Modelling tropical cyclone risks for present and future climate change scenarios using geospatial techniques

Tropical cyclones and their devastating impacts are of great concern to coastal communities globally. An appropriate approach integrating climate change scenarios at local scales is essential for producing detailed risk models to support cyclone mitigation measures. This study developed a simple cyclone risk-modelling approach under present and future climate change scenarios using geospatial techniques at local scales, and tested using a case study in Sarankhola Upazila from coastal Bangladesh. Linear storm-surge models were developed up to 100-year return periods. A local sea level rise scenario of 0.34?m for the year 2050 was integrated with surge models to assess the climate change impact. The resultant storm-surge models were used in the risk-modelling procedures. The developed risk models successfully identified the spatial extent and levels of risk that match with actual extent and levels within an acceptable limit of deviation. The result showed that cyclone risk areas increased with the increase of return period. The study also revealed that climate change scenario intensified the cyclone risk area by 5–10% in every return period. The findings indicate this approach has the potential to model cyclone risk in other similar coastal environments for developing mitigation plans and strategies.     

Evidence for centennial-scale Lateglacial and early Holocene climatic complexity from Quoyloo Meadow,Orkney, Scotland

The influence of the North Atlantic on the margins of Europe means the region is particularly sensitive to changes in the ocean–atmospheric system. During the Last Glacial–Interglacial Transition (16–8 cal ka bp ) this system was repeatedly disrupted, leading to a series of abrupt and short-lived shifts in climate. Despite much research, the number and magnitude of these ‘centennial-scale’ events is not well understood. To address this, we expand upon investigations at Quoyloo Meadow, Orkney, Scotland, one of the best chronologically constrained palaeoclimate records in northern Britain. By coupling stable isotope and chironomid fossil analyses with existing data, this study identifies multiple phases of centennial-scale disturbance at: c. 14.0, 11.1, 10.8, 10.5, 10.45 and 10.3 cal ka bp , with the events at 14.0 and 10.3 exhibiting a particularly pronounced cold-climate signature. During the Holocene, the strongest response to climate forcing was at c. 10.3–10.0 cal ka bp , expressed as a two-stage drop in mean July temperatures, a shift in pollen spectra indicative of ‘less-stable’ climatic regimes, and a depletion in δ¹⁸O values. We interpret this as the first reliably dated incidence of the ‘10.3-ka event’ in the British Isles and consider the wider impact of this climatic reversal in other Holocene records.     

1991—2015年三江源河曲高寒草甸干湿状况及牧草产量变化的气候归因研究

以三江源东部河曲高寒草甸为研究对象,通过分析1991—2015年气温、降水、潜在蒸散、湿润指数和牧草产量变化特征,探讨了地区干湿状况对牧草产量的影响。研究表明：1991—2015年河曲高寒草甸潜在蒸散以3.5 mm·a^-1的速率增加（P<0.01）,在年降水量按2.3 mm·a^-1呈非显著性（P>0.05）增加的趋势下,地区干湿状况基本保持平稳（多年均值为0.52）,隶属于半湿润气候区。25年来牧草干重产量平均为303.7 g·m^-2,并以3.0 g·m^-2·a^-1的速率下降。分析牧草产量与影响干湿状况的气候因素之间的相关性发现,气温对牧草产量影响不明显（P>0.05）,降水量表现为正相关关系（P>0.10）,说明该区域降水是牧草产量提高与否的主导因素;牧草产量与潜在蒸散表现为负相关关系（P>0.10）,与湿润指数表现为正相关关系（P>0.10）;在生长季时期,牧草产量与降水量、潜在蒸散和湿润指数的相关性关系达到了显著水平（P<0.10）,说明牧草产量在生长季对地区环境条件湿润与否较为敏感。     

最近十多年来冰冻圈加速萎缩——IPCC第六次评估报告之冰冻圈变化解读

政府间气候变化专门委员会（IPCC）于2021年8月发布了第六次评估报告第一工作组报告《气候变化2021：自然科学基础》。该报告基于最新的观测和模拟研究,评估了冰冻圈变化的现状,并采用CMIP6模式对未来变化进行了预估。报告明确指出,近十多年来冰冻圈呈现加速萎缩状态：北极海冰面积显著减小、厚度减薄、冰量迅速减少;格陵兰冰盖、南极冰盖和全球山地冰川物质亏损加剧;多年冻土温度升高、活动层增厚,海底多年冻土范围减少;北半球积雪范围也在明显变小,但积雪量有较大空间差异。冰冻圈的快速萎缩加速海平面的上升。未来人类活动对冰冻圈萎缩的影响将愈加显著,从而导致北极海冰面积继续减少乃至消失,冰盖和冰川物质将持续亏损,多年冻土和积雪的范围继续缩减。报告也提出,目前冰冻圈研究仍存在观测资料稀缺、模型对各影响因素的敏感性参数和过程描述亟需提升、对吸光性杂质的变化机制认知不足等问题,从而影响了对冰冻圈变化预估的准确性,未来需要重点关注。     

新型同径分层止水工艺在地热探采深井的应用

原平大营地热探采结合深井完钻井深3088 m,为探明494~3088 m变质岩地层的水文地质参数和水源补给情况,基于岩心和测井资料划分4个抽水试验段,且试验后需要恢复目的含水层。根据“一孔同径分层止水”原则,设计了管内止水托盘止水、管外止水伞止水的新型同径分层止水工艺。该工艺简化了井身结构,避免了管外投粘土球、注水泥等堵塞含水层的情况。现场实施表明,该工艺止水效果完全满足水文地质抽水试验要求,可为同类工程提供经验和借鉴。     

气候变化与人类活动对石家庄市藁城区地下水位埋深的影响分析

为了探寻石家庄市藁城区地下水埋深动态变化规律,以藁城区2001—2018年的年降水量、地下水人工开采量等数据为基础,对藁城区地下水位埋深进行研究。首先采用P-Ⅲ型曲线法确定降水序列的丰、平、枯年份,分析不同降水量情况下地下水位埋深变化规律;其次,利用地下水开采潜力系数法和灰色关联度法对人工开采量和地下水位埋深的关系进行研究。结果表明：1）藁城区地下水位埋深在2001—2016年逐渐增大,在2016—2018年趋于减小,2016年为转折点;在空间上藁城区地下水位埋深呈现出北部埋深小、南部埋深大的特征,北部水位埋深较同期南部水位埋深要浅5~10 m。2）降水是驱动藁城区地下水位埋深变化的重要因素,枯水年水位埋深变幅在0.8~1.5 m之间,平水年水位埋深变幅在0.3~1.2 m之间,丰水年水位埋深变幅在0.3~1.1 m之间。主灌期（3—6月）的地下水位埋深增加速率均为cm/d级,非主灌期（7—10月）的地下水位埋深减少速率均为mm/d级。3）人工开采是驱动藁城区地下水位埋深变化的主导因素,其中农业开采量占人工开采量的80%。综上认为,藁城区一直处于严重超采状态,地下水累计超采量每增加1亿m³,地下水位埋深增加0.45 m。     

陆地生态系统碳汇在实现“双碳”目标中的作用和建议

2030年前实现碳达峰、2060年前实现碳中和(简称“双碳”)是我国对国际社会的庄严承诺,已被纳入生态文明建设的总体布局。生态系统碳汇是实现“双碳”目标的重要手段,也是林业和草原实现高质量发展的必然要求。国际有关机构对全球森林、草地和湿地生态系统的碳储量和碳循环进行了评估。自1990年以来,附件一国家(指《联合国气候变化框架公约》附件一列出的经济合作发展组织中所有发达国家和经济转型国家)对本国的碳排放和碳汇进行估算,编制了年度温室气体清单; 我国也编制了5次国家温室气体清单。这些工作对我国开展应对气候变化的研究提供了基础。提出了如下建议: 在编制“双碳” 路线图和时间表时,既要考虑我国生态系统碳汇与能源和工业领域碳排放在区域空间分布和时间维度上的差异性,也要考虑生态系统同时所具有的碳汇和碳排放的特殊性; 生态系统碳汇是碳达峰的非选项,是碳中和的必选项; 生态系统碳汇要遵循国家实现“双碳”目标的基本原则,要将生态系统碳汇作为国家生态建设和保护工程的主要目标,提高碳汇计量和监测能力,完善市场和融资机制。     

Policy options to streamline the carbon market for agricultural nitrous oxide emissions

The majority of emissions of nitrous oxide – a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) – are from agricultural sources, particularly nitrogen fertilizer applications. A growing focus on these emission sources has led to the development in the United States of GHG offset protocols that could enable payment to farmers for reducing fertilizer use or implementing other nitrogen management strategies. Despite the development of several protocols, the current regional scope is narrow, adoption by farmers is low, and policy implementation of protocols has a significant time lag. Here we utilize existing research and policy structures to propose an ‘umbrella’ approach for nitrogen management GHG emissions protocols that has the potential to streamline the policy implementation and acceptance of such protocols. We suggest that the umbrella protocol could set forth standard definitions common across multiple protocol options, and then modules could be further developed as scientific evidence advances. Modules could be developed for specific crops, regions, and practices. We identify a policy process that could facilitate this development in concert with emerging scientific research and conclude by acknowledging potential benefits and limitations of the approach.

Key policy insights

• Agricultural greenhouse gas market options are growing, but are still underutilized

• Streamlining protocol development through an umbrella process could enable quicker development of protocols across new crops, regions, and practices

• Effective protocol development must not compromise best available science and should follow a rigorous pathway to ensure appropriate implementation

     

China’s national carbon emissions trading scheme: lessons from the pilot emission trading schemes,academic literature,and known policy details

Upon completion, China’s national emissions trading scheme (C-ETS) will be the largest carbon market in the world. Recent research has evaluated China’s seven pilot ETSs launched from 2013 on, and academic literature on design aspects of the C-ETS abounds. Yet little is known about the specific details of the upcoming C-ETS. This article combines currently understood details of China’s national carbon market with lessons learned in the pilot schemes as well as from the academic literature. Our review follows the taxonomy of Emissions Trading in Practice: A Handbook on Design and Implementation (Partnership for Market Readiness & International Carbon Action Partnership. (2016). Retrieved from www.worldbank.org): The 10 categories are: scope, cap, distribution of allowances, use of offsets, temporal flexibility, price predictability, compliance and oversight, stakeholder engagement and capacity building, linking, implementation and improvements.

Key policy insights

• Accurate emissions data is paramount for both design and implementation, and its availability dictates the scope of the C-ETS.

• The stakeholder consultative process is critical for effective design, and China is able to build on its extensive experience through the pilot ETSs.

• Current policies and positions on intensity targets and Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) credits constrain the market design of the C-ETS.

• Most critical is the nature of the cap. The currently discussed rate-based cap with ex post adjustment is risky. Instead, an absolute, mass-based emissions cap coupled with the conditional use of permits would allow China to maintain flexibility in the carbon market while ensuring a limit on CO₂ emissions.

     

Perceived fairness and public acceptability of carbon pricing: a review of the literature

While carbon pricing is widely seen as a crucial element of climate policy and has been implemented in many countries, it also has met with strong resistance. We provide a comprehensive overview of public perceptions of the fairness of carbon pricing and how these affect policy acceptability. To this end, we review evidence from empirical studies on how individuals judge personal, distributional and procedural aspects of carbon taxes and cap-and-trade. In addition, we examine preferences for particular redistributive and other uses of revenues generated by carbon pricing and their role in instrument acceptability. Our results indicate a high concern over distributional effects, particularly in relation to policy impacts on poor people, in turn reducing policy acceptability. In addition, people show little trust in the capacities of governments to put the revenues of carbon pricing to good use. Somewhat surprisingly, most studies do not indicate clear public preferences for using revenues to ensure fairer policy outcomes, notably by reducing its regressive effects. Instead, many people prefer using revenues for ‘environmental projects’ of various kinds. We end by providing recommendations for improving public acceptability of carbon pricing. One suggestion to increase policy acceptability is combining the redistribution of revenue to vulnerable groups with the funding for environmental projects, such as on renewable energy.

Key policy insights

• If people perceive carbon pricing instruments as fair, this increases policy acceptability and support.

• People’s satisfaction with information provided by the government about the policy instrument increases acceptability.

• While people express high concern over uneven distribution of the policy burden, they often prefer using carbon pricing revenues for environmental projects instead of compensation for inequitable outcomes.

• Recent studies find that people’s preferences shift to using revenues for making policy fairer if they better understand the functioning of carbon pricing, notably that relatively high prices of CO₂-intensive goods and services reduce their consumption.

• Combining the redistribution of revenue to support both vulnerable groups and environmental projects, such as on renewable energy, seems to most increase policy acceptability.