The European Union Solidarity Fund: an assessment of its recent reforms

After extensive flooding in 2002, the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) was created as an ex post loss-financing vehicle for EU member states and candidate countries in the case of disasters that exceed the government’s resources to cope. The EUSF is viewed as a valuable instrument for pooling risk among countries in Europe and potentially as a model for financing loss and damage from climate change in vulnerable countries worldwide. This paper assesses its future prospects taking account of reforms adopted in 2014. Our analysis is based on three recognized aims of the Solidarity Fund: its promotion of solidarity with those countries having the least capacity to cope with major disasters; its contribution to proactive disaster risk reduction and management (climate adaptation); and its robustness with regard to its risk of depletion (stress testing). Using a simulation approach for future disasters, we conclude that the reformed EUSF’s risk of depletion, although it is reasonably robust to more frequent disasters, could be reduced by increasing member state contributions and/or engaging in risk transfer. The European Commission has taken important steps in linking the fund to proactive risk reduction; yet, by changing its budgeting practices, the commission could be more proactive in encouraging risk management in member states. In its current form, the EUSF does not embed needs-based solidarity. Lower-income “new” member states have received disproportionately less compensation in terms of eligible losses, although on average, they have received more disaster aid than what they contribute to the fund. Solidarity could be enhanced by changing the rules for disbursing aid. After briefly describing alternative risk-pooling models in the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe, we suggest how design features of the EUSF as compared to other regional risk pools can inform discussions on the Warsaw International Loss and Damage Mechanism.     

Impacts of climate variability and changes on domestic water use in the Yellow River Basin of China

We present a methodology for using a domestic water use time series that were obtained from Yellow River Conservancy Commission, together with the climatic records from the National Climate Center of China to evaluate the effects of climate variability on water use in the Yellow River Basin. A suit of seven Global Circulation Models (GCMs) were adopted to anticipate future climate patterns in the Yellow River. The historical records showed evidences of rises in temperature and subsequent rises in domestic water demand in the basin. For Upstream of Longyangxia region, the impact was the least, with only 0.0021?×?10⁸ m³ for a temperature increase of 1 °C; while for Longyangxia-Lanzhou region, domestic water use was found to increase to 0.18?×?10⁸ m³ when temperature increases 1 °C. Downstream of Huayuankou was the region with the most changes in temperature that gave the highest increase of 1.95?×?10⁸ m³ in domestic water demand for 1 °C of change of temperature. Downstream of Huayuankou was identified as the most vulnerable area, where domestic water demand increases nearly by 42.2 % with 1 °C increase of temperature. Judging from the trends of temperature range, we concluded that future temperature in Yellow River Basin has an increasing tendency. This could worsen the existing issues of domestic water demand and even more to trigger high competition among different water-using sectors.     

Diagnosing institutional barriers and opportunities for adaptation to climate change

Institutions are one of the decisive factors which enable, constrain and shape adaptation to the impacts of climate change, variability and extreme events. However, current understanding of institutions in adaptation situations is fragmented across the scientific community, evidence diverges, and cumulative learning beyond single studies is limited. This study adopts a diagnostic approach to elaborate a nuanced understanding of institutional barriers and opportunities in climate adaptation by means of a model-centred meta-analysis of 52 case studies of public climate adaptation in Europe. The first result is a novel taxonomy of institutional attributes in adaptation situations. It conceptually organises and decomposes the many details of institutions that empirical research has shown to shape climate adaptation. In the second step, the paper identifies archetypical patterns of institutional traps and trade-offs which hamper adaptation. Thirdly, corresponding opportunities are identified that enable actors to alleviate, prevent or overcome specific institutional traps or trade-offs. These results cast doubt on the validity of general institutional design principles for successful adaptation. In contrast to generic principles, the identified opportunities provide leverage to match institutions to specific governance problems that are encountered in specific contexts. Taken together, the results may contribute to more coherence and integration of adaptation research that we need if we are to foster learning about the role of institutions in adaptation situations in a cumulative fashion.     

Increasing the application of gas engines to decrease China’s GHG emissions

This paper employs a review of the technical literature to estimate the potential decrease in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that could be achieved by increasing the application of gas engines in China in three sectors: urban public transport vehicle; shipping; and thermal power plants. China’s gas engine development strategies and three types of gas resource are discussed in the study, which indicates that gas engines could decrease GHG emissions by 520 megatonnes (Mt) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO_2e) by 2020. This would account for 9.7 % of the government’s target for decreasing GHG emissions and is dominated by methane recovery from the use of coal mine gas (CMG) and landfill gas (LFG) for power generation. In the public urban transport vehicle and shipping sectors the low price of natural gas and the increasing demand for the control of harmful emissions could spur the rapid uptake of gas engine vehicles. However, the development of CMG- and LFG-fuelled power plants has been limited by the unwillingness of local enterprises to invest in high-performance gas engine generators and the associated infrastructure. Therefore, further compulsory policies that promote CMG use and LFG recovery should be implemented. Moreover, strict regulations on limiting methane leakage during the production and distribution of gas fuels are urgently needed in China to prevent leakage causing GHG emissions and largely negating the climate benefits of fuel substitution. Strategies for increasing the application of gas engines, promoting gas resources and recovering methane in China are instrumental in global GHG mitigation strategies.     

An empirical analysis of energy efficiency measures applicable to cities,regions, and local governments,based on the case of South Korea’s local energy saving program

As highlighted in the outcome of the Paris Agreement at the 21st Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change there has been a recent push for the stronger mitigation actions of cities, regions, and local governments. Energy efficiency is a tool that can be leveraged by not only industry or national governments but also cities, regions, and local governments for mitigation purposes. However, studies on energy efficiency as a mitigation tool thus far have focused on the national or transnational scale, and on certain sectors of industry. The purpose of this paper is to find the most cost-efficient energy efficiency measures (EEMs) at the city, region, and local government level. To that end, this paper examines the yearly energy savings and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction intensity, as well as energy savings and GHG reduction efficiency, in the case of EEMs conducted by South Korean local governments. Yearly energy savings intensity and GHG reduction intensity are estimated to be in the range of 0.094～0.375 tonne of oil equivalent (TOE)/M-KRW (million Korean won) and 0.287～1.180 tCO2e/M-KRW. Results show that inverter installation at water and sewage treatment plants and improvement of pump efficiency are the most cost-efficient EEMs. Moreover, energy savings efficiency and GHG reduction efficiency are within the range of 18.29～45.31 %, at an average of 30.5 % GHG reduction potential. If this reduction potential is applied to the buildings and facilities regulated and run by cities/local governments, there is a worldwide reduction potential of 1.023 billion tCO₂ compared to 2020 business as usual levels.     

石化行业有机液体储罐VOCs损耗估算方法浅析

总结了实测法、公式法、模型法等国内外石化行业有机液体储罐VOCs排放估算方法的主要特点和适用范围;运用公式法估算国内某石化企业典型油品储罐的VOCs排放量;分析了在我国直接套用美国环保署(EPA)开发的TANKS模型存在的问题;根据估算方法的实际应用研究,就美国AP-42源强手册第五版第七章(chapter 7:Liquid storage tank)中评价公式的"本土化"提出相关的建议。     

重庆市突发环境事件时空格局及影响研究

基于2009年-2015年重庆市突发环境事件统计数据,研究了重庆市近7年突发环境事件的动态变化趋势、空间分布格局及污染影响特征,讨论了引发突发环境事件内外部因素之间的关系.结果表明:重庆市7年内共发生突发环境事件134起,且呈波动下降趋势,春季和夏季为交通事故和自然灾害高发期;突发环境事件空间上主要集中在主城九区及相邻的区县,渝西、渝东南及渝东北各区县发生次数较少.道路交通事故、设备故障和操作不当是导致突发环境事件的主要因素,主要发生形式为泄漏.污染类型主要为水污染和水气复合污染,污染物出现频率大小为:油类>酸碱类>液氨>苯及其化合物>减水剂>其他各种污染物.     

玉米秸秆生物炭对贵州黄壤持水能力的影响

生物炭具有丰富的微孔结构,能够影响土壤的持水性能,对植物生长和土壤中养分的保持有着重要意义。而土壤水分特征曲线又是表征土壤持水能力的一个重要指标。本文通过压力膜法测定添加不同比例生物炭的黄壤水分特征曲线,并结合van Genuchten模型对实测结果进行拟合,推导水动力学参数。结果表明,随着生物炭施入量的增加(0、5%、10%),土壤的田间持水量增加,凋萎含水量降低,土壤有效含水量增加。生物炭添加能够显著提高土壤的持水能力,增强水分的可利用性。同时,van Genuchten模型拟合结果同实测值高度相似,可以用作预测生物炭改良土壤的水动力学参数。     

海岛水库水源地污染现状与保护对策研究——以舟山市为例

饮用水安全是维护人民群众生命健康,全面建设社会主义和谐社会的一项重要内容.以浙江省舟山市为例,通过实地调查海岛水库水源地周边生活、农业、工业污染源情况,并利用现场、问卷调查和卫星影像图开展分析,对污染源排放总量进行了测算,完成了水库水源地污染源排放状况分析,提出相应的对策措施.研究结论促进舟山市水库水资源的合理开发和利用,推进舟山经济可持续发展,为舟山市水库水源地的污染防治措施制定提供重要参考依据.     

城市建筑周边绿地景观格局优化方法研究

现有绿地景观格局优化方法,存在梯度变化不规律、边缘斑块密度不均等缺陷.针对该问题,提出基于窗口移动法的新型城市建筑周边绿地景观格局优化方法,通过确定研究区域与数据来源,以边缘斑块密度、梯度、绿地景观格局化指数为绿地景观格局化指数,确立研究方法.模拟研究环境设计实验结果表明,采用改进格局优化方法可改善城市建筑周边绿地景观格局梯度变化不规律问题;在特定空间分布状态下,还可避免边缘斑块密度不均的现象发生.