Towards low-carbon energy systems, there are countries with ongoing plans for expanding their nuclear power capacity, and simultaneously advancing the role of variable renewable energy sources (RES), namely wind and solar energy. This crossroads of capital-intensive, baseload power production...

Large-scale deployment of intermittent renewable energy (namely wind energy and solar PV) may entail new challenges in power systems and more volatility in power prices in liberalized electricity markets. Energy storage can diminish this imbalance, relieving the grid congestion, and promoting...

The new frontier for hydropower electricity generation in Brazil, the Amazon region, cannot be used for energy storage as the construction of storage reservoirs would have deep environmental and social impacts, thus run-of-the-river dams have been built instead. If Brazil still wants to generate...

The paper offers an analysis of some of the prevailing practices in sustainable agriculture and points out some of the paradoxes that need to be addressed and resolved in order to enhance acceptability of sustainable agriculture by the general public. Education and research in sustainable...

This study empirically explores climate change-related impacts on rice farming by using global circulation models together with crop modelling. The approach uses a bottom-up strategy which focuses on agricultural production loss under various climatic conditions following observational records...

This paper provides an overview of the environmental management dimensions of current and future conflicts in the use of the River Elbe in Hamburg, Germany. The Elbe River catchment area is described and an overview of the Hanseatic City of Hamburg with some of the characteristic figures...

Biodiversity is generally described at three levels – diversity of ecosystems, diversity of species, and diversity of genes. Biodiversity is both a scientific and a political concept, embracing a trinity of globally-agreed objectives such as conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use of...

The paper offers an analysis of some of the prevailing practices in sustainable agriculture and points out some of the paradoxes that need to be addressed and resolved in order to enhance acceptability of sustainable agriculture by the general public. Education and research in sustainable...

This paper analyses the extent to which the Eco-management Auditing System is being used in European countries and presents the results of a survey performed with competent bodies in EU countries. Results which may guide the establishment of EMAS competent bodies in the Baltic region, with a...