De landschappen in ons land zijn ‘man made’ en tot enkele decennia geleden nog met een geheel eigen ‘gezicht’. De afgelopen halve eeuw zijn er telkens schoksgewijs grote landschappelijke veranderingen aan de orde geweest door veranderingen in het landgebruik, en de effecten van klimaatverandering komen daar nog bovenop. Dit rapport gaat in op de effecten die optreden door de ‘mediterranisatie’ en zeespiegelrijzing en hoe dat doorwerkt in de identiteit van het landschap. Landschappelijke verandering mondt uit in het verloren gaan van kenmerken, maar er ontstaan ook weer nieuwe.

The main objective of the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) in Nepal is to identify opportunities for enhancing the overall performance of select environmental management systems through improvements in the effectiveness of institutions, policies, and processes.

The general trend of climatically-driven treeline advance is modified by regional, local and temporal variations. Treelines will not advance in a closed front parallel to the shift of any isotherm to higher elevations and more northern latitudes. The effects of varying topography on site conditions and the after-effects of historical disturbances by natural and anthropogenic factors may override the effects of slightly higher average temperatures. Moreover, the varying treeline-forming species respond in different ways to a changing climate.

Land is very important natural resource to the human being as it provides the basis for more than 95% of human food. On the broader context, land has many other functions, e.g. provision of biological habitats and physical and connective space; regulation of hydrology and climate; storage of minerals, raw materials and historical/pre-historical records; and as a buffer to control waste and pollution. Expanding human requirements and economic activities are placing ever increasing pressures on land resources, creating competition and conflicts and resulting in suboptimal use of land.

Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank, discussed how to meet the rising demand for energy while reducing our carbon footprint. Rich countries need to lead by example, renovating and replacing infrastructure and investing in clean technology. Rich countries also need to lead with direct support to developing nations, both to reduce poverty and reduce carbon emissions. Moving to a low carbon path will require investments, and a long-term equitable global regulatory framework to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Some of the most important impacts of global climate change will be felt among the populations, predominantly in developing countries, referred to as ‘‘subsistence’’ or ‘‘smallholder’’ farmers. Their vulnerability to climate change comes both from being predominantly located in the tropics, and from various socioeconomic, demographic, and policy trends limiting their capacity to adapt to change.

Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank, remarked that we are seeing today an emerging global consensus that we must do something about climate change. But equally important is the agenda to reduce poverty. We face this double challenge of reducing damaging carbon emissions, and still meeting the energy demands of the world’s poor.

Although there are many uncertainties around quantitative assessments of climate change impact and water resource management, what is certain is that the climate is changing and this will have an effect on water resources.
This case study considers the economic consequences of water resource scarcity, particularly as it relates to the poor and small municipalities. The author is concerned that, in the case of water, economic principles where price adjustments to an increasingly scarce resource will balance demand, do not apply.

Biofuels are attracting increased attention and investment as an alternative to fossil-based fuels and a means of combating climate change, yet there are many critics. This one-page briefing explores some of the concerns surrounding biofuels and the limitations posed by large-scale biofuel production.
Key points highlighted include the following:

Production systems in low-income developing countries are generally poorly diversified, focusing on rainfed staple crop production and raising livestock. These activities are inherently risky and investment and production decisions by farm households are therefore made within environments that are affected by risk. Because of poorly developed or absent credit and insurance markets it is difficult to pass any of these risks to a third party.

Booklet

There is important evidence to suggest that corruption is a key factor contributing to the degradation of renewable natural resources. Forestry officials and law enforcement officers who are in the pockets of corrupt logging firms often turn a blind eye to activities that threaten the sustainable management of a forest’s biodiversity. Similarly, fishery inspectors endanger stocks when they accept bribes to ignore official quotas for trawlers.