Authors:Ibukun Elizabeth Ojo, Jones Adebola Akangbe, Ebenezer Ayorinde Kolawole, Ayotunde Olayinka Owolabi, Kayode Samuel Obaniyi, Matthew Durojaiye Ayeni, Victoria Abosede Adeniyi, Toluwase Eniola Awe Abstract: Climate-smart agricultural practices play a crucial role in achieving national food security and development goals, and the significance of extension agents in this endeavor is invaluable. In view of this, this study investigated the constraints limiting the effectiveness of extension agents in disseminating climate-smart agricultural practices to rice farmers in North-central, Nigeria. The study specifically examined the socioeconomic characteristics of the extension agents, the dissemination pathways employed by them, constraints limiting the extension agents from effectively disseminating climate-smart agricultural practices, and the factors that influence their constraints. Data for the study were collected using a well-structured questionnaire administered to a total of 88 respondents selected through a multistage sampling procedure. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics and Pearson product–moment correlation. The result showed that the respondents had a mean age of 48 years, the majority were males (93.2%), married (95.5%), and (85.2%) had tertiary education. Dissemination pathway/ method mostly used by the extension were; farm and home visits (ð‘¥̅ = 1.73), result demonstration (ð‘¥̅ = 1.66), and methods demonstration (ð‘¥̅ = 1.58). The constraints impeding the extension agents in disseminating CSA practices were; insufficient number of extension workers to provide services for a large number of farmers (ð‘¥̅ = 1.87), lack of incentives for staff motivation (ð‘¥̅ = 1.83), inadequate means of transportation (ð‘¥̅ = 1.83), were ranked 1st,2nd, and 3rd, respectively. There was a negative significant correlation (p = 0.05) between the number of training and personal constraints, as well as institutional constraints (p = 0.017) in the dissemination of climate-smart agricultural practices. Therefore, it is recommended that extension agents receive periodic training and incentives such as awards, cash rewards, promotions, and staff recognition from government bodies to enhance their performance. PubDate: 2024-08-26T00:00:00Z
Authors:Nia Hunjan, Miriam Gay-Antaki Abstract: This paper underscores the role that structural barriers play in climate change research in Edinburgh, Scotland. By employing an intersectional gender analysis we stress how unequal power relations underly our understanding of climate change, influence the quality and nature of climate research and responses developed. Using semi-structured and unstructured interviews with women and men working in climate change, we identify the shared experiences of individuals who face gendered barriers in climate science and policy, examine their perception of privilege, and their consequent perceived success in climate change research. Our findings stress the relationship between the concept of meritocracy, the underrepresentation of women and marginalized groups in science, and the reproduction of systematic barriers to contribute to the climate debate. We stress the importance of relationships and networks in supporting and encouraging marginalized voices to succeed in participating in climate change research and science more broadly. PubDate: 2024-08-21T00:00:00Z
Authors:Zijian Li, Noah J. Planavsky, Christopher T. Reinhard Abstract: In an effort to mitigate anthropogenic climate impacts the U.S. has established ambitious Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% before 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Enhanced rock weathering (ERW)—the artificial enhancement of chemical weathering of rocks to accelerate atmospheric CO2 capture—is now widely seen as a potentially promising carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategy that could help to achieve U.S. climate goals. Grinding rocks to smaller particle size, which can help to facilitate more rapid and efficient CO2 removal, is the most energy-demanding and cost-intensive step in the ERW life cycle. As a result, accurate life cycle analysis of ERW requires regional constraints on the factors influencing the energetic and economic demands of feedstock grinding for ERW. Here, we perform a state-level geospatial analysis to quantify how carbon footprints, costs, and energy demands vary among regions of the coterminous U.S. in relation to particle size and regional electricity mix. We find that CO2 emissions from the grinding process are regionally variable but relatively small compared to the CDR potential of ERW, with national averages ranging between ~5–35 kgCO2 trock−1 for modal particle sizes between ~10–100 μm. The energy cost for feedstock grinding also varies regionally but is relatively small, with national average costs for grinding of roughly 0.95–5.81 $ trock−1 using grid mix power and 1.35–8.26 $ trock−1 (levelized) for solar PV for the same particle size range. Overall energy requirements for grinding are also modest, with the demand for grinding 1 Gt of feedstock representing less than 2% of annual national electricity supply. In addition, both cost and overall energy demand are projected to decline over time. These results suggest that incorporating feedstock grinding into ERW deployment at scale in the coterminous U.S. should generally have only modest impacts on lifecycle emissions, cost-effectiveness, and energy efficiency. PubDate: 2024-08-16T00:00:00Z
Authors:Lunia Evodie Oriol, Jenna Jorns, Kimberly Channell, Richard B. Rood Abstract: Scenario planning is a tool used to explore a set of plausible futures shaped by specific trajectories. When applied in participatory contexts, it is known as participatory scenario planning (PSP), which has grown in its usage for planning, policy, and decision-making within the context of climate change. There has been no high-level synthesis of systematic reviews covering the overall state and direction of PSP for climate adaptation and management. We draw from four systematic reviews on PSP published between 2015 and 2021 to substantiate the credibility of the process and identify a set of standard practices to make PSP a more accssible and usable tool for not only researchers, but policymakers, practitioners, and other end users who may benefit from PSP. We summarize and synthesize the range of PSP processes and characteristics, highlighting four common trends that provoke additional inquiry: PSP’s contribution to social learning and bias, the varying use of quantitative information in scenario development, issues related to carrying out monitoring and evaluation, and the varying completion of practices recommended by established PSP literature. We propose four processes as integral to maximizing PSP’s usability for end users and recommend these areas for further study: identifying social imbalances throughout the PSP process, recognizing bias as inherent to PSP, explicitly addressing, and incorporating uncertainty, and allocating resources for monitoring and evaluation. PubDate: 2024-08-14T00:00:00Z
Authors:Marta Moreno-Ibáñez, Mathieu Casado, Gwenaëlle Gremion, Valentina Rabanal, Onema Adojoh, Chukwuma Anoruo, Adnan Arshad, Faten Attig Bahar, Cinthya Bello, Helena Bergstedt, Jilda Alicia Caccavo, Nicolas Champollion, Emily S. Choy, María Fernanda De Los Ríos, Henrieka Detlef, Rahul Dey, Gamil Gamal, Hugo R. Guímaro, Susana Hancock, Christel Hansen, Vincent Hare, Juan Höfer, Thajudeen Jabir, Shipra Jain, Shridhar Jawak, Mikhail Latonin, Joseph Martin, Jhon Fredy Mojica, Ryan O’Hara, Olumide Onafeso, R. Arun Prasath, Eduardo Queiroz Alves, Sergio Raez-Villanueva, Paul Rosenbaum, Sebastián Ruiz-Pereira, Valentina Savaglia, Maud van Soest, Deniz Vural Abstract: The participation of a diverse –in terms of geography, discipline and gender– group of Early Career Researchers (ECRs) in the peer review process can help alleviate the workload of senior researchers and counteract the perceptual biases that the latter tend to show. Moreover, ECRs can benefit from developing skills that are often not included in educational programs. From 2018 to 2021, the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists, in collaboration with other associations, organized six group reviews of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports by a total of more than 600 ECRs from over 70 different countries. This study aims to evaluate this group review in terms of its contribution to the production of scientific knowledge, and as a career development opportunity for ECRs. The data analyzed consists of application forms, review comments, and feedback surveys that were collected during each review process. The results of this study show that, overall, the group reviews were a success in terms of the experience of ECRs and their contribution to the peer review of the IPCC reports. Most survey respondents considered the general organization of the group reviews satisfactory and expressed interest in participating in future group reviews. However, most participants did not engage in discussions with their peers, which constitutes a missed opportunity to engage in active learning and the shared production of knowledge. ECRs made a significant contribution to the review of the IPCC reports by producing an average of 2,422 ± 532 comments per group review, 36% of which were substantive. PhD students were shown to be as proficient reviewers as postdoctoral researchers and faculty reviewers. More importantly, the diversity of reviewers in terms of geography and discipline, together with the fact that they are ECRs, can help produce more balanced scientific reports since they bring new perspectives, thus counteracting the biases that senior researchers have. These group reviews could be improved by providing more comprehensive training and facilitating communication among reviewers so that they can engage in meaningful exchanges. We conclude that the IPCC should formalize the inclusion of ECRs in future reviews of the IPCC reports. PubDate: 2024-07-31T00:00:00Z
Authors:Simon Lotz, Thomas D. Bucheli, Hans-Peter Schmidt, Nikolas Hagemann Abstract: IntroductionSoil organic carbon (SOC) content can vary significantly across a given plot. Therefore, a representative sampling is a prerequisite to obtain meaningful results from analysis and of utter importance when SOC quantification is used to quantify (temporary) carbon dioxide removal (CDR). However, certain management practices aiming to increase SOC further increase the level of heterogeneity and may challenge representative sampling schemes. This includes concentrated root-zone application of biochar, which immediately increases SOC with the input of biochar-C and may promote the local enrichment of non-biochar SOC over time.MethodsHere, we used numerical modelling to quantify the number of single sampling points (soil cores) needed to achieve a representative sample of biochar-C and total SOC on a plot after application of biochar in rows, e.g., for growing vegetables, or in the circumference of trees in agroforestry systems.ResultsAfter row application of 5 t ha−1 biochar in soil with rather low SOC content (26 t ha−1), 140 soil cores (per 0.25 ha plot) where necessary to achieve representative sampling of C-stocks (±5% error) in 90% of the repeated sampling simulation cases. Compared to realistic and cost-effective soil sampling scenarios in agronomic practice, we conclude that concentrated root zone application of biochar makes representative sampling for quantification of SOC in soils with low baseline C-stocks virtually impossible.DiscussionThis finding calls into question the soil-sampling and SOC-analysis-based (“result-based”) monitoring of SOC as a (temporary) CDR when biochar might have been applied. Considering the rapid scaling of biochar production and use in agriculture, this is a considerable challenge for SOC certification. Instead, action-based incentives, rewarding farmers for carrying out specific practices, could be applied to promote carbon farming practices. PubDate: 2024-07-29T00:00:00Z
Authors:Alcade C. Segnon, Mariame Magassa, Esdras Abréwa Rêmilokoun Obossou, Samuel T. Partey, Prosper Houessionon, Robert B. Zougmoré Abstract: Understanding the gender dimensions of vulnerability to climate change is crucial for designing effective gender-transformative climate actions. This is particularly crucial in the semi-arid regions of West Africa, a climate change “hotspot” where high dependence on climate-sensitive livelihoods and limited adaptive capacity make agriculture and livelihoods highly vulnerable. In this study we combined semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with a systematic literature review to analyze gendered household vulnerability to climate change in Cinzana, a semi-arid area of Mali, and identify entry points for gender-transformative adaptation actions. The Livelihood Vulnerability assessment indicated that female-headed households were more vulnerable than male-headed households. Differential socio-demographic profiles, livelihood strategies, social networks, water and food and agricultural production systems were key drivers of the gendered vulnerability patterns. A systematic review of drivers of gendered vulnerability in Mali illustrated how socio-cultural norms and roles assigned to women, and limited women access to and control over productive resources and adaptation technologies make women more vulnerable to climatic and non-climatic risks. We highlight the need of gender transformative approaches to address the structural gender inequality and reduce vulnerability of female-headed households. We outline three pathways for reducing female-headed households’ vulnerability to climate change, including the promotion of gender-smart extension and climate advisory services and empowering women. PubDate: 2024-07-25T00:00:00Z
Authors:Ravi Kumar Kunchala, Raju Attada, Rama Krishna Karumuri, Vivek Seelanki, Bhupendra Bahadur Singh, Karumuri Ashok, Ibrahim Hoteit Abstract: This study assesses the aerosol optical depth (AOD) from historical simulations (2003–2014) and future climate scenarios (2015–2100) of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) over the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Multi-model mean (MME) AOD statistics are generated as the average of those from the five best-performing CMIP6 models, which reproduce observational climate statistics. These models were selected based on the validation of various climate metrics, including strong pattern correlations with observations (>0.8). The resulting MME reproduces the observed AOD seasonal cycle well. The observed positive trends (summer and annual) over the Arabian Peninsula (AP) and negative trends (winter) over North Africa are well captured by MME, as regional meteorological drivers associated with observed AOD trends, with few discrepancies. Crucially, the MME fails to capture the AOD trends over North West Africa (NWA). For MENA and NWA regions, two high-emission scenarios, SSP370 and SSP585, project a continuous rise in the annual mean AOD until the end of the century. In contrast, the low-emission scenarios, SSP126 and SSP245, project a decreasing AOD trend. Interestingly, the projected future AOD area-averaged over the AP region varies significantly across all four scenarios in time. Notably, a substantial decrease of about 8–10% in the AOD is projected by the SSP126, SSP245, and SSP585 scenarios at the end of the century (2080–2100) relative to the current period. This projected decrease in annual-mean AOD, including the frequency of extreme AOD years under SSP585, is potentially associated with a concurrent increase in annual-mean rainfall over the AP. PubDate: 2024-07-22T00:00:00Z
Authors:Aimie Moulin, Lorenzo Mentaschi, Emanuela Clementi, Giorgia Verri, Paola Mercogliano Abstract: Assessing the impact of climate change on wave conditions, including average and extreme waves, is vital for numerous marine-related activities, industries, coastal vulnerability, and marine habitats. Previous research, primarily on a large scale, has investigated this topic, but its relevance for marginal basins like the Adriatic Sea is limited due to the low resolution of the wave models used and atmospheric forcing. To contribute to filling in the gap, here we implemented a high-resolution model (about 2 km) for the period 1992–2050. The future wave climate is simulated for the RCP8.5 emission scenario. This model, developed within the AdriaClim project, comprises, among others, a high-resolution atmospheric downscaling, a circulation Limited Area Model and a spectral wave model. A comparison of our simulation's results with Copernicus Marine Service wave reanalysis on the historical baseline, confirms its accuracy in reproducing both average wave parameters and 95th percentile values, as well as the seasonal cycle, showing the AdriaClim model's suitability as a source to predict future wave climates in the Adriatic Sea. The projected changes suggest a slight increase in average significant wave height and mean wave period, and a more significant decrease at the 95th percentile, with a relevant variability by location and season, partially aligning with previous studies. This study highlights the potential effect of local climate change in coastal areas and the importance of developing long-term simulation with a downscaled modeling system for regional areas. PubDate: 2024-07-17T00:00:00Z
Authors:Thomas Ray Jones, Jordan Poitras, Alan Levett, Guilherme da Silva, Samadhi Gunathunga, Benjamin Ryan, Andrew Vietti, Andrew Langendam, Gordon Southam Abstract: The observation of photosynthetic biofilms growing on the Fine Residue Deposit (FRD) kimberlite produced by the Venetia Diamond Mine, Limpopo, South Africa suggests that processed kimberlite supports bacterial growth. The presence of this biofilm may aid in the acceleration of weathering of this ultra-mafic host material – a process that can sequester CO2 via carbon mineralization. Laboratory and field trial experiments were undertaken to understand the microbe–mineral interactions occurring in these systems, and how these interactions impact geochemical cycling and carbonate precipitation. At laboratory scale it was discovered that using kimberlite as a growth supplement increased biomass production (up to 25-fold) and promoted microbiome diversity, while the inoculation of FRD systems aided in the aggregation, settling, and dewatering of kimberlitic slurries. Field trial studies combining photosynthetic biofilms (cultured in 3 × 1,000 L bioreactors) with FRD material were initiated to better understand microbially enhanced mineral carbonation across different depths, and under field environmental conditions. Over the 15-month experiment the microbial populations shifted with the kimberlitic environmental pressure, with the control and inoculated systems converging. The natural endogenous biosphere (control) and the inoculum accelerated carbonate precipitation across the entire 40 cm bioreactor depth, producing average 15-month carbonation rates of 0.57 wt.% and 1.17 wt.%, respectively. This corresponds to an annual CO2e mine offset of ~4.48% and ~ 9.2%, respectively. Millimetre-centimetre scale secondary carbonate that formed in the inoculated bioreactors was determined to be biogenic in nature (i.e., possessing microbial fossils) and took the form of radiating colloform precipitates with the addition of new, mineralized colonies. Surficial conditions resulted in the largest production of secondary carbonate, consistent with a ca. 12% mine site CO2e annual offset after a 15-month incubation period. PubDate: 2024-07-05T00:00:00Z
Authors:Dalia M. M. Yacout, Mats Tysklind, Venkata K. K. Upadhyayula Abstract: Arctic melting is an effect of climate change; the use of fossil fuels in marine shipping emits large amounts of air emissions that impact climate change, and Arctic aquatic and human life. Swedish pulp and paper mills generate large amounts of waste and side streams that could be utilized. The production of forest-based biofuel may be a promising solution to achieve sustainable Arctic marine shipping. This review highlights the socio-economic impacts associated with the production of forest-based biofuel in Sweden, the related opportunities, challenges, knowledge gaps, and further need of research. From the economic perspective, it was found that the production and use of forest-based biofuel have short and long-term economic sustainability benefits: (a) short-term benefits, the use of the waste and side streams of the pulp and paper industry is a low-cost available feedstock, unlike first-generation biofuel from crops like corn forest-based biofuels neither require additional land use, water resources nor compete with food. (b) Long-term benefits: (i) the Swedish shipping sector depends on imported fossil fuels, these new biofuels can replace partly those imported fossil fuels that will reduce shipping costs, and generate economic benefits for local consumers. (ii) Usage of forest-based biofuels as blends with conventional fuels in existing engines will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the Arctic shipping to the set limits in the region. (iii) One of the important socio-economic impacts of forest-based biofuel production and use is the new job creation and employment opportunities that will impact the local communities and livelihoods of indigenous people in the area. From a societal perspective, stakeholder involvement is essential to address the sustainability challenges of biofuel production: EU policymakers need to encourage the production and use of biofuels by developing policies that promote biofuel use. Further studies are needed to develop more efficient and low-cost biofuel production routes, more investments in related research and development are required as well. Local indigenous communities must be involved in the decision-making process through surveys, local dialogues, and research studies. The production of forest-based biofuels has great potential and many social-economic impacts alongside the environmental benefits. PubDate: 2024-07-04T00:00:00Z
Authors:Roxana Roos Abstract: Research teams working with indigenous people or local communities in the field of global environmental change represent local knowledge and concerns related to climate or environmental issues in the resulting scientific texts. However, by highlighting some aspects in particular ways and fading others to the background, every representation simultaneously reveals, conceals, and distorts aspects of what is represented. This paper aims to analytically highlight how frames in scientific texts are at work in emphasizing some aspects of local knowledge and concerns while fading other aspects into the background, which inevitably has micro and macro consequences through how local knowledge is incorporated, represented, and added to the body of knowledge of a given field. I have adapted a widely used frame concept from media studies to make it suitable for the analysis of scientific texts. The proposed method identifies main frames of a paper, maps how devices for achieving selective emphases, such as repetitive formulations and strong words, are at work in the text, and elicits how the frame’s key functions occur in papers: (1) identify problems, (2) diagnose causes, (3) make moral judgments, (4) suggest solutions or offer a path toward solutions, and (5) attribute roles. Points (4) and (5) are specifically designed for the analysis of scientific texts. In addition, I have added a step that shows how frames shape representations of local knowledge and concerns in scientific texts. This method is meant to develop reflexive awareness among the scholarly community about their writing practices and promote critical thinking about the unintended impacts that uncritical reproduction of taken-for-granted frames may have through their shaping of representations of local and indigenous knowledge and concerns. To illustrate the potential of the frame concept for analyzing scientific texts, I applied the new method to two papers. Further, the paper discusses the potential of frame analysis as a tool for reflexivity among research teams that work with and within local communities. PubDate: 2024-06-21T00:00:00Z
Authors:Matthew O. Clarkson, Christina S. Larkin, Philipp Swoboda, Tom Reershemius, T. Jesper Suhrhoff, Cara N. Maesano, James S. Campbell Abstract: All pathways which limit global temperature rise to PubDate: 2024-06-19T00:00:00Z
Authors:David S. Kim, José Ángel Moreno-Cabezuelo, Eduardo Nicolas Schulz, David J. Lea-Smith, Uma Shankar Sagaram Abstract: Atmospheric CO2 removal (CDR) is a fundamentally endergonic process. Performing CDR or Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) at the gigatonne scale will produce a significant additional burden on the planet’s limited renewable energy resources irrespective of the technology employed. Harnessing photosynthesis to drive industrial-scale CO2 fixation has been of significant interest because of its minimal energy requirements and potential low costs. In this review, we evaluated the thermodynamic considerations of performing atmospheric carbon removal using microalgae and cyanobacteria versus physicochemical processes and explore the implications of these energetic costs on the scalability of each respective solution. We review the biomass productivities of recently discovered fast-growing cyanobacterial strains and discuss the prospects of genetically engineering certain metabolic pathways for channeling the fixed carbon into metabolic ‘carbon sinks’ to further enhance their CO2 capture while concurrently extracting value. We share our perspectives on how new highly productive chassis strains combined with advanced flux balance models, essentially coupling synthetic biology with industrial biotechnology, may unlock more favorable methods for CDR, both from an economic and thermodynamic perspective. PubDate: 2024-06-17T00:00:00Z
Authors:Charly A. Moras, Renaud Joannes-Boyau, Lennart T. Bach, Tyler Cyronak, Kai G. Schulz Abstract: Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) via the enhanced weathering of alkaline minerals is a promising carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technology. Theoretically, these includes iron and steel slags, although their dissolution kinetics in seawater are unknown. Here, we conducted lab-scale experiments to assess the alkalinity generation potential and dissolution kinetics of various slags in seawater. We show that the alkalinity generated per mass of iron slag was logarithmic, i.e., higher amounts of iron slag added had diminishing alkalinity returns. In contrast, the relatively quick dissolution of steel slags and their linear generation of alkalinity per mass of feedstock dissolved in seawater makes them better OAE candidates. Furthermore, despite the presence of potentially toxic metals in these feedstocks, their low to non-existent presence as dissolution products suggests that harmful concentrations should not be reached, at least for the slag tested here. Finally, if all steel slag produced annually was used for OAE, between 10 and 22 gigatonnes of CO2 could be captured cumulatively by 2,100, highlighting significant CDR potential by slags. PubDate: 2024-06-17T00:00:00Z
Authors:Robert J. Lempert, Judy Lawrence, Robert E. Kopp, Marjolijn Haasnoot, Andy Reisinger, Michael Grubb, Roberto Pasqualino Abstract: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) exists to provide policy-relevant assessments of the science related to climate change. As such, the IPCC has long grappled with characterizing and communicating uncertainty in its assessments. Decision Making under Deep Uncertainty (DMDU) is a set of concepts, methods, and tools to inform decisions when there exist substantial and significant limitations on what is and can be known about policy-relevant questions. Over the last twenty-five years, the IPCC has drawn increasingly on DMDU concepts to more effectively include policy-relevant, but lower-confidence scientific information in its assessments. This paper traces the history of the IPCC’s use of DMDU and explains the intersection with key IPCC concepts such as risk, scenarios, treatment of uncertainty, storylines and high-impact, low-likelihood outcomes, and both adaptation and climate resilient development pathways. The paper suggests how the IPCC might benefit from enhanced use of DMDU in its current (7th) assessment cycle. PubDate: 2024-06-14T00:00:00Z
Authors:Noah McQueen, David Drennan Abstract: Direct Air Capture (DAC) offers a promising pathway for combating climate change by removing carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the atmosphere. Here, we discuss Heirloom’s approach to DAC, which uses naturally occurring minerals, namely, calcium carbonate (CaCO3), in a cyclic process that leverages warehouse automation systems previously developed for large warehouses. The integration of DAC with warehouse automation systems unlocks a degree of manufacturability, scalability, operational efficiency, and financial viability. For successful scaling, DAC technologies and project developers must think through key scalability constraints, including modularity, constructability, supply chains, and leveraging existing infrastructure. PubDate: 2024-06-14T00:00:00Z
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