Identifying and mapping community vulnerability

Disaster vulnerability is socially constructed, i.e., it arises out of the social and economic circumstances of everyday living. Most often discussed from the perspective of developing nations, this article extends the argument using American demographic trends. Examples from recent disasters, Hurricane Andrew in particular, illustrate how certain categories of people, such as the poor, the elderly, women-headed households and recent residents, are at greater risk throughout the disaster response process. Knowledge of where these groups are concentrated within communities and the general nature of their circumstances is an important step towards effective emergency management. Emergency planners, policy-makers and responding organisations are encouraged to identify and locate high-risk sectors on Community Vulnerability Maps, integrating this information into GIS systems where feasible. Effective disaster management calls for aggressively involving these neighbourhoods and groups at all levels of planning and response, as well as mitigation efforts that address the root causes of vulnerability.     

Vietnamese Uplands: Environmental and Socio-Economic Perspective of Forest Land Allocation and Deforestation Process

Vietnam, in the ongoing transition to market economies, has to cope with high rural poverty and a dramatic process of forest loss and environment degradation, particularly in the mountainous regions. The government considers rural poverty as the main cause of environment degradation, associated with slash-and-burn cultivation and to an unclear definition of property rights on forest land. In 1993, the government launched a Forest Land Allocation programme aiming to lease forest lands to individual households and, on this basis, to solve food security problems, halt the increasing environment degradation and preserve the remaining forests.To evaluate the results of this land reform policy, two upland pilot communes have been intensively monitored. The environmental and economic impacts of the forest land reform allocation in the two study areas are presented, after providing a background on the Vietnamese situation of mountain zones. On the basis of these findings, it is discussed as to whether the current forest land allocation process may actually promote local development and natural resources conservation, and under what conditions. Deforestation problems must be tackled also with new macroeconomic policies (e.g. credit programmes to support sustainable agriculture practices) and social policy (e.g. reduction of demographic pressure), together with the reform of the State institutions (e.g. State Forest Enterprises) involved in management of the forest areas.     

郑州市民运会期间大气PM2.5改善效果评估

利用2019年8月5日至9月30日大气污染物和颗粒物组分在线数据,评估郑州市少数民族运动会空气质量管控效果.根据政府管控措施的实施时间,将研究时期分为管控前(8月5～24日)、管控中(8月25日至9月18日)和解除管控后(9月19～30日).相较管控前,管控中PM_2.5平均浓度增加2.3μg·m^-3,解除管控后PM_2.5的浓度增加了11.7μg·m^-3,解除管控后PM_2.5浓度增幅高于管控中,表明管控措施对颗粒物有显著的减排效果.从颗粒物组分来看,研究期间郑州市主要组分依次是有机物、硝酸根、铵根、硫酸根和地壳元素.相比于管控前,管控期间PM_2.5组分中有机物和硝酸根占比分别上升3.9%和0.9%,硫酸根、铵根和地壳元素的占比下降了1.1%、 1.9%和2.2%.利用正定矩阵因子分解法解析颗粒物来源,结果表明二次硫酸、二次硝酸、二次有机气溶胶、机动车源、工艺过程源、扬尘和燃煤是PM_2.5主要来源.管控对一次源中的扬尘、燃煤和工业效果显著...     

Forest Conflict in Thailand: Northern Minorities in Focus

This paper aims at exploring the local background of and solutions to the forest conflict in upland areas inhabited by ethnic minorities, who are called hill tribes, in northern Thailand. A so-called hill tribe problem has been officially identified as a result of the slash-and-burn cultivation and other perceived problems, such as opium poppy cultivation, illegal immigration, and the suspicion of disloyalty to the state. This has created distrust and tension between the groups and authorities. The local conflict has recently been related to the dilemma of conserving the forest from all human interference, while many people live and make their livelihood within and adjacent to the protected areas. Furthermore, as the results imply, strictly protected areas and reforestation have also increased the competition over land and natural resources and, thereby, the likelihood of local conflicts. The scarcity and pollution of water, illegal logging, and poor fire control have contributed to the conflicts between local communities. The conflicts between the local communities and officials have been nourished by political and public discussions. Using definitions and terms with negative connotations and ignoring the heterogeneity between the groups or labeling some groups as malevolent have increased distrust and strengthened existing stereotypical images. Conflict resolution starts with efforts toward better mutual understanding, and changes in structures and attitudes are necessary. Local cooperation, utilization of traditional methods, and local institutions are central to conflict solving.     

郑州市少数民族运动会期间O3及VOCs污染特征的演变和评估

基于近地面观测的常规污染六参数、气象数据和在线VOCs数据,以臭氧及其前体物VOCs为研究重点,评估了民运会期间采取的污染管控措施对郑州市空气质量的影响.结果表明, 2019年民运会管控期间污染物六参数相较上年同期均呈现降低趋势,其中PM_2.5和PM₁₀浓度分别降低了16.2%和25.1%,但是臭氧日最大8 h浓度均值的降幅仅为3.7%,且臭氧为首要污染物的天数超过90%.就臭氧前体物VOCs而言,民运会期间PAMS浓度(26.21×10^-9)低于历史同期;利用PMF模型解析出6个因子,依次为机动车尾气(28%)、LPG(21%)、燃烧(16%)、工业(15%)、溶剂(15%)和植物排放(5%);空气保障期间,对燃烧源和工业源的管控较为明显.     

民族地区中学生环境意识调查与分析——以松潘中学生调查为例

鉴于目前对民族地区中学生环境意识的调查研究还十分缺乏,为了解他们的环境意识现状,以推动民族地区环境意识教育活动的开展。通过采用问卷调查的方法,对松潘县400名中学生环境意识现状进行了调查。调查结果发现,当地中学生整体环境意识水平中等、个体差异较大、环境保护行为水平中等偏低,＂知＂、＂意＂、＂行＂3部分之间存在脱节现象。...     

Social, cultural and structural influences on household waste recycling: A case study

The household-recycling rate in the Borough of Burnley, England in 2001/2002 was only half the national average of 12%. This research employed both quantitative and qualitative surveys in order to ascertain whether householders’ attitudes to recycling were contributory factors to the generally poor recycling performance and to investigate other social, cultural and structural influences. The Borough has a large Asian–British population concentrated in two deprived wards where recycling rates are particularly low, so special attention was given to ascertaining their attitudes towards recycling.The quantitative survey comprised a postal questionnaire sent to a random sample of 360 households drawn from the electoral register. The qualitative survey consisted of group interviews with the Asian–British population at local community centres and focus groups attended by volunteers from the quantitative study.The findings suggest that householders are very willing to participate in recycling, as shown by the almost 80% claiming to recycle paper, but that local recycling services are too unreliable and inconvenient to allow them to do so comprehensively. Asian–British attitudes to recycling were found to be no different to those of the wider population, with their low participation being linked to the higher priorities imposed upon them by economic deprivation. The findings are broadly in line with those of the literature in that recycling participation tends to be higher among more affluent and older people, but lower among less affluent and younger households, probably due in part to the availability of both storage space and time, with the implication that the Borough's preponderance of terraced housing militates against a high recycling rate. Policy recommendations to local authorities include the provision of bespoke recycling services to suit the variety of residential conditions across the UK, and the provision of regular feedback to householders regarding recycling services and performance.Further research is needed to identify non-recyclers and to explore how householders’ underlying psychological, cultural and social attitudes to recycling impinge upon recycling and participation rates.     

Beyond men and women: a critical perspective on gender and disaster

Consideration of gender in the disaster sphere has centred almost exclusively on the vulnerability and capacities of women. This trend stems from a polarised Western understanding of gender as a binary concept of man—woman. Such an approach also mirrors the dominant framing of disasters and disaster risk reduction (DRR), emphasising Western standards and practices to the detriment of local, non‐Western identities and experiences. This paper argues that the man—woman dichotomy is an insufficient construct with which to address the gendered dimensions of a disaster as it fails to capture the realities of diverse gender minorities in non‐Western contexts. The paper presents case studies from the Philippines, Indonesia, and Samoa, where gender minorities display specific patterns of vulnerability associated with their marginal positions in society, yet, importantly, also possess a wide array of endogenous capacities. Recognition of these differences, needs, skills, and unique resources is essential to moving towards inclusive and gender‐sensitive DRR.     

Place attachment,place identity,and place memory: Restoring the forgotten city past

This paper investigates collective memory in inhabitants of two twin cities, Lviv (Ukraine, previously Lwów, Poland) and Wroc?aw (Poland, previously Breslau, Germany). Due to territorial changes in Eastern and Central Europe after World War II, the two cities changed their state belonging and—consequently—their populations. This study focused on memory of residence place and on its relationship with place identity and place attachment.