Methanol is one of the most abundant volatile organic gases in the atmosphere, and whilst much is known about the sources of methanol, much less is known about the sinks. Methylotrophs are able to use one carbon compounds, such as methanol, as their sole source of carbon and energy. Seawater enrichments with methanol gave rise to the isolation of a novel species of the methylotroph Methylophaga. Some methylotrophs require a rare earth element (REE) when using the alternative methanol dehydrogenase (MDH) XoxF for growth on methanol. Addition of REEs to methanol seawater enrichments, using coastal waters from the south coast of the United Kingdom, showed REE stimulated methanol oxidation, whilst amplicon sequencing of the xoxF5 gene revealed relative increases in unknown sequences. Isolation from enrichments containing lanthanum allowed the cultivation of a new member of the Roseobacter clade, strain La 6. A mutant in the only MDH gene in the genome and complementation and enzyme assays of this strain revealed the essential nature of xoxF during growth on methanol and ethanol. Genome sequencing revealed that stain La 6 has the largest genome of all Roseobacters, at 6.79 Mbp. This facultative methylotroph is metabolically very versatile, growing on some alkanes and aromatic compounds but it was also able to degrade and synthesise DMSP. Multilocus sequence analysis suggests that whilst it shares the core genes with subgroup 1 of the Roseobacters, it shares very little of its pangenome, suggesting unique genetic adaptations. Given this data, the new strain is proposed to be a new genus in the Roseobacter clade. Attempts to express different xoxF sequences in the xoxF mutant of La 6 revealed no phenotype, suggesting there may be as yet unidentified regulatory or accessory mechanisms involved during growth on methanol in this bacterium.

SRC willow for bioenergy is a promising source of renewable energy for temperate climates such as the UK. Mass deployment of this technology will require substantial land use change, which will have consequential effects on ecosystem services. In order to avoid competition with food, bioenergy production has been proposed for cultivation on degraded or marginal land. In the UK, this land will likely come in the form of ex set-aside grasslands. The aim of this work was to quantify the greenhouse gas (GHG) balance of land use change (LUC) to 2G bioenergy, with a particular focus on SRC willow. A systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that a conversion from arable cropping to second generation bioenergy results in an increase in soil carbon, whereas a conversion from forest results in a loss of soil carbon. Transitions from grasslands to SRC were shown to be broadly neutral, whereas a transition to perennial grasses such as Miscanthus there was a loss in soil carbon. This work highlighted the limited long-term empirical data available surrounding the effects of LUC to bioenergy, with particular uncertainty surrounding grasslands. A field site was established at commercial scale in the south of England to conduct a side-by-side comparison of the net ecosystem exchange (NEE), soil GHG fluxes and soil properties of an ex-set aside grassland and SRC willow plantation. There was also the opportunity to capture the effects of a commercial harvest of SRC willow on net gas exchange. After three years of measurements, net ecosystem exchange (NEE) indicated that SRC willow was a net sink for carbon and grassland was a net source. Soil respiration was lower in SRC willow than in grassland. Soil fluxes of nitrous oxide and methane were low at both sites and did not contribute a significant portion of the GHG balance of these land uses. However, there was net emission of methane from grassland and a net uptake from the SRC willow over the measurement period. Soil carbon in the upper 30 cm portion was higher in grassland than in SRC willow, however for the whole 100 cm profile there was no significant difference between land uses. The effects of a commercial harvest were detected in the SRC willow where there was an increase in NEE and ecosystem respiration (Reco). Despite these increases in NEE and Reco, the site became a net sink of carbon again as soon as 3 weeks post-disturbance. Soil chemistry analysis revealed that a conversion from grassland to SRC willow results in increased bulk density and a lower soil moisture. Overall, these results suggest that a transition from grassland to SRC willow could result in GHG savings, though this is likely to be highly site and management specific. SRC willow is able to act as a sink for carbon which could have positive implications for climate change mitigation. Soil carbon differences between sites indicate that the SRC willow is still in the recovery phase for soil carbon, and these differences are likely due to the larger input of organic material in the grassland where it is mowed and left on site. Management plays a large part in determining the whole GHG balance of the grassland ecosystem and this will need to be considered for future land use change scenarios. Grasslands remain one of the most viable options for land use change to bioenergy to avoid large loss of soil carbon (such as those observed from forest transitions) and competition with food crops, though decisions to convert land will require a site by site evaluation.

Carbon capture & storage (CCS) is at the technological forefront in the challenge of reducing carbon emissions. The most viable approach to implementing CCS within existing coal and natural gas power stations is the post-combustion capture of CO2 by absorption into amine solutions within packed column absorbers. CFD modelling is an important aspect in the design and optimisation of this process. However, significant challenges arise due to the large range of spatial scales and the complexity of the physics being modelled. Therefore, simplification of the problem is required to complete such simulations using the computational resources currently available. This thesis explores some of the approaches used to model flow within packed columns. It concludes that, with current computing resources, standard modelling approaches are not viable for large scale simulations of CCS. This led to the development of the Enhanced Surface Film (ESF) model. The ESF approach was able to simulate chemically enhanced absorption of gaseous species into thin liquid films. The method significantly reduced the computational resources required and is a significant step to enable future researchers to model larger domains in CCS. The ESF approach has wide ranging applications due to the ubiquitous nature of liquid films across the industrial and environmental sectors. In many industries the dynamics of thin liquid films play a crucial role in the overall performance. Further applications may include thin film microreactors, surface coating, biofluids and medical applications.

Understanding warm climate states is increasingly important as projections of anthropogenic climate change indicate atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations in the coming century not previously seen on Earth for tens of millions of years. The Eocene (~56-34 Ma) is a critical period in the long-term Cenozoic climate evolution, encompassing the transition from widespread greenhouse warmth and high atmospheric carbon dioxide levels pervasive during the early Eocene to an icehouse world with major Antarctic ice sheets and cooler temperatures. Increasingly, it has become apparent that global climate during this transition was not gradual; the middle Eocene is characterized by significant short-term climate variability with recent findings including both transient warming and cooling events. However, the timing, and nature of many of the climate fluctuations during this interval are poorly constrained. To this end, this thesis aims to better characterize the long-term background trends and investigate the nature of short-term transient perturbations during the greenhouse climate of the middle Eocene. In Chapter 2, new nine million year long benthic foraminiferal stable isotope records (~46 to 38 Ma) generated from recently drilled equatorial Pacific sediments with excellent age control are presented. These are the first records to document that the seven enigmatic equatorial Pacific Carbon Accumulation Events (CAEs) are not associated with transient global cooling and/or glaciation events, as previously hypothesized. Further, new carbonate accumulation records in Chapter 3 provide the first robust evidence for the presence of CAEs 3 and 4 in the Atlantic basin. Together, these findings constrain the feasibility of potential CAE forcing mechanisms and imply that there are only two viable mechanisms; (1) solute flux from continental weathering, and (2) increased organic carbon burial from marine assemblage changes. A new compilation (including new and published records) of carbonate accumulation records from a paleodepth transect (2-4 km) in the Atlantic and Pacific basins provides the first multi-basin look at deep-sea carbonate burial at high temporal resolution across the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum global warming event (~40 Ma). New CCD and lysocline interpretations reveal for the first time that multiple rapid fluctuations (< 100 kyrs) and extreme lysocline shoaling (reaching > 2 km water depth) are superimposed on long-term trends. This finding implies multiple pulses of carbon input to the ocean–atmosphere system during the MECO and provides critical time constraints to potential forcing mechanisms, which have so far remained elusive. In the final Chapter 4, new lithological and geochemical data from the Atlantic and Pacific Basins are presented which reveal the global nature of the transient ‘C19r event’ (~41.5 Ma) and confirm that the event meets the criteria to be defined as a ‘hyperthermal’. Further, analyses of the stable isotope datasets suggests that the C19r event was not exceptional and is one (albeit the most extreme) of a large number of transient ‘warming’ events throughout the middle Eocene, adding to the growing body of data implying that hyperthermal occurrence is pervasive outside of the very warm late Paleocene and early Eocene.

The research examines the decision-making processes of African Leaders in the context of a common international issue. The Theory of Bounded Rationality is utilised as theoretical framework. More specifically, the research explores how a group of African Leaders come together to make a common decision known as the Common African Position in relation to the succession to the Kyoto Protocol under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The originality of the research is contributed by decision-making processes utilising the Bounded Rationality Theory in the context of climate change. This is taken further by utilising the model in the decision-making processes of African Leaders as limited research has been conducted in this field in Africa. Researchers have argued that whilst extensive research has been undertaken in the US and UK, only a limited amount has been conducted in other regions (Elbanna and Child 2007). Furthermore, Hoskisson, et. al.,. (2000) argues that research on strategy practice in emerging economies such as China, and Latin America has not been matched with other regions such as, Africa and the Middle East. The originality of the research is also presented by the uniqueness of the case study. The study was conducted during the largest ever political gathering of world leaders – The Fifteen Session of the Conference of the Parties and the Fifth Session of the Meeting of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP15) in Copenhagen, Denmark in December 2009. COP15 comprised 120 Heads of States and Governments and 193 national delegations including Member States of the continent of Africa. The research design was qualitative in nature. The methods for the primary data collection were Semi-structured Interviews, Focus Groups and Participant-Observation. Participants were Heads of Government, Ministers and other leaders, i.e. Secretary Generals, Ambassadors and Directors. Secondary data in the form of books, speeches, articles, newspapers, briefs and other publications were also utilised. The data was analysed using content analysis. The analyses revealed that the decision-making processes commenced two years before COP15. The decision-making processes were definitive, co-ordinated and structured involving a wide number of strategic organisations to the continent of Africa, i.e. the African Union Commission (AUC). The decision-making processes were largely followed by the group of African Leaders prior to and during the initial week of COP15. However, during the High-level Segment the dis-unity amongst African Member States became apparent. Bi-lateral deals with developed nations outside the African Common Position were at play, especially by South Africa and Ethiopia. The final outcome of COP15, the ‘Copenhagen Accord’ further revealed the decision-making processes and decisions made by African Leaders were irrational. Individual country interests were paramount, resulting in a total failure by the African Group to maintain the Common African Position. The findings also revealed that due to the diverse nature of the impact of climate change on different African regions, the implications of a common decision in addressing climate change in the future should be circumvented. Limitations of the study include the high security level during COP15 due to the attendance of world leaders, the immense size of the event in terms of participants, and the large number of meetings, which made it impossible for the researcher to follow all activities that were pertinent to decision-making. The research makes contributions to academia and to practice. Academically, in the field of strategic decision-making and by the use of Bounded Rationality; and the application of the Theory of Bounded Rationality in the context of the decision-making processes of African Leaders is novel in the literature further contributed by the extraordinary United Nations COP15 Conference. Furthermore, the results support the assumptions of Bounded Rationality in decision-making. In the field of practice, it suggests ways in which the decision-making processes of African Leaders in an international setting can be improved as it relates to climate change. The research concludes with recommendations, areas for further research in the field of strategic decision-making and a reflection of the research journey.

Global climate change is one of the biggest environmental problems the planet is facing, which is thought be a result of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study investigates climate change and GHG emissions reporting in Russia, one of the biggest GHG emitters in the world. The study draws from neo-institutional theory. The empirical analysis was carried out in several stages: analysis of the Russian context; quantitative content analysis of GHG emissions; qualitative content analysis of climate change related disclosures; followed by in-depth analysis of managers’ and accountants’ perceptions of climate change issues. Contradictory logics imposed by the institutional and market context lead organizations to seek the “win-win” approach to climate change issue, where the company can be profitable and environmentally friendly. The findings also show the difference in the approach to climate change problem across different sectors, suggesting that industries diffuse appropriate templates within a sector. At the same time, results demonstrate the variations within sectors. The results of also demonstrate that the change in practice takes place if a new practice is supported by a powerful group, for example by the board of directors. The findings show direct relationship between companies’ size and GHG disclosures. The results also demonstrate that financial resources play important role in changing the practice. These findings support Greenwood and Hinings’ (1996) suggestion that companies need a capacity for change to be able to manage the process of change to a new disclosure practice. The originality of the study is in its focus on a developing/transitional economy, with the in-depth analysis of Russia’s context. It is suggested that application of a neo-institutional perspective in the analysis of the accounting practice within a transitional/developing economy is particularly useful. Application of a mixed methods approach allows understanding climate change related disclosures among Russian companies and appreciating the reasons behind those (non-)disclosures.

One of the legacies of the UK’s military nuclear programme has been the generation of inventories of radioactively contaminated soils as a result of historical practices, leakages and spillages. Electrokinetic (EK) Remediation has long been considered a potential technology for remediation of soils with low hydraulic conductivity. This thesis examines the development of EK as a potential treatment technology for actinide contaminated soils and wastes, using waste soils from the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) PLC Aldermaston site (Berkshire, UK) as a test medium.

Anthropogenically induced changes to the Earth's climate system are widely accepted to be one of the greatest threats to the sustainable future of humanity. Greenhouse gas emissions constitute the largest driving factor behind these changes, and with annual emissions still increasing further perturbation is projected. Accurate quantification of these emissions, broken down both spatially and sectorally, is vitally important in guiding effective policy for emission reduction at both national and international levels. This thesis focusses on methods to improve top-down estimates for greenhouse gas emissions within the UK, using data sampled on board the UK atmospheric research aircraft. Novel instrumentation and analytical techniques are presented and evaluated, based on measurements made as part of the GAUGE (Greenhouse gAs UK and Global Emissions) and MAMM (Methane and other greenhouse gases in the Arctic: Measurements, process studies and Modelling) projects. A new quantum cascade laser absorption spectrometer (QCLAS) for measuring CH4 and N2O on board the aircraft has been characterised. Its performance was evaluated over 17 flights during summer 2016, and a sensitivity to changes in aircraft cabin pressure was observed. A new calibration procedure was derived to minimise the effect of this sensitivity on the data, and the impact of this new procedure was quantified through analysis of in-flight target cylinder measurements and comparison against simultaneous CH4 measurements made using a previously characterised analyser. The impact of water vapour on the retrievals was also investigated, with superior results derived by directly including line broadening due to water vapour in the mole fraction retrieval algorithm. Applying the new calibration procedure to the data, total 1-sigma uncertainties of 2.47 ppb for CH4 and 0.54 ppb for N2O have been calculated for 1 Hz measurement. The British Isles CH4 flux has been derived for a case study on 12 May 2015, using aircraft and ground-based sampling and a combination of local dispersion modelling, global chemical transport modelling and a composite inventory comprised of anthropogenic and natural sources. A new multiple variable regression technique was used to compare measured and modelled CH4 mole fractions, and to derive scale factors used to estimate posterior fluxes based on prior inventory values. A maximal range for the total British Isles CH4 flux has been calculated to be 67 kg/s -- 121 kg/s, with a central estimate of 103 kg/s based on an assessment of the most likely apportionnment of model uncertainty. A further case study measuring CO2, CH4 and CO fluxes from London and surrounding urban areas using a mass balance technique has also been performed. Fluxes have been found to be a factor of ~0.7 lower for CH4, ~0.8 lower for CO, and ~1.3 higher for CO2, relative to a similar study in 2012. Likely sources of difference between the derived fluxes, as well as the overall utility of this technique, have been assessed.

The main objective of this thesis is to develop a robust statistical model by accounting the non-linear relationships between hospital admissions due to lower respiratory (LR) disease and factors of climate and pollution, and their delayed effects on hospital admissions. This study also evaluates whether the model fits can be improved by considering the non-linearity of the data, delayed effect of the significant factors, and thus calculate threshold levels of the significant climate and pollution factors for emergency LR hospital admissions. For the first time three unique administrative datasets were merged: Hospital Episode Statistics, Met office observational data for climate factors, and data from London Air Quality Network. The results of the final GLM, showed that daily temperature, rain, wind speed, sun hours, relative humidity, and PM10 significantly affected the LR emergency hospital admissions. Then, we developed a Distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) model considering the significant climate and pollution factors. Time and ‘day of the week’ was incorporated as linear terms in the final model. Higher temperatures around ≥270C a quicker effect of 0-2 days lag but lower temperatures (≤00C) had delayed effects of 5-25 days lag. Humidity showed a strong immediate effect (0-3 days) of the low relative humidity at around ≤40% and a moderate effect for higher humidity (≥80%) with lag period of 0-2 days. Higher PM10 around ≥70-μg/m3 has both shorter (0-3 days) and longer lag effects (15-20 days) but the latter one is stronger comparatively. A strong effect of wind speed around ≥25 knots showed longer lag period of 8-15 days. There is a moderate effect for a shorter lag period of 0-3 days for lower wind speed (approximately 2 knots). We also notice a stronger effect of sun hours around ≥14 hours having a longer lag period of 15-20 days and moderate effect between 1-2 hours of 5-12 days lag. Similarly, higher amount of rain (≥30mm) has stronger effects, especially for the shorter lag of 0-2 days and longer lag of 7- 10 days. So far, very little research has been carried out on DLNM model in such research area and setting. This PhD research will contribute to the quantitative assessment of delayed and non-linear lag effects of climate and pollutants for the Greater London region. The methodology could easily be replicated on other disease categories and regions and not limited to LR admissions. The findings may provide useful information for the development and implementation of public health policies to reduce and prevent the impact of climate change on health problems.

Freshwater swamp forests are wetland ecosystems of global importance, especially because they provide very valuable ecosystem services such as regulation of flood and maintenance of water quality, and provide suitable habitat for the conservation of wetland ecosystems (flora and fauna). Though they are hosts to important biodiversity as in other tropical ecosystems, their ecology, function and contribution to ecosystem services are poorly understood. With poor baseline data on this threatened ecosystem across the Niger Delta region and the entire West African region, this thesis explores its ecology, biogeography and the capacity to which this ecosystem sequester carbon, in a bid to better prioritize and inform effective conservation and management. Floristic compositions of the ecosystem were varied in density, diversity and rarity across undisturbed, disturbed and transition (mangrove-freshwater) zones. A total of 138 species within 100 genera and 41 families of taxa were identified across the 24 one hectare forest plots; with variations in dominance according to each of the zones. With a stem density which ranged from 94 – 506 stems ha-1, the ecosystem was seen to be comparable with other tropical forest ecosystems, but were poorer in species richness as a result of the environmental constraints associated with the swamp. Though disturbance (local factors) influenced the pattern of species distribution to a great extent, environmental (regional factors) equally contributed to this variation. Above ground carbon estimates (AGC) were also similar to other African forest ecosystems, with the estimates varying at the plot level mainly due to disturbance gradients. Other variables that contributed to AGC variations included the floristic composition (which were found to be more carbon dense towards the transition zones), tree structure and climatic variables. Other ecosystem services derived from the ecosystem (timber and non-timber forest products) were found to be a major source of sustenance and income generation at varying levels. Household usage and dependence on the forests were mainly influenced by the degrees of remoteness of each community, and whether each of the households had other alternative sources of livelihood. With a poor perception of decline in ecosystem services with usage, the forests has steadily shrunk and degraded.