ALBERT

Description: The dissertation studies climate policy discourses in Indiana and Michigan. These two U.S. Rust Belt states are among the country's ten largest greenhouse gas emitters and have shown relatively low climate protection ambitions. The lessons learned from the research matter in particular, as emission-intensive states such as Michigan and Indiana play a crucial role in meeting climate targets agreed upon by many countries in the Paris Climate Agreement. The dissertation understands the politics of climate protection as a discursive struggle in which actors seek to promote certain policy meanings. It reconstructs the meanings of climate policy at the state-level by analyzing how different types of actors frame climate policy and how policy frames manifest in climate policy approaches in Indiana and Michigan. The research strategy followed is a qualitative, interpretive analysis of climate policy discourse in the years from 2000 to 2008 in two venues: Media discourse and discourse in the state governments. The dissertation combines elements of discourse and interpretive policy analyses in its approach to studying policy frames. It relies on a set of materials which includes some 40 stakeholder interviews, articles from state newspapers as well as government documents. Through its frame approach, it first traces the interplay between environmental policy and industrial growth and decline in the Rust Belt over the past decades. This serves as a foundation for an analysis of the interpretive landscape of global warming issues in Indiana and Michigan. The dissertation then reconstructs which climate policy frames exist in each state. Moreover, it assesses how these frames resonate within the respective state contexts and which frames materialize in political discourse of the state executives and legislatures. The results show that the interpretive landscape in media discourse is surprisingly broad in Indiana and Michigan. Actors understand climate policy from moral and economic perspectives. The analysis yields six larger frames: Environmental stewardship, responsibility, economic opportunity, green leadership, energy security and liberty. Some of these frames constitute a re-framing of climate policy which departs from the states' previous approaches to environmental challenges. Not all of these climate policy frames, however, materialize at the political level: In Indiana, hardly any of the media frames manifest in political discourse. In Michigan, particularly economic frames manifest in political discourse. In Indiana, frame sponsors' efforts to frame climate policy as an environmental policy that benefits the economy thus remain mostly unsuccessful during the study period. In Michigan, however, frame sponsors successfully manage to initiate a re-framing of climate policy from a purely environmental or economic issue to one of modernization and technological leadership for the state that resonates with the state context. The dissertation thus makes an empirical contribution to the - so far - narrow knowledge base on climate policy and discourses in the U.S. Rust Belt states. The policy implications, however, surpass the narrow context of the Rust Belt states. They allude to the strategic importance of framing for the successful translation of policy frames into action. Frames can serve to improve the resonance of a policy with a state context by emphasizing particular policy co-benefits and connecting climate discourses to energy and economic discourses. Frame sponsors can thus contribute to this resonance in their communication of policies by tailoring their framing to the political culture and specific economic, environmental or energy system-related challenges of a state. Nevertheless, the dissertation reveals that the innovative ideas and interests which climate policy proponents express through their frames do not translate easily into policy responses.

Description: In Nepal, majority of households still burn solid fuels in inefficient cook stoves inside poorly ventilated kitchens, which results in very high levels of indoor pollutants, including black carbon (BC). Previous studies have not yet reported BC concentrations in typical kitchen configurations in rural Nepal. In this study, fine particulate matter (PM) and BC concentrations were monitored continuously inside two types of kitchens (separated from and attached to the main house) under actual cooking practices. Prior to monitoring of pollutants, a field survey was conducted to gain insight into the types of kitchens, cook stoves and fuels used. Indoor PM and BC concentrations were monitored using biomass fuels in traditional cook stoves (TC) and improved cook stoves (ICS). Clear diurnal variations of the pollutants were observed in both kitchens, with the highest concentrations during cooking times. BC and PM concentrations during cooking and non-cooking periods demonstrated clear reductions in the concentrations during non-cooking periods. It was observed that the concentrations rose steeply during the first half hour of cooking, then decreased slightly and finally leveled off to the non-cooking period concentrations. 24-hour average indoor PM concentrations in both kitchens frequently exceeded Nepal's indoor air quality standards and the WHO PM2.5 guidelines, by a factor of ~8 to ~28. We found that the specific type of ICS used in this study, a commonly used ICS in Nepal and other developing countries might help in PM emission reductions but not necessarily BC emission reduction.

Description: This paper explores potential contributions of narrative ethics to the re-theorization of the political in water governance, particularly seeking to rectify concerns regarding when water is excluded from cultural contexts and issues of power and dominance are ignored. Against this background, this paper argues for a re-theorization of the political in water governance, understood as the way in which diverse ideas about possible and desirable human-water relationships and just configurations for their institutionalization are negotiated in society. Theorization is conceived as the concretization of reality rather than its abstraction. Narrative ethics deals with the narrative structure of moral action and the significance of narrations for moral action. It occupies a middle ground and mediates between descriptive ethics that describe moral practices, and prescriptive ethics that substantiate binding norms. A distinguishing feature is its focus on people’s experiences and their praxis. Narrative water ethics is thus able to recognize the multitude of real and possible human-water relationships, to grasp people’s entanglement in their water stories, to examine moral issues in their cultural contexts, and, finally, to develop locally adapted notions of good water governance.

Description: Negotiations for a new international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) have commenced. For the new agreement to be fair and effective, it is vital that all States are able to participate in the long-term sustainable use and conservation of the ocean beyond national jurisdiction. This includes participation in marine scientific research and the utilization of marine genetic resources (MGR) through subsequent innovation processes. Open access to MGR, such as data, coupled with capacity building, can promote the equitable sharing of benefits associated with MGR. In this paper, it is hypothesized that an ‘inclusive innovation’ approach may facilitate participation and promote enhanced engagement in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. A number of existing genetic resource initiatives provide examples of efforts to foster inclusivity in the innovation process, including BioBricks, Open Source Drug Discovery, GenBank and the Global Genome Biodiversity Network. An analysis of these examples enables clear identification of common elements that are adopted by such initiatives, whereby inclusive innovation either develops naturally or is promoted actively through measures for open access, capacity building, and collaboration. By empowering more States and stakeholders to participate in research and innovation processes, global potential in terms of enhanced scientific knowledge and opportunities associated with biodiversity of ABNJ can be promoted and the overall objective of the conservation and sustainable use can be best pursued.

Description: Individual perceptions of climate-related environmental changes are essential to understand behavioural responses to such changes. Despite several studies on change-perception in single Pacific Small Island States (PSIS), the variance in these perceptions within and between different PSIS has so far largely been neglected. We, therefore, explored perceptions of climate-related environmental changes and attributed causes in Tuvalu, Samoa, and Tonga. Our survey (N=180) shows that perceptions of environmental changes vary considerably between the three island states and also within each country. A certain fraction of this variance can be explained by (i) geographical and climatic differences between the island states and (ii) selected socio-demographic variables. The socio-demographic factors that proved most relevant include (i) the size of the settlement in which respondents live, (ii) their distance to the sea, (iii) their interaction with nature, and (iv) their self-assessment of their own religiosity. Moreover, we found that people attribute reported changes to manifold irresponsible and unsustainable human behaviours, and to a lesser extent to natural processes and divine acts. By illustrating the variance of perceptions and also the awareness of anthropogenic causes, the study helps to communicate the diversity of local voices and offers ways for finding a basis for discussing and implementing more sustainable behaviour alternatives.

Description: Access to clean, reliable and affordable energy is one of the key challenges for many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. This is particularly the case in rural and remote areas which are often not connected to the national main grid. Mini-grids are expected to play an important role in providing access to sustainable and reliable energy in these areas. On the other hand, this report argues that mini-grids also need to meet a set of key requirements to become future-proof and contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Mini-grids should foster the integration of renewable energies. They should provide for equitable and affordable electricity costs and reliable electricity supply. They should be sensitive to the specific local context and foster the development of productive uses. Moreover, they should be flexible and adaptable to changing conditions, such as new technologies, increasing demand and the arrival of the main grid, and account for transparency and consumer protection. Finally, mini-grids should be designed in a way which reduces their ecological footprint as far as possible. Over the past years, the mini-grid sector has seen an increase in the use of digital technologies while at the same time digital innovations transform the socioeconomic landscape in Sub-Saharan Africa. In light of these developments, the report explores how digital technologies could be applied to mini-grids to help meet the requirements mentioned above. The study identifies two levels of application for digital technologies in mini-grids: 1) the level of technical functionalities and system balancing which includes generation and storage, distribution and control as well as demand side management; and 2) the level of the mini-grid value chain, which includes finance, planning and design, operation and maintenance, customer management and the productive use of electricity. Across these application areas, digital technologies have the potential to provide solutions that enable more efficient and time-saving processes, reduce costs as well as improve services for the consumer. However, the use of digital technologies in mini-grids in rural Sub-Saharan Africa also poses new challenges and risks, in particular with regards to privacy and data security, and requires a high level of awareness for the creation of user-centric technologies. If the potentials are exploited and risks mitigated, digital technologies could contribute to achieving future-proof mini-grids that serve sustainable development in rural Sub-Saharan Africa. However, many of the potentials that could unfold through the integrated use of digital technologies in mini-grids have not yet been tapped into. Technical issues, even internet access, do not appear to be limiting factors for the application of digital technologies in mini-grids. Regulatory, economic and socio-cultural framework conditions play a much more decisive role. Against this backdrop, policy-makers, donor organisations and technology developers should collaborate to create favourable framework conditions and new impetus for a purposeful use of digital technologies in mini-grids. Amongst others, policy makers should provide long-term plans for grid extension so that mini-grid developers are able to evaluate the extent to which it makes sense to incorporate digital technologies. Policy-makers should further provide incentives and subsidies for projects serving the testing of digital solutions, develop suitable regulatory frameworks and support the development of technical standards and quality criteria. They also should develop legal frameworks for data security and consumer protection. Donor organisations could contribute to the meaningful use of digital technologies in mini-grids by including technical requirements for appropriate digital features in mini-grid tenders and incentivizing or even requiring that data from the mini-grids they fund is shared. They should further foster the collaboration between communities, innovators and local researchers, and support the creation of knowledge about the effects of digital technologies in mini-grids, for instance on costs, long-term sustainability, consumer satisfaction and the creation of productive uses. Lastly, companies and technology developers should always put consumer needs at the centre of technology development and consider the specific local contexts. They should engage in jointly developing standards that benefit the whole sector, embrace using open-source software and share their data and experiences from successes and failures.

Description: In this contribution the vision, contents, process and structure for a collaborative research repository of indicator-based sustainability assessment tools is outlined. As the result of a wide literature review on the concepts of sustainable manufacturing and applicable sustainable assessment tools, four selection criteria for the repositories contents are presented and several indicator-sets are proposed for further in-depth analysis. The research also exposed organizational levels of traditional manufacturing organizations as a possible terminology to integrate a variety of sustainability assessment tools.

Description: Forests as global commons provide ecosystem services crucial for local forest users as well as the survival of humanity. At the same time, agricultural frontiers are steadily expanding into natural forests, particularly in the rural tropics still covered by large forest areas. Deforestation and forest degradation provoke enormous social, environmental and economic costs at the local, national and global level. Against this backdrop, a myriad of initiatives at all levels have been directed into improving forest governance to protect the remaining natural forests, to restore degraded forest land, and to properly manage the old and new forests for the benefit of the next generations. This study reviews the main elements of International Forest Governance (IFG), including the role of Germany, to promote the sustainable management and protection of natural forests, and analyses their impacts on tackling deforestation, forest degradation, biodiversity loss, climate change, and illegal activities. Based on international relations and global governance literatures, six basic types are derived that the IFG elements are clustered into: (1) multilateral intergovernmental treaties (CBD, ITAA, UNFCCC, failed forest convention), (2) non-legally binding multilateral agreements (IAF), (3) transnational hybrid governance regimes (FLEGT/timber legality regime), (4) public-private-partnerships (e.g., REDD+ initiatives), (5) non-state market driven governance (FSC/PEFC forest certification), and (6) private sector partnerships (deforestation free initiatives). These processes are reviewed in terms of their effectiveness and analysed with regard to the involved state and non-state actors including their positions, mind-sets and coalitions, as well as their specific policy aims, tools, management concepts, monitoring and control mechanisms, and main pathways of influence. This allowed to identify important challenges in the design and implementation as well as in the coordination, integration and coherence of all these governance elements, including the consideration of forest adverse governance arrangements outside the forest sector (e.g., agriculture, bioenergy, mining). Based on this analysis, this study critically reflects about the need and possibilities for transformative changes to secure the global commons function of forests. We conclude that the following possibilities have a realistic potential to at least strengthen global forest governance: (1) alignment of the International Forest Governance Regime, (2) promotion of the private sector within a strong regulatory framework; (3) intensification of bilateral action on the ground, and (4) an honest reflection on the own ambivalent role, on assumptions and expectations.

Description: This report contains a summary of the international deep sea mining expert workshop „A benefit sharing mechanism appropriate for the Common Heritage of Mankind”. The overall objective was to stimulate debate on the Common Heritage of Mankind and its benefit sharing element by discussing first ideas how the benefit sharing required by Article 140 paragraph 2 UNCLOS could be appropriately conceptualized in order to meet with the spirit and the requirements of the Common Heritage of Mankind principle. The participants discussed the legal framework of the common heritage of mankind, in particular its benefit sharing provision and the option of a full economic assessment of deep seabed mining operations.

Description: Der vorliegende Bericht reflektiert die Präsentationen und Diskussionen der Teilnehmer des internationalen Experten-Workshops „A benefit sharing mechanism appropriate for the Common Heritage of Mankind“. Das Umweltbundesamt in Kooperation mit dem Institut for Advanced Sustainability Studies führte den Workshop vom 26. bis 29. November 2018 in Potsdam durch. Übergeordnetes Ziel des Workshops war es, die Debatte darüber anzuregen wie das Gemeinsame Erbe und der im Seerechtsübereinkommen Artikel 140 Absatz 2 angelegte gerechte Vorteilsausgleich („benefit sharing“) angemessen konzeptioniert und umgesetzt werden kann.

Description: Code to reproduce results of Tröndle et al (2019) --- "Home-made or imported: on the possibility for renewable electricity autarky on all scales in Europe". This repository contains the entire research project, including code and report. The philosophy behind this repository is that no intermediary results are included, but all results are computed from raw data and code.

Description: The open ocean hosts an inconceivable wealth of marine life. Most of it remains unseen and unknown. Actually, the international community has agreed to develop a new legally binding agreement for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity by 2020. It aims to respond to the global ocean crisis caused by overfishing, pollution with plastics, ocean acidification, climate change, and other stressors from human activities. At the same time, States are also working on the legal framework for deep seabed mining – a considerable contradiction. As too little is known about the wealth that could be lost due to harmful impacts from mining activities, humankind should take its time to reflect, develop robust governance systems, and develop the knowledge needed to take informed decisions. The present study, authored by scientists from different backgrounds, makes the eloquent case for such a reflection, pause, and reassessment. The publication is recommended to any reader concerned about our oceans' future.

Description: A multi-scale modelling system was developed to provide hourly NOx concentrations field at building resolving scale in the urban area of Modena. The WRF-Chem model was employed with aim of reproducing local background concentrations taking into account meteorological and chemical transformation at regional scale, conversely the PMSS modelling system was applied to simulate 3D air pollutant dispersion with a very high-resolution (4 m) on a 6 km x 6 km domain. Modelled NOx concentrations reproduced by this modelling system show a good agreement with observation at both traffic and background urban stations.

Description: There is wide agreement that a nexus or integrated approach to managing and governing natural resources such as land, water, and energy can improve environmental, climate, human, and political security. However, few if any countries in the MENA region have made progress in implementing such an approach. There appear to be several constraints inhibiting the development and adoption of nexus approaches. These constraints include strong sectoral silos, insufficient incentives for integrated planning and policy making at all levels, and limited vision, knowledge, and practical experience to guide successful implementation. In turn, the limited implementation and hence lack of empirical evidence of a nexus approach, which could demonstrate its benefits, does little to strengthen political will for the development of adequate incentives, structures, and procedures. Against this backdrop, this paper presents five case studies which take an integrated approach, in three MENA countries, namely Jordan, Lebanon, and Morocco. Based on an analytical framework developed here, the paper analyses and compares the success factors for nexus implementation, and also for transfer and upscaling. The analysis emphasizes the need for appropriate framework conditions, targeted investments and pioneering actors, to make integrated approaches across sectors and levels work. With the evidence presented, the paper aims to set in motion a positive or virtuous cycle of generating more nexus evidence, improved framework conditions, further nexus implementation on the ground, and from that even more nexus evidence. Finally, the paper contributes to overcoming the repeated requests for better definition and conceptualization of the nexus, which often has slowed down adoption of the concept.

Description: Systemic risks originate in tightly coupled systems. They are characterised by complexity, transboundary cascading effects, non-linear stochastic developments, tipping points, and lag in perception and regulation. Disasters need to be analysed in the context of vulnerabilities of infrastructure, industrial activities, structural developments and behavioural patterns which amplify or attenuate the impact of hazards. In particular, disasters are triggered by chains of events that often amplify and also multiply damages. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Description: The shale gas debate has taken center stage over the past decade in many European countries due to its purported climate advantages over coal and the implications for domestic energy security. Nevertheless, shale gas production generates greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions including carbon dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and volatile organic compounds. In this study we develop three shale gas drilling projections in Germany and the United Kingdom based on estimated reservoir productivities and local capacity. For each projection, we define a set of emission scenarios in which gas losses are assigned to each stage of upstream gas production to quantify total emissions. The “realistic” (REm) and “optimistic” (OEm) scenarios investigated in this study describe, respectively, the potential emission range generated by business-as-usual activities, and the lowest emissions technically possible according to our settings. The latter scenario is based on the application of specific technologies and full compliance with a stringent regulatory framework described herein. Based on the median drilling projection, total annual methane emissions range between 150–294 Kt in REm and 28–42 Kt in OEm, while carbon dioxide emissions span from 5.55–7.21 Mt in REm to 3.11–3.96 Mt in OEm. Taking all drilling projections into consideration, methane leakage rates in REm range between 0.45 and 1.36% in Germany, and between 0.35 and 0.71% in the United Kingdom. The leakage rates are discussed in both the European (conventional gas) and international (shale gas) contexts. Further, the emission intensity of a potential European shale gas industry is estimated and compared to national inventories. Results from our science-based prospective scenarios can facilitate an informed discussion among the public and policy makers on the climate impact of a potential shale gas development in Europe, and on the appropriate role of natural gas in the worldwide energy transition.

Description: Climate change and air pollution are two of the most critical health and sustainability challenges facing society today. An integrated approach to policy development can help to maximise synergies, minimise trade-offs, and increase efficiency.

Description: India has made significant progress in utilising its abundant renewable energy (RE) resources. The country has emerged as one of the leaders of the global energy transition, with a cumulative renewable energy installed capacity of 74 gigawatts (GW) at the end of 2018, and has ambitions to meet a target of 175 GW by the year 2022. Further, as recently announced by India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the government seeks to procure approximately 500 GW of additional RE capacity by the year 2028, resulting to a 40 percent share of installed capacity of non-fossil fuel sources in the power sector by 2030. Notwithstanding these targets, the employment effects of the resulting changes in the power sector still need to be properly understood. This study analyses the employment effects of different plans for expanding power generation in India; this was carried out in the context of the COBENEFITS project with the aim of assessing the co-benefits of a low-carbon energy transition in the country. Four different scenarios are analysed for future development of the power sector in India with varying shares of renewable energy: Business-as-usual (BAU) scenario, which represents India’s climate policy until 2016; Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) scenario, which maps the strategies required to achieve India’s NDCs targets; NDC PLUS (NDC PLUS) scenario, which is a deeper decarbonisation plan above the NDC scenario; and the International Renewable Energy Association (IRENA) REmap (REmap) scenario, which provides a power sector decarbonisation pathway for India to contribute towards limiting global temperature rise to well below 2° Celsius by 2100. The study presents a value-chain-based approach by developing employment coefficients (full-time-equivalent jobs/MW/year) to analyse the workforce involved at various stages of the entire life cycle of different power generation technologies. The study also provides an initial assessment of the skill requirements, attainment levels and technical training required for India’s present power sector plans and future low-carbon power sector ambitions. The four scenarios assessed considered a consistent timeline between 2020 and 2050.

Description: The global energy transition is characterised by a myriad of technology options, organisational forms and infrastructural scales across levels of operation. Energy transitions are generally considered to foster sustainable development. However, technologies deemed sustainable in some dimensions can cause environmental or social problems in other dimensions or scales. In addition, freedom and self-determination are desirable features often associated with cooperative bottom-up initiatives. However, these initiatives may not always result in appropriate processes and strategies that span ecological and socio-technical dimensions. Direct participation or better representation of stakeholders ingrained in cooperative structures do not necessarily coalesce social and environmental benefits. We distinguish between different types of participation options across economic, technical and social levels; in line with the concepts of energy citizenship and sovereignty. We also differentiate technical infrastructure dimensions from those that are more political, economic or socially determined. The main purpose of our justice-oriented assessment approach is to make explicit unintended and undesirable effects of transition processes visible, and to capture the impacts of infrastructural and organisational dimensions of energy systems. The assessment of case studies qualitatively along several dimensions (infrastructural, organisational, impact) revealed which externalities result from prosumer-based electricity systems, conventional energy utilities and other organisational systems.

Description: This study was initiated by the European Commission Directorate-General for Climate Action, and attributed to a team of experts from Ramboll, the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, Universität Kassel Center for Environmental Systems Research, IOM Law, and CE Delft. The study’s objectives are to build a better understanding of novel CCU technologies with three main sub-objectives: 1. to assess the readiness and map the roll out of different CCU technologies in order to clarify which types of technologies are viable for support, including from the planned Innovation Fund under the EU ETS; 2. to examine the EU regulatory set up related to the technologies concerned and assess whether specific provisions are necessary to reflect the contribution by these innovative technologies to climate mitigation while preserving the environmental integrity of the relevant legislation; and 3. to engage with stakeholders for better understanding of the technologies and the legislative setup. To achieve its objectives, the study team conducted a review of the literature on CCU; a web search on the status of existing technologies; a review of relevant legislation; as well as stakeholder consultations in the form of a survey, interviews, two stakeholder workshops and an open event. The study draws from existing knowledge and research, and represents a state-of-the-art review of the current technological and policy status of CCU in Europe.

Description: This article analyses the narratives of impact-driven transition research in the field of sustainability studies. It reconstructs patterns of narrations at a discourse level. Departing from the understanding that narrating is a fundamental mode of communication and education, this contribution is ultimately driven by the commitment to understand how narrativity can be improved in order to reach more effective rhetoric for sustainability research. The article starts by describing the dilemma sustainability researchers might find themselves in regarding their position vis-à-vis society and politics. This dilemma seems to shape the narratives researchers use for describing their work. After conceptualizing narratives on a structural level, findings from a comprehensive qualitative interview study are presented and discussed. We find that sustainability researchers can be clustered in five different types, depending on their affinity or distance to real-world sustainability processes, their propensity to either incremental reforms or transformative change and the relationship between environmental and social concerns in the context of the sustainability concept. Furthermore, we find that critical-constructive transformative research encounters challenges when narrating about its position vis-à-vis society and policy-making in the process of formulating goals and working towards them. We identified a tension between leaning stronger either towards independent, critical goal formulation or towards an engagement with actual political processes. Maintaining the ability to change roles between the process-involved and the process-observing sustainability researcher might be a promising way out for those dedicated to workings towards sustainability transitions.

Description: Against the background of more than one billion people worldwide without regular access to clean water and sanitation, an intensive debate has been going on about water security for many years now. The social sciences have been dealing with the phenomenon of (environmental) security for some time. Their interest relates on the one hand to the meaning and content of security, but also to the contexts, practices and discursive intentions of those who engage in security debate. In this respect, there is a division between those researchers who want to actively engage in creating of water security, but who run the risk of legitimizing problematic policies, and those who, in the poststructuralist tradition, take a critical eye on discourses and practices of security, but who hesitate to offer guidance for action. This paper explores this dilemma of water security between Scylla and Charybdis and hints at contributions of application-oriented ethics to navigate this dilemma.

Description: This guide for action can be used by decision-makers at any level or in any form of organisation or business to identify how to respond to the Fridays for Future Movement in a way that is meaningful, responsive and impactful.

Description: Several countries’ national determined contributions (NDCs) highlight climate finance as a precondition for the ambitious action needed to achieve development paths compatible with limiting global warming to 1.5°C in 2100. Many hopes have been pinned on new market mechanisms in this context, but the trade-offs demanded by carbon trading schemes continued to be hotly debated at the UNFCCC last week, not least due to their political and economic implications.

Description: This chapter provides an overview of the international and national regulatory framework pertaining to deep seabed mining activities. It begins by discussing the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the backdrop for all marine activities – be they national or international – and examines the obligations of states to protect the marine environment from the harmful effects arising from deep seabed mining. Next, the chapter examines the international regime for deep seabed mining (i.e. “activities in the Area”), explaining the “common heritage of mankind” status of the Area (i.e. the international seabed); the functions of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the international organization established to govern deep seabed mining in the Area; and the concept of state sponsorship of non-state entities (i.e. private actors) for deep seabed mining in the Area. The chapter follows with a discussion of the development of national legislation to regulate deep seabed mining, examining efforts in the Pacific region where many prospective deep-sea mining sites are located. This includes a look at the legislative regimes of several Pacific Island nations, namely, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and the Cook Islands, for whom deep seabed mining may soon become a reality – as well as New Zealand and Japan, countries with comparatively developed rule of law and legislative regimes that have undertaken or considered deep seabed mining in their national waters. Overall, the chapter critically describes and evaluates the current regulatory status in the international and national seabed areas and highlights some salient gaps that require urgent attention in order to ensure marine environmental protection and mitigate impacts on humans.

Description: What is democratic theory? The question is surprisingly infrequently posed. Indeed, the last time this precise question appears in the academic archive was exactly forty years ago, in James Alfred Pennock’s (1979) book Democratic Political Theory. This is an odd discursive silence not observable in other closely aligned fields of thought such as political theory, political science, social theory, philosophy, economic theory, and public policy/administration – each of which have asked the “what is” question of themselves on regular occasion. The premise of this special issue is, therefore, to pose the question anew and break this forty-year silence.

Description: This policy brief offers recommendations for how to meaningfully respond to the Fridays for the Future movement in a way that addresses three key pillars: urgent climate action, participatory future-making and climate justice for young people and future generations.

Description: Air pollution is understudied in sub-Saharan Africa, resulting in a gap in the scientific understanding of emissions, atmospheric processes, and impacts of air pollutants in this region. The Rwanda Climate Observatory, a joint partnership between MIT and the government of Rwanda, has been measuring ambient concentrations of key long-lived greenhouse gases and the short-lived climate-forcing pollutants CO2, CO, CH4, black carbon (BC), and O3 with state-of-the-art instruments on the summit of Mt. Mugogo (1.586∘ S, 29.566∘ E; 2590 m above sea level) since May 2015. Rwanda is a small, mountainous, and densely populated country in equatorial East Africa, currently undergoing rapid development but still at less than 20 % urbanization. Black carbon concentrations during Rwanda's two dry seasons (December–January–February, DJF, and June–July–August, JJA), which coincide with the two regional biomass burning seasons, are higher at Mt. Mugogo than in major European cities with daily values (24 h) during the dry season of around 5 µg m−3 (daily average concentrations ranging from less than 0.1 to over 17 µg m−3 for the entire measurement period). BC baseline concentrations during biomass burning seasons are loosely correlated with fire radiative power data for the region acquired with a MODIS satellite instrument. The position and meteorology of Rwanda is such that the emissions transported from both the northern and southern African biomass burning seasons affect BC, CO, and O3 concentrations in Rwanda. Spectral aerosol absorption measured with a dual-spot Aethalometer varies seasonally due to changes in types of fuel burned and the direction of pollution transport to the site. Ozone concentrations peaked during Rwanda's dry seasons (daily measured maximum of 70 ppbv). The understanding and quantification of the percent contributions of regional and local (beyond large-scale biomass) emissions is essential to guide policy in the region. During the rainy seasons, local emitting activities (e.g., cooking, transportation, trash burning) remain steady, regional biomass burning is low, and transport distances are shorter as rainout of pollution occurs regularly. Thus, local pollution at Mugogo can be estimated during this time period and was found to account for up to 35 % of annual average BC measured. Our measurements indicate that air pollution is a current and growing problem in equatorial East Africa.

Description: Last week in Germany, retired pulmonary physician Dieter Köhler made waves by publishing a statement, signed by over one hundred other fellow lung doctors, calling into question the science behind air quality standards and suggesting that current EU-wide limits for nitrogen oxides and fine particulate matter are unnecessarily strict. Not coincidentally, this comes at a time when diesel driving bans are being imposed in many German cities because of their inability to meet the EU-wide limit value for nitrogen dioxide (NO2), for which diesel cars are the main source. This has sparked debate on many levels, from the journalistic to the political. In this blog post we specifically address the topic of air quality limit values based on our expertise in the fields of air quality and public health.

Description: Energy access is essential for economic and human development and is an important driver for the economic development of a country. Access to modern forms of energy, especially electricity, becomes even more important for the socio-economic development of rural areas (which lag behind urban areas in terms of infrastructure development). “Full electrification” to achieve social and economic development goals (and SDGs) in Vietnam requires 24/7 electricity access for every household, family, farming settlement and local enterprise, even in rural communities. To achieve this goal, the government of Vietnam has focused primarily on providing access by extending the centralised grid. Approximately 98 % of households in both urban and rural areas of the country have been electrified through this means, but electricity access to the remaining 2% of the population, predominantly located in regions with terrain unfavourable to grid expansion, has become a technoeconomic moot point. To this end, discussions have explored whether cost-effective, off-grid renewable energy (RE) alternatives could assist the electrification of these remaining populations and further drive the socioeconomic development of these population groups.

Description: From February 6 to 8, 2019, Leuphana University of Lüneburg hosted the first ever Leverage Points conference on sustainability research and transformation. On behalf of the whole Leverage Points project team from Leuphana University, members of the team take stock with colleagues from the Bridging the Great Divide project from Leuphana University, and the NaWis network.

Description: Air pollution, primarily from coal-fired power plants, is one of the main impacts that the energy sector has on the environment and human health. These pollutants have many negative impacts, of which those of greatest concern include heart disease, lung cancer, stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (WHO, 2016). The consequences of such diseases include increased levels of morbidity, which further result in elevated health costs and losses of productivity. This study quantifies the impacts of South Africa’s power sector on human health, and how a shift to a less carbon-intensive power sector can help to reduce negative impacts and contribute to reducing costs in South Africa’s health system.

Description: Germany wishes to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 80 to 95 per cent by 2050. However, despite the success to date, the measures which have already been planned and implemented are not sufficient for achieving this ambitious goal. In addition to the energy sector, the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, German industry is also responsible for releasing considerable volumes of global warming gases. In its Climate Action Plan 2050, the Federal Government has for the first time set a sector target for industry. The present acatech POSITION PAPER analyses the options for (re)utilising and storing CO2 (Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)) which come into consideration for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from industrial processes. It is recommended that a wide-ranging public debate about the use of CCU and CCS be conducted in the near future. Only then will it be possible to take account of reservations about CCU and CCS, further develop suitable technology in good time and bring it to market maturity so that the necessary infrastructure can be planned, approved, funded and constructed.

Description: Climate models aiming to explore how global warming can be limited to the Paris Agreement targets of 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius usually invoke sweeping technical and societal transformations, including the extensive use of carbon dioxide removal technologies. In our Perspective, we argue that this reliance on technologies that may be difficult or impossible to implement at the required scale makes the Paris temperature goals increasingly less plausible, drawing into question a key basis and shared anchor of current climate science, politics, and activism. A way forward is the innovative concept of nationally determined contributions to climate risk reduction, introduced in the Paris Agreement, which fosters greater democratic engagement, accountability, and meaningful change toward mitigating and adapting to climate change.

Description: This article examines the post-truth debate and questions the argument that post-modernism and social constructivism is responsible for post-truth and alternative facts, including in climate denial. The article argues that social constructivism is not the problem but rather an epistemological orientation that helps us better understand the rise of post-truth. Toward this end, the essay examines the way empirical findings are translated into political knowledge and the role of science in “truth regimes”. From this perspective, there is no amount of fact-checking alone that will resolve the post-truth problem. The argument is illustrated with the case of climate denial.

Description: Dieser Bericht ist ein Ergebnis des Forschungs- und Entwicklungsprojektes "Ökologische Leitplanken für den Tiefseebergbau", Oktober 2015 bis Dezember 2017, in Auftrag gegeben durch das Umweltbundesamt, UBA. Aufgrund des in den letzten Jahren wiedererwachten Interesses für einen Abbau von Rohstoffen in der Tiefsee, und Anstrengungen, den notwendigen Rechtsrahmen in nationalen und internationalen Gewässern zu schaffen, wird jetzt dringend auch ein Konzept für den effektiven Schutz der Meeresumwelt vor den Folgen des Rohstoffabbaus erforderlich. Im sogenannten "Gebiet", dem Meeresboden jenseits nationaler Grenzen, hat die Internationale Meeresbodenbehörde, ISA, die Aufgabe, den Meeresboden und seine Rohstoffe im Namen von und zum Vorteil der gesamten Menschheit (‘for the benefit of mankind as a whole‘) zu verwalten. Dazu gehört der Erlass von Regeln, Bestimmungen und Verfahren, welche die Auswirkungen der mit der Erkundung und dem Abbau von Rohstoffen im Gebiet zusammenhängenden Tätigkeiten in einem Rahmen hält, welcher die Vorgaben für den "effektiven Schutz der Meeresumwelt vor den Folgen der Tätigkeiten", wie im internationalen Seerecht gefordert, einhält. Der vorliegende Text zeigt Möglichkeiten auf, wie die ISA mit dem Instrumentarium des modernen vorsorgenden und präventiven Umweltmanagements die regulatorische Kontrolle über die Umweltbelastungen durch Tätigkeiten im Gebiet ausüben kann. Angesichts der großen Wissenslücken über die potentiell betroffenen Tiefseeökosysteme und die möglicherweise eingesetzte Technik scheint es allerdings zur Zeit unmöglich, auch mit den besten Verfahren den Grad der zu erwartenden Umweltschäden einzuschätzen. Daher ist schon der Weg das Ziel, indem die ISA sich als moderne, umweltbewusste Organisation präsentiert, welche den Vorsorgeansatz und internationale Verpflichtungen zum Schutz der Meeresumwelt und zur nachhaltigen Entwicklung ernst nimmt und ihr Mandat unter Einbeziehung der derzeitigen und voraussichtlich zukünftigen Veränderungen der Meeresökosysteme bis in die Tiefsee ausübt.

Description: This report presents findings from the research and development project "Ecological Safeguards for Deep Seabed Mining" commissioned by the German Environment Agency (UBA) to the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) (October 2015 - December 2017). Interest in seabed mineral mining has renewed in recent years for various reasons and new offshore mining legislation is currently being developed for national and international waters. For this reason, agreement on the meaning of ‘effective protection of the marine environment from adverse effects arising from activities’ related to mining is needed. The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is mandated to manage access to and benefits from the seabed, subsoil and its mineral resources in the Area on behalf of mankind as a whole. This legal mandate comprises the development of rules, regulations and procedures for mining-related activities in the Area, which must prevent, reduce and control harm to the marine environment and ensure that such harm does not breach the standard of ‘effective protection’. The present text provides suggestions for how the ISA could effectively regulate the environmental effects of activities in the Area using a toolkit of modern, precautionary and preventive governance and management instruments and measures. However, due to large gaps in ecological knowledge and technical experience pertaining to the deep sea, it is currently impossible to predict with any certainty the degree of risk mining activities pose to deep sea ecosystems. By developing such a toolkit, the ISA could spearhead a modern, comprehensive approach to precautionary governance of the Area in line with today’s environmental challenges.

Description: Carbonaceous aerosols (CAs) scatter and absorb incident solar radiation in the atmosphere, thereby influencing the regional climate and hydrological cycle, particularly in the Third Pole (TP). Here, we present the characteristics of CAs at 19 observation stations from the Atmospheric Pollution and Cryospheric Change network to obtain a deep understanding of pollutant status in the TP. The organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) concentrations decreased noticeably inwards from outside to inland of the TP, consistent with their emission load and also affected by transport process and meteorological condition. Urban areas, such as Kathmandu, Karachi, and Mardan, exhibited extremely high OC and EC concentrations, with low and high values occurring in the monsoon and non-monsoon seasons, respectively. However, remote regions inland the TP (e.g., Nam Co and Ngari) demonstrated much lower OC and EC concentrations. Different seasonal variations were observed between the southern and northern parts of the TP, suggesting differences in the patterns of pollutant sources and in distance from the sources between the two regions. In addition to the influence of long-range transported pollutants from the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP), the TP was affected by local emissions (e.g., biomass burning). The OC/EC ratio also suggested that biomass burning was prevalent in the center TP, whereas the marginal sites (e.g., Jomsom, Dhunche, and Laohugou) were affected by fossil fuel combustion from the up-wind regions. The mass absorption cross-section of EC (MACEC) at 632 nm ranged from 6.56 to 14.7 m2 g−1, with an increasing trend from outside to inland of the TP. Urban areas had low MACEC values because such regions were mainly affected by local fresh emissions. In addition, large amount of brown carbon can decrease the MACEC values in cities of South Asia. Remote sites had high MACEC values because of the coating enhancement of aerosols. Influenced by emission, transport process, and weather condition, the CA concentrations and MACEC presented decreasing and increasing trends, respectively, from outside to inland of the TP.

Description: A compelling body of research demonstrates associations between urban design and health, but this research is often not reflected in urban policies. This article reviews the literature on the science and practice of translating health research into urban policy and planning. Two Australian case studies demonstrate how policy frameworks can help guide evidence-based planning for healthy urban environments. To influence city planning, health researchers need to undertake policy-relevant research and understand policymaking processes. Policy frameworks can assist researchers to tailor research evidence and research translation strategies to the political and policymaking context. Strong links between urban policymakers and health researchers can help bridge the knowledge-policy divide. Policy frameworks can help researchers to identify and capitalise on windows of opportunity for evidence-based policy change. Doing so increases the likelihood of public health evidence informing urban policies that will create healthy liveable cities.

Description: Time is discussed as a framework within which social interactions take place, a structure for synchronization and a resource for planning activities and projects. The centrality of time for cultural development is argued to be rooted in the relationship to finitude, change, and the rhythmicity of nature. Calendars facilitated social structuring, synchronization, and regulation, clock time the commodification and compression of time. With networked information and communication technologies, global simultaneity and instantaneity have displaced duration and distance and clock time is losing some of its all‐embracing relevance. Each of these technologies has changed the meaning of time, its cultural significance and, as such, impacted on social organization.

Description: The important role that climate leaders and leadership play at different levels of the European Union (EU) multilevel governance system is exemplified. Initially, climate leader states set the pace with ambitious policy measures that were adopted largely on an ad hoc basis. Since the mid-1980s, the EU has developed a multilevel climate governance system that has facilitated leadership and lesson-drawing at all governance levels including the local level. The EU has become a global climate policy leader by example although it had been set up as a ‘leaderless Europe’. The resulting ‘leadership without leader’ paradox cannot be sufficiently explained merely by reference to top-level EU climate policies. Local-level climate innovations and lesson-drawing have increasingly been encouraged by the EU’s multilevel climate governance system which has become more polycentric. The recognition of economic co-benefits of climate policy measures has helped to further the EU’s climate leadership role.

Description: Air pollution remains a problem in German cities. In particular, the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) annual limit-value set by the European Union of 40 µg/m3 was not met at ~40% of roadside monitoring stations across German cities in 2018. In response to this issue, many cities are experimenting with various traffic-reducing measures targeting diesel passenger vehicles so as to reduce emissions of NO2 and improve air quality. Identifying the determinants of public acceptance for these measures using a systematic approach can help inform policy-makers in other German cities. Survey data generated from a questionnaire in Potsdam, Germany, were used in predictive models to quantify support for investments in traffic-reducing measures generally and to quantify support for a specific traffic-reducing measure implemented in Potsdam in 2017. This exploratory analysis found that general support for investments in such measures was most strongly predicted by environmental and air pollution perception variables, whereas specific support for the actual traffic measure was most strongly predicted by mobility habits and preferences. With such measures becoming more common in German cities and across Europe, these results exemplify the complexity of factors influencing public acceptance of traffic-reducing policies, highlight the contrasting roles environmental beliefs and mobility habits play in determining support for such measures, and emphasize the connections between mobility, air pollution, and human health.

Description: Urban mobility is the main source of air pollution in Europe and accounts for 25% of greenhouse gas emissions. In order to address this, a range of interventions and policies are being implemented across major European cities and studies in sustainable urban transport have proliferated. One such mitigation strategy involves redesigning urban form through 'hard' traffic policies, with a view of decreasing emission levels and therefore mitigating the effects of air pollution and climate change. However, efforts to assess public response to such interventions and the effectiveness of policy instruments in promoting sustainable travel in cities remain sparse. The city of Potsdam, Germany implemented a trial traffic measure aimed at reducing motorized traffic and promoting the use of bicycles and public transport systems. This study analysed data from 3553 survey participants who responded to a survey conducted prior to the implementation of the traffic measure. We aimed to identify mobility behaviours and underlying attitudes within the context of a 'hard' policy instrument, in order to obtain insight into the opportunities to more effectively define policy priorities that improve air quality and upscale climate mitigation. An exploratory cluster analysis identified four groups, characterised by mobility habits, their attitudes towards the measure, and general level of environmental concern. By identifying and understanding the differing attitudes and perceptions across population groups we are able to highlight group-specific barriers and opportunities, as well as potential transition pathways to encourage more sustainable transportation use. This study exemplifies how context can help to further shape mobility group typologies, identify policy-related priorities useful for decision-makers and assess the feasibility of policy instruments to facilitate a transformation towards more sustainable cities.

Description: Barbara Adam introduserer et tidsbillede-perspektiv, for å forene det som den industrielle levemåde har løsrevet fra hinanden; fænomener og deres kreative processer, teori og praksis, natur og kultur, handlinger i nuet og deres (u)tilsigtede indflydelse.

Description: The improvement of energy consumption efficiency represents a significant task and a critical step toward sustainable energy transformations. This study uses a data envelopment analysis (DEA) and spatial autocorrelation method to conduct comprehensive measurement and assessment research on the economic-environmental efficiency of energy consumption in 31 Chinese provinces. It then carries out a synthetic study on energy consumption efficiency in the context of temporal and spatial dimensions, analyzes the characteristics and patterns related to temporal and spatial evolution, and systematically summarizes the temporal and spatial evolution processes associated with China’s economic-environmental efficiency in energy consumption. The results show that economic efficiency and environmental efficiency, both directly related to energy consumption, are positively correlated and display a parallel and synchronizing relationship. China’s energy consumption efficiency displays an upward trend in general, although differences exist between economic efficiency and environmental efficiency about the growth rate and overall development level. In other words, economic efficiency is generally higher than environmental efficiency. A positive spatial correlation occurs between economic and environmental efficiency in energy consumption across all the Chinese provinces studied. Furthermore, some cluster characteristic can be identified. Accurately, the eastern coastal area of China with a higher efficiency represents a spatial cluster of high values, whereas the midwestern inland area of China with a lower efficiency represents a spatial cluster of low values. Therefore, a descending pattern is displayed from the east to the west. As time goes by, the extent of clustering could become more prominent, accompanied by an increasing spatial cluster of high values and a decreasing spatial cluster of low values. Accordingly, China needs to improve its energy consumption efficiency further and promote sustainable energy transformations.

Description: Lean-burn natural gas engines can be used to reduce exhaust emissions significantly. However, as the mixture is leaned out, the occurrence of extinction and incomplete combustion increases, resulting in poor performance and stability, as well as elevated levels of unburned hydrocarbon (UHC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions. The partially stratified charge (PSC) method can be used to mitigate these issues, while extending the lean misfire limit (LML) beyond its equivalent, homogeneous level. In this chapter, the PSC ignition and combustion processes are examined following a comprehensive experimental and numerical approach. Experiments are conducted in an idealized PSC configuration, using a constant volume combustion chamber (CVCC), to identify the principle enabling mechanisms of the PSC methodology. Engine tests conducted in a single-cylinder research engine (SCRE) demonstrate the feasibility of various PSC implementations in improving performance and emission characteristics in real-world settings. Complementary numerical analyses for the CVCC are obtained through large eddy simulations (LES), while Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) simulations are conducted for SCRE with reduced chemical kinetics. The corresponding simulated results provide additional insights in characterizing the effect of fuel stratification on flame kernel maturation and flame propagation, the interplay between chemistry and turbulence at different overall air–fuel ratios, as well as formation of major pollutant species.

Description: In a decarbonised future electricity system, Europe will rely on fluctuating renewable sources, such as solar PV and wind power, to a much larger extent than today. This means that Europe as a whole and each individual country on the continent must increase the availability of flexibilityoptionsin order to balance the grid. Such flexibility options include dispatchable renewable sources (e.g. concentrating solar power (CSP)with thermal storage), electricity storage, anddemand-response. We start from the notion that the future does not happen, but it is madeby a series of policy decisions between now and then. If this is true, then the electricity system of 2050 is determined by the sum of all policy decisions affecting the power system – the policy pathway – in all legislations in Europeuntil 2050. In this report, we take the first steps towards identifying the potential future role for dispatchable renewables – specifically CSP with thermal storage – as a function of policy decisions that either increase the need for power system flexibility (e.g. fluctuating renewables) or provide flexibility (e.g. storage, dispatchable renewables, flexible demand). We draw on the energy transition logics framework developed by Foxon and colleagues. This framework poses that the space of possible energy transition pathways is a triangle with three distinct policy logicsin its corners: a state-centred logic, in which the central government leads or carries out the transition; a market-centred logic, in which the government sets the framework but leaves all other decisions to market actors; and a grassroots-centred logic, in which the transition is carried out locally with the resources available to each community. Any transition strategy will consist, in some constellation, of policies from these corner. We investigate policy strategies in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and of the European Union as a whole. For each case, we define one dominant pathway, consisting of currently valid, implemented policies of the current (or newly resigned) government. In addition, we identify up to three minority pathwaysfor each case, describing the energy policy visions and strategies of parties that are currently in opposition but could form a government in the future. For each case, we identify pathways representing each of the three logics, bothin narrative formand as a set of 41 quantitative variables affecting the need for and provision of power system flexibility. This report is a primary data source for the power system modelling in the MUSTEC project. This modelling will happen in 2019 and 2020, and will bring detailed, quantitiave insights of how the potential role for dispatchable renewables is affected by energy policy decisions. However,from the data we have derivedhere, we can draw a number of conclusions. We show that all countries and the EU as a whole seek to strongly decarbonise their power systems, as a key part of economy-wide decarbonisation efforts. Some countries have plans that would suffice to fulfil the European (Union and national) commitments under the Paris Agreement: net-zero emissions, mainly or exclusively based on renewables. We also show that all countries seek to vastly expand intermittent renewables, which will trigger a greatly increased need for flexibility. However, this is not reflected in the policies we analysed: no pathway, dominant or minority, is specific on how they want to provide flexibility, especially not at the scale and pace needed. This problem will be exacerbated as the climate targets are tightened and fossil fuels – first coal and lignite (mainly in the 2020s) and later gas power (especially in the 2040s) – are phased out: once this happens, the European power system(s) will lose much of its current flexibility, and unlessother, carbon-free flexibility options are expanded, it will be increasingly difficult to maintain power system stability.

Description: This report explores what a just and fair transition looks like in the four country cases of Germany, Poland, South Africa and Indonesia. It aims to understand enablers and barriers to economic restructuring in the energy sector and identify and compare measures that ensure a just socio-economic transition for the workers and local communities involved. We include the power sector in the analysis due to the interdependency with coal in these regions, and the overall implications for the energy transition. In each country, one region was used to exemplify their pathway to a low carbon society. Germany: Lausitz – brown coal mining and power generation Poland: Silesia – black coal mining and power generation South Africa: Mpumalanga – black coal mining and power generation Indonesia: East Kalimantan – coal mining and power generation The study draws on qualitative research through desktop research of current literature, studies and government and other reports, including a brief media analysis of the most recent developments, supplemented with expert interviews.

Description: This document fulfils RECIPES delivery 2.1, the literature research for the multi-case study analysis, and covers the theoretical component of criteria for multi-case study analysis. Those criteria are presented in delivery 2.2 as the comparative multiple-case design, which is the methodological framework developed in task 2.2. Thus deliveries 2.1 and 2.2 are tightly linked, and should be taken together as the overall case study framework for WP2. The comparative multiple-case design contains the practical methodological framework required by each partner to execute the case study analysis for task 2.3. Delivery 2.3 explains the case study selection process which was undertaken to arrive at the eight cases studies to be carried out in WP2.

Description: This policy brief provides concrete proposals for measures that could be financed from the price of fossil fuel emissions in the areas of electricity, heating and mobility.

Description: Identification of atmospheric aerosol types and characterization of absorbing aerosols, based on AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) data collected during 2013-2014 over two sites in Nepal: Lumbini in the northernmost part of central Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) and Kathmandu Valley in foothills of the central Himalayas, have been conducted in the present study. The relationship between four aerosol parameters; Extinction Angstrom Exponent (EAE), Absorption Angstrom Exponent (AAE), Single Scattering Albedo (SSA) and Real Refractive Index (RRI) was analyzed to study the aerosol types. This resulted in the identification of two types of aerosols concerning their origin: biomass burning and urban/industrial mix. Furthermore, to understand the absorbing aerosol types, the relationship between aerosol size parameters; Fine Mode Fraction (FMF) and Angstrom Exponent (AE), and aerosol absorption characteristics; SSA and AAE were investigated. In regards to the absorbing aerosol types, 'Mostly BC' was the dominant absorbing aerosol, over both sites, with comparatively negligible contribution from other absorbing aerosol types such as dust. The aerosol subtypes obtained from satellite-borne CALMS instrument supported the results derived from the AERONET data. The CALIPSO images also indicated that the aerosols over the foothills of the Himalayas could extend to the height of 〉 5 km above the ground, which could be transported towards the Himalayan and Tibetan Plateau (HTP) region with sensitive ecosystems. The multi-sites based study of long-term records is required to elucidate the nature and trends of aerosols in the HTP region and any perturbation to the atmospheric environment and other environments in this region.

Description: Tropospheric ozone (O3) is an important air pollutant that affects human health, ecosystems, and climate. The contributions of O3 precursor emissions from different geographical source regions to the O3 concentration can help to quantify the effects of local versus remotely transported precursors on the O3 concentration in a certain area. This study presents a “tagging” approach within the WRF-Chem model that attributes O3 concentration in several European receptor regions to nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from within and outside of Europe during April–September 2010. We also examine the contribution of these different precursor sources to various O3 metrics and their exceedance events. Firstly, we show that the spatial distributions of simulated monthly mean MDA8 from tagged O3 source regions and types for late spring, summer, and early autumn 2010 varies with season. For summer conditions, O3 production is dominated by national and intra-European sources, while in the late spring and early autumn intercontinental transported O3 is an important contributor to the total O3 concentration. We have also identified shipping activities in the Mediterranean Sea as an important source of O3 for the Mediterranean countries, as well as the main contributor to high modelled MDA8 O3 concentration in the Mediterranean Basin itself. Secondly, to have a better understanding of the origin of MDA8 O3 exceedances, we compare modelled and observed values of MDA8 O3 concentration in the Po Valley and Germany–Benelux receptor regions, revealing that the contribution from local sources is about 41 % and 38 % of modelled MDA8 O3 during the exceedance days, respectively. By examining the relative contributions of remote NOx sources to modelled and observed O3 exceedance events, we determine that model underrepresentation of long-range O3 transport could be contributing to a general underestimation of modelled O3 exceedance events in the Germany–Benelux receptor region. Thirdly, we quantify the impact of local vs. non-local NOx precursors on O3 production for each European receptor region using different O3 metrics. The comparison between mean, MDA8 and 95th percentile O3 metrics accentuates the importance of large contributions from locally emitted NOx precursors to the high end of the O3 distribution. When we compare the vegetation and health metrics, we notice that the SOMO35 and AOT40 indexes exhibit rather similar behaviour, while the W126 index accentuates the importance of local emissions. Overall, this study highlights the importance of a tagging approach to quantify the contribution of local and remote sources to the MDA8 O3 concentration during several periods as well to different O3 metrics. Moreover, this method could be applied to assess different mitigation options.

Description: The call for a kind of education which can contribute to a sustainable future has resulted in the “education for sustainable development” (ESD) campaign. What is implied here is that a sustainable future can be achieved if people are properly educated. ESD ignores the current, popular perception that the future is non-shapeable and determined regarding sustainability issues; ESD presupposes a necessary understanding of a future that can be formed. The logic of standard education supports the perception of a future non-shapeable through the promotion of competencies designed for flexibility. Nevertheless both systems still conceive of education mainly as training, closing down the future. In this contribution, I argue that ESD needs to take current educational systems and today’s society with their non-sustainable future-building practices into account, because otherwise ESD would not make any difference to the educational and societal status quo. My main objective is to show that education must be thought of as something other than just training: considering education predominantly as subjectification holds the possibility for open and alternative futures. In this article, I discuss the potentials of this understanding (and the notion of an open future) for education with a view to sustainability. I explicitly address an interdisciplinary audience with the aim of raising awareness that education is more than training.

Description: Because solar and wind resources are available throughout Europe, a transition to an electricity system based on renewables could simultaneously be a transition to an autarkic one. We investigate to which extent electricity autarky on different levels is possible in Europe, from the continental, to the national, regional, and municipal levels, assuming that electricity autarky is only possible when the technical potential of renewable electricity exceeds local demand. We determine the technical potential of roof-mounted and open field photovoltaics, as well as on- and offshore wind turbines through an analysis of surface eligibility, considering land cover, settlements, elevation, and protected areas as determinants of eligibility for renewable electricity generation. In line with previous analyses we find that the technical-social potential of renewable electricity is greater than demand on the European and national levels. For subnational autarky, the situation is different: here, demand exceeds potential in several regions, an effect that is stronger the higher population density is. To reach electricity autarky below the national level, regions would need to use very large fractions or all of their non-built-up land for renewable electricity generation. Subnational autarky requires electricity generation to be in close proximity to demand and thus increases the pressure on non-built-up land especially in densely populated dense regions where pressure is already high. Our findings show that electricity autarky below the national level is often not possible in densely populated areas in Europe.

Description: The successful adoption and rapid entry into force of the Paris Agreement has been hailed as a milestone for global climate governance. However, mitigation and adaptation efforts pursued under the treaty are unlikely to prevent harm resulting from residual climate impacts. Even after Paris, loss and damage from adverse climate impacts continues to be a hotly debated issue in the climate negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The article assesses the progress made on loss and damage under the UNFCCC, including developments in the Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) and the Paris rulebook. It further considers approaches to address loss and damage outside the UNFCCC, including climate litigation and insurance, and assesses their potential to strengthen the work of the WIM. The article then charts possible future directions for the UNFCCC response to loss and damage and provides timely recommendations for the review of the WIM at COP 25.

Description: While most OECD countries have been rather successful in reducing risks to human lives, health, and the quality of the environment, the record for new global risks such as climate change, pandemics, financial breakdowns, and social inequality is much less convincing. This is the challenge of systemic risks. Since the global financial crisis, it has received rapidly growing attention. However, considerable conceptual confusion mars research on and practical responses to this challenge. We undertake an effort of conceptual clarification, starting with the paradigmatic example of the financial crisis. This leads to a view of global systems as involving an interplay between micro- and macrodynamics internal to the system, with the system simultaneously interacting with its environment. Such dynamics typically show periods of stability, punctuated by situations opening up several possible futures. Alternative global futures, like other prospects, constitute risks for an agent if she considers some of these futures as less desirable than others. Agents may have lexicographic preferences over futures they would like to avoid, so as to consider some futures as just undesirable, but others as catastrophic. If an agent expects some of the relevant futures at a bifurcation point of a global system to be catastrophic in this sense, they are faced with a systemic risk.

Description: The primary aim of the report – Ecological Baselines of the Southeast Atlantic and Southeast Pacific - Status of Marine Biodiversity and Anthropogenic Pressures in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction – is to provide decision makers with relevant and useful information on the current status of the marine environment in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ), both in the Southeast Pacific and the Southeast Atlantic, as well as highlight key pressures placed upon it by human activities. Such information is intended to support decision makers with improved understanding of the functioning and importance of ecological features of ABNJ and their contribution to global human wellbeing.

Description: Energy access is essential for economic and human development and is an important driver for the progress of India. Access to modern forms of energy, especially electricity, becomes even more important for the socio-economic development of rural areas (which lag behind urban areas in terms of infrastructure). “Full electrification” to achieve social and economic development goals (and SDGs) in India requires 24/7 electricity access for every household, family and local enterprise, even in rural communities. To achieve this goal, successive Indian governments have focussed on providing access by extending the centralised grid while still trying to incentivise the use of decentralised off-grid solutions through renewable energy sources such as solar and biomass. Although a considerable number of villages and households have gained access to the grid, the reliability and quality of power supply still remain a growing challenge for rural consumers. Mini grids have thus emerged as pivotal in providing ancillary services to the grid and improving the level of services to last-mile consumers. To this end, a number of private companies have emerged, setting up mini-grids in unconnected villages in order to bridge this electrification gap and drive economic development around rural clusters. Nonetheless, investment in renewable-powered minigrids in India still lags behind, partly because of a lack of replicable and sustainable models in the face of subsidised grid-electricity tariffs that make alternative solutions cost uncompetitive. This study assesses the viability of renewable-energypowered mini-grids to both drive and support economic growth in India from the perspective of augmenting the current electrification of rural areas. This is carried out in the context of the COBENEFITS project with the aim of assessing the range of additional benefits1 resulting from a low-carbon energy transition in India. For renewableenergy-powered mini-grids to thrive alongside the conventional grid in a sustainable manner, mini-grids will have to match the grid – in terms of cost-competitiveness, capacity and affordability – while remaining profitable and viable. The study employs a dual approach comprising a qualitative “on the ground” assessment of the social benefits in three rural communities in India, combined with a techno-economic analysis to determine the factors that affect the economies of scale of mini-grids (specifically solar-powered mini-grids) and their suitability for supporting socio-economic development in rural areas of India. This approach is chosen to ensure transferability of the case study findings obtained for rural India. Data and test variables used in this study are India-specific and are drawn from detailed stakeholder engagements, and are in alignment with local conditions (at the time of compiling this report). This study focuses strictly on solar-powered-mini-grids in India to represent the term “mini-grids” within the Indian context.

Description: The 2015 agreement setting forth the UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is an important achievement that poses complex and demanding challenges. To adequately address them, judgments must determine contextually and culturally appropriate balances between independently valuable, but often conflicting targets (Singh et al. 2018). Simultaneously, a global coherence across local and regional actions must be ensured, so that local efforts do not destructively interfere with each other, nor overstep limitations in the resources of the planet (Randers et al. 2018). The Global Sustainability Strategy Forum (GSSF) responds to the fact that, after some 40 years sustainability science has produced many insights, but has not really affected our collective behavior with respect to its impact on the environment. Generally, that is deemed to be the result of lack of communication between scientists and the outside world. But might it be that the present practice of science is in itself deficient in producing results that are useful to implement the changes called for? The Forum was established in 2018 with funding from the VW Foundation to identify and address sustainability challenges at the global to regional scales by bringing together, in week-long work-shops, renowned experts in sustainable development and thought leaders in business, government, and civil society from around the world. Under the patronage of Prof. Dr Rita Süssmuth, former President of the German Bundestag, the first Forum was coordinated by Solène Droy with assistance from Paul Skaloud. Moderated by Ilan Chabay (IASS), Sander van der Leeuw (Arizona State University), Ortwin Renn (IASS), 14 panelists convened in Potsdam (Germany) 4-8 March 2019. Eight main lessons emerged from in-depth discussions and reflections towards the end of the forum. They capture some of the main approaches deemed as necessary for science and society to counter patterns and trends of unsustainability and are outlined in this paper. The results were subsequently discussed at the Inland Department of the Office of the German Federal President, addressing fundamental challenges rarely discussed directly at such a high political level. Discussion ranged from tensions between the complexity of the issues and the urgency of the challenges, such as societal acceptance of change, and on the emerging role for compelling plausible visions to inspire and guide sustainability transformation. The expert panel will expand to include decision-makers from business, politics, and civil society to consider strategies for implementation within regional and sectoral contexts. The approach the GSSF develops draws upon indicators and other information to create evidence-informed expert judgments on strategies for implementation of socially just transitions toward sustainable futures at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Of course, the changes required include strengthening and expanding dialogues between scientists, policy makers, business, and civil society; unbiased consideration of diverse sources of knowledge; the substantial refocus of education in an effort to make the central ideas accessible across all ages and segments of society. But that is not enough – the focus of sustainability science itself must be changed to deal with the core issues regarding our current societies’ impact on the environment.

Description: Household energy consumption has been a major contributor to the increase in global energy demand and carbon emission, and the household sector has also become one of the most crucial factors shaping the management of developments towards sustainability. However, there is still a knowledge gap regarding the household energy consumption in China. Due to the vast territory and the differences among regional conditions, it is critical to conduct a systemic review to illustrate the overall situation as well as the detailed mechanisms of the household energy consumption in China. By employing both qualitative and quantitative methods, two key features of the household energy consumption in China are presented; one is regarding the total amount and the structure of the household energy consumption, and the second is the significant urban-rural gap. The driving forces are investigated from the perspective of external determinants and internal determinants, which consist of seven key factors; finally, the transition roadmap towards the sustainable energy system for the household level are presented based on the text analysis from the four key policy documents. Weaknesses in the current research on the energy geography of household level also exist, such as the lack of single factor research and the lack of integration and comprehensive analysis. Therefore, future studies need to strengthen the research of regional household energy consumption structure, spatial-temporal process, and its motivation mechanism, and sustainable development of energy, so as to explore space-social structure of household energy consumption and spatial-temporal interaction.

Description: This brochure presents the main findings of the second edition of the Social Sustainability Barometer for the German Energiewende. They are based on two internet-based, population-representative household surveys (forsa.omninet household panel), which were conducted in the summer of 2017 and 2018 in cooperation with the German Institute for Economic Research. Now in its second iteration, this brochure can for the first time track changes in attitudes to the Energiewende and its implementation since the publication of the first Barometer in 2017. The annual Social Sustainability Barometer for the German Energiewende is an empirical database intended to monitor developments in the social dimensions of sustainability in selected key areas as accurately as possible. How does the German population view the Energiewende and the current implementation process? What do they expect from a just Energiewende? To what extent do they feel affected by the Energiewende? And to what degree are they willing to participate in it?

Description: Organic atmospheric aerosols in the Hindu Kush–Himalayas–Tibetan Plateau region are still poorly characterized. To better understand the chemical characteristics and sources of organic aerosols in the foothill region of the central Himalaya, the atmospheric aerosol samples were collected in Bode, a suburban site of the Kathmandu Valley (KV) over a 1-year period from April 2013 to April 2014. Various molecular tracers from specific sources of primary organic aerosols (POAs) and secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) were determined. Tracer-based estimation methods were employed to apportion contributions from each source. The concentrations of organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) increased during winter with a maximum monthly average in January. Levoglucosan (a molecular tracer for biomass burning, BB) was observed as the dominant species among all the analyzed organic tracers and its annual average concentration was 788±685 ng m−3 (ranging from 58.8 to 3079 ng m−3). Isoprene-SOA (I-SOA) represented a high concentration among biogenic-SOA tracers. For the seasonality, anhydrosugars, phenolic compounds, resin acid, and aromatic SOA tracer showed similar seasonal variations with OC and EC while monosaccharides, sugar alcohols, and I-SOA tracers showed lower levels during winter. BB contributed a significant fraction to OC, averaging 24.9 %±10.4 % during the whole year, and up to 36.3 %±10.4 % in the post-monsoon season. On an annual average basis, anthropogenic toluene-derived secondary OC accounted for 8.8 % and biogenic secondary OC contributed 6.2 % to total OC. The annual contribution of fungal spores to OC was 3.2 % with a maximum during the monsoon season (5.9 %). For plant debris, it accounted for 1.4 % of OC during the monsoon. Therefore, OC is mainly associated with BB and other anthropogenic activity in the KV. Our findings are conducive to designing effective measures to mitigate the heavy air pollution and its impacts in the KV and surrounding area.

Description: Air pollution is a global challenge causing millions of premature deaths annually. This is limited not only to developing, but also developed nations, with cities in particular struggling to meet air quality limit values to adequately protect human health. Total exposure to air pollution is often disproportionately affected by the relatively short amount of time spent commuting or in the proximity of traffic. In this exploratory work, we conducted measurements of particle number concentrations using a DiscMini by bicycle. Eighteen tracks with accompanying video footage were analyzed and a suite of factors classified and quantified that influence exposure to air pollution. A method was developed to account for variations in the ambient average concentrations per trip that allowed for comparison across all tracks. Large differences in ultra-localized air pollution levels were identified and quantified for factors such as street type, environmental surroundings, and vehicle type. The occurrence of one or more non-passenger car vehicles, including e.g., buses, mopeds, or trucks, result in an increase in particulate concentrations of 30% to 40% relative to the average ambient level. High traffic situations, such as traffic jams or cars waiting at traffic lights, result in increased particulate concentrations (+47% and +35%, respectively). Cycling in residential neighborhoods decreased particulate number concentrations by 17% relative to the ambient average level, and by 22% when cycling through green spaces or parks. Such information is valuable for citizens who may want to reduce their air pollution exposure when moving through a city, but also for policy makers and urban planners who make or influence infrastructure decisions, to be able to reduce exposure and better protect human health, while progress is made to reduce air pollution levels overall.

Description: This report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) explores the prospects for renewables to enhance national economies and strengthen the SEE energy mix. It analyses the current energy landscape, the potential and costs for scaling up renewables, the policy frameworks and investments required, and the expected socio-economic impact of transforming the region's energy system.

Description: A major hurdle for implementing CCU technologies is often their economic viability as well as the social acceptance for using such technologies. Therefore, assessments regarding the economic and social impacts of CCU technologies are needed. Being among the biggest emitters of anthropogenic CO2, the cement industry requires affordable pathways towards a sustainable future. CCU technologies could potentially contribute to this direction. A technological concept developed in this field is the so called "accelerated carbonation" process. Hereby, CO2 is reacted with activated minerals to form carbonates. The carbonates could potentially be used for multiple purposes, such as fillers or cement additives or for land reclamation projects. Some policy advice reports use the accelerated carbonation process as a positive example for the utilization of CO2 as a feedstock, because unlike most other CCU concepts, the carbonation reaction is energetically favorable. Although the concept is not new, the accelerated carbonation routes lack detailed and comparable economic assessments in literature. In this contribution, economic assessments of several carbonation routes will be presented, uncovering the advantages of certain routes towards an economically viable implementation. Moreover, the evaluation of the circumstances under which these novel technologies become economically feasible as well as the analysis of key factors which can be influenced in order to promote economic feasibility will be investigated. Understanding the economics of accelerated carbonation routes is essential for their further development and deployment in the context of broader sustainability strategies.

Description: The data collection for this version of CSP guru has been conducted by Johan Lilliestam and Richard Thonig in the first half of 2019. It is based on the May 2018 version by Johan Lilliestam, Mercè Labordena, Lana Ollier and Stefan Pfenninger. The data reflects the situation of CSP projects and industry on January first of 2019.

Description: The paper provides an overview of an airborne measurement campaign with a microlight aircraft over the Pokhara Valley region, Nepal, a metropolitan region in the central Himalayan foothills. This is the first aerial measurement in the central Himalayan foothill region, one of the polluted but relatively poorly sampled regions of the world. Conducted in two phases (in May 2016 and December 2016–January 2017), the goal of the overall campaign was to quantify the vertical distribution of aerosols over a polluted mountain valley in the Himalayan foothills, as well as to investigate the extent of regional transport of emissions into the Himalayas. This paper summarizes results from the first phase where test flights were conducted in May 2016 (pre-monsoon), with the objective of demonstrating the potential of airborne measurements in the region using a portable instrument package (size with housing case: 0.45 m × 0.25 m × 0.25 m, 15 kg) onboard an ultralight aircraft (IKARUS-C42). A total of five sampling test flights were conducted (each lasting for 1–1.5 h) in the Pokhara Valley to characterize vertical profiles of aerosol properties such as aerosol number and size distribution (0.3–2 µm), total particle concentration (〉14 nm), aerosol absorption (370–950 nm), black carbon (BC), and meteorological variables. Although some interesting observations were made during the test flight, the study is limited to a few days (and only a few hours of flight in total) and thus the analysis presented may not represent the entire pollution–meteorology interaction found in the Pokhara Valley. The vertical profiles of aerosol species showed decreasing concentrations with altitude (815 to 4500 m a.s.l.); a steep concentration gradient below 2000 m a.s.l. in the morning; and mixed profiles (up to ca. 4000 m a.s.l.) in the afternoon. The near-surface (〈1000 m a.s.l.) BC concentrations observed in the Pokhara Valley were much lower than pre-monsoon BC concentrations in the Kathmandu Valley, and similar in range to Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) sites such as Kanpur in India. The sampling test flight also detected an elevated polluted aerosol layer (around 3000 m a.s.l.) over the Pokhara Valley, which could be associated with the regional transport. The total aerosol and black carbon concentration in the polluted layer was comparable with the near-surface values. The elevated polluted layer was also characterized by a high aerosol extinction coefficient (at 550 nm) and was identified as smoke and a polluted dust layer. The observed shift in the westerlies (at 20–30∘ N) entering Nepal during the test flight period could be an important factor for the presence of elevated polluted layers in the Pokhara Valley.

Description: On April 10th and 11th of 2019, a group of about 100 academics, industry experts, government officials, policymakers, and nonprofit representatives gathered at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to participate in a workshop focused on topics related to the creation of streamlined life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic assessment (TEA) guidelines for emerging carbon dioxide and monoxide (‘carbon’ in the following) capture and utilization (CCU) technologies. This report summarizes the key takeaways from this workshop. Carbon utilization differs from mere sequestration of carbon in geologic reservoirs as utilization yields a product with a level of economic value. This feature will ideally allow CCU technologies to be scaled quickly through commercialization. Scaling will make them an important component in the portfolio of tactics in the pursuit to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Utilization is also representative of a circular economy and, depending on the process, may offer additional environmental benefits. CCU technologies are generally early in development and often have low technology readiness levels (TRLs). Thus, customized LCA and TEA guidelines are needed to offer direction on assessing their viability with a reasonable degree of certainty. Such guidelines are of course still required for technologies at all TRLs. The Global CO2 Initiative has developed an initial version of LCA and TEA guidelines specifically for use in evaluating CCU technologies. The participants find the LCA guidelines consistent with those produced by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and the TEA guidelines consistent with those developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). However, they suggest additional work during the next few years as part of the “CO2nsistent” project – which is funded by the Global CO2 Initiative and EIT Climate-KIC – to create guidelines that will be more relevant to, and more comprehensible by, non-technical stakeholders than the existing guidelines while still fully addressing system boundaries and benchmark product comparison. This focus on clear communication of LCA and TEA results to audiences made up of non-technical stakeholders is of paramount importance, as these stakeholders are often involved in downstream decision-making processes about project investment.

Description: This paper investigates the interplay between the German incentive regulation and renewable capacity integration. A comprehensive review of the current incentive regulation scheme and its 2016 amendment is first presented. Then, results of ten representative interviews with large-scale distribution system operators are analyzed. Firstly, all necessary grid integration measures could so far be implemented. Secondly, creating proper incentives for intelligent operating equipment to partly substitute conventional grid expansion remains a challenge. Thirdly, the new curtailment regulation of 2016 is welcome, but will not become a substitute for grid expansion as long as renewable integration rates are high. Moreover, the discussions on further improvements to the incentive regulation scheme reveal a distribution conflict between grid operators and grid users.

Description: There are growing concerns of a globally uneven energy transition. Due to the uneven distribution of global technology and finance flows, developing countries have been particularly vocal about the importance of access to low-carbon technology as a precondition to sustainable development and the resolution of pressing energy access challenges.

Description: The objective of this work is to present a high-resolution, urban scale large-eddy simulation (LES) frameworkfor modelling dispersion and chemical transformation of nitrogen oxides (NOx=NO + NO2) from urban traffic. The control-volume based computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation platform OpenFOAM has been adopted for LES transport and reactional modelling. A rudimentary chemical kinetic mechanism for NOx and tropospheric ozone (O3) has been introduced as a non-limiting implementation. All urban structures are fully resolved in the solution domain, with dynamic grid refinement allowing local spatial resolutions to reach 10 m and below. A k-way Boolean operation and a reduced convolution Minkowski sum algorithm areused to automate the conversion of available geographical data, such as two-dimensional urban footprints and object heights, into three-dimensional geometrical entities. Said methodology is applied to urban regions in the City of Berlin of up to 2 km × 2km around active roadside air quality measurement stations from the BLUME(Berliner Luftgütemessnetz) network. Particular emphasis is placed on the period in July 2014, where emission observations from measurement campaign and WRF regional model simulations are available.

Description: Presenting a profound and far-reaching analysis of economic, ecological, social, cultural and political developments of contemporary capitalism, this book draws on the work of Karl Polanyi, and re-reads it for our times. The renowned authors offer key insights to current changes in the relations between the economy, politics and society, and their ecological and social effects. They explore the commodification of land, labour, money, care and knowledge, and analyse labour and social movements, right-wing populism and religious fundamentalism. Bringing together insights from different parts of the world and from historical, theoretical and empirical research, the book sheds light on important facets of the crisis-driven transformation of contemporary capitalism. Social and political science scholars will greatly benefit from this timely analysis of contemporary capitalism. Those researching economic history and the impact of Polanyi’s work on the analysis of the modern society will also find this a useful read.

Description: This study examines how increased deployment of renewable energy in Turkey can provide co-benefits for job creation and meeting future skills requirements. The research is carried out in the context of the COBENEFITS project, which assesses a range of additional co-benefits of renewable energy in developing countries, besides reducing energy sector greenhouse gas emissions, when compared to conventional energy systems. The study also provides initial insights on the estimated occupational distribution, thus predicting the changes and employment opportunities available to Turkey in its solar and wind sectors. The study methodology focused firstly on defining value chains for the solar and wind energy sectors in Turkey. This was done using licence and pre-licence information from the Energy Market Regulatory Authority and a unique administrative micro dataset (EIS) that includes all registered firms in Turkey and their employees registered with the Social Security Institution (SGK). Secondly, coefficients for the current ratio of employment per megawatt (MW) in the solar and wind sectors were calculated. Finally, projections of employment increases and skills requirements were estimated according to four scenarios for increased renewable energy (RE) capacity. The results show that increased employment is possible through renewables.

Description: Reducing CO2 emissions through a shift from coal to natural gas power plants is a key strategy to support pathways for climate stabilization. However, methane leakage in the natural gas supply chain and emissions of a variety of climate forcers call the net benefits of this transition into question. Here, we integrated a life cycle inventory model with multiple global and regional emission metrics and investigated the impacts of representative coal and gas power plants in China, Germany, India and the United States. We found that the coal-to-gas shift is consistent with climate stabilization objectives for the next 50-100 years. Our finding is robust under a range of leakage rates and uncertainties in emissions data and metrics. It becomes conditional to the leakage rate in some locations only if we employ a set of metrics that essentially focus on short-term effects. Our case for the coal-to-gas shift is stronger than previously found, reinforcing the support for coal phase-out.

Description: Marine justice proves narratively infertile when it comes to the deep sea. An idea of how to successfully bundle global justice and earth system protection––the central global sustainability formula––into narratives is especially hard to come up with in the case of the remote ocean floor. The case is not as special as it seems though. Rather it exemplifies general challenges experienced by sustainability (i.e., global and intergenerational justice) narratives with regard to: (1) The per definition ‘localist’ character of successful story-telling, (2) Their inherent value tension between innovation and conservation (3) The anthropocentric nature of any conventional narrative dynamics (Ghosh, 2016).

Description: Cyclic volatile methyl siloxanes (cVMS) are high-production chemicals present in many personal care products. They are volatile, hydrophobic, and relatively long-lived due to slow oxidation kinetics. Evidence from chamber and ambient studies indicates that oxidation products may be found in the condensed aerosol phase. In this work, we use an oxidation flow reactor to produce ∼100 µg m−3 of organosilicon aerosol from OH oxidation of decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) with aerosol mass fractions (i.e., yields) of 0.2–0.5. The aerosols were assessed for concentration, size distribution, morphology, sensitivity to seed aerosol, hygroscopicity, volatility and chemical composition through a combination of aerosol size distribution measurement, tandem differential mobility analysis, and electron microscopy. Similar aerosols were produced when vapor from solid antiperspirant was used as the reaction precursor. Aerosol yield was sensitive to chamber OH and to seed aerosol, suggesting sensitivity of lower-volatility species and recovered yields to oxidation conditions and chamber operation. The D5 oxidation aerosol products were relatively non-hygroscopic, with an average hygroscopicity kappa of ∼0.01, and nearly non-volatile up to 190 ∘C temperature. Parameters for exploratory treatment as a semi-volatile organic aerosol in atmospheric models are provided.

Description: Human populations have relied on the oceans for centuries for food supply, transportation, security, oil and gas resources, and many other reasons. The growing prospects of the oceans, such as access to marine genetic resources and seabed minerals, to generate renewable energy and as a potentially enhanced carbon sink, are contributing to increased interests to control and exploit the seas. At the same time, human pressure on the oceans, both from land- and atmospheric-based sources and at sea, as well as from climate change, has led to unprecedented levels of stress on the oceans. The concept of ocean governance has developed as a response to this. This chapter explores ocean governance from the interdisciplinary perspectives of law and human geography. We trace the development of ocean governance from first practices and legal concepts up to the emergence of contemporary ocean governance in recent decades and explore how it departs from traditional practices. Zonal and sectoral approaches, as well as their underlying norms, are discussed. We then take a more critical stance to shed light on the role neoliberalism plays in the forming of ocean governance and the effects this paradigm can have on governance outcomes. The cases of fisheries management and ocean grabbing illustrate some possible mechanisms and effects. In addition, the role of communities and indigenous people in ocean governance is discussed. Finally, the chapter addresses the shared or common concern surrounding the degradation of the marine environment, and the need for global and interdisciplinary cooperation in governing the oceans for mutual benefit.

Description: The relationship between many G20 governments and civil society organizations (CSOs) has become more complex and often contested. This policy brief first focuses on three key problems indicative of this strained relationship: the shrinking domestic and international space for civil society activities; the widespread policy neglect of civil society; and the emergence of new regulatory voids. In essence, governments, international agencies and CSOs have to find more optimal modes of engagement at national and international levels. Next, as an initial step to explore ways and means for improving the relationship between civil society and G20 governments, the brief proposes the establishment of an international task force of independent experts.

Description: With the emergence in the 1960s of international interest in the exploitation of deep-sea mineral resources, a majority of the actors involved at the time quickly established a position strongly oriented towards global justice with regard to the distribution of possible profits from this novel activity. The idea that people in the developing countries of the global South, in particular, should benefit from the treasures from the ocean floor finally found its way into the International Convention on the Law of the Sea in the form of the "Common Heritage of Mankind" principle. Current discussions on the subject of deep-sea mining (DSM) also point to areas of conflict which, at least in theory, are closely linked to central issues of environmental justice. Negotiations currently underway at the International Seabed Authority on the regulation of DSM, for example, are being held on both the fair distribution of costs and risks and the fair access to and distribution of possible profits from mining. In this context, questions of procedural justice also arise time and again. Our paper examines the question to what extent and in what way debates on justice and other value references find their way into broader public discourse on DSM. On the basis of a content analysis of documents from the fields of media, business, civil society, science and politics, we draw a picture of dominant discursive positions and their narrative structures. Working with Greimas's actantial model and Burke's dramatistic pentad, we pay particular attention to value references through acts and goals described in the narratives, i.e., the qualities and motives assigned to protagonists and their actions. As a result, we find that the discussion on global justice, which was originally so central in the DSM discourse, hardly plays a noteworthy role today. Instead, both supporters and opponents of technical exploitation of the deep sea are far more likely to find references to various motives for protection. The respective stories can be read as "narratives of fear." We discuss possible reasons that inhibit a global justice framing for DSM. We also discuss to what extent our observations apply to this singular case only and to what extent they share fundamental features with other realms where it is difficult to create effective narratives that link global sustainability scenarios with justice.

Description: Human and contextual factors are crucial in achieving universal access to appropriate, affordable and effective clean cooking energy services.

Description: The emerging climate engineering (CE) debate will be fed by scientific information–and likely by misinformation as well. The first intense, international studies of any type of CE began in the early 1990s with ocean iron fertilisation, a method associated with the carbon dioxide removal branch of CE techniques. The ocean fertilisation experiments and analyses led to discussions by scientists and stakeholders about not only the environmental advantages and disadvantages but also political and ethical concerns. While a major part of the future evolution of CE research will extend on some of the trajectories outlined above, especially the expansion of community-wide multi-model studies, a highly uncertain direction of development involves future field testing of CE. Many CE studies have already been published in the separate disciplines, with only a few interdisciplinary studies so far, and even less trans-disciplinary work.

Description: EU regulations explicitly preclude recirculation aquaculture systems (RAS) for aquaculture grow-out from organic certification because they are not close enough to nature (Regulation (EEC) No. 710/2009). Meanwhile, according to another EU regulation, one criterion for organic food production is its contribution to sustainable development (Regulation (EEC) No. 834/2007). Against this background, one might argue that in spite of their distance to nature RAS are innovative solutions to sustainability issues in food production. The paper will deal with the claim that RAS for aquaculture could be one innovative solution to sustainability issues. In this respect, the picture is ambivalent. In the past, the organic movement (OM) has searched for innovative alternatives to industrial forms of agriculture and food production that are non-sustainable. Hence, the majority of the OM does not feel fit to support industrial RAS, even though one might argue that these systems comply with many of the European OM’s founding principles. While there are potential positive effects for a sustainable development, we might still regard these systems as techno-scientific solutions to social problems. This paper discusses innovation narratives related to RAS from the perspective of post-normal innovation critique. It first presents potential contribution to a more sustainable food sector. It then contrasts these arguments within critical assessments of innovation narratives for sustainable development. Finally, the paper concludes by discussing moral challenges of RAS for the OM’s self-conception.

Description: The building sector is in urgent need of sustainable concepts, being among the biggest emitters of CO2. In particular, the global cement industry is responsible for 8% of the annual anthropogenic CO2 emissions. The carbonation of minerals with CO2 has attracted interest in research, industry as well as the interest of policy-makers as a promising CCU technology because it could provide a contribution to reducing the carbon footprint of the cement industry. In the mineralisation process, CO2 is reacted with selected minerals or certain types of industrial wastes to form a solid carbonate, resulting in an effectively permanent means of sequestering CO2. This process can be carried out along multiple steps of the value chain and can lead to saleable products for the building industry, such as cementitious products, building aggregates and concrete ("concrete curing"). In order to better understand why - despite technological feasibility - only a few technologies have reached the commercialisation stage yet, political framework conditions that have an impact on CO2 mineralisation are identified in this contribution. The goal of this contribution is to identify policies and measures, by means of a meta-analysis of recent national, European and US policy reports, which potentially represent barriers respectively incentives for the development and deployment of CO2 mineralisation technologies.

Description: Climate engineering is a novel enterprise embedded in the complex and dynamic landscape of natural and human systems. This encompasses the entirety of the biosphere and climate system, and an evolving spectrum of states, organisations, and communities, with all of their constituent values, agendas, actions, and effects. Insight into the risks and uncertainties most relevant to decision-making in climate engineering could be gained from observing events that have not happened yet. Game theory and economic modelling, in gauging future strategic actions in climate engineering, assume that actors act upon probabilistic calculations of self-interest. This chapter discusses a pair of scenario-based foresight projects in climate engineering, in order to demonstrate some aspects of foresight in action. In terms of designing policy-oriented outputs, the earlier Yale workshop was designed to be a standalone exercise that hoped to serve as a pilot project for the use of foresight amongst academics and policymakers in climate engineering.