The relationships among energetics, environment and associated climatic changes is beginning to be a subject of a complex interest of not just science but also politics and law. The reason for this is the fact that we are now at a breaking point of the development of mankind and our future steps will significantly influence its path. To obtain the energy man cannot live without, we frequently use fossil fuels, producing greenhouse gases that are warming our planet. This situation needs to change. We either find a sustainable solution or we will cause a catastrophe. The energetics must not be the cause, it has to be the solution as well. One of possible solutions for this problem is the law. It is not a stand-alone solution but it is a fundamental one nonetheless. To come up with an effective solution, a large-scale cooperation is necessary in politics, science, economics and in society as well - and there is not much time to come up with it. Keywords: energetics, environment, climate change

This dissertation examines the impacts of climate- and environment-related stress on migration from other sub-Saharan African countries to South Africa, which is a prominent destination for migrants. It describes the factors and processes that influenced migration decisions and provides insights into the experiences of these individuals before, during, and after migration. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with migrants from several sub-Saharan African countries now residing in South Africa’s Gauteng province, as well as key informants with expertise on migration, climate change, and environmental problems in Africa. Additional information was gathered from secondary material, such as reports, grey literature, and academic publications. The principle finding is that, although climatic and environmental stresses are not the primary drivers for migration to South Africa, they play a clear contributing role, both directly and indirectly. The direct contributions included drought, land degradation, floods, and erratic rainfall. Such environmental drivers for migration did not occur in isolation, instead, they were found to frequently intersect with various economic, political, social, and demographic drivers. Indirect contributions were largely through negative impacts on economic and political factors that became direct drivers for migration. Whether people respond to these adverse conditions by migrating depends on a number of factors that can be divided into three areas: intervening obstacles and facilitators of migration, personal and household characteristics, and expectations of the destination. Although some migrants in the re-search sample had experienced improvements in their quality of life since they had migrated to South Africa, the majority of migrants indicated that their lives were still characterised by insecurity, precariousness, and hopelessness. / Dissertation (MSocSci (Development Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Anthropology and Archaeology / MSocSci (Development Studies) / Unrestricted

The complex relationship between human societies and the environment has become a thriving field of research over the past three decades. The contribution of human osteoarchaeology to exploring this relationship, however, has been rather limited. Two unpublished late medieval skeletal assemblages unearthed in the historical centres of Bucharest and Braşov (located in southern and north-central Romania respectively) seemed ideal choices for investigating the impact of substantial climatic and environmental changes that took place worldwide between the 14th and the 18th century AD. As witnessed by medieval artistic and documentary sources, this unsettled climate was mirrored by human populations with social and political instability, epidemics, famine, but also through the rise of new cultural movements. The analysis of over 600 individuals (a minimum number of 421 individuals from Bucharest and 206 from Braşov) was carried out to: 1) Provide a thorough osteological analysis, and compare and test statistically the collected data to reconstruct demographic and pathological patterning; 2) Identify ‘skeletal environmental markers’, i.e. possible indicators of the effect of climatic shifts on the human body; 3) Cross-reference osteological, archaeological, historical and climatological data in order to present a robust biocultural assessment of the impact of environmental and historical events on the Romanian population during the Middle Ages. The identification of low life-expectancy, higher mortality rates for children and young adults and general high morbidity levels were in line with other studies on medieval populations. However, evidence for a high prevalence of specific physiological and psychological stress markers was observed in these two geographically, culturally and economically different urban communities. As a strong mortality- and morbidity-shaping factor, the detrimental effect of climate anomalies is one of the main explanations for such findings, and is supported by medieval historical sources and recent advances in Romanian climatological studies. Despite some limitations (i.e. incomplete chronological information for most of the burial contexts, minimal local historical sources, lack of funding for isotopic analyses, and time constraints), the results of the present study have offered a new perspective on the relationship between Romanian medieval populations and their living environment, and have shown the enormous potential of interdisciplinary bioarchaeological research in Romania.

This thesis describes the growth of European olive (Olea europaea L.) at three different trial sites located near Laverton, in the north-eastern Goldfields region of Western Australia. The local region comprises part ofthe rangelands area of Australia and has a semi-arid climate. The initial reason for planting olives was indirectly related to the rapid decrease in the local population and the economic downturn that resulted within that community during the late 1990's. This prompted an investigation into other possibilities for economic diversity for remote communities such as Laverton, which are located in the rangelands area of Australia. In Australia, much of the southern and eastern areas of the country have similar climate to traditional olive growing areas in Europe. [n the rangelands however, the environment is different to most other areas in the world where olive trees are grown and there is a notable absence of a commercial olive industry. Whilst locally, individual trees were also observed to be growing well and fruiting abundantly, it is not known whether it is possible to grow olive trees successfully on a commercial scale. Two preliminary trials were established in an ad-hoc manner, to examine whether olive trees could be grown successfully in the rangelands environment. Eighty-eight trees of 5 different cultivars were planted on a shallow, clay soil profile at the first trial site. Ninety-eight trees of 11 different cultivar were planted on a deep sand soil profile at the second site. Higher mortality rate occurred at the first site, with most tree deaths being recorded in the first two years. Peak growth of branch tips occurred during the spring-summer seasons at both sites. Differences in trial design and timing of planting prevented statistical comparison of growth performance between sites however. / A third olive trial, consisting of 3 olive groves was established according to randomised design. In the north and middle groves, 54 trees of 3 different cultivar were planted on a deep alluvial soil profile. In the south grove, 53 trees of 3 different cultivar were planted on a shallow clay soil profile. High mortality rates were recorded at all 3 groves during the first year, as a result of high salinity levels in irrigation water during the establishment period. Overall, most tree mortality was recorded at the south grove. Significantly higher growth performance occurred within the deeper alluvial soil profile at the north and middle groves, compared to the shallow clay soil profile in the south grove. Negligible olive fruit production occurred at the first site. At the second site, small quantities of olive fruit were produced during some seasons only. No olive fruit production occurred at any grove at the randomized site. Successful fruit formation appears directly related to tree health, as a function of water supply. Ripening of olive fruit occurred earlier than at other more temperate olive growing areas of Australia. Similar major and trace element deficiencies occurred at all sites, interpreted to be a function of universal alkaline ground-water conditions. / This study failed to confirm conclusively, whether European olive could be grown successfully in the semi-arid climate, typical of much of the rangelands area of Australia. As a result of the study however, successful growth in this environment is confirmed to be highly dependent on three factors. Firstly, availability of reliable irrigation waters of sufficient quality. Secondly, choice of suitable soil types. Thirdly, selection of suitable cultivars. Quality of olive oil produced from fruit appears to be influenced by local climatic factors The study also highlighted the issues of land tenure, current management attitudes and level of support within the local community as having a direct and significant impact on the trial.

Seit den siebziger Jahren des vergangenen Jahrhunderts hat sich im Gebiet südlich der Stadt Gadarif im Ostsudan, am Ostende der Sahelzone gelegen, nicht nur infolge des Klimawandels, sondern auch aufgrund extremer agrarischer Nutzung eine signifikante Veränderung der Vegetationsbedeckung ergeben. Stark reduzierte Bodenerträge führten in den neunziger Jahren zu Stilllegungen von Ackerland. Mittels multitemporaler Satellitenbilddaten konnte die neuerliche Entwicklung der natürlichen Vegetationsverjüngung auf den Brachen nachgewiesen werden. Weiterer Schutz dieser Gebiete kann künftig die vollständige Regeneration der früheren Maximalvegetation eines Savannenwaldes zwischen den Äckern ermöglichen. Die festgestellten Landnutzungsbefunde werden mit den klimatischen Veränderungen in der östlichen Sahelzone in Verbindung gebracht. / The period since the 1970s has seen significant changes to the vegetation cover in the region south of the city of Gadarif in East Sudan, at the eastern end of the Sahel, due to both the current climate change and extreme agricultural use. Seriously degraded harvests led to the abandoning of agricultural land in the 1990s. By means of multi-temporal satellite imagery, it has been possible to demonstrate the development of vegetation renewal on such land. Further protection of the areas could permit complete future regeneration of the previous maximum natural vegetation of a savannah between the agricultural fields. The ascertained land use changes are linked to the climatic changes in the Eastern Sahel.

Since the second half of the 1990s a residential suburbanization process has occurred in the Czechia. Within the process residents move from cities to municipalities that are located in their outskirts. The general aim of the thesis is to evaluate the social environment in Kladno district which is change just as a consequence of the residential suburbanization process. Within the general aim, the thesis sets out three partial objectives: To characterize the process of residential suburbanization in Kladno district, to evaluate changes in the socio- spatial structure of Kladno district with the main focus on the suburban municipalities, and to evaluate the social environment in the selected suburban municipality in Kladno district. There are quantitative methods used in the work. To accomplish the first and second partial objectives is used the analysis of statistical data from Czech Statistical Office. To accomplish the third partial objective is used a questionnaire survey, which investigate how respondents interact with native and new residents and how they engage in social and political life in Buštěhrad. The thesis is based on concepts of social environment and community question. Key words: residential suburbanization, socio-spatial structure, social structure, social climate, social...

No description available.

The major purpose of this study is to evaluate the paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatological conditions during the Middle Miocene-Early Pliocene in Kalecik-Ankara by using mineralogical and geochemical proxies from Han&ccedil / ili Formation. To achieve a high-resolution paleoclimate data, 2 stratigraphic sectioning and 1 continous core drilling were examined. Field studies were followed by analytical techniques on the selected representative samples. The mineralogical compositions of the bulk samples and the minerals of the clay fractions were determined by X-ray diffractometer. Scanning electron microscopic analyses were also carried on the specific samples which have the potential to define the important microstructural units. The major and trace elemental compositions were determined by X-ray fluoresence spectrometer. Additionally, the stable isotope compositions of the samples selected from the continous core drilling on Han&ccedil / ili formation were among the major proxies to gather a paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatrological approach. All the proxies employed for this study clearly indicate that mineralogical and geochemical signatures are consistent with each other and can be used for paleoclimatic interpretations. The stable isotope values point that C4 plants were dominant during the deposition of Han&ccedil / ili Formation, while evaporation caused the development of alkaline environment which is seasonally dry with depositional temperature approximately between 25-30&deg / C. During deposition, lava flowand tuff were deposited due to the volcanic activity in the vicinity of the lake. Based on this volcanism, economical bentonite deposits were originated. The lake at which the Han&ccedil / ili formation was deposited, completed its development in a time to time silicate rich and salty-alkaline anvironment.

No description available.

Depuis les années 1970, les pays du Pacifique sont de plus en plus fréquemment touchés par des maladies vectorielles telles que la Dengue, le Chikungunya ou le Zika. Le contrôle de ces maladies nécessite la connaissance de leur distribution spatio-temporelle au sein de la population ainsi que la compréhension des facteurs et mécanismes, souvent multiples, régissant cette distribution. Dans cette thèse, nous nous intéressons à la modélisation spatio-temporelle des déterminants de la dynamique spatiale de la dengue à l'échelle régionale du Pacifique, l'échelle territoriale de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, et l'échelle d'une ville, Nouméa, capitale de la Nouvelle-Calédonie.Dans le Pacifique, la dengue survient sous la forme de vagues épidémiques successives dues à l'introduction et à la diffusion régionale d'un nouveau sérotype tous les cinq à sept ans. En Nouvelle-Calédonie, la dengue présente une dynamique épidémique saisonnière, le sérotype dominant étant celui circulant dans la région. L'émergence d'une épidémie nécessite des conditions climatiques précises, et un indicateur annuel prédictif du risque d'émergence est maintenant utilisé de manière opérationnelle par les autorités de santé. Sur le plan spatial, au cours d'une épidémie, en moyenne, la circulation du virus est plus intense dans les zones où la température moyenne ainsi que les densités locales de population sont élevées. Que ce soit sur le territoire entier ou dans la ville de Nouméa, lors de la ré-émergence d'un même sérotype, la diffusion spatiale du virus paraît limitée par l'immunité de population créée par les épidémies précédentes. Cette thèse permet de mettre en évidence la nature complexe et multi-factorielle des maladies vectorielles, et de souligner l'intérêt d'analyses multi-échelles pour l'étude de leur épidémiologie. Au-delà des résultats obtenus sur la dengue dans la région Pacifique, notre volonté était de développer un cadre méthodologique pour l'analyse spatio-temporelle des données de surveillance épidémiologique applicable à d'autres contextes géographiques ou épidémiologiques. / Since the 1970's, the frequency of vector-borne diseases such as Dengue, Chikungunya or Zika has significantly increased in the Pacific region. Understanding the factors and mechanisms underlying the spatio-temporal distribution of these diseases provides useful information regarding their control and prevention. In this thesis, we identified dengue spatio-temporal patterns and used modeling tools to identify the factors associated to an increased epidemiological risk at a regional scale (Pacific), a territorial scale (New-Caledonia), and a city scale (Noumea, the capital of New-Caledonia).Every five to seven years, dengue spreads over the entire Pacific as large epidemics caused by the introduction and regional diffusion of one of the four dengue virus serotypes. In New Caledonia, dengue has a seasonal epidemic pattern. The emergence of an epidemic requires specific climatic conditions. The identification of these conditions led to the implementation of an operational early warning system to predict dengue annual epidemic risk. Spatially, at the territorial scale, during epidemic years, high levels of viral circulation are found in areas with higher mean temperature and higher local population densities. Whether at the territorial scale or at the city scale, the spatial diffusion of the virus during epidemics caused by the re-emergence of the same serotype seems limited by the population immunity created by past epidemics. This thesis highlights the complexity and the multi-factorial aspect of vector-borne diseases, and discusses the usefulness of a multi-scale approach in modelling their epidemiology. Besides enhancing our understanding of dengue epidemiology over the Pacific area, we also developed a methodological framework that can be used in other geographical or epidemiological settings for the spatio-temporal analysis and modeling of epidemiological surveillance data.