scholarly journals What Do Weather Disasters Cost? An Analysis of Weather Impacts in Tanzania

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hellen E. Msemo ◽  
Andrea L. Taylor ◽  
Cathryn E. Birch ◽  
Andrew J. Dougill ◽  
Andrew Hartley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
National Level ◽  
Climate Information ◽  
National Guidelines ◽  
Climate Services ◽  
Socioeconomic Impacts ◽  
Marine Industry ◽  
Weather And Climate ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Individual

Weather-related disasters negatively impact livelihoods and socioeconomic activities and often lead to the loss of lives and homes. This study uses disaster data from the Disaster Management Department (DMD) in Tanzania to describe the spatial distribution of weather-related disasters, their socioeconomic impacts and highlight opportunities to improve production and uptake of weather and climate information by climate sensitive sectors. Between 2000 and 2019, severe weather accounted for ~69% of disasters in Tanzania. The Government spent over 20.5 million USD in response to these disasters, which destroyed over 35,700 houses and 1,000 critical infrastructures (roads, bridges, schools, and hospitals), affected over 572,600 people, caused over 240 injuries and 450 deaths. To reduce these impacts, it is important to understand the decision-making process in terms of what and how national guidelines create and enabling environment for integration of weather and climate information into disaster risk reduction strategies. For example, the National Transport Policy which is supposed to provide cross-sectorial guidelines on the use of weather and climate information addresses the use to marine industry but remains silent to other climate sensitive sectors and the public. Whilst weather warnings are available Tanzania continues to suffer from the impacts of weather-related disasters. There is a clear need to better understand the value of weather warning information at short timescales (1–5 days) and how this information can be better used in the individual decision-making processes of those receiving advisories and warnings. The review of policies to guide on cross- sectoral actions to foster the uptake of weather and climate services, decisions across climate sensitive sectors, both nationally and sub-national level is recommended.

scholarly journals Why the use of weather and climate information is essential for SDG implementation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Griggs
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Climate Information ◽  
Climate Services ◽  
2030 Agenda ◽  
Weather And Climate ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Development Goals

<p>The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is an ambitious plan for “people, “planet and prosperity”. At its core are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the achievement of which is critically affected by weather and a changing climate. To that end emphasis has been given to delivering weather and climate services, with information packaged in ways that support timely decision making.</p><p>Yet often these approaches tend not to address which decision-making processes need what information, why they need it, or what form they need it in. They have also tended to be focussed on specific situations and SDGs (such as SDG 14, 15) where the need for weather and climate information is clear and obvious.</p><p>In this presentation, we will look at how weather and climate information impinges on different decision making contexts, requiring that information to be tailored in new ways. In doing so we will identify key action areas that need to be addressed to improve integration of weather and climate information into SDG decision making. </p>

scholarly journals Business Lobbying: Mapping Policy Networks in Brazil in Mercosur

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 198
Author(s):  
Galia Benítez
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Trade Policy ◽  
National Level ◽  
Executive Branch ◽  
Policy Networks ◽  
Policy Network ◽  
Common External Tariff ◽  
Policy Structure ◽  
Business Lobbying ◽  
The Government

In the creation of trade policy, business actors have the most influence in setting policy. This article identifies and explains variations in how economic interest groups use policy networks to affect trade policymaking. This article uses formal social network analysis (SNA) to explore the patterns of articulation or a policy network between the government and business at the national level within regional trade agreements. The empirical discussion herein focuses on Brazil and the setting of exceptions list to Mercosur’s common external tariff. It specifically concentrates on the relations between the Brazilian executive branch and ten economic subsectors. The article finds that the patterns of articulation of these policy networks matter and that sectors with stronger ties to key government decision-makers have a structural advantage in influencing trade policy and obtaining and/or maintaining their desired, privileged trade policies, compared with sectors that are connected to government actors with weak decision-making power, but might have numerous and diversified connections. Therefore, sectors that have a strong pluralist–clientelist policy structure with connections to government actors with decision-making power have greater potential for achieving their target policies compared with more corporatist policy networks.

ENACTS: Transforming Climate Services Across Africa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tufa Dinku
Keyword(s):  
Effective Means ◽  
National Level ◽  
Columbia University ◽  
Climate Information ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Climate Services ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Institutional Infrastructure ◽  
International Research Institute ◽  
Information Products

<p>Despite recent and mostly global efforts to promote climate services in developing countries, Africa still faces significant limitations in its institutional infrastructure and capacity to develop, access, and use decision-relevant climate data and information products at multiple levels of governance. The Enhancing National Climate Services (ENACTS) initiative, led by Columbia University’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society, strives to overcome these challenges by targeting the way climate-sensitive decisions are made at the local, regional, and national levels. The ENACTS approach is executed by working directly with the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) to build capacity for improving the availability, access, and use of quality climate data and information products at relevant spatial and temporal scales. The ENACTS approach has shown to be an effective means to transform decision-making surrounding vulnerabilities and risks at both national and local scales in over a dozen countries at the national level as well as at regional level East and West Africa. In the ENACTS approach, challenges to the availability of climate data are alleviated by combining quality-controlled station observations with global proxies to generate spatially and temporally complete climate datasets. Access to climate information is enhanced by developing an online mapping service that provides a user-friendly interface for analyzing and visualizing climate information products. Use of the generated climate data and the derived information products are promoted through raising awareness in relevant communities, training users, and co-production processes.</p>

Is there Life after Kohl? The CDU Crisis and the Future of Party Democracy in Germany

2000 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ludger Helms
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Party System ◽  
National Level ◽  
State Level ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Dominant Position ◽  
Christian Democratic Union ◽  
The Future ◽  
Christian Social Union ◽  
The Individual

There are few Chapters of the Federal Republic'S History that could be written without a prominent reference to the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Since 1949 Christian Democratic chancellors have led German governments for no less than 37 years. Even when in opposition, the Christian Democrats - composed at the national level of the CDU and the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU)1 - constituted more often than not the strongest parliamentary party group (Fraktion) in the Bundestag, such as after the federal elections of 1969, 1976 and 1980. Also at state level and in the Bundesrat, which represents the individual states (L-nder) in the national decision-making process, the Christian Democrats quite often held a dominant position justifying occasional remarks of a ‘CDU/CSU bias’ within the German party system.

scholarly journals Making Society Climate Resilient: International Progress under the Global Framework for Climate Services

2020 ◽  
Vol 101 (2) ◽  
pp. E237-E252 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. D. Hewitt ◽  
E. Allis ◽  
S. J. Mason ◽  
M. Muth ◽  
R. Pulwarty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Scales ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Climate Information ◽  
Climate Services ◽  
Socioeconomic Impacts ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Past ◽  
New Directions ◽  
Operational Activities ◽  
Available Information

Abstract There is growing awareness among governments, businesses, and the general public of risks arising from changes to our climate on time scales from months through to decades. Some climatic changes could be unprecedented in their harmful socioeconomic impacts, while others with adequate forewarning and planning could offer benefits. There is therefore a pressing need for decision-makers, including policy-makers, to have access to and to use high-quality, accessible, relevant, and credible climate information about the past, present, and future to help make better-informed decisions and policies. We refer to the provision and use of such information as climate services. Established programs of research and operational activities are improving observations and climate monitoring, our understanding of climate processes, climate variability and change, and predictions and projections of the future climate. Delivering climate information (including data and knowledge) in a way that is usable and useful for decision-makers has had less attention, and society has yet to optimally benefit from the available information. While weather services routinely help weather-sensitive decision-making, similar services for decisions on longer time scales are less well established. Many organizations are now actively developing climate services, and a growing number of decision-makers are keen to benefit from such services. This article describes progress made over the past decade developing, delivering, and using climate services, in particular from the worldwide effort galvanizing around the Global Framework for Climate Services under the coordination of UN agencies. The article highlights challenges in making further progress and proposes potential new directions to address such challenges.

scholarly journals Agricultural Advisors as Climate Information Intermediaries: Exploring Differences in Capacity to Communicate Climate

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tonya Haigh ◽  
Lois Wright Morton ◽  
Maria Carmen Lemos ◽  
Cody Knutson ◽  
Linda Stalker Prokopy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Management Decision ◽  
Climate Information ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Extreme Precipitation Events ◽  
Information Intermediaries ◽  
Weather And Climate ◽  
Different Types ◽  
And Shifts ◽  
Willingness To Use

Abstract Although agricultural production faces chronic stress associated with extreme precipitation events, high temperatures, drought, and shifts in climate conditions, adoption of climate information into agricultural decision making has been relatively limited. Agricultural advisors have been shown to play important roles as information intermediaries between scientists and farmers, brokering, translating, and adding value to agronomic and economic information of use in agricultural management decision making. Yet little is known about the readiness of different types of agricultural advisors to use weather and climate information to help their clients manage risk under increasing climate uncertainty. More than 1700 agricultural advisors in four midwestern states (Nebraska, Indiana, Iowa, and Michigan) completed a web-based survey during the spring of 2012 about their use of weather and climate information, public or private sector employment, and roles as information intermediaries in three advising specializations: agronomic, conservation, and financial. Key findings reveal that advisors who specialize in providing agronomic information are positively inclined toward acting as weather and climate information intermediaries, based on influence and willingness to use climate information in providing many types of operational and tactical advice. Advisors who provide conservation advice appear to be considering weather and climate information when providing tactical and strategic land-use advice, but advisors who provide financial advice seem less inclined to act as climate information intermediaries. These findings highlight opportunities to increase the capacity of different types of advisors to enable them to be effective weather and climate information intermediaries.

scholarly journals The role of farmers and organizational networks in climate information communication: the case of Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chidiebere Ofoegbu ◽  
Mark New
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
National Level ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Collaboration Network ◽  
Climate Information ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Climate Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Response Options ◽  
Organizational Collaboration

Purpose The nature of the collaborations that exists among the organizations in the climate change and agriculture sectors can influence the tailoring of climate forecasts into information useable for adapting agricultural practices to the risks posed by climate change. Also, the extent to which farmers are integrated into this organizational collaboration network can influence their access to climate information. This paper aims to examine how organizational collaborations in the process of climate information generation and dissemination acts as either barriers or enablers of farmers’ access to and use of climate information in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach This study used key informant interview and questionnaire survey to interview the organizations in the climate change and agriculture sectors. Using network analysis as an analytical framework, the authors estimated the networks’ core-periphery, density, reciprocity and degree centrality. Findings The authors observed that communication of climate information to farmers is mostly influenced by the collaborations between governmental organizations and nongovernmental organizations. Nevertheless, information flow and exchange through organizational collaboration network is having limited effect on improving farmers’ knowledge about climate risks, impacts and available risk response options. This is mostly because the feedback flow of information from farmers to national level organizations has not been effective in addressing localized climate/agro challenges. Originality/value This paper provides a critical overview of key issues in influencing the relevancy and usefulness of climate information in the Ghanaian agriculture sector. Insights gained and recommendations made are essential for deploying effective climate services in Ghana and can be relevant for many African countries because of similar socioeconomic contexts.

scholarly journals Australian action to reduce health risks from radon

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 77-83
Author(s):  
S.A. Long ◽  
R.A. Tinker
Keyword(s):  
Action Plan ◽  
National Level ◽  
Individual Risk ◽  
Energy Agency ◽  
Safety Standards ◽  
Public Exposure ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Radon Concentrations

In Australia, worker exposure to radon in underground uranium mines has been a focus of policy makers and regulators, and has been well controlled in the industry sector. That cannot be said for public exposure to radon. Radon exposure studies in the late 1980s and early 1990s demonstrated that the levels of radon in Australian homes were some of the lowest in the world. The International Basic Safety Standards, published by the International Atomic Energy Agency, requires the government to establish and implement an action plan for controlling public exposure due to radon indoors. When considering different policy options, it is important to develop radon prevention and mitigation programmes reflecting elements that are unique to the region or country. The Australian Radon Action Plan is being considered at a national level, and presents a long-range strategy designed to reduce radon-induced lung cancer in Australia, as well as the individual risk for people living with high concentrations of radon. In Australia, workers who are not currently designated as occupationally exposed are also considered as members of the public. In the Australian context, there are only a limited set of scenarios that might give rise to sufficiently high radon concentrations that warrant mitigation. These include highly energy efficient buildings in areas of high radon potential, underground workplaces, workplaces with elevated radon concentrations (e.g. spas using natural spring waters), and enclosed workspaces with limited ventilation. The key elements for a successful plan will rely on collaboration between government sectors and other health promotion programmes, cooperative efforts involving technical and communication experts, and partnering with building professionals and other stakeholders involved in the implementation of radon prevention and mitigation.

scholarly journals Mapping Tourism Stakeholders’ Weather and Climate Information-Seeking Behavior in Fiji

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 377-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Nalau ◽  
S. Becken ◽  
S. Noakes ◽  
B. Mackey
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Early Warning Systems ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Climate Information ◽  
Climate Services ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
Weather And Climate ◽  
Seeking Behavior

Abstract Tourism is inherently dependent on weather and climate, and its sustainability and resilience to adverse weather and climate impacts is greatly enhanced by providing tailored climate services to tourism sector stakeholders. Climate services need to integrate standard weather forecasts, with early warning systems, seasonal forecasts, and long-term projections of climatic changes in order to meet the information needs of the sector. While a growing number of studies address the potential climate change impacts on tourism, little is known about how the tourism sector accesses, uses, and analyses the available weather and climate information. This research presents findings from an exploratory study on weather and climate information-seeking behavior of 15 private and public tourism sector stakeholders in the Republic of Fiji. The results show a variety of weather and climate information-seeking paths in use, which differ depending on levels of professional responsibility, weather and climate literacy, and information and digital competency. Those with high weather information literacy access a broader variety of sources. Hence, their interpretation does not focus only on their own location, but “weather” is seen as a broad spatial phenomenon that might or might not result in adverse effects in their location. Understanding diverse weather and climate information-seeking paths can aid in better targeting climate and adaptation services across different stakeholder groups. Especially in the context of small island developing states (SIDS), the integration of traditional, local, and scientific knowledge as information sources is likely to provide a more useful and context-specific basis for climate adaptation planning within the sector.

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