12 Klemun, Magdalena M., et al. “Mechanisms of hardware and soft technology evolution and the implications for solar energy cost trends.” Nature Energy (2023): 1-12. This paper examines the difference between hard and soft technology, nature of this difference and its implications for technology improvement. A model is presented to study the roles of hardware and soft technology in cost evolution and apply it to solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. The usefulness of modeling dependencies between technology costs and features is shown to understand past drivers of cost change to inform future technology development. Zhao, Xiaofan, et al. "Managing Extreme Rainfall and Flooding Events: A Case Study of the 20 July 2021 Zhengzhou Flood in China." Climate 11.11 (2023): 228. This paper presents a case study-based approach by focusing on the record-breaking Zhengzhou ood in 2021 and examines the governance capacity of inland cities in North China for managing extreme precipitation and ooding events from the perspective of the ood risk management process. Based on an in-depth case analysis, it hypothesizes that inland cities in North China still have low-risk perceptions of extreme weather events, which was manifested in insuf cient pre-disaster preparation and prevention, poor risk communication, and slow emergency response. Accordingly, it is recommended that inland cities update their risk perceptions of extreme rainfall and ooding events, which are no longer low-probability, high-impact “black swans”, but turning into high-probability, high-impact “gray rhinos.” Cities must make suf cient preparation for extreme weather events by revising contingency plans and strengthening their implementation, improving risk communication of meteorological warnings, and synchronizing emergency response with meteorological warnings. Environmental Policy and Sustainability Wen, Z., Li, H., Wang, Y., Zhao, X., & Deng, X. (2023). Can the Implementation of Household Waste Classi cation Mitigate Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Beijing? A Comprehensive Analysis of Recent Trends and Future Scenarios. Heliyon. This study focuses on household waste in Beijing and utilizes life cycle assessment (LCA) and material ow analysis (MFA) to calculate global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in waste management systems and quantify the emission reduction potential of different measures. The results show that net emissions from the classi cation system in 2021 are 116.77 kg CO2-eq/t waste, reducing 61.82 % compared to the traditional mixed collection and transportation system. Three scenarios are designed to explore the emission pathway of the system toward 2060. In the business-as-usual (BAU) scenario, emissions will continue to grow to 108.57 × 104 t CO2-eq/yr in 2060. In the Classi cation Ef ciency Scenario and the Comprehensive Scenario, emissions in 2060 will be cut to − 177.26 × 104 t CO2-eq/yr and − 702.00 × 104 t CO2-eq/yr, respectively. These results underscore the critical role of waste classi cation and recycling in mitigating the negative impacts of increasing waste volume. By 2060, combining waste classi cation with recycling can offset emissions by 803.51 × 104 t CO2-eq/yr, contributing 99 % to emission reduction potential. RESEARCH SHOWCASE
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