Identifying the potential of governance regimes to aggravate or mitigate local water conflicts in regions threatened by climate change

There is a need for specific knowledge of what people can do to mitigate harmful water conflicts. This need is evident in the rural dry tropics of Central America where people face climate change impacts, inefficient water management, and social tension. To address this need, we investigated why some local water conflicts escalated to violence and why other potential conflicts were avoided in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica. We used interviews, focus groups, and a stakeholder workshop to analyse five cases. We found that violent actions only occurred when rural groups opposed government agencies in settings without mediating leadership. With one exception in a circumstance aggravated over many years, water users did not take violent action against competing water users. Distrust, which has been formed by legacies of ineffective rural stakeholder engagement, diminished the credibility of water-related information used in decision processes and thus prolonged conflicts. Active community-based groups respected by both rural constituencies and government agencies helped some people avoid difficult conflicts. Self-organised groups in other areas struggled to address disputes in settings with contested property rights, high socio-economic inequality, and low human capital. Using insights from Guanacaste, we outline practical conflict mitigation strategies fitted to a range of local water governance contexts found in rural Central America. Results suggest the need for incorporating certain types of peace-building processes in water management and development. The study provides a foundation for policy-makers, water managers, and other stakeholders to more effectively manage water disputes and avoid harmful conflicts in challenging regions.     

Direct and indirect effects of weather experiences on life satisfaction – which role for climate change expectations?

This paper deals with the effect of (1) damage experience from extreme weather events and (2) expectations concerning future climate change on subjective well-being (SWB). We use data from a large representative survey carried out amongst German households. The effect of experienced weather events on the SWB of the heads of households is significant only in the case of heat waves; the same cannot be said for storms, heavy rain, and floods. Concerns about future climate change in households have a substantial negative impact on current SWB. In addition, we divide the impact of experience into direct and indirect effects of damage, deduced from the impact of experience on expectations regarding future climate change. Both direct and indirect effects of weather experiences are quantified. It becomes apparent that the indirect effect is significant, but small when compared to the direct effect.     

Salem Revisited: Updating the MTBE Controversy

I am wronged. It is a shameful thing that you should mind these folks that are out of their wits.* *Statement of Martha Carrier (excerpt), hanged as a witch on 19 August, 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. In all, 20 innocent persons were executed in 1692 as a result of the hysteria attending the Salem witch trials. After the executions, the court was prohibited from "reliance on spectral and intangible evidence". No prosecutions were successful thereafter. See generally, The Salem Witch Trials 1692: A Chronology of Events , at www.salemweb.com/memorial This article provides background information regarding the emerging controversies involving methyl tert -butyl ether (MTBE) and litigation involving leaking underground storage tanks (USTs) in general. It examines (1) the administrative, legislative and litigation history of MTBE in the context of the Clear Air Act and state environmental statues; (2) the importance of applicable RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) deadlines regarding UST compliance in these cases; (3) the question of MTBE toxicity for personal injury claims; and (4) the scope of damages available in cases filed by plaintiffs who are not physically impacted by contamination. The authors conclude that the MTBE controversy does not appear to be a legitimate public health or environmental crisis, but rather is yet another speculative product of the American legal industry.     

上海人口变化与资源环境效应分析

作为特大型城市,上海2008年常住人口总量已达1 888万,城市化水平也以87%高居全国首位.通过分析上海1978-2008年30年来人口变化特征及其资源环境效应表明,伴随着人口规模不断扩大和城市化水平快速提升,2008年上海居民生活电耗和水耗分别是1978年的17倍和5倍,占资源消费总量的比例也逐年快速攀升;生活废水排放量已取代工业废水成为最大贡献源,占废水排放总量的比例高达80%;生活废气排放总量相对稳定.针对上海实现可持续发展所面临的人口难题,从依据人口发展规律调整城市发展战略,通过产业结构调整带动经济增长方式转变,切实加大环保投入力度促进治污防污,进一步提高公众环保意识和企业环保责任等几个方面提出了破解这一难题的对策与建议.     

Assessing the Impacts of Establishing MPAs on Fishermen and Fish Merchants: The Case of Lyme Bay,UK

Shortly after the implementation of a marine protected area (MPA) in Lyme Bay in 2008, inside which scallop dredging and bottom trawling is prohibited, a socio-economic impact assessment was initiated. This article presents the initial findings from this study. The aim was to understand the costs and benefits to fishermen and fish merchants of establishing the MPA. These were assessed using a combination of primary and secondary data. The results indicate that the impacts of the closure differ according to the gear type and the fishing location used by the fishermen. Static gear fishermen who fish inside the closed area have seen changes in terms of increased fishing effort, mostly because they have been able to increase the number of crab and whelk pots they deploy. The effects of the closure on static gear fishermen who fish outside the closed area has been reported in terms of increased conflicts with towed gear fishermen who now fish regularly in their traditional grounds. Fishermen using towed gear on the other hand have been impacted through displacement effects as they have been forced to look for other fishing grounds outside the closed area. Most fish merchants and processors initially claimed that they were heavily impacted by the closure but when they were interviewed 1 year after the closure they suggested a more stable picture. Preliminary analyses of landings data indicate that the introduction of the MPA has so far had minimal impacts on the average incomes and financial profits of fishermen and fish merchants. This conclusion, however, reflects a short-term view as the impacts of the closure of Lyme Bay are likely to be felt for a long time to come.     

Estimating upper percentiles of surface water monitoring data with sparse samples

The estimation of upper percentiles of chemical concentrations in surface water systems within sites and regions may be necessary for the assessment of potential risk to ecosystems and human health. Limited sample sizes at monitoring sites often limit the use of direct methods to estimate upper percentiles. In such cases, upper percentiles within regions within a time frame may be estimated by pooling data across sites and years, and then deriving percentile estimates from the pooled dataset. The method uses the observations resulting from either a known probability-sampling design or a sampling design treated like one because its observations come close to matching that of a probability-sample. These observations are then weighted to ensure that estimates are representative of a target population across all the sites within the region and the range of years in the time frame. This method of estimating upper percentiles of annual site concentration profiles is demonstrated using atrazine and validated using the monitoring data from both sparsely sampled and high-frequency water monitoring programs, where point and interval estimates of the 90th, 95th, and 99th pooled population percentiles are provided. This method shows that the pooled data from multiple sparse datasets can be used to provide estimates of near-peak concentrations with greater certainty, which are consistent with those generated by high-frequency sampling monitoring programs.     

中国安全生产标准实施情况的调查与分析

为深入了解安全生产标准的实施情况,运用情景分析法和专家分析法,根据标准获取情况、宣贯情况、标准适用性3个方面设计了调查问卷,首次对工矿商贸企业开展调查。研究结果表明:当前安全生产标准工作中存在着标准获取困难、宣贯不到位、部分标准适用性不强等问题。在分析原因的基础上,提出建立安全生产标准信息共享与咨询服务工作平台,建立标准宣贯长效工作机制,优化工作程序、提高标准质量等方面的建议,为加强安全生产标准工作提供参考。     

呼和浩特市黄河蒲滩拐水源地水环境现状及防范措施研究

饮用水安全直接关系人民群众的身体健康和生命安全,加强饮用水安全管理是关乎民生的重要任务。本文简述了呼和浩特市黄河蒲滩拐水源地的风险源调查情况,并分别采用单因子污染指数法和内梅罗综合污染指数法对区域水环境质量现状进行评价,在此基础上提出了风险防范措施。     

环境管理工作中污染源普查成果的应用

全国污染源普查工作的开展实施,能够更好地了解当前环境的具体状况,然后进行科学合理的分析,分析数据结果能够对环境保护工作提供坚实的数据基础。本文着重阐述了环境污染普查工作的实施及科学成果的应用,并对普查结果进行了科学的分析总结,以期为今后环境保护工作提供借鉴。     

公众信任及水灾风险认知的区域对比

通过在长江流域不同区域开展问卷调查(获885份样本),统计、比较公众对社会减灾能力的信任态度及水灾风险认知状况,并探讨信任与认知之间的关系。结果显示,公众对社会减灾能力基本持信任态度,信任度依次为:灾害监测预报预警>政府应急>防灾工程能力,其中下游地区公众的信任度较高。公众对于水灾的风险感知普遍偏弱,尤其是下游地区公众对发生水灾、受灾可能性的评估偏低(小于25%)。公众对于区域减灾能力的信任主要受到受灾经历(如灾情损失、灾后救援等)的影响,区域本底的灾害风险高低导致公众水灾风险认知的差异。风险较高区域(上、中游)公众更愿意采取较多的、积极的具体防减灾措施。