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Natural ventilation (NV) represents the most energy-efficient way to operate buildings and, in an attempt to reduce the built environment's global carbon footprint, represents a resource, the usage of which has to be maximized. This study demonstrated how a combination of an IoT environmental sensing network implemented locally outdoors and indoors can help to determine the NV potential and actual utilization throughout the year with the consideration of outdoor climate variance, air pollution levels, and window open/closed status. An NV potential index was developed by analyzing indoor and outdoor PM2.5, and outdoor air temperature and air speed throughout the year at different spatial (from room scale to building level and local weather stations) and temporal (instantaneous, season, and annual) scales. The index was applied on a case building located in Berkeley, California, during the period of August 2018 to the end of 2019. Compared to the potential NV availability, the actual window opening time in typical rooms was less than 35%. These results point out that the actual window usage behavior was the key limiting factor in NV potential utilization. Even during periods when climate- and pollution-wise outdoor conditions allowed use of the NV, many occupants kept their windows closed. Keeping windows open or closed was significantly affected by outdoor climate condition and air pollution levels, especially during the wild-fire period.

With the amendment to the German Climate Change Act in 2021, the Federal Government of Germany has set the target to become greenhouse gas neutral by 2045. Reaching this ambitious target requires multisectoral efforts, which in turn calls for interdisciplinary collaboration: the Net-Zero-2050 project of the Helmholtz Climate Initiative serves as an example of successful, interdisciplinary collaboration with the aim of producing valuable recommendations for action to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions in Germany. To this end, we applied an interdisciplinary approach to combining comprehensive research results from ten German national research centers in the context of carbon neutrality in Germany. In this paper, we present our approach and the method behind the interdisciplinary storylines development, which enabled us to create a common framework between different carbon dioxide removal and avoidance methods and the bigger carbon neutrality context. Thus, the research findings are aggregated into narratives: the two complementary storylines focus on technologies for net-zero CO2 emissions and on different framing conditions for implementing net-zero CO2 measures. Moreover, we outline the Net-Zero-2050 results emerging from the two storylines by presenting the resulting narratives in the context of carbon neutrality in Germany. Aiming at creating insights into how complementary and related expertise can be combined in teams across disciplines, we conclude with the project’s lessons learned. This paper sheds light on how to facilitate cooperation between different science disciplines with the purpose of preparing joint research results that can be communicated to a specific audience. Additionally, it provides further evidence that interdisciplinary and diverse research teams are an essential factor for defining solution spaces for complex, interdisciplinary problems.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology is being deployed at an unprecedented rate. However, utility-scale solar energy development is land intensive and its large-scale installation can have negative impacts on the environment. In particular, solar energy infrastructure can require extensive landscape modification that transforms soil ecological functions, thereby impacting hydrologic, vegetative, and carbon dynamics. However, reintroducing native vegetation to solar PV sites may be a means of restoring their soils. To this end, we investigated critical soil physical and chemical parameters at a revegetated photovoltaic array and an adjacent reference grassland in Colorado, United States. Seven years after revegetation, we found that carbon and nitrogen remained lower in the PV soil than in the reference soil and contained a greater fraction of coarse particles. We also found that the PV modules introduced heterogeneity in the soil moisture distribution, with precipitation accumulating along the lower edges of panels. The redistribution of soil moisture by panel arrays could potentially be used in concert with planting strategies to maximize plant growth or minimize soil erosion, and should be considered when evaluating the potential to co-locate vegetation with solar infrastructure.

Le paludisme est une maladie à transmission vectorielle très préoccupante pour la santé publique. Malgré le succès généralisé de nombreuses initiatives d'élimination, les efforts d'élimination dans certaines régions du monde sont au point mort. Les obstacles à l'élimination du paludisme comprennent les changements climatiques et d'utilisation des terres, tels que le réchauffement des températures et l'urbanisation, qui peuvent altérer les habitats des moustiques. Les facteurs socio-économiques, tels que l'instabilité politique et les migrations régionales, menacent également les objectifs d'élimination. Cela est particulièrement pertinent dans les zones où l'élimination locale a été réalisée et où, par conséquent, les efforts de surveillance et de contrôle diminuent et ne sont plus une priorité. Comprendre l'impact des changements environnementaux sur l'élimination du paludisme a des implications pratiques importantes pour les stratégies de lutte antivectorielle et de surveillance des maladies. Il est important de tenir compte du changement climatique lors de la surveillance de la menace de résurgence du paludisme en raison d'influences socio-économiques. Cependant, l'évaluation de la manière dont la combinaison des variations climatiques, des interventions et des pressions socio-économiques influence les tendances à long terme des efforts de transmission et d'élimination du paludisme est limitée. Dans cette étude, nous avons utilisé des modèles hiérarchiques bayésiens mixtes et des données sur les cas de paludisme pour une période de 29 ans afin de démêler les impacts des variations climatiques et des efforts de lutte contre le paludisme sur le risque de paludisme dans la province équatorienne d'El Oro, qui a atteint l'élimination locale en 2011. Nous avons constaté une évolution des schémas de paludisme entre les zones rurales et urbaines, avec une augmentation relative de P. vivax dans les zones urbanisées. La température minimale était un facteur important de la saisonnalité du paludisme et l'association entre les températures minimales plus chaudes et l'incidence du paludisme était plus grande pour P. falciparum que pour P. vivax. Il y avait une hétérogénéité considérable dans l'impact de trois mesures de lutte contre les vecteurs chimiques sur le paludisme à P. falciparum et à P. vivax. Nous avons trouvé des associations statistiquement significatives entre deux des trois mesures (pulvérisation à effet rémanent à l'intérieur et pulvérisation dans l'espace) et une réduction de l'incidence du paludisme, qui variait selon le type de paludisme. Nous avons également constaté que l'aptitude environnementale à la transmission du paludisme augmente à El Oro, ce qui pourrait limiter les futurs efforts d'élimination si le paludisme est autorisé à se rétablir. Nos résultats ont des implications importantes pour comprendre les obstacles environnementaux à l'élimination du paludisme et soulignent l'importance de concevoir et de soutenir les efforts d'élimination dans les zones qui restent vulnérables à la résurgence. La malaria es una enfermedad transmitida por vectores de gran preocupación para la salud pública. A pesar del éxito generalizado de muchas iniciativas de eliminación, los esfuerzos de eliminación en algunas regiones del mundo se han estancado. Las barreras para la eliminación de la malaria incluyen cambios en el clima y el uso de la tierra, como el calentamiento de las temperaturas y la urbanización, que pueden alterar los hábitats de los mosquitos. Los factores socioeconómicos, como la inestabilidad política y la migración regional, también amenazan los objetivos de eliminación. Esto es particularmente relevante en áreas donde se ha logrado la eliminación local y, en consecuencia, los esfuerzos de vigilancia y control están disminuyendo y ya no son una prioridad. Comprender cómo el cambio ambiental afecta la eliminación de la malaria tiene importantes implicaciones prácticas para el control de vectores y las estrategias de vigilancia de enfermedades. Es importante considerar el cambio climático al monitorear la amenaza del resurgimiento de la malaria debido a las influencias socioeconómicas. Sin embargo, hay una evaluación limitada de cómo la combinación de la variación climática, las intervenciones y las presiones socioeconómicas influyen en las tendencias a largo plazo en los esfuerzos de transmisión y eliminación de la malaria. En este estudio, utilizamos modelos mixtos jerárquicos bayesianos y datos de casos de malaria durante un período de 29 años para desentrañar los impactos de la variación climática y los esfuerzos de control de la malaria en el riesgo de malaria en la provincia ecuatoriana de El Oro, que logró la eliminación local en 2011. Encontramos patrones cambiantes de malaria entre áreas rurales y urbanas, con un aumento relativo de P. vivax en áreas urbanizadas. La temperatura mínima fue un importante impulsor de la estacionalidad de la malaria y la asociación entre las temperaturas mínimas más cálidas y la incidencia de la malaria fue mayor para P. falciparum en comparación con la malaria por P. vivax. Hubo una considerable heterogeneidad en el impacto de tres medidas de control de vectores químicos tanto en la malaria por P. falciparum como por P. vivax. Encontramos asociaciones estadísticamente significativas entre dos de las tres medidas (fumigación residual en interiores y fumigación en espacios) y una reducción en la incidencia de malaria, que varió según el tipo de malaria. También encontramos que la idoneidad ambiental para la transmisión de la malaria está aumentando en El Oro, lo que podría limitar los esfuerzos futuros de eliminación si se permite que la malaria se restablezca. Nuestros hallazgos tienen implicaciones importantes para comprender los obstáculos ambientales para la eliminación de la malaria y resaltan la importancia de diseñar y mantener los esfuerzos de eliminación en áreas que siguen siendo vulnerables al resurgimiento. Malaria is a vector-borne disease of significant public health concern. Despite widespread success of many elimination initiatives, elimination efforts in some regions of the world have stalled. Barriers to malaria elimination include climate and land use changes, such as warming temperatures and urbanization, which can alter mosquito habitats. Socioeconomic factors, such as political instability and regional migration, also threaten elimination goals. This is particularly relevant in areas where local elimination has been achieved and consequently surveillance and control efforts are dwindling and are no longer a priority. Understanding how environmental change impacts malaria elimination has important practical implications for vector control and disease surveillance strategies. It is important to consider climate change when monitoring the threat of malaria resurgence due to socioeconomic influences. However, there is limited assessment of how the combination of climate variation, interventions and socioeconomic pressures influence long-term trends in malaria transmission and elimination efforts. In this study, we used Bayesian hierarchical mixed models and malaria case data for a 29-year period to disentangle the impacts of climate variation and malaria control efforts on malaria risk in the Ecuadorian province of El Oro, which achieved local elimination in 2011. We found shifting patterns of malaria between rural and urban areas, with a relative increase of P. vivax in urbanized areas. Minimum temperature was an important driver of malaria seasonality and the association between warmer minimum temperatures and malaria incidence was greater for P. falciparum compared to P. vivax malaria. There was considerable heterogeneity in the impact of three chemical vector control measures on both P. falciparum and P. vivax malaria. We found statistically significant associations between two of the three measures (indoor residual spraying and space spraying) and a reduction in malaria incidence, which varied between malaria type. We also found environmental suitability for malaria transmission is increasing in El Oro, which could limit future elimination efforts if malaria is allowed to re-establish. Our findings have important implications for understanding environmental obstacles to malaria elimination and highlights the importance of designing and sustaining elimination efforts in areas that remain vulnerable to resurgence. الملاريا مرض ينتقل عن طريق النواقل ويشكل مصدر قلق كبير على الصحة العامة. على الرغم من النجاح الواسع النطاق للعديد من مبادرات القضاء على الملاريا، فقد توقفت جهود القضاء على الملاريا في بعض مناطق العالم. تشمل العوائق التي تحول دون القضاء على الملاريا تغيرات المناخ واستخدام الأراضي، مثل ارتفاع درجات الحرارة والتحضر، والتي يمكن أن تغير موائل البعوض. كما تهدد العوامل الاجتماعية والاقتصادية، مثل عدم الاستقرار السياسي والهجرة الإقليمية، أهداف القضاء على المرض. هذا مهم بشكل خاص في المناطق التي تم فيها تحقيق القضاء المحلي وبالتالي تضاءلت جهود المراقبة والسيطرة ولم تعد أولوية. إن فهم كيفية تأثير التغير البيئي على القضاء على الملاريا له آثار عملية مهمة على استراتيجيات مكافحة ناقلات الأمراض ومراقبة الأمراض. من المهم مراعاة تغير المناخ عند رصد خطر عودة الملاريا بسبب التأثيرات الاجتماعية والاقتصادية. ومع ذلك، هناك تقييم محدود لكيفية تأثير مزيج من التباين المناخي والتدخلات والضغوط الاجتماعية والاقتصادية على الاتجاهات طويلة الأجل في جهود انتقال الملاريا والقضاء عليها. في هذه الدراسة، استخدمنا نماذج مختلطة هرمية بايزية وبيانات حالة الملاريا لمدة 29 عامًا لفصل آثار تغير المناخ وجهود مكافحة الملاريا على خطر الملاريا في مقاطعة إل أورو الإكوادورية، والتي حققت القضاء المحلي في عام 2011. وجدنا أنماطًا متغيرة من الملاريا بين المناطق الريفية والحضرية، مع زيادة نسبية في P. vivax في المناطق الحضرية. كانت درجة الحرارة الدنيا محركًا مهمًا لموسمية الملاريا وكان الارتباط بين درجات الحرارة الدنيا الأكثر دفئًا وحدوث الملاريا أكبر بالنسبة لداء المتصورة المنجلية مقارنة بداء المتصورة النشيطة. كان هناك عدم تجانس كبير في تأثير ثلاثة تدابير لمكافحة النواقل الكيميائية على كل من P. falciparum و P. vivax malaria. وجدنا ارتباطات ذات دلالة إحصائية بين اثنين من التدابير الثلاثة (الرش الداخلي المتبقي والرش المكاني) وانخفاض في الإصابة بالملاريا، والتي اختلفت بين نوع الملاريا. كما وجدنا أن الملاءمة البيئية لانتقال الملاريا آخذة في الازدياد في إل أورو، مما قد يحد من جهود القضاء على الملاريا في المستقبل إذا سُمح للملاريا بالعودة. للنتائج التي توصلنا إليها آثار مهمة على فهم العقبات البيئية التي تحول دون القضاء على الملاريا وتسلط الضوء على أهمية تصميم جهود القضاء على الملاريا واستدامتها في المناطق التي لا تزال عرضة للظهور من جديد.

Land use and land cover (LULC) change can have detrimental effects on water quality. In Belize, agricultural expansion creates the risk of increased sediment load and excess nutrients in runoff water, while deforestation removes potential infiltration sites for this outflow. Climate change and evolving precipitation rates can intensify the quantity of runoff, further enabling the flow of sediments and excess nutrients out to the lagoon surrounding the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (BBRRS). This study sought to estimate potential impacts on future water quality in Belize by first modeling LULC change through 2090 across Belize’s major watersheds based on observed trends from 2008 to 2018. Those LULC projections were subsequently combined with soil type data, elevation, and precipitation rates into a hydrologic model to produce runoff flow estimates as a proxy for water quality. The two Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 (CMIP-6) scenarios employed in the study represented bookend climate change scenarios, and both indicated generally lower precipitation rates in Belize over the next century due to climate change. The most extreme scenario predicted a 46% decrease in precipitation. When holding LULC change constant, these climate scenarios projected a decrease in runoff, suggesting a positive relationship between precipitation and runoff. In contrast with the northern watersheds, the southern watersheds are projected to experience greater decreases in annual rainfall and runoff by 2090. When holding climate constant, runoff increased by approximately 2.8% in the Conservation-focused LULC scenario by 2090, which was 28% lower than the Business as Usual scenario, and 42% lower than the Development scenario. The study’s integration of CMIP6 climate scenarios into LULC and hydrologic modeling provides a more holistic view of the future of Belize’s water quality and supports the long-term planning efforts of local decision-making agencies.