Pecologix Political Ecology Blotter

The Arctic sea-ice ecosystem is threatened by global warming and with it the polar bear. But the good news is that a new analysis of the potential effects of reducing greenhouse gas emissions suggests that it is not too late to save the polar bear, as long as we act soon. doi:  http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature09653

Many policy-makers view nuclear power as a mitigation for climate change. Efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change, however, interact with existing and new nuclear power plants, and these installations must contend with dilemmas between adaptation and mitigation. This paper develops five criteria to assess the adaptation–mitigation dilemma on two major points: (1) the [...]

We use behavioral and experimental economics to study a particular aspect of the economics of climate change: the potential trade-off between countries’ investments in mitigation versus adaptation. While mitigation of greenhouse gases can be viewed as a public good, adaptation to climate change is a private good, benefiting only the country or the individual that [...]

The objective is to compare carbon sequestration under a sustainable management strategy versus a preservation strategy…The sequestration from the management strategy is compared with a preservation strategy that involves no harvesting…The conclusion is that forest management will sequester more above-ground carbon than preservation over a 40 year period if the wood is used for products [...]

The paper summarises a literature review into waste management practices across Africa as part of a study to assess methods to reduce carbon emissions. Research shows that the average organic content for urban Municipal Solid Waste in Africa is around 56% and its degradation is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The paper concludes [...]

As efforts to mitigate climate change increase, there is a need to identify cost-effective ways to avoid emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Agriculture is rightly recognized as a source of considerable emissions, with concomitant opportunities for mitigation. Although future agricultural productivity is critical, as it will shape emissions from conversion of native landscapes to food [...]

To limit mean global warming to 2 °C, a goal supported by more than 100 countries, it will likely be necessary to reduce emissions not only of greenhouse gases but also of air pollutants with high radiative forcing (RF), particularly black carbon (BC). Although several recent research papers have attempted to quantify the effects of BC [...]