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To achieve the objectives of COP28 for transitioning away from fossil fuels and phasing these out, both natural and technological solutions are essential, necessitating a step-change in how we implement social innovation. Given the significant CO2 emissions produced by the building sector, there is an urgent need for a transformative shift towards a net-zero building stock by mid-century. This transition to zero-energy and zero-emission buildings is difficult due to complex processes and substantial costs. Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) offers a promising solution due to the benefits of enhanced energy efficiency and electricity production. The availability of roof and façade space in offices and other types of buildings, especially in large cities, permits photovoltaic integration in both opaque and transparent surfaces. This study investigates the synergistic relationship between solar conversion technologies and nature-based components. Through a meta-analysis of peer-reviewed literature and critical assessment, effective BIPVs with greenery (BIPVGREEN) combinations suitable for various climatic zones are identified. The results highlight the multi-faceted benefits of this integration across a range of techno-economic and social criteria and underscore the feasibility of up-scaling these solutions for broader deployment. Applying a SWOT analysis approach, the internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as the external opportunities and threats for BIPVGREEN deployment, are investigated. The analysis reveals key drivers of synergistic effects and multi-benefits, while also addressing the challenges associated with optimizing performance and reducing investment costs. The strengths of BIPVGREEN in terms of energy efficiency and sustainable decarbonization, along with its potential to mitigate urban and climate temperature increases, enhance its relevance to the built environment, especially for informal settlements. The significance of prioritizing this BIPVGREEN climate mitigation action in low-income vulnerable regions and informal settlements is crucial through the minimum tax financing worldwide and citizen's engagement in architectural BIPVGREEN co-integration.
IOP Publishing
2024
This cross-cutting review focuses on the presence and impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the Arctic. Several PFAS undergo long-range transport via atmospheric (volatile polyfluorinated compounds) and oceanic pathways (perfluorinated alkyl acids, PFAAs), causing widespread contamination of the Arctic. Beyond targeting a few well-known PFAS, applying sum parameters, suspect and non-targeted screening are promising approaches to elucidate predominant sources, transport, and pathways of PFAS in the Arctic environment, wildlife, and humans, and establish their time-trends. Across wildlife species, concentrations were dominated by perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), followed by perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA); highest concentrations were present in mammalian livers and bird eggs. Time trends were similar for East Greenland ringed seals (Pusa hispida) and polar bears (Ursus maritimus). In polar bears, PFOS concentrations increased from the 1980s to 2006, with a secondary peak in 2014–2021, while PFNA increased regularly in the Canadian and Greenlandic ringed seals and polar bear livers. Human time trends vary regionally (though lacking for the Russian Arctic), and to the extent local Arctic human populations rely on traditional wildlife diets, such as marine mammals. Arctic human cohort studies implied that several PFAAs are immunotoxic, carcinogenic or contribute to carcinogenicity, and affect the reproductive, endocrine and cardiometabolic systems. Physiological, endocrine, and reproductive effects linked to PFAS exposure were largely similar among humans, polar bears, and Arctic seabirds. For most polar bear subpopulations across the Arctic, modeled serum concentrations exceeded PFOS levels in human populations, several of which already exceeded the established immunotoxic thresholds for the most severe risk category. Data is typically limited to the western Arctic region and populations. Monitoring of legacy and novel PFAS across the entire Arctic region, combined with proactive community engagement and international restrictions on PFAS production remain critical to mitigate PFAS exposure and its health impacts in the Arctic.
Elsevier
2024
Polychlorinated n-alkanes (PCAs) are the main components of chlorinated paraffins (CPs) mixtures, that have been commonly grouped into short-chain (SCCPs, C10–13), medium-chain (MCCPs, C14–17), and long-chain (LCCPs, C18-30) CPs. PCAs pose a significant risk to human health as they are broadly present in indoor environments and are potentially persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic. The lack of specific terminology and harmonization in analytical methodologies for PCA analysis complicates direct comparisons between studies. The present work summarizes the different methodologies applied for the analysis of PCAs in indoor dust, air, and organic films. The large variability between the reviewed studies points to the difficulties to assess PCA contamination in these matrices and to mitigate risks associated with indoor exposure. Based on our review of physicochemical properties of PCAs and previously reported sum of measurable S/M/LCCPs levels, the homologue groups PCAs–C10–13 are found to be mostly present in the gas phase, PCAs–C14–17 in particulate matter and organic films, and PCAs–C≥18 in settled dust. However, we emphasized that mapping PCA sources and distribution in the indoors is highly dependent on the individual homologues. To further comprehend indoor PCA distribution, we described the uses of PCA in building materials and household products to apportion important indoor sources of emissions and pathways for human exposure. The greatest risk for indoor PCAs were estimated to arise from dermal absorption and ingestion through contact with dust and CP containing products. In addition, there are several factors affecting indoor PCA levels and exposure in different regions, including legislation, presence of specific products, cleaning routines, and ventilation frequency. This review provides comprehensive analysis of available indoor PCA data, the physicochemical properties, applied analytical methods, possible interior sources, variables affecting the levels, human exposure to PCAs, as well as need for more information, thereby providing perspectives for future research studies.
Elsevier
2024
Comparison of observation- and inventory-based methane emissions for eight large global emitters
Monitoring the spatial distribution and trends in surface greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes, as well as flux attribution to natural and anthropogenic processes, is essential to track progress under the Paris Agreement and to inform its global stocktake. This study updates earlier syntheses (Petrescu et al., 2020, 2021, 2023), provides a consolidated synthesis of CH4 emissions using bottom-up (BU) and top-down (TD) approaches for the European Union (EU), and is expanded to include seven additional countries with large anthropogenic and/or natural emissions (the USA, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo)). Our aim is to demonstrate the use of different emission estimates to help improve national GHG emission inventories for a diverse geographical range of stakeholders.
We use updated national GHG inventories (NGHGIs) reported by Annex I parties under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2023 and the latest available biennial update reports (BURs) reported by non-Annex I parties. Comparing NGHGIs with other approaches highlights that different system boundaries are a key source of divergence. A key system boundary difference is whether anthropogenic and natural fluxes are included and, if they are, how fluxes belonging to these two sources are partitioned.
Over the studied period, the total CH4 emission estimates in the EU, the USA, and Russia show a steady decreasing trend since 1990, while for the non-Annex I emitters analyzed in this study, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, and DR Congo, CH4 emissions have generally increased. Quantitatively, in the EU the mean of 2015–2020 anthropogenic UNFCCC NGHGIs (15±1.8 Tg CH4 yr−1) and the mean of the BU CH4 emissions (17.8 (16–19) Tg CH4 yr−1) generally agree on the magnitude, while inversions show higher emission estimates (medians of 21 (19–22) Tg CH4 yr−1 and 24 (22–25) Tg CH4 yr−1 for the three regional and six global inversions, respectively), as they include natural emissions, which for the EU were quantified at 6.6 Tg CH4 yr−1 (Petrescu et al., 2023). Similarly, for the other Annex I parties in this study (the USA and Russia), the gap between the BU anthropogenic and total TD emissions is partly explained by the natural emissions.
For the non-Annex I parties, anthropogenic CH4 estimates from UNFCCC BURs show large differences compared to the other global-inventory-based estimates and even more compared to atmospheric ones. This poses an important potential challenge to monitoring the progress of the global CH4 pledge and the global stocktake. Our analysis provides a useful baseline to prepare for the influx of inventories from non-Annex I parties as regular reporting starts under the enhanced transparency framework of the Paris Agreement.
By systematically comparing the BU and TD methods, this study provides recommendations for more robust comparisons of available data sources and hopes to steadily engage more parties in using observational methods to complement their UNFCCC inventories, as well as considering their natural emissions. With anticipated improvements in atmospheric modeling and observations, as well as modeling of natural fluxes, future development needs to resolve knowledge gaps in the BU and TD approaches and to better quantify the remaining uncertainty. TD methods may emerge as a powerful tool to help improve NGHGIs of CH4 emissions, but further confidence is needed in the comparability and robustness of the estimates.
The referenced datasets related to figures are available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12818506 (Petrescu et al., 2024).
2024
Multi-Scale Soil Salinization Dynamics From Global to Pore Scale: A Review
Soil salinization refers to the accumulation of water-soluble salts in the upper part of the soil profile. Excessive levels of soil salinity affects crop production, soil health, and ecosystem functioning. This phenomenon threatens agriculture, food security, soil stability, and fertility leading to land degradation and loss of essential soil ecosystem services that are fundamental to sustaining life. In this review, we synthesize recent advances in soil salinization at various spatial and temporal scales, ranging from global to core, pore, and molecular scales, offering new insights and presenting our perspective on potential future research directions to address key challenges and open questions related to soil salinization. Globally, we identify significant challenges in understanding soil salinity, which are (a) the considerable uncertainty in estimating the total area of salt-affected soils, (b) geographical bias in ground-based measurements of soil salinity, and (c) lack of information and data detailing secondary salinization processes, both in dry- and wetlands, particularly concerning responses to climate change. At the core scale, the impact of salt precipitation with evolving porous structure on the evaporative fluxes from porous media is not fully understood. This knowledge is crucial for accurately predicting soil water loss due to evaporation. Additionally, the effects of transport properties of porous media, such as mixed wettability conditions, on the saline water evaporation and the resulting salt precipitation patterns remain unclear. Furthermore, effective continuum equations must be developed to accurately represent experimental data and pore-scale numerical simulations.
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
2024
State of the Climate in 2023 : Global Climate
American Meteorological Society (AMS)
2024
State of the Climate in 2023: The Arctic
American Meteorological Society (AMS)
2024
2024
A growing number of studies have reported that routinely monitored per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are not sufficient to explain the extractable organic fluorine (EOF) measured in human blood. In this study, we address this gap by screening pooled human serum collected over 3 decades (1986–2015) in Tromsø (Norway) for >5000 PFAS and >300 fluorinated pharmaceuticals. We combined multiple analytical techniques (direct infusion Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography-Orbitrap-high-resolution mass spectrometry, and total oxidizable precursors assay) in a three-step suspect screening process which aimed at unequivocal suspect identification. This approach uncovered the presence of one PFAS and eight fluorinated pharmaceuticals (including some metabolites) in human serum. While the PFAS suspect only accounted for 2–4% of the EOF, fluorinated pharmaceuticals accounted for 0–63% of the EOF, and their contribution increased in recent years. Although fluorinated pharmaceuticals often contain only 1–3 fluorine atoms, our results indicate that they can contribute significantly to the EOF. Indeed, the contribution from fluorinated pharmaceuticals allowed us to close the organofluorine mass balance in pooled serum from 2015, indicating a good understanding of organofluorine compounds in humans. However, a portion of the EOF in human serum from 1986 and 2007 still remained unexplained.
2024
The adverse outcome pathway (AOP) framework plays a crucial role in the paradigm shift of toxicity testing towards the development and use of new approach methodologies. AOPs developed for chemicals are in theory applicable to nanomaterials (NMs). However, only initial efforts have been made to integrate information on NM-induced toxicity into existing AOPs. In a previous study, we identified AOPs in the AOP-Wiki associated with the molecular initiating events (MIEs) and key events (KEs) reported for NMs in scientific literature. In a next step, we analyzed these AOPs and found that mitochondrial toxicity plays a significant role in several of them at the molecular and cellular levels. In this study, we aimed to generate hypothesis-based AOPs related to NM-induced mitochondrial toxicity. This was achieved by integrating knowledge on NM-induced mitochondrial toxicity into all existing AOPs in the AOP-Wiki, which already includes mitochondrial toxicity as a MIE/KE. Several AOPs in the AOP-Wiki related to the lung, liver, cardiovascular and nervous system, with extensively defined KEs and key event relationships (KERs), could be utilized to develop AOPs that are relevant for NMs. However, the majority of the studies included in our literature review were of poor quality, particularly in reporting NM physicochemical characteristics, and NM-relevant mitochondrial MIEs were rarely reported. This study highlights the potential role of NM-induced mitochondrial toxicity in human-relevant adverse outcomes and identifies useful AOPs in the AOP-Wiki for the development of AOPs for NMs.
Elsevier
2024