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Abstract Background The European Commission (EC), based on the European Green Deal (2019) and the Recovery plan for Europe (2021), envisages investing 30% of the budget in climate-related programs, projects, and initiatives, which clearly shows Europe's commitment to becoming the first climate-neutral region by 2050. Activities are also planned for countries that are not members of the European Union (EU), which require complex changes in the field of legislation, strategic planning, implementation, and monitoring. To successfully plan short-term and long-term activities on these grounds, it is necessary to have a realistic picture of the state of climate change in each country—as they spill over into the entire region of Europe. The main objective of this paper is to answer the following questions: (i) is climate change observed in Western Balkans? (ii) how are certain sectors vulnerable to climate change in Western Balkans? (iii) what are the climate change adaptation strategies in the six countries of the Western Balkans? The answers to these questions can help in planning activities and initial alignment of Western Balkan countries with the EU plan to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. Main body The main results of the research show that in all countries of the region, the average annual temperature increased by 1.2 °C compared to 1970, with stabilization and the beginning of the decline which can be expected around 2040. The main reasons for climate change in the region are: industry, energy, and heating sector based on coal exploitation, low energy efficiency, etc. Conclusions It can be concluded that Croatia as a member of the EU has adopted, and other five Western Balkans countries are in the process of adopting the necessary regulations and strategies towards climate change mitigation, but the implementation of specific activities is at a low level. The reason for this most often lies in the insufficient commitment of decision-makers to make significant changes in the field of climate change transition (lower level of economic development, lack of investment, and preservation of social peace). Finally, this paper provides an overview of climate change by country, scenario analysis, and policy recommendations.

Climate change has far-reaching impacts on human health, with low- and middle-income countries, including India, being particularly vulnerable. While there have been several advances in the policy space with the development of adaptation plans, little remains known about how stakeholders who are central to the strengthening and implementation of these plans perceive this topic. We conducted a qualitative study employing key interviews with 16 medical doctors, researchers, environmentalists and government officials working on the climate change agenda from Puducherry, India. The findings were analysed using the framework method, with data-driven thematic analysis. We elucidated that despite elaborating the direct and indirect impacts of climate change on health, there remains a perceived gap in education and knowledge about the topic among participants. Knowledge of the public health burden and vulnerabilities influenced the perceived health risks from climate change, with some level of scepticism on the impacts on non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases. There was also a felt need for multi-level awareness and intervention programmes targeting all societal levels along with stakeholder recommendations to fill these gaps. The findings of this study should be taken into consideration for strengthening the region’s climate change and health adaptation policy. In light of limited research on this topic, our study provides an improved understanding of how key stakeholders perceive the impacts of climate change on health in India.

The Europe 2020 strategy is the EU strategy for sustainable and inclusive growth, for fighting the structural weaknesses of the European economies, and for improving their competitiveness. In this paper, we determined the most important ratios of the Europe 2020 Strategy impacting on economic performance expressed as the growth of the GDP per capita, and on economic competitiveness expressed as the share of the countries’ exports in total world exports for some selected Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries (Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Romania) using co-integration tests and OLS panel estimations with a dataset between 2004 (after four of these selected countries acceded to EU) and 2015 (the latest available data for all the ratios we used in our analysis). Our findings show that the tertiary level of education is the most important factor, positively correlated with both endogenous variables mentioned above. Other important factors for achieving the economic performance and competitiveness goals are the school dropout ratio, the share of renewable energy in final energy consumption, and the employment rate.

Studies of boron-gluconate electrolyte for obtaining nanocrystalline Co–W coatings and its separation by molecular weights of the components is carried out by gel filtration. It is shown that boric acid (as a buffer agent) and sodium chloride (as the agent increasing conductivity) after being introduced into the electrolyte form certain gluconate complexes in the solution. The boron-gluconate complex has a larger molecular weight. Three fractions with different molecular weights including the fractions that contain Co-boron-gluconate and W-boron-gluconate complexes were obtained. It is shown that the formation of certain macromolecular complexes is a slow process, the consequence of which is the dependence of the bulk properties of the electrolyte on time.

Radiation protection of astronauts remains an ongoing challenge in preparation of deep space exploratory missions. Exposure to space radiation consisting of multiple radiation components is associated with a significant risk of experiencing central nervous system (CNS) detriments, potentially influencing the crew operational decisions. Developing of countermeasures protecting CNS from the deleterious exposure requires understanding the mechanistic nature of cognitive impairments induced by different components of space radiation. The current study was designed to identify differences in neurochemical modifications caused by exposure to low- and moderate-LET radiations and to elucidate a distinction between the observed outcomes. We exposed rats to accelerated protons (170 MeV; 0.5 keV/μm) or to carbon ions (12C; 500 MeV/u; 10.5 keV/μm) delivered at the same dose of 1 Gy. Neurochemical alterations were evaluated 1, 30, and 90 days after exposure via indices of the monoamine metabolism measured in five brain structures, including prefrontal cortex, hypothalamus, nucleus accumbens, hippocampus and striatum. We obtained the detailed patterns of neurochemical modifications after exposure to the mentioned radiation modalities. Our data show that the enhancement in the radiation LET from relatively low to moderate values leads to different neurochemical outcomes and that a particular effect depends on the irradiated brain structure. We also hypothesized that exposure to the moderate-LET radiations can induce a hyperactivation of feedback neurochemical mechanisms, which blur metabolic deviations and lead to the delayed impairments in brain functions. Based on our findings we discuss possible contribution of the observed changes to behavioural impairments.

While the traditional perspective on regional power pools is that of regional electricity markets, regional power pools in Africa are development tools with unrepresentative and under-researched dynamics in their evolution and market design. Five African power pools are under development to bring the continent into a single electricity market. This paper analyses the evolution of African power pools by examining their design factors and dynamics. It compares the three most advanced power pools (SAPP, WAPP and EAPP) to identify barriers, forces, and development approaches. The paper devises a multilayer analytical framework to organise the various elements in the institutional context of African power pools and structure the analysis of the physical, economic, institutional and political factors. The analysis shows that the unequal distribution of natural energy endowments across the regions stimulated the historical development of interconnections and trade between countries. The characteristics of regional integration were vital in shaping the power pool's institutions and development approaches. We have identified three motors of change that have driven the development; regional economic communities, members’ strategies, and international institutions. It is crucial for progress that the pool staff can mitigate non-cooperative strategies, address members’ concerns, and incentivise a shift in national agendas to build confidence in regional trade. ; Energie and Industrie ; Economics of Technology and Innovation

Polycrystalline CoW coatings (with a 5–6 at % content of W) were found to dissolve in a 2M NaNO3 solution with 100% current efficiency while reaching the conditions of thermokinetic instability (TKI) upon attaining the anode limiting currents resulting from the salt’s passivation. The anodic micromachining of nanocrystalline coatings (22–25 at % of W) in a nitrate solution also occurs with a 100% current efficiency, though at a very high degree of dissolution instability prior to attaining the TKI. The electrochemical micromachining of nanocrystalline coatings in a nitrate-alkaline solution (2M NaNO2 + 0.5 M KOH) at low current densities occurs at a current efficiency close to zero, but, in all the cases under the TKI conditions, the current efficiency (upon the coatings treatment with different W contents in different solutions) exceeds the 100% value. A procedure for the removal of the coating material under the TKI conditions is offered that suggests the formation of an oxide-salt film and its periodic destruction due to a thermal explosion. It is shown that the minimal surface roughness is registered after the coating dissolution under the TKI conditions. Results are reported that confirm the possibility of controlling the strengthening (weakening) process of a surface layer after micromachining in different electrolytes using constant and pulse currents.

Climate change caused by global warming, and the growing scarcity of nonrenewable energy sources, have driven Pakistan to shift from a traditional energy consumption pattern to a renewable-energy-use pattern. The per capita energy consumption in rural Pakistan is very low, especially in rural areas heavily relying on traditional energy sources. This paper presents the extent of biogas technology adoption by Pakistani rural households and the factors affecting their decision to adopt the technology in three selected districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The data were collected by interviewing 480 respondents by using a pretested and designed questionnaire. The results show that the household adoption rate of biogas technologies is low. The factors affecting the adoption decision of households included household income, access to credit, cultivated land area, the number of cattle in the household, education, and family size. The study also found fundamental barriers to the household adoption of biogas technologies, such as a lack of proper technical services by implementing organizations and insufficient governmental support. The authors make recommendations based on the findings to increase the adoption rate of biogas technologies in rural Pakistan.