Suchergebnisse

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory partnered with Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) to quantify the costs and benefits from the adoption of urban heat island (UHI) countermeasures in the Kansas City region (population 1.5 million), and identify the best regional implementation pathway for MARC. The team selected cool (high-albedo) roofs and increased vegetation as the two countermeasures to evaluate. For vegetation, there were two strategies: (1) planting new trees to shade building surfaces, and (2) increasing urban irrigation (a surrogate for the use of vegetation to manage stormwater) to increase evapotranspiration. Using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model we simulated selected weeks during summer time, across five years (2011 – 2015) representing a range of normal summer conditions. We also simulated six of the most intense heatwaves that occurred between 2004 and 2016. We found under typical summer conditions (non-heatwave) average daytime (07:00 – 19:00 local standard time) regional near-ground air temperature reductions of 0.08 and 0.28 °C for cool roofs and urban irrigation, respectively. We calculated the building electricity, electricity cost, and emission savings that result from the reduction in outdoor air temperature ("indirect" savings) and found maximum regional annual indirect electricity savings of 42.8 GWh for cool roofs and 85.6 GWh for urban irrigation—yielding maximum regional annual indirect electricity cost savings of $5.6M ($0.05/m2 roof) and $11.1M ($0.01/m2 irrigated land), respectively, and maximum regional annual CO2 savings of 43.4 kt and 80 kt, respectively. We next evaluated the building energy, energy cost, and emission savings from reducing direct absorbed radiation on the building surfaces using cool roofs and shade trees ("direct" savings). For cool roofs, we found regional annual direct energy cost savings of $10.9M ($0.15/m2 roof) with regional annual CO2 savings of 66.4 kt. For shade trees, the regional annual direct energy cost savings were $21M ($21/tree) with regional annual CO2 savings of 126 kt. We investigated cool roof cost premiums (the additional cost for selecting a cool roof product in lieu of a conventional roof product, estimated to be zero to $2.15/m2) and shade tree first costs (assumed to be $100 per tree). The regional cool roof cost premium was calculated using the regional roof area per roofing material type and the range of cool roof product premiums for each material type. The extra cost of selecting cool roofs across the region ranged from $4.33M to $87.1M, while the additional shade trees planted across the region were assumed to cost $102M. When we compared the regional annual direct cost savings to the regional cool-roof cost premium and the regional shade-tree first cost, we found regional simple payback times up to 8.0 years for cool roofs and 4.9 years for trees, respectively. Since this comprehensive assessment of UHI countermeasures is a valuable methodology for other local governments to apply, we developed a step-by-step guide for others to follow. Based on the benefits and costs of the UHI countermeasures, MARC will pursue the inclusion of these countermeasures in existing regional plans where they can complement other regional priorities for transportation, climate resiliency, clean air, and hazard mitigation. They hosted a local workshop in 2016 for stakeholders to introduce the topic and will continue to share these resources to further appropriate adoption of UHI countermeasures.

Despite dramatic shifts in crime control and public health policy, one persistent pattern remains unchanged; gun violence cuts short the lives of young black males in America's most economically disadvantaged urban communities at unacceptably high rates. The family members, friends and neighbors left behind to endure the pain of sudden and traumatic death rarely have access to the necessary resources to ease their healing and/or interrupt the intergenerational cycles of poverty and violence operating to sustain these patterns. The clustered patterns of gun homicide – characterized by significant concentrations of risk across spatial geography and social networks – increase the burden that gun violence has on the emotional, social, psychological, relational, economic, political, spiritual, and developmental outcomes of families residing in these urban communities. The burden of gun violence is not limited to the toll of victimization; it also extends to the collateral consequences of the criminal justice system responses to highly dangerous people and environments, namely aggressive policing and mass incarceration. The social and educational experiences of youth and families situated in urban neighborhoods and networks of highly concentrated gun death, gun injury and mass incarceration are not well understood by social and behavioral scientists. Extant research has described numerous ways in which neighborhoods matter in explaining why violent crime is more likely to occur in economically disadvantaged areas with high rates of racial segregation and low levels of collective efficacy compared to more advantaged geographical locations. The impact of structural disadvantage that produces persistent racial, social, and economic disparity in violence-related health outcomes has been well documented (Clear, 2009; Harding, 2010; Peterson and Krivo, 2010; Petit, 2012: Sampson, 2012; Sampson and Moreoff, 2006; Starkey, 2013; Venkatesh, 2006; and Wilkinson, 2011). The ecological adaptation processes that those who experience high rates of direct and indirect exposure to community gun violence have not been studied from an intergenerational, trauma-informed, life course, and ecological systems perspective. Community-based participatory action and ethnographic research sheds much needed light on the social and community related processes that promote resiliency among people most impacted by violent gun death and related trauma. This presentation will highlight the researcher-community partnership of M4M, a grassroots community-based effort, operating for the past eight years to improve the conditions and quality of life. The panel will include M4M leaders, an M4M participant, and an Ohio State graduate. The presentation will focus on successful strategies to build social capital in distressed urban neighborhoods, effective outreach/engagement for vulnerable youth/families to interrupt the intergenerational patterns of gun death and injury. ; AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Deanna Wilkinson, Associate Professor, Department of Human Sciences, wilkinson.110@osu.edu (Corresponding Author); Frederick V. Lamarr, Pastor/Executive Director, Family Missionary Baptist Church; Tammy Fournier Alsaada, Lead Organizer, People's Justice Project; Cecil Ahad, President/CEO, Men for the Movement; Dartangnan Hill, Community Activist/Violence Interrupter, M4M: Jerry Saunders Sr., CEO, APDS. ; Despite dramatic shifts in crime control and public health policy, one persistent pattern remains unchanged: gun violence cuts short the lives of young black males in America's most economically disadvantaged urban communities at unacceptably high rates. Since 2009, one south Columbus neighborhood has come together to heal from the violence and unite people in an effort to reduce high rates of gun violence. The presenters will highlight the researcher-community partnership of Men for the Movement (M4M), a grass-roots community-based effort operating for the past eight years to improve the conditions and quality of life. The panel will include M4M leaders, an Ohio State faculty member, an M4M participant, and an Ohio State graduate. We will focus on successful strategies to build social capital in distressed urban neighborhoods, effective outreach and engagement for vulnerable youth and families to interrupt the intergenerational patterns of gun death and injury.

It hardly takes a shrewd premier to keep a province from racking up debt when economic times are good, and it does not necessarily take a reckless government to accumulate debt when economic times are tough. What matters more, when assessing a government's fiscal responsibility, is how policy decisions — as opposed to cyclical effects — influence a province's debt ratio. With economically small provinces being especially vulnerable to exogenous shocks, the need to avoid chronic deficits and debt accumulation is particularly high, since minimizing deficit and debt at least improves the resilience of these provinces to recover from shocks when they do occur. An analysis of the provincial government finances of Canada's four smallest provinces— P.E.I., New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Manitoba — finds that some are better at preparing for inevitable exogenous economic shocks. Taxpayers in Nova Scotia and P.E.I. in particular have legitimate reason to be worried. Taxpayers in New Brunswick and Manitoba can breathe a little easier, but both provincial governments have in recent years begun introducing policies that have reduced their potential for resiliency, too. From 1982–2008, New Brunswick's governments — both Liberal and Progressive Conservative (PC) — were the most successful of the four provinces in keeping its operating account more or less in fiscal balance. However, to best manage future economic shocks the province will have to reverse a six-year string of sizeable policy-induced deficits amassed first under a Liberal government and more recently under a PC government. Currently, New Brunswick's policies are doing more to increase provincial debt than are cyclical influences, by a factor of more than two. Manitoba also has one of the stronger records of the four provinces but labours under the burden of the consequences of a rapid accumulation of policy-induced debt incurred during the mid-1990s. Unfortunately, during the last three years of our period of analysis, policy-induced deficits have the province sliding in the wrong direction, adding 2.6 percentage points of GDP to its accumulated operating account deficit. Notably, there appears to be little difference between NDP and PC governments when it comes to policy-induced debt accumulation. The one distinction appears to be that the PCs have tended to begin governing by adding debt, and reducing it later, while the NDP has followed the opposite pattern. The record of P.E.I.'s policy decisions, meanwhile, has been the reverse of Manitoba's: After managing to keep its debt in check for 20 years, the government since 1999 has added 11 percentage points of GDP to its accumulated operating account deficit almost entirely as the result of policy choices. Particularly worrisome is the recent rapid accumulation of debt between 2009 and 2014. In the meantime, Nova Scotia continues working to undo the risky policies of the "lost decade" from 1984 to 1994, where PC governments increased the debt ratio by nearly a third. In all four provinces the ability to keep debt ratios under control will depend heavily on constraining the growth in health-care spending. Health spending has soared in all provinces since 1999–2000, the most extreme case being in New Brunswick where the share of revenue spent on health has leaped from 25.4 to 35.9 per cent. Even if these provinces cannot change the fact that they are small and exposed, and are stuck with the specific economic risks that entails, they do have the ability to make policy choices that mitigate the length and severity of the effects of exogenous shocks. With three of the provinces (save P.E.I.) expected to enjoy faster growth in 2015, the work in better preparing their economies for shocks should begin right away.

The main focus of this book is sustainable management of water resources in a changing climate. The book also addresses the question of how to define and measure the sustainability of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). The sustainability of IWRM is an important issue when planning and/or developing policies that consider the impact of climate change, water governance and ecohydrology in the context of a more holistic approach to ensure sustainable management of water resources. Sustainable IWRM is more about processes, and relatively little systematic or rigorous work has been done to articulate what components are the most essential to ensure the ongoing sustainability of IWRM efforts. The chapters cover topics including global prospective of IWRM; allocation of environmental flows in IWRM; echohydrology, water resources and environmental sustainability; climate change and IWRM; IWRM and water governance including social, economic, public health and cultural aspects; climate change resiliency actions related to water resources management sustainability and tools in support of sustainability for IWRM.This book will be of interest to researchers, practitioners, water resources mangers, policy and decision makers, donors, international institutions, governmental and non-governmental organizations, educators, as well as graduate and undergraduate students. It is a useful reference for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), ecohydrology, climate change impact and adaptations, water governance, environmental flows, geographic information system and modeling tools, water and energy nexus and related topics. Dr. Shimelis Gebriye Setegnearned his Ph.D. in land and water resources engineering and M.Sc. in soil and water conservation engineering. Currently, he is a Program Executive Officer at the Global Water for Sustainability Program (GLOWS) and Research Assistant Professor at the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Florida International University (FIU). Dr. Setegn has an interdisciplinary background and experience in environmental, hydrological and hydrodynamic modeling; watershed dynamics, ecohydrology, predicting the impact of climate and land-use changes on water resources, agriculture and public health; GIS and remote sensing applications in the environment and water resources. Dr. Setegn has more than 19 years of teaching, research and development experience in Africa, the United States, the Caribbean, Europe, Mexico and Central and South America. His work on different international projects has led to several peer-reviewed journal articles, books and book chapters. He has also given several scientific presentations at international conferences and symposiums. Dr. Setegn has conducted many short and long courses in hydrological modeling, climate change, integrated water resources management, GIS and remote sensing in the United States, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Honduras, Chile, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Niger, Tanzania, Uganda and Sweden.Dr. Maria Concepcion Donosois the Director of Global Water for Sustainability Program (GLOWS). Previously, Dr. Donoso was the Regional Hydrologist of UNESCO for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), where she was in charge of the entire portfolio of water projects implemented by UNESCO in the LAC region. Dr. Donoso's research and professional interests are in integrated water resources management, air-sea-land interaction processes, and in climate change and variability impacts on the natural environment and society. Ms. Donoso has acted as director ofvarious projects and studies on water sciences. Similarly, she has served as Technical Adviser to national and regional organizations, and to private consulting firms. In this context, she served as the Coordinator of the Regional Consultation of the Caribbean and Central America Vision on Water, Life and the Environment for the 21st Century (1999 - 2000). Furthermore, Ms. Donoso was a member of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) Overall Performance Study International Team of Experts (2001-2002) and of the UNEP Scientific Advisory Group on Water (2011), as well as the Coordinator of the Task Force of Experts in charge of the development of the Strategy for the VIII Phase (to be implement for the period 2014-2021) of the International Hydrological Programme of UNESCO (2009-2013).

There's no question that war leaves behind its lingering destruction. This includes both harm to people and to the environment. As the world marks the second year of Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine, we must reflect on the impact of war on Ukraine, the resiliency of its people and global response to resolving the issues of bomb contamination.Roughly one-third of Ukraine's territory is contaminated. This is the size of an average country in Europe. Ukraine is currently experiencing the worst environmental disaster in terms of soil pollution per unit of time.Toxic elements such as lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury leach from ammunition and weapons into the soil. If potential areas of contamination are not identified and recorded in time, harmful substances can enter the food chain and become carcinogenic. This threatens global food security and export opportunities. Failure to act now could result in the deterioration of human health.Prior to the war, about 400 million people worldwide relied on Ukraine for their food supply making this a large-scale problem. Spent ammunition and chemical weapons can contaminate soil for decades or longer. Land is not a renewable resource. Soils and their fertile layer are formed over thousands of years. Just 1 cm of soil is formed in 200-400 years, and 20 cm in 5,000-6,000 years. Military operations that take place for 2 years like in the case of Ukraine can destroy what has been formed over thousands of years.Contaminations left behind from war are nothing new. We know this from wars in SE Asia, conflicts in the Middle East, Africa, and the list goes on. It's no surprise then that at least 50 countries are impacted by landmines and other explosives. The good news is there are solutions to the long lasting impacts of conflicts like unexploded ordnance on humans, all living things and our planet.One example is a project called "Assessing farmland and ecosystems damage in north-eastern Ukraine from the Russian invasion" (UA-UK-CH) led by this article's co-author Dr. Olena Melnyk. This project is a joint initiative with researchers from Ukraine, England and Switzerland aimed at enhancing the capacity for mapping, environmental monitoring, and managing the effects of war-induced damage on Ukraine's agricultural land, utilizing existing networks of scientists and field-based analysis to safeguard food security. The first component of the project involves gathering ground truth data on the damage inflicted on Ukrainian farmland, which is then utilized to analyze the extent of soil pollution and calibrate remote sensing data.The second component focuses on developing an application for mapping farmland to document hazards and contamination and prioritize land for production and remediation.The third aspect involves building up "citizen science" by training non-combatant experts to inspect and analyze contaminated farmlands and contribute to land mapping efforts.The fourth component aims to facilitate the decontamination and remediation of Ukrainian lands to restore agricultural productivity while promoting post-war environmentally friendly agricultural practices to ensure sustainability and climate neutrality. This project will enable Ukrainian farmers to avoid dangerous areas and prioritize the land for targeted decontamination. The data collected from this research project will help inform government agencies, civil societies and other stakeholders.The United States is the largest funder of global humanitarian demining. Since 1993, the U.S. has provided at least $4.2 billion to over 100 countries from Laos to Ukraine. Funding is invested in activities such as bomb clearance, victims' assistance and explosive risk education.Environmental research like the UA-UK-CH in Ukraine has proven to be necessary and important to the future of soil rehabilitation post conflict. This should be a norm and donor countries, funders, academic institutions can leverage the future findings from Ukraine and leverage it as a model that can inspire research in other war impacted countries — especially 50-year-old legacy contaminations in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam—where no study has been done.

European Union (EU) policy encourages the development of a blue economy (BE) by unlocking the full economic potential of oceans, seas, lakes, rivers and other water resources, especially in member countries in which it represents a low contribution to the national economy (under 1%). However, climate change represents a main barrier to fully realizing a BE. Enabling conditions that will support the sustainable development of a BE and increase its climate resiliency must be promoted. Romania has high potential to contribute to the development of the EU BE due to its geographic characteristics, namely the presence of the Danube Delta–Black Sea macrosystem, which is part of the Romanian Lower Danube Euroregion (RLDE). Aquatic living resources represent a sector which can significantly contribute to the growth of the BE in the RLDE, a situation which imposes restrictions for both halting biodiversity loss and maintaining the proper conditions to maximize the benefits of the existing macrosystem. It is known that climate change causes water quality problems, accentuates water level fluctuations and loss of biodiversity and induces the destruction of habitats, which eventually leads to fish stock depletion. This paper aims to develop an analytical framework based on multiple linear predictive and forecast models that offers cost-efficient tools for the monitoring and control of water quality, fish stock dynamics and biodiversity in order to strengthen the resilience and adaptive capacity of the BE of the RLDE in the context of climate change. The following water-dependent variables were considered: total nitrogen (TN) ; total phosphorus (TP) ; dissolved oxygen (DO) ; pH ; water temperature (wt) ; and water level, all of which were measured based on a series of 26 physicochemical indicators associated with 4 sampling areas within the RLDE (Brăila, Galați, Tulcea and Sulina counties). Predictive models based on fish species catches associated with the Galati County Danube River Basin segment and the "Danube Delta" Biosphere Reserve Administration territory were included in the analytical framework to establish an efficient tool for monitoring fish stock dynamics and structures as well as identify methods of controlling fish biodiversity in the RLDE to enhance the sustainable development and resilience of the already-existing BE and its expansion (blue growth) in the context of aquatic environment climate variation. The study area reflects the integrated approach of the emerging BE, focused on the ocean, seas, lakes and rivers according to the United Nations Agenda. The results emphasized the vulnerability of the RLDE to climate change, a situation revealed by the water level, air temperature and water quality parameter trend lines and forecast models. Considering the sampling design applied within the RLDE, it can be stated that the Tulcea county Danube sector was less affected by climate change compared with the Galați county sector as confirmed by water TN and TP forecast analysis, which revealed higher increasing trends in Galați compared with Tulcea. The fish stock biodiversity was proven to be affected by global warming within the RLDE, since peaceful species had a higher upward trend compared with predatory species. Water level and air temperature forecasting analysis proved to be an important tool for climate change monitoring in the study area. The resulting analytical framework confirmed that time series methods could be used together with machine learning prediction methods to highlight their synergetic abilities for monitoring and predicting the impact of climate change on the marine living resources of the BE sector within the RLDE. The forecasting models developed in the present study were meant to be used as methods of revealing future information, making it possible for decision makers to adopt proper management solutions to prevent or limit the negative impacts of climate change on the BE. Through the identified independent variables, prediction models offer a solution for managing the dependent variables and the possibility of performing less cost-demanding aquatic environment monitoring activities.

In Taipei, more than 70% of buildings are older than 30 years. 1 The rate of illegal additions to existing buildings (wei zhang jian zhu) in Taipei is over ten percent.2 Excluding legal issues, illegal construction can potentially lead to significant safety issues. As a response, the Taiwan government is undergoing demolitions on illegal additions throughout the city. In recent years, the number of demolished building additions has surpassed the number of that being constructed. Despite this radical effort, Taipei city is finding that illegal additions continue to be a mainstream practice.3 Illegal additions and the issue of renovating old buildings highlight the vitality and dynamism of the Taipei, but also shows its risks. Illegal additions reduce the resiliency of the city, as a whole, to natural disasters such as typhoons, earthquakes, and building hazards. While the building code requires structural reinforcement, fire escapes, and resistant materials, illegal additions will typically not comply; Instead, the intentions of the additions are focused on increasing space through the use of inexpensive and temporary materials. This thesis seeks to revisit the role of illegal additions in order to satisfy government regulations while providing new freedoms and opportunities for building inhabitants and the city's aesthetic identity. Specifically, it investigates how an "adaptive joint framework" can leverage current code regulations in order to provide resilient structural reinforcement and safety, allow new spaces to emerge within the seams of the urban fabric, and create new freedoms that were previously challenging under current policies. Making use of the government's intention to promote urban renewal opportunities, improve the beauty of urbanscape and enhance disaster resilience could be implemented simultaneously, which presents a design opportunity. However, from my perspective, typical urban renewal goes the result of "Creative Cities" or "Design Cities" that radically reduce the creativity of the city because of the design consistency through the entire city. If we look back to the feature of the old building and illegal addition together in Taipei. People are adding into the building's total area and utility without comprehensive planning or through structural and safety considerations. Illegal additions to old buildings exacerbates the public health and safety concerns. The largest number of buildings in Taipei are four stories high double sided apartments, and three stories shop houses be connected by the continuous arcade.4 All illegal additions can be sorted into three categories: (1) penthouse additions; (2) window extensions; and (3) arcade occupancy. These additions are typically tacked onto the building's facade and roof as needed. For example, a rooftop area can be turned into a semi-outdoor clothesline area or a new residential unit, the window extension could be turn into a small farm and the arcade on the first floor be occupied by a semi-outdoor restaurant. In this study can see a house being inflated by illegal additions throughout the time. On the other hand, the illegal addition occupied the back side of the building. Deconstruct the entire block as pure massing will find the small fire lane all be occupied by illegal additions. The fire lane only appears with the old building which was following the old building code. The space for fire lane usually be remained from one to six meters wide. Fire lane space provides an opportunity for the "adaptive joint framework", which not only addresses space needs of building inhabitants, but has potential for urban renewal and structural improvement. Here is a regulatory loophole. Current ground condition arcades are built by private entities but inhabit public domain -- As long as the physical built structure does not inhibit the pedestrian right of way and provides a "fire exit" per city code, it is legally allowed to be constructed; Private expenditure in this case is afforded permission under the guise of 'supporting' the public domain. As such, the construction of a so-called "illegal addition" can in fact be made legal through a re-framing of its regulatory public and private status. This provides the opportunity for this project to intervene.

Los sistemas agrícolas de Pinar del Río exhiben una alta diversidad y heterogeneidad producto de sus características ecológicas e identidad socio-cultural propias. El paso frecuente de huracanes, prolongadas sequías, así como cuestiones de orden político-social le confieren alta vulnerabilidad a su sistema alimentario. Por ello se hace necesario identificar estrategias de adaptación y respuesta a tales eventos y limitaciones que generan insustentabilidad. En particular, este estudio se propuso la identificación de prácticas agroecológicas innovadoras que le confieren resiliencia a los sistemas agropecuarios frente a huracanes y sequías. Se identificó y seleccionó un grupo de fincas según criterios predefinidos. Se realizaron entrevistas y encuestas estructuradas en cada finca y se efectuaron talleres participativos con diversos actores locales relacionados con la agricultura (agricultores, profesores universitarios, técnicos agrícolas y personal del gobierno), así como pobladores de las comunidades donde se encuentran las fincas. Se enumeraron las prácticas utilizadas por los campesinos para resistir y recuperarse de las afectaciones por sequías y huracanes y se utilizó un diagrama de Venn para comprender la capacidad de ejecución de dichas prácticas a nivel local. Entre las prácticas implementadas que brindan resiliencia a las fincas aparecen: reforestación, incremento y funcionalidad de la biodiversidad, conservación artesanal de alimentos, el establecimiento de los bancos locales de germoplasma, la conservación de suelos, acceso al mercado y mínima dependencia de insumos de productos de síntesis química. Más del 80% de las prácticas fue ubicado en el nivel de gran posibilidad de aplicación. Las prácticas más complejas para su implementación son el incremento de la cubierta vegetal y el acceso al mercado debido al limitado acceso al semillas y posturas y por regulaciones económicas, respectivamente. La independencia energética fue percibida como una estrategia priorizada para ambas afectaciones. La cooperación e integración comunitaria resulto ser un hilo conductor de la ejecución y diseminación de prácticas agroecológicas innovadoras y asistencia social intracomunitaria. Se concluye que existe conocimiento, capacidad y disponibilidad de recursos para enfrentar estas perturbaciones externas, escasa compenetración institucional; y fuerte cohesión comunitaria que permite la diseminación de nuevas estrategias para resiliencia. ; ABSTRACT: Pinar del Río's agricultural systems exhibit a high diversity and heterogeneity, due to its ecological characteristics and its own socio-cultural identity. Frequent hurricanes, prolonged drought, as well as socio-political aspects, make some of the food production systems highly vulnerable. There is an urgent need to identify adaptation strategies and responses to such events and setbacks that provoke unsustainability. This study aimed at the identification of innovative agroecological practices that confer resilience to agricultural systems in facing both hurricanes and droughts. A group of farms was selected and identified according to predefined criteria. Interviews and structured surveys were conducted in each farm as well as participative workshops were organized including all local actors directly related with agriculture (farmers, university professors, students, agriculturalists, government agents) and community inhabitants. Resistance and recovery practices used by the community to face drought and hurricanes were gleaned, a Venn diagram was utilized to understand their implementation capacity at the local level. Among the practices used to enhance resiliency in farms can be mentioned: reforestation, increase of functional biodiversity, artisanal food conservation, local germplasm banks, soil conservation and improvement, access to local markets and minimal dependence of synthetic external products. It was found that more than 80% of the practices were located in the first level of application possibility. Forest cover increase and market access were mentioned as the more complex practices to be implemented, due to limited seed availability and woody staplings as well as economic regulations. Energetic independence was perceived as a priority strategy for both, hurricanes and droughts. Community cooperation and integration appeared as a conductive thread of execution and dissemination of innovative agroecological practices, as well as, intra-community social assistance. It can be concluded that knowledge, capacity and resources availability to confront external perturbations exists in the studied communities, despite low institutional support; complemented by a strong community cohesion which allows for the dissemination of new resilience strategies.

The paper presents the results of qualitative field research about the phenomenon of NEETs - Not (engaged) in Education, Employment or Training - investigated with the constructivist Grounded Theory methodology. The research, which involved 82 young people aged between 18 and 24 years, began in November 2015 and ended with the analysis of data collected in December 2018. In line with the methodological indications of the constructivist Grounded Theory (GT) (Charmaz, 2000, 2006, 2014), field research was immediately accompanied by open coding, using all that was useful for saturation of the categories.The constant critical reflection, conducted throughout the process of my research, has led to detect and define 3 core categories that are fundamental to the definition of a substantive theory. The permanent orientation emerges as a social need because it promotes and increases the psychological well-being of NEETs. The comparison between the "initial" questions of research and the 3 core categories, conceptually valid, allowed me to start the process of focusing and analyzing the possible correlations. Correlations capable of supporting a scientifically strong definition, for the proposal of a substantive theory, emerging from the three initial questions of the research.1. How do you "selfassess" NEETs with respect to the world of work? Psychological area: to understand the characteristics of the NEET individual. How to contribute to its identity awareness about operating (occupying and acting) a role. To train him/her to reflect on his/her own interests, in accordance with his/her own authentic purposeful Self (Di Fabio, 2014). The question aims to understand how:a) to increase the capacity to make choices (Self confidence in decision making);b) to make them feel/perceive that they are ready (Self efficacy and Self capability);c) to raise the skills to manage problems (Self-empowerment and problem solving).2. How do NEETs live their "condition"? Psychosociological area: to investigate the context and environment of NEETs' life. The answers to this question must allow them to understand what they are, first and foremost:a) the causes to which they attribute their current NEET situation (external/internal);b) the roads they would like to take to move towards work (Self orientation);c) their thoughts and attitudes towards current social policies (active/passive).3. How do you represent the labour market? Sociopsychological area: relationship aspect; ability to stay in relationships. In the answers you want to understand:a) what they thought when they were at school in the world of work (imagination about their own future);b) how their thoughts on the world of work are today compared to those years (alignment to their own reality).c) what knowledge, what information they possess of the working possibilities of their territory (awareness of employment opportunities). Keywords: NEETs, Self-empowerment, purposeful Self, Self orientation, resiliency, decision making. Abstract in italiano Il documento presenta i risultati della ricerca sul campo qualitativa sul fenomeno dei NEET - Non (impegnati) nell'istruzione, nell'occupazione o nella formazione - indagati con la metodologia costruttivista della Grounded Theory. La ricerca, che ha coinvolto 82 giovani di età compresa tra 18 e 24 anni, è iniziata a novembre 2015 e si è conclusa con l'analisi dei dati raccolti a dicembre 2018. In linea con le indicazioni metodologiche della Grounded Theory (Charmaz, 2000, 2006, 2014), la ricerca sul campo è stata immediatamente accompagnata da una codifica aperta, utilizzando tutto ciò che è stato utile per la saturazione delle categorie.La costante riflessione critica, condotta durante tutto il processo della mia ricerca, ha portato a rilevare e definire 3 categorie fondamentali che sono fondamentali per la definizione di una teoria sostanziale. L'orientamento permanente emerge come un'esigenza sociale perché promuove e aumenta il benessere psicologico dei NEET. Il confronto tra le domande "iniziali" della ricerca e le 3 categorie fondamentali, concettualmente valide, mi ha permesso di iniziare il processo di focalizzazione e analisi delle possibili correlazioni. Correlazioni in grado di supportare una definizione scientificamente forte, per la proposta di una teoria sostanziale, che emerge dalle tre domande iniziali della ricerca.1. In che modo NEET "selfassess" rispetto al mondo del lavoro? Area psicologica: comprendere le caratteristiche dell'individuo NEET. Come contribuire alla consapevolezza dell'identità sull'operare (occupare e recitare) un ruolo. Formarlo per riflettere sui propri interessi, in accordo con il proprio Sé autentico e propositivo (Di Fabio, 2014). La domanda mira a capire come:a) aumentare la capacità di fare delle scelte (fiducia in se stessi nel processo decisionale);b) farli sentire / percepire di essere pronti (autoefficacia e capacità di auto);c) aumentare le competenze per gestire i problemi (auto-responsabilizzazione e risoluzione dei problemi).2. In che modo i NEET vivono la loro "condizione"? Area psicosociologica: indagare il contesto e l'ambiente della vita dei NEET. Le risposte a questa domanda devono consentire loro di capire cosa sono, innanzitutto:a) le cause alle quali attribuiscono la loro attuale situazione NEET (esterna / interna);b) le strade che vorrebbero percorrere per spostarsi verso il lavoro (orientamento personale);c) i loro pensieri e atteggiamenti nei confronti delle attuali politiche sociali (attivo / passivo).3. Come rappresenti il mercato del lavoro? Area socio-psicologica: aspetto relazionale; capacità di rimanere in relazione. Nelle risposte che vuoi capire:a) cosa hanno pensato quando erano a scuola nel mondo del lavoro (immaginazione per il proprio futuro);b) come sono oggi i loro pensieri sul mondo del lavoro rispetto a quegli anni (allineamento alla propria realtà).c) quali conoscenze, quali informazioni possiedono delle possibilità di lavoro del loro territorio (consapevolezza delle opportunità di lavoro). Parole chiave:NEETs, orientamento, resilienza, Self efficacy, decision making, Self empowerment, Self orientation. ; The paper presents the results of qualitative field research about the phenomenon of NEETs - Not (engaged) in Education, Employment or Training - investigated with the constructivist Grounded Theory methodology. The research, which involved 82 young people aged between 18 and 24 years, began in November 2015 and ended with the analysis of data collected in December 2018. In line with the methodological indications of the constructivist Grounded Theory (GT) (Charmaz, 2000, 2006, 2014), field research was immediately accompanied by open coding, using all that was useful for saturation of the categories.The constant critical reflection, conducted throughout the process of my research, has led to detect and define 3 core categories that are fundamental to the definition of a substantive theory. The permanent orientation emerges as a social need because it promotes and increases the psychological well-being of NEETs. The comparison between the "initial" questions of research and the 3 core categories, conceptually valid, allowed me to start the process of focusing and analyzing the possible correlations. Correlations capable of supporting a scientifically strong definition, for the proposal of a substantive theory, emerging from the three initial questions of the research.1. How do you "selfassess" NEETs with respect to the world of work? Psychological area: to understand the characteristics of the NEET individual. How to contribute to its identity awareness about operating (occupying and acting) a role. To train him/her to reflect on his/her own interests, in accordance with his/her own authentic purposeful Self (Di Fabio, 2014). The question aims to understand how:a) to increase the capacity to make choices (Self confidence in decision making);b) to make them feel/perceive that they are ready (Self efficacy and Self capability);c) to raise the skills to manage problems (Self-empowerment and problem solving).2. How do NEETs live their "condition"? Psychosociological area: to investigate the context and environment of NEETs' life. The answers to this question must allow them to understand what they are, first and foremost:a) the causes to which they attribute their current NEET situation (external/internal);b) the roads they would like to take to move towards work (Self orientation);c) their thoughts and attitudes towards current social policies (active/passive).3. How do you represent the labour market? Sociopsychological area: relationship aspect; ability to stay in relationships. In the answers you want to understand:a) what they thought when they were at school in the world of work (imagination about their own future);b) how their thoughts on the world of work are today compared to those years (alignment to their own reality).c) what knowledge, what information they possess of the working possibilities of their territory (awareness of employment opportunities). Keywords: NEETs, Self-empowerment, purposeful Self, Self orientation, resiliency, decision making.

Chapter 1. Introduction. Quality of Life and Sustainability, Socio-Spatial and Multidisciplinary Perspectives (Javier Martinez, Claudia Andrea Mikkelsen and Rhonda Phillips) -- Part I: Foundations and Concepts (Theory, Conceptions of Sustainability and Quality of Life, Socio-Spatial Aspects) -- Chapter 2. Tenure Responsive Land-Use Planning as a Tool for Improving Quality of Life: The Perspective of Sub-Saharan Africa (Uchendu Eugene Chigbu) -- Chapter 3. Guidelines for Healthier Public Spaces for the Elderly Population: Recommendations in the Spanish Context (Ester Higueras Garcia, Emilia Román and José Fariña) -- Chapter 4. A Multi-Perspective Discourse on the Sustainability of Water and Sanitation Service Co-Production in Global South Cities (Giuseppe Faldi, Federica Natalia Rosati, Luisa Moretto and Jacques Teller) -- Chapter 5. Rwanda: Planned Reconstruction for Social Quality (Pamela Abbott, Roger Sapsford and Claire Wallace) -- Chapter 6. A Theoretical Reflection Based on Children's Opinions about their Safety to Rethink Different Dimensions of Sustainability in Cities (Damián Molgaray) -- Chapter 7. The Nexus of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and their Link to Quality of Life: A Case of Urbanization in Ethiopia and India (Andrea Höltl, Tania Berger, Romana Bates, Meseret Kassie Desta, Ainsley Lewis, Daniel Semunugus and Hussain Indorewala) -- Chapter 8. Multiple Perspectives on the Meaning and Effects of Resiliency (Stephen Buckman and Andrew Kim) -- Part II: Tools, Techniques, and Applications (Case Studies and Methodologies) -- Chapter 9. Are Expanded Resilience Capacities Associated with Better Quality-Of-Life Outcomes? Evidence from Poor Households Grappling with Climate Change in Bangladesh, Chad, India and Nepal (Boudewijn Weijermars, Caroline Hodges and Patrick Guyer) -- Chapter 10. Sustainable Latin American Cities? Evaluation of the Sustainability of the City of Puebla (Mexico) Using Indicators (Laura Zulaica, Emilia Lara Galindo and Ángel David Flores Domínguez) -- Chapter 11. Quality of life, Sustainability and Transport: The Case of Melbourne, Australia (Robin Goodman, Annette Kroen and Melanie Davern) -- Chapter 12. Territorial Equity Measurement in Buenos Aires Province (Argentina) (Alejandra Auer; Claudia Mikkelsen and Sofia Ares) -- Chapter 13. Protecting Quality of Life: Protected Needs as a Point of Reference for Perceived Ethical Obligation (Switzerland) (Rico Defila and Antonietta Di Giulio) -- Chapter 14. Geography and Quality of Life in Argentine Regions: Socioeconomic and Environmental Inequalities (Guillermo Ángel Velázquez and Juan Pablo Celemín) -- Chapter 15. A City for Whom? Marginalization and The Production of Space in Contemporary (India) (Chloe Pottinger Glass & Karin Pfeffer) -- Chapter 16. Risk Management of Groundwater Pollution, Sustainability and Quality of Life: The Gap Between Theory and Practice in an Intermediate City of the Global South (Mar Del Plata, Argentina) (Agustina Barilari, Gabriela Calderón & Hector Massone) -- Chapter 17. Exploring the Association between Health Disparities and Neighborhood Characteristics: The Case of Diabetes Mortality in DeKalb and Fulton Counties, Georgia (Deden Rukmana) -- Chapter 18. Quality of Life in Relation to Urban Areas and Sustainability. Application Case: City of La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina (Carlos Discoli, Irene Martini & Dante Barbero) -- Chapter 19. Social Sustainability, Neighbourhood Cohesion and Quality of Life: A Tale of Two Suburbs in Calgary (Sasha Tsenkova and Karim Youssef) -- Chapter 20. Rural Smart Shrinkage and Perceptions of Quality of Life in the American Midwest (Kimberly E. Zarecor, David J. Peters & Sara Hamideh) -- Chapter 21. Ecosystem Services of Ecological Infrastructure and Quality of Life: Contributions to the Analysis of the Sustainability of the Urban and Peri-Urban Area of Mar Del Plata, Argentina (Camila Magalí Mujica & Clara María Karis) -- Part III: Innovations -- Chapter 22. An Innovative Practice of Social Sustainability: The Fight for a New Housing Legal Framework in Spain (Eva Álvarez de Andrés) -- Chapter 23. Cities Rethinking Smart-Oriented Pathways for Urban Sustainability (Mauro Romanelli) -- Chapter 24. Public Useable Space as a Catalyst for Quality of Life Improvement – The Case of Cape Town's Social Farming Projects (Astrid Ley, Kurt Ackermann, Silvia Beretta, Sigrid Busch, Jan Dieterle, Manal M.F. El-Shahat, Ain Shams University, Jilan Hosni, Franziska Laue, Yassine Moustanjidi &Veronika Stützel) -- Chapter 25. The Potentials and Risks of Wadis in Cities in the Gulf Region (Wolfgang Scholz, Mathias Kaiser & Matthias Pallasch) -- Chapter 26. The Crossroads on the Path to Sustainability while Aspiring for a Better Quality of Life: A Case of Delhi (Bibhu Kalyan Nayak & Pushkala Rajan) -- Chapter 27. Urban Linkages: a Methodological Framework for Improving Resilience in Peripheral Areas. The Case of Arequipa, Peru (Carlos Zeballos-Velarde).

This thesis focuses on the interplay between dynamic economic policies concerning the use and preservation of natural resources and the technological, environmental and geographical frameworks in which they are implemented. The first chapter proposes an analysis of optimal peak load decarbonation pathways when back-up fossil fuels are being gradually substituted by stored intermittent renewable energy. We model the process of intermittent renewable energy storage under renewable energy surplus uncertainty in a Markovian framework and consider technical progress in both storage efficiency and capacity. This allows us to study the optimal storage policies with respect to carbon and storage costs, as well as the renewable energy surplus distribution. We analytically solve this problem under specific assumptions and use a value function iteration algorithm to investigate numerically on the optimal energy storage policies for peak load decarbonation in Portugal. Along with intermittency and storage costs, land use is another limitation to the development of renewable energy. In the second chapter of this thesis, we develop a macrodynamic growth model of the energy shift integrating land use constraints. Land is considered as a resource for agricultural production along with energy. Developing renewable energy uses space and thus interferes with the agricultural sector. Moreover, pollution abatement policies, such as forests preservation policies, also compete with renewable energy for land in order to reduce pollution from the use of fossil fuels. We theoretically study the competition in land use between agriculture, pollution abatement and renewable energy production and apply our model to study the development of a palm oil biodiesel sector in Brazil, along with the issues it rises regarding the Amazon forest preservation. The last chapter of this thesis also focuses on agricultural land, but this time to assess the impact of the agriculture activity on soil fertility. More precisely, we focus our analysis on a specific externality from the agricultural sector being diffuse soil pollution. Hence, we develop in this chapter a spatial growth model for an agricultural economy, in which pollution diffuses across space. We analytically show that, due to diffuse soil pollution, the economy can reach a long-term spatial equilibrium with a fertile region and a polluted region, and that the polluted region can either stagnate at low levels of fertility, or catch up with the fertile region. Our results are numerically illustrated, including the resiliency of the economy to recover from pollution shocks. ; Cette thèse propose une analyse théorique des interactions entre les politiques économiques concernant l'utilisation et la préservation des ressources naturelles et le cadre technologique, environnemental et géographique dans lequel elles sont implémentées. Le premier chapitre porte sur les dynamiques optimales de décarbonation du pic de consommation via le stockage d'énergies renouvelables intermittentes. Le processus de stockage est modélisé dans un cadre Markovien pour prendre en compte le caractère incertain de la disponibilité en énergies renouvelables intermittentes. Nous considérons du progrès technique à la fois en efficacité et en capacité de stockage ce qui nous permet d'étudier les politiques optimales de stockage selon leur coût, mais aussi selon le coût du carbone et de la disponibilité en énergie renouvelable. Nous appliquons notre modèle à l'analyse de la décarbonation du pic de consommation au Portugal. Outre le caractère intermittent des énergies renouvelables et leur coût de stockage, leur usage des sols est aussi une limite à leur développement à grande échelle. Dans le deuxième chapitre, nous développons un modèle macrodynamique de la transition énergétique en prenant en compte la contrainte d'usage des sols. Le sol et l'énergie sont considérés comme les ressources nécessaires à la production agricole et le développement d'énergies renouvelables peut alors interférer avec la production agricole et l'activité de dépollution d'éventuelles zones forestières. Nous étudions théoriquement ces arbitrages en termes d'usages des sols entre la production agricole, le développement des énergies renouvelables et les politiques de dépollution, puis nous appliquons notre modèle à l'étude du développement d'une filière biodiesel à base d'huile de palme au Brésil et des enjeux que cela soulève concernant la préservation de la forêt Amazonienne. Le dernier chapitre de cette thèse s'intéresse aux sols agricoles mais du point de vue de l'impact de la pollution agricole sur la fertilité des terres. Nous nous intéressons plus précisément à la pollution diffuse des sols agricoles. Un modèle macrodynamique et spatial d'une économie agricole est ainsi développé en tenant compte du caractère diffusif de la pollution dans les terres agricoles. Nous montrons analytiquement que l'économie peut alors atteindre un équilibre spatial avec une région fertile et une région polluée, et que la région polluée peut soit stagner à des bas niveaux de fertilité soit rattraper le niveau de la région fertile. Une étude numérique est enfin menée pour illustrer nos résultats ainsi que pour étudier la résilience de l'économie à divers chocs de pollution.

RESUMO: Antecendentes: Uma avaliação dos serviços de abuso de substâncias em Barbados identificou a necessidade de programas e serviços que são projetados especificamente para crianças e adolescentes. Objetivo: Realizar programa com base em evidências para reduzir a incidência de abuso de drogas entre crianças e adolescentes por meio do fortalecimento da unidade familiar através de parentalidade positiva, de maior funcionamento familiar e de resistência dos jovens. Método: Dois projetos-piloto foram realizadas com base no programa "Fortalecer as Famílias para Pais e Jovens de 12 a 16 anos (SFPY). O programa de nove semanas foi empregado como uma intervenção para criar laços familiares mais fortes, aumentar a resistência dos jovens e reduzir o abuso de drogas entre crianças e adolescentes de idades de 11 a 16 anos. A decisão foi tomada para incluir participantes de 11 anos desde que as crianças possam estar no primeiro ano da escola secundária nessa idade. IMPLEMENTATION OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE PILOT PROJECT FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS 5 Resultados: Quinze famílias participaram em dois projetos-piloto e a avaliação final mostrou que os jovens após o programa, geralmente tornaram-se mais positivos sobre o seu lugar na unidade familiar e sentiram que sua participação no programa foi benéfica. Os pais, da mesma forma, relataram que eles conquistaram, com o programa uma relação mais positiva, uma melhor compreensão das necessidades, e consciência das mudanças de desenvolvimento de seus jovens. Desta forma, considera-se que o programa atingiu o resultado desejado de criar unidades familiares mais fortes. Conclusão: O Projeto Piloto "SFPY" foi bem sucedido em fazer pais e jovens mais conscientes de suas necessidades individuais e de responsabilidades dentro da unidade familiar. Como resultado, o relacionamentos das respectivas famílias melhorou. Estudos baseados em evidências têm demonstrado que um relação familiar mais forte diminui a incidência de uso e abuso de drogas na população adolescente, aumentando os fatores de proteção e diminuindo os fatores de risco. A implementação do programa, que foi desenvolvido e testado no ambiente norte-americano, demonstrou que era transferível para a sociedade de Barbados. No entanto, seu impacto total só pode ser determinado através de um estudo comparativo envolvendo um grupo de controle e / ou uma intervenção alternativa ao abuso de substâncias. Portanto, é recomendável que um estudo comparativo da intervenção SFPY deve envolver uma amostra representativa de adolescentes que estão em estágio de desenvolvimento anterior mais cedo. Evidências já demonstram que o programa é mais eficaz, com impacto mais longo sobre os jovens que participam em uma idade maisABSTRACT:Background: An evaluation of substance abuse services in Barbados has identified the need for programmes and services that are specifically designed for children and adolescents. Aim: To conduct an evidence-based programme to reduce the incidence of substance abuse among children and adolescents by strengthening the family unit through positive parenting, enhanced family functioning and youth resilience. Method: Two pilot projects were conducted based on the 'Strengthening Families for Parents and Youths 12– 16' (SFPY) programme. The nine-week programme was employed as an intervention to create stronger family connections, increase youth resiliency and reduce drug abuse among children and adolescents between the ages of 11 to 16. The decision was made to include participants from age 11 since children may be in the first year of secondary school at this age. IMPLEMENTATION OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE PILOT PROJECT FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS 3 Results: Fifteen families participated in two pilot projects and an evaluation conducted at the conclusion showed that the youth were generally more positive about their perceived place in the family unit and felt that the being in the programme was generally beneficial. The parents similarly reported they had a more positive relationship with their youths and also had a better understanding of their needs, and an awareness of their developmental changes. This affirmed that the programme had achieved its desired outcome to create stronger family units. Conclusion: The SFPY Pilot Project was successful in making parents and youths more aware of their individual needs and responsibilities within the family unit. As a result relationships within their respective families were strengthened. Evidence-based studies have shown that enhanced family functioning decreases the incidence of substance use and abuse in the adolescent population by increasing protective factors and decreasing risk factors. The implementation of the programme, which was developed and tested in the North American environment, demonstrated that it was transferable to the Barbadian society. However, its full impact can only be determined through a comparative study involving a control group and/or an alternative substance abuse intervention. It is therefore recommended that a comparative study of the SFPY intervention should be delivered to a representative sample of adolescents who are at an earlier developmental stage. Evidence has shown that the programme is more effective, with longer impact on youths who participate at a younger age.

AbstractBackground and aim: Spiritual health is one of the most important social – cultural factors that may predict mental health. The main purpose of this study was to assess association between mental health and spiritual health among students in Shiraz University.Materials and Method: A descriptive-correlational design was used for the study.The study was conducted in 2012. A total number of 474 students (237 female and 237 male) were recruited in this study using a cluster sampling method. Data were collected using Goldberg's Mental Health Questionnaire and Pulutzyn and Ellison spiritual health questionnaires. Data were analyzed by SPSS16 software and two categories of descriptive and inferential statistical methods correlation and regression and t- tests.Findings: The results of the study indicated that there is a significant relationship between mental health and spiritual health scores in both sexes (P<001). Variable of spiritual health, can predict 70 percent mental health in female and male. T-test results showed that there is a difference between the means of spiritual health in boys and girls (p< 0/05).Discussion & Conclusion: Changings in the educational system and paying attention to mental health and spiritual health to meet the needs of students may be necessary. There is a need for further applied research for testing interventions to promote mental health and spiritual health students.Key Words: Mental health, spiritual health, Students REFERENCES Alahbakhshian M Jafarpour - Alavi M, Parvizi S Haghani H (2010). A survey on relationship between spiritual wellbeing and quality of life in multiple sclerosis patients. Zahedan Journal of Research in Medical Science. 12(29-33). Bahrami E Hosseini Vajari K (2003)[ The Relationship Between Religious Coping and Spiritual Happiness with Mental Health in Women]. Master's thesis,Theran university. (Persian). 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The political situation witnessed in Madagascar since the beginning of this year has resulted in major changes in the daily lives of the Malagasy. Besides instability and increased uncertainty, the population is facing more imminent challenges: increasing unemployment, exploding staple food prices, a shortage in basic food supplies, and a closure of schools, universities and financial institutions. How will Madagascar be affected in the near and long term? This remains unknown, however, it is highly probable that the current situation will negatively affect all levels of Malagasy society. These impacts are likely to be longer lasting and more far - reaching than currently anticipated. In this issue, Doreen Robinson from USAID is presenting three ecological concepts in her foreword "A changing Madagascar": connectedness, resiliency and reconciliation. These are consistent with Buzz Holling's theory of adaptive cycling. Imagine Madagascar is traveling on a trajectory in the form of a figure of eight laid on its side attached to this text, or an infinity symbol in 3 - D. On the front loop (the right side in the figure) there is the 'K'-phase where a system, such as a forest or society, is becoming increasingly established and conservative and reaches a point of 'over'-stability, which risks becoming too rigid. With low resilience, it becomes increasingly prone to external forces. If such forces succeed to cause the system to collapse and chaos prevails in the 'Ω'-phase, the result is the release of the old system and its energy. This release, however, can trigger a new beginning. In the 'α'- phase of reorganization and renewal, a new system emerges. In the 'r'-phase swift exploitation and growth are occurring and the more time passes, the more the processes slow and the conservative 'K'-phase approaches. During this growth period, several processes are simultaneously at work. The potential for novelty, innovation and wealth increases, as does the connectedness and reconciliation of the system components. Meanwhile, the overall resiliency of the system decreases, that is, the system becomes rigid once more. There are rumors that the current political turmoil has been curbed by a 'land deal' with a South Korean company. In a country like Madagascar, where traditional land - use and strong beliefs in ancestry are prevalent, such news might have caused a cultural shock and a resultant backlash. However, as discussed in an essay by Geoffrey York from the International Food Policy and Research Institute in March 2009, claims to land in developing countries by developed countries might become more common in the near future as they face ever - dwindling land area coupled with increased demands for resources. For governments of developing countries, with an abundance of cheap land, they might find quick 'land-deals' simply too tempting. The same can be said for resources below ground. Natural resources are shifting ever more to the center of attention, and as Johny Rabenantoandro from QMM/RioTinto aptly emphasises in the other foreword of this issue, we need to start appreciating the richness of biodiversity and safeguarding it for the future in order for our children to enjoy it. Pertinent questions arise in this context: how will we deal with social, environmental and economic changes; how can changes in resource availability, or in demand for such resources, be absorbed by our existing ecological and societal systems without precipitating collapse? Our questioning of the fate of Madagascar's future does not end here. Fortunately, we are presented with the opportunity in this issue to make contributions that can explore these very questions. In the newly introduced journal section SPOTLIGHTS, Jeffrey Sayer (IUCN) argues for the landscape mosaic as the solution to reconcile conservation and development. In another contribution, William McConnell from Michigan State University reviews modeling human agency. Modeling is an emergent topic in Madagascar as it is elsewhere, and it can be a helpful tool to gain a greater understanding of land - use patterns, which is pertinent to the study of livelihoods and other socially-based research. Another contribution draws on interview-based research to understand the livelihood needs of fishermen and rice cultivators of the Alaotra marshes. How can the conservation of biodiversity and livelihood needs be balanced? How can rare and endangered species and their ecosystems be protected without compromising people's basic needs to survive? To answer such pressing questions, we need to substantially expand our knowledge base by gaining more insight into the ecological systems within which conservation and development exist. The authors of two other contributions on lemurs and birds help to expand such a knowledge base. In summary, although these times of change and upheaval are overturning seemingly stable systems, there is also hope that the release of energy we are currently experiencing in Madagascar will develop into a 'Holling's loop' where new opportunities can be formed. We should take this momentum to free even more energy and funnel it into research, so we can enlarge our knowledge base, increase our understanding of the interconnected systems and enforce our resilience in order better to adapt our readiness to future changes. For the only certainty we have for Madagascar's future is change.Seule certitude à Madagascar : le changement Depuis le début de l'année, nous sommes témoins d'une crise politique à Madagascar qui a profondément changé le quotidien de bon nombre de gens. En plus de l'insécurité et de l'instabilité, la population se retrouve à faire face à de nouvelles situations avec une augmentation du chômage, l'explosion des prix des produits de première nécessité, des pénuries dans les approvisionnements, la fermeture d'écoles, d'universités ou d'institutions financières. Pour l'avenir, on peut se demander dans quelle mesure Madagascar resterait affectée par ces événements mais sans rentrer dans une polémique ni nous lancer dans des pronostiques, il semble vraisemblable que l'ensemble de la société malgache sera touchée et dans des proportions plus graves que ce qu'on pourrait imaginer. Dans ce numéro, Doreen Robinson de l'USAID présente trois concepts écologiques dans sa préface « Réflexions sur Madagascar, pays en évolution » qui sont la connexité (ou connectance), la résilience et le rapprochement. Ces termes sont empruntés au cycle adaptatif de Buzz Holling. Imaginez Madagascar se déplaçant sur une trajectoire en forme de huit couché ou représenté par le symbole de l'infini dans l'espace. Sur la boucle du premier plan (à droite sur le dessin) nous avons une phase K au cours de laquelle un système, qui peut être une forêt ou une société, se stabilise, s'établit et en devient conservateur jusqu'à atteindre un point où il est tellement stable qu'il en devient rigide. Avec une faible résilience, un tel système devient vulnérable face à des perturbations extérieures et si de telles perturbations devaient s'appliquer et entraîner l'effondrement du système, on rentrerait dans une phase 'Ω' avec une libération de l'ancien système et de son énergie. Cette libération peut cependant déclencher un renouvellement, dans la phase 'α ' de réorganisation et de renouveau, un nouveau système émerge. On assiste dans la phase 'r' à une croissance et une exploitation rapides et plus le temps passe et plus le système ralentit pour se rapprocher de la phase 'K'. Au cours de cette période de croissance, on assiste à plusieurs processus qui ont cours en même temps avec un accroissement des changements, des innovations et de la prospérité en même temps que les composantes du système gagnent en connexité et en rapprochement. Simultanément, la résilience globale du système baisse de sorte que le système devient rigide, une fois de plus. Certains disent que le contrat de cession de terres à une compagnie sud - coréenne aurait déclenché la crise politique de 2009. Dans un pays tel que Madagascar où l'utilisation traditionnelle des terres et l'attachement aux ancêtres est de règle, de telles annonces pourraient déclencher un choc culturel et un retour de manivelle. Cependant, comme le disait Geoffrey York de l'International Food Policy and Research Institute dans un essai publié en mars 2009, les revendications de terres dans les pays en voie de développement par les pays développés pourraient devenir monnaie courante dans un proche avenir car les terres disponibles sont à la baisse en même temps que la demande pour les ressources augmentent. Et quand on sait que le Sud disposent d'une abondance de terres que le Nord pourrait considérer comme étant à bon marché, les pays en voie de développement pourraient facilement se laisser tenter par des cessions rapides de terres et il en va également ainsi des ressources souterraines. Les ressources naturelles sont de plus en plus souvent au centre des intérêts et comme le souligne à propos Johny Rabenantoandro de QMM/RioTinto dans l'autre préface de ce numéro, il nous faut commencer par apprécier la richesse de la biodiversité et la sauvegarder pour l'avenir de nos enfants. D ès lors, on peut se poser des questions pertinentes sur la façon d'appréhender les changements sociaux, environnementaux et économiques, ou encore sur les moyens qu'ont les systèmes écologiques et sociaux d'encaisser les variations en matière de disponibilité et de demande de ressources sans qu'ils ne s'effondrent. Nos questions sur l'avenir de Madagascar ne trouveront pas un terme ici, car nous avons la chance de vous présenter dans ce numéro des contributions qui abordent justement ces thèmes. Dans la nouvelle rubrique SPOTLIGHTS, Jeffrey Sayer (IUCN) nous éclaire sur des concepts qu'il connaît bien et défend les mosaïques de paysages pour réconcilier la protection de la nature et le développement. Dans une autre contribution, William McConnell de la Michigan State University nous propose une revue de la modélisation de l'influence humaine. La modélisation est un sujet émergeant à Madagascar comme ailleurs et peut s'avérer être un outil utile pour mieux comprendre certains schémas d'occupation des terres comme dans les études portant sur les moyens de subsistance ou d'autres recherches sur des questions sociales. Une autre contribution est basée sur des enquêtes menées auprès des pêcheurs et riziculteurs des marais de l'Alaotra afin d'appréhender leurs conditions de vie et leurs besoins. Et nous nous posons tous les mêmes questions : comment concilier protection de la biodiversité et conditions de vie de l'humanité ? Comment protéger les espèces rares ou menacées et leurs écosystèmes sans compromettre les besoins vitaux des gens ? Pour répondre à ce genre de questions, il nous faut absolument étendre nos connaissances de base pour mieux comprendre les systèmes écologiques au sein desquels on retrouve la protection de la nature et le développement. Les auteurs de deux autres contributions portant sur les lémuriens et sur les oiseaux apportent leur pierre à cet édifice de connaissances. En résumé, bien que ces périodes de changement et de bouleversement retournent des systèmes apparemment stables, il existe également l'espoir que la libération de l'énergie à laquelle nous assistons actuellement à Madagascar se soldera par une « boucle de Holling » avec de nouvelles occasions à saisir. Nous devrions profiter de cet élan pour libérer encore plus d'énergie et la concentrer dans la recherche pour que nous puissions étendre nos connaissances de base, mieux comprendre les connexions des systèmes et renforcer notre résilience pour nous adapter plus rapidement aux futurs changements. Car la seule certitude que nous ayons pour le futur de Madagascar est le changement.

A Pentagon reform panel almost entirely comprised of industry insiders has suggested that the department scrap its budgeting system.
In its place, the group unsurprisingly proposed that the Defense Department implement a new system that the panel considers better suited to "embrace changes" so that the Pentagon can "respond effectively to emerging threats" and leverage technological advancements.
Congress created the Commission on Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution Reform to evaluate and improve the Pentagon's notoriously cumbersome acquisition and budgeting processes. After two years of study, the panel concluded that China's rise and rapid technological innovation worldwide require a complete transformation of the Pentagon's approach to defense resourcing. But revamping the budgeting process alone won't address the root causes of Pentagon dysfunction.
The Pentagon is more focused on spending money (quickly and more efficiently) than it is on rationalizing spending decisions with coherent strategic thinking. Competition among military services makes matters all the worse. In Pentagon jargon, the military struggles with "jointness" — the idea that the military operates better as a whole, rather than the sum of its parts. But jointness requires a lot of thoughtful planning, collaboration, and strategic trade offs on the part of Pentagon leadership. Not everything is a strategic need and priority, and it's Pentagon leadership's responsibility to make those determinations.
The reform panel acknowledged the Pentagon's haphazard spending habits, but it didn't critically evaluate U.S. strategic thinking in any of its forms: the National Security Strategy, the Defense Strategy, the Military Strategy, or the classified Defense Planning Guidance — the latter of which is supposed to clarify the Pentagon's "goals, priorities, and objectives" within fiscal constraints and on an annual basis. A critical assessment of U.S. military posture and the thinking behind it was beyond the scope of the panel's work. Congress tasked the group with assessing how strategy informs budgetary decisions at the Pentagon, with the ultimate goal of improving the department's ability to operationalize U.S. strategies through more efficient acquisition and budgeting.
To that end, the reform panel conducted hundreds of interviews with Pentagon staff, congressional personnel, industry representatives, academics, and federal researchers. It found that the Pentagon's rank and file staff lack clarity on the Pentagon's strategic priorities and objectives. National strategies are too high-level to inform resource allocation on a programmatic level, and the defense secretary's Defense Planning Guidance is similarly ambiguous. The reform panel wrote that it's "often a lengthy prose, consensus-driven document that does not make hard choices and lacks explicit linkages to prioritized goals, timeframes, risk assessments, and resource allocations." As a result, lower-level Pentagon staff are forced to make decisions far above their pay-grade.
Lack of clarity from Pentagon leadership burns out staff and leads to "lower quality" and "inconsistent" decisions, as well as an overreliance on civilian and contractor staff to conduct strategic analysis. The reform panel made a number of recommendations intended to improve the Defense Planning Guidance and increase the Pentagon's capacity for strategic analysis of the department's objectives and priority missions, force size and structure, resource availability and more.
The panel correctly identified many issues with Pentagon budgeting, like insufficient capacity for strategic analysis and difficulty incorporating joint needs into the budgeting process. In total, the panel made 28 recommendations to address these challenges by overhauling Pentagon acquisition and budgeting processes, with particular emphasis on fostering innovation and adaptability to "effectively respond to evolving threats" as well as "unanticipated events." But ultimately, the panel's recommendations are designed to better execute what are often flawed strategic decisions grounded in "yes, and" thinking.
The panel's final report comes at a time when Congress and the administration are struggling to balance America's ever growing security commitments (not all obligations) with its substantial, but ultimately finite resources. And while the panel's report will likely have profound (and variable) impacts on defense policy for years to come, it shouldn't just grease the wheels of a machine destined to fail.
America's war machine cannot go on forever. If the United States is concerned about great power competition, the White House should reconsider enduring global dominance. It promotes an ever growing national security budget — which, no matter how you dress it up or smooth it over — is not the jobs-producer Congress and the administration make it out to be. About half of annual military spending goes to corporations that profit off the United States meddling where it shouldn't, for as long as possible. If economic resiliency is the foundation of military strength, we probably shouldn't put so many eggs in arms makers' baskets.
Strategically, sinking more and more money into an unaccountable Pentagon with a lengthy track record of wasting taxpayer money on weapons that don't work (or that the military doesn't even need) only hurts military readiness — and thus, America's ability to protect itself and support allies when it counts. The pursuit of enduring global dominance serves corporations more than anything else.So while some of the reform panel's recommendations may ameliorate enduring challenges in the Pentagon's acquisition and budgeting processes, the panel's impact is limited by U.S. strategic thinking. Recommendations aside, one can hope that the panel's findings alone will prompt a serious reconsideration of America's strategic decisions — from funding a state committing plausible genocide to allocating more resources on preparing for a war with China than on preventing one. You can revamp the acquisition and budgeting process time and again, but if the inputs are the same, the output will be too.