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Lower Mekong Basin (LMB) experiences a recurrent drought phenomenon. However, few studies have focused on drought monitoring in this region due to lack of ground observations. The newly released Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitation with Station data (CHIRPS) with a long-term record and high resolution has a great potential for drought monitoring. Based on the assessment of CHIRPS for capturing precipitation and monitoring drought, this study aims to evaluate the drought condition in LMB by using satellite-based CHIRPS from January 1981 to July 2016. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) at various time scales (1–12-month) is computed to identify and describe drought events. Results suggest that CHIRPS can properly capture the drought characteristics at various time scales with the best performance at three-month time scale. Based on high-resolution long-term CHIRPS, it is found that LMB experienced four severe droughts during the last three decades with the longest one in 1991–1994 for 38 months and the driest one in 2015–2016 with drought affected area up to 75.6%. Droughts tend to occur over the north and south part of LMB with higher frequency, and Mekong Delta seems to experience more long-term and extreme drought events. Severe droughts have significant impacts on vegetation condition.

The environmental footprint of photovoltaic electricity is usually assessed using nominated power or life cycle energy output. If performance degradation is considered, a linear reduction in lifetime energy output is assumed. However, research has shown that the decrease in energy output over time does not necessarily follow a linear degradation pattern but can vary at different points in the module’s lifetime. Further, photovoltaic modules follow different degradation patterns in different climate zones. In this study, we address the influence of different degradation aspects on the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of PV electricity. Firstly, we apply different non-linear degradation scenarios to evaluate the GHG emissions and show that the differences in GHG emissions in comparison to a linear degradation can be up to 6.0%. Secondly, we use the ERA5 dataset generated by the ECMWF to calculate location-dependent degradation rates and apply them to estimate the location-specific GHG emissions. Due to the reduction in lifetime energy output, there is a direct correlation between the calculated degradation rate and GHG emissions. Thirdly, we assess the impact of climate change on degradation rates and on the respective GHG emissions of photovoltaic electricity using different climate change scenarios. In a best-case scenario, the GHG emissions are estimated to increase by around 5% until the year 2100 and by around 105% by 2100 for a worst-case scenario.

The decrease in greenhouse gas emissions by passenger cars is one of the key factors for climate protection measures. Besides EU strategies for low-emission mobility, policy makers must consider the behavioural factors of buyers. This study aims to cover this gap by investigating the relation between the national cultural dimensions (Hofstede model) and car adoption by fuel type in EU countries. This could help car sellers to find better solutions for advertising cars with medium and low greenhouse gas emissions. To find better ways to increase the usage of medium- and low-emission cars using targeted advertising, correlations and a multiple regression analysis were used. The results show that the consumer preference for one type of fuel is correlated with at least one of Hofstede’s six cultural dimensions: the power distance index; individualism versus collectivism; masculinity versus femininity; the uncertainty avoidance index; long-term orientation versus short-term normative orientation; indulgence versus restraint. The major conclusion of the study underlines that, with increases in the individualism versus collectivism and indulgence versus restraint scores, the usage of low- and medium-emission cars also increases, and with the increase in the power distance and uncertainty avoidance index, the usage of low- and medium emission cars decreases. At the same time, the driving preference for low- and medium-emission vehicles decreases with the tendency towards collectivism and restraint of EU countries.

Currently, a life cycle assessment is mostly used in a static way to assess the environmental impacts of the energy renovation of buildings. However, various aspects of energy renovation vary in time. This paper reports the development of a framework for a dynamic life cycle assessment and its application to assess the energy renovation of buildings. To investigate whether a dynamic approach leads to different decisions than a static approach, several renovation options of a residential house were compared. To identify the main drivers of the impact and to support decision-making for renovation, a shift of the reference study period—as defined in EN 15643-1 and EN 15978—is proposed (from construction to renovation). Interventions related to the energy renovation are modelled as current events, while interventions and processes that happen afterwards are modelled as future events, including dynamic parameters, considering changes in the operational energy use, changes in the energy mix, and future (cleaner) production processes. For a specific case study building, the dynamic approach resulted in a lower environmental impact than the static approach. However, the dynamic approach did not result in other renovation recommendations, except when a dynamic parameter for electricity production was included.

“Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets ” (referred to as the “Two Mountains Theory”) plays an important role in the process of controlling environmental pollution. This article introduces this practice with an example of pollution control in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin (LMRB). The research considers that the upstream and downstream countries can carry out water pollution control by imposing fines on enterprises that cause ecological damage and investing in pollution control resources. Firstly, the differential game model of pollution control by individual countries and international cooperation is established. Then, a differential game model of joint pollution control with compensation mechanism is established under the cooperation framework. Finally, the feedback Nash equilibrium of each state is obtained. The study shows that in the process of industrial pollution control by countries in the LMRB alone, due to the one-way externality of water pollution control, the more downstream countries are, the more resources will be invested in pollution control and the fewer fines will be imposed on enterprises that cause ecological damage. At the beginning stage of management, if more pollution control resources are input, fewer countries will participate in cooperation, and the fines for polluting enterprise would be less. When the amount of fines for enterprises is relatively small, the establishment of a river pollution compensation mechanism is not conducive to the input of pollution control resources. On the contrary, it is beneficial for the state to invest in pollution control resources. The coordinated development of economic development and ecological civilization construction is the core purpose of the “Two Mountains Theory”. Therefore, the case of the LMRB fully illustrates the feasibility of the “Two Mountains Theory” based on cooperation.

This project serves as a study comparing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions between universities in Texas. Over 90 percent of climate scientists believe that increased climate change is due to anthropogenic causes. These anthropogenic causes result in the GHG that we emit in our day-to-day activities. Our study quantifies the GHG data from our university, St. Edward’s University in Austin, and compares it to data obtained from other Texas universities. This report will serve as a reference to the universities involved to improve sustainability initiatives in place by comparing practices and metrics. These findings may also serve as a catalyst for action for other universities to begin implementing their own sustainability practices. Our hypotheses are exploratory in nature; schools with sustainability offices will have lower emissions than those without, and St. Edward’s emissions will have decreased since the institution of a sustainability program. The results show that there does seem to be a correlation between the schools with the lowest GHG emissions and their creation of a sustainability office.

Few studies focus on the co-valorization of river dredging sediments (DS) and residual waste glass (RWG) in alkali-activated binders. This study investigates the use of DS as an aluminosilicate source by substituting a natural resource (metakaolin (MK)), while using RWG as an activator (sodium silicate source). Suitable treatments are selected to increase the potential reactivity of each residue. The DS is thermally treated at 750 °C to promote limestone and aluminosilicate clays’ activation. The RWG (amorphous, rich in silicon, and containing sodium) is used as an alkaline activator after treatment in 10 M NaOH. Structural monitoring using nuclear magnetic resonance (29NMR and 27NMR), X-ray diffraction, and leaching is conducted to achieve processing optimization. In the second stage, mortars were prepared and characterized by determining compressive strength, water absorption, mercury porosimetry and Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Results obtained show the great advantage of combining RWG and DS in an alkali-activation binder. The treated RWG offers advantages when used as sodium silicate activating solution, while the substitution of MK by calcined sediments (DS-750 °C) at 10%, 20%, and 30% leads to improvements in the properties of the matrix such as an increase in compressive strength and a refinement and reduction of the pore size within the matrix.

Since 2020, Europe has introduced strategies and key policies to promote common efforts on a roadmap toward energy efficiency and decarbonization. From ‘low’ to ‘passive’ and from ‘zero’ to ‘positive’, the concepts have fascinated the scientific community around the globe and promise the deployment of planning responses to the challenges of decarbonization faced by the European and local agendas. This works provides an overview of a comprehensive understanding of emerging concepts with a focus beyond the boundaries of an individual building. The booklet of 51 European projects, firstly introduced in Joint Programming Initiative documents, unveiled the prioritization of energy efficiency and the path for the enhancement of environmentally friendly communities. In this sense, this work presents an overview of the Net-Zero Energy Districts, and beyond, namely through the discussion of different aspects and dimensions. Based on published scientific literature, this work collects, organizes and discusses approaches of European cases, concluding with the knowledge base to support further developments and reinforce an established pathway for future implementations.