Climate change and the agricultural sector in Ireland: examining farmer awareness and willingness to adopt new advisory mitigation tools

Agriculture is responsible for the bulk of Ireland’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, the potential to mitigate some of these emissions through the adoption of more efficient farm management practices may be hampered by farmers’ awareness and attitude towards climate change and agriculture’s role in contributing to GHG emissions. This paper presents results from a survey of 746 Irish farmers in 2014, with a view to understanding farmers’ awareness of, and attitudes to, climate change and GHG emissions. Survey results show that there was a general uncertainty towards a number of questions related to agricultural GHG emissions, e.g. if tilling of land causes GHG emissions, and that farmers were reluctant to take action to reduce GHG emissions on their farm. To further explore farmers’ attitudes towards climate change, a multinomial logit model was used to examine the socio-economic factors that affect farmers’ willingness to adopt an advisory tool that would show the potential reduction in GHG emissions from the adoption of new technologies. Results show that farmers’ awareness of human-induced global climate change was positively related to the tool’s adoption.

Key policy insights

• Irish farmers are generally not sufficiently aware of the impact of their activities on climate change.

• A quarter of farmers believed that climate change will only impact on their business in the long-term; such an attitude may lead to a reluctance amongst these farmers to adopt management practices that reduce GHG emissions.

• Awareness of climate change affects positively the adoption of new tools to reduce GHG emissions on farmers’ farms.

• IT literacy affects willingness to adopt new tools to address GHG emissions.

• Reception of agri-environmental advice can have a positive influence on farmers’ willingness to adopt new GHG emission abatement tools.

• Farmers in receipt of environmental subsidies are more likely to adopt new abatement tools, either because they are more environmentally conscious or because the subsidy raised their environmentally consciousness.

• Willingness to adopt differs between different farm enterprises; operating dairy enterprise increases the willingness to adopt new advisory mitigation tools.

     

Exploring the role of risk perception in influencing flood losses over time

ABSTRACT

What implications do societies’ risk perceptions have for flood losses? This study uses a stylized, socio-hydrological model to simulate the mutual feedbacks between human societies and flood events. It integrates hydrological modelling with cultural theory and proposes four ideal types of society that reflect existing dominant risk perception and management: risk neglecting, risk monitoring, risk downplaying and risk controlling societies. We explore the consequent trajectories of flood risk generated by the interactions between floods and people for these ideal types of society over time. The results suggest that flood losses are substantially reduced when awareness-raising attitudes are promoted through inclusive, participatory approaches in the community. In contrast, societies that rely on top-down hierarchies and structural measures to protect settlements on floodplains may still suffer significant losses during extreme events. This study illustrates how predictions formed through social science theories can be applied and tested in hydrological modelling.     

试论加入WTO后我国海洋文化发展的法制意识趋势

在漫长的旧社会 ,由于各种原因 ,使得我国沿海地区居民的法制意识比较淡薄。我国加入WTO后 ,经济生活乃至社会生活将要严格遵守规则 ,从而也将促使我国沿海地区的法制意识增强。     

Does effective climate policy require well-informed citizen support?

Citizen support for climate policies is typically seen as an important criterion in climate policy making. Some studies of climate policy support assume that a significant number of citizens need to be aware of the policies in question and able to provide informed opinions. In this study, we probe this assumption using a web-based survey of residents of the Canadian province of British Columbia (n = 475) by assessing: (1) citizen awareness and knowledge of climate policies, (2) citizen support for different climate policies, (3) the relationship between citizen knowledge and policy support, and (4) the effect of information provision on policy support. Our main finding is that most survey respondents are not aware of any of British Columbia's climate policies, and have little understanding of the potential effect of these on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Once they are made aware of different types of climate policies, respondents are more likely to express support for regulations, such as the zero-emissions electricity standard and energy efficiency regulations, and less likely to support a carbon tax. Statistical analysis indicates that citizen knowledge of policy is not associated with higher policy support. Furthermore, providing information on likely policy effectiveness to our survey respondents did not translate into higher support, suggesting that widespread knowledge and well-informed citizen support are not necessarily required for implementation of effective climate policies.     

Promoting geodiversity: learning lessons from biodiversity

Progress made in promoting geodiversity in recent times is reviewed, concluding that it is now an established component of the Earth Sciences. However, it still lacks the status and standing of biodiversity in governmental, political and public forums. The paper assesses what can be learnt from the experience of the development and promotion of biodiversity. Based on this experience, eight suggestions for increasing the understanding and ownership of geodiversity beyond the Earth science community are provided as a basis for discussion.     

校园人群应急疏散行为及其影响因素研究

校园作为城市高密度地区的典型区域,建筑密度高、道路错综曲折、灾后疏散难度大。以南京中心城区某高校为实证研究案例,展开问卷调查;采用皮尔逊卡方检验法,对校园人群安全意识及疏散行为和性别、年龄、受教育程度及参加疏散演练次数等人员特性信息进行交叉分析,得到存在相关性的变量组;基于Logistic回归模型,建立了人群特征、安全意识评价指标对校园人群疏散行为及心理影响的评价模型,识别疏散行为影响因素,以及各因素的影响程度大小。结果表明:年龄、性别以及参加过疏散演练的次数是影响人群安全意识及疏散行为的显著相关因素,学历是相关因素;地震灾害下受访人群对避难场所的选择偏好为:场地型避难场所>建筑型避难场所>地下空间;参加疏散演练的次数,安全意识、风险认知对灾害发生时的人群疏散行为有显著影响。     

智能地质调查体系与架构

中国地质调查局用了近10年时间,在基础地质调查和矿产调查领域基本完成了地质调查全流程数字化过程。在"云"计算与大数据技术等新一代信息技术的兴起大环境下,未来5至10年,地质调查主流程信息化的方向和目标是什么呢?本文基于新一代信息智能技术和智能设备在地质调查数据采集、数据分析处理、数据交换传输、三维建模、信息泛在服务、业务管理全面深度融合的基础上,结合智能空间与普适计算概念给出了智能地质调查定义,提出了基于云计算和Hadoop生态体系为基础的天地空一体化的智能地质调查体系、架构和应用模式,并对其关键技术进行了讨论。     

Context-aware abstraction and generalization of street networks: two cognitively engineered user-oriented approaches using network Voronoi diagrams

Generalization and spatial contextual awareness are prevalent concepts in geographic information systems. This study adopted a context-dependent user-centred network generalization method to create a sub-network for optimal route finding. The results show an increase in the number of preferred traversed edges. A route presentation approach is suggested that is based on cognitively engineered user-oriented abstraction of street network. Successive abstractions hierarchize the street network to create a hierarchical presentation structure. The route is projected onto one level in the structure. Then, instead of showing the exact route, the network Voronoi regions represented by the projected route are shown. Experience indicates that the suggested method is an efficient way of route presentation for a hierarchical regionalized structure of a human cognitive map.     

The Role of Education in the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program

Tsunami education activities, materials, and programs are recognized by the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program (NTHMP) as the essential tool for near-source tsunami mitigation. Prior to the NTHMP, there were no state tsunami education programs outside of Hawaii and few earthquake education materials included tsunami hazards. In the first year of the NTHMP, a Strategic Plan was developed providing the framework for mitigation projects in the program. The Strategic Plan identifies education as the first of five mitigation strategic planning areas and targets a number of user groups, including schools, businesses, tourists, seasonal workers, planners, government officials, and the general public. In the 6 years of the NTHMP tsunami education programs have been developed in all five Pacific States and include print, electronic and video/film products, curriculum, signage, fairs and workshops, and public service announcements. Multi-state education projects supported by the NTHMP include TsuInfo, a bi-monthly newsletter, and Surviving a Tsunami, a booklet illustrating lessons from the 1960 Chilean tsunami. An additional education component is provided by the Public Affairs Working Group (PAWG) that promotes media coverage of tsunamis and the NTHMP. Assessment surveys conducted in Oregon, Washington, and Northern California show an increase in tsunami awareness and recognition of tsunami hazards among the general population since the NTHMP inception.     

从乡规民约石刻看历史时期云南民间的环境意识

基层民众的环境意识对环境变迁起着重大作用。云南乡规民约石刻中包含大量保护生态环境的条款,这些条款体现了人们对环境与审美、环境与风水的关系的理解以及对森林水源涵养、水土保持的朴素认识。根据目前收集到的具有环保条款的乡规民约石刻,结合相关文献进行分析,将云南民间环境意识发展分为萌芽期、发展期、高潮期、低谷期、恢复期、下降期等6个阶段。民间乡规民约石刻的在时间轴上的分布规律和民间环境意识的变化是同步的。清代以前,云南地区植被覆盖率较高,自然环境良好,人口密度较小,对自然的破坏程度较小,环境问题尚不足以引起人们的注意。清代以后,随着人口压力的加大,经济开发对植被的不断破坏以及战争对正常社会生产生活秩序的打乱,云南民间环境意识也就不断增强。从空间方面看,云南环保型乡规民约石刻分布广泛、相对集中,主要分布在经济开发历史最为悠久、人口最密集、工农业最发达、同时也是毁林开荒最严重的地区。