is tied to a process that conveys credibility and competence through openness of results, convincing communication of scientific evidence, the inclusion of plural values and criteria, and the synthesis of system and orientation knowledge. Given the uncertainty of knowledge and the confusion of communication processes in society, this task is not easy to accomplish. Despite these difficulties, institutions of risk assessment and regulation can build trust and perpetuate it over time through skillful coalition-building with organizations and groups with high trust potential, transparent, open-ended forms of communication, and the involvement of stakeholders and affected individuals in risk management.

Description: The 17 sustainable development goals and their 169 targets comprise a comprehensive list of prerequisites for human and planetary well-being, but they also implicitly invoke many of the very trade-offs, synergies, and parallelisms that drive global crises. Decision-makers are familiar with these internal conflicts, and there is no shortage of frameworks, blueprints, and roadmaps to accelerate sustainability. However, thus far, inevitable trade-offs among competing priorities for sustainability are not catalyzing the types of transformations called for, indeed, demanded, by the SDGs. Habitual technocratic approaches, which the SDG lend themselves to, will report on indicators and targets, but will not adequately represent the ambitions of the goals themselves. Addressing these habitual tendencies, this paper therefore considers the inner dimensions of transformation, including emotions and meaning-making. Music offers a rich source of metaphor to reimagine interconnections and communicates affectively the feelings and embodied dimensions of intellectual thought and creativity. We draw on Western musical composition and history to offer insights on an intellectual path-dependency leading up to the current disembodied indicator-based management and regulation of global environmental and societal crises, and on potential alternatives. As metaphors, we consider what the SDGs might ‘sound like’ as either 12-tone, contrapuntal, or improvisational expression. We suggest that for the SDGs to release their transformative potential, ‘sustainability improvisers’ with a handle on both the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of transformation are needed: harnessed with deep understanding of SDG indicators and targets, but with an ability to listen deeply and invite others to co-create transformative pathways.

Description: Achieving transparency of the social and environmental impacts of industrial production poses significant obstacles for companies operating in complex global supply chains. They often do not possess sufficient information of other actors, especially at lower tiers in the supply chain. In recent years, data collection and information exchange in industry has been increasingly assisted by digital technologies, coining the term Industry 4.0. However, it remains largely unknown how companies try to foster transparency in their supply chains and how digital technologies are utilized for this purpose. In this study, we employ a qualitative, interview-based approach from both buyers’ and suppliers’ perspectives to investigate practices of supplier sustainability assessments in the electronics industry as well as their current and envisioned utilization of digital technologies. With regard to the exchange of sustainability-related information, we find that buying firms do not consistently check for the availability of digital interfaces to suppliers. Systematic and well-structured collection of such data is rare in suppliers, relying on manual self-assessments and lacking the means of automated data collection. This poses difficulties for buying firms to ensure validity of sustainability performance claims, highlighted by the fact that not all buying firms analyze suppliers’ self-assessments. To overcome such issues, ongoing industry-wide efforts of standardizing sustainability requirements should be extended to include strategic considerations of streamlining technology implementation to enhance data availability and validity.

Description: From 21 March to 1 April 2022 governments will continue negotiations of international regulations for deep seabed at the International Seabed Authority (ISA). Scientists from IASS will attend the 27th Session of the ISA Council as part of research on environmental standards for deep seabed mining.

Description: Nach Einschätzung von Expert:innen reichen Emissionssenkungen allein möglicherweise nicht aus, um den Klimawandel und seine Auswirkungen zu bekämpfen. Weitere Massnahmen könnten erforderlich sein, wenn die globalen Klimaziele erreicht werden sollen. Als wesentlicher Bestandteil des Klimasystems der Erde könnte der Ozean eine Reihe von Optionen für den Klimaschutz bieten, unter anderem durch seine Fähigkeit, Kohlendioxid aus der Atmosphäre zu aufzunehmen und festzulegen. In diesem Artikel werden die Vorteile und Risiken sowie die Herausforderungen für die politisch-regulatorische und institutionelle Steuerung von zwei verschiedenen Gruppen von Ansätzen erörtert. Beide zielen darauf ab, die Funktion des Ozeans als Kohlenstoffsenke zu verbessern. Einerseits sind das sogenannte «Blue Carbon»­Ansätze, die eine Reihe von Vorteilen für die Umwelt und das menschliche Wohlergehen mit sich bringen. Diese sind jedoch nur bei sofortiger Umsetzung und mit langfristigen Strategien wirksam. Andererseits gibt es technologische Ansätze wie die Alkalisierung (Erhöhung des pH-Wertes) der Ozeane. Diese versprechen schnelle Resultate, ihre potenziellen Risiken für die Meeresumwelt sind jedoch noch unklar, und es fehlt an angemessenen Steuerungsstrategien.

Description: Statt Emissionen in Drittländern zu bepreisen, sollte Brüssel mit den Schwellenländern auf kooperative Lösungen zum Klimaschutz setzen, fordern Karsten Neuhoff und Andreas Goldthau.

Description: Biodiversity in the deep and distant waters of marine areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) provide critical ecosystem services that are increasingly threatened by growing exploitation of marine resources, climate change, ocean acidification, and pollution. In 2017, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) initiated negotiations for the development of an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in ABNJ. This instrument will be based on a package of elements, one of which being area-based management tools (ABMTs) including marine protected areas (MPAs). This report provides some initial indications as to how the international community can make pragmatic moves to build on existing governance frameworks, consolidate progress made in the negotiations to date, and lay a foundation for the effective deployment of ABMTs and MPAs.

Description: This report presents a framework for the systematic monitoring of the global hydrogen economy. It suggests data sources and indicators to systematically survey the most important trends and developments of a future global hydrogen economy. Monitoring based on this framework could provide an important knowledge base for the continuous review of policy measures related to the German and European hydrogen policy.

Description: Im folgenden Bericht wird ein Konzept für ein systematisches Monitoring der globalen Wasserstoffwirtschaft vorgestellt. Der Bericht stellt Datenquellen und Indikatoren zur systematischen Erfassung der wichtigsten Trends und Entwicklungen im Rahmen einer globalen Wasserstoffwirtschaft vor. Ein entsprechendes Monitoring könnte einen wichtigen Beitrag zur kontinuierlichen Überprüfung von Politikmaßnahmen im Rahmen der deutschen und europäischen Wasserstoffpolitik leisten.

Description: The G7 Summit in June offers an opportunity to provide tangible funding commitments to developing countries in the fight against climate change. If offers fall short, the world faces the risk that rising global inequality will derail international climate efforts, writes Dr Rainer Quitzow.

Description: Der G7-Gipfel im Juni bietet die Gelegenheit, den Entwicklungsländern konkrete Finanzierungszusagen für die Bekämpfung des Klimawandels zu machen. Wenn die Angebote nicht ausreichen, besteht die Gefahr, dass die zunehmende globale Ungleichheit die internationalen Klimabemühungen zunichtemacht, schreibt Rainer Quitzow.

Description: Area-Based Management Tools (ABMTs) are spatial instruments for conservation and managing different forms of ocean use. A multitude of ABMTs exists in marine areas within and beyond national jurisdiction, ranging from tools for the regulation of specific human activities (e.g. fisheries, shipping, or mining) to cross-sectoral tools (e.g. such as marine protected areas, MPAs, and marine spatial planning, MSP). By applying expert elicitation and reviewing scientific and grey literature we evaluate the contribution of ABMTs to sustainable development goals (SDGs) as set out under the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including for SDG 14 that directly addresses the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas, and marine resources. We find that fisheries-related and conservation-related ABMTs, and MSP offer the greatest potential contributions to SDG 14 and to SDGs in general. Moreover, there is high complementarity and synergy among different ABMTs for most SDG 14 targets and other SDGs, with the exception of SDG target 14.6 Prohibit fisheries subsidies and SDG 7 Affordable and clean energy. We find that some ABMTs contribute directly to goal attainment, while others contribute in more nuanced or even unexpected ways. Furthermore, context-specific factors that relate to political and legal factors, enforceability, transparency, governance structure, and inclusivity are crucial for unlocking the full potential of ABMTs of attaining multiple SDGs, as shown through examples. The major challenge to face in the next decade is ensuring durable and equitable outcomes from ABMT implementation by coordinating ABMT initiatives established by different organisations and responsible authorities. It is also critical that outcomes are monitored and evaluated across environmental, social, economic, governance, and health dimensions, with indicators addressing management effectiveness and not only ABMT area coverage.