An integrated decision-support process for adaptation planning: climate change as impetus for scenario planning in an agricultural region of Canada

The amount of information required to adapt to climate change is vast: downscaled climate projections, information on environmental impact, sectoral performance, external drivers, regional strategies, policies and practices. It can be argued that most of this information is accessible at the community/regional level, and thus, the important challenges to adaptation are not information gaps, but constraints created by fragmented planning decisions and a sector-by-sector basis for financial and human resource allocations. To strategically address this through adaptation planning, we developed and tested a place-based decision-making framework that creates an integrated platform for considering regional and global sectoral drivers in Eastern Ontario, Canada. Using available socioeconomic and biophysical information from regional authorities, alternative future scenarios were used to describe the range of socioeconomic futures and their vulnerabilities to climate change. We found that: (1) integration of diverse sets of available data (rather than narrowly focused sectoral assessments) helped identify shared common objectives (maximizing the long-term environmental, economic, social well-being within the region), (2) a high degree of congruence existed as the key drivers of change, irrespective of sector, (3) exploring the future scenarios highlighted shared regional priorities and helped identify adaptation priorities requiring more integrated regional planning.     

基于修正场模型的区域空间结构演变及空间整合〖HT2”SS〗——以泛长江三角洲为例

随着长江三角洲经济发展及其面临问题,长三角泛化已成为必然,研究泛长三角空间结构演变有利于正确认识和把握其空间发展态势,从而为泛长三角区域一体化进程提供问题依据。以场强模型为基石,根据扩散理论,构建了场对数扩散效应模型,从城市场这一新视角分析了泛长三角区域空间演进过程。泛长三角城市影响区自改革开放以来经历了疏点-“之”-“几”-“皮皮虾”-“鳊鱼”5种空间形态;根据这一空间形态极其演变规律提炼出疏点类型、散块类型、条带类型、团块类型、板块类型五种空间结构类型;在此基础上,由“以点建轴,以轴布面”思想,以产业结构整体升级为引导,对泛长三角区域进行空间整合,形成由三级中心城市、三级发展轴线以及内核城市群、邻接城市群和外缘城市群组成的核心-边缘结构三级产业城市群。     

Impact of Regional Economy on Internal Migration in Yangtze Delta： Based on Panel Data

Metropolitan Shanghai, in Yangtze River Delta （YRD）, plays undoubtedly the leading role in the economic development in China, and becomes one of the most important population congregation areas. It is also widely regarded as the sixth uprising urban agglomeration in the world. Based on the quantitative studies on basic socioeconomic and demographic profile on the number and transition of population, this paper concluded that the migration is the key factor for population dynamics in YRD. Then, what are the regional economic factors affecting the migration of different cities in YRD？ The panel data show that the different wage level is the most important factor that affects the immigration in YRD. Moreover, the ratio of industry sector and service sector has an impact on attracting immigration. However, per-capital GDP and the share of foreign direct investment （FDI） to GDP have dual-side impact： not high per-capital GDP and FDI bring the high immigration.     

转型期中国城市用地结构动态演变及其机理——基于长三角51个样本城市的实证研究

城市用地结构演变一直是学术界关注的焦点,但是已往学者主要关注于单体城市的研究,而对全球化背景下大都市区或城镇密集地区的研究尚显不足。为此,通过构造城市用地结构演变动力分析框架,并基于2000、2005和2010年《中国城市建设统计年鉴》的城市用地结构数据,对中国经济转型最快、市场化程度最高的长三角51个样本城市用地结构演变特征进行系统分析。结果表明:随着工业化与城市化进程演进,长三角城市正经历着以居住与工业用地增长为主导的空间重构;发达地区(或高级城市)凭借先发优势,其城市用地变化动态度逐渐减小,结构趋于成熟稳定;而相对落后地区(或低级城市)由于工业化进程相对较慢,其用地结构调整规律也较发达地区滞后。总体上,长三角地区城市用地结构总体变动趋于均等化,城市用地结构演变的"热点区"逐渐由发达地区大城市转向相对欠发达地区中小城市。通过对城市用地结构演变规律分析发现,在城市土地利用的复杂巨系统中,全球化与城市化共同驱动下的市场、政府和居民的行为共同促进了城市用地结构演变。     

基于DPSIR概念模型的农业可持续发展宏观分析

DPSIR概念模型继承了PSR模型的优点，是分析评估环境系统有效工具，本文以DPISR概念模型为指导，系统分析了农业业系统的现状，塑造这一现状的驱动力和压力，探讨了农业对于互不干涉和人类健康的影响，以及实现农业可持续发展的政策响应，目的是建立农业可持续发展的指标体系和实现农业资源的优化配置，本文认为DPSIR概念模型有利于分析复杂系统的因果关系，能有效整合资源开发，环境保护和经济发展。     

上海大都市区物流企业区位分布特征及其演化

物流企业的空间分布决定城市物流空间格局、影响城市资源和生产空间的合理配置。以上海大都市区1995年以来物流企业属性数据为基础，综合应用区位商、平均最近邻、核密度及协同区位商等测度方法，探究各类物流企业的区位及其演化特征。研究发现：（1）受资源禀赋、区位条件及发展定位不同的影响，上海大都市区物流业发展水平存在明显的时空异质性，区域各类物流企业的时空发展水平差异显著；（2）上海大都市区物流企业正由“中心布局”转变为多“核心-边缘”模式，在中心区集聚极化的同时，郊区外围也集聚分布了大量物流企业，城市物流空间不断向外围扩张；（3）货代类和综合物流类企业通过信息共享、服务零库存等因素，促进企业间的共位选择；其他类型物流企业由于地域分工、企业选址分散，则出现了区位互斥现象。研究揭示了上海大都市区物流空间区位特征，既补充了城市物流的理论研究，也为今后城市物流业和物流设施发展提供借鉴     

Research on the hierarchical structure of the metropolitan system and economic development of the provincial capital urban circle in Shandong

Regional development is the trend for future urbanization, and the urban circle is a highly efficient economic spatial pattern of regional development. This study selects statistical data of urban area population, GDP, and the output value of tertiary industry for seven cities in China – Jinan, Zibo, Tai’an, Laiwu, Dezhou, Liaocheng, and Binzhou – in the Shandong provincial capital urban circle from 2005 to 2009. It uses the principles and Zipf model, rank-size rule, and Lotka logarithmic model to analyze and study the hierarchical structure of the metropolitan system and economic development of the Shandong provincial capital urban circle. Based on the above research, this paper provides references for decision-making on enhancement of the metropolitan system structure, improvement in core city primacy index, the optimal adjustment of industrial structure and the optimal allocation of essential resources.     

基于系统动力学的城市洪涝韧性仿真研究 ——以南京市为例

城市是一个开放的、复杂的巨系统，洪涝灾害对该系统中的自然、基础设施、社会经济等要素产生直接或间接影响，理清洪涝灾害与城市系统的交互关系，并评估预测其应对洪涝灾害的韧性能力，有助于韧性城市的规划建设。通过分析洪涝灾害与城市系统要素间的反馈关系，构建了城市洪涝韧性仿真模型，并以南京市为例，设定了现状延续型、经济优先型、规划发展型、韧性发展型4种发展情景，模拟在4种情景下2009～2025年南京市洪涝韧性的动态变化。结果表明：（1）构建的城市洪涝韧性仿真模型能够反映洪涝灾害与城市系统要素间的交互关系，用于预测城市洪涝韧性变化；（2）城市系统中建成区绿化覆盖面积、雨水管网设计标准对城市洪涝韧性影响显著；（3）根据现有城市发展规划，南京市洪涝韧性将不断提升，且优于现状延续发展情景，但与世界典型韧性城市还有一定差距，建议南京市从城市绿化、雨水管网设计标准、经济结构、人口素质等方面提升其洪涝韧性能力。研究结果可为南京市及其它城市韧性城市发展规划制定提供理论与科学依据。     

Simulating spatial pattern of urban growth using GIS-based SLEUTH model: a case study of eastern corridor of Tehran metropolitan region,Iran

Tehran metropolitan region (TMR) has experienced rapid urbanization in the last few decades. This accelerating urbanization trend mainly arising from high natural population growth and rural–urban migration along with rapid socioeconomic changes formed unplanned and uncontrolled urban expansion in peri-urban areas and resulted in degrading environmental quality and considerable changes in the urban landscapes of the TMR. Thus, the main objective of this research is to model spatial pattern of urban growth in eastern corridor of TMR using GIS-based SLEUTH model and the prediction of future developments of the region from 2014 to 2060. The SLEUTH is one of the most powerful models for urban growth modeling. This model analyzes the spatial pattern of urban growth based on historical data obtained from satellite images of 1987, 2003, 2011, and 2014. The results indicate that the most important factors affecting the urban growth are slope resistance and road gravity. The slope resistance is the highest coefficients value, which illustrates the limiting influence of the slopes on general trend of urban growth in eastern corridor of the TMR. The road gravity stands in second place where it displaces orientation of linear form of outlying pattern alongside the transportation network; it represents that the main pattern of urban growth in peri-urban areas of the region have a linear nature and edge expansion due to slope resistance and road-influenced growth, while spread, diffusion, and breed coefficients display low probability of new spreading center and spontaneous growth in the study area. In addition, the prediction of urban growth for 2020–2060 revealed that urban expansion which was 41,500 ha in 2014 will increase to 179,400 ha in 2060 with noticeable growth rate of 145.6 %. Comparing study area and other researches indicate that the urban growth happens in high rate in eastern corridor. One of the main reasons of this growth goes back to the formation of the second homes for residents of Tehran metropolitan city.     

The challenges of water,waste and climate change in cities

Cities play a prominent role in our economic development as more than 80 % of the gross world product (GWP) comes from cities. Only 600 urban areas with just 20 % of the world population generate 60 % of the GWP. Rapid urbanization, climate change, inadequate maintenance of water and wastewater infrastructures and poor solid waste management may lead to flooding, water scarcity, water pollution, adverse health effects and rehabilitation costs that may overwhelm the resilience of cities. These megatrends pose urgent challenges in cities as the cost of inaction is high. We present an overview about population growth, urbanization, water, waste, climate change, water governance and transitions. Against this background, we discuss the categorization of cities based on our baseline assessments, i.e. our City Blueprint research on 45 municipalities and regions predominantly in Europe. With this bias towards Europe in mind, the challenges can be discussed globally by clustering cities into distinct categories of sustainability and by providing additional data and information from global regions. We distinguish five categories of sustainability: (1) cities lacking basic water services, (2) wasteful cities, (3) water-efficient cities, (4) resource-efficient and adaptive cities and (5) water-wise cities. Many cities in Western Europe belong to categories 3 and 4. Some cities in Eastern Europe and the few cities we have assessed in Latin America, Asia and Africa can be categorized as cities lacking basic water services. Lack of water infrastructures or obsolete infrastructures, solid waste management and climate adaptation are priorities. It is concluded that cities require a long-term framing of their sectoral challenges into a proactive and coherent Urban Agenda to maximize the co-benefits of adaptation and to minimize the cost. Furthermore, regional platforms of cities are needed to enhance city-to-city learning and to improve governance capacities necessary to accelerate effective and efficient transitions towards water-wise cities. These learning alliances are needed as the time window to solve the global water governance crisis is narrow and rapidly closing. The water sector can play an important role but needs to reframe and refocus radically.     

Climate change vulnerability and resilience: current status and trends for Mexico

Climate change alters different localities on the planet in different ways. The impact on each region depends mainly on the degree of vulnerability that natural ecosystems and human-made infrastructure have to changes in climate and extreme meteorological events, as well as on the coping and adaptation capacity toward new environmental conditions. This study assesses the current resilience of Mexico and Mexican states to such changes, as well as how this resilience will look in the future. In recent studies (Moss et al. in Vulnerability to climate change: a quantitative approach. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Washington DC, 2001; Brenkert and Malone in Clim Change 72:57–102, 2005; Malone and Brenkert in Clim Change 91:451–476, 2008), the Vulnerability–Resilience Indicators Model (VRIM) is used to integrate a set of proxy variables that determine the resilience of a region to climate change. Resilience, or the ability of a region to respond to climate variations and natural events that result from climate change, is given by its adaptation and coping capacity and its sensitivity. On the one hand, the sensitivity of a region to climate change is assessed, emphasizing its infrastructure, food security, water resources, and the health of the population and regional ecosystems. On the other hand, coping and adaptation capacity is based on the availability of human resources, economic capacity, and environmental capacity. This paper presents two sets of results. First, we show the application of the VRIM to determine state-level resilience for Mexico, building the baseline that reflects the current status. The second part of the paper makes projections of resilience under socioeconomic and climate change and examines the varying sources and consequences of those changes. We used three tools to examine Mexico’s resilience in the face of climate change, i.e., the baseline calculations regarding resilience indices made by the VRIM, the projected short-term rates of socioeconomic change from the Boyd–Ibarrarán computable general equilibrium model, and rates of the IPCC-SRES scenario projections from the integrated assessment MiniCAM model. This allows us to have available change rates for VRIM variables through the end of the twenty-first century.     

Bringing it all together: researcher dialogue to improve synthesis in regional climate adaptation in South-East Queensland,Australia

The effectiveness of climate adaptation policies in one sector can be compromised or aided by policies developed in another sector. When the focus of adaptation is a single geographical region, this potential for interaction between sectoral policies is heightened due to spatial, political and functional proximities. This paper analyses interactions within three suites of climate adaptation options developed for Australia’s ‘South-East Queensland’ region relating to: (1) wetland migration, coastal infrastructure and planned retreat; (2) urban water security and energy demand; and (3) terrestrial biodiversity and agricultural viability. Using the concept of ‘institutional interplay’ to structure a process of dialogue amongst researchers, we identify a number of critical implementation requirements for successful regional-scale adaptation. There is a need for greater focus on neighbourhood or sub-regional scales of policy design and intervention, particularly for the coordination of adapted infrastructure and services to households. Policy-makers must also be more explicit in considering broader drivers of land-use change and economic adjustment likely to impact on proposed adaptations. In considering these issues, our paper also demonstrates a process for conducting cross-sectoral syntheses that can be employed in other regional-scale adaptation studies.     

A quantitative integrated assessment of pollution prevention achieved by Integrated Pollution Prevention Control licensing

This paper presents an innovative, quantitative assessment of pollution avoidance attributable to environmental regulation enforced through integrated licensing, using Ireland's pharmaceutical-manufacturing sector as a case study. Emissions data reported by pharmaceutical installations were aggregated into a pollution trend using an Environmental Emissions Index (EEI) based on Lifecycle Assessment methodologies. Complete sectoral emissions data from 2001 to 2007 were extrapolated back to 1995, based on available data. Production volume data were used to derive a sectoral production index, and determine ‘no-improvement’ emission trends, whilst questionnaire responses from 20 industry representatives were used to quantify the contribution of integrated licensing to emission avoidance relative to these trends. Between 2001 and 2007, there was a 40% absolute reduction in direct pollution from 27 core installations, and 45% pollution avoidance relative to hypothetical ‘no-improvement’ pollution. It was estimated that environmental regulation avoided 20% of ‘no-improvement’ pollution, in addition to 25% avoidance under business-as-usual. For specific emissions, avoidance ranged from 14% and 30 kt a^− 1 for CO₂ to 88% and 598 t a^− 1 for SO_x. Between 1995 and 2007, there was a 59% absolute reduction in direct pollution, and 76% pollution avoidance. Pollution avoidance was dominated by reductions in emissions of VOCs, SO_x and NO_x to air, and emissions of heavy metals to water. Pollution avoidance of 35% was attributed to integrated licensing, ranging from between 8% and 2.9 t a^− 1 for phosphorus emissions to water to 49% and 3143 t a^− 1 for SO_x emissions to air. Environmental regulation enforced through integrated licensing has been the major driver of substantial pollution avoidance achieved by Ireland's pharmaceutical sector — through emission limit values associated with Best Available Techniques, emissions monitoring and reporting requirements, and performance targets specified in environmental management plans. This compliant sector offers a positive, but not necessarily typical, case study of IPPC effectiveness.     

Parameters of well-being and subjective health and their relationship with residential traffic noise exposure--a representative evaluation in Switzerland

In the present paper, the associations between residential traffic noise exposure from the noise sources--road, rail and aircraft--and self-reported indicators of health and well-being are investigated in a representative sample of the Swiss population. The study is based on record linkage of the Swiss GIS Noise Database (SonBase) and the Swiss Household Panel (SHP), a large panel survey with more than 10,000 respondents all over the country. A range of exposure-effect relationships of noise exposure and parameters of health and well-being such as self-reported health status, satisfaction with health, sleep disturbances, the intensity of the wish to move from the current residence as well as the awareness of "noise problems" at the place of living were investigated. Both unadjusted as well as models that controlled for age, sex, socioeconomic status, degree of urbanization at the place of residence, and personal living conditions were developed. A contribution of residential noise exposure as regards subjective estimates of health cannot been ruled out, but must be put into perspective as the effects of exposure measures were of rather small magnitude, especially compared to well-established determinants of health. Against the background of the explanatory power of classic health predictors, the present analyses allow one to gage the contribution of residential noise exposure on subjective health outcomes from a more general, integral point of view.     

1990年以来上海“大都市阴影区”的时空演替]——基于县域尺度单元的分析

概述了“大都市阴影区”的演化机制，利用断裂点公式、K means聚类和空间相关性等方法划分了上海的影响圈层与范围，界定了1990~2010年的上海“大都市阴影区”，并对其进行了时空分析。研究表明：(1)“大都市阴影区”的构造可以分为两种类型，即“阴影区”和“半阴影区”；(2)“大都市阴影区”是处于动态变化中的区域，与中心城市、外围地区以及阴影区城市（县、城镇）3者密切相关；(3)上海“大都市阴影区”和“次阴影区”通过20 a的时间演变，在逐渐消减；(4)目前上海“大都市阴影区”主要存在于以上海为中心的南北两翼     

Building blocks of economic resilience to climate change: a south east Australian fisheries example

Climate change will impact on ecological, social, and economic elements of fisheries; however, the three are seldom considered in an integrated fashion. We develop a fishery-level assessment of economic resilience to climate change for the Tasmanian rock lobster fishery, a linked social–ecological system. We outline the main climate change forcing influences that link climate change to the fishery via changes in lobster abundance, distribution, and phenology. Using a bottom-up approach, we identify twelve economic attributes strongly related to the fisheries’ economic resilience to climate change. Resilience attributes are grouped according to the level of the economic domain (business, sectoral, and governance). Attributes are then evaluated to determine the overall economic resilience of the rock lobster fishery in the context of the specific nature of predicted climate change effects. We identify areas of low resilience in the economic sub-system for this fishery. Evaluating the economic resilience of regional fisheries using this integrated, interdisciplinary framework provides a practical, parsimonious, and conceptually sound basis for undertaking comprehensive and contextually tailored assessments of climate change impacts and economic vulnerability. The framework can be extended to include a broader range of climate change impacts and the social domain of the human sub-system.     

Towards Sustainable Urban Environmental Management in Jiangyin city,East China

Abstract

Dramatic economic and social changes have taken place in Jiangyin city due to rapid and uneven urbanization and industrialization. The environmental degradation has followed driven by these changes since the 1980's. With the pressures and effects of environmental deterioration, the city has implemented environmental management to hold back the trends of negative environmental changes. From the viewpoint of systems, DPSER is a good model for urban environmental changes to understand the causes, pressure, state, effect, existing responses and future action strategies. We took Jiangyin city, a developed city in South Jiangsu province, East China, as an example, and analyzed the characteristics of environmental changes and urban responses using DPSER model. Some operational strategies have been put forward to direct the city environmental management towards a sustainable road step by step.     

Paired Border Towns or TwinCities from Finland and China

This paper discusses cross-border cooperation at the level of urban socio-economic systems. Worldwide, cross-border urban cooperation has in several cases produced socio-economic and political coherence supported by various joint programs and efforts. However, the degree of coherence varies and seldom creates socio-economically and politically tightly integrated ＂Twin- Cities＂ where the state border becomes highly transparent or obscure. Focusing on Finlan d and China, our aim is to identify whether the selected border towns represent coherent TwinCities or a more loose type of ＂paired border towns＂. The study uses an empirical examination of three Finnish towns （Helsinki, Tornio, Imatra） and their neighboring towns in Estonia, Sweden, and Russia as a benchmark. Then, a comparative study is made regarding three Chinese cross-border cities facing Russia, Vietnam and Kazakhstan. We highlight the differences in cross-border integration from the viewpoint of shared public sector programs, cross-border enterprise relocation and networking, and integrated social sector in terms of labor market, education and shopping area.     

Acid sulfate soils and human health—A Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

Acid sulfate soils have been described as the “nastiest soils on earth” because of their strong acidity, increased mobility of potentially toxic elements and limited bioavailability of nutrients. They only cover a small area of the world's total problem soils, but often have significant adverse effects on agriculture, aquaculture and the environment on a local scale. Their location often coincides with high population density areas along the coasts of many developing countries. As a result, their negative impacts on ecosystems can have serious implications to those least equipped for coping with the low crop yields and reduced water quality that can result from acid sulfate soil disturbance. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment called on by the United Nations in 2000 emphasised the importance of ecosystems for human health and well-being. These include the service they provide as sources of food and water, through the control of pollution and disease, as well as for the cultural services ecosystems provide. While the problems related to agriculture, aquaculture and the environment have been the focus of many acid sulfate soil management efforts, the connection to human health has largely been ignored. This paper presents the potential health issues of acid sulfate soils, in relation to the ecosystem services identified in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. It is recognised that significant implications on food security and livelihood can result, as well as on community cohesiveness and the spread of vector-borne disease. However, the connection between these outcomes and acid sulfate soils is often not obvious and it is therefore argued that the impact of such soils on human well-being needs to be recognised in order to raise awareness among the public and decision makers, to in turn facilitate proper management and avoid potential human ill-health.     

Climate change adaptation and cross-sectoral policy coherence in southern Africa

To be effective, climate change adaptation needs to be mainstreamed across multiple sectors and greater policy coherence is essential. Using the cases of Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia, this paper investigates the extent of coherence in national policies across the water and agriculture sectors and to climate change adaptation goals outlined in national development plans. A two-pronged qualitative approach is applied using Qualitative Document Analysis of relevant policies and plans, combined with expert interviews from non-government actors in each country. Findings show that sector policies have differing degrees of coherence on climate change adaptation, currently being strongest in Zambia and weakest in Tanzania. We also identify that sectoral policies remain more coherent in addressing immediate-term disaster management issues of floods and droughts rather than longer-term strategies for climate adaptation. Coherence between sector and climate policies and strategies is strongest when the latter has been more recently developed. However to date, this has largely been achieved by repackaging of existing sectoral policy statements into climate policies drafted by external consultants to meet international reporting needs and not by the establishment of new connections between national sectoral planning processes. For more effective mainstreaming of climate change adaptation, governments need to actively embrace longer-term cross-sectoral planning through cross-Ministerial structures, such as initiated through Zambia’s Interim Climate Change Secretariat, to foster greater policy coherence and integrated adaptation planning.