ALBERT

Description: This paper describes the motivation for the creation of the Vulnerability, Impacts, Adaptation and Climate Services (VIACS) Advisory Board for the Sixth Phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6), its initial activities, and its plans to serve as a bridge between climate change applications experts and climate modelers. The climate change application community comprises researchers and other specialists who use climate information (alongside socioeconomic and other environmental information) to analyze vulnerability, impacts, and adaptation of natural systems and society in relation to past, ongoing, and projected future climate change. Much of this activity is directed toward the co-development of information needed by decision-makers for managing projected risks. CMIP6 provides a unique opportunity to facilitate a two-way dialog between climate modelers and VIACS experts who are looking to apply CMIP6 results for a wide array of research and climate services objectives. The VIACS Advisory Board convenes leaders of major impact sectors, international programs, and climate services to solicit community feedback that increases the applications relevance of the CMIP6-Endorsed Model Intercomparison Projects (MIPs). As an illustration of its potential, the VIACS community provided CMIP6 leadership with a list of prioritized climate model variables and MIP experiments of the greatest interest to the climate model applications community, indicating the applicability and societal relevance of climate model simulation outputs. The VIACS Advisory Board also recommended an impacts version of Obs4MIPs and indicated user needs for the gridding and processing of model output.

Description: Der Text beruht auf unserem 2016 erschienenen Buch „Die Konsultative. Mehr Demokratie durch Bürgerbeteiligung“ (Berlin: Wagenbach Verlag). Dort wird das Konzept detailliert ausgeführt und belegt, weswegen wir hier auf Zitate und Bibliographie verzichten.

Description: Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a fundamental component of all life on Earth. Due to the considerable increase in emissions, particularly industrial emissions, CO2has, however, become a waste product and greenhouse gas damaging to the climate and, consequently, a threat to both humanity and nature. For almost 50years, chemical research has been pursuing the idea of making the CO2 molecule useful as a raw material(Aresta and Dibenedetto 2010). Within the context of the oil crises of the 1970s, and contingent on the currentneed for climate protection, there has been a rise in global interest in the research and development oftechnologies which could make CO2 useful as a source of carbon. Several regions in Europe, but also in North America and Asia have started sponsorship programmes to support the development of such technologies (BMBF 2014, Climate-KIC 2014, U.S. Department of Energy [DOE] n.d.).The goal of these efforts is to integrate this climatedamaging gas in extremely diverse industrial productionprocesses as a raw material. The use of CO2 would not only allow for the production of useful raw materials and products, such technologies could alsoemulate a natural carbon cycle (Peters et al. 2011). At the same time, they have the potential to reduce the consumption of other fossil resources and, in so doing, they might not only contribute to the extension of the resource base, but also reduce missionswhilst providing protection for natural resources (von der Assen et al. 2013). Technological breakthroughs and advancements are currently observedin carbon capture technologies in the catalysis and transformation of CO2 (Aresta 2010, Mikkelsen et al. 2010, Peters et al. 2011, Styring et al. 2011, Wilcox 2012, Smit et al. 2014, Klankermayer and Leitner 2015), and the first innovative CO2-based productsare already coming onto the markets.

Description: Under its special initiative “One World, No Hunger” (SEWOH), the GermanFederal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is prioritizingefforts to deliver food security and enhance the management of naturalresources. The protection and rehabilitation of agricultural land managed bysmallholder farmers are central to this dual agenda and form the objectives ofa GIZ programme implemented in five countries. Seeking to explore new formsof development cooperation, SEWOH mandated the Global Soil Forum (GSF)to accompany the work of the GIZ through transdisciplinary research. Theaccompanying research project focuses on the socio-economic and culturalfactors that constrain the uptake of sustainable land management (SLM) techniquesby smallholder farmers. The GSF’s approach stresses co-developmentand the pursuit of research themes with local partners, including researchers,policymakers, actors of development cooperation, civil society organisations,and farmers.

Description: Kohlenstoffdioxid (CO2) ist ein Grundbaustein allen Lebens auf der Erde. Mittlerweile ist CO2 jedochdurch den starken Anstieg vor allem industrieller Emissionen als klimaschädlicher Abfall und Treibhausgas zu einer Bedrohung für Menschheit und Natur geworden. Bereits seit fast 50 Jahren verfolgt die chemische Forschung die Idee, das Molekül CO2 als Rohstoff nutzbar zu machen (Aresta & Dibenedetto 2010). Im Kontext der Ölkrisen in den 1970er-Jahren und bedingt durch die Erfordernisse des aktuellen Klimaschutzes stieg weltweit das Interesse an der Erforschung und Entwicklung von Technologien, die CO2 als Kohlenstoffquelle nutzen könnten.Etliche Regionen in Europa, aber auch in Nordamerika und Asien haben Förderprogramme ins Leben gerufen, die solche Technologieentwicklungen unterstützen (BMBF 2013, Climate-KIC 2014, US DOE o. D.-b).Das Ziel dieser Bemühungen ist es, das klimaschädliche Gas als Rohstoff in ganz unterschiedliche industrielleProduktionsprozesse einzubinden. Hiermit könnten mithilfe von CO2 nicht nur nützliche Grundstoffe und Produkte hergestellt werden. Vielmehr imitieren diese Technologien auch einen natürlichen Kohlenstoffkreislauf (Peters et al. 2011). Gleichzeitighaben sie das Potenzial, den Verbrauch anderer fossiler Ressourcen zu verringern und somit möglicherweisenicht nur zur Erweiterung der Rohstoffbasis, sondern auch zur Schonung natürlicher Ressourcenund zur Emissionsverminderung beizutragen (von der Assen, Jung & Bardow 2013). Technologische Durchbrüche und Fortschritte sind derzeit sowohl in den Abscheidungstechnologien als auch in der Katalyse und Umwandlung von CO2 zu beobachten (Aresta 2010, Klankermayer & Leitner 2015, Mikkelsen, Jorgensen& Krebs 2010, Peters et al. 2011, Smit, Park & Gadikota 2014, Styring et al. 2011, Wilcox 2012). Erste neuartige CO2-basierte Produkte erreichen aktuelldie Märkte.

Description: The second session on integrated ocean management was kicked-off by Sebastian Unger (IASS Potsdam). In his keynote presentation he highlighted the great political moment for moving towards integrated ocean governance, which could be even further advanced through (a) innovating instruments, (b) complementary strategies at national, regional and global scale, and (c) capacity-building and sustainable finance. In particular, he argued that the regional level could act as a broker for integration, as there are well-established institutions at regional level, where agreement can be reached more easily than at global level and which allows for a meaningful implementation of the ecosystem approach. In the discussion moderation by Management Board member Gert Verreet, discussants pointed out that in Europe, many of the institutions (e.g. at sea-basin level), instruments (e.g. Marine Spatial Planning) and commitment to integrated ocean management were already in place; however, a better implementation was necessary.

Description: Various geoengineering technologies that would deliberately alter the climate system have been proposed as a way to alleviate risks of global warming. Technologies that would shield incoming sunlight to cool the planet, so called solar radiation management (SRM), are particularly controversial. Considering insights from social studies of simulation modeling and research on expectations in science and technology, I argue that climate modeling has a central role in producing visions of SRM. I draw upon an empirical analysis of scientific research on SRM to examine how a creative play with technological ideas becomes possible through climate modeling. This enables scientists to project and study environmental impacts of speculative SRM methods in virtual experiments and to develop and refine ideas for adjusting sunlight. Hence, while climate models are used to improve scientific understandings of climate system behavior and to anticipate possible environmental impacts of SRM, they also become inventive tools, allowing scientists to envision novel ways of climate control and optimization. Given the importance of simulation studies to knowledge production on SRM, I critically reflect on the challenges that arise when visions about an engineered climate future are first and foremost produced in climate simulations.

Description: Surface ozone is a secondary air pollutant produced during the atmospheric photochemical degradation of emitted volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the presence of sunlight and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Temperature directly influences ozone production through speeding up the rates of chemical reactions and increasing the emissions of VOCs, such as isoprene, from vegetation. In this study, we used an idealised box model with different chemical mechanisms (Master Chemical Mechanism, MCMv3.2; Common Representative Intermediates, CRIv2; Model for OZone and Related Chemical Tracers, MOZART-4; Regional Acid Deposition Model, RADM2; Carbon Bond Mechanism, CB05) to examine the non-linear relationship between ozone, NOx and temperature, and we compared this to previous observational studies. Under high-NOx conditions, an increase in ozone from 20 to 40 °C of up to 20 ppbv was due to faster reaction rates, while increased isoprene emissions added up to a further 11 ppbv of ozone. The largest inter-mechanism differences were obtained at high temperatures and high-NOx emissions. CB05 and RADM2 simulated more NOx-sensitive chemistry than MCMv3.2, CRIv2 and MOZART-4, which could lead to different mitigation strategies being proposed depending on the chemical mechanism. The increased oxidation rate of emitted VOC with temperature controlled the rate of Ox production; the net influence of peroxy nitrates increased net Ox production per molecule of emitted VOC oxidised. The rate of increase in ozone mixing ratios with temperature from our box model simulations was about half the rate of increase in ozone with temperature observed over central Europe or simulated by a regional chemistry transport model. Modifying the box model set-up to approximate stagnant meteorological conditions increased the rate of increase of ozone with temperature as the accumulation of oxidants enhanced ozone production through the increased production of peroxy radicals from the secondary degradation of emitted VOCs. The box model simulations approximating stagnant conditions and the maximal ozone production chemical regime reproduced the 2 ppbv increase in ozone per degree Celsius from the observational and regional model data over central Europe. The simulated ozone–temperature relationship was more sensitive to mixing than the choice of chemical mechanism. Our analysis suggests that reductions in NOx emissions would be required to offset the additional ozone production due to an increase in temperature in the future.

Description: Known as "the Third Pole" (TP), the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding mountains hold the largest aggregate of glaciers outside the pole regions. Recent monitoring and projection indicated an accelerated glacier decline and increasing glacier runoff. The long-range transport of South Asian atmospheric pollutants, including light absorbing impurities (LAIs) such as black carbon (BC) and mineral dust (MD), can absorb the solar radiation in the atmosphere and reduce albedo after being deposited onto the cryosphere, thereby promoting glacier and snow melt. A coordinated atmospheric pollution monitoring network has been launched covering the TP with emphasis on trans-Himalayan transects since 2013. TSP were collected for 24h at an interval of 3-6 days. BC/OC, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals were measured. Results reveal a consistent decrease in almost all analyzed parameters from south to north across the Himalayas. Geochemical signatures of carbonaceous aerosols indicate dominant sources of biomass burning and vehicle exhaust, in line with results of PAHs. Integrated analysis of satellite images and air mass trajectories suggest that the trans-boundary air pollution occurred episodically and concentrated in pre-monsoon seasons via upper air circulation, through-valley wind, and local convection. Simulation results showed that carbonaceous aerosols produced positive/negative shortwave radiative forcing in the atmosphere/ground surface. Aerosols increased surface air temperatures by 0.1-0.5℃ over the TP and decreased temperatures in South Asia during the monsoon season. Surface snow/ice samples were collected from benchmark glaciers to estimate the impacts of LAIs on glacier melt with model assistance. BC (37%) and MD (32%) contribute to the summer melting of Laohugou Glacier in the northern TP. MD (38%) contributed more glacier melt than BC (11%) on Zhadang Glacier in the southern TP. In the southeastern TP, BC and MD contribute to 30% of the total glacier melt, up to 350 mm w.e. yr-1. The monitoring network and ongoing studies point to trans-boundary pollution as an increasing stressor for the TP environment, and highlighted the link between atmospheric pollution and cryospheric changes as well as other surface ecosystems over high mountain regions.

Description: Im internationalen Umfeld werden Ausschreibungen zunehmend als Förderinstrument für erneuerbare Energiengenutzt. In dieser Fallstudie analysieren wir die brasilianischen Erfahrungen mit Ausschreibungen fürWindenergie im Zeitraum von 2009 bis 2015 hinsichtlich der Entwicklung der Auktionspreise, der Realisierungsratenund der Marktkonzentration. Methodisch liegen der Fallstudie eigene Daten- und Literaturanalysensowie Experteninterviews zugrunde.Die inflationsbereinigten Auktionspreise sind bis Ende 2012 um fast 50 % zurückgegangen und anschließendwieder auf fast 90 % des Preises der ersten Runde angestiegen. Die Preisrückgänge sind auf die zunehmendeErfahrung der Akteure und den steigenden Wettbewerb bei Projektierern, Investoren und Turbinenherstellernzurückzuführen. Beim Preisanstieg haben sowohl regulatorische Änderungen, beispielsweise eine Modifikationder Netzanschlussbedingungen, als auch externe Faktoren, zum Beispiel der Wertverlust des BrasilianischenReal gegenüber dem US-Dollar, eine Rolle gespielt.Nur 14 % der Windprojekte aus den ersten acht Ausschreibungsrunden sind fristgerecht realisiert worden.Als Ursachen werden ein verspäteter Netzanschluss, Verzögerungen bei Umweltverträglichkeitsprüfungen,Lieferengpässe bei Windenergieanlagen, die Insolvenz des Windturbinenherstellers IMPSA, verspätete Finanzierungszusagendurch die Brasilianische Entwicklungsbank BNDES und schlechtes Projektmanagement genannt.Die Anzahl der Projektabbrüche ist jedoch bis dato gering, sodass eine finale Realisierungsrate zwischen89 % und 98 % wahrscheinlich ist.Die Anzahl der Eigentümer von Windenergieprojekten ist von 16 auf 49 Akteure gestiegen. Der Marktanteil dergrößten fünf Eigentümer ist von knapp 60 % auf 37 % zurückgegangen. Das Verhältnis von präqualifizierter zubezuschlagter Leistung lag stets über fünf und der Herfindahl-Index deutet auf einen unkonzentrierten Markthin. Daraus lässt sich ableiten, dass ausreichend Wettbewerb für eine freie Preisbildung im Markt besteht. Beiden Eigentümern handelt es sich im Wesentlichen um große, finanzstarke Projektierer, Energieversorger oderInvestmentgesellschaften.Schlussfolgerungen aus den beschriebenen Erfahrungen:1. Die Auktionspreise sind stark von Faktoren außerhalb des Förderinstruments Ausschreibungen abhängig.2. Die Auktionspreise können trotz starken Wettbewerbs steigen.3. Viele externe Faktoren können die fristgerechte Realisierung der Projekte verhindern.4. Die Realisierungsdauer der bezuschlagten Projekte kann durch das Ausschreibungsdesign beeinflusst werden.5. Das Ausmaß von Projektabbrüchen in Brasilien wurde bisher überschätzt.6. Es herrscht ausreichend Wettbewerb für eine freie Preisbildung am brasilianischen Windenergiemarkt.7. Der brasilianische Windenergiemarkt besteht weitgehend aus großen, finanzstarken Akteuren.

Description: Zentrale Bestandteile des Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetzes (EEG) sind der gesicherte Zugang zu Vergütungszahlungensowie die administrative Bestimmung der Vergütungssätze und ihrer Abnahmeraten1. Die Bundesregierungtreibt nun im Rahmen der EEG-Novelle 2016 den Umstieg auf Vergütungen, deren Allokation undHöhe in Ausschreibungen ermittelt werden, voran. International gibt es bereits Erfahrungen mit Ausschreibungenzum Ausbau erneuerbarer Energien. Ausschreibungen wurden Anfang 2015 in mindestens 60 Ländernals Instrument zur Förderung des Ausbaus erneuerbarer Energien eingesetzt. Aktuelle Analysen der Ausschreibungsergebnissesind jedoch rar. Ziel dieser Studie ist es, einen aktuellen Vergleich zentraler Ausschreibungsergebnissein Brasilien, Frankreich, Italien und Südafrika vorzulegen und die beobachteten Entwicklungen undderen Ursachen qualitativ zu diskutieren. Zu diesem Zweck werden bestehende Indikatoren zur Bewertung derinternationalen Erfahrungen mit dem Förderinstrument Ausschreibungen aktualisiert und neue Indikatoreneingeführt. Darüber hinaus werden die Ursachen für den Verlauf der Indikatoren qualitativ untersucht. Eineumfassende und quantitative Analyse der Indikatorenentwicklung mit Bezug zum Auktionsdesign übersteigtden Umfang dieser Studie.Die Studie fokussiert sich auf vier Indikatoren:1. Realisierungsraten,2. Marktkonzentration,3. Marktteilnahme kleiner Akteure2 und4. Auktionspreise.Mithilfe der Realisierungsrate kann ermittelt werden, ob das Auktionsdesign und andere Einflussfaktoren dieUmsetzung der geplanten Ausbaugeschwindigkeit ermöglichen. Die Marktkonzentration ist relevant, um zubeurteilen, ob der Wettbewerb zwischen den Bietern funktioniert. Die Marktteilnahme kleiner Akteure zeigtdas Ausmaß der wirtschaftlichen Beteiligung kleiner Akteure am Ausbau erneuerbarer Energien an. Vor allemin Deutschland ist ein signifikanter Anteil von Erneuerbare-Energien-Anlagen im Besitz kleiner Akteure undder Erhalt dieser Akteursvielfalt ist ein politisches Ziel. Die Auktionspreise werden häufig – insbesondere vonpolitischen Akteuren – als Indikator für die Förderkosten des Ausbaus erneuerbarer Energien verwendet. DieIndikatoren werden für Brasilien, Frankreich, Italien und Südafrika in ihrer zeitlichen Entwicklung analysiertund verglichen.

Description: In Marokko entsteht das größte Solarkraftwerk der Welt. Die Leute vor Ort finden das gut.

Description: Four regional chemistry transport models were applied to simulate the concentration and composition of particulate matter (PM) in Europe for 2005 with horizontal resolution  ∼  20 km. The modelled concentrations were compared with the measurements of PM chemical composition by the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) monitoring network. All models systematically underestimated PM10 and PM2.5 by 10–60 %, depending on the model and the season of the year, when the calculated dry PM mass was compared with the measurements. The average water content at laboratory conditions was estimated between 5 and 20 % for PM2.5 and between 10 and 25 % for PM10. For majority of the PM chemical components, the relative underestimation was smaller than it was for total PM, exceptions being the carbonaceous particles and mineral dust. Some species, such as sea salt and NO3−, were overpredicted by the models. There were notable differences between the models' predictions of the seasonal variations of PM, mainly attributable to different treatments or omission of some source categories and aerosol processes. Benzo(a)pyrene concentrations were overestimated by all the models over the whole year. The study stresses the importance of improving the models' skill in simulating mineral dust and carbonaceous compounds, necessity for high-quality emissions from wildland fires, as well as the need for an explicit consideration of aerosol water content in model–measurement comparison.

Description: The Academic Working Group (AWG) on International Governance of Climate Engineering is aninternational group of senior academics who have been assembled to formulate perspectives on theinternational governance of climate engineering research and potential deployment, with a focus on proposedsolar radiation management (SRM) technologies. The AWG was convened by the Forum for ClimateEngineering Assessment.The group has been tasked with:1. Assessing the existing SRM governance conversation;2. Identifying key debates and open questions;3. Providing a fresh, authoritative analysis of governance pathways; and4. Producing crisp, policy-relevant governance recommendations.The first meeting of the AWG took place March 6-9, 2016 at the School of International Service, AmericanUniversity in Washington, DC and was focused on providing the working group members with a high-levelintroduction to the SRM conversation. More details about the meeting can be found here.The second meeting of the AWG took place September 22-24, 2016 at the Pocantico Meeting Center of theRockefeller Brothers Fund in Tarrytown, New York. As is the case with all materials resulting from meetingsheld at The Pocantico Center, the views expressed in this report are not necessarily those of the RockefellerBrothers Fund, its trustees, or its staff.The meeting was principally concerned with finalizing the organization and crafting of the high-level contentof the working group’s joint report. The following report details the main points of discussion at the secondAWG meeting. It then outlines the main outcomes from the event and indicates the groups’ next steps.

Description: Today, most of the commercial risk radars only have the function to show risks, as same as a set of risk matrixes. In this paper, we develop the Internet of intelligences (IOI) to drive a risk radar monitoring dynamic risks for emergency management in community. An IOI scans risks in a community by 4 stages: collecting information and experience about risks; evaluating risk incidents; verifying; and showing risks. Employing the information diffusion method, we optimized to deal with the effective information for calculating risk value. Also, a specific case demonstrates the reliability and practicability of risk radar.

Description: Turkey’s energy policy focuses on the promotion of coal and nuclear power. Althoughsustainable energy legislation is in place and respective targets have been defined,implementation is lagging behind and sustainable energy takes a back seat in thecountry’s political debate. Internationally, Turkey is concerned with regional (energy)geopolitics much more than with sustainability. In G20 negotiations on sustainableenergy, Turkey might emerge as a laggard, particularly in matters related to the reductionof coal use.

Description: Aviation emissions impact both air quality and climate. Using a coupled tropospheric chemistry-aerosol microphysics model we investigate the effects of varying aviation fuel sulfur content (FSC) on premature mortality from long-term exposure to aviation-sourced PM2.5 (particulate matter with a dry diameter of  〈  2.5 µm) and on the global radiation budget due to changes in aerosol and tropospheric ozone. We estimate that present-day non-CO2 aviation emissions with a typical FSC of 600 ppm result in  ∼  3600 [95 % CI: 1310–5890] annual premature mortalities globally due to increases in cases of cardiopulmonary disease and lung cancer, resulting from increased surface PM2.5 concentrations. We quantify the global annual mean combined radiative effect (REcomb) of non-CO2 aviation emissions as −13.3 mW m−2; from increases in aerosols (direct radiative effect and cloud albedo effect) and tropospheric ozone.Ultra-low sulfur jet fuel (ULSJ; FSC  =  15 ppm) has been proposed as an option to reduce the adverse health impacts of aviation-induced PM2.5. We calculate that swapping the global aviation fleet to ULSJ fuel would reduce the global aviation-induced mortality rate by  ∼  620 [95 % CI: 230–1020] mortalities a−1 and increase REcomb by +7.0 mW m−2.We explore the impact of varying aviation FSC between 0 and 6000 ppm. Increasing FSC increases aviation-induced mortality, while enhancing climate cooling through increasing the aerosol cloud albedo effect (CAE). We explore the relationship between the injection altitude of aviation emissions and the resulting climate and air quality impacts. Compared to the standard aviation emissions distribution, releasing aviation emissions at the ground increases global aviation-induced mortality and produces a net warming effect, primarily through a reduced CAE. Aviation emissions injected at the surface are 5 times less effective at forming cloud condensation nuclei, reducing the aviation-induced CAE by a factor of 10. Applying high FSCs at aviation cruise altitudes combined with ULSJ fuel at lower altitudes results in reduced aviation-induced mortality and increased negative RE compared to the baseline aviation scenario.

Description: Under its special initiative “One World, No Hunger” (SEWOH), the GermanFederal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is prioritizingefforts to deliver food security and enhance the management of naturalresources. The protection and rehabilitation of agricultural land managed bysmallholder farmers are central to this dual agenda and form the objectives ofa GIZ programme implemented in five countries. Seeking to explore new formsof development cooperation, SEWOH mandated the Global Soil Forum (GSF)to accompany the work of the GIZ through transdisciplinary research. Theaccompanying research project focuses on the socio-economic and culturalfactors that constrain the uptake of sustainable land management (SLM) techniquesby smallholder farmers. The GSF’s approach stresses co-developmentand the pursuit of research themes with local partners, including researchers,policymakers, actors of development cooperation, civil society organisations,and farmers.

Description: We formulate and elicit Bayesian Belief Networks (BBNs) for assessing possible characteristics of the 2030 German new passenger car fleet, including market shares of different vehicle types, CO2 emissions, user costs, and CO2 abatement costs for internal combustion engine vehicles including hybrid electric vehicles (ICE); plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV); and battery electric vehicles (BEV). Seven technology and environmental experts from the German Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) sector were elicited for key relationships and conditional probability values in the model, yielding seven distinct BBNs able to predict how different future technology, economic and policy scenarios will influence model projections. The 2030 scenarios include differing amounts of technological advancement in battery development, regulation, and fuel and electricity greenhouse gas intensities. Across the expert models, 2030 baseline fleet greenhouse gas emissions are predicted to be at 50–65% of 2008 new fleet emissions. They can be further reduced to 40–50% of the emissions of the 2008 new fleet through a combination of a higher share of renewables in the electricity mix, a larger share of biofuels in the fuel mix, and a stricter regulation of car CO2 emissions in the European Union. The experts' BBNs predict that the 2030 ICE will have lower user costs per kilometer than PHEV or BEV for most scenarios, and that ICE will remain the dominant vehicle type in the 2030 German new fleet. According to all of the experts' BBNs, CO2 abatement costs are negative for the 2030 ICE in all scenarios, but can be positive or negative for PHEV and BEV, depending on the expert model and scenario assumed. Critical areas where expert models agree and differ serve to highlight where reductions in uncertainty regarding future technology, economic, environmental and regulatory relationships are most needed to improve our ability to predict and anticipate future vehicle fleet composition and vehicle performance.

Description: India is undergoing structural urban and economic transitions and has set ambitiouspolicy targets to meet its rising energy needs for development. Expanding coal andrenewables are two important pillars of this undertaking and, since 2008, climate protectionis of increasing concern. India’s international engagements reflect these motivationsof both energy security and climate change, where India is increasingly engagingin transfer of clean and efficient energy technologies to developing countries like itself.

Description: The German Energiewende – literally translated as “energy turnaround” – is an outstandingexample of a national effort to transform an energy system. Driven by publicopposition to nuclear energy, and by efforts to combat climate change, the Energiewendebuilds on a massive expansion of renewable energy as well as improvements inenergy efficiency. So far, efforts have focused on the electricity sector, while progressin the heating and transport sector has been very limited. In addition, Germany alsohas a long track record of promoting sustainable energy with its international energypolicies.

Description: Integration and harmonization of large spatial data sets is not only since the introduction of the spatial data infrastructure INSPIRE a big issue. The process of extracting and combining spatial data from heterogeneous source formats, transforming that data to obtain the required quality for particular purposes and loading it into a data store, are common tasks. The procedure of Extraction, Transformation and Loading of data is called ETL process. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can take over many of these tasks but often they are not suitable for processing large datasets. ETL tools can make the implementation and execution of ETL processes convenient and efficient. One reason for choosing ETL tools for data integration is that they ease maintenance because of a clear (graphical) presentation of the transformation steps. Developers and administrators are provided with tools for identification of errors, analyzing processing performance and managing the execution of ETL processes. Another benefit of ETL tools is that for most tasks no or only little scripting skills are required so that also researchers without programming background can easily work with it. Investigations on ETL tools for business approaches are available for a long time. However, little work has been published on the capabilities of those tools to handle spatial data. In this work, we review and compare the open source ETL tools GeoKettle and Talend Open Studio in terms of processing spatial data sets of different formats. For evaluation, ETL processes are performed with both software packages based on air quality data measured during the BÄRLIN2014 Campaign initiated by the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS). The aim of the BÄRLIN2014 Campaign is to better understand the sources and distribution of particulate matter in Berlin. The air quality data are available in heterogeneous formats because they were measured with different instruments. For further data analysis, the instrument data has been complemented by other georeferenced data provided by the local environmental authorities. This includes both vector and raster data on e.g. land use categories or building heights, extracted from flat files and OGC-compliant web services. The requirements on the ETL tools are now for instance the extraction of different input datasets like Web Feature Services or vector datasets and the loading of those into databases. The tools also have to manage transformations on spatial datasets like to work with spatial functions (e.g. intersection, union) or change spatial reference systems. Preliminary results suggest that many complex transformation tasks could be accomplished with the existing set of components from both software tools, while there are still many gaps in the range of available features. Both ETL tools differ in functionality and in the way of implementation of various steps. For some tasks no predefined components are available at all, which could partly be compensated by the use of the respective API (freely configurable components in Java or JavaScript).

Description: Methane pyrolysis experiments using a quartz glass-steel bubble column reactor filled with liquid tin and cylindrical quartz glass rings serving as a packed bed were conducted at various liquid metal temperature levels in the range of 930–1175 °C. Besides the liquid metal temperature, special attention was paid to the influence of the feed gas volume flow rate in the range of 50–200 mln/min and the inlet feed gas dilution with nitrogen. Increasing liquid metal temperatures resulted in increasing hydrogen yields, leading to a maximum hydrogen yield of 78% at 1175 °C and 50 mln/min methane volume flow rate. Within all experimental runs, less than 1.5 mol-% intermediate products were detected in the product gas. The produced carbon appeared as a powder consisting of flake shaped agglomerations in the size range of 15–20 μm, wherein the particle size varied from 40 nm to 100 nm. During the experiments, the produced carbon was completely separated and accumulated at the top surface of the liquid metal. Only minor quantities were transported with the off gas stream. Within the liquid metal inventory, a thin carbon layer of about 10 μm, probably partly showing the formation of nanotubes, in the hot reaction zone, had been deposited on the quartz glass reactor wall.

Description: Japan’s energy policy remains dominated by the Fukushima nuclear disaster of 2011.While the government continues to be committed to nuclear power, its future is uncertain.Japanese greenhouse gas emissions have increased significantly as nuclear energyhas been replaced by gas and coal. Ambitious policies in the transport sector promotebattery electric and fuel cell vehicles. The introduction of feed-in tariffs favoured thebuild-up of non-residential solar photovoltaics. As part of its climate commitments,Japan aims to further expand the use of renewables, improve energy efficiency andrestart nuclear energy.

Description: In der Klimapolitik rücken Zusatzeffekte möglicher Politikoptionen zunehmend in den Mittelpunkt des Interesses. Die systematische Evaluierung dieser Co-Benefits kann eine wichtige strategische Lücke schließen und neue strategische Koalitionen der Klimapolitik mit Wirtschafts- und Sozialressorts eröffnen.

Description: Die vorliegende Studie beinhaltet einen Vergleicheiniger diesbezüglich relevanter Länder: der USA,Deutschland, der Niederlande und Russland. Nebeneiner kritischen Überprüfung des jeweiligen nationalenStatus quo (z. B. im Hinblick auf Datenbeschaffung,Überwachung etc.) konzentriert sie sich auf dieausgeprägten Unstimmigkeiten bezüglich der in jedemeinzelnen Gassegment gemeldeten Gasverluste.Von besonderer Bedeutung sind dabei die USA, wodie Schätzungen der Upstream-Gasleckraten (Exploration,Förderung, Produktion) wesentlich höherausfallen als die entsprechenden Raten in Europa. An Überprüfungen dieser Art mangelt es nach wie vorweltweit, obwohl das Bewusstsein für dieses Problemzunimmt, was wiederum verschiedene Initiativen internationalerInstitutionen [Wirtschaftskommissionfür Europa der Vereinten Nationen (United NationsEconomic Commission for Europe, UNECE)], NGOs[Bündnis für Klima und saubere Luft (Oil & Gas MethanePartnership, Climate and Clean Air Coalition,CCAC)] und Gasbetreiber (Marcogaz) belegen. Umdie ehrgeizigen internationalen Ziele zu erreichen, dieim Pariser Klimaabkommen festgeschrieben wurden,müssen die politischen Entscheidungsträger in Zusammenarbeitmit der Erdgasindustrie zeitnah angemesseneMaßnahmen ergreifen, die darauf abzielen,die Methanemissionen, deren Auswirkungen auf dieglobale Temperatur ähnlich besorgniserregend sindwie die von Kohlendioxid, empirisch zu überprüfenund zu reduzieren.

Description: This IASS study considers the potential of the G20 to shape a global transition to sustainable energy, urgentlyneeded in order to achieve the UN’s climate and sustainability goals. The G20, a group of major emerging andindustrialised economies, is a high-level political forum that brings together a heterogeneous set of members.The Group carries great weight in international energy governance, and accounts for 80 percent of the world’s totalprimary energy consumption and 82 percent of global energy-related CO2 emissions. Thus, decisions and actions ofthe G20 and its members have the capacity to significantly impact global energy systems.The study analyses the energy sector developments of 14 G20 members (Argentina, Brazil, China, European Union,France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey and the United States).Short case studies trace major trends and policy initiatives in the countries and identify both potential conflictsof interest and existing common ground within the G20. Each study offers an assessment of potential impulsesoriginating from the respective case, and how these might help foster international cooperation for advancing aglobal energy transition.

Description: Table of Contents1. Introduction and Main Insights from the Study - Sybille Roehrkasten, Sonja Thielges and Rainer Quitzow http://publications.iass-potsdam.de/pubman/item/escidoc:19069032. The G20 and its Role in Global Energy Governance - Sybille Roehrkasten and Kirsten Westphal http://publications.iass-potsdam.de/pubman/item/escidoc:19069073. Argentina: From an Energy Stalemate Towards Shale Gas Expansion and Creating a Renewables Market - Moïra Jimeno http://publications.iass-potsdam.de/pubman/item/escidoc:19069104. Brazil: Long Tradition of Renewables-Based Energy Supply and Ethanol Diplomacy - Sybille Roehrkasten http://publications.iass-potsdam.de/pubman/item/escidoc:19069135. China: Emerging Global Power in Clean Energy? - Rainer Quitzow http://publications.iass-potsdam.de/pubman/item/escidoc:19088896. The EU: In the Midst of Crisis – Downgraded SustainableEnergy Ambitions - Kirsten Westphal http://publications.iass-potsdam.de/pubman/item/escidoc:19108887. France: Reducing Nuclear Dominance and Promoting a Low-Carbon Energy System - Carole Mathieu http://publications.iass-potsdam.de/pubman/item/escidoc:19108918. Germany: Promoting an Energiewende Domestically and Globally - Sybille Roehrkasten and Karoline Steinbacher http://publications.iass-potsdam.de/pubman/item/escidoc:19108959. India: Meeting Energy Needs for Development While Addressing Climate Change - Madhura Joshi and Radhika Khosla http://publications.iass-potsdam.de/pubman/item/escidoc:191089710. Indonesia: A Long Way to Low-Carbon Development - Jens Marquardt http://publications.iass-potsdam.de/pubman/item/escidoc:191090011. Japan: Dominated by Fukushima and Tackling Hard Problemsin Decarbonisation - Llewelyn Hughes http://publications.iass-potsdam.de/pubman/item/escidoc:191090312. Russia: A Gas Superpower Striving for Nuclear Expansion and Starting to Support Renewables - Alexander Gusev http://publications.iass-potsdam.de/pubman/item/escidoc:191090713. Saudi Arabia: Oil as a Burden in the Struggle for Energy Diversification - Sebastian Sons http://publications.iass-potsdam.de/pubman/item/escidoc:191091014. South Africa: Carbon-Intensive Economy and a Regional Renewable Energy Frontrunner - Agathe Maupin http://publications.iass-potsdam.de/pubman/item/escidoc:191091315. Turkey: Great Potential, Missing Will - Jörn Richert http://publications.iass-potsdam.de/pubman/item/escidoc:191091616. The United States: Domestic Transitions and International Leadership Towards Low-Carbon Energy - Karoline Steinbacher http://publications.iass-potsdam.de/pubman/item/escidoc:1910919

Description: Nach der Reaktorkatastrophe in Fukushima 2011 wurde die Helmholtz-Allianz ENERGY-TRANS gegründet, um die technisch ausgerichtete Energieforschung um eine sozialwissenschaftlich geprägte interdisziplinäre Perspektive zu ergänzen. Seit 2012 haben die Wissen-schaftler(innen) hier über ihre Projekte berichtet. ENERGY-TRANS wird fristgerecht Ende 2016 beendet - die abschließende Mitteilung fasst wichtige Ergebnisse zusammen.

Description: Programs to plant millions of trees in cities around the world aim at the reduction of summer temperatures,increase of carbon storage, storm water control, and recreational space, as well as at poverty alleviation. Theseurban greening programs, however, do not take into account how closely human and natural systems are coupledin urban areas. Compared with the surroundings of cities, elevated temperatures together with high anthropogenicemissions of air and water pollutants are quite typical in urban systems. Urban and sub-urban vegetation respondto changes in meteorology and air quality and can react to pollutants. Neglecting this coupling may lead tounforeseen negative effects on air quality resulting from urban greening programs. The potential of emissions ofvolatile organic compounds (VOC) from vegetation combined with anthropogenic emissions of air pollutants toproduce ozone has long been recognized. This ozone formation potential increases under rising temperatures.Here we investigate how emissions of VOC from urban vegetation affect corresponding ground-level ozoneand PM10 concentrations in summer and especially during heat wave periods. We use the Weather Researchand Forecasting Model with coupled atmospheric chemistry (WRF-CHEM) to quantify these feedbacks inthe Berlin-Brandenburg region, Germany during the two summers of 2006 (heat wave) and 2014 (referenceperiod). VOC emissions from vegetation are calculated by MEGAN 2.0 coupled online with WRF-CHEM. Ourpreliminary results indicate that the contribution of VOCs from vegetation to ozone formation may increase bymore than twofold during heat wave periods. We highlight the importance of the vegetation for urban areas in thecontext of a changing climate and discuss potential tradeoffs of urban greening programs.

Description: A realistic simulation of physical and dynamical processes in the Arctic atmosphere and its feedbacks with the surface conditions is still a challenge for state-of-the-art Arctic climate models. This is of critical importance because studies of, for example, transport of pollutants from middle latitudes into the Arctic rely on the skill of the model in correctly representing atmospheric circulation including the key mechanisms and pathways of pollutant transport. In this work the performance of the Weather Research and Forecast model (WRF) with two land surface model schemes (Noah and NoahMP) and two reanalysis data sets for creation of lateral boundary conditions (ERA-interim and ASR) is evaluated focusing on meteorological surface properties and atmospheric dynamics. This includes the position and displacement of the polar dome and other features characterizing atmospheric circulation associated to sea ice maxima/minima extent within the Eurasian Arctic. The model simulations analyzed are carried out at 15-km horizontal resolution over a period of five years (2008 to 2012). The WRF model simulations are evaluated against surface meteorological data from automated weather stations and vertical profiles from radiosondes. Results show that the model is able to reproduce the main features of the atmospheric dynamics and vertical structure of the Arctic atmosphere reasonably well. The influence of the choice of the reanalyses used as initial and lateral boundary condition and of the LSM on the model results is complex and no combination is found to be clearly superior in all variables analyzed. The model results show that a more sophisticated formulation of land surface processes does not necessarily lead to significant improvements in the model results. This suggests that other factors such as the decline of the Arctic sea ice, stratosphere-troposphere interactions, atmosphere-ocean interaction, and boundary layer processes are also highly important and can have a significant influence on the model results. The “best” configuration for simulating Arctic meteorology and processes most relevant for pollutant transport (ASR + NoahMP) is then used in a simulation with WRF including aerosols and chemistry (WRF-Chem) to simulate black carbon (BC) concentrations in and around the Arctic and to assess the role of the modeled atmospheric circulation in the simulated BC concentrations inside the Arctic domain. Results from simulations with chemistry are evaluated against aerosol optical depth from several Aeronet stations and BC concentrations and particle number concentrations from several stations from the EBAS database. The results with WRF-Chem show a strong dependency of the simulated BC concentration on the modeled meteorology and the transport of the pollutants around our domain. The results also show that biases in the modeled BC concentrations can also be related to the emission data. Significant improvements of the models and of our understanding of the impact of anthropogenic BC emissions on the Arctic strongly depends on the availability of suitable, long-term observational data of concentrations of BC and particulate matter, vertical profiles of temperature and humidity and wind.

Description: This book outlines how Germans convinced their politicians to pass laws allowing citizens to make their own energy, even when it hurt utility companies to do so. It traces the origins of the Energiewende movement in Germany from the Power Rebels of Schönau to German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s shutdown of eight nuclear power plants following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident. The authors explore how, by taking ownership of energy efficiency at a local level, community groups are key actors in the bottom-up fight against climate change. Individually, citizens might install solar panels on their roofs, but citizen groups can do much more: community wind farms, local heat supply, walkable cities and more. This book offers evidence that the transition to renewables is a one-time opportunity to strengthen communities and democratize the energy sector – in Germany and around the world.

Description: Die europäische Energiepolitik ist in ein komplexes Mehrebenensystem eingebettet. Auf der supranationalen Ebene formulierte Ziele und Policies müssen auf der lokalen Ebene implementiert werden, wo Energie bereitgestellt und verbraucht wird. Städte bieten zudem ein großes Innovationspotenzial und können eine Vorbildrolle bei Maßnahmen zur Minderung des Verbrauchs, zur Erhöhung der Effizienz und zur Förderung erneuerbarer Energieträger einnehmen.Der Sammelband untersucht die Rolle von Städten in der europäischen Energiepolitik im Hinblick auf die Ziele Energiesicherheit, Nachhaltigkeit und Wettbewerbsfähigkeit. Die Beiträge thematisieren erstens Strategien der EU zur Einbindung von Städten in die Energiepolitik. Zweitens behandeln sie die Perspektive der Städte auf die EU und deren Umgang mit den europäischen Politikinstrumenten. Drittens werden beispielhaft die Handlungsfelder Energieversorgung, Wohnen und Immobilien sowie Mobilität und Verkehr betrachtet.

Description: EU energy policy is embedded in a complex multilevel context. Policy strategies that are developed at supranational levels must be implemented at the local level, where energy is supplied and consumed. Cities also play an important role as innovators, policy laboratories and role models as they develop lighthouse projects concerned with saving energy, energy efficiency and the promotion of renewable energy sources.This volume discusses the role of cities in the field of EU energy policy with regard to energy security, sustainability and competitiveness and its chapters encompass different perspectives on the topic. Firstly, the book analyses the strategies the EU uses to incorporate cities into its energy policy. Secondly, it considers EU policy instruments from the perspective of those cities and their reactions to them. Thirdly, the remaining chapters examine local policies on energy supply, planning and real estate, and traffic and transport.

Description: This guide on Governing Tenure Rights to Commons aims to support states, communitybasedorganizations, civil society organizations, the private sector and other relevantactors, to take proactive measures to implement the standards and recommendationsof the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries andForests in the Context of National Food Security (the Guidelines). The goal is to achievelegal recognition and protection of tenure rights to commons and community-basedgovernance structures.

Description: In the last decade, solar geoengineering (solar radiation management, or SRM) has received increasing consideration as a potential means to reduce risks of anthropogenic climate change. Some ideas regarding SRM that have been proposed have receded after being appropriately scrutinized, while others have strengthened through testing and critique. This process has improved the understanding of SRM's potential and limitations. However, several claims are frequently made in the academic and popular SRM discourses and, despite evidence to the contrary, pose the risk of hardening into accepted facts. Here, in order to foster a more productive and honest debate, we identify, describe, and refute five of the most problematic claims that are unsupported by existing evidence, unlikely to occur, or greatly exaggerated. These are: (A) once started, SRM cannot be stopped; (B) SRM is a right-wing project; (C) SRM would cost only a few billion dollars per year; (D) modeling studies indicate that SRM would disrupt monsoon precipitation; and (E) there is an international prohibition on outdoors research. SRM is a controversial proposed set of technologies that could prove to be very helpful or very harmful, and it warrants vigorous and informed public debate. By highlighting and debunking some persistent but unsupported claims, this paper hopes to bring rigor to such discussions.

Description: This paper examines the implications posed by the European Climate Protection Plan and the German Energy Transition. Both involve social conflicts regarding technical feasibility, norms, and values. Technological expertise alone is insufficient to resolve these normative questions and conflicts. In addition to technological expertise, social and communicative competence is therefore needed to deal with the social and cultural challenges of an energy transition. One method to cope with conflicts that arise as a result of the energy transition refers to the use of citizen participation. Many analysts of participatory processes suggest that participation, if done properly, enhances acceptability and legitimacy of a transition process, contributes to improved efficiency of decisions, and promotes factual knowledge. This paper analyses and discusses these anticipated positive effects within a theoretical framework and a corresponding empirical case study.

Description: China’s electricity supply is still strongly dependent on coal, but a strong domesticrenewable energy industry is driving rapid deployment of wind and solar energy. Furtherprogress will depend on the implementation of planned power sector reforms. Intransport, the continued proliferation of automobiles is driving growth in CO2 emissions.Investments in an electric vehicle industry may offer opportunities for decarbonisationin the long term. China’s initiative to promote green finance during its G20presidency is in line with its ambitions to promote overseas markets for its emergingclean energy industry.

Description: Lumbini, in southern Nepal, is a UNESCO world heritage site of universal value as the birthplace of the Buddha. Poor air quality in Lumbini and surrounding regions is a great concern for public health as well as for preservation, protection and promotion of Buddhist heritage and culture. Measurements of the ambient concentrations of key air pollutants (BC, PM, CO, O3) were conducted in Lumbini, first of its kind in Lumbini, during an intensive measurement period of three months (April-June 2013) in the pre-monsoon season. The measurements were carried out as a part of the international air pollution measurement campaign; SusKat-ABC (Sustainable Atmosphere for the Kathmandu Valley - Atmospheric Brown Clouds). Hourly average concentrations were: BC: 4.9±3.8 (0.3-29.9) μg/m3; CO: 344.1±160.3 (124.9-1429.7) ppbv; O3: 46.6±20.3 (0.85-118.1) ppbv; PM10: 128.8±91.9 (10.5-603.9) μg/m3; and PM2.5: 53.1±35.1 (6.1-272.2) μg/m3. These levels are comparable to heavily polluted sites in the region. The 24-h average PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations frequently (94% and 85%, respectively, of the sampled period) exceeded the WHO guideline, which implies significant health risks for the residents and visitors in the region. Clear diurnal cycles were observed for the pollutants. Occurrences of peak concentrations during the study period were due to regional forest fires and meteorological conditions conducive of transport to Lumbini. The WRF-STEM model was used to simulate the meteorology and the pollution concentration, and showed the model concentration to be lower by a factor of ~1.4-5, even though the model was able to capture the observed variability. Regionally tagged CO tracers and the chemical composition of fine mode PM2.5 was obtained from the model. The aerosol spectral light absorption coefficients obtained from Lumbini indicated presence of BC from both biomass burning and fossil fuel combustion, with more than half of the ambient BC attributable to fossil fuel combustion. Given the high pollution levels, there is a clear and urgent need for setting up a network of long-term air quality monitoring stations in the greater Lumbini region. This is a special place which demands special attention to safeguard the valuable world heritage properties as well as public health and agro-ecosystems in the region from impacts of air pollution.

Description: Agriculture is a significant source of particulate matter and the largest source of ammonia emissions, which are released during the decomposition of manure and other organic matter. Measures to reduce ammonia emissions exist but lack broad implementation.

Description: Air pollution is the number one environmental cause of premature deaths in Europe. Despite extensive regulations, air pollution remains a challenge, especially in urban areas. For studying summertime air quality in the Berlin–Brandenburg region of Germany, the Weather Research and Forecasting Model with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) is set up and evaluated against meteorological and air quality observations from monitoring stations as well as from a field campaign conducted in 2014. The objective is to assess which resolution and level of detail in the input data is needed for simulating urban background air pollutant concentrations and their spatial distribution in the Berlin–Brandenburg area. The model setup includes three nested domains with horizontal resolutions of 15, 3 and 1 km and anthropogenic emissions from the TNO-MACC III inventory. We use RADM2 chemistry and the MADE/SORGAM aerosol scheme. Three sensitivity simulations are conducted updating input parameters to the single-layer urban canopy model based on structural data for Berlin, specifying land use classes on a sub-grid scale (mosaic option) and downscaling the original emissions to a resolution of ca. 1 km × 1 km for Berlin based on proxy data including traffic density and population density. The results show that the model simulates meteorology well, though urban 2 m temperature and urban wind speeds are biased high and nighttime mixing layer height is biased low in the base run with the settings described above. We show that the simulation of urban meteorology can be improved when specifying the input parameters to the urban model, and to a lesser extent when using the mosaic option. On average, ozone is simulated reasonably well, but maximum daily 8 h mean concentrations are underestimated, which is consistent with the results from previous modelling studies using the RADM2 chemical mechanism. Particulate matter is underestimated, which is partly due to an underestimation of secondary organic aerosols. NOx (NO + NO2) concentrations are simulated reasonably well on average, but nighttime concentrations are overestimated due to the model's underestimation of the mixing layer height, and urban daytime concentrations are underestimated. The daytime underestimation is improved when using downscaled, and thus locally higher emissions, suggesting that part of this bias is due to deficiencies in the emission input data and their resolution. The results further demonstrate that a horizontal resolution of 3 km improves the results and spatial representativeness of the model compared to a horizontal resolution of 15 km. With the input data (land use classes, emissions) at the level of detail of the base run of this study, we find that a horizontal resolution of 1 km does not improve the results compared to a resolution of 3 km. However, our results suggest that a 1 km horizontal model resolution could enable a detailed simulation of local pollution patterns in the Berlin–Brandenburg region if the urban land use classes, together with the respective input parameters to the urban canopy model, are specified with a higher level of detail and if urban emissions of higher spatial resolution are used.

Description: As the world’s second largest energy consumer and emitter of greenhouse gases, oneof its most important producers of oil and gas and home to the second largest capacityof renewable energy, the United States is a central actor in global energy governance.Energy policy in the United States has been characterised by an open approachwith regard to the choice of energy sources and is aimed at reaching a target trianglecomprising economic competitiveness and employment; energy security; and thedevelopment and deployment of low-carbon energy sources. This “all-of-the-abovestrategy” is reflected not only in domestic energy policy, where state initiatives alsodecisively shape the policy landscape for sustainable energy, but also in US internationalenergy activities.

Description: Realistic simulation of physical and dynamical processes happening in the Arctic surface and atmosphere, and the interacting feedbacks of these processes is still a challenge for Arctic climate modelers. This is critical when further studies involving for the example transport mechanisms and pathways of pollutants from lower latitudes into the Arctic rely on the efficiency of the model to represent atmospheric circulation, especially given the complexity of the Arctic atmosphere. In this work we evaluate model performance of the Weather Research and Forecast model (WRF) according to the choice of two land surface model schemes (Noah and NoahMP) and two reanalyzes data for initialization to create lateral boundary conditions (ERA-interim and ASR) to simulate surface and atmosphere dynamics including the location and displacement of the polar dome and other features characterizing atmospheric circulation associated to sea ice maxima/minima extent within the Eurasian Arctic conformed by the Nordic countries in Northern Europe and part of West Russia. Sensitivity analyses include simulations at 15km horizontal resolution within a period of five years from 2008 to 2012. The WRF model simulations are evaluated against surface meteorological data from automated weather stations and atmospheric profiles from radiosondes. Results show that the model is able to reproduce the main features of the atmospheric dynamics and vertical structure of the Arctic atmosphere reasonably well. The model is, however, sensitive to the choice of the reanalyses used for initialization and land surface scheme with significant biases in the simulated description of surface meteorology and winds, moisture and temperature profiles. The best choice of physical parameterization is then used in the WRF with coupled chemistry (WRF-Chem) to simulate BC concentrations in several case studies within the analyzed period in our domain and assess the role of modeled circulation in concentrations of BC inside our Arctic domain. Results from simulations with coupled chemistry are evaluated against several Aerosol Optical Depth of several Aeronet stations and Black Carbon concentrations and Particle Concentration Numbers from several stations from the EBAS database.

Description: Die globale Erwärmung gilt als eine der wichtigsten Herausforderungen unserer Zeit: Wie können wir unsere Zukunft gestalten? Es wächst das Gefühl, unser Handeln schnell umstellen zu müssen. Kann die Idee vom Anthropozän dabei helfen und welche Argumente werden für und gegen Geoengineering vorgebracht? Dr. Thomas Bruhn beleuchtet die wichtigsten Fragen, die den Klimawandel im Anthropozän betreffen.

Description: Abstract. Understanding the role of climate-sensitive trace gas variabilities in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere region (UTLS) and their impact on its radiative budget requires accurate measurements. The composition of the UTLS is governed by transport and chemistry of stratospheric and tropospheric constituents, such as chlorine, nitrogen oxide and sulfur compounds. The Atmospheric chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer AIMS has been developed to accurately measure a set of these constituents on aircraft by means of chemical ionization. Here we present a setup using SF5− reagent ions for the simultaneous measurement of trace gas concentrations of HCl, HNO3 and SO2 in the  pptv to ppmv (10−12 to 10−6 mol mol−1) range with in-flight and online calibration called AIMS-TG (Atmospheric chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer for measurements of trace gases). Part 1 of this paper (Kaufmann et al., 2016) reports on the UTLS water vapor measurements with the AIMS-H2O configuration. The instrument can be flexibly switched between two configurations depending on the scientific objective of the mission. For AIMS-TG, a custom-made gas discharge ion source has been developed for generation of reagent ions that selectively react with HCl, HNO3, SO2 and HONO. HNO3 and HCl are routinely calibrated in-flight using permeation devices; SO2 is continuously calibrated during flight adding an isotopically labeled 34SO2 standard. In addition, we report on trace gas measurements of HONO, which is sensitive to the reaction with SF5−. The detection limit for the various trace gases is in the low 10 pptv range at a 1 s time resolution with an overall uncertainty of the measurement of the order of 20 %. AIMS has been integrated and successfully operated on the DLR research aircraft Falcon and HALO (High Altitude LOng range research aircraft). As an example, measurements conducted during the TACTS/ESMVal (Transport and Composition of the LMS/UT and Earth System Model Validation) mission with HALO in 2012 are presented, focusing on a classification of tropospheric and stratospheric influences in the UTLS region. The combination of AIMS measurements with other measurement techniques yields a comprehensive picture of the sulfur, chlorine and reactive nitrogen oxide budget in the UTLS. The different trace gases measured with AIMS exhibit the potential to gain a better understanding of the trace gas origin and variability at and near the tropopause.

Description: Luftverschmutzung gehört zu den größten umweltbedingten Gefahren für die Gesundheit. Gleichwohl gibt es noch kein globales Abkommen im Kampf gegen grenzüberschreitende Luftverunreinigung. Doch die Agenda 2030 der Vereinten Nationen eröffnet hier einen neuen, komplementären Weg.

Description: Every community-based marine resource management (CBMRM) inherently takes place in a highly complex social–ecological environment, and stakeholder perceptions related to various aspects of the natural and social environment guide behavior in every stage of the management process. This paper provides an introduction to the psychology of perception with regard to marine resource management. In particular, it offers a typology of CBMRM relevant perceptions along with an analysis of psychological, societal, and physical factors that modulate them. Based on this analysis, we propose the introduction of specially trained local Perception Experts (PE's), whose role will be to recognize and reflect individual perceptions of involved stakeholders, and to communicate them at community meetings where decisions are made. This empirically testable addition to current CBMRM schemes could help to increase participation, develop management measures that fit the capacities of the involved stakeholders more accurately, and hence, contribute to a faster rehabilitation of marine resources.

Description: At decadal time scales, the capability of state-of-the-art atmosphere-ocean coupled climate models in predicting the precipitation in Sahel is assessed. A set of 14 models participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) is selected and two experiments are analysed, namely initialized decadal hindcasts and forced historical simulations. Considering the strong linkage of the atmospheric circulation signatures over West Africa with the rainfall variability, this study aims to investigate the potential of using wind fields for decadal predictions. Namely, a West African monsoon index (WAMI) is defined, based on the coherence of low (925 hPa) and high (200 hPa) troposphere wind fields, which accounts for the intensity of the monsoonal circulation. A combined empirical orthogonal functions analysis is applied to explore the wind fields’ covariance modes, and a set of indices is defined on the basis of the identified patterns. The WAMI predictive skill is assessed by comparing WAMI from coupled models with WAMI from reanalysis products and with a standardized precipitation index (SPI) from observations. Results suggest that the predictive skill is highly model dependent and it is strongly related to the WAMI definition. In addition, hindcasts are more skilful than historical simulations in both deterministic and probability forecasts, which suggests an added value of initialization for decadal predictability. Moreover, coupled models are more skilful in predicting the observed SPI than the WAMI obtained from reanalysis. WAMI performance is also compared with decadal predictions from CMIP5 models based on a Sahelian precipitation index, and an improvement in predictive skill is observed in some models when WAMI is used. Therefore, we conclude that dynamics-based indices are potentially more effective for decadal prediction of precipitation in Sahel than precipitation-based indices for those models in which Sahel rainfall variability is not well simulated. We thus recommend a two-fold approach when testing the performance of models in predicting Sahel rainfall, based not only on rainfall but also on the dynamics of the West African monsoon.This paper is a contribution to the special issue on West African climate decadal variability and its modeling, consisting of papers from the West African Monsoon Modeling and Evaluation (WAMME) and the African Multidisciplinary Monsoon Analyses (AMMA) projects, and coordinated by Yongkang Xue, Serge Janicot, and William Lau.

Description: Black Carbon (BC) is an important short-lived climate-forcing pollutant contributing to global warming through absorption of sunlight. At the same time, BC, as a component of particulate matter (PM) exerts adverse health effects, like decreased lung function and exacerbated asthma. Globally, anthropogenic emission sources of BC include residential heating, transport, and agricultural fires, while the dominant natural emission sources are wildfires. Despite the various adverse effects of BC, legislation that requires mandatory monitoring of BC concentrations does not currently exist in the European Union. Instead, BC is only indirectly monitored as component of PM10 and PM2.5 (particulate matter with a diameter smaller 10 μm and 2.5 μm). Before the introduction of mandatory PM10 and PM2.5 monitoring in the European Union in 2005 and 2015, respectively, 'black smoke', a surrogate for BC, was a required measurement in Germany from the early 1990s. The annual mean limit value was 14 μg m-3 from 1995 and 8 μg m-3 from 1998 onwards. Many 'black smoke' measurements were stopped in 2004, with the repeal of the regulations obtaining at the time. However, in most German federal states a limited number BC monitoring stations continued to operate. Here we present a synthesis of BC data from 213 stations across Germany covering the period between 1994 and 2014. Due to the lack of a standardized method and respective legislation, the data set is very heterogeneous relying on twelve different measurement methods including chemical, optical, and thermal-optical methods. Stations include locations classified as background, urban-background, industrial and traffic among other types. Raw data in many different formats has been modelled and integrated in a relational database, allowing various options for further data analysis. We highlight results from the year 2009, as it is the year with the largest measurement coverage based on the same measurement method, with 30 stations. In 2009 daily average concentrations at 12 background stations ranged from 0.20 to 9.10 μg m-3 BC, while at traffic sites (15 stations) concentrations ranged from 0.30 to 30.60 μg m-3 BC, and industrial sites (3 stations) showed concentrations ranging between 0.30 and 9.4 μg m-3. The seasonal cycle for the year 2009 shows a similar pattern for industrial and background stations with a tendency of higher concentrations in winter. The concentrations at traffic stations are not as clearly coupled to seasons but have a strong weekly cycle with lower concentrations during weekends. Investigating the trends in BC concentration over at least 10 years was possible for 13 stations. Preliminary results suggest that concentrations have declined at traffic and background stations between 2005 and 2014. This implies that a general reduction of BC has already been achieved. However, preliminary results also show that elevated concentrations still occur during the colder months, most likely linked to residential heating.

Description: The anticipated growth of urban population will require immense development of housing and other accompanying infrastructures. Production of currently widespread construction materials such as steel, cement, and aluminum is associated with high demands of energy as well as emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). If the global population to increase to 9.3 billion and the developing countries are to build infrastructures similar to the ones in developed countries, then 350 Gt of carbon dioxide (CO2) will be emitted only from the production of construction materials needed to develop these infrastructures . Using wood materials in construction can reduce net CO2 emissions in several ways: less energy is needed to manufacture wood products compared with alternative materials; non -energy process emissions associated with the alternative materials can be avoided (e.g., CO2 emissions in the calcination reaction used in production of cement); carbon is stored in the wood infrastructures for a long time; and the byproducts of the wood material production can be used as biofuel to replace fossil fuels. In this study, I estimate to what degree CO2 emissions from material production can be reduced, if wood is used to build infrastructures in the future. To calculate how much wood would be needed instead of steel, cement, and aluminum, I first assume the share of steel, cement, and aluminum for building housing out of the total material stock used for infrastructure development. Then, I estimate the wood mass required to replace these infrastructures. Finally, I calculate CO2 emissions from manufacturing the wood materials needed for construction and compare them to the respective CO2 amount emitted from production of steel, cement, and aluminum. This study suggests that the use of natural materials, especially wood, can substantially reduce emissions of GHG associated with future manufacturing of construction materials required to accommodate needs of the growing world’s population. Wooden buildings can also serve as sizable carbon storage with a long carbon residence time. However a substantial share of the world’s forests would have to be harvested to meet the potential demand for wooden construction materials. It remains to be seen if it is possible on a sustainable basis. It is also questionable if full transition from steel and concrete construction materials to alternative materials is possible. New construction materials based on wood as well as other natural products like clay or biochar have to be explored in order to mitigate emissions of CO2 and global warming.

Description: Thermal cracking of methane into carbon and hydrogen is considered as potential hydrogen production technology without direct CO2-emissions. In this work, a novel methane-cracking process based on a liquid-metal technology is analyzed using life cycle assessment to evaluate the process' environmental impacts. Based on lab-scale experimental data, the novel methane-cracking process is benchmarked against the existing hydrogen production routes: steam reforming and water electrolysis. We consider the following environmental impact categories: global warming, fossil depletion, metal depletion, and particulate matter formation. According to our analysis, the methane-cracking process can reduce the global warming impact by up to 64% compared to steam reforming. However, the fossil depletion impact is higher for the methane-cracking process due to the higher methane input. The fossil depletion impact can be reduced by utilizing the energy of co-produced carbon to increase process efficiency at the expense of additional CO2-emissions. Methane supply to the process and electricity demand for H2-separation were identified as crucial parameters for the process’ environmental impacts. Thus, we perform parameter studies on alternatives for supply of methane and electricity to identify locations where lowest environmental impacts can be achieved.

Description: It is no secret that the world is urbanizing very fast. If UN estimates turn out to be true, by midcentury 2.5 billion people will have joined the approximately 3.9 billion living in cities today, an urban population increase of over 60 %! It is one of the biggest questions of our time, how the 6.4 billion who will live in cities by 2050 will be fed, housed and provided with basic services in a sustainable way. What kind of infrastructure and governance models will be the most healthy in the progressing urbanization of the planet? What is the best mix between decentralization and centralization of services, infrastructure and government structures?

Description: The present work assesses the relationship between local and synoptic meteorological conditions and surface ozone concentration over Europe in spring and summer months, during the period 1998–2012 using a new interpolated data set of observed surface ozone concentrations over the European domain. Along with local meteorological conditions, the influence of large-scale atmospheric circulation on surface ozone is addressed through a set of airflow indices computed with a novel implementation of a grid-by-grid weather type classification across Europe. Drivers of surface ozone over the full distribution of maximum daily 8 h average values are investigated, along with drivers of the extreme high percentiles and exceedances or air quality guideline thresholds. Three different regression techniques are applied: multiple linear regression to assess the drivers of maximum daily ozone, logistic regression to assess the probability of threshold exceedances and quantile regression to estimate the meteorological influence on extreme values, as represented by the 95th percentile. The relative importance of the input parameters (predictors) is assessed by a backward stepwise regression procedure that allows the identification of the most important predictors in each model. Spatial patterns of model performance exhibit distinct variations between regions. The inclusion of the ozone persistence is particularly relevant over southern Europe. In general, the best model performance is found over central Europe, where the maximum temperature plays an important role as a driver of maximum daily ozone as well as its extreme values, especially during warmer months.

Description: The Kathmandu Valley in Nepal suffers from severe wintertime air pollution. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are key constituents of air pollution, though their specific role in the valley is poorly understood due to insufficient data. During the SusKat-ABC (Sustainable Atmosphere for the Kathmandu Valley–Atmospheric Brown Clouds) field campaign conducted in Nepal in the winter of 2012–2013, a comprehensive study was carried out to characterise the chemical composition of ambient Kathmandu air, including the determination of speciated VOCs, by deploying a proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR-TOF-MS) – the first such deployment in South Asia. In the study, 71 ion peaks (for which measured ambient concentrations exceeded the 2σ detection limit) were detected in the PTR-TOF-MS mass scan data, highlighting the chemical complexity of ambient air in the valley. Of the 71 species, 37 were found to have campaign average concentrations greater than 200 ppt and were identified based on their spectral characteristics, ambient diel profiles and correlation with specific emission tracers as a result of the high mass resolution (m ∕ Δm  〉  4200) and temporal resolution (1 min) of the PTR-TOF-MS. The concentration ranking in the average VOC mixing ratios during our wintertime deployment was acetaldehyde (8.8 ppb)  〉  methanol (7.4 ppb)  〉  acetone + propanal (4.2 ppb)  〉  benzene (2.7 ppb)  〉  toluene (1.5 ppb)  〉  isoprene (1.1 ppb)  〉  acetonitrile (1.1 ppb)  〉  C8-aromatics ( ∼ 1 ppb)  〉  furan ( ∼ 0.5 ppb)  〉  C9-aromatics (0.4 ppb). Distinct diel profiles were observed for the nominal isobaric compounds isoprene (m ∕ z  =  69.070) and furan (m ∕ z  =  69.033). Comparison with wintertime measurements from several locations elsewhere in the world showed mixing ratios of acetaldehyde ( ∼  9 ppb), acetonitrile ( ∼  1 ppb) and isoprene ( ∼  1 ppb) to be among the highest reported to date. Two "new" ambient compounds, namely formamide (m ∕ z  =  46.029) and acetamide (m ∕ z  =  60.051), which can photochemically produce isocyanic acid in the atmosphere, are reported in this study along with nitromethane (a tracer for diesel exhaust), which has only recently been detected in ambient studies. Two distinct periods were selected during the campaign for detailed analysis: the first was associated with high wintertime emissions of biogenic isoprene and the second with elevated levels of ambient acetonitrile, benzene and isocyanic acid from biomass burning activities. Emissions from biomass burning and biomass co-fired brick kilns were found to be the dominant sources for compounds such as propyne, propene, benzene and propanenitrile, which correlated strongly with acetonitrile (r2 〉 0.7), a chemical tracer for biomass burning. The calculated total VOC OH reactivity was dominated by acetaldehyde (24.0 %), isoprene (20.2 %) and propene (18.7 %), while oxygenated VOCs and isoprene collectively contributed to more than 68 % of the total ozone production potential. Based on known secondary organic aerosol (SOA) yields and measured ambient concentrations in the Kathmandu Valley, the relative SOA production potential of VOCs were benzene  〉  naphthalene  〉  toluene  〉  xylenes  〉  monoterpenes  〉  trimethylbenzenes  〉  styrene  〉  isoprene. The first ambient measurements from any site in South Asia of compounds with significant health effects such as isocyanic acid, formamide, acetamide, naphthalene and nitromethane have been reported in this study. Our results suggest that mitigation of intense wintertime biomass burning activities, in particular point sources such biomass co-fired brick kilns, would be important to reduce the emission and formation of toxic VOCs (such as benzene and isocyanic acid) in the Kathmandu Valley.

Description: Combustion of fuels in the residential sector for cooking and heating results in the emission of aerosol and aerosol precursors impacting air quality, human health, and climate. Residential emissions are dominated by the combustion of solid fuels. We use a global aerosol microphysics model to simulate the impact of residential fuel combustion on atmospheric aerosol for the year 2000. The model underestimates black carbon (BC) and organic carbon (OC) mass concentrations observed over Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa, with better prediction when carbonaceous emissions from the residential sector are doubled. Observed seasonal variability of BC and OC concentrations are better simulated when residential emissions include a seasonal cycle. The largest contributions of residential emissions to annual surface mean particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations are simulated for East Asia, South Asia, and Eastern Europe. We use a concentration response function to estimate the human health impact due to long-term exposure to ambient PM2.5 from residential emissions. We estimate global annual excess adult (〉  30 years of age) premature mortality (due to both cardiopulmonary disease and lung cancer) to be 308 000 (113 300–497 000, 5th to 95th percentile uncertainty range) for monthly varying residential emissions and 517 000 (192 000–827 000) when residential carbonaceous emissions are doubled. Mortality due to residential emissions is greatest in Asia, with China and India accounting for 50 % of simulated global excess mortality. Using an offline radiative transfer model we estimate that residential emissions exert a global annual mean direct radiative effect between −66 and +21 mW m−2, with sensitivity to the residential emission flux and the assumed ratio of BC, OC, and SO2 emissions. Residential emissions exert a global annual mean first aerosol indirect effect of between −52 and −16 mW m−2, which is sensitive to the assumed size distribution of carbonaceous emissions. Overall, our results demonstrate that reducing residential combustion emissions would have substantial benefits for human health through reductions in ambient PM2.5 concentrations.

Description: Die Energiewende ist mit den Stichworten Dezentralitätund Gemeinschaftswerk sowie der herausragendenRolle der kommunalen Ebene verbunden. Einehäufig anzutreffende Meinung lautet, dass insbesonderekommunale Unternehmen über große Potenzialeverfügen, um die lokale Energiewende gemeinsammit den Bürgern voranzubringen. Begründet wirddies damit, dass kommunale Unternehmen im Vergleichzu privaten Unternehmen bürgernäher sind, da sie ja mittelbar den Bürgern gehören. Unsere empirischeForschung zur Beteiligungspraxis kommunalerEnergieversorger zeigt, dass eine solche Annahme zuparadoxen Ergebnissen führen kann. Mittels einerAuswertung der vorliegenden empirischen Literaturund einer eigenen Umfrage unter Stadtwerken imEnergiebereich zeigen wir, dass Bürgerbeteiligungfür die Energiewende zwar wichtig, bei kommunalenUnternehmen jedoch (noch) kein Selbstläufer ist.

Description: Der Beteiligung von Bürgerinnen und Bürgern, Gemeinden und Städten an der Gestaltung undUmsetzung gesellschaftlicher Großprojekte wie der Energiewende wird vielerorts eine großeBedeutung beigemessen. Dies zeigt sich besonders da, wo die deutlich dezentraleren Strukturen desneuen Energiesystems die Planung von Windenergie- und Biomasseanlagen oder auch neuenÜbertragungsnetzen erforderlich machen. Bürgerbeteiligung wird hierfür als ein Modus gesehen, umKonflikte um Infrastrukturprojekte zu lösen und Akzeptanz herzustellen. Denn es zeigt sich, dass dierechtlich verankerten Formen der Öffentlichkeitsbeteiligung nicht hinreichend sind, um sachorientiertewie emotionale Aspekte mit Betroffenen zu erörtern und Probleme lösen zu können.Zunehmend werden erweiterte Mitsprachemöglichkeiten bei Planungen und politischen Entscheidungsprozesseneingefordert, die zudem über die lokale Ebene und Planungsdetails konkreterEinzelprojekte hinausreichen. Der Blick in die Praxis zeigt, dass vielerorts in der Tat ergänzende Forender Meinungsbildung und Mitwirkung eröffnet werden. Wie dies konkret geschieht, ist jedoch eineoffene Frage. Denn insgesamt besteht nur wenig systematisches Wissen über die Praktiken undMethoden, mit denen Bürgerinnen und Bürger in die Erörterung von Zielen und Gestaltungsprinzipiender Energiewende, von Handlungsoptionen und konkreten Standortfragen eingebundenwerden. Will man derartige informelle Beteiligungsformen stärken, ist deshalb die Erarbeitung einesdifferenzierten Überblicks zu den angewandten Vorgehensweisen ein wichtiger Schritt. Dervorliegende Beitrag setzt hier an und legt in Form einer Beteiligungsmatrix eine Grundlage vor, nachder eine Systematisierung von Beteiligungsverfahren erfolgen kann.

Description: The present report includes two parts. The first part is a literature review that covers specificdimensions of knowledge about Green Business Models (GBMs) in respect of conceptualdefinitions and the assessment of GBMs. The review categorises information into areas thatare deemed of interest for any practitioner wishing to support the development and growth ofgreen business models. The second part provides an overview of the ‘green financelandscape’ and classifies green finance from a structural and from a quantitative perspectivewithin the overall financial market. It further provides an overview of relevant stakeholders inthis landscape, and analyses their potential role for financing and developing green businessmodels. Both parts aim at providing background knowledge necessary to find a commonunderstanding across work processes and project partners of the Green-Win project,facilitating the further work process within the project, in particular the identification andevaluation of concrete GBMs.

Description: Climate change has significant implications for biodiversity and ecosystems. With slow progress towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions, climate engineering (or ‘geoengineering’) is receiving increasing attention for its potential to limit anthropogenic climate change and its damaging effects. Proposed techniques, such as ocean fertilization for carbon dioxide removal or stratospheric sulfate injections to reduce incoming solar radiation, would significantly alter atmospheric, terrestrial and marine environments, yet potential side-effects of their implementation for ecosystems and biodiversity have received little attention. A literature review was carried out to identify details of the potential ecological effects of climate engineering techniques. A group of biodiversity and environmental change researchers then employed a modified Delphi expert consultation technique to evaluate this evidence and prioritize the effects based on the relative importance of, and scientific understanding about, their biodiversity and ecosystem consequences. The key issues and knowledge gaps are used to shape a discussion of the biodiversity and ecosystem implications of climate engineering, including novel climatic conditions, alterations to marine systems and substantial terrestrial habitat change. This review highlights several current research priorities in which the climate engineering context is crucial to consider, as well as identifying some novel topics for ecological investigation.

Description: After years of stalemate, attracting investment in the energy sector to mitigate electricityshortages and meet rising demand are top priorities for Argentina. To this end,the new government has established main goals of increasing shale gas productionand fostering renewable energy deployment and development while drastically reducingenergy subsidies. However, investments in renewables and unconventional gas arehighly capital intensive and require long-term guarantees, while Argentina still lacksinternational financial trust. To recover financial trust, the current administration isseeking international agreements with the main financial institutions as well as the USand the EU.

Description: BEST PATHS (acronym for “BEyond State-of-the-art Technologies for rePowering Ac corridors and multi-Terminal HVDC Systems”) is a collaborative project within the FP7 framework of the European Commission that includes an MgB2-based power transmission line among its five constituent demonstrators. Led by Nexans and bringing together transmission operators, industry and research organizations, this demonstrator aims at validating the novel MgB2 technology for very high power transfer (gigawatt range). An overview of the project is presented in this paper, including the main tasks and challenges ahead, as well as the partners and their roles.

Description: The properties and the vertical structure of the mixing layer as part of the planetary boundary layer are of key importance for local air quality. They have a substantial impact on the vertical dispersion of pollutants in the lower atmosphere and thus on their concentrations near the surface. In this study, ceilometer measurements taken within the framework of the SusKat project (Sustainable Atmosphere for the Kathmandu Valley) are used to investigate the mixing layer height in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. The applied method is based on the assumption that the aerosol concentration is nearly constant in the vertical and distinctly higher within the mixing layer than in the air above. Thus, the height with the steepest gradient within the ceilometer backscatter profile marks the top of the mixing layer. Ceilometer and black carbon (BC) measurements conducted from March 2013 through February 2014 provide a unique and important dataset for the analysis of the meteorological and air quality conditions in the Kathmandu Valley. In this study the mean diurnal cycle of the mixing layer height in the Kathmandu Valley for each season (pre-monsoon, monsoon, post-monsoon and winter season) and its dependency on the meteorological situation is investigated. In addition, the impact of the mixing layer height on the BC concentration is analyzed and compared to the relevance of other important processes such as emissions, horizontal advection and deposition. In all seasons the diurnal cycle is typically characterized by low mixing heights during the night, gradually increasing after sun rise reaching to maximum values in the afternoon before decreasing again. Seasonal differences can be seen particularly in the height of the mixing layer, e.g. from on average 153/1200 m (pre-monsoon) to 241/755 m (monsoon season) during the night/day, and the duration of enhanced mixing layer heights during daytime (around 12 hours (pre-monsoon season) to 8 hours (winter)). During the monsoon season, the observed diurnal cycle typically shows the lowest amplitude and the lowest mixing height during the day and the highest in the night and morning hours of all seasons. These characteristics can mainly be explained with frequently present clouds and the associated lack of incoming solar radiation and outgoing longwave radiation. In general there is a clear anti-correlation of the BC concentration and the mixing layer height although this relation is less pronounced in the monsoon season. The shape and magnitude of the BC diurnal cycle differs between the seasons (e.g., daily maximum concentration from around 6 to 50 μg/m3 depending on the season). This is partly due to the different meteorological conditions including the mixing layer height but also caused by the different (seasonal and diurnal) time profiles of the main emission sources. From late December to April, for instance, brick kilns are major emitters of black carbon. The brick kilns emit continuously throughout the day whereas in the other months sources with more pronounced diurnal cycles, such as traffic and cooking activities, are dominating the total emissions.

Description: Biofuels have been promoted worldwide under the assumption that they can support several transformativeyet unresolved policy goals, such as transitioning towards a more secure and climate-friendly energy system,while delivering other co-benefits to workers and rural communities. Drawing on the best published evidenceto date on performance, a set of companion papers1 question many of the assumptions commonly attributed tobiofuels: their carbon neutrality, their positive effect on rural livelihoods, and (in cases of under-performance)policymakers’ ability to effectively govern for sustainability. This paper takes these findings as its starting pointand asks, “What next?” for countries wishing to advance national biofuel programmes as one of several optionsfor the necessary divestment from fossil fuels. Deriving recommendations for national biofuel programmesbased on past performance is no easy task. The wider literature highlights some of the challenges to such anendeavour – namely, that context matters deeply in shaping outcomes, thereby undermining the potential forstandardised solutions; that social and natural systems are complex, rendering interventions indeterminate intheir effects; and that deriving proscriptions for future action based on evidence of past performance requiresleaps of evidence and faith, thus involving moral hazards. And even in cases where biofuels come close to meetingexpectations, taking these successes to scale poses additional challenges inherent in the scaling processitself. By drawing on evidence of performance and the wider literature on change management, we are neverthelessable to distil a set of sine qua nons (indispensables) for sustainable biofuel governance. These recommendationsshould not be treated as a recipe for success, but as minimum conditions and “best bet” approachesrequiring testing, deliberation, and refinement through an adaptive, inclusive, and evidence-based approach topolicy design and implementation.

Description: Bürger in Deutschland investieren in erheblichemMaß in erneuerbare Energien und profitieren vonden Erlösen. Mit ihrem Engagement sind sie einwichtiger Teil der Energiewende. Politische und institutionelleRahmenbedingungen – allen voran dasErneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz (EEG) – begünstigtendie Entstehung zahlreicher Beteiligungsmodelle wieEnergiegenossenschaften oder Bürgerwindparks.Mit veränderten politischen und institutionellenRahmenbedingungen steigen die Anforderungenfür etablierte Beteiligungsmodelle, insbesonderebei Windenergie an Land. Gleichzeitig haben sichim Nordosten Deutschlands trotz sehr guter Windverhältnisseund hoher Ausbauraten weniger Beteiligungsmöglichkeitenentwickelt als in anderenLandesteilen. Aufgrund der spezifischen Barrierenin beiden Ländern – im Bundesvergleich geringe Einkommens-und Vermögensverhältnisse, Flächenbesitzverhältnisseund eine ausgeprägte Marktpräsenzvon überregionalen Vorhabenträgern – konnte sich dort bisher keine ausgeprägte Bürgerwindpraxis, dieauf Mitwirkung und Investitionen lokaler Anwohnerund Gemeinden beruht, entwickeln. Vor diesemHintergrund gehen die Bundesländer Mecklenburg-Vorpommern und Thüringen neue Wege der wirtschaftlichenBeteiligung von Bürgern und Gemeindenan Windenergieanlagen, indem sie landesweiteHandlungsrahmen setzen. Ziel dieser Studie ist es,diese neue Strategien und Ansätze staatlicher Unterstützungfür die wirtschaftliche Beteiligung vonBürgern am Ausbau neuer Windenergieanlagen zuuntersuchen. Im Zentrum steht die detaillierte Analyseder Fallbeispiele des Bürger- und GemeindenbeteiligungsgesetzesMecklenburg-Vorpommern undder Leitlinien für „Faire Windenergie“ in Thüringen.Aufbauend auf der vergleichenden Betrachtung gehtdie Studie den Fragen nach, ob die Bundesländerzunehmend zum Motor einer bürgernahen Energiewendewerden und was es dabei zu beachten gilt.

Description: This paper studies the effects of firms’ indebtedness on the dynamics of a monetary production economy. Starting from the work of Minsky and Palley, we build a stock-flow consistent agent-based model that emphasizes the effects of firms’ debt on macro dynamics and produce endogenous business cycles. We identify two effects of debt: an aggregate demand increasing effect and a functional income distribution effect and describe their consequences during the different phases of the cycle. These effects are specific to this study but are compatible with the existing literature.

Description: Due to its strong reliance on coal, South Africa is a middle-income country with veryhigh per capita emissions. As host of the Conference of the Parties (COP) in 2011, thecountry has embarked on a significant change of trajectory for its energy sector. In itsclimate mitigation efforts, it has introduced renewable energy auctions and furthermorefocuses on carbon capture and storage as well as energy efficiency. South Africa’sregional activities concentrate on renewables, grid integration and energy accessin Southern Africa.

Description: This paper presents an analytical estimate of various self-field losses in the superconducting MgB2 cables recently proposed for long-distance (3000 km) dc power transmission. We show the advantages of dc transmission with respect to ac taking into account hysteresis loss estimation, and we optimize the design of MgB2 cables accordingly.