Towards a resilience indicator framework for making climate-change adaptation decisions

Activities are already underway within the development community to improve climate-change adaptation decision making. In these and related efforts, a focus on building resilience is an important objective, one that resonates with development objectives. Compiling and applying indicators will help development practitioners consider resilience in projects, plans, and decision making. Exactly how to do this is a challenging, but important task. Drawing on diverse methods in the literature, this paper identifies factors important to understanding the evolution of resilience over time and space, and suggests a framework for developing indicators that analysts might select as useful for particular places or sectors. The paper lays the groundwork for an assessment framework that can make future development and adaptation choices more resilient. The framework is intended as a starting point for wider discussions of factors that contribute to building resilience and thus provide the basis to develop a toolkit of metrics and approaches. These discussions will need to bridge research on climate-change adaptation and resilience with practice.     

CANADA'S EXPERIENCE IN DEVELOPING A NATIONAL DISASTER MITIGATION STRATEGY: A DELIBERATIVE DIALOGUE APPROACH

Canada is vulnerable to a wide range of natural and human-induced disasters. Recent experience with major natural disasters demonstrated that more needs to be done to protect Canadians from the impacts of future disasters. The Government of Canada, through the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada, has conducted consultations with provinces, territories and stakeholders to develop a national disaster mitigation strategy (NDMS) aimed at enhancing Canada's capacity to prevent disasters before they occur and promoting the development of disaster-resilient communities. This paper provides an overview of Canada's emergency management and hazards context. It reports on the preliminary findings of consultations with stakeholders and evaluates the usefulness of the deliberative dialogue methodology that was used to facilitate the consultations. Examples that are illustrative of recent Canadian efforts on disaster mitigation and the challenges respecting the development and future implementation of a NDMS are also discussed.     

Carbon emission efficiency of thermal power in different regions of China and spatial correlations

In China, the power industry contributes significantly to carbon emissions, reducing carbon emissions in this industry is conducive to China's adaptation and mitigation of climate change. Researches on green and low-carbon power have attracted increasing attention. In this paper, we analyze and compare the carbon emissions from thermal power sector in 30 Chinese provinces, divided into three main regions. Based on the panel data over the period 2002–2016, we use a slacks-based measurement (SBM) model to measure the carbon emission efficiency of China’s power sector. The results show that the carbon emission efficiency of the system is relatively low, with marked differences among regions. Based on the Moran’s I, we further found spatial heterogeneity in carbon emission efficiency of provincial power sector. Policies for adaptation and mitigation of climate change should have regional differences. Interregional collaboration also plays a key role in adapting to and mitigating climate change. For China, it is an important issue to develop clean coal-fired power generation and vigorously develop renewable energy. From a global perspective, energy transformation needs to be continuously promoted. Promoting low-carbon transformation of global energy system requires deep technical cooperation and synergy. Global mitigation strategy should focus on the orientation of structural reform and constantly optimize the energy structure.

     

Indicators of urban climate resilience: A contextual approach

As urban populations grow and climate exposure increases, more cities are introducing formal planning processes to adapt to climate change. This paper explains the process applied to eight cities in the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) for developing indicators for planning and monitoring local climate resilience. This process relied on transferring a common conceptual framework for climate resilience, together with a locally led iterative and collaborative process that engaged technical and planning authorities and vulnerable groups. The process varied slightly between cities and generated indicators that were chosen for their contextual fit and availability of data. The main benefit of developing resilience indicators in this way was the local capacity that the process built, in terms of understanding resilience, shared understanding of concepts and measurement and establishment of a common platform for future planning and monitoring of climate adaptation interventions at the city level.     

城市居住小区交通噪声总体评价与防治对策研究

根据实测所得交通流量和车型分布。采用预测为主、实测为辅的方法对典型居住小区进行了交通噪声预测。应用噪声冲击指数法对小区交通噪声进行总体评价。在分析小区交通噪声的时间分布特征和空间差异的基础上。提出小区噪声环境的防治对策。并对减噪措施的效率进行了计算和评价。     

A social assessment of urban parkland: Analyzing park use and meaning to inform management and resilience planning

Globally, municipalities are tackling climate adaptation and resilience planning. Urban green space has crucial biophysical buffering capacities, but also affects social interactions and human well-being. This paper considers the social dimension of urban green space, through an assessment focused on park use, function, and meanings, and compares results to categories of cultural ecosystem services. We develop a mixed-method approach for assessment of uses and social meanings of parkland and pilot this method in 2140 acres of parkland in waterfront neighborhoods surrounding New York City’s Jamaica Bay, an area heavily affected by Hurricane Sandy. This method combines observation of human activities and signs of prior human use with structured interviews of park users. We find that urban parkland is a crucial form of ‘nearby nature’ that provides space for recreation, activities, socialization, and environmental engagement and supports place attachment and social ties. We show that parks, through their use by and interactions with humans, are producing vital cultural ecosystem services that may help to strengthen social resilience. Certain services were more easily detectable than others via our assessment technique, including recreation, social relations, and sense of place. The assessment method was designed to be spatially explicit, scalable, and replicable; natural resource managers engaged in park management and/or resilience planning could apply this method across individual sites, in particular districts—such as vulnerable waterfront areas, and citywide. This study demonstrates a way in which cultural ecosystem services and an understanding of social meaning could be incorporated into park management and resilience planning.     

基于三级分层框架的农业气象灾害多风险评估

农业气象灾害多风险评估对于防灾减灾、制定风险对策具有重要意义。根据1980—2015年陕西省农业气象灾害年度统计资料和2015—2018年农户调研数据,运用贝叶斯网络、贝叶斯分层模型(BHM)等多风险评估方法,分析陕西省农业气象灾害的变化趋势、灾害间相互作用以及生计资本对于不同作物脆弱性的影响。结果表明:(1)1980—2015年陕西省洪涝的灾害率和灾害强度显著下降,斜率分别为0.17%、0.7%,冷冻的灾害率显著上升,斜率为0.25%,干旱和风雹灾害无明显变化;(2)干旱和洪涝显著影响其他灾害,各种灾害之间存在复杂的相互作用;(3)增加有效灌溉面积率、农作物种植面积、农村用电量和农用磷肥施用折纯量等生计资本指标,可以显著降低脆弱性。本文有助于提高农户对农业气象灾害的适应能力,为预防和治理农业气象灾害提供决策参考。     

Scale and benefit of global carbon markets under the 2 °C goal: integrated modeling and an effort-sharing platform

Global climate change mitigation needs all countries’ efforts under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s guideline of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. The medium-to-long term regional emissions pathways simulated by integrated assessment models with global mitigation costs minimized to achieve the 2 °C goal might be very different from the regional emissions allowances allocated based on effort-sharing principles. Global carbon trading is a cost-effective mechanism to bridge the gap. Insight of previous papers has mainly focused on the impact of a single effort-sharing scheme on global carbon market, while this study attempts to explore the scale and benefit of global carbon market under different effort-sharing principles to achieve the 2 °C goal, with the application of a consistent modeling framework, consisting of an integrated assessment model and an effort-sharing platform. The results indicate that scale of global carbon market would be highly related with the effort-sharing principles. The global trading volumes would change from 1.8 Gigatons (Gt) carbon dioxide (CO₂) to over 12 GtCO₂ per year and largely peak between 2030 and 2040 under different kinds of effort-sharing principles. Correspondingly, annual global finance flows in the carbon market would increase gradually and reach the scale of hundreds of billions United States (US) dollars since 2020. Global carbon market would lower the abatement costs of developed countries, and the overall global abatement costs would drop by 0.4–2.6% during 2011–2050. The developing countries would not only acquire revenues from global carbon trading but also be provided with an opportunity to accelerate their domestic low-carbon energy transformation, local environmental improvement, job creation, and economic development. Linking national and regional carbon markets to develop global carbon market will be critical to maximize the utility of the market mechanism.     

碳排放与经济增长的协调性分析

针对碳排放和经济增长的协调性关系,基于环境库兹涅茨曲线(EKC)假说和脱钩理论,选取中国、美国、印度、俄罗斯、日本、德国、韩国、沙特阿拉伯、加拿大、英国10个主要碳排放国家的年度数据进行实证研究。碳排放与经济增长的协调性分析结果表明:欧盟等国协调性较好,中、印等发展中国家需要加强。EKC与脱钩理论在度量低碳方面是统一的(2种方法下考察碳强度得到的弹性和结论基本一致),在构建低碳指标长、短期目标时,可分别参考EKC回归系数(β)和Tapio脱钩弹性系数(e);在促进低碳经济发展方面,发展中国家可借鉴欧盟等国经验,力求较低碳排放和较高经济增长之间的协调发展。     

Climate change adaptation,mitigation and livelihood benefits in coffee production: where are the synergies?

There are worldwide approximately 4.3 million coffee (Coffea arabica) producing smallholders generating a large share of tropical developing countries’ gross domestic product, notably in Central America. Their livelihoods and coffee production are facing major challenges due to projected climate change, requiring adaptation decisions that may range from changes in management practices to changes in crops or migration. Since management practices such as shade use and reforestation influence both climate vulnerability and carbon stocks in coffee, there may be synergies between climate change adaptation and mitigation that could make it advantageous to jointly pursue both objectives. In some cases, carbon accounting for mitigation actions might even be used to incentivize and subsidize adaptation actions. To assess potential synergies between climate change mitigation and adaptation in smallholder coffee production systems, we quantified (i) the potential of changes in coffee production and processing practices as well as other livelihood activities to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions, (ii) coffee farmers’ climate change vulnerability and need for adaptation, including the possibility of carbon markets subsidizing adaptation. We worked with smallholder organic coffee farmers in Northern Nicaragua, using workshops, interviews, farm visits and the Cool Farm Tool software to calculate greenhouse gas balances of coffee farms. From the 12 activities found to be relevant for adaptation, two showed strong and five showed modest synergies with mitigation. Afforestation of degraded areas with coffee agroforestry systems and boundary tree plantings resulted in the highest synergies between adaptation and mitigation. Financing possibilities for joint adaptation-mitigation activities could arise through carbon offsetting, carbon insetting, and carbon footprint reductions. Non-monetary benefits such as technical assistance and capacity building could be effective in promoting such synergies at low transaction costs.     

我国城镇化进程中碳排放影响因素的实证研究

利用1980—2013年间的城镇人口与碳排放数据,选取城镇化进程中影响碳排放的城镇化水平、城镇建设用地面积、第三产业增加值、人均可支配收入、城镇人均绿化面积等因素,实证分析了城镇化对我国碳排放的影响程度,并利用格兰杰夫因果关系与误差修正模型分析了二者的因果关系与时间效应。最后,从降低工业碳排放、加快低碳城镇化试点建设、推进低碳社区发展,促进新能源发展等方面提出了相关建议。     

Integrating mitigation and adaptation into climate and development policy: three research questions

The potential for developing synergies between climate change mitigation and adaptation has become a recent focus of both climate research and policy. Presumably the interest in synergies springs from the appeal of creating win–win situations by implementing a single climate policy option. However, institutional complexity, insufficient opportunities and uncertainty surrounding their efficiency and effectiveness present major challenges to the widespread development of synergies. There are also increasing calls for research to define the optimal mix of mitigation and adaptation. These calls are based on the misguided assumption that there is one single optimal mix of adaptation and mitigation options for all possible scenarios of climate and socio-economic change, notwithstanding uncertainty and irrespective of the diversity of values and preferences in society. In the face of current uncertainty, research is needed to provide guidance on how to develop a socially and economically justifiable mix of mitigation, adaptation and development policy, as well as on which elements would be part of such a mix. Moreover, research is needed to establish the conditions under which the process of mainstreaming can be most effective. Rather than actually developing and implementing specific mitigation and adaptation options, the objective of climate policy should be to facilitate such development and implementation as part of sectoral policies. Finally, analysis needs to focus on the optimal use and expected effectiveness of financial instruments, taking into account the mutual effects between these instruments on the one hand, and national and international sectoral investments and official development assistance on the other.     

Opportunities for adaptation-mitigation synergies in geothermal energy utilization- Initial conceptual frameworks

In this article, the role of geothermal energy in mitigation and potential role in adaptation are discussed, and synergies between them developed. The article creates the Geothermal Adaptation-Mitigation (Geo-AdaM) conceptual frameworks that can be used in combining mitigation and adaptation in geothermal projects, e.g. by introducing adaptation additionality in Clean Development Mechanism or mitigation projects, using geothermal energy in climate vulnerable sectors, combining geothermal development with carbon forestry to improve recharge of geothermal systems in water stress areas, displacing fossil fuels in heating and cooling, and use of geothermal heat in raising tree seedlings in cold regions, and in greenhouses to create carbon sinks and green areas. The conceptual frameworks created in this research can cut across most regions, and types of utilization schemes with mitigation/adaptation co-benefits. The resulting co-benefits come with net positive environmental, economic and social impact. However, the co-benefits cannot be homogenous across all projects and regions. Tradeoffs may occur when using geothermal energy in adaptation projects, whose upstream activities are carbon intensive, or in adaptation and mitigation projects that have the potential of increasing vulnerability. The foreseen limitations of creating the synergies include; inadequate research on geothermal energy and adaptation, nature and scale of adaptation, involvement of different institutions and actors, access to finance and other resources especially in developing countries and lack of clear legal framework. Without proper legislation, fiscal incentives, to attract investment in adaptation aspects of geothermal energy, and to guard against tradeoffs, the interelationships between the two will remain a pipe dream.     

城市碳排放的评估方法——影响要素和过程研究

城市碳排放对全球碳循环和气候变化产生了深远的影响。论文在国内外城市碳排放研究基础上,从城市化的碳排放效应、城市碳排放估算和影响要素、碳排放观测、碳循环和碳代谢过程等方面系统归纳总结了碳排放评估方法、要素和过程。评述了Kaya恒等式、LMDI方法、CGE模型、混合分析法、清单编制法、UE模型、FFDAS模型、STIRPAT模型、格网模型、综合分析法(Four-part Methodology)、建筑碳排放模型、物质代谢法、EC碳通量观测等代表性碳排放估算和观测方法。研究焦点正在从宏观模式转向微观机理,从自然、人文单一过程转向人文-自然耦合过程,热点区域从发达国家城市转向发展中国家城市,从单一数据源转向遥感、实验观测等多源数据。基于上述特点,当前研究应从城市公平发展和低碳城市出发,建立城市公共利益能源研究框架,根据城市职能类型和发展水平,综合涡度通量观测、计量模型、生态模型、遥感和GIS技术,构建高精度城市碳排放账户,建立城市代谢存量和流量标准分类系统,发展和完善碳排放估算模型,提高城市碳排放计算结果精度和城市间的可比性。     

The International Boreal Forest Research Association: Understanding Boreal Forests and Forestry in a Changing World

Boreal forests represent a biome of the planet whose unique characteristics are changing rapidly under the influence of both human and natural pressures. These forests hold the key to current and future supply of coniferous industrial wood and at the same time play a significant role in regulating Earth's climatic system. Expected to be one of the most rapidly impacted regions of the world by future climate change, the boreal biome has already been substantially affected by global change. It is likely that if unabated, continued change will lead to impoverishment and degradation of boreal ecosystems, with consequent loss of vital services upon which human society depends. An improved systems understanding of the functioning of circumpolar boreal forests is a pressing challenge for boreal forest science and is needed in order to estimate their resilience to perturbations, to predict likely responses to the changing environment, and to design mitigation strategies. With such understanding, coordinated international efforts can be focused on developing anticipatory strategies for adaptation to, and mitigation of dangerous consequences of global change for boreal resources. The International Boreal Forest Research Association (IBFRA) provides a focus for international research on these issues and serves as a global window for boreal forest science and sustainable forest management in the boreal region.     

Forests and climate change adaptation policies in Cameroon

Nowadays, adaptation has become a key focus of the scientific and policy-making communities and is a major area of discussion in the multilateral climate change process. As climate change is projected to hit the poorest the hardest, it is especially important for developing countries to pay particular attention to the management of natural resources and agricultural activities. In most of these countries such as Cameroon, forest can play important role in achieving broader climate change adaptation goals. However, forest generally receives very little attention in national development programme and strategies such as policy dialogues on climate change and poverty reduction strategies. Using a qualitative approach to data collection through content analysis of relevant Cameroon policy documents, the integration of climate change adaptation was explored and the level of attention given to forests for adaptation analysed. Results indicate that, with the exception of the First National Communication to UNFCCC that focused mostly on mitigation and related issues, current policy documents in Cameroon are void of tangible reference to climate change, and hence failing in drawing the relevance of forest in sheltering populations from the many projected impacts of climate change. Policies related to forest rely on a generalized concept of sustainable forest management and do not identify the specific changes that need to be incorporated into management strategies and policies towards achieving adaptation. The strategies and recommendations made in those documents only serve to improve understanding of Cameroon natural resources and add resilience to the natural systems in coping with anthropogenic stresses. The paper draws attention to the need to address the constraints of lack of awareness and poor flow of information on the potentials of forests for climate change adaptation. It highlights the need for integrating forest for adaptation into national development programmes and strategies, and recommends a review of the existing environmental legislations and their implications on poverty reduction strategy and adaptation to climate change.     

基于住房价格的通勤碳排放空间分异——以济南市为例

住房价格能够影响居民的居住决策,进而影响其通勤碳排放。为研究住房价格与通勤碳排放的内在关系,构建住房价格影响个体通勤碳排放的理论模型,并利用“个体—街道”两水平线性模型,对济南市居民出行调查数据进行实证检验。研究发现：（1）通勤碳排放呈现出“中心低碳化、外围高碳化”,且外围趋于分化的空间格局。（2）住房价格通过虹吸效应影响居民的碳排放。具体表现为住房价格与碳排放负相关,外围低房价吸引居住者,而居住者的远程机动通勤导致外围高值碳排放;但住房价格的边际增碳程度随着远离市中心而先缓（距市中心 5 km）后增（距市中心5 km及以上）。（3）外围工资收入对虹吸效应起调节作用。工资水平较高的外围区域有利于实现职住平衡,抑制了虹吸效应,进而分化为碳排放的冷点区,工资水平较低的外围区域则分化为碳排放的热点区。研究认为,应通过多中心空间发展战略、提高居民的就业可达性、优化针对公租房的公共交通供给等措施,引导居民低碳通勤。     

低碳试点政策是否提高了城市碳排放效率——基于低碳试点城市的准自然实验研究

作为推动我国低碳经济发展的重要政策,低碳试点城市建设成效在当今我国面临碳减排及经济下行双重压力的情况下显得尤为重要。基于2006—2018年间的279个地级市样本数据,运用超效率SBM模型核算了城市碳排放效率,并通过双重差分模型实证检验了低碳试点政策对城市碳排放效率的影响。研究表明：低碳试点政策能够显著提高城市碳排放效率,这一结论在经过PSM-DID等一系列稳健性检验后仍然成立。异质性分析发现,低碳试点政策对碳排放效率的影响在东西部及非资源型地区更显著。机制分析则表明,低碳试点政策的政策效应主要通过提高城市技术创新水平和调整城市能源结构来发挥作用。区分东中西地区的作用机制检验结果表明,东部地区的试点政策主要通过调整能源结构及产业结构合理化来影响碳排放效率,西部地区和中部地区则分别主要通过技术创新和产业结构合理化发挥作用。本文为加强低碳试点城市建设、实现碳减排与经济发展双赢提供了有益的经验启示。     

Capital assets and institutional constraints to implementation of greenhouse gas mitigation options in agriculture

Agriculture is one of the major sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. It accounts for approximately 15% of the total global anthropogenic emissions of GHGs. Emissions could be twice as much if indirect emissions are also taken into the consideration. However, unlike other high emitting sectors such as transport or energy, agriculture is potentially a significant carbon “sink”. It has high technical potential as a carbon sink and if tapped, can substantially enhance global sequestration efforts. The technical potential, however, may not translate into actual GHG reduction because of the capital assets and institutional constraints faced by the smallholder farmers in the developing countries. In this paper we develop a capital assets based framework of physical, financial, social, human and natural barriers to agricultural carbon mitigation initiatives and through analysis of current initiatives, we set out policy based options to reduce each of these barriers. Fundamentally, barrier removal will entail designing agricultural carbon mitigation initiatives in collaboration with farmer communities, through strengthening local institutions, understanding land tenure and natural resource cultures, ensuring legitimacy and equity in payments and fast tracking training and information. We provide a framework that simultaneously aids the dual objectives of alleviating poverty in the poor farming communities of developing countries and lowering global greenhouse gas emissions.     

中国省域隐含碳排放及其驱动机理时空演变分析

隐含碳排放研究是探索绿色低碳生活方式与推进生态文明建设的重要基础之一。论文基于投入产出分析法与城镇居民消费数据核算2002—2012年中国大陆30个省（除港澳台、西藏外）的城镇居民隐含碳排放,在分析城镇居民隐含碳排放时空演变特征的基础上,运用LMDI-Ⅰ加法数量分解模型分析城镇居民消费隐含碳排放的驱动机制及空间分异特征。研究结果表明：除吉林省外,其余各省的隐含碳排放呈增加趋势;消费水平提高是隐含碳排放量增加的主要因素,其高值主要聚集在北部沿海地区;人口规模对隐含碳排放变化具有双向效应,其强正向作用区与人口分界线所划分的东半壁逐渐趋于一致;导致多数省份隐含碳排放量下降的决定因素是隐含碳排放强度效应,空间差异不大;居民生活方式的变化对隐含碳排放变动的贡献不大,但其空间演变特征较为复杂。总之,各省隐含碳排放特征及其驱动机制存在差异,未来减排侧重点应有所不同。