677 research outputs found
Thinking headteachers, thinking schools : how three headteachers are leading their schools towards becoming communities of enquiry
On Forgiveness and Healing: Narrative Therapy and the Gospel Story
Psychologists and theologians often talk past each other, particularly when discussing forgiveness. Comparing narrative therapy and the gospel story provides a way to engage the conversation meaningfully, both realities providing ways to transform human live
Emissions and removals of greenhouse gases from land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: 1990-2012
This report presents a summary of the net emissions and removals of greenhouse gases for 1990-2012 by the
Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry sector of the UNFCCC National Inventory for each of the UK
Administrations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland)
Quantifying the physical composition of urban morphology throughout Wales based on the time series (1989-2011) analysis of Landsat TM/ETM+ images and supporting GIS data
Knowledge of impervious surface areas (ISA) and on their changes in magnitude, location, geometry and morphology over time is significant for a range of practical applications and research alike from local to global scales. Despite this, use of Earth Observation (EO) technology in mapping ISAs within some European Union (EU) countries, such as the United Kingdom (UK), is to some extent scarce. In the present study, a combination of methods is proposed for mapping ISA based on freely distributed EO imagery from Landsat TM/ETM+ sensors. The proposed technique combines a traditional classifier and a linear spectral mixture analysis (LSMA) with a series of Landsat TM/ETM+ images to extract ISA. Selected sites located in Wales, UK, are used for demonstrating the capability of the proposed method. The Welsh study areas provided a unique setting in detecting largely dispersed urban morphology within an urban-rural frontier context. In addition, an innovative method for detecting clouds and cloud shadow layers for the full area estimation of ISA is also presented herein. The removal and replacement of clouds and cloud shadows, with underlying materials is further explained. Aerial photography with a spatial resolution of 0.4 m, acquired over the summer period in 2005 was used for validation purposes. Validation of the derived products indicated an overall ISA detection accuracy in the order of ~97%. The latter was considered as very satisfactory and at least comparative, if not somehow better, to existing ISA products provided on a national level. The hybrid method for ISA extraction proposed here is important on a local scale in terms of moving forward into a biennial program for the Welsh Government. It offers a much less subjectively static and more objectively dynamic estimation of ISA cover in comparison to existing operational products already available, improving the current estimations of international urbanization and soil sealing. Findings of our study provide important assistance towards the development of relevant EO-based products not only inaugurate to Wales alone, but potentially allowing a cost-effective and consistent long term monitoring of ISA at different scales based on EO technology
Projections of emissions and removals from the LULUCF sector to 2050
ā¢ The UK is required to report projections for the Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry
(LULUCF) sector for carbon budgets under the UK Climate Change Act, for the European
Union Monitoring Mechanism, and for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
LULUCF activities can result in net emissions or removals of greenhouse gases, and changes
in carbon stocks in the pools associated with LULUCF. This report provides projections at the
UK and Devolved Administration (DA) level, with separate estimates for Scotland, England,
Wales and Northern Ireland, which are summed to give the UK totals.
ā¢ LULUCF is divided into six land use types: 5A Forest Land, 5B Cropland, 5C Grassland, 5D
Wetlands, 5E Settlements, 5F Other Land. The code refers to the IPCC inventory category of
LULUCF. There is a separate inventory sector dedicated to other emissions, mainly methane
and nitrous oxide, from agricultural activities. Carbon stock changes from Harvested Wood
Products are reported in an additional category, 5G Other.
ā¢ Projections are made for net emissions and removals of greenhouse gases to 2050, arising
from LULUCF activities reported in the latest (1990ā2012) greenhouse gas inventory, for the
DAs and the UK, which excludes Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
ā¢ The LULUCF inventory now uses the CARBINE model for estimating forest carbon stocks, and
models all UK forest instead of just the postā1920 forest. As a consequence of the change in
model, and corresponding changes in activity data, the projected sink for forestry is
estimated to be much larger than in previous inventories. This has resulted in an increase in
the total net sink for UK LULUCF being reported for all scenarios within the projections.
ā¢ Four scenarios (BusinessāAsāUsual (BAU), High emissions, Mid emissions and Low emissions)
were constructed initially. The nonāBAU scenarios were later modified to include cropland-grassland
rotations (churn ), to take into account land use changes in land that has not
reached equilibrium from previous changes in land use. The scenarios were developed by a
policy maker stakeholder group from trajectories in the 2050 DECC calculator report and
take account of land use policies and aspirations (DECC, 2010). The BAU scenario assumes no
new policy intervention. The main results are:
1. At a UK level, the LULUCF sector has been a net sink since 1998 and is predicted to
remain so under all scenarios until at least 2050, although at a declining level from
around 2030ā2037 onwards (depending on the scenario) mainly due to the number
of trees being thinned or reaching maturity and harvested.
2. At a DA level, England will remain a net sink under all scenarios with the exception
of the high emissions scenario with churn, which gives a net source from 2013 to
2016 and from 2045 onwards.
3. Scotland is a net sink under all scenarios
4. Wales is a small net sink under the Low scenarios, becomes a net source from 2043
onwards under the Mid scenario, and an increasing source from 2016 onwards
under the High emissions scenario
5. Northern Ireland is either a small net sink or small net source depending on whether
the churn factor is used. The LULUCF sector in the UK and in each of the DAs is
dominated by CO2 emissions and removals, although N2O emissions also make a
significant contribution.
6. The Forest Land, Cropland and Grassland land use categories determine the trend in
the UK and each DA. The contribution from cropland and grassland to the overall
trend is from changes in land use rather than from land management activities as
only a few cropland and grassland management activities are currently included in
the inventory.
7. The churn scenarios increase overall estimated net emissions for all scenarios for the
UK and each DA, as net emissions from land use change to Cropland are maintained,
rather than declining over time, as in the original scenarios
Projections of emissions and removals from the LULUCF sector to 2050
Summary for policy makers:
ā¢ The UK reports projections for the Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector to inform policy concerning domestic and international climate change commitments. The full projections data are available on the NAEI website (http://naei.defra.gov.uk/reports/reports?report_id=927)
ā¢ LULUCF activities can result in net annual emissions or removals of greenhouse gases, and changes in carbon stocks in the pools associated with LULUCF. This report provides projections at the UK and Devolved Administration (DA) level, with separate estimates for Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland, which are summed to give the UK totals. The results presented here are based on the reporting conventions of the UNFCCC. They are not presented as potential future accounted emissions and removals under the Kyoto Protocol which are calculated formally at the end of each commitment period.
ā¢ LULUCF is divided into six land use types: Forest Land (4A), Cropland (4B), Grassland (4C), Wetlands (4D), Settlements (4E), Other Land (4F). Carbon stock changes from Harvested Wood Products are reported in an additional category, Harvested Wood Products (4G). The code refers to the IPCC (2006 Guidelines) inventory category of LULUCF. There is a separate inventory sector ā not presented here ā dedicated to other emissions, mainly methane and nitrous oxide, from agricultural activities.
ā¢ Projections are made for net emissions and removals of greenhouse gases to 2050, arising from LULUCF activities reported in the latest (1990-2014) greenhouse gas inventory, for the DAs and the UK excluding Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
ā¢ Five scenarios (Baseline 1, Baseline 2, Central, Low and Stretch) have been described. The scenarios were developed by BEIS, Defra and the Forestry Commission and have been updated in 2016 following discussions with all of the UK administrations. The scenarios take account of current land use policies and aspirations. The Baseline scenarios are based on climate change-related and forestry policies extant in July 2009.
ā¢ The main results are:
At a UK level, the LULUCF sector has been a net sink since 1990 and is predicted to remain so under all scenarios until at least 2050, although at a declining level from the mid-2020s onwards (depending on the scenario).
At a DA level, England and Scotland remain net sinks under all scenarios
Wales is a small net sink under the Stretch scenario, but will become an increasing net source under the other scenarios between 2034 and 2049.
Northern Ireland is a small net source (except in 1998 and 1999) under the Baseline and Central scenarios, but will become a small net sink from the late 2030s onwards under the Stretch and Low scenarios.
The LULUCF sector in the UK and in each of the DAs is dominated by CO2 emissions and removals, although N2O emissions also make a significant contribution.
The Forest Land, Cropland and Grassland categories determine the trend in the UK and DAs.
The main changes in the projections since the 1990-2013 projections are:
Forestry - a methodological revision of the forest carbon accounting model CARBINE to assign carbon stock changes to the correct reporting year, and the inclusion of the National Forest Inventory data (including, for the first time, small woods between 0.1 and 0.5 hectares in size) increasing tree cover and forest carbon stocks (this differs from the submitted 1990-2014 inventory).
Grassland - the revision of the emission factor used for grassland on drained organic soils has reduced the size of the grassland sink
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