'Sun, sea, sand' and solar energy -- Energy transitions and the mainstream -- Energy transitions and mainstream energy cultures -- Agriculture, fossils fuels and electricity -- Electricity and mainstream energy cultures -- Electricity, solar hot water and mainstream cultural change -- Solar...

To meet carbon emissions targets, more than 30 countries have committed to boosting production of renewable resources from biological materials andconvert them into products such as food, animal feedand bioenergy. In a post-fossil-fuel world, an increasingproportion of chemicals, plastics,...

The many dimensions of the tropical oil crop revolution -- Oil palm production and supply chains -- Soybean production and supply chains in the tropics -- Food demand for vegetable oils -- Demand for oil meal for animal feed and the joint production of oil -- Biodiesel: a source of growth and...

The paper examines the effect of the solar chimney’s stack height, depth, width and inlet position on the interior performance (air temperature and speed at 1.20 m height above the ground) as well as proposes an optimal tropical solar chimney design. Simulations show that the output air...

Biological monitoring is a powerful tool for understanding ecological patterns and processes, implementing sound management practices, and determining wildlife conservation strategies. In Mexico, regional long-term bird monitoring has been undertaken only over the last decade. Two comprehensive...

There are many causes, consequences, and connections of deforestation and forest poverty in the tropical world. This report specifically addresses the potential dilemma of trade-offs between poverty reduction and environmental protection. It seeks to improve the diagnosis of forest problems and...

Cover -- Coexistence -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Interviews -- 1. The Other World -- 2. Legends -- 3. Romancing the Rainforest -- 4. Regeneration -- 5. Is Evolution Different in the Tropics? -- 6. Niche Construction -- 7. Rhythms of the Forest -- 8. On the...

This paper presents a technique to map monthly average hourly global illuminance from satellite data. A semi-empirical model relating monthly average global illuminance to cloud index, precipitable water, total ozone column (TOC), aerosol optical depth (AOD) and air mass was developed. Data for...

Dramatic food price spikes in recent years have stimulated debate on the welfare implications of food price risk. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the number of undernourished people in sub-Saharan Africa rose to a record 265 million in 2009. There is a...

This paper analyses the role of palm oil and its sustainability from different perspectives. We consider the role of palm oil within the GHG context. We discuss the impact of palm oil on biodiversity and analyse how palm oil can contribute to economic growth and development in tropical...

Singapore-New Zealand bilateral relations are long-standing and based on a close political, economic and defence ties. Being small in economic size and population, both nations have undergone some challenges in a bid to improve their national competitiveness and innovation landscapes. This paper...

This paper presents luminous efficacy models for direct and diffuse solar irradiance using information on cloud, aerosol and water vapor in the tropics. The model is based on five years (2007–2011) of diffuse illuminance and irradiance measurements and two years of direct illuminance and...

Air pollution and climate change increased the importance of renewable energy resources like solar energy in the last decades. Rack-mounted PhotoVoltaics (PV) and Building Integrated PhotoVoltaics (BIPV) are the most common photovoltaic systems which convert incident solar radiation on façade...

This paper discusses the livelihood dynamics in the fragile landscape of the semi-arid tropics (SAT) of Andhra Pradesh. SAT is home to the poorest of the poor who live in conditions of persistent drought, subsistence agriculture and poor access to markets. This paper is a case study focusing...

Climate observations in recent years indicate that the effects of climate change events are apparently having an increasing impact on society. These impacts will likely also affect the building sector. Numerous studies have been conducted to assess future building energy consumption rates....

The assessment of impact of climate change on coconut, a plantation crop, is challenging. However, the development of a simulation model (InfoCrop-COCONUT) has enabled the process. We present the first simulation analysis of the potential impacts of climate change on coconut productivity in...

Suspended sediment transport into Laguna Lake (Philippines) due to soil erosion from agricultural activities in the Pagsanjan–Lumban catchment is of great concern because of its impacts on water quality. The Pagsanjan–Lumban catchment contributes about 18–20% of the total freshwater...

The first zero-energy office building in Singapore uses building integrated photovoltaics to meet its energy target. The main electricity generator is the 142.5kWp grid-connected BIPV system on the roof of the building. This paper presents the first performance assessment of the BIPV system over...

This paper presents the studies conducted on the effect of climate change on the air conditioner in terms of performance and reliability in the tropics. Basically, three aspects of impact were focused, which were cooling and heating load, electricity consumption and outdoor design conditions for...

Tropical forests are estimated to release approximately 1.7 PgC per year as a result of deforestation. Avoiding tropical deforestation could potentially play a significant role in carbon mitigation over the next 50 years if not longer. Many policymakers and negotiators are skeptical of our...

Tropical forests are estimated to release approximately 1.7 PgC per year as a result of deforestation. Avoiding tropical deforestation could potentially play a significant role in carbon mitigation over the next 50 years if not longer. Many policymakers and negotiators are skeptical of our...

In previous papers we have considered the optimal mix of biodiversity in semi-arid rangelands, focusing on the steady state. This paper addresses the question of conservation in the optimal use of rangelands. That is, it considers the optimal trajectory of biodiversity change. There are two...