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Abstract This paper evaluates the effects of thermal insulation on thermal comfort in low-income tropical housing in Uganda. Dynamic thermal simulations are conducted to assess the effects of wall, roof and floor insulation strategies. 96 combination scenarios are simulated for various geometries, insulation and construction methods. Adaptive approach is used to evaluate the conditions within the case study buildings. The results indicate that external wall insulation improves thermal comfort in all conditions whereas internal wall and floor insulation may deteriorate the conditions. Roof insulation is the most effective strategy to reduce the risk of overheating. Due to the effectiveness of roof insulation and marginal improvements of external wall insulation, especially for brick walls, wall insulation may be disregarded when used in conjunction with roof insulation.

This article outlines the current state of affairs in fossil fuel subsidy reform, and highlights its contribution at the nexus of climate policy, fiscal stability and sustainable development. It discusses common definitions, provides quantitative estimates, and presents the evidence for key arguments in favour of subsidy reform. The main drivers and barriers for reform are also discussed, including the role of (low) oil prices and political economy challenges. Commitments to subsidy reform by the international community are reviewed, as well as the progress at the country level. Although fossil fuel subsidy reform indeed plays a critical role in climate policy, experience shows that the rationale for such reforms is determined in a complex environment of political economy challenges, macro-economic, fiscal and social factors, as well as external drivers such as energy prices. The article synthesizes the key principles for designing effective reforms and emphasizes that subsidy reforms cannot only yield fi...

Modern economies and infrastructure sectors rely upon secure electricity supplies. Due to sectoral interdependencies, major interruptions cause cascading effects in the economy. This paper investigates the economic effects of major power supply disruptions taking such interdependencies into account. We apply a dynamic inoperability input-output model (DIIM) to 101 sectors, including households, of the Scottish economy in 2009 to explore the direct, indirect, and induced effects of supply interruptions. We estimate the societal cost of energy not supplied (SCENS) due to an interruption. The results show that the most economically affected industries, following an outage, are different from the most inoperable ones. The results also indicate that SCENS varies with the duration of a power cut, ranging from ਴,300/MWh for a one-minute outage to \xA38,100/MWh for a three-hour (and higher) interruption. The results can be used to design policies for contingencies and preventive investments in the power sector.

Many households in Cameroon live in energy poverty. Thus, energy usage and energy efficiency have become increasingly important in Cameroon. An important step towards improving building energy efficiency is knowledge about household energy appliances. In Cameroon, the construction sector is mostly informal, presenting huge challenges for stakeholders including clients or dwelling owners to establish quality factors of household energy appliances for use in various building projects. Furthermore, studies about household energy appliances are scarce. The aim of this study is to investigate household energy appliances in relation to energy efficiency in dwellings. To achieve this aim, 15 dwellings in the political capital Yaounde of Cameroon were surveyed. Given the wider nature of building energy efficiency and the limited research materials about the same, the scope was limited to typology of household energy appliances, typical dwellings’ characteristics and energy consumption pattern. Some factors that have influence on energy consumption/pattern such as occupants’ daily activities were also considered. Although this study is still in its preliminary stages, the findings reported here can be useful in conducting detail research in the future.

As climate change increasingly affects the world, much is said about the rising amounts of aid required to support emergency response, long-term development to adapt, and peacebuilding to ensure that conflict does not undermine these efforts. Bringing these ideas together, some advocate for the addition of a separate climate change stream into the humanitarian, development, and peace/peacebuilding nexus (or triple nexus). Based on a critical literature review and synthesis, this article articulates and conceptualizes how climate change perspectives and actions should be integrated into the existing streams of the humanitarian, development, and peace/peacebuilding nexus, rather than being added as a separate stream. The analysis shows the risks of adding climate change as a stand-alone stream and advocates for developing long-term strategies that integrate climate change actions into humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding efforts to better serve all three.

Taking holistic actions to improve urban air quality is central to reducing the health risks associated with urbanisation, yet local evidence-based and institutional frameworks to achieve this are still challenging especially in many low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). This paper develops and applies an integrated systemic approach to explore the state of air quality management in Nairobi, Kenya; as an LMIC exemplar city. The urban diagnostics approach developed assesses current particulate matter air pollution in Nairobi; quantifies anthropogenic emissions for the years 2015 and 2020 and projects scenarios of impacts of actions and inactions to 2030. This was combined with a review of grey literature on air quality policies, urban development and interviews with key stakeholders. The analysis suggests that commendable progress has been made to improve air quality in Nairobi but continuing hazardous levels of air pollution still require concerted policy efforts. Data available for numerical simulations have low spatial resolution and are generated from global emission inventories that can miss or misrepresent local emission sources. The current air quality data gap that needs to be addressed are highlighted. Strong political support is required to ensure that current air quality improvement approaches are evidence based to achieve long-term sustainability goals.

China’s renewable energy products have an important place in international trade, and the conclusion of the RCEP agreement can create favourable external conditions for China’s renewable energy product exports. This paper measures the export potential of China’s renewable energy products to other RCEP countries through a trade gravity model. The results show that (1) the GDP of the importing and exporting countries, the energy consumption of the importing countries, and the particulate emissions damage significantly enhance China’s renewable energy product exports; (2) among the RCEP countries, China has a greater potential to export renewable energy products to five countries in 2020, which are mainly located in East and Southeast Asia; and (3) from a dynamic perspective, China’s renewable energy trade potential is increasing, while in the Oceania region it is weakening, while trade links to Southeast Asian countries are developing in a more mature direction. Based on the above research, this paper puts forward corresponding policy recommendations.

Traditional top-down strategies to reduce climate-change-related risks have often failed to produce tangible results in vulnerable urban areas of the Global South. Approaches based on the co-production of adaptation solutions between diverse stakeholders offer promising alternative strategies. This contribution draws on our experiences in growing informal and low-income urban areas in two Latin American cities, Medell�n (Colombia) and Puebla (Mexico). These communities lack adequate access to clean water and are exposed to risks related to increasingly frequent high-intensity rainfall events, making water management a key consideration for risk reduction. However, the factors driving insufficient water access and the perceptions of risks vary in each location, demonstrating the need for context-specific solutions. We explore how increasing community agency and co-creating knowledge for risk management between diverse stakeholders at a range of geographical scales can contribute to redressing existing social and environmental injustices, by identifying, implementing, and scaling up technically appropriate and culturally sustainable solutions aimed at reducing climate-change-related risks.