Search Results (7)

The REDD+ framework (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, along with sustainable forest management and the conservation and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries) incentivizes developing countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance carbon storage by mitigating deforestation and forest degradation. To receive results-based payments, participating countries must meet United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) requirements for Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) capacities. This study categorizes developing countries into three phases based on MRV implementation levels: phase 1 (readiness), phase 2 (demonstration), and phase 3 (implementation). Unlike the higher implementation levels observed in phase 2 and phase 3 countries, phase 1 countries have received limited attention due to their early stages of REDD+ implementation. However, assessing the potential of these countries for future REDD+ engagement and Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcome (ITMO) collaboration is crucial for achieving REDD+ goals. Thus, this study quantitatively assessed MRV capacity among phase 1 countries using an MRV capacity assessment tool, with the goal of identifying high-potential candidates for REDD+ advancement. We applied an MRV capacity assessment tool to 48 phase 1 countries out of the 71 developing countries registered on the REDD+ web platform as of September 2024. The results reveal that (1) the countries with the highest MRV scores were Ghana, India, Guatemala, Liberia, and Mongolia, with Ghana demonstrating strong potential for progression to the implementation phase due to its robust performance in both Measurement and Reporting components. In contrast, Chad scored the lowest, followed by Uruguay, Namibia, Mali, Cuba, and Benin. (2) Overall, phase 1 countries scored lower in the Reporting (R) component, which emphasizes administrative capacity, compared to the Measurement (M) component, which is technically oriented, highlighting the need for improved administrative capacity, particularly in developing and submitting the National Strategy/Action Plan and Safeguard Information System report to meet Cancun Agreement standards. While this study evaluates REDD+ implementation potential in phase 1 countries based on MRV capacity, future research should explore the effectiveness of strengthening MRV capacity through Official Development Assistance (ODA), assessing potential emissions reduction and ITMO potential. Full article

Background/Objectives: Generalised immune dysfunction in chronic kidney disease, especially in patients requiring haemodialysis (HD), significantly enhances the risk of severe infections. Vaccine-induced immunity is typically reduced in HD populations. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic provided an opportunity to examine the magnitude and functionality of antibody responses in HD patients to a previously unencountered antigen—Spike (S)-glycoprotein—after vaccination with different vaccine platforms (viral vector (VV); mRNA (mRV)). Methods: We compared the total and functional anti-S antibody responses (cross-variant neutralisation and complement binding) in 187 HD patients and 43 healthy controls 21–28 days after serial immunisation. Results: After 2 doses of the same vaccine, HD patients had anti-S antibody levels and a complement binding capacity comparable to controls. However, 2 doses of mRV induced greater polyfunctional antibody responses than VV (defined by the presence of both complement binding and cross-variant neutralisation activity). Interestingly, an mRV boost after 2 doses of VV significantly enhanced antibody functionality in HD patients without a prior history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Conclusions: HD patients can generate near-normal, functional antigen-specific antibody responses following serial vaccination to a novel antigen. Encouragingly, exploiting immunological memory by using mRNA vaccines and boosting may improve the success of vaccination strategies in this vulnerable patient population. Full article

Enhancing the comprehension of alterations in land use holds paramount importance for water management in semi-arid regions due to its effects on hydrology and agricultural economics. Allowing agricultural land to lie fallow has emerged as a technique to decrease water use. This research employs the methodology of system dynamics modeling to evaluate the hydrologic and agricultural economic ramifications of employing the fallowing strategy, which aims to preserve water resources in interconnected socio-hydrologic systems. This strategy is explored across three different crops, focusing on the Mesilla–Rincon Valley (MRV) in southern New Mexico. The study’s timeline spans from 2022 to 2050 with historical background from 1969 and encompasses various dimensions, including water availability, land utilization, and agricultural economics. Three types of crops were selected for the fallowing strategy, including cotton, alfalfa/hay, and chile. For each crop, 2500 acres of it would be designated for fallowing separately in two subsequent years, allowing the land to be cultivated in the third year and recurring such pattern. Simulation findings across scenarios (GFDL, UKMO, and NCAR) indicate that water withdrawals for all crops decreased significantly, ranging from approximately 2.69% to 4.37%. Similarly, agriculture income experienced reductions, varying from around 1.53% to 2.26%. Also, surface water and groundwater withdrawals are represented as percentages. The data illustrate significant reductions in water withdrawals across all scenarios. For instance, in the GFDL scenario, surface water withdrawal decreased by approximately 1.85% for cotton, 2.56% for alfalfa/hay, and 1.58% for chile. Similarly, groundwater withdrawals saw substantial reductions, such as 14.93% for cotton, 20.44% for alfalfa/hay, and 12.62% for chile. These numbers emphasize the urgent need for sustainable water management practices to address the challenges posed by reduced water availability. Full article

The actual situation of carbon-emission reduction in China’s power sector has not yet achieved the expected benefits. The rent-seeking behavior of participants in power construction projects (PCPs) hinders the realization of low-carbon benefits. It is necessary to explore the behavioral strategies of the various participants in the low-carbon transition of PCPs. This paper creatively constructs an evolutionary game model of PCPs’ participants from the perspective of MRV (monitoring, reporting, and verification) and introduces the influence of the public to provide a comprehensive analysis of strategic equilibrium points. Through numerical simulations with MATLAB R2021a software, this paper explores the strategic choices of participants in different situations and gives relevant inferences and proofs. The results show that the grid company dominates at the initial stage and promotes participants to regulate behaviors. Under the premise of satisfying the system-stability requirements, setting the growth rate of the grid company’s punishments to 100% can enhance the willingness for strict supervision, while the growth rate of the supervision costs to 200% significantly decreases the probability of strict supervision. With the integration of MRV and PCPs, participants spontaneously fulfill the carbon-emission-reduction tasks. Reasonable control of input costs can effectively avoid the occurrence of rent-seeking behavior. In addition, this paper sets the public-influence growth rate at 200% and finds that the public plays a greater role in driving participants to fulfill responsibilities. Based on the results, a low-carbon transition mechanism for PCPs under the MRV system is proposed by considering several dimensions, which provides suggestions for participants to fulfill carbon-reduction responsibilities. Full article

The carbon emission trading system (CETS) is an important market-oriented policy tool for the Chinese government to solve the problem of high emissions and achieve the growth of green total factor productivity (GTFP). This study makes up for the neglect of the spatial effect of CETS policy in previous studies and adopts the spatial difference-in-differences (DID) Durbin model (SDID-SDM) method of two-way fixed effects to scientifically identify the direct and spatial effects influencing the mechanisms and heterogeneity of CETS on urban GTFP based on the panel data of 281 cities in China from 2004 to 2017. It found that China’s CETS significantly improved the GTFP of pilot cities but produced a negative spatial siphon effect that restricted the growth of GTFP in surrounding cities. Benchmark results are robust under the placebo test, the propensity score matching SDID (PSM-SDID) test, and the difference-in difference-in-differences (DDD) test. The mechanism analysis shows that the CETS effect is mainly realized by improving energy efficiency, promoting low-carbon innovation, adjusting the industrial structure, and enhancing financial agglomeration. In addition, we find that policy effects are better in cities with high marketization, strong monitoring reporting and verification (MRV) capabilities, high coal endowment, and high financial endowment. Overall, China’s CETS policy achieves the goal of enhancing GTFP but needs to pay attention to the spatial siphon effect. In addition, our estimation strategy can serve as a scientific reference for similar studies in other developing countries. Full article

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) recognized the importance of forests in combating climate change and agreed upon financial support for REDD+ activities in developing countries through the Warsaw REDD+ Framework (WRF). The REDD+ activities for conserving carbon stored in forests to reduce GHG emissions and to enhance the carbon sink function of forests are expected to serve as an important means for achieving the climatic goal. In this study, a set of criteria was devised to assess the REDD+ Measuring, Reporting, and Verifying (MRV) implementation capabilities of developing countries, which was applied to analyze the REDD+ MRV levels in REDD+ countries. Based on the Forest Reference Emission Level/Forest Reference Level (FREL/FRL), National Strategy (NS), National Forest Monitoring System (NFMS) and Safeguard Information Summary (SIS) the countries submitted, 36 REDD+ countries submitted only the FREL/FRL (Group I), while 5 countries fulfilled the WRF requirements and registered REDD+ reduction results (Group II), and 6 received Results-Based Payments (RBP) (Group III). From longest to shortest, the periods for which the International Fund provided support were arranged in the order of Group III, II, and I, verifying the relative importance of international support. From highest to lowest, the overall MRV capability was also arranged in the order of Group III, II, and I, although Group I or Group II was at a higher level than the other groups in some elements. REDD+ countries in the Readiness Phase (Group I) would aim to have the MRV capabilities of Groups II and III to receive RBP, and international support for REDD+ MRV capacity building could enable them to do. However, in addition to the receipt of RBP, REDD+ should be reflected in the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) as consistent reduction results at the national GHG inventory level, and the advancement of REDD+ MRV is expected to be a necessary and sufficient condition for REDD+ cooperation under the Paris Agreement cooperative approach framework. For the following groups, international cooperation is essential. Countries in the Readiness Phase need to be supported with the establishment of an MRV framework, which will enable them to achieve REDD+ to receive RBP and be reflected in NDCs. For REDD+ countries that have thus far met the WRF requirements, the REDD+ scope needs to be upscaled to national levels, and the MRV system should be further advanced to establish a cooperative approach system that can achieve more ambitious reduction targets through forests. Full article

Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and the role of conservation, sustainable forest management and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (REDD+) in developing countries requires a National REDD+ Strategy (NRS) to ensure effectiveness, efficiency and equity. So far, only a few countries have submitted their NRS to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to progress to the implementation phase of REDD+. To compare the NRS of eight countries from Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, we used content analysis to assess whether these countries have paid attention to the REDD+ design components and adhered to the UNFCCC REDD+ rules. Our results demonstrate that all eight countries have paid considerable attention to REDD+ activities, finance, measurement, reporting and verification (MRV), and safeguard systems, and most countries have not adhered to the UNFCCC REDD+ rules on scale including the definition of national and subnational forests, subnational projects to be nested into national systems, and subnational activities to be verified by experts. REDD+ countries must develop definitions for national and subnational forests to enhance forest monitoring and they must develop technical and institutional infrastructure for MRV and safeguard systems, to receive results-based payments, and for the sustainability of REDD+ projects. Full article