Social Applications of Geographical Information Systems: technical tools for social innovation

ABSTRACT

The establishment of the National Key Centre for Social Applications of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in 1995, under the directorship of Professor Graeme Hugo, was a turning point in the use of GIS in Australia. The field of GIS, previously dominated by environmental applications, now broadened its focus to include populations, services and the interactions between people and the environment. Social applications of GIS offered a unique opportunity to make service planning, reporting, funding allocations and research both smarter and fairer. Geography and geographic relationships as implemented in GIS became the integrating platform for social spatial information, invigorating social research, planning and policy. A key strength of this approach, recognised by Professor Hugo, was the ability to ‘put people back into the planning process’. Further to being an integrating platform, GIS also offered the ability to generate new information and knowledge, which could facilitate evidence-based decision making. This paper focuses in particular on providing a written record of the development of the Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA) suite of spatial accessibility indices. The lasting legacy and continued relevance of this work in social applications of GIS is also reviewed in this paper, with reference to key examples of how social research and planning in Australia have been made both smarter and fairer through the contributions of Professor Hugo and his team.     

Intellectuals in the Public: Uniting a Divided Baltimore

The University of Baltimore offered a community-based course following the Baltimore unrest in 2015. The course, which we called Divided Baltimore, engaged scores of students and community members together in a weekly forum of presentations and hard discussion. It focused on how Baltimore became segregated, how segregation affects all Baltimoreans, and what we could do about it. I discuss how the course worked, what we learned, and how we were able to pull off the course in short order. The key to what we accomplished was having built community partnerships around structural racism and racial equity in Baltimore over a period of several years before 2015. The lesson is that we can all do this—all be intellectuals in the public—if first we invest the time, our talents, and our intellectual energy in community engagement.     

Ethics of large-scale change

Geografisk Tidsskrift, Danish Journal of Geography 106(2): 131–144, 2006

The subject of this paper is long-term large-scale changes in human society. Some very significant examples of large-scale change are presented: human population growth, human appropriation of land and primary production, the human use of fossil fuels, and climate change. The question is posed, which kind of attitude is appropriate when dealing with large-scale changes like these from an ethical point of view. Three kinds of approaches are discussed: Aldo Leopold's mountain thinking, the neoclassical economists' approach, and finally the so-called Concentric Circle Theories approach. It is argued that the last of these three approaches must be preferred, even though further interpretation will be needed in relation to specific decision-making.     

A new look at climate equity in the UNFCCC

Equity has been at the core of the global climate debate since its inception over two decades ago, yet the current negotiations toward an international climate agreement in 2015 provide a new and critical opportunity to make forward progress on the difficult web of equity issues. These negotiations and the discussions about equity are taking place in a context that has shifted: all countries will be covered under a new agreement; growing climate impacts are being felt, especially by the most vulnerable; and there is an emergence of new institutions and increasing complexity in the international climate regime. Innovative thinking on equity, including which countries should take action and how, is therefore essential to finalizing an agreement by 2015. A broader, deeper, and more holistic view of equity is necessary, one that sees equity as a multi-dimensional challenge to be solved across all the facets of the international climate process.

Policy relevance

This article is relevant to policy makers following the development of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform as it prepares the way for a new agreement in 2015. The article focuses specifically on the issues most relevant to the debate around equity in the negotiations and how that debate is evolving with the expansion of the UNFCCC. It explains the current state of the negotiations and what issues are on the negotiating table, including the fact that negotiations on equity are now much broader than the mitigation commitments, to include the possible ‘equity reference framework’, concerns relating to adaptation and loss and damage, and the need for ambition in terms of mitigation and finance support.     

城市公共服务设施配置研究进展及趋向

公共服务设施是中国和谐宜居城市建设与人民美好生活愿望的重要构成。国内外城市公共服务设施配置的研究主题有所差异,国外研究主要关注公共服务设施配置的区位选择、可达性、空间公平和社会经济效应等方面,国内研究更加重视公共服务设施配置的优化布局、可达性、空间格局、社会分异、居民需求和满意度以及配置影响因素等内容。结合国内外研究现状的评析,论文认为中国城市公共服务设施配置研究需要加强公共服务设施配置的空间规律、社会公平、绩效评价和空间优化等方向研究。通过对国内外城市公共服务设施配置研究进展的理论总结与评述,以期促进中国城市公共服务设施配置的理论提升与科学实践。     

中国海外权益铜矿分析

本文首先界定了权益矿、权益储量及权益产量的内涵,系统统计了2017年中国海外权益铜矿项目的数量、权益储量和权益产量,结果显示2017年中国海外权益铜矿约50个,海外铜矿权益储量4441.8万t,权益产量112.5万t。研判了全球铜矿资源格局,分析了海外权益铜矿存在的主要问题,并提出了对策建议：（1）应全力支持中国企业到南美、非洲等地获取海外权益铜矿,力争打造3～5个大型海外权益铜矿基地;（2）努力扩大海外权益铜矿产量,力争2030年中国海外权益铜矿产量超过250万t;（3）中资企业应结合自身经营财务情况,选择自主建设已探明储量但尚未开发矿山还是收购成熟的矿山项目;（4）中资企业还应不断学习和熟知当地的法律政策、商业特点、文化风俗等,处理好与各方的利益关系,保证海外权益铜矿项目持续稳定经营。     

Equitable access to sustainable development: operationalizing key criteria

Equitable access to sustainable development (EASD) is crucial for the future of the climate regime as it applies to adaptation, mitigation, and the means of implementation. An approach to allocating effort and deriving carbon budgets is presented here based on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) principles of responsibility, capability, and sustainable development. A transparent model to operationalize EASD is applied by applying quantitative proxies for these criteria, and results for selected countries and groups are presented. A robust result is that the mitigation burden calculated by the model is significantly greater for developed than developing countries. For individual countries the results vary depending on the parameters chosen. A middle value of the mitigation burden for South Africa of 15 GtCO₂e over the first half of the 21st century is reported, with the greatest effort required when a starting year of 1970 is chosen and historical land-use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) emissions are excluded when accounting for responsibility. In a regime applicable to all, it is clear that although all countries must do more, some must do more than others.

Policy relevance

Equitable access to sustainable development is crucial to the climate negotiations. Quantified allocations are presented for South Africa and other countries, based on the UNFCCC principles of responsibility, capability, and sustainable development. It is shown that the mitigation burden given these principles must be significantly greater for developed than developing countries. The results are relevant to, inter alia, the upcoming 2013–2015 review and the negotiations under the Durban Platform.     

Zero carbon energy system pathways for Ireland consistent with the Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement is the last hope to keep global temperature rise below 2°C. The consensus agrees to holding the increase in global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and to aim for 1.5°C. Each Party’s successive nationally determined contribution (NDC) will represent a progression beyond the party’s then current NDC, and reflect its highest possible ambition. Using Ireland as a test case, we show that increased mitigation ambition is required to meet the Paris Agreement goals in contrast to current EU policy goals of an 80–95% reduction by 2050. For the 1.5°C consistent carbon budgets, the technically feasible scenarios' abatement costs rise to greater than €8,100/tCO₂ by 2050. The greatest economic impact is in the short term. Annual GDP growth rates in the period to 2020 reduce from 4% to 2.2% in the 1.5°C scenario. While aiming for net zero emissions beyond 2050, investment decisions in the next 5–10 years are critical to prevent carbon lock-in.

Key policy insights

• Economic growth can be maintained in Ireland while rapidly decarbonizing the energy system.

• The social cost of carbon needs to be included as standard in valuation of infrastructure investment planning, both by government finance departments and private investors.

• Technological feasibility is not the limiting factor in achieving rapid deep decarbonization.

• Immediate increased decarbonization ambition over the next 3–5 years is critical to achieve the Paris Agreement goals, acknowledging the current 80–95% reduction target is not consistent with temperature goals of ‘well below’ 2°C and pursuing 1.5°C.

• Applying carbon budgets to the energy system results in non-linear CO₂ emissions reductions over time, which contrast with current EU policy targets, and the implied optimal climate policy and mitigation investment strategy.

     

Climate politics at a crossroad: views on building a consensus

The climate change issue faces a big challenge, perhaps the biggest challenge of all—politics. Pakistan has taken many noticeable steps in relation to climate change: (1) it is the only country in which the Prime Minister is heading an inter-ministerial task force on climate change, (2) it is the first developing country to establish a specialized, self-financed scientific centre to research the impact of climate change, and (3) it is the lead country to earmark budgetary funds for a national carbon sequestration programme. Pakistan, together with many developing countries, has much to offer the climate change issues. The author proposes five approaches to build consensus among climate policy negotiators: (1) reinforcing the polluter pays principle and ‘common but differentiated responsibility’, (2) active partnership by developing countries, (3) recognizing the voluntary actions taken by developing countries, (4) reinforcing the issue of adaptation, and (5) considering the option of equal per capita entitlements.