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Recent advances in ICT have given rise to new socially disruptive technologies: AmI and the IoT, marking a major technological change which may lead to a drastic transformation of the technological ecosystem in all its complexity, as well as to a major alteration in technology use and thus daily living. Yet no work has systematically explored AmI and the IoT as advances in science and technology (ST) and sociotechnical visions in light of their nature, underpinning, and practices along with their implications for individual and social wellbeing and for environmental health. AmI and the IoT raise new sets of questions: In what way can we conceptualize such technologies? How can we evaluate their benefits and risks? How should science-based technology and society's politics relate? Are science-based technology and society converging in new ways? It is with such questions that this book is concerned. Positioned within the research field of Science and Technology Studies (STS), which encourages analyses whose approaches are drawn from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, this book amalgamates an investigation of AmI and the IoT technologies based on a unique approach to cross-disciplinary integration; their ethical, social, cultural, political, and environmental effects; and a philosophical analysis and evaluation of the implications of such effects.An interdisciplinary approach is indeed necessary to understand the complex issue of scientific and technological innovations that ST are not the only driving forces of the modern, high-tech society, as well as to respond holistically, knowledgeably, reflectively, and critically to the most pressing issues and significant challenges of the modern world.This book is the first systematic study on how AmI and the IoT applications of scientific discovery link up with other developments in the spheres of the European society, including culture, politics, policy, ethics and ecological philosophy. It situates AmI and the IoT developments and innovations as modernist science-based technology enterprises in a volatile and tense relationship with an inherently contingent, heterogeneous, fractured, conflictual, plural, and reflexive postmodern social world.The issue's topicality results in a book of interest to a wide readership in science, industry, politics, and policymaking, as well as of recommendation to anyone interested in learning the sociology, philosophy, and history of AmI and the IoT technologies, or to those who would like to better understand some of the ethical, environmental, social, cultural, and political dilemmas to what has been labeled the technologies of the 21st century. Simon E. Bibri is a PhD Candidate at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway. He has a true passion for academic and lifelong learning and a natural thirst for knowledge. Having above all been intrigued by the relationship between scientific knowledge, technological systems, and society, he has wittingly and voluntarily chosen to pursue an unusual academic journey by embarking on studying a diverse range of subject areas - at the interaction of Science, Technology, and Society. His intellectual pursuits and endeavors have resulted, hitherto, in an educational background encompassing knowledge from, and meta-knowledge about, different academic disciplines. He holds a Bachelor of Science in computer engineering with a major in ICT strategy, a research-based Master of Science in computer science with a focus on Ambient Intelligence and ICT for sustainability, a Master of Science in computer science with a major in informatics, a Master of Science in entrepreneurship and innovation with a focus on new venture creation, a Master of Science in strategic leadership towards sustainability, a Master of Science in sustainable urban planning and development, a Master of Social Science with a major in business administration (MBA), a Master of Arts in communication and media for social change and a postgraduate degree in management and economics. In addition, he has a number of certificates, including innovation science, economics of innovation, teaching for sustainability, corporate entrepreneurship, project management, and policy in the European Union. He has received his Master's degrees and certificates from different universities in Sweden, namely Lund University, West University, Blekinge Institute of Technology, Malmö University, and Halmstad University.Before starting his Master studies' endeavor, Bibri worked as an ICT strategist. In 2004, he founded a small business and consulting firm where he served as a sustainability and green ICT strategist and consultant. Over the last few years, he has been involved in a number of research and consulting projects pertaining to the IoT, green ICT strategy, strategic sustainability innovations, circular business model innovation, clean and energy efficiency technology, sustainable urban planning, and sustainable urban models (eco-city, smart city, and compact city). Since his graduation in June 2014, he has been working as a freelance consultant in his areas of expertise and a research associate, giving lectures on specialized topics, and writing his second book.Bibri has a genuine interest in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research. In light of his varied academic background, his research interests include AmI, the IoT, social shaping of science-based technology, philosophy and sociology of scientific knowledge, sustainability transitions and innovations, urban sustainability, eco-city and smart city, governance of sociotechnical changes in technological innovation systems, green and knowledge-intensive innovation, clean and energy efficiency technology, green and circular economy, and ST and innovation policy.

"America was once the world's dream factory. We turned imagination into reality, from curing polio to landing on the Moon to creating the internet. And we were confident that more wonders lay just over the horizon: clean and infinite energy, a cure for cancer, humanoid robots, radical life extension, and space colonies. (Also, of course, flying cars.) Science fiction would become fact. But as we moved into the late 20th century, we grew cautious, even cynical, about what the future held and our ability to shape it. America became a "Down Wing" society. Too many of us saw only the threats from rapid change. The year 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the start of the Great Downshift in economic growth and technological progress, followed by decades of economic stagnation, downsized dreams, and a popular culture fixated on catastrophe: nuclear war, environmental collapse, plague and the zombie apocalypse. We are now at risk of another half-century of making the same Down Wing mistakes and pushing a pro-progress "Up Wing" future into the realm of impossibility. But American Enterprise Institute (AEI) economic policy expert and long-time CNBC contributor James Pethokoukis argues that there's still hope. We can absolutely turn things around-if we choose to dream and act. How dare we delay or fail to deliver for ourselves and our children. With groundbreaking ideas and sharp analysis, Pethokoukis provides a detailed roadmap to a fantastic future filled with incredible progress and prosperity that is both optimistic and realistic. The Conservative Futurist invites readers to invent the future they want to live in and fight for a better tomorrow. Through an exploration of culture, history, and economics, Pethokoukis tells the fascinating story of what went wrong in the past and what we need to do today to finally get it right. Using the latest economic research and policy analysis, as well as conversations with top economists, historians, and technologists, Pethokoukis reveals that the failed futuristic visions of the past were totally possible. And they still are. If America is to fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and launch itself into a shining tomorrow, it must again become a fully risk-taking, future-oriented Up Wing society. It's time for America to embrace the future confidently, act boldly, and take that giant leap forward."

Fungi-induced stains on paper are one of the most challenging forms of biodeterioration to study and to prevent; this is because they involve living organisms, and the ways in which fungi respond to changes in the environment and modifications of paper are unpredictable. Yet, there is a great desire among those who encounter fungi on documents, manuscripts, or artwork to remove fungi and clean the paper. This experience in most cases is particularly challenging. What are the reasons behind this challenge? This ground-breaking book attempts to answer this question, among others, by exploring the complex interfacial forces between paper, fungi, and their pigmented secretions which result in bio-stains on paper. Black fungi, collectively referred to as Dematiaceous fungi, were used in this study as a subset of pigment-producing fungi species. The focus is on two, under-studied aspects of the fungi infestation of paper, an interface of fungal pigments and paper, and the impact of light on the production of fungi bio-stains. The results of analytical testing included in this book elucidate the synergistic interactions between the environment, biological clocks of the microorganisms, and secretion of fungal pigments to paper. The black fungal pigment formation is explored in-depth in two scenarios: one that is 'natural', when the bio-stains of original artworks have occurred over time by chance, and another, induced by Aspergillus niger, in bio-simulation on known papers in a controlled environment. The findings are intended to provide guidance for preservation strategies, mitigating the biodeterioration of paper, and designing conservation treatment when applicable. The surface of artworks and artifacts is of great aesthetic and artistic importance; conversely, it plays a significant role in governing fungal attachments. In this book, the paper surface is characterized in detail and in correlation with chemical and physical alterations caused by fungal pigmentation. A broad range of analytical instruments was used for surface characterization, such as surface metrology profilometers, a confocal laser scanning microscope, and environmental scanning electron microscope; chemical microanalysis was carried out using X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy. The novel, three-dimensional characterization of pigmented fungal inclusions and their interaction with paper matrix was studied with micro-X-ray-computed micro-tomography on the synchrotron ESRF. The proposed book is the first to explore the complexity of fungal–paper interactions with the intention to assist professionals working with cultural materials, especially paper-based materials, to make informed decisions when dealing with the fungi infestation of paper.

Foreword / Gabrielle Marceau -- About the book / Gabrielle Marceau and Clément Marquet -- Introduction : a meta-question / Georges Abi-Saab -- Evolutionary interpretation in international law : some short and less than trail-blazing reflections / Robert Kolb -- An interpreter's guide to static and evolutive interpretations : solving intertemporal problems according to the VCIT / Christian Djeffal -- Time present and time pas t: the intention of the parties and the evolutionary interpretation of treaties / Eirik Bjorge -- Using intertemporal linguistics to resolve the problem at the origin and core of the evolutionary interpretation debate / Julian Wyatt -- Evolutionary interpretation : the relevance of context / Donald McRae -- Evolutionary interpretation of international law in national courts / Kenneth Keith -- The interpretive work of treaty bodies : how they look at evolutionary interpretation, and how other courts look at them / Luigi Crema -- Evolutionary interpretation of unilateral acts of states and international organisations / Paolo Palchetti -- The strength of evolutionary interpretation in international human rights law / Gloria Gaggioli -- The Strasbourg approach to evolutionary interpretation / Oliver Dörr -- Environmental protection as an object of and tool for evolutionary interpretation / Nina Mileva and Marina Fortuna -- The European Court of Human Rights and the right to a clean environment : evolutionary or illusory interpretation? / Malgosia Fitzmaurice -- By men, not gods : the (hidden) evolutionary interpretation of international criminal law in the light of extrinsic sources / Sévane Garibian -- Understanding the choice for evolutionary interpretation / Isabelle Van Damme -- The illusion of "evolutionary interpretation" in WTO dispute settlement / Graham Cook -- Prospective linguistics and trade : the art of the deal / Clément Marquet -- The evolutionary treaty interpretation by the WTO Appellate Body / Sondre Torp Helmersen -- Is there evolution in the evolutionary interpretation of WTO law? / Peter Van den Bossche -- Evolutionary interpretation and the Appellate Body's existential crisis / Mariana Clara de Andrade -- Energy trade in the WTO, yesterday, today and tomorrow : the role of evolutionary interpretation / Jenya Grigorova -- Evolutionary interpretation in investment arbitration : about a judicial taboo / Makane Moïse Mbengue and Aikaterini Florou -- The role of state party pleadings in the evolutionary interpretation of international investment agreements / Kendra Magraw -- Investment treaty signatories' joint interpretation and the case of the NAFTA free trade commission : evolutionary interpretation or modification? / Jennifer Radford, Gregory Tereposky and Kun Hui -- History as interpretative context in the evolutionary interpretation of FET in international investment law / Charalampos Giannakopoulos and Malvika Monga -- Articulating evolutionary interpretation and the rule of law : the EU as a composite legal order based on relative rules of law / Nicolas Levrat -- Multilingualism and the dynamic interpretation of European Union law / Mattias Derlén -- Conclusion / Kenneth Keith -- Afterword / Georges Abi-Saab.

1. Introduction: A Study of Prime Ministers in Postwar Japan -- 2. Kantaro Suzuki: The Premier Who Ended the War -- 3. Naruhiko Higashikuni: The Imperial Leader Who Disbanded the Armed Forces -- 4. Kijuro Shidehara: An Internationalist Who Embraced the Peace Clause -- 5. Shigeru Yoshida (I): The Antiwar Pacifist as a Diplomat and Leader -- 6. Tetsu Katayama: The Christian Pacifist and First Socialist Premier -- 7. Hitoshi Ashida: The Diplomat, Journalist, and Advocate for International Peace -- 8. Shigeru Yoshida (II): The Peace Treaty, the Alliance, and the Self-Defense Forces -- 9. Ichiro Hatoyama: The First LDP Premier to Normalize Relations with Moscow -- 10. Tanzan Ishibashi: The Antiwar Journalist, Statesman, and Peace Philosopher -- 11. Nobusuke Kishi: The Nationalist Premier Who Revised the Security Treaty -- 12. Hayato Ikeda: The Income Doubling Plan and Peace through Prosperity Initiative -- 13. Eisaku Sato: Non-Nuclear Policy, Nuclear-Free Okinawa, and the Peace Prize -- 14. Kakuei Tanaka: Remodeling Japan and Normalizing Relations with China -- 15. Takeo Miki: The Antiwar Pacifist and Advocate for Clean Politics -- 16. Takeo Fukuda: The Fukuda Doctrine and All-Directional Peace Diplomacy -- 17. Masayoshi Ohira: The Architect of the Pacific Basin Cooperation Concept -- 18. Zenko Suzuki: The Dovish Premier in Pursuit of the Politics of Harmony -- 19. Yasuhiro Nakasone: The Nationalist Leader in Search of Autonomy and True Alliance -- 20. Noboru Takeshita: The Advocate for International Cooperation for World Peace -- 21. Sosuke Uno: Scandals and Summit Diplomacy -- 22. Toshiki Kaifu: The Gulf Crisis, UN Peace Cooperation Bill, and the Gulf War -- 23. Kiichi Miyazawa: UNPKO and the Dispatch of Self-Defense Forces -- 24. Morihiro Hosokawa: The First Non-LDP/Non-Communist Coalition Government.-25. Tsutomu Hata: The Shortest-Serving Premier under the Postwar Constitution -- 26. Tomiichi Murayama: Official Apology for Japan's Colonial Rule and Aggression -- 27. Ryutaro Hashimoto: The Japan-US Joint Declaration and Defense Guidelines -- 28. Keizo Obuchi: The Visionary and Initiator of Japan's Human Security Diplomacy -- 29. Yoshiro Mori: The Kyushu-Okinawa Summit to the Olympic Truce Resolution -- 30. Junichiro Koizumi: From Kantei Diplomacy to Anti-Nuclear Diplomacy -- 31. Shinzo Abe (I): 'Toward a Beautiful Country' and Constitutional Revision -- 32. Yasuo Fukuda: Struggles for International Contribution in the Twisted Diet -- 33. Taro Aso: Value-Oriented Diplomacy and the Arc of Freedom and Prosperity -- 34. Yukio Hatoyama: First DPJ Premier and the Vision for the East Asian Community -- 35. Naoto Kan: The Great East Japan Earthquake and the Nuclear Disaster -- 36. Yoshihiko Noda: Decision on Atomic Energy and SDF Dispatch to South Sudan -- 37. Shinzo Abe (II): Abenomics and Proactive Contribution to Peace -- 38. Yoshihide Suga: Toward a Carbon-Neutral Society during the Pandemic -- 39. Conclusion: Japanese Prime Ministers in the Changing International System.

Forward / Timothy E. Wirth -- Introduction / Joseph E. Aldy, Robert N. Stavins -- An elaborated proposal for a global climate policy architecture : specific formulas and emission targets for all countries in all decades / Jeffrey Frankel -- The EU emission trading scheme: a prototype global system? / Denny Ellerman -- Linkage of tradable permit systems in international climate policy architecture / Judson Jaffe, Robert N. Stavins -- The case for charges on greenhouse gas emissions / Richard N. Cooper -- Towards a global compact for managing climate change / R. Agarwala -- Sectoral approaches to a post-Kyoto international climate policy framework / Akihiro Sawa -- A portfolio system of climate treaties / Scott Barrett -- How to negotiate and update climate agreements / Bard Harstad -- Metrics for evaluating policy commitments in a fragmented world: the challenges of equity and integrity / Carolyn Fischer, Richard D. Morgenstern -- Justice and climate change: the unpersuasive case for per capita allocations of emissions rights / Eric A. Posner, Cass R. Sunstein -- Toward a post-Kyoto climate change architecture : a political analysis / Robert O. Keohane, Kal Raustiala -- International climate technology strategies / Richard G. Newell -- Mitigation through resource transfers to developing countries : expanding greenhouse gas offsets / Andrew Keeler, Alexander Thompson -- Possible development of a technology clean development mechanism in a post-2012 regime / Fei Teng, Wenying Chen, Jiankun He -- Global environment and trade policy / Jeffrey Frankel -- A proposal for the design of the successor to the Kyoto Protocol / Larry Karp, Jinhua Zhao -- Reconciling human development and climate protection : a multistage hybrid climate policy architecture / Jing Cao -- What do we expect from an international climate agreement? A perspective from a low-income country / E. Somanathan -- Climate accession deals : new strategies for taming growth of greenhouse gases in developing countries / David G. Victor -- Policies for developing country engagement / Daniel S. Hall, Michael A. Levi, William A. Pizer, Takahiro Ueno -- International forest carbon sequestration in a post-Kyoto agreement / Andrew J. Plantinga, Kenneth R. Richards -- Modeling economic impacts of alternative international climate policy architectures : a quantitative and comparative assessment of architectures for agreement / Valentina Bosetti, Carlo Carraro, Alessandra Sgobbi, Massimo Tavoni -- Sharing the burden of GHG reductions / Henry D. Jacoby, Mustafa H. Babiker, Sergey Paltsev, John M. Reilly -- When technology and climate policy meet: energy technology in an international policy context / Leon Clarke, Kate Calvin, Jae Edmonds, Page Kyle, Marshall Wise -- Revised emissions growth projections for China: why post-Kyoto climate policy must look east / Geoffrey J. Blanford, Richard G. Richels, Thomas F. Rutherford -- Expecting the unexpected : macroeconomic volatility and climate policy / Warwick J. McKibbin, Adele Morris, Peter J. Wilcoxen -- Epilogue / Richard Schmalensee -- Lessons for the international policy community / Joseph E. Aldy, Robert N. Stavins.

1. Opening session. The 32nd Session of the International Seminars and International Collaboration / Antonino Zichichi. Science and national intelligence / Richard L. Garwin. Statement on migration / Rolf K. Jenny -- 2. Limits of development : migration. Migration and cyberspace / Ahmad Kamal. Migration in Europe / Hiltmar Schubert. Migration and development : a synoptic European overview / Nigel Harris. Migration from and within Asia / K. C. Sivamarakrishnan. Migration and globalization / Geraldo G. Serra -- 3. Climatology : global warming. From curiosity to concern : a chronology of the quest to understand global climate / John S. Perry. Simple climate models / Tom M. L. Wigley. Old physics for new climate models - maybe / Garth W. Paltridge. Energy and electricity considerations - global warming perspectives / Hisham Khatib -- 4. Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy : prions. Creutzfeld-Jakob disease and blood transfusion / Robert G. Will. BSE in North America / Maura N. Ricketts. Role of the polymorphism at codon 129 of the prion protein gene in the phenotypic expression of Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease associated with the F198S mutation / Bernardino Ghetti. Update on the pathogenesis of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies / Herbert Budka -- 5. The cultural emergency : information and communications - environment. Innovations in information and communications technologies : benefits and threats / Axel Lehmann -- 6. Cosmic objects. Recent perspectives on the hazard of an asteroid impact / Clark R. Chapman. Recent close approaches of asteroids to the earth / Donald K. Yeomans. Asteroid deflection : hopes and fears / Russell L. Schweickart. The near-earth object impact hazard : space mission priorities for risk assessment and reduction / Alan W. Harris. Hayabusa and its follow-up plans by JAXA / Hajime Yano -- 7. AIDS and infectious diseases : ethics in medicine. Limiting access to dangerous pathogens - the need for international cooperation / Diego Buriot. The U.S. select agent rule and an international opportunity to develop laboratory biosecurity guidelines / Reynolds M. Salerno. New Georgian legislation on biosafety / Lela Bakanidze. International biosecurity norms and the role for international organizations / Bradford Kay. Legal measures to prevent bio-crimes / Barry Kellman -- 8. Water and pollution. Overview of the hydrological cycle and its connection to climate : droughts and floods / Soroosh Sorooshian. What is the real value of water? Reaching beyond the global dilemma of cost and price / Ronald B. Linsky. Agrarian transformation and shifts in water requirements in rural Iran : a case study / Amir I. Ajami. Sustainable water resource management and the role of isotope techniques / Pradeep Aggarwal. Scientific challenges for ensuring clean and reliable water for the 21st century / Andrew F. B. Tompson -- 9. Permanent monitoring panel meetings and reports. AIDS and infectious diseases permanent monitoring panel / Guy de Thé. Implications of climate variability and change : a policy maker's summary / William A. Sprigg. Panel report / Walter E. Huebner. Panel report / Bruce Stram. Bangladesh rural electrification program : a success story of poverty reduction through electricity / Abul Barket. Sustainable nuclear energy - some reasons for optimism / Richard Wilson. Chairman's report / Henning Wegener. Information revolution in the military field and the establishment of an international legal regime for information security / Vitaly N. Tsygichko. Panel report / Hiltmar Schubert. West African point of view on migration / Mbareck Diop. Impacts of migration on megacities in the United States / Christopher D. Ellis. Inter-regional migration in China in the post-Deng economic era 1990-2000 / Stephen S. Y. Lau. Migration in Mexico : slower trends to megacities ; higher flow to the U.S. / Alberto González-Pozo. Panel report / Nathalie Charpak. Using the KMC programme's database in developed countries : an illusion? / Christiane Huraux. Quality of health care assurance : the kangaroo mother care program experience / Juan G. Ruiz. Panel report / Lorne Everett, Richard C. Ragaini. Panel report / Terence Taylor -- 10. Global biosecurity workshop. The bio-science dilemma - precious opportunities and dire threats / Barry Kellman. Biological safety and security - advances in the life sciences - reaping the rewards and managing the risks / Terence Taylor -- 11. Cosmic objects workshop. Detection of transient phenomena on planetary bodies / Mario Di Martino. Proposed ground-based experiments for asteroid seismology / Raymond Goldstein -- 12. Seminar participants.

- Progress in Biosynthesized of Silver Nanoparticles as Sustainable Approach for Photocatalytic Wastewater Treatment -- Impact of Onshore Construction Activities on Sea Water Turbidity -- Characteristics of Natural Organic Matter and Trihalomethanes Formation in The Southern Part of Songkhla Lake Basin -- Characterization and Statistical Multivariate Analysis of Potentially Toxic Elements Contamination of Groundwater in Chiniot Area, Punjab Plain, Pakistan -- A Systematic Literature Review on Rainwater Quality Influenced by Atmospheric Conditions with A Focus on Bangladesh -- Quantification of Flash Flood Runoff Volume Using Morphometric Parameters Towards Sustainability -- Application of the Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) in Reservoir Optimization Operation under Investigation of Climate Change Impact: A Case Study at Klang Gate Dam, Malaysia -- Development of Cleaner Production Alternatives in Water Management in a Slaughterhouse in Ecuador: A Case Study -- Analyzing the Impact of Food-Energy-Water Nexus-Based Agricultural Patterns on Regional Water Resources -- Categorization of Urban Basin According to The Runoff Depth: Case Study of Katsushika Ward and Edogawa City Basin, Japan -- ETSim: A Reference Evapotranspiration Estimator and Its Evaluation at the Southern Region of Japan -- Performance Evaluation of a Full-Scale Forced Aerated Municipal Solid Waste Composting System: A Case Study in Kalutara, Sri Lanka -- A Systematic Bibliometric Analysis of Research on Hazardous Solid Waste Management -- Pre-paid System for Waste Minimization and Cost Recovery - A Trial in Gaza Strip, Palestine -- Green Synthesis and Antibacterial Activity of Silver Nanoparticles Synthesized by Syzygium aromaticum and Thymus vulgaris Extracts against Some Oral Pathogens -- Institutional Pressure, Organizational Factors and E-Waste Management Practice: A Study in Telecommunication and Technology Industries -- Life Cycle Assessment of Sugarcane Biorefinery Complex in the Indian Context -- High-Performance Computing Urban Air Pollution 3D Simulation with CFD PALM4U -- Assessment and Policy Recommendations of School Ambient Air Quality during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Abu Dhabi, UAE -- Particulate Matter Phytoremediation Capacity of Four Japanese Roadside Green Biofilters -- Resilience Assessment of Transportation Networks to Climate Change Induced Flooding: The Case of Doha Highways Network -- Achievements, Difficulties and Challenges of Managing and Adapting to Drought and Saltwater Intrusion in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta -- Public Transportation Resilience towards Climate Change Impacts: The Case of Doha Metro Network -- Social Vulnerability Assessment to Natural Hazards in East Malaysia -- Exploring the Significance of Resilience Qualities in the Context of the Middle East Built Environment -- Vegetation Coverage Assessment for Smart Cities Based on the Sentinel Remote Sensing Data: The Case of Zhejiang Province (China) -- Monitoring of Agricultural Expansion Using Hybrid Classification Method in Southwestern Fringes of Wadi El-Natrun, Egypt: An Appraisal for Sustainable Development -- Quantifying the Dynamics of Ecosystem Services Value in Response to Decentralization and Regional Autonomy in Indonesia: A Case Study of Southeast Sulawesi Province -- Assessment of Human Health Impact of Particulate Matter Formation from Industry Textile Boiler in Cambodia -- Assessment of Heavy Metals Uptake by Carrot at Different Contamination Levels of Soil -- The Economic Impact of California's Cap and Trade Program: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis with a Matching Approach -- Computing Digital Footprints: A New Model and Empirical Study -- Comparisons of Organic Acid and Inorganic Acid Pretreatment for Production of Reducing Sugar and Ethanol Production from Coffee Shell -- Hydrogen Fuel Cell for Passenger Railway Transport and Its Deployment in Saudi Arabia -- Deep Eutectic Solvent Pretreatment of Durian Peel for Enhanced Bioethanol Production. .

From the introduction: For more than two decades, scientific and political communities have debated whether and how to act on climate change. This discussion moved on. Today science is very clear about the magnitude of the risks imposed by unmanaged climate change: 'What we are doing is redifining where people could live and if we do that as a world than hundreds of million of people will move. Probably billions will move. We are talking about gambling the planet, we are talking about a radical change of the way in which human beings could live and where they could live and, indeed, how many of them." With regard to these risks the application of the precautionary principle telling us 'to better be safe than sorry" appears to be imperative and makes traditional cost-benefit analysis become obsolete. Thus combating global warming has become one of the most important issues facing the world in the 21. century. As nobody would be immune from the transformation the planet faces, avoiding this gamble should, in theory, be in the interest of all nations. Unfortunately, a common response in the scale necessary is hard to organize. While the industrialized countries fear the costs of the transformation from a high-carbon to a low-carbon economy, it is the poorest people who are facing a double unequity as they 1. will be hit earliest and hardest by the adverse impacts of climate change, and 2. are least responsible for the stock of current concentrations in the atmosphere. This inequity consequently leads to a great sense of injustice in developing countries being asked cut emission, while knowing, that the developed world got rich on high-carbon growth. Without any doubt the outcome of this is a historical responsibility of industrialized countries to take over leadership in reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases. However, bearing in mind that by 2050, approximately eight out of nine billion people in the world will be living in developing nations, it is impossible to get down to emission levels needed without at the same time covering the developing world as well. Against this background international climate protection is a sociopolitical, economical, and ethical challenge, concerning all nations, which have to understand that they are a community based on the principle of mutual solidarity. The international climate regime is regarded as the main platform to further cooperation between nations in order to succesfully combat global warming. Ever since the first world climate conference in 1979 the international community of states pursues the goal of stabilizing greenhouse gas emissions in the medium-term, before finally reducing them in the long-term. In the end of 2009 and 2010, the 15th and 16th Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) aimed at achieving the final breakthrough with regard to framing new long-term mitigation commitments necessary in the scale needed to assure that global warming will not exceed 2° C above preindustrial levels; the line of demarcation from which on climate change is supposedly irreversible. Going from this initial situation this thesis will try to determine the driving-forces of the climate regime and research if the regime theory is a capable tool to explain them. In the following chapter it will be started by highlighting the scientific and economic consequences of anthropogenic climate change to amplify, why there is such an urgent need to fight global warming. Thereafter part three is going to deal with the regime theory. After presenting its interest-based, power-based, and knowledge-based school, these different approaches will, in a second step, be applied to the issue area of climate change. Basing on this analysis it is possible to hypothesize on how actors are supposed to behave within the regime. Due to the fact, that this thesis has a limited volume it will be focused on the three actors, which are regarded as not only most important for the regime's success but also possess the biggest influence within the international community, namely the United States, China, and the European Union. Thereby it will be strongly concentrated on the role of the United States. Understanding this role within the international climate regime is considered as absolutely central since the absolute emissions of the US surpass - with the exception of China - those of any other country and its per capita emissions are also amongst the highest in the world. As a result the US although containing just around one-twentieth of the world's population produce almost one-fifth of the world's total emissions of greenhouse gases. Being the world's largest economy the US moreover not only has considerable financial resources which could be directed to environmental problems abroad, but also a technological capability with huge mitigation potentials. Consequently there is a great chance that a possible decision of the US to take a leading role on addressing climate change would set an example that other countries would follow. On the other hand the rest of the world, and here especially developing countries, such as China or India, very likely will not agree to needed actions either, if the US chooses to reject such a leader-role. Therefore it is often spoken of a 'moral duty' of the US to take the lead in the response towards global warming, a duty which is amplified by the fact that the US alone is historically responsible for almost 30% of the total concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. While the EU has recognized its responsibility for anthropogenic climate change and implemented, as the first region worldwide, a comprehensive and demanding programme to fight the greenhouse effect, China's participation and cooperation in the climate change regime is particularly important for two reasons. First, China's impact on climate change is forecasted to be enormous: China's large population, rapid economic growth and heavy reliance on fossil fuels collectively imply large increases in CO2 emissions and thereby a disproportionate influence on climate change. The fourth part is divided in three sections. Since in isolation from its historical and institutional antecedents the global climate regime and the challenges it currently faces, cannot be properly understood, the first section will take a closer look at the current regime, which is founded on the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on climate change and supplemented by its 1997 Kyoto-Protocol. In this context special attention will be given to the exit of the US from the Kyoto process as the slow progress in the international climate negotiations from that point on was mainly triggered by the reluctance of the US to endorse the Kyoto approach. The second section focuses on the main priorities of the actors within climate negotiations, which are in turn highly affected by their energy political situation. The negotiations in Copenhagen and to a minor extent in Cancun will from this basis offer valuable clues to the question to which extent the actors have been able to convert their interests within the regime. In the final part it will be possible to draw a conclusion regarding the driving-forces of the regime and how they affect its effectiveness and robustness. After giving a compressed outlook on potential future driving-forces an assumption will be issued whether the hypotheses developed in the third part can be coroborated as valid.Inhaltsverzeichnis:Table of Contents 1.Introduction1 2.Scientific and economic consequences of anthropogenic climate change4 2.1.The natural and anthropogenic greenhouse effect4 2.1.1.The IPCC and its 4th Assessment Report6 2.1.2.The Stern Review and the economics of climate change10 3.The regime theory14 3.1.Three schools of thought within the theory of international regimes15 3.1.1.The interest-based approach15 3.1.1.1.Two-level games19 3.1.2.The power-based approach21 3.1.3.The knowledge-based approach23 3.2.Application of the three approaches to the issue are of climate change25 4.The issue area of climate change33 4.1.The current climate regime33 4.1.1.The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change34 4.1.2.The Kyoto Protocol35 4.1.2.1.The exit of the United States38 4.1.2.2.Basic weaknesses of the Kyoto Protocol41 4.1.3.The Bali Action Plan42 4.2.Prorities of the main actors42 4.2.1.The United States of America44 4.2.1.1.Obama's new climate policy46 4.2.2.China48 4.2.2.1.China's plead for consumption-based inventories54 4.3.International negotiations for a post-2012 agreement in Copenhagen and Cancun58 5.Analysis of the driving-forces in the climate regime64 5.1.The effectiveness and robustness of the climate regime64 5.2.Analysis of the driving-forces with regard to the effectiveness of the international climate regime65 5.2.1.Analysis of the current climate regime65 5.2.2.Analysis of the negotiations for a post-2012 climate regime67 5.2.3.Outlook regarding the regime's potential future driving-forces75 5.2.3.1.A shift in Obama's political priority setting75 5.2.3.2.Developments at the state and local level in the US77 5.2.3.2.1.The ballot on Propostion 23 in California82 5.3.Conclusion83 References90 Table of figures Figure 1:Development of global annual average temperature and CO2-concentrations5 Figure 2: Examples of impacts associated with global average temperature change8 Figure 3: Example of a payoff matrix in the Prisoner's Dilemma17 Figure 4: Example of a payoff matriv in the Battle of the Sexes22 Figure 5: Classification of a country's support for international environmental regulations27 Figure 6: Types of domestic political interest28 Figure 7: Targets of the Kyoto Protocol and actual reductions39 Figure 8: Coal producing states in the US44 Figure 9: Cross-party voting on the ACES in the House of Representatives45 Figure 10: Total energy consumption in China, by type (2008)49 Figure 11: China's exports and CO2-emissions since 200256 Figure 12: C02-emissions from China's net exports in 2004 in comparison with total emissions from China and other countries57 Figure 13: Renewable alternative portfolio standards in the US79 Figure 14: Regional cap and trade programs in the US80 Figure 15: Total global investments in clean energy in $ bn from 2004 to 201085 Appendixes Appendix 1: World carbon dioxide emissions by region107 Appendix 2: National reduction targets in the Non-ETS-Sector in the EU108 Appendix 3: Global carbon dioxide emissions from coal use in million metric tons, by region from 2005 to 2035109 Appendix 4: Global carbon dioxide emissions in million metric tons, by regionfrom 2005 to 2035110 Appendix 5: Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in metric tons per person, by region and country from 2005 to 2035111 Appendix 6: China's coal deposits and major railway infrastructure112 Appendix 7: Copenhagen Accord emission mitigation goals of selected countries113 Appendix 8: New constructions of coal-fired power plants in Germany114 Appendix 9: World nuclear enery consumption, by region from 2005 to 2035115 Appendix 10: Transcript - Interview: Nicholas Stern116 Appendix 11: Transcript - Interview: Hermann Ott.120 Appendix 12: Transcript - Interview: Steve Kretzmann120Textprobe:Text Sample: Chapter 3., The regime theory: The regime theory originated in the late seventies initially in the United States. It searched for answers to challenges in a time when especially crude oil induced shocks in industrial countries have plastically shown the practical consequences of the grown interdependency of economies. So the American study of regimes first and foremost concentrated on the field of the international political economy and was trying to ensure a better understanding of international cooperation. At the same time another phenomenom occured, namely the significant increase in the numbers of international governmental and non-governmental organisations, while the dominance of the United States in the world politics declined. This was a surprising development as, according to the at this time predominant approach of neorealism, international institutions like GATT or the IMF were supposed to become ineffective as a result of the US loosing its status as a global hegemon. To primarily get a better understanding of what international regimes actually are it is useful to study them as social institutions. By means of separating international regimes from international organisations, which are likewise social institutions, two of their main criteria - besides fulfilling the criteria of durability - become especially apparent: In contrast to international organisations, which often have an effect across problems, international regimes always refer to a specific problem area of international politics, like the protection of the ozon layer, trade liberalisations or the problem of climate change, While international organisations can act as cooperative actors, international regimes lack this attribute. In the following it will be concentrated on the interest-based, power-based and knowledge based approach to explain the emergence and characteristics of international regimes. The main focus of attention will be put on the work of Robert Keohane, who produced the most elaborate and also most widely discussed neoliberal approach. While Keohane's formulation had such a strong influence that it has been widely equated with 'regime theory' as such, the neoliberal school of thought, whose overriding emphasis has been on showing the role of international regimes in helping states to realize common interests, has come to represent the mainstream approach analyzing international regimes. Keohane's theory will be complement by Putnams theory of the two-level-games to factor in domestic influences on the interests of states in international negotiations. Thereafter not only the main criticisms of the neorealist school regarding the neoliberal theory will be pointed out, but also the cognitivist perspective will be shown. Hereby it will concentrate on the branch of weak cognitivism that regards the demand for regimes in international relations as depending on the actors' perception of international problems, which in turn are - e.g. in the case of environmental problems - heavily influenced by the information provided by scientists and so called epistemic communities. The cognitive perspective distinguishes itself from the other two approaches since it is the only one, which does not have a rational but sociological meta-theoretical orientation and is another useful complementation of Keohane's regime theory. While none of the present approaches denies regimes any impact, the degree of institutionalism varies considerably, what not least has something to do with the behavioural models on which neoliberals, realists and cognitivists base their analyses. 3.1, Three schools of thought within the theory of international regime: 3.1.1, The interest-based approach: The interest-based theory attributes international institutions a significant role in international politics and therefore dealt critically with the approach of neorealism, which during the first quarter century after WWII has been predominant in the international relations. Neoliberal and realist theories of international regimes though share their commitment to rationalism, which assumes that states, which act in anarchic structures are the most important actors in international politics. By following selfishly defined interests to maximize own profits they behave as rational egoists for whom altruistism never is a motivating force. Compliance to international rules and norms is according to rationalists not a result of a moral obligaion but of a situation where own short-term gains fail to outweigh own losses in the long-run. In contrast to neorealism the interest-based approach consequently stresses, that stable international cooperation is possible even beyond hegemonic power structures, when cooperation is due to increasing interdependent relations beyond national borders in the common interest of all involved states. Since the actions of a player in a field are driven by its interests and every player behaves as a utility maximizer problematic acting interdependencies might emerge, in which a better collective result can solely be reached through cooperation. A need for cooperation is typical for the utilization of global collective goods, which once provided can be used by everyone not only by its providers but also by free-riders, namely states not contributing to make the good available. This is a situation, entitled by Garrett Hardin as the 'tragedy of the commons", that entails two major problems. 1. unless it happens to produce significant side-effects in the form of private goods an individual actor, contemplating whether to contribute to the collective good or not, most likely won't find a unilateral effort that will pay off, and 2. concerning the collective good itself, the smaller the actor the more its own benefit-cost ratio for unilateral efforts will negatively deviate from that of the world. Although in this constellation players have a common interest in securing the common good, cooperation seems very unlikely since each player will regard it as irrational.