Suchergebnisse

Physical economy research has, thus far, focused on the throughput of materials that underpin economic development. The role of stocks of buildings and infrastructure has remained underexplored, yet it is the physical stock that provides service to society. To fill this gap, this research investigates stock dynamics in Japan in relation to population and economic drivers using panel regression and IPAT analyses for the past five decades. We recognize characteristic changes in the strength and relative influence of the drivers throughout time, in different subnational regions, and on the dynamics of buildings compared to transportation infrastructure. We find that material stock accumulation mainly occurred due to growth in economic activity, specifically by tertiary sector demand. Apart from a period of government-driven stock accumulation in the 1990s to stimulate economic growth, as economic and population growth slowed stock accumulation dynamics also changed signaling a new stock saturation trend. Migration from rural to urban areas has recently become an influential driver, leaving behind underused buildings and roads. This analysis provides a case study on how socio-economic drivers and stock accumulation interacted and changed while the country matured, which may have implications for understanding stock dynamics in rapidly industrializing economies.

Physical economy research has, thus far, focused on the throughput of materials that underpin economic development. The role of stocks of buildings and infrastructure has remained underexplored, yet it is the physical stock that provides service to society. To fill this gap, this research investigates stock dynamics in Japan in relation to population and economic drivers using panel regression and IPAT analyses for the past five decades. We recognize characteristic changes in the strength and relative influence of the drivers throughout time, in different subnational regions, and on the dynamics of buildings compared to transportation infrastructure. We find that material stock accumulation mainly occurred due to growth in economic activity, specifically by tertiary sector demand. Apart from a period of government-driven stock accumulation in the 1990s to stimulate economic growth, as economic and population growth slowed stock accumulation dynamics also changed signaling a new stock saturation trend. Migration from rural to urban areas has recently become an influential driver, leaving behind underused buildings and roads. This analysis provides a case study on how socio-economic drivers and stock accumulation interacted and changed while the country matured, which may have implications for understanding stock dynamics in rapidly industrializing economies.

There is a need to implement efficient strategies to mitigate the challenges of climate change and income inequalities in developing countries. Several studies have been conducted to address the relationship among different econometric and environmental indicators of renewable energy (RE) but overlooked the relationship between RE and income inequalities. This study investigates the influence of the distribution of income on the RE in Brazil, Russia, China, and South Africa (BRICS) between 1988 and 2017. The econometric (economic growth and trade), environmental, and institutional parameters are also integrated into the model. The outcomes reveal that reduced inequality in income distribution increases the consumption of RE. In contrast, CO2 emissions have a positive correlation with RE. The governments should implement environmentally friendly policies and increase the consumption of renewable energy in the future with regards to reducing environmental pollution. Furthermore, findings from the study indicate a positive effect on the reduction of corruption in renewable energy. This shows that institutional quality can affect the uptake of renewable energy. The study further identified that growth in a country's economy decreases RE consumption, suggesting that these countries prefer fossil fuels to gain economic growth. The Granger causality results show that a bidirectional causality exists between income inequality and RE consumption. Bidirectional causality is observed between income distribution and CO2 emissions. The results from this study are important for policymakers to achieve sustainable development because fair income distribution and environmental quality are considered as two key factors for sustainable development. Strong institutions and control on corruption can bring sound social and economic gains. Therefore, fair distribution of income and strong institutional policies can increase RE consumption to achieve a clean environment.

IN ENGLISH: Increases in energy prices pose a significant problem for many families in the Western Balkan region. Energy vulnerable groups in the region are facing adverse impacts on physical and mental health and they are unable to meet their basic needs. It is of utmost importance to find policy solutions which will enable easing of burden for affected households. This chapter examines the policy context and discusses the results of case study analyses undertaken in Balkan countries, with the aim of identifying possible policy solutions to cost effectively tackle energy poverty in the region. --- IN CROATIAN: Povećanje cijena energije predstavlja značajan problem za mnoge obitelji na zapadnom Balkanu. Energetske ranjive skupine u regiji suočene su s nepovoljnim utjecajima na tjelesno i mentalno zdravlje i ne mogu zadovoljiti svoje osnovne potrebe. Vrlo je važno pronaći rješenja koja će omogućiti ublažavanje tereta za pogođena kućanstva. Ovo poglavlje ispituje kontekst politika i raspravlja o rezultatima analize studija slučaja u balkanskim zemljama s ciljem identificiranja mogućih političkih rješenja za učinkovito rješavanje energetskog siromaštva u regiji.

This article develops eleven criteria focusing on the relative importance and strength of different, especially socio-economic drivers of and pressures on biodiversity. These refer to the syndrome concept designed to assess global environmental risks and the DPSIR framework developed to guide integrative assessment of links between human activities and degradation of the natural environment. The aim is (a) coordinating inter-disciplinary research on distinguishing characteristics of drivers and pressures, (b) structuring interdisciplinary discussions on scale and cross-scale dynamics in assessment of biodiversity change as well as (c) setting priorities in policy making and implementation of response actions.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a crucial role in the global carbon cycle as a potential sink or source. Land management influences SOC storage, so the European Parliament decided in 2013 that changes in carbon stocks within a certain land use type, including arable land, must be reported by all member countries in their national inventory reports for greenhouse gas emissions. Here we show the temporal dynamics of SOC during the past 2 decades in Swedish agricultural soils, based on soil inventories conducted in 19881997 (Inventory I), 2001-2007 (Inventory II) and from 2010 onwards (Inventory III), and link SOC changes with trends in agricultural management. From Inventory I to Inventory II, SOC increased in 16 out of 21 Swedish counties, while from Inventory I to Inventory III it increased in 18 out of 21 counties. Mean topsoil (0-20 cm) SOC concentration for the entire country increased from 2.48 to 2.67% C (a relative increase of 7.7 %, or 0.38% yr(-1)) over the whole period. We attributed this to a substantial increase in ley as a proportion of total agricultural area in all counties. The horse population in Sweden has more than doubled since 1981 and was identified as the main driver for this management change (R-2 = 0.72). Due to subsidies introduced in the early 1990s, the area of long-term set-aside (mostly old leys) also contributed to the increase in area of ley. The carbon sink function of Swedish agricultural soils demonstrated in this study differs from trends found in neighbouring countries. This indicates that country-specific or local socio-economic drivers for land management must be accounted for in larger-scale predictions.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a crucial role in the global carbon cycle as a potential sink or source. Land management influences SOC storage, so the European Parliament decided in 2013 that changes in carbon stocks within a certain land use type, including arable land, must be reported by all member countries in their national inventory reports for greenhouse gas emissions. Here we show the temporal dynamics of SOC during the past 2 decades in Swedish agricultural soils, based on soil inventories conducted in 1988–1997 (Inventory I), 2001–2007 (Inventory II) and from 2010 onwards (Inventory III), and link SOC changes with trends in agricultural management. From Inventory I to Inventory II, SOC increased in 16 out of 21 Swedish counties, while from Inventory I to Inventory III it increased in 18 out of 21 counties. Mean topsoil (0–20 cm) SOC concentration for the entire country increased from 2.48 to 2.67% C (a relative increase of 7.7%, or 0.38% yr −1 ) over the whole period. We attributed this to a substantial increase in ley as a proportion of total agricultural area in all counties. The horse population in Sweden has more than doubled since 1981 and was identified as the main driver for this management change (R 2 = 0.72). Due to subsidies introduced in the early 1990s, the area of long-term set-aside (mostly old leys) also contributed to the increase in area of ley. The carbon sink function of Swedish agricultural soils demonstrated in this study differs from trends found in neighbouring countries. This indicates that country-specific or local socio-economic drivers for land management must be accounted for in larger-scale predictions.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a crucial role in the global carbon cycle as a potential sink or source. Land management influences SOC storage, so the European Parliament decided in 2013 that changes in carbon stocks within a certain land use type, including arable land, must be reported by all member countries in their national inventory reports for greenhouse gas emissions. Here we show the temporal dynamics of SOC during the past 2 decades in Swedish agricultural soils, based on soil inventories conducted in 1988–1997 (Inventory I), 2001–2007 (Inventory II) and from 2010 onwards (Inventory III), and link SOC changes with trends in agricultural management. From Inventory I to Inventory II, SOC increased in 16 out of 21 Swedish counties, while from Inventory I to Inventory III it increased in 18 out of 21 counties. Mean topsoil (0–20 cm) SOC concentration for the entire country increased from 2.48 to 2.67% C (a relative increase of 7.7%, or 0.38% yr−1) over the whole period. We attributed this to a substantial increase in ley as a proportion of total agricultural area in all counties. The horse population in Sweden has more than doubled since 1981 and was identified as the main driver for this management change (R2 = 0.72). Due to subsidies introduced in the early 1990s, the area of long-term set-aside (mostly old leys) also contributed to the increase in area of ley. The carbon sink function of Swedish agricultural soils demonstrated in this study differs from trends found in neighbouring countries. This indicates that country-specific or local socio-economic drivers for land management must be accounted for in larger-scale predictions.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a crucial role in the global carbon cycle as a potential sink or source. Land management influences SOC storage, so the European Parliament decided in 2013 that changes in carbon stocks within a certain land use type, including arable land, must be reported by all member countries in their national inventory reports for greenhouse gas emissions. Here we show the temporal dynamics of SOC during the past 2 decades in Swedish agricultural soils, based on soil inventories conducted in 1988–1997 (Inventory I), 2001–2007 (Inventory II) and from 2010 onwards (Inventory III), and link SOC changes with trends in agricultural management. From Inventory I to Inventory II, SOC increased in 16 out of 21 Swedish counties, while from Inventory I to Inventory III it increased in 18 out of 21 counties. Mean topsoil (0–20 cm) SOC concentration for the entire country increased from 2.48 to 2.67% C (a relative increase of 7.7 %, or 0.38%yr-1/ over the whole period. We attributed this to a substantial increase in ley as a proportion of total agricultural area in all counties. The horse population in Sweden has more than doubled since 1981 and was identified as the main driver for this management change (R2 D0.72). Due to subsidies introduced in the early 1990s, the area of long-term set-aside (mostly old leys) also contributed to the increase in area of ley. The carbon sink function of Swedish agricultural soils demonstrated in this study differs from trends found in neighbouring countries. This indicates that country-specific or local socio-economic drivers for land management must be accounted for in larger-scale predictions.

Part I: Drivers of Urbanization -- Introduction (Sumana Bandyopadhyay, Chitta Pathak, Tomaz Ponce Dentinho) -- Sikkim - Once a Captivating au naturel Himalayan Kingdom in the Light of Its Growing Urban Scape (Sanghamitra Sarkar) -- Urbanization Process in Nepal (Sunil Babu Shrestha) -- Socio-economic and Cultural Factors Affecting Migration Behavior in Turbat, Baluchistan, Pakistan (Muhammad Ali Sheikh) -- Part II: Pressures on the Environment -- Sustainability and Climate Change: The Example of Bhutan (Elżbieta Jabłońska) -- Urbanization in Sri Lanka (Bilesha Weeraratne) -- Disaster Risk Mitigation Strategies in the South-Western Coastal Region of Bangladesh (Tuhin Roy, Mahbuba Nasreen, Abdullah Abusayed Khan, Rezaul Karim) -- Disaster Governance in South Asia: Special Reference to Nepal (Tej Kumar Karki, Nimesh Salike) -- Part III: Restructuring Adapted Spaces -- Residential Mobility and Well-Being of the Aged in Old Age Homes of Kolkata (Ambika Roy Bardhan, Lakshmi Sivaramakrishnan) -- Evaluation of Urban Basic Services and Role of Urban Governance: A Case Study of Selected Wards of Chandernagore Municipal Corporation (Arindam Dasgupta) -- Micro-Level Analysis of Road Connectivity and Its Spatial Variation in Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Area. (Juber Alam, Mafizul Haque) -- Nexus Between Urbanization, Land Use Conflicts and Agricultural Land Conversion: The Case of Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan (Habib Magis, Maulana Bux Perrzado) -- Part IV: Effects on Society -- Migration and Entry to Urban Street Food Market: A Study of Selected Street Food Vendors in Delhi (Aditi Kundu, Sayak Dutta) -- HIV/AIDS Vulnerability Among Street Children in Urban Bangladesh: A Reality of Old Dhaka (Saidur Rashid Sumon, Abdullah Abusayed Khan) -- Status of Urban Poor in Kolkata: A Case Study of Squatter Settlements Along Beliaghata Canal (Anindata Ghosh) -- Education and Bankura District, West Bengal (Mrinal Mandal, Debasis Ghosh) -- Part V: Responses from Governance -- Exploring Dimensions and Elements for Smart City Development in India (Dillip Kumar Das, Sanjaykumar G. Sonar) -- Citizens' Preferences for Urban Parks of Kolkata: A Benefit-Cost Approach (Laxmi Narayan Saha, Sumana Bandyopadhyay) -- Estimation of Surface Thermal Influx from Satellite Images in the Newly Developed Built-up Areas of South 24 Paragans District, West Bengal (Anwesha Haldar, Pradip Patra, Mafizul Haque).-