The quantitative assessment framework of the water, energy and food (WEF) nexus proposed by [1] permits the analysis of the WEF as an interconnected system of resources that directly and indirectly affect one another....The quantitative assessment framework of the water, energy and food (WEF) nexus proposed by [1] permits the analysis of the WEF as an interconnected system of resources that directly and indirectly affect one another. The model performs simulation of policy options and scenarios that respond to quantitative variations of the use of WEF resources. One of the key outcomes of the mathematical formulation of the model is the WEF nexus intersectoral technology matrix. In order to take advantages and analyzing policy options of adopting high efficient intersectoral use technologies, WEF intersectoral use intensities and intersectoral allocation coefficients are introduced to the technology matrix of the nexus model proposed in [1]. The developed method is then applied to evaluate the WEF nexus case study of Lebanon. Lastly, the conclusions and further developments are presented.展开更多
Social responses to climate change over human history have been widely discussed in academia over the last two decades. However, the transformation of the human–environment nexus crossing prehistoric and historic per...Social responses to climate change over human history have been widely discussed in academia over the last two decades. However, the transformation of the human–environment nexus crossing prehistoric and historic periods and the processes associated with it are not yet clearly understood. In this study, based on published works on radiocarbon dating, archaeobotany, zooarchaeology, and archaeological sites, together with a synthesis of historical documents and highresolution paleoclimatic records, we trace the extent to which human settlement patterns in the Hexi Corridor in northwestern China evolved in conjunction with climate change over the last 5,000 years. A total of 129 Neolithic, 126 Bronze Age, and 1,378 historical sites in the Hexi Corridor(n=1,633) were surveyed. Our results show that, in the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age periods(~2800–100 BC), climate change contributed to the transformation of subsistence strategies and the subsequent changes in human settlement patterns in the Hexi Corridor. The warm-humid climate in ~2800–2000 BC promoted millet agriculture and helped the Majiayao, Banshan, and Machang Cultures to flourish. The cold-dry climate in ~2000–100 BC resulted in the divergence and transformation of subsistence strategies in the Xichengyi–Qijia–Siba and Shajing–Shanma Cultures and in a shift in their settlement patterns. However, in the historical period(121 BC–AD 1911), human settlement patterns were primarily determined by geopolitics related to the alternating rule of regimes and frequent wars, especially in the Sui–Tang dynasties. We also find that trans-Eurasian cultural exchange since ~2000 BC improved social resilience to climate change in the Hexi Corridor, mediating the human–environment nexus there. Our findings may provide insights into how human societies reacted to climate change in arid and semi-arid environments over the long term.展开更多
The striking vastness of the world’s largest surface freshwater resource, the Laurentian Great Lakes, has generated the fallacy that they are not highly vulnerable to climate change. This fallacy has created a great ...The striking vastness of the world’s largest surface freshwater resource, the Laurentian Great Lakes, has generated the fallacy that they are not highly vulnerable to climate change. This fallacy has created a great lapse in our research and understanding of the effects of climate change on the Great Lakes, which are approaching critical environmental thresholds and jeopardizing ecosystem services. This article takes the novel approach of correcting the disconnect between the perception of vastness and the reality of vulnerability to climate change in the Great Lakes, and takes an additional novel step to link the water risks with the economic risks. The primary purpose is to demonstrate the interdependence of the freshwater ecosystem services affected by climate change with the economies that are highly dependent on those freshwater services in the Great Lakes region. Although many believe that environmental science or ethical arguments should be sufficient to warrant action on climate change, evidence shows that policy-makers are not compelled to generate advances unless there are strong economic components. This article highlights the leading edge of climate science for the Great Lakes, having conducted 32 in depth interviews with experts in microbiology, ecology, and limnology, among others, but it also adds substantively to previous work by providing economic evidence of water risks in the agricultural sector and energy sector, which constitute over $6 trillion in value and jobs that are specifically dependent on lakes waters. The article concludes by articulating three specific conclusions: the economic viability of the agricultural sector and the energy sector are jeopardized by loss of federal funding for climate change adaptation in the water sector;the existing policies such as between sectors such as the Farm Bill and Energy Future Bill are mal-aligned and should be aligned with the water sector;and negative environmental externalities including factors that exacerbate climate change should be incorporated into the true cost of water so we can more accurately conduct ecosystem valuation and, thus, address the true economic and environmental cost of climate change on the Great Lakes and our greatest water resources. This paper has not previously been published.展开更多
Understanding and predicting the impact of the global energy transition and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on global mineral demand and African supply is challenging. This study uses a resourc...Understanding and predicting the impact of the global energy transition and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on global mineral demand and African supply is challenging. This study uses a resource nexus approach to investigate and analyze the impact of this transition on energy and water demand and CO2 emissions using three annual material demand scenarios. The results indicate that African mining will consume more energy by 2050, leading to an increase in cumulative demand for energy (from 98 to 14,577 TWh) and water (from 15,013 to 223,000 million m3), as well as CO2 emissions (1318 and 19,561 Gg CO2e). In contrast, only a modest increase in energy demand (207 TWh) will be required by 2050 to achieve the SDGs. Therefore, the African mining industry should reduce its energy consumption and invest more in the renewable energy sector to support the global energy transition.展开更多
文摘The quantitative assessment framework of the water, energy and food (WEF) nexus proposed by [1] permits the analysis of the WEF as an interconnected system of resources that directly and indirectly affect one another. The model performs simulation of policy options and scenarios that respond to quantitative variations of the use of WEF resources. One of the key outcomes of the mathematical formulation of the model is the WEF nexus intersectoral technology matrix. In order to take advantages and analyzing policy options of adopting high efficient intersectoral use technologies, WEF intersectoral use intensities and intersectoral allocation coefficients are introduced to the technology matrix of the nexus model proposed in [1]. The developed method is then applied to evaluate the WEF nexus case study of Lebanon. Lastly, the conclusions and further developments are presented.
基金This study was supported by the National key R&D Program of China(Grant 2018YFA0606402)the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Pan-Third Pole,Environment Study for a Green Silk Road(Pan-TPE)(grant no.XDA20040101)+2 种基金the second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program(STEP)(Grant No.SQ2019QZKK2201)the Improvement on Competitiveness in Hiring New Faculties Funding Scheme(4930900)Direct Grant for Research 2018/19(4052199)of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
文摘Social responses to climate change over human history have been widely discussed in academia over the last two decades. However, the transformation of the human–environment nexus crossing prehistoric and historic periods and the processes associated with it are not yet clearly understood. In this study, based on published works on radiocarbon dating, archaeobotany, zooarchaeology, and archaeological sites, together with a synthesis of historical documents and highresolution paleoclimatic records, we trace the extent to which human settlement patterns in the Hexi Corridor in northwestern China evolved in conjunction with climate change over the last 5,000 years. A total of 129 Neolithic, 126 Bronze Age, and 1,378 historical sites in the Hexi Corridor(n=1,633) were surveyed. Our results show that, in the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age periods(~2800–100 BC), climate change contributed to the transformation of subsistence strategies and the subsequent changes in human settlement patterns in the Hexi Corridor. The warm-humid climate in ~2800–2000 BC promoted millet agriculture and helped the Majiayao, Banshan, and Machang Cultures to flourish. The cold-dry climate in ~2000–100 BC resulted in the divergence and transformation of subsistence strategies in the Xichengyi–Qijia–Siba and Shajing–Shanma Cultures and in a shift in their settlement patterns. However, in the historical period(121 BC–AD 1911), human settlement patterns were primarily determined by geopolitics related to the alternating rule of regimes and frequent wars, especially in the Sui–Tang dynasties. We also find that trans-Eurasian cultural exchange since ~2000 BC improved social resilience to climate change in the Hexi Corridor, mediating the human–environment nexus there. Our findings may provide insights into how human societies reacted to climate change in arid and semi-arid environments over the long term.
文摘The striking vastness of the world’s largest surface freshwater resource, the Laurentian Great Lakes, has generated the fallacy that they are not highly vulnerable to climate change. This fallacy has created a great lapse in our research and understanding of the effects of climate change on the Great Lakes, which are approaching critical environmental thresholds and jeopardizing ecosystem services. This article takes the novel approach of correcting the disconnect between the perception of vastness and the reality of vulnerability to climate change in the Great Lakes, and takes an additional novel step to link the water risks with the economic risks. The primary purpose is to demonstrate the interdependence of the freshwater ecosystem services affected by climate change with the economies that are highly dependent on those freshwater services in the Great Lakes region. Although many believe that environmental science or ethical arguments should be sufficient to warrant action on climate change, evidence shows that policy-makers are not compelled to generate advances unless there are strong economic components. This article highlights the leading edge of climate science for the Great Lakes, having conducted 32 in depth interviews with experts in microbiology, ecology, and limnology, among others, but it also adds substantively to previous work by providing economic evidence of water risks in the agricultural sector and energy sector, which constitute over $6 trillion in value and jobs that are specifically dependent on lakes waters. The article concludes by articulating three specific conclusions: the economic viability of the agricultural sector and the energy sector are jeopardized by loss of federal funding for climate change adaptation in the water sector;the existing policies such as between sectors such as the Farm Bill and Energy Future Bill are mal-aligned and should be aligned with the water sector;and negative environmental externalities including factors that exacerbate climate change should be incorporated into the true cost of water so we can more accurately conduct ecosystem valuation and, thus, address the true economic and environmental cost of climate change on the Great Lakes and our greatest water resources. This paper has not previously been published.
文摘Understanding and predicting the impact of the global energy transition and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on global mineral demand and African supply is challenging. This study uses a resource nexus approach to investigate and analyze the impact of this transition on energy and water demand and CO2 emissions using three annual material demand scenarios. The results indicate that African mining will consume more energy by 2050, leading to an increase in cumulative demand for energy (from 98 to 14,577 TWh) and water (from 15,013 to 223,000 million m3), as well as CO2 emissions (1318 and 19,561 Gg CO2e). In contrast, only a modest increase in energy demand (207 TWh) will be required by 2050 to achieve the SDGs. Therefore, the African mining industry should reduce its energy consumption and invest more in the renewable energy sector to support the global energy transition.
