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Abstract Critical Infrastructure Protection is a relatively new scientific domain stemming from an American Presidential directive PDD-63 of May 1998. Critical Infrastructure (CI) performance and protection are national priorities for all European Union (EU) countries following the introduction of the EU Directive 2008/114/EC, which takes an all hazards approach. This paper has an international focus. At the global and European level, the interest in identifying the impacts of climate change on CIs and extreme weather events (EWE) has increased in the last decades, following several high-profile so-called natural disasters. Concern is evidenced by the UN Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the EU Commission’s Staff Working Document on Risk Assessment and Mapping; Guidelines for Disaster Management, SEC (2010) 1626. This paper presents and discusses scientific work which has been published in this area, with a focus on energy CI. The impacts of climate change and extreme weather events on energy CI are initially identified. Important aspects in CI protection such as risk assessment, interdependencies with other sectors, and adaptation/resilience options are subsequently presented and discussed.

PurposeThe world society as a whole and Ukraine are realizing that climate change and decarbonization are critical issues. This study aims to determine whether the aviation and transportation industries in Ukraine have rearranged their priorities as a result of this investigation. The process of decarbonization and adaptation begins with a legislative point of view and then moves on to technology, improvements, infrastructure, energy and emissions stages to meet the primary goals.Design/methodology/approachAn analysis of the content of the literature about decarbonization and the legislation and application processes for airport de-carbonization in Ukraine. The study focuses on the landing and take-off cycle of the airports. The statistics on the transportation of the Ukrainian territory have been looked at over time to determine whether or not there have been any shifts.FindingsThere are significant reduction figures found in the Poltava region. Double-figure emissions reductions in four years of series are 5.9%, 41.0% and 19.3%, in the respective years of 2018, 2019 and 2020, which is a 55.3% reduction compared with 2020 to 2017.Practical implicationsBecause the transportation industry and aviation generate a significant amount of carbon dioxide, steps must be taken to cut emissions. The decarbonization process ought to proceed in the form of a series of actions to achieve carbon reduction goals with a broader range of participants. In addition, an aviation subsidy for biofuels may be required to initiate the shift by having the taxation change.Originality/valueAs far as the literature surveys, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first comprehensive Ukrainian decarbonization analysis that considers legislation, technology, improvements, infrastructure, energy and emissions in addition to just those four categories.

Protected areas are necessary for the conservation and enhancement of biodiversity. Wildfires are major threats to forests and other natural areas, because they may cause irreversible damages. The aim of this study was to analyze the perspective of experts (N = 284), from six countries of the Black Sea, on the current status and problems of protected areas and wildfires. Understanding their points of view could enhance future management on these issues in the region. Data collection was carried out for 9 months, using a web-based questionnaire. Wildfires were perceived as a serious problem in Turkey, Armenia and Greece but as a substantially less serious problem in Romania, Ukraine and Moldova. In Greece, Armenia, and especially Ukraine, the current designated protected areas are considered sufficient to maintain biodiversity, while in Romania, Turkey, and especially Moldova, more areas should be designated as protected. A major need in all countries (except for Turkey) is the increased use of information and communication technologies for both wildfire suppression and protected area management. Experts were divided on whether wildfire suppression and management of protected areas are interconnected. However, there is growing awareness of the adverse impacts of climate change in protected areas and the frequency of wildfires in the future. The most frequently suggested measures to alleviate these impacts were: changes in forest management and increasing public awareness for wildfire suppression, along with changes in forest management and increased staff training to enhance protected area conservation.

The Ghana Nuclear Power Agenda is a program laid out by the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission in collaboration with the government of Ghana to guide and facilitate the installation of Ghana’s first ever nuclear power plant. The nuclear power plant is expected to generate between 1000 and 12,800 MW of electricity from its inception to the final installations in a span of 20 years. Ghana's Third National Communication (TNC) Report to the UNFCCC indicates 59 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (MtCO2e) emission in 2011. Between 1991 and 2011, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions grew by 20% as energy intensity of the economy rose alongside with a growing demand in industry, transport and households. If nothing is done to curtail GHG emissions from its major sources such as transport and fossil-source energy in Ghana, the looming catastrophe of the changing climate will occur faster than we imagine. Nuclear power has been cited as environmentally friendly (zero-to-low carbon emission), efficient and sustainable source of energy that works down on CO2 emission. It offers current and future energy needs without burdening future generations with a broken environment. Using Crystal Ball simulation model, the current study estimates a cumulative increase (35%) in CO2 emission in a span of ten years without nuclear power in Ghana’s energy mix. With the inclusion of nuclear power in the country’s energy mix, the model estimates CO2 emission cut by 12.5% for the same period, and 18.2% in 20 years. Thus, given the same period of time, the rate of emission of CO2 was found to be more than twice its reduction.

In current times, we heavily rely on the use of fossil fuels, which bring negative impacts on climate change; therefore, it is essential to place more focus on all renewable alternatives, especially bioenergy crops. This study is focused on the quantification and evaluation of biogas production from either corn or sweet sorghum, as well as their combination. The field data were obtained from 2013 to 2016 in central Ukraine. The Buswell equation was used for the calculation of the theoretical biogas and methane potential. The results show that corn and sweet sorghum were intercropping and had higher on 8.5–37.8% of green mass, and 9.5–28.7% estimated yield of biogas compared to the single use of these crops. Due to the higher dry matter content, the specific yield of biogas per unit of applied corn silage was higher by 33.7–50.6% compared to sweet sorghum. However, biogas yield was increased by 9.2–13.0% when using a mixture of corn silage and sweet sorghum compared to sweet sorghum alone. Results of biogas and methane yield per unit area show that the highest rates, 10.2 and 5.9 thousand m3/ha, were obtained in the combined growing of hybrids of sweet sorghum Dovista and corn Monica 350. Even though theoretical calculations have some limitations, the gathered results provide essential information on the potential of the examined green mass for biogas potential in Ukraine. Such information are crucial to be known for economic and energy reasons.

Abstract The district of Polessie was chosen to illustrate a methodology aiming to assess the type, extent and distribution of the existing and potential biomass resources in the rural areas contaminated by Chernobyl fallout in Ukraine. Three biomass systems were envisaged: forestry, short rotation coppice (SRC) and perennial grasses. The different sources of biomass were characterised in terms of productivity and radiocaesium content. Spatial information about the soil types, actual land use and radiocaesium deposition was collected and incorporated in a Geographic Information System. This spatial approach facilitated the integration and the processing of data as well as the design of spatial outputs (maps), which are key tools for the dynamic management of contaminated lands. In the short term, the stock of contaminated wood available from forests proved to be important in quantity but not rapidly renewable. Subsequently, energy crops like SRC established on former farmlands are relatively more productive than forests. In practice, the implementation of biomass to energy conversion systems also depends on the existing infrastructure, the current cost of energy supply and the local demand for energy. At present in Ukraine, the production of heat in wood-fired boilers is the most profitable.

The aspects of the climate change mitigation via modernization of the iron and steel industry in Ukraine are discussed. Resources, historic development context, production, and greenhouse gas emissions of the steel sector in Ukraine are analyzed in relation to relevant patterns in the European Union, China, Russia, and worldwide. Several Best Available Technologies, suitable for deployment in Ukraine, are analyzed covering the experience of their implementation in various regions of the world, and their potential for saving energy and cutting carbon dioxide emissions. Two options of modernization with several differently diffused key Best Available Technologies related to sintering, ironmaking, steelmaking, and casting are elaborated, revealing the possibility of cutting the sector’s CO2 emissions in the range of 15.2%–21.8%. Further emissions reduction is possible using a wider range of Best Available Technologies including those related to power generation, rolling mills, etc. The strategic approaches to the sector’s modernization are discussed in the context of global scenarios developed by the International Energy Agency, placing particular emphasis on innovative ironmaking technologies. Modernization of iron and steel industry in Ukraine using Best Available Technologies is analyzed in view of short-term goals and a future need for more radical industrial transformations including commercialization of the novel smelting-reduction ironmaking technologies with higher potential of CO2 emissions reduction.

Abstract The development of renewable energy sources (RES) is considered to be a key instrument in addressing climate change. However, different RES have different potential and economic feasibility depending on country-specific conditions and mitigation ambitions. Understanding the relative importance of each RES could help policymakers focus their efforts on the most promising options. In this paper, we focus on Ukraine and explore the potential of biomass use under two mitigation scenarios – with 68% and 83% of greenhouse gas emissions reduction in 2050 relative to the 2010 level. First, using the TIMES-Ukraine energy system model, we show that biomass would play a major role in the future climate mitigation. If constrained at the baseline scenario level (due to political or other reasons), mitigation costs would be substantially higher – by 14.0–19.6 B € or 10.8–14.3 €/tCO2-eq., over the 2020–2050 time frame. Second, we quantify the importance of each biomass source. We show that woody biomass and bioliquids are the most important biofuels under the high-ambition climate scenario, while biowaste and bioliquids play a key role in the lower ambition pathway. Finally, we analyse the current policy environment in the context of future biomass development and conclude with a set of policy recommendations toward the realization of the biomass potential in Ukraine. We believe that findings presented in the paper would be relevant not only for supporting the decision-making process in Ukraine, but could also provide useful insights for other countries with similar conditions.

There is a great number of historic and cultural monuments on the territory of Montenegro, which should be preserved and maintained. Their distance from centralized networks and the lack of conditions for restoration make difficult to maintain them properly. The article puts forward the options for architectural incorporation of solar power systems into the appearance of historic buildings and structures. In the article is proposing the configuration of electrical systems based on the results of the calculation of one energy source (solar/diesel plant) and their combination.

This review paper deals with colligated aspects of the BioPlus Project (ERA-ARD) implemented by Institute of Technology and Life Sciences (Poland) and Lithuanian University of Agriculture Institute of Agro-Engineering (Lithuania) in cooperation with National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine Institute of Ecobiotechnologies and Bioenergy (Ukraine). The drawn inferences intended to be an auxiliary material for policy makers and can briefly indicate on direction of the regional development of rural Ukraine, focusing on: (i) country's specific and sub-regional assessments of renewable energy potentials and spheres of its application; (ii) identification of major barriers for the expansion of renewable energy technologies and policy guidance to overcome those barriers; (iii) recommendations for future actions and strategies concerning renewable energy in Ukraine. The article concludes that low contribution of bioenergy towards rural development is to a large extent driven by energy policy that inhibits the delivery and use of modern energy sources in rural Ukraine. Consequently, an incentive for achieving bioenergy's future that has greater relevance to development of the Ukraine's regions requires a mix of policy tools and institutional actions, briefly summarized in this paper.