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Published online: 26 November 2024 This study investigates the relationships between social and political trust and views on energy affordability, which are crucial for promoting sustainable energy practices. The findings indicate that social and especially political trust are negatively correlated with perceptions of energy affordability. The study also finds that the probability of being highly concerned about energy affordability is declining in the level of trust, especially in countries, as those in Southern European, that prioritize energy affordability. These findings confirm the critical role of trust in effective energy policies, fostering public support for transitions to sustainable energy systems. The study recommends that policymakers enhance transparency, accountability, and public engagement to build trust, thereby improving perceptions of energy affordability and supporting sustainable energy transitions.

Published online: 26 November 2024 This study investigates the relationships between social and political trust and views on energy affordability, which are crucial for promoting sustainable energy practices. The findings indicate that social and especially political trust are negatively correlated with perceptions of energy affordability. The study also finds that the probability of being highly concerned about energy affordability is declining in the level of trust, especially in countries, as those in Southern European, that prioritize energy affordability. These findings confirm the critical role of trust in effective energy policies, fostering public support for transitions to sustainable energy systems. The study recommends that policymakers enhance transparency, accountability, and public engagement to build trust, thereby improving perceptions of energy affordability and supporting sustainable energy transitions.

Rising temperatures, increasingly frequent extreme weather events and sea level rise are playing a growing role in shaping displacement, rural-urban migration, circular movements but also voluntary and forced immobilities. The debate on climate mobilities – the interplay between climate change and human mobility – is currently moving centre stage in migration studies. Migration theory, on the other hand, does not necessarily reflect sufficiently on the role of the environment in mobility patterns. Including an understanding of the complex nature of climate mobilities avoids assuming climate change related mobility as new or exceptional per se, and offers understanding of the plural, multi-causal, and political ways in which climate change and human im/mobilities intersect.

Rising temperatures, increasingly frequent extreme weather events and sea level rise are playing a growing role in shaping displacement, rural-urban migration, circular movements but also voluntary and forced immobilities. The debate on climate mobilities – the interplay between climate change and human mobility – is currently moving centre stage in migration studies. Migration theory, on the other hand, does not necessarily reflect sufficiently on the role of the environment in mobility patterns. Including an understanding of the complex nature of climate mobilities avoids assuming climate change related mobility as new or exceptional per se, and offers understanding of the plural, multi-causal, and political ways in which climate change and human im/mobilities intersect.

Climate change is expected to alter the population dynamics of pioneer tree species and their planned use in sustainable forest management, but we have a limited understanding of how their demographic rates change in response to climate changes during ecological restoration. Based on 12 years of demographic data for a pioneer tree species (Pinus massoniana) censused in three plots that correspond to three stages of ecological restoration in southeastern China. We built integral projection models (IPMs) to assess vital rates (survival, growth, reproduction) and population growth in each plot, then evaluated demographic changes to simulated changes in seasonal mean temperature and precipitation in the current and previous census period. The plot representing the medium restoration stage had the highest population growth rate (λ = 0.983). Mean population survival probability increased with ecological restoration, and reproduction probability was significantly suppressed at the high restoration stage. Survival is always the most important vital rate for λ, and climate affects λ primarily via survival at each restoration stage. The current spring temperature was the most critical climate variable for λ in the low and medium restoration stages, and previous summer temperature was most critical in the high restoration stage. Simulated warming leads to a decrease in the stochastic population growth rate (λs) of P. massoniana in every stage. These findings suggest that during ecological restoration, P. massoniana responds to habitat change via modified demographic performance, thus altering its response to climate change. Despite diverse responses to climate change, the persistence of P. massoniana populations is facing a widespread threat of warming states at each restoration stages.

Climate change is expected to alter the population dynamics of pioneer tree species and their planned use in sustainable forest management, but we have a limited understanding of how their demographic rates change in response to climate changes during ecological restoration. Based on 12 years of demographic data for a pioneer tree species (Pinus massoniana) censused in three plots that correspond to three stages of ecological restoration in southeastern China. We built integral projection models (IPMs) to assess vital rates (survival, growth, reproduction) and population growth in each plot, then evaluated demographic changes to simulated changes in seasonal mean temperature and precipitation in the current and previous census period. The plot representing the medium restoration stage had the highest population growth rate (λ = 0.983). Mean population survival probability increased with ecological restoration, and reproduction probability was significantly suppressed at the high restoration stage. Survival is always the most important vital rate for λ, and climate affects λ primarily via survival at each restoration stage. The current spring temperature was the most critical climate variable for λ in the low and medium restoration stages, and previous summer temperature was most critical in the high restoration stage. Simulated warming leads to a decrease in the stochastic population growth rate (λs) of P. massoniana in every stage. These findings suggest that during ecological restoration, P. massoniana responds to habitat change via modified demographic performance, thus altering its response to climate change. Despite diverse responses to climate change, the persistence of P. massoniana populations is facing a widespread threat of warming states at each restoration stages.

Optimal power flow (OPF) plays a crucial role in addressing asymmetric operational problems of bipolar direct current distribution networks (DCDNs). However, the effectiveness of existing OPF models applied to bipolar DCDNs exhibits sensitivity to the problem type, underlying assumptions, and choice of objective functions. Hence, this paper proposes a dynamic decoupling-based convex-concave programming (CCP) framework to formulate an OPF model, aiming for a more rational impact across diverse applications in asymmetric operational bipolar DCDNs. More specifically, the coupled power between poles and ports of bipolar DCDNs is analyzed in detail, leading to the derivation of decoupled pole-to-ground equivalent circuits without relying on any preliminary assumption. Subsequently, the OPF problem of the equivalent circuits is formulated via CCP, involving the introduction of a cutting plane through difference-of-convex inequalities to limit the feasible region of the traditional OPF based on second-order cone programming, thereby diminishing dependence on exact relaxation conditions. Finally, a solution method is proposed to dynamically correct both the decoupled equivalent circuits and the cutting plane. The numerical results indicate that this method effectively addresses power optimization problems with a non-strictly monotonic objective function. Furthermore, it exhibits scalability, showcasing its applicability to large-scale radial bipolar DCDNs.