ALBERT

Description: This chapter focuses on policy-relevant research organizations or think tanks as important institutions in open, democratic, innovative, and adaptable political systems. Think tanks deal with data, facts, ideas, and narratives as most fleeting commodities and should be highly vulnerable to digital disruption. The evidence shows, however, that think tanks manage to incorporate digital innovations into their operations, both internally and how they related to their various audiences. Digital innovations provide as many opportunities to think tanks as they present threats. This is true for old, pre-digital think tanks that adapted by developing additional layers of management and communication as well as for digitally native think tanks that were created with digital opportunities in mind. Recently, an evidence base documenting good and best practice of using digital opportunities in think tanks has begun to build up, and there are first good case studies on the development of digital strategies. Although there are warnings but no signs yet of widespread digital disruption of think tanks, there are examples of emerging virtual think tanks that might only cost 10 % to establish and operate compared to traditional think tank organizations with similar access to expertise and producing output at similar levels of quality, quantity, breadth, and depth. Although a ratio of 1:10 would indicate disruptive potential, there is no evidence of disruption yet. It appears that the early examples are not sufficiently matured and understood to be replicated, which would involve think tank sponsors accepting the new format of virtual think tanks and provide them with long-term funding.

Description: Industrial production is currently undergoing a fundamental transformation, leading towards a digitalized and interconnected industrial production, which is subsumed under the term Industrial Internet (of Things) or Industrie 4.0. This paper discusses the changes that digitalization is expected to bring about in the industrial sector by comparing a highly industrialized (Germany) with a major emerging industrial economy (China). We conducted two empirical surveys asking manufacturing companies from different sectors in Germany and China respectively, how they expect the digitalization of their processes will affect them. Both questionnaires addressed the future of work in production and the future of production itself. The main contribution of this paper is its empirical investigation of how the digitalization of industry is likely to affect sustainability aspects of manufacturing companies in two countries with very different industrial structures. Our findings suggest that this transformation will not only impact the ecological dimension (resource efficiency, renewable energy), but that the technical transformation is likely to be accompanied by social transformations. The findings of this paper will help decision-makers in the political sphere to anticipate and shape pathways towards a more sustainable future in the industrial sector.

Description: Peter Söderbaum argues in his commentary, concerning my article on sustainability economics (Remig 2015), for more open and radical ecological economics. I agree with that statement. However, I reject Söderbaum's interpretation that my arguments foster mainstreamed ecological economics or dictatorship. In my critique of sustainability economics, I raised several issues that have remained unspecified and that potentially lead to unsustainable development patterns, once put into practice. Söderbaum does not reply to these conceptual challenges of sustainability economics. In this commentary, I argue that “structured pluralism” (Dow, 2004) is a constituent element of ecological economics. I welcome Peter Söderbaum's proposal for a discussion about the definition of economics and suggest to rely on Ronald Coase's proposal to define economics as a science that studies the working of the economic system. I conclude that sustainability economics in its current form is closer to neoclassical than ecological economics.

Description: After having worked academically in the field of semiconductor nanophysics I joined the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam in 2012. The IASS Potsdam is a hybrid between a research institute and a think tank, and is funded by the German Ministry for Education and Research and the Ministry for Science, Research and Culture of the Federal State of Brandenburg. Our mission is not only to undertake research on sustainability-related issues but more importantly to act as a connecting hub in the science-society interface and engage in so-called ‘transdisciplinary processes’ (that is, involving a wide range of stakeholders outside of academia) in order to support those stakeholders and decision-makers in their engagement with sustainability. In this work at the science-society interface I regularly support transdisciplinary processes as a host and process moderator or facilitator. I have undertaken several practical training courses in moderation and facilitation techniques and increasingly tend to consider myself to be more of a practitioner (rather than scholar) of transdisciplinarity. In this role, I have experienced repeatedly how transdisciplinary processes challenge the participants involved, and how in turn the personalities of those present in the group, and my own personality as facilitator, can influence and shape the overall dynamics and outcomes of these processes. The desire to reflect on these dynamics and improve my own contribution as a facilitator motivated me to learn more about psychosocial methods and forms the basis for the reflections of this essay. In this essay, I will first provide an overview of transdisciplinary processes. After some reflections on why and how they are influenced by personalities and participant interactions I will then elaborate on potential contributions to understanding (and thus helping improve) these processes through psychosocial research.

Description: How could the electricity sector be organised in order to make very high shares of renewable electricity generation (80–100%) feasible? How would this affect the energy market? What implications would it have for market regulation? A range of experts participated in this Delphi study.The report can be retrieved under the following Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.2312/iass.2017.012

Description: The topic of increasing the reflectivity of the Earth as a measure to counteract global warming has been the subject of high-level discussions and preliminary research since several decades, though prior to the early 2000s there was only very limited research on the topic. This changed in the mid-2000s, particularly following the publication of a special section of Climatic Change with a lead paper by Crutzen [2006], which posited the idea of stratospheric aerosol injections as a possible solution to a policy dilemma. The discussions around the publication of Crutzen [2006] demonstrated how contentious the topic was at that time. The special section of Climatic Change contributed to breaking the “taboo” on albedo modification research that was perceived at that time, and scientific publications on the topic have since proliferated, including the development of several large national and international projects, and the publication of several assessment reports over the last decade. Here we reflect on the background and main conclusions of the publications in 2006, the developments since then, and on some of the main developments over the next decade that we anticipate for research and dialogue in support of decision-making and policy development processes.

Description: In collaboration with national knowledge partners in India, South Africa, Vietnam and Turkey, the project elaborates country specific co-benefits of climate policies, with emphasis on the opportunities presented by renewable power generation. With its political partners in government departments and agencies COBENEFITS connects the social and economic opportunities of renewable energies to climate change mitigation strategies. The COBENEFITS project contributes to building strong alliances and lowering political barriers to revisit and effectively implement Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) to the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change. COBENEFITS enables international mutual learning and capacity building among policy makers, knowledge partners and multipliers on seizing the social and economic co-benefits of climate change mitigation, through Country-specific assessment reports of social and economic co-benefits of renewable power generation Training materials, online courses and face-to-face trainings on seizing co-benefits of renewable power generation Policy dialogue sessions on enabling political environments and overcoming barriers to seize the co-benefits Strategies to connecting co-benefits of climate change mitigation with climate action plans, the Paris Ambition Mechanism and MRV schemes to support national NDC implementation.

Description: STORY HIGHLIGHTSSDGs should not be tackled in isolation given the many interactions and interdependencies across SDGs, and SDG14 is no exception.Given the expected growth of coastal settlements and megacities, various targets under SDG14 may be compromised unless housing, settlements and infrastructure are planned and managed sustainably.The Paris Agreement is a key hinge between SDG14 and SDG13, supporting and reinforcing the achievement of both SDGs.Most ocean activities and ocean impacts have their source on land, whether it is shipping and fishing activities or pollution and degradation of coastal and marine habitats.

Description: This article explains the relatively successful performance of the European Union (EU) in climate and energy governance by two factors: (1) multi-level reinforcement and (2) the mobilization of economic interests at different levels of governance through low-carbon industrial policy. The article adds to the literature by further developing existing arguments on multi-level reinforcement in climate and energy policy. We stress the point that economic co-benefits of climate protection have been successfully mobilized at all levels of governance, including the sub-national level, in recent times. This is illustrated by examples from pioneer countries as well as laggards and waverers in terms of national climate and energy policy. While it is far from certain whether the EU will indeed deliver the needed CO2 reductions to reach its internationally agreed targets, this paper, nevertheless, highlights why the EU system of climate governance remains relatively robust in light of the various challenges it currently faces. © 2017 The Authors. Environmental Policy and Governance published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Description: Climate change is becoming an existential threat with warming in excess of 2°C within the next three decades and 4°C to 6°C within the next several decades. Warming of such magnitudes will expose as many as 75% of the world’s population to deadly heat stress in addition to disrupting the climate and weather worldwide. Climate change is an urgent problem requiring urgent solutions. This report lays out urgent and practical solutions that are ready for implementation now, will deliver benefits in the next few critical decades, and places the world on a path to achieving the long-term targets of the Paris Agreement and near-term sustainable development goals. The approach consists of four building blocks and 3 levers to implement ten scalable solutions described in this report by a team of climate scientists, policy makers, social and behavioral scientists, political scientists, legal experts, diplomats, and military experts from around the world. These solutions will enable society to decarbonize the global energy system by 2050 through efficiency and renewables, drastically reduce short-lived climate pollutants, and stabilize the climate well below 2°C both in the near term (before 2050) and in the long term (post 2050). It will also reduce premature mortalities by tens of millions by 2050. As an insurance against policy lapses, mitigation delays and faster than projected climate changes, the solutions include an Atmospheric Carbon Extraction lever to remove CO2 from the air. The amount of CO2 that must be removed ranges from negligible, if the emissions of CO2 from the energy system and SLCPs start to decrease by 2020 and carbon neutrality is achieved by 2050, to a staggering one trillion tons if the carbon lever is not pulled and emissions of climate pollutants continue to increase until 2030.

Description: The chapter assesses the prospects for Arctic oil and gas development by taking a closer look at international determinants, which have been largely overlooked so far. These international factors include global market developments, geopolitical tensions from outside the Arctic, competition with conventional and unconventional resources elsewhere and thus far neglected forms of governance including the role and bargaining power of international energy companies. With this analysis, this chapter shows the bigger picture of the Arctic’s (actual and potential) significance in global energy supply and security, and the role of global political and economic trends for Arctic energy development.

Description: While excitement around biofuels initially focused on finding a clean and secure alternative to fossil fuels, many other expectations have subsequently been attached to the “biofuel boom.” Biofuels are not only expected to mitigate climate change or foster domestic energy security, but also to generate employment, provide opportunities to smallholders and support decentralized energy systems. This paper interrogates the expectations attached to biofuels. We begin by examining how policies in consumer and producer countries articulate a series of expectations for biofuels that are “bundled” with the promise of cleaner energy, using the rationales behind these expectations to derive criteria for success. We then review evidence from the published literature on biofuel outcomes against these criteria to assess whether the most prevalent assumptions have been met. We find that policy expectations for biofuels are often expressed in narrow terms, failing to capture important potential impacts – for example focusing on new jobs in the formal sector rather than job quality or whether employment offsets livelihood costs associated with biofuel investments. Some expectations have proven elusive irrespective of the metrics employed, for example using biofuels to improve energy access in remote rural areas. The paper concludes by discussing implications for policy and practice.

Description: Ceilometers have been used for several meteorological applications, often in the framework of air qualitystudies. Whereas the particle backscatter coefficient can be retrieved in a quantitative way only recently (withthe improvements of the hardware, Wiegner et al., 2014), mixing layer heights (MLH) have been derived formore than two decades. Several approaches are documented in the literature, however, automated proceduresare still prone to errors because of difficulties in the recognition and attribution of discontinuities (“steps”) inthe backscatter profiles. For example, it is often not clear whether a detected change in the vertical distributionof aerosol backscatter indicates the residual layer, the stable boundary layer, or an elevated layer. Thus, anassessment of the reliability and accuracy of MLH-retrievals is relevant for air quality studies: on the one handMLHs are often inversely correlated with ground-based in-situ measurements of particulate matter and gaseouspollutant concentrations, and on the other hand, MLH-retrievals can be used to validate chemistry transport models.To understand the benefit of MLH in the context of air quality, we have compared several retrievals of theMLH from ceilometer measurements during a field-campaign in summer 2014 (Bonn et al., 2016) for backgroundand polluted sites in Berlin. Correlations between the concentrations of several pollutants and MLH are analyzed,and how they are influenced by the uncertainty of the derived MLH.

Description: Without the ocean and its resources, the wealth and wellbeing enjoyed by some of the world’s population would not exist. But the future of this unique ecosystem faces a grave threat today. That is because the principle of the freedom of the seas, which has held for hundreds of years, and which granted everyone unlimited access to the ocean and its resources, has resulted in overfishing, the loss of biodiversity, and ocean pollution. Our oceans and coasts are important parts of our environment – and they urgently need our protection. The atlas you’re holding is intended to illustrate the important role played by the ocean and its ecosystems – not only for people living on the coasts but for all of us.

Description: China has been very successful in creating conditions for industry localization in solar and wind energy manufacturing. In terms of their competitiveness in foreign markets, however, Chinese solar photovoltaics firms have shown significantly greater achievements than their counterparts in the wind energy sector. Moreover, the success of China's solar photovoltaics industry has come in spite of significantly lower levels of domestic market support. The paper argues that technology-related factors and their implications for international technology transfer are critical for explaining the different speeds with which Chinese firms have been able to catch up in the two sectors. This is supported by a comparative analysis of technology transfer in the two sectors.

Description: Sustainability can be understood as a specific kind of problem framing that emphasizes the interconnectedness of different problems and scales and calls for new forms of problem handling that are much more process-oriented, reflexive and iterative in nature. Closely related with the notion of reflexive governance, we propose such an alternative strategy for societal problem handling and change management in the urban context. The strategy starts from stress states in the urban system(s) and uses their initial momentum to encourage systemic change through intraventions—rather than interventions—at selected pressure points. This paper highlights the potential to evolve what has often been an intuitive practice, led by community or elected leaders with unique wisdom about functions and pressure points in their urban system, into a more accessible strategy for shaping socio-ecological transformation in urban practice.

Description: Based on a joint project of IASS and the Botanical Garden of Bogotá, the research note discusses the outlook for global sustainability norms, objectives or standards to become meaningful at city level. The action research project comprised four conference and dialogue events, ex-ante expert interviews, and questionnaires to the general public of the events, which were evaluated mainly qualitatively with quantitative elements. The paper presents a few very first results of the case study. References to the global level can fulfill a legitimating function for certain local actors and programs and can work as a dialogue enabler; their applicability depends on the specific cultural contexts for sustainability topics; political polarization regarding these topics is risky, but also promising for transformational ambitions. The thesis that ‘think locally, act locally’ might be the better recipe for integrating global considerations into local action is therefore refuted. In the case of Bogotá, a city politically at odds with the nation it heads, sustainability transformations will definitely benefit from transdisciplinary contributions which involve international expertise.

Description: The complexity of social-ecological systems (SES) is rooted in the outcomes of node activities connected by network topology. Thus far, in network dynamics research, the connectivity degree (CND), indicating how many nodes are connected to a given node, has been the dominant concept. However, connectivity focuses only on network topology, neglecting the crucial relation to node activities, and thereby leaving system outcomes largely unexplained. Inspired by the phenomenon of “consensus of wills and coordination of activities” often observed in disaster risk management, we propose a new concept of network characteristic, the consilience degree (CSD), aiming to measure the way in which network topology and node activities together contribute to system outcomes. The CSD captures the fact that nodes may assume different states that make their activities more or less compatible. Connecting two nodes with in/compatible states will lead to outcomes that are un/desirable from the perspective of the SES in question. We mathematically prove that the CSD is a generalized CND, and the CND is a special case of CSD. As a general, fundamental concept, the CSD can facilitate the development of a new framework of network properties, models, and theories that allows us to understand patterns of network behavior that cannot be explained in terms of connectivity alone. We further demonstrate that a co-evolutionary mechanism can naturally improve the CSD. Given the generality of co-evolution in SES, we argue that the CSD is an inherent attribute rather than an artificial concept, which underpins the fundamental importance of the CSD to the study of SES.

Description: Air pollution and climate change are among the most frequently discussed topics in the contemporary European environmental debate. Black carbon, or soot, is a crucial substance in this context. A significant reduction of black carbon emissions would help to combat climate change and improve air quality.

Description: The Group of Twenty should initiate a global ocean governance process and call for dialogues, strategies and regional cooperation to ensure that investment and growth in ocean use become sustainable and reach their full potential. The ocean is the largest and most critical ecosystem on Earth, and potentially the largest provider of food, materials, energy and ecosystem services. However, past and current uses of the ocean continue to be unsustainable, with increasing demand contributing to the ocean’s decline. Better governance, appreciation of the economic value of the ocean and “blue economy” strategies can reduce conflicts among uses, ensure financial sustainability, ecosystem integrity and prosperity, and promote long-term national growth and employment in maritime industries.

Description: How could the electricity sector be organised in order to make very high shares of renewable electricity generation (80–100%) feasible? How would this affect the energy market? What implications would it have for market regulation? A range of experts participated in this Delphi study.

Description: Global governance of displaced and trapped populations, forced migration and refugees is notprepared for the numbers likely to manifest under a changing climate. G20 has responsibility toprepare, push for reform, and initiate annual reviews to enhance a humanitarian response to aidclimate mobility.International policy and law build on the false assumption that displaced people and refugees canreturn to their place of origin when conditions improve, conflicts subside or homes are rebuilt. Thiscannot hold for many of those affected by climate change. Climate-induced migration is a broadphenomenon that defies existing definitions. Climate-induced disasters may cause sudden flight;desertification, sea-level rise, ocean acidification, and more frequent flooding may erode livelhoodsslowly; conflicts aggravated by environmental change also produce "climate refugees".1 Governancereform is therefore needed to strengthen rights and obligations of peoples and governments incountries of origin, transit, and destination.

Description: Despite extensive efforts, greenhouse gases continue to be emitted in vastamounts, with potentially devastating consequences around the world. This iswhy targeted interventions in the climate system, known collectively as ‘climateengineering’, are receiving increased attention. Proposed approaches are oftendivided into two groups: those intended to remove carbon dioxide from theatmosphere and those intended to reduce the amount of solar energy that reachesthe Earth’s surface or is trapped in the atmosphere. There are some similaritiesbetween the two classes of activities, but they often raise different physical,political, and governance concerns. This series provides an introduction to eachset of approaches.

Description: sdg 14 focuses on human interactions withthe ocean, seas and marine resources.It is underpinned by targets addressingconservation and sustainable use of theocean, seas and marine resources includingcoastal zones, and targets referring tocapacity building and ocean governance.Oceans cover more than 70% of the planet’ssurface and play a crucial role in planetaryresilience and the provision of vitalecosystem services. The status of the oceanand several of its resources and functionshave been deteriorating over the pastcentury. Oceans, seas and coastal zones aresubject to pollution, overexploitation andclimate change impacts such as warming,coastal erosion, sea-level rise, oceanacidification and deoxygenation. Severalcoastal regimes are under noticeablestress, compromising the services theyprovide. sdg 14 and its seven targets andthree means of implementation are aimedat an urgent need to transform humanbehaviour toward sustainable practiceswhen exploiting marine resources, andto taking action to preserve productiveand resilient oceans and seas. The seventargets largely reflect commitments underother international frameworks such asthe commitment to maintain or restorefish stocks to levels that can producemaximum sustainable yields (made in2002 under the Johannesburg Plan) or thecommitment to conserve at least 10% ofmarine and coastal areas (provided underthe cbd Aichi Target 11). However, the 2030Agenda for Sustainable Development putsuse and conservation of the ocean and itsresources, including coastal areas, into thewider sustainable development context forthe first time. The ocean space in generaland sdg 14 in particular have a cross-INTRODUCTIONcutting role in the 2030 Agenda, and sdg 14interacts with all 16 other sdgs. The natureand intensity of these interactions is highlycontext-specific and differs across the sdgsand their associated targets.The text that follows provides anoverview of interactions at the goal levelbetween sdg14 – the ‘entry level goal’ forthis assessment – and the other 16 sdgs.Taking into account all the underlyingtargets of this entry goal, a set of keyinteractions is identified between thesdg14 targets and those of other sdgs,principally interactions within the rangeof the highest magnitude or strongestimpacts based on available scientificliterature and expert knowledge. Thetypology and seven-point scale forcharacterising the range of positive andnegative interactions described in theopening chapter to this report is used toassess the selected target-level interactionsand the context in which they typicallyoccur. Illustrative examples from differentworld regions show how these linkagesmanifest themselves in practice. Policyoptions are identified for how to maximisepositive interactions and minimisenegative interactions between now and2030, and beyond. The chapter concludeswith a list of key knowledge gaps relatedto the interactions studied.

Description: The growing critical reception of mainstream mindfulness interventions often concerns itself with the social and ethical dimensions of mindfulness practices and their current inability to effectively address social and ecological problems. While Buddhists often advocate recontextualizing the practices in their original ethical frames, such proposals inadequately account for Buddhism’s historic biases and secular practitioners’ unwillingness to conform to Buddhist norms. Likewise, secular practitioners who argue that ethics implicitly informs mindfulness, but who forgo explicit ethical considerations, are often uncritical of the inner workings of power and injustice shaping mindfulness. This paper presents a dual critique of Buddhist and secular approaches to mindfulness, and attempts to outline dialectical and integral approaches that synthesize aspects of both. This dual critique lends itself to a post-secular synthesis of ethics and mindfulness, as irreducible aspects of each other informed by a non-binary understanding of religion and secularism. Finally, this synthesis is explored in light of several existing theoretical and practical examples of contemplative practices developed to support personal, social, and ecological transformation.

Description: Air pollution is largely unstudied in sub-Saharan Africa, resulting in a large gap in scientific understanding of emissions, atmospheric processes and impacts of air pollutants in this region. The Rwanda Climate Observatory, a joint partnership between MIT and the government of Rwanda, has been measuring ambient concentrations of key long-lived greenhouse gases and short-lived climate-forcing pollutants (CO2, CO, CH4, BC, O3) on the summit of Mt. Mugogo (1.586°S, 29.566°E, 2500 m above sea level) since May 2015. Rwanda is a small, mountainous, and densely populated country in equatorial East Africa currently undergoing rapid development. The location and meteorology of Rwanda is such that emissions transported from both the northern and southern African biomass burning seasons affect BC, CO, and O3 concentrations in Rwanda. Black carbon concentrations during Rwanda's two dry seasons are higher at Mt. Mugogo, a rural site, than in major European cities. Higher BC baseline concentrations at Mugogo are correlated with fire radiative power data for the region acquired with MODIS satellite instrument. Spectral absorption of aerosol measured with a dual-spot aethalometer also varies seasonally, likely due to change in fuel burned and direction of pollution transport to the site. Ozone concentration was found to be higher in air masses from southern Africa than from northern Africa during their respective biomass burning seasons. The higher ozone concentration in air masses from the south could be indicative of more anthropogenic influence as Rwanda is downwind of major East African capitals in this season. During the rainy seasons, local emitting activities (e.g., cooking, driving, trash burning) remain steady, regional biomass burning is low, and transport distances are shorter as rainout of pollution occurs regularly, which allows estimation of local pollution during this time period. Urban PM2.5 measurements in the capital city of Kigali and from the neighboring city of Kampala, Uganda were compared to the observations at Mugogo. Understanding and quantification of the percent contributions of regional and local emissions is essential to guide policy in the region. Our measurements indicate that air pollution is a current and growing problem in equatorial East Africa that deserves immediate attention.

Description: Particulate air pollution in the Kathmandu Valley has reached severe levels that are mainly due to uncontrolled emissions and the location of the urban area in a bowl-shaped basin with associated local wind circulations. The AERONET measurements from December 2012 to August 2014 revealed a mean aerosol optical depth (AOD) of approximately 0.30 at 675 nm during winter, which is similar to that of the post-monsoon but half of that of the pre-monsoon AOD (0.63). The distinct seasonal variations are closely related to regional-scale monsoon circulations over South Asia and emissions in the Kathmandu Valley. During the SusKat-ABC campaign (December 2012–February 2013), a noticeable increase in both aerosol scattering (σs; 313  →  577 Mm−1 at 550 nm) and absorption (σa; 98  →  145 Mm−1 at 520 nm) coefficients occurred before and after 4 January 2013. This can be attributed to the increase in wood-burned fires due to a temperature drop and the start of firing at nearby brick kilns. The σs value in the Kathmandu Valley was a factor of 0.5 lower than that in polluted cities in India. The σa value in the Kathmandu Valley was approximately 2 times higher than that at severely polluted urban sites in India. The aerosol mass scattering efficiency of 2.6 m2 g−1 from PM10 measurements in the Kathmandu Valley is similar to that reported in urban areas. However, the aerosol mass absorption efficiency was determined to be 11 m2 g−1 from PM10 measurements, which is higher than that reported in the literature for pure soot particles (7.5 ± 1.2 m2 g−1). This might be due to the fact that most of the carbonaceous aerosols in the Kathmandu Valley were thought to be mostly externally mixed with other aerosols under dry conditions due to a short travel time from their sources. The σs and σa values and the equivalent black carbon (EBC) mass concentration reached up to 757 Mm−1, 224 Mm−1, and 29 µg m−3 at 08:00 LST (local standard time), respectively but decreased dramatically during the daytime (09:00–18:00 LST), to one-quarter of the morning average (06:00–09:00 LST) due to the development of valley winds and an atmospheric bounder layer. The σs and σa values and the EBC concentration remained almost constant during the night at the levels of 410 Mm−1, 130 Mm−1, and 17 µg m−3, respectively. The average aerosol direct radiative forcings over the intensive measurement period were estimated to be −6.9 ± 1.4 W m−2 (top of the atmosphere) and −20.8 ± 4.6 W m−2 (surface). Therefore, the high atmospheric forcing (i.e., 13.9 ± 3.6 W m−2) and forcing efficiency (74.8 ± 24.2 W m−2 τ−1) can be attributed to the high portion of light-absorbing aerosols in the Kathmandu Valley, as indicated by the high black carbon (or elemental carbon) to sulphate ratio (1.5 ± 1.1).

Description: Climate protection measures and strategies can deliver numerous benefits: from improvements in human health, to fewer conflicts over resources, and a reduced dependency on energy imports. Climate policy should place a greater emphasis on these social and economic effects.

Description: Considering the significance and importance of urban sustainability in China and China’s history of rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, this paper aims to incorporate the investigation of climate change and air pollution in urban sustainability research in China through a driver-pressure-state-impact-response model. The model has 12 indices: population, enterprise, registered vehicles, energy consumption, emissions and concentrations of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide, land use change, annual temperature, tropical nights and reforestation were selected. It was used in the analysis of 14 cities in the Liaoning Province. The results show that the model is an effective tool for urban sustainability research, allowing for the investigation of interactions of climate change and air pollution and contributing to the body of knowledge by aiding generation of realistic and practical measures.

Description: In this study one year of ceilometer measurements taken in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, in the framework of the SusKat project (A Sustainable Atmosphere for the Kathmandu Valley) were analyzed to investigate the diurnal variation of the mixing layer height and its dependency on the meteorological conditions. In addition, the impact of the mixing layer height on the temporal variation and the magnitude of the measured black carbon concentrations are analysed for each season. Based on the assumption that black carbon aerosols are vertically well mixed within the mixing layer and the finding that the mixing layer varies only little during night time and morning hours, black carbon emission fluxes are estimated for these hours and per month. Even though this method is relatively simple, it can give an observationally based first estimate of the black carbon emissions in this region, especially illuminating the seasonal cycle of the emission fluxes.In all seasons the diurnal cycle of the mixing layer height is typically characterized by low heights during the night and maximum values during in the afternoon. Seasonal differences are found in the absolute mixing layer height values and the duration of the typical daytime maximum. During the monsoon season a diurnal cycle has been observed with the smallest amplitude, with the lowest daytime mixing height of all seasons, and also the highest nighttime and early morning mixing height of all seasons. These characteristics can mainly be explained with the frequently present clouds and the associated reduction in incoming solar radiation and outgoing longwave radiation.In general, the black carbon concentrations show a clear anticorrelation with mixing layer height measurements, although this relation is less pronounced in the monsoon season. The daily evolution of the black carbon diurnal cycle differs between the seasons, partly due to the different meteorological conditions including the mixing layer height. Other important reasons are the different main emission sources and their diurnal variations in the individual seasons. The estimation of the black carbon emission flux for the morning hours show a clear seasonal cycle with maximum values in December to April. Compared to the emission flux values provided by different emission databases for this region, the here estimated values are considerably higher. Several possible sources of uncertainty are considered, and even the absolute lower bound of the emissions based on our methodology is higher than in most emissions datasets, providing strong evidence that the black carbon emissions for this region have likely been underestimated in modelling studies thus far.

Description: This brochure presents the most important facts and figures on the IASS as well as a selection of journal articles and publications from the IASS Series from 2014 to 2016.

Description: The SusKat-ABC (Sustainable Atmosphere for the Kathmandu Valley–Atmospheric Brown Clouds) international air pollution measurement campaign was carried out from December 2012 to June 2013 in the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions in Nepal. The Kathmandu Valley is a bowl-shaped basin with a severe air pollution problem. This paper reports measurements of two major greenhouse gases (GHGs), methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), along with the pollutant CO, that began during the campaign and were extended for 1 year at the SusKat-ABC supersite in Bode, a semi-urban location in the Kathmandu Valley. Simultaneous measurements were also made during 2015 in Bode and a nearby rural site (Chanban)  ∼  25 km (aerial distance) to the southwest of Bode on the other side of a tall ridge. The ambient mixing ratios of methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), water vapor, and carbon monoxide (CO) were measured with a cavity ring-down spectrometer (G2401; Picarro, USA) along with meteorological parameters for 1 year (March 2013–March 2014). These measurements are the first of their kind in the central Himalayan foothills. At Bode, the annual average mixing ratios of CO2 and CH4 were 419.3 (±6.0) ppm and 2.192 (±0.066) ppm, respectively. These values are higher than the levels observed at background sites such as Mauna Loa, USA (CO2: 396.8 ± 2.0 ppm, CH4: 1.831 ± 0.110 ppm) and Waliguan, China (CO2: 397.7 ± 3.6 ppm, CH4: 1.879 ± 0.009 ppm) during the same period and at other urban and semi-urban sites in the region, such as Ahmedabad and Shadnagar (India). They varied slightly across the seasons at Bode, with seasonal average CH4 mixing ratios of 2.157 (±0.230) ppm in the pre-monsoon season, 2.199 (±0.241) ppm in the monsoon, 2.210 (±0.200) ppm in the post-monsoon, and 2.214 (±0.209) ppm in the winter season. The average CO2 mixing ratios were 426.2 (±25.5) ppm in the pre-monsoon, 413.5 (±24.2) ppm in the monsoon, 417.3 (±23.1) ppm in the post-monsoon, and 421.9 (±20.3) ppm in the winter season. The maximum seasonal mean mixing ratio of CH4 in winter was only 0.057 ppm or 2.6 % higher than the seasonal minimum during the pre-monsoon period, while CO2 was 12.8 ppm or 3.1 % higher during the pre-monsoon period (seasonal maximum) than during the monsoon (seasonal minimum). On the other hand, the CO mixing ratio at Bode was 191 % higher during the winter than during the monsoon season. The enhancement in CO2 mixing ratios during the pre-monsoon season is associated with additional CO2 emissions from forest fires and agro-residue burning in northern South Asia in addition to local emissions in the Kathmandu Valley. Published CO∕CO2 ratios of different emission sources in Nepal and India were compared with the observed CO∕CO2 ratios in this study. This comparison suggested that the major sources in the Kathmandu Valley were residential cooking and vehicle exhaust in all seasons except winter. In winter, brick kiln emissions were a major source. Simultaneous measurements in Bode and Chanban (15 July–3 October 2015) revealed that the mixing ratios of CO2, CH4, and CO were 3.8, 12, and 64 % higher in Bode than Chanban. The Kathmandu Valley thus has significant emissions from local sources, which can also be attributed to its bowl-shaped geography that is conducive to pollution build-up. At Bode, all three gas species (CO2, CH4, and CO) showed strong diurnal patterns in their mixing ratios with a pronounced morning peak (ca. 08:00), a dip in the afternoon, and a gradual increase again through the night until the next morning. CH4 and CO at Chanban, however, did not show any noticeable diurnal variations. These measurements provide the first insights into the diurnal and seasonal variation in key greenhouse gases and air pollutants and their local and regional sources, which is important information for atmospheric research in the region.

Description: Since solar radiation management (SRM) technologies do not yet exist and capacities to model their impacts are limited, proposals for its governance are implicitly designed not around realities, but possibilities – baskets of risk and benefit that are often components of future imaginaries. This paper reports on the project Solar Radiation Management: Foresight for Governance (SRM4G), which aimed to encourage an anticipatory mode of thinking about the future of an engineered climate. Leveraging the participation of 15 scholars and practitioners heavily engaged in early conversations on SRM governance, SRM4G applied scenario construction to generate a set of alternative futures leading to 2030, each exercising different influences on the need for – and challenges associated with – development of SRM technologies. The scenarios then provided the context for the design of systems of governance with the capacity and legitimacy to respond to those challenges, and for the evaluation of the advantages and drawbacks of different options against a wide range of imaginary but plausible futures. SRM4G sought to initiate a conversation within the SRM research community on the capacity of foresight approaches to highlight the centrality of conceptions of the future to discussions of SRM's threats and opportunities, and in doing so, examined and challenged the assumptions embedded in conceptualizing SRM's aims, development and governance, and discussed the capacity of governance options to adapt to a wide range of possibilities.

Description: Within the FP7-funded BEST PATHS project, a demonstration area is aiming to validate the MgB2 technology for HVDC power transmission. In this work, results for the different MgB2 wires are presented, with a particular focus on the critical aspects influencing the cable design: wire diameter, critical current performance, mechanical properties, and stress tolerance of the wire subjected to bending and tension.

Description: This chapter aims at extending the policy advisor’s toolbox, by presenting the potential of serious games to support the whole spectrum of advisory and analytical processes behind public policymaking. Serious games are structured and interactive exercises, reproducing the elements of reality, within a set of rules, wherein participants individually, or collectively, organize and act to solve a dilemma and experience the effects of their actions through a feedback mechanism, built deliberately into and around the game. The lessons learned (both individual and social) are transferrable to the world outside the game. ‘Multilogue’, the unique ‘simultaneous dialogue of multiple actors in pursuit of a greater understanding of the topic at hand’ (Duke, Richard D. Gaming the future’s language. New York: Sage, 1974), takes place both during the game and the debriefing afterwards, and constitutes a crucial feature of the advisory potential of gaming. Starting with a brief sketch of the origins and development of serious games, the chapter moves on to their potential as advisory tools, supporting various stages of policymaking processes, as well as educational devices, enhancing the broader quality of advisory systems and processes. It concludes with an introduction of the basic principles of a design methodology for serious games.

Description: How risks are regulated can affect domestic outcomes, such as the benefits and costs of protecting consumers, health and environment, and it can also foster or limit opportunities for international trade. A question addressed in this report is whether different approaches to risk regulation lead to different levels of protection.Based on a study commissioned by the European Parliament in 2016, this report offers a descriptive transatlantic comparison of regulatory standards in four key sectors: Food, automobiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals. It shows that EU risk regulation is not always or generally more stringent than US regulation. The reality is a complex mix of parity and particularity between EU and US risk regulation.The reality of transatlantic regulation is not a simple dichotomy of a European approach versus an American approach. It is not EU precaution versus US reaction, or ex-ante versus ex-post legal systems, or civil law versus common law, or uncertainty-based versus evidence-based regulatory systems. Rather, the reality is overall EU-US parity as well as some particular variation in policies on both sides of the Atlantic. This includes both cases of greater European stringency and cases of greater US stringency.On the other hand, regulatory variation can also be the basis for learning to improve future regulatory design, both by comparing outcomes across regulations in different jurisdictions, and by planning adaptive regulation over time. International regulatory cooperation involves collaboration to review existing regulations and design new approaches that improve outcomes for all. The EU and US can learn from this variation, and from evolving understanding, to improve regulatory standards through monitoring, evaluation, impact assessment, and planned adaptive regulation.

Description: Farmers must consider real-world problems and variability to maximize yields and minimize environmental impacts when using cover crops in corn (Zea mays L.)-based cropping systems. Much of the variability encountered by farmers of the Midwest Corn Belt is due to the topographical diversity of the undulating landscape. The objectives of this study are to explore the effects of cover crops on soil organic carbon (C), both total organic C and its labile form, particulate organic C (POC), and on water retention at contrasting topographies (summit, slope, and depression). A cereal rye (Secale cereal L.) cover crop was established in the fall of 2011 at two experimental sites. At each site, the experimental design was a split-split plot with whole plot factor, topographical position, in a randomized complete block design with two replications. Topographical position affected all studied plant and soil characteristics, including aboveground plant biomass, rye residue decomposition, POC, total soil C, and soil water retention. Across all topographical positions, rye residue decomposition was ∼5% greater in the treatment with than without cover crop. In slopes and summits, the POC in the treatment with cover crop was significantly (∼0.7 mg g-1 soil [∼700 ppm]) greater than in the treatment without the cover crop; however, the difference was not statistically significant in depressions. The cover crop effect on both total organic C and soil water retention levels was not statistically significant. The study points to potential interactions between topography and C sequestration benefits of cover crops; however, longer experimental times are needed to detect significant differences in soil total C and water retention measurements.

Description: The chapter provides concluding thoughts on the governance of the Arctic as a globally embedded space as put forward in the Introduction and exemplified in the manifold contributions to this volume. In due consideration of the insights gained from the volume, the chapter specifically re-assesses three broader governance models that have been proposed recently to manage Arctic change: empowering the Arctic Council, solidifying a multi-level regime complex consisting of Arctic-specific and Arctic-relevant institutions, and negotiating an overarching regional agreement. The authors close by reflecting upon the imaginaries that each of these models entail for governing the ‘global Arctic’.

Description: DIALOGUE 3: ‘UN-Data’ is the third and final part of the CriticalDialogues Series: the New Urban Agenda ‘on the ground’, whichaccompanied the making of the New Urban Agenda during theeighteen months leading up to the Habitat III conference in Quito(17–20 October 2016) by critically reflecting on some of its coreissues. The topics of the Critical Dialogues ranged from Overridingthe urban/non-urban divide (April 2015) and Different Urbanisations(September 2015) to UN-Data (July–October 2016). In line with theoverarching motto of ‘the New Urban Agenda on the Ground,’ thedialogues are concerned with local realities and their relation toglobal parameters.The evolution of the seriesAs visualised on p.2, the methodology of the Dialogues Seriesevolved over the last eighteen months from (1) a DIALOGUE – toproduce different thinking – to (2) a LAB – to open up complexityand more depth - to (3) a FIELDWORK – to add ‘on the ground’reality. The knowledge that was produced in these three stages wastaken up in the course of the Series’ learning process.DIALOGUE 1: ‘Overriding the Urban-Non-Urban Divide’began as a public debate with four key panellists. The inputs anddiscussions were extremely interesting (criticalurbanagenda.com),but the follow-up talks were even more engaging and left us wantingto explore the field in greater depth.DIALOGUE 2 brought sixteen ‘unusual suspects’ together to spendfive days experiencing, exchanging, producing, and discussingthe topic of ‘Different Urbanisations’. In this LAB2 in Berlin, wefocused on the role and limits of importing/exporting knowledge,technology, and urbanisation patterns to and from different regionsof the world, and discussed how culturally different processes ofurbanisation are/should be. The LAB format combined discussionwith hands-on activities as well as inputs from the participants’own work and experiences. The ‘unusual suspects’ came fromvery different local contexts all over the globe, in which they wereall strongly involved in ‘on the ground’ action. Most had a hybridprofile, being part academic and part activist/artist/practitioner. Thephysical workshop setting (space, food, working materials) played animportant role and the LAB used practical tasks (e.g., copy-pastingurban patterns, remaking the 1950s story of ‘The Three Little Pigs’in a futuristic setting, or hacking a municipal water system) to sparkcreativity and energise discussion on particular topics. In addition,much attention was given to the written, graphic, and photo/videodocumentation, which resulted in a joint LAB2 publication andvideo production (criticalurbanagenda.com). The week closed witha public debate on the same topic, a public event hosted at the ANCBin Berlin.DIALOGUE 3 focused on the topic of ‘UN-Data’. The developmentof a critical approach to this topic called for the collection of evidenceon the ground. We formed a core team with several of the LAB2participants to investigate the relation between global and localdata (related to Habitat III / Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs)through co-designed FIELDWORK in three case study cities:Chennai, Mexico City and Santo Domingo. We started out from thefollowing questions:• How can data that is meant to measure andmonitor global goals and targets go beyondthe creation of broad statistics to being asignificant tool/resource for local communities?• What kind of data is needed to induce appliedchange and force accountability on different levels?• Can we identify different approaches to dataCollection, Evaluation and Directionality?Together with a 25-minute documentary on the three case studycities and a 25-minute compilation video of the Results Workshop,this publication compiles our experiences of DIALOGUE 3: ‘UNData’.

Description: Particulate matter (PM) deposited on Platanus acerifolia tree leaves has been sampled in the urban areas of 28 European cities, over 20 countries, with the aim of testing leaf deposited particles as indicator of atmospheric PM concentration and composition. Leaves have been collected close to streets characterised by heavy traffic and within urban parks. Leaf surface density, dimensions, and elemental composition of leaf deposited particles have been compared with leaf magnetic content, and discussed in connection with air quality data. The PM quantity and size were mainly dependent on the regional background concentration of particles, while the percentage of iron-based particles emerged as a clear marker of traffic-related pollution in most of the sites. This indicates that Platanus acerifolia is highly suitable to be used in atmospheric PM monitoring studies and that morphological and elemental characteristics of leaf deposited particles, joined with the leaf magnetic content, may successfully allow urban PM source apportionment.

Description: The potential of emissions from urban vegetation combined with anthropogenic emissions to produce ozone and particulate matter has long been recognized. This potential increases with rising temperatures and may lead to severe problems with air quality in densely populated areas during heat waves. Here, we investigate how heat waves affect emissions of volatile organic compounds from urban/suburban vegetation and corresponding ground-level ozone and particulate matter. We use the Weather Research and Forecasting Model with atmospheric chemistry (WRF-Chem) with emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from vegetation simulated with MEGAN to quantify some of these feedbacks in Berlin, Germany, during the heat wave in 2006. The highest ozone concentration observed during that period was ∼200 μg/m3 (∼101 ppbV). The model simulations indicate that the contribution of biogenic VOC emissions to ozone formation is lower in June (9–11%) and August (6–9%) than in July (17–20%). On particular days within the analyzed heat wave period, this contribution increases up to 60%. The actual contribution is expected to be even higher as the model underestimates isoprene concentrations over urban forests and parks by 0.6–1.4 ppbv. Our study demonstrates that biogenic VOCs can considerably enhance air pollution during heat waves. We emphasize the dual role of vegetation for air quality and human health in cities during warm seasons, which is removal and lessening versus enhancement of air pollution. The results of our study suggest that reduction of anthropogenic sources of NOx, VOCs, and PM, for example, reduction of the motorized vehicle fleet, would have to accompany urban tree planting campaigns to make them really beneficial for urban dwellers.

Description: This article uses the concept of “Industrial Revolution” to underline the extraordinary speed and the global scale of ecological modernization (EM). The focus is on clean energy technologies, the core of this dynamic change. In several countries there is not only an unexpected speed of clean energy diffusion but also a policy feedback, indicated by more ambitious targets. The highest degree of change so far has been achieved by the power sector of the European Union. Beyond environment and climate related concerns there are two main explaining factors: first, the polycentric system of multi-level global governance as a “multi-impulse system” supporting a broad innovation and lesson-drawing; second, the lesson to be learned is about the co-benefits of EM which can be attractive for relevant actors. There are however clear limits of the current state of EM regarding its environmental effectiveness and its distributional equity. Ecological modernization needs to be completed by structural change away from resource-intensive and environmentally disruptive branches, infrastructures and life styles. This remains a big challenge.

Description: Multi-level global governance was introduced at the United Nations summit in Rio in 1992 as a new model to achieve a broad global mobilization of different actors in sustainable development. This model has been extended to climate governance. It has become a global system with its own inherent logic, dynamics and stabilization mechanisms. This article deals with the systemic dimension (the architecture) of global multi-level climate governance across levels and sectors. It refers to the model and its practical implementation at different levels. The text poses four hypotheses: (1) the global multi-level system of climate governance can be regarded as a structure which offers opportunities for ambitious innovation-based climate strategies; (2) each level of the global system has its own specific responsibilities, challenges, opportunities and mechanisms for lesson-drawing; (3) the main lesson to be learned is to make use of the co-benefits characteristic to climate mitigation; and (4) the system's multi-sectoral and multi-actor structure provides additional opportunities to address such co-benefits and to mobilize different interests in the pursuit of climate policy objectives. After outlining these hypotheses in more detail, the article will then conclude with a set of policy recommendations. © 2017 The Authors. Environmental Policy and Governance published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Description: The Science Platform at a glance In the new version of the German Sustainable Development Strategy, the Federal Government called on the scientific community to create a platform that is systematically involved in the steering, dialogue and implementation processes of the 2030 Agenda and its sustainability architecture. In response to this, the Science Platform Sustainability 2030 was launched on 8 May 2017 and was presented to the public one day later at the 13th BMBF Forum for Sustainability. The platform is supported by three organising institutions: the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Germany (SDSN Germany), the German Committee Future Earth (DKN Future Earth) and the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), which houses the platform’s secretariat. A steering committee consisting of 26 members from science, the business community, and civil society is responsible for the platform’s activities and operative management. The committee also links the platform with other actors from science, politics, economics and civil society in an effort to build an effective, representative and internationally anchored platform. Additional support is provided by a circle of government agencies (open to all federal ministries) – currently including the BMBF, the BMUB, the BMZ, the BMEL and the Federal Chancellery.