Climate change and financial adaptation in Africa. Investigating the impact of climate change on the robustness of index-based microinsurance in Malawi

This paper discusses the applicability of crop insurance for the case of Malawi and explores the potential impact of climate change on the viability of the Malawi weather insurance program making use of scenarios of climate change-induced variations in rainfall patterns. The analysis is important from a methodological and policy perspective. By combining catastrophe insurance modeling with climate modeling, the methodology demonstrates the feasibility, albeit with large uncertainties, of estimating the effects of climate variability and climate change on the near- and long-term future of microinsurance schemes serving the poor. By providing a model-based estimate of insurance back-up capital necessary to avoid ruin under climate variability and climate change, along with the associated uncertainties and data limitations, this methodology can quantitatively demonstrate the need for financial assistance to protect micro-insurance pools against climate-induced insolvency. This is of major concern to donors, NGOs and others supporting these innovative systems, those actually at-risk and insurers providing insurance. A quantitative estimate of the additional burden that climate change imposes on weather insurance for poor regions is of interest to organizations funding adaptation. Further, by linking catastrophe modeling to regionalized climate modeling, the analysis identifies key modeling inputs necessary as well as important constraints. We end with a discussion of the opportunities and limits to similar modeling and weather predictability for Sub-Saharan Africa beyond the case of Malawi.

Implementing comprehensive plans: indicators for a task-sheet based performance evaluation process

Evaluation in spatial planning aims to raise effectiveness of plans as well as efficiency in planning processes. Given that research regarding evaluation of performance and especially plan implementation is sparse, this study presents a minimal set of indicators for a task-sheet based performance evaluation approach for Swiss cantonal comprehensive plans. Thematic task-sheets are a promising characteristic of cantonal comprehensive plans. They translate the comprehensive planning strategy into concrete evaluable tasks. The presented indicators allow assessing procedural efficiency of coordination and implementation of planning tasks (performance). We argue that if task-sheets comply with certain plan quality characteristics, a task-sheet based performance evaluation approach can support the effectiveness of plans and promote the objectives of the planning strategy. We point out plan content and characteristics necessary for effective execution of our approach. As a result, our findings can serve as a framework for designing evaluation processes for comprehensive planning documents beyond Switzerland.     

Besserer Schutz für den Boden

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Industrial point source CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> emission strength estimation with aircraft measurements and dispersion modelling

CO₂ remains the greenhouse gas that contributes most to anthropogenic global warming, and the evaluation of its emissions is of major interest to both research and regulatory purposes. Emission inventories generally provide quite reliable estimates of CO₂ emissions. However, because of intrinsic uncertainties associated with these estimates, it is of great importance to validate emission inventories against independent estimates. This paper describes an integrated approach combining aircraft measurements and a puff dispersion modelling framework by considering a CO₂ industrial point source, located in Biganos, France. CO₂ density measurements were obtained by applying the mass balance method, while CO₂ emission estimates were derived by implementing the CALMET/CALPUFF model chain. For the latter, three meteorological initializations were used: (i) WRF-modelled outputs initialized by ECMWF reanalyses; (ii) WRF-modelled outputs initialized by CFSR reanalyses and (iii) local in situ observations. Governmental inventorial data were used as reference for all applications. The strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches and how they affect emission estimation uncertainty were investigated. The mass balance based on aircraft measurements was quite succesful in capturing the point source emission strength (at worst with a 16% bias), while the accuracy of the dispersion modelling, markedly when using ECMWF initialization through the WRF model, was only slightly lower (estimation with an 18% bias). The analysis will help in highlighting some methodological best practices that can be used as guidelines for future experiments.     

Life cycle assessment and sustainable engineering in the context of near net shape grown components: striving towards a sustainable way of future production

Technical product harvesting (TEPHA) is a newly developing interdisciplinary approach in which bio-based production is investigated from a technical and ecological perspective. Society‘s demand for ecologically produced and sustainably operable goods is a key driver for the substitution of conventional materials like metals or plastics through bio-based alternatives. Technical product harvesting of near net shape grown components describes the use of suitable biomass for the production of technical products through influencing the natural shape of plants during their growth period. The use of natural materials may show positive effects on the amount of non-renewable resource consumption. This also increases the product recyclability at the end of its life cycle. Furthermore, through the near net shape growth of biomass, production steps can be reduced. As a consequence such approaches may save energy and the needed resources like crude oil, coal or gas. The derived near net shape grown components are not only considered beneficial from an environmental point of view. They can also have mechanical advantages through an intrinsic topology optimization in contrast to common natural materials, which are influenced in their shape after harvesting. In order to prove these benefits a comprehensive, interdisciplinary scientific strategy is needed. Here, both mechanical investigations and life cycle assessment as a method of environmental evaluation are used.     

Batterienrecycling: Möglichkeiten zur Erhöhung der Rücklaufquote

Separate collection and exploitation of used batteries facilates the recycling and eventual waste management of such heavy metals as mercury and cadmium. It is thereby possible to regain raw materials like zinc, manganese and iron for the raw material cycle. Although the collection and recycling of used batteries in Switzerland is financed by a prepaid disposal fee, their returning rate of almost 60% is too low for several reasons. A questionnaire survey carried out on 2000 households revealed the following frequenthy: People collecting paper, glass, aluminium, compost and tinplate, are more separate used batteries from ordinary garbage. The number of collecting points is supposed to be sufficient, but not all of them are sufficiently marked. The prepaid disposal fee (VEG) should become obligatory so that it would be possible to compensate the collecting points. It is not obvious from the results of the survey if the introduction of a deposit of batteries would raise the retourning rate. As far as advertising is concerned, only the “battery bag” sent to every household by the BESO seemed to influence the collecting behaviour in a positive way, poster advertising had only little effect. Appeals in newspapers, radio and television did not show any changement of the collecting behaviour. However, information and knowledge about batteries and their recycling do have a positive influence in the collecting behaviour of the consumers in this specific case.     

über die Notwendigkeit der wirkungsorientierten Analytik in einer umfassenden Wasserforschung

Ohne Zusammenfassung Verantwortliche Herausgeber: Jan Schwarzbauer · Peter Heininger · Evelyn Claus

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