Trend and Interannual Variability of Chinese Air Pollution since 2000 in Association with Socioeconomic Development: A brief Overview

air pollution, trend and variability, socioeconomic development, satellite measurements, bottom-up emission inventories, top-down constraints     

城镇化模式与低碳发展的关联分析——以石家庄市为例

不同城镇化发展模式对城市碳排放有显著影响。以石家庄市为案例,基于历年统计数据及实地调研数据,采用情景分析方法,定量核算石家庄市不同城镇化模式下的碳排放,结果表明在不同的城镇化模式下,石家庄市能源消费和碳排放将存在显著差异。与延续目前相对高碳的城镇化模式相比,在低碳城镇化模式下,2015—2030年,在城镇化率同样提升18.7%的情景下,碳排放的年均增速将由4.3%下降至0.4%,碳减排效果非常显著。     

2006年以来《气象与减灾研究》期刊评价指标分析

对2006年以来《气象与减灾研究》的多项期刊评价指标进行统计分析,并对期刊稿源及网站建设情况进行细致调查。结果表明：1） 自2006年更名以来,期刊发展较快,然而期刊的进一步发展已经遇到“瓶颈”,即缺乏长期稳定的优质稿源;2） 拓宽优质稿源是期刊进一步发展的首要任务;3） 编辑部须重视期刊网站的建设、维护及更新,为读者、作者提供优质服务,以利期刊更好发展。     

杭州市钱塘新区地下空间开发地质环境适宜性评价

地下空间地质环境适宜性评价是实现地下空间合理有序开发的重要环节,也是国土空间科学规划的必要前提。通过系统分析杭州市钱塘新区地质环境条件,从地形地貌、工程地质条件、水文地质条件、活动断裂及地震效应、环境地质问题等五个方面选取15个指标构建了地下空间开发地质环境适宜性评价指标体系。在此基础上,采用变权层次分析法和灰色关联分析模型,对浅层(0~ 15m)、次浅层(15~ 30m)、次深层(30~ 50 m)地下空间进行了开发利用地质环境条件适宜性评价。结果表明,研究区浅层和次深层地下空间更适宜开发,而次浅层地下空间适宜性好和适宜性较好的总面积仅占全区的45.7%,地质环境条件复杂,具有一定的开发难度。该结果可为钱塘新区地下空间合理开发提供参考。     

Urban green commons: Insights on urban common property systems

The aim of this paper is to shed new light on urban common property systems. We deal with urban commons in relation to urban green-space management, referring to them as urban green commons. Applying a property-rights analytic perspective, we synthesize information on urban green commons from three case-study regions in Sweden, Germany, and South Africa, and elaborate on their role for biodiversity conservation in urban settings, with a focus on business sites. Cases cover both formally established types of urban green commons and bottom-up emerged community-managed habitats. As our review demonstrates, the right to actively manage urban green space is a key characteristic of urban green commons whether ownership to land is in the private, public, the club realm domain, or constitutes a hybrid of these. We discuss the important linkages among urban common property systems, social–ecological learning, and management of ecosystem services and biodiversity. Several benefits can be associated with urban green commons, such as a reduction of costs for ecosystem management and as designs for reconnecting city-inhabitants to the biosphere. The emergence of urban green commons appears closely linked to dealing with societal crises and for reorganizing cities; hence, they play a key role in transforming cities toward more socially and ecologically benign environments. While a range of political questions circumscribe the feasibility of urban green commons, we discuss their usefulness in management of different types of urban habitats, their political justification and limitation, their potential for improved biodiversity conservation, and conditions for their emergence. We conclude by postulating some general policy advice.     

Reflections on the current state of global climate response

What is the significance of the 2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali? The formal outcomes, especially the ‘Bali Action Plan’, are described and commented on, along with the challenges for negotiating a post-2012 agreement in Copenhagen during 2008 and 2009. The article concludes that the outcome of the Bali meeting is insufficient when compared to the nature of the challenge posed by climate change. However, it can nevertheless be considered a success in terms of ‘Realpolitik’ in paving the way for the negotiations ahead, because some real changes have been discerned in the political landscape. The challenges for the road towards Copenhagen are manifold: the sheer volume and complexity of the issues and the far-reaching nature of decisions such as differentiation between non- Annex I countries pose significant challenges in themselves, while the dependency on the electoral process in the USA introduces a high element of risk into the whole process. The emergence of social justice as an issue turns climate policy into an endeavour to improve the world at large—thereby adding to the complexity. And, finally, the biggest challenge is the recognition that the climate problem requires a global solution, that Annex I and non-Annex I countries are mutually dependent on each other and that only cooperation regarding technology in combination with significant financial support will provide the chance to successfully tackle climate change.     

Tenders: an option for developing countries to support renewable energies under the CDM

Abstract

Renewable energy sources are generally considered as an important tool on the way towards sustainable development. However, if developing countries want to actively promote renewable energies, they may need to face the problem that current legislation conflicts with the clean development mechanism (CDM) rules, and especially with the additionality concept. Thus, CDM projects may become impossible to implement. This article presents an approach to overcoming these potential difficulties. One solution lies in offering a tender specifically for RE-CDM-projects.     

Developing country perspectives on ‘mitigation actions’, ‘NAMAs’, and ‘LCDS’

The MAPS programme, which seeks to deepen mitigation ambition in developing countries, is engaged in exploring the concepts of Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) and Low Carbon Development Strategies (LCDS) from a developing country perspective. Here, climate mitigation practitioners in six developing countries were surveyed for their understanding of these concepts (anonymous, personal communications with climate mitigation practitioners in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, India, and South Africa). It is found that there is much scope for clarity and conceptual elaboration in this policy space. NAMAs are largely interpreted as mitigation activities packaged for submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) registry, but are not held to constitute the full set of mitigation activity in a developing country. New terminology may be needed to describe this broader set. A tighter interpretation of LCDS to distinguish between a strategic or coordinating policy action may be useful. Other themes arising include the way ‘national appropriateness’ is reflected in the concepts, and the role of international policy in deepening mitigation action in developing countries.     

Climate mitigation finance across developing countries: what are the major determinants?

This empirical study assesses the relationship between the characteristics of developing countries and the amount of official climate mitigation finance inflow. A two-part model and robustness checks were used to analyse 1998–2010 Rio Marker data on 180 developing countries. The results show that developing countries with higher CO₂ intensity, larger carbon sinks, lower per capita gross domestic product (GDP) and good governance tend to be selected as recipients of climate mitigation finance, and receive more of it. CO₂ emission is not used as a determinant of mitigation finance until the actual financial disbursement. Poverty aid tends to be allocated to countries with low CO₂ emissions, possibly to avoid diverting aid from poorer developing countries. However, such a diversion is unavoidable if the share of mitigation finance in climate finance and in overall official development assistance (ODA) continues to escalate. This study calls for an equitable allocation of total ODA mitigation and adaptation finance in addition to the 0.7% ODA/gross national income target, and for transparent criteria and the verification of reporting on the allocation of mitigation finance.     

Delivering the two degree global climate change target using a flexible ratchet framework

Global climate negotiations have been characterized by a divide between developed and developing nations – a split which has served as a persistent barrier to international agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change process. Notable progress in bridging this division was achieved at the 21st Conference of the Parties meeting in Paris through the introduction of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). However, the collective ambition of submitted INDCs falls short of a global 2°C target, requiring an effective ratchet mechanism to review and increase national commitments. Inequitable distribution of additional responsibilities risks re-opening historic divisions between parties. This article presents a flexible ratchet framework which shares mitigation commitments on the basis of per capita equity in line with emerging requirements for a 2°C target. The framework has been designed through convergence between developed and developing nations; developed nation targets are based on an agreed standardized percentage reduction wherever emissions are above per capita equity; developing nations are required to peak emissions at or below per capita equity levels by an agreed convergence date. The proposed framework has the flexibility to be integrated with current INDCs and to evolve in line with shifting estimates of climate sensitivity.

Policy relevance

The outcome of the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) negotiations in Paris offered mixed results in terms of level of ambition and submitted national commitments. A global agreement to keep average global temperature rise below two degrees was maintained; however, current pledged Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) are projected to result in an average warming of close to three degrees. The implementation of a global ratchet mechanism to scale-up national commitments will remain key to closing this ambition gap to reach this two degree target. How this upscaling of responsibility is shared between parties will be a defining discussion point within future negotiations. This study presents a standardized, equity-based framework for how this ratchet mechanism can be implemented – a framework designed to be flexible for evolution in line with better understanding of climate sensitivity, and adaptable for integrations with current INDC proposals.