This research will evaluate climate change mitigation options in China and India and the conditions for a strategic cooperation on RD&D and technology transfer with EU. This project will identify and assess technology options that might significantly reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions in China and India in key sectors (i.e. power generation, transport, agriculture, and heavy industry). It will also define the necessary institutional and organizational architecture that would stimulate technology cooperation. The research will emphasize the strategic dimension of RD&D cooperation, and the key role of creating incentives for the participation of developing countries (DCs) in post-2012 GHG emissions reduction strategies and technological cooperation. Finally it will evaluate how the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and international emission trading (IET) might improve the attractiveness of new energy technology options for DCs, and thus contribute to stimulate RD&D cooperation and technology transfers toward China and India. The research will be structured around the use of an ensemble of models that will be coupled together via advanced large scale mathematical programming techniques: (i) a World and regional (i.e. China and India) MARKAL/TIMES bottom-up techno-economic models permitting a global assessment of technology options in different regions of the world; (ii) a CGE multi-country and multi-region of the world economy (GEMINI-E3) that includes a representation of developing countries economies (i.e. China and India) permitting an assessment of welfare, terms of trade and emissions trading effects; (iii) a multi-region integrated model (WITCH) representing the effect on economic growth of technology competition in a global climate change mitigation context; (iv) a game theoretic framework that will be implemented to analyze self-enforcing agreements regarding abatement commitment and technological cooperation.
The aim of the research project is to further develop and compare the acceptability and technical performance of fluoride removal filters and to explore ways of sustainably implementing these in rural Ethiopia. According to estimates of the Ethiopian Ministry of Water Resources more than 14 million people in Ethiopia rely on drinking water contaminated by fluoride in the Rift Valley region. Over 40Prozent of deep and shallow wells are contaminated and concentrations, up to 26 mg/L, are significantly higher than the present international WHO guideline value of 1.5 mg/L. The main source of fluoride are the basaltic rocks in the Rift Valley. Over 80Prozent of children suffer from different degrees of dental fluorosis and skeletal fluorosis is increasing, mainly among older people. The mitigation of this health problem has been hampered mainly by the lack of a suitable, inexpensive removal method. A switch to treated surface waters for drinking is being discussed, but it is accepted that fluoride removal systems for rural communities are required. To date there has been no successful implementation of such a system in Ethiopia. This project aims to combine technical and social research at both Eawag and University of Addis Ababa, including field work together with NGOs to find a solution to the mitigation of fluorosis. Not only the suggested removal techniques but also the inter- and transdisciplinary research approach is innovative. Intensive interaction of engineering and social sciences is indispensable in this project, because even the best technical solution is useless when it is not accepted by the population. This collaborative project also has an important goal of capacity and human resource development in Ethiopia. It aims at strengthening the knowledge and research capacity of the Ethiopian university and the participation of NGOs will consolidate the ties between research and implementation. Furthermore, the results will be applicable not only to Ethiopia but also for other fluorosis-affected developing countries. Two fluoride removal systems that can cope with the elevated fluoride concentrations will be further developed and tested in the field. The first, based on filtration with aluminium (Al) oxide, has been developed in the Chemistry Department of Addis Ababa University. Laboratory tests have shown a very high removal capacity, but still further laboratory and field testing is required. The second filter material is based on a calcium hydroxyapatite, including bone char, that is successfully being developed and currently implemented by the Catholic Diocese of Nakuru (CDN) in Kenya. Preliminary implementation studies with bone char filtration in Ethiopia, carried out by the NGO consortium Swiss Interchurch Aid (HEKS) / Oromo Self-Help Organisation (OSHO) in collaboration with CDN and Eawag have shown that the water composition, the high fluoride concentrations,
European Member States have set up National Environment and Health Action Programmes during the last decade, confirming the importance of environmental health protection. The importance of scaling down this approach to regional and local level is evident to improve the conditions of life. There is a lack of exchange of information and experiences among Member States on this issue. Thus, there is a need to identify and analyse national and regional activities and to exchange good practices. The main objective of the PRONET project is to facilitate exchange and evaluation of interventions on environment and health exposure reduction measures on a regional level and promote implementation of successful initiatives in other regions of Europe. This project will focus on the exchange of useful practices in two areas; 1) the reduction of traffic-related health hazards; 2) improvement of indoor air quality. This project will co-ordinate the body of experience in practical pollution reduction measures or strategies and will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the design and implementation of measures aimed at reducing exposure to environmental health hazards. Communication, participation, socio-economic and gender factors are included in the analysis as they might influence the impact of exposure reduction measures. To do so PRONET will set up an information exchange platform for the development of health promotion-based policies. Furthermore, this project will set up a network of regional authorities and researchers at different levels. Establishing a link through partners and member states to THE PEP and other relevant projects will be part of the activities. At workshops and by surveys network members will come together to identify, analyse, assess and develop policy options to gain insight in interventions and disseminate the results to all stakeholders in European regions. The results will be used to make recommendations for policies at regional level. Prime Contractor: Hulpverlening Gelderland Midden; Arnheim; Netherlands.
The Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA) is one of the internationally acting cross-cutting research networks of DIVERSITAS. GMBA acts as a platform of the international mountain biodiversity research (www.gmba.unibas.ch), currently listing more than 700 active partners worldwide. It aims to synthesise often fragmented knowledge, organize workshops/symposia and promote participation in international research projects. GMBA has also developed internationally accorded research guidelines for specific fields and encourages collaborative research programmes throughout the world and advocates the open access philosophy of GBIF and e-mining of mountain biodiversity data. The GMBA office is coordinating a network of field experiments worldwide, aiming to quantify the influences of land use and biodiversity on catchment value in steep mountian terrain, with successfully funded Joint Research Projects in Bolivia, Georgia, Austria, and upcomming projects in France, Switzerland and China. Main products of this funding period will include: - Global mountain biodiversity data portal and promotion of open access of geo-referenced mountain biodiversity data, in collaboration with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) in Copenhagen, Denmark; - publication of a synthesis book on mountain biodiversity data mining and results of comparative data-mining of GMBA data expert; - synthesis of results of the world-wide network of field experiments on land use and biodiversity, and catchment value in mountains (in a special journal issue or synthesis volume); - GMBA will link the mountain biodiversity community with the International Mechanism of Scientific Expertise on Biodiversity (IMoSEB), an international scientific biodiversity assessment panel. - organisation of the 2nd GMBA open science conference on mountain biodiversity in 2010. This will be the 10-year anniversary of GMBA under Swiss leadership.
The aim of the study was to assess the feasibility a REDD+ project aiming at a reduction / avoidance of the currently ongoing deforestation in the Mt. Cameroon area. The ecologically valuable region is under serious threat of deforestation, caused by local villagers through the establishment of cash crops, mainly for cocoa-plantations. Deforestation shall be avoided by the development and implementation of a REDD+ project. This project shall be inherently conected to the newly established Mt. Cameroon National Park. The REDD+ project shall finance both the administration of the National Park as well as compensation measures in the surrounding villages. This compensation measures shall not only ensure the interest of local population in the participation in the REDD+ project, it shall also cover the REDD+ projects need for leakage management activities ensuring that the project impact (in terms of carbon conservation) is not compensated by deforestation activities outside the park area. This shall ensure the REDD+ projects overall success. The study evaluated the threat of permanent deforestation in the Mt. Cameroon region, identified drivers of deforesation, screened appropriate mitigation strategies and developed a baseline scenario. In May 2009, GFA ENVEST visited the project site, investigated the legal project structure and discussed project setup with the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife and the Ministry for Environment and Nature Protection. As the national park was established in spring 2010, the REDD+ project development is envisaged to start in autumn 2010. Services provided: GFA ENVEST provides the following services: Assessment of carbon stocks of intact forests for the main forest strata; Assessment of carbon stocks of degraded forests sites (i.e. cocoa plantations) for the main forest strata; Evaluation of forest protection measures and related abatement costs; Assessment of leakage management and leakage monitoring options and related costs; Design of a monitoring system based on remote sensing. This system shall allow for the verification of the overall success of forest protection measures. Calculation of the projects emission reductions under the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) considering VCS security buffer approach for non-permanence; Assessment of carbon revenues and the overall financial feasibility of REDD+ measures; Evaluation of carbon rights ownership and an appropriate REDD+ project structure managing carbon funds and project costs.
This recent project is part of the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food. Its objective is to research the use of integrated simulation models as decision-tools in multi-stakeholder negotiation processes at the sub-basin level. The project sites are the White Volta (Ghana) and the Maule basin (Chile), where construction of agent-based simulation models that combine economic and hydrological sub-models is already underway. The project will focus on (1) the analysis and strengthening of multi-stakeholder governance structures in the two project sites, (2) the identification of problems, policy options to address the problems, and criteria for evaluation policy options by stakeholders, (3) the extension of simulation models to incorporate the impact of climate change on land and water use decisions of risk-averse producers, (4) the evaluation of alternative policy options, as identified by stakeholders, (5) the development of decision-support tools that present and visualize the outputs of the simulation models in a form that is useful for the stakeholders, and (6) the actual use of the decision-support tools in negotiation and planning processes in the multi-stakeholder governance structures. Dissemination strategies will be based on the development of different formats and media targeted to different audiences, and will include: materials prepared for stakeholder workshops, a film that can be used for extension purposes, training materials for using and managing the computer simulation model, participation in regional and virtual networks (i.e. e-groups of Water for Food Challenge Program projects), policy briefs, research reports and journal articles.
ATLAS brings together the expertise of the leading European research, education and training institutions in the area of land use and sustainability impact assessment, combining innovative research efforts and practical experiences, enabling an educational breakthrough required to meet the ambitions of the Sub-priority. The fragmented nature of education and training provision in sustainability impact assessment for land use planning is a major barrier to the management of rapid land use change that is now occurring in Europe. As a result the Commission wishes to: - take stock of what educational resources exist, - assess their adequacy; and, - stimulate the development of appropriate strategies and initiatives for the future. ATLAS will enable the coordination and dissemination of educational practice and the development of future training initiatives for policy and practice in this area throughout Europe. It will result in: - A baseline description (on-line data base) of the status of educational provision at practitioner's, professional, undergraduate and Master's levels, within Europe; - A SWOT-analysis of the extent to which this provision meets current needs, with clear recommendations for improvement; and, - A 'road-map' for training in land use sustainability assessment providing better European organisation of the educational provision leading to appropriate professional qualifications. ATLAS will permit the Commission to achieve the mentioned requirements, by bringing together the three leading international networks concerned with sustainable land use management in Europe, namely LANDSCAPE EUROPE, ECLAS and Landscape Tomorrow. These networks have differing focuses within this area but together have a complete coverage of the subject. They moreover benefit from direct participation in relevant IP's, such as SENSOR and SEAMLESS. Improved co-ordination of their efforts on education and training will have great benefits for the effectiveness of the policies currently developed. Prime Contractor: Tallinna Ulikool; Tallinn; Estonia.
Das Anschlussprojekt hat das Ziel, die wissenschaftlichen Kompetenzen des UfU in den Feldern Partizipation und Umweltbildung zu stärken. Die Ansätze der ersten beiden Jahre sollen erfolgreich fortgeführt und nachhaltig ausgerichtet werden. Hierbei soll auch das in den ersten beiden Projektjahren restrukturierte Fachgebiet 'Ressourcenschutz und Landschaftsökologie' einbezogen werden. Insgesamt soll die wissenschaftliche Kompetenz des UfU, insbesondere im Bereich der sozialökologischen Forschung durch verschiedene Aktivitäten in den Themenfeldern Partizipation und Bildung bei Jugendlichen gesteigert werden. Der nutzerorientierte Ausbau des Internetauftritts des UfU ordnet sich hierbei ebenso ein wie ein verstärktes Auftreten des UfU auf internationalen Konferenzen. Der wissenschaftliche Beirat des UfU soll bei allen Aktivitäten unterstützend tätig werden. Zudem wird das Netzwerk verstetigt. Die Hauptaktivitäten des Anschlussprojekts sind die Ausrichtung einer internationalen Tagung zum Thema Bildung, Kommunikation und Partizipation im Bereich Klimaschutz und Klimawandel sowie die Erstellung einer Studie zu diesem Themenkomplex. Diese Studie soll die Situation der Klimaschutzbildung und Partizipationsmöglichkeiten im Bereich Klimaschutz in unterschiedlichen Staaten vergleichend analysieren. Hierfür werden zusammen mit Partnerorganisationen aus den jeweiligen Ländern qualitative Interviews und Literaturrecherchen durchgeführt. Die Studie, in die sowohl die Ergebnisse der qualitativen Erhebungen und Recherchen als auch die Resultate der Tagung einfließen, wird abschließend als UfU-Paper veröffentlicht.
In addition to recognizing natural selection as a universal mechanism in evolution, Darwin also saw the importance of sexual selection, yet the two have been traditionally treated largely in isolation. Here I propose to apply experimental evolution (exposing experimental populations to controlled specific selective pressures over many generations in the laboratory) to the ideally suited model system Tribolium castaneum to explore how these evolutionary forces interact and impact on the key processes underlying biodiversity. Understanding how these fundamental forces, singly and in conjunction, influence species divergence remains a major challenge in evolutionary biology. Participation of sexual selection in driving speciation is supported by substantial theoretical evidence. Theory further suggests that evolutionary conflicts (such as between the sexes or between host and parasite) might also accelerate extinction. Additional complexity is introduced by including the environmental context, linking back to natural selection. Direct experimental tests of the above concepts are essentially lacking. I will explicitly target this gap by exploiting powerful experimental evolution, incorporating the interplay between sexual selection intensity, host-parasite conflict, and adaptation to increasing temperature. Projects will assess how selection under evolutionary conflict and environmental change affects both adaptation and extinction rates, aiming to elucidate underlying mechanisms. Additionally, building on clear phenotypic divergence in key traits across experimental evolution lines, I will significantly expand on previous work by assessing patterns of divergence in gene expression, concentrating on target genes associated with reproduction, immunity and heat shock. This research will be of particular interest to scientists working in the fields of evolutionary biology and behavioural ecology, but also to ecologists, reproductive biologists, and conservation biologists. As Tribolium beetles are widespread agricultural pests, results will also be relevant to more applied researchers.
Objective: Developing countries are reluctant to make any binding commitment as their per capita emissions are low and climate abatement measures conflict with their main priorities on socio-economic development. The question is if there is a way to simultaneously provide sufficient energy (which is also the main source of GHG emissions), to support poverty alleviation and economic growth and achieve sufficient emission reductions. Finding an answer is the main aim of this project. It may be possible with a combination of policies and measures encompassing from international level to national level supported by committed international cooperation to achieve both the goals together. The main focus of the study is on India and China. The primary objective is to develop a portfolio of policy options including both international and national policies as well as institutional frameworks for international cooperation for these two emerging economies to engage them in climate protection measures under a post-2012 regime. By applying an integrated modeling framework, the study will explore possible multiple pathways which may exist for these countries to contribute into international climate initiatives without compromising their national development priorities. Specific objectives are: - developing country-specific integrated modeling framework to analyse policies and identify multiple pathways to achieve socio-economic and climate targets - identifying/designing international climate polices in post-Kyoto regime for future commitments and participations of emerging economies (India and China) - designing national polices (in socio-economic sectors, energy and environment) compatible with the global climate targets - designing and quantifying as much as possible the international co-operations needed to make the participation in a post-2012 regime acceptable at least in economic terms - disseminating the results to potential users for use in future negotiations.
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