Science and Technology of Delimitation of Continental Shelf and Its Application in Maritime Silk Road Cooperation*

Delimitation of the continental shelf is an emerging interdisciplinary discipline in the field of international marine science and technology. It uses the scientific and technological means to expand the jurisdiction of coastal states based on the international rules of the 《United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea》. Therefore, it is related to the marine sovereignty rights and interests of a country and also a hot topic of science and technology that all countries have competed to develop. China has launched the research in this field simultaneously with the world's maritime powers, and formed its innovative advantages in such aspects as geological models, detection techniques and delimitation systems in the delimitation of continental shelf, which have become the brand new ties for China's cooperation with foreign countries in marine science and technology, and also the important field in the maritime silk road cooperation in the 21^st century. This paper introduced the basic principles and methods in the delimitation of continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles (370 km), progress in the delimitation of the global continental shelf, and China's innovative science and technology as well as its application in maritime Silk Road cooperation, and provided the prospect of the future scientific and technological cooperation with foreign countries and development in this filed. And it was suggested China should develop the scientific and technological cooperation on the delimitation of the continental shelf along the Silk Road, promote the scientific and technological development of the delimitation of the continental shelf in China, and enhance China's influence and voice in international ocean affairs.     

The political ecology playbook for ecosystem restoration: Principles for effective,equitable, and transformative landscapes

The urgency of restoring ecosystems to improve human wellbeing and mitigate climate and biodiversity crises is attracting global attention. The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030) is a global call to action to support the restoration of degraded ecosystems. And yet, many forest restoration efforts, for instance, have failed to meet restoration goals; indeed, they worsened social precarities and ecological conditions. By merely focusing on symptoms of forest loss and degradation, these interventions have neglected the underlying issues of equity and justice driving forest decline. To address these root causes, thus creating socially just and sustainable solutions, we develop the Political Ecology Playbook for Ecosystem Restoration. We outline a set of ten principles for achieving long-lasting, resilient, and equitable ecosystem restoration. These principles are guided by political ecology, a framework that addresses environmental concerns from a broadly political economic perspective, attending to power, politics, and equity within specific geographic and historical contexts. Drawing on the chain of explanation, this multi-scale, cross-landscapes Playbook aims to produce healthy relationships between people and nature that are ecologically, socially, and economically just – and thus sustainable and resilient – while recognizing the political nature of such relationships. We argue that the Political Ecology Playbook should guide ecosystem restoration worldwide.     

The changing world under the corona virus threat—from human needs to SDGs and what next?

The COVID-19(coronavirus)disease has affected over 100 countries in a matter of weeks.The way humans live and work on planet Earth has changed profoundly over the last months.Many lives and livelihoods have been lost.Ways of working,shopping,and social interactions are all vastly different for most of us.We do not know when the current crisis will end,or how far we will"return"to the way things were before the pandemic.The world is experiencing one of the most transformative moments of the last 100 years.The social,economic,and political influences of the COVID-19 crisis have already been hugely momentous,we do not utterly understand it.Looking ahead,we have inevitably had to make important public health,economic,governance,and ecological decisions with less information than usual and to reverse recently adopted policies,which can lead to an era of disruptive transformations to sustainability.During these historic times,we must understand the hidden reality of the earth system and attempt to transform our needs so that we all have a sustained future on our planet.     

Shaping an international agreement on marine biodiversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction: Lessons from high seas fisheries

A decade of international discussion on marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction (BBNJ) culminated in 2015 with a United Nations General Assembly Resolution to establish an international legally-binding instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of BBNJ. Proponents of the new instrument therefore consider it as an opportunity to eliminate gaps in the current legal regime and promote better coordination. As the next step in the negotiations begins, substantial lessons can be drawn from the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA), which has faced many of the same challenges related to gaps in scientific knowledge, uneven governance and regulatory capacities, and inherent unpredictability, both ecologically and in terms of anthropogenic drivers of change. For BBNJ, however, such challenges are far more complex due to the diversity of stakeholder communities and the diversity of resources involved, including fish and mineral resources with tangible economic values, marine genetic resources of unknown value, and the culturally-specific values attached to charismatic species and conservation in general. Drawing on lessons from UNFSA, it is argued that the establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs) under the BBNJ instrument would be particularly well served by a similar regional approach aligned with existing international agreements. In this regard, it is recommended that the capacity building under the new international instrument on BBNJ should focus inter alia on the secretariats of the regional fishery management organizations in order to enhance intra-regional and inter-regional cooperation and sharing of best practices.     

Convergence or divergence?: Status and prospects for US climate strategy

The objective of this paper is to assess recent developments and prospects for future changes in United States (US) climate strategy. In doing so, the paper explores some of the key factors that have shaped strategies and policies to date, distinguishing between factors related to institutional and governance structures, linkages between science and policy, energy technology and the role of interest groups. Against this background, the paper attempts to explore future development paths for US climate policy. More specifically, the paper assesses opportunities for policy changes compared to the preferences of the current administration, and the prospects for future linkages between US and international climate change strategies. In brief, the paper argues that substantial changes are unlikely to take place in the near to medium term, leaving open, however, the possibility of wide-ranging changes in domestic politics or major incidents that could facilitate a shift in the perceived need for near-term action.     

中国对外援助的空间演化分析

对外援助是一国地缘政治与经济的重要承载,是实现联合国2030年可持续发展目标的主要手段。中国对外援助的空间演化体现了大国崛起时代背景下中国国际地位和世界责任的变迁过程。然而,现有研究较少从发展地理学视角研究中国的对外援助问题。本文研究了中国对外援助的部门特征、时代特征与区域特征,结果表明：中国对外援助的地区和部门分布与受援国需求紧密相关,“一带一路”倡议对中国对外援助分配影响显著;中国对不同部门的援助资金主要流向了特定受援地区,且具有明显的时代特征;随着时间推移,中国的对外援助重心逐渐由东南向西北偏移,体现了中国对外援助战略倾向的转变;中国对外援助遵循“南南合作”的援助理念,属于东亚援助模式;国内学者应加强发展地理学领域内对外援助相关问题的理论构建与认识论研究。     

《联合国防治荒漠化公约》的荒漠化土地范畴

在论述了荒漠与荒漠化的内涵概念及演变后,根据《联合国防治荒漠化公约》的荒漠化定义,分析了荒漠与荒漠化土地的概念范畴,认为荒漠是气候变化影响下形成的较稳定的景观,也是土地荒漠化正过程的可能最终结果,其植被构成较稳定的顶极或亚顶极群落,组成稳定的生态系统;并提出了荒漠化发展程度"先逆后正"的评价方法。     

全球重要农业文化遗产(GIAHS)保护与适应性管理(英文)

世界各地世代居住的农牧民,以多样化的自然资源为基础,通过因地制宜的生产实践活动,创造、形成并保持着许多独具特色的农业系统和景观。这些在本土知识和传统经验基础上所建立起来的农业文化遗产巧夺天工,充分反映了人类及其文化多样性和与自然环境之间深刻关系的演进历程。这些系统不仅维持并适应了具有全球重要意义的农业生物多样性,形成了丰富的本土知识体系,而且更为重要的是,还为人类持续提供了多样化的产品和服务,保障了食物安全和生计安全,提高了人们的生活质量。但是,许多这样的农业生产系统正面临着包括全球化在内的多种影响因素的威胁。2002年,联合国粮农组织发起了一个国际合作计划"全球重要农业文化遗产(GIAHS)保护与适应性管理"。这一全球性倡议旨在建立这些农业文化遗产及其有关的生物多样性、食物与生计安全、景观与文化的保护体系,并在世界范围内得到认可,实现动态保护和可持续管理。     

谁是我们的朋友，谁是我们的“敌人”？

地缘政治问题是人文地理学新兴的研究热点。但是,已有研究多基于地理环境要素分析国家的地缘环境或定性讨论地缘战略,很少从双边联系角度定量刻画国家间的地缘关系;现有研究的理论基础也比较薄弱。本文基于地缘政治准则理论,运用1971至2017年联合国投票数据和S分值等方法,从中国与其他国家间关系的历史阶段、友好程度和集团归属三个方面定量分析了世界其他国家对中国的友好程度及其地理分布,并针对中美贸易战的背景指出了中国当前的“朋友”和“敌人”。本文进一步运用面板回归模型分析了中国与世界其他各国的非政治双边关系及其发展水平对中国地缘政治准则的影响,论证了地理距离、经济、技术等因素对地缘关系的影响。本文的分析结果对于加强政治地理学的量化分析有启发作用,也能够为中国更好地处理国际关系和制定地缘政治战略提供参考。     

Outcome indicator development: Defining education for sustainable development outcomes for the individual level and connecting them to the SDGs

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has become a key concept to achieve global sustainable development. ESD aims at enabling people to think and act in a sustainable, future-oriented manner. For this purpose, ESD should not only equip learners with knowledge but is supposed to promote and advance the acquisition of sustainability competencies to address the challenges of the 21st century at a social, environmental, and economic level. Regarding the systematic implementation of ESD and its evidence-based management, an assessment of its outcomes is crucial. So far, however, ESD outcomes have only been partially assessed systematically. We developed a domain-specific ESD outcome indicator test (OIT) which strives to fill this gap. The test is intended to contribute towards the monitoring and further development of ESD in the school system. This article presents the procedure and the central findings of developing a model using an inductive research design. The model comprises the possible outcomes of ESD and thus functions as the basis of the OIT. It considers six thematic action domains for students as well as cognitive, attitudinal, and behavioural outcome components. The six action domains have been defined based on 15 interviews with experts from the arrays of ESD research, practice, and policy and a review of N = 195 sustainability related psychological scales. These were linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), so that connectivity between outcomes at the individual level and political respectively societal goals is ensured.