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China has been experiencing great economic development and fast urbanisation since its reforms and opening-up policy in 1978. However, these changes are reliant on consumption of primary energy, especially coal, characterised by high pollution and low efficiency. China's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with carbon dioxide (CO2) being the most significant contributor, have also been increasing rapidly in the past three decades. Responding to both domestic challenges and international pressure regarding energy, climate change and environment, the Chinese government has made a point of addressing climate change since the early 2000s. This thesis provides a comprehensive analysis of China's CO2 emissions and policy instruments for mitigating climate change. In the analysis, China's CO2 emissions in recent decades were reviewed and the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis examined. Using the mostly frequently studied macroeconomic factors and time-series data for the period of 1980-2008, the existence of an EKC relationship between CO2 per capita and GDP per capita was verified. However, China's CO2 emissions will continue to grow over coming decades and the turning point in overall CO2 emissions will appear in 2078 according to a crude projection. More importantly, CO2 emissions will not spontaneously decrease if China continues to develop its economy without mitigating climate change. On the other hand, CO2 emissions could start to decrease if substantial efforts are made. China's present mitigation target, i.e. to reduce CO2 emissions per unit of GDP by 40-45% by 2020 compared with the 2005 level, was then evaluated. Three business-as-usual (BAU) scenarios were developed and compared with the level of emissions according to the mitigation target. The calculations indicated that decreasing the CO2 intensity of GDP by 40-45% by 2020 is a challenging but hopeful target. To study the policy instruments for climate change mitigation in China, domestic measures and parts of international cooperation adopted by ...

One of the challenges under current land management practices is to increase food and soil security to meet projected trends in food production, while maintaining the resilience to climate change. This book provides a forum for researchers to access the most recent developments in enhancing carbon sinks and minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. It suggests that policies and practices integrating microbial technology, modern crop cultivars, conservation practices, increased manure application, organic farming and agroforestry have a greater capacity to sequester carbon and reduce carbon-based greenhouse gases, leading to more robust agroecosystems compared to conventional agriculture. It is argued that empirical models can represent powerful tools for assessing how mitigation and adaptation strategies can be used to optimize crop yield and minimize greenhouse gas emissions under future climate change scenarios.'Sustainable agroecosystems in climate change mitigation' bridges our current knowledge gaps and recognizes the contribution of sustainable agricultural practices as a way forward in reducing the global carbon and nitrogen footprint. It is relevant for students, researchers, governmental and non-governmental organisations interested in climate change mitigation, sustainable agriculture, soil science, modern analytical techniques and modelling. It answers the questions: 'How can sustainable agroecosystems help mitigate climate change?' and 'What are the tools to achieve this goal?'.

This book reviews the state of agricultural climate change mitigation globally, with a focus on identifying the feasibility, opportunities and challenges for achieving mitigation among smallholder farmers. The purpose is ultimately to accelerate efforts towards mitigating land-based climate change. While much attention has been focused on forestry for its reputed cost-effectiveness, the agricultural sector contributes about ten to twelve per cent of emissions and has a large technical and economic potential for reducing greenhouse gases. The book does not dwell on the science of emissions redu

This publication addresses the massive investments that will be required in addition to the mobilization of substantial new financial resources that will be needed in order to continue the fight on global climate change. The first part provides a review of the existing mechanisms that channel funds to energy efficiency and renewable energy (EERE) projects and understand the success factors in designing EERE financing mechanisms. The second provides a review of the technical, economic, and regulatory conditions in each region and a summary of main activities undertaken by national governments and international institutions, with a particular regard to the work of the UN regional commissions.--Publisher's description

This is a companion book to Earthscan's 2010 book Climate Change Adaptation and International Development. This book consists of summarised case studies looking at climate change mitigation specifically in Asia, the region producing the most greenhouse gas emissions. It examines international development from the perspective of climate change mitigation and looks at how international communities and donors support developing nations by funding, technical assistance and capacity building.

How are our efforts to reduce the impact of climate change affecting post-conflict societies? Thinking and research about the possible impacts of climate change adaptation and mitigation on post-conflict societies is almost nonexistent. Most attention remains on climate change and variability and their link to war.1 In this article I discuss the link between climate change mitigation and building peace. Drawing on new empirical data of micro hydropower development in post-conflict Nepal I inquire further if climate change mitigation contributes to peacebuilding. The findings show that micro-hydropower development in Nepal has not contributed to peacebuilding on a state level. This is because these measures do not strengthen the political legitimacy of the post-conflict authorities, a crucial measure for successful peacebuilding. Actually, in the short run this measure of climate change mitigation has led to new informal spaces of peace beyond the reach of the Nepali state. This puts policy decision makers into a dilemma: Should they consider abandoning climate change mitigation policies if they might in fact risk the peacebuilding process? Or is it worth the bigger cause of reducing CO2 emissions globally? As this article shows, the answer might be more nuanced.

Agriculture, with its growing contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions and opportunities to mitigate emissions, can help close the gap between existing global mitigation efforts and those that are needed to keep global warming to between 1.5 °C and 2 °C by the end of the century. Global scale and farm scale analyses are used to evaluate both the effectiveness of different policy options to reduce agricultural emissions, and the impact on competitiveness, farm income, food security, and government finances. In order to contribute to global mitigation efforts, countries will need to design agricultural policy measures that can navigate these trade-offs within the context of their national policy priorities and objectives. As most countries have not yet implemented policies to reduce emissions from agriculture, the analyses provided here come at an opportune time to inform this policy development.

Incorporating Behavioural, Social, and Organizational Phenomena in the Assessment of Climate Change Mitigation Options -- Cultural Discourses in the Global Climate Change Debate -- Consumption, Motivation and Choice Across Scale: Consequences for Selected Target Groups -- The Legacy of Twenty Years of Energy Demand Management: we know more about Individual Behaviour but next to Nothing about Demand -- Group Identity, Personal Ethics and Sustainable Development Suggesting New Directions For Social Marketing Research -- European Narratives about Human Nature, Society and the Good Life -- Gender-Specific Patterns of Poverty and (Over-)Consumption in Developing and Developed Countries -- Climate Change and Relative Consumption -- Social interactions and conditions for change in energy-related decision-making in SMCs — an empirical socio-economic analysis -- Motivation and decision criteria for energy efficiency in private households, companies and administrations in Russia.

Treaty Norms and Climate Change MitigationDarrel MoellendorfCurrently the international community is discussing the regulatory framework to replace the Kyoto Protocol after 2012. The unveiling of the new framework is scheduled to occur at the December 2009 COP in Copenhagen. The stakes are high, since any treaty will affect the development prospects of per capita poor countries and will determine the climate change–related costs borne by poor people for centuries to come. Failure to arrive at an agreement would have grave effects on the development prospects of poor countries, many of which will experience the most severe effects of climate change. The original UNFCCC treaty recognizes these kinds of concerns and requires that further treaty negotiation pay them heed. Any agreement will be required to conform to UNFCCC norms related to sustainable development and the equitable distribution of responsibilities. In this paper I argue that UNFCCC norms tightly constrain the range of acceptable agreements for the distribution of burdens to mitigate climate change. I conclude that any legitimate treaty must put much heavier mitigation burdens on industrialized developed countries. Of the various proposals that have received international attention, two in particular stand out as possibly satisfying UNFCCC norms regarding the distribution of responsibilities.

Intro -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- Part I Introduction -- 1 Introduction to "Sustainable Agriculture in Egypt: Climate Change Mitigation" -- 1.1 Background -- 1.1.1 Concept of Sustainability -- 1.1.2 Concept of Vulnerability -- 1.1.3 Concept of Adaptation -- 1.1.4 Concept of Stability -- 1.2 Purpose of the Book -- 1.3 Scope of the Book -- 1.4 Themes of the Book and Contribution of the Chapters -- References -- Part II Impact of Climate Change on Sustainable Crop Production and the Physiological and Biochemical Basis for Crops Tolerance -- 2 Climate Change and Its Impact on Sustainable Crop Production -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.2 Critical Periods of Crop Plants to Environmental Stress -- 2.3 Impact of Climate Change on Sustainable Crop Production -- 2.4 Impact of Climate Change on Interrelationships Among Yield Traits of Field Crops -- 2.4.1 Wheat -- 2.4.2 Rice -- 2.4.3 Faba Bean -- 2.4.4 Sesame -- 2.4.5 Sunflower -- 2.4.6 Cotton -- 2.5 Conclusions -- 2.6 Recommendations -- References -- 3 Foundations of Crop Tolerance to Climate Change: Plant Traits Relevant to Stress Tolerance -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 Plant Traits Relevant to Environmental Stress Tolerance -- 3.2.1 Rapid Growth and Early Maturity -- 3.2.2 Morphological Traits -- 3.2.3 Physiological Traits -- 3.2.4 Biochemical and Molecular Base -- 3.3 Conclusions -- 3.4 Recommendations -- References -- Part III Improve Crop Adaptability and Stability to Climate Change and Modern Technology -- 4 Approaches in Wheat to Mitigate Impact of Climate Change -- 4.1 Introduction -- 4.2 Genotype × Environment Interaction and Its Relation to Climate Change -- 4.3 Performance of Wheat Genotypes in Response to Environmental Changes -- 4.3.1 Earliness Characteristics -- 4.3.2 Morpho-physiological Characters -- 4.3.3 Yield and Its Components -- 4.3.4 Protein Content.

Anthropogenic climate change, caused by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, will have negative if not catastrophic consequences for the livelihoods of many across the globe. With the Paris Agreement in 2015, most countries have pledged to reduce territorial GHG emissions. Per-capita emission levels are highest in today's rich countries, and many have started reducing their emissions. Current middle-income economies such as China, Ghana, India or Indonesia have experienced rapid economic, population, and emission growth in recent years, and today's poor countries are projected to be responsible ...

Anthropogenic climate change, caused by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, will have negative if not catastrophic consequences for the livelihoods of many across the globe. With the Paris Agreement in 2015, most countries have pledged to reduce territorial GHG emissions. Per-capita emission levels are highest in today's rich countries, and many have started reducing their emissions. Current middle-income economies such as China, Ghana, India or Indonesia have experienced rapid economic, population, and emission growth in recent years, and today's poor countries are projected to be responsible ...

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the University of Hawaii at Manoa's (UHM's) initiatives in achieving greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions on campus and at the state level.Design/methodology/approachUHM has taken a "lead by example" approach to climate change mitigation in terms of working to meet the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, becoming a founding member of The Climate Registry, and providing university leadership in crafting the policy to meet Hawaii's Climate Change Solutions Act of 2007.FindingsUniversities are uniquely poised to play a role in not only climate change research, education, and community outreach, but also in the regional and national policy‐making arena. In the absence of federal legislation, states are paving the way to create binding US GHG reduction commitments – making crafting innovative and appropriate policy all the more important and meaningful at the state and regional levels.Practical implicationsThe paper discusses the multi‐prong approach UHM is taking in addressing the threats of climate change: from on‐campus GHG measurements and reductions to helping guide overarching state policy.Originality/valueIslands are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. UHM has taken a comprehensive approach to addressing climate change, from forming strategic partnerships with the electric utility, to developing campus and state GHG reduction strategies, to helping mobilize planning for impacts like sea‐level rise. This paper presents the efforts of UHM, including faculty, student and administration‐led projects, specifically illustrating the role of Universities in meeting GHG reduction commitments through a "lead by example" approach at both the university and state levels.