Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability, 4th Edition

Dear Colleagues,

The following is a call for papers for the Topic “Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability, 4th Edition”, which aims to empower decision-makers and energy stakeholders to join forces and proactively address the challenges of climate change. The current rate of global warming, being 1.0–1.1 °C above pre-industrial levels, has caused various natural disasters that pose significant challenges for human living environments. In the coming decades, the rate of global warming is expected to hit the threshold of 1.5 °C with severe environmental, economic, and social consequences. This Topic aims to establish a holistic framework to address the immense challenge of climate change whilst achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

In this framework, climate change mitigation and the decarbonization of society are at the root of addressing this challenge. Climate change adaptation requires immediate action to increase resilience and reduce climate-related impacts and risks. This framework prioritizes sustainable urban–rural transformation and the decarbonization of the built environment since cities and the built environment are the main settlements of human beings and the key sites of implementation for climate resiliency, mitigation, and adaptation. Moreover, this framework encourages the involvement and participation of all professions in society to accelerate progress in climate change mitigation by developing sound climate-related governance systems in education, policy, and advocacy.

This Topic, “Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability, 4th Volume”, welcomes high-quality works focusing on the development and implementation of systems, ideas, pathways, solutions, strategies, technologies, and pilot cases and exemplars that are relevant to climate change impact measurement and assessment, mitigation and adaptation strategies and techniques, and public participation and governance. Relevant themes include but are not limited to the following:

Climate Change Impact Assessment

• Climate change prediction and analysis
• Climate-related impacts on infrastructure
• Human comfort, health, well-being, and work productivity
• Vulnerability assessment among different groups
• Climate-related injustice and inequality
• Climate-induced population migration
• Climate impacts on low-income countries
• Direct and indirect economic losses
• Ecosystem service deterioration

Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

• Greenhouse gas emissions and measurement
• Climate-related disasters and reduction
• Risk and vulnerability assessment and visualization
• Ecosystem services and carbon sequestration
• Sustainable transport and climate change mitigation and adaptation
• Sustainable building and construction
• Industry decarbonization and economic growth
• Renewable and clean energy potential and implementation
• Environmental, economic, and social benefits of climate change mitigation

Sustainable Urban–Rural Planning and Design

• Climate change and regional economic development
• Territorial spatial planning and carbon neutrality
• Urban overheating mitigation and adaptation
• Sustainable land use and planning
• Low-carbon cities and communities
• Wind-sensitive urban planning and design
• Urban morphology and environmental performance
• Innovative technologies, models, methods, and tools for spatial planning
• Regional ecological restoration and ecological security
• Nature-based solutions for urban planning and design
• Healthy land use and planning

Decarbonization of the Built Environment

• Demands on energy, materials, and water
• Assessment methods, systems, and tools
• Sustainable energy, materials, and water systems
• Energy efficiency design technologies and appliances
• Smart technology and sustainable operation
• Uptake and integration of clean energy
• Innovative materials for carbon reduction and environmental regulation
• Building demolition and material recycling and reuse
• Sustainable building retrofitting and assessment
• Circular economy strategies for a sustainable built environment
• Innovation for construction and demolition waste management

Climate-Related Governance and Challenges

• Targets, pathways, and roadmaps toward carbon neutrality
• Pathways for climate resilience and future sustainability
• Challenges, opportunities, and solutions for climate resilience
• Climate change governance coalition (network) development and challenges
• Co-benefits, synergies, conflicts, and trade-offs of climate actions
• Mapping, accounting, and trading carbon emissions
• Governance models, policies, regulations, and programs
• Financing urban climate change actions
• Education, policy, and advocacy for preparation

Sustainable Transport and Land Use

• Environmentally friendly transport planning and policy
• Environmentally friendly land use planning and policy
• Low-carbon built environment
• Low-carbon physical environment
• Transit-oriented development (TOD)

Prof. Dr. Baojie He
Prof. Dr. Ali Cheshmehzangi
Prof. Dr. Shady Attia
Dr. Zhengxuan Liu
Topic Editors