Multi-object approach and its application to adaptive water management under climate change

This paper addresses issues on adaptive water management under the impact of climate change. Based on a set of comprehensive indicators of water system, a decision making approach of multi-objects is developed and applied to quantify water adaptive management for the demands of water sustainable use, water environmental protection and eco-water requirement under the climate change. For this study in China, two key indicators are proposed, namely (1) the water resources vulnerability (V) that was represented by integrated sensitivity (S) and resilience (C) of climate change impact on water resources, and (2) the sustainability of socio-economy and water environment, marked by DD, that is integrated scaler of socio-economic development (EG) based on the amount of GDP and the water environment and relative eco-system quality (LI). To find a reasonable solution for adaptive water management, a multi-objective decision making model of adaptive water management is further developed and the multi-objective model was transformed into an integrated single optimization model through developing an integrated measure function, called as VDD=DD/V. This approach has been applied to adaptive water resources planning and management for case study of China with new policy, called as the strict management of water resources based on three red line controls, i.e., the control of total water use by the total water resources allocation, the control of lower water use efficiency by the water demand management and the control of the total waste water load by water quality management in the Eastern China Monsoon Region that covers major eight big river basins including Yangtze River, Yellow River, Haihe River and Huaihe River. It is shown that the synthetic representation of water resource vulnerability and socio-economic sustainability by the integrated objective function (VDD) and integrated decision making model are workable and practicable. Adaptive management effect of the criterion compliance rate and water use efficiency are more appreciable through new water policy of the three red line controls, which can reduce 21.3% of the water resources vulnerability (V) and increase 18.4% of the sustainability of socioeconomy and water environment (DD) for the unfavorable scenario of climate change in 2030.     

区域生态环境脆弱性的GIS"分解-合成"评价分析——以浑源县为例

以县域为研究对象,从影响生态环境的自然因素、人类干扰因素两个方面出发,确定了包括目标层-准则层-指标层在内的系统化评价指标体系;打破传统的以行政区域为单元分析的模式,通过GIS网格技术和模糊综合评价多属性特征分析,提出了将地理信息系统技术(GIS)和AHP-模糊综合评价模型互相融合,以网格单元进行生态环境脆弱性综合评价...     

基于GIS的城市地质环境敏感性评价--以兰州市为例

城市地质环境敏感性评价是城市可持续发展所要求的科学规划的基础．本文以兰州市为例，利用地理信息系统建立城市地质环境基础数据库．系统选取评价指标体系，采用专家赋值和层次分析法构建评价模型．结果表明基于GIS的评价模型可高效准确地进行城市地质环境敏感性评价．     

青海省农居地震灾害易损性研究

青海省靠近我国南北地震带,是一个地震频发的省份,而农居相对于城市建筑的抗震性能而言较为薄弱,也是造成地震损失的重要因素。本文通过对青海省的地理状况、历史震灾情况、农居建筑结构等进行研究,总结出青海省各结构类型农居震灾破坏率,评估乡级空间尺度的农居震灾易损性并分级,最后简单分析造成易损性较高的因素并提出建议。     

Climate change in the Arctic: current and future vulnerability in two Inuit communities in Canada

Climate change is already occurring in the Arctic and the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment recently concluded that future climate change could be devastating for Inuit. This paper characterises vulnerability to climate change in two Inuit communities in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, focusing on the resource harvesting sector. In both communities, Inuit have demonstrated significant adaptability in the face of current changes in climatic conditions. This adaptability is facilitated by traditional Inuit knowledge, strong social networks, flexibility in resource use, and institutional support. Changing Inuit livelihoods, however, have undermined certain aspects of adaptive capacity and have resulted in emerging vulnerabilities. Global and regional climate projections indicate that climatic conditions which currently pose risks are expected to be negatively affected by future climate change. These projections are not without precedent and analysis of current vulnerability and identification of adaptation constraints by Inuit in the two communities indicate the continued importance of traditional coping mechanisms. The ability to draw on these coping mechanisms in light of future climate change, however, will be unequal and the research indicates that young Inuit and those without access to economic resources, in particular, are vulnerable.     

Geographical analysis of damage due to flash floods in southern France: The cases of 12–13 November 1999 and 8–9 September 2002

The southern part of France near the Mediterranean Sea is subject to flash floods generated by heavy rainfalls typical of the Mediterranean climate. In November 1999 (the 12th and 13th) and in September 2002 (the 8th and 9th), 5000 km² were touched by rainfalls superior to 200 mm in the departments of Aude and Gard. In both cases, maximum precipitation exceeded 500 mm within 24 h. The damage amounted in the hundreds of millions of euros, and there were numerous fatalities: 35 in 1999, and 23 in 2002. Following a survey of available data, this article details the cost of the damage for both flash flood events. The distribution of the damage is quantified by sector of activity (e.g., industry, agriculture). The average ratio “euros of loss per inhabitant” is quite similar in both cases, but this average hides some geographical discrepancies. Losses in industry can locally worsen the overall toll. The mapping of damage on a local scale and the amount of losses per inhabitant demonstrate that rural areas underwent heavy losses. This was mostly due to the destruction of the public infrastructures (e.g., roads, bridges) that represented more than half of the overall loss. In some rural areas, the cost of flash floods can exceed 15,000 euros per inhabitant. Such flood prevention issues as flood warning systems and land use planning must not focus only on the cities. Death, injury and heavy material losses also disadvantage the rural and mountainous areas where populations and activities are concentrated near rivers.     

Life in de facto statelessness in enclaves in India and Bangladesh

Drawing on conceptualization of statelessness and ethnographic research on crucial insights of rightessness, this paper investigates how the politico‐geographic‐legality constructs statelessness in the enclaves in India and Bangladesh. Following the decolonization process in 1947, both India and Pakistan/Bangladesh inherited more than 200 enclaves, which comprise 80 per cent of the world's enclaves. With improved bilateral relations, India and Bangladesh officially exchanged the enclaves on 1 August 2015, and the enclave dwellers will gradually be granted citizenship rights over the next few years. In this period of transition from statelessness to statehood, this paper can be read as contemporary history. This paper will draw attention to three aspects of statelessness. First, conceptualization of statelessness not only applies to the refugeehood or de‐territorialization of people but also relates to the process of constructing transterritorial stateless people. Second, this paper will discuss the condition of statelessness constructed in a politico‐geographic‐legal trap. And finally, the paper calls for a wider empirical and critical focus on the hidden geographies of de facto statelessness.     

Transboundary water vulnerability and its drivers in China

Competitive use of transboundary freshwater resources is becoming one of the key factors influencing regional peace and political relationship among states. In China, 18 major international river basins are concentrated in three regions, of which the total annual outflow at the border is 7320×108 m3, occupying 26.8% of the total annual runoff of China, and the inflow at the border is only 172×108 m3. In this paper, we analyzed the major drivers affecting shared water vulnerability in China, namely: (1) changes in physical conditions affecting the availability of water; (2) competing objectives between economic development and ecological conservation; (3) lack of emergency response mechanisms; (4) unsound administrative institutions; and (5) shortcomings in the development of regional cooperation based on transboundary waters. We concluded by identifying four pathways for reducing vulnerability: (1) encouraging scientific research cooperation; (2) constructing information-sharing channels; (3) establishing early-warning mechanisms; and (4) promoting further coordination and negotiation.     

辽源市经济系统的脆弱性及其规避措施研究

脆弱性理论是研究人地耦合系统脆弱性重要理论工具。将脆弱性应用于矿业城市经济系统研究中,提出矿业城市经济系统脆弱性内涵。以吉林省辽源市为例,分析辽源市经济系统脆弱性特征和影响因素,选取1990~2007年共18个评价样本,对辽源市经济系统敏感性、恢复力、脆弱性进行评价分析,并提出辽源市经济系统脆弱性的规避措施。     

小空间尺度农业旱灾承灾体脆弱性评价初探--以湖南省常德市鼎城区双桥坪镇为例

该文探讨小空间尺度农业旱灾承灾体脆弱性评价,阐述针对不同空间尺度建立不同的旱灾承灾体脆弱性评价指标体系的必要性。基于湖南省常德市双桥坪镇的实地调查资料,构建包括耕地平坦指数、水塘灌溉指数等评价指标体系,通过比较各因素的相对重要性确定其权重,对2001年双桥坪镇16个村农业旱灾承灾体脆弱度进行评价。结果表明,该镇旱灾脆弱度较高,西部村庄的旱灾脆弱性普遍小于东部村庄。用同年的实际旱灾灾情损失资料进行验证,吻合程度较高。