The Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Coronavirus Pandemic on Ecological Security and the Development of International Environmental Policy

The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on the global economy. In 2020, due to the pandemic, many countries experienced an economic recession, an increase in unemployment, a decline in the economic activity of numerous companies and enterprises, and, consequently, an economic crisis. Due to the decline in economic activity during the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 a decrease in the level of environmental pollution took place. However, this decline was short-term and relatively small. Therefore, the pandemic did not slow the process of global warming. Scientific research dedicated to climate change shows that the global warming process has commenced a strong upward trend. In order to slow down the ever faster global warming process, it is necessary to reduce all or most of greenhouse gas emissions in the shortest time possible, including through the development of renewable energy sources. The global socio-economic crisis caused by the development of the COVID-19 pandemic should significantly change the pro-ecological awareness of people and the need to implement sustainable development in economic processes and everyday functioning of people. In the first half of November 2021, the UN Climate Summit COP26 Climate Conference was held in Glasgow, Scotland. To save the climate and biosphere of planet Earth, it is crucial what we will do in the decade of the 20s of the current twenty-first century. These issues were raised during the debates and discussions held during the abovementioned UN Climate Summit COP26. However, the declarations made by individual countries of the world regarding the calendar of achieving zero emissions indicate that the subject is not treated very seriously by governments in many countries. It is necessary to increase international cooperation in the implementation of global pro-environmental policy.

A tale of three cities: climate heterogeneity

Professor Dolado has developed much of his professional career in three cities: Zaragoza, Oxford and Madrid. This fact, together with the recent appearance of literature relating climate with human behavior, has inspired us to analyze a set of relevant climate change issues linked to these areas, particularly any possible heterogeneity. The novel methodology proposed in (Gadea Rivas and Gonzalo in J Econom 214:153–174, 2020a for analyzing a wide range of characteristics of the temperature distribution (converting them into time series objects), instead of focusing solely on the mean, allows us to carry out this analysis . Using this methodology, we can identify local warming patterns within the global warming phenomenon of different types and intensities. The results show that there is a clear warming process in the three areas. The two Spanish cities (Zaragoza and Madrid) have many similarities, but Oxford fits into a different type of warming category. The former are characterized by higher trends in the upper quantiles than in the lower, an increase in dispersion, acceleration and an “upper amplification” with respect to the mean. In Oxford, the type of climate change is different, displaying higher trends in the lower quantiles, a weak negative trend in dispersion, “lower amplification” and a more attenuated acceleration in recent decades. There is no doubt that a better knowledge of local warming heterogeneity is recommendable for the design of more effective mitigation policies. The influence of the climate on human behavior and, specifically, on Professor Dolado’s personality, takes us into lesser-known regions which are left for the reader to discern.

Advers Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity and Natural Disasters

Reserved areas play vital role in preserving biodiversity and mitigating threats to climate change at local and world levels. Climate change that is already observed in many parts of the planet is the biggest and most horrible perspective facing our planet in near future. Adverse climate change processes are observed in Georgia too. In last decades biodiversity loss and increased natural disasters frequently take place. Scientists warn that if we will not be able to stop warming process at 1.50C we cannot be able to avoid unpredictable and irreversible consequences. Ecologists agree that enlargement of the existed reserved areas and creation of new ones will help to preserve biodiversity and mitigate climate change. They propose to enlarge the existed reserved areas up to 30% by 2030 and designate 20% of territory under strict monitoring [1]. At the same time we are sure that most of the local governments will not be happy by implementation of this idea and we believe that it must be supported and monitored by international nongovernmental organizations.

KREATIVITAS DAN PEMBELAJARAN CS MARCHINGBLEK UNIVERSITAS KRISTEN SATYA WACANA

CS Marchingblek merupakan kelompok marchingband dari Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana Salatiga dan memiliki keunikan dalam penggunaan instrumen musiknya. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk memahami proses kreativitas dan pembelajaran CS Marchingblek yang dianalisis menggunakan teori kreativitas Rhodes dengan metode penelitiannya kualitatif deskriptif. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kreativitas penciptaan CS Marchingblek dikarenakan adanya relasi antar individu (person) yaitu Girindra, Yakub, dan Kimpul yang memiliki pengetahuan dan pengalaman musik untuk menyelesaikan permasalahan kurang meriahnya pawai budaya dan mengangkat isu tentang global warming (process). Hal itu merupakan bagian dari motivasi terciptanya kreativitas (press) yaitu masalah sampah dan kesan terhadap pawai OMB yang kurang meriah. Sehingga penyelesaian masalah tersebut menghasilkan sebuah objek (product) yaitu berupa CS Marchingblek. Sedangkan proses pembelajaran CS Marchingblek menggunakan metode praktik dan audio visual dengan memanfaatkan platform YouTube. Dalam pembelajaran praktik, instruktur memberikan contoh tentang cara memainkan masing-masing alat musik dan pola-pola permainannya untuk dapat ditiru oleh mahasiswa baru. Selain melalui tatap muka, dilakukan juga pemberian video tutorial yang diunggah melalui platform YouTube untuk memudahkan mahasiswa baru dapat mengakses dimana dan kapan saja. CS Marchingblek tidak hanya mengajarkan tentang bermain musik, namun juga pendidikan karakter seperti kedisiplinan, kepedulian manusia dan lingkungan, serta kesederhanaan hidup yang bermanfaat.

Permafrost degradation monitoring by InSAR at different spatial resolution in Sanjiangyuan region, China

<p>Sanjiangyuan, as the Chinese ‘water tank’, is located in Qinghai province, China. It is the fountainhead of yellow river, Yangzi river and Lancang river. Therefore, it’s extraordinary valuable to the environment of China and Asia. The continuous permafrost spreads widely in this area. With the global warming process, the degradation of permafrost becomes faster and consequently changes the distribution of vegetation and hydrological cycle.</p><p>In this study, we use Persistent Scatterer InSAR (PSI) technique to efficiently detect the seasonal settlement around Elin lake and Zhaling lake, which are the main parts of Sanjiangyuan region. The subsidence was analyzed by processing 56 Sentinel-1 SAR images from 2015 to 2019 using SNAP and StaMPS. The results were then inverted to derive the corresponding active layer thickness over this region. Moreover, in order to investigate the detailed influence of degradation on infrastructures, we analyzed 3m resolution TerraSAR-X images in StripMap mode from May to October 2015 to get the heterogeneous subsidence along the Gonghe-Yushu road. Results indicate mean subsidence rates exceeding 4 cm/yr along the Gonghe-Yushu road .</p><p> </p><p> </p>

The Importance of Heat Emission Caused by Global Energy Production in Terms of Climate Impact

The global warming phenomenon is commonly associated with the emission of greenhouse gases. However, there may be other factors related to industry and global energy production which cause climate change—for example, heat emission caused by the production of any useful form of energy. This paper discussed the importance of heat emission—the final result of various forms of energy produced by our civilization. Does the emission also influence the climate warming process, i.e., the well-known greenhouse effect? To answer this question, the global heat production was compared to total solar energy, which reaches the Earth. The paper also analyzed the current global energy market. It shows how much energy is produced and consumed, as well as the directions for further development of the energy market. These analyses made it possible to verify the assumed hypothesis.