• Energy Research
• 13. Climate action close
• 12. Responsible consumption close
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Abstract Socio-technical transformations towards low-carbon energy systems are on the way in developed countries. Conversely, developing countries tend to be locked in fossil fuels and foster coal-based energy structures, emphasizing reliable and cost-effective energy provision and sidelining environmental concerns. In this study, we identified and analysed the predominant factors related to coal-based power generation in Bangladesh. We applied a mixed-method approach, initially conducting a systematic literature review and, subsequently, semi-structured expert interviews to identify and validate relevant factors. We then assessed their relative importance using an Analytical Hierarchy Process based on expert judgments. The results of this assessment reveal that socio-economic aspects and environmental issues scored highest, while technological aspects and sector regulations were considered to be less relevant for large-scale coal power implementation. We conclude that future energy policies created in Bangladesh will need to use appropriate legal instruments and address issues such as human displacement and resettlement, low levels of public acceptance, health hazards and environmental pollution. Participative policy frameworks should be deployed in coal plant projects, and active monitoring systems are necessary to reduce the negative consequences associated with increased electrification and energy consumption. To address foreseeable structural challenges, it furthermore will be crucial to explore sustainable alternatives.

Abstract Separating the effects of environmental factors and spatial distance on microbial composition is difficult when these factors covary. We examined the composition of ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi along elevation gradients on geographically distant mountains to clarify the effect of climate at the regional scale. Soil cores were collected from various forest types along an elevation gradient in southwestern Japan. Fungal species were identified by the internal transcribed spacer regions of the rDNA using direct sequencing. The occurrence of fungal species in this study was compared with a previous study conducted on a mountain separated by ∼550 km. In total, we recorded 454 EM fungi from 330 of 350 soil cores. Forty-seven fungal species (∼20% of the total excluding singletons) were shared between two mountains, mostly between similar forest types on both mountains. Variation partitioning in redundancy analysis revealed that climate explained the largest variance in EM fungal composition. The similarity of forest tree composition, which is usually determined by climatic conditions, was positively correlated with the similarity of the EM fungal composition. However, the lack of large host effects implied that communities of forest trees and EM fungi may be determined independently by climate. Our data provide important insights that host plants and mutualistic fungi may respond to climate change idiosyncratically, potentially altering carbon and nutrient cycles in relation to the plant–fungus associations.

Public policy requires public support, which in turn implies a need to enable the public not just to understand policy but also to be engaged in its development. Where complex science and technology issues are involved in policy making, this takes time, so it is important to identify emerging issues of this type and prepare engagement plans. In our horizon scanning exercise, we used a modified Delphi technique. A wide group of people with interests in the science and policy interface (drawn from policy makers, policy adviser, practitioners, the private sector and academics) elicited a long list of emergent policy issues in which science and technology would feature strongly and which would also necessitate public engagement as policies are developed. This was then refined to a short list of top priorities for policy makers. Thirty issues were identified within broad areas of business and technology; energy and environment; government, politics and education; health, healthcare, population and aging; information, communication, infrastructure and transport; and public safety and national security.

Real-time pricing demand response programs (RTP-DRPs) are practical measures that ensure the end user's profitability from using electricity by adjusting the supply and demand equilibrium without activating costly solutions. This study explores the potential of RTP-DRPs by developing and applying a region-wise modeling approach based on maximizing the end user's social welfare in the wholesale electricity market in Japan. The regions of the wholesale market are classified based on their response into regions with excess supply, regions with high demand burden, and regular suppliers of inter-regional connections. The results revealed that the RTP-DRPs could potentially reduce the peak demand of the residential sector in Chubu, Chugoku, Kansai, Kyushu, Tokyo, and Tohoku by 1.91%-7.81%. Meanwhile, in Hokkaido, Hokuriku, and Shikoku, by 16.13%-22.9%. The avoided greenhouse emission (GHG) in Tokyo is estimated to be 82.6 and 192.2 tons in summer and winter, respectively.

To find an appropriate method for sulfate-rich wastewater containing ethanol and acetate with COD/sulfate ratio of 1, a UASB reactor was operated for more than 180 days. The influences of HRT (hydraulic retention time) and OLR (organic loading rate) on organics and sulfate removal, gas production, and electrons utilization were investigated. The sludge activity and microorganism composition were also determined. The results indicated that this system removed more than 80% of COD and 30% of sulfate with HRT above 6h and OLR below 12.3 gCOD/L d. Further HRT decrease caused volatile fatty acids accumulation and performance deterioration. Except at HRT of 2h, COD and electron flow were mostly utilized by methane-producing archaea (MPA), and methane yield remained in the range of 0.18-0.24 LCH4/gCOD. Methane was mainly generated by Methanosaeta concilii GP6 with acetate as substrate, whereas sulfate was mainly reduced by incomplete-oxidizing Desulfovibrio species with ethanol as substrate.

It is increasingly acknowledged that climate change is influencing terrestrial ecosystems by increased drought and rainfall intensities. Soil microbes are key drivers of many processes in terrestrial systems and rely on water in soil pores to fulfill their life cycles and functions. However, little is known on how drought and rainfall fluctuations, which affect the composition and structure of microbial communities, persist once original moisture conditions have been restored. Here, we study how simulated short-term drying and re-wetting events shape the community composition of soil fungi and prokaryotes. In a mesocosm experiment, soil was exposed to an extreme drought, then re-wetted to optimal moisture (50% WHC, water holding capacity) or to saturation level (100% WHC). Composition, community structure and diversity of microbes were measured by sequencing ITS and 16S rRNA gene amplicons 3 weeks after original moisture content had been restored. Drying and extreme re-wetting decreased richness of microbial communities, but not evenness. Abundance changes were observed in only 8% of prokaryote OTUs, and 25% of fungal OTUs, whereas all other OTUs did not differ between drying and re-wetting treatments. Two specific legacy response groups (LRGs) were observed for both prokaryotes and fungi. OTUs belonging to the first LRG decreased in relative abundance in soil with a history of drought, whereas OTUs that increased in soil with a history of drought formed a second LRG. These microbial responses were spread among different phyla. Drought appeared to be more important for the microbial community composition than the following extreme re-wetting. 16S profiles were correlated with both inorganic N concentration and basal respiration and ITS profiles correlated with fungal biomass. We conclude that a drying and/or an extreme re-wetting history can persist in soil microbial communities via specific response groups composed of members with broad phylogenetic origins, with possible functional consequences on soil processes and plant species. As a large fraction of OTUs responding to drying and re-wetting belonged to the rare biosphere, our results suggest that low abundant microbial species are potentially important for ecosystem responses to extreme weather events.