Environmental Sciences Commons^™

The Perfect Is The Enemy Of The Good: Carbon Credits And Funding For Decarbonization In Developing Countries, Andrew A. Bernstein

New England Journal of Public Policy

Carbon credits issued in the voluntary carbon market are an important source of funding for projects in developing countries designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as forest preservation and renewable energy. Beyond their potential to provide billions of dollars of private sector financing for decarbonization, carbon credits can generate economic opportunity, employment, and biodiversity. But they are controversial, mainly (but not only) because it is difficult to confirm and to quantify their emissions benefits. This article argues that policymakers should nonetheless support voluntary carbon market growth, so long as companies use carbon credits to mitigate emissions they cannot avoid …

Joint Global Responsibility Fund For Climate, Conservation, And Communities: A Proposed Innovative Tax-Based Funding Mechanism, Tamar Ron

New England Journal of Public Policy

Nature-based solutions address biodiversity loss, climate change, and societal challenges at the local, national, regional, and global levels. The costs of their conservation, however, are mostly local and national in nature. Confronting the rolling dual crisis of biodiversity loss and climate change requires us to recognize nature’s intrinsic value. Moreover, we must find practical ways for their monetary valuation to be channeled as payment for the services of conservation custodians. It is suggested here to translate the value of natural assets and the understanding of the local costs and global benefits of their conservation, into an innovative and ambitious funding …

Solar Radiation Modification Governance In The Context Of Temperature Overshoot, Janos Pasztor

New England Journal of Public Policy

As the climate crisis escalates, governments—and recently even those in the wealthier countries in the Global North—are struggling to manage the impacts we are experiencing around the world in frightening abundance, including record-setting temperatures, fires, floods, and glacial and ice melt. Behind closed doors, policymakers are concerned as they contemplate the increasing likelihood, even under the most ambitious emission reduction pathways, that the world will overshoot the goal agreed upon in the Paris Agreement to limit global average temperature rise to 1.5oC beyond pre-industrial levels.

It is in this “overshoot context” that interest is growing in an emerging, potentially supplementary …

Cop27 And The New Rise Of The Global South, Janice Golding

New England Journal of Public Policy

Developing countries require direct and indirect financial and non-financial assistance to address the climate crisis. The COP27 announcement of a new Loss and Damage Fund as well the unveiling of the Bridgetown Initiative collectively hold substantial promise to alter the course of climate multilateralism. The outcome of COP27 has presented unprecedented opportunities for the Global South to build global solidarity for climate justice, but the path ahead will not be easy. Materialization of support to developing countries may be, at best, not sustainable, or at worst, unforeseeable without consistent application of principles and values enshrined in historic, moral accountability for …

Comparison Of Ceneb And Cohyst Hydrologic Models Within A Common Domain In Central Nebraska, William R. Moak

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (NDNR) has developed several hydrologic models to help effectively manage water resources in the state. These models guide water managers to allocate surface and groundwater supplies to a range of uses (irrigation, environmental protection, interstate water agreements) and evaluate the impacts of changes to the surface water-groundwater system (e.g., new wells, evolving recharge patterns). Two such models, the Central Nebraska (CENEB) model and the Cooperative Hydrology Study (COHYST) model cover north central and south central Nebraska, respectively, but the model domains overlap along a west-east strip between the Platte and Loup Rivers, enabling direct …

Reimagining Sustainable Urban Communities In Hong Kong, Jeroen Van Ameijde, Sifan Cheng, Junwei Li

Asian Management Insights

Using environmental and social urban design principles to create future new towns. Hong Kong began building New Towns in the 1970s in response to a post-war period of rapid population growth.

Spatial Data Management For Green Mobility, Christophe Claramunt, Christine Bassem, Demetrios Zeinalipour-Yazti, Baihua Zheng, Goce Trajcevski, Kristian Torp

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

While many countries are developing appropriate actions towards a greener future and moving towards adopting sustainable mobility activities, the real-time management and planning of innovative transportation facilities and services in urban environments still require the development of advanced mobile data management infrastructures. Novel green mobility solutions, such as electric, hybrid, solar and hydrogen vehicles, as well as public and gig-based transportation resources are very likely to reduce the carbon footprint. However, their successful implementation still needs efficient spatio-temporal data management resources and applications to provide a clear picture and demonstrate their effectiveness. This paper discusses the major data management challenges, …

Water Efficiency & Sustainability In The Mountain West, 2022, Zachary Billot, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Environment

This fact sheet analyzes the effectiveness of state-level policies related to water usage, conservation, and sustainability for the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah in 2022. The original data are published in the “2022 State Policy Scorecard for Water Efficiency and Sustainability” report written by the Alliance for Water Efficiency.

Strengthening Ecological Protection And Green Development In Pearl River Basin To Support Construction Of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Bojie Fu, Guangqing Huang, Hong'ou Zhang, Junze Zhang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The Pearl River is the largest river flowing into the South China Sea in China. The unique natural environmental characteristics and geographical location make the Pearl River Basin (PRB) rich in natural resources and huge development potential, and it has an important strategic position in the construction of China’s ecological security system and national economic development planning. At present, the upper and middle reaches of the PRB consist of crucial part of China’s strategic pattern of ecological security, and the lower reach is the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. However, influenced by multiple factors such as regional resource endowment and …

Ten-Year Review And Outlook For International Science Program—Integrated Research On Disaster Risk (Irdr), Huadong Guo, Fang Chen, Qunli Han, Jie Liu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) Program is a 10-year international science program initiated by International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU), International Social Sciences Council (ISSC), and United Nations Office International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR). In 2009, International Programme Office (IPO) of IRDR Program successfully applied by China Association for Science and Technology in Beijing, became the first office of ICSU Interdisciplinary Body hosted in Asia. IRDR Program has been implemented for ten years, and it has become the flagship program for global integrated research on disaster risk, established an extensive global disaster risk comprehensive research network, and formed …

Impacts Of Forest Fire Carbon Emission And Mitigation Strategies, Zhihua Liu, Hongshi He, Wenru Xu, Yu Liang, Jiaojun Zhu, Geoff G. Wang, Wei Wei, Zifa Wang, Yongming Han

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Between 2000 and 2020, global wildfires contributed to approximately 7.32 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, accounting for about 18.5% of CO2 emissions released from fossil fuels. Forest fires alone contributed to around 20% of these wildfire emissions, approximately 1.5 billion metric tons of CO2. Due to climate change and human activities, carbon emissions from forest fires are on the rise. For example, the 2023 Canadian fires have emitted 1.268 billion metric tons of CO2 up to August 29th. Despite the simultaneous increase in forest area and volume, the frequency and extent of forest fires have significantly decreased …

Comprehensive Atmospheric And Environmental Observations In The Himalayan Region Advances Development Of Earth System Science On The Tibetan Plateau, Weiqiang Ma, Yaoming Ma, Zhipeng Xie, Xuelong Chen, Binbin Wang, Cunbo Han, Maoshan Li, Lei Zhong, Fanglin Sun, Zhongyan Wang, Zhenhua Xi, Lian Liu, Bin Ma, Wei Hu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The Himalayan region, represented by Mount Qomolangma, is not only a typical area where special atmospheric processes on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are concentrated, but also an important research area for climate, ecology, and environmental changes. The Qomolangma Station for Atmospheric and Environmental Observation and Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (abbreviated as QOMS) is located in the core area of Mount Qomolangma National Nature Reserve. It is dedicated to studying the complex terrain mountain atmospheric processes and environmental changes of the Third Pole of the Earth, focusing on the land-atmosphere interaction process on the TP under the background of climate …

The Qomolangma Station For Atmospheric And Environmental Observation And Research, Chinese Academy Of Sciences, Institute Of Tibetan Plateau Research Chinese Academy Of Sciences

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

No abstract provided.

Cooperation Achievements And Outlook Of Oil And Gas Exploration And Development Under The Belt And Road Initiative, Zuoqian Wang, Qing Wei, Zhe Fan, Xi Chen, Yun Peng, Baolei Liu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping. Taking the initiative as an opportunity, China’s oil companies have accumulated rich experience by accelerating their overseas deployment and carrying out extensive cooperation with countries along the route in the field of oil and gas energy. This study reviews the fruitful achievements of China’s oil companies in the transnational oil and gas exploration and development cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, summarizes the cooperation status and analyzes the potential and opportunities presented in the cooperation. In response to many challenges, such …

The Public's Perception Of An Earthquake Early Warning System: A Study On Factors Influencing Continuance Intention, Marion Lara L. Tan, Lauren J. Vinnell, Alvin Patrick M. Valentin, Raj Prasanna, Julia S. Becker

Quantitative Methods and Information Technology Faculty Publications

This paper investigates the perceptions of the New Zealand public towards the Android Earthquake Alert (AEA) system, a public-facing earthquake early warning system. Specifically, it examines the public’s continuance intention towards the AEA system and the influencing factors of satisfaction, confirmation, perceived usefulness, and perceived trust. To gather insights into the public’s perceptions regarding the AEA system, this study distributed online surveys following two separate earthquake alert events on 12 October and 22 October 2021. A total of 524 and 671 participants responded to the two events’ surveys, providing valuable data for analysis and exploration. Structural Equation Modelling of the …

Influences On Participation In The National Flood Insurance Program’S Community Rating System In Coastal Counties In Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, And Florida, Jennifer E. Argote

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The National Flood Insurance Program provides an incentive-based program, the Community Rating System (“CRS”), to encourage communities to improve their hazard mitigation protocols to better protect against and prevent flood-related hazards. This dissertation analyzes factors that influence participation and points scored within the CRS to gain an understanding of the conditions under which communities are willing and able to take advantage of an incentive-based flood hazard mitigation program. It also includes an analysis of survey responses from 41 coastal county floodplain and CRS managers to gauge their opinions on the CRS and how it can be improved to better serve …

A Reflection Of Change: Evolutions In International Water Law Principles Through The Lens Of Euphrates-Tigris Dispute, Maeve Sullivan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As climate change intensifies, water scarcity will increase. Coupled with a growing global population, water security is a major modern challenge. To bring stability to international watercourses, states must establish effective sharing agreements. On this matter, international water law can help. International water law captures some of the major principles and considerations that states must account for while considering issues related to water security. This paper uses primary interviews and secondary sources to identify some of the major characteristics, features, and developments in international law to develop a conceptual framework for the topic. It then moves into a case study …

The Truth Behind Avocado Expansion In The Algarve: A Synthesis Of Public, Environmental Associations, And Government Perspectives And Response, Mandy Ausman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Avocado expansion has exponentially increased in the Algarve region of southern Portugal in recent years. The surge in expansion has provoked contention and discrepancy in the media regarding how and if avocado production can persist in the water-scarce region due to worsening drought conditions related to climate change coupled with the fruit’s significant water footprint. This paper aims to synthesize the arguments and response of the public, environmental associations, and government agencies to the expansion of avocado production in the water- scarce region of the Algarve, highlight the region’s current challenges of avocado expansion and water management regulation, and analyze …

Representations And Realities: Misali Island's Biodiversity In Hybrid Narratives, Justin Ross Whitney

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are complex organisms that ebb and flow between strict and unyielding conservation doctrines often at the cost of community engagement. Misali Island is different. Conceived and advocated for by community members, this organism has navigated a tumultuous tenure of environmental degradation, periods of high and low funding, and a looming tourism presence. On top of these challenges has been a growing fishing community attempting to share in the bounty of this shockingly biodiverse setting. This study sorts through the grey space of Misali Island by applying a hybrid narrative that interfaces the marine context of the …

Always Sunny In Zanzibar: Exploring Solar Power On The Island, Quinn Brannan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As Zanzibar continues along its developmental path, the island’s energy infrastructure takes on a central role in future plans for growth. Critically, as the population grows and tourist presence is predicted to increase, the island is presented with the combined problem of supplying a greater volume of energy, while also providing a more reliable source to its existing populace. In this study, I will examine existing solar energy systems for capacity, accessibility, and reliability, as well as evaluate their efficacy in providing a functional source of power, both now and in the future. I conduct interviews with assorted stakeholders in …

Cultivation Of Scientific And Technological Innovation Talents For The Belt And Road Initiative: China’S Advantages, Challenges And Critical Paths, Jin Qin, Shixin Tan, Yizhu Shen, Liuzhu Gong, Jianxun Chu, Liangchen Fan, Xinhe Bao

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Scientific and technological talents are critical resources to China and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Although China is the most favorable destination country for overseas students in Asia, it is facing increasing global competition for talents, especially from the developed countries that have introduced policies to attract international students and scientific and technological innovation talents, China highly needs to figure out how to attract more high-quality foreign students and talents, and how to cultivate more innovation talents to serve the Belt and Road development. This study first evaluates science and education rankings of the Belt and Road countries and …

Scientific And Technological Innovation And Cooperation Support High-Quality Development Of The Belt And Road Initiative, Chunli Bai

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The Belt and Road Initiative has become a popular international public goods and international cooperation platform in the past decade since it was firstly proposed in 2013. China and the Belt and Road participating countries and regions have made considerable progress in scientific and technological cooperation, including carrying out scientific and technological cooperation actions and plans, building international scientific organizations and science and education cooperation centers, providing talent training platforms, etc. Nevertheless, in the new era, the Belt and Road faces many challenges such as the unpredictable external environment, the incomplete top-level design and mechanism, the insufficient depth of scientific …

Research On Science And Technology Cooperation Pattern Of The Belt And Road Initiative, Weidong Liu, Jing Li, Guohua Xiao, Zhouying Song, Jiansheng Qu, Yafeng Wang, Fahu Chen

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Science and technology cooperation has become an important driving force for the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This study intends to explore how international science and technology cooperation can empower the highquality development of the BRI co-construction. By sorting out the practice of science and technology cooperation in boosting the development of the Belt and Road countries and regions since the raise of BRI, and analyzing the problems and challenges encountered, countermeasures and suggestions for the new era are finally proposed in this study.

Building The Health Silk Road Within The Belt And Road Initiative From A Systematic View, Shouyang Wang, Qin Bao, Qi Zhang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Life and health are common challenges faced by mankind, and the building of the Health Silk Road is the fundamental content of the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative. There are great differences in the level of economic and social development of the countries and regions along the Belt and Road. Under the increasingly complex and severe global biosecurity situation, scientific guidance from a systematic perspective is required for comprehensively improving the medical and health conditions and life and health quality of different countries and regions. Aiming at the challenges faced by the building of the Health Silk …

Key Areas For Scientific And Technological Cooperation In Ecological And Environmental Protection And Sustainable Development In The Belt And Road Initiative, Bojie Fu, Yanxu Liu, Wenwu Zhao

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Green is the foundation of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This study examines the ecological and environmental risks faced by BRI and their impact on sustainable development. It identifies key research areas in ecological and environmental protection that support sustainable development, including water resource management and water-saving technologies, water environment governance and human health assurance, land degradation prevention and control technologies and demonstrations, biodiversity conservation and the utilization of biological resources, mechanisms and models for ecosystem restoration, and environmental governance for community sustainable development. It is hoped to enhancing scientific and technological cooperation in ecological and environmental governance among …

Ocean Negative Carbon Emissions In The Context Of Earth System Science, Nianzhi Jiao, Tingwei Luo, Jihua Liu, Quanrui Chen, Chenba Zhu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Comparing the records of geological events and the observations of the current climate, the debate on the main cause of global warming, which has lasted for more than 30 years, is now to an end. Along the global consensus, it is imperative to seek effective solutions to the mitigation of climate change for China and the countries along Belt and Road route, which are facing the unavoidable conflicts between development and protection. Based on these analyses, The study proposes that reasonable and legitimate transformative Ocean Negative Carbon Emission (ONCE) approach should be developed in the context of Earth system science …

Belt And Road Science & Technology Cooperation: Current Situation, Challenges And Development Directions, Hongyan He, Shuxian Wu, Jiayu Xin, Hui Zhao, Yanlei Wang, Dongxia Yan, Linglong Shan, Xin Wang, Yuliang Zhao

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Since the Belt and Road Initiative was put forward, China has actively engaged in innovation cooperation with coconstruction countries and regions, and has made gratifying achievements in basic scientific research, technology transfer and transformation, the cooperation network and platform base construction. At present, new changes and situations in the political and economic landscape worldwide have put forward higher requirements for the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. Therefore, high-quality joint construction of Belt and Road needs to sum up the experience and identify areas of cooperation. In this context, the study summarizes the current situation and main challenges of …

Case Study And Recommendations On Technological Collaboration In Supporting Development Of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Under The Belt And Road Initiative, Xiaowei Nie, Xiaoduo Pan, Zhuoying Zhang, Yang Yang, Yang Yang, Xinyu Gong

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The Belt and Road Initiative has played an important role in promoting the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind and actively integrated into the global governance system over the past decade. At the same time, through scientific and technological cooperation, it has also significantly impacted domestic regional development. The Tibetan Plateau, known as the “Third Pole” of the Earth, is not only an important internationalized region but also a crucial component of the Belt and Road Initiative, offering opportunities to establish a South Asian land corridor. This study analyzes and summarizes the role of scientific and …

International Cooperation Mechanism Of Collaborated Disaster Risk Management For Belt And Road, Shaohong Wu, Yu Lei, Wei Xu, Saini Yang, Qunli Han, Fang Lian, Shengnan Wu, Peng Cui

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The Belt and Road countries and regions have complicated geological environment and controlled by monsoon climate, which is easy to cause a variety of natural disasters and lead to serious harm. The natural disasters have become an important factor hindering the green development to the Belt and Road countries and regions. At the same time, most of the Belt and Road countries and regions are developing countries and regions, with lower capacity for disaster prevention and reduction. It is difficult for science and technology as well as institutional mechanisms to meet the needs of the implementation of the Belt and …

S&T Innovation Study For The Digital Belt And Road, Huadong Guo, Fang Chen, Yu Chen, Guozhuang Shen, Chuansheng Liu, Yunwei Tang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Digital technology can promote the sustainable development of countries and regions along the route of Belt and Road Initiative and help enhance interconnectivity in technology, standards, rules, and digital infrastructure. Science and technology play a crucial role in the construction of the Digital Belt and Road. However, currently, some countries and regions along the route of Belt and Road Initiative lack sufficient digital infrastructure, and there is a shortage of critical core digital technology and challenges in its promotion. It is essential to build an innovative ecosystem for the Digital Belt and Road that includes facilities, technology, mechanisms, and capabilities …