Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
S. Rekker, M. C. Ives, B. Wade, L. Webb, C. Greig
Summary: A new study defines key guidelines for accurately assessing the alignment of companies with the Paris goals. Current evaluation methods are found to be deficient, with few companies assessed as Paris Compliant. The study proposes strict conditions and operational requirements to ensure companies can declare they are on a Paris Compliant Pathway. Applying this proposed method is crucial for meeting the Paris carbon budget and accurately tracking progress.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Economics
Thomas Kopp, Markus Nabernegg, Steffen Lange
Summary: This study uses panel data from EU and OECD countries to examine the relationship between a country's level of digitalization and CO2 emissions. The results show that overall, digitalization in both households and firms decreases emissions. However, in countries with lower income levels, increasing digitalization is associated with an increase in emissions. This study has implications for the discussion of the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Faramarz Jabbari-Zadeh, Arsha Karbassi, Aditya Khetan
Summary: Combatting climate change may be the greatest public health opportunity of the 21st century. Physicians and medical students have a significant ecological footprint, particularly those from Canada and USA. Most physicians are interested in reducing their ecological footprint, and those who engage in climate change discussions are more likely to take action.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mark C. J. Stoddart, Cole Atlin
Summary: This article examines the case of the Muskrat Falls hydropower mega-project in Labrador, Canada, to illustrate how the project failed to deliver its promised benefits, leading to economic cost and environmental risk. The study highlights the concept of anti-reflexivity and deep stories to explain why the project became politically and publicly inevitable until it was too late to change course. By analyzing available data and secondary sources, the paper identifies the social forces that maintained political anti-reflexivity and contributed to the double disaster. The findings provide important lessons for countering anti-reflexivity and improving environmental governance in energy mega-projects.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Loris Di Natale, Luca Funk, Martin Ruedisueli, Bratislav Svetozarevic, Giacomo Pareschi, Philipp Heer, Giovanni Sansavini
Summary: Energy systems are transitioning from nuclear and thermal power to intermittent renewable energy sources, creating discrepancies between electricity production and consumption. This study investigates the impact of electrifying the mobility sector and electric vehicles (EVs) on energy systems with a large share of renewable energy sources, using an optimization framework to assess EVs competing and interacting with other energy storage technologies to minimize greenhouse gas-intensive electricity imports.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Francesco de Cunzo, Alberto Petri, Andrea Zaccaria, Angelica Sbardella
Summary: Using Economic Complexity techniques, this study examines the relationship between green technologies and industrial production at a detailed level. By using patent data and exported products as proxies, the study builds a directed network to observe how green technological development impacts industrial production. The findings highlight the strong connection between green technologies and the export of products related to raw material processing, and the increasing importance of complex green technologies and high-tech products in the network.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
I. Kit Cheng, Kin K. Leong
Summary: The Hospitality and Food Service sectors have a significant impact on food waste and carbon emissions. This study proposes three ways to reduce the carbon footprint of the staff cafeteria in a resort in Macau: upstream optimization to reduce unserved food waste, midstream education to raise awareness among staff about the climate and health impact of food choices, and downstream recognition using computer vision to reduce plate waste. This holistic and data-driven approach has great potential to reduce food waste and educate individuals about the connection between food, climate, and well-being.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Yuanchao Hu, Meirong Su, Limin Jiao
Summary: Agriculture contributes significantly to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and is crucial for achieving global climate goals. However, the specific opportunities for reducing agricultural GHG emissions at sub-national and food-specific scales are not well understood. In this study, we analyzed agricultural GHG emissions in mainland China from 2000 to 2020 and identified Hunan province, rice cultivation, enteric fermentation, and CH4 as the largest emission sources by region, product group, process, and gas, respectively. Agricultural emissions peaked in 2015, decreased temporarily by 8% by 2020, and are projected to decline by 30-36% by 2060, primarily due to potential reductions in meat production in eastern and northern China. While emissions and land use per unit of food product generally decreased, emissions per unit of land use increased in many regions and food groups. Our findings highlight the opportunities and challenges for GHG mitigation in the top emitters in central China and marginal agriculture in the northeast.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jasmin Cooper, Luke Dubey, Semra Bakkaloglu, Adam Hawkes
Summary: This study estimates the emissions of H-2 supply chains for the first time and finds that the emission rates are comparable to methane emissions from natural gas supply, but the impact on global warming is much lower. The study highlights the critical importance of establishing mobile H-2 emission monitoring and reducing the uncertainty of H-2 climate forcing.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Alienor Jue Hammer, Charles Millar, Sebastian John Hennige
Summary: This article highlights the greenhouse gas emissions in the Scottish salmon aquaculture industry and calls for the development of comprehensive emissions reductions measures. Case studies of two aquaculture operators and comparison with data from the Carbon Disclosure Project reveal imbalances in mitigation strategies and identify potential routes for carbon emission reductions.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REVIEW
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
M. Crippa, E. Solazzo, D. Guizzardi, F. Monforti-Ferrario, F. N. Tubiello, A. Leip
Summary: Data on GHG emissions from the global food system are often scattered and unavailable, but EDGAR-FOOD provides a consistent database from 1990 to 2015. The largest contributions to food-system emissions come from agriculture and supply chain activities, representing 34% of total global GHG emissions.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wenhua Wan, Petra Doell, Hang Zheng
Summary: This study assesses the impact of future climate change on hydroelectricity production in China and finds that increasing global warming levels will lead to changes in hydroelectricity production. While some provinces may experience an increase in hydroelectricity production, there is also a possibility of significant decreases under extreme conditions. The uncertainty of projected hydroelectricity production changes is mainly influenced by the global climate models.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Cynthia Soued, John A. Harrison, Sara Mercier-Blais, Yves T. Prairie
Summary: Reservoirs are crucial for human societies, but their carbon emissions have a significant impact on global climate change. This study reveals that global reservoir carbon emissions peaked in 1987 and have been gradually declining since, mainly due to decreasing carbon dioxide emissions as reservoirs age. However, reservoir-induced radiative forcing continues to rise due to ongoing increases in reservoir methane emissions.
Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Sarah J. Baker
Summary: This review examines published records of inferred wildfire activity during major greenhouse gas-induced global warming events in the past. The review concludes that there is substantial evidence linking climate-driven wildfire changes with periods of global climate changes in Earth's history, providing information for future predictions of wildfire occurrence on a warming planet.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Nkwetta Ajong Aquilas, Johannes Tabi Atemnkeng
Summary: This study analyzes the effects of climate-related development mitigation finance and renewable energy consumption on greenhouse gas emissions in the Congo Basin. The results show that an increase in climate-related development mitigation finance leads to a minimal but significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions, while an increase in renewable energy consumption reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
ENERGY STRATEGY REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Thermodynamics
Konstantinos Oikonomou, Brian Tarroja, Jordan Kern, Nathalie Voisin
Summary: This article discusses the opportunities for multisector adaptation and tradeoffs in power system operational models, focusing on four core processes and proposing model-agnostic research directions.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Bahareh Kamali, Farshid Jahanbakhshi, Diana Dogaru, Joerg Dietrich, Claas Nendel, Amir AghaKouchak
Summary: Assessing the risk of yield loss in African drought-affected regions is crucial for stable crop production. This study applies Copula theory to describe the dependence between drought and crop yield anomalies in sub-Saharan Africa. Temperature has a greater impact on sorghum compared to maize and millet. The results demonstrate the added value of probabilistic methods for drought impact assessment.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Felicia Chiang, Peter Greve, Omid Mazdiyasni, Yoshihide Wada, Amir AghaKouchak
Summary: This study examines the impact of anthropogenic forcing on compound warm and dry months using CMIP6 climate models. The results show that most regions have experienced an increase in simultaneous warm and dry months due to human emissions, leading to a 2.7 times increase in the likelihood of compound warm-dry months at the global scale. These findings highlight the importance of considering multivariate extremes in understanding climate impacts.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
A. AghaKouchak, B. Pan, O. Mazdiyasni, M. Sadegh, S. Jiwa, W. Zhang, C. A. Love, S. Madadgar, S. M. Papalexiou, S. J. Davis, K. Hsu, S. Sorooshian
Summary: Despite improvements in weather and climate modelling, drought prediction remains a challenge. Developing bottom-up models and focusing on stability rather than event-based verification is crucial. Opportunities lie in artificial intelligence and machine learning.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY A-MATHEMATICAL PHYSICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jochen E. Schubert, Adam Luke, Amir AghaKouchak, Brett F. Sanders
Summary: This study presents a mechanistic model framework for simulating urban flooding at fine resolution. The model demonstrates high predictive skill in pluvial flooding during Hurricane Harvey. The results also highlight the need for future research.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Brett F. Sanders, Jochen E. Schubert, Daniel T. Kahl, Katharine J. Mach, David Brady, Amir AghaKouchak, Fonna Forman, Richard A. Matthew, Nicola Ulibarri, Steven J. Davis
Summary: Flood risks in the United States have historically been underestimated, particularly with respect to human well-being and within low-wealth and marginalized communities. In Los Angeles, flood risks are disproportionately high for historically disadvantaged populations and communities already facing social inequities.
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2023)
Article
Water Resources
Gabriel Anzolin, Pedro Luiz Borges Chaffe, Jasper A. Vrugt, Amir AghaKouchak
Summary: Climatic drivers have been widely used to improve nonstationary flood frequency analysis (FFA). However, the ability of nonstationary FFA with out-of-sample prediction has not been comprehensively evaluated. In this study, we assess the ability of process-informed nonstationary models for out-of-sample FFA using 379 flood records from Brazil. The results show that a nonstationary model is preferable when there is a significant correlation between flood and climate covariates in both the training period and full record. Rainfall-based covariates lead to better out-of-sample nonstationary FFA models. These findings highlight the promising approach of using climate information as covariates in nonstationary FFA for estimating future floods and improving infrastructure design, risk assessment, and disaster preparedness.
HYDROLOGICAL SCIENCES JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Brian Tarroja, Rebecca Peer, Emily Grubert
Summary: This study explores five different approaches for developing a 100% zero-carbon electricity system and compares their performance in terms of environmental impacts. The results show that prioritizing minimum solid construction materials mass can achieve near-minimal cost and land use, while the strategy with minimum freshwater consumption exhibits the largest land use and materials use. The study highlights the tradeoffs between different environmental impacts in developing a zero-carbon electricity system.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marco Turco, John T. Abatzoglou, Sixto Herrera, Yizhou Zhuang, Sonia Jerez, Donald D. Lucas, Amir AghaKouchak, Ivana Cvijanovic
Summary: Record-breaking summer forest fires in California have significantly increased due to anthropogenic climate change, rather than natural factors. The future is expected to see a further increase in fire area, highlighting the need for proactive adaptations.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mohammad Reza Alizadeh, John T. Abatzoglou, Jan Adamowski, Arash Modaresi Rad, Amir AghaKouchak, Francesco S. R. Pausata, Mojtaba Sadegh
Summary: The authors find that there has been widespread increases in fire danger across the mountainous western US from 1979 to 2020, with the most acute trends occurring at high-elevation regions above 3000 m. Previous studies have identified elevation-dependent warming trends, but research on their impact on fire danger remains limited.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Amy East, Amir AghaKouchak, Graziella Caprarelli, Gabriel Filippelli, Fabio Florindo, Charles Luce, Harihar Rajaram, Lynn Russell, Cristina Santin, Isaac Santos
Summary: Fire has always been a significant part of ecosystems, but human-induced global climate change is now changing fire patterns on Earth's land surface, making it crucial to understand the physical, biological, and chemical processes of fire and its impact on human societies. In 2020, AGU launched a Special Collection across 10 journals, inviting papers on the theme of Fire in the Earth System to promote cutting-edge research in fire-related science. The completed Special Collection consists of over 100 papers. This summary categorizes the published articles into seven themes: paleofire and its correlation with climate; evolution of recent and future fire patterns under ongoing climate change; physical (atmospheric) and chemical processes associated with fire; ecosystem effects, including biogeochemical cycles; physical landscape changes and associated hazards after fire; fire effects on water quality, air quality, and human health; and new methods and technologies applied in fire research.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Juan Liang, Xianfeng Liu, Amir Aghakouchak, Philippe Ciais, Bojie Fu
Summary: Global warming is expected to increase extreme precipitation, but its impact on different climates is unclear. This study analyzed the sensitivity of extreme and mean precipitation to temperature in dry and wet regions using global climate models. Both extreme and mean precipitation showed similar patterns, but extreme precipitation was three times more sensitive to temperature (19%/K) compared to mean precipitation (6%/K). Dry regions exhibited higher sensitivity to temperature for both mean and extreme precipitation compared to wet regions. These findings highlight the importance of implementing adaptive strategies to mitigate the effects of global warming on dryland ecosystems.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Arash Modaresi Rad, John T. Abatzoglou, Jason Kreitler, Mohammad Reza Alizadeh, Amir AghaKouchak, Nicholas Hudyma, Nicholas J. Nauslar, Mojtaba Sadegh
Summary: Exposure to wildfires is increasing across the US, posing risks to both population and critical infrastructure. From 2000 to 2019, 594,850 people resided within the perimeters of large wildfires, with a significant increase in primary population exposure. Additionally, roads and transmission powerlines are also widely exposed to wildfires, with a notable increase over the past two decades.
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Amir AghaKouchak, Laurie S. Huning, Mojtaba Sadegh, Yue Qin, Yannis Markonis, Farshid Vahedifard, Charlotte A. Love, Ashok Mishra, Ali Mehran, Renee Obringer, Annika Hjelmstad, Shrideep Pallickara, Shakil Jiwa, Martin Hanel, Yunxia Zhao, Angeline G. Pendergrass, Mazdak Arabi, Steven J. Davis, Philip J. Ward, Mark Svoboda, Roger Pulwarty, Heidi Kreibich
Summary: Integrating impacts and cascading hazards into drought monitoring can enhance prediction and mitigation of drought events. Current monitoring efforts mainly focus on hazards and overlook drought-related compound risks such as heatwaves, wildfires, floods, and debris flows. We advocate for impact-based drought monitoring and its integration with broader drought-related hazards.
NATURE REVIEWS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
David E. Rheinheimer, Brian Tarroja, Anna M. Rallings, Ann D. Willis, Joshua H. Viers
Summary: Reservoir-based hydropower systems are being transformed under policy initiatives driven by increasing water and energy demand, the desire to reduce environmental impacts, and interacting effects of climate change. Different approaches and assumptions in hydropower representation in water and energy systems have been reviewed, with a focus on applications in California. These divergent modeling approaches may result in inadequate representations of each respective sector and vastly different planning outcomes, and better integration of water and energy models is needed.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH: INFRASTRUCTURE AND SUSTAINABILITY
(2023)
Article
Thermodynamics
Yong Cheng, Fukai Song, Lei Fu, Saishuai Dai, Zhiming Yuan, Atilla Incecik
Summary: This paper investigates the accessibility of wave energy absorption by a dual-pontoon floating breakwater integrated with hybrid-type wave energy converters (WECs) and proposes a hydraulic-pneumatic complementary energy extraction method. The performance of the system is validated through experiments and comparative analysis.
Article
Thermodynamics
Jing Gao, Chao Wang, Zhanwu Wang, Jin Lin, Runkai Zhang, Xin Wu, Guangyin Xu, Zhenfeng Wang
Summary: This study aims to establish a new integrated method for biomass cogeneration project site selection, with a focus on the application of the model in Henan Province. By integrating Geographic Information System and Multiple Criterion Decision Making methods, the study conducts site selection in two stages, providing a theoretical reference for the construction of biomass cogeneration projects.
Article
Thermodynamics
Mert Temiz, Ibrahim Dincer
Summary: The current study presents a hybrid small modular nuclear reactor and solar-based system for sustainable communities, integrating floating and bifacial photovoltaic arrays with a small modular reactor. The system efficiently generates power, hydrogen, ammonia, freshwater, and heat for residential, agricultural, and aquaculture facilities. Thermodynamic analysis shows high energy and exergy efficiencies, as well as large-scale ammonia production meeting the needs of metropolitan areas. The hybridization of nuclear and solar technologies offers advantages of reliability, environmental friendliness, and cost efficiency compared to renewable-alone and fossil-based systems.
Editorial Material
Thermodynamics
Wojciech Stanek, Wojciech Adamczyk
Article
Thermodynamics
Desheng Xu, Yanfeng Li, Tianmei Du, Hua Zhong, Youbo Huang, Lei Li, Xiangling Duanmu
Summary: This study investigates the optimization of hybrid mechanical-natural ventilation for smoke control in complex metro stations. The results show that atrium fires are more significantly impacted by outdoor temperature variations compared to concourse/platform fires. The gathered high-temperature smoke inside the atrium can reach up to 900 K under a 5 MW train fire energy release. The findings provide crucial engineering insights into integrating weather data and adaptable ventilation protocols for smoke prevention/mitigation.
Article
Thermodynamics
Da Guo, Heping Xie, Mingzhong Gao, Jianan Li, Zhiqiang He, Ling Chen, Cong Li, Le Zhao, Dingming Wang, Yiwei Zhang, Xin Fang, Guikang Liu, Zhongya Zhou, Lin Dai
Summary: This study proposes a new in-situ pressure-preserved coring tool and elaborates its pressure-preserving mechanism. The experimental and field test results demonstrate that this tool has a high pressure-preservation capability and can maintain a stable pressure in deep wells. This study provides a theoretical framework and design standards for the development of similar technologies.
Article
Thermodynamics
Aolin Lai, Qunwei Wang
Summary: This study assesses the impact of China's de-capacity policy on renewable energy development efficiency (REDE) using the Global-MSBM model and the difference-in-differences method. The findings indicate that the policy significantly enhances REDE, promoting technological advancements and marketization. Moreover, regions with stricter environmental regulations experience a higher impact.
Article
Thermodynamics
Mostafa Ghasemi, Hegazy Rezk
Summary: This study utilizes fuzzy modeling and optimization to enhance the performance of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). By simulating and analyzing experimental data sets, the ideal parameter values for increasing power density, COD elimination, and coulombic efficiency were determined. The results demonstrate that the fuzzy model and optimization methods can significantly improve the performance of MFCs.
Article
Thermodynamics
Zhang Ruan, Lianzhong Huang, Kai Wang, Ranqi Ma, Zhongyi Wang, Rui Zhang, Haoyang Zhao, Cong Wang
Summary: This paper proposes a grey box model for fuel consumption prediction of wing-diesel hybrid vessels based on feature construction. By using both parallel and series grey box modeling methods and six machine learning algorithms, twelve combinations of prediction models are established. A feature construction method based on the aerodynamic performance of the wing and the energy relationship of the hybrid system is introduced. The best combination is obtained by considering the root mean square error, and it shows improved accuracy compared to the white box model. The proposed grey box model can accurately predict the daily fuel consumption of wing-diesel hybrid vessels, contributing to operational optimization and the greenization and decarbonization of the shipping industry.
Article
Thermodynamics
Huayi Chang, Nico Heerink, Junbiao Zhang, Ke He
Summary: This study examines the interaction between off-farm employment decisions between couples and household clean energy consumption in rural China, and finds that two-paycheck households are more likely to consume clean energy. The off-farm employment of women is a key factor driving household clean energy consumption to a higher level, with wage-employed wives having a stronger influence on these decisions than self-employed ones.
Article
Thermodynamics
Hanguan Wen, Xiufeng Liu, Ming Yang, Bo Lei, Xu Cheng, Zhe Chen
Summary: Demand-side management is crucial to smart energy systems. This paper proposes a data-driven approach to understand the relationship between energy consumption patterns and household characteristics for better DSM services. The proposed method uses a clustering algorithm to generate optimal customer groups for DSM and a deep learning model for training. The model can predict the possibility of DSM membership for a given household. The results demonstrate the usefulness of weekly energy consumption data and household socio-demographic information for distinguishing consumer groups and the potential for targeted DSM strategies.
Article
Thermodynamics
Xinglan Hou, Xiuping Zhong, Shuaishuai Nie, Yafei Wang, Guigang Tu, Yingrui Ma, Kunyan Liu, Chen Chen
Summary: This study explores the feasibility of utilizing a multi-level horizontal branch well heat recovery system in the Qiabuqia geothermal field. The research systematically investigates the effects of various engineering parameters on production temperature, establishes mathematical models to describe their relationships, and evaluates the economic viability of the system. The findings demonstrate the significant economic feasibility of the multi-level branch well system.
Article
Thermodynamics
Longxin Zhang, Songtao Wang, Site Hu
Summary: This investigation reveals the influence of tip leakage flow on the modern transonic rotor and finds that the increase of tip clearance size leads to a decline in rotor performance. However, an optimal tip clearance size can extend the rotor's stall margin.
Article
Thermodynamics
Kristian Gjoka, Behzad Rismanchi, Robert H. Crawford
Summary: This paper proposes a framework for assessing the performance of 5GDHC systems and demonstrates it through a case study in a university campus in Melbourne, Australia. The results show that 5GDHC systems are a cost-effective and environmentally viable solution in mild climates, and their successful implementation in Australia can create new market opportunities and potential adoption in other countries with similar climatic conditions.
Article
Thermodynamics
Jianwei Li, Guotai Wang, Panpan Yang, Yongshuang Wen, Leian Zhang, Rujun Song, Chengwei Hou
Summary: This study proposes an orientation-adaptive electromagnetic energy harvester by introducing a rotatable bluff body, which allows for self-regulation to cater for changing wind flow direction. Experimental results show that the output power of the energy harvester can be greatly enhanced with increased rotatory inertia of the rotating bluff body, providing a promising solution for harnessing wind-induced vibration energy.
