MOBILITY MANAGEMENT IN EUROPEAN PROJECTS. LESSONS LEARNED FOR ROMANIA

The purpose of this research is to study three initiatives of promoting mobility management (DELTA, EPOMM, SEE-MMS), in the context of European Union policies, and to present solutions that could be used in the practice of urban mobility management in Romania.mobility management, sustainable development

Climate and southern Africa's water-energy-food nexus

In southern Africa, the connections between climate and the water-energy-food nexus are strong. Physical and socioeconomic exposure to climate is high in many areas and in crucial economic sectors. Spatial interdependence is also high, driven for example, by the regional extent of many climate anomalies and river basins and aquifers that span national boundaries. There is now strong evidence of the effects of individual climate anomalies, but associations between national rainfall and Gross Domestic Product and crop production remain relatively weak. The majority of climate models project decreases in annual precipitation for southern Africa, typically by as much as 20% by the 2080s. Impact models suggest these changes would propagate into reduced water availability and crop yields. Recognition of spatial and sectoral interdependencies should inform policies, institutions and investments for enhancing water, energy and food security. Three key political and economic instruments could be strengthened for this purpose; the Southern African Development Community, the Southern African Power Pool, and trade of agricultural products amounting to significant transfers of embedded water

Synthesis report with pro-poor trade research findings and policy recommandations

The purpose of the project was to investigate international trade in fisheries products and its relationship to poverty alleviation and livelihoods of poor aquatic resource users in developing countries in Asia, and to identify options to improve the effectiveness of poverty reduction through international seafood trade. The project directly addressed the EC-PREP priority area of trade and development, and indirectly provided valuable insight to two other priority areas: food security and sustainable rural development; and institutional capacity building. [PDF contains 60 pages.

Tourism Seasonality on the Island of Senja: Adaptation of Local Businesses to Seasonal Variations.

A growing interest among Norwegian and international tourists in visiting the island of Senja has been leading to a rapid development of the tourism industry on the island. Breath-taking nature and remote location are motivating travellers to visit Senja and have a far-from-civilisation experience. Increasing the number of visitors is beneficial for economic development of the area and entrepreneurial thriving activity. However, it is challenging for the private sector to avoid the negative impact of the flourishing tourism industry. Local businesses focusing on tourism are dependent on the level of demand and thus face various challenges when this level reduces. In Norway, the issue of unbalanced tourism activity is quite common. The problem of high seasonality is usually aggravated in remote, rural, and coastal destinations and Senja is not an exception. This research is aimed to analyse the adaptation to seasonal variations on Senja from the perspective of local businesses and detect common methods and solutions to maintain economic balance. Furthermore, this study evaluates the degree of seasonal variations, examines main tendencies of seasonal patterns, and inspects major causes and effects of tourism fluctuations on Senja. Existing policy implications are discussed in the research along with the recommendations for further actions and consecutive tackling of seasonality

Modelling of priority pollutants releases from urban areas

In the framework of the EU project ScorePP (Source Control Options for Reducing Emissions of Priority Pollutants), dynamic PPs (priority pollutants) fate models are being developed to assess appropriate strategies for limiting the release of PPs from urban sources and for treating PPs on a variety of spatial scales. Different possible sources of PP releases were mapped and both their release pattern and their loads were quantified as detailed as possible. This paper focuses on the link between the gathered PP sources data and the dynamic models of the urban environment. This link consists of: (1) a method for the quantitative and structured storage of temporal emission pattern information, (2) the coupling of GIS-based spatial emission source data with temporal emission pattern information and (3) the generation of PP release time series to feed the dynamic sewer catchment model. Steps 2 and 3 were included as the main features of a dedicated software tool. Finally, this paper also illustrates the method’s applicability to generate model input timeseries for generic pollutants (N, P and COD/BOD) in addition to priority pollutants

Sustainable seabed mining: guidelines and a new concept for Atlantis II Deep

The feasibility of exploiting seabed resources is subject to the engineering solutions, and economic prospects. Due to rising metal prices, predicted mineral scarcities and unequal allocations of resources in the world, vast research programmes on the exploration and exploitation of seabed minerals are presented in 1970s. Very few studies have been published after the 1980s, when predictions were not fulfilled. The attention grew back in the last decade with marine mineral mining being in research and commercial focus again and the first seabed mining license for massive sulphides being granted in Papua New Guinea’s Exclusive Economic Zone.Research on seabed exploitation and seabed mining is a complex transdisciplinary field that demands for further attention and development. Since the field links engineering, economics, environmental, legal and supply chain research, it demands for research from a systems point of view. This implies the application of a holistic sustainability framework of to analyse the feasibility of engineering systems. The research at hand aims to close this gap by developing such a framework and providing a review of seabed resources. Based on this review it identifies a significant potential for massive sulphides in inactive hydrothermal vents and sediments to solve global resource scarcities. The research aims to provide background on seabed exploitation and to apply a holistic systems engineering approach to develop general guidelines for sustainable seabed mining of polymetallic sulphides and a new concept and solutions for the Atlantis II Deep deposit in the Red Sea.The research methodology will start with acquiring a broader academic and industrial view on sustainable seabed mining through an online survey and expert interviews on seabed mining. In addition, the Nautilus Minerals case is reviewed for lessons learned and identification of challenges. Thereafter, a new concept for Atlantis II Deep is developed that based on a site specific assessment.The research undertaken in this study provides a new perspective regarding sustainable seabed mining. The main contributions of this research are the development of extensive guidelines for key issues in sustainable seabed mining as well as a new concept for seabed mining involving engineering systems, environmental risk mitigation, economic feasibility, logistics and legal aspects

A Roadmap to Reduce U.S. Food Waste by 20 Percent

The magnitude of the food waste problem is difficult to comprehend. The U.S. spends $218 billion a year -- 1.3% of GDP -- growing, processing, transporting, and disposing of food that is never eaten. The causes of food waste are diverse, ranging from crops that never get harvested, to food left on overfilled plates, to near-expired milk and stale bread. ReFED is a coalition of over 30 business, nonprofit, foundation, and government leaders committed to building a different future, where food waste prevention, recovery, and recycling are recognized as an untapped opportunity to create jobs, alleviate hunger, and protect the environment -- all while stimulating a new multi-billion dollar market opportunity. ReFED developed A Roadmap to Reduce U.S. Food Waste as a data-driven guide to collectively take action to reduce food waste at scale nationwide.This Roadmap report is a guide and a call to action for us to work together to solve this problem. Businesses can save money for themselves and their customers. Policymakers can unleash a new wave of local job creation. Foundations can take a major step in addressing environmental issues and hunger. And innovators across all sectors can launch new products, services, and business models. There will be no losers, only winners, as food finds its way to its highest and best use

Crop diversification strategies for minor irrigation schemes: Proceedings of the workshop organized by the Irrigation Research Management Unit, Irrigation Department and the Sri Lanka National Program, International Irrigation Management Institute, held at the Irrigation Department, Colombo, Sri Lanka on 20 February 1996

Irrigation programs / Irrigation management / Small scale systems / Crops / Diversification / Rice / Cropping systems / Constraints / Social aspects / Economic aspects / Field crops / Crop production / Labor / Farmers' attitudes / Water management / Groundwater / Sri Lanka