Potential Vulnerability Implications of Sea Level Rise for the Coastal Zones of Cochin, Southwest Coast of India

This study presents the results of the impact assessment analysis of the coastal zones of Cochin along the southwest coast of India. The climatological cycle of sea level derived for the region for the period 1939–2003 has shown a range of about 17 cm. From the results obtained on the coastal sedimentary environments, it is found that climate-induced sea level rise scenarios will bring profound effects. It is also revealed that the mean beach slope and relief play a vital role in land loss of the region. The local relief of coastal zone will decrease as sea level rises, thus increasing the percentage of land above mean sea level subjected to episodic inundations. Results of the yearly probability of damages indicated the urgency to upgrade the existing designs of coastal protection structures. A brief characterisation of the issues on infrastructure and uncertainties in policy planning also are attempted.     

煤矿区居民环境-健康脆弱性及其评价

煤炭开采活动对生态环境产生了强烈的破坏,同时也严重影响了矿区居民的身体健康乃至生命安全。笔者对由采煤引起的人体健康问题进行了尝试性的研究,提出了环境-健康脆弱性的定义,分析了其表现及成因。在此基础上,选取了14项评价指标和AHP评价方法对矿区居民环境-健康脆弱性进行了评价,为煤矿矿区居民的环境-健康脆弱性的深入研究提供了一定的借鉴。     

Reducing hazard vulnerability: towards a common approach between disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation

Over the past few decades, four distinct and largely independent research and policy communities--disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, environmental management and poverty reduction--have been actively engaged in reducing socio-economic vulnerability to natural hazards. However, despite the significant efforts of these communities, the vulnerability of many individuals and communities to natural hazards continues to increase considerably. In particular, it is hydro-meteorological hazards that affect an increasing number of people and cause increasingly large economic losses. Arising from the realisation that these four communities have been largely working in isolation and enjoyed only limited success in reducing vulnerability, there is an emerging perceived need to strengthen significantly collaboration and to facilitate learning and information exchange between them. This article examines key communalities and differences between the climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction communities, and proposes three exercises that would help to structure a multi-community dialogue and learning process.     

Assessing community vulnerability to floods and hurricanes along the Gulf Coast of the United States

Hurricanes and flooding have affected millions of people and generated massive economic losses over the past several decades. Geographic information system (GIS) methods are employed in this paper to analyse coastal communities' vulnerability to these two hazards along the Gulf Coast of the United States. Specifically, two types of quantitative indicators are developed: (i) exposure to hurricanes and flooding, based on information from multiple sources; and a social vulnerability index, constructed using census data. These indices are combined to depict the spatial patterns of overall community vulnerability to hurricanes and flooding along the US Gulf Coast. The results of this study can potentially inform disaster management agencies, county governments, and municipalities in areas at heightened risk. Furthermore, the demonstration of the geographic distribution of community vulnerability can assist decision-makers in prioritising to-do items and designing policies and plans for the more effective allocation of resources. The paper ends by discussing the study's limitations and its practical implications.     

自然灾害脆弱性研究进展

近年来,在国际上日益重视防灾减灾的背景下,脆弱性研究已成为灾害学研究的主题并逐渐融入社会可持续发展策略。在回顾国内外灾害脆弱性研究发展的基础上,阐述了脆弱性的基本内涵,探究了自然灾害脆弱性的基本构成,并对灾害研究领域中容易混淆的危险性、脆弱型、风险、易损性与恢复力等概念进行了辨析。研究归纳总结了开展脆弱性评估的5种经典模式,风险-灾害(RH)模式、压力释放(PAR)模式、政治经济模式、基于区域的综合脆弱性模式和恢复力模式。并且指出,自然灾害研究领域的脆弱性评估应主要基于历史数据、指标体系和实际调查的灾损率曲线。从发展趋势来看,脆弱性研究正日益着重多领域合作、多对象细化和除指标体系外多种方法的综合应用,旨在从人类社会本身找出灾难根源,为灾害保险和政府决策提供有效指导。     

Land tenure,disasters and vulnerability

Although often overlooked, land tenure is an important variable impacting on vulnerability to disaster. Vulnerability can occur either where land tenure is perceived to be insecure, or where insecure tenure results in the loss of land, especially when alternative livelihood and housing options are limited. Disasters often provide the catalyst for such loss. This paper avoids making generalisations about the security of particular types of tenure, but instead explores factors that mediate tenure security, particularly in the wake of a disaster. The paper identifies five mediating factors: (1) the local legal system; (2) government administrative authority; (3) the economy; (4) evidence of tenure, and; (5) custom and dominant social attitudes. It is shown that some mediating factors are more salient for particular types of tenure than others. The paper will highlight the importance of land tenure in any assessment of vulnerability, and conclude with suggestions for further research.     

海平面上升和土地利用驱动下红树林生境脆弱性研究

为了探索海平面上升(SLR)和土地利用导致的红树林生境潜在变化,本文以我国红树林分布最集中的雷州半岛为研究区域,基于SLAMM模型和景观生态模型建立了红树林生境脆弱性指数,设置4个SLR-土地利用组合情景(SLR4.5-土地开发利用、SLR4.5-土地自然转换、SLR8.5-土地开发利用、SLR8.5-土地自然转换),预测2050年雷州半岛红树林的生境变化和脆弱程度,并提出应对环境变化的管理策略.结果表明,(1)SLR和土地利用双重压力的叠加将造成红树林生境的显著退化,预测生境面积将减少16.59%～25.61%,减少地点集中在铁山港、安铺港、湛江港、雷州湾和流沙湾沿岸.(2)在土地自然转换情景下,尽管仍应对着海平面上升的压力,红树林潜在生境面积可增加44.66%～67.74%,增加的区域集中在岸线往内陆方向和沿水系向内陆延伸的两岸,但新增生境面临着破碎化程度高的问题.(3)在所有情景下均呈现红树林迁出现有保护区的趋势,保护区内红树林面积由5949.8hm²下降至4732.1～5192.9hm².(4)高脆弱区主要分布在雷州湾、湛江港近岸和流...     

Cultural issues in post‐disaster reconstruction: the case of Typhoon Morakot in Taiwan

Most members of Taiwan's indigenous communities live in areas that are prone to natural disasters. Yet, due to their marginalised cultural, economic and political status, each time such calamities strike, any assistance they receive is usually provided without considering their actual needs. The areas hardest hit by Typhoon Morakot in August 2009 were the indigenous villages in the southern and eastern parts of the island. After the initial emergency relief efforts had been completed, there remained the highly challenging task of reconstruction and the resettlement of those who lost their homes and livelihoods. This paper examines the cultural conflicts that arose during the reconstruction process, with special emphasis on the participation of Taiwan's indigenous communities and their capacity for resilience. It was found that community participation and identification are key issues in effective disaster governance.     

Chronicles of security risk assessment in process industries: Past,present and future perspectives

Security incidents around the world causes enormous loss in terms of life, economy, and environment. The 9/11 ′triggered the serious onset of research initiatives in the field of security with a more specific focus on the protection of high sensitive and hazardous facilities. It is well known that technology is advancing in a very rapid phase, proportionally increasing the security risk of the facilities. Conventional deterministic risk techniques widely found their applications in the earlier stage but owing to the increasing dynamic nature of the security risk, probabilistic dynamic risk assessment models were developed over time. In this article, the authors attempted to present the evolution of security risk concepts, their present status, and their future scope in a precise and consolidated form. The last 20 years of development in the security risk assessment concept involving deterministic and dynamic risk assessment models and applications in security risk assessment relevant to physical security are discussed in this article. The objective of the article is to outline the past, current and future directions of security risk highlighting their strength, weakness and limitations.     

城市燃气管网脆弱性评价及其应用

为研究城市燃气管网系统的本质安全性,提出了适用于城市燃气管网系统的脆弱性概念及脆弱性研究思路。根据城市燃气管网自身的行业特点与实地调研结果,从物理、结构和社会功能3个角度出发,建立了城市燃气管网脆弱性指标体系及等级标准。然后通过MATLAB R2010a的BP神经网络方法分别训练"敏感性程度"和"自身应对能力"网络模型,并构建脆弱性的函数模型。最后将城市燃气管网脆弱性等级划分为5个,用于评价城市燃气管网的脆弱性程度。训练得到的网络模型的均方差均小于0.05,结果表明,训练得到的网络模型效果良好,具有较强的泛化能力,且能够方便地用于评价未知样本,得到研究区域的燃气管网脆弱性等级值为0.91,研究区域的燃气管网脆弱性被评定为"不脆弱"。