Clapping From the Arena

Climate change is a serious global issue and concern that is attributed to change. A change of climate that is directly or indirectly related to human activity, that which alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods. There is therefore no doubt that the earth is warming, and the climate changing. Despotism and the rule of despots as agents of democracy has created a rift in the issue of climate change on its citizenry in the southern zone of Plateau State in the area of health, water shortages, cutting meals due to the economic recession in Nigeria. Research has shown that climate change can create a conflict, and it does have a direct effect on scarce resources required to sustain life. Water is at the heart of human existence. Global warming has a major impact on global water cycle, hence on rainfall, soil moisture, rivers, and sea levels. If climate change is not tackled urgently, the calamity will be enormous.

Risco de Desabastecimento Hídrico na Região Seridó, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil.

Este trabalho tem como propósito analisar o risco de desabastecimento hídrico urbano municipal em uma região do estado do Rio Grande do Norte (RN), a partir dos resultados do Índice de Risco de Desabastecimento Hídrico (IRDH). A pesquisa foi direcionada pela hipótese de que a relação entre fatores ambientais, infraestruturais, socioeconômicos e de planejamento estatal, produz territórios de risco de desabastecimento hídrico. Os pressupostos teórico-metodológicos estão baseados em Welle e Birkmann (2015); Almeida, Welle e Birkmann (2016); Medeiros (2018); Oliveira (2018); Macedo e Troleis (2020). Neste contexto, o IRDH foi estruturado em uma perspectiva sistêmica, onde os territórios de risco de desabastecimento hídrico foram identificados a partir de indicadores ambientais, infraestruturais, socioeconômicos e de planejamento estatal, utilizando como instrumentos de análise 19 variáveis. Como resultado o artigo apresenta a região de abastecimento hídrico Seridó, com 23 municípios, dos quais 20 foram classificados como ‘alto risco’ de desabastecimento hídrico (87%); 3 com ‘médio risco’ (13%) e nenhum com ‘baixo’, ‘muito baixo’ e ‘muito alto’ risco conforme a classificação do IRDH. A região apresentou-se extremamente vulnerável ao desabastecimento hídrico, principalmente pelas características ambientais e infraestruturais destacados por períodos de estiagem prolongada, baixa disponibilidade de abastecimento dos mananciais superficiais e subterrâneos, além de fragilidade na infraestrutura de saneamento básico, a partir da exposição dos mananciais à contaminação. Foram propostas a transposição de bacias, integração de sistemas de abastecimento, pesquisa hidrogeológica entre outras, para mitigação do risco de desabastecimento hídrico resultante para esta região.Palavras-chave: Vulnerabilidade; Índice; Seridó, Colapso Hídrico. Risk of Water Shortage in The Seridó Region of Rio Grande Do Norte, Brazil A B S T R A C TThis paper aims to analyze the risk of municipal urban water shortages in a region of the state of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), based on the results of the Water Supply Risk Index (IRDH). The research was guided by the hypothesis that the relationship between environmental, infrastructural, socioeconomic and state planning factors produces territories at risk of water shortages. The theoretical-methodological assumptions are based on Welle e Birkmann (2015); Almeida, Welle and Birkmann (2016); Medeiros (2018); Oliveira (2018); Macedo and Troleis (2020). In this context, the IRDH was structured from a systemic perspective, in which the territories at risk of water shortages were identified through environmental, infrastructural, socioeconomic and state planning indicators - as instruments of analysis, nineteen variables were used. As a result, the article presents the Seridó water supply region, with 23 municipalities, of which 20 were classified as 'high risk' of water shortages (87%); 3 as ‘medium risk’ (13%) and none as ‘low’, ‘very low’ and ‘very high’ risk as per the IRDH rating. The region is extremely vulnerable to water shortages, the main reasons are the environmental and infrastructural characteristics highlighted by periods of prolonged drought, low availability of supply of surface and underground water sources, in addition to shortcoming in basic sanitation infrastructure, which caused by the exposure of water sources to contamination. Watershed transposition, integration of supply systems, hydrogeological research, among others, were proposed to mitigate the risk of resulting water shortages for this region.Keywords: Vulnerability; Index; Seridó, Water Collapse

Social Responses to a Changing Environment

Communities worldwide are facing environmental crises such as air pollution, water shortages, climate change, and other forms of environmental change and degradation. While technical solutions for environmental change are essential, so too are solutions that consider social acceptability, value cultural relevance, and prioritize equity and social justice. Social work has a critical and urgent role in creating and implementing macrolevel social responses to environmental change. The key concepts of environmental change, environmental and ecological justice, social vulnerability, and social responses are discussed. A description of the roles and skills unique to macro social workers for this effort is given, followed by examples of macrolevel strategies and interventions. Opportunities and directions for future social work responses to a changing environment are identified.

Genomic signatures of desert adaptation at gene-rich regions in zebu cattle from the African drylands

Sudan, the largest country in Africa, acts as a corridor between North and sub-Saharan Africa along the river Niles. It comprises warm arid and semi-arid grazing lands, and it is home to the second-largest African population of indigenous livestock. Indigenous Sudanese cattle are mainly indicine/zebu (humped) type. They thrive in the harshest dryland environments characterised by high temperatures, long seasonal dry periods, nutritional shortages, and vector diseases challenges. We investigated genome diversity in six indigenous African zebu breeds sampled in Sudan (Aryashai, Baggara, Butana, Fulani, Gash, and Kenana). We adopted three genomic scan approaches to identify candidate selective sweeps regions (ZHp, FST, XP-EHH). We identified a set of gene-rich selective sweep regions shared across African and Asian zebu or unique to Sudanese zebu. In particular, African and Asian zebu candidate gene-rich regions are detected on chromosomes 2, 5 and 7. They include genes involved in immune response, body size and conformation, and stress response to heat. In addition, a 250 kb selective sweep on chromosome 16 was detected exclusively in five Sudanese zebu populations. This region spans seven genes, including PLCH2, PEX10, PRKCZ and SKI, which are involved in alternative adaptive metabolic strategies of insulin signalling, glucose homeostasis, and fat metabolism. Together, these genes may contribute to the zebu cattle resilience to heat, nutritional and water shortages. Our results highlight the putative importance of selection at gene-rich genome regions, which might be under a common regulatory genetic control, as an evolutionary mechanism for rapid adaptation to the complexity of environmental challenges.

Jordan’s coming climate crisis will hit youth hard

Significance Young people, who will be most affected in their lifetimes, are disadvantaged by a lack of relevant education and information provision. They are also more preoccupied by immediate challenges of poverty and unemployment -- even though the country’s acute vulnerability means environmental challenges are already exacerbating these problems. Impacts Climate change will further undermine employment prospects, driving more young people to emigrate. Environmental deterioration will have most impact on the poorest, further worsening inequality. Water shortages will constitute an acute regional challenge, with spillover effects into and from neighbouring countries.

Assessing Crop Water Requirements and a Case for Renewable-Energy-Powered Pumping System for Wheat, Cotton, and Sorghum Crops in Sudan

Climate change is changing global weather patterns, with an increase in droughts expected to impact crop yields due to water scarcity. Crops can be provided with water via underground pumping systems to mitigate water shortages. However, the energy required to pump water tends to be expensive and hazardous to the environment. This paper explores different sites in Sudan to assess the crop water requirements as the first stage of developing renewable energy sources based on water pumping systems. The crop water requirements are calculated for different crops using the CROPWAT and CLIMWAT simulation tools from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. Further, the crop water requirements are translated into electrical energy requirements. Accurate calculations of the energy needed will help in developing cost-effective energy systems that can help in improving yields and reducing carbon emissions. The results suggest that the northern regions tend to have higher energy demands and that the potential for renewable energy should be explored in these regions, which are more susceptible to drought and where crops tend to be under higher stress due to adverse climate conditions.

How might climate change affect river flows across West Africa?

West Africa and its semi-arid Sahelian region are one of the world’s most vulnerable regions to climate change with a history of extreme climate variability. There is still considerable uncertainty as to how projected climate change will affect precipitation at local and regional scales and the consequent impact on river flows and water resources across West Africa. Here, we aim to address this uncertainty by configuring a regional-scale hydrological model to West Africa. The model (hydrological modelling framework for West Africa—HMF-WA) simulates spatially consistent river flows on a 0.1° × 0.1° grid (approximately 10 km × 10 km) continuously across the whole domain and includes estimates of anthropogenic water use, wetland inundation, and local hydrological features such as endorheic regions. Regional-scale hydrological simulations driven by observed weather data are assessed against observed flows before undertaking an analysis of the impact of projected future climate scenarios from the CMIP5 on river flows up to the end of the twenty-first century. The results indicate that projected future changes in river flows are highly spatially variable across West Africa, particularly across the Sahelian region where the predicted changes are more pronounced. The study shows that median peak flows are projected to decrease by 23% in the west (e.g. Senegal) and increase by 80% in the eastern region (e.g. Chad) by the 2050s. The projected reductions in river flows in western Sahel lead to future droughts and water shortages more likely, while in the eastern Sahel, projected increases lead to future frequent floods.

Two Simultaneous Leak Diagnosis in Pipelines Based on Input–Output Numerical Differentiation

This paper addresses the two simultaneous leak diagnosis problem in pipelines based on a state vector reconstruction as a strategy to improve water shortages in large cities by only considering the availability of the flow rate and pressure head measurements at both ends of the pipeline. The proposed algorithm considers the parameters of both leaks as new state variables with constant dynamics, which results in an extended state representation. By applying a suitable persistent input, an invertible mapping in x can be obtained as a function of the input and output, including their time derivatives of the third-order. The state vector can then be reconstructed by means of an algebraic-like observer through the computation of time derivatives using a Numerical Differentiation with Annihilatorsconsidering its inherent noise rejection properties. Experimental results showed that leak parameters were reconstructed with accuracy using a test bed plant built at Cinvestav Guadalajara.

The Identification of Risks for Drinking Water Intakes in Urbanized Area: The Case Study of Toruń (Central Poland)

This article discusses the problem of natural hazards connected with climatic changes and their influence on water safety. A medium-sized town in central Poland which is supplied with consumption water from both underground water intakes and surface water resources was selected as a case study. Natural hazards, such as droughts or floods, were identified and the risk of the occurrence of natural hazards concerning water supply systems assessed. The findings of the archived data analysis for the period 1971–2020 helped to identify extreme circumstances, the occurrence of which had an impact on secure water supplies in terms of quantity. Moreover, the results obtained indicate that the greatest influence had all the situations connected with the Drwęca low water discharge, which in the long term could lead to temporary water shortages. In the analyzed period, there was a significant increase in the number of days without precipitation, together with a statistically significant increase in the average annual air temperature. Meteorological hazards related to days without precipitation far outweighed the occurrence of days with intense precipitation. The analysis of water table fluctuations observed at the Jedwabno infiltration intake showed a high sensitivity of the aquifer to atmospheric conditions.

The effectiveness of SuDS measures in reducing the rainwater runoff from urbanized areas

Over the last few years, climate change is one of the most important phenomena in the 21st century. It is bringing significant changes and negatively affecting the environment. This unwanted phenom causes substantial changes in climatic and hydrological characteristics that are manifested mainly in urban agglomerations. It affects extreme weather changes, the occurrence of natural disasters, water shortages, and other phenomena threatening the quality of the environment. On the other hand, there are measures close to nature based on the sustainable development of urbanized areas. Their main goal is to reduce the volume and rate of runoff and the concentration of undesirable substances in rain runoff from urban areas. Therefore, in the research study, we focus on evaluating published studies that have adopted the SuDS practices. We will compare the effectiveness of SuDS measures in capturing flood peak from surface runoff, pollution loads, and their impact on water quality. The result of this study could help select SuDS measures depending on the need to address the problem in the river basin.