Disaster risk, climate change and international development: scope for, and challenges to, integration

Reducing losses to weather-related disasters, meeting the Millennium Development Goals and wider human development objectives, and implementing a successful response to climate change are aims that can only be accomplished if they are undertaken in an integrated manner. Currently, policy responses to address each of these independently may be redundant or, at worst, conflicting. We believe that this conflict can be attributed primarily to a lack of interaction and institutional overlap among the three communities of practice. Differences in language, method and political relevance may also contribute to the intellectual divide. Thus, this paper seeks to review the theoretical and policy linkages among disaster risk reduction, climate change and development. It finds that not only does action within one realm affect capacity for action in the others, but also that there is much that can be learnt and shared between realms in order to ensure a move towards a path of integrated and more sustainable development.     

Divergent Perspectives on Expert Disagreement: Preliminary Evidence from Climate Science,Climate Policy,Astrophysics, and Public Opinion

We report the results of an exploratory study that examines the judgments of climate scientists, climate policy experts, astrophysicists, and non-experts (N?=?3367) about the factors that contribute to the creation and persistence of disagreement within climate science and astrophysics and about how one should respond to expert disagreement. We found that, as compared to non-experts, climate experts believe that within climate science (i) there is less disagreement about climate change, (ii) methodological factors play less of a role in generating disagreements, (iii) fewer personal or institutional biases influence climate research, and (iv) there is more agreement about which methods should be used to examine relevant phenomena we also observed that the uniquely American political context predicted experts’ judgments about some of these factors. We also found that, in regard to disagreements concerning cosmic ray physics, and commensurate with the greater inherent uncertainty and data lacunae in their field, astrophysicists working on cosmic rays were generally more willing to acknowledge expert disagreement, more open to the idea that a set of data can have multiple valid interpretations, and generally less quick to dismiss someone articulating a non-standard view as non-expert, than climate scientists were in regard to climate science.     

Consumption-based emissions accounting: the normative debate

ABSTRACT

The normative debate surrounding consumption-based emissions accounting, conceived of as a method for constructing national emissions inventories, is investigated. The focus is to examine whether such accounting would be more just than the current method of production-based accounting. It is argued that there is no good reason to think that consumption-based accounting would be less just, and some reason to think that it would be more just. The consequences of this for the overall question of whether to adopt consumption-based accounting are also investigated.     

Implementing EU climate and energy policies in Poland: policy feedback and reform

European Union (EU) climate/energy targets and policies are poised for the first full climate policy cycle – from adoption and implementation of the policy package for 2020, to reform for 2030. A dynamic approach to the ways in which EU policies affect policy development is developed by applying theories of domestic implementation, policy feedback and integration. Implementation experiences in Poland – the ‘least climate ambitious’ EU member state – affected Polish preferences for reformed EU policies. Existing EU policies, their ‘fit’ with Poland’s energy interests and change in anticipation of future EU policies explain much of the variation in preferences. Second, policy feedback from Poland significantly affected the EU 2030 climate and energy framework. As yet, the EU has succeeded only partly in gathering momentum through a ‘snowball’ effect whereby positive policy feedback from implementation generates further steps.     

Influences of Border Carbon Adjustments on China＇s Foreign Trade

The EU, the United States and other economies, with the intention to implement unilateral trade measures Border Car- bon Adjustments, impose emission reduction pressure on develop- ing countries. Once ...     

基于气候变化的干旱脆弱性评价——以青海东部为例

基于青海东部农业区22个县区的20个气象、农业、社会经济统计指标,利用层次分析法和等级化等数学分析方法,分别进行了暴露性、敏感性和适应性的评价,再通过分析承险体的内在脆弱性,将气候变化和内在脆弱性进行综合分析,得到了青海东部干旱脆弱性等级。结果表明:在目前全球变暖背景下,干旱脆弱性最高的是民和、化隆,较高的是城中、城北区、湟中、大通等四县区,门源、互助、同仁、同德的干旱脆弱性中等。在此基础上,提出了强化旱灾的风险管理模式、倡导节约型水资源开发利用模式等干旱防范措施。     

A Simple Framework for Incorporating Seasonal Streamflow Forecasts into Existing Water Resource Management Practices1

Gong, Gavin, Lucien Wang, Laura Condon, Alastair Shearman, and Upmanu Lall, 2010. A Simple Framework for Incorporating Seasonal Streamflow Forecasts Into Existing Water Resource Management Practices. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(3):574-585. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00435.x Abstract: Climate-based streamflow forecasting, coupled with an adaptive reservoir operation policy, can potentially improve decisions by water suppliers and watershed stakeholders. However, water suppliers are often wary of straying too far from their current management practices, and prefer forecasts that can be incorporated into existing system modeling tools. This paper presents a simple framework for utilizing streamflow forecasts that works within an existing management structure. Climate predictors are used to develop seasonal inflow forecasts. These are used to specify operating rules that connect to the probability of future (end of season) reservoir states, rather than to the current storage, as is done now. By considering both current storage and anticipated inflow, the likelihood of meeting management goals can be improved. The upper Delaware River Basin in the northeastern United States is used to demonstrate the basic idea. Physically plausible climate-based forecasts of March-April reservoir inflow are developed. Existing simulation tools and rule curves for the system are used to convert the inflow forecasts to reservoir level forecasts. Operating policies are revised during the forecast period to release less water during forecasts of low reservoir level. Hindcast simulations demonstrate reductions of 1.6% in the number of drought emergency days, which is a key performance measure. Forecasts with different levels of skill are examined to explore their utility.     

Acidification at Plastic Lake,Ontario: Has 20 Years Made a Difference?

In response to reduced sulphur emissions, there has been a large decrease in sulphate (; −0.97 μeq l⁻¹ year⁻¹) and hydrogen (−1.18 μeq l⁻¹ year⁻¹) ion concentration in bulk precipitation between 1980 and 2000 at Plastic Lake in central Ontario. The benefit of this large reduction in deposition on stream water chemistry was assessed using the gauged outflow from a conifer-forested catchment (PC1; 23.3 ha), which is influenced by a small wetland located immediately upstream of the outflow. Sulphate concentrations declined, but not significantly due to large inter-annual variation in concentration. Between 1980 and 2000, there were significant increases in dissolved organic carbon, ammonium and potassium concentration likely reflecting increased mineralisation in the wetland. Calcium concentrations in PC1 decreased during the two decade period (−2.24 μeq l⁻¹ year⁻¹), as a consequence there was no improvement in stream pH and the Ca:Al ratio in PC1 continued to decline. A similar response was noted in an upland-draining sub-catchment of PC1-08 that has been monitored since 1987. Despite large reductions in deposition and almost complete retention of nitrogen in soil, there has been no improvement (in terms of pH) in stream water at PC1 due to a combination of soil acidification and climatic (droughts, increased mineralisation) perturbations.     

成渝城市群紧凑度与碳排放强度时空演变及协调发展

研究成渝城市群紧凑度与碳排放强度的时空演变及协调发展水平,对于实现社会绿色低碳高质量发展至关重要.运用综合评价、碳排放恒等式、耦合协调度和地理探测器等方法对2010~2020年成渝城市群紧凑度与碳排放强度的时空分异、协调发展和驱动因素进行分析.结果表明:①成渝城市群紧凑度持续上升,从2010年的0.18升至2020年的0.22,总体增长22.22 %,其中经济紧凑度的贡献率逐年增强.各城市紧凑度区域差异显著,高值区集中在城市群西北部的成都、德阳和绵阳以及西南部的自贡、内江和泸州,低值区分布在中部,雅安是城市群内紧凑度最低的地区.②成渝城市群碳排放强度逐年降低,在研究期内下降幅度达39.57 %,城市群南部的碳排放强度整体高于其他区域,成都和重庆两市常年为低值区,碳排放强度的区域差异在逐渐缩小.③城市紧凑度与碳排放强度的耦合度从拮抗阶段转为磨合阶段,耦合协调度从2010年的0.21升至2020年的0.69,两系统逐渐走向良性协调发展.城市群西北部（成都、德阳和绵阳）与川南两市（自贡和泸州）的耦合协调度整体较高.产业结构、科技创新、城镇化水平、政府干预和环境宜居对两系统的耦合协调度都具有显著影响.④优化产业结构、强化科技支撑、提升城镇化发展质量、实施积极的政策引导和建设绿色屏障是促进成渝城市群紧凑度与低碳度协调发展的有效途径.     

近20年兰西城市群生态系统服务价值对土地利用转型的时空响应

快速城市化和人类活动加剧了对现代城市群中各种生态系统服务退化的威胁,探索城市群尺度下的生态安全状况具有重要意义.以兰西城市群为研究区,选择2000、2005、2010、2015和2020年土地利用数据,引入景观生态风险指数,运用土地利用转移矩阵、单位面积价值当量因子法和双变量空间自相关分析法,分析兰西城市群土地利用变化特征,阐明土地利用转型引起的生态风险变化对生态系统服务价值的影响.结果表明:①2000~2020年间兰西城市群土地利用类型主要以草地、耕地和林地为主.建设用地面积扩张明显,主要来源于耕地和草地;6种土地利用类型交叉转化较强,土地利用变化总面积为6646.05 km²;②从空间变化上来看,兰西城市群生态系统服务价值空间格局未发生明显转变,但区域差异性显著,总体呈现西北高、东南低的分布特征;③从时间变化上来看,兰西城市群生态系统服务价值呈逐年增长的趋势,总价值流向从1864.59亿元增长为1921.56亿元,总增值56.97亿元;④兰西城市群近20年生态风险指数整体呈上升的趋势,生态风险区以低生态风险区和较低生态风险区占主导地位;生态系统服务价值与生态风险指数有显著的正向空间相关性.本文旨在揭示土地利用方式对生态系统服务价值和生态风险影响的认识,为区域生态风险管理和土地利用政策制定提供重要参考,进而促进黄河流域生态环境高质量发展.