This document analyzes climate change action in two Brazilian megacities, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. It discusses how these cities are responding to climate change through policy strategies and instruments. Participation in transnational municipal networks has been important for supporting climate change actions in both cities, with attention given to mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. However, there is a lack of comprehensive adaptation measures. Climate change actions rely on multiple public and private actors across sectors and levels of governance, which poses challenges due to differing interests and capacities.
The research on human dimensions of global environmental change in Latin AmericaRafael Martins
This document summarizes research on the human dimensions of global environmental change (HDGEC) in Latin America. It finds that while the field is emerging, involvement from Latin American social sciences remains limited and fragmented. Key factors that could help increase participation include international collaboration, research programs, and funding. The document calls for greater involvement from social sciences to better understand human-environment interactions related to issues like climate change, land use, and sustainability.
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Processes and International System D...Shahadat Hossain Shakil
The document discusses the evolution and current state of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) processes in Australia. Key points include:
- SEA was formally introduced in Australia through the 1999 Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, but its use has remained uneven and often ad hoc across different sectors and levels of government.
- SEA has seen more successful implementation in the fisheries sector due to mandatory requirements and incentives, conducting over 120 assessments. In other sectors its use has been limited due to its voluntary nature.
- While Australian SEA law and policy aim to promote environmental protection, the practice of SEA has focused more on expediting development decisions rather than identifying environmentally sustainable options.
-
Ecosystem resilience and community values: Implications to ecosystem-based ad...Noralene Uy
The resilience analysis of ecosystems and mapping of community values and actions attempted in this study provide entry points for an ecosystem-based adaptation strategy which addresses positive and negative factors as well as acts on gaps and opportunities in enhancing climate resilience in Infanta.
The Role of Spatial Data Infrastructure in the Management of Land Degradation...rsmahabir
Abstract
Land degradation involves a wide array of natural and human induced factors affecting the productivity of land. These factors can exist in various non unique and complex combinations of different environmental settings, making detection and monitoring of land degradation an often difficult undertaking. As a result, no universal solution exists to eliminate the problem of land degradation altogether. In order to reduce its rate of encroachment, this phenomenon should be assessed and quantified in order to identify the causes, processes and factors leading to land degradation.
In small tropical and Caribbean islands, there exists a severe shortage of good, reliable and up- to-date information bases for the contributing factors of land degradation. In addition to the limited knowledge about what spatial datasets already exist, there is also no agreed minimum level of quality for datasets and metadata documentation standards. As a result, datasets produced to help in understanding and treating land degradation problems may have unknown or unacceptable levels of uncertainty. This may require re-development of already existing datasets, hence consuming further efforts, financial resources, and time. In critical circumstances where land degradation posses severe threat to the environment and therefore indirectly to humans, the incurred price of a slow or ill informed decision may eventually render the state of land unrecoverable.
It is postulated that Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) would present the opportunity for much more strategic and cooperative management of land degradation datasets in Small Tropical Caribbean Islands. It is therefore expected to be a vital tool in the treatment of land degradation, and also to assist in creating a network of critical resources to drive further research in the area. This paper reviews the challenges faced by Small Tropical Caribbean Islands when managing land degradation, with special emphasis on Trinidad, and discusses how SDI can be used to better facilitate land degradation management in these areas.
This document summarizes key chapters and findings from the Fourth National Climate Assessment Volume II. It provides background on the US Global Change Research Program mandate to produce this report every four years. The chapter focuses on the Midwest region and finds that climate change is expected to reduce agricultural productivity, increase forest mortality from pests and disease, harm biodiversity by interacting with other stressors, and worsen public health issues in the region. Adaptation strategies discussed include adopting more diverse agricultural practices, selecting tree species suited to future conditions, restoring natural systems like wetlands, and improving public health monitoring.
This document discusses biodiversity conservation projects and sustainable development in Ecuador's Yasuní Biosphere Reserve region. It notes that while Ecuador promotes conservation through protected areas, extractive industries like oil development have led to rapid land use changes impacting local communities and ecosystems. The research aims to analyze land cover dynamics, community participation in planning, and potential environmental conflicts through a case study in the Yasuní Reserve. It utilizes field data collection, interviews, and GIS analysis to understand relationships between human activities, ecosystems, and protected areas in the region.
This project aimed to help mainstream climate change adaptation into sustainable development policies in Southeast Asian countries. Researchers synthesized existing studies on adaptation strategies in Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines. They analyzed how these strategies link to national sustainable development goals. A synthesis workshop and science-policy workshop were held to disseminate results and recommendations. Key findings included evidence of climate change impacts in the region and case studies on linking adaptation to water and agriculture sectors in the Philippines, Indonesian rice production, and Vietnamese agriculture. The project highlighted the need to integrate adaptation into ongoing development efforts.
The research on human dimensions of global environmental change in Latin AmericaRafael Martins
This document summarizes research on the human dimensions of global environmental change (HDGEC) in Latin America. It finds that while the field is emerging, involvement from Latin American social sciences remains limited and fragmented. Key factors that could help increase participation include international collaboration, research programs, and funding. The document calls for greater involvement from social sciences to better understand human-environment interactions related to issues like climate change, land use, and sustainability.
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Processes and International System D...Shahadat Hossain Shakil
The document discusses the evolution and current state of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) processes in Australia. Key points include:
- SEA was formally introduced in Australia through the 1999 Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, but its use has remained uneven and often ad hoc across different sectors and levels of government.
- SEA has seen more successful implementation in the fisheries sector due to mandatory requirements and incentives, conducting over 120 assessments. In other sectors its use has been limited due to its voluntary nature.
- While Australian SEA law and policy aim to promote environmental protection, the practice of SEA has focused more on expediting development decisions rather than identifying environmentally sustainable options.
-
Ecosystem resilience and community values: Implications to ecosystem-based ad...Noralene Uy
The resilience analysis of ecosystems and mapping of community values and actions attempted in this study provide entry points for an ecosystem-based adaptation strategy which addresses positive and negative factors as well as acts on gaps and opportunities in enhancing climate resilience in Infanta.
The Role of Spatial Data Infrastructure in the Management of Land Degradation...rsmahabir
Abstract
Land degradation involves a wide array of natural and human induced factors affecting the productivity of land. These factors can exist in various non unique and complex combinations of different environmental settings, making detection and monitoring of land degradation an often difficult undertaking. As a result, no universal solution exists to eliminate the problem of land degradation altogether. In order to reduce its rate of encroachment, this phenomenon should be assessed and quantified in order to identify the causes, processes and factors leading to land degradation.
In small tropical and Caribbean islands, there exists a severe shortage of good, reliable and up- to-date information bases for the contributing factors of land degradation. In addition to the limited knowledge about what spatial datasets already exist, there is also no agreed minimum level of quality for datasets and metadata documentation standards. As a result, datasets produced to help in understanding and treating land degradation problems may have unknown or unacceptable levels of uncertainty. This may require re-development of already existing datasets, hence consuming further efforts, financial resources, and time. In critical circumstances where land degradation posses severe threat to the environment and therefore indirectly to humans, the incurred price of a slow or ill informed decision may eventually render the state of land unrecoverable.
It is postulated that Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) would present the opportunity for much more strategic and cooperative management of land degradation datasets in Small Tropical Caribbean Islands. It is therefore expected to be a vital tool in the treatment of land degradation, and also to assist in creating a network of critical resources to drive further research in the area. This paper reviews the challenges faced by Small Tropical Caribbean Islands when managing land degradation, with special emphasis on Trinidad, and discusses how SDI can be used to better facilitate land degradation management in these areas.
This document summarizes key chapters and findings from the Fourth National Climate Assessment Volume II. It provides background on the US Global Change Research Program mandate to produce this report every four years. The chapter focuses on the Midwest region and finds that climate change is expected to reduce agricultural productivity, increase forest mortality from pests and disease, harm biodiversity by interacting with other stressors, and worsen public health issues in the region. Adaptation strategies discussed include adopting more diverse agricultural practices, selecting tree species suited to future conditions, restoring natural systems like wetlands, and improving public health monitoring.
This document discusses biodiversity conservation projects and sustainable development in Ecuador's Yasuní Biosphere Reserve region. It notes that while Ecuador promotes conservation through protected areas, extractive industries like oil development have led to rapid land use changes impacting local communities and ecosystems. The research aims to analyze land cover dynamics, community participation in planning, and potential environmental conflicts through a case study in the Yasuní Reserve. It utilizes field data collection, interviews, and GIS analysis to understand relationships between human activities, ecosystems, and protected areas in the region.
This project aimed to help mainstream climate change adaptation into sustainable development policies in Southeast Asian countries. Researchers synthesized existing studies on adaptation strategies in Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines. They analyzed how these strategies link to national sustainable development goals. A synthesis workshop and science-policy workshop were held to disseminate results and recommendations. Key findings included evidence of climate change impacts in the region and case studies on linking adaptation to water and agriculture sectors in the Philippines, Indonesian rice production, and Vietnamese agriculture. The project highlighted the need to integrate adaptation into ongoing development efforts.
Masters Thesis Proposal: An Audience Focused Approach to Framing Climate Chan...Cassie Wandersee
Presentation of proposed thesis research as part of the requirements for graduation. The study was approved by all thesis committee members, department head, and Kansas State University graduate school. The proposed study will examine frames and messages agricultural producer accept related to climate change and the impacts a changing climate has.
1. The document outlines a planning process to develop an integrated long-term multi-site research program within the LTER Network to study interactions between pulse and press disturbances in ecosystems and their feedbacks with human societies.
2. It proposes a conceptual framework that establishes a hierarchical structure with themes of altered biogeochemical cycles, altered biotic structure, climate variability/change, and social-ecological systems.
3. Example research questions and approaches are provided for different themes that aim to better understand ecosystem structure, function, and services and their interactions with human behavior.
National Academy of Science - Restructuring US Climate Change researchSteve Wittrig
This document summarizes a report that proposes restructuring the US climate change research program to better develop knowledge and support decision making. It identifies six priorities: 1) reorganizing the program around integrated scientific and societal issues, 2) establishing a US climate observing system, 3) supporting new coupled Earth system models, 4) strengthening research on adaptation, mitigation and vulnerability, 5) initiating a new national assessment of climate risks and options, and 6) coordinating federal efforts to provide routine climate information and tools to decision makers. Implementing these priorities would require investment, leadership and support to improve understanding and satisfy growing demands for climate information.
The Land- Potential Knowledge System (LandPKS): mobile apps and collaboration...Greenapps&web
Jeffrey E. Herrick et al CC BY 4.0
Massive investments in climate change mitigation and adaptation are projected during coming decades. Many of these investments will seek to modify how land is managed. The return on both types of investments can be increased through an understanding of land potential: the potential of the land to support primary production and ecosystem services, and its resilience. A Land-Potential Knowledge System (LandPKS) is being developed and implemented to provide individual users with point-based estimates of land potential based on the integration of simple, geo-tagged user inputs with cloud-based information and knowledge. This system will rely on mobile phones for knowledge and information exchange, and use cloud computing to integrate, interpret, and access relevant knowledge and information, including local knowledge about land with similar potential. The system will initially provide management options based on long-term land potential, which depends on climate, topography, and relatively static soil properties, such as soil texture, depth, and mineralogy. Future modules will provide more specific management information based on the status of relatively dynamic soil properties such as organic matter and nutrient content, and of weather. The paper includes a discussion of how this system can be used to help distinguish between meteorological and edaphic drought.
Adaptive response problems of subsistence farmers to rainfallAlexander Decker
This document summarizes a study on the adaptive response problems faced by subsistence farmers in South-Eastern Nigeria due to changes in annual rainfall patterns. Researchers surveyed 1,279 farmers across 3 states to identify the main problems. A factor analysis identified 6 major problems accounting for 70% of issues. These included lack of climate information, illiteracy and lack of awareness, fertilizer and funding difficulties, poor agricultural and weather extension services, and difficulties accessing official information. The study aimed to determine problems confronting effective adaptive responses to global warming among subsistence farmers in the region.
Assessment of the Extent to which Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) ca...Shahadat Hossain Shakil
In this study the extent of addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation through SEA will be trying to explore based on available literatures, which is very few due to this domains infancy till date. In doing so present context of climate change will be described concisely. Following that, nexus between climate change and SEA will be highlighted based on SEA principles, guidance and best practice manual and empirical evidences of the integration in several countries. Drawing insights from the prior discussions, deficits and recommendations will be stated for future research agendas.
Susan Sweeney_Climate change science into policy: the TREND experiment in Sou...TERN Australia
The TREND project in South Australia aims to bridge the gap between climate change science and policy. It established long-term monitoring sites to assess climate change impacts on ecosystems and agriculture. Researchers engaged with policymakers to identify priority policy questions. Questions focused on risks to agriculture, marine park management, and biodiversity conservation under climate change. The project provides a model for integrating climate science into policy but continued engagement is needed to ensure results inform on-ground natural resource management.
The document summarizes two case studies that used contingent valuation methods to assess the economic value of watershed protection.
Case study 1 assessed the costs and benefits of riparian protection in an eastern Canadian watershed. Households' willingness to pay for four protection programs ranged from $4.13 to $42.85 annually.
Case study 2 examined an ongoing payment for watershed protection initiative in Colombia. Smallholder peasants and recreational house owners were asked their preferences for different payment structures. Results found heterogeneity in preferences between user groups.
Multi-scale vulnerability assessment for adaptation planningTashina Esteves
This document presents a multi-scale vulnerability assessment approach to identify and prioritize the most vulnerable districts, villages, and households in Karnataka State, India to current climate variability and future climate change impacts. The assessment was conducted at the district level for all 30 districts in Karnataka, at the village level for 1220 villages in Chikballapur district, and at the household level for two villages in Chikballapur district. The assessment identified low levels of education and skills as the dominant contributing factors to vulnerability at the district, village, and household levels. At the village and household levels, a lack of income diversification and livelihood support institutions were also key drivers of vulnerability. The multi-scale approach facilitates identifying and prior
Analysis of Ecosystem Services in the Oaxacan Mixtec Region, (Tiltepec WatershedAgriculture Journal IJOEAR
The present work analyzes the sources of supply and regulation of ecosystem services (ES) in the Tiltepec watershed, Oaxaca, Mexico, specifically the production of fuelwood, water for human consumption, forage for domestic livestock, as well as regulation for runoff and sediments estimated with the MUSLE model (Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation), Random sampling points were defined according to the soil used and coverage, to determine production of fuelwood and forage. Firewood was evaluated in quadrants of 10 x 10 m for tree strata and 5 x 5 m for shrub strata. Forage production was determined with lines of 20 m and quadrants of 0.25 x 0.25 m to determine biomass and vegetation cover. Water supply was estimated with inflows from springs and the storage capacity of infrastructure works and water demand estimated with the current population and the maximum daily and hourly consumption. The estimated average fuelwood consumption was 1.4 kg person-1 day-1 for a total volume of 3,189.5 m 3. The estimated average forage yield was 856.6 kg ha-1 and a grazing coefficient of 13.9 ha animal unit (AU-1) , with a census of 171.7 AU. The springs produce a daily volume of 150.4 m 3 and the storage water capacity is 184.7 m 3 for human consumption and 718.5 m 3 for irrigation and recreational uses. With the MUSLE model, a reduction in runoff of 33.93% and 62.93% in specific degradation was estimated comparing the current scenario with that of 1984. The presence of ES in the Tiltepec watershed is essential to provide well-being to local people and regulation of erosion process through works, soil and water conservation practices. These will enable better provision of goods and services.
This document outlines the principles of climate science literacy and its importance. It discusses that climate science literacy involves understanding how human activities influence climate change and how climate change impacts society. It identifies several key points, including:
- The climate is changing due to human activities like burning fossil fuels, and additional warming is expected to continue this century with consequences like sea level rise and more extreme weather.
- Understanding climate science allows citizens to make informed decisions to reduce vulnerabilities and respond to both challenges and opportunities of climate change.
- Climate science literacy is part of overall science literacy and helps people understand issues that affect their lives and society.
- Grasping climate science is an ongoing process as knowledge progresses, but
This document summarizes a survey of five UNESCO biosphere reserves (BRs) on their awareness and use of ecosystem-based adaptation (EBA) approaches to address climate change impacts. Representatives from BRs in Australia, Ecuador, England, and Chile completed a questionnaire on topics such as recognized climate impacts, risk assessment, adaptation initiatives, and resource support. The survey found that while climate change is a concern for BRs, few have formal climate plans and EBA is not widely utilized or understood. Recommendations include developing climate adaptation strategies and increasing knowledge of EBA's benefits to build resilience.
The topic caters to information needs of waste disposal and landfill. The universal generation of waste has negative consequences on human activities. The study enables understanding of different types of waste and their consequences on human health and environment. . The main purpose of this study is to detail the risk of waste disposal for groundwater quality and entails the information required for assessment of risks. The initial section details about classification of waste and then after, explains storage, treatment and disposal of waste. It has also covered the factors governing contamination of groundwater by disposal of waste for understanding the major concerns of waste composition, leachate production and migration. The final section of study includes assessment of groundwater contamination related to waste sites. The increasing proportion of waste has to control in future and therefore, it is important to study significant aspects of waste disposal and landfill.
In this paper we present a literature review of current CCE initiatives, taking into account the fact that discourses are translated across countries in different ways and that recontextualisation of educational policy depends on contextual features (Ball, 2006).
We have conducted a literature review aiming at characterising aspects of CCE. We believe that “to revise means to look again, to resume the discourses of other researchers, but not in the sense of just visualizing, but of criticizing” (Moreira, p. 22, 2004) in a way that might allow for the proposition of new perspectives. Therefore, we seek to identify possible gaps as well. We have also adopted a comparative perspective for our study as, according to Bray (2007, p.16), “academics undertake comparisons in order to improve understanding both of the forces which shape education systems and process in different setting, and of the impact of education systems and process on social and other development”
Presentació per part de Sandor Szalai (Hungarian Meteorological Service (OMSZ) en el marc de l’acte de clausura del projecte europeu CIRCLE 2 MOUNTain co-organitzat per l'Oficina Catalana del Canvi Climàtic durant els dies 26 i 27 de setembre de 2013.
Environmental systems are complex arrangements of interacting biological, physical, chemical, social and economic components within the Earth's environment. They can include systems like the atmosphere, oceans, and populations of plants and animals. Models are used to study environmental systems and can take various forms from simple empirical models to complex process-based models. Environmental systems generally have four main features - they involve complex nonlinear interactions; their characteristics vary greatly over spatial and temporal scales; these scales are often incompatible between components; and many processes are unobservable. The key types of environmental systems are hydrological, ecological and climatic systems.
The document discusses analyzing climate change risks and constructing climate scenarios for developing national adaptation plans. It describes defining climate scenarios using climate projections and models at global and regional scales. Different types of climate scenarios are outlined, including those based on incremental changes, analogues, and climate models. Methods for generating and accessing climate scenarios from global datasets like CORDEX are also summarized.
Joachim Von Braun "Economic and social impacts of land degradation and droug...Global Risk Forum GRFDavos
1) Land degradation affects a quarter of global land area and droughts are increasing in extent and severity due to climate change, impacting the poorest the most.
2) A framework called the Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) was developed to assess the economic impacts of land degradation and drought through case studies and identify evidence-based policy solutions.
3) Case studies show that investment in preventing land degradation through sustainable land management provides greater economic returns than allowing degradation to continue.
Charles Dickens' 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities is set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. It follows the stories of several protagonists, including Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton, as the revolution's violence grips France. Carton sacrifices himself to save Darnay from the guillotine, in a dramatic conclusion that highlights the novel's themes of justice, sacrifice, and the contrasting cultures of Britain and revolutionary France.
Charles Dickens was born in 1812 in England to a poor family. He had a difficult childhood and had to work at a young age after his father was sent to debtor's prison. This experience influenced many of his novels. The Industrial Revolution made the poor even poorer as wages remained low while they lived in squalor. In A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens chronicles the French Revolution through complex characters representing different aspects of the conflict. The novel shows Dickens' literary transition to more experimental styles in his later acclaimed works like Great Expectations.
Masters Thesis Proposal: An Audience Focused Approach to Framing Climate Chan...Cassie Wandersee
Presentation of proposed thesis research as part of the requirements for graduation. The study was approved by all thesis committee members, department head, and Kansas State University graduate school. The proposed study will examine frames and messages agricultural producer accept related to climate change and the impacts a changing climate has.
1. The document outlines a planning process to develop an integrated long-term multi-site research program within the LTER Network to study interactions between pulse and press disturbances in ecosystems and their feedbacks with human societies.
2. It proposes a conceptual framework that establishes a hierarchical structure with themes of altered biogeochemical cycles, altered biotic structure, climate variability/change, and social-ecological systems.
3. Example research questions and approaches are provided for different themes that aim to better understand ecosystem structure, function, and services and their interactions with human behavior.
National Academy of Science - Restructuring US Climate Change researchSteve Wittrig
This document summarizes a report that proposes restructuring the US climate change research program to better develop knowledge and support decision making. It identifies six priorities: 1) reorganizing the program around integrated scientific and societal issues, 2) establishing a US climate observing system, 3) supporting new coupled Earth system models, 4) strengthening research on adaptation, mitigation and vulnerability, 5) initiating a new national assessment of climate risks and options, and 6) coordinating federal efforts to provide routine climate information and tools to decision makers. Implementing these priorities would require investment, leadership and support to improve understanding and satisfy growing demands for climate information.
The Land- Potential Knowledge System (LandPKS): mobile apps and collaboration...Greenapps&web
Jeffrey E. Herrick et al CC BY 4.0
Massive investments in climate change mitigation and adaptation are projected during coming decades. Many of these investments will seek to modify how land is managed. The return on both types of investments can be increased through an understanding of land potential: the potential of the land to support primary production and ecosystem services, and its resilience. A Land-Potential Knowledge System (LandPKS) is being developed and implemented to provide individual users with point-based estimates of land potential based on the integration of simple, geo-tagged user inputs with cloud-based information and knowledge. This system will rely on mobile phones for knowledge and information exchange, and use cloud computing to integrate, interpret, and access relevant knowledge and information, including local knowledge about land with similar potential. The system will initially provide management options based on long-term land potential, which depends on climate, topography, and relatively static soil properties, such as soil texture, depth, and mineralogy. Future modules will provide more specific management information based on the status of relatively dynamic soil properties such as organic matter and nutrient content, and of weather. The paper includes a discussion of how this system can be used to help distinguish between meteorological and edaphic drought.
Adaptive response problems of subsistence farmers to rainfallAlexander Decker
This document summarizes a study on the adaptive response problems faced by subsistence farmers in South-Eastern Nigeria due to changes in annual rainfall patterns. Researchers surveyed 1,279 farmers across 3 states to identify the main problems. A factor analysis identified 6 major problems accounting for 70% of issues. These included lack of climate information, illiteracy and lack of awareness, fertilizer and funding difficulties, poor agricultural and weather extension services, and difficulties accessing official information. The study aimed to determine problems confronting effective adaptive responses to global warming among subsistence farmers in the region.
Assessment of the Extent to which Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) ca...Shahadat Hossain Shakil
In this study the extent of addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation through SEA will be trying to explore based on available literatures, which is very few due to this domains infancy till date. In doing so present context of climate change will be described concisely. Following that, nexus between climate change and SEA will be highlighted based on SEA principles, guidance and best practice manual and empirical evidences of the integration in several countries. Drawing insights from the prior discussions, deficits and recommendations will be stated for future research agendas.
Susan Sweeney_Climate change science into policy: the TREND experiment in Sou...TERN Australia
The TREND project in South Australia aims to bridge the gap between climate change science and policy. It established long-term monitoring sites to assess climate change impacts on ecosystems and agriculture. Researchers engaged with policymakers to identify priority policy questions. Questions focused on risks to agriculture, marine park management, and biodiversity conservation under climate change. The project provides a model for integrating climate science into policy but continued engagement is needed to ensure results inform on-ground natural resource management.
The document summarizes two case studies that used contingent valuation methods to assess the economic value of watershed protection.
Case study 1 assessed the costs and benefits of riparian protection in an eastern Canadian watershed. Households' willingness to pay for four protection programs ranged from $4.13 to $42.85 annually.
Case study 2 examined an ongoing payment for watershed protection initiative in Colombia. Smallholder peasants and recreational house owners were asked their preferences for different payment structures. Results found heterogeneity in preferences between user groups.
Multi-scale vulnerability assessment for adaptation planningTashina Esteves
This document presents a multi-scale vulnerability assessment approach to identify and prioritize the most vulnerable districts, villages, and households in Karnataka State, India to current climate variability and future climate change impacts. The assessment was conducted at the district level for all 30 districts in Karnataka, at the village level for 1220 villages in Chikballapur district, and at the household level for two villages in Chikballapur district. The assessment identified low levels of education and skills as the dominant contributing factors to vulnerability at the district, village, and household levels. At the village and household levels, a lack of income diversification and livelihood support institutions were also key drivers of vulnerability. The multi-scale approach facilitates identifying and prior
Analysis of Ecosystem Services in the Oaxacan Mixtec Region, (Tiltepec WatershedAgriculture Journal IJOEAR
The present work analyzes the sources of supply and regulation of ecosystem services (ES) in the Tiltepec watershed, Oaxaca, Mexico, specifically the production of fuelwood, water for human consumption, forage for domestic livestock, as well as regulation for runoff and sediments estimated with the MUSLE model (Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation), Random sampling points were defined according to the soil used and coverage, to determine production of fuelwood and forage. Firewood was evaluated in quadrants of 10 x 10 m for tree strata and 5 x 5 m for shrub strata. Forage production was determined with lines of 20 m and quadrants of 0.25 x 0.25 m to determine biomass and vegetation cover. Water supply was estimated with inflows from springs and the storage capacity of infrastructure works and water demand estimated with the current population and the maximum daily and hourly consumption. The estimated average fuelwood consumption was 1.4 kg person-1 day-1 for a total volume of 3,189.5 m 3. The estimated average forage yield was 856.6 kg ha-1 and a grazing coefficient of 13.9 ha animal unit (AU-1) , with a census of 171.7 AU. The springs produce a daily volume of 150.4 m 3 and the storage water capacity is 184.7 m 3 for human consumption and 718.5 m 3 for irrigation and recreational uses. With the MUSLE model, a reduction in runoff of 33.93% and 62.93% in specific degradation was estimated comparing the current scenario with that of 1984. The presence of ES in the Tiltepec watershed is essential to provide well-being to local people and regulation of erosion process through works, soil and water conservation practices. These will enable better provision of goods and services.
This document outlines the principles of climate science literacy and its importance. It discusses that climate science literacy involves understanding how human activities influence climate change and how climate change impacts society. It identifies several key points, including:
- The climate is changing due to human activities like burning fossil fuels, and additional warming is expected to continue this century with consequences like sea level rise and more extreme weather.
- Understanding climate science allows citizens to make informed decisions to reduce vulnerabilities and respond to both challenges and opportunities of climate change.
- Climate science literacy is part of overall science literacy and helps people understand issues that affect their lives and society.
- Grasping climate science is an ongoing process as knowledge progresses, but
This document summarizes a survey of five UNESCO biosphere reserves (BRs) on their awareness and use of ecosystem-based adaptation (EBA) approaches to address climate change impacts. Representatives from BRs in Australia, Ecuador, England, and Chile completed a questionnaire on topics such as recognized climate impacts, risk assessment, adaptation initiatives, and resource support. The survey found that while climate change is a concern for BRs, few have formal climate plans and EBA is not widely utilized or understood. Recommendations include developing climate adaptation strategies and increasing knowledge of EBA's benefits to build resilience.
The topic caters to information needs of waste disposal and landfill. The universal generation of waste has negative consequences on human activities. The study enables understanding of different types of waste and their consequences on human health and environment. . The main purpose of this study is to detail the risk of waste disposal for groundwater quality and entails the information required for assessment of risks. The initial section details about classification of waste and then after, explains storage, treatment and disposal of waste. It has also covered the factors governing contamination of groundwater by disposal of waste for understanding the major concerns of waste composition, leachate production and migration. The final section of study includes assessment of groundwater contamination related to waste sites. The increasing proportion of waste has to control in future and therefore, it is important to study significant aspects of waste disposal and landfill.
In this paper we present a literature review of current CCE initiatives, taking into account the fact that discourses are translated across countries in different ways and that recontextualisation of educational policy depends on contextual features (Ball, 2006).
We have conducted a literature review aiming at characterising aspects of CCE. We believe that “to revise means to look again, to resume the discourses of other researchers, but not in the sense of just visualizing, but of criticizing” (Moreira, p. 22, 2004) in a way that might allow for the proposition of new perspectives. Therefore, we seek to identify possible gaps as well. We have also adopted a comparative perspective for our study as, according to Bray (2007, p.16), “academics undertake comparisons in order to improve understanding both of the forces which shape education systems and process in different setting, and of the impact of education systems and process on social and other development”
Presentació per part de Sandor Szalai (Hungarian Meteorological Service (OMSZ) en el marc de l’acte de clausura del projecte europeu CIRCLE 2 MOUNTain co-organitzat per l'Oficina Catalana del Canvi Climàtic durant els dies 26 i 27 de setembre de 2013.
Environmental systems are complex arrangements of interacting biological, physical, chemical, social and economic components within the Earth's environment. They can include systems like the atmosphere, oceans, and populations of plants and animals. Models are used to study environmental systems and can take various forms from simple empirical models to complex process-based models. Environmental systems generally have four main features - they involve complex nonlinear interactions; their characteristics vary greatly over spatial and temporal scales; these scales are often incompatible between components; and many processes are unobservable. The key types of environmental systems are hydrological, ecological and climatic systems.
The document discusses analyzing climate change risks and constructing climate scenarios for developing national adaptation plans. It describes defining climate scenarios using climate projections and models at global and regional scales. Different types of climate scenarios are outlined, including those based on incremental changes, analogues, and climate models. Methods for generating and accessing climate scenarios from global datasets like CORDEX are also summarized.
Joachim Von Braun "Economic and social impacts of land degradation and droug...Global Risk Forum GRFDavos
1) Land degradation affects a quarter of global land area and droughts are increasing in extent and severity due to climate change, impacting the poorest the most.
2) A framework called the Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) was developed to assess the economic impacts of land degradation and drought through case studies and identify evidence-based policy solutions.
3) Case studies show that investment in preventing land degradation through sustainable land management provides greater economic returns than allowing degradation to continue.
Charles Dickens' 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities is set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. It follows the stories of several protagonists, including Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton, as the revolution's violence grips France. Carton sacrifices himself to save Darnay from the guillotine, in a dramatic conclusion that highlights the novel's themes of justice, sacrifice, and the contrasting cultures of Britain and revolutionary France.
Charles Dickens was born in 1812 in England to a poor family. He had a difficult childhood and had to work at a young age after his father was sent to debtor's prison. This experience influenced many of his novels. The Industrial Revolution made the poor even poorer as wages remained low while they lived in squalor. In A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens chronicles the French Revolution through complex characters representing different aspects of the conflict. The novel shows Dickens' literary transition to more experimental styles in his later acclaimed works like Great Expectations.
Competition at Problogger training conference 2013 #PBEvent & #VAonboard - A Tale of Two Cities between Sydney & Melbourne - I have chosen and I will tell you why. Now it's time for you to choose!
This document provides a summary of the plot and characters of Charles Dickens' novel "A Tale of Two Cities". The novel is set against the backdrop of the French Revolution and follows the story of Charles Darnay and his love for Lucie Manette. Other major characters include Lucie's father Dr. Manette, who was imprisoned for 18 years, and Sydney Carton, a lawyer who redeems himself by sacrificing his life to save Darnay. The document outlines some of the major themes in the novel like violence during revolution and the possibility of resurrection or renewal.
Charles Dickens was born in 1812 in Portsmouth, England to a lower-middle class family. His father's financial troubles led to imprisonment and Dickens working in a factory at age 12. He later became a reporter and began publishing stories anonymously. His first novel, The Pickwick Papers, was very popular and launched his career as a famous novelist. Some of his most famous works include Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, and A Christmas Carol. Dickens used his writing to bring attention to social issues like poverty, child labor, and prison reform. He died in 1870 as one of the most popular writers in England.
Charles Dickens was a famous English novelist from the Victorian period known for iconic novels like A Tale of Two Cities. A Tale of Two Cities, published in 1859, tells a story set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. It depicts the cities' differing atmospheres - Paris represented wisdom and belief while London represented foolishness and disbelief. The passage provides context on Dickens and an excerpt from A Tale of Two Cities, then compares photos of buildings and streets from Lviv and Paris to illustrate similarities between the two cities.
This document provides background information and context for Charles Dickens' novel "A Tale of Two Cities". It summarizes the key characters, settings in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution, and some historical events of the time period like the storming of the Bastille. The document also includes brief biographies of real-life figures like King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette that influenced the story. Maps and images help depict the settings and events discussed.
A Tale of Two Cities is a novel that works on several levels. Most study it as social commentary about the French Revolution, but even those not interested in history will find it a book of interest, because it is quite possibly the most romantic love story ever told’.
This document provides a summary of the key characters and plot points in Charles Dickens' novel "A Tale of Two Cities". It outlines the main characters including Mr. Jarvis Lorry, Doctor Manette, Lucie Manette, Charles Darney, Sydney Carton, and Madame Defarge. It then briefly summarizes some of the major events in the story, such as Lucie meeting her father Doctor Manette for the first time, the similarity between Carton and Darney being noticed during a trial in London, Darney's trial in France, and characters being killed by the guillotine.
1. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is set before and during the French Revolution. It follows the Manette family as they flee Paris for London to escape the turmoil of the Revolution.
2. Dr. Manette is unjustly imprisoned in the Bastille for 18 years before being rescued and brought to London by his daughter Lucie's future husband, Charles Darnay.
3. Sydney Carton is in love with Lucie but sacrifices himself by taking Darnay's place at the guillotine to save him so that Lucie may remain happy with her husband and daughter.
Leadership and Urban Sustainability, Irina Safitri Zen, UTMESD UNU-IAS
The 2016 ProSPER.Net Leadership Programme was held in Labuan Island and Beaufort, Sabah, Malaysia. The Programme included workshops, plenary sessions, and fieldwork around the topics of local sustainable development challenges in the region. The main goals of the Programme were to identify local leadership opportunities for sustainable development and to link local and national sustainable development projects to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Climate Treaty, and the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction.
Assessing the Research on Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change in ...Rafael Martins
This document provides an overview of research on the human dimensions of global environmental change in Latin America. It discusses how such research initially focused on identifying environmental components within unequal societies but later expanded to include topics like biodiversity, ecosystems, and environmental protection. Key organizations supporting this research area internationally include the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, World Climate Research Programme, and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The document analyzes the state of this research field in Latin America, particularly Brazil, and argues that while an emerging body of literature exists, greater involvement from Latin American social scientists is still needed.
This document summarizes a journal article that explores using community risk assessments (CRAs) to facilitate local adaptation to climate change. It discusses how traditional top-down approaches to climate change adaptation have limitations, and how bottom-up approaches using CRAs can help address those limitations. CRAs are participatory methods used to assess hazards, vulnerabilities and capacities at the community level. The document analyzes examples of CRAs conducted by Red Cross societies to demonstrate how they can foster community engagement in climate risk reduction. However, it also notes challenges to using CRAs for climate change adaptation, such as keeping them simple enough for wide application and linking CRA results to policy.
This document discusses the challenges of conveying climate change science to policymakers and the public. It describes how the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established to provide objective information on climate change through comprehensive assessments. The IPCC assessments involve hundreds of scientists and reviewers and have transformed the international debate on climate change. However, regional and local impacts of climate change are still not fully understood due to differences from global models and the complex interactions of climate with local environmental and social systems.
This document discusses participatory mapping for climate change adaptation, using a case study from Boe Boe, Solomon Islands. It summarizes that participatory mapping can integrate local and scientific knowledge for adaptation planning. However, power dynamics must be considered to ensure meaningful community participation. The case study explored how participatory 3D modeling was used in Boe Boe to facilitate discussion between stakeholders on climate risks and adaptation options. While these methods show potential, participatory processes are not without risks from both internal community power imbalances and influences from external facilitators that could undermine effectiveness if not addressed.
1. The document discusses ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) and identifies several key international policies and frameworks that provide guidance on EbA, including the UNFCCC, Paris Agreement, and CBD. It also outlines stakeholder engagement and understanding local policy contexts as important for planning and implementing successful EbA projects.
Scenario workshop honduras zamorano irbio 24 may 2011 wv rMildred_Lagos
The document discusses land use scenario development for climate change adaptation and mitigation. It provides background on scenarios, describing them as plausible stories about how the future may unfold based on assumptions. Scenarios are not predictions or projections. The document then discusses different types of scenarios and their purposes from environmental and social science perspectives. It provides an example of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment scenario process and outcomes. Finally, it discusses linking scenarios to models and participation.
Scenario workshop honduras zamorano irbio 24 may 2011 wv rMildred_Lagos
This document discusses land use scenario development for climate change adaptation and mitigation. It provides an overview of scenarios, including their purposes and types. Scenarios are plausible stories about how the future may unfold based on assumptions, and are not forecasts or predictions. They can address complex issues and uncertainties in an integrated manner. The document discusses examples of global assessments that use scenarios, including the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and OECD Environmental Outlook. It describes how scenarios can incorporate quantitative modeling and qualitative analysis at multiple scales from global to local.
The document summarizes the Strategic Plan for Climate and Global Change Research by the Climate Change Science Program (CCSP). The CCSP aims to provide science-based information to inform public debate and policymaking on climate change and global change issues. The strategic plan focuses on near-term climate change decision support and addressing key uncertainties through research. It also supports ongoing broad Earth system research on issues like the carbon cycle and ecosystems through the US Global Change Research Program. The plan was developed with input from scientists, stakeholders and an advisory board, and focuses CCSP efforts on areas like observations, modeling and decision support resources.
The document summarizes the Strategic Plan for Climate and Global Change Research by the Climate Change Science Program (CCSP). The CCSP aims to provide science-based information to inform public debate and policymaking on climate change and global change issues. The strategic plan focuses on near-term climate change decision support and addressing key uncertainties through research. It also supports ongoing broad Earth system research on issues like the carbon cycle, ecosystems, and human contributions to environmental change through multiple research elements. The strategic plan development process involves input from the National Research Council and stakeholders.
This document proposes a conceptual framework to support open and participatory State of the Environment and Sustainability (SoES) reports. The framework aims to improve these reports by actively involving stakeholders throughout the reporting process, from design to production and review. Currently, stakeholder involvement in SoES reports is usually limited to consultation. The proposed framework structures the reporting process into phases, identifies methods for obtaining informal stakeholder data, and considers how to organize the internal structure and spatial scope of the report. It argues that an open participatory approach involving stakeholders as volunteer reporting staff could effectively contribute to assessments and produce a higher quality collaborative report.
Rapport Browaldh Postdoctoral Fellowship Kelly de BruinKelly de Bruin
This document summarizes the work done by Kelly de Bruin over the past 6 years as a postdoctoral research fellow. Her research focuses on integrated assessment models, which are applied economic models describing the relationship between the economy and climate over the long run. She has published 4 papers in international journals investigating adaptation and mitigation policies. She is currently working on several ongoing papers examining topics like uncertainty, forests, economic growth impacts, and adaptation-mitigation interactions. Additionally, she has collaborated on policy projects with international organizations and published 12 policy papers, focusing on analyzing climate impacts and policies in Africa.
Community greening in pre and post climate change knowledge era in third worl...Alexander Decker
This document summarizes a study on community greening efforts in Lagos, Nigeria before and after awareness of climate change. It finds that the government has made more efforts to provide and maintain green spaces in recent years, creating 14 parks and 128 gardens covering over 77 acres in the past 6 years. A new agency was also established to promote green areas, and fines and imprisonment were introduced for cutting trees. Over 300,000 trees were planted from 2009-2010. In contrast, greening efforts were less prioritized before awareness of climate change impacts. The study recommends further greening and discouraging hard landscaping to adapt to climate impacts like flooding and rising temperatures in Lagos.
This document provides a scientific outcome from a workshop on biodiversity and climate change co-sponsored by IPBES and IPCC. It contains 7 sections that discuss the interdependence of climate and biodiversity, how they are connected to human futures, and how addressing their decline can support good quality of life. The key points are:
1) Climate and biodiversity are inextricably linked - each influences the other and stable climate and biodiversity are foundations for human well-being.
2) Human activities like land use change and fossil fuel use have altered climate and caused biodiversity loss, compromising quality of life.
3) Strategies to conserve biodiversity must consider climate impacts and vice versa to
http://assignment-partner.com/ .That's a sample paper - essay / paper on the topic "Organizational development and change" created by our writers!
Disclaimer: The paper above have been completed for actual clients. We have acclaimed personal permission from the customers to post it.
When not every response to climate change is a good one: Identifying principl...Rafael Martins
This review article discusses the concept of sustainable adaptation to climate change. It identifies four principles to guide responses to climate change: 1) recognize the context for vulnerability, including multiple stressors, 2) acknowledge that differing values and interests affect adaptation outcomes, 3) integrate local knowledge into adaptation responses, and 4) consider potential feedbacks between local and global processes. The principles argue that fundamental societal transformations are needed to achieve sustainable development and avoid maladaptive responses to climate change. Case studies from diverse contexts illustrate how attention to these principles can help achieve socially just and environmentally sound adaptation.
This document proposes a seven-phase framework for mapping global warming research based on relationships between nature and human society. The phases are: 1) socioeconomic activity and greenhouse gas emissions, 2) carbon cycle and carbon concentration, 3) climate change and global warming, 4) impacts on ecosystems and human society, 5) adaptation, 6) mitigation, and 7) social systems. The framework was developed to better understand current scientific knowledge on global warming issues and identify gaps. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report findings were applied to the framework to analyze the quantity and reliability of research results in each phase. The mapping aims to provide a comprehensive view of global warming research and inform future research priorities.
Climate Change Adaptation through Multi-level Governance: Perspectives from C...Shahadat Hossain Shakil
Multi-level governance/hybrid governance and proliferation of actors in Environmental Governance can address the multi-scalar (spatially, socio-politically, and temporally) character of environmental problems (Lemos and Agrawal 2006; Ostrom 2010). On the other hand this proliferation or fragmentation can cause conflict among the actors and networks in terms of power balance and incentives (Siebenhüner 2003; Bulkeley 2005; McCormick 2011).
The multidimensional nature of climate change requires responses at multiple geographical and jurisdictional scales, levels of social and administrative organisation, and policy and resource sectors (Keskitalo 2010; Termeer et al. 2011). For this reason, multilevel governance – decision- and policy-making that involve multiple actors and take place across multiple jurisdictions and sectors – is critical for adaptation (Termeer et al. 2010). On the other hand multilevel governance, despite comprising a promising approach to cope with multi-scale and multi-sector issues, faces significant challenges in a climate adaptation context. One such challenge refers to the policy context in which it is implemented, which is very often complex and fragmented, and is characterised by a diversity of interacting climate and non-climate strategies (e.g., programs, plans, policies and legislation) (Termeer et al. 2011). Interaction between and among those strategies can create both synergetic and conflicting outcomes (Adger et al. 2005; Young 2006; K. Urwin and Jordan 2008).
This study will examines how climate change adaptation takes place in a complex multilevel governance system comprised by Coastal Areas of Bangladesh. It will map adaptation strategies (what are the existing adaptation policies and strategies?) and responsibilities (who has been developing/adopting such strategies?) at National, Divisional, District, Upazila (sub-disrict) and Union levels.
It will examines examples of adaptation strategies in terms of type of adaptation, its manifestation, purposefulness, drivers and triggers, and geographic and temporal scope. Interactions between strategies (how adaptation strategies relate to each other) will be investigated both at the same level of governance (horizontally) and across governance levels (vertically).
This will be the pioneer study regarding environmental governance in Bangladesh with a special focus on climate change adaptation. Moreover the insights and findings of this study can be used in other cross-cuting sctors (socio-economic) within the country.
Abdelrahim, s. (2017). using citizen based observations to plan..Melissa Maxter
As a global challenge with profound implications at the local level, climate change provides new opportunities for individual engagement. Communities around the world have their own unique experiences with the effects of climate change, as well as drastically different climate adaptation needs. This gives individuals an unprecedented role to play in sharing information and guiding policymaking through citizen-based observation. In “Using Citizen-Based Observations to Plan for Climate Change,” Sarah Abdelrahim looks at the work of a variety of citizen-based observation networks, also known as citizens’ observatories. She recommends greater cooperation and support from government agencies and decision-makers for these networks as a key aspect of any and all climate change adaptation strategies.
This text was originally published by the Atlantic Council.
Similar to Climate Change Action at the City Level: Tales from Two Global Cities in Brazil (20)
Insights on Theory of Change in Green Climate Fund projectsRafael Martins
A brief introduction to the Theory of Change approach
▪ How are Theories of Change and Logical Frameworks
different?
▪ 7 steps to prepare a Theory of Change
▪ Theory of Change in GCF projects
Desafios para a Pesquisa sobre as Dimensões Humanas das Mudanças Ambientais G...Rafael Martins
1) O documento discute os desafios para a pesquisa sobre as dimensões humanas das mudanças ambientais globais na América Latina.
2) A pesquisa ambiental nas ciências sociais latino-americanas tem crescido nas últimas décadas, porém ainda é tímida e incipiente quando comparada a outros países.
3) O texto analisa a produção científica sobre o tema na região e identifica barreiras e potenciais para o desenvolvimento da pesquisa sobre as dimensões humanas das mudanças ambientais globais na
Uma revisão crítica sobre cidades e mudança climática: vinho velho em garrafa...Rafael Martins
1. O artigo faz uma revisão crítica da literatura sobre cidades e mudança climática, discutindo conceitos como mitigação, adaptação e governança local.
2. As cidades são importantes emissoras de gases de efeito estufa e também serão impactadas pelas mudanças climáticas, afetando setores urbanos.
3. Governos locais são essenciais para implementar políticas de mitigação e adaptação, porém cidades brasileiras apresentam grandes déficits socioeconômicos que dificultam
Governança climática nas cidades: reduzindo vulnerabilidades e aumentando res...Rafael Martins
O documento discute a governança climática em cidades e o papel dos governos locais na adaptação às mudanças climáticas. Primeiro, explora como a governança climática ocorre em diferentes níveis, do global ao local. Em seguida, analisa como governos locais podem implementar ações de adaptação e como fatores como vulnerabilidade e resiliência influenciam esses esforços. Por fim, discute três grupos de fatores que apoiam ou limitam as ações de adaptação dos governos locais.
Oportunidades e barreiras para políticas locais e subnacionais de enfrentamen...Rafael Martins
Este documento discute as oportunidades e barreiras para políticas locais e subnacionais de enfrentamento das mudanças climáticas em áreas urbanas. Primeiro, apresenta o contexto do debate sobre mudanças climáticas e seus impactos nas cidades. Em seguida, destaca que as cidades são centros de emissão de gases de efeito estufa, mas também são afetadas pelas mudanças climáticas, o que requer ações de mitigação e adaptação. Por fim, o objetivo é analisar os fatores que influenciam polí
A gestão do desenvolvimento local no Brasil: (des)articulação de atores, inst...Rafael Martins
1. O artigo apresenta uma análise comparada de experiências de desenvolvimento local no Brasil, analisando aspectos socioeconômicos.
2. Foram estudadas experiências de associações rurais, polos industriais, consórcios intermunicipais e bancos comunitários nas regiões Sul, Sudeste e Nordeste do país.
3. O artigo discute a gestão do desenvolvimento local no Brasil e questões relacionadas à produção, distribuição e acumulação de riqueza geradas localmente.
Uma Analise De Experiencias de Desenvolvimento LocalRafael Martins
Este documento analisa seis experiências de desenvolvimento econômico local no Brasil, comparando seus modelos e resultados. As experiências incluem associações rurais, pólos industriais e bancos comunitários, representando diferentes regiões do país. O documento explora se essas iniciativas seguem abordagens tradicionais ou contra-hegemônicas de desenvolvimento local.
Visões do Desenvolvimento Econômico Local a partir do BrasilRafael Martins
1) O documento analisa seis experiências de desenvolvimento econômico local no Brasil, cobrindo as regiões Sul, Sudeste e Nordeste.
2) As experiências incluem associações de apicultores, pólos moveleiros, um complexo couro-calçadista, mini-distritos industriais e de serviços, e um banco comunitário.
3) Os autores discutem diferentes visões teóricas de desenvolvimento local e analisam os resultados econômicos e inserção em redes sociais de cada experiência.
What would be the three key preconditions for jumpstarting or scaling up the ...Rafael Martins
This document discusses key preconditions for transferring environmentally sound technologies for climate change to developing countries. Multiple experts provide their views on what the most important preconditions are. Their responses commonly emphasize that the technologies must benefit local communities, include capacity building and knowledge transfer, consider the local context, and have sustainable funding mechanisms. Local participation, adapting technologies to the local environment and needs, education and training programs, and public-private partnerships are also frequently cited as important preconditions.
Participación ciudadana, articulación de actores y desarrollo local: Un análi...Rafael Martins
El artículo describe el Programa de Planeación y Presupuesto Participativo implementado en Medellín, el cual permite a la población priorizar sus inversiones a través de la participación ciudadana. Este programa busca incluir socialmente a las oportunidades de desarrollo a la población marginada históricamente de la generación de riqueza. El presupuesto participativo y otras estrategias como el empresarismo social han contribuido a la transformación de Medellín en una ciudad más educada e inclusiva.
Visões do Desenvolvimento Local: uma análise comparada de experiências brasil...Rafael Martins
O documento analisa seis experiências brasileiras de desenvolvimento local comparando suas abordagens: a associação de apicultores de Simplício Mendes-PI, os polos moveleiros de Votuporanga-SP e RS, o complexo couro-calçadista do RS, os minidistritos industriais de São José do Rio Preto-SP e o Banco de Palmas de Fortaleza-CE. O artigo busca discutir se essas experiências reproduzem a lógica capitalista ou representam tentativas contra-hegemônicas.
Estudo da Continuidade dos Projetos Educacionais do Município de IcapuíRafael Martins
O documento descreve o estudo da continuidade dos projetos educacionais do município de Icapuí no Ceará. Ele discute a história da emancipação política de Icapuí, as quatro gestões municipais entre 1986-2000, e os projetos implementados para universalizar o ensino e melhorar a educação local, especialmente o Programa Municipal de Universalização do Ensino lançado na primeira gestão.
Comércio Justo, Saberes Locais e Articulação de Atores: Lições do Projeto Art...Rafael Martins
Este documento discute o Projeto Arte Baniwa, uma iniciativa de comércio justo envolvendo organizações indígenas e não-governamentais. O projeto promove a produção e venda da cestaria tradicional Baniwa de forma sustentável, gerando renda para as comunidades. O documento analisa a articulação entre os atores envolvidos e as lições aprendidas sobre o potencial e desafios do desenvolvimento do comércio justo no Brasil.
Comércio Justo, Saberes Locais e Articulação de Atores: Lições do Projeto Art...
Climate Change Action at the City Level: Tales from Two Global Cities in Brazil
1. The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/1477-7835.htm
MEQ
22,3 Climate change action at the city
level: tales from two megacities in
Brazil
344
Rafael D’Almeida Martins
´
Nucleo de Estudos e Pesquisas Ambientais (NEPAM),
Received 30 April 2010
Revised 27 December 2010 Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil, and
Accepted 10 January 2011 Leila da Costa Ferreira
ˆ
Instituto de Filosofia e Ciencias Humanas (IFCH),
´
Nucleo de Estudos e Pesquisas Ambientais (NEPAM),
Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the factors shaping climate policies in two
˜
megacities in Brazil – Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro – through a multilevel perspective. The paper
seeks to explore how climate change is being framed and how local governments are responding to it
in terms of policy strategies.
Design/methodology/approach – Through empirical research based on two case studies, the
authors discuss the governing of climate change action and analyze the factors that can constrain or
undermine these actions based on information collected from reports, institutional web sites and
academic and newspaper articles.
Findings – The participation in transnational municipal networks has been central for promoting
and supporting climate change actions in both cities following the international experience. The
organization and implementation of climate change measures rely on a landscape formed by multiple
actors often spanning several sectors and levels of governance.
Originality/value – Most of the literature on climate change policy at the local level focuses on the
context of developed countries. Analyses of advanced developing countries like Brazil are sparse as
well as comparison in light of the international experience. The paper also draws attention for the lack
of awareness for adaptation at the local level in these countries, building upon recent scientific findings
on global climate change.
Keywords Climate change, Brazil, Governance, Public policy, Sustainable development
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Climate change, as a global environmental problem, is being considered one of the most
significant political challenges facing the international community (Giddens, 2009;
Bulkeley and Newell, 2010). In this sense, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
The authors acknowledge the financial support received from the Brazilian Federal Agency for
Management of Environmental ˜
Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES) and the State of Sao Paulo Research
Quality: An International Journal
Vol. 22 No. 3, 2011 Foundation (FAPESP) as well as the comments received from anonymous reviewers and
pp. 344-357 participants of the 2010 Berlin Conference on the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1477-7835
Change. Special thanks to Daniela Salgado Carvalho for her editorial assistance in the
DOI 10.1108/14777831111122914 preparation of the manuscript.
2. Change (IPCC) stated with high confidence on its Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) that Climate change
changes in the global climate are now unequivocal and its impacts are underway with action at the
consequences for both urban and rural areas (Solomon et al., 2007; Parry et al., 2007).
Climate change poses not only a local place-based problem, but also cross-scale city level
challenge (Wilbanks and Kates, 1999). As a multi-dimensional problem, the
conventional separation between global and national responses is highly
inappropriate. Climate change requires actions at different levels of governance 345
(multilevel) and interventions that range from international conventions and treaties at
the global scale to climate protection and adaptation measures at the city level
(Bulkeley and Betsill, 2003; Bulkeley and Betsill, 2005; Adger, 2005; Bulkeley and Kern,
2006; Gupta, 2007; Bulkeley and Newell, 2010).
The relationship between cities and climate change is usually based on a complex
interaction between vulnerability and responsibility (Wilbanks and Kates, 1999; Robinson
and Gore, 2005; Sanchez-Rodriguez et al., 2005; Lankao, 2007; Bicknell et al., 2009). Urban
centers are home to a large proportion of the world’s population, economic activity, and
physical infrastructure that are at risk from floods, storms, landslides, heat waves,
droughts and other climate-related phenomena. Climate change is expected to exacerbate
these impacts on cities around the world (Wilbanks et al., 2007; Satterthwaite et al., 2007;
Hunt and Watkiss, 2007). Cities are also source of most of the world’s pollution and high
consumers of non-renewable raw materials (Evans et al., 2005). In addition, urban centers
possess substantial ecological footprints and require vast areas to provide the food, energy,
water and natural resources that keep them functioning as engines of the global economy
(Sanchez-Rodriguez et al., 2005; Evans et al., 2005). At the same time, local governments
and their legal responsibility and jurisdiction provide opportunities to influence many of
the activities that contribute to climate change and respond to it in terms of both mitigation
and adaptation policies (Bulkeley and Betsill, 2003; Robinson and Gore, 2005;
Satterthwaite, 2008; Puppim de Oliveira, 2009; Bulkeley et al., 2009; Bulkeley, 2010).
By mitigation cities can substantially reduce their environmental impact and
consequently transform their infrastructure and consumption patterns improving the
global environment. By adaptation cities become resilient to climatic impacts and
reduce risks from climate change and variability (Dawson, 2007; Satterthwaite et al.,
2007). Although these urban transformations will take decades and are probably
reliant on significant developments in how cities are governed and planned, cities have
a very direct interest in both mitigating and adapting to environmental and climatic
change (Satterthwaite et al., 2007; Bicknell et al., 2009).
Besides the important role in formulating and implementing climate policies, local
governments also participate in the international arena through transnational
networks of local (and subnational) governments. These transnational actors have
been attracting increasing attention since the early 1990s and are commonly seen as a
concrete result of the Rio Summit in 1992. Bulkeley and Betsill (2003) have argued that
such networks of transnational local authorities do not fall easily into existing
conceptual frameworks for climate change responses as it is difficult to analyze if they
are governmental or non-governmental organizations.
This discussion is particularly relevant for developing countries, which have no
binding commitments for reducing greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions under the
Kyoto Protocol and are more vulnerable to climate change impacts due to their
geographical location and low adaptive capacity that usually result from historical
3. MEQ development deficits (Wilbanks et al., 2007; Bicknell et al., 2009). It is also mostly
22,3 important to focus on megacities that are engines of the world’s economy, centers of
innovation and important areas of population growth and concentration as it has been
argued elsewhere (Sanchez-Rodriguez et al., 2005; De Sherbinin et al., 2007).
Building on that, this paper analyzes the factors shaping climate policies in two
˜
megacities in Brazil through a multilevel perspective: Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. It
346 explores how climate change is being framed and how local governments are
responding to it in terms of policy strategies and instruments. By doing so, it is
expected to deepen the understanding on how these cities in Brazil are responding to
these challenges and uncover the strategies that are being deployed by these local
governments. The paper argues that the participation in transnational municipal
networks has been central for initiating and supporting climate change actions in both
cities following the international experience, with considerable attention being devoted
to mitigation of GHG. On the other hand, there is critical lack of attention to adaptation
measures on a comprehensive manner. Although there is the need for more research to
assess the effect of human-induced climate change (global warming) in both cities, they
have been already suffering the impacts of current climatic conditions and variability
on a regular basis due to its social vulnerability resulting from poor infrastructures and
policies in areas such as housing and sanitation.
The organization, steering and implementation of current and future climate change
measures rely heavily on a landscape formed by multiple actors with a variety of
interests, capacities, and challenges often spanning several sectors as the two case
studies will illustrate. This fragmented landscape of actors, interests and sectors
combined with structural governance problems in both Brazilian cities poses
significant challenges for the advancement of these efforts in the two cities as they
seem to have limited capacity to address the climate change challenge alone. Through
an empirical research, the paper discusses the governing of climate change at the city
level and analyzes the factors that can constrain or undermine these actions.
2. Local governments and climate change
Local governments have taken the lead in responding to climate change in diverse
contexts, including developing, developed and countries that have been reluctant in
supporting international action towards the mitigation of GHG emissions (e.g. USA). In
this direction, there is a growing body of literature that provides robust arguments for
the engagement of local governments in climate policy making (Kousky and Schneider,
2003; Bulkeley and Betsill, 2003; Bulkeley and Betsill, 2005; Puppim de Oliveira, 2009;
Bulkeley et al., 2009; Bulkeley, 2010), although these non-state actors, as referred by
constructivist approaches in international relations (Bulkeley and Betsill, 2003), do not
have direct nor binding commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol (Bulkeley and Betsill, 2003; Betsill
and Bulkeley, 2007). These arguments are usually based on the recognition that cities
and its local authorities have the legal jurisdiction and control over areas and sectors that
can influence many activities that are not only critical sources of GHG emissions such as
transportation and energy use, but also key instruments for managing and reducing
urban climate risks such as land use regulation, zoning, civil defense and disaster
response and mitigation (Wilbanks and Kates, 1999; Robinson and Gore, 2005; Dawson,
2007; Satterthwaite et al., 2007; Bulkeley et al., 2009).
4. There are also many reasons for acknowledging local governments as one of the Climate change
critical actors in climate policy, and urban centers as the fundamental arena where climate action at the
governance is taking place (Bulkeley and Betsill, 2003; Lankao, 2007; Bulkeley and
Newell, 2010; Bulkeley, 2010). In the same direction, the city is also the level of governance city level
closest to the people (Wilbanks and Kates, 1999; Evans et al., 2005; Adger, 2005;
Satterthwaite, 2008; Puppim de Oliveira, 2009). This recognition builds on the assumption
that local governments are more flexible and more accountable to their citizens than other 347
levels of governance. In theory, they tend to be smaller and decisions can be taken faster
than those at the national level. This flexibility and readiness in response and action can
shape governmental structures to be more adaptive to new situations and agendas so that
these governments become less bureaucratic to implement policies as local governments
are closer to their constituencies and local officials suffer the pressure from interest
groups such as civil society, community-based organizations and environmentalist
groups on a daily basis (Puppim de Oliveira, 2009; Birkmann et al., 2010).
On the other hand, local governments also face many barriers in developing climate
policy at the city level. Some barriers are well described and analyzed by the policy and
public administration literature such as the presence of short mandates for local
authorities, the lack of financial and human resources available at the local and the lack
of autonomy to regulate specific sectors and economic agents (Ligeti et al., 2007;
Parzen, 2008; Puppim de Oliveira, 2009; Martins and Ferreira, 2010). Table I provides a
summary of key factors that can support or inhibit local governments to engage in
climate policy making.
Key factors Enabling environment Obstacles and constraints
Resource and Institutional and financial capacity to Lack of financial, human and
capacity undertake climate change actions technological resources
Presence of a local champion Lack of commitment from political
leaders
Allocation of financial and human Lack of attention to environmental
resources issues
Long-term urban planning Short-term view
Knowledge and Strong communication and outreach Business as usual approach
information Vulnerability perception and strong Lack of vulnerability assessment and
risk management approach poor understanding in terms of
impacts and extend of climate change
Strong science-policy interface Mismatch between policy makers and
scientific community
Institutions and Authority to coordinate and regulate Lack of authority and jurisdiction
governance climate change actions
National programs to support local Lack of national and international
initiatives support
Participation in transnational city Poor vertical and horizontal
networks coordination across levels and policies
Good governance stakeholder Poor governance structures and Table I.
involvement and participation difficulties in getting key sectors Key factors that support
strategy involved or constraint climate
change action at the
Source: The authors city level
5. MEQ One of the major barriers, however, is poorly approached and understood by most
22,3 climate change governance research. It draws upon the fact that climate change is
considered a “wicked problem” in policy circles (Brown, 2009). Climate change
illustrates the dynamic complexity of many modern public problems as it is
unstructured making the causes and effects of a changing climate extremely difficult to
be identified and addressed by local authorities (Brown, 2009; Giddens, 2009).
348 Furthermore, “wicked problems”, as coined and defined by Rittel and Webber (1973),
involve multiple and intertwined sets of public and private actors and challenges that
cut across interconnecting policy domains and levels of government (Brown, 2009).
This fundamental barrier may hide the chain and scale of causes and consequences
of climate change in all levels and thus make climate change action at the local level
ineffective or only palliative (Puppim de Oliveira, 2009). According to Brown (2009), a
network approach has been argued to best tackle a wicked problem where diverse
actors from government and differing sectors and stakeholders get together to share
resources and knowledge. In this direction, the analysis of the modes of governing
these actions is crucial for understanding how local governments from two megacities
in Brazil are addressing climate change, engaging with other local governments and
collaborating in other levels of governance.
3. Addressing climate change at the local level: tales from two megacities in
Brazil
In order to understand how local governments from the largest Brazilian cities are
responding to the challenge posed by climate change, climate action was analyzed in
˜
Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro (Figure 1). In this context, climate change action is
understood in terms of policy responses, measures, and different instruments deployed
to explicitly address the climate change issue in the two cities (e.g. laws, policies,
programs, and plans).
Brazil has ratified the Kyoto Protocol and was one of its stronger supporters. Today,
it is also one of the five major emerging economies in the world and presents
comparative advantages in dealing with climate change when compared to other
advanced developing economies. As a non-annex 1 country, Brazil does not have
emission targets under the Kyoto protocol. In terms of energy, the country relies mostly
on electricity generated by hydroelectric plants that contributes significantly with
mitigation efforts (Setzer, 2009) providing several comparative advantages in terms of
sustainable development. It is also home of one of the greatest ecosystems and forests
of the planet, including the Amazon and the Atlantic rainforests (MEA, 2005). On the
other hand, deforestation and burning of biomass, particularly in the Amazon region,
constitutes a major source of GHG emissions in Brazil ( Joly, 2009; BRASIL, 2010).
Puppim de Oliveira (2009) highlights that Brazil is also one of the leading countries in
the number of projects within the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and one of the
largest receiver of resources from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), a program
led by the main funding organizations for the implementation of the UNFCCC and
other international conventions.
In recent years, there are a number of ongoing climate change initiatives at the local,
subnational and national levels. However, Brazil has not been able to design and
implement a comprehensive climate change strategy even though a National Plan on
Climate Change was approved by the Congress and by the President in December 2009
6. Climate change
action at the
city level
349
Figure 1.
˜
The cities of Sao Paulo and
Rio de Janeiro in Brazil
(National Law 12.187). In the same direction, some local regulations are taking place in
different parts of the country particularly at the subnational level. The analysis of two
˜
of these efforts, namely in the cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, provides
interesting insights on the way these actions are being framed and how these local
governments are acting in different policy domains and contexts.
Case studies are frequently applied in social science research and provide an
in-depth investigation and a systematic way of looking at different policies and actions
(Yin, 2009). For the purpose of this paper, information was collected from reports,
institutional web sites and academic and newspaper articles (Puppim de Oliveira,
2009). The main findings of the case studies are presented below followed by a
discussion of the key factors shaping climate change policy making.
˜
3.1 The city of Sao Paulo
˜
The city of Sao Paulo is the largest urban agglomeration in South America and is
among the top-10 cities in the world with a population of over 11 million people (City
Mayors Statistics, 2010). The city is an important financial and commercial hub for the
region and responds to up 10 percent of Brazil’s total GHG emissions when the
deforestation of the Amazon rainforest is excluded. Over the last decade, the city has
developed a series of local initiatives to address climate change, environmental
degradation and air pollution due to high industrial and automotive emissions (Lucon
and Goldemberg, 2010). It included increasing regulatory standards, law enforcement
for industrial plants and the restriction of 20 percent of the city’s automobiles during
peak hours in the central area (Puppim de Oliveira, 2009).
7. MEQ ˜
In 2003, Sao Paulo joined the Cities for Climate Protection (CCP), a campaign of the
22,3 International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI). ICLEI is one of the
major transnational municipal networks worldwide and it has been supporting climate
action at the municipal level for almost two decades focusing, in the beginning, only on
mitigation and more recently also on adaptation measures. Local governments join the
CCP campaign by passing a resolution pledging to reduce GHG emissions through five
350 milestones, basically elaborating a baseline emissions inventory, adopting emission
targets, developing local action plan and implementing specific policies and measures
(ICLEI, 1993).
˜
Sao Paulo elaborated an emission inventory in partnership with research centers to
set priorities for climate action (Puppim de Oliveira, 2009). The city has also joined the
˜
Energy Efficiency Program of the State of Sao Paulo, a subnational champion for
environmental and climate change policies in Brazil (Cunha et al., 2009; Lucon and
˜
Goldemberg, 2010). In parallel with the state initiatives, the city of Sao Paulo has also
developed a specific policy to address climate change as a result of the partnership
between a research center, ICLEI, the municipal secretary for the environment and
committed individuals and policy entrepreneurs. This policy was approved by the City
Council and became a municipal law in June 2009 (Municipal Law 14.933). Although
general in its lines as the law still waits for specific regulations, it established a
concrete target of 30 percent reduction in GHG emissions by 2012 through initiatives
that are aimed to improve the public transport, energy efficiency, green building, land
˜
use and solid waste management. In doing so, Sao Paulo was a pioneer municipal
government in approving such law in the country. It is also important to acknowledge
that these measures were an important milestone due to the importance of the city of
˜
Sao Paulo for Brazil and South America.
In this direction, the city has also implemented a CDM project in the Bandeirantes
landfill, one of the largest in the country, where the CH4 (methane) released by the solid
waste is being used for power generation and the revenues invested for the benefit of
poor communities located in the surrounding area of the landfill. Puppim de Oliveira
(2009) shows that this action alone was estimated to have reduced GHG emissions by 11
percent in the city. Since 2007, another law has been approved obligating buildings with
more than three bathrooms to use solar water heating systems (Bulkeley et al., 2009).
˜
Climate change policy making in the city of Sao Paulo shows synergies and
interaction with other policies (e.g. transport, solid waste management, air pollution
control) and actors (e.g. ICLEI, The World Bank, research centers and the State of Sao ˜
Paulo government) trying to combine climate security with economic benefits arising
from air pollution (avoiding health effects), better urban planning, land use, and
˜
revenues from carbon credits. Climate change measures in Sao Paulo, however, still
devotes very little attention to adaptation policies and planning although the city often
suffers from several climate-related events such as floods, landslides and water
scarcity (Puppim de Oliveira, 2009; Nobre et al., 2010).
3.2 The city of Rio de Janeiro
The city of Rio de Janeiro is the largest and most complex urban center in the Brazilian
coastline with around ten million people. It is also the second most populous city in the
country with great economic, political, cultural and historical importance (Egler, 2007;
De Sherbinin et al., 2007). Although well known for its beaches and beautiful
8. landscapes, the city of Rio de Janeiro faces many social problems and environmental Climate change
challenges such as urban violence, informal and illegal settlements in hazardous areas action at the
(e.g. favelas), sewage treatment, disposal, and industrial waste among many others. De
Sherbinin et al. (2007) analyzed the vulnerability of Rio de Janeiro to climate change city level
and highlighted that the socioeconomic problems can be highly exacerbated by climate
change in the near future.
Climate policy making in Rio de Janeiro began in 1998 when the city government 351
˜
joined CCP. As in the case of Sao Paulo, the city of Rio de Janeiro elaborated an
inventory of GHG emissions for the period of 1990-1998 in partnership with a local
university in 2003 (Dubeux and La Rovere, 2007). After some years of silence and no
political action, climate change was brought back in the municipal agenda in early
2007 when the Mayor signed a Protocol of Action in February 2007, namely the Rio
Protocol (Municipal Decree 27.595). This protocol encompasses both mitigation and
adaptation measures and tries to integrate key sectors within the municipal
administration towards an action plan to address both causes and risks associated
with climate change. It mainstreams climate change across different municipal sectors.
For instance, it demands the inclusion of climate change into the city’s masterplan as
well as improvements in the local regulations for urban planning. It also introduces the
development of CDM projects within municipal activities.
In order to raise public and internal awareness to the climate change issue, the local
government commissioned scientific assessments in key specific sectors such as
ecosystems’ vulnerability, climate change projections and health impacts, coastal zone
management and possible effects on urban infrastructure and human settlements. This
was followed by the organization a series of events bringing together civil servants,
government officials, scholars and community organizations to discuss the results of
these assessments in light with the city’s current and future reality. These seminars
named “Rio in the next 100 years” (or Rio þ 100) have also called attention to the city’s
high vulnerability to climate change in terms of its physical exposure, sensitivity and
low adaptive capacity (De Sherbinin et al., 2007; Nacaratti, 2008). These seminars, as well
as a number of field visits to learn from best practices in different contexts including
Canada and the USA, had the support of C40 – Cities Climate Leadership Group, a group
of large cities committed to tackling climate change that work in partnership with the
Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) from The William J. Clinton Foundation.
4. Governing climate change in Brazil: key messages
˜
The cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro provide examples of two megacities, urban
areas with more than ten million people that are important centers of economic growth
not only for Brazil but also for South America through their long-standing
relationships with the rest of the world as important hubs for trade, financial activities
and industrial innovations (De Sherbinin et al., 2007). The case studies showed that the
new governance arrangements such as the participation in transnational municipal
networks has been crucial for initiating and supporting climate change activities in
both cities not only in Brazil, but also worldwide (Bulkeley et al., 2009; Bulkeley and
Newell, 2010; Bulkeley, 2010). Building on the experience from developed countries,
Schreurs (2008) argues that these networks, particularly the ICLEI CCP, may be most
important in the earliest stages of climate policy making as local actors are usually
seeking ideas from cities that share similar politics or urban characteristics.
9. MEQ ˜
The case studies of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro bring evidence on the factors that
22,3 are shaping climate policy at the local level at these early stages in Brazil. These
findings highlight factors that have been raised elsewhere (Bulkeley and Betsill, 2003)
when analyzing climate change action in the UK, USA and Australia. These factors
include the presence of committed individuals and political will to address climate
change within the local government agenda, the availability of funding for
352 assessments and GHG inventories, local power and jurisdiction over key sectors,
and the existence of informal networks to support policy design and implementation
engaging with a range of different actors, such as research institutions, governmental
´
bodies, political champions and community organizations (Sanchez-Rodrıguez et al.,
2005; Bulkeley, 2010; Martins and Ferreira, 2010).
Although with slightly distinctive interpretations, Setzer (2009) had already argued
in the same direction when analyzing climate policies in the city and the state of Sao ˜
˜
Paulo. In this sense, although this paper argues that Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro
follow some common patterns of climate change action at the local level, previous
works such as Bulkeley and Kern (2006) and Bulkeley et al. (2009) identified
contrasting modes of governing these initiatives. These modes of governing climate
change at the local level include the deployment of different strategies such as
networking and partnerships, exercising regulation and authority, self-governing, and
enabling an environment for private investments and action. Table II summarizes
˜
climate change action and policy making in both Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
These different approaches applied to address climate change illustrate that it is not
only a place-based problem but also a cross-scale and multilevel challenge (Wilbanks
and Kates, 1999; Gupta, 2007; Bulkeley and Newell, 2010). The first generation of local
government efforts is important to raise public and government awareness and mitigate
partially some causes of the problem, especially in developing countries like Brazil.
¨
However, recent research on the magnitude and scale of the global changes (Fussel, 2008;
¨
Parry et al., 2008; Rockstrom et al., 2009) suggests that local governments alone may
have limited capacity to address the causes and cope with the unavoidable impacts of
climate change without strong commitment and leadership from national governments
and the international community. It is urgent to reduce inequalities and enhance the
capacities of individuals, communities and institutions in order to build resilient cities.
In Brazil, as in many other developing countries, although the national government
has been acting by designing integrated plans and programs to address mitigation and
adaptation in specific sectors such as agriculture, energy and industry, these measures
have been patchy and tentative with most attention being given to mitigation. The
need for strong adaptation interventions is constrained by social inequality, lack of
institutional capacity and pathways of unsustainable development that have been
permeating the Brazilian history for many decades (Ferreira, 1998; Ribeiro, 2008).
In the light of the challenge ahead, governance emerges as a key concept to bridge
different efforts and provide the pathway for the development of appropriate strategies
(Moser, 2009b; Bulkeley and Newell, 2010). In the Brazilian context, where the 1988
Federal Constitution divided responsibilities for environmental and social policies
among the three levels of government (federal, state and municipal), the governance of
climate change responses will require the organization, steering and implementation of
policies and measures with the participation of multiple actors that span several
sectors, not only the environmental area (Moser, 2009a). It is not an easy task in a
10. Municipal governments
Transnational Emission CDM
Cities Focus Stage networks targets projects Strategy Infrastructure
˜
Sao Paulo Mitigation and Implementation Yes Yes Yes Governing by authority Public transport, cycling
adaptation (particularly in terms of (CCP ICLEI (30%) (municipal laws and lanes, landfills, solid
mitigation) and C40) specific regulations) waste management,
Raise awareness energy efficiency, green
building
Scientific assessment
and scenario modeling
Environmental
education
Rio de Janeiro Mitigation Implementation Yes No Yes Governing by authority Public transport, cycling
(particularly in terms of (CCP ICLEI (municipal decree and lanes, landfills, solid
mitigation) and C40) specific regulations) waste management,
Basic scientific green building
assessment
Environmental
education
Source: The authors
˜
Paulo and Rio de Janeiro
change activities and
Summary of climate
action at the
Climate change
city level
policy making in Sao
353
Table II.
11. MEQ country with 27 states, one federal district, and more than 5500 municipalities as
22,3 highlighted by Puppim de Oliveira (2009).
The roles of the three levels of government combined with the specific interests of
the different regions of the country, economic groups and political contexts may often
conflict with each other and undermine climate change efforts in the long run.
354 5. Conclusion
This paper has investigated climate change activities and policy making in two
˜
megacities in Brazil, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, considered to be the most important
in the country in terms of population concentration and economic and political
relevance. Through a multilevel perspective, the analysis has shown that these cities
have followed the international experience building on the factors that have shaped
these initiatives at the local level. The participation in transnational municipal
networks has fostered political action and policy making at the city level particularly in
mitigating GHG emissions. It has also raised public and governmental awareness in
terms of the challenge posed by human-induced climate change and climate variability.
Despite of these developments, there is still an important gap in terms of the
adaptation needs, mainly in terms of better urban planning and improved city
infrastructure to be able to cope with the unavoidable effects of increasing global
temperatures and its consequences for the global and regional climate systems.
Although being considered a significant step towards addressing the climate change
issue, recent research on global climate change and its impacts suggests that local
government action may not be enough to cope with the magnitude and frequency of the
predicted changes as they might have limited capacity to respond and adapt effectively
to the climate change problem. Even though local governments are closer to the people,
they rely on measures taken and supported by higher levels of government intervention
as their responsibility and jurisdiction is constrained by legal and institutional aspects
such as lack of financial and technical resources. However, understanding and
approaching the governance challenge through the local level perspective is crucial for
securing a safe and sustainable pathway for megacities and countries worldwide.
References
Adger, W.N. (2005), “Scales of governance and environmental justice for adaptation and
mitigation of climate change”, Journal of International Development, Vol. 13 No. 7,
pp. 921-31.
Betsill, M.M. and Bulkeley, H. (2007), “Looking back and thinking ahead: a decade of cities and
climate change research”, Local Governments, Vol. 12 No. 5, pp. 447-56.
Bicknell, J., Dodman, D. and Satterthwaite, D. (Eds) (2009), Adapting Cities to Climate Change:
Understanding and Addressing the Development Challenges, Earthscan, London.
Birkmann, J., Garschagen, M., Kraas, F. and Quang, N. (2010), “Adaptive urban governance: new
challenges for the second generation of urban adaptation strategies to climate change”,
Sustainability Science, No. 5, pp. 185-206.
¸˜ ` ¸˜
BRASIL (2010), Segunda Comunicacao Nacional do Brasil a Convencao-Quadro das Nacoes ¸˜
´ ˆ
Unidas sobre Mudanca do Clima, Ministerio de Ciencia e Tecnologia (MCT), Brasılia.
¸ ´
Brown, H.C.P. (2009), “Climate change and Ontario forests: prospects for building institutional
adaptive capacity”, Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Vol. 14,
pp. 513-36.
12. Bulkeley, H. (2010), “Cities and governing of climate change”, Annual Review of Environment Climate change
and Resources, Vol. 35, pp. 229-53.
Bulkeley, H. and Betsill, M.M. (2003), Cities and Climate Change: Urban Sustainability and Global
action at the
Environmental Governance, Routledge, London. city level
Bulkeley, H. and Betsill, M.M. (2005), “Rethinking sustainable cities: multilevel governance and
the ‘urban’ politics of climate change”, Environmental Politics, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 42-63.
Bulkeley, H. and Kern, K. (2006), “Local government and the governing of climate change in 355
Germany and UK”, Urban Studies, Vol. 43 No. 12, pp. 2237-59.
Bulkeley, H. and Newell, P. (2010), Governing Climate Change, Routledge, London.
Bulkeley, H., Schroeder, H., Janda, K., Zhao, J., Armstrong, A., Chu, S.Y. and Ghosh, S. (2009),
“Cities and climate change: the role of institutions, governance and urban planning”, paper
presented at the World Bank 5th Urban Symposium on Climate Change, Marseille,
June 28-30.
City Mayors Statistics (2010), “The world’s largest cities and their mayors”, available at: www.
citymayors.com/statistics/largest-cities-mayors-intro.html (accessed 20 April 2010).
Cunha, K.B., Rei, F. and Walter, A.C. (2009), “Sub-national climate-friendly governance initiatives
˜
in the developing world: a case of the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil”, in Dias, P.L.S., Ribeiro,
W.C., Neto, J.L.S. and Zullo, J. Jr (Eds), Public Policy, Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate
Change in South America, Instituto de Estudos Avancados, Universidade de Sao Paulo,
¸ ˜
˜
Sao Paulo, pp. 49-73.
Dawson, R. (2007), “Re-engineering cities: a framework for adaptation to global change”,
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, Vol. 365, pp. 3085-98.
DeSherbinin, A., Schiller, A. and Pulsipher, A. (2007), “The vulnerability of global cities to
climate hazards”, Environment and Urbanization, Vol. 19 No. 1, pp. 39-64.
Dubeux, C.B.S. and LaRovere, E.L. (2007), “Local perspectives in the control of greenhouse gas
emissions – the case of Rio de Janeiro”, Cities, Vol. 24 No. 5, pp. 353-64.
´
Egler, C.A.G. (2007), “O Rio de Janeiro e as mudancas climaticas globais: uma visao
¸ ˜
ˆ
geoeconomica”, Protocolo do Rio, Instituto Pereira Passos, available at: www.rio.rj.gov.br/
ipp (accessed 15 November 2007).
Evans, B., Joas, M., Sundback, S. and Theobald, K. (2005), Governing Sustainable Cities,
Earthscan, London.
˜ ´ ´
Ferreira, L.C. (1998), A questao ambiental: sustentabilidade e polıticas publicas no Brasil,
˜
Ed. Boitempo, Sao Paulo.
¨
Fussel, H.M. (2008), “The risks of climate change: a synthesis of new scientific knowledge since
the finalization of the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4)”, background note to the
World Bank Development Report 2010, Washington, DC.
Giddens, A. (2009), The Politics of Climate Change, Polity Press, Cambridge.
Gupta, J. (2007), “The multi-level governance challenge of climate change”, Environmental
Sciences, Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 131-7.
Hunt, A. and Watkiss, P. (2007), “Literature review on climate change impacts on urban city
centres: initial findings”, Working paper ENV/EPOC/GSP(2007)10/FINAL, Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Paris, December 6.
ICLEI (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives) (1993), “Cities for climate
protection: an international campaign to reduce urban emissions of greenhouse gases“,
ICLEI.
Joly, C.A. (2009), “Editorial: synergies between the convention on biological diversity (CDB) and
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)”, Biota
Neotropica, Vol. 9 No. 1.
13. MEQ Kousky, C. and Schneider, S. (2003), “Global climate policy: will cities lead the way?”, Climate
Policy, Vol. 3 No. 4, pp. 359-72.
22,3 Lankao, P.R. (2007), “Are we missing the point? Particularities of urbanization, sustainability and
carbon emissions in Latin American cities”, Environment and Urbanization, Vol. 19,
pp. 159-75.
Ligeti, E., Penney, J. and Wieditz, I. (2007), “Cities preparing for climate change: a study of six
356 urban regions”, Clean Air Partnership, Toronto.
˜
Lucon, O. and Goldemberg, J. (2010), “Sao Paulo – The other Brazil: different pathways on
climate change for states and national governments”, The Journal of Environment and
Development, Vol. 19 No. 3, pp. 335-57.
Martins, R.D.A. and Ferreira, L.C. (2010), “Enabling climate change adaptation in urban areas:
a local governance approach”, INTERthesis, Vol. 7 No. 2, pp. 241-75.
MEA (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment) (2005), Ecosystems and Human Well-being:
Biodiversity Synthesis, World Resources Institute, Washington, DC.
Moser, C.S. (2009a), “Whether our levers are long enough and the fulcrum strong? Exploring the
soft underbelly of adaptation decisions and actions”, in Adger, W.N., Lorenzoni, I. and
O’Brien, K.L. (Eds), Adapting to Climate Change: Thresholds, Values and Governance,
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 313-34.
Moser, C.S. (2009b), “Governance and the art of overcoming barriers to adaptation”, IHDP
Update Issue, No. 3, pp. 31-6.
´ ´
Nacaratti, M.A. (2008), “Os cenarios de mudancas climaticas como novo condicionante para gestao
¸ ˜
¸˜
urbana: as perspectivas para a populacao da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro”, paper presented at
the XVI Encontro Nacional de Estudos Populacionais, September 29-October 3, Caxambu,
Minas Gerais.
Nobre, C.A., Young, A., Saldiva, P., Marengo, J.A., Nobre, A.D., Alves, S. Jr, Silva, G.C.M. and
Lombardo, M. (2010), “Vulnerabilidade das Megacidades Brasileiras as Mudancas ` ¸
´ ˜ ˜ ´
Climaticas: Regiao Metropolitana de Sao Paulo. Sumario Executivo”, CCST/INPE,
NEPO/UNICAMP, FM/USP, IPT, UNESP-Rio Claro.
Parry, M.L., Palutikof, J., Hanson, C. and Lowe, J. (2008), “Squaring up to reality”, Nature Reports
Climate Change, Vol. 2, pp. 68-70.
Parry, M.L., Canziani, O.F., Palutikof, J.P., van der Linden, P.J. and Hanson, C.E. (Eds) (2007),
Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working
Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC, Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge.
Parzen, J. (2008), “Lessons learned: creating the chicago climate action plan”, available at: www.
chicagoclimate.org (accessed March 8, 2010).
Puppim de Oliveira, J.A. (2009), “The implementation of climate change related policies at the
subnational level: an analysis of three countries”, Habitat International, Vol. 33, pp. 253-9.
´
Ribeiro, W.C. (2008), “Impactos das mudancas climaticas em cidades no Brasil”, Parcerias
¸
´
Estrategicas, Vol. 27, pp. 297-321.
Rittel, H.W.J. and Webber, M.M. (1973), “Dilemmas in a general theory of planning”, Policy
Science, Vol. 4, pp. 155-69.
Robinson, P.J. and Gore, C.D. (2005), “Barriers to Canadian municipal response to climate
change”, Canadian Journal of Urban Research, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 102-20.
¨
Rockstrom, J., Steffen, W., Noone, K., Persson, A., Chapin, F.S. III, Lambin, E.F., Lenton, T.M.,
Scheffer, M., Folke, C., Schellnhuber, H.J., Nykvist, B., deWit, C.A., Hughes, T.,
¨
vanderLeeuw, S., Rodhe, H., Sorlin, S., Snyder, P.K., Costanza, R., Svedin, U., Falkenmark,
14. M. and Karlberg, L. (2009), “A safe operating space for humanity”, Nature, Vol. 461, Climate change
pp. 472-5.
Sanchez-Rodriguez, R., Seto, K.C., Simon, D., Solecki, W.D., Kraas, F. and Laumann, G. (2005),
action at the
“Science plan: urbanization and global environmental change”, IHDP Report No. 15, city level
International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP).
Satterthwaite, D. (2008), “Climate change and urbanization: effects and implications for urban
governance”, paper presented at United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Population 357
Distribution, Urbanization, Internal Migration and Development, UN/POP/EGM-URB/
2008/16, New York.
Satterthwaite, D., Huq, S., Pelling, M., Reid, H. and Lankao, P.R. (2007), “Adapting to climate
change in urban areas: the possibilities and constraints in low- and middle-income nations,
Discussion Paper No. 1, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED),
London.
Schreurs, M.A. (2008), “From the bottom up: local and subnacional climate change politics”,
The Journal of Environment and Development, Vol. 17 No. 4, pp. 343-55.
Setzer, J. (2009), “Subnational and transnational climate change governance: evidence from the
˜
state and city of Sao Paulo, Brazil”, paper presented at the World Bank 5th Urban
Symposium on Climate Change, Marseille, June 28-30.
Solomon, S., Qin, D., Manning, M., Chen, Z., Marquis, M., Averyt, K.B., Tignor, M. and Miller,
H.L. (Eds) (2007), Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of
Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC, Cambridge University
Press, Cambridge.
Wilbanks, T.J. and Kates, R.W. (1999), “Global change in local places: how scales matters”,
Climatic Change, Vol. 43, pp. 601-28.
Wilbanks, T.J., Lankao, P.R., Bao, M., Berkhout, F., Cairncross, S., Ceron, J.-P., Kapshe, M.,
Muir-Wood, R. and Zapata-Marti, R. (2007), “Industry, settlement and society”, in Parry,
M.L., Canziani, O.F., Palutikof, J.P., van der Linden, P.J. and Hanson, C.E. (Eds), Climate
Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to
the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC, Vol. 2007, Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge, pp. 357-90.
Yin, R.K. (2009), Case Study Research: Design and Methods, 4th ed., Sage Publications, CA.
About the authors
´
Rafael D’Almeida Martins is a PhD candidate in Environment and Society at the Nucleo de
Estudos e Pesquisas Ambientais (Nepam), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp) and
coordinator of the Earth System Governance Research Fellows Network, an initiative of the
Earth System Governance Project under the auspices of the International Human Dimensions
Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP). Rafael D’Almeida Martins is the
corresponding author and can be contacted at: rdamartins@gmail.com.
ˆ
Leila da Costa Ferreira is Professor in the Instituto de Filosofia e Ciencias Humanas (IFCH)
´
and in the Nucleo de Estudos e Pesquisas Ambientais (Nepam) at the Universidade Estadual de
Campinas (Unicamp). She was the President of the National Association for Graduate Programs
in Environment and Society in Brazil during 2004-2008 and is an Associate Faculty of the Earth
System Governance Project.
To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: reprints@emeraldinsight.com
Or visit our web site for further details: www.emeraldinsight.com/reprints