Adapting to changing climate risk by local government in New Zealand: institutional practice barriers and enablers

Adaptation to climate change has been reviewed in several developed nations, but in none where consideration of the effects of climate change is required by statute and devolved to local government. We examine the role of institutional arrangements, the players operating under them, the barriers and enablers for adaptation decision-making in the developed nation of New Zealand. We examine how the roles and responsibilities between national, regional and local governments influence the ability of local government to deliver long-term flexible responses to changing climate risk. We found that the disciplinary practices of law, engineering and planning, within legal frameworks, result in the use of static mechanisms which create inflexible responses to changing risk. Several enablers are identified that could create greater integration between the different scales of government, including better use of national policy instruments, shared professional experience, standardised information collection and risk assessment methods that address uncertainties. The framing of climate risk as dynamic and changing that differentiates activities over their lifetime, development of mechanisms to fund transitions towards transformational change, are identified as necessary conditions for delivering flexible responses over time.     

Monitoring of carbon monoxide in residences with bulk wood pellet storage in the Northeast United States

The interest in biomass fuel is continuing to expand globally and in the northeastern United States as wood pellets are becoming a primary source of fuel for residential and small commercial systems. Wood pellets for boilers are often stored in basement storage rooms or large bag-type containers. Due to the enclosed nature of these storage areas, the atmosphere may exhibit increased levels of carbon monoxide. Serious accidents in Europe have been reported over the last decade in which high concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) have been found in or near bulk pellet storage containers. The aim of this study was to characterize the CO concentrations in areas with indoor storage of bulk wood pellets. Data was obtained over approximately 7 months (December 2013 to June 2014) at 25 sites in New Hampshire and Massachusetts: 16 homes using wood pellet boilers with indoor pellet storage containers greater than or equal to 3 ton capacity; 4 homes with wood pellet heating systems with outdoor pellet storage; 4 homes using other heating fuels; and a university laboratory site. CO monitors were set up in homes to collect concentrations of CO in the immediate vicinity of wood pellet storage containers, and data were then compared to those of homes using fossil fuel systems. The homes monitored in this study provided a diverse set of housing stock spanning two and a half centuries of construction, with homes built from 1774 to 2013, representing a range of air exchange rates. The CO concentration data from each home was averaged hourly and then compared to a threshold of 9 ppm. While concentrations of CO were generally low for the homes studied, the need to properly design storage locations for pellets is and will remain a necessary component of wood pellet heating systems to minimize the risk of CO exposure.

Implications: This paper is an assessment of carbon monoxide (CO) exposure from bulk wood pellet storage in homes in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Understanding the CO concentrations in homes allows for better designs for storage bins and ventilation for storage areas. Hence, uniform policies for stored wood pellets in homes, schools, and businesses can be framed to ensure occupant safety. Currently in New York State rebates for the installation of wood pellet boilers are only provided if the bulk pellet storage is outside of the home, yet states such as New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine currently do not have these restrictions.     

The case for carbon leakage and border adjustments: where do economists stand?

Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - While the EU is working toward the implementation of the world’s first Carbon Border Adjustment (CBA) Mechanism, a gap remains between the ways in...     

Effects of nitrogen application rate and a nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide on methanotroph abundance and methane uptake in a grazed pasture soil

Methane-oxidizing bacteria (methanotrophs) in the soil are a unique group of methylotrophic bacteria that utilize methane (CH₄) as their sole source of carbon and energy which limit the flux of methane to the atmosphere from soils and consume atmospheric methane. A field experiment was conducted to determine the effect of nitrogen application rates and the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) on the abundance of methanotrophs and on methane flux in a grazed pasture soil. Nitrogen (N) was applied at four different rates, with urea applied at 50 and 100 kg N ha^?1 and animal urine at 300 and 600 kg N ha^?1. DCD was applied at 10 kg ha^?1. The results showed that both the DNA and selected mRNA copy numbers of the methanotroph pmoA gene were not affected by the application of urea, urine or DCD. The methanotroph DNA and mRNA pmoA gene copy numbers were low in this soil, below 7.13?×?10³ g^?1 soil and 3.75?×?10³ μg^?1 RNA, respectively. Daily CH₄ flux varied slightly among different treatments during the experimental period, ranging from ?12.89 g CH₄ ha^?1 day^?1 to ?0.83 g CH₄ ha^?1 day^?1, but no significant treatment effect was found. This study suggests that the application of urea fertilizer, animal urine returns and the use of the nitrification inhibitor DCD do not significantly affect soil methanotroph abundance or daily CH₄ fluxes in grazed grassland soils.     

Cultivating hybrid collectives: research methods for enacting community food economies in Australia and the Philippines

Across the globe, groups are experimenting with initiatives to create alternatives to the dominant food system. What role might research play in helping to strengthen and multiply these initiatives? In this paper we discuss two research projects in Australia and the Philippines in which we have cultivated hybrid collectives of academic researchers, lay researchers and various non-human others with the intention of enacting community food economies. We feature three critical interactions in the “hybrid collective research method”: gathering, which brings together those who share concerns about community food economies; reassembling, in which material gathered is deliberatively rebundled to amplify particular insights; and translating, by which reassembled ideas are taken up by other collectives so they may continue to “do work”. We argue that in a climate-changing world, the hybrid collective research method fosters opportunities for a range of human and non-human participants to act in concert to build community food economies.     

Biological effects monitoring of the North Sea employing fish embryological data

Using the reproductive capacity of fish appears to be a suitable approach for risk assessment in the aquatic environment since fish are a typical representative thereof and in addition they are of considerable societal value. Generally the early embryonic stages are considered to be one of the most sensitive parts of a fish's life cycle. A method has been developed to use the state of health of live, naturally spawned fish embryos from plankton samples for biological effects monitoring. During the years 1985–1987 in the southern North Sea and in 1991–1992 in the whole of the North Sea fish eggs were sampled from surface waters and examined for developmental abnormalities. Elevated embryo malformation rates were detected in the plume of the major rivers Elbe and Rhine as well as along the eastern coast of England. Occurring malformations are thought to be pollution-related and may be used to define areas of environmental deterioration. The method is discussed in view of its suitability for biological effects monitoring using malformations in fish embryos as biomarkers.     

Implementing falls prevention research into policy and practice in Australia: past, present and future

Introduction

Falls in older Australians are a significant public health issue with one in three older people falling one or more times each year.

Method

Many fall prevention randomized controlled trials have been conducted in Australia as well as across the world.

Results

The findings of these studies now constitute a substantial evidence base that can provide direction for health and lifestyle interventions for preventing falls in older people. This research evidence has contributed to health policy in Australia to some extent, but is yet to be widely implemented into practice. This opinion piece overviews previous policy initiatives and describes a new Partnership research program funded by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), which seeks to further influence health policy and address the ongoing research-practice gap.     

A GCMSD/ECD method for the simultaneous determination of toxaphene and toxaphene congeners

The methodology presented combines mass selective detection technology for routine automated total toxaphene determinations with electron capture detection confirmation of congener results. Total toxaphene values were calculated using a custom developed series of data analysis macroinstructions (macros) that eliminate potential interferences and collate peak areas. These macros create multi-level calibration tables with results automatically corrected for surrogate and performance standards. It is possible to produce congener data that provides results from both detectors in one report from a single injection.