SEI York Publications 2017

Publications by SEI York centre staff are listed here. For the full list of SEI Publications please visit the SEI website.

Publications

Responses of human health and vegetation exposure metrics to changes in ozone concentration distributions in the European Union, US, and China

This paper uses measurements from 481 monitoring sites to investigate the implications of using different ozone (O3) metrics relevant to impacts on human health and vegetation for assessing emission control strategies.

In: Atmospheric Environment 152 (2017) pp123-145

Author(s): Lefohn, A.S., C.S.Malley, H. Simon, B. Wells, X. Xu, L. Zhang, T.Wang

DOI: 0.1016/j.atmosenv.2016.12.025

The impacts of surface ozone (O3) on human health and vegetation have prompted O3 precursor emission reductions in the European Union (EU) and United States (US). In contrast, until recently, emissions have increased in East Asia and most strongly in China. As emissions change, the distribution of hourly O3 concentrations also changes, as do the values of exposure metrics. The distribution changes can result in the exposure metric trend patterns changing in a similar direction as trends in emissions (e.g., metrics increase as emissions increase) or, in some cases, in opposite directions. This study, using data from 481 sites (276 in the EU, 196 in the US, and 9 in China), investigates the response of 14 human health and vegetation O3 exposure metrics to changes in hourly O3 concentration distributions over time.

At a majority of EU and US sites, there was a reduction in the frequency of both relatively high and low hourly average O3 concentrations. In contrast, for some sites in mainland China and Hong Kong, the middle of the distribution shifted upwards but the low end did not change and for other sites, the entire distribution shifted upwards. The responses of the 14 metrics to these changes at the EU, US, and Chinese sites were varied, and dependent on (1) the extent to which the metric was determined by relatively high, moderate, and low concentrations and (2) the relative magnitude of the shifts occurring within the O3concentration distribution. For example, the majority of the EU and US sites experienced decreasing trends in the magnitude of those metrics associated with higher concentrations. For the sites in China, all of the metrics either increased or had no trends. In contrast, there were a greater number of sites that had no trend for those metrics determined by a combination of moderate and high O3 concentrations. A result of our analyses is that trends in mean or median concentrations did not appear to be well associated with some exposure metrics applicable for assessing human health or vegetation effects. The identification of shifting patterns in the O3 distribution and the resulting changes in O3 exposure metrics across regions with large emission increases and decreases is an important step in examining the linkage between emissions and exposure metric trends. The results provide insight into the utility of using specific exposure metrics for assessing emission control strategies.

This work was a collaboration between researchers at A.S.L. & Associates, SEI York, US Environmental Protection Agency, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Download the article [link to external website, access restrictions may apply]

Older People’s Experiences of Mobility and Mood in an Urban Environment: A Mixed Methods Approach Using Electroencephalography (EEG) and Interviews

This paper presents results from a study of how older people's moods change as they walk through different urban environments.

In: Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 14(2), 151

Author(s): Tilley S., C. Neale, A. Patuano and S. Cinderby

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14020151

There are concerns about mental wellbeing in later life in older people as the global population becomes older and more urbanised. Mobility in the built environment has a role to play in improving quality of life and wellbeing, as it facilitates independence and social interaction. Recent studies using neuroimaging methods in environmental psychology research have shown that different types of urban environments may be associated with distinctive patterns of brain activity, suggesting that we interact differently with varying environments.

This paper reports on research that explores older people’s responses to urban places and their mobility in and around the built environment. The project aim was to understand how older people experience different urban environments using a mixed methods approach including electroencephalography (EEG), self-reported measures, and interview results. The study found that older participants experience changing levels of “excitement”, “engagement” and “frustration” (as interpreted by proprietary EEG software) whilst walking between a busy built urban environment and an urban green space environment. 

These changes were further reflected in the qualitative themes that emerged from transcribed interviews undertaken one week post-walk. There has been no research to date that has directly assessed neural responses to an urban environment combined with qualitative interview analysis. A synergy of methods offers a deeper understanding of the changing moods of older people across time whilst walking in city settings.

Read the article (external website, open access)

Recruiting and retaining participants in citizen science: what can be learned from the volunteering literature?

This paper reviews the literature on why people start and continue participating in citizen science projects and gives recommendations for running successful projects.

In: Citizen Science: Theory and Practice, 1(2): 15, pp. 1–10 

Author(s): West S. and R. Pateman

DOI: 10.5334/cstp.8

New citizen science projects are emerging all the time as scientists, policy-makers, and non-governmental organizations see the value of conducting research in this way. Understanding what factors influence people to take part in citizen science projects and why participants continue their involvement are important questions for the field.

Here, the authors bring together key theories from the volunteering literature with examples from the environmental volunteering and citizen science literature to describe the factors that influence people to start and continue participating in citizen science projects.

Good project organization is key, and project organizers need to consider potential participants’ motivations; their personal attributes, circumstances and demographics; and how they will become aware of the opportunity. The authors discuss each of these factors with reference to both the academic and the grey (non-academic) literature, and based on this make general recommendations for those designing and running citizen science projects.


Read the article (external link, open access)

Preterm birth associated with maternal fine particulate matter exposure: A global, regional and national assessment

This article presents the first global assessment of the association between preterm births and exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution.

In: Environment International, Volume 101, April 2017, Pages 173-182

Author(s): Malley, C.S., J.C.I. Kuylenstierna, H.W. Vallack, D.K. Henze, H. Blencowe and M.R. Ashmore

DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2017.01.023

Reduction of preterm births (< 37 completed weeks of gestation) would substantially reduce neonatal and infant mortality, and deleterious health effects in survivors. Maternal fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure has been identified as a possible risk factor contributing to preterm birth. The aim of this study was to produce the first estimates of ambient PM2.5-associated preterm births for 183 individual countries and globally. To do this, national, population-weighted, annual average ambient PM2.5 concentration, preterm birth rate and number of livebirths were combined to calculate the number of PM2.5-associated preterm births in 2010 for 183 countries. Uncertainty was quantified using Monte-Carlo simulations, and analyses were undertaken to investigate the sensitivity of PM2.5-associated preterm birth estimates to assumptions about the shape of the concentration-response function at low and high PM2.5 exposures, inclusion of provider-initiated preterm births, and exposure to indoor air pollution.

Globally, in 2010, the number of PM2.5-associated preterm births was estimated as 2.7 million (1.8–3.5 million, 18% (12–24%) of total preterm births globally) with a low concentration cut-off (LCC) set at 10 μg m− 3, and 3.4 million (2.4–4.2 million, 23% (16–28%)) with a LCC of 4.3 μg m− 3. South and East Asia, North Africa/Middle East and West sub-Saharan Africa had the largest contribution to the global total, and the largest percentage of preterm births associated with PM2.5.

Sensitivity analyses showed that PM2.5-associated preterm birth estimates were 24% lower when provider-initiated preterm births were excluded, 38–51% lower when risk was confined to the PM2.5exposure range in the studies used to derive the effect estimate, and 56% lower when mothers who live in households that cook with solid fuels (and whose personal PM2.5 exposure is likely dominated by indoor air pollution) were excluded.

The concentration-response function applied here derives from a meta-analysis of studies, most of which were conducted in the U.S. and Europe, and its application to the areas of the world where the greatest effects on preterm births are estimated remains uncertain. Nevertheless, the substantial percentage of preterm births estimated to be associated with anthropogenic PM2.5 (18% (13%–24%) of total preterm births globally) indicates that reduction of maternal PM2.5 exposure through emission reduction strategies should be considered alongside mitigation of other risk factors associated with preterm births.


Read the article (external link to journal – open access)

The Economic Case for the Circular Economy: From Food Waste to Resource

This chapter examines the feasibility of processing waste material into novel high value products and uses coffee grounds from the catering industry as a case study.

Author(s): Topi, C. and M. Bilinska

In: In Food Waste Reduction and Valorisation. pp 25-41. P. Morone, F. Papendiek and V. E. Tartiu (Eds). Spring International Publishing

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-50088-1_3

ISBN: 978-3-319-500 
ISBN (EPUB): 978-3-319-500

One of the major challenges decision and policymakers face when trying to introduce sustainable food waste management strategies is to isolate high value waste material. In this paper the authors assess whether it is logistically, economically and socially feasible to isolate exhaust coffee grounds from the catering industry in one British district and use them as raw material for a novel process to produce alternative high added value products in a near-perfect circular economy cycle making use of reverse logistics and generating near-zero waste. 

They chose coffee as the product to study because it is the most traded food commodity in the world, and the second most traded commodity in general, which makes the impact of the outcomes particularly significant. Due to resource and time constraints they had to limit the range of high added value products considered and to constrain the geographic area, hence focused on the production of high quality compost for the amateur and professional growers market and on the geographic catchment area of the York municipal waste collection service. 

They developed a series of theoretical scenarios corresponding to the different possible logistic and process options that stakeholders could identify and also evaluated economic indicators. In conclusion they found that the process is technically feasible with available technology within current infrastructure and with modest investments. Also, the economic case is very attractive to investors. The outcomes of this research can be used as a model for similar developments in other geographical areas.

Paid access to chapter (External Link to publisher's website)

A climate policy pathway for near- and long-term benefits: Climate actions can advance sustainable development

In: Insights: Perspective - Climate Policy. Science, American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Vol. 356, Issue 6337, pp. 493-494

Author(s): Shindell D., N. Borgford-Parnell, M. Brauer, A. Haines, J. C. I. Kuylenstierna, S. A. Leonard, V. Ramanathan, A. Ravishankara, M. Amann, L. Srivastava

DOI: 10.1126/science.aak9521

This article by members of the Science Advisory Panel of the Climate Clean Air Coalition presents a climate policy pathway that governments should commit to help achieve global sustainable development goals and climate objectives over the next 25 years and to limit warming to less than to 2 degrees Celsius (⁰C) by the end of the century.

The authors recommend adopting an ambitious but plausible near-term goal to slow global mean warming over the next 25 years by half. This involves reducing emissions of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) like methane and black carbon by approximately 25% and 75%, respectively, by 2030, and eliminating high-warming hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).

Short-lived climate pollutants are potent climate warmers but reducing their emissions can effectively reduce near-term warming as they are short lived in the atmosphere. Reducing these pollutants can also prevent millions of premature deaths from air pollution and improve crop yields.

If avoiding long-term peak warming was the sole objective of global climate action then actions to reduce short-lived climate pollutants could be implemented once carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions had peaked with only a modest temperature penalty. However the multiple benefits that can be gained from avoiding rapid warming in the first half of this century necessitates consideration of a near-term climate goal.

Read the article in Science (external link to journal, registration required)

Impacts and mitigation of excess diesel-related NOx emissions in 11 major vehicle markets

This study has combined results from in-use vehicle emissions testing studies with global atmospheric modeling, satellite observations, and health, crop yield, and climate models to estimate the damages caused by diesel NOx emissions.

In: Nature.  545, 467–471 

Author(s): Anenberg, S.C., J. Miller, R. Minjares, L. Du, D. K. Henze, F. Lacey, C. S. Malley, L. Emberson, V. Franco, Z. Klimont & C. Heyes

DOI: doi:10.1038/nature22086

Vehicle emissions contribute to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and tropospheric ozone air pollution, affecting human health, crop yields and climates worldwide.  On-road diesel vehicles produce approximately 20 per cent of global anthropogenic emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), which are key PM2.5 and ozone precursors. Regulated NOx emission limits in leading markets have been progressively tightened, but current diesel vehicles emit far more NOx under real-world operating conditions than during laboratory certification testing. 

The article shows that across 11 markets, representing approximately 80 per cent of global diesel vehicle sales, nearly one-third of on-road heavy-duty diesel vehicle emissions and over half of on-road light-duty diesel vehicle emissions are in excess of certification limits. These excess emissions (totalling 4.6 million tons) are associated with about 38,000 PM2.5- and ozone-related premature deaths globally in 2015, including about 10 per cent of all ozone-related premature deaths in the 28 European Union member states. Heavy-duty vehicles are the dominant contributor to excess diesel NOx emissions and associated health impacts in almost all regions.

Adopting and enforcing next-generation standards (more stringent than Euro 6/VI) could nearly eliminate real-world diesel-related NOx emissions in these markets, avoiding approximately 174,000 global PM2.5- and ozone-related premature deaths in 2040. Most of these benefits can be achieved by implementing Euro VI standards where they have not yet been adopted for heavy-duty vehicles.

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Citizen science terminology matters: exploring key terms

This article provides an overview of key terms used in citizen science drawn from a broad range of practitioners.

Author(s): Eitzel, M.V. , S. West et al.,

In: Citizen Science: Theory and Practice. 2(1), p.1. Review and Synthesis Papers

DOI: 10.5334/cstp.96

Much can be at stake depending on the choice of words used to describe citizen science, because terminology impacts how knowledge is developed. Citizen science is a quickly evolving field that is mobilizing people’s involvement in information development, social action and justice, and large-scale information gathering. Currently, a wide variety of terms and expressions are being used to refer to the concept of ‘citizen science’ and its practitioners. Here, the authors explore these terms to help provide guidance for the future growth of this field. They review the theoretical, historical, geopolitical, and disciplinary context of citizen science terminology; discussing what citizen science is and reviewing related terms; and providing a collection of potential terms and definitions for ‘citizen science’ and people participating in citizen science projects. This collection of terms was generated primarily from the broad knowledge base and on-the-ground experience of the authors, by recognizing the potential issues associated with various terms.

Whilst the authors' examples may not be systematic or exhaustive, they are intended to be suggestive and invitational of future consideration. Based on their collective experience with citizen science projects, no single term is appropriate for all contexts. In a given citizen science project, they suggest that terms should be chosen carefully and their usage explained; direct communication with participants about how terminology affects them and what they would prefer to be called also should occur. Furthermore they recommend that a more systematic study of terminology trends in citizen science be conducted. 

Read the article (external link to Journal website, open access)

Mapping regional risks from climate change for rainfed rice cultivation in India

This paper uses a range of models to assess future regional scale climate change scenarios for rice production.

In: Agricultural Systems, Volume 156, Sep 2017, Pages 76–84.

Author(s): Singh, K., C. J. McClean, P. Büker, S. E. Hartley, and J. K. Hill

DOI: 10.1016/j.agsy.2017.05.009

Global warming is predicted to increase in the future, with detrimental consequences for rainfed crops that are dependent on natural rainfall (i.e. non-irrigated). Given that many crops grown under rainfed conditions support the livelihoods of low-income farmers, it is important to highlight the vulnerability of rainfed areas to climate change in order to anticipate potential risks to food security.

This paper focusses on India where ~50% of rice is grown under rainfed conditions. It uses statistical models (climate envelope models (CEMs) and boosted regression trees (BRTs))  to map changes in climate suitability for rainfed rice cultivation at a regional level (~ 18 × 18 km cell resolution) under projected future (2050) climate change (IPCC RCPs 2.6 and 8.5, using three General Circulation Models (GCMs): BCC-CSM1.1, MIROC-ESM-CHEM, and HadGEM2-ES). It quantifies the occurrence of rice (whether or not rainfed rice is commonly grown, using CEMs) and rice extent (area under cultivation, using BRTs) during the summer monsoon in relation to four climate variables that affect rice growth and yield namely ratio of precipitation to evapotranspiration (PER), maximum and minimum temperatures (Tmax and Tmin), and total rainfall during harvesting.

The models used describe the occurrence and extent of rice very well (CEMs for occurrence, ensemble AUC = 0.92; BRTs for extent, Pearson's r = 0.87). PER was the most important predictor of rainfed rice occurrence, and it was positively related to rainfed rice area, but all four climate variables were important for determining the extent of rice cultivation.

The models project that 15%–40% of current rainfed rice growing areas will be at risk (i.e. decline in climate suitability or become completely unsuitable). However, the models also projeeect considerable variation across India in the impact of future climate change: eastern and northern India are the locations most at risk, but parts of central and western India may benefit from increased precipitation. Hence the CEM and BRT models that were used agree on the locations most at risk, but there is less consensus about the degree of risk at these locations.

The results help to identify locations where livelihoods of low-income farmers and regional food security may be threatened in the next few decades by climate changes. The use of more drought-resilient rice varieties and better irrigation infrastructure in these regions may help to reduce these impacts and reduce the vulnerability of farmers dependent on rainfed cropping.

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Exploring the co-benefits of urban green infrastructure improvements for businesses and workers' wellbeing

This article presents findings from a two-year study looking at co-benefits derived from urban green infrastructure investment.

In: Area. Vol 50, Issue 1, pp126-135

Author(s): Cinderby, S. and S. Bagwell

DOI: 10.1111/area.12361

Explorations of the benefits for businesses in terms of customer experience or improvements in staff wellbeing from installing and retro-fitting green infrastructure (GI) in a European city context have been lacking.

This paper reports on a two-year longitudinal mixed methods study in a district of central London evaluating the changes resulting from the installation of a mixture of greening schemes for different types of business sectors and their staff members. Business managers, particularly from retail and leisure sectors, perceived increases in customer footfall and sales in relation to the improvements. Providing accessible green space in office settings led to improvements in morale, team interaction and workplace satisfaction among staff members able to access the improvements.

Increased GI was seen as improving uptake of company environmental policies such as energy saving or recycling among staff by their managers. Impacts of neighbourhood GI schemes on staff wellbeing were mixed, with increased greening leading to improved self-reported workplace happiness and greater interaction with nature spaces but not changes in overall measurements of staff wellbeing.

Overall, the findings indicate that GI could represent a worthwhile investment for UK and European businesses through these combinations of direct and indirect returns adding to the known environmental benefits improving urban green spaces can provide.

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Read the blog post (external link to Geography Directions) 

 

Updated global estimates of respiratory mortality in adults ≥30 years of age attributable to long-term ozone exposure

This article quantifies the global impact of long-term ozone exposure on respiratory mortality.

In: Environmental Health Perspectives. Vol 125 No. 8 

Author(s): Malley, C.S., D.K. Henze, J.C.I. Kuylenstierna, H.W. Vallack, Y. Davila, S.C. Anenberg, M.C. Turner and M.R. Ashmore

DOI: 10.1289/EHP1390

Relative risk estimates for long-term ozone (O3) exposure and respiratory mortality from the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study II (ACS CPS-II) cohort have been previously used to estimate global O3-attributable mortality in adults. Updated relative risk estimates are now available for the same cohort based on an expanded study population with longer follow-up. The study estimates the global burden and spatial distribution of respiratory mortality attributable to long-term O3 exposure in adults over 30 years of age.

Simulations using the GEOS-Chem atmospheric chemical transport model on 2 × 2.5 degree grid resolution were made to estimate annual O3exposures, and estimated total respiratory deaths in 2010 that were attributable to long-term annual O3exposure based on the updated relative risk estimates along with minimum risk thresholds set at the minimum or fifth percentile of O3 exposure in the most recent CPS-II analysis.

These estimates were then compared with attributable mortality based on the earlier CPS-II analysis, using 6-monthly average exposures and risk thresholds corresponding to the minimum or fifth percentile of O3exposure in the earlier study population. 

The results show an estimated 1.04–1.23 million respiratory deaths in adults attributable to O3exposures using the updated relative risk estimate and exposure parameters, compared with 0.40–0.55 million respiratory deaths attributable to O3 exposures based on the earlier CPS-II risk estimate and parameters. Increases in estimated attributable mortality were larger in northern India, southeast China, and Pakistan than in Europe, eastern United States, and northeast China.

These findings suggest that the potential magnitude of health benefits of air quality policies targeting O3, health co-benefits of climate mitigation policies, and health implications of climate change-driven changes in O3 concentrations, are larger than previously thought. 

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Environmental impact assessment of wheat straw based alkyl polyglucosides produced using novel chemical approaches

This paper evaluates and quantifies the environmental performance of alkyl polyglucosides sourced from wheat straw (WS-APG), a low-cost and low-ecological impact agricultural residue, compared to that of their commercial counterpart, which is sourced from palm kernel oil and wheat grain (PW-APG). 

In: Green Chemistry (online), Royal Society of Chemistry. Vol 19, pp 4380-4395

Author(s): Lokesh, K., C. West, J. Kuylenstierna, J. Fan, V. Budarin, P. Priecel, J. A. Lopez-Sanchez and J. Clark 

DOI: 10.1039/C7GC01719G

Escalating pressure to consider the environmental sustainability of fossil derived surfactant consumption has driven biosurfactants to become the product of choice within the surfactant market, and a class of ‘plant’ based non-ionic surfactants called alkyl polyglucosides (APG) are particularly prevalent. However, the existing food based feedstock of APG such as coconut oil, palm oil, wheat and corn (in addition to being expensive) will potentially undermine the claimed ‘sustainability’ of the APG products (i.e. the ‘food vs. chemical’ issue). This paper presents the “cradle-to-gate” life cycle impact assessment of a suggested alternative, hybridised APG synthesis technique where the Fisher glycosidation method is supplemented by novel, green chemistry based techniques. This evaluation provides a quantitative insight into direct GHG intensity and other ecological impact indicators, including land use, waste generation and energy consumption.

Upon evaluation, the wheat straw-derived pathway delivered GHG-emission savings in the range of 84–98%, compared to that of the palm kernel–wheat grain pathway. Waste generated from the production of unit mass of the product amounted to 0.43 kg and 10.73 kg per kg of WS-APG and PW-APG, respectively. In addition to the above mentioned facts, the ‘cradle–gate’ stages of WS-APG production were also found to consume relatively lower amounts of water and fossil-derived energy. In conclusion, of the two APG production pathways, the suggested ‘hybrid’ pathway using an agricultural residue, wheat straw, was found to be sustainable and to demonstrate better environmental performance.

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Citizen science identifies the effects of nitrogen deposition, climate and tree species on epiphytic lichens across the UK.

This article demonstrates how a citizen science project has led to greater understanding of lichen response to air pollution in the UK.


In: Environmental Pollution (online)

Author(s): Welden, N.A., P.A. Wolseley and M.R. Ashmore

DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2017.09.020

A national citizen survey quantified the abundance of epiphytic lichens that are known to be either sensitive or tolerant to nitrogen (N) deposition. Records were collected across the UK from over 10,000 individual trees of 22 deciduous species. Mean abundance of tolerant and sensitive lichens was related to mean N deposition rates and climatic variables at a 5 km scale, and the response of lichens was compared on the three most common trees (Quercus, Fraxinus and Acer) and by assigning all 22 tree species to three bark pH groups. 

The major highlights from the study showed that:

  • abundance of N-tolerant lichens was lower on Quercus and other low bark pH species;
  • total N deposition decreased N-sensitive and increased N-tolerant lichen abundance;
  • local busy roads decreased N-sensitive and increased N-tolerant lichen abundance; and
  • reduced N deposition reduced N-sensitive lichen abundance more than oxidised N.

The results from the study demonstrate the unique power of citizen science to detect and quantify the air pollution impacts over a wide geographical range, and specifically to contribute to understanding of lichen responses to different chemical forms of N deposition, local pollution sources and bark chemistry.

Read the article (external link to journal website)

The aging urban brain – Analyzing outdoor physical activity using the Emotiv Affectiv Suite in older people

This article assesses older people's emotional responses when walking through different urban settings.  

In: Journal of Urban Health (online). Spring US

Author(s): Neale, C., P. Aspinall, J. Roe, S. Tilley P. Mavros, S. Cinderby, R. Coyne, N. Thin, G. Bennett and C. W. Thompson

DOI: 10.1007/s11524-017-0191-9

This research directly assesses older people’s neural activation in response to a changing urban environment while walking, as measured by electroencephalography (EEG). The study builds on previous research that shows changes in cortical activity while moving through different urban settings. The current study extends this methodology to explore previously unstudied outcomes in older people aged 65 years or more (n = 95).

Participants were recruited to walk one of six scenarios pairing urban busy (a commercial street with traffic), urban quiet (a residential street) and urban green (a public park) spaces in a counterbalanced design, wearing a mobile Emotiv EEG headset to record real-time neural responses to place. Each walk lasted around 15 min and was undertaken at the pace of the participant. The article reports on the outputs for these responses derived from the Emotiv Affectiv Suite software, which creates emotional parameters (‘excitement’, ‘frustration’, ‘engagement’ and ‘meditation’) with a real time value assigned to them. 

The six walking scenarios were compared using a form of high dimensional correlated component regression (CCR) on difference data, capturing the change between one setting and another. The results showed that levels of ‘engagement’ were higher in the urban green space compared to those of the urban busy and urban quiet spaces, whereas levels of ‘excitement’ were higher in the urban busy environment compared with those of the urban green space and quiet urban space. In both cases, this effect is shown regardless of the order of exposure to these different environments. These results suggest that there are neural signatures associated with the experience of different urban spaces which may reflect the older age of the sample as well as the condition of the spaces themselves. The urban green space appears to have a restorative effect on this group of older adults.

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Post-Brexit policy in the UK: A new dawn?

This policy brief sets out a post-Brexit future for agriculture in the UK. 
In: One Page Policy Summary

Author(s): Gravey, V., I. Brown, F. Farstad, S.E. Hartley, A.P. Hejnowicz, K. Hicks, and Burns, C.

Over the last 40 years, the European Union’s (EU) Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has profoundly shaped the UK’s countryside, farming sector and food system – for better or worse.

While the CAP supports farmers’ incomes across the UK (on average to the tune of 50-60%) and provides mid-term certainty, it has frequently been criticised for its complexity, its impact on the price of food and its negative environmental effects.

In the on-going Brexit discussions, agriculture and fisheries stand apart. Whatever kind of Brexit is negotiated, responsibility for agriculture and fisheries will return to the UK. Therefore, replacing the CAP is an immediate priority.  

This policy brief provides an impartial expert review of a number of existing proposals and is informed by a stakeholder workshop with practitioners from the farming and NGO sectors. It sets out the challenges and opportunities of Brexit for agriculture, highlighting short-term priorities for the on-going negotiations and longer-term policy goals for farming and rural areas.

Read more and download the brief (link to external website)   

Variation in perception of environmental change in nine Solomon Islands communities: implications for securing fairness in community-based adaptation

In: Regional Environmental Change, Volume 18, Issue 4, pp 1131–1143. Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

Author(s): Ensor, J.E., Abernethy, K.E., Hoddy, E.T. et al.

DOI: 10.1007/s10113-017-1242-1

This article uses empirical research to highlight the need for mixed approaches to analyse perceptions of environmental change across different local communities.

Community-based approaches are pursued in recognition of the need for place-based responses to environmental change that integrate local understandings of risk and vulnerability. Yet the potential for fair adaptation is intimately linked to how variations in perceptions of environmental change and risk are treated. There is, however, little empirical evidence of the extent and nature of variations in risk perception in and between multiple community settings. This paper relies on data from 231 semi-structured interviews conducted in nine communities in Western Province, Solomon Islands, to statistically model different perceptions of risk and change within and between communities. Overall, people were found to be less likely to perceive environmental changes in the marine environment than they were for terrestrial systems. The distance to the nearest market town (which may be a proxy for exposure to commercial logging and degree of involvement with the market economy), and gender had the greatest overall statistical effects on perceptions of risk. Yet, the authors also find that significant environmental change is underreported in communities, while variations in perception are not always easily related to commonly assumed fault lines of vulnerability. The findings suggest that there is an urgent need for methods that engage with the drivers of perceptions as part of community-based approaches. In particular, it is important to explicitly account for place, complexity and diversity of environmental risk perceptions, and they reinforce calls to engage seriously with underlying questions of power, culture, identity and practice that influence adaptive capacity and risk perception.

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The Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning - Integrated Benefits Calculator (LEAP-IBC)

Author(s): Kuylenstierna, J.C.I, C.Heaps, C.M Malley, H.W. Vallack and W.K. Hicks
This factsheet describes the key features of the LEAP-IBC tool. 

The Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning (LEAP) - Integrated Benefits Calculator (IBC) is an integrated planning tool to help governments jointly assess greenhouse gases, short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) and other air pollutant emissions; build mitigation scenarios; and understand how emission reductions benefit climate, health and crops.

The Integrated Benefits Calculator (IBC) is a new application of the LEAP system developed by SEI in collaboration with US EPA and Daven Henze at the University of Colorado and with the support of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC). LEAP-IBC combines emissions scenarios from LEAP with output from a global atmospheric chemistry transport model and with various exposure-response functions. It then produces national-scale estimates of avoided premature deaths and crop losses; LEAP-IBC also estimates the climate benefits of addressing short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), adopting air pollution reduction strategies and implementing greenhouse gas mitigation.

Download the factsheet (PDF, 872 Kbytes)

 

 

 

Water Security in Times of Climate Change and Intractability: Reconciling Conflict by Transforming Security Concerns into Equity Concerns

This paper considers how to achieve equitable water governance and the flow-on effects it has in terms of supporting sustainable development, drawing on case studies from the international climate change adaptation and governance project (CADWAGO). 

In: Water 2017, 9(12), 934. Online: 1 December 2017

Author(s): Neil Powell, Rasmus Kløcker Larsen, Annemarieke de Bruin, Stina Powell, Carmen Elrick-Barr

DOI: 10.3390/w9120934

Water governance, like many other global issues, is becoming increasingly intractable (wicked) with climate change and is, by the international community, being linked to instances of threats to human security, the war in the Sudanese Darfur and more recently the acts of terrorism perpetuated by ISIS. In this paper, the authors ask the question: how can situations characterized by water controversy (exacerbated by the uncertainties posed by climate change) be reconciled?

The main argument is based on a critique of the way the water security discourse appropriates expert (normal) claims about human-biophysical relationships. When water challenges become increasingly securitized by the climate change discourse it becomes permissible to enact processes that legitimately transgress normative positions through post-normal actions.

In contrast, the water equity discourse offers an alternative reading of wicked and post-normal water governance situations. The authors contend that by infusing norm critical considerations into the process of securitization, new sub-national constellations of agents will be empowered to enact changes; thereby bypassing vicious cycles of power brokering that characterize contemporary processes intended to address controversies.

Read the journal article "Water security in times of climate change and intractability"