Investigating Tradeoffs between Agricultural Development and Environmental Flows under Climate Change in the Stung Chinit Watershed, Cambodia

The interlinkages between water for irrigation and for fish habitat are complex. This is particularly true in the Stung Chinit, a tributary to one of the most robust fisheries in the world, where livelihoods rely heavily on rice production and fishing and there is pressure to increase rice production with increased irrigation. This study assesses the tradeoffs between various management options and irrigation strategies in the Stung Chinit watershed under multiple projections of climate change. Due to the relative demands for instream flows and rice, if dry season rice is widely promoted, flows will be severely impacted. However, implementing a flow requirement protects these flows, while only causing minor shortages to rice when planted once or twice per year. These shortages may be alleviated with improved cooperation, management and shifting rice irrigation practices. While climate change will lead to warming temperatures and potentially higher demands for irrigation, the larger threat to rice and ecosystems appears to be water management (or lack thereof). This study suggests that there is sufficient water in the system to expand the irrigated area by 10%, grow rice twice per year and protect downstream flows under climate change; however, well-coordinated management is required to achieve this.

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Assessing the impact of climate change on vector-borne viruses in the EU through the elicitation of expert opinion

Epidemiology and Infection ◽

10.1017/s0950268809990367 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 138 (2) ◽

pp. 214-225 ◽

Cited By ~ 63

Author(s):

P. GALE ◽

A. BROUWER ◽

V. RAMNIAL ◽

L. KELLY ◽

R. KOSMIDER ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Expert Opinion ◽

Rift Valley Fever Virus ◽

Animal Health ◽

Fever Virus ◽

Management Options ◽

The World ◽

Vector Borne ◽

The Impact ◽

The Eu

SUMMARYExpert opinion was elicited to undertake a qualitative risk assessment to estimate the current and future risks to the European Union (EU) from five vector-borne viruses listed by the World Organization for Animal Health. It was predicted that climate change will increase the risk of incursions of African horse sickness virus (AHSV), Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) and Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) into the EU from other parts of the world, with African swine fever virus (ASFV) and West Nile virus (WNV) being less affected. Currently the predicted risks of incursion were lowest for RVFV and highest for ASFV. Risks of incursion were considered for six routes of entry (namely vectors, livestock, meat products, wildlife, pets and people). Climate change was predicted to increase the risk of incursion from entry of vectors for all five viruses to some degree, the strongest effects being predicted for AHSV, CCHFV and WNV. This work will facilitate identification of appropriate risk management options in relation to adaptations to climate change.

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Evaluating Vulnerability of Central Asian Water Resources under Uncertain Climate and Development Conditions: The Case of the Ili-Balkhash Basin

Water ◽

10.3390/w13050615 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 615

Author(s):

Tesse De Boer ◽

Homero Paltan ◽

Troy Sternberg ◽

Kevin Wheeler

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Water Resources ◽

Water Demand ◽

Agricultural Development ◽

Environmental Flows ◽

Supply And Demand ◽

Climatic Variability ◽

Central Asian ◽

Set Up ◽

And Shifts

The Ili-Balkhash basin (IBB) is considered a key region for agricultural development and international transport as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The IBB is exemplary for the combined challenge of climate change and shifts in water supply and demand in transboundary Central Asian closed basins. To quantify future vulnerability of the IBB to these changes, we employ a scenario-neutral bottom-up approach with a coupled hydrological-water resource modelling set-up on the RiverWare modelling platform. This study focuses on reliability of environmental flows under historical hydro-climatic variability, future hydro-climatic change and upstream water demand development. The results suggest that the IBB is historically vulnerable to environmental shortages, and any increase in water consumption will increase frequency and intensity of shortages. Increases in precipitation and temperature improve reliability of flows downstream, along with water demand reductions upstream and downstream. Of the demand scenarios assessed, extensive water saving is most robust to climate change. However, the results emphasize the competition for water resources among up- and downstream users and between sectors in the lower Ili, underlining the importance of transboundary water management to mitigate cross-border impacts. The modelling tool and outcomes may aid decision-making under the uncertain future in the basin.

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Environmental flow envelopes: quantifying global, ecosystem–threatening streamflow alterations

10.5194/hess-2021-260 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Vili Virkki ◽

Elina Alanärä ◽

Miina Porkka ◽

Lauri Ahopelto ◽

Tom Gleeson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Upper Bound ◽

Environmental Flows ◽

Environmental Flow ◽

Fine Tuning ◽

Low Flow ◽

Practical Applications ◽

Riverine Ecosystems ◽

Basin Scale ◽

The World

Abstract. Human actions and climate change have drastically altered river flows across the world, resulting in adverse effects on riverine ecosystems. Environmental flows (EFs) have emerged as a prominent tool for safeguarding riverine ecosystems. However, at the global scale, the assessment of EFs is associated with significant uncertainty. Here, we present a novel method to determine EFs by Environmental Flow Envelopes (EFE), which is an envelope of variability bounded by discharge limits within which riverine ecosystems are not seriously compromised. The EFE is defined globally in approximately 4,400 sub–basins at monthly time resolution, considering also the methodological uncertainties related with global EF studies. In addition to a lower bound of discharge, the EFE introduces an upper bound of discharge, identifying areas where streamflow has increased substantially. Further, instead of only showing whether EFs are violated, as commonly done, we quantify, for the first time, the frequency, severity, and trends of EFE violations, which can be considered as potential threats to riverine ecosystems. We use pre–industrial (1801–1860) quasi-natural discharge and a suite of hydrological EFR methods and global hydrological models to estimate EFE, applying data from the ISIMIP 2b ensemble. We then compare the EFEs to recent past (1976–2005) discharge to assess the violations of the EFE. We found that the EFE violations most commonly manifest themselves by insufficient streamflow during the low flow season, with less violations during intermediate flow season, and only few violations during high flow season. These violations are widespread: discharge in half of the sub–basins of the world has violated the EFE during more than 5 % of the months between 1976 and 2005. The trends in EFE violations have mainly been increasing during the past decades and will likely remain problematic with projected increases in anthropogenic water use and hydroclimatic changes. Indications of excessive streamflow through EFE upper bound violations are relatively scarce and spatially distributed, although signs of increasing trends can be identified and potentially attributed to climate change. While the EFE provides a quick and globally robust way of determining environmental flow allocations at the sub–basin scale, local fine–tuning is necessary for practical applications and further research on the coupling between quantitative discharge and riverine ecosystem responses is required.

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Water-related infrastructure investments in a changing environment: a perspective from the World Bank

Water Policy ◽

10.2166/wp.2021.265 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 23 (S1) ◽

pp. 31-53

Author(s):

Diego J. Rodríguez ◽

Homero A. Paltán ◽

Luis E. García ◽

Patrick Ray ◽

Sarah St. George Freeman

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Decision Making ◽

Risk Management ◽

World Bank ◽

Investment Decision ◽

Stress Test ◽

World Bank Group ◽

Management Options ◽

The World Bank ◽

The World

Abstract At present, there is a global deficit in infrastructure and the World Bank Group (WBG) is one of the major sources of financing to reduce this gap worldwide. The WBG has policies and protocols for approving investments taking into consideration financial and economic indicators while ensuring social and environmental safeguards. In recent years, these safeguards have been updated to include the effects of climate change and robustness and resilience to support climate-informed project investment decision-making. A series of tools for screening projects for climate vulnerabilities and identification of risk management options have been developed to help project teams comply with these requirements. One of these tools is the hierarchical four-phased Decision Tree Framework (DTF) that, beyond screening, helps to analyze plans and project vulnerabilities, climate-related or otherwise, using a decision scaling approach, and explore risk management options, if necessary. The four phases of the DTF are (i) project screening, (ii) initial analysis, (iii) stress test, and (iv) climate risk management. This paper reviews applications of the DTF from the climate change screening phase to non-climate uncertainty screening and decision-making for project investments and prioritization. A peek into work in progress for incorporating resilience in the decision-making process, both for projects and through projects, is also provided, as well as next steps, looking forward.

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The World Economic Forum Principles on "Climate Governance on Corporate Boards": can soft law help to face climate change around the world?

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT STUDIES ◽

10.3280/cgrds1-2019oa8509 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 37-55

Author(s):

Sabrina Bruno

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

South Africa ◽

Comparative Analysis ◽

Boards Of Directors ◽

Soft Law ◽

Corporate Boards ◽

World Economic Forum ◽

Financial Factor ◽

The World ◽

World Economic

Climate change is a financial factor that carries with it risks and opportunities for companies. To support boards of directors of companies belonging to all jurisdictions, the World Economic Forum issued in January 2019 eight Principlescontaining both theoretical and practical provisions on: climate accountability, competence, governance, management, disclosure and dialogue. The paper analyses each Principle to understand scope and managerial consequences for boards and to evaluate whether the legal distinctions, among the various jurisdictions, may undermine the application of the Principles or, by contrast, despite the differences the Principles may be a useful and effective guidance to drive boards' of directors' conduct around the world in handling climate change challenges. Five jurisdictions are taken into consideration for this comparative analysis: Europe (and UK), US, Australia, South Africa and Canada. The conclusion is that the WEF Principles, as soft law, is the best possible instrument to address boards of directors of worldwide companies, harmonise their conduct and effectively help facing such global emergency.

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Our Once and Future Planet: Restoring the World in the Climate Change Century Paddy Woodworth. 2013. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. $25.00 paperback. ISBN: 978-0226333403. 536 pages.

Ecological Restoration ◽

10.3368/er.34.1.77 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 34 (1) ◽

pp. 77-78

Author(s):

S. Webb

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

University Of Chicago ◽

The World ◽

University Of Chicago Press

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DISSEMINATION AND USE OF INFORMATION ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND VARIABILITY: A CASE STUDY OF FARMERS IN MALUGA AND CHIBELA VILLAGES IN SEMI-ARID CENTRAL TANZANIA

Mousaion ◽

10.25159/0027-2639/157 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 1-24

Author(s):

Emmanuel Elia ◽

Stephen Mutula ◽

Christine Stilwell

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Data Collection ◽

Diffusion Of Innovations ◽

Agricultural Development ◽

Agricultural Sector ◽

Policy Framework ◽

Accurate Information ◽

Adaptation To Climate Change ◽

Climate Change And Variability ◽

Semi Arid

This study was part of broader PhD research which investigated how access to, and use of, information enhances adaptation to climate change and variability in the agricultural sector in semi-arid Central Tanzania. The research was carried out in two villages using Rogersâ€™ Diffusion of Innovations theory and model to assess the dissemination of this information and its use by farmers in their adaptation of their farming practices to climate change and variability. This predominantly qualitative study employed a post-positivist paradigm. Some elements of a quantitative approach were also deployed in the data collection and analysis. The principal data collection methods were interviews and focus group discussions. The study population comprised farmers, agricultural extension officers and the Climate Change Adaptation in Africa project manager. Qualitative data were subjected to content analysis whereas quantitative data were analysed to generate mostly descriptive statistics using SPSS. Â Key findings of the study show that farmers perceive a problem in the dissemination and use of climate information for agricultural development. They found access to agricultural inputs to be expensive, unreliable and untimely. To mitigate the adverse effects of climate change and variability on farming effectively, the study recommends the repackaging of current and accurate information on climate change and variability, farmer education and training, and collaboration between researchers, meteorology experts, and extension officers and farmers. Moreover, a clear policy framework for disseminating information related to climate change and variability is required.

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Rice Production in Punjab: Depletion of Water Resources and Environmental Problems

Indian Journal of Economics and Development ◽

10.35716/ijed/ns20-007 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 294-299

Keyword(s):

State Government ◽

Agricultural Development ◽

Fruits And Vegetables ◽

Central Government ◽

Geographical Area ◽

The State ◽

Rice Production ◽

Nutrient Loss ◽

High Rate ◽

Paddy Straw

Punjab has emerged as an important rice-producing state in the country. The state with 1.53 percent of the geographical area of the country produces more than 11 percent of total rice production in the country. The production of rice in Punjab increased more than 10 times due to an increase in area and yield. The growth of a rice crop at such a high rate over 20 years in Punjab is indeed a rare phenomenon in the history of agricultural development in the world. Due to extensive cultivation of rice in Punjab, the state has been over-exploiting the groundwater, more than its recharge. Most of the tube-well dominated districts of the state, witnessed the fall in water table more than 20 to 30 cm per year. To dispose of the paddy straw, the farmers of Punjab generally opt for burning it. This practice of burning of paddy straw besides nutrient loss is posing a serious problem for the public health and transportation system. Rice has now become a problematic crop for Punjab state due to its ill effects on its natural resources, that is, the water and soil environmental degradation. The Punjab Agricultural University experts and other committees estimated that the total groundwater recharge from all sources can sustain/support only 16-17 lakh ha of paddy in Punjab. The area under the crop increased to 29 lakh ha which was unsustainable in the long run. The area under rice in Punjab should be stabilized at 16-17 lakh ha and the remaining paddy area should be shifted to other crops like pulses, oilseeds, maize, fruits, and vegetables, etc. requiringless water, to achieve proper water balance. Thus diversification of some area from paddy is in the interest of Punjab farmers, State government and the Central government for long term food security on a sustainable basis.

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