• Energy Research
• 13. Climate action close
• BE close
• SA close

Abstract Megacities in emerging markets are a relatively new phenomenon. The size of these cities combined with the high growth rates provides substantial sustainability challenges. Urban freight transport (UFT) contributes to these challenges. Despite its relatively low share as part of total traffic, the negative impact of UFT is disproportionate. Improving the sustainability in this context is inevitable in the light of further prospected urbanization. To study this topic, a theoretical framework is developed which is subsequently applied on literature. This allows characterizing the UFT system in a city. Such a framework is currently lacking. The framework is developed around the components of a UFT system (demand, supply and context) and the factors influencing these components. Factors include the different supply chains (demand), vehicles used (supply) and traffic measures (context). It is applied to analyze the UFT system in megacities in emerging markets. Results show that demand in different supply chains is fragmented as well as the transport. Uncontrolled sprawl and the existence of an informal economy further contribute to the complexity to regulate UFT. Based hereupon, we discuss efforts to move to more sustainable UFT in this context.

Abstract Most of the world’s energy consumption is greatly dependent on fossil fuel, which is exhaustible and is being used extensively due to continuous escalation in the world’s population and development. This valuable resource needs to be conserved and its alternatives need to be explored. In this perspective, dissemination and utilisation of renewables such as solar energy has gained worldwide momentum since the onset of oil crises of 1970s. Moreover, burning of fuels is the principal cause of air pollution, and possibly environmental warming. Saudi Arabia, being blessed with a fairly high level of solar radiation, is a suitable candidate for deployment of solar photo-voltaic (PV) panels for power generation during crisis. Literature indicates that commercial/residential buildings in Saudi Arabia consume an estimated 10–45% of the total electrical energy generated/consumed. In the present study, hourly mean solar radiation data for the period 1986–1993 recorded at the solar radiation and meteorological monitoring station, Dhahran (26° 32′ N, 50° 13′ E), Saudi Arabia, have been analyzed to investigate the potential of utilizing hybrid (PV+diesel) power systems to meet the load requirements of a typical commercial building (with an annual electrical energy demand of 620,000 kWh). The monthly average daily solar global irradiation for Dhahran ranges from 3.61 to 7.96 kWh/m 2 . The hybrid systems considered in the present analysis consist of different combinations of PV panels/modules (different array sizes) supplemented with a battery storage unit and diesel back-up. The study shows that with a combination of 3700 m 2 PV together with 12 h of battery storage, the diesel back-up system has to provide 6% of the load demand. However, in the absence of a battery bank, about 56% of the load needs to be provided by the diesel system.

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) and the Internet of Things (IoT) have emerged as transforming technologies, bringing the potential to revolutionize a wide range of industries such as environmental monitoring, agriculture, manufacturing, smart health, home automation, wildlife monitoring, and surveillance. Population expansion, changes in the climate, and resource constraints all offer problems to modern IoT applications. To solve these issues, the integration of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) and the Internet of Things (IoT) has come forth as a game-changing solution. For example, in agricultural environment, IoT-based WSN has been utilized to monitor yield conditions and automate agriculture precision through different sensors. These sensors are used in agriculture environments to boost productivity through intelligent agricultural decisions and to collect data on crop health, soil moisture, temperature monitoring, and irrigation. However, sensors have finite and non-rechargeable batteries, and memory capabilities, which might have a negative impact on network performance. When a network is distributed over a vast area, the performance of WSN-assisted IoT suffers. As a result, building a stable and energy-efficient routing infrastructure is quite challenging in order to extend network lifetime. To address energy-related issues in scalable WSN-IoT environments for future IoT applications, this research proposes EEDC: An Energy Efficient Data Communication scheme by utilizing “Region based Hierarchical Clustering for Efficient Routing (RHCER)”—a multi-tier clustering framework for energy-aware routing decisions. The sensors deployed for IoT application data collection acquire important data and select cluster heads based on a multi-criteria decision function. Further, to ensure efficient long-distance communication along with even load distribution across all network nodes, a subdivision technique was employed in each tier of the proposed framework. The proposed routing protocol aims to provide network load balancing and convert communicating over long distances into shortened multi-hop distance communications, hence enhancing network lifetime.The performance of EEDC is compared to that of some existing energy-efficient protocols for various parameters. The simulation results show that the suggested methodology reduces energy usage by almost 31% in sensor nodes and provides almost 38% improved packet drop ratio.

The Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most rapidly warming regions on Earth, as evidenced by a recent increase in the intensity and duration of summer melting, the recession of glaciers and the retreat and collapse of ice shelves. Despite this, only a limited number of well-dated near shore marine and lake sediment based palaeoenvironmental records exist from this region; so our understanding of the longer-term context of this rapid climate change is limited. Here we provide new well-dated constraints on the deglaciation history, and changes in sea ice and climate based on analyses of sedimentological proxies, diatoms and fossil pigments in a sediment core collected from an isolation basin on Beak Island in Prince Gustav Channel, NE Antarctic Peninsula (63°36′S, 57°20′W). Twenty two radiocarbon dates provided a chronology for the core including a minimum modelled age for deglaciation of 10,602 cal yr BP, following the onset of marine sedimentation. Conditions remained cold and perennial sea ice persisted in this part of Prince Gustav Channel until c. 9372 cal yr BP. This was followed by a seasonally open marine environment until at least 6988 cal yr BP, corresponding with the early retreat and disintegration of the ice shelf in southern Prince Gustav Channel. Following isolation of the basin from 6988 cal yr BP a relatively cold climate persisted until 3169 cal yr BP. A Mid-late Holocene climate optimum occurred between 3169 and 2120 cal yr BP, inferred from multiple indicators of increased biological production. This postdates the onset of the Mid-late Holocene climate optimum in the South Shetland Islands (4380 cal yr BP) and the South Orkney Islands (3800 cal yr BP) suggesting that cooler climate systems of the Weddell Sea Gyre to the east of the Peninsula may have buffered the onset of warming. Climate deterioration is inferred from c. 2120 cal yr BP until 543 cal yr BP. This was followed by warming. Superimposed on this warming trend, the instrumental record of recent warming at nearby Hope Bay is mirrored by a recent increase in the lake’s primary production and a shift in the diatom communities in the uppermost 3 cm of sediments, suggesting that this is amongst the first records to show an ecological response to recent rapid temperature increase. These new constraints on glaciological and climate events in Prince Gustav Channel are reviewed in the context of wider changes in the Antarctic region. Peer reviewed

The Gaza Strip is one of the world’s most fragile states and faces substantial public health and development challenges. Climate change is intensifying existing environmental problems, including increased water stress. We provide the first published assessment of climate impacts on diarrhoeal disease in Gaza and project future health burdens under climate change scenarios. Over 1 million acute diarrhoea cases presenting to health facilities during 2009–2020 were linked to weekly temperature and rainfall data and associations assessed using time-series regression analysis employing distributed lag non-linear models (DLNMs). Models were applied to climate projections to estimate future burdens of diarrhoeal disease under 2 °C and 1.5 °C global warming scenarios. There was a significantly raised risk of diarrhoeal disease associated with both mean weekly temperature above 19 °C and total weekly rainfall below 6 mm in children 0–3 years. A heat effect was also present in subjects aged > 3 years. Annual diarrhoea cases attributable to heat and low rainfall was 2209.0 and 4070.3, respectively, in 0–3-year-olds. In both age-groups, heat-related cases could rise by over 10% under a 2 °C global warming level compared to baseline, but would be limited to below 2% under a 1.5 °C scenario. Mean rises of 0.9% and 2.7% in diarrhoea cases associated with reduced rainfall are projected for the 1.5 °C and 2 °C scenarios, respectively, in 0–3-year-olds. Climate change impacts will add to the considerable development challenges already faced by the people of Gaza. Substantial health gains could be achieved if global warming is limited to 1.5 °C.

Energy poverty is a multidimensional and complex phenomenon, and several indicators have been developed to evaluate and quantify it. However, often greater complexity does not mean greater precision. In the case of Chile, the Energy Poverty Network established the Three-dimensional and Territorial Indicator of Energy Poverty (EPTTI in Spanish) to assess the energy poverty situation of Chilean families. The EPTTI is based on a multidimensional approach with 10 indicators. Although, their evaluation involves resources that may hinder a practical application. This study analyzed the consistency between the individual responses of an indicator and the adapted EPTTI evaluation, using a database of 641 families. The results show that the excessive energy expenditure and the type and energy source of heating systems indicators are the variables with the greatest influence on energy poverty assessments. These results served to both propose simplified approaches for energy poverty assessment with the indicator, and establish policies of action that regional governments should address to reduce the situation of energy poverty Confort ambiental y pobreza energ´etica (+CO-PE)” of the University of the Bío-Bío, the Thematic Network 722RT0135 “Red Iberoamericana de Pobreza Energ´etica y Bienestar Ambiental” (RIPEBA) National Agency for Research and Development (ANID, in Spanish) Thematic Networks of the CYTED Program for 2021 Universidad de Granada / CBUA

Abstract Vegetable oils and animal fats represent promising alternatives to diesel engine fuel because they can be obtained from different feedstocks and renewable sources; also their properties are close to diesel fuel. The direct use of these biofuels as a diesel engine fuel can cause several problems in engine performance and emissions. In order to obtain a more engine-friendly fuel, it is necessary to change the biofuels’ properties for which different methods have been used. One of the possibilities is using emulsification techniques in order to obtain emulsified biofuels (emulsions or microemulsions); through this method it is possible to lower viscosity and improve the atomization. However, emulsification techniques applied to vegetable oils and animal fats have not been studied thoroughly. For this reason, this paper presents an overview on the formulation and characterization of the emulsified biofuels using vegetable oils and animal fats, as well as the main experimental results reported about its use as a diesel engine fuel in the scientific literature.

In this poster, the authors present how biomass can broaden our conception of nature to ensure a sustainable future. It is a collaborative and inter-disciplinary work that criticises the modern concept of resource and recognises the interdependence within ecosystems and their limits. Biomass reanchors our needs in their materiality and reminds us that interactions on ecosystems cannot be seen solely through the prism of services and production. Non-humans are not just a decoration to be used for human consumption but are an ally for sustainable prosperity thus they should be treated as such – and biomass is a good place to start. The authors argue that there is an urgent need to redefine our sensibility to the non-humans, the ethics of our interactions and of our own needs which goes hand in hand with a necessary arbitration and debate on the useful and the superfluous final services for humans.