دسته‌ها

Mapping human vulnerability to climate change in the Brazilian Amazon: The construction of a municipal vulnerability index

چکیده:

vulnerability, understood as the propensity to be adversely affected, has attained importance in the context of climate change by helping to understand what makes populations and territories predisposed to its impacts. Conditions of vulnerability may vary depending on the characteristics of each territory studied—social, environmental, infrastructural, public policies, among others. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate what makes the municipalities of the state of Amazonas, Brazil, vulnerable to climate change in the context of the largest tropical forest in the world, and which regions of the State are the most susceptible.
A Municipal Vulnerability Index was developed, which was used to associate current socioenvironmental characteristics of municipalities with climate change scenarios in order to identify those that may be most affected by climate change. The results showed that poor adaptive capacity and poverty had the most influence on current vulnerability of the municipalities of Amazonas with the most vulnerable areas being the southern, northern, and eastern regions of the state. When current vulnerability was related to future climate change projections, the most vulnerable areas were the northern, northeastern, extreme southern, and southwestern regions. From a socio-environmental and climatic point of view, these regions should be a priority for public policy efforts to reduce their vulnerability and prepare them to cope with the adverse aspects of climate change.

دسته‌ها

Effects of temperature and precipitation trends on U.S. drought

چکیده:

The contiguous United States has experienced both warming temperatures and a general increase in precipitation during the period 1950– 2006. During that time drought has been a recurring phenomenon with a number of large droughts occurring, starting with the major drought in the 1950s in the Central United States and culminating with the persistent drought in the western portion of the country that started in the late 1990s. Here we examine the influence of the multi-decadal warming trend on drought coverage and the possibility that the general increase in regional and contiguous U.S. precipitation since about 1980 has masked the tendency for increasing drought driven largely by increasing temperature. Results indicate that without the increase in precipitation, severe to extreme drought would have affected as much as 50% more of the U.S. during some months in the most recent drought period. Citation: Easterling, D. R., T. W. R. Wallis, J. H. Lawrimore, and R. R. Heim Jr. (2007), Effects of temperature and precipitation trends on U.S.

دسته‌ها

Droughts and climate change

چکیده:

Drought is a sustained and regionally extensive occurrence of below average natural water availability. It is mainly caused by low precipitation and high evaporation rates, but in regions with a cold climate, temperatures below zero can also give rise to a winter drought. Drought can be characterized as a deviation from normal conditions in the physical system (climate and hydrology), which is reflected in variables such as precipitation, soil water, groundwater and streamflow. Drought is a recurring and worldwide phenomenon having spatial and temporal characteristics that vary significantly from one region to another (Tallaksen & van Lanen, 2004). Drought should not be confused with aridity, which is a long-term average feature of a dry climate, or with water scarcity, which reflects conditions of long-term imbalances between available water resources and demands (Tallaksen & van Lanen, 2004; Working Group on Water Scarcity and Drought, 2006). It is important, however, to note that the most severe human consequences of drought are often found in arid or semi-arid regions where water availability is already low under normal conditions (aridity), demand is close to, or exceeds, natural availability and society seldom lacks the capacity to mitigate or adapt to drought.

دسته‌ها

Global warming and changes in drought

چکیده:

How is drought changing as the climate changes? Several recent papers in the scientific literature have focused on this question but the answer remains blurred. Here we attempt to clarify underlying aspects of this socially and ecologically relevant topic. We discuss what the expectations should be and thus prospects for the future and we provide some recommendations for resolving outstanding issues.

دسته‌ها

COST ASSESSMENT OF WATER RESOURCES DEGRADATION OF THE MANN BASIN

چکیده:

The EU SWIM-SM aims at supporting institutional strengthening and contributes towards ensuring that national water strategies and plans properly address issues of sustainable water resource management, water considerations are promoted and mainstreamed in other relevant sectoral policies and strategies (for example agriculture, tourism and industry), as well as in national development plans. The anticipated outcomes are that: (a) Water considerations are promoted using a participative approach, also at local level; (b) Water concerns are mainstreamed in other relevant sectoral policies and in national development plans; (c) Economic valuation is carried out to assess the costs and benefits of mitigation actions on water degradation; and (d) Climate change considerations are mainstreamed in national strategies, plans and policies, with primary emphasis on no-regret actions. In this regards, SWIM-SM has designed and implemented a pillar on the cost assessment of water resources degradation (CAWRD) at the basin level because it is at this level that water governance can be strengthened and water can be mainstreamed in other sectors.