Climate Change, Heat Waves and Thermal Comfort—Reflections on Housing Policy in India

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darshini Mahadevia ◽  
Minal Pathak ◽  
Neha Bhatia ◽  
Shaurya Patel
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Heat Waves ◽  
Heat Exposure ◽  
Urban Housing ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Housing Quality ◽  
Informal Housing ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact

Housing ideally supplies many physical comforts, social and economic benefits, as well as forms the basis for the right to the city. It also addresses an additional challenge of adaptation to the current as well as expected impacts of climate change—one of them being heat waves—especially in the context of developing countries like India. Few studies in the Indian context have explicitly examined the experience of heat on the indoor temperatures linked to the housing quality and typologies and the quality of the surroundings. Official state and urban policies do not explicitly include heatproofing for existing or new housing to address indoor heat exposure, especially in the case of vulnerable populations. We have measured the indoor and outdoor temperatures in 860 low-income residents living in three different housing typologies in 26 settlements (formal and informal) of Ahmedabad, India, in peak summer months. Building the case for a long-term urban housing strategy to address the impact of indoor temperature particularly for low-income households and residents of informal housing, we argue that conscious and deliberate efforts towards heatproofing existing informal housing are required. One of the options, which is being pursued currently, is transiting informal housing dwellers to formal housing. But, another one for immediate consideration is renewal of current informal housing due to limited coverage possibility of the first option.

The impact of extreme climatic events on pasture-based dairy systems: a review

2017 ◽  
Vol 68 (12) ◽  
pp. 1158 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Chang-Fung-Martel ◽  
M. T. Harrison ◽  
R. Rawnsley ◽  
A. P. Smith ◽  
H. Meinke
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Heat Stress ◽  
Heat Waves ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Potential Productivity ◽  
Extreme Climatic Events ◽  
Dairy Systems ◽  
The Impact

Extreme climatic events such as heat waves, extreme rainfall and prolonged dry periods are a significant challenge to the productivity and profitability of dairy systems. Despite projections of more frequent extreme events, increasing temperatures and reduced precipitation, studies on the impact of these extreme climatic events on pasture-based dairy systems remain uncommon. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has estimated Australia to be one of the most negatively impacted regions with additional studies estimating Australian production losses of around 16% in the agricultural sector and 9–19% between the present and 2050 in the south-eastern dairy regions of Australia due to climate change. Here we review the literature on the impact of climate change on pasture-based dairy systems with particular focus on extreme climatic events. We provide an insight into current methods for assessing and quantifying heat stress highlighting the impacts on pastures and animals including the associated potential productivity losses and conclude by outlining potential adaptation strategies for improving the resilience of the whole-farm systems to climate change. Adapting milking routines, calving systems and the introduction of heat stress tolerant dairy cow breeds are some proposed strategies. Changes in pasture production would also include alternative pasture species better adapted to climate extremes such as heat waves and prolonged periods of water deficit. In order to develop effective adaptation strategies we also need to focus on issues such as water availability, animal health and associated energy costs.

scholarly journals An evaluation of the self-help housing scheme in Botswana, case of Gaborone city

Spatium ◽  
2007 ◽  
pp. 28-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Horatio Ikgopoleng ◽  
Branko Cavric
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Families ◽  
Evaluation Study ◽  
Urban Housing ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Housing Scheme ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

Botswana like other developing countries faces a problem of acute shortage of housing, particularly for low-income urban families. The current housing problems are the outcomes of the economic, demographic and social changes which the country has experienced since independence in 1966. In particular the urbanization process which surfaced in the early 1980?s. The government has sought to cope with the problem of low-income urban housing by establishing a Self-Help Housing (SHHA) program in the main urban centers. The evaluation findings reveal that, on the whole, the impact of the SHHA approach on the improvement of low-income urban housing has been unsuccessful. The major problems of the scheme are lack of serviced land and inadequate finances for plot development. This has been exacerbated by the high urban development standards which are out of the reach of low-income urban families. The evaluation study also reveals that, there are some indications of non low-income urban households living in SHHA areas. The available evidence reveals that the number of those people in SHHA areas is not as big as has been speculated by most people in the country. However this paper calls for more investigation in this issue and a need for more tight measures to control this illicit practice. The major conclusions are that housing policies in Botswana are not supportive of the general housing conditions in low-income urban areas. Therefore there is a need for urban planners and policy makers of Botswana to take more positive action towards the improvement of low-income urban areas. This would require pragmatic policies geared towards the improvement of those areas. .

19. Indigenous Peoples’ Human Rights

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Havemann
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
State Sovereignty ◽  
Group Rights ◽  
Indigenous Group ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact

This chapter examines issues surrounding the human rights of Indigenous peoples. The conceptual framework for this chapter is informed by three broad, interrelated, and interdependent types of human rights: the right to existence, the right to self-determination, and individual human rights. After describing who Indigenous peoples are according to international law, the chapter considers the centuries of ambivalence about the recognition of Indigenous peoples. It then discusses the United Nations's establishment of a regime for Indigenous group rights and presents a case study of the impact of climate change on Indigenous peoples. It concludes with a reflection on the possibility of accommodating Indigenous peoples' self-determination with state sovereignty.

scholarly journals The Right to Education and ICT during COVID-19: An International Perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 9091
Author(s):  
Luis Miguel Lázaro Lorente ◽  
Ana Ancheta Arrabal ◽  
Cristina Pulido-Montes
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
International Perspective ◽  
School Closure ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Right To Education ◽  
The World ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact

There is a lack of concluding evidence among epidemiologists and public health specialists about how school closures reduce the spread of COVID-19. Herein, we attend to the generalization of this action throughout the world, specifically in its quest to reduce mortality and avoid infections. Considering the impact on the right to education from a global perspective, this article discusses how COVID-19 has exacerbated inequalities and pre-existing problems in education systems around the world. Therefore, the institutional responses to guaranteeing remote continuity of the teaching–learning process during this educational crisis was compared regionally through international databases. Three categories of analysis were established: infrastructure and equipment, both basic and computer-based, as well as internet access of schools; preparation and means of teachers to develop distance learning; and implemented measures and resources to continue educational processes. The results showed an uneven capacity in terms of response and preparation to face the learning losses derived from school closure, both in low-income regions and within middle- and high-income countries. We concluded that it is essential to articulate inclusive educational policies that support strengthening the government response capacity, especially in low-income countries, to address the sustainability of education.

scholarly journals Spatiotemporal Prediction of Increasing Winter Perceived Temperature across a Sub-Tropical City for Sustainable Planning and Climate Change Mitigation

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hung Ho ◽  
Sawaid Abbas ◽  
Jinxin Yang ◽  
Rui Zhu ◽  
Man Wong
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Heat Waves ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Sustainable Planning ◽  
Perceived Temperature ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Change Mitigation

Climate variability has been documented as being key to influencing human wellbeing across cities as it is linked to mortality and illness due to changes in the perceived weather cycle. Many studies have investigated the impact of summer temperature on human health and have proposed mitigation strategies for summer heat waves. However, sub-tropical cities are still experiencing winter temperature variations. Increasing winter perceived temperature through the decades may soon affect city wellbeing, due to a larger temperature change between normal winter days and extreme cold events, which may cause higher health risk due to lack of adaptation and self-preparedness. Therefore, winter perceived temperature should also be considered and integrated in urban sustainable planning. This study has integrated the increasing winter perceived temperature as a factor for developing spatiotemporal protocols for mitigating the adverse impact of climate change. Land surface temperature (LST) derived from satellite images and building data extracted from aerial photographs were used to simulate the adjusted wind chill equivalent temperature (AWCET) particularly for sub-tropical scenarios between 1990 and 2010 of the Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong. Compared with perceived temperature based on the representative station located at the headquarters of the Hong Kong Observatory, the temperature of half the study area in the Kowloon Peninsula has raised by 1.5 °C. The areas with less green space and less public open space in 2010 show higher relative temperatures. Socioeconomically deprived areas (e.g., areas with lower median monthly income) may suffer more from this scenario, but not all types of socioeconomic disparities are associated with poor sustainable planning. Based on our results and the “no-one left behind” guideline from the United Nations, climate change mitigation should be conducted by targeting socioeconomic neighborhoods more than just aging communities.

scholarly journals Exploring the relationship between housing concerns, mental health and wellbeing: a qualitative study of social housing tenants

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. e231-e238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleanor Holding ◽  
Lindsay Blank ◽  
Mary Crowder ◽  
Edward Ferrari ◽  
Elizabeth Goyder
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Housing Quality ◽  
Community Safety ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background The rising prevalence of mental health problems is a growing public health issue. Poor mental health is not equally distributed across social groups and is associated with poverty and insecure housing. An evaluation of a social housing intervention provided an opportunity to explore the connections between housing and wider determinants of health and wellbeing. Methods We undertook 44 interviews with social housing tenants over a two-year period to explore their views on housing, health and wellbeing. Results Poor mental health was common. The results suggest that perceptions of housing quality, service responsiveness, community safety, benefit changes and low income all have a detrimental effect on tenants’ mental health. Conclusions Social housing providers who wish to have a positive impact on the mental health of their tenants need to consider how to best support or mitigate the impact of these stresses. Addressing traditional housing officer functions such as reporting or monitoring home repairs alongside holistic support remains an important area where social housing departments can have substantial health impact. Tackling the complex nature of mental health requires a joined up approach between housing and a number of services.

scholarly journals Home Safety and Low-Income Urban Housing Quality

PEDIATRICS ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 130 (6) ◽  
pp. 1053-1059 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. C. Gielen ◽  
W. Shields ◽  
E. McDonald ◽  
S. Frattaroli ◽  
D. Bishai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Housing ◽  
Housing Quality ◽  
Home Safety

scholarly journals A Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment among Small Farmers: A Case Study in Western Honduras

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Claudia Caceres
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Vulnerability Assessment ◽  
Spatial Data Analysis ◽  
Science Literature ◽  
Small Farmers ◽  
Climate Change Vulnerability ◽  
Rural Farmers ◽  
Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment ◽  
The Impact

Climate change is now affecting every known society. Small farmers in Low Income Countries (LICs) are especially vulnerable to climate change patterns because they depend heavily on rain, seasonality patterns, and known temperature ranges. To help build climate change resilient communities among rural farmers, the first step is to understand the impact of climate change on the population. This dissertation aims to use information and communication technology (ICT) to assess climate change vulnerabilities among rural farmers. To achieve this overall goal, this dissertation first proposes a comprehensive Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Framework (CCVAF) that integrates both community level and individual household level indicators. The CCVAF was instantiated into a GIS-based web application named THRIVE for different decision makers to better assess how climate change is affecting rural farmers in Western Honduras. Qualitative evaluation of the THRIVE showed that it is an innovative and useful tool. The CCVAF and its instantiation provides an important initial step towards building climate change resilience among rural farmers. It is the first attempt to provide a comprehensive set of the indicators with related measurements and data sources for climate change vulnerability assessment. The framework thus contributes to the knowledge base of the climate change vulnerability assessment. It also contributes to the design science literature by providing guidelines to design a class of climate change vulnerability assessment solutions. To the best of our knowledge, the CCVAF is the first generalizable artifact that can be used to build a group of ICT-based climate change vulnerability assessment solutions. Another knowledge contribution of this dissertation is its reproducibility by making the input and output data available to the research and practitioner community through a GeoHub. For practical contributions, the framework can be easily used by researchers and practitioners to consistently design a vulnerability assessment tool, starting with the set of indicators organized by the three-level determinants, and following specific spatial data analysis and models. Such an ICT-based tool adds practical values to tackle climate change challenges.

scholarly journals Could plasticity mediate highlands lizards’ resilience to climate change? A case study of the leopard iguana (Diplolaemus leopardinus) in central andes of Argentina

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Vicenzi ◽  
Leonardo D. Bacigalupe ◽  
Alejandro Laspiur ◽  
Nora Ibargüengoytía ◽  
Paola L. Sassi
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Thermal History ◽  
Heat Waves ◽  
Resting Metabolic Rate ◽  
Physiological Traits ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Evaporative Water ◽  
Species Vulnerability ◽  
Acclimation Response ◽  
The Impact

The rising temperature predicted is of main concern for ectotherms because its direct impact on their behavior and physiology. Since physiological performance mediates a species’ resilience to warming exposure, physiological plasticity could greatly reduce the susceptibility to climate change. We studied the degree to which Diplolaemus leopardinus’ lizards are able to adjust behavioral and physiological traits in response to short periods of temperature change. We used a split cross design to measure acclimation response of preferred body temperature (Tp), and thermal performance curve of resting metabolic rate (RMR) and evaporative water loss (EWL). Our results showed that plasticity differs among traits; whereas Tp and EWL showed lower values in warm conditions, RMR increased the temperature at which its value is highest. Moreover, RMR was affected by thermal history, showing a great increase in response to cold exposure in the group initially acclimated to warm. The reduction of EWL and the increase in optimal temperature will give lizards the potential to partially mitigate the impact of rising temperatures in the energy cost and water balance. However, the decrease in Tp and the sensitivity to the warm thermal history in RMR could be detrimental to the energy net gain increasing the species vulnerability, especially considering the increase of heat waves predicted for the next fifty years. The integration of acclimation responses in behavioral and physiological traits provides a better understanding of the range of possible responses of lizards to cope with the upcoming climatic and environmental modifications expected due to climate change.

scholarly journals Financial Inclusion in Ethiopia: Is It on the Right Track?

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tekeste Berhanu Lakew ◽  
Hossein Azadi
Keyword(s):  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Financial Inclusion ◽  
East African ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Regulatory Guidelines ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact

It is important to evaluate the impact of Ethiopia’s financial inclusion strategy since it has been launched in 2014. Accordingly, this paper assesses the extent to which the target has been met. The main aim of this study is to measure the success or failure of Ethiopia’s financial inclusion in comparison with other countries in East Africa. Using secondary data, this study revealed that Ethiopia’s financial inclusion is not as successful as other East African countries. This study also found that Ethiopians prefer informal saving clubs rather than formal financial organs. This preference, combined with unemployment and low income, is the barrier to the financial inclusion strategy. Based on the findings, identifying and addressing root causes should be done by removing distance, cost, credit, and documentation barriers. Moreover, the findings showed that access to public transit can also expand the reach of formal financial institutions by encouraging more people to physically access financial institutions. This study recommended access to formal financial organs as a core to financial institutions. Access to formal financial organs should be boosted through increasing financial institutions. Educating individuals about their financial circumstances were also recommended so that people can increase their formal saving uptake. This paper also recommended that the government develop regulatory guidelines for the functioning of financial institutions. The main outcome, therefore, is that financial institutions could be more transparent and predictable, reduce costs, and simplify the rules for entering the market.

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