scholarly journals When do Mangroves Create an Economic “Safe Haven” from Tropical Storms?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Hochard ◽  
Edward Barbier ◽  
Stuart Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Economic Activity ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Tropical Storms ◽  
Safe Haven ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Global Mapping

Abstract Evidence suggests that climate change will increase the frequency of intense storms. Mangroves may protect economic activity in coastal areas. We develop a model that illustrates protections from mangroves and coastal elevation and estimate the impacts of cyclones on coastal economic activity. We find that higher elevation or expansive mangroves alone shelter economic activity from “indirect” cyclone exposure whereas economic activity is only protected from “direct” cyclone exposure in high elevation communities with expansive mangroves. Our global mapping reveals that the majority of these “safe havens” are in upper middle-income countries but are used by populations in lower middle-income countries.

scholarly journals Mangroves and coastal topography create economic “safe havens” from tropical storms

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob P. Hochard ◽  
Edward B. Barbier ◽  
Stuart E. Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Economic Activity ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Tropical Storms ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Indirect Exposure ◽  
Coastal Topography

AbstractEvidence suggests that mangroves protect economic activity in coastal areas. We estimate this protection from mangroves and coastal elevation globally, examining both “direct” and “indirect” exposure events (< 100 km vs. ≥ 100 km distance from a cyclone’s “eye”, respectively). We find that higher elevation (≥ 50 m) or wide mangroves (≥ 10 m seaward width) alone shelter economic activity from indirect cyclone exposure, whereas protection from direct cyclone exposure occurs only in high elevation communities with wide mangroves. Our results reveal that the majority of these “safe havens” are in upper middle-income countries but provide significant benefits to populations in lower middle-income countries.

scholarly journals The how tough is WASH framework for assessing the climate resilience of water and sanitation

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guy Howard ◽  
Anisha Nijhawan ◽  
Adrian Flint ◽  
Manish Baidya ◽  
Maria Pregnolato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Universal Access ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Measurement Framework ◽  
Low And Middle Income

AbstractClimate change presents a major threat to water and sanitation services. There is an urgent need to understand and improve resilience, particularly in rural communities and small towns in low- and middle-income countries that already struggle to provide universal access to services and face increasing threats from climate change. To date, there is a lack of a simple framework to assess the resilience of water and sanitation services which hinders the development of strategies to improve services. An interdisciplinary team of engineers and environmental and social scientists were brought together to investigate the development of a resilience measurement framework for use in low- and middle-income countries. Six domains of interest were identified based on a literature review, expert opinion, and limited field assessments in two countries. A scoring system using a Likert scale is proposed to assess the resilience of services and allow analysis at local and national levels to support improvements in individual supplies, identifying systematic faults, and support prioritisation for action. This is a simple, multi-dimensional framework for assessing the resilience of rural and small-town water and sanitation services in LMICs. The framework is being further tested in Nepal and Ethiopia and future results will be reported on its application.

scholarly journals Health impact of climate change in cities of middle-income countries: the case of China

2019 ◽  
Vol 130 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Y Y Chan ◽  
Janice Y Ho ◽  
Heidi H Y Hung ◽  
Sida Liu ◽  
Holly C Y Lam
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
Middle Income Countries

scholarly journals Will COVID-19 fiscal recovery packages accelerate or retard progress on climate change?

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S359-S381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cameron Hepburn ◽  
Brian O’Callaghan ◽  
Nicholas Stern ◽  
Joseph Stiglitz ◽  
Dimitri Zenghelis
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Capital Investment ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Climate Impact ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Physical Infrastructure ◽  
Short Run ◽  
Economic Multiplier

Abstract The COVID-19 crisis is likely to have dramatic consequences for progress on climate change. Imminent fiscal recovery packages could entrench or partly displace the current fossil-fuel-intensive economic system. Here, we survey 231 central bank officials, finance ministry officials, and other economic experts from G20 countries on the relative performance of 25 major fiscal recovery archetypes across four dimensions: speed of implementation, economic multiplier, climate impact potential, and overall desirability. We identify five policies with high potential on both economic multiplier and climate impact metrics: clean physical infrastructure, building efficiency retrofits, investment in education and training, natural capital investment, and clean R&D. In lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs) rural support spending is of particular value while clean R&D is less important. These recommendations are contextualized through analysis of the short-run impacts of COVID-19 on greenhouse gas curtailment and plausible medium-run shifts in the habits and behaviours of humans and institutions.

Industrial and Agricultural Pollution Patterns

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Don P. Clark ◽  
Alejandro E. Dellachiesa
Keyword(s):  
Economic Activity ◽  
Environmental Policies ◽  
Agricultural Pollution ◽  
Lower Income ◽  
Emissions Reductions ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Pollution Emissions ◽  
Lower Income Countries

Industrial and agricultural pollution emissions are compared with levels of economic activity as countries move up the per capita income scale. Pollution emissions are found to be concentrated among the lower income countries. Industrial CH4 and both agricultural CH4 and N2O emissions display the highest degrees of concentration among poorer countries relative to their GDP shares. Agricultural CH4 and N2O emissions are more concentrated among the poorer countries than are industrial CH4 and N2O emissions. Little improvement in environmental quality will result from implementing costly emissions reductions in the industrial nations alone. Environmental policies must focus on lower- and middle-income countries. More attention must be devoted to reducing agricultural pollution emissions. Improving the economic activity–environmental tradeoff will require a global approach to reducing greenhouse gases.

scholarly journals The human imperative of stabilizing global climate change at 1.5°C

Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 365 (6459) ◽  
pp. eaaw6974 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Hoegh-Guldberg ◽  
D. Jacob ◽  
M. Taylor ◽  
T. Guillén Bolaños ◽  
M. Bindi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Special Report ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Global Mean Surface Temperature ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Global Mean

Increased concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases have led to a global mean surface temperature 1.0°C higher than during the pre-industrial period. We expand on the recent IPCC Special Report on global warming of 1.5°C and review the additional risks associated with higher levels of warming, each having major implications for multiple geographies, climates, and ecosystems. Limiting warming to 1.5°C rather than 2.0°C would be required to maintain substantial proportions of ecosystems and would have clear benefits for human health and economies. These conclusions are relevant for people everywhere, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where the escalation of climate-related risks may prevent the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

scholarly journals Challenges and considerations of applying nature-based solutions in low- and middle-income countries in Southeast and East Asia

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 331-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex M. Lechner ◽  
Rachel L. Gomes ◽  
Lucelia Rodrigues ◽  
Matthew J. Ashfold ◽  
Sivathass Bannir Selvam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
East Asia ◽  
Ecological Restoration ◽  
Environmental Risks ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Rapid Pace ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Abstract Low- and middle-income countries in Southeast and East Asia face a range of challenges related to the rapid pace of urbanisation in the region, the scale of pollution, climate change, loss of ecosystem services and associated difficulties for ecological restoration. Possible pathways towards a more sustainable future lie in the applications of nature-based solutions (NBS). However, there is relatively little literature on the application of NBS in the region, particularly Southeast Asia. In this paper we address this gap by assessing the socio-ecological challenges to the application of NBS in the region – one of the most globally biodiverse. We first provide an overview and background on NBS and its underpinnings in biodiversity and ecosystem services. We then present a typology describing five unique challenges for the application of NBS in the region: (1) Characteristics of urbanisation; (2) Biophysical environmental and climatic context; (3) Environmental risks and challenges for restoration; (4) Human nature relationships and conflicts; and (5) Policy and governance context. Exploiting the opportunities through South-South and North-South collaboration to address the challenges of NBS in Southeast and East Asia needs to be a priority for government, planners and academics.

scholarly journals Climate Change and Rural Female Farmers in Ghana: A Study of the Wenchi Municipality

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lily Yarney ◽  
Emmanuel Kojo Sakyi ◽  
Jonathan Chuks Mba ◽  
Peter K. Achamwie
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Crop Failure ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Farming Community ◽  
Female Farmers ◽  
Basic Infrastructure

Climate change poses a major threat to development in most low and middle-income countries, especially the sub &ndash; Saharan Africa. Wurompo is a small farming community in the Wenchi Municipality of the Brong-Ahafo region of Ghana that depends on rain-fed agriculture activities for livelihood. In recent years, droughts, unpredictable rainfall pattern and crop failure have become common in the area. The study assessed knowledge and awareness, effects of climate change on female farmers, and their adaptation strategies. A case study in design, qualitative methods were used to collect data from 50 purposefully selected participants. Data were analyzed using themes and sub-themes generated from the research questions. Findings showed lack of adequate information and knowledge on climate change and its effects. Climate change has impacted negatively on these farmers stemming from decline in crop production and unavailability of adequate water supply in due season. Challenges to climate change adaptation are poverty, poor basic infrastructure, and modern farming practices. Farmers must be educated on climate change and its effects, with training on the necessary adaptation strategies to build their resilience. Policies that target rural farmers to adapt to climate change, and device modern agricultural techniques and practices are also necessary.

scholarly journals Decomposition of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions in ASEAN Based on Kaya Identity

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-114
Author(s):  
Vivid Amalia Khusna ◽  
Deni Kusumawardani
Keyword(s):  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Economic Activity ◽  
Energy Intensity ◽  
Carbon Intensity ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Brunei Darussalam ◽  
Asean Countries ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2 ◽  
Kaya Identity

ASEAN is a region with high carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, accompanied by an increase in population, gross domestic product (GDP) and energy consumption. Population, GDP, and energy consumption can be linked to CO2 emissions through an identity equation called the Rich Identity. This research is based on Kaya identity to describe CO2 emissions to calculate the impact of population, economic activity, energy intensity and carbon intensity on CO2 emissions in ASEAN and 8 ASEAN countries (i.e., Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar and Brunei Darussalam) from 1990 to 2017. The method used is the Logarithmic Mean Division Index (LMDI). The data used are from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the World Bank. Four effects measured and main findings showed that population, economic activity and carbon intensity factor increased by 293.02 MtCO2, 790.0 MtCO2, and 195.51 MtCO2, respectively. Meanwhile, energy intensity effect made ASEAN's CO2 emissions decrease by 283.13 MtCO2. Regarding contributions to the increase in CO2 emissions in all ASEAN countries, the population effect increases CO2 emissions in all countries in ASEAN and the economic activity effect is also the same, except in Brunei Darussalam which makes CO2 emissions in this country decreased by 1.07 MtCO2. Meanwhile, the effects of energy and carbon intensity are different. The effect of energy intensity causes CO2 emissions in lower-middle income countries to decrease, while in upper-middle and high-income countries, it increases carbon emissions. In contrast to the effect of carbon intensity, that actually makes CO2 emissions increase in lower-middle income countries and reduces carbon emissions in upper-middle and high-income countries.

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