Energy-Efficient Retrofit Measures to Achieve Nearly Zero Energy Buildings

Considering the 2021 IPCC report that justly attributes our deteriorating climatic condition to human doing, the need to develop nearly zero energy building (nZEB) practices is gaining urgency. However, rather than the typical focus on developing greenfield net-zero initiatives, retrofitting underperforming buildings could create significant scale climate positive impacts faster. The chapter accordingly discusses energy-efficient retrofitting methods under three categorical sectors—visual comfort (daylight-based zoning, shadings); thermal comfort and ventilation (solar radiation-based zoning, central atrium plus interior openings, insulation, and window replacement); energy consumption (efficient lighting system, and controllers, material and HVAC system optimization, PV panels as the renewable energy source). This chapter further substantiates these theoretical underpinnings with an implemented design scheme—an educational building within a cold semiarid climatic condition—to showcase the on-ground impact of these retrofitting strategies in reducing the energy used for heating and cooling and lighting purposes.

An Overview of National and International Environmental Laws pertaining to Arctic States and Their Work with the Arctic Council

The latest International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report published in August 2021 demonstrated that the Arctic region drastically feels the impacts of climate change. Several laws and policies contribute to the governance of the reduction of emissions which impact the Arctic polar region. This work will analyse the inclusion of language relating to the Arctic region in several key Arctic countries’ climate policies and in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted in requirement of being parties to the Paris Agreement. Arctic policies of these same countries will then be analysed to determine the degree to which they stipulate action relating to the Arctic environment. Finally, the several research projects and initiatives conducted by the Arctic Council’s two working groups, the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) and the Arctic Contaminants Action Programme (ACAP), will be overviewed to demonstrate their contributions to the best available science and practice in the region. This paper will look into how, and to what extent, the research of the Arctic Council working groups can be considered a mechanism of soft law in Arctic environmental governance. Consideration will also be given to how this relates to soft law governance stemming from the Law of the Sea (LOSC).

Advocacy for Sustainability Communication. Unseen Potential of Queer Communicators in Environmental, Climate Change and Sustainability Science

The story of climate change, of destruction and loss, is well represented in mass media around natural hazards and new scientific data (i.e., the newest IPCC report); in contrast, new concepts of restoration, eco-cultural identities, social change and sustainable development are not picked up in public discourses—similarly to how the voices of NGO communicators, activists or queer communicators are not heard in the media. Additionally, the growth of digital publishing technologies and related audience behavior not only influence public communication processes, but also challenge professional communicators, including journalists and PR professionals to scientists, artists and activists. With a series of explorative interviews in different cultural settings (Central Europe, Australia, New Zealand), we can show that queer communicators have the potential to cultivate a new understanding of sustainability communication as social conversation about sustainability, and thus, overcome the very visible old story about climate change and rather propagate the new story of sustainability and transformation. The interviews show that queer communicator advocacy focuses on mobilizing and initiating dialectic conversations, which includes community building and queering existing norms, thus choosing new pathways for communication for sustainability. The findings and the developed concept of advocacy for sustainability communication are discussed at the end of the paper, including a reflection on the limitations of the explorative character of the analysis and future research potential.

The effect of climate change on future Common Security and Defence Policy missions and operations

Never before in the known history of the world people had such a great impact on climate change as since the beginning of the era of industrialization. Industrial production on a huge, unprecedented scale, apart from its benefits, causes climate change on a global scale through the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. According to the AR5 IPCC report, it is expected that the ever-increasing CO2 emissions and the lack of action to reduce it will increase the average global temperature from the pre-industrial era by up to 4 degrees Celsius to 2100. Such significant climate change can have catastrophic and irreversible consequences for the inhabitants of our planet. Exhausting sources of drinking water, land that cannot be cultivated and depleting natural resources will force people to fight for what will remain. The emergence of military groups will result in both internal armed conflicts and international tensions caused by mass migration of people from countries with the least vulnerability to the effects of climate change, to highly developed regions such as EU countries. Climate change in the context of security is multidimensional and affects almost every sector. EU countries will be forced to counteract the effects of climate change not only through agreements or declarations within the UN, but also by involving their own forces and resources in CSDP missions and operations. The current activities under CSDP will be intensified as well as diversified by implementing support for technological adaptation to new climate conditions in undeveloped countries.

Ocean Acidification in the Arctic in a Multi-Regulatory, Climate Justice Perspective

The latest IPCC report on Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, which builds upon previous IPCC's reports, established a causal link between anthropogenic impacts and ocean acidification, by noting a significant decrease in the Ocean's uptake of CO2, with consequent damage to Earth's ecosystems, which in turn has traceable repercussions on the Arctic Ocean and then from the Arctic to the Planet Earth. The impact of ocean acidification is not only in the biological ecosystem but also on human activities, such as livelihood, food security, socio-economic security and developing communities. However, who can possibly be held ethically/legally responsible for ocean acidification from a climate justice perspective? Since what happens in the Arctic does not stay there, a more systematic law and policy approach to study options and responses in a multi-level, climate- ethical, global perceptive is needed. This paper sheds light on the legal responses available at global, regional and national levels to ocean acidification in a law of the sea and ocean context, both in the Arctic and from the Arctic. The gaps in legal and policy responses in connection to the ethical climate component will be identified. It will shed light on the planetary limits that humanity needs to stay within in order to maintain the future of the Earth. Since it touches upon questions of legal responsibility, on who is responsible for ocean acidification, it will connect to the “supply side” of fossil fuels production and global extraction projects causing anthropogenic CO2 emissions, one of the major causes of ocean acidification. It will also identify which actors, be they “officials” or “non-officials” (such as international organizations, states, regional institutes, Arctic citizens or even forums) should be held ethically responsible, and who should take action.

Climate Dialog, Climate Action: Can Democracy Do the Job?

The latest IPCC report forcefully states that immediate, decisive, and large-scale actions are needed to avert climate catastrophe. This essay presumes that democratic governments are best and most desirably positioned to take these actions. Yet in the countries most pivotal to global climate, significant voting blocs are uninterested in environmental issues. The essay urges adding bottom-up dialog between environmental and anti-environmental voters, to current and future top-down technocratic “solutions.” To make this combination result in a unified pro-environment electorate, we must understand: religious objections to environmentalism; the capital-vs.-knowledge strife that slows polluting corporations’ green transitions; and the psychological mechanisms that can make inter-group dialog fruitful.

Future Extreme Climate Analysis of Jeju Using Climate Change Scenario and ETCCDI Index

According to the fifth IPCC report, artificial greenhouse gases are at their highest level since they were first observed, and climate change is expected to have a significant impact on the ecosystem, necessitating a response from Korea. For the purpose of this study, Jeju Island was selected as the target area; the annual average precipitation of the region exhibited a 10% increase from 1,780 mm in 1991 to 1,961 mm in 2019; the annual average temperature increased by 0.3 ℃ over 10 years from 1961 to 2019. There are three weather stations (Jeju, Seogwipo, and Seongsan) on Mt. Halla, which is 1,950 m above sea level; among these stations, Jeju Island's climate patterns are the most atypical. The World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI) for Jeju Island's extreme climate analysis used 8 of the 27 indexes that are most closely related to climate. For analysis purposes, existing RCP 8.5 climate change scenario data were categorized as: past (data analyzed from 1991 to 2019), and future (data analyzed from 2020 to 2100). According to the extreme climate analysis, Jeju Observatory recorded its highest temperature at 25 ℃ while exhibiting an increasing trend, and at Seongsan, highest temperature of less than 0 ℃ was recorded for more than 40 days in 1996. According to the climate change scenario, the number of hot days in Jeju, Seogwipo, and Seongsan is increasing, but the number of frost days has converged to zero with the progression of the second half of the 21st century. Japan's highest temperature chart shows that 40 ℃ spike in Jeju compared to other regions. Thus, this study highlights the necessity of considering the climate characteristics of each observatory, and the implementation of urban planning and disaster prevention measures.

TOTAL AND DISTRIBUTIVE IMPACT OF FINAL SECTORAL DEMAND ON CARBON DIOXIDE EQUIVALENT IN NIGERIA

This paper analyzed the percentage rise in final (sectoral) demand undergone by the whole economy in reaction to a 1% rise of the corresponding sector and the percentage rise corresponding to the apportionment of direct sectoral demand and its resultant effect on CO2-eq emissions in Nigeria. The study adopted a longitudinal design, and the most recent input-output (I-O) table was obtained from secondary sources (Eurostat database). Results revealed increases in CO2-eq emissions from the fishing, post and telecommunication, wood and paper, petroleum, chemical and non-metallic mineral products, metal products, electricity, gas and water, wholesale trade, and public administration sectors with a total contribution of 0.04095, 0.04095, 0.04089, 0.04088, 0.04086, 0.04089, 0.04088 and 0.04087 percent respectively, while sectors that contributed the highest in terms of the distribution of direct sectoral emissions were fishing, mining/quarrying and textile/wearing apparel accounting for about 0.04101, 0.04109 and 0.04111 percent respectively. That implies a 1% increase in final demand was increasing in the corresponding sector. Based on these results, the study identified sectors that contribute the highest in terms of the distribution of direct sectoral emission and sectors that account for the highest total increase in energy consumed in the country, thus contributing to the current debate in the literature. However, emission mitigation options proposed by the IPCC report should be considered an important option in curbing these emissions in Nigeria.

Climate Denial Fuels Climate Change Discussions More Than Local Climate-Related Disasters

Most scientists agree that climate change is the largest existential threat of our time. Despite the magnitude of the threat, surprisingly few climate-related discussions take place on social media. What factors drive online discussions about climate change? In this study, we examined the occurrence of Reddit discussions around three types of climate-related events: natural disasters (e.g., hurricanes, wildfires), political events (i.e., 2016 United States Presidential election), and policy events (i.e., United States’ withdrawal from Paris Climate Agreement, release of IPCC report). The objective was to understand how different types of events influence collective action as measured by discussions of climate change. Six large US cities were selected based on the occurrence of at least one locally-relevant natural disaster since 2014. Posts (N = 4.4 million) from subreddits of the selected cities were collected to obtain a six-month period before and after local natural disasters as well as climate-related political and policy events (which applied equally to all cities). Climate change discussions increased significantly for all three types of events, with the highest discussion during the 2016 elections. Further, discussions returned to baseline levels within 2 months following natural disasters and policy events but continued at elevated rates for up to 4 months following the 2016 elections. The findings suggest that collective discussions on climate change are driven more by political leaders’ controversial positions than life-threatening local natural disasters themselves. Implications for collective action are discussed.