Das Projekt "The Water, Energy and Food Security Nexus" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Fachhochschule Köln, Institut für Technologie- und Ressourcenmanagement in den Tropen und Subtropen (ITT) durchgeführt. In order to understand the interlinked problems in the Nexus (Latin = connection, linkage, interrelation) of water, energy and food security, close cooperation between scientists and practitioners from different fields is necessary. The present and future challenge of a reliable supply with water, energy and food is an example, where isolated considerations do not lead to viable solutions. Sustainable action and meaningful research in these highly interconnected fields require a holistic and comprehensive perspective and a new approach. In this sense, a collaborative research structure with a holistic view on the Nexus of Water, Energy and Food security was established in 2013 at the Cologne University of Applied Sciences. The project bundles some of the research efforts of 11 professors from different faculties and institutes. The researchers jointly work on initiating new cooperation projects with partners from industry, academia and civil society. Together they aim at exploring new technologies and applying new approaches to solve major issues of efficiency and sustainability in resource use.
Das Projekt "Risk assessment of extreme precipitation in the coastal areas of Chennai as an element of catastrophe prevention" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Freiburg, Institut für Umweltsozialwissenschaften und Geographie, Professur für Physische Geographie durchgeführt. In the South-Indian city of Chennai (formerly called Madras), disastrous tropical monsoon linked with excessive precipitation frequently lead to wide-flat floods in the coastal plains. Caused by rapid urbanisation, the population in urban and periurban areas is more and more affected by these events. Besides the marginalised population living in disfavoured areas, increasingly also the more wealthy population that settles in flood prone areas is affected. Interdisciplinary assessments are needed to explain the complex causes of floods. The project analysed environmental aspects of risk exposure as well as socioeconomic aspects of risk perceptions and response strategies. By combining natural-scientific with socio-scientific approaches, a holistic perspective of the complex reasons and impacts of flooding could be covered. The project consisted of the following steps: 1. Analysis of flood risk exposure: Physio-geographic, hydrological and meteorological realities in risk areas were assessed using remote sensing (RS) data and geographical information systems (GIS). 2. Analysis of risk perception and management: Affected marginalised poor segments of the population, affected middle class groups as well as local planning authorities were interviewed to analyse local perceptions of floods and dominant management strategies. 3. Development of a flood risk map: The results of the risk assessment were integrated in an interactive flood risk map. The map - using several different layers - functions as a flood risk management tool including often neglected socioeconomic and socio-cultural parameters which reflect local vulnerability. 4. Holding of two workshops: A policy workshop with different stakeholders involved in flood management and affected by floods was held in Chennai in August 2007. This workshop was to foster communication and dialogue between different stakeholders and to create awareness on the current situation and problems in the area. A roundtable with the partners from India and organisations dealing with flood management and flood relief measures took place in October 2007 in Freiburg in order to present and discuss the findings and to strengthen future co-operation, communication and networks.
Das Projekt "Impact of urbanisation on the allergenicity of birch pollen grains" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Technische Universität München, Fakultät für Medizin, Klinik und Poliklinik für Dermatologie und Allergologie am Biederstein durchgeführt. Evidence is compelling for a positive correlation between urbanisation and increment of allergic sensitisation and diseases. The reason for this association is not clear to date. Some data point to a pro-allergic effect of anthropogenic factors on susceptible individuals. Data analysing the impact of environmental - natural and anthropogenic - factors on the allergenicity of allergen carriers such as pollen grains are scarce, and if applicable only taken from in vitro experimental designs. This study will analyse one of the most common allergy inducers in northern Europe - the birch pollen. Under natural exposure conditions, birch pollen will be analysed with respect to their allergenicity. Within an interdisciplinary research team this study will evaluate the effect of natural (e.g. soil, climate, genetic background) and anthropogenic (e.g. traffic pollutants) factors on birch pollen in a holistic approach including analysis of allergen bioavailability, release of pollen associated lipid mediators from birch pollen grains, in vitro immunostimulatory activity and in vivo allergenic potential. These data collected in the time course of three years will significantly add to our understanding how urbanisation and climate change influence the allergenicity of birch pollen and will help us in the future to set up primary prevention studies.
Das Projekt "Sustainable Holistic Approaches and Know-how Tailored to India (SHAKTI)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Karlsruhe, Geologisches Institut, Lehrstuhl für Angewandte Geologie durchgeführt. Das Projekt Sustainable Holistic Approaches and Know-how Tailored to India (SHAKTI) wird im Rahmen des BMBF Förderprogramms Global Change - Forschungs für die nachhaltige Entwicklung der Megastädte von Morgen unterstützt und von einem Indisch-Deutschen Konsortium bearbeitet. Neben den Koordinatoren - European Institute for Energy Research (EIfER) und Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) - beteiligen sich zahlreiche deutsche und indische Forschungsinstitute, NGOs, lokale und regionale Verwaltungseinrichtungen, öffentliche und private Versorgungsunternehmen. SHAKTI fokussiert auf die Stadt Hyderabad, die Hauptstadt der Provinz Andhra Pradesh im Südosten Indiens gelegen. Hohen Wachstumsraten, vor allem im Bereich neuer Technologien, die sich in der Peripherie ansiedeln (Cyberabad) steht ein muslimisch geprägter Altstadtkern mit zunehmender Bevölkerungsverdichtung und mangelhafter Infrastruktur entgegen. Diese Situation bildet den Spannungsbogen, der bei der künftigen Entwicklung zu berücksichtigen ist. Auf der Basis von bereits existierenden Zielsetzungen sollen in der Stadt Hyderabad gemeinsam mit den lokalen Partnern Entwicklungsperspektiven und Problemlösungsstrategien erarbeitet werden. Darauf aufbauend werden integrierte Projekte für die Umsetzungsphase initiiert, die sowohl kurzfristigen Herausforderungen begegnen als auch mittel- und langfristige Anforderungen einer nachhaltigen Entwicklung berücksichtigen. Die Definition und Priorisierung der Problembereiche erfolgt überwiegend vor dem Hintergrund der Vor-Ort-Kenntnisse der indischen Partner, während Strategien und konkrete Projekte durch gemeinsame Lern- und Kommunikationsprozesse entwickelt werden. In SHAKTI wurden drei strategische Ziele definiert: Nachhaltige Konzepte und Strategien im Umgang mit schnellem Wachstum, Nachhaltige Modernisierung und Anpassung der städtischen technischen Infrastrukturen (Wasser, Abwasser, Energie, Verkehr), Anpassungsfähige und integrierte Lern- und Planungsprozesse unter Einbeziehung relevanter Interessenvertreter. Die konkreten Aufgaben der Angewandten Geologie Karlsruhe sind dabei: Task 1.1 Background study on urban water resources with special attention to groundwater related problems in the Hyderabad administrative area. Task 1.2 Report on alternative water management strategies available for Hyderabad. Task 1.3. Implementation plan for research & demonstration activities in the second project stage. Task 1.4. Input for WP 7 Monitoring & Evaluation.
Das Projekt "Sustainability Tools and Targets for the Urban Thematic Strategy (STATUS)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von ICLEI - Local Goverments for Sustainability, Europasekretariat GmbH durchgeführt. The Urban Thematic Strategy (UTS) is one of 7 Thematic Strategies of the 6th Environment Action Programme. This is a new way of developing environmental policy for complex priority problems that require a holistic approach. The key organising principle for the UTS is sustainable development underpinning . The preparatory work to ensure effective implementation of the UTS in 2005 needs to be undertaken in the next 15 months. In particular, appropriate mechanisms must be put in place to monitor and assess progress during the Strategy, and to provide clear, realistic and appropriate medium term targets for the Priority Themes. The STATUS Project follows the central objective of the relevant SSP, Task 1, in aiming principally to develop locally-relevant targets for local authorities (LAs) across the EU to self-assess progress with urban sustainable development. To do this, a user-friendly on-line tool will be designed onto which will be entered a range of targets and related indicators. These targets will be developed, through building on the synergies between the UTS themes, the Aalborg Commitments, Urban Audit, and European Common Indicators, and through intensive involvement of LAs at key stages of the Project. The tool will use the Lasala On-line approach as a starting point for its development. With this tool, LAs will be able to consult all the targets, and receive useful information on them. They can then select targets relating to the local context and enter relevant baseline data against these. It is anticipated that a more refined version of the Prototype Tool would need to be developed (subsequent to the STATUS project) to permit LAs to regularly input data showing progress on the selected targets, and then receive feedback on this. The Prototype tool will be supported by detailed guidance on how to use and monitor progress on local sustainability targets, and a manual for LAs on using the tool. Prime Contractor: University of Northumbria at Newcastle; Newcastle Upon Tyne; United Kingdom.
Das Projekt "Holistic and sustainable abatement of noise by optimized combinations of natural and artificial means (HOSANNA)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Müller-BBM Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung durchgeführt. Objective: Noise pollution is a major environmental problem within the EU. The social costs of traffic noise have been estimated to 0.4Prozent of total GDP. Road traffic is the dominant source, and also rail traffic noise is significant. At the same time, road and rail traffic are expected to steadily increase, and the source strength is not expected to significantly decrease within the near future. To reduce the outdoor traffic noise to a sufficiently low level for a good acoustic environment is a major challenge of high need. Here, we will focus on noise propagation abatement for the outdoor environment. Following the EU Directive on environmental noise, a series of major action have been taken in noise abatement, but the sustainability has rarely been paid attention. The main idea of our project is to optimize the use of green areas, green surfaces and other natural elements in combination with artificial elements in urban and rural environments for reducing the noise impact of road and rail traffic. The project offers a variety of powerful abatement strategies that will make a cost effective improvement by its combination of approaches concerning: ground and road surface treatments; trees, forests and tall vegetation; greening of buildings and other surfaces; and innovative barriers. The noise impact will be assessed in terms of sound levels (including spectra and time patterns) as well as perceived environment (including annoyance, well-being and other health related aspects). The main objectives of the project are: to show by full scale evaluation that the proposed abatement methods work; to deliver noise prediction methods applicable to the proposed abatements, which can also can be used in noise mapping software; to deliver assessment methods for the perceived noise environment; to deliver a good practice guide for the end-users; and to show the cost benefit, including the positive effect on urban air quality and CO2 neutrality, of the resulting noise abatement methods. Prime Contractor: Chalmers Tekniska Hoegskola AB; Goeteborg; Sverige (Schweden).
Das Projekt "The Virtual Tank Utility in Europe (VIRTUE)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Hamburgische Schiffbau-Versuchsanstalt GmbH durchgeführt. Objective: VIRTUE is an Integrated Project in response to the call on Virtual environment for an integrated fluid dynamic analysis in ship design; Objective 2 Advanced design and production techniques in the Sustainable Surface Transport of the workprogramme Sustainable Development, Global Change and Ecosystems. It constitutes an EU-wide initiative of leading marine CFD players to create a 'Virtual Basin' by integrating advanced numerical fluid analysis tools to tackle multi-criteria hydrodynamic performance optimisation of ships in a comprehensive and holistic approach, aiming to complement model testing in real basins and hence substantially enhance the provision of current services to the marine industry and to nurture development of innovative design techniques and concepts. This coherent and all-embracing hydrodynamic analysis system will help increase the competitiveness of the EU shipbuilding and shipping industries, promote a truly European co-operation with strong structuring and integration effects, strengthen SMEs through involvement in leading edge developments as a means to gaining and sustaining competitive advantage and leadership and enhance quality and safety in waterborne transportation. VIRTUE's scientific and technological objectives to achieve these ambitious goals include to: -improve hydrodynamic testing through improved reliability of CFD tools -Enhance existing CFD tools in terms of performance and accuracy and further validation -Formally integrate numerical tools, using proven approaches, into an environment for complete modelling and simulation of ship behaviour at sea- Provide smooth and versatile communication and data exchange link between marine CFD service providers, such as model basins, and the end user -Provide the means - CFD tools, integration platform and optimisation techniques -to cover the whole range of hydrodynamic problems and to facilitate and support multi-disciplinary design
Das Projekt "Bedeutung von Erdgas als neuer Treibstoff im Kontext einer nachhaltigen Energieversorgung" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie gGmbH durchgeführt. Alternative Kraftstoffe können in Verbindung mit Effizienzsteigerungen und Veränderungen im Mobilitätsverhalten einen wichtigen Beitrag zu einer zukunftsfähigen Entwicklung im Verkehr leisten. Ihre Rolle kann allerdings nicht alleine aus Sicht des Verkehrs bewertet werden. Aufgrund der Wechselwirkungen im gesamten Energiesystem müssen auch Fragen der Verfügbarkeit von Primärenergieträgern und Verlagerungseffekte berücksichtigt werden, die z. B. auftreten, wenn erneuerbare Energien statt im stationären Bereich in mobilen Anwendungen eingesetzt werden. Derartige ganzheitliche Betrachtungen auf der Basis von Energiesystemanalysen sind Gegenstand der Studie, die aus klimapolitischer und energiewirtschaftlicher Sicht analysiert, welche Rolle Erdgas, Biokraftstoffe und Wasserstoff für eine zukünftige Kraftstoffversorgung spielen können. Die Ergebnisse unterstreichen, dass die von den Klimawissenschaften langfristig als notwendig angesehenen Klimaschutzziele nur durch eine deutliche Reduktion des durchschnittlichen Energieverbrauchs der Fahrzeuge erreicht werden können. Alternative Kraftstoffe können die notwendigen Effizienzmaßnahmen zwar flankieren und den Handlungsspielraum erweitern, massive Effizienzsteigerungen aber nicht ersetzen. Die Ergebnisse wurden am 18. September 2003 vom Präsidenten des Wuppertal Instituts, Prof. Dr. Peter Hennicke, auf der IAA 2003 in Frankfurt/Main vorgestellt und an Bundesumweltminister Trittin übergeben.
Das Projekt "Teilprojekt: Universität Innsbruck" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Hohenheim, Institut für Landwirtschaftliche Betriebslehre durchgeführt. The project 'RIVERTWIN' aims in adjusting, testing and implementing an integrated regional model for the strategic planning of water resources management in twinned river basins under contrasting ecological, social and economic conditions. The regional model will take into account the impacts of demographic trends, economic and technological development, the effects of global climate and land use changes on the availability and quality of water bodies in humid temperate, subhumid tropical as well as semiarid regions. The existing integration framework will be first tested in a European river basin with high data availability and data density. The Transferability of the model to other regions with different economic level, ecological standards and with low data availability will be jointly tested by the project team and river basin organisations in two river basins in Westafrica and Uzbekistan. Here, the problem of adequate human resources and the uncertainties of input data for the implementation of computer based decision suppport tools will be addressed. Capacity building through training of end users supports the transfer of the research results into application. In cooperation with stakeholders and potential users integrated scenarios of economic growth, land use and climate change will be developed and the model will be used to assess the implications for water management under the respective scenario assumptions. The twinning of river basins will promote mutual transfer of know-how and technology between European and Third countries. Based on the results, river basin management plans can be prepared. Through its holistic basin wide approach, the project contributes to the EU water directive, the Millennium Goals defined by the WSSD and the EU water initiative for Africa and Newly Independent States.
Das Projekt "Holzplantagen in Paraguay: Vergleichende Bewertung der Einflussfaktoren und weiteren Beitrag zur Einkommensgenerierung" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Technische Universität Dresden, Fachrichtung Forstwissenschaften, Institut für Internationale Forst- und Holzwirtschaft, Professur für Tropische und Internationale Forstwirtschaft durchgeführt. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES General: The research aims o identify and provide a better understanding of the socioeconomic factors (internal & external) influencing timber plantation establishment and development in Eastern Paraguay and the further contribution to income generation. It will analyze some of the forces driving plantation establishment and their impacts since the establishment of the Forest Law in 1972. Specific objectives: 1. To document and analyze the changes and general development of timber plantation establishment in Eastern Paraguay. 2. To apply a holistic framework on timber plantation development over an almost forty year period (1973 - 2012) and analyze its potential future development. 3. To study and analyze the socioeconomic factors influencing timber plantations establishment and determine how these factors interact among them. 4. To analyze the profit-making potential of timber plantations considering different landholdings sizes: large, medium and small scales. 5. To develop top guidelines to enhance timber plantation development in the country. RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1. What are the main socioeconomic factors that influence timber plantation establishment in Eastern Paraguay? - To what extent these socioeconomic factors interrelate each other to push timber plantation development? - What are the factors that influence directly in farmers decision making toward tree planting investment? - Will the reforested areas be maintained in the long term? - What enabling factors are required to sustain the efforts? 2. What is the potential contribution of timber plantations to farmers income generation? - Can timber plantations be considered as potential contributor to household income? 3. Among selected cases - What were the most promising approaches? - Which elements of these projects can be replicated (at low cost by local institutions and actors)? - Which ones are self-sustaining at the local level? PRELIMINARY RESULTS Forest resources are essential for Paraguayan rural economy for subsistence and household income. Nevertheless, their contribution is generally underestimated. Countrys high deforestation rates and insufficient efforts to promote sustainable forest management affected the supply of wood for small scale farms. The research examines socioeconomic factors linked to tree planting efforts by small holders in Eastern Paraguay, their contribution to household income and the role they play in reducing the pressure on natural forest. Different tree planting schemes were approached as case studies and participatory tools and semistructured interviews were applied. Results show that influential determinants for tree planting are involvement in social organizations and long term technical and managerial support. Managing planted trees at small scale farms requires little financial support and low labor than traditional farm cash crops and have remarkable potential to support income generation. usw.
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