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AbstractDry spells are sequences of days without precipitation. They can have negative implications for societies, including water security and agriculture. For example, changes in their duration and within-year timing can pose a threat to food production and wildfire risk. Conversely, wet spells are sequences of days with precipitation above a certain threshold, and changes in their duration and within-year timing can impact agriculture, flooding or the prevalence of water-related vector-borne diseases. Here we assess changes in the duration and within-year timing of extreme dry and wet spells over 60 years (1958–2017) using a consistent global land surface precipitation dataset of 5093 rain gauge locations. The dataset allowed for detailed spatial analyses of the United States, Europe and Australia. While many locations exhibit statistically significant changes in the duration of extreme dry and wet spells, the changes in the within-year timing are less often significant. Our results show consistencies with observations and projections from state-of-the-art climate and water resources research. In addition, we provide new insights regarding trends in the timing of extreme dry and wet spells, an aspect being equally important for possible future implications of extremes in a changing climate, which has not yet received the same level of attention and is characterized by larger uncertainty.

The delicate ecosystem of the Gal��pagos archipelago, a world natural heritage because of its unique biodiversity, appreciated by virtue of Charles Darwin's research, is under threat. Flourishing tourism, a growing population and economic development have increased fossil fuel consumption and dependence. The supply of energy has primarily been based on diesel; while during the last ten years, there have been several initiatives to implement renewable energies (REs) on Gal��pagos. These have been receiving international support after the accident of the oil tanker Jessica in 2001 showed the possible damage oil spills can cause to the delicate ecosystem. In 2007, the Ecuadorian government emphasized the goal to change the energy matrix by announcing the "Zero Fossil Fuel Program for Gal��pagos". Since then, some of the fossil fuels have been successfully replaced through the implementation of wind energy on San Crist��bal and vegetable oil on Floreana. Additional initiatives plan to repower the solar park on Floreana, to install wind turbines on Baltra, and solar photovoltaic on Santa Cruz, Isabella and Baltra. The goal of this thesis is to assess the sustainability of the current strategy towards a 100% RE-System and to find out why despite these efforts, fossil fuels have not yet been completely removed. For this purpose, adequate sustainability criteria are defined from the outset and are organized around the four major dimensions: technological feasibility, energy security, socio-economic energy equity and environmental sustainability. Based on these the sustainability of the electricity systems of all four of the populated islands are analyzed. This research found that the deployment of RE technologies could not only support the global combat against climate change by reducing CO2 emissions and mitigate other negative effects connected to fossil fuel combustion, but additionally could also increase socioeconomic energy equity by promoting prosperity, increasing affordability and improving quality of life. From this comprehensive analysis, a set of recommendations are formulated and these suggestions aim at providing an inspiration to reconsider and reformulate the Zero Fossil Fuel Program for the Gal��pagos with a view towards creating a reliable, affordable, environmentally friendly and socially inclusive energy system.

This article identifies a gap in the approaches to Green Construction (GC), and initiates a line of research in the area of the so-called “ecological prototypes”. Ecological prototypes, stands for a new type of GC, which are integrated and adaptive systems of design, construction and practices that link architecture, horticulture and agriculture, landscape and ecology. This type of system greatly expands the existing GC design space with the aim to tackle environmental challenges in the context of rapid urbanization. This new type of GC seeks to reconcile the different environmental needs and goals, and balance intensification and restoration trade-offs. They are considered as a key strategy for supporting ecosystems and the delivery of ecosystem services, especially in degraded peri-urban and urban contexts. This effort commences with a review of selected historical cases that have evolved over time as vital part of horticultural and agricultural systems. These historical studies can both inform future research on the development of ecological prototypes and aid their design. Following the examination of selected cases and a field survey, the role of information modelling and data-driven computational methods in designing ecological prototypes is discussed. The decision support system for this new type of GC based on information and knowledge modelling (computational ontologies) is given a particular attention. Finally, further research questions and steps are outlined.

Sea ice loss is accelerating in the Barents and Kara Seas (BKS). Assessing potential linkages between sea ice retreat/thinning and the region's ancient and unique social–ecological systems is a pressing task. Tundra nomadism remains a vitally important livelihood for indigenous Nenets and their large reindeer herds. Warming summer air temperatures have been linked to more frequent and sustained summer high-pressure systems over West Siberia, Russia, but not to sea ice retreat. At the same time, autumn/winter rain-on-snow (ROS) events have become more frequent and intense. Here, we review evidence for autumn atmospheric warming and precipitation increases over Arctic coastal lands in proximity to BKS ice loss. Two major ROS events during November 2006 and 2013 led to massive winter reindeer mortality episodes on the Yamal Peninsula. Fieldwork with migratory herders has revealed that the ecological and socio-economic impacts from the catastrophic 2013 event will unfold for years to come. The suggested link between sea ice loss, more frequent and intense ROS events and high reindeer mortality has serious implications for the future of tundra Nenets nomadism.

Rapidly growing fossil energy consumption in the transport sector in the last two centuries caused problems such as increasing greenhouse gas emissions, growing energy dependency and supply insecurity. One approach to solve these problems could be to increase the use of biofuels. Preferred feedstocks for current 1st generation biofuels production are corn, wheat, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and sunflowers. The major problem is that these feedstocks are also used for food and feed production. The core objective of this paper is to investigate whether the recent increase of biofuels production had a significant impact on the development of agricultural commodity (feedstock) prices. The most important impact factors like biofuels production, land use, yields, feedstock and crude oil prices are analysed. The major conclusions of this analysis are: In recent years the share of bioenergy-based fuels has increased moderately, but continuously, and so did feedstock production, as well as yields. So far, no significant impact of biofuels production on feedstock prices can be observed. Hence, a co-existence of biofuel and food production seems possible especially for 2nd generation biofuels. However, sustainability criteria should be seriously considered. But even if all crops, forests and grasslands currently not used were used for biofuels production it would be impossible to substitute all fossil fuels used today in transport.

Die Stadt Lemberg ist eine der wirtschaftlich am meisten entwickelten Regionen der Ukraine, dennoch gibt es Schwachstellen, die sich direkt auf die Lebensqualität und zukünftige Entwicklungen auswirken. Die wichtigsten Aspekte sind der öffentliche Verkehr und die mangelnden Beziehungen zwischen Stadtplanung, Institutionen, PlanerInnen, EntwicklerInnen und NutzerInnen. Die politische Instabilität macht die Situation noch komplizierter. Im Jahr 2021 verabschiedete der Stadtrat wichtige Dokumente, die die nachhaltige Richtung der Stadtentwicklung bestimmen: IDC LVIV 2030 (Integriertes Entwicklungskonzept), und den Plan für nachhaltige urbane Mobilität für Lviv. Das IDC LVIV 2030 wurde zu einem einflussreichen Schritt für die Anerkennung der Stadtplanung und ihre Bedeutung, sowohl seitens der Stadtverwaltung als auch der EinwohnerInnen, und stellt den bisherigen Masterplan als Grundlage für die künftige Entwicklung der Stadt in Frage. Das Integrierte Entwicklungskonzept beinhaltet übergeordnete und komplexe Aspekte: Räumliche Entwicklungsstrategie, Zukunftsbild der Stadt und sektorale Strategien. Das Quartier «Pohulianka» habe ich bewusst für meine Diplomarbeit ausgewählt, weil es im Integrierten Entwicklungskonzept als ein Areal hervorgehoben wurde, das nahe am Stadtzentrum liegt, einen guten Zugang zu öffentlichen Verkehrsmitteln hat und ineffizient genutzt wird.Das 30 ha große Quartier ist derzeit eine Mischung aus verlassenen Industriegebäuden aus den 1950er Jahren, kleinen Unternehmen und neuen Wohngebäuden, die von InvestorInnen entwickeln werden. Es liegt zwischen der belebten Zelena(Grüne)-Straße und dem riesigen Waldpark «Pohulyanka» im nordöstlichen Teil von Lviv.Das Hauptziel meines Entwurfs besteht darin, die Bedeutung der Stadtplanung und die Berücksichtigung des Areales in seiner Gesamtheit sowie die Potenziale und Werte des Quartiers sowohl auf städtischer Ebene als auch in der Nachbarschaft aufzuzeigen. The city of Lviv is one of the most economically developed regions of Ukraine, nevertheless there are weaknesses, that directly influence the quality of life and future developments. The most crucial aspect is public transport and lack of relations between urban design, institutions, planners, developers and users. Political instability makes the situation even more complicated. This causes unpredictable urban asperities, which are becoming a real challenge to deal with.In 2021, the City Council approved key documents that determine the sustainable direction of the city’s development: IDC LVIV 2030, Integrated Development Concept and Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan for Lviv. IDC LVIV 2030 became an influential step for the acknowledgment of urban planning and its importance, from both the city council and inhabitants and questions the previous master plan as the basis for the future development of the city. The Integrated Development Concept includes overriding and complex aspects: Spacial development strategy, Image of the city’s future and Sectoral strategies. The area at Pohulianka Forest Park was intentionally chosen for my diploma thesis, because it is highlighted in the Integrated Development Concept as an area that is close to the city center, has good access to public transportation, and is inefficiently used.30 ha territory is currently a mixture of abandoned industrial buildings from 1950s, small businesses and the new housing, which investors develop in every peace of land they can get. It is located between busy Zelena(Green) street and huge Forest Park Pohulianka in the northeastern part of Lviv.The main goal is to show the importance of urban planning and consideration of the site in its entirety, as well as to show the potentials and values of the chosen area, both at the city and the neighborhood scale.

The expansion of reservoirs to cope with droughts and water shortages is hotly debated in many places around the world. We argue that there are two counterintuitive dynamics that should be considered in this debate: supply–demand cycles and reservoir effects. Supply–demand cycles describe instances where increasing water supply enables higher water demand, which can quickly offset the initial benefits of reservoirs. Reservoir effects refer to cases where over-reliance on reservoirs increases vulnerability, and therefore increases the potential damage caused by droughts. Here we illustrate these counterintuitive dynamics with global and local examples, and discuss policy and research implications.

The European Bioeconomy Strategy aims to strengthen and boost biobased sectors, unlocking investments and markets while rapidly deploying local bioeconomies across Europe and improving compliance with environmental and social sustainability goals. Current biomass provision structures and infrastructure might not be able to tap the sustainable potential of forestry-, agricultural residues and biogenic waste envisaged forming the biogenic feedstock base of the Circular Bioeconomy of tomorrow. Therefore, for the present paper, we assess mobilization strategies, their current status, opportunities, and barriers for local low value and heterogenous biomass resources. Based on discussions with bioenergy supply chain experts, we cluster mobilization measures into three assessment levels; the legislative framework, market structures and technological innovation. Scientific literature research on the respective keywords is performed, the European policy landscape mapped, and the results are enriched with anecdotal evidence, especially for recent and running projects and market developments that lack in published track records. We can identify research needs on all three assessment levels. Still, technological development and legislative frameworks are providing support for heterogeneous biomass mobilization. Market creation, however, represents a bottleneck. We provide novel perspectives, how physical- and virtual bio-hubs and crediting stake- and shareholder variety could create added-value based on sustainable primary economic activities and their cascading activities.