城镇化对中国碳排放的影响及作用渠道

在新型城镇化进程不断推进的背景下,研究城镇化对碳排放的影响及作用渠道具有较强的现实意义。本研究依托Black、Henderson城市化模型和Stokey污染模型,在最优化框架下推导城镇化、人力资本积累、清洁生产和碳排放之间的作用机制。理论分析表明,人力资本积累和清洁生产都是城镇化影响碳排放的作用渠道,城镇化可以通过对人力资本积累和清洁生产等渠道来抑制地区碳排放。基于2000-2012年的中国省际面板数据,构建常住人口城镇化率、户籍人口城镇化率和半城镇化率三个城镇化指标,使用固定效应模型、考虑异方差和序列相关因素的固定效应模型和动态面板数据模型三种估计方法,实证分析城镇化通过人力资本积累和清洁生产对我国碳排放的影响机制。研究结果表明:首先,样本期间内,中国的城镇化进程对碳排放存在正向影响,但是城镇化会通过人力资本积累和清洁生产技术推广来抑制这种不利影响;其次,在控制其他变量的情况下,人力资本积累有利于我国碳减排进程,人力资本积累渠道会弱化城镇化对碳排放的正向作用,也即人力资本积累会降低城镇化对碳排放的边际影响;最后,在控制其他变量的情况下,清洁生产也有利于我国碳减排进程,清洁生产渠道也会弱化城镇化对碳排放的正向作用,和人力资本积累渠道相比,清洁生产渠道对城镇化和碳排放之间关系的边际影响显著性降低。因此,在我国新型城镇化背景下如何强化城镇化对人力资本积累和清洁生产技术推广的作用是避免城镇化进程中出现"高碳锁定"的关键路径。     

中国对外直接投资对碳排放的影响及传导机制——基于多重中介模型的实证

已有关于对外直接投资(OFDI)对母国碳排放的研究多集中于对二者净影响的分析,对OFDI促成碳排放真正诱导机制的探讨则关注甚少。基于此,文章选取2004—2017年省际面板数据,探析中国对外直接投资与母国碳排放的关系及其影响机制,通过构建多重中介效应模型,分别采用偏差矫正的非参数百分位Bootstrap法和逐步回归法,实证检验产业结构升级、绿色技术创新、要素市场扭曲及经济规模扩张对OFDI影响碳排放的传导机制,并分析二元梯度下OFDI对碳排放的不同作用路径。研究发现:(1)OFDI对母国碳排放的影响表现出多维性关系,既存在加剧碳排放的直接影响,也有通过中介变量抑制碳排放的间接效应;(2)OFDI主要通过助推产业结构升级、促进绿色技术创新和缓解要素市场扭曲三条路径对母国碳排放产生间接抑制效应,而通过经济规模扩张反而加剧了碳排放;(3)将OFDI划分为二元梯度的分样本讨论中,顺梯度投资通过产业结构升级和缓解要素市场扭曲对碳排放产生抑制效果,而逆梯度投资则通过提升企业绿色技术水平和促进产业结构升级间接降低了碳排放;(4)对外投资还可通过与产业结构和技术创新等变量交互影响对OFDI与碳排放的关系产生负向调节作用。据此,从提升海外投资规模、优化海外投资结构、引导企业进行绿色创新以及推动国际产能合作等方面提出相关政策建议,以期为当前我国进一步扩大对外开放的同时兼顾碳排放治理提供实证支撑和理论依据。     

要素市场扭曲与双向FDI的碳排放规模效应研究

本文利用中国2004—2015年30个省份的数据,首先从规模效应和要素市场扭曲的视角阐述了双向FDI影响地区碳排放的作用机制,进而利用KAYA恒等式对碳排放进行分解,并构建联立方程模型实证检验了全样本和分样本情况下要素市场扭曲与双向FDI影响碳排放的规模效应。结果发现:(1)外商直接投资会通过规模效应显著促进地区碳排放增加,且要素市场扭曲和对外直接投资会通过促进外商直接投资而加剧这一正向影响,这一结论在分样本情况下依旧成立。(2)对外直接投资会通过规模效应显著抑制地区碳排放,且要素市场扭曲会显著促进高经济发展水平组的对外直接投资,但其对低经济发展水平组对外直接投资的影响并不显著;同样,外商直接投资也会通过促进对外直接投资而增强对碳排放的抑制作用,但在分样本情况下这一作用机制有所不同,外商直接投资会显著抑制高经济发展水平组的对外直接投资,但会促进低经济发展水平组的对外直接投资。(3)外商直接投资的增加会加剧地区要素市场扭曲程度,而对外直接投资的增加则会显著抑制要素市场扭曲,这一结论在分样本情况下仍然成立。因此,本文提出如下政策建议:(1)注重对外直接投资所带来的市场净化效应,鼓励企业进行对外直接投资,从而促进母国经济发展水平上升,抑制碳排放。(2)制定以获取绿色环保技术为目的的引资政策,改善外商直接投资结构,进而抑制碳排放。(3)积极引导双向FDI的合理布局,促进双向FDI互动协调发展,重视区域经济发展的阶段性特征,合理调整不同经济发展阶段的引资和对外直接投资政策,形成各区域外商直接投资和对外直接投资之间的相互促进效应,最终抑制碳排放。     

家庭部门生活能源消费碳排放:测度与驱动因素研究

本文运用IPCC的二氧化碳排放量测算方法,在省际层面测度了我国家庭部门直接能源消费碳排放,并基于扩展的STIRPAT和Kaya模型,构建家庭部门直接能源消费碳排放影响因子动态面板数据模型,对我国2003-2012年分省面板数据样本及城乡子样本进行系统GMM估计。本文研究表明,第一,我国城乡家庭部门碳排放总量和人均碳排放在近十年都呈快速上升趋势,家庭部门碳排放的空间分布具有明显的地域差异特征,高碳排放地区主要集中在东、中部地区,西部地区的碳排放水平较低;第二,城乡家庭部门生活能源消费的上期碳排放量对本期碳排放产生重要的正向影响,这反映出我国家庭部门碳排放具有显著的惯性特征和路径依赖性,是一种动态自适应机制;人口规模、居民消费水平、能源消费结构、碳排放强度、能源消费强度和城镇化因素,都对我国居民能源消费碳排放总量及人均碳排放具有显著的影响,城乡之间的家庭能源消费碳排放驱动因素存在差异。本文研究得到如下启示及政策含义:家庭部门碳减排将是一个有步骤、分区域的渐进过程,我国碳减排政策应当兼顾消费升级和碳排放的双重目标,努力构建分层次碳减排的适应性预期机制。具体而言,一方面应着眼于引导和激励居民低碳消费,缓解人口规模增加、消费水平提升和城镇化对家庭部门碳减排的压力;另一方面要通过能源价格改革、财政政策和环境规制政策等优化我国能源消费结构,不断降低煤炭消费比重,提高清洁能源的消费。同时,通过技术创新、设备改造等科技手段提高煤炭利用效率,降低碳排放强度,这些政策将更有利于城镇家庭部门碳减排。     

中国对外直接投资的母国环境效应研究——基于区域差异的视角

本研究基于1999-2010年中国省际面板数据,实证分析了中国对外直接投资的母国环境效应.基于联立方程及情景模拟的结果显示:①对外直接投资对规模、结构与技术的影响机制存在明显的区域差异,此外,规模、结构与技术对工业污染的影响机制也同样存在明显的区域差异,基于传导机制与终端影响的区域异质性,采用区域模型比采用全国模型更加合理;②对外直接投资对区域环境影响充满了不确定性,有赢家,有输家,也有许多地区输赢参半.其中,受益地区往往为经济发达地区(比如,华东),受损地区往往为经济欠发达地区(比如,东北).然而,赢者,其受益机制各有不同;输者,其受损机制也截然有异.③综合看来,对外直接投资产生积极母国环境效应的一般机制在于,产业结构优化效应与逆向技术溢出效应;对外直接投资产生消极母国环境效应的一般机制在于,技术效应与结构效应的非期望传导.可见,因地制宜地制定区域性开放经济政策,对中国对外直接投资向环境友好型转变具有重要意义.     

经济集聚对碳排放强度的影响及传导机制

中国城市群的兴起催生经济集聚,化石能源消耗增多引发碳排放形势愈加严峻,探索经济集聚对碳排放强度的影响及传导机制至关重要。本文以2004-2016年京津冀、长江三角洲、粤港澳大湾区、成渝城市群的61个城市面板数据为研究样本,探索经济集聚与碳排放强度的关系及影响机制,创新性地使用抗日战争时期各城市是否有铁路通过、2003年各城市是否有机场、各城市历年的国家级经济技术开发区数量作为工具变量解决内生性问题,构建中介效应模型分别检验环境规制和城镇化水平对经济集聚影响碳排放强度的传导机制,并分析经济密度异质性下经济集聚对碳排放强度的不同作用路径。结果表明:①经济集聚与碳排放强度之间呈显著的负向关系,现阶段城市经济集聚水平的提高有利于降低碳排放强度;②相对于低经济密度城市,高经济密度城市经济集聚的降碳效果更为明显;③经济集聚不仅直接对碳排放强度产生影响,还通过环境规制与城镇化水平两条路径间接对碳排放强度产生作用,中介效应显著;④低经济密度城市经济集聚对碳排放强度的间接影响主要是通过城镇化水平来传导,而高经济密度城市经济集聚对碳排放强度的间接影响可以靠环境规制和城镇化水平两条路径来实现。据此本文认为,政府应推动城市群经济以促进区域融合发展,实现企业联动合作以提高经济集聚水平。针对经济密度不同的城市治理手段应有所侧重,高经济密度城市应以增强环境规制力度为主要碳减排手段,而低经济密度城市则应通过提高经济集聚水平,改善城市建设水平并最终达到碳减排的目标。     

长江经济带制造业碳排放效率的时空演变及影响因素研究

随着双碳目标的提出,推动长江经济带高质量发展需要提高制造业碳排放效率,促进行业绿色低碳转型。采用2006～2019年长江经济带各省市制造业以及高碳制造行业相关数据,通过超效率SBM模型计算长江经济带制造业碳排放效率,分析其时间、空间变化特征,并通过面板固定效应模型对其影响因素进行研究,结果发现：(1)2006～2019年制造业碳排放效率不断提高;碳排放效率呈“下中上游”递减的空间分布格局,空间差异整体呈缩小趋势。(2)高碳制造行业碳排放效率差异显著,不同高碳制造行业碳排放效率空间分布差异大。(3)行业成长能力、行业能源利用效率、行业规模、人均GDP水平、城镇化率对长江经济带制造业碳排放效率产生正向影响,行业FDI、工业化水平对其产生负向影响;因素对上中下游地区的影响效果具有差异性。因此,需促进长江经济带上中下游地区绿色协调发展,积极推进城镇化建设,提升和完善制造业外商直接投资的效率与结构,加快对传统制造业的转型升级,引导制造业能源利用效率的提升,推动制造业高质量绿色发展。     

城镇化对工业能源消费的门槛效应研究——以长江经济带省份为例

高效能源利用是推动工业发展,进而促使城镇格局演化的重要催化剂,同时城镇化的高速发展对工业能源的消费结构和利用效率提出了进一步的要求,这必将影响到低碳城市建设和环境保护等生态责任目标的实现。选取2003—2012年长江经济带11个省份(直辖市)的相关数据,运用门槛模型对城镇化率、城镇居民人均总收入、能源工业投资、工业总产值、城市人口密度、产业结构等影响工业能源消费的因素进行分析,重点研究城镇化率和工业能源消费的非线性关系和相应的地区差异。结果表明:(1)长江经济带城镇化发展存在着明显的地区差异,上海、浙江等东部地区城镇化发展速度和水平明显优于云南、贵州等中西部地区。云南和贵州2012年的城镇化率远远低于2003年上海、浙江的城镇化率,显示出长江上游和下游之间存在着巨大的发展水平差距。(2)城镇化对工业能源消费存在显著的门槛效应,以城镇化率为门槛变量,存在两个结构变化点,分别为36.9%和48.3%。(3)在第一个门槛点前,城镇化对工业能源消费起抑制作用,前期城镇化的发展导致资源和人口的集聚效应明显,资源的利用效率和配置效率得到提升,从而抑制工业能源消费。在越过第二个门槛点后,城镇化对工业能源消费起正向作用,此时工业的发展和生活消费水准的提升对能源消费提出了更多的要求。最后为促进长江经济带城镇化和工业低碳化的协调发展,提出以下建议:加快长江经济带沿线各省份联动发展,缩小城镇化发展差异;针对城镇化率和工业能源消费的非线性关系,采取相应的措施引导和控制工业能源消费的变化趋势;协调城镇化进程和地区工业能源消耗,促进城镇化的健康发展。     

最终需求的完全碳排放强度变动及其影响因素分析

区别于传统视角的碳排放强度研究,本文从供给和需求,产出和增加值的内在联系出发,提出了最终需求视角下的完全碳排放强度及其消费的完全碳排放强度、投资的完全碳排放强度和出口的完全碳排放强度相关概念和计算方法,并根据合并WIOD形成的1996-2009年的中国非竞争型投入产出表完成了对各类完全碳排放强度的测算,以及对完全碳排放强度的变动的直接贡献率分解,同时对各类完全碳排放强度的变动进行了直接碳排放系数效应、中间投入技术结构效应、增加值系数效应和最终需求规模效应4种驱动因素的SDA分解。结果显示:第一,期间消费的完全碳排放强度均小于投资和出口的完全碳排放强度,且消费的完全碳排放强度对完全碳排放强度变动的直接贡献率要大于投资和出口,表明消费中隐含的碳排放与增加值的比例沿着"集约型"路径不断优化,而出口和投资的增长路径则相对"粗放"。第二,各类完全碳排放强度的减排路径大体一致,直接碳排放系数效应为正,而中间投入技术结构效应、增加值系数效应和最终需求规模效应均为负,暗含投入产出结构、各类需求的隐含增加值系数以及规模变动对碳排放强度下降并没有起到积极作用,而主要源泉还是直接碳排放系数下降。其中直接碳排放系数、中间产品技术结构效应和增加值系数效应的变化在投资的完全碳排放强度中作用较大,而最终需求规模的变化在消费的完全碳排放强度中作用较大。第三,各类完全碳排放强度变化以及其背后的驱动力具有明显的分阶段特征。2002-2004年投资和出口的完全碳排放强度变化促使了完全碳排放强度上升,而2004-2009年则对完全碳排放强度的下降有一定的正贡献。入世以前增加值系数对各类需求的完全碳排放强度下降的贡献为正,而其后贡献为负。其中,在2003-2007年投资和出口的完全碳排放强度变化中表现更为明显。因此,降低碳排放强度是一项系统工程,减排技术仍是最直接和有效的措施,而需求模式调整也是降低碳排放强度的重要手段之一,特别是降低出口和投资的中隐含碳和提高出口和投资中的增加值率,同时也要警惕消费结构变动中如汽车等高能耗产品普及带来的不利影响。     

就业-产业结构协调发展能化解产能过剩吗?

中国工业化进程中的投资失调所导致的就业-产业结构失衡是工业产能过剩的重要原因。本文基于中国2002—2016年的省级面板数据,采用差分GMM估计方法检验了就业-产业结构协调发展影响工业产能过剩的直接效应及产业结构、人力资本与技术进步的调节效应,并分析了直接效应和调节效应的门槛效应。研究发现:①就业-产业结构协调发展对工业产能过剩具有显著的化解效应,但呈现"倒U型"的影响路径。②调节效应的结果显示,非效率的产业结构升级与有偏的技术进步升级抑制了就业-产业结构协调发展对工业产能过剩的化解效应,而人力资本升级不仅促进了就业-产业结构协调发展对工业产能过剩的化解效应,还能有效改善了就业-产业结构对化解工业产能过剩的不利影响。③门槛效应的结果表明,随着经济发展阶段的变迁,就业-产业结构协调发展对工业产能过剩的化解呈现"先促后抑"的影响路径,而技术进步升级在跨过经济发展门槛值前后,则呈现出"先抑后促"的影响路径。以上研究结论意味着,现阶段促进就业-产业结构协调发展与加快人力资本升级,可以成为化解工业产能过剩的新思路。     

WSSD 2002, Latin America and Brazil: Biodiversity and Indigenous People

Latin America comprehends notable variations in terms of natural environment, availability of natural resources, living standards, and demographic patterns. Latin America is a mosaic of cultures, post- and pre-Columbian. The rich variety of life forms discovered and described by chroniclers and traveling naturalists in the Neotropics contributed to the proposal, in mid-XVIIIth century, of a new system of classification and a scientific code of nomenclature for all organisms. Biodiversity was, for many centuries, a source of resources to be exploited in natura. In scientific circles, its inventory became the domain of taxonomists. But modern technology showed how important the miriad of life forms really are as sources of chemical molecules to be engineered as drugs and reassembled as novel manufactured products. We are on the brink of a new agricultural and medical revolution, thanks to the techniques of genetic engineering, which will lead eventually to the elimination of hunger and malnutrition.In this essay, the Brazilian environmental and social heterogeneity will serve as an example to illustrate some key points, which have influenced sustainability policies. The Amazon deforestation and indigenous knowledge (IK), subjects often associated with areas of high biodiversity, are usually the focus of environmental debates. The importance of IK in integrating development, reducing poverty and sustainability are considered together with the intellectual property rights of native populations.In the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) Implementation Plan, a few paragraphs were dedicated to Latin America, because of the pre-existing Action Platform on the Road to Johannesburg 2002, approved in Rio de Janeiro in October 2001. This paper calls attention to the need to draw up specific environmental policies for a region which shows an extremely high cultural and biological diversity, associated with a high availability of forests and water, among other resources.     

湘鄂赣农业资源与专业化区域化方向

湘鄂赣地理位置优越,农业资源丰富,稻谷、茶叶、麻类、棉花、油料、柑桔和淡水产品、禽蛋、肉类等在我国居有重要的地位,因此,大力发展三省农业生产,对我国人民实现小康生活具有战略意义。今后,要加速专业化区域化进程。我们找出生产潜力所在:改造低产田、低产园、低产水面;开发“三高”技术;开垦荒地、荒山、荒水;适当提高复种指数。通过建设,三省主要农产品将自给有余,还可满足国内外市场的需要。努力方向:高效农业开发——综合农业开发,吨粮田开发,玉米带开发,饲料稻开发,山区开发;合理布局农业生产;深化农业商品基地建设,发展综合利用,搞活商品流通;全面提高农业现代化水平,加强农业社会服务体系。     

Ethnosciences––A step towards the integration of scientific and indigenous forms of knowledge in the management of natural resources for the future

Integration of indigenous knowledge and ethnoscientific approaches into contemporary frameworks for conservation and sustainable management of natural resources will become increasingly important in policies on an international and national level, both in countries that are industrialised and those that have a developing status. We set the scene on how this can be done by exploring the key conditions and dimensions of a dialogue between ȁ8ontologiesȁ9 and the roles, which ethnosciences could play in this process. First, the roles of ethnosciences in the context of sustainable development were analysed, placing emphasis on the implications arising when western sciences aspire to relate to indigenous forms of␣knowledge. Secondly, the contributions of ethnosciences to such an ȁ8inter- ontological dialogueȁ9 were explored, based on an ethnoecological study of the encounter of sciences and indigenous knowledge in the Andes of Bolivia, and reviewed experiences from mangrove systems in Kenya, India and Sri Lanka, and from case-studies in other ecosystems world-wide, incl. Australia, Burkina Faso, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Nepal, Niger, Philippines, Senegal, South-Africa and Tanzania.     

Paradoxical ozone associations could be due to methyl nitrite from combustion of methyl ethers or esters in engine fuels

We review studies of the effects of low ambient ozone concentrations on morbidity that found a negative coefficient for ozone concentration. We call this a Paradoxical Ozone Association (POA). All studies were in regions with methyl ether in gasoline. All but one study carefully controlled for the effects of other criterion pollutants, so the phenomenon cannot be attributed to them. One was in southern California in mid-summer when ozone levels are highest. Because ozone is created by sunlight, the most plausible explanation for a POA would be an ambient pollutant that is rapidly destroyed by sunlight, such as methyl nitrite (MN). A previously published model of engine exhaust chemistry suggested methyl ether in the fuel will create MN in the exhaust. MN is known to be highly toxic, and closely related alkyl nitrites are known to induce respiratory sensitivity in humans. Support for the interpretation comes from many studies, including three linking asthma symptoms to methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and the observation that a POA has not been seen in regions without ether in gasoline. We also note that studies in southern California show a historical trend from more significant to less significant ozone-health associations. The timing of those changes is consistent with the known timing of the introduction of gasoline oxygenated with MTBE in that region.     

Prognosis of the spatiotemporal dynamics of ecosystems by means of universal kriging

The use of quantitative data for constructing prognostic maps of the dynamics of ecosystem degradation and restoration by nonlinear simulation methods is a topical field of landscape ecology. This method of dynamic cartography is based on fiberwise comparison of data on the state of Chernye Zemli (the Kalmyk Republic, Russia) in different years and the detailed analysis of the period on which the prognosis was based. For this purpose, materials of repeated aerial and satellite photography obtained during a long period (1954–1993) were used. Comparison of maps characterizing the dynamics of Chernye Zemli between 1958 and 1993 allows prognostic electronic maps for the next 10–15 years (with a five-year interval) to be drawn and land prognosis for the next 20–30 years (1998–2023) to be obtained. Deceased     

Distributions of personal VOC exposures: a population-based analysis

Information regarding the distribution of volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations and exposures is scarce, and there have been few, if any, studies using population-based samples from which representative estimates can be derived. This study characterizes distributions of personal exposures to ten different VOCs in the U.S. measured in the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Personal VOC exposures were collected for 669 individuals over 2-3 days, and measurements were weighted to derive national-level statistics. Four common exposure sources were identified using factor analyses: gasoline vapor and vehicle exhaust, methyl tert-butyl ether (MBTE) as a gasoline additive, tap water disinfection products, and household cleaning products. Benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, xylenes chloroform, and tetrachloroethene were fit to log-normal distributions with reasonably good agreement to observations. 1,4-Dichlorobenzene and trichloroethene were fit to Pareto distributions, and MTBE to Weibull distribution, but agreement was poor. However, distributions that attempt to match all of the VOC exposure data can lead to incorrect conclusions regarding the level and frequency of the higher exposures. Maximum Gumbel distributions gave generally good fits to extrema, however, they could not fully represent the highest exposures of the NHANES measurements. The analysis suggests that complete models for the distribution of VOC exposures require an approach that combines standard and extreme value distributions, and that carefully identifies outliers. This is the first study to provide national-level and representative statistics regarding the VOC exposures, and its results have important implications for risk assessment and probabilistic analyses.     

Household water in rural asia: a case study of the construction of a piped water system in Bangui,Ilocos Norte,Philippines

In early 1980 an extension agent was assigned to the rural municipality of Bangui, Ilocos Norte, Philippines to work on development projects – in particular the improvement of the supply of safe water for drinking and sanitation. After many months of visiting spring sites and meeting with community leaders, a small part of the municipality was selected to build a gravity fed piped water system. Although the system took many months to plan, identify funding and construct, the 600 community members were ultimately rewarded with house to house connections that enabled them to achieve per capita water consumption levels above the minimum levels recommended by the World Health Organization. Of course, money was critical to ensure the project’s success, but many other factors played an equally critical role. For instance, without the active participation of the community and the unwavering support of the community leadership the project would not have survived the initial planning stage. Also, the extension agent played a critical role by acting as a conduit between funding agencies, the Bureau of Public Works and the community. The primary lesson to be learned from this experience is that the success of rural development projects is largely driven by the synergy between the community, technical support, financial support, and agents of change such as extension agents. If any of these ingredients had been lacking, the project result would likely have been far different.     

Geographic Variation in the Seasonal Reproductive Strategy of the Mite Varroa jacobsoni in the Honeybee Nest

Variation in the reproduction of Varroa jacobsoni mite was studied in relation to the expansion of the range of its parasitism on the honeybee. Geographic differences in the seasonal dynamics of mite reproduction in the nests of bee families were revealed. Variation in the sex ratio of mites and the factors inhibiting their reproduction at the northern boundary of the honeybee range are considered. The forms of parthenogenetic reproduction in V. jacobsoni are discussed.     

Long-term increase in climatic dryness in the East-Mediterranean as evidenced for the island of Samos

The Eastern Mediterranean region is among the regions which were predicted to become drier under IPCC climate scenarios. Here, we document a gradual reduction of rainfall and tree growth and the loss of rural springs during the last decades of the twentieth century. Years with severe drought are associated with very low tree growth (dendrochronology) and dry falling of springs as evidenced by interviews with local stakeholders. The paper discusses the consequences of accelerating drought on natural vegetation and agriculture and points at the interaction with fire dynamics and economy, both likely to enhance the drought effect.