Background: Numerous epidemiological studies have demonstrated a possible correlation between high temperature and mortality in different settings. Most of these studies have focused on urban settings in industrialized countries, concluding that urban populations are more vulnerable to heat effects than rural populations. This has mainly been attributed to the urban heat island (UHI) effect, a phenomenon which explains the elevated temperatures in urban areas. Others have contradicted this finding and concluded that rural residents are more vulnerable. For this study, we test the hypothesis that rural populations and sub-populations are also vulnerable to heat mortality. Method: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar to identify peer-reviewed studies investigating heat mortality in rural settings. Using keywords and a set of rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria, ten studies were selected. Meta-analysis was then performed using the Comprehensive MetaAnalysis V3.exe software. Results and discussion: The pooled relative risk (RR) was 1.191 (95% confidence interval: 1.130-1.251). Although rural populations may not be exposed to as high temperatures as urban populations, they remain vulnerable to heat effects. Conclusion: There is evidence of heat vulnerability in rural populations and subpopulations. Heat vulnerability is not only determined by heat exposure, but also by sensitivity and adaptive capacity. Rural populations and sub-populations may be vulnerable to heat mortality due to low adaptive capacity. Further studies are needed to assess risk factors that predispose rural populations and sub-populations to heat mortality in order to develop effective public health interventions.

River basins provide essential services for both humans and ecosystems. Understanding the connections between ecosystems and society and their function has been at the heart of resilience studies and has become an increasing important endeavor in research and practice. In this dissertation, I define basin resilience as a river basin system's capacity to absorb, manage, and adapt to biophysical, social-economic, and political changes (or stressors) while still maintaining its essential structure, feedbacks, and functional integrity. I address the question of resilience, scale, and development in the Mekong and Columbia River Basins. This dissertation answers the following questions: 1) is systems theory an appropriate model to evaluate basin resilience, 2) is the Mekong Basin resilient, 3) are the Mekong and Columbia River Basins resilient across multiple scales, 4) can conflict management and collaborative learning enhance resilience, 5) can a resilience framework be used for basin comparisons, and 6) what lessons can the Mekong basin take from rapid development in the Columbia basin? In Chapter 2, I create and apply a social-ecological systems (SES) model of the Mekong River Basin to assess resilience at sub-basin (provincial), watershed (national), and basin (regional) scales. Feedbacks, thresholds, vulnerability, and adaptive capacity are determined and used as inputs into an overall basin resilience assessment. Drawing upon field work done in the Mekong Basin, Chapter 3 uses Conflict Management and Collaborative Learning processes to address resilience weaknesses across multiple scales in the Mekong Basin. Chapter 4 uses the basin resilience framework to compare the Mekong and Columbia Basins against physical characteristics, development rate, conflict and cooperation, and institutional responses to development projects. In this dissertation I find the Mekong has medium-low basin resilience and that scale is a critical determinant in basin resilience assessments. I find that in this study, vulnerability is inversely proportional to resilience, and low resilience at one scale, for example fisheries in the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia, decreases resilience for the entire basin. I find that Cambodia and Lao PDR are the least resilience and Thailand the most resilient countries in the Mekong Basin ��� Thailand more resilient in some sectors than the Mekong River Commission (MRC). I find that the MRC's conflict management strategy is hampered by a restrictive mandate and weakness in capacity building at tributary and national scales but that Collaborative Learning processes are effective in enhancing resilience at the sub-basin scale. Finally, I demonstrate through the basin comparison that the Mekong has a highly resilient biophysical system and traditionally a resilient institutional system however, the proposed rate of development is unsustainable with trends indicating a significant erosion of resilience. I find the Columbia Basin lacking resilience in fishing, hydropower, and water quality ��� sectors mitigating the effects of development in the Columbia Basin, manifesting as overall negative trends in cooperation. However, the Columbia shows signs of increasing cooperation due recent inclusion of Tribal Nations in water management. Flexible and inclusive institutional responses to water resource development challenges, in the Mekong to rapid development on the mainstream and in the Columbia to negotiations over renewal of the Columbia River Treaty, are key determinants to whether or not each basin can halt the current negative trends and strengthen basin resilience to face the challenges now and those coming in the future. / Graduation date: 2013

No description available.

Agricultural production has contributed over time to food security and rural economic development in developing countries particularly supporting the countryside. Evidence show that crop yields are declining in the Lower River Benue Basin of Nigeria. This study conducted a land use evaluation and suitability mapping for production of yam, cassava and also assessed the possible socioeconomic impediments that may hinder or enhance sustainable agricultural development in the Lower River Benue Basin. The study adopted physical assessments and socioeconomic approach coupled with mapping which incorporated processing of satellite imagery. Statistical methods were used to measure the status, trends, level of dispersion, and relationships between the variables of physical and socioeconomic parameters. Modelling techniques for determining potential impacts assessment, agricultural suitability index, adaptive capacity index, finally producing suitability maps. Geo-informatics processes were used to produce a digital elevation model, land use and land cover map, and normalised difference vegetation index map. The results were thematic maps, weighted percentages of attribute data, and suitability maps produced through weighted overlay. An intensive analysis of climatological data depicted a progressive intensity of rainfall, and a decreasing trend in the number of rain days; a gradual temperature rise; and high relative humidity during the planting season which is about 168 days. Laboratory analysis show that soils in the study area require fertility enhancement with inorganic fertilisers to encourage better crop yield. Results show that the Lower River Benue Basin is suitable for yam, cassava, and rice cultivation as classified on maps of suitable areas. Rice had the highest suitability percentages (38.30%). The study area was found to be moderately suitable for each of the crops examined by more than 40% for each crop. Cassava had the least suitability percentages (34.47%). Evidence suggests that agricultural development in the Lower River Benue Basin is under threat from potential impacts of climate variability and change, population growth, and infectious diseases. The agricultural suitability index of the study area regards the study area as suitable (70.5%) and the adaptive capacity index of the study area was moderate (50.83%), but it was found that serious attention need to be given to farm technology and infrastructure. Mitigation strategies and recommendations which are beneficial to the sustainable development of agriculture have been provided in line with the established characteristics of the Lower River Benue Basin. / Environmental Sciences / D. Phil. (Environmental Management)

Different challenges arising from increasingly uncertain and unpredictable environmental and economicconditions have been shifting the focus of public governance and socio-economic development. Morerecently, empirical studies have demonstrated a transitional epoch in which humanity is currently in: TheAnthropocene, as well as its harmful effects that degrade the biosphere, and thus our economic, political,social well-being. The casual dynamics of climate change and its impacts on life-supporting ecosystemshas increasingly been recognized by a resilient approach which incorporates adaptive processes andschemes, allowing public governance to embrace the changes rather than control uncertainty. Thisresearch introduces the interwoven concepts of adaptive capacity, adaptive governance, and resiliencewithin a social and environmental framework. It provides a review of how these concepts support aparadigm shift to mitigating current and future challenges—understood through a multidisciplinaryapproach, and how scholars have sought to develop a blueprint to improve the need to foster and mobilizeadaptive capacity within the governance of the commons. In Sweden, key governmental and businessleaders have shown the ability to foster environmental governance that is capable of developing analternative form of planning, implementing, and managing public policy. Moreover, Sweden’s concertedmultilevel governance and public policy efforts have promoted an all-encompassing generational, mainlythrough: coordinated environmental policies and private, public, and civil society partnerships. Theseinitiatives have led to innovative technologies and projects (e.g. urban vertical farming technology) as wellas cross collaboration and integration of companies and industries in order to achieve economic, social,and environmentally symbiosis.

Longtemps laissée pour compte dans les réponses au changement climatique, l’adaptation prend aujourd’hui tout son sens. Confrontées aux premiers impacts du changement climatique et aux projections de plus en plus alarmantes, les sociétés commencent à se questionner sur les possibilités d’ajuster leurs activités à ces modifications d’une rapidité sans précédent. Bien davantage qu’un processus technique, l’adaptation au changement climatique peut être considérée comme un phénomène social se déroulant en interaction avec de nombreuses autres évolutions sociétales. <p><p>Cette thèse en sciences et gestion de l’environnement s’intéresse à la problématique de l’adaptation au changement climatique en Wallonie, dans le secteur de la foresterie et, en partie, de la filière bois. En nous appuyant sur les apports de la littérature théorique, nous appréhendons la pratique de l’adaptation de manière empirique, en nous concentrant d’abord sur une catégorie spécifique d’acteurs de la gestion forestière :les propriétaires forestiers privés. Une enquête qualitative approfondie a permis d’identifier différentes formes d’intégration de l’adaptation au sein de la gestion forestière, concrétisées par diverses mesures sylvicoles. Ces analyses ont abouti à l’élaboration d’une typologie de profils de propriétaires forestiers en fonction de leurs modes d’action en matière d’adaptation. Grâce à ces premiers résultats, nous avons pu investiguer la capacité d’adaptation de ces acteurs forestiers, comprise comme l’aptitude à s’ajuster aux dommages ou opportunités du changement climatique. Plusieurs variables d’influence ont été identifiées, révélant la portée multifactorielle du concept de capacité d’adaptation. <p>Ensuite, la focale de la recherche s’est élargie pour étudier les processus d’intégration de la question de l’adaptation au changement climatique à l’œuvre à d’autres niveaux de la filière forêt-bois wallonne. A travers une revue documentaire, des interviews et de l’observation non-participante, nous avons mené une analyse des représentations de la problématique de l’adaptation et des initiatives concrètes qui se mettent en place au sein de plusieurs organisations (administrations publiques, asbl de sensibilisation et de vulgarisation, instituts de formation, fédérations professionnelles et entreprises privées) de la gestion forestière et de la transformation du bois. Ce travail a révélé l’existence – ou l’absence – de différentes conceptions (cadrages) de l’adaptation selon les acteurs investigués, révélant des influences sur les possibilités d’options d’adaptation actuellement encouragées ou freinées. Ces apports nous ont permis d’alimenter notre analyse de la capacité d’adaptation des propriétaires forestiers privés, montrant la pertinence de notre approche multi-scalaire. <p>Finalement, les résultats de cette thèse nous amènent à nous interroger sur les diverses stratégies qui peuvent être associées à de l’adaptation au changement climatique, sur le « succès » des différentes trajectoires possibles et sur leurs dénominations qui sont loin d’être neutres (telle que la notion de « sans regret »). <p><p><p><p><p><p><p>For a long time adaptation has been neglected in the responses to climate change. Now facing the early impacts of climate change and its increasingly alarming projections, societies are beginning to question the possibility to adjust their activities to these changes characterized by an unprecedented speed. Much more than a technical process, adaptation to climate change can be seen as a social phenomenon occurring in interaction with many other societal changes.<p><p>This doctoral thesis in environmental science and management focuses on the issue of climate change adaptation in Wallonia, in the forestry sector and, partially, the timber industry. In strong interaction with the theoretical literature, we understand the practice of adaptation empirically, focusing firstly on a specific category of actors in forest management: private forest owners. Through an in-depth qualitative study, we identified different forms of integration of adaptation in forest management, materialized by various silvicultural measures. This analysis led to the development of a typology of different profiles of private forest owners according to their modes of action on adaptation. Then we investigated the adaptive capacity of these forest actors, understood as the ability to adjust to damage or opportunities of climate change. Several influencing variables were identified, revealing the multifactoriality of the concept of adaptive capacity.<p>Secondly, the focus of the research was extended to study the process of mainstreaming climate change adaptation at other levels of the Walloon forest and timber sectors. Through a literature review, interviews and non-participant observation, we conducted an analysis of representations related to adaptation and the concrete initiatives that are being implemented in several forest and timber organizations (governmental departments, non-profit associations, training institutes, professional federations and entreprises). This work has showed the existence – or the absence – of different framings of adaptation according to the actors, revealing influences on the adaptive options that are currently promoted or hindered. These contributions have enriched our analysis of the private forest owners’ adaptive capacity, confirming the relevance of our multi-scalar approach. <p>Finally, the results of this thesis make us asking ourselves about the various strategies that can be associated with climate change adaptation, the "success" of different possible adaptive trajectories and their designations that are far from neutral (such as the notion of “no regret” measures).<p> / Doctorat en Sciences / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

BC Hydro’s Water Use Planning (WUP) process is one of the world’s most comprehensive hydroelectric dam operational reviews and has served as a model to revise hydropower operating plans with the participation of an inclusive range of stakeholders, rights holders, and the use of up-to-date scientific information, that meets social and environmental goals alongside economic targets. In 2000, BC Hydro initiated a WUP process in the Jordan River watershed. This watershed hosts a wide diversity of water users, including active resource industry stakeholders (mining, forestry, and hydropower), Indigenous rights holders, and rural community citizens; which is representative of watersheds in British Columbia with established WUPs. BC Hydro finalized the Jordan River WUP in 2003, which focuses on establishing critical freshwater flows for fish habitat and achieving specific recreational values of the local community. However, numerous other issues still remain that were beyond the scope of the WUP process, including water quality concerns that were continually brought up by citizens during the consultative process of the WUP. In addition to these concerns, biological monitoring following the implementation of the WUP suggests that contamination from an inactive copper mine has affected and altered sensitive water quality parameters for a healthy Pacific salmon habitat in Jordan River. Yet, there has not been an extensive water quality study conducted that examines the spatial or seasonal water quality extents of the mining contamination in Jordan River, specifically copper. Consequently, fourteen years after the creation of the WUP, local advocates are still struggling to have their concerns heard by the entity responsible for freshwater flow, BC Hydro, alongside federal and provincial government agencies. Advocates are calling for the creation of a watershed-based group as a mechanism for having greater influence in water planning and governance processes. This study explores the research question: if and how has the WUP process contributed to creating watershed governance capacity? This social science thesis project employs a mixed-methods approach using both quantitative and qualitative data. The study includes a document review of relevant water governance literature and focuses on examining the freshwater quality of the Jordan River. Water quality samples were collected over a five-week period from five sites on the Jordan River beginning in September and concluding in October of 2015 during the most sensitive periods of salmon spawning activity in the lower reaches of the Jordan River. Spatial and seasonal water quality trends were identified, and analysis concluded that copper is the primary contaminate affecting the productivity of a healthy salmon habitat in the Jordan River. Acid mine drainage (AMD) processes were identified throughout the water quality data and are strongly influenced by the proximity of existing mine waste piles sourced from an abandoned copper mine, and unnatural anthropogenic flows from the three BC Hydro dams present in the Jordan River system. The final stage of the research project focuses on assessing the adaptive capacity in the watershed to address the issues of concern outlined in the WUP. There is a current movement to create watershed organizations that are formally supported through new legislation in British Columbia, but questions remain about the capacities of these watershed communities to sustain such a formal institution and if these watershed communities are ready to successfully implement a local watershed governance model. The Gupta et al. (2010) six adaptive capacity dimensions provide a logical framework to explore if these capacities are present such that it could be expected that local watershed organizations would be effective as society adapts to more watershed-based governance approaches. Thirteen semi-structured interviews were conducted from October 2016 to February 2017. Interviews and observational data focused on the WUP process and prospective and current members of the Jordan Watershed Round Table (JWRT). The research evaluated whether these six adaptive capacity dimensions are present in watershed communities that have been subjected to water management processes, specifically the WUP program. Overall, the research concluded that the WUP has contributed to some adaptive capacity for watershed governance in the Jordan River, specifically on building the adaptive capacity dimensions: variety, learning capacity, room for autonomous change, leadership, and resources within the JWRT. / Graduate

The study investigates the contribution of WDM towards mitigating scarcity of potable water in cities with particular reference to Bulawayo.WDM origins and its successes are traced. The study classifies scarcity representations into four categories and reveals that the scarcity in Bulawayo satisfies all the four representations hence calls it total scarcity. The research employed document study, questionnaires, interviews and a focus group to collect data. Document study revealed that water restrictions successfully mitigate the scarcity in Bulawayo. Field work partially confirmed the usefulness of WDM in the life of the city and revealed the need to synchronize the conceptualizations of WDM among different stakeholders in order for the paradigm to do even more in terms of mitigating scarcity. The results were interpreted in terms of TPB. The key recommendation of the study is that the city invests in water use behaviour change in order to realise huge water savings. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

The study investigates the contribution of WDM towards mitigating scarcity of potable water in cities with particular reference to Bulawayo.WDM origins and its successes are traced. The study classifies scarcity representations into four categories and reveals that the scarcity in Bulawayo satisfies all the four representations hence calls it total scarcity. The research employed document study, questionnaires, interviews and a focus group to collect data. Document study revealed that water restrictions successfully mitigate the scarcity in Bulawayo. Field work partially confirmed the usefulness of WDM in the life of the city and revealed the need to synchronize the conceptualizations of WDM among different stakeholders in order for the paradigm to do even more in terms of mitigating scarcity. The results were interpreted in terms of TPB. The key recommendation of the study is that the city invests in water use behaviour change in order to realise huge water savings. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)