Global climate change and inequality are inescapably linked both in terms of who contributes climate change and who suffers the consequences. This fact is also partly reflected in two United Nations (UN) processes: on the one hand, the Paris Agreement of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change under which countries agreed to hold the increase in the global average temperature to below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and, on the other hand, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals aiming to end poverty. These agreements are seen as important foundation to put the world nations on a sustainable pathway. However, how these agreements can be achieved or whether they are even mutually compatible is less clear. We explore the global carbon inequality between and within countries and the carbon implications of poverty alleviation by combining detailed consumer expenditure surveys for different income categories for a wide range of countries with an environmentally extended multi-regional input–output approach to estimate carbon footprints of different household groups, globally, and assess the carbon implications of moving the poorest people out of poverty. Given the current context, increasing income leads to increasing carbon footprints and makes global targets for mitigating greenhouse gases more difficult to achieve given the pace of technological progress and current levels of fossil fuel dependence. We conclude that the huge level of carbon inequality requires a critical discussion of undifferentiated income growth. Current carbon-intensive lifestyles and consumption patterns need to enter the climate discourse to a larger extent.

Enzymes are the cornerstones of metabolism and constitute the fundamental basis for existence of life. However, recently enzymes are being implicated in diverse industrial processes because of their specific and fast action for efficient bioconversion of substrate to product, and their capability to save raw materials, energy and chemicals for various manufacturing processes. Enzymes are considered as environment-friendly (green) chemicals that may potentially help replacing completely or reducing the usage of hazardous chemicals for industrial processes, thus promising sustainable production and manufacturing. Among various industrial enzymes microbial proteases dominate the world enzyme market due to their multifaceted application potential in varied bioindustries like food, pharmaceutical, textile, photographic, leather and detergent. Promising applications of proteases in agricultural sector for instance may include biocontrol of pests, degumming of silk, selective delignification of hemp and wool processing. However, for successful industrial applications the proteases must be robust enough to suit the process conditions which are generally hostile. Proteases intended for industrial applications must have activity and stability over wide range of temperature and pH extremes for prolonged time periods and even in the presence of various potential enzyme inhibitors. Of various microbial proteases those from Bacillus spp. have got special significance because the latter are known for their ability to produce sturdy enzymes that might have suitability for industrial process conditions. The current article presents an interpretive summary of the recent developments on application potential of proteases for various industries.

Space heating appliances require significant amount of primary as well as secondary energy. In most of the countries, energy requirements for such utilities are met by burning fossil fuel or from conventional electricity. Such usual practices for space heating result in significant increase in greenhouse gas emission and fossil fuel depletion. In the line of global emphasis on energy conservation and switch-to-clean energy approach, solar thermal energy can be harnessed using solar air heater for space heating purpose. This paper studies the potential of using solar air heater in space heating applications. Associated critical issues like demand–supply mismatch, installation space constraint, annual utilization factor and undesirable variations in output temperature are highlighted. Further, current research trends toward improving applicability of solar air heater are also briefly discussed.

Ridge top ecosystems (RTEs) are considered to be more sensitive to global warming as they are characterized by uniform sunlight exposure and low human interferences and hence are perfect places for monitoring and comparing the effects of climate change in species composition. The present study was carried out on RTEs of four different mountain ranges, viz. (1) Narendranagar–Hindolakhal (2) Mussoorie–Dhanolti (3) Chaurangikhal–Harunta and (4) Dayara–Gidara, along altitudinal gradient (situated below 2000 to above 3500 m), in Garhwal Himalaya to understand the variation in tree composition and distribution range. 0.1 ha-sized sample plot was used to analyze the tree species, whereas 5 m × 5 m for saplings and 1 m × 1 m for seedlings. The tree layers on RTEs were consisted of total 69 tree species, belonging to 55 genera and 39 families. Shorea robusta, Pinus roxburghii, Rhododendron arboreum, Quercus leucotrichophora, Q. floribunda, Q. semecarpifolia, Cedrus deodara, Pinus wallichiana and Abies spectabilis were found as the dominant and well-occupied tree species on the RTEs from lower to higher elevations. The mean stand density was recorded as 597 ± 29 trees ha⁻¹ (ranged between 546 and 616 trees ha⁻¹) with a mean basal cover of 77.25 ± 17.90 m² ha⁻¹ (ranged between 54.43 and 102.83 m² ha⁻¹). A traditional pattern for tree diversity was recorded which decreased with increasing altitude. The detrended correspondence analysis ordination plot clumped the species together which shared the same habitat and environmental conditions which revealed that elevation and geographic location were the dominant factors for regional differences in species composition among RTEs.

In the natural environment, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) contamination is one of the major sources of pollution and creates the hazardous threat. Biodegradation is an eco-friendly approach to control such type of pollution and maintain the sustainable environment. The presence of nanoparticles influences the growth ability of polymer-degrading microbes. In the present study, SiO₂ nanoparticles were employed to scrutinize their effect on polymer biodegradation efficiency. LDPE containing minimal salt medium supplemented with SiO₂ nanoparticles (20 nm) at concentration of 0.01% w/v. Out of five bacterial strains, Bacillus sp. V8 and Pseudomonas sp. C 2 5 were found to be the most potential strains for polymer degradation. SiO₂ nanoparticles improved growth profiling by shifting in lag phase, and it was also found effective to increase the biodegradation efficiency of bacterial strains by means of λ-max shifts, and Fourier transform infrared analysis revealed the formation or alteration of the chemical structure of the degraded polymer. The values of λ-max were shifted 217–227, 211–226, 209–224, 210–225, and 214–224 in the presence of Bacillus sp. strain V8, Pseudomonas sp. strain C 2 5, Pseudomonas sp. strain V1, Acinetobacter sp. strain V4, and Paracoccus sp. strain B1 4-, respectively. Fourier transform infrared analysis showed absorption frequencies of bacteria-treated polymers corresponding to 3049, 3275, 3527.8, 2196, and 3034 and confirmed the C–H stretching, O–H stretching, and C≡H stretching, respectively. The study signifies the bacteria–nanoparticles interactions that significantly influence the competence of polymer degradation.