What are the barriers to successful community-based climate change adaptation? A review of grey literature

ABSTRACT

Across the Global South, community-based adaptation (CBA) projects are increasingly being implemented in an effort to respond effectively and sustainably to the impacts of climate change, with a particular focus on people’s livelihoods. Despite an increase in the number of CBA projects being implemented, detailed analysis and evaluation of their efficacy and the barriers faced in achieving successful outcomes is lacking. This study draws on an analysis of grey literature (i.e. project and donor reports) to explore the barriers faced in achieving effective CBA. An extensive global search of online project evaluations yielded 25 documents comprising 69 projects from which this analysis is based. This paper first presents an overview of the 69 projects and highlights any trends. Second, this paper describes the barriers to CBA according to three broad themes: socio-political, resource, and physical systems and processes. Following this is a discussion of the most prevalent barriers: cognitive and behavioural, financial, and human resources. Third, this paper discusses the key findings elucidated from this review. This includes the need for greater sharing of project reports and findings so lessons can be learned across spatial and temporal scales, and the disparity between critical academic literature on CBA and what is implemented in practice.     

Municipal solid waste management in South Africa: from waste to energy recovery through waste-to-energy technologies in Johannesburg

ABSTRACT

“Waste-to-energy” (WTE) technologies have been presented as one of the avenues to improve the management of solid waste whilst promoting clean and healthy urban environments through the recovery of waste and generation of energy. Research suggests that with the right investment in technologies and institutional changes, waste can potentially become a resource that can contribute to the socio-economic development of cities. It is in this context that this paper presents a review of the literature on WTE technologies and their implications on sustainable waste management in urban areas. The paper particularly contributes to our understanding of WTE technologies and its potential on Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is estimated that the city of Johannesburg’s landfills airspace will be completely depleted by year 2023. This projection becomes a motivation for the identification of suitable WTE alternative avenues to manage waste in the city. The paper argues that WTE technologies can contribute significantly to sustainable waste management, economic growth, ecological and environmental well-being.     

Shaped by race: why “race” still matters in the challenges facing biodiversity conservation in Africa

This article uses experiences from South Africa to argue that, despite progress made in making biodiversity conservation compatible with social, political and economic changes, progress could still be limited by reluctance of social actors to acknowledge and engage with the issue of race. The article argues that acknowledging the history of conservation in Africa, including close ties to racially charged colonialism, could be a positive impetus in the transformation of conservation to make it more socially, economically and politically justifiable.     

The Belt and Road Initiative and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: seeking linkages for global environmental governance

ABSTRACT

Global environmental cooperation serves as an important part in the Chinese ideal of building a Community with a Shared Future for all Human Beings. The report of 19th CPC National Congress indicates that China is committed to proactive mitigation under the Paris Agreement and further participating in global environmental governance under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and both of which are largely integrated to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). BRI are also closely linked with South–South environmental and climate cooperation proposed by China from previous UN summits. Based on shared ideas, intersected agendas, and compatible governance approaches, BRI and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development grow increasingly relevant and they might form synergies based on increasingly interactive relations. In sum, seeking and intensifying the linkages between BRI and 2030 sustainable development goals (SDGs) could address global environmental governance deficits and enhance cooperation among nations.     

Use and users of municipal commonage around three small towns in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Municipal commonages surround many small towns throughout South Africa, and are an integral component of the national land reform programme. But little is known about their extent, use or value, and most appear to have limited or no management or investment. This paper reports on a survey of randomly selected households in three small towns in the Eastern Cape to ascertain the extent and purpose of use of municipal commonages. Between 27% and 70% of urban households used commonage depending on site. Key resources used were fuelwood, medicinal plants, and grazing of livestock. Typically, commonage using households were poorer and less educated than other urban residents, although the profile of users is unique for each town. Given the extensive use of commonage resources, and their contribution to the livelihoods of the poor, local municipalities need to develop and implement sound management strategies that account for all users of commonages, rather than the oft encountered focus on livestock owners and production.     

Anomalous Ba/Ca signals associated with low temperature stresses in Porites corals from Daya Bay, northern South China Sea

Barium to calcium (Ba/Ca) ratio in corals has been considered as a useful geochemical proxy for upwelling, river flood and other oceanic processes. However, recent studies indicated that additional environmental or biological factors can influence the incorporation of Ba into coral skeletons. In this study, Ba/Ca ratios of two Porites corals collected from Daya Bay, northern South China Sea were analyzed. Ba/Ca signals in the two corals were ‘anomalous’ in comparison with Ba behaviors seen in other near-shore corals influenced by upwelling or riverine runoff. Our Ba/Ca profiles displayed similar and remarkable patterns characterized by low and randomly fluctuating background signals periodically interrupted by sharp and large synchronous peaks, clearly indicating an environmental forcing. Further analysis indicated that the Ba/Ca profiles were not correlated with previously claimed environmental factors such as precipitation, coastal upwelling, anthropogenic activities or phytoplankton blooms in other areas. The maxima of Ba/Ca appeared to occur in the period of Sr/Ca maxima, coinciding with the winter minimum temperatures, which suggests that the anomalous high Ba/Ca signals were related to winter-time low sea surface temperature. We speculated that the Ba/Ca peaks in corals of the Daya Bay were most likely the results of enrichment of Ba-rich particles in their skeletons when coral polyps retracted under the stresses of anomalous winter low temperatures. In this case, Ba/Ca ratio in relatively high-latitude corals can be a potential proxy for tracing the low temperature stress.     

南海北部海域底泥微生物的腐殖质还原性能研究

微生物的腐殖质还原过程自1996年发现以来,日益成为环境领域的一个研究热点。以南海北部海域的8个底泥为实验材料,利用蒽醌-2,6,-双磺酸（AQDS）为腐殖质模式物,初步探讨了南海北部8个底泥培养物对腐殖质的还原能力,并探讨了驯化后的8个底泥微生物对腐殖质的还原过程。结果发现：从南海北部深海海域到海陆交接的香港米浦红树林的8个底泥样品培养液均能很好的还原AQDS;驯化后的8个站点底泥微生物对腐殖质还原的能力有所不同,在48 h,E425站点培养液中的OD450只有0.74,其余7个站点培养液中的OD450都在2.0~3.0之间,推测其原因是8个站点中腐殖质还原微生物的数量具有明显差异,使得各站点的OD450差异很大。研究结果为认知腐殖质还原微生物的分布和探究腐殖质还原微生物在环境中的生态学意义提供重要的理论依据。     

南海北部沿岸近江牡蛎有机氯杀虫剂含量与食用安全性分析

于2008—2010年每年春季,在南海北部沿岸23个观测站分别采集成体近江牡蛎(Crassostrea rivularis),测定了牡蛎有机氯杀虫剂含量,并探讨了有机氯杀虫剂残留对牡蛎食用安全性的影响。结果表明,牡蛎有机氯杀虫剂平均含量(μg.kg-1,以湿质量计)高低依次为:DDTs 4.68(含量范围1.53～9.77)>硫丹2.58(nd～17.6)>氯丹1.12(nd～11.2)>三氯杀螨醇0.514(nd～4.42)>甲氧氯0.300(nd～2.66)>异狄氏剂0.229(nd～4.82)>环氧七氯0.182(nd～1.65)>异狄氏剂醛0.159(nd～1.16)>艾氏剂0.138(nd～1.72)>BHCs 0.130(nd～0.727)>狄氏剂0.095(nd～0.237)>七氯0.056(nd～0.531)。除异狄氏剂醛和硫丹外,其他杀虫剂含量明显低于澳大利亚、俄罗斯、欧盟、加拿大、日本和中国的水产品、畜禽肉中有机氯杀虫剂残留限量;硫丹含量低于澳大利亚和加拿大的限量,但少数牡蛎样本中硫丹含量略高于欧盟的限量,接近或超过日本的限量。经食用牡蛎而进入人体的α-BHC、β-BHC、γ-BHCp、p...     

ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITING: Which Birds Are Useful Bioindicators of Mining and Grazing Impacts in Arid South Australia?

Significant annual variations in population size of most species were evident with greater abundance of most species in wet years. Habitat variables, particularly vegetation structure, were also an important determinant of the abundance of most bird species and tended to mask the impacts of the land use under investigation. Several bird species had benefited from the provision of permanent water at mining and pastoral sites. Other species utilized increased nesting or feeding opportunities associated with the mining operation and increased food supply at the pastoral sites. Crested bellbirds and mixed-feeding flocks of small insectivorous birds were apparently disadvantaged by mining and hence may be useful bioindicators of mining impacts. No bird species or community parameters were identified which could serve as useful early warning bioindicators of pastoral impacts.     

华南东部主要铀矿区居民室内外氡浓度研究

对华南东部6个铀矿区居民室内外空气氡浓度及其变化规律进行了研究。矿区废渣和坑道口释放出来的氡气对周围大气形成了氡污染,特别是在矿区周围0.5～1.5 km的范围内的污染严重。但是空气中的这种氡污染随离矿区的距离增大而迅速减弱。矿区周围居民室内氡的浓度高,是广东省室内氡浓度平均值的10倍左右。在进行调查的190个居室中,有45个(23%)居室室内氡浓度超过美国环境保护局制定的148 Bq/m3室内氡浓度的上限值。居室中氡浓度的升高,除了受矿区释放出来的氡污染外,更主要是因本地区属高本底辐射区,房基下的土壤、岩石和建筑材料中的铀、镭等放射性元素的含量高,其放射性衰变产生的氡释放出来进入室内。