Analyzing the state of development of Pune City by using multi-criteria decision analysis and analytic hierarchy process

GeoJournal - As per the United Nations Human Settlement Programme Nairobi (2011), cities are the engines of economic growth with social and cultural life and spatial organization of human society...     

New perspectives on natural resource development in developing countries

The link between natural resources and economic development is more and more regarded as a fact today even though the whole process of development is only partially understood. The awareness has now spread to the developing countries of the world where resources have yet to be developed to bring about an improvement in standards of living especially for rural populations, as well as a general improvement in the quality of life for the people. Unfortunately many of the resources of these countries are still to be surveyed and development planning is often based on flimsy, inadequate or even unreliable natural resource data. The improvement of data base for resource planning would go a long way to ensure more knowledge about natural resources in developing countries and better use and management of the available resources. There are economic, technological and environmental difficulties to be overcome before more efficient natural resource utilization in these countries could be achieved. The role of population growth in resource realization is still clouded with an inconclusive debate. But even more important is the need for technological assistance and the application of modern technology to food and agriculture and to other resources to ensure a better life for the populations of developing countries. Developments in agriculture will need the greatest attention since it is a primary resource which provides employment for large proportions of the population, food for the rural and urban populations and exportable surpluses required for the purchase of industrial goods for use in the other sectors of the economy. The activities of transnational corporations distort developments in agriculture and mining in many developing countries and many of these countries are today making greater moves to realize full sovereignty over their natural resources as a first step towards more efficient and meaningful planning for economic growth and development. Energy resources, and in particular the development of new and renewable sources of energy, present one of the greatest challenges to developing countries. Examples of the development of rural energy systems in China and India are promising to open the way to alternative forms of energy for the rural masses of other similarly placed developing countries. Finally, new developments in the natural resources debate concerned with the sharing of the resources of the oceans as seen in the Law of the Sea Conference are a pointer to a more equitable approach to the use of global resources for the continued development of the developed as well as the developing countries of the world.The view expressed in this paper are those of the author alone and do not necessarily represent those of the United Nations University.     

The role of the United Nations in Water Resources Development

The United Nations system of organization undertakes a wide range of water-related activities in the developing countries. The range includes hydrological surveys, community water supply schemes, water legislation, institutional and planning needs, ground and surface water managment and development, disease control, flood-loss prevention and environmental protection. Emphasis is given in this paper to the changing needs of the developing countries, and to the future role of the organization of the UN system in responding to these needs.The responsibilities and some activities of the Water Resources Branch in the UN Secretariat are indicated to illustrate the nature of the work programme of one of the eighteen organizations of the UN system involved in water resources development.Contribution of the United Nations Centre for Natural Resources, Energy and Transport, United Nations, New York 10017, USA     

水资源账户的建立——环境经济综合核算的一个实例

在简要介绍了国际上通行的环境经济综合核算体系的基础上,以干旱地区第二大内陆河黑河流域中游的张掖地区为研究案例,依次建立了2000年水资源的实物型账户、价值型账户、枯竭成本分配账户和综合账户。结果表明:张掖地区2000年的水资源枯竭成本为1 979亿元,扣除水资源枯竭成本的净国内生产总值占净国内生产总值的96.44%;水资源枯竭成本占传统净资本形成额的9.39%。     

对北京市水资源可持续发展之路的思考

新中国成立以来，北京市多次发生水危机，且一次比一次严重这一状况严重制约了北京社会经济的发展，引起了党中央，国务院和北京市委，市政府的高度重视，并采取了有力措施缓解了水危机。随着１９９２年６月联合国环境与发展首脑会议的如开，要持续发展的思想已深入人心。     

The new freely-associated states of micronesia: Their natural and social environmental challenges

The former United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) which has been administered by the United States since the end of World War II, has divided itself up into four separate political entities: (1) the Federated States of Micronesia, (2) the Republic of Belau, (3) the Marshall Islands Republic, and (4) the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The first three of these aforementioned entities are freely-associated states with the United States. This is a new form of political arrangement for these areas and it is also new for the United States. All of these areas have a colonial history of domination by Spain, Germany, Japan, and the US, and these colonial powers have all left legacies which the new states have to deal with. There are also a number of natural environmental factors — such as vast distance and the limited store of natural resources - which are constraints that the new states have to face and overcome with the help of the former colonial powers and the rest of the world. Whether or not these new states can be successful in their continued economic and social development at a pace rapid enough to bring sufficient foreign capital, depends on their own energy and also on the nature and quality of the outside assistance.     

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the Response Strategies of China

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) which launched in 2015 inherited, extended and developed the merits of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in 2000. By the analysis of SDG goals, it can be found that SDG has mainly covered the securities of food supplies, disease prevention, social justice and human rights, the securities of water, energy, land and eco-environment. It covers the human, social, economic, and eco-environmental dimensions. To achieve it, the SDG should be localized and coordinated with the long-term development strategies of Chinese government. And the goals should be integrated into the policies and engineering projects of China simultaneously. By multilaterally cooperating with international communities and sharing the development experiences of other countries/regions, and confronting global issues together, the SDG can be achieved eventually by all the countries of the world.     

Recent developments in planning the settlement hierarchy of Barbados: Implications concerning the debate on urban primacy

The topic of big-city growth is receiving increasing attention from geographers, economists, planners and environmentalists, particularly in relation to the likely social and economic impact of urban primacy, and the theoretical and practical implications of optimal city size. This short paper examines these issues in the context of Barbados, where Bridgetown, the chief port and capital city houses some 42% of the island's total population. Initially, the recommendations of the Physical Development Plan for Barbados, published in 1970 with United Nations technical assistance, are presented. In essence, the plan advocated the creation of a hierarchy of settlements within the island by the 1980s, in order to counter the perceived supremacy of Bridgetown. Subsequently, recent progress in promoting the decentralization of population and facilities from Bridgetown is reviewed; and in conclusion, the original proposals and recent developments are critically evaluated.     

中国参与北极油气资源开发利用前景与方向

北极地区丰富的油气资源近年来引发全世界的广泛关注。评估结果显示,北极油气资源分布不均,主要集中在俄罗斯、美国阿拉斯加、挪威、加拿大和丹麦格陵兰。不同国家和地区北极油气资源勘探开发特点不同,在新形势下可能还会发生变化。中国是油气消费大国和进口大国,俄罗斯北极地区已日渐成为中国重要油气供应地之一。综合分析几个主要北极国家北极油气开发利用现状和未来发展前景,与中国目前参与北极油气开发利用的情况,对未来中国如何参与北极油气资源开发利用提出建议,将俄罗斯作为中国北极油气开发的长期合作伙伴,与其开展项目投资、技术入股、航道建设等多个方面的合作。      

A comparison of selected global disaster risk assessment results

We compare country risk rankings derived from two recently published global disaster risk analyses. One set of country rankings is based on the Disaster Risk Index (DRI) developed by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Division of Early Warning and Assessment Global Resource Information Database project under a contract to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The other is based on an index of disaster mortality risk developed by the Global Natural Disaster Risk Hotspots project implemented by Columbia University, the World Bank and associated partners. We convert data from these sources into two comparable indexes of disaster mortality risk and rank countries according to the resulting values for a set of natural hazards common to both studies. The country rankings are moderately correlated, ranging from .41 to .56 for individual hazards to .31 for multi-hazard mortality risks. We identify the top 25 countries according to the mortality risk values we recomputed from each study’s results to show the degree to which countries are highly ranked in common. The numbers of countries common to both lists for individual hazards range from 7 to 16 out of 25. The correspondence among the top 25 ranked countries is lowest for earthquakes and floods. Only 6 out of 25 countries are common to both lists in the multi-hazard case. We suggest that while the convergence in the results for some hazards is encouraging, more work is needed to improve data and methods, particularly with respect to assessing the role of vulnerability in the creation of risk and the calculation of multi-hazard risks. The views expressed are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of SM2 Consulting Multi-Hazards and Risk Holistic Solutions or the United Nations Development Program.     

当前国际水文学科技术领域的研究方向

根据联合国有关机构发布的公报和世界各国近年来的学术研究情况，整理出了近期水文学科在地表水、地下水、水质、水资源系统、大气～土壤～植被、大陆侵蚀、冰雪、遥感技术和示踪技术等领域的热门研究课题，在一定程度上反映了当前国际上水文学科的研究和发展方向，对国内同行有一定的参考价值。     

山东半岛蓝色经济区矿产资源专项规划思路及建议

从山东半岛蓝色经济区的区位优势、经济发展背景方面阐述了开展山东半岛蓝色经济区矿产资源规划的作用和意义,提出了山东半岛蓝色经济区矿产资源规划总体思路、发展目标及政策措施,对区内的矿产资源勘查、开发利用与保护具有指导意义。     

Spatial variations in broadband and air passenger service provision in the United States

With the resurgence of regions as key nodes in the global economy, there is a growing interest in better defining their competitive advantages, particularly those accrued through infrastructure provision. Two important components of this competitive landscape are information and communication technologies (ICTs) and commercial air passenger service. While the development of these two networks is frequently cited as being a critical factor in regional economic competitiveness, few empirical studies address the statistical relationship(s) between these infrastructures or the complexities associated with their spatial distribution. The purpose of this paper is to determine if an association exists between the provision of broadband telecommunication service and air passenger service in the United States. In addition, basic spatial statistical approaches are utilized to identify a suite of important social and economic determinants that play a central role in spurring infrastructure provision.     

Power and politics in climate change adaptation efforts: Struggles over authority and recognition in the context of political instability

Throughout the world, climate change adaptation policies supported by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have provided significant sources of funding and technical support to developing countries. Yet often the adaptation responses proposed belie complex political realities, particularly in politically unstable contexts, where power and politics shape adaptation outcomes. In this paper, the concepts of authority and recognition are used to capture power and politics as they play out in struggles over governing changing resources. The case study in Nepal shows how adaptation policy formation and implementation becomes a platform in which actors seek to claim authority and assert more generic rights as political and cultural citizens. Focusing on authority and recognition helps illuminate how resource governance struggles often have very little to do with the resources themselves. Foundational to the argument is how projects which seek to empower actors to manage their resources, produce realignments of power and knowledge that then shape who is invested in what manner in adaptation. The analysis adds to calls for reframing ‘adaptation’ to encompass the socionatural processes that shape vulnerability by contributing theoretical depth to questions of power and politics.     

Value of tectonic regions in the United States

Occurrence of mineral resources is directly or indirectly controlled by major tectonic processes. Additionally, similar mineral deposit types tend to be concentrated within geologically and tectonically similar areas. As a result, information on the production history of minerals in a well-explored and developed tectonic region—such as within the United States—can be used to estimate resources of geologically similar, underdeveloped tectonic areas elsewhere. For such application, two regions should be compared for geologic similarity using all available geologic information. Estimates of resources based on geologic analogy can be useful in large-scale mineral exploration programs where relatively little geologic information is available, such as in many developing countries. In this study, seven major tectonic regions within the United States are evaluated in terms of estimated mineral value as measured by historical mineral production and economic reserves. The seven regions assessed are: (1) Cordilleran Mountain Belt, (2) Colorado Plateau, (3) Central Stable Region, (4) Canadian Shield, (5) Ozark-Ouachtia Province, (6) Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plain, and (7) Appalachian Mountain Belt. Regions are ranked in terms of estimated value of (1) 33 major mineral commodities, (2) nonfuel minerals, (3) hydrocarbons, and (4) individual mineral commodities. In terms of total value of historical mineral production and estimated economic reserve amounts of 33 major mineral commodities, the Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plain is most valuable, with an estimated value of 1980 US$1,970,000/km². Information on historical mineral production of U.S. tectonic regions may be useful in estimating resources in tectonically similar, underdeveloped regions elsewhere.     

Population Growth, Climate Change and Water Scarcity in the Southwestern United States

PROBLEM STATEMENT: In a simple economic model, water scarcity arises as a result of an imbalance between the supply of and demand for water sources. Distribution in this setting is the source of numerous conflicts globally. APPROACH: Already, the Southwestern United States (US) suffers from annual drought and long-standing feud over natural water resources. RESULTS: Population growth in the Southwestern United States along with the continued effects of climate change (natural and anthropogenic) predicts a perpetual decline in natural water sources, such as smaller snowpacks, in the coming years. As the increasing number of communities across multiple US states that subsist off of natural water supplies face water shortages with increasing severity, further water conflict will emerge. Such conflicts become especially protracted when the diversion of water from a source of benefit to one community negatively impacts nearby communities of humans and economically vital ecosystems (e.g., marshlands or tributaries). CONCLUSION/RECOMMENDATIONS: The ensuing politics and health effects of these diversions can be complicated and future water policies both domestically and internationally are lacking. To draw attention to and stimulate discussion around the lacking policy discussion domestically, herein we document existing and emerging consequences of watery scarcity in the Southwestern United States and briefly outline past and potential future policy responses.     

The sharing of scarce water resources

Australians have long been sensitive about water problems, and water management has been a highly politicised activity. The ‘making the desert bloom’ dream affected Australia as it did the Western United States. The 1950s and 1960s witnessed an extraordinary surge of engineering activity in major water development projects that could not be justified when proper economic analyses of the costs and resultant benefits were conducted. In this paper it will be argued that the ‘engineering fix’ approach owed its existence to the unanimous, unchallenged belief in the scarcity of Australia's water resources. The evidence and rationale for this belief are examined and it is argued that water is not scarce in a physical sense. However, the collection, storage and distribution of supplies are costly and economic scarcity exists, partly a product of resource misallocation and subsidised use.     

中国新的矿产资源/储量分类标准与国际主要分类标准的对比研究

通过对国际上主要的矿产资源储量分类方案的对比研究,对国际上通行的做法与规则进行了归纳。在分析了联合国方案存在的问题与缺陷的基础上,指出了中国新的资源储量分类标准与国际通行规则接轨存在的明显偏差以及在实际使用中存在的问题。最后对中国矿产资源储量分类标准的修订与完善提出了意见。     

Human populations and climate: Lessons from the past and future scenarios

The world population has undergone some periods of fast acceleration (the Late Palaeolithic and Neolithic revolutions, the demographic explosion started round year 1500); compared to these episodes, periods of decline appear of much smaller magnitude (except locally, of course). A variety of recovery mechanisms have existed to limit the consequences of mortality crises. Climate fluctuations, e.g., did not stop the growth of the world population. The United Nations expect a further growth of the population from 6.5 billions today to nine billions in 2050, and a possible stabilization round 10 billions by the end of the century. These projections do not take into account possible and unforeseeable catastrophes, which might also induce some new international migrations.     

Impact of anthropogenic and natural factors on the air quality above the northern Caspian Sea and the ecological risk level for the human population in the coastal zone

The paper reports monitoring results (obtained in 2000–2001) of the seasonal variations in the quality of lower atmospheric air in the coastal zone of the northern Caspian Sea due to the occurrence of aerosols with submicrometer-sized particles and soot in the lower atmosphere. The contributions of natural and anthropogenic factors to the ecological risk for the local human population are evaluated, along with the contribution of the premature mortality of the human population in the coastal zone in 2005 to its overall average death rate for the Russian Federation (approximately 24%). The authors’ estimates are consistent with those made by the World Health Organization at the United Nations (WHO) for the Russian Federation as a whole (approximately 21%). The information presented in this publication is important for evidence-based recommendations on preventive environment-protective measures to be taken with regard for the development of oil and gas fields on- and offshore the northern Caspian Sea.