Equity and access in marine protected areas: The history and future of ‘traditional indigenous fishing’ in the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument

Marine protected areas (MPAs) – or sections of the ocean set aside where human activities such as fishing are restricted – have been growing in popularity as a marine conservation tool. As a result, it is important to examine the socioeconomic consequences of MPAs and how they may affect nearby communities. This study explores social and equity issues surrounding the designation of the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument, an MPA that includes protections around the three most northern islands in the US territory of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI). We gathered oral history interviews with 40 individuals from CMNI and Guam who had connections to the waters in the newly-designated MPA and reviewed key documents in order to (1) document historical and current use of the waters in the MPA and (2) consider the implications that proposed fishing regulations in the MPA may have for the local communities. Our study documented 129 trips to visit the waters in the MPA in living memory. We found that due to distance, trips to the MPA waters were rare but culturally significant events that provided residents from CNMI and Guam with connections to their indigenous roots. Regulation of fishing in the new MPA has the potential to directly and indirectly restrict local access to these culturally important waters. This research highlights the importance of better collaboration with local partners and better consideration of social and equity concerns in the siting and regulation of MPAs.     

The relationship between walkability and neighborhood social environment: The importance of physical and perceived walkability

This study examines how both physical and perceived walkability is associated with neighborhood social environment. We analyze walkability and the 2004 Homeowner Survey data conducted in Franklin County, Ohio, and employ structural equation modeling. The empirical analysis shows that perceived walkability enhances neighborhood social environment while physical walkability does not. This study suggests that the negative relationship between physical walkability and neighborhood social environment is related to a spatial intersection between high physical walkability and socio-economic distress.     

An environmental justice assessment of public beach access in Miami,Florida

The scope of empirical environmental justice (EJ) research has expanded beyond hazards exposure to scrutinize social inequities in access to amenities, but no prior study has examined the EJ implications of public beach access. Furthermore, quantitative research on white privilege is very scarce. To address these knowledge gaps, our study examines racial/ethnic and socioeconomic inequities in access to public beaches in the Miami metropolitan statistical area, Florida. Public beach accessibility is modeled with an innovative geospatial approach that involves population weighted distances to beach access sites. To assess EJ implications of public beach access for various racial/ethnic and socioeconomically vulnerable groups, spatial regression models are estimated using census tract-level data. Results indicate that beaches are more accessible to neighborhoods with a higher proportion of non-Hispanic Whites, while neighborhoods with higher percentages of Hispanics and socioeconomically disadvantaged residents have limited access. This study demonstrates the importance of assessing white privilege and access to environmental amenities in EJ research to better understand social inequities.     

Spatial analysis of residential fuel prices: Local variations in the price of heating oil in Northern Ireland

Spatial disparities in the price of residential heating fuel may have considerable impacts on social well-being. Dependence on relatively expensive fuels in off-gas grid contexts may be linked to high rates of fuel poverty, making it a key policy issue. However, fuel prices in the off-grid sector have received relatively little research attention. This study investigates pricing structures within the heating oil market in Northern Ireland, a region with high rates of fuel poverty, using applied spatial analysis. The results indicate significant spatial variations in the price of heating oil at local level. High prices occur in remote rural areas and urban areas with high rates of gas heating. Prices appear to arise from a complex set of interacting factors related to local market structures, supply costs, market competitiveness and socio-economic factors which affect demand. This study makes a significant contribution to the literature on off-gas residential heating. Although further research is needed, the results presented here suggest that policy responses such as price regulation may have only limited impacts on fuel poverty levels, emphasizing the importance of maximising access to more affordable fuels (e.g. mains gas or renewables) as part of a sustainable energy solution.     

Return migration and the reiteration of gender norms in water management politics: Insights from a Chinese village

Recent work on return migration in China suggests return migrants bring with them new knowledge, skills, and potentially beneficial relationships accumulated during their sojourns, enabling them to introduce new forms of leadership and community action. Social remittances of this kind could be read as carrying the potential to enhance collective action in support of sustainable local natural resource-based livelihoods. This study of the links between return migration, leadership and collective action in water management sounds a more cautionary note, demonstrating that home communities may respond to return migrants in ways that repeatedly mark and reiterate gender and kinship norms, reiterating gender, generational and clan-based social hierarchies. The paper draws on and contributes to recent feminist political ecology approaches to show how migrant returnees’ ’social remittances’ translate into leadership in collective action in a rural Chinese village in ways that reinforce existing gender hierarchies and social positions within the community, thus questioning the extent to which any influx of new ideas, relationships and practices acquired from migrant experiences necessarily destabilizes power and authority in the village in any meaningful way.     

Heat health planning: The importance of social and community factors

Extreme heat events frequently have adverse effects on population health. Within every population certain groups and individuals are at a greater risk of heat-related morbidity and mortality than others. While certain physiological characteristics (advanced age, chronic conditions, etc.) are known to increase the risk of illness and/or death during periods of extreme heat, the role of social and community level factors in aggravating or mitigating this risk is poorly understood. This paper reviews the literature on the social and community level factors that affect heat-related morbidity and mortality in order to identify shortfalls in current heat health response plans so that new approaches can be recommended. While social isolation, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and neighborhood characteristics have all been identified as potential factors affecting the risk of heat-related illness and mortality, these are rarely, if ever, identified as heat health research priorities and are thus often neglected in heat emergency planning. Current research and programming practices are often prioritized from the top down where decisions are made at the federal level and research priorities are determined by national research bodies. This, unfortunately, may not allow enough flexibility to meet the needs of physically, socially and culturally diverse communities. A more socio-ecological approach to heat health research and planning would better allow for the identification of community level vulnerabilities and available resources and would encourage communities to work with regional or national partners to adapt response plans accordingly. The development of future plans should involve more partnerships at the community level so that social and community level factors that are currently overlooked may be included in heat health response strategies.     

Vulnerability and resilience of remote rural communities to shocks and global changes: Empirical analysis from Solomon Islands

Successful management of socio-ecological systems not only requires the development and field-testing of robust and measurable indices of vulnerability and resilience but also improved understanding of the contextual factors that influence societal capacity to adapt to change. We present the results of an analysis conducted in three coastal communities in Solomon Islands. An integrated assessment map was used to systematically scan the communities’ multiple dimensions of vulnerability and to identify factors affecting households’ perception about their capacity to cope with shocks (resilience). A multivariate probit approach was used to explore relationships amongst factors. Social processes such as community cohesion, good leadership, and individual support to collective action were critical factors influencing the perception that people had about their community's ability to build resilience and cope with change. The analysis also suggests a growing concern for a combination of local (internal) and more global (external) contingencies and shocks, such as the erosion of social values and fear of climate change.     

Adaptation to climate change in Africa: Challenges and opportunities identified from Ethiopia

Africa is widely held to be highly vulnerable to future climate change and Ethiopia is often cited as one of the most extreme examples. With this in mind we seek to identify entry points to integrate short- to medium-term climate risk reduction within development activities in Africa, drawing from experiences in Ethiopia. To achieve this we employ a range of data and methods. We examine the changing nature of climate risks using analysis of recent climate variability, future climate scenarios and their secondary impacts. We assess the effects of climate variability on agricultural production and national GDP. Entry points and knowledge gaps in relation to mainstreaming climate risks in Ethiopia are identified using the Government's plan for poverty reduction. We end with a case study incorporating climate risks through drought insurance within the current social protection programme in Ethiopia, which provides support to 8.3 million people.Rainfall behaviour in Ethiopia shows no marked emergent changes and future climate projections show continued warming but very mixed patterns of rainfall change. Economic analysis highlights sensitivities within the economy to large-scale drought, however, while the effects are clear in major drought years in other years the relationship is weak. For social protection fairly small positive and negative effects on the number of recipients and frequency of cash payments during drought occur under the extreme range of climate model rainfall projections (2020s).Our analysis highlights several important challenges and opportunities for addressing climate risks. Challenges primarily relate to the large uncertainties in climate projections for parts of Africa, a weak evidence base of complex, often non-deterministic, climate-society interactions and institutional issues. Opportunities relate to the potential for low-regrets measures to reduce vulnerability to current climate variability which can be integrated with relatively modest effort within a shift in Africa from a disaster-focused view of climate to a long-term perspective that emphasises livelihood security and vulnerability reduction.     

德钦县城地质灾害成因及治理效益评价

分析德钦县城地质灾害多发原因,针对特殊的地质环境采取的灾害治理的措施取得的治理效益评价。