• Energy Research
• 2016-2025close
• 13. Climate action close
• University of North Texas close

Abstract Beginning in the 2000s, the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan region became home to the world's largest and longest experiment in urban shale gas production, with 25,182 drilling permits issued from 2000 to 2016 in the Barnett Shale. Urban hydrocarbon governance centered on establishing statutory setback distances between drilling sites and nearest houses or other protected uses. Here we analyze qualitative interview data obtained with a rigorous sampling frame to examine processes and outcomes of municipal-level hydrocarbon governance. We find that early municipal responses (2001–2002) revealed lack of technical expertise to respond to unconventional drilling and production. Controversial wells, which residents considered too close to houses, focused governance debates in several municipalities. Municipal policymakers reported that protecting public health and safety were top priorities in determining setbacks. After 2003, policymakers copied ordinance language from neighboring municipalities and established task forces and working groups to reduce political tensions. The role of the hydrocarbon industry included frequent claims seeking to exploit the longstanding separation of mineral and property estates, which encouraged municipalities to reduce setbacks and lower potential exposure to regulatory takings lawsuits. Over time, municipal regulatory power in hydrocarbon governance decreased while industry power increased, offering several implications for corporate responsibility and social license debates.

This paper contributes an inclusive review of scientific studies in the field of sustainable human building ecosystems (SHBEs). Reducing energy consumption by making buildings more energy efficient has been touted as an easily attainable approach to promoting carbon-neutral energy societies. Yet, despite significant progress in research and technology development, for new buildings, as energy codes are getting more stringent, more and more technologies, e.g., LED lighting, VRF systems, smart plugs, occupancy-based controls, are used. Nevertheless, the adoption of energy efficient measures in buildings is still limited in the larger context of the developing countries and middle income/low-income population. The objective of Sustainable Human Building Ecosystem Research Coordination Network (SHBE-RCN) is to expand synergistic investigative podium in order to subdue barriers in engineering, architectural design, social and economic perspectives that hinder wider application, adoption and subsequent performance of sustainable building solutions by recognizing the essential role of human behaviors within building-scale ecosystems. Expected long-term outcomes of SHBE-RCN are collaborative ideas for transformative technologies, designs and methods of adoption for future design, construction and operation of sustainable buildings.

In the last decade, many malaria-endemic countries, like Zambia, have achieved significant reductions in malaria incidence among children <5 years old but face ongoing challenges in achieving similar progress against malaria in older age groups. In parts of Zambia, changing climatic and environmental factors are among those suspectedly behind high malaria incidence. Changes and variations in these factors potentially interfere with intervention program effectiveness and alter the distribution and incidence patterns of malaria differentially between young children and the rest of the population. We used parametric and non-parametric statistics to model the effects of climatic and socio-demographic variables on age-specific malaria incidence vis-à-vis control interventions. Linear regressions, mixed models, and Mann-Kendall tests were implemented to explore trends, changes in trends, and regress malaria incidence against environmental and intervention variables. Our study shows that while climate parameters affect the whole population, their impacts are felt most by people aged ≥5 years. Climate variables influenced malaria substantially more than mosquito nets and indoor residual spraying interventions. We establish that climate parameters negatively impact malaria control efforts by exacerbating the transmission conditions via more conducive temperature and rainfall environments, which are augmented by cultural and socioeconomic exposure mechanisms. We argue that an intensified communications and education intervention strategy for behavioural change specifically targeted at ≥5 aged population where incidence rates are increasing, is urgently required and call for further malaria stratification among the ≥5 age groups in the routine collection, analysis and reporting of malaria mortality and incidence data.

AbstractA natural laboratory is a place supporting the conditions for hypothesis testing under non-anthropogenic settings. Located at the southern end of the Magellanic sub-Antarctic ecoregion in southwestern South America, the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve (CHBR) has one of the most extreme rainfall gradients in the world. Subject to oceanic climate conditions, it is also characterized by moderate thermal fluctuations throughout the year. This makes it a unique natural laboratory for studying the effects of extreme rainfall variations on forest bird communities. Here, we monitor the bird species richness in the different forest types present in the CHBR. We found that species richness decreased with increasing precipitation, in which an increase of 100 mm in average annual precipitation showed about 1% decrease in species richness. Similar patterns were found among different forest types within the CHBR. These results provide a baseline to investigate the interactions between physical and biotic factors in a subpolar region that climatically contrasts with boreal forests, which is subject to continental climatic conditions. This research highlights the importance of ecological and ornithological long-term studies in the CHBR, which can contribute both to a higher resolution of the heterogeneity of climate changes in different regions of the world, and to orient conservation policies in the Magellanic sub-Antarctic ecoregion in the face of growing development pressures.

A Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) has been installed collocated with each deployed Eddy Correlation Flux Measurement System (ECOR) at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility’s Southern Great Plains (SGP) site, North Slope of Alaska (NSA) site, first ARM Mobile Facility (AMF1), second ARM Mobile Facility (AMF2), and third ARM Mobile Facility (AMF3) at Oliktok Point (OLI). A SEBS was also deployed with the Tropical Western Pacific (TWP) site, before it was decommissioned. Data from these sites, including the retired TWP, are available in the ARM Data Archive. The SEBS consists of upwelling and downwelling solar and infrared radiometers within one net radiometer, a wetness sensor, and soil measurements. The SEBS measurements allow the comparison of ECOR sensible and latent heat fluxes with the energy balance determined from the SEBS and provide information on wetting of the sensors for data quality purposes.

Abstract This work focused on a novel form-stable phase change material (FSPCM) for building energy saving. Capric acid (CA) and palmitic acid (PA) were selected to prepare binary eutectic. The CA-PA/wood flour (WF) composites with different mass ratios were prepared by the vacuum impregnation method. After the shape-stabilized properties were investigated, the results indicated that there were the good encapsulate capacity of WF to CA-PA eutectic and the slight effect of WF on the crystallization. Phase change wood plastic composites (WPCs) using CA-PA /WF composites as the latent heat storage medium and PVC as the matrix were prepared. The relations between mass ratios of CA-PA /WF composites and mechanical properties of WPCs were discussed. The results revealed that the WPCs with appropriate mass fraction of CA-PA eutectic had desired mechanical properties for practical applications. The prepared composites were examined by the scanning electron microscope (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and accelerated thermal cycling test. SEM images showed that the WPC prepared by the CA-PA /WF composite with the mass ratio of 0.4:1(WPC0.4) was more compact and uniform, but as the amount of CA-PA eutectic increased, more gaps and cracks appeared. DSC results showed that the WPC0.8 melted at 22.03 °C with a latent heat of 28.16 J/g and froze at 20.06 °C with a latent heat of 29.77 J/g, which was more applicable to the thermal energy storage systems for buildings. FTIR results demonstrated that there was no chemical reaction between CA-PA eutectic and components in WPC. The prepared FSPCM exhibited excellent thermal stability for the building materials from the TG analysis. Furthermore, the results of accelerated thermal cycling test showed that the composite had a good thermal reliability after 500 thermal cycles.

The Lancet Countdown : le suivi des progrès en matière de santé et de changement climatique est une collaboration de recherche internationale et multidisciplinaire entre des établissements universitaires et des praticiens du monde entier. Il fait suite aux travaux de la Commission Lancet de 2015, qui a conclu que la réponse au changement climatique pourrait être « la plus grande opportunité de santé mondiale du XXIe siècle ». Le compte à rebours du Lancet vise à suivre les impacts sur la santé des risques climatiques ; la résilience et l'adaptation en matière de santé ; les co-bénéfices pour la santé de l'atténuation du changement climatique ; l'économie et la finance ; et l'engagement politique et plus large. Ces domaines d'intervention forment les cinq groupes de travail thématiques du Lancet Countdown et représentent différents aspects de l'association complexe entre la santé et le changement climatique. Ces groupes thématiques fourniront des indicateurs pour une vue d'ensemble mondiale de la santé et du changement climatique ; des études de cas nationales mettant en évidence les pays qui ouvrent la voie ou vont à l'encontre de la tendance ; et un engagement avec un éventail de parties prenantes. Le compte à rebours du Lancet vise finalement à rendre compte chaque année d'une série d'indicateurs dans ces cinq groupes de travail. Ce document décrit les indicateurs potentiels et les domaines d'indicateurs à suivre par la collaboration, avec des suggestions sur les méthodologies et les ensembles de données disponibles pour atteindre cet objectif. Les domaines d'indicateurs proposés doivent être affinés et marquent le début d'un processus de consultation en cours - de novembre 2016 au début de 2017 - pour développer ces domaines, identifier les domaines clés non couverts actuellement et modifier les indicateurs si nécessaire. Cette collaboration cherchera activement à s'engager dans les processus de suivi existants, tels que les objectifs de développement durable des Nations Unies et les profils de pays de l'OMS en matière de climat et de santé. Les indicateurs évolueront également au fil du temps grâce à une collaboration continue avec des experts et un éventail de parties prenantes, et dépendront de l'émergence de nouvelles preuves et connaissances. Au cours de ses travaux, le Lancet Countdown adoptera un processus collaboratif et itératif, qui vise à compléter les initiatives existantes, à accueillir l'engagement avec de nouveaux partenaires et à être ouvert au développement de nouveaux projets de recherche sur la santé et le changement climatique. The Lancet Countdown: tracking progress on health and climate change es una colaboración de investigación internacional y multidisciplinaria entre instituciones académicas y profesionales de todo el mundo. Sigue el trabajo de la Comisión Lancet de 2015, que concluyó que la respuesta al cambio climático podría ser "la mayor oportunidad de salud global del siglo XXI". The Lancet Countdown tiene como objetivo realizar un seguimiento de los impactos en la salud de los peligros climáticos; la resiliencia y la adaptación a la salud; los beneficios colaterales para la salud de la mitigación del cambio climático; la economía y las finanzas; y el compromiso político y más amplio. Estas áreas de enfoque forman los cinco grupos de trabajo temáticos de The Lancet Countdown y representan diferentes aspectos de la compleja asociación entre la salud y el cambio climático. Estos grupos temáticos proporcionarán indicadores para una visión global de la salud y el cambio climático; estudios de casos nacionales que destacan a los países que lideran el camino o van en contra de la tendencia; y el compromiso con una variedad de partes interesadas. En última instancia, The Lancet Countdown tiene como objetivo informar anualmente sobre una serie de indicadores en estos cinco grupos de trabajo. Este documento describe los posibles indicadores y dominios de indicadores a ser rastreados por la colaboración, con sugerencias sobre las metodologías y conjuntos de datos disponibles para lograr este fin. Los dominios de indicadores propuestos requieren un mayor refinamiento y marcan el comienzo de un proceso de consulta continuo, desde noviembre de 2016 hasta principios de 2017, para desarrollar estos dominios, identificar áreas clave que actualmente no están cubiertas y cambiar los indicadores cuando sea necesario. Esta colaboración buscará activamente involucrarse con los procesos de monitoreo existentes, como los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible de la ONU y LOS perfiles climáticos y de salud de los países de la OMS. Los indicadores también evolucionarán con el tiempo a través de la colaboración continua con expertos y una variedad de partes interesadas, y dependerán de la aparición de nuevas pruebas y conocimientos. Durante el transcurso de su trabajo, The Lancet Countdown adoptará un proceso colaborativo e iterativo, que tiene como objetivo complementar las iniciativas existentes, dar la bienvenida al compromiso con nuevos socios y estar abierto al desarrollo de nuevos proyectos de investigación sobre salud y cambio climático. The Lancet Countdown: tracking progress on health and climate change is an international, multidisciplinary research collaboration between academic institutions and practitioners across the world. It follows on from the work of the 2015 Lancet Commission, which concluded that the response to climate change could be "the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century". The Lancet Countdown aims to track the health impacts of climate hazards; health resilience and adaptation; health co-benefits of climate change mitigation; economics and finance; and political and broader engagement. These focus areas form the five thematic working groups of the Lancet Countdown and represent different aspects of the complex association between health and climate change. These thematic groups will provide indicators for a global overview of health and climate change; national case studies highlighting countries leading the way or going against the trend; and engagement with a range of stakeholders. The Lancet Countdown ultimately aims to report annually on a series of indicators across these five working groups. This paper outlines the potential indicators and indicator domains to be tracked by the collaboration, with suggestions on the methodologies and datasets available to achieve this end. The proposed indicator domains require further refinement, and mark the beginning of an ongoing consultation process-from November, 2016 to early 2017-to develop these domains, identify key areas not currently covered, and change indicators where necessary. This collaboration will actively seek to engage with existing monitoring processes, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals and WHO's climate and health country profiles. The indicators will also evolve over time through ongoing collaboration with experts and a range of stakeholders, and be dependent on the emergence of new evidence and knowledge. During the course of its work, the Lancet Countdown will adopt a collaborative and iterative process, which aims to complement existing initiatives, welcome engagement with new partners, and be open to developing new research projects on health and climate change. العد التنازلي لمجلة لانسيت: تتبع التقدم المحرز في مجال الصحة وتغير المناخ هو تعاون بحثي دولي متعدد التخصصات بين المؤسسات الأكاديمية والممارسين في جميع أنحاء العالم. ويتبع ذلك عمل لجنة لانسيت لعام 2015، التي خلصت إلى أن الاستجابة لتغير المناخ يمكن أن تكون "أعظم فرصة صحية عالمية في القرن الحادي والعشرين". يهدف العد التنازلي لمجلة لانسيت إلى تتبع الآثار الصحية للمخاطر المناخية ؛ والمرونة الصحية والتكيف ؛ والفوائد الصحية المشتركة للتخفيف من آثار تغير المناخ ؛ والاقتصاد والتمويل ؛ والمشاركة السياسية والأوسع نطاقًا. تشكل مجالات التركيز هذه مجموعات العمل المواضيعية الخمسة للعد التنازلي لمجلة لانسيت وتمثل جوانب مختلفة من الارتباط المعقد بين الصحة وتغير المناخ. وستوفر هذه المجموعات المواضيعية مؤشرات لإلقاء نظرة عامة عالمية على الصحة وتغير المناخ ؛ ودراسات حالة وطنية تسلط الضوء على البلدان التي تقود الطريق أو تسير عكس الاتجاه ؛ والمشاركة مع مجموعة من أصحاب المصلحة. يهدف العد التنازلي لمجلة لانسيت في نهاية المطاف إلى تقديم تقرير سنوي عن سلسلة من المؤشرات عبر مجموعات العمل الخمس هذه. تحدد هذه الورقة المؤشرات المحتملة ومجالات المؤشرات التي سيتم تتبعها من خلال التعاون، مع اقتراحات حول المنهجيات ومجموعات البيانات المتاحة لتحقيق هذه الغاية. تتطلب مجالات المؤشرات المقترحة مزيدًا من التنقيح، وتمثل بداية عملية تشاور مستمرة - من نوفمبر 2016 إلى أوائل 2017 - لتطوير هذه المجالات، وتحديد المجالات الرئيسية غير المشمولة حاليًا، وتغيير المؤشرات عند الضرورة. سيسعى هذا التعاون بنشاط إلى المشاركة في عمليات الرصد القائمة، مثل أهداف الأمم المتحدة للتنمية المستدامة والملامح القطرية للمناخ والصحة لمنظمة الصحة العالمية. ستتطور المؤشرات أيضًا بمرور الوقت من خلال التعاون المستمر مع الخبراء ومجموعة من أصحاب المصلحة، وستعتمد على ظهور أدلة ومعارف جديدة. خلال عملها، سيعتمد العد التنازلي لمجلة لانسيت عملية تعاونية وتكرارية، تهدف إلى استكمال المبادرات الحالية، والترحيب بالمشاركة مع شركاء جدد، والانفتاح على تطوير مشاريع بحثية جديدة حول الصحة وتغير المناخ.