Climate Change and the American City

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Hurley
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Urban Form ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Tight Coupling

American cities developed under relatively quiescent climatic conditions. A gradual rise in average global temperatures during the 19th and 20th centuries had a negligible impact on how urban Americans experienced the weather. Much more significant were the dramatic changes in urban form and social organization that meditated the relationship between routine weather fluctuations and the lives of city dwellers. Overcoming weather-related impediments to profit, comfort, and good health contributed to many aspects of urbanization, including population migration to Sunbelt locations, increased reliance on fossil fuels, and comprehensive re-engineering of urban hydrological systems. Other structural shifts such as sprawling development, intensification of the built environment, socioeconomic segregation, and the tight coupling of infrastructural networks were less directly responsive to weather conditions but nonetheless profoundly affected the magnitude and social distribution of weather-related risks. Although fatalities resulting from extreme meteorological events declined in the 20th century, the scale of urban disruption and property damage increased. In addition, social impacts became more concentrated among poorer Americans, including many people of color, as Hurricane Katrina tragically demonstrated in 2005. Through the 20th century, cities responded to weather hazards through improved forecasting and systematic planning for relief and recovery rather than alterations in metropolitan design. In recent decades, however, growing awareness and concern about climate change impacts have made volatile weather more central to urban planning.

Climate Change, Global Warming, and Agricultural Droughts

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gennady V. Menzhulin ◽  
Sergey P. Savvateyev
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Spatial Variations ◽  
Geological Time ◽  
The Earth

The climate of a region is a representation of long-term weather conditions that prevail there. Over the millions of years of the existence of the atmosphere on the earth, the climate has changed all the time; ice ages have come and gone, and this has been the result of natural causes. Recently (on geological time scales) the human population has expanded—from half a billion in 1600, to 1 billion in 1800, to almost 3 billion in 1940, and it now stands at about 6 billion. The climate may well now be influenced not only as before by natural events but also by human activities. For example, we are producing vast amounts of carbon dioxide by burning fossil fuels, and this is causing the temperature of the earth to rise significantly. If we argue that we should control our activities to preserve this planet as a habitable environment for future generations, we need to have some scientific knowledge of the effects of our present activities on climate. In recent years the evidence has been accumulating that on the time scale of decades there is global warming (i.e., the global annual mean surface temperature is increasing). There is also evidence accumulating that part of this increase is a consequence of human activities. The evidence is largely statistical. Within this trend there are bound to be temporal fluctuations and spatial variations. Moreover, in addition to the increase in temperature, it is reasonable to assume that there is, overall, an increase in evaporation of water from the surface of the earth and that there will be a consequent increase in precipitation. But within this overall scenario there are bound to be local variations; some areas may experience more precipitation, but some areas may experience less precipitation. The effect of climate change on the proneness to drought is therefore not uniform but can be expected to vary from place to place. Therefore, whether one is concerned with considering the relation between climate and proneness to drought from the historical evidence or whether one is trying to use models to predict the effect of future climatic conditions, it is necessary to consider the local spatial variations.

scholarly journals Climate Change Impacts Assessment on Wine-Growing Bioclimatic Transition Areas

Agriculture ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 605
Author(s):  
Alba Piña-Rey ◽  
Estefanía González-Fernández ◽  
María Fernández-González ◽  
Mª. Nieves Lorenzo ◽  
Fco. Javier Rodríguez-Rajo
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Cultural Practice ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Bioclimatic Indices ◽  
Northwestern Spain ◽  
The Mediterranean

Viticultural climatic indices were assessed for the evaluation of the meteorological variations in the requirements of wine cultivars. The applied bioclimatic indices have been widely used to provide an initial evaluation of climate change impacts on grapevine and to delineate wine regions and suitable areas for planting around the world. The study was carried out over a period of 16 years (from 2000 to 2015) in five Designation of Origin areas in Northwestern Spain located in the Eurosiberian region, the transition zone between the Eurosiberian and the Mediterranean areas, and in the Mediterranean area. In addition, the high-resolution meteorological dataset “Spain02” was applied to the bioclimatic indices for the period 1950–2095. To further assess the performance of “Spain02”, Taylor diagrams were elaborated for the different bioclimatic indices. A significant trend to an increase of the Winkler, Huglin, Night Cold Index and GSS Indices was detected in the North-western Spain, whereas slight negative trends for BBLI and GSP Indices were observed. To analyze future projections 2061–2095, data from the high-resolution dynamically downscaled daily climate simulations from EURO-CORDEX project were used. To further assess the performance of Spain02, Taylor diagrams were elaborated for the different bioclimatic indices. A trend to an increase of the Winkler, Huglin, Night Cold Index and GSP Indices was detected in Northwestern Spain, whereas slight negative trends for BBLI and GSP Indices were observed. Our results showed that climatic conditions in the study region could variate for the crop in the future, more for Mediterranean than Eurosiberian bioclimatic area. Due to an advance in the phenological events or the vintage data, more alcohol-fortified wines and variations in the acidity level of wines could be expected in Northwestern Spain, these processes being most noticeable in the Mediterranean area. The projections for the BBLI and GSP Indices will induce a decrease in the pressure of the mildew attacks incidence in the areas located at the Eurosiberian region and the nearest transition zones. Projections showed if the trend of temperature increase continues, some cultural practice variations should be conducted in order to preserve the grape cultivation suitability in the studied area.

scholarly journals Stress-resilient maize for climate-vulnerable ecologies in the Asian tropics

2020 ◽  
pp. 1264-1274
Author(s):  
P.H. Zaidi ◽  
Thanh Nguyen ◽  
Dang N. Ha ◽  
Suriphat Thaitad ◽  
Salahuddin Ahmed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Yield Potential ◽  
Specific Situation ◽  
Environment Interaction ◽  
Maize Germplasm ◽  
Growing Conditions ◽  
Variable Weather

Most parts of the Asian tropics are hotspots of climate change effects and associated weather variabilities. One of the major challenges with climate change is the uncertainty and inter-annual variability in weather conditions as crops are frequently exposed to different weather extremes within the same season. Therefore, agricultural research must strive to develop new crop varieties with inbuilt resilience towards variable weather conditions rather than merely tolerance to individual stresses in a specific situation and/or at a specific crop stage. C4 crops are known for their wider adaptation to range of climatic conditions. However, recent climatic trends and associated variabilities seem to be challenging the threshold limit of wider adaptability of even C4 crops like maize. In collaboration with national programs and private sector partners in the region, CIMMYT-Asia maize program initiated research for development (R4D) projects largely focusing on saving achievable yields across range of variable environments by incorporating reasonable levels of tolerance/resistance to major abiotic and biotic stresses without compromising on grain yields under optimal growing conditions. By integrating novel breeding tools like - genomics, double haploid (DH) technology, precision phenotyping and reducing genotype × environment interaction effects, a new generation of maize germplasm with multiple stress tolerance that can grow well across variable weather conditions were developed. The new maize germplasm were targeted for stress-prone environments where maize is invariability exposed to a range of sub-optimal growing conditions, such as drought, heat, waterlogging and various virulent diseases. The overarching goal of the stress-resilient maize program has been to achieve yield potential with a downside risk reduction.

scholarly journals Regional assessment of climate risks using GIS technologies (on the example of the Belgorod Region)

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 271-278
Author(s):  
Yuri Chendev ◽  
Maria Lebedeva ◽  
Olga Krymskaya ◽  
Maria Petina
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Quantitative Assessment ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Winter Period ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Climate Services ◽  
Climate Risks ◽  
Weather And Climate ◽  
The Impact

The ongoing climate change requires a quantitative assessment of the impact of weather conditions on the nature and livelihoods of the population. However, to date, the concept of “climate risk” has not been finally defined, and the corresponding terminology is not universally recognized. One manifestation of climate change is an increase in climate variability and extremeness in many regions. At the same time, modern statistics indicate growing worldwide damage from dangerous weather and climate events. The most widely used in climate services is the concept of “Vulnerability index”, which reflects a combination (with or without weighing) of several indicators that indicate the potential damage that climate change can cause to a particular sector of the economy. development of adaptation measures to ensure sustainable development of territories. The main criterion for the vulnerability of the territory from the point of view of meteorological parameters is the extremeness of the basic values: daily air temperature, daily precipitation, maximum wind speed. To fully take into account the possible impacts of extreme climatic conditions on the region’s economy, it is necessary to detail the weather and climate risks taking into account the entire observation network, since significant differences in quantitative assessment are possible. The obtained average regional values of the climate vulnerability indices for the Belgorod Region of the Russian Federation provide 150 points for the winter period, 330 points for the summer season, which indicates the prevalence of extreme weather conditions in the warm season. Most of the territory has a relative influence on climatic phenomena, with the exception of the East and the Southeast Region. Moreover, the eastern part of the region is the most vulnerable in climatic terms.

Contributions of Sustainable Biomass and Bioenergy in Agriculture Transitions Towards a Circular Economy

2022 ◽  
pp. 65-80
Author(s):  
Oloiva Maria Tavira ◽  
José Tadeu Marques Aranha ◽  
Maria Raquel Lucas
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Starting Point

The production of bioenergy and biofertilizers based on animal and plant biomass is a crucial pillar in circular economy (CE). CE conceptual model and main aims are closely related to the 3 “R” (reduce, reuse, and recycle) rule, which is to improve the use of resources, minimize waste, and assure sustainability. Although bioenergy offers many opportunities and could be an alternative to fossil fuels use, the path for a broader implementation of this type of activity is still long. This study marks the starting point or direction of research to be taken, ensuring the existence of benefits from plant and animal biomass for the production of bioenergy and biofertilizer, as well as the contributions of this type of production to the circular economy and the mitigation of the climate change impacts.

Focus on African wildlife protection will grow

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Wildlife Trade ◽  
Intergovernmental Panel ◽  
Wildlife Protection ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Illegal Wildlife Trade ◽  
Ipcc Report

Subject African illegal wildlife trade. Significance A recent UK-hosted conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) and a UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report have highlighted the importance of wildlife and wilderness protection in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and the integral connections between wildlife protection and climate change. Pressure is starting to grow on governments and businesses to protect irreplaceable biodiversity but progress faces several obstacles. Impacts The EU may increase aid for African biodiversity protection as climate change impacts risk increased African migrant numbers to Europe. Growing pressure may encourage institutional investors to divest from fossil fuels towards the renewable energy sector and ecotourism. Civil society pressure could mount to redirect global aid budgets partially towards wilderness landscape preservation. A South African ruling overturning government approval for a coal mine on critical biodiversity-protecting land may set a major precedent.

scholarly journals A review of climate change in South East Asian Countries and human health: Impacts, vulnerability, adaptation, and mitigation

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 3-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anuji Upekshika Gamage ◽  
Dess Pearson ◽  
Fahad Hanna
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Emerging Diseases ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
Climate Risks

Climate Change (CC) is one of the most significant global environmental challenges humanity has faced. The most dominant causative factors due to human activity are emissions of greenhouse-gasses (GHG) from the combustion of fossil fuels and deforestation of natural rain forests. Although CC has a global impact, developing countries in the South East Asian Region (SEAR) would be more vulnerable to the effects as growth, development, poverty and health of these countries will be severely affected. The key ill-effects include increasing global average temperatures, the rise in sea levels, changes in eco-systems, and adverse impacts on human health. Rising sea levels threatens coastal cities; changes to the monsoon rainfall and a significant reduction in agricultural output are among some of the climate risks these countries will have to face. CC would compromise the essential prerequisites for good health; safe water, secure shelter, and food security and aggravate health risk through emerging and re-emerging diseases and spread of infectious diseases. Health-focused investments in climate actions remain weak and countries should focus on implementing health systems, while targeting for universal health coverage. The growth rate for Asian economies has risen over the past decade and this has led to steady emission increase. India and Indonesia are amongst the top ten emitters while others remain small emitters. Efforts are needed to limit the temperature increase to minimize adverse effects, which will require deep de-carbonization by both developed and developing countries, through an integrated portfolio of mitigation and adaptive strategies, which will be abide by UNFCCC common but differentiated approach.South East Asia Journal of Public Health Vol.6(2) 2016: 3-10

scholarly journals Effect of climate change on burley tobacco crop calendars

2021 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeannette del Carmen Zambrano Nájera ◽  
Oscar Ortega
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Unit Area ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Water Requirements ◽  
Burley Tobacco ◽  
The North ◽  
Climate Change Simulation ◽  
Optimal Information ◽  
Tobacco Cultivation

In Colombia, tobacco cultivation is an important generator of employment and income for farmers; however it faces different problems as low crop yield compared to other countries; specifically, in the north of the country, where the climatic conditions are less favorable and the productivity is lower than other areas of the country due to low mechanization. In order to improve the tobacco yield per hectare in the municipality of Ovejas, this research aimed to determine the water requirements of burley tobacco cultivation under conditions of climate variability to obtain optimal information for crop calendars. Water requirements of burley tobacco were determined using the crop water requirement equation. This calculation ethod was programmed in Python to automate the generation of maps, developing a tool that allowed a detailed analysis per unit area per week. Based on the results obtained, weeks 17 and 18 of the year (last week of April and first week of May, respectively) are proposed as optimal planting times, since the cycles of crops planted in this period showed precipitation surplus in the initial phase of cultivation, which is a critical phase for their development. Climate change simulation showed that crops must be continuously monitored in order to adapt to new weather conditions.

scholarly journals SWAT BASED ASSESSMENT AND PREDICTION OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS IMPACT IN THENPENNAI SUB-BASIN OF SOUTH INDIA

2018 ◽  
Vol XLII-5 ◽  
pp. 557-562
Author(s):  
K. Nivedita Priyadarshini ◽  
S. A. Rahaman ◽  
S. Nithesh Nirmal ◽  
R. Jegankumar ◽  
P. Masilamani
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Soil And Water

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Climate change impacts on watershed ecosystems and hydrologic processes are complex. The key significant parameters responsible for balancing the watershed ecosystems are temperature and rainfall. Though these parameters are uncertain, they play a prime role in the projections of dimensional climate change studies. The impact of climate change is more dependent on temperature and precipitation which contributes at a larger magnitude for characterising global warming issues. This paper aims to forecast the variations of temperature and precipitation during the period of 2020&amp;ndash;2050 for the northern part of Thenpennar sub basin. This study is modelled using SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) &amp;ndash; a scale model developed to predict the impact of changes that occurs in land, soil and water over a period of time. This study is validated using the base period from 1980&amp;ndash;2000 which shows the distribution of rainfall and temperature among 38 watersheds. The results from this study show that there is a decrease in the rainfall for a maximum of about 20% in the month of December during the predicted period of 2020 and 2050. This study assesses the possible adverse impact of climate change on temperature and precipitation of Thenpennai sub-basin. This kind of predictions will help the government agencies, rulers and decision makers in policy making and implementing the adaptation strategies for the changing climatic conditions.</p>

scholarly journals Water consumption and irrigation regime of seed alfalfa under the conditions of regional climate change in the southern Steppe of Ukraine

2021 ◽  
pp. 52-66
Author(s):  
S. P. Holoborodko ◽  
O. M. Dymov
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Regional Climate Change ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Optimal Growth ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Seed Productivity ◽  
Chestnut Soils

The article presents the results of scientific research to specify the seed productivity of alfalfa grown on irrigated and rainfed lands of the southern Steppe of Ukraine. It is proved that obtaining stably high yields of conditioned alfalfa seeds under the conditions of regional climate change is possible only providing an optimal supply of productive moisture in the soil, since in recent years the crop has been grown under high temperature conditions and insufficient precipitation. It was established that irrigation of seed alfalfa throughout the growing season regardless of cultivar and mowing, should be conducted in two interphase periods: "the beginning of regrowth (shoots) – early budding" and "the beginning of budding – beginning of flowering". In the first interphase period, it is necessary to create conditions for optimal growth and development of plants that is achieved by maintaining the level of pre-irrigation humidity in 0-100 cm layer in the range of 70-75% MMHC on dark chestnut soils and 55-60% – on sandy loam chernozems. In the second interphase period, it is necessary to provide optimal conditions for the development of production processes and the formation of conditioned seed yields that is achieved by inhibiting growth processes, since alfalfa tends to grow up. Therefore, the level of pre-irrigation humidity of the calculated layer on medium and heavy loamy soils should be maintained within 60-65% MMHC and 45-50% MMHC – on sandy loam chernozems. The analysis of changes in natural and climatic conditions carried out over the past years shows that in the subzone of the southern Steppe, alfalfa cultivation for seeds is possible only by providing the developed irrigated agriculture. Getting the deficit of natural moisture solved, combined with high availability of heat resources and fertile dark‑chestnut soils and southern chernozems, is an objective natural prerequisite for further growth of seed productivity of alfalfa and reducing its dependence on extreme weather conditions and, above all, in medium‑dry (75%) and dry (95%) precipitation years.

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