The Proceedings of The International Conference on Climate Change
Proceedings of The International Conference on Climate Change is a peer-reviewed, open access proceedings which aims to disseminate knowledge on the field of Climate Change to the readers by publishing original research and reviews of Climate change. The scope includes Issues in climate change, bio diversity, Agriculture, water and livelihood and major contemporary issues related with climate change. Full papers of the authors who participate in the International Conference on Climate Change are published free of charge in the proceedings after a double-blind peer review process.
PROMOTING GREEN PRODUCTS AMONG YOUTH AT SUPERMARKETS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION
Climate change mitigation is a debatable topic around the world along with environmental education. This study highlights an important point: climate change mitigation can be done by improving the consumption/ usage of green products. Numerous studies have already been conducted in the areas related to climate change mitigation such as the effects of organic farming, consumer behavior regarding the consumption of green products, ecological perspectives regarding the intention to purchase green products, marketing mix, and eco-labeling. However, no comprehensive study has been conducted regarding opportunities to promote green, organic, or eco-friendly products toward climate change mitigation at the national level. Therefore, this study is an attempt to address this knowledge gap and also introduces a novel way to enhance green consumption among youth as a positive step for climate change mitigation. This mixed method study uses both primary and secondary data to familiarize the concept. The semi-structured questionnaires were shared with a convenient sample of young customers of selected multinational supermarkets to understand the perceptions of these products and their purchasing methods while understanding green product promotion practices at those supermarkets through observations as primary data collection instruments. National policies towards green promotions have been identified through published documents. According to the findings, a significant proportion of the sample is willing to purchase these products provided they are reasonably priced. They are aware of the product’s benefits for the environment and health. Therefore, it can be recommended that introducing a new and effective financial reward system to encourage consumers to focus on these products in their purchases will increase consumption and demand. As a practical application, it can introduce a green-embedded electronic reward card system similar to existing loyalty cards to leverage green product purchasing behavior. It will open new avenues to mitigate climate change.
Copyright (c) 2024 The Proceedings of The International Conference on Climate Change https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
CLIMATE CHANGE VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT AND FUTURE TEMPERATURE PROJECTIONS: A CASE STUDY OF QUINTANA ROO, MEXICO
This study addresses the climate change vulnerability of Quintana Roo, Mexico, a region renowned for its natural beauty and touristic appeal. Facing environmental challenges such as rising sea temperatures, reduced precipitation, and increased natural disasters, the region's susceptibility is exacerbated by its rapid population growth and high dependence on tourism. Utilizing the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5, this research employs the Max Plank Institute-Earth System Model on Low Resolution (MPI-ESM-LR) climate model to project temperature anomalies in the mid (2045-2069) and long term (2075-2099). The research objectives involve assessing vulnerability and projecting future temperature changes. Methodologically, the study isolates Quintana Roo using GIS, calculates temperature differences between reference and projected scenarios, and visualizes the results. The results indicate alarming temperature increases, reaching up to 4.1°C in the pessimistic scenario. The implications are profound, posing severe consequences for the region's equilibrium and livelihoods. In conclusion, this research underscores the critical need for immediate action to address climate change in Quintana Roo. As climate change is a global challenge, the findings contribute to the broader understanding of climate impacts on vulnerable regions.
WATER HARVESTING TO ADDRESS THE CLIMATE CHANGE IN JORDAN USING REMOTE SENSING AND CLIMATE DATA
Climate change, especially in the eastern Mediterranean basin, has received intense attention because it inevitably affects natural resources. A decrease in rainfall has already been observed in Jordan and neighboring countries. Jordan has a Mediterranean climate, characterized by hot summers and mild, humid winters. The decrease and fluctuation of rainfall from year to year has led to pressure on water resources and a decrease in the availability of water for drinking and various uses, even in the northern region, which has more rainfall than others. Therefore, this study analyzes the trend of rainfall in northern Jordan, specifically the city of Irbid the second largest city in the country with 650000 inhabitent. Statistical methods such as regression, moving averages, and cumulative differences were used to examin the trend of rainfall in the city. Meanwhile satellite images were used to calculate the rooftop area of buildings in the city and then estimate the amount of possible harvested rainwater that can be collected through water harvesting techniques for daily use. The study found that the long-term average annual rainfall in Irbid reaches 466 mm with concentration in winter in (December, January, February), at a rate of 65% of the annual precipitation, while 23% falls in the spring in ( March, April, May), in addition to the fact that the rainfall rate reaches 12% in (September, October, November). The results showed that the total area of buildings’ rooftops in Irbid is about 6.93 square kilometers, and the total amount of estimated harvested water is about 26 million cubic metres. . This amount of water, if invested, will improve the per capita share of water in the city of Irbid to become 39.7 cubic metres comparing to the current amount of 60 cubic metres.
ON AN EXPLORATION IN TO THE CHALLENGES FACED BY ADIVAASI INDUSTRY IN GENERAL AND ALSO IN RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN INDIA AND FURTHER STUDYING THE POSSIBLE HIERARCHICAL INTER-RELATIONSHIPS AMONGST THEM
Adivaasi group of Indian community constitute 8.6 per cent of India’s population, but they have been continually excluded from the nation’s development. Livelihood generation projects, conservation measures and health and education programs have been framed without taking into account the Adivaasi group of Indian population. They rarely had a say in the programs planned around their lives and land. This is with regard to climate change and environment related welfare issues as well. Present research thereby focuses on the challenges faced by Adivaasi industry in India in general as well as in response to the climate change and carbon credit policies and further studying the possible hierarchical interrelationships amongst them using VAXO technique encrypted in ISM methodology.
FUTURE PROJECTION OF EXTREME RAINFALL OVER MALAYSIA USING HIGHRESMIP (CMIP6) DURING BOREAL WINTER AND SUMMER
Climate change is known to influence the behavior of extreme precipitation and bring detrimental effects such as extreme drought, heatwaves, flooding, and storm surge. This study aims to evaluate the capability of three High Resolution Model Intercomparison Project (HighResMIP) Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) models in simulating extreme precipitation. The best model will be used for future extreme rainfall projection in Malaysia. The three models that were utilised are CMCC-CM2-VHR4, FGOALS-F3-H and MRI-AGCM3-2-S. There are three extreme indices from Expert Team on Sector Specific Climate Indices (ET-SCI) were used for evaluation. Results showed that MRI-AGCM3-2-S was the most consistent model that is able to simulate the extreme indices compared to the other models. However, this model was not efficient in simulating rainfall at high topography areas. During December-January-February (DJF) season, the eastern region received more rainfall compared to that of western part. East Malaysia, east and central Sabah are wetter compared to the central of Sarawak. In contrast, June-July-August (JJA) season experiences widespread drying in most of the study areas. The future was projected to experience less dry days with intensified rainfall that occurred in short period of time. This study in line with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 13 which to limit and adapt in climate action. Early warning systems and adaptive strategies can be designed based on this thorough evaluation, contributing to a sustainable approach in addressing the challenges posed by climate extremes over Malaysia.
THE IMPACT OF PLASTIC POLLUTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Almost all plastic is derived from materials (like ethylene and propylene) made from fossil fuels (mostly oil and gas). The process of extracting and transporting those fuels, then manufacturing plastic creates billions of tonnes of greenhouse gases. Plastic dumped in landfills can take hundreds of years to break down using a process called photodegradation. Over time, plastic breaks down into methane and ethylene which also contribute to climate change, albeit slowly. Other toxins are also released into the local ecosystems causing ground pollution. The waste management of plastic products has long been a problem. Burning plastic waste is a source of air pollution that is harmful to human health but also releases toxins and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that impacts global warming. In our oceans, plastics directly chokes and smothers a host of marine animals and habitats and can take hundreds of years to break down. As our climate changes, the planet gets hotter, the plastic breaks down into more methane and ethylene, increasing the rate of climate change, and so perpetuating the cycle. The tiny powerhouses (microplastics) play a critical role in taking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and water and sequestering it in deep ocean sinks. Our studies show that plastic can affect the water-holding capacity of drains, river channels and reservoirs. This leads to flooding of adjacent lands and loss of biological diversity and livelihoods. To combact plastic pollution some steps needs to be taken such as government should levy a high fee on each plastic bag that shoppers get at mall and markets because it will discourage people from discarding them after single use; the people should be educated on the three Rs: reduce, recycle and reuse plastic material; the dangers imposed by discarding water satchet and bottles in the environment. Paper bags should be encouraged; government should launch a campaign to crack down on plastic bags and bottles in the country; government should pass the “plastic pollution bill” into law to serve as a guide for the citizens.
TREND ANALYSIS OF GREENHOUSE GASES (GHGs) EMISSIONS OVER NIGERIA FROM 2000 - 2021
The global climate is changing with attendant devastating consequences on human livelihood and socioeconomic activities. This change has been related to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which primarily include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) and are characterised by spatiotemporal fluctuations over the planet. The objective of the research is to analyse temporal variation of greenhouse gases emissions over Nigeria from 2000 - 2021. Data used were obtained from the archive of the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR). This database provides time-series emissions as national totals using international statistics and a consistent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methodology. Monthly data for a period of 21 years covering 2000-2021 were obtained for Nigeria. Trend analysis was carried out on a monthly, seasonal and annual basis to define the historical emissions trend path over Nigeria using descriptive statistics and the Mann-Kendall test. Results of the monthly analysis from January to December for the given historical years demonstrated steady upward trends for two gases namely CO2 and N2O which are significant at the 0.05 alpha levels. On the contrary, the CH4 gas emission indicated different trends for different months which are not significant at the 0.05 degree of alpha. Furthermore, similar scenarios of significant upward trends of CO2 and N2O emissions, but not for CH4 are noticeable with respect to the seasonal and annual time-series. As a result, Nigeria's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have not resulted in a positive commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060.
Copyright (c) 2023 The Proceedings of The International Conference on Climate Change https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
VARIANTS OF RECURRENT NEURAL NETWORK MODELS FOR REAL-TIME FLOOD FORECASTING IN KELANI RIVER BASIN, SRI LANKA
The rapid advancement in computer technology has supported flood forecasting, especially neural networks (NN), an application of data-driven models. However, prediction reliability is compromised due to the data manipulation strategies and the length of the predictive horizon, especially the one-month horizon, which is ample for pre-flood management. Therefore, six (06) variants of recurrent neural networks (RNN) such as Long- and Short-Term Model (LSTM), Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU), Stacked Bidirectional and Unidirectional LSTM (SBU-LSTM), SBU-GRU, Convolution Neural Network LSTM (CNN-LSTM) and CNN-GRU, were developed for the Kelani River Basin to validate their applicability in encouraging the accuracy of monthly flood forecasting by adapting a proper data manipulation technique. Initially, climatic, and physiographic factors of the basin, where the social and economic values are grievously interrupted by frequent floods, were gathered for the study. Then, the hydrological and data science cleansing strategies were adapted to enhance the quality of the data. Besides, a Box-Cox transformation was implemented to redistribute the hydrological data into a Gaussian form to remove the significant deviation between higher and lower values. Next, grid analysis was conducted using statistical tools to quantify the performance, while the influence of data handling and model architecture was examined using uncertainty and sensitivity analysis. LSTM, GRU, SBU-LSTM, SBU-GRU, CNN-LSTM, and CNN-GRU expressed nearly 81%, 81%, 83%, 83%, 76%, and 62%, respectively, for the coefficient of determination (R2) which measures how well the forecasted values fit with the actual values. SBU-LSTM and SBU-GRU interpreted similar behavior to LSTM and GRU; however, the pattern was different in CNN-LSTM and CNN-GRU. Specifically, simple variants LSTM and GRU provided satisfactory results for the uncertainty and sensitivity analysis categories.
CLIMATE RISK PERCEPTIONS AMONG THAI FARMERS: CASE OF RICE AND DURIAN FARMERS
Climate risks, such as floods and droughts, pose a threat to farmers as their livelihood relies on their crop yields. The purpose of this research is to evaluate cash crop and high-value crop farmers’ risk perception towards climate risks, as well as their ability to cope and deal with these risks in Ayutthaya and Chanthaburi Province, Thailand. This study hypothesized that different crop types, farming regions, and socio-economic factors, may play a role in differing risk perceptions in the two groups of farmers. A sample of 100 farmers were chosen from each province via a cluster and purposive sampling technique. Quantitative analysis was used to collect primary data using questionnaires for each group. The findings showed age of durian farmers being younger, with 35% under the age of 30 and 65% of rice farmers 50 or older. Education levels varied greatly as 83% of rice farmers’ highest education completed secondary school, while 38% of durian farmers obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher. Over 50% of each group’s annual household income was under 100,000 baht (~3,000 USD), with 10% more durian farmers making over 400,000 baht (~11,000 USD). Data showed that both groups perceive floods and droughts as major risks. According to the survey results, high knowledge and dread level of climate risks were indicated. Regression analysis results determined age and education statistically significant as factors determining risk perception. This study can provide policymakers, agricultural organizations, and future researchers to be able to implement the most effective strategies to protect the farmer, such as infrastructure grants, crop insurance protection plans, and disaster response education.
CENTRAL AMERICAN COFFEE FARMERS´ MIGRATION TO THE USA: AN ANALYSIS OF THE MULTICAUSAL NATURE OF CLIMATE-DRIVEN MIGRATION
Unauthorized migration from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador to the United States has become a major worldwide problem in the last 10 years. To disentangle the causes of recent Central American migration, this paper's research on the multi-causal nature of population migrations takes into account economic development, political instability, violence, and crime’s impacts, and quickly changing gender roles. Drought has lately been researched as a major driver of migration in Central America's Dry Corridor by researchers and politicians, notably among coffee farmers in the region who have been badly impacted by extreme heat and lack of rain. Climate change intensifies the effects of natural disasters, thus acting as a force multiplier. Using secondary sources, including government reports, non-governmental organizations’ briefs, and academic papers to analyze Salvadoran, Guatemalan, and Honduran coffee production, the purpose of this paper is to look into the influence of climate change as a stimulus for migration. Thousands of individuals who rely on coffee cultivation have already had their livelihoods destroyed and have been forced to migrate. With rising temperatures in the region, which is one of the most sensitive to the effects of climate change, the future is unknown. The study begins with an examination of the climate change-migration nexus, which is followed by an examination of the impacts of climate change on coffee production in this region. This paper will discuss how climatic factors along with political instability and the impact of violence explain recent Central American migration behavior to progress toward a comprehensive explanation of climate-driven migration
POWER SYSTEMS RESILIENCE ENHANCEMENT: A REVIEW OF OPERATIONAL ENHANCEMENT APPROACHES
Power system resilience enhancement (PSRE) describes approaches used in reducing the extent of direct impacts caused by climate change and approaches in quickly restoring the grid functionality to its usual status. Recently, much research has been conducted on PSRE approaches to the effects of climate change. There are abundant review papers on PSRE to the impacts of climate. But there are no significant amounts of review papers focusing on operational resilience enhancement approaches on the entire power system, particularly with the focus and classifications suggested in this paper. Operational resilience-oriented modelling approaches and strategies have been comprehensively reviewed across five distinct dimensions including operational strategy, enhancement type, hierarchy, modelling methods and model formulation. A standard literature review process was followed to identify articles, with the initial search covering PSRE in general. Out of these, papers focusing on operational resilience enhancement were selected. The selected papers were classified according to the operational enhancement approaches, enhancement types, modelling methods, model formulation and the enhanced hierarchy criteria. The operational approaches, which include distributed energy resources, microgrids, preventive control, response, design standards upgrade, advanced visualisation and situational awareness systems and advanced and adaptive restoration operational techniques, were reviewed. The study reveals that for a single operational approach, different enhancement techniques can be employed using different modelling techniques. However, limited studies have so far explored an entire grid improvement as opposed to transmission and distribution structures. In addition, among the optimisation, probabilistic, simulation and AI based modelling methods, optimisation approaches have been extensively used. There are very limited studies that combine these modelling approaches in one study. Research gaps and directions for future research have been suggested in this paper.
EFFECT OF BIOCHAR ON WATER RETENSION AND LEACHING OF NUTRIENTS IN A SANDY LOAM SOIL
Nutrient leaching causes agronomic and environmental problems in intensively cultivated soils. In this study, the effect of biochar on retension of nutrient in sandy loam soil was evaluated. Upland rice was amended with 3 different sources of biochar in randomized complete design with 4 replications. The treatment included a control (no input), fertilizer, and upland rice either applied alone or in combination with the three different sources of biochar (poultry manure, corn cobs and groundnut shell). Biochar levels were 5 t ha-1 each and were incorporated into the soil at the same time. Inorganic fertilizer was applied at a rate of 90, 60, 60 and 45, 30, 30 kg ha-1 NPK, as straight fertilizer and then top-dress with nitrogen levels in the form of urea 30 kg ha-1 N eight (8) weeks after transplanting. Upland rice was planted in each lysimeter. Leachate from each lysimeter was collected at 3 weeks intervals for 24 months. For the 24 months running biochar significantly decreased the volume of water leached. Control and 90N60P60K treatments showed higher concentrations of NO3-N and K in the leachate. At a depth of 70 cm leaching significantly reduced with all the three different sources of biochar combined with 45N30P30K and 90N60P60K. The application of three different biochar sources to tropical sandy loam soil may give environmental benefits such as carbon sequestration and reduced nitrate and potassium leaching. Our results indicated that biochar and 45N30P30K combination could be appropriate as a sustainable agronomical approach.
Copyright (c) 2022 TIIKM https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
INFLUENCE OF BIOCHAR AND INORGANIC FERTILIZER ON UPLAND RICE-COWPEA INTERCROP COMPETITIVE INDICES
A trial was conducted to evaluate the competitive indices of upland rice-cowpea intercrop. Sole cropping of the two crops was also done. The experiment was a randomized complete block with 4 replications. The treatment included a control (no input), fertilizer, rice and cowpea intercrop either applied alone or in combination with three different sources of biochar (poultry manure, corn cobs and groundnut shell). At the same time 5 t ha-1 of biochar level each were incorporated into the soil. Inorganic fertilizer was applied at the rate of 90, 60, 60, and 45 kg ha-1 NPK, as straight fertilizer, and then top-dressed with nitrogen levels in the form of urea at 30 kg ha-1 N eight (8) weeks after transplanting. The crops were arranged in a 3:1 rice-cowpea ratio. In this study, intercropping system gave higher land equivalent ratio (LER). Biochar of poultry manure+45N30P30K exhibited higher rice aggressivity (2.43), relative crowding coefficient (1.74) and competitive ratio (4.11). Rice performed better in terms of competitive ratio when grown in combination with cowpea. In terms of nutrient use efficiency nitrogen was high with intercrops, but was very low in sole crop. Intercropping of rice with cowpea gave higher economic advantage (9544.5), income equivalent ratio (403.1), production and cost benefit ratio for biochar poultry manure+45N30P30K (2.68) than 90N60P60K (2.52) respectively. For economic crop yield in upland rice-based ecosystems, small-holder farmers, therefore, should intercrop rice and cowpea and apply biochar +45N30P30K and nitrogen (30 kg N ha-1).
Research manuscript about climate change
ASSESSMENT OF URBAN ECOSYSTEMS: A STRUCTURED APPROACH TOWARDS BUILDING RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN INDIAN TOWNS AND CITIES
The fast-urbanizing Indian cities are grappling with rising ecological challenges. Pollution, water insecurity, urban heat, and flooding have increased the vulnerability of the urban population. There is a need to look at urban settlements as a functioning natural ecosystem delineated by administrative boundaries and to evaluate their health regularly through a comprehensive, easy to adopt, structured approach. This study aims to track and evaluate the ecosystem health of three different categories of urban settlements: a group of metropolitan wards, a growing peripheral city, and an emerging town, through adaption of Pressure- State-Response (PSR) framework developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)’. The methodology includes indices-driven change detection of ecosystem components and pressure points on the same, by using spatial and non-spatial data, developing an impact matrix, and prioritized eco plans for action. Increasing built-up surfaces in the peripheral city (11%) and the metropolitan wards (23%) show increased pressure on their ecosystem in the form of reducing pervious surfaces. Increasing water turbidity, land surface temperatures, and aerosol content in the air depict pressure hotspots requiring mitigative, restorative, and preventive action. A significant decrease observed in heavy vegetation in the metropolitan onwards (58% in the last 5 years) and an increase in industrial activities and aerosol is observed in conjunction with increasing air temperatures and this points towards an impending change in its livability index due to anthropogenic pressures and climate change. The study concludes that a structured approach can aid in agile and sustainable management of our towns and cities and nature-based solutions provide an opportunity to restore the ecosystem balance.
AN EVALUATION OF CLIMATE CHANGE FROM A LEGAL PERSPECTIVE OF TURKEY IN THE SCOPE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
Climate change is a global emergency. Each country's efforts and responses to climate change are of significance individually. The dynamics behind their attitudes are needed to be understood to harmonize global response. Turkey is of a different legal approach than the international community generally. For instance, it is the only G20 country that is not a party to the Paris Agreement. Also, the legal perspective of Turkey is of particular significance for the European Union to achieve its targets. Thus, the question of international legal steps taken and the next steps by Turkey arises. To evaluate this situation, the legal frameworks are analyzed with specific reference to Turkey. It was found that Turkey has been demanding to be recognized as a developing country in the international climate instruments. Although Turkey put some afford to act against climate change, it was not seen as adequate by scientific reports. Also, international and regional human rights instruments have been invoked by individuals for the current policies of Turkey and legal proceedings were started. For an efficient response to climate change, key points regarding common but differentiated responsibilities, the relationships between international and national laws, and the importance of laws with comparing regulations and political instruments are addressed to see how these points can inform recommendations. It is concluded that the ratification of the Paris Agreement is required in the first place. Then, enriched legal perspective in international law, and new specific climate laws in national laws are a necessity to provide a meaningful legal response to this global threat. It is hoped that other legal systems may benefit from analyzing its legal perspective. Every country needs to contribute to the shared enterprise of combatting climate change if the future of humanity and the natural world is to be assured.
ECO-FRIENDLY MANAGEMENT COMMON LAB CONTAMINANT Trichoderma spp IN OYSTER MUSHROOM PRODUCTION USING AGROBASED INDUSTRY’S BY-PRODUCTS
An abundant supply of low-cost substrate and management of green mold disease-causing fungus Trichoderma are the major hurdles in successful mushroom production. This study aimed to identify the best Agro-based industry’s by-products as a substitute for oyster mushroom production (Pleurotus ostreatus) while managing fungal contaminants eco-friendly. Two sets of In-Vitro [containing 20% extracts, from agro-based industries, such as coffee waste powder, tea dust and Mahua oil cake] and In-Vivo experiments [four substrates such as paddy straw, wood sawdust, paddy husk and banana leaves were incorporated with coffee powder, tea dust and Mahua oil cake] were prepared separately. All the experiments were conducted using a complete randomized design with three replicates. The In-Vitro data [mycelial growth and sporulation of both fungi], In-Vivo data [mycelial mushroom run, pinhead formation and yield] were subjected to ANOVA and DMRT mean separation using SAS 9.1 statistical package at P <0.05. In-Vitro results showed that the Trichoderma mycelial growth was significantly minimum in Mahua (2.5 cM) and coffee (3.6 cM) in comparison to control, whereas, with decreasing concentration of coffee, tea, and Mahua extract P. ostreatus showed enhanced growth. Trichoderma sporulation had significantly affected coffee treatment, and even not sporulate in Mahua treated plants. The In-Vivo experiment proved that spawn run was consistent and significant among the treatments when mixed tea (20 days) and coffee (21 days), respectively, at P <0.05. Treatment wise coffee treated spawn bags took an average of 32.5 days, whereas, in tea-treated substrates, it was more than 36 days to form pinhead. Mahua treated trials showed poor spawn run in all substrates, longer days of pinhead formation, and lower yield. In contrast, the paddy straw + coffee treatment produced a significantly highest yield of 200.67g. When sawdust was the substrate, the addition of tea showed a significantly higher yield of 185.00g than coffee (145.00g). In conclusion, coffee and tea extracts have a significant effect on yield with paddy straw and sawdust while minimizing the growth of Trichoderma.
BUILDING REGULATORY PRACTICES IN 10 AFRICAN COUNTRIES IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE
The expected increase in building activities on the African continent and the anticipated future vulnerability of the continent in the face of climate change require investigation. This paper compares the building regulatory practices in 10 African countries to determine their responses to climate change. Various studies highlight the contribution of the built environment to total global greenhouse gas emissions, which mainly includes Water vapour (H₂O), Carbon dioxide (CO₂), Methane (CH₄) and Nitrous oxide (N₂O). Additionally, the relationship between greenhouse gas emissions, specifically CO₂ and construction activities, is generally accepted due to increased energy use (IPCC, 2019). With just 10 years left, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are unlikely to be achieved by 2030. This exploratory study aims to establish whether the built environment of the 10 identified countries are currently taking any action towards the climate change effects and, if so, to determine their response and format. The paper reviews and compares present-day built environment regulatory policies on the African continent, focusing on energy efficiency measures. The results could be interpreted as a baseline when evaluating current policies, making the study beneficial to the selected countries and the broader African built environment. The study points towards a lack of building energy codes by the biggest emitters on the African continent. As part of the recommendations, African countries are encouraged to consider revising the regulatory documents governing the built environment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the continent.
AGRICULTURAL DROUGHT INVESTIGATION OF NORTHERN THAILAND USING GENERALIZED MONSOON INDEX
This research aims to study a change of rainfall and indicate levels of agricultural drought in the Southwest monsoon period of the northern region of Thailand by using the GMI. The rainfall data from June to September of the year 1987 to 2019 were collected from 21 meteorological stations over the northern region of Thailand. The data were used to create the maps of agricultural drought levels and to analyze the distribution of agricultural drought on the study period. Then, the distribution of total rainfall maps of each month and the trend of rainfall over the past 33 years were examined. The results showed that agricultural drought in Northern Thailand had no exact pattern. However, there was a drought impact on crops level in the lower part of Northern Thailand at the end of the Southwest monsoon period in 2019 with the GMI percentile score average (GMIpctsw) of 22.82 %. Furthermore, the severe drought impact and possible crop failure level were observed in the upper part of Northern Thailand in the same period. Moreover, the total rainfall sharply increased from June to August then decreased in September. The trend of total rainfall of the Southwest monsoon period (June to September) fluctuates along the study period with average value of 796.67 millimeter.
URBAN VEGETATION AND MORPHOLOGY PARAMETERS AFFECTING MICROCLIMATE AND OUTDOOR THERMAL COMFORT IN WARM HUMID CITIES – A REVIEW OF RESEARCH IN THE PAST DECADE
Urbanization provokes major modifications to the natural landscape. As the urban population reaches 60% of the world's population by 2030, this constant dvelopment, neglecting the planning and design of open spaces, negatively affects microclimate. This leads to local climate change, urban heat islands, and outdoor thermal discomfort. This paper is based on the recent studies of urban morphology and vegetation parameters affecting urban microclimate and outdoor thermal comfort in warm, humid cities in the past decade. Results revealed that three factors are of paramount importance and affect the thermal comfort level; urban space morphology, the orientation of elements and spaces, and vegetation. Therefore, Scenario developments for micrometeorological simulations should be processed considering the identified parameters of urban morphology and vegetation which are further categorized as parameters of geometry, density, configuration, and the physical properties of plants. However, the Configuration of urban vegetation that affects the thermal comfort of urban spaces has not received adequate attention in previous research yet. Thus, future research is needed considering the planting patterns, arrangement of various species, and planting orientations with prevailing wind conditions. By the end of this review, a theoretical framework is suggested as an approach to assess the impact of urban vegetation and morphology parameters on outdoor thermal comfort in warm, humid climates. The framework guides further research adopting more specific and comprehensive approaches of urban vegetation configuration with reference to specific urban morphologies to improve the local microclimate of cities, where the space for planting is critical.
A Systematic Review of Slash-and-Burn Agriculture as an Obstacle to Future-Proofing Climate Change
The recent haze affecting Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, as well as forest fires in the Amazon have raised global concerns on the debilitating effect of slash-and-burn agricultural practice particularly as nations are joining forces in combating climate change. With slash-and-burn still widely practised in the developing nations, this literature review aims to examine the drivers of slash-and-burn agriculture and its impacts in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric CO2 sequestration, while suggesting alternatives to slash-and-burn agriculture. The review covers more than 80 articles on slash-and-burn agriculture, published mainly over the past 15 years. Slashand-burn agriculture has been survived by the pressure to make a living under inadequate resources, access to market and technologies, a lack of alternative livelihoods as well as loopholes in institutional mechanisms, regulations and enforcement. Slash-and-burn agriculture leads to chemical changes of soil, alteration of soil biota and species richness, and the extent of changes correlates with fallow period after slash-and-burn. Large-scale slash-and-burn for commercial agriculture and livestock farming is the major contributor of greenhouse gases and agricultural intensification shortens fallow period for recovery of ecosystems. Slash-and-burn also impacts the ability of forests to sequester atmospheric CO2 and short fallow period further reduces this ability. This review calls for alternative agricultural practices comprising two approaches namely land preparation and landuse systems, as adaptation and mitigation against climate change. Land preparation consists of mulching, improved forest conversion, mechanized land preparation and slash-and-char system. Land-use systems however are categorized into alternative agrosystems, agroforestry, cultivated pastureland and integrated system of crop-livestock-forests. This review therefore contributes to raising awareness and proposing practical alternatives to slash-and-burn for environmental sustainability.
agriculture; climate change; greenhouse gases; slash-and-burn
Copyright (c) 2020 Kuok Ho Daniel Tang and Pow-Seng Yap
Statistical Analysis of Extreme Rainfall Trends Events over Savanna Zones of Nigeria and its Possible Impacts
This study analysed the trends in extreme rainfall of fourteen (14) synoptic stations in the savanna zones of Nigeria for the period of 35 years (1981-2015). The study acquired daily rainfall data from Environmental Management Programmed, Federal University of Technology Minna. The data was categories into seven extreme indices (heavy, very heavy, extremely heavy rainfall days, 1-day annual maximum rainfall amount, five 5-days annual maximum rainfall amount, Consecutive wet days, and simple daily intensity index) by using ETCCDI indices through RClimDex software. Statistical tests of Mann-Kendall (MK), based on a non-parametric approach was use to evaluate the possible trend in the derived indices. Results showed significant and insignificant mixed trends of increasing and decreasing in the seven selected extreme indices across the study areas. Three stations (Bauchi, Kano, and Katsina) in Sudano-Sahelian savanna zones showed consistent significant increasing trends in most of the extreme indices while two stations (Abuja and Yola) showed consistent decreasing trends in most of the extreme indices. Generally, the results showed an increase in the occurrence of extreme rainfall events in the selected variables. The increase trends are possible pointer to climate change and a possible influencing factor to the frequent occurrence of flooding across the study areas.
Rainfall Variability Related to Global Climate Change:Its Effects on the Economic Activities in the North-Eastern Part of Nigeria
Rainfall variability had become pronounced in the twentieth century. The decrease in rainfall over the years, especially in Borno state, led to a reduction in available pastureland, a decline in the available surface water and increase in the salinity of water resources available to animals. The main objective of the study was to assess rainfall variability on the economic activities in the North-eastern part of Nigeria. The study evaluated the rainfall variability in the North-east using climate record (1971-2009) from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency and analysed the data using the quantitative method through mean, median and standard deviations to arrive on the rainfall variability in that region. The result revealed that an increase in temperature of +0.76 C from 1971 to 2009 had been recorded in the entire North-eastern Nigeria, whereas rainfall hadn’t exhibited any trend. These adverse conditions affected livestock production and availability of animal species as food and the vanishing of Lake Chad had created untold calamities. In order to adapt to rainfall variability, farmers and herdsmen adopted migration patterns to adapt to both seasonal variability in precipitation water resource and agricultural planning, this can be achieved by placing new requirement on both agricultural research and extension services. The study recommended that changes in precipitation patterns need to be incorporated in and extended periods of droughts. .
Rainfall, Economy, North-Eastern Nigeria, Variability.
CLIMATE EXTREMES AND PRECIPITATION TRENDS IN KELANI RIVER BASIN, SRI LANKA AND IMPACTS ON STREAMFLOW VARIABILITY UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE
This paper focuses on and analyses the potential hydrological impacts of climate change on the hydrologic regime of Kelani River Basin, Sri Lanka. The basin wide future hydrology is simulated by using downscaled temperature and precipitation outputs from the Canadian Earth System Model - Version 2 (CanESM2) and the Hydrologic Engineering Centre’s Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS). The research further evaluates the long-term behavior and trends of the climate extremes based on the observed historical temperature and precipitation data. The findings suggest that the temperature and precipitation extremes are on the rise while the annual average precipitation in the basin is declining. It is also predicted with the application of statistical downscaling that temperature may rise annually for representative concentration pathways of RCP2.6, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. A detailed modelling approach is incorporated to Hanwella sub-watershed (1799.67 km2) of the Kelani River basin to study the subsequent water resource management options required to ensure sustainable development alternatives with the varying streamflow of the Kelani River basin under the effect of the future (2020’s, 2050’s and 2080’s) rainfall and temperature as impending climate change impacts. The paper reviews the current state of the catchment as well as the suitability of applying the GCM’s rather than RCM’s to Sri Lanka to assess this river basin, according to monthly, seasonal and annual variations of the climate data. Further, a quantitative analysis of the change of amount of surface water in the selected river basin with respect to the expected variations in precipitation and temperature is also carried out. The findings of this research and overall outcome will be useful in identifying possible sustainable water management scenarios with best management options and mitigation measures like land use and carbon emission management, etc. in a more meaningful manner in the future. This study will set the baseline for commencing and continuing quantitative studies incorporating the behavior of the basinwide climatology and streamflow variability with the use of GCM’s to achieve sustainable development goals.
Precipitation Temperature and Streamflow Trends
SHORELINE CHANGE THREAT TO COASTAL ZONE: A CASE STUDY OF KARWAR COAST
Shoreline is a triple interface of air, water and land and also the wet and dry boundary between land and sea. It is key geo-indicator of coastal environmental resource threats within the coastal zone. Shoreline change leads to causes for change in natural habitats, infrastructure change in the coastal zone and so on. These changes which rise to serious issues those are related to the coastal zone. The present study is carried out for the Karwar Coast, West Coast of India, using remote sensing and GIS Techniques. LANDSAT-8 remote sensing data which is available from 2013, coupled with GIS techniques used for the shoreline analysis. The acquired image was subjected to layer stacking to remove errors from raw image data using ERDAS IMAGINE 2014 tool and analyzed by ArcGIS 10.3 tool. For extraction of shoreline the High-Water Line (HWL) considered and visual interpretation of satellite imageries has been carried out to segregate the HWL, in addition to this to collect the ground truth data, the shoreline track is carried out using Trimble GPS (Global Positioning System) device. Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) were used to find rates of change of shoreline such as End Point Rate (EPR), Net Shoreline Movement (NSM). Results were concentrated on EPR as the analysis was carried for every two years from 2013 to 2017 of post- monsoon period to find out erosion and accretion. It is found to be Tagore beach is changed from accretion zone to erosion zone, and Devbagh beach is experiencing erosion. The study finds that the shoreline change is threatening to Karwar coastal zone.
MEASURING FLOOD RISK IN RATNAPURA TOWN AREA IN SRI LANKA
Flood is a common chaotic natural problem frequently occurring in Ratnapura district. Recent chain of flood events that occurred in Ratnapura district has raised the question regarding the capability of defending civilian lives and property from this natural disaster. Ratnapura town area mainly face flood risks due to the over flow of Kalu river during the South West monsoon season. Flood risk cannot be directly measured. But flood risk is directly proportional to the river water level. When river water level is increasing, flood risk also increases. Since river water level can be taken as a measurement for flood risk, this analysis is based on forecasting river water level of Kalu River. Data were collected from meteorological stations at Ratnapura, Galabada, Guruluwana and Lellopitiya which are located in upper catchment area of Kalu River. ARIMAX-GARCH model was fitted to forecast water level using the rainfall data and the water discharge rate. The accuracy of the fitted model to forecast water level was high when comparing the estimated values with the actual values. Therefore the ARIMAX-GARCH model can be used to measure the flood risk in Ratnapura town area.
LONG-TERM MONITORING OF WETLANDS VIA REMOTE SENSING AND GIS: A CASE STUDY FROM TURKEY
Remote sensing that is a low cost data source capable of making temporal observations has more advantages than the traditional methods to obtain land-use/cover change maps. In this study, temporal land-use/cover change of surface water bodies in Konya Closed Basin was evaluated via Landsat satellite images for the past 30 years. The basin, located in Central Anatolia Region of Turkey, faces water scarcity problems; however, wet agricultural activities are still favoured and practiced. Therefore, water resources are becoming more important than ever; public complains about long-lasting drought conditions and on lessening of surface water resources. There are 16 surface water bodies, and 3 of them are lakes; whereas the rest are wetlands of importance. Two of them are Ramsar sites. Results indicate that the surface area of the water bodies in Konya Closed Basin declined by approximately 23.5% within the inspection years. One of the important wetlands of the basin named as Akgol Wetland has almost lost its water surface by 96% at the same time interval, and is in danger of extinction. Thus, this vulnerable wetland has been focused on in the study. The decrease of water surface in the wetland is matched with the meteorological conditions.
POTENTIAL FOR CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION THROUGH LOW-CARBON RAIL TRANSPORT IN INDIA
Climate change is possibly one of the most urgent and complex issue being faced by nations worldwide. Rising levels of greenhouse gas emissions is considered by scientists and academics to be the primary cause for increasing temperatures, which is known to result in global warming and cause climatic changes. Therefore, adopting measures and strategies to mitigate the adverse impacts being caused due to rising emissions is high on the agenda for policy makers and governments across the globe. Many sectors are responsible for feeding this rise in GHG emissions, including transport. In India, transport is the second largest greenhouse gas emitter from the energy sector. Despite the fact that a majority of GHG emissions in the Indian transport sector is from roadways, and rail transport is only responsible for 5% of the total transport emissions, the exponential increase in rail emissions over the past few years makes it imperative to focus on strategies and technologies to reduce the same. While current research is being undertaken to increase the share of railways due to their carbon friendly nature in comparison to road transport, it is submitted that a deeper engagement with developing and using actual low-carbon alternatives is required, which can in-reality help in achieving reduced emissions, and consequently bring down the GHG emissions from rail transport in India. Low-carbon alternatives, such as use of clean fuels and electrification of the rail network, are now being developed with the aim to move from using carbon intensive sources of energy to environment friendly ones. This paper discusses these GHG emissions reduction strategies being implemented by the Indian government within the rail network to determine whether these are in-reality assisting or have the potential to assist in bringing down the GHG emissions from railways in India. This will also determine the scope of climate change mitigation from these low-carbon alternatives being adopted by the government in the Indian rail transport sector.
A STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON RESILIENCE AND HUMAN HEALTH USING BIOCLIMATIC INDICATORS
Nowadays, climate change has been accepted as a rapidly changing phenomenon. With the help of documents, these changes would implicitly or explicitly influence human health. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of important climatic factors on bioclimatic indicators for the human livability in Chabahar port, Iran. In this regard, four climatic models and three scenarios are taken into account. In addition, the average uncertainty of minimum and maximum temperature and precipitation variations are calculated based on the weighted method. According to the hybrid model, taken from the model and scenario, Chabahar temperature is on the rise between 0.52 and 2.38. Accordingly, bioclimatic factors would experience alteration. Eventually, it would lead to reduced resilience. The results of comfort-thermal indicators (bioclimatic) showed that the conditions are optimal and natural from October to March for individuals residing in Chabahar, Iran. However, the conditions are changing due to the future temperature increase. Such changes would significantly reduce the number of inhabitants in Chabahar and villages nearby.
Evaluation of International Technology Transfer for Climate Change Action in Sabah, Malaysia
National Policy on Climate Change of Malaysia stipulates increase of awareness and community participation as one of its strategic thrusts toward which national responses on climate change in all sectors will be directed. Sabah state is the first state in Malaysia to formulate a state-level environmental education policy. In addition, the state is the only state in Malaysia that established a cohesive network of stakeholders concerning environmental education. However, the environmental education in the state had focused on conservation of the biodiversity conservation, etc, and there had been little effort to raise public awareness on climate change and countermeasures against it, such as energy saving measures. On the other hand, in Japan, they have an effective institution at the local administration level for promoting global warming countermeasures, such as the prefectural promotion centres for climate change action, the climate change action officers, etc., which are stipulated in their legal system. Thus, an international collaboration project for three years was planned and implemented to establish a state Centre for Climate Change Action in Sabah, with technical assistance from Japan. With financial assistance from the Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency (ERCA) of Japan, the Environment Protection Department Sabah (EPD) implemented the project, with technical assistance form he Conference of Earth Environment from Akita (CEEA), an Environmental NGO based in Akita, Japan. This paper evaluates the project, applying the Project Cycle Management (PCM) method, and the DAC five evaluation criteria. Among the five criteria, the Effectiveness of the project was evaluated as extremely high, as the Centre conducted awareness programmes 159 times with 15,728 participants in total, which is far beyond the planned indicators set to verify achievement of the Project Purpose. The Relevance and the Efficiency of the project were evaluated as high, and for the Impacts, the project has exerted some positive impacts. However the Sustainability of the Project is uncertain, as the capacity of the Centre at EPD to maintain and develop the awareness activities even after the project has not been confirmed yet from the institutional, technical and financial points of view.
DETECTION OF TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS FROM LANDSAT 8 OLI IMAGE IN COASTAL BANGLADESH
Quality of coastal surface and groundwater is deteriorating day-by-day due to the combined effects of climate change and unwise activities of coastal people. Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) is an important water quality parameter that can be monitored regularly more conveniently by remote sensing techniques. This study aims to evaluate the applicability of Landsat 8 OLI images to detect TDS of surface water of coastal Bangladesh. It employs 14 different band compositions to compute an equation through multiple regression analysis among the band values and 18 sample TDS values collected from field visit in the last week of November 2018. Level 2 product of Landsat 8 OLI image (path/row: 138/44) dated 27 November 2018 has been used for the analysis. A regression equation has been computed with the bands Blue, Green and Red, which can predict TDS (mg/L) 83.6% correctly. Analysis of change detection study revealed that water areas with TDS level 100 – 600 mg/L have been reduced 28.9% and water areas with unacceptable TDS level (>1200 mg/L) have been increased 32.7% between 2014 and 2018. Contamination of surface waters has led to freshwater scarcity and health hazard for the coastal people.