Article
Environmental Sciences
Angelo Carlino, Massimo Tavoni, Andrea Castelletti
Summary: Research shows that integrating multi-objective optimization and feedback control into the Dynamic Integrated Climate Economy model can design self-adaptive climate policies that balance welfare maximization with compliance to the Paris Agreement. These policies allow for adjustments based on accumulating information about the socio-climatic system, resulting in reduced warming above 2 degrees C and the probability of overshooting.
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Qinjuan Wan, Hongping Deng
Summary: This study experimentally evaluates the effects of group identity primed by property rights on pro-environmental behaviors and social norms in an urban Chinese environment. The results reveal that publicity and education have a significant positive effect on the development of individual and group pro-environmental behavioral norms, housing ownership has no differentiating effect on individual environmental behavior, and the development of social norms of pro-environmental behavior varies according to group conditions.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Christopher J. Smith, Alaa Al Khourdajie, Pu Yang, Doris Folini
Summary: This study uses the DICE model with the FaIR model to analyze climate policy. It finds that including climate uncertainty leads to more refined estimates for the social cost of carbon and provides more certainty about the optimal rate of emissions abatement in different climate scenarios.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jorge Eduardo F. Cunha, Joao Vitor M. Bravo
Summary: Brazil has played an antagonist role in natural resource conservation policies, especially in the Cerrado biome. Despite projects aimed at encouraging conservation, there is uncertainty about their effectiveness. This article focuses on the Feio River watershed in Minas Gerais and examines the advance of agriculture in fragile areas, causes, and the outcomes of protection strategies. The study reveals heterogeneity in the potential fragility of the basin and highlights the need for different incentives and inspection strategies to ensure preservation and restoration.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jiandong Li, Xin Hao, Hong Liao, Huibin Dai, Nan Li, Yixuan Gu, Ruijun Dang, Baojie Li, Ying Wei
Summary: Central heating in North China causes severe air pollution, and the length of heating season is decreasing over the years. Under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 5-8.5 (SSP5-85) and carbon-neutral (CN) scenarios, the start and end dates of central heating in the North China Plain will be delayed and advanced, respectively. A flexible heating policy (FHP) based on temperature is proposed to reduce severe PM2.5 pollution, and it is found that FHP implementation can provide up to a 24% reduction in severe PM2.5 pollution during the year 2019. Future carbon-neutral policies can greatly improve air quality, but the SSP5-85 scenario may still lead to high pollutant emissions and frequent pollution days by 2050.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Gurdeep Singh Malhi, Manpreet Kaur, Prashant Kaushik
Summary: Climate change, driven by greenhouse gas emissions, poses a global threat to food and nutritional security. Despite the positive effects of increased CO2 concentration on plant growth and productivity, the rising temperatures have negative impacts on crop activities, pest infestation, and weed flora. Mitigation strategies are necessary to address the economic impact of climate change on agriculture.
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Michael R. Silverstein, Daniel Segre, Jennifer M. Bhatnagar
Summary: Environmental microbiome engineering is a potential approach for addressing climate change by introducing microbial inocula to regulate carbon stabilization in ecosystems. This review outlines the process of environmental engineering and synthesizes key considerations about ecosystem functions, microbial sourcing, inoculum design strategies, delivery methods, and factors that enable inoculum establishment and modification of ecosystem function targets. Recent studies suggest that top-down designed microbial inocula, particularly through directed evolution, have a higher chance of establishing within existing microbial communities. Outstanding questions about determinants of inoculum establishment and further research suggestions for environmental microbiome engineering as a tool to combat climate change are also addressed.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Christian Lutz, Lisa Becker, Andreas Kemmler
Summary: The study used energy system models and a macroeconomic model to evaluate the impact of Germany's energy and climate policies, showing that achieving the 2030 emission reduction target will be challenging, but the macroeconomic effects are mostly positive.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alexandre C. Koberle, Toon Vandyck, Celine Guivarch, Nick Macaluso, Valentina Bosetti, Ajay Gambhir, Massimo Tavoni, Joeri Rogelj
Summary: Estimating the economic implications of climate policy plays a crucial role in policy-making, yet the perception that achieving Paris Agreement goals will lead to economic losses is often based on oversimplified or overlooked complexities in quantifying mitigation costs. It is important to understand key factors influencing mitigation cost estimates in order to inform public debate and policy-making more effectively.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Business
Mark A. Andor, Andreas Lange, Stephan Sommer
Summary: Exemptions from costly policy measures, particularly for low-income households, play a significant role in alleviating financial burdens. In the promotion of renewable energy policies, exempting low-income households leads to substantially higher support compared to exempting the industry. Furthermore, individual measures of inequality aversion and fairness perceptions are associated with support for exemptions.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Economics
Andres Inzunza, Francisco D. Munoz, Rodrigo Moreno
Summary: Environmental policies such as renewable portfolio standards and carbon taxes can reduce risk exposure in the electricity generation sector, especially at high levels. The implementation of these policies can incentivize investments in generation technologies that limit system risk exposure.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Bishal Baniya, Damien Giurco, Scott Kelly
Summary: This study assesses changes in policy paradigms related to climate mitigation in Nepal and Bangladesh from 1992 to 2018, revealing a new policy paradigm post-2005 that focuses on low carbon development, access to energy, sustainable transport, and sustainable agricultural practices primarily adapted.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & POLICY
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Maria Alejandra Velez, Lina Moros
Summary: After four decades of research, a consensus has formed around the importance of behavioral science in influencing non-cooperative decisions and promoting pro-environmental behaviors. However, there are still challenges in terms of impacting environmental policy and conservation practices. Recent studies have focused on interventions in urban contexts, such as providing feedback and activating social norms, but more efforts are needed in common pool resource environments in the global south.
CURRENT OPINION IN BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jianxun Yang, Qi Gao, Miaomiao Liu, Qingqing Wang, Zhen Ding, Mao Liu, Jun Bi
Summary: Issuing early heat warnings and enhancing public climate change awareness and engagement are important local policy options for heat wave adaptation. This study found that individual's physiological responses were correlated with subjective thermal perceptions, with aggravated thermal discomfort observed at temperatures between 30 and 35 degrees C. Heat exposure also increased climate change belief and reduced psychological distance significantly. Furthermore, follow-up surveys showed that daily temperature variations predicted climate change belief, indicating the importance of communication and policy changes during heat events.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & POLICY
(2022)
Article
Economics
Jose Garcia-Quevedo, Elisenda Jove-Llopis
Summary: Increasing energy efficiency is considered a cost-effective way to reduce air emissions and improve economic performance in manufacturing industries, but the effectiveness of policies to promote the adoption of energy-saving technologies remains inconclusive. This paper aims to study the impact of different environmental policy measures on energy efficiency investments, analyzing data from Spanish industries between 2010 and 2017. Four main instruments are considered: regulation, taxes, subsidies, and tax credits.
