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We present a novel data set of subnational economic output, Gross Regional Product (GRP), for more than 1500 regions in 77 countries that allows us to empirically estimate historic climate impacts at different time scales. Employing annual panel models, long-difference regressions and cross-sectional regressions, we identify effects on productivity levels and productivity growth. We do not find evidence for permanent growth rate impacts but we find robust evidence that temperature affects productivity levels considerably. An increase in global mean surface temperature by about 3.5°C until the end of the century would reduce global output by 7–14% in 2100, with even higher damages in tropical and poor regions. Updating the DICE damage function with our estimates suggests that the social cost of carbon from temperature-induced productivity losses is on the order of 73–142$/tCO2 in 2020, rising to 92–181$/tCO2 in 2030. These numbers exclude non-market damages and damages from extreme weather events or sea-level rise. © 2020 The Authors

Reducing methane (CH4) emission from paddy rice production is an important target for many Asian countries in order to comply with their climate policy commitments. National greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory approaches like the Tier-2 approach of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are useful to assess country-scale emissions from the agricultural sector. In paddy rice, alternate wetting and drying (AWD) is a promising and well-studied water management technique which, as shown in experimental studies, can effectively reduce CH4 emissions. However, so far little is known about GHG emission rates under AWD when the technique is fully controlled by farmers. This study assesses CH4 and nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes under continuous flooded (CF) and AWD treatments for seven subsequent seasons on farmers’ fields in a pumped irrigation system in Central Luzon, Philippines. Under AWD management, CH4 emissions were substantially reduced (73% in dry season (DS), 21% in wet season (WS)). In all treatments, CH4 is the major contributor to the total GHG emission and is, thus, identified as the driving force to the global warming potential (GWP). The contribution of N2O emissions to the GWP was higher in CF than in AWD, however, these only offset 15% of the decrease in CH4 emission and, therefore, did not jeopardize the strong reduction in the GWP. The study proves the feasibility of AWD under farmers’ management as well as the intended mitigation effect. Resulting from this study, it is recommended to incentivize dissemination strategies in order to improve the effectiveness of mitigation initiatives. A comparison of single CH4 emissions to calculated emissions with the IPCC Tier-2 inventory approach identified that, although averaged values showed a sufficient degree of accuracy, fluctuations for single measurement points have high variation which limit the use of the method for field-level assessments.

Crop adaptation to climate change requires accelerated crop variety introduction accompanied by recommendations to help farmers match the best variety with their field contexts. Existing approaches to generate these recommendations lack scalability and predictivity in marginal production environments. We tested if crowdsourced citizen science can address this challenge, producing empirical data across geographic space that, in aggregate, can characterize varietal climatic responses. We present the results of 12,409 farmer-managed experimental plots of common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in Nicaragua, durum wheat ( Triticum durum Desf.) in Ethiopia, and bread wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) in India. Farmers collaborated as citizen scientists, each ranking the performance of three varieties randomly assigned from a larger set. We show that the approach can register known specific effects of climate variation on varietal performance. The prediction of variety performance from seasonal climatic variables was generalizable across growing seasons. We show that these analyses can improve variety recommendations in four aspects: reduction of climate bias, incorporation of seasonal climate forecasts, risk analysis, and geographic extrapolation. Variety recommendations derived from the citizen science trials led to important differences with previous recommendations.

Abstract Integrated coal gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plants have been looked to as a key technology for the 21st century in order to realize high efficiency and good environmental performance for electricity generation, replacing existing coal fired power plants. Following successful completion of a 200 ton/d pilot project in Nakoso, IGCC technology development in Japan is moving from the stage of a feasibility study to a detailed study to allow final decisions for demonstration plant construction. The feasibility study, jointly conducted by the domestic electric power companies, found MHI's IGCC technology to have several advantages in efficiency and reliability. In parallel with the study, a number of R&D tests have been executed as a national project to facilitate scaling up from the pilot plant to the demonstration plant. This paper introduces the current status of the MHI's IGCC technological development.

Tourism is an industry of primary importance for the world economy. Tourists are sensitive to climate and to climate change, which will affect the relative attractiveness of destinations and hence the motive for tourists to leave their country. Yet the attention devoted by the tourism literature to climate change and by the climate change literature to tourism has been limited. This paper is divided in two parts. The first part reviews the relevant literature. The second part analyses empirically the relationship between climate characteristics, weather extremes and domestic and international tourism demand across Europe, with a focus on Italy. JEL Classification: L83 , Q25, C 23, C42

Abstract This work presents DEM-CFD simulations of the transient processes occurring in an industrial scale PFR-kiln. DEM allows the numerical simulation of the moving and reacting limestone bed in the kiln and is coupled with a 3-dimensional CFD simulation describing the interstitial gas phase. A PFR-kiln consists of two vertical shafts and a connecting crossover channel. The two shafts periodically switch their function at regular intervals of about 15 min. While one shaft calcines the product in parallel flow with gas temperatures above 900 °C, the other preheats the stones in counter flow. The model has been applied to an industrial PFR-kiln of 18 m height. A realistic particle size distribution of the limestone with particles ranging from 50 to 90 mm has been set. Methane combustion provides the heat for calcination and is simulated by a two-step mechanism. Simulation results show a nearly uniform temperature distribution in the calcination zone but significant inner particle temperature gradients. The calcination degree depends on the particle location within the kiln and decreases towards the outer kiln walls. Measured and simulated temperatures are compared. Maximum temperature values as well as its characteristic oscillation induced by the periodic kiln operation could be reproduced by the simulation, especially keeping in mind the difficulties of thermocouple measurements under the harsh conditions in industrial reality.

The participation of citizens in scientific research has a long tradition, and in some disciplines, especially medical research, it is even common practice. In Technology Assessment (TA), Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), and Sustainable Development (SD), the participation of citizens can be of considerable value. In this paper, we explore this value for three concepts, based on the researcher’s insights from three participatory research projects. The first project is the citizen science project TeQfor1, which was conducted with, for, and on the type 1 diabetes community, who do not feel adequately supported by the conventional health care system. In the second project, citizens with vision impairments participated in the technological development of an audio-tactile navigation tool in the TERRAIN project. The third project (Nachtlichter) dealt with light pollution. Based on the three projects presented, we show that citizen participation makes specific contributions to TA, RRI, and SD. We also investigate the specificity of citizen engagement and motivation by differentiating between existing and emerging involvement. In conclusion, we discuss the benefits that may be added by participatory approaches for the three concepts of TA, RRI, and SD.