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Evaluating Climate Change Action for Sustainable Development

Juha I. Uitto, Jyotsna Puri, Rob D. van den Berg

Demystifying Climate Models

Available Online

Andrew Gettelman, Richard B. Rood

Human-caused climate change is perhaps the defining environmental issue of the early twenty-first century. We observe the earths climate in the present, but observations of future climate are not available yet. So in order to predict the future, we rely on simulation models to predict future climate. This book is designed to be a guide to climate simulation and prediction for the non-specialist and an entry point for understanding uncertainties in climate models. The goal is not to be simply a popular guide to climate modeling and prediction, but to help those using climate models to understand the results. This book provides background on the earths climate system and how it might change, a detailed qualitative analysis of how climate models are constructed, and a discussion of model results and the uncertainty inherent in those results. Throughout the text, terms in bold will be referenced in the glossary. References are provided as footnotes in each chapter. Who uses climate models? Climate model users are practitioners in many fields who desire to incorporate information about climate and climate change into planning and management decisions. Users may be scientists and engineers in fields such as ecosystems or water resources. These scientists are familiar with models and the roles of models in natural science. In other cases, the practitioners are engineers, urban planners, epidemiologists, or architects. Though not necessarily familiar with models of natural science, experts in these fields use quantitative information for decision-making. These experts are potential users of climate models. We hope in the end that by understanding climate models and their uncertainties, the reader will understand how climate models are constructed to represent the earths climate system. The book is intended to help the reader become a more competent interpreter or translator of climate model output.

climate change

Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions of Gases and Particles

Available Online

Peter S. Liss, Martin T. Johnson

This book is an outcome and an important part of the legacy of COST Action 735, whose overall aim was to develop tools for estimating air-sea fluxes of compounds important for climate, air quality and ocean productivity. The action was closely allied with the SOLAS (Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study) project of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), with both having very similar objectives. Because of this, they were mutually supportive in many ways. The action ran for 5 years, starting in September 2006 and ending in September 2011. It involved more than 300 scientists mainly from Europe (77 % from the following 18 countries: Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom) but with a significant number from outside Europe, so that in total scientists from 30 countries participated. One third of the participants were female. The action had a reciprocal agreement with New Zealand. Additional information about the action can be found at http://www.cost-735.org/.

Bats in the Anthropocene: Conservation of Bats in a Changing World

Available Online

Christian C. Voigt, Tigga Kingston

Governance for Drought Resilience

Available Online

Hans Bressers, Nanny Bressers, Corinne Larrue

This book is about governance for drought resilience. But that simple sentence alone might rouse several questions. Because what do we mean with drought, and how does that relate to water scarcity? And what do we mean with resilience, and why is resilience needed for tackling drought? And how does governance enter this equation? We argue that governance assessmentthe study of restricting and facilitating characteristics of a governance settingcan greatly aid implementation of drought adaptation measures, thereby increasing drought resilience. In this chapter we will first discuss the occurrence of drought in (Northwest) Europe, and why governance matters for increasing drought resilience (Sect. 1.1). Second, we will shed more light on the notion of governance and how governance is dealt with by us (Sect. 1.2). Third, we will review existing governance assessment methods (Sect. 1.3). Fourth, we will use this knowledge on governance and governance assessment to introduce our key principles in governance assessment, and discuss how we have applied these in a real-life project setting (Sect. 1.4). Fifth, and last, this chapter ends with an outlook into the rest of the book, to guide the reader in reading (Sect. 1.5).

governance

Counteracting Urban Heat Island Effects in a Global Climate Change Scenario

Available Online

Francesco Musco

Reflect on the present, on the dynamics and the conditions that built it, and look forward at the same time, in search of a prospect to improve the future. Since Howard (18501928) and Geddes (18541932), this has been the dominant logic supporting the work of all those (architects, urban planners, planners, landscape architects, etc.) who grappled with city and territorial management and planning. However, from the 1970s, territorial planning has been confronted with new concepts such as sustainable development, environmental sustainability and social equity and more recently, new challenges such as the ones linked to climate change, which led to the need to redefine territorial planning in disciplinary and operational terms. For some years now, the planners new role is under discussion, especially in relation to the challenges posed by climate change. Sustainability, mitigation, adaptation, renewable energy, low-carbon transition, ecosystem approach and post-disaster planning are just some of the new keywords surrounding the discussion on territorial management and planning. This chapter aims to present rationally, what it means to re-organize and re-think the city, in a long-term perspective. It wants to show how it is possible, and above all is a duty to integrate the new concepts mentioned above in urban planning, to deal with the effects of climate change. The Urban Heat Islands contrast enters fully into the feasible experimentation with appropriate innovations in territorial planning. The paper draws attention to the Italian situation, in the light of the European reference framework.

Ship and Offshore Structure Design in Climate Change Perspective

Available Online

Elzbieta Maria Bitner-Gregersen, Lars Ingolf Eide, Torfinn Hørte, Rolf Skjong

Global warming and extreme weather events reported in the past years have attracted a lot of attention in academia, industry, and media. The ongoing debate around the observed climate change has focused on three important questions: will occurrence of extreme weather events increase in the future, which geographical locations will be most affected, and to what degree will climate change have impact on future ship traffic and design of ships and offshore structures? The present study shortly reviews the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report, AR4, (IPCC 2007), the IPCC SREX Summary for Policymakers report (IPCC 2012) and other relevant publications regarding projections of meteorological and oceanographic conditions in the twenty-first century and beyond with design needs in focus. Emphasis is on wave climate and its potential implications on safe design and operations of ship structures.

The use of Starlicide in preliminary trials to control invasive common myna Acridotheres tristis populations on St Helena and Ascension islands, Atlantic Ocean

Feare, Chris J.

Introduced common mynas Acridotheres tristis have been implicated as a threat to native biodiversity on the oceanic islands of St Helena and Ascension (UK). A rice-based bait treated with Starlicide® was broadcast for consumption by flocks of common mynas at the government rubbish tips on the two islands during investigations of potential myna management techniques. Bait was laid on St Helena during two 3-day periods in July and August 2009, and on Ascension over one 3-day period in November 2009. As a consequence of bait ingestion, dead mynas were found, especially under night roosts and also at the main drinking area on Ascension, following baiting. On St Helena early morning counts at the tip suggested that whilst the number of mynas fell after each treatment, lower numbers were not sustained; no reduction in numbers flying to the main roost used by birds using the tip as a feeding area was detected post-treatment. On Ascension, the number of mynas that fed at the tip and using a drinking site, and the numbers counted flying into night roosts from the direction of the tip, both indicated declines of about 70% (from about 360 to 109 individuals). Most dead birds were found following the first day of bait application, with few apparently dying after baiting on days 2 and 3. Despite the low concentration of Starlicide used, aversion to the bait was apparent during the trials. These results indicate that Starlicide may contribute to myna control programmes but questions remain over the mode of action of the chemical (in terms of individual differences among birds the responses to its toxic properties) and the longer-term susceptibility of birds to baiting.

Prevention, Eradication and Containment of Invasive Species: Illustrations from Hawaii

Burnett, Kimberly

Kaiser, Brooks

Pitafi, Basharat A.

Roumasset, James

Invasive species change ecosystems and the economic services such ecosystems provide. Optimal policy will minimize the expected damages and costs of prevention and control. We seek to explain policy outcomes as a function of biological and economic factors, using the case of Hawaii to illustrate. First, we consider an existing invasion, Miconia calvescens, a plant with the potential to reduce biodiversity, soil cover, and water availability. We then examine an imminent threat, the potential arrival of the Brown Treesnake (Boiga irregularis). The arrival of the snake to Guam has led to native bird extirpations, power outages, and health costs.

Training in Best Practice Chemical Management for the Pacific Region - Training Report for the Republic of Palau

Available Online

Global Environment Facility (GEF)

Training in best practice chemical management was identified as a key need for Pacific Island countries in their planning for implementation of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. In addition, it was recommended that the training should be applicable to all types of chemicals, rather than just those covered under the Convention. The training component of the Pacific Persistent Organic Pollutants Release Reduction Project was developed in response to these needs. This involved the delivery of training courses within 14 Pacific Island countries with the overall aim of improving regional chemical management. The courses were developed and delivered by the Institute of Applied Science of the University of the South Pacific under a contract to the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme. Funding for the work was provided by the Global Environment Facility and implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme. The objectives, comments, and actions from the existing Sound Chemicals Management Policy (2011) remain relevant to Palaus management of hazardous chemicals. Some are discussed again in the Action Plan from the Training Workshop but the full policy is included here for completeness. This appears in Appendix 4. Similarly, the 2007 Stockholm Convention National Implementation Plan for the management of pesticides, PCBs, and unintentional POPs contains some action points that remain relevant (Appendix 5). Additional ones for the new POPs will be relevant when the Stockholm Convention NIP is updated. As Palau continues with their refinement of the Draft Action Plan for Hazardous Chemicals developed during the Training, they will harmonize these two attachments.

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