Restoring Australia’s Freshwater Wetlands: Rural Landholder Perspectives

International audience

Climate change is a pervasive global issue that threatens the livelihoods and wellbeing of billions living globally. Climate change is a risk multiplier impacting all ecosystems, society, and sectors of the economy. The agriculture sector is one such sector that is highly vulnerable to changes in climate. In a country like Nepal where rainfed agriculture is a dominant occupation and a key pillar of the country’s economy, climate change brings risks and negative consequences for on-farm production, farmers' livelihoods as well as on the country’s development. The impacts of climate change including rising temperatures, an increase in the frequency or intensity of extreme weather events such as drought, and shifts in the rainfall seasonality, can cause a decline in food production and threaten the quality of food supplies, leading to reduced food security. The rise in the global population will increase global demand for food which implies that agriculture needs to boost production and increase yields, among other things. The unprecedented risks posed by climate change potentially undermine the ability of farms and farm holders to grow adequate and quality food. The severity of these risks varies due to a range of underlying factors including low economic development, their location, existing biophysical and socioeconomic conditions, and institutional arrangements. While the impacts of climate change on food production as well as agricultural practices in Nepal have been documented, there is a dearth in scholarly literature that has assessed the impacts of climate change on household food security in Nepal incorporating farmers’ perspectives and in particular smallholder subsistence farmers. Furthermore, there is only modest literature that has examined geographical variations in those experiences and understandings. This PhD study aimed, therefore, to investigate the effects of climate change on agricultural practices and food security, with a focus on subsistence smallholder farmers in three main agro- ecological zones of Nepal known as The Mountains, Hills, and the Terai. The study aimed to respond to the primary research question: How are Nepalese farming communities being impacted by climate change and how are they responding to ensure their continued food security? To answer this main research, question the study posed the following secondary research questions: Q1. How is climate changing and how is it impacting subsistence agriculture? Q2. What are the farmers experiencing and what is their understanding? a. Are there gender differences in understanding and experiencing? Q3. What is the state of food insecurity among these farmers? a. How is it being impacted by climate change? Q4. What adaptation strategies have been adopted by smallholder farmers to address threats to agricultural practices and food security from climate change and other pressures? Both the qualitative and qualitative data were collected using multiple methods to address the identified research questions. Methods included a narrative literature review, systematic review, face to face interviews with farmers, individual interviews with key informants and focus groups with the women's group. Climate data on temperature between 1971-2013 and rainfall between 1967-2013 were analysed. Additionally, secondary data on crop yield from 1980 to 2016 were also analysed to gain a better empirical understanding of the relations between climate change and yield pattern and to triangulate and validate the findings from the interviews. Quantitative data on cereal crop yields and climate data were systematically tabulated and further statistically analysed using software R. This study employed the Bayesian approach to statistical modelling. Besides, this study undertook an integrated risk assessment of food insecurity using the Bayesian Belief Network model to reflect how the risk of food insecurity is influenced under two scenarios: (1) current climate conditions and (2) the influences of different adaptation strategies employed. NVivo was used for content analysis for qualitative data obtained from the key informant interview and focus group data and analysis of transcripts from farmers' structured interviews. The findings showed that agricultural practices have undergone various changes over the past 30 years. Climate change impacts were experienced by farmers in all three agro-ecological zones of Nepal. However, the impacts varied between these zones in terms of frequency and intensity. The effect of climate change was highly pronounced in the Mountains zone followed by the Hills and the Terai. The results confirmed that rural subsistence smallholder farmers dependent on rainfed agriculture are vulnerable to climate change impacts. Moreover, it disproportionately affects the poor farmers whose income hinges solely on agriculture and associated activities. Boosting agricultural production and empowering these smallholders is key to enhancing their food security. The experiences reported by farmers are well aligned with the trend of the climatic variables obtained from climate data analysis, highlighting the importance of perception-based survey in complementing climate research. The study demonstrated both the climatic and non-climatic factors are affecting agricultural practices as well as household food security of these farming communities. It is, therefore, difficult to isolate the influence of any of these factors. This was supported by the findings from the risk assessment undertaken by Bayesian modelling. Based on Bayesian modelling, the smallholder farmers mainly at the Mountain zone were at the risk of food insecurity. The measures to increase the adaptive capacity of these smallholders were found to help them manage the risk of food insecurity. Addressing the complicated and multifaceted concerns of climate change and food security needs multidisciplinary and multisectoral adaptation interventions acknowledging underlying biophysical, social, economic, geographical and environmental circumstances. Farmers have taken some actions to adapt and reduce the worsening impacts of climate change. Nevertheless, farmers encountered several barriers in effectively adapting to climate change. This study concluded there is an urgent need for a transformative level of intervention that warrants a coordinated action and collaboration between relevant stakeholders working in this field, including governments and non-governmental organizations, to target the most vulnerable and the needy smallholder farmers addressing the constraints and pressures they face. Policy and decision-makers should work extensively and sensitively with smallholders to ensure the maintenance of their livelihood and to guarantee their food security. Combining local and scientific knowledge is needed to help direct research and tailor adaptation solutions that meet local conditions and needs.

<p>Climate change, manifested as temperature rise and rainfall change, will pose significant challenges to rice farmers, leading to a possible rice shortage under a changing climate. This research aims to understand the impacts of climate variability and change on rice production through the rest of this century using Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios, and combination of statistical and system dynamic modelling. The area of study is West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Wetland and dryland farming types are assessed separately because they have different rice varieties and different agricultural practices. Overall, the research seeks to answer the question: How will climate change and climate variability affect rice production? Additional questions investigated are (1) What are the most significant supply uncertainties associated with a changing climate? and (2) What are possible solutions for reducing the impacts of climate change on rice production?. To answer these research questions, this study deals with three main research areas. First, based on observed data (1976-2011), this study developed regression-based statistical models in understanding the impacts of climate change on rice yield in West Nusa Tenggara. Statistical models find that the negative impacts of increased minimum temperature on rice yield are statistically significant. By contrast, the effects of maximum temperature on rice yield are not statistically significant. A key reason for this is that the highest maximum temperature (32⁰C) in the observed period (1976-2011) was lower than 35⁰C, a rice threshold for maximum temperature. By 2090 (2077-2100), rice yield in wetland and dryland is projected to decrease by about 3% (RCP2.6 scenario), 4% (RCP4.5 scenario), 5% (RCP6.0 scenario) and 14% (RCP8.5 scenario). Second, a system dynamics model was developed to assess the impacts of climate change on three issues including rice yield, harvested areas and rice production by 2090 (2077-2100). After embedding statistical models and estimating the impacts of maximum temperature on rice yield based on existing studies, the impacts of climate change on rice yield are projected. The system dynamics model is also equipped by August SOI to estimate the impacts of climate change on the timing of monsoon onset i.e the beginning of planting seasons. For assessing harvested areas under a changing climate, the system dynamics model is equipped by a mathematical relationship between seasonal rainfall and harvested areas. Because the system dynamics model includes the impacts of high maximum temperature, the projected loss of rice yield in wetland and dryland is relatively higher compared to that in statistical models. It is projected that rice yield loss will be about 3% (RCP2.6 scenario), 6% (RCP4.5 scenario), 10% (RCP6.0 scenario) and 23% (RCP8.5 scenario) by 2090 (2077-2100). Likewise, rice production loss in wetland and dryland is projected to be about 1% (RCP2.6 scenario), 2% (RCP4.5 scenario), 7% (RCP6.0 scenario) and 19% (RCP8.5 scenario) by 2090 (2077-2100). The projected loss of rice production is relatively lower than rice yield loss as wetland harvested areas are projected to experience a slight increase about 3% by 2090 (2077-2100) under a changing climate. This also means that the ranking of the impacts of climate change from the most significant to the least significant is its impact on rice yield, rice production and harvested areas. Third, policy options in overcoming the impacts of climate change on rice production are assessed. This study suggests that research on finding rice varieties with three main traits: heat tolerance, short growth duration and high yield is key to balance rice demand and rice supply in West Nusa Tenggara by 2090 (2077-2100). A failure to improve rice yield in such ways is likely to lead to significant reductions in rice supply in the face of climate change. This study makes theoretical contributions, including the development of statistical models for understanding the impacts of climate change on rice yield and a causal system for investigating the impacts of climate change on rice yield, rice production and harvested areas. Again, the combination of statistical and system dynamics modelling simultaneously investigates the impacts of climate change on rice yield, rice production and harvested areas. This means that this study provides a more holistic view of the impacts of climate change compared to existing studies. This study also offers practical contributions, advising that declining rice research should be avoided under a changing climate, and suggesting that farming intensification (more climate-resilient rice varieties) is more effective than farming extension (area expansion) in sustaining rice production under a changing climate. Again, research on developing more resilient-climate rice varieties is possible as projected rice yield in sustaining rice production by 2090 (2077-2100) is similar to rice’s yield potential.</p>

<p>Climate change, manifested as temperature rise and rainfall change, will pose significant challenges to rice farmers, leading to a possible rice shortage under a changing climate. This research aims to understand the impacts of climate variability and change on rice production through the rest of this century using Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios, and combination of statistical and system dynamic modelling. The area of study is West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Wetland and dryland farming types are assessed separately because they have different rice varieties and different agricultural practices. Overall, the research seeks to answer the question: How will climate change and climate variability affect rice production? Additional questions investigated are (1) What are the most significant supply uncertainties associated with a changing climate? and (2) What are possible solutions for reducing the impacts of climate change on rice production?. To answer these research questions, this study deals with three main research areas. First, based on observed data (1976-2011), this study developed regression-based statistical models in understanding the impacts of climate change on rice yield in West Nusa Tenggara. Statistical models find that the negative impacts of increased minimum temperature on rice yield are statistically significant. By contrast, the effects of maximum temperature on rice yield are not statistically significant. A key reason for this is that the highest maximum temperature (32⁰C) in the observed period (1976-2011) was lower than 35⁰C, a rice threshold for maximum temperature. By 2090 (2077-2100), rice yield in wetland and dryland is projected to decrease by about 3% (RCP2.6 scenario), 4% (RCP4.5 scenario), 5% (RCP6.0 scenario) and 14% (RCP8.5 scenario). Second, a system dynamics model was developed to assess the impacts of climate change on three issues including rice yield, harvested areas and rice production by 2090 (2077-2100). After embedding statistical models and estimating the impacts of maximum temperature on rice yield based on existing studies, the impacts of climate change on rice yield are projected. The system dynamics model is also equipped by August SOI to estimate the impacts of climate change on the timing of monsoon onset i.e the beginning of planting seasons. For assessing harvested areas under a changing climate, the system dynamics model is equipped by a mathematical relationship between seasonal rainfall and harvested areas. Because the system dynamics model includes the impacts of high maximum temperature, the projected loss of rice yield in wetland and dryland is relatively higher compared to that in statistical models. It is projected that rice yield loss will be about 3% (RCP2.6 scenario), 6% (RCP4.5 scenario), 10% (RCP6.0 scenario) and 23% (RCP8.5 scenario) by 2090 (2077-2100). Likewise, rice production loss in wetland and dryland is projected to be about 1% (RCP2.6 scenario), 2% (RCP4.5 scenario), 7% (RCP6.0 scenario) and 19% (RCP8.5 scenario) by 2090 (2077-2100). The projected loss of rice production is relatively lower than rice yield loss as wetland harvested areas are projected to experience a slight increase about 3% by 2090 (2077-2100) under a changing climate. This also means that the ranking of the impacts of climate change from the most significant to the least significant is its impact on rice yield, rice production and harvested areas. Third, policy options in overcoming the impacts of climate change on rice production are assessed. This study suggests that research on finding rice varieties with three main traits: heat tolerance, short growth duration and high yield is key to balance rice demand and rice supply in West Nusa Tenggara by 2090 (2077-2100). A failure to improve rice yield in such ways is likely to lead to significant reductions in rice supply in the face of climate change. This study makes theoretical contributions, including the development of statistical models for understanding the impacts of climate change on rice yield and a causal system for investigating the impacts of climate change on rice yield, rice production and harvested areas. Again, the combination of statistical and system dynamics modelling simultaneously investigates the impacts of climate change on rice yield, rice production and harvested areas. This means that this study provides a more holistic view of the impacts of climate change compared to existing studies. This study also offers practical contributions, advising that declining rice research should be avoided under a changing climate, and suggesting that farming intensification (more climate-resilient rice varieties) is more effective than farming extension (area expansion) in sustaining rice production under a changing climate. Again, research on developing more resilient-climate rice varieties is possible as projected rice yield in sustaining rice production by 2090 (2077-2100) is similar to rice’s yield potential.</p>

Malaria is a serious global health issue, resulting in an estimated 219 million cases and 660,000 deaths in 2010, many of them in Africa.1 Malaria transmission is tied closely to environmental variables such as rainfall and temperature—even when there’s plenty of rainfall to produce breeding pools for the Anopheles mosquitoes that spread malaria, hot temperatures can hamper mosquito development.2 Some early projections predicted that climate change would cause an increase in malaria cases,3 but more recent reports suggest it’s more likely that cases will shift in their distribution rather than rise overall.4 In this issue of EHP investigators at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) report their projections, using a new modeling tool, that there probably will not be a significant increase in malaria prevalence in West Africa, even during a worst-case scenario of increased rainfall in the region.5 The authors used the Hydrology, Entomology, and Malaria Transmission Simulator (HYDREMATS) to estimate the impact of climate change on malaria transmission in West Africa. HYDREMATS is a combined hydrology and entomology model of malaria transmission developed at MIT by coauthor Elfatih A.B. Eltahir, a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and former graduate student Arne Bomblies, now an assistant professor at the University of Vermont. The model uses high-resolution data on environmental variables including rainfall, temperature, topography, and soil conditions to model ephemeral breeding pools that form during intense rains. The model also tracks the simulated behavior of individual mosquitoes as they interact with their environment. The researchers used current climate data to model vectorial capacity, a measure of how efficiently mosquitoes spread malaria. They then looked at climate predictions for the time period 2080–2099 and determined which combination of temperature and rainfall changes corresponded to best- and worst-case scenarios in terms of malaria transmission. They conducted simulations using the best- and worst-case climate projections to predict vectorial capacity under each new scenario. The model did not include changes in malaria transmission due to interventions such as spraying, mosquito netting, and preventive medications. Figure 1 A child with malaria receives care in Sierra Leone. This country lies in a part of West Africa that is already saturated with malaria, and prevalence is not projected to increase with climate change. Figure 1 An ephemeral pool in Niger provides a perfect breeding site for Anopheles mosquitoes. This and other northern parts of West Africa could become too hot to sustain malaria. The northernmost areas studied are currently too dry and warm for effective malaria transmission. According to the model, they could become more suitable only if the climate becomes substantially wetter, but even then high temperatures likely would prohibit sustained transmission. The middle areas are expected to see a decrease in suitability for malaria transmission even under the wettest predictions of future climate. Southern areas could become even more suitable for transmission, but the persistent prevalence of malaria in these areas means a rise in cases is unlikely unless many people immigrate. Therefore, the investigators conclude, it appears unlikely, on the basis of this model, that climate change will increase malaria transmission in West Africa.5 “The main advantage of our malaria transmission model is that it provides a more detailed and direct relationship among environmental variables and malaria transmission than previous models,” says coauthor Teresa K. Yamana, a PhD student. “This is especially true for rainfall, because the timing of rain is just as important as the amount of rain. For example, more puddles form if there’s a big storm compared to if the same amount of rain falls over the course of several days.” Another strength of the study is its consideration of a wide range of climate predictions. Yamana explains that climate impact studies may be based on the climate predictions of a single model without knowing whether that model accurately represents the region of interest. Others average the predictions made by multiple models, but this is not a good strategy in the case of West Africa: “Half of the predictions say the climate will be wetter, half say it will be drier,6” she says, “so the average is something close to no change in rainfall—this could end up being very far from the truth.” Jonathan Patz, director of the Global Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, is impressed by the researchers’ modeling because it “included a range of best- and worst-case scenarios to avoid bias. They also considered both temperature and rainfall, essential for malaria estimates.” He says, “Their findings are consistent with expectations that temperature projections alone explain only a part of malaria risk, and disease risk will considerably depend on rainfall and other environmental factors, particularly hydrological dynamics that vary by location.”

Purpose: General practitioners (GPs) could play a role in mitigating climate change by raising awareness of its impact on human health and implementing changes to improve population health and decreasing environmental footprints. The aim of this study was to assess GPs’ knowledge and perspectives about the health impacts of climate change. Method: A questionnaire was sent to 1972 GPs in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Knowledge of the impact of environmental degradations and climate change on health and willingness to address climate change with patients, to be exemplary and to act as role models were surveyed as well as demographic characteristics of GPs. Results: Respondents (N = 497) expressed a high level of self-reported knowledge regarding climate change, although it was lower for more specific topics, such as planetary health or health–environment co-benefits. Participants mostly agreed that it is necessary to adapt clinical practice to the health impacts of climate change and that they have a role in providing information on climate change and its links to human health. Conclusion: Most of the GPs were concerned about environmental and climate degradation. However, this study revealed a gap between the willingness of GPs to integrate the impact of climate change on health into their clinical activities and their lack of overall knowledge and scientific evidence on effective interventions. A promising way forward may be to develop co-benefit interventions adapted to the clinical setting on diet, active mobility and connecting with nature.

Australia's political engagement on health and climate change: the MJA-Lancet Countdown indicator and implications for the future.

The future impact of climate and land-use changes on Anatolian ground squirrels under different scenarios

Quantitatively projecting the impact of future climate change on the socio-economy and exploring its internal mechanism are of great practical significance to adapt to climate change and prevent climate risks. Based on the economy-climate (C-D-C) model, this paper introduces a yield impact of climate change (YICC) model that can quantitatively project the climate change impact. The model is based on the YICC as its core concept and uses the impact ratio of climate change (IRCC) indicator to assess the response of the economic system to climate change over a long period of time. The YICC is defined as the difference between the economic output under changing climate condition and that under assumed invariant climate condition. The IRCC not only reflects the sensitivity of economic output to climate change but also reveals the mechanism of the nonlinear interaction between climate change and non-climatic factors on the socio-economic system. Using the main grain-producing areas in China as a case study, we use the data of the ensemble average of 5 GCMs in CMIP6 to project the possible impact of climate change on grain production in the next 15–30 years under three future scenarios (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP5-8.5). The results indicate that the long-term climate change in the future will have a restraining effect on production in North region and enhance production in South region. From 2021 to 2035, climate change will reduce production by 0.60–2.09% in North region, and increase production by 1.80–9.01% in South region under three future scenarios. From 2021 to 2050, compared with the climate change impact in 2021–2035, the negative impact of climate change on production in North region will weaken, and the positive impact on production in South region will enhance with the increase in emission concentration. Among them, climate change will reduce grain output in North region by 0.52–1.99%, and increase output in South region by 1.35–9.56% under the three future scenarios. The combination of economic results and climate change research is expected to provide scientific support for further revealing the economic mechanism of climate change impacts.

Water sprays from an open fire hydrant in Brooklyn, New York, in the midst of a July 2010 heat wave that affected much of the eastern United States.In 2007 the New York City Department of Environmental Protection first teamed up with Alianza Dominicana, a Washington Heights community organization, to educate city residents about the appropriate use of fire hydrants and other ways

The Heat is On: Imperative for Midwifery Engagement in Climate Change.

The 2021 China report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: seizing the window of opportunity

In recent years, especially with the approach of the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris in late 2015, the number of publications, conferences and meetings on climate change has been growing exponentially. Yet uncertainties remain concerning rural tropical areas where models are forecasting the onset of multiple disorders and trends are unclear. Meanwhile, the impact of climate change on the poorest communities is regularly documented, often prompting alarmist reactions. How can food security be achieved while adapting to and mitigating climate change? What are the main threats to agriculture in developing countries? How do farmers in these countries cope with the threats? What does agricultural research propose? What options have yet to be investigated? A broad scope of scientific research is underway to address these challenges. Diverse solutions are available, including new agricultural practices, water management, agricultural waste recycling, diagnosis of emerging diseases, payment for ecosystem services, etc. Gaining insight into the financial and political mechanisms that underlie international climate negotiations is also essential to design practical ways to deal with climate issues and meet sustainable development requirements in collaboration with farmers. This book pools the wealth of experience of dozens of researchers and development officers from a range of disciplines. We have focused on making it detailed, accurate and hopefully easy to read for researchers, students and all other informed readers. (Resume d'auteur)

There is growing concern about heat waves caused by climate change. In Japan, the population is rapidly aging, and protecting older people from heatstroke is attracting public attention. Formulating evidence-based adaptation strategies is urgent for local governments, but quantitative information on future heatstroke risk is limited. Here, we assess the impact of climate and population changes on heatstroke incidence in Saitama City, Japan. We obtain anonymized emergency call records from the local government and classify heatstroke cases into 12 groups by location (indoor and outdoor), age group (0–14, 15–64, and 65+), and sex (female and male). Using this dataset, we develop statistical models of heatstroke risk and project changes in heatstroke incidence from 2010 to 2100. Key findings are as follows: Climate change in SSP5-8.5 increases heatstroke risk (cases per 1000 people per year), but the impact varies by group. Projections for the 2090s suggest that males have a higher heatstroke risk than females, regardless of the combination of location and age group. Males aged 65+ have a higher heatstroke risk than other groups both indoors and outdoors. Females are more tolerant of temperature increases than males, but the indoor heatstroke risk for females aged 65+ rapidly increases. Assuming a standard population scenario, the total heatstroke incidence (cases per year) for Saitama City increases by 6.00 times between the 2010s and 2090s. In the same period, the indoor heatstroke incidence increases by 5.47 times, and the outdoor heatstroke incidence increases by 6.48 times. The increase in heatstroke incidence is mainly due to climate change rather than population change. The impact of climate change is much smaller in SSP1-2.6 than in SSP5-8.5. Our results highlight the need for adaptation strategies that take into account the diversity of heatstroke risk functions.

The inarticulate major premise of the article is to examine the role of wildlife conservation in mitigating the impact of climate change. This article is premised on the foundation that wildlife plays a pivotal role in mitigating climate change. Since the beginning of time, humans have regarded wildlife as a means to an end. However, in the fight against climate change, there is need for a significant shift of the human mindset as wildlife is important in fighting climate change. This article discusses the effects of climate change, especially on wildlife and also how wildlife can contribute to mitigating climate change in Zimbabwe. It seeks to show how the law can be used as an instrument to protect wildlife threatened by the impact of climate change. The article focuses on wildlife conservation and the law under the impact of climate change in Zimbabwe. The study will show the current legal regime relating to wildlife conservation and determine whether the prevailing laws are sufficient to deal with wildlife conservation, especially under the impact of climate change.