Current status of climate change adaptation plans across the United States

The objective of the analysis is to compare the current status of state level climate change adaptation plans across the United States (U.S.) and to analyze potential factors that may influence their status. Based on their most current adaptation planning documentation individual states are grouped into four categories depending on how far they are in their approach towards adaptation to predicted changes in climate and how they have progressed with their planning efforts in defining adaptation measures. The analysis of the state adaptation plans showed that 13 states had detailed sector specific actions recommended, 2 states had sector specific targets and recommendation, 14 states had expressed concern and need for adaptation planning, whereas 21 states did not mention the need for adaptation planning. The statistical analysis showed that Democratic Party popular votes are 10 % higher in states with detailed sector specific actions recommended in comparison to states with no mention of adaptation planning (p?<?0.01). The average gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in states having an adaptation planning status with detailed sector specific actions recommended is more than $6,000 higher compared to states with expressed concern and need for adaptation planning and states with no mention of adaptation planning (p?<?0.05). The average coastal population in states with detailed sector specific actions recommended is more than seven times higher compared to states with expressed concern and states with no mention of adaptation planning (p?<?0.01). It is concluded that the U.S. state planning initiatives will need to strengthen their approach to adaptation planning substantially to have holistic and more coordinated adaptation planning efforts.     

Estimating industrial solid waste and municipal solid waste data at high resolution using economic accounts: an input–output approach with Australian case study

In publicly available waste reports only the totals of waste produced for municipal, or industry waste typically feature. The types of waste generated and the generating industry sector are usually omitted. We propose the direct inputs waste estimation methodology to create a detailed estimate of municipal solid waste and industrial solid waste for an economy (including sectoral and waste type disaggregation) using a top-down estimation methodology that links the aforementioned limited publicly available waste data with an input–output table’s direct inputs (A) matrix. We then provide an application of the direct inputs waste estimation methodology upon the 2008 waste generation of Australia resulting in a 344 industry sector and 14 waste type data set. The resulting estimation gives unique insights into Australian waste generation; including the large C&I tonnages of waste estimated to be produced from the Service sectors such as the Education, Hospitality, and Health sectors as well as the large amount of food waste produced throughout the economy.     

Cyberinfrastructure and Web Apps for Managing and Disseminating the National Water Model

Hydrologic modeling can be used to provide warnings before, and to support operations during and after floods. Recent technological advances have increased our ability to create hydrologic models over large areas. In the United States (U.S.), a new National Water Model (NWM) that generates hydrologic variables at a national scale was released in August 2016. This model represents a substantial step forward in our ability to predict hydrologic events in a consistent fashion across the entire U.S. Nevertheless, for these hydrologic results to be effectively communicated, they need to be put in context and be presented in a way that is straightforward and facilitates management‐related decisions. The large amounts of data produced by the NWM present one of the major challenges to fulfill this goal. We created a cyberinfrastructure to store NWM results, “accessibility” web applications to retrieve NWM results, and a REST API to access NWM results programmatically. To demonstrate the utility of this cyberinfrastructure, we created additional web apps that illustrate how to use our REST API and communicate hydrologic forecasts with the aid of dynamic flood maps. This work offers a starting point for the development of a more comprehensive toolset to validate the NWM while also improving the ability to access and visualize NWM forecasts, and develop additional national‐scale‐derived products such as flood maps.     

Butterfly community shifts over two centuries

Environmental changes strongly impact the distribution of species and subsequently the composition of species assemblages. Although most community ecology studies represent temporal snap shots, long‐term observations are rather rare. However, only such time series allow the identification of species composition shifts over several decades or even centuries. We analyzed changes in the species composition of a southeastern German butterfly and burnet moth community over nearly 2 centuries (1840–2013). We classified all species observed over this period according to their ecological tolerance, thereby assessing their degree of habitat specialisation. This classification was based on traits of the butterfly and burnet moth species and on their larval host plants. We collected data on temperature and precipitation for our study area over the same period. The number of species declined substantially from 1840 (117 species) to 2013 (71 species). The proportion of habitat specialists decreased, and most of these are currently endangered. In contrast, the proportion of habitat generalists increased. Species with restricted dispersal behavior and species in need of areas poor in soil nutrients had severe losses. Furthermore, our data indicated a decrease in species composition similarity between different decades over time. These data on species composition changes and the general trends of modifications may reflect effects from climate change and atmospheric nitrogen loads, as indicated by the ecological characteristics of host plant species and local changes in habitat configuration with increasing fragmentation. Our observation of major declines over time of currently threatened and protected species shows the importance of efficient conservation strategies.     

Economic de-growth vs. steady-state economy

In recent years the concept of economic de-growth (decroissance) based on the literature of Nicolas Georgescu-Roegen e.g. [1], [2], [3] has found a revival in France, Italy, Spain and other countries, in the popular as well as in the academic literature. Therein authors took on board Georgescu-Roegens' categorical rejection of a steady-state economy (SSE), as proposed by Herman Daly [4]. They argue that economic de-growth is the only viable alternative goal to the growing economy. This position is challenged in this article and it is concluded that the two concepts are in fact complements. Economic de-growth is not a goal in itself, but the rich North's path towards a globally equitable SSE. Moreover the de-growth literature can benefit from the strong economic historic roots of the SSE and from Daly's macroeconomic concepts, while in return being able to give lessons about bottom-up approaches. This would be particularly important for the population issue, where Daly proposes limited birth licences. Unfortunately statements on demography are inconsistent and underdeveloped in the de-growth literature. Further it is concluded that most criticisms of the SSE are due to a too narrow and technocratic interpretation of the concept. Instead the SSE should be defined as a quasi steady-state, resting in a dynamic equilibrium and as an “unattainable goal”, which can and probably should be approximated.     

Nutrients and heavy metals distribution in thermally treated pig manure.

Ash from pig manure treated by combustion and thermal gasification was characterized and compared in terms of nutrient, i.e., potassium (K), phosphorus (P) and heavy metal, i.e., cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn) contents. Total nutrient and metal concentrations were measured using energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis. Acid (HNO3, H2SO4) and water-extractable concentrations were also measured both in non-classified ash and in selected ash particle size fractions using flame atomic absorption spectrometry and colorimetric spectrometry. Results indicate that ash from gasified manure contained more water-extractable K in comparison with combusted manure whereas the opposite was the case with respect to P. Heavy metals Ni, Cr and Cd were present in higher concentrations in the fine particle size fractions (< 30 microm of particle diameter), whereas K, P, Zn and Cu exhibited higher concentrations in the coarser particle size fractions (> 30 microm).     

德国公司环境报告评估

1994年进行了德国公司环境报告的第一次排名.1995年和1998年又进行了两次排名,以确定环境报告和陈述的数目已增加的程度,及其质量是否有所改善.基于所使用的基准,已经显示公司报告的质量有颇大差异.虽然总体质量有了改善,但大多数报告都有许多重要不足.     

Umweltvertr?glichkeitsprüfung (UVP) für Pl?ne und Programme

Zusammenfassung  Der Beitrag besch?ftigt sich mit der bald notwendigen Einführung einer Umweltvertr?glichkeitsprüfung für Pl?ne und Programme in das deutsche Umwelt-und Planungsrecht. Zun?chst werden Ziel und Zweck sowie europ?ischer Hintergrund dieses Umweltinstruments erl?utert. Sodann geht es um das Recht der Bauleitplanung. Es werden überlegungen angestellt, wie man den europ?ischen Anforderungen in diesem Bereich gerecht werden k?nnte. Siehe UWSF12 (6) 350 (2000) Schlagw?rter: deutsches Umwelt- und Planungsrecht; Pl?ne; Plan-UVP-Richtlinie; Programme; SEIA; Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEIA); Umweltvertraglichkeitsprüfung (UVP); UVP