1,721,098 research outputs found
Using Stakeholders Preferences in Multi-attribute Decision Making: Elicitation and Aggregation Issue
No full textThis paper reviews the challenges in applying multi-attribute decision making (MADM) tools to complex environmental resource management problems. MADM tools offer a means of selecting among different alternatives (projects, programmes, futures etc..), they provide a framework in which to display data, and are frequently used to incorporate stakeholder preferences. In many instances, MADM applications have implicitly applied axioms of consumer preference and utility theory, without managing the consequences of those assumptions. In particular, it is frequently assumed in MADM tools that utility functions can be defined for individuals; that indifferences curves are continuous and downward sloping; and that evaluation criteria are compensatory. A growing body of literature on lexicographic preferences suggests otherwise. Difficulties associated with preference elicitation and aggregation also constrain the usability of MADM tools. While these problems have been addressed in the contingent valuation method (CVM) literature, the lessons learned have been slow to be transferred to the area of MADM. In conclusion, recognising the theoretical limitations of MADM tools could lead to alternative uses for such tools, such as representation aids for stakeholder engagement or conflict management
3rd UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA3) Evidence Report
No full textThe CCRA is a statutory requirement under the Climate Change Act, and must be completed every five years. The first CCRA was laid before Parliament in January 2012, the second (CCRA2) in January 2017, and the next is due by January 2022. As in CCRA2, the Government report will be draw on an independent report prepared by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), written by July 2021
Development Pressures and Management Considerations in Small Caribbean Islands' Coastal Zones
No full textThe purpose of this paper is to examine the management of coastal zones in island states in the Caribbean; to highlight the developmental and environmental pressures that are experienced; and to discuss some of the constraints to management. Caribbean island states face a number of development constraints due to the small sizes of their economies, populations, resource bases and land areas. With limited potential for economic diversification and few development options many small Caribbean islands have pursued tourism to generate income and employment. Human-induced changes resulting from tourism-oriented development generate a host of impacts in the coastal zone such as increased sedimentation rates from land clearance for development, and nutrient enrichment of coastal waters from inadequately treated waste. Small Caribbean islands which rely on their coastal zones for economic, social and ecological benefits and services therefore require effective management tools that can resolve existing use-conflicts and find a balance between conservation and development objectives.Several confounding constraints to coastal zone management exist, namely the trans-boundary nature of coastal zones, unclear property rights and management institutions, limited information about the costs and benefits of different uses and management approaches, uneven dissemination of that information, and diverse and often disorganised stakeholder groups. Achieving management goals therefore depends on these constraints being addressed. The paper supports the recent re-thinking that management approaches need to focus on the delineation of rights and responsibilities of coastal zone stakeholders, the range of possible institutional arrangements for management, the role of coastal stakeholders in management, the evolution of stakeholder preferences for management options, and the use and treatment of information, how information is presented, to whom it is disseminated and how it is disseminated
Can we prevent disasters using socioeconomic and political policy tools?
No full textCan a nation prevent a hazard-related disaster by investing in socioeconomic and political policy tools? Drawing on 8 global datasets (1960-2016) and using a fixed effects logit model, we examine the importance of socioeconomic and political factors in changing the likelihood of disasters in 224 countries. We find that socioeconomic factors are of more importance than political factors. Low-income countries are significantly more disaster prone than high-income countries; this effect is stronger and more robust for natural than technological disasters. Higher national population density increases the probability that a hazard turns into a disaster; this effect is much stronger and robust for technological than natural disasters. Educational endowment has a negative and statistically significant effect on the probability of all disasters, especially for natural-related disasters. In terms of political factors, there is no evidence that government composition and federalism influence a country’s natural or technological disaster probability. Nevertheless, there is very weak evidence that quality of governance has a positive and statistically significant effect on the likelihood of disasters. Our findings point out that we can prevent natural and technological disasters by investing in economic development, investing in education, and managing disaster prone in high urban areas. These findings highlight the importance of focusing efforts on addressing larger scale macro-economic, social and cultural distortions that generate vulnerability, as well as the prioritizing investment in both the Sendai Priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals that previously have not been linked to disaster probability
Planning for climate change in small islands: insights from national hurricane preparedness in the Cayman Islands
No full textThis paper examines contemporary national scale responses to tropical storm risk in a small island in the Caribbean to derive lessons for adapting to climate change. There is little empirical evidence to guide national planners on how to adapt to climate change, and less still on how to build on past adaptation experiences. The paper investigates the construction of institutional resilience and the process of adaptation to tropical storm risk by the Cayman Islands’ Government from 1988 to 2002. It explains the roles of persuasion, exposure and collective action as key components in developing the ability to buffer external disturbance using models of institutional economics and social resilience concepts. The study finds that self-efficacy, strong local and international support networks, combined with a willingness to act collectively and to learn from mistakes appear to have increased the resilience of the Cayman Islands’ Government to tropical storm risk. The lessons learned from building resilience to storm risk can contribute to the creation of national level adaptive capacity to climate change, but climate change has to be prioritised before these lessons can be transferre
Local government, political decentralisation and resilience to natural hazard-associated disasters
Full text linkNatural hazards affect development and can cause significant and long-term suffering for those affected. Research has shown that sustained long-term disaster preparedness combined with appropriate response and recovery are needed to deliver effective risk reductions. However, as the newly agreed Sendai framework recognises, this knowledge has not been translated into action. This research aims to contribute to our understanding of how to deliver longer term and sustained risk reduction by evaluating the role of political decentralisation in disaster outcomes. Specifically, we investigate whether countries which devolve power to the local level experience reduced numbers of people affected by storms and earthquakes, and have lower economic damage. Using regression analysis and cross-country data from 1950 to 2006, we find that, in relation to both storms and earthquakes, greater transfers of political power to subnational tiers of government reduce hazard impacts on the population. The downside is that more politically decentralised countries, which are usually wealthier countries, can increase the direct economic losses associated with a natural hazard impact after the storm or earthquake than those which are more centralised. However, overall, it seems advantageous to give subnational governments more authority and autonomy in storm and earthquake risk planning
- …
