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Comprehensive and reliable information on anthropogenic sources of greenhouse gas emissions is required to track progress towards keeping warming well below 2°C as agreed upon in the Paris Agreement. Here we provide a dataset on anthropogenic GHG emissions 1970-2019 with a broad country and sector coverage. We build the dataset from recent releases from the “Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research” (EDGAR) for CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion and industry (FFI), CH4 emissions, N2O emissions, and fluorinated gases and use a well-established fast-track method to extend this dataset from 2018 to 2019. We complement this with information on net CO2 emissions from land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) from three available bookkeeping models.

Model projections show that production of high-value products from microalgae could be profitable nowadays and commodities will become profitable within 10 years.

The crucial role evaluation can play in the co-development of project design and its implementation will be addressed through the analysis of a case study, the Green Communities (GC) project, funded by the Italian Ministry of Environment within the EU Interregional Operational Program (2007-2013) "Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency". The project's broader goals included an attempt to trigger a change in Italian local development strategies, especially for mountain and inland areas, which would be tailored to the real needs of communities, and based on a sustainable exploitation and management of the territorial assets. The goal was not achieved, and this paper addresses the issues of how GC could have been more effective in fostering a vision of change, and which design adaptations and evaluation procedures would have allowed the project to better cope with the unexpected consequences and resistances it encountered. The conclusions drawn are that projects should be conceived, designed and carried out as dynamic systems, inclusive of a dynamic and engaged evaluation enabling the generation of feedbacks loops, iteratively interpreting the narratives and dynamics unfolding within the project, and actively monitoring the potential of various relationships among project participants for generating positive social change.

Successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) depends on regional and local authorities’ ability to implement the goals in their respective contexts. Through a survey and interviews with informants in Norwegian municipalities and county councils, this paper explores and offers new empirical insight into (1) which factors can be identified as facilitating the implementation of the SDGs in Norwegian local and regional planning; (2) how the facilitating factors are conditioned by the different local and regional institutional contexts; and (3) how these factors from the Norwegian context correspond or differ from those in the international literature. We find that the existing Planning and Building Act is considered a suitable framework for the implementation of the SDGs in the Norwegian context, and that the SDGs are high on the national and regional governmental agendas. However, work remains in integrating the SDGs into underlying governmental activities. They must be incorporated into action plans and planning tools, which will require involvement, collaboration and development work across sectors and authority levels, and the development of guidelines for how this can be done. Allocating enough resources for this work will be crucial, and smaller municipalities may need other types and degrees of support than larger ones.

Despite the promise conservation paleobiology holds for using geohistorical data and insights to solve conservation problems, training in the field typically does not equip students to be competent environmental problem solvers. The intention of this perspective piece is to start a conversation about how we might train conservation paleobiology students better, focusing on the competencies needed to promote deep engagement with “wicked” conservation problems that are difficult to solve. Ongoing conversations regarding design of academic programs in sustainability, a field allied with conservation science, can inform our discussion. The sustainability literature has defined an interrelated set of “core competencies” that go beyond general academic competencies to enable real-world sustainability problem solving: systems thinking, temporal thinking, normative thinking, strategic thinking, and interpersonal competence. Conservation paleobiology is usually taught within geology programs, where students are exposed to systems thinking and temporal thinking. However, the remaining competencies typically are absent or insufficiently developed. To infuse these competencies into conservation paleobiology curricula, we recommend: (1) enhancing connections with sustainability programs and encouraging a more cross-disciplinary approach to training; (2) developing a “menu” of concepts and methodologies for each competence from which to choose; and (3) recognizing that different skills are appropriate at different levels of education and experience. The proposed competency-based framework serves as a shared reference that can be used to develop pedagogies to better prepare conservation paleobiology students to navigate the wicked conservation challenges of our time.

<p>High temperature aquifer thermal energy storage (HT-ATES) can play a key role for a sustainable interplay between different energy sources and in the overall reduction of CO<sub>2</sub>emission. In this study, we numerically investigate the thermo-hydraulic processes of an HT-ATES in the Greater Geneva Basin (Switzerland). The main objective is to investigate how to handle the yearly excess of heat produced by a nearby waste-to-energy plant. We consider potential aquifers located in different stratigraphic units and design the model from available geological and geophysical data. Aquifer properties, flow conditions and well strategies are successively tested to evaluate their influence on the HT-ATES economic performance and environmental impact. This was achieved using a new open-access, user-friendly and efficient code that we also introduce here as a possible tool for geothermal applications.</p><p> </p><p>The results highlight the importance of thorough numerical simulations based on more realistic exploitation when designing HT-ATES systems. We show that relations between thermal performance and the shape of the injected thermal volume are generally hard to derive when complex well schedules are imposed because the injected/produced volumes may not be equal. Despite more complex storage strategies to comply with legal regulations, the shallower group of investigated aquifers in this study remains economically more suitable for storage up to 90ºC. In average four well doublets will be required to store the yearly excess of energy. The deeper group of investigated aquifers, however, become interesting for storage at higher temperatures.</p>

The macroalgal industry is expanding, and the quest for novel ingredients to improve and develop innovative products is crucial. Consumers are increasingly looking for natural-derived ingredients in cosmetic products that have been proven to be effective and safe. Macroalgae-derived compounds have growing popularity in skincare products as they are natural, abundant, biocompatible, and renewable. Due to their high biomass yields, rapid growth rates, and cultivation process, they are gaining widespread recognition as potentially sustainable resources better suited for biorefinery processes. This review demonstrates macroalgae metabolites and their industrial applications in moisturizers, anti-aging, skin whitening, hair, and oral care products. These chemicals can be obtained in combination with energy products to increase the value of macroalgae from an industrial perspective with a zero-waste approach by linking multiple refineries. The key challenges, bottlenecks, and future perspectives in the operation and outlook of macroalgal biorefineries were also discussed.

AbstractDuring the last decades significant effort has been put into research on the social, economical, political and technical issues related to large scale deployment of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). A complete CCS cycle requires safe, reliable and cost efficient solutions for transmission of CO2 from the capturing facility to the location of permanent storage. The current initiative originates from DNV’s long engagement in developing standards and guidelines for offshore pipelines and an identified need to specifically address the technical challenges related to transmission of CO2 with associated contaminants. The guideline will be based on a comprehensive literature review and gathering of experience from existing (both onshore and offshore) CO2 pipeline operators. Available pipeline codes, standards, guidelines and regulations combined with the latest available research and technical developments is set as the point of departure for this guideline development. Issues related to pipeline design, commissioning and operation as well as re-qualification/conversion of existing pipelines for transmission of CO2 will be addressed. The guideline is being developed as a joint industry project and is scheduled for delivery by end of July 2009. After completion of the JIP, the guideline will be converted into a public available Recommended Practice (RP) by Det Norske Veritas (DNV). The guideline will give “how to?” answers for safe, reliable and cost-effective transmission of CO2 in pipelines. This paper addresses main technical issues one need to manage.