Initial impacts of global risk mitigation measures taken during the combatting of the COVID-19 pandemic

This paper presents an analysis of risk mitigation measures taken by countries around the world facing the current COVID-19 outbreak. In light of the current pandemic the authors collated and clustered (using harmonised terminology) the risk mitigation measures taken around the globe in the combat to contain, and since March 11 2020, to limiting the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus known to cause the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This overview gathers lessons learnt, provides an update on the current knowledge for authorities, sectors and first responders on the effectiveness and may allow enhanced prevention, preparedness and response for future outbreaks. Various measures such as mobility restrictions, physical distancing, hygienic measures, socio economic restrictions, communication and international support mechanisms have been clustered and are reviewed in terms of the nature of the actions taken and their qualitative early-perceived impact. At the time of writing, it is still too premature to express the quantitative effectiveness of each risk mitigation cluster, but it seems that the best mitigation results are reported when applying a combination of voluntary and enforceable measures.JRC.E.7-Knowledge for Security and Migratio

Measures taken - the Swiss national action plan for bee health

The annual winter losses of honey bees in Switzerland vary between 9% and 23% during the years 2008 to 2019 and are exceeding the as normal defined 10% level. The causes for the losses can have several reasons. However, one of the main reasons is the infection of the honeybees with the Varroa mite. Therefore, a health services for bees was founded to offer education programs for beekeepers and to support beekeepers in preventing and combating diseases. Switzerland further decided in 2014 to implement an action plan to promote the health of bees. Measures have been taken in the areas of disease prevention, promotion of food supply and reduction of risks from plant protection products. Immediate measures have been implemented such as the inclusion of a flowering strip in the Direct Payments Ordinance and measures to protect bees from plant protection products. Switzerland is actively involved in the development of new OECD test guidelines to evaluate the acute and chronic risk to honey- and wild bees. Honey and wild bees play an important role in pollination of agricultural crops and wild plants. The current situation is in evaluation to decide if further measures are needed.The annual winter losses of honey bees in Switzerland vary between 9% and 23% during the years 2008 to 2019 and are exceeding the as normal defined 10% level. The causes for the losses can have several reasons. However, one of the main reasons is the infection of the honeybees with the Varroa mite. Therefore, a health services for bees was founded to offer education programs for beekeepers and to support beekeepers in preventing and combating diseases. Switzerland further decided in 2014 to implement an action plan to promote the health of bees. Measures have been taken in the areas of disease prevention, promotion of food supply and reduction of risks from plant protection products. Immediate measures have been implemented such as the inclusion of a flowering strip in the Direct Payments Ordinance and measures to protect bees from plant protection products. Switzerland is actively involved in the development of new OECD test guidelines to evaluate the acute and chronic risk to honey- and wild bees. Honey and wild bees play an important role in pollination of agricultural crops and wild plants. The current situation is in evaluation to decide if further measures are needed

Invariant measures of the 2D Euler and Vlasov equations

We discuss invariant measures of partial differential equations such as the 2D Euler or Vlasov equations. For the 2D Euler equations, starting from the Liouville theorem, valid for N-dimensional approximations of the dynamics, we define the microcanonical measure as a limit measure where N goes to infinity. When only the energy and enstrophy invariants are taken into account, we give an explicit computation to prove the following result: the microcanonical measure is actually a Young measure corresponding to the maximization of a mean-field entropy. We explain why this result remains true for more general microcanonical measures, when all the dynamical invariants are taken into account. We give an explicit proof that these microcanonical measures are invariant measures for the dynamics of the 2D Euler equations. We describe a more general set of invariant measures, and discuss briefly their stability and their consequence for the ergodicity of the 2D Euler equations. The extension of these results to the Vlasov equations is also discussed, together with a proof of the uniqueness of statistical equilibria, for Vlasov equations with repulsive convex potentials. Even if we consider, in this paper, invariant measures only for Hamiltonian equations, with no fluxes of conserved quantities, we think this work is an important step towards the description of non-equilibrium invariant measures with fluxes.Comment: 40 page

Mitigation and screening for environmental assessment

This article considers how, as a matter of law and policy, mitigation measures should be taken into account in determining whether a project will have significant environmental effects and therefore be subject to assessment under the EU Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive. This is not straightforward: it is problematic to distinguish clearly between an activity and the measures proposed to minimise or mitigate for the adverse consequences of the activity. The issue is a salient one in impact assessment law, but under-explored in the literature and handled with some difficulty by the courts. I argue that there is an unnecessarily and undesirably narrow approach currently taken under the EIA Directive, which could be improved upon by taking a more adaptive approach; alternatively a heightened standard of review of ‘significance’, and within this of the scope for mitigation measures to bring projects beneath the significance threshold, may also be desirable

Theoretical approach and practical analysis on employment measures- case study on Romania, 2010

The active measures are the main strategies that have the effect of reducing the unemployment, on short, medium and long term. An active measure has the effect of employment growth, by creating new jobs or by facilitating the access to vacancies. This paper aims to inform about the active measures taken in Romania in 2010, through the Employment Program’s previsions. Also, the paper offer a short analyses concerning the number of persons included in these measures, by Romania’s regions and by categories of ages

Ecosystem-based Management for Protected Species in the North Pacific Fisheries

In the North Pacific Ocean, an ecosystem-based fishery management approach has been adopted. A significant objective of this approach is to reduce interactions between fishery-related activities and protected species. We review management measures developed by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and the National Marine Fisheries Service to reduce effects of the groundfish fisheries off Alaska on marine mammals and seabirds, while continuing to provide economic opportunities for fishery participants. Direct measures have been taken to mitigate known fishery impacts, and precautionary measures have been taken for species with potential (but no documented) interactions with the groundfish fisheries. Area closures limit disturbance to marine mammals at rookeries and haulouts, protect sensitive benthic habitat, and reduce potential competition for prey resources. Temporal and spatial dispersion of catches reduce the localized impact of fishery removals. Seabird avoidance measures have been implemented through collaboration with fishery participants and have been highly successful in reducing seabird bycatch. Finally, a comprehensive observer monitoring program provides data on the location and extent of bycatch of marine mammals and seabirds. These measures provide managers with the flexibility to adapt to changes in the status of protected species and evolving conditions in the fisheries. This review should be useful to fishery managers as an example of an ecosystem-based approach to protected species management that is adaptive and accounts for multiple objectives

Technical Note TN 2.2 Fuel load sampling of a Cupressus sempervirens hedge

In this document, data from a destructive sampling of a Cupressus sempervirens hedgerow are shown, as well as the followed methodology. Measures of sizes and weights have been taken. With these data, moisture content, fuel load and bulk density have been calculated. Different fuel classes (state and diameter) have been taken into account.Postprint (updated version

Multilateral Trade Measures in a Post-2012 Climate Change Regime?: What Can Be Taken from the Montreal Protocol and the WTO?

The climate-trade nexus gains increasing attention as governments are taking great efforts to forge a post-2012 climate change regime to succeed the Kyoto Protocol. This raises the issues of the scope of trade-related measures and of when and how they could be used. This paper discusses how far trade-related measures should be incorporated in that context. Drawing on an analogy to the Montreal Protocol and comparing developing country’s climate mitigation and adaptation needs with the funding available, the paper argues that such measures should initially be applied only among Annex I or II countries. To discipline the use of unilateral trade measures at the international level, the paper emphasizes a need to define comparable climate efforts. Moreover, the Lieberman-Warner bill in the U.S. Senate - taken as a proxy for future U.S. climate legislation - is assessed, and found to be neither effective nor likely to be WTO-consistent. The paper is concluded by arguing that, in order to encourage developing countries to do more to combat climate change, developed countries should focus on carrots. Sticks can be incorporated, but only if they are credible and realistic and serve as a useful supplement to push developing countries to take actions or adopt policies and measures earlier than would otherwise have been the case.Post-2012 climate negotiations, Trade-related measures, Lieberman-Warner bill, WTO, Montreal Protocol, Developing countries, United States