Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability, 2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

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

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

The Topic “Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability II” 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, 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;
• Interlinkages among climate-related disasters;
• Human comfort, health, well-being, and work productivity;
• Vulnerability assessment and the 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 emission and measurement;
• Climate-related disasters and reduction;
• Risks and vulnerabilities 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;
• Smart development for urban habitats;
• 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;
• Urban ecological security and Nature-based solution;
• Regional ecological restoration and ecological security;
• Nature-based solutions for urban planning and design;
• Healthy land use and planning.

Decarbonization of 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 reusing;
• Sustainable building retrofitting and assessment;
• Circular economy strategies for a sustainable built environment;
• Sharing economy strategies for a sustainable built environment;
• New theories, technologies and practices 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 coalitions (networks) 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;
• COVID-19 and similar crisis impacts and lessons.

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. Linchuan Yang
Prof. Dr. Junqing Tang
Topic Editors