Climate change and accommodation of water availability in transboundary rivers: lessons learned from the Guadiana basin

Water Policy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Jafroudi
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Allocation ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Transboundary Rivers ◽  
Legal Regime ◽  
Transboundary River ◽  
Major Threat ◽  
Guadiana Basin ◽  
Special Circumstances

Abstract Historically, states have found it useful to regulate their relationship over their shared water resources via treaties. While treaties provide some element of predictability and certainty with regard to the future supplies of water to the riparian states, they also need to incorporate mechanisms that allow flexibility to respond to changes in the quantity of water available for allocation amongst the parties. This requirement is especially relevant when global climate change is causing freshwater resources to shrink. The legal regime of the Guadiana, as an example of a modern legal regime of a transboundary river, includes some provisions that permit the riparian states to accommodate the variability of the Guadiana's streamflow in response to climate change within the water allocation arrangements. The lessons learned from these provisions, which include periodical update of the historical mean precipitation values, updating the flow regime of the rivers and cancelling minimum flow requirements under special circumstances, may contribute to climate-proofing international transboundary agreements within the catchments where climate-change induced water scarcity poses a major threat.

The Legal Regime of the Technologies and Products Obtained Using GMOs: Discussion Questions

Legal Concept ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 195-204
Author(s):  
Alexey Anisimov ◽  
◽  
Olga Popova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Genetic Research ◽  
World Market ◽  
Legal Regulation ◽  
Legal Analysis ◽  
Legal Regime ◽  
Legal Method ◽  
The World

Introduction: the paper examines the problems associated with the definition of the legal regime of the technologies and products obtained using GMOs. The experts in the field of genetics have not yet come to an unambiguous conclusion about the degree of harm or benefit of products obtained using genetic modifications. Russia has strict restrictive measures for the production of genetically modified products. Consequently, there is virtually no market for genetically modified seeds produced in Russia. Nevertheless, the world is actively developing industries for the production of genetically modified agricultural products, and the market for the production of seeds is “captured” by a small number of foreign companies. On the other hand, climate change dictates the inevitability of using genetically modified products, the need to accelerate genetic research, and the production of GMO seeds and food. In this context, the authors set a goal to find a compromise (balanced) legal regulation of the legal regime of the technologies and products obtained using GMOs. Methods: the methodological framework for the research is a set of methods of scientific cognition, among which the formal-legal method and the method of comparative legal analysis are the leading positions. Results: the authors propose to consider the bans or support for GMO products in the context of trends in global climate change and ensuring food security. The authors have made a comparative analysis of the provisions of the international norms and the Russian legislation on the research and application of GMO technologies and products, which helped to identify an unbalanced legal regulation of the use of the GMO technologies in Russia, which reduces its competitiveness in this area on the world market. Conclusions: the Russian legislation needs to minimize this legal imbalance, which puts researchers in the field of plant genetics and producers of GMO seeds and food in unequal (worse) conditions. The legal regulation should ensure the coexistence of organic (environmentally friendly) agriculture, traditional agriculture, and the use of the GMO technologies; the introduction of special labeling of GMO products; the broadening of the powers of regional authorities in the use of GMO technologies; as well as the application of the principle of “traceability” to GMO products.

scholarly journals A scoping review on global climate change vulnerability, adaptation, and resiliency

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara Zolnikov ◽  
Daisy Ramirez-Ortiz ◽  
Jennifer Raymond ◽  
Deborah Chambers ◽  
Robert Brears ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Climate Change Vulnerability ◽  
Barriers To Change ◽  
Social And Economic Development ◽  
The World ◽  
International Publishing ◽  
North And South America

Abstract Introduction: Climate change affects people, not only through environmental exposures and health outcomes, but how they live their lives. Consequences will affect various sectors, ranging from tourism to water to energy development—areas where people live, work, and enjoy. Because of these forced changes, people must adapt. Methods: A scoping review was created to understand climate change vulnerability alongside adaption and resiliency measures that are being implemented in each continent of the world; this review is a subset of information from Zolnikov, T. R. (2019). Global Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change. In: T. R. Zolnikov (Ed.). Cham, Switzerland; Springer International Publishing. Results: It was determined that adaptive capacity differs worldwide. This is likely because the capacity to adapt and change is linked to both social and economic development; some regions in the world may not be sufficiently equipped and thus, may not be able to mitigate or adapt to changes. Such was the case in Australia, Europe, and North and South America, where economic resources were more available, and the general culture of climate change appeared to be more developed through various policies. Whereas, for example, Asia and Africa were less economically developed and focused less on individual changes, but joined larger climate change agreements, such as the Kyoto Protocol. Conclusions: The objective of this review was to understand the differences that may help or hinder progress under the new world set forth by climate change. The information provided evidence that a “one size fits all” approach does not work to promote climate change resiliency. In fact, each continent in the world suffers from some barriers to change, while also offering elements of success that can be shared. It is these types of lessons learned that can help pull the world together to learn from each other and promote the effectiveness of measures as well as the capacity for populations to adapt. Keywords: Climate Change, Environmental Health, Global Health

A retrospective and lessons learned from Natural Resources Canada’s Forest 2020 afforestation initiative

2010 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
S W.J. Dominy ◽  
R. Gilsenan ◽  
D W McKenney ◽  
D J Allen ◽  
T. Hatton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Hybrid Poplar ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Fast Growing ◽  
The Government ◽  
Government Of Canada

Canada is seeking cost-effective means to mitigate anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, particularly CO2, that have been linked to global climate change. In 2003 the Government of Canada launched the Forest 2020 Plantation Development and Assessment Initiative to assess the potential for fast-growing woody crops to sequester carbon from the atmosphere. Across the country 6000 ha of plantations were established and monitored on nonforested lands (afforestation) using a variety of methods. Economic analyses assessed the investment attractiveness of this mitigation measure for a range of species and suitable lands, taking into account such factors as growth rates, agricultural opportunity costs and a range of possible carbon values. Analyses illustrated that at current trading prices for carbon and for much of the available lands and expanding markets for forest bioproducts, expected rates of return on investment for afforestation were relatively low. However, higher future carbon prices, combined with monetary values for environmental benefits, could dramatically change the economics of afforestation in the future. Key words: afforestation, carbon sequestration, forest carbon offset project, climate change mitigation, policy analysis, risk analysis, forest investment analysis, hybrids, hybrid poplar, fast-growing trees

Global Climate Change and the Reallocation of Water

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rhett B. Larson
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Water Allocation ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Water Rights ◽  
Public Trust ◽  
Water Markets ◽  
International Level ◽  
Legal Reforms

Increased water variability is one of the most pressing challenges presented by global climate change. A warmer atmosphere will hold more water and will result in more frequent and more intense El Niño events. Domestic and international water rights regimes must adapt to the more extreme drought and flood cycles resulting from these phenomena. Laws that allocate rights to water, both at the domestic level between water users and at the international level between nations sharing transboundary water sources, are frequently rigid governance systems ill-suited to adapt to a changing climate. Often, water laws allocate a fixed quantity of water for a certain type of use. At the domestic level, such rights may be considered legally protected private property rights or guaranteed human rights. At the international level, such water allocation regimes may also be dictated by human rights, as well as concerns for national sovereignty. These legal considerations may ossify water governance and inhibit water managers’ abilities to alter water allocations in response to changing water supplies. To respond to water variability arising from climate change, such laws must be reformed or reinterpreted to enhance their adaptive capacity. Such adaptation should consider both intra-generational equity and inter-generational equity. One potential approach to reinterpreting such water rights regimes is a stronger emphasis on the public trust doctrine. In many nations, water is a public trust resource, owned by the state and held in trust for the benefit of all citizens. Rights to water under this doctrine are merely usufructuary—a right to make a limited use of a specified quantity of water subject to governmental approval. The recognition and enforcement of the fiduciary obligation of water governance institutions to equitably manage the resource, and characterization of water rights as usufructuary, could introduce needed adaptive capacity into domestic water allocation laws. The public trust doctrine has been influential even at the international level, and that influence could be enhanced by recognizing a comparable fiduciary obligation for inter-jurisdictional institutions governing international transboundary waters. Legal reforms to facilitate water markets may also introduce greater adaptive capacity into otherwise rigid water allocation regimes. Water markets are frequently inefficient for several reasons, including lack of clarity in water rights, externalities inherent in a resource that ignores political boundaries, high transaction costs arising from differing economic and cultural valuations of water, and limited competition when water utilities are frequently natural monopolies. Legal reforms that clarify property rights in water, specify the minimum quantity, quality, and affordability of water to meet basic human needs and environmental flows, and mandate participatory and transparent water pricing and contracting could allow greater flexibility in water allocations through more efficient and equitable water markets.

scholarly journals Niches and climate-change refugia in hundreds of species from one of the most arid places on Earth

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milen Duarte ◽  
Pablo C. Guerrero ◽  
Mary T.K. Arroyo ◽  
Ramiro O. Bustamante
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Change Models ◽  
Maximum Entropy Models ◽  
Major Threat ◽  
Thermal Niche ◽  
The Future ◽  
Future Potential ◽  
The Relationship

Background and Aims Global climate change is a major threat to biodiversity worldwide. Several arid areas might expand in the future, but it is not clear if this change would be positive or negative for arid-adapted lineages. Here, we explore whether climatic niche properties are involved in the configuration of climate refugia and thus in future species trends. Methods To estimate putative climate refugia and potential expansion areas, we used maximum entropy models and four climate-change models to generate current and future potential distributions of 142 plant species endemic to the Atacama and mediterranean Chilean ecosystems. We assessed the relationship between the similarity and breadth of thermal and precipitation niches with the size of climate refugia and areas of potential expansions. Key Results We found a positive relationship between breadth and similarity for thermal niche with the size of climate refugia, but only niche similarity of the thermal niche was positively related with the size of expansion areas. Although all lineages would reduce their distributions in the future, few species are predicted to be at risk of extinction in their current distribution, and all of them presented potential expansion areas. Conclusion Species with a broad niche and niche dissimilarity will have larger refugia, and species with niche dissimilarity will have larger expansion areas. In addition, our prediction for arid lineages shows that these species will be moderately affected by climate change.

Building model of information, education and communication clubs for preventing natural disasters to improve disaster prevention capacity of local ethnic minority communities - Results and lessons learned (Case studies of Gie Trieng ethnic group in Kon Tum province and Co Ho ethnic group in Lam Dong province)

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vu Thi Thanh Minh
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Ethnic Group ◽  
Natural Disaster ◽  
Ethnic Minorities ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Disaster Prevention ◽  
Urgent Task ◽  
Negative Impacts

Climate change and sea level rise are an existing threat of humanity in the 21st century. The victims of natural disasters and climate change are none other than people who suffer with increasing levels of disasters for a country and a region. Therefore, the study proposes and implements solutions to minimize negative impacts of natural disasters and adapts to the process of global climate change, which is an urgent task of every country. One of the solutions to improve the capacity of natural disaster prevention and mitigation for ethnic minorities is to educate and raise awareness for people in natural disaster prevention. Thus, building a model of clubs for information, education and communication for preventing natural disasters to improve disaster prevention capacity of ethnic minorities is of utmost importance.

SPSSI Policy Statement: SPSSI and Global Climate Change

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Swim ◽  
Susan Clayton
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Policy Statement
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