scholarly journals Introduction to the special feature on energy scenarios for long-term climate change mitigation in Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 347-353
Author(s):  
Masahiro Sugiyama ◽  
Shinichiro Fujimori ◽  
Kenichi Wada ◽  
John Weyant
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Change Mitigation

scholarly journals Insurrection for land, sea and dignity: resistance and autonomy against wind energy in Álvaro Obregón, Mexico

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Dunlap
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Wind Energy ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Social Divisions ◽  
Sand Bar ◽  
Wind Energy Development ◽  
The Village ◽  
The Town ◽  
Change Mitigation

Providing a glimpse into the reality of wind energy development, the story of Álvaro Obregón is one of resistance. Álvaro Obregón is a primarily Zapotec semi-subsistence community located near the entrance of the Santa Teresa sand bar (Barra), where in 2011 Mareña Renovables initiated the process of building 102 wind turbines. Demonstrating the complicated micro-politics of land acquisition, conflict and unrest, this article argues that climate change mitigation initiatives are sparking land grabs and conflict with the renewed valuation of wind resources. Insurrection against the Mareña Renovables wind project has spawned a long-term conflict, which has created social divisions and a type of low-intensity civil war within the town. This article will chronicle the uprising against the wind company, battles with police, and the town hall takeover, which includes analyzing the conflict taking place between the cabildo comunitario and the constitucionalistas. Subsequent sections examine the different perspectives within the village and how this battle between the Communitarians and the wind company continues today. The article reveals the complications associated with land deals, the conflict generating potential of climate change mitigation practices and, finally, concludes by reflecting on the difficulties of formulating alternatives to development within a conflict situation.

scholarly journals A framework for the cross-sectoral integration of multi-model impact projections: land use decisions under climate impacts uncertainties

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 447-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Frieler ◽  
A. Levermann ◽  
J. Elliott ◽  
J. Heinke ◽  
A. Arneth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Impact Model ◽  
Natural Carbon ◽  
Change Mitigation ◽  
Biome Model

Abstract. Climate change and its impacts already pose considerable challenges for societies that will further increase with global warming (IPCC, 2014a, b). Uncertainties of the climatic response to greenhouse gas emissions include the potential passing of large-scale tipping points (e.g. Lenton et al., 2008; Levermann et al., 2012; Schellnhuber, 2010) and changes in extreme meteorological events (Field et al., 2012) with complex impacts on societies (Hallegatte et al., 2013). Thus climate change mitigation is considered a necessary societal response for avoiding uncontrollable impacts (Conference of the Parties, 2010). On the other hand, large-scale climate change mitigation itself implies fundamental changes in, for example, the global energy system. The associated challenges come on top of others that derive from equally important ethical imperatives like the fulfilment of increasing food demand that may draw on the same resources. For example, ensuring food security for a growing population may require an expansion of cropland, thereby reducing natural carbon sinks or the area available for bio-energy production. So far, available studies addressing this problem have relied on individual impact models, ignoring uncertainty in crop model and biome model projections. Here, we propose a probabilistic decision framework that allows for an evaluation of agricultural management and mitigation options in a multi-impact-model setting. Based on simulations generated within the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISI-MIP), we outline how cross-sectorally consistent multi-model impact simulations could be used to generate the information required for robust decision making. Using an illustrative future land use pattern, we discuss the trade-off between potential gains in crop production and associated losses in natural carbon sinks in the new multiple crop- and biome-model setting. In addition, crop and water model simulations are combined to explore irrigation increases as one possible measure of agricultural intensification that could limit the expansion of cropland required in response to climate change and growing food demand. This example shows that current impact model uncertainties pose an important challenge to long-term mitigation planning and must not be ignored in long-term strategic decision making.

scholarly journals Examining the potential for climate change mitigation from zero tillage

2015 ◽  
Vol 153 (7) ◽  
pp. 1151-1173 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. MANGALASSERY ◽  
S. SJÖGERSTEN ◽  
D. L. SPARKES ◽  
S. J. MOONEY
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Tropical Soils ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
Change Mitigation

SUMMARYThe benefits of reduced and zero-tillage systems have been presented as reducing runoff, enhancing water retention and preventing soil erosion. There is also general agreement that the practice can conserve and enhance soil organic carbon (C) levels to some extent. However, their applicability in mitigating climate change has been debated extensively, especially when the whole profile of C in the soil is considered, along with a reported risk of enhanced nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. The current paper presents a meta-analysis of existing literature to ascertain the climate change mitigation opportunities offered by minimizing tillage operations. Research suggests zero tillage is effective in sequestering C in both soil surface and sub-soil layers in tropical and temperate conditions. The C sequestration rate in tropical soils can be about five times higher than in temperate soils. In tropical soils, C accumulation is generally correlated with the duration of tillage. Reduced N2O emissions under long-term zero tillage have been reported in the literature but significant variability exists in the N2O flux information. Long-term, location-specific studies are needed urgently to determine the precise role of zero tillage in driving N2O fluxes. Considering the wide variety of crops utilized in zero-tillage studies, for example maize, barley, soybean and winter wheat, only soybean has been reported to show an increase in yield with zero tillage (7·7% over 10 years). In several cases yield reductions have been recorded e.g. c. 1–8% over 10 years under winter wheat and barley, respectively, suggesting zero tillage does not bring appreciable changes in yield but that the difference between the two approaches may be small. A key question that remains to be answered is: are any potential reductions in yield acceptable in the quest to mitigate climate change, given the importance of global food security?

scholarly journals Factors of Change: The influence of policy environment factors on climate change mitigation strategies in the transport sector

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Lah
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Institutional Structures ◽  
Change Mitigation ◽  
Policy Stability

There is a large potential for cost-effective solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to improve the sustainability of the transport sector that is yet unexploited, in particular in the urban context. Considering the cost-effectiveness and the potential for co-benefits, it is hard to understand why energy gains and mitigation action in the transport sector is still lagging behind the potential. Particularly interesting is the fact that there is substantial difference among countries with relatively similar economic performances, such as the OECD countries in the development of their transport CO2 emission over the past thirty years despite the fact that these countries had relatively similar access to efficient technologies and vehicles. This study aims to apply some well established political science theories on the particular example of climate change mitigation in the transport sector in order to identify some of the factors that could help explain the variations in success of policies and strategies in this sector. The analysis suggests that institutional arrangements that contribute to consensus building in the political process provide a high level of political and policy stability which is vital to long-term changes in energy end-use sectors that rely on long-term investments. However, there is no direct correlation between institutional structures, e.g. corporatism and success in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector. Environmental objectives need to be built into the consensus-based policy structure before actual policy progress can be observed. This usually takes longer in consensus democracies than in politically more agile majoritarian policy environments, but the policy stability that builds on corporatist institutional structures is likely to experience changes over a longer-term, in this case to a shift towards low-carbon transport that endures.

scholarly journals Does Aiming for Long-Term Non-Decreasing Flow of Timber Secure Carbon Accumulation: A Lithuanian Forestry Case

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2778
Author(s):  
Gintautas Mozgeris ◽  
Vaiva Kazanavičiūtė ◽  
Daiva Juknelienė
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Carbon Balance ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Forest Resources ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Carbon Accumulation ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Change Mitigation

Lithuanian forestry has long been shaped by the classical normal forest theory, aiming for even long-term flow of timber, and the aspiration to preserve domestic forest resources, leading to very conservative forest management. With radically changing forest management conditions, climate change mitigation efforts suggest increasing timber demands in the future. The main research question asked in this study addresses whether current forest management principles in Lithuania can secure non-decreasing long-term flow of timber and carbon accumulation. The development of national forest resources and forestry was simulated for the next century using the Kupolis decision support system and assuming that current forest management is continued under the condition of three scenarios, differing by climate change mitigation efforts. Potential development trends of key forest attributes were analysed and compared with projected carbon stock changes over time, incorporating major forest carbon pools—biomass, harvested wood products and emission savings due to energy and product substitution. The key finding was that the total carbon balance should remain positive in Lithuania during the next one hundred years; however, it might start to decrease after several decades, with steadily increasing harvesting and a reduced increase of forest productivity. Additionally, incorporating the harvested wood and CO2 emissions savings in carbon balance evaluations is essential.

scholarly journals Alternative carbon price trajectories can avoid excessive carbon removal

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Strefler ◽  
Elmar Kriegler ◽  
Nico Bauer ◽  
Gunnar Luderer ◽  
Robert C. Pietzcker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Carbon Budget ◽  
Carbon Price ◽  
Carbon Neutrality ◽  
In The Beginning ◽  
Carbon Prices ◽  
Change Mitigation ◽  
Over Time

AbstractThe large majority of climate change mitigation scenarios that hold warming below 2 °C show high deployment of carbon dioxide removal (CDR), resulting in a peak-and-decline behavior in global temperature. This is driven by the assumption of an exponentially increasing carbon price trajectory which is perceived to be economically optimal for meeting a carbon budget. However, this optimality relies on the assumption that a finite carbon budget associated with a temperature target is filled up steadily over time. The availability of net carbon removals invalidates this assumption and therefore a different carbon price trajectory should be chosen. We show how the optimal carbon price path for remaining well below 2 °C limits CDR demand and analyze requirements for constructing alternatives, which may be easier to implement in reality. We show that warming can be held at well below 2 °C at much lower long-term economic effort and lower CDR deployment and therefore lower risks if carbon prices are high enough in the beginning to ensure target compliance, but increase at a lower rate after carbon neutrality has been reached.

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