Building resilience by challenging social norms: integrating a transformative approach within the BRACED consortia

Resilience is a complex phenomenon whereby a multitude of social and environmental factors, including gender, combine to shape the ways that shocks affect people. Looking at two BRACED (Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters) projects, in Burkina Faso and in Ethiopia, this article uses a desk review and primary data from partners and people at risk to explore how a gender‐transformative approach can be an integral part of resilience‐building projects, particularly those implemented by multi‐stakeholder consortia. It also suggests ways to incorporate a stronger gender component in similar future projects. The article argues that donors and programme managers must provide clear principles and guidelines for achieving gender equity within resilience‐building efforts. However, these must allow flexibility to adapt to norms, needs and resources as determined by implementing partners. The right balance can be achieved by facilitating spaces for individual and collective goal‐setting; assessing current capacity and trajectories; and lesson‐sharing as an iterative process for institutional learning.     

Relating characteristics of global biodiversity targets to reported progress

To inform governmental discussions on the nature of a revised Strategic Plan for Biodiversity of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), we reviewed the relevant literature and assessed the framing of the 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets in the current strategic plan. We asked international experts from nongovernmental organizations, academia, government agencies, international organizations, research institutes, and the CBD to score the Aichi Targets and their constituent elements against a set of specific, measurable, ambitious, realistic, unambiguous, scalable, and comprehensive criteria (SMART based, excluding time bound because all targets are bound to 2015 or 2020). We then investigated the relationship between these expert scores and reported progress toward the target elements by using the findings from 2 global progress assessments (Global Biodiversity Outlook and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services). We analyzed the data with ordinal logistic regressions. We found significant positive relationships (p < 0.05) between progress and the extent to which the target elements were perceived to be measurable, realistic, unambiguous, and scalable. There was some evidence of a relationship between progress and specificity of the target elements, but no relationship between progress and ambition. We are the first to show associations between progress and the extent to which the Aichi Targets meet certain SMART criteria. As negotiations around the post-2020 biodiversity framework proceed, decision makers should strive to ensure that new or revised targets are effectively structured and clearly worded to allow the translation of targets into actionable policies that can be successfully implemented nationally, regionally, and globally.     

A framework designation for the assessment of urban ecological risks

Urban ecological risks stemming from urbanization are increasing and limiting the capability of China to effectuate sustainable urban development. Therefore, addressing urban ecological risks is an urgent need. Numerous factors are involved in urban ecological risks, including air, water, and soil. Additionally, risk sources and risk receptors are complex and diverse. In this study, urban ecological risks are defined as adverse effects and possibility of impacts on urban ecosystem services resulting from urbanization. Urbanization is recognized as the risk source, and the urban ecosystem is considered the risk receptor. Based on this understanding, the components of urban ecological risks are defined, and the relationships between the components of urban ecological risks are illuminated by establishing an indicator system. Based on previous studies on urban ecological risks, an explicit framework for identification, assessment, and management of urban ecological risks is proposed. For purposes of identification, there are three types of risk sources: population growth, industrial development, and the expansion of built land. Stressors include the accumulation of contaminants, consumption of resources, and occupation of space. Assessment endpoints are divided into provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services. In response to urban ecological risks having multiple stressors and multiple assessment endpoints, we assessed risks both with a single stressor/single endpoint and comprehensive ecological risks. In our framework, the physical or material assessment of ecosystem services is adopted as the core method for the analysis of urban ecological risk, because it is believed that the analysis of urban ecological risk should be based on the physical or material assessment of ecosystem services instead of the value assessment of ecosystem services. The results of the single value assessment of urban ecosystem services will cause the deviation from the purpose of urban ecosystem services assessment. The purpose of urban ecosystem services assessment is to maintain and/or improve the capability of urban ecosystems of providing physical or material services, and further to reduce or avoid the occurrence risks of unsustainable cities. Additionally, a multi-level characterization method was adopted for the results of urban ecological risk assessment. In this study, we established a platform to manage urban ecological risks based on landscape ecology and environmental internet of things technologies, and to effectuate online urban ecological risk identification, assessment, and management via this platform.     

农业可持续发展状态评价指标(体系)框架及其分析

通过对农业活动、农业政策与农业环境变化关系的研究,提出了反映农业可持续发展状态的指标结构以及面向农业决策的状态指标分析框架,建议采用“离差法”来评价农业系统的可持续发展状态,其评价结果可以用来判断和制定正确的农业政策;同时还论述了状态评价的具体方法、步骤及评价标准     

生态补偿的理论基础:一个分析性框架

总结分析了生态补偿的理论基础框架和基本理论依据。认为,自然资源环境利用的不可逆性是生态补偿的自然要求和生态学基础;环境资源产权权利界定是生态补偿的法理基础和制度经济学基础;公共物品属性是生态补偿政策途径选择的公共经济学基础;外部性的内部化是生态补偿的核心问题和环境经济学基础;自然资源环境资本论是生态补偿的价值基础和确定补偿标准的理论依据。     

综合应急救援能力描述理论架构及提升内容研究

基于代数这一数学工具,该文创新建立综合应急救援能力描述理论架构,包括面向自然灾害、事故灾难、公共卫生、社会安全等灾种建立的救援灾害轴,面向村、社区、街道(镇)、区(县、市)、市、省等区域建立的救援区域轴,面向准备、响应、处置、保障、善后等时间建立的救援时间轴,由此构成综合应急救援能力描述三维坐标系;在此基础上,抽象出应...     

韩仓河流域水生态韧性修复适宜性评价

文章从城市生态系统的核心水生态系统出发,提出一种水生态韧性修复适宜性评价方法,用以指导城市规划及修复城市生态系统健康.以济南市韩仓河流域为例,使用生态因子组合法构建评价方法框架,并以层次分析法和ArcGIS技术分别进行权重分析和因子叠加.韩仓河流域的水生态韧性修复适宜度评价结果分为非常适宜、较适宜、适宜、较不适宜和不适...     

Measuring and analyzing adaptive capacity at management levels of resilient systems

Resilience engineering (RE) is capable of handling disruptive events and controlling their consequences in process industries such as petrochemical plants. This study aims at analyzing the level of adaptive capacity and identifying effective factors on developing adaptive capacity in the organizational structure of process industries. The data of this study were obtained through direct observation and a structured questionnaire in a petrochemical plant. Managers at all levels participated in the survey. Data envelopment analysis (DEA), which is a mathematical approach, was used to compute and analyze the role of the factors contributing to adaptive capacity. The results indicated that reporting safety issues played a central role in enhancing adaptive capacity at all management levels. Both middle management and low-level management emphasized the importance of management commitment, whereas top-level management considered flexibility as a vital factor in managing disruptions and reducing accidents. The findings of this study could be useful for managers and other decision-makers to improve safety in process industries.     

国家“十四五”环境经济政策改革路线图

"十三五"时期环境经济政策对建立我国生态文明建设长效机制发挥了重要作用,"十四五"时期需要通过进一步深化环境经济政策改革与创新以适应新时代生态文明建设需要。本文研究提出了我国"十四五"时期环境经济政策改革思路、框架与重点,认为我国"十四五"时期环境经济政策改革要深入贯彻习近平生态文明思想,系统考虑政策改革创新面临的新形势和新要求,推进建立"两山"转化和环境质量达标的长效激励机制,突出环境质量持续改善激励、突出经济过程全链条调控,突出政策手段的系统优化与协同增效,突出政策执行能力保障。继续推进生态环境财政制度改革,深化绿色价格税费机制创新,推进建立多元化、市场化生态补偿制度,健全生态环境权益交易机制,完善绿色金融体系,并同步推进完善生态环境价值核算、环境信息公开和信用体系、资源环境名录、政策绩效评估等政策实施配套能力建设,构建全面支撑生态文明建设的环境经济政策体系,推进环境治理体系和治理能力现代化。     

制度分析与发展框架下流域生态补偿的应用规则:基于新安江的实践

探索流域生态补偿是推进生态文明建设、依靠制度保护环境的重要举措。当前,流域生态补偿制度正在广泛地改变流域生态环境和流域水资源利用的使用方式。不过,该制度受到复杂规则体系的约束,这些规则以及规则采取的形式,可能会对该制度的最终结果产生关键影响。本文从制度分析与发展(IAD)框架出发,讨论流域生态补偿的应用规则体系,剖析我国首个跨区域上下游横向生态补偿机制的试点项目——新安江生态补偿,分析有可能实现持续利用流域生态系统服务的应用规则,及其在流域生态补偿中的逻辑关系和具体表现,并从效率、公平、问责、适应性四个方面对规则进行评估。研究表明,流域生态补偿规则体系为规定补偿主体、增加生态系统服务额外性、界定生态补偿的条件性、调节利益分配以及与其他社会目标相适应等行为提供了普遍遵循的规则,为解决流域生态补偿中存在的一般性问题提供解决方向。新安江实践表明,位置规则明晰补偿主体和责任、边界规则选择参与者标准、选择规则规定允许的行动集合、偿付规则创新补偿渠道和分级制裁,是跨区域流域生态补偿机制建立的基石;信息规则确定可用完整的信息、聚合规则适当放权于当地居民、范围规则建立与流域匹配的管理机构,是促进流域生态补偿持续性的重要因素。通过创造责任共担的多元职位规则,改进市场化的边界规则和偿付规则,建设多元化、市场化的流域生态补偿制度,形成有效的补偿规则体系,将有利于流域生态补偿制度在更大范围、更广领域实现成功应用。