Post 2015:what can the European Union learn from past international negotiations?

On 27 February 2013 the European Commissioners for Development and Environment presented a proposal for a joint European Union (EU) position for a post-2015 framework on global development. This Briefing Paper looks into what the EU can learn from three past international negotiation processes on how to further develop and effectively promote a joint position: The 2008 Accra High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness The 2011 Busan High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness The 2012 Rio Conference on Sustainable Development The analysis shows that the influence of the EU is significantly reduced when individual Member States distance themselves from previously agreed joint EU positions. This is not to say that the EU can push things on its own, but rather that unity in the EU’s positions and negotiation strategies – i.e. 27 states, each with their own wide-ranging views and interests – is key to convincing others that it would be worthwhile for them to align themselves with the EU’s views and ideas. Five lessons are identified that could inform the EU’s preparation and negotiation actions: Prepare well and complete on time: the approach to preparing EU positions has become heavier and more time-consuming, increasing the risk that a joint position could be adopted at a time when the draft outcome document is already at an advanced stage. Keep things flexible: a too detailed position can hamper the EU’s flexibility (or reduce the usefulness of the position) in the case of unforeseen circumstances or strong shifts in the negotiation positions of other countries. The need for coordination between negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – and their full integration, as desired by the EU – definitely calls for such flexibility. Seek broad-based alliances: the EU needs to strongly invest in seeking support from other United Nations (UN) members around key elements of its joint position if it is to negotiate successfully during the coming months. Promote a broad agenda: compared to environmental policy negotiations, development cooperation negotiations show stronger tendencies of EU Member States operating on their own or in likeminded coalitions. The potential inclusion of Sustainable Development Goals into the post-2015 framework may reduce that risk. EU coordination during Rio+20 presented some ideas on how the EU could organise itself. Convince with action, not with words: in negotiations the EU has developed a reputation of “do what I say and not what I do”. Given the possible greater focus of a post-2015 development agenda on areas and actions beyond development assistance, the importance of results in making policy areas such as trade and environment more development-friendly only increases

A model for Quick Load Analysis for monopile-type offshore wind turbine substructures

Abstract. A model for Quick Load Analysis, QuLA, of an offshore wind turbine substructure is presented. The aerodynamic rotor loads and damping are precomputed for a load-based configuration. The dynamic structural response is represented by the first global fore-aft mode only and is computed in the frequency domain using the equation of motion. The model is compared to the state of the art aeroelastic code, Flex5. Both both life time fatigue and extreme loads are considered in the comparison. In general there is good similarity between the two models. Some deviation for the sectional forces are explained in terms of the model simplifications. The difference in the sectional moments are found to be within 14 % for the fatigue load case and 10 % for the extreme load condition. </jats:p

No clear response in the stormwater phytoplankton community to biocide contamination

This study investigated the responses of natural phytoplankton communities of an urban stormwater pond to biocide contamination. The biocides carbendazim, terbutryn, diuron, and irgarol 1051, and their mixture, were used in two laboratory microcosm and one outdoor mesocosm studies at concentrations of 10, 100, and 1000 ng L&minus;1. The water samples were collected in a pond receiving significant biocide contamination. The mesocosm study was carried out in the same pond. The phytoplankton community response was evaluated after 10&ndash;15 days of exposure, with respect to its taxonomic composition, abundance and biovolume. No significant changes were observed in any of the experiments. Only at the highest applied terbutryn concentration were lower numbers of taxa identified in both microcosm and mesocosm experiments. Additionally, increases in Chlorophyta abundance and biovolume, along with an increase in irgarol concentration, were observed throughout the three experiments. Nevertheless, the statistical analysis did not confirm any significant differences among the biocide treatments. These results suggest that the biocide concentrations probably were below the harmful or toxic threshold to the stormwater pond phytoplankton. On the other hand, as the investigated pond phytoplankton taxa face biocide inputs throughout the year, they could have already adapted to the tested biocide contamination

Timing of Fluoride Intake and Dental Fluorosis On Late-Erupting Permanent Teeth

Objective: Very few studies have examined the relationship between timing of fluoride intake and development of dental fluorosis on late-erupting permanent teeth using period-specific fluoride intake information. This study examined this relationship using longitudinal fluoride intake information from the Iowa Fluoride Study. Methods: Participants’ fluoride exposure and intake (birth to 10 years of age) from water, beverages, selected food products, dietary fluoride supplements, and fluoride toothpaste was collected using questionnaires sent to parents at 3- and 4- month intervals from birth to 48 months of age and every 6 months thereafter. Three trained and calibrated examiners used the Fluorosis Risk Index (FRI) categories to assess 16 late-erupting teeth among 465 study participants. A tooth was defined as having definitive fluorosis if any of the zones on that tooth had an FRI score of 2 or 3. Participants with questionable fluorosis were excluded from analyses. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the importance of fluoride intake during different time periods. Results: Most dental fluorosis in the study population was mild, with only four subjects (1%) having severe fluorosis (FRI Score 3). The overall prevalence of dental fluorosis was 27.8%. Logistic regression analyses showed that fluoride intake from each of the individual years from age 2 to 8 plays an important role in determining the risk of dental fluorosis for most late-erupting permanent teeth. The strongest association for fluorosis on the late-erupting permanent teeth was with fluoride intake during the sixth year of life. Conclusion: Late-erupting teeth may be susceptible to fluorosis for an extended period from about age 2 to 8. Although not as visually prominent as the maxillary central incisors, some of the late-erupting teeth are esthetically important and this should be taken into consideration when making recommendations about dosing of fluoride intake

Relationship between Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Sediments and Invertebrates of Natural and Artificial Stormwater Retention Ponds

Sediments and invertebrates were sampled from 9 stormwater retention ponds (SWRPs) and 11 natural, shallow lakes in Denmark. Samples were analyzed for 13 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The SWRPs received urban and highway runoff from various types of drainage areas and the lakes were located in areas of various land uses. Comparing PAHs in the sediments of the SWRPs and the lakes, it was found that levels of total PAH were similar in the two aquatic systems, with median values of 0.94 and 0.63 mg&middot;(kg&middot;DM)&minus;1 in sediments of SWRPs and lakes, respectively. However, the SWRP sediments tended to have higher concentrations of high-molecular-weight PAHs than the lakes. A similar pattern was seen for PAHs accumulated in invertebrates where the median of total PAH was 2.8 and 2.1 mg&middot;(kg&middot;DM)&minus;1 for SWRPs and lakes, respectively. Principal component analysis on the PAH distribution in the sediments and invertebrates showed that ponds receiving highway runoff clustered with lakes in forests and farmland. The same was the case for some of the ponds receiving runoff from residential areas. Overall, results showed that sediment PAH levels in all SWRPs receiving runoff from highways were similar to the levels found in some of the investigated natural, shallow lakes, as were the sediment PAH levels from some of the residential SWRPs. Furthermore, there was no systematic trend that one type of water body exceeded environmental quality standards (EQS) values more often than others. Together this indicates that at least some SWRPs can sustain an invertebrate ecosystem without the organisms experiencing higher bioaccumulation of PAHs then what is the case in shallow lakes of the same region

Financing Sustainable Development:Actors, Interests, Politics

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's) represent the most ambitious global development agenda in history. Achieving them will require financing far beyond traditional aid, especially at a time where established donors are cutting or diverting aid budgets to meet refugee and security issues. Alternative sources of development financing seem ever more critical, such as the private sector, private foundations and the BRICS. But what are in fact the interests and modes of operation of these actors, and to what extent do they align with the aims of the SDGs? And how do national governments of developing countries themselves perceive and approach these new sources of financing? In this new report, six DIIS researchers examine the policies, mind-sets and interests of some of the many actors that will be playing a fundamental role in the complex and challenging task of financing sustainable development in the years to come