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Abstract Public attitudes anywhere in Europe show moderate to strong support for the implementation of renewable energy. Nevertheless, planning wind power developments appears to be a complicated matter in most countries. The problems that have to be dealt with during decision making processes on the siting of wind turbines are usually referred to as mere ‘communication problems’. However, public attitudes towards wind power are fundamentally different from attitudes towards wind farms. This ‘gap’ causes misunderstandings about the nature of public support for renewables. In particular where planners easily assume support for renewables can be generated by information campaigns emphasising the environmental benefits, whereas opposition to renewable energy schemes can be explained by a selfish ‘not in my backyard’ attitude. Both explanations used by planners, authorities and, unfortunately, by many scholars, are falsified. Furthermore, policies that still take this ‘common knowledge’ for granted can have negative consequences for the implementation rates of renewables. Visual evaluation of the impact of wind power on landscape values is by far the dominant factor in explaining why some are opposed to wind power and others are supporting it. Moreover, feelings about equity and fairness appear the determinants of ‘backyard’ motives, instead of selfishness.

Glacier and permafrost hazards in cold mountain regions encompass various flood and mass movement processes that are strongly affected by rapid and cumulative climate-induced changes in the alpine cryosphere. These processes are characterized by a range of spatial and temporal dimensions, from small volume icefalls and rockfalls that present a frequent but localized danger to less frequent but large magnitude process chains that can threaten people and infrastructure located far downstream. Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) have proven particularly devastating, accounting for the most far-reaching disasters in high mountain regions globally. Comprehensive assessments of glacier and permafrost hazards define two core components (or outcomes): 1. Susceptibility and stability assessment: Identifies likelihood and origin of an event based on analyses of wide-ranging triggering and conditioning factors driven by interlinking atmospheric, cryospheric, geological, geomorphological, and hydrological processes. 2. Hazard mapping: Identifies the potential impact on downslope and downstream areas through a combination of process modeling and field mapping that provides the scientific basis for decision making and planning. Glacier and permafrost hazards gained prominence around the mid-20th century, especially following a series of major disasters in the Peruvian Andes, Alaska, and the Swiss Alps. At that time, related hazard assessments were reactionary and event-focused, aiming to understand the causes of the disasters and to reduce ongoing threats to communities. These disasters and others that followed, such as Kolka Karmadon in 2002, established the fundamental need to consider complex geosystems and cascading processes with their cumulative downstream impacts as one of the distinguishing principles of integrative glacier and permafrost hazard assessment. The widespread availability of satellite imagery enables a preemptive approach to hazard assessment, beginning with regional scale first-order susceptibility and hazard assessment and modeling that provide a first indication of possible unstable slopes or dangerous lakes and related cascading processes. Detailed field investigations and scenario-based hazard mapping can then be targeted to high-priority areas. In view of the rapidly changing mountain environment, leading beyond historical precedence, there is a clear need for future-oriented scenarios to be integrated into the hazard assessment that consider, for example, the threat from new lakes that are projected to emerge in a deglaciating landscape. In particular, low-probability events with extreme magnitudes are a challenge for authorities to plan for, but such events can be appropriately considered as a worst-case scenario in a comprehensive, forward-looking, multiscenario hazard assessment.

Abstract Solar energy has contributed significantly to the energy transition towards a low carbon society. Public offices – including universities – are being called to participate in the solar energy transition, as the availability of their rooftops represents an opportunity. The present study aimed at evaluating the economic feasibility of a photovoltaic (PV) plant at the University of L’Aquila, approximately 10 years after an earthquake devastated the region. The reconstruction process is ongoing, and a solar PV plant could potentially move the city in a sustainable direction. The development of sustainability models requires the economic verification of relevant projects and a complete list of indicators for decision-makers. The present work found that a 210 kW PV plant at the University of L’Aquila would reduce emissions by 184.9 t CO2eq/year and generate 1500 € profits for each kW installed; and a 115 kW PV plant would reduce emissions by 101.5 t CO2eq/year and generate profits of 1370 € for each kW installed. The analysis of alternative scenarios gave solidity to the results, confirming the pivotal role of the share of self-consumed energy. Level of insolation and plant size were also found to significantly influence economic performance. Finally, the adoption of a bonus to encourage the production and self-consumption of energy may increase investors’ attention towards environmental issues.

Biomasa je obnovljivi izvor energije, koji bilježi rast upotrebe prije svega zbog ekoloških utjecaja. Nije je potrebno dodatno preraditi kako bi se koristila kao izvor za proizvodnju električne energije. Dakle, koristi se u svome prirodnom obliku. U radu će se pojasniti sam pojam biomase i način iskoristivosti iste za proizvodnju električne energije. Između ostalog, korištenje biomase za proizvodnju električne energije donosi niz prednosti u ekonomskom statusu države, regija i gradova, otvaranjem novih radnih mjesta u poljoprivredi, šumarstvu i pogonima za proizvodnju električne energije (kogeneracijskim elektranama). Biomass is a renewable energy source, which records an increase in use due to environmental impacts. No further processing is required to be used as a source for elektricity generation. So it is used in its natural form. The paper will explain the concept of biomass and the way it can be used for electricity production. Among other things, the use of biomass for electricity production brings a number of advantages in the economic status of the state, regions and cities, by creating new jobs in agriculture, forestry and electricity generation plants (cogeneration power plants).

To mitigate the climate change-induced water shortage and realize the sustainable development of agriculture, drip irrigation, a more efficient water-saving irrigation method, has been intensively implemented in most arid agricultural regions in the world. However, compared to traditional border irrigation, how drip irrigation affects the biophysical conditions in the cropland and how crops physiologically respond to changes in biophysical conditions in terms of water, heat and carbon exchange remain largely unknown. In view of the above situation, to reveal the mechanism of drip irrigation in improving spring wheat water productivity, paired field experiments based on drip irrigation and border irrigation were conducted to extensively monitor water and heat fluxes at a typical spring wheat field (Triticum aestivum L.) in Northwest China during 2017–2020. The results showed that drip irrigation improved yield by 10.3 % and crop water productivity (i.e., yield-to-evapotranspiration-ratio) by 15.6 %, but reduced LAI by 16.9 % in contrast with border irrigation. Under drip irrigation, the lateral development of spring wheat roots was promoted by higher soil temperature combined with frequent dry-wet alternation in the shallow soil layer (0–20 cm), which was the basis for efficient absorption of water and fertilizer, as well as efficient formation of photosynthate. Meanwhile, drip irrigation increased net radiation and decreased latent heat flux by inhibiting leaf growth, thereby increased sensible heat, causing a higher soil temperature (+1.10 ℃) and canopy temperature (+1.11 ℃). Further analysis proved that soil temperature was the key factor affecting yield formation. Based on the above conditions, the decrease in leaf distribution coefficient (−0.030) led to the decrease in evapotranspiration (−5.7 %) and the increase in ear distribution coefficient (+0.029). Therefore, drip irrigation emphasized the role of soil moisture in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum, enhanced crop activity by increasing field temperature, especially soil temperature, and finally improved yield and water productivity via carbon reallocation. The study revealed the mechanism of drip irrigation for improving spring wheat yield, and would contribute to improving Earth system models in representing agricultural cropland ecosystems with drip irrigation and predicting the subsequent biophysical and biogeochemical feedbacks to climate change.

AbstractClimate change alters surface water availability (WA; precipitation minus evapotranspiration, P − ET) and consequently impacts agricultural production and societal water needs, leading to increasing concerns on the sustainability of water use. Although the direct effects of climate change on WA have long been recognized and assessed, indirect climate effects occurring through adjustments in terrestrial vegetation are more subtle and not yet fully quantified. To address this knowledge gap, here we investigate the interplay between climate‐induced changes in leaf area index (LAI) and ET and quantify its ultimate effect on WA during the period 1982–2016 at the global scale, using an ensemble of data‐driven products and land surface models. We show that ~44% of the global vegetated land has experienced a significant increase in growing season‐averaged LAI and climate change explains 33.5% of this greening signal. Such climate‐induced greening has enhanced ET of 0.051 ± 0.067 mm year−2 (mean ± SD), further amplifying the ongoing increase in ET directly driven by variations in climatic factors over 36.8% of the globe, and thus exacerbating the decline in WA prominently in drylands. These findings highlight the indirect impact of positive feedbacks in the land–climate system on the decline of WA, and call for an in‐depth evaluation of these phenomena in the design of local mitigation and adaptation plans.

In European documents, practice and policies of regional and spatial development, functional urban regions (FURs) are recognized as the regions with one or more urban settlements and their in (direct) impact zone(s). The historical connection of the city and its surroundings, as well as the contemporary trends in networking of cities and their hinterland, imply the issues of better modalities for the establishment of such FURs that would be economically more productive, socially inclusive and more environmentally sustainable. The concept of urban governance, along with supporting segments, is proposed as the model for future planning of resistant FURs. It was considered what cities and their functional areas should take in order to prospectively enable an establishing the sustainable spatial and regional development of the Republic of Serbia. The paper tries to answer how much are FURs adjustable, what is their “threshold” of vulnerability, to which they can face the side effects of climate change.

The use of bio-plastic-based packaging as an alternative to conventional plastic packaging is increasing. Among the plethora of different bio-based plastics, the most relevant ones are those that, at the end of their life, can be treated with the organic fraction of municipal solid waste. Even in these cases, their impact on the waste processing and recycling is not always positive. This study aim to assess on a laboratory scale the influence on combined anaerobic digestion and composting industrial processes of a bio-based plastic film, namely cellulose acetate (CA), in pure and modified (additions of additive) forms. CA films were mixed with organic waste and subjected to: (i) anaerobic digestion; (ii) active composting and (iii) two stages of curing composting. Anaerobic digestion and composting were monitored through methane yield and oxygen uptake respectively; additionally, the bio-plastics degree of disintegration was assessed during all the processes. The final disintegration of pure and modified CA was 73.82% and 54.66%, respectively. Anaerobic digestion contributes to the disintegration of the material, while aerobic treatment appears to be nearly ineffective, especially for modified CA. The presence of cellulose acetate during anaerobic digestion of food waste increased the methane yield by about 4.5%. Bioassay confirmed the absence of possible toxic effects on the final compost from the bio-plastic treatment. Although bio-based materials are not the only solution to plastic pollution, the findings confirm the need to upgrade the organic waste treatment plants and the necessity to revise the requirements for the use of compost in agriculture.