Environment Pollution and Climate Change

A special issue of Climate (ISSN 2225-1154).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2019) | Viewed by 56452

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
Interests: environmental pollution control; soil and groundwater remediation; environment and climate
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Environment pollution is the introduction of pollutants into the natural environment, and causes adverse effects. Climate change refers to a change in average weather conditions, or in the time variation of weather in the context of longer-term average conditions. It has been proven that climate change is related to some major forms of environment pollution (e.g., air pollution, water pollution, soil contamination, noise pollution, radioactive contamination, light pollution, thermal pollution, etc.). The issue of environment pollution and climate change has become an international concern because: 1) persistent and emerging pollutants to a certain extent cause climate change; and 2) the variations in normal weather patterns have unfavorable effects on the physical and biological entities of the environment.

Air pollution and climate change are closely related. The main sources of global warming—the extraction and burning of fossil fuels—are not only key drivers of climate change, but are also major sources of air pollutants. Many air pollutants that are harmful to human health and ecosystems also contribute to climate change by affecting the amount of incoming sunlight that is reflected or absorbed by the atmosphere. Climate change mitigation actions can help to reduce air pollution, and clean air measures can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, leading to reductions in global warming. In addition, global warming is having a measurable effect on water resources, altering the amount, distribution, timing, and quality of water. Flooding and runoff can contaminate water and cause water pollution. Drought can disrupt water, food, and human health. The pollution of water bodies can cause harm to the atmosphere and hinder the growth of plants and algae. Carbon absorption and in turn climate are impacted by water pollution. Furthermore, soil is the second-largest carbon pool after the ocean to mitigate climate change effects. Human and ecological systems rely on soil for the provision of water and nutrients for plant growth, the regulation of the water cycle, and the storage of carbon. The pollution of soil affects its capacity for carbon absorption and causes climate change though changing temperature, precipitation patterns, etc. Therefore, environment pollution and climate change influence each other through complex interactions on Earth. It is essential to study the relevant areas and contribute new knowledge in the fields of the environment and climate.

This Special Issue will provide a platform for sharing experiences and facilitating further discussion, in addition to helping to promote research, development, and application in the area of environment and climate studies, with a focus on experimental design and modeling approaches. This Special Issue aims to provide researchers, scientists, and engineers with up-to-date information on research, strategies, techniques, and recent developments with respect to prevention and protection of the environment from different pollutants as well as the prediction of future climate change that may have adverse effects on humans and other physical and biological constituents. The scope includes but is not limited to: monitoring pollution, the prevention and control of pollution, the measurement and management of pollution, sources of pollution, toxicology of the environment, environmental chemistry, the management of hazardous pollutants, climate change and human health, risk and impact assessment, climate policies and strategies, the impacts of climate on environment pollution, and the impacts of climate on water cycles, quality, and resources.

Prof. Dr. Shan Zhao
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Environmental Pollution
  • Climate Change
  • Environment and Climate
  • Air/Water/Waste Pollution
  • Atmosphere
  • Global Warming
  • Risk and Impact Assessment
  • Environmental Management
  • Experimental Design and Modeling Approach
  • Persistent and Emerging Pollutants

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 3392 KiB  
Article
Is Barocaloric an Eco-Friendly Technology? A TEWI Comparison with Vapor Compression under Different Operation Modes
by Ciro Aprea, Adriana Greco, Angelo Maiorino and Claudia Masselli
Climate 2019, 7(9), 115; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli7090115 - 18 Sep 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4659
Abstract
Barocaloric is a solid-state not-in-kind technology, for cooling and heat pumping, rising as an alternative to the vapor compression systems. The former is based on solid-state refrigerants and the latter on fluid ones. The reference thermodynamical cycle is called active barocaloric regenerative refrigeration [...] Read more.
Barocaloric is a solid-state not-in-kind technology, for cooling and heat pumping, rising as an alternative to the vapor compression systems. The former is based on solid-state refrigerants and the latter on fluid ones. The reference thermodynamical cycle is called active barocaloric regenerative refrigeration (or heat pumping cycle). The main advantage of this technology is to not employ greenhouse gases, which can be toxic or damaging for the environment and that can contribute to increasing global warming. In this paper, the environmental impact of barocaloric technology was evaluated through a Total Equivalent Warming Impact (TEWI) analysis carried out with the help of a numerical 2D model solved through a finite element method. Specifically, we propose a wide investigation on the environmental impact of barocaloric technology in terms of TEWI index, also making a comparison with a vapor compression plant. The analysis focuses on both the cooling and heat pump operation modes, under different working conditions and auxiliary fluids. The results revealed that a barocaloric system based on ABR cycle could provide a reduction of the environmental impact with respect to a vapor compression system. The addition of nanofluids contributes in reducing the environmental impact up to −62%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environment Pollution and Climate Change)
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13 pages, 1954 KiB  
Article
FCVLP: A Fuzzy Random Conditional Value-at-Risk-Based Linear Programming Model for Municipal Solid Waste Management
by Donglin Wang, Xiangming Kong, Shan Zhao and Yurui Fan
Climate 2019, 7(6), 80; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli7060080 - 6 Jun 2019
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3629
Abstract
A fuzzy random conditional value-at-risk-based linear programming (FCVLP) model was proposed in this study for dealing with municipal solid waste (MSW) management problems under uncertainty. FCVLP improves upon the existing fuzzy linear programming and fuzzy random conditional value-at-risk methods by allowing analysis of [...] Read more.
A fuzzy random conditional value-at-risk-based linear programming (FCVLP) model was proposed in this study for dealing with municipal solid waste (MSW) management problems under uncertainty. FCVLP improves upon the existing fuzzy linear programming and fuzzy random conditional value-at-risk methods by allowing analysis of the risks of violating constraints that contain fuzzy parameters. A long-term MSW management problem was used to illustrate the applicability of FCVLP. The optimal feasibility solutions under various significance risk levels could be generated in order to analysis the trade-offs among the system cost, the feasibility degree of capacity constraints, and the risk level of waste-disposal-demand constraints. The results demonstrated that (1) a lower system cost may lead to a lower feasibility of waste-facility-capacity constraint and a higher risk of waste-disposal-demand constraint; (2) effects on system cost from vague information in incinerator capacity inputs would be greater than those in landfill capacity inputs; (3) the total allowable waste allocation would vary significantly because of the variations of risk levels and feasibility degrees. The proposed FCVLP method could be used to identify optimal waste allocation scenarios associated with a variety of complexities in MSW management systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environment Pollution and Climate Change)
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16 pages, 986 KiB  
Article
Factors that Influence Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Action: A Household Study in the Nuevo Leon Region, Mexico
by Dulce Liliana González-Hernández, Erik W. Meijles and Frank Vanclay
Climate 2019, 7(6), 74; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli7060074 - 28 May 2019
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 11277
Abstract
Household-level mitigation and adaptation actions are important because households make a significant contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and are severely affected by climate change. However, there is still very little understanding of the factors that influence household-level mitigation and adaptation action. From a [...] Read more.
Household-level mitigation and adaptation actions are important because households make a significant contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and are severely affected by climate change. However, there is still very little understanding of the factors that influence household-level mitigation and adaptation action. From a review of literature, we identified the factors that potentially influence climate mitigation and adaptation actions of households, which we then tested using survey data from 622 households in Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Nuevo Leon is a major emitter of greenhouse gasses and is a state where climate-related disasters are recurrent and expected to increase in frequency and severity. Results from ordinal regression analyses showed that perceived knowledge and financial self-efficacy greatly influenced the extent of household-level action taken. To a lesser extent, the age and educational level of the respondent also affected action. Respondents pointed out the need to know about different aspects of climate change. An implication of our study is the value of recognizing the importance of perceptions, as mitigation and adaptation actions are shaped by perceptions of climate change alongside socio-demographic characteristics. This may have significant implications for policies and campaigns promoting household-level action to increase resilience to climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environment Pollution and Climate Change)
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13 pages, 3167 KiB  
Article
Observed Recent Change in Climate and Potential for Decay of Norwegian Wood Structures
by Terje Grøntoft
Climate 2019, 7(2), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli7020033 - 19 Feb 2019
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4331
Abstract
The wood rot decay of structures and buildings in Norway represents high costs. This paper reports the observed trends for the potential rot decay of Norwegian wood structures in the cities of Oslo and Bergen over the recent 55 years, calculated as the [...] Read more.
The wood rot decay of structures and buildings in Norway represents high costs. This paper reports the observed trends for the potential rot decay of Norwegian wood structures in the cities of Oslo and Bergen over the recent 55 years, calculated as the “wood rot climate index” developed by Scheffer, and compares the reports with previous reported values based on climate change modelling. The observed change in the wood rot climate index was close to the modelling result. Bergen is exposed directly to the westerly Atlantic winds and has among the highest rain amounts in Norway, whereas Oslo is shielded by the Scandinavian mountain chain and has much less rain. The change in the wood rot climate index since 1961 was about 20% in both cities, but the trend in the index (climate index change per year) was about 80% stronger in Bergen. The absolute index changes were largest in the summer; then spring (50 to 60% of the summer increase); and small, zero, or even negative (autumn in Oslo) in the remaining seasons. The relative changes were higher in the spring than summer and very high in Bergen in the winter from a low value. The change to positive index values in the spring and winter indicates temperature and humidity conditions favoring the growth of wood rot and, thus, extended the rot duration through the year. The expected increase in the future wood rot decay potential in Norway shows the need for increased focus on adaption measures to reduce the related damages and costs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environment Pollution and Climate Change)
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