Implications of Climate Targets at a Local Level: The Study of Mumbai Metropolitan Region, India

The article is a part of Ph.D. dissertation conducted by the corresponding author (first author) under second author’s supervision in Kyoto University, Japan. The dissertation is available online at Kyoto University depository.Paris agreement’s 2°C target has set a goal for the entire World to reduce emissions. Simultaneously, the countries which are a party to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change are also required to set voluntary national climate targets to reduce emissions. For achieving these targets, mitigations efforts have to be made at every possible level, especially from the metropolitan cities as they are the prominent source of emissions. This raises the requirement of elucidating the meaning of climate targets at local levels. In this context, the present study tries to interpret the global and national targets at the level of a metropolitan region and quantify the amount of emission reduction required. Mumbai Metropolitan Region in India was studied for this purpose. Paris Agreement’s 2°C target as a global target and India’s climate target defined in its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions as the national target were studied. These climate targets were translated into emission budgets for Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Comparing these with Mumbai Metropolitan Region’s emission forecast showed that it requires a 16.8% reduction to meet the national target while a 40% to 47% reduction to meet the global target. The results are significant for policy makers and planners to design focused mitigation policies and support national efforts to govern climate change

富士山における山小屋トイレ維持管理費確保問題－総合パフォーマンス評価による自己処理型トイレ選定法とCVM を用いた入山料WTP 調査－

In Mt. Fuji, self-disposal toilets installed at mountain huts by subsidy are facing difficulties in securing operation and maintenance funds. We examined whether self-disposal toilets in Mt. Fuji were installed appropriately in consideration of local conditions, the pay for these toilets was fairly priced and collected adequately, through developing the scoring method for selecting the type of self-disposal toilets, estimating optimum usage fee by PSM analysis, and exploring the feasibility of the introduction of entrance fee in Mt. Fuji. The results lead to the conclusion that applying the scoring method for the selection of the type of toilets and the introduction of entrance fee system contribute to solving the problem in Mt. Fuji. 富士山の山小屋が補助金を受けて設置した自己処理型トイレの維持管理コスト確保が困難な状況に陥っている。本研究では，総合パフォーマンス評価による自己処理型トイレの評価，PSM 分析を用いた適正トイレ使用料金の推定，CVM による入山料に対するWTP の推定を通じ，設置場所の環境に適した屎尿処理装置が導入されているか，協力金の設定金額は妥当であるか，入山料徴収制度の実現可能性について検討した。その結果，総合パフォーマンス評価を用いた屎尿処理装置の選定および入山料徴収制度の導入が，富士山における山小屋トイレ維持管理費確保問題の解決に寄与しうることが確認された

Controlling the Urban Physical Development in Karawang and Purwakarta Regencies using Quantitative Zoning Approach

Jakarta and Bandung metropolitan areas in Indonesia are experiencing urban expansion, which makes these two metropolitan areas increasingly connected by corridors to become one mega-urban. Karawang and Purwakarta Regencies are part of the Jakarta-Bandung corridor area which then triggers the urban physical development. This study aims to 1) Determine the level of service facilities in Karawang and Purwakarta Regencies; 2) Identify the changes in built-up and paddy fields Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) of Karawang and Purwakarta Regency based on existing and future conditions, and 3) Propose recommendations to control the urban physical development in Karawang and Purwakarta Regency. Analysis of level service facilities was carried out by using the scalogram method. Changes of built-up and paddy fields LULC in the existing and future conditions (projected using the CA-Markov method) are based on LULC of 2005, 2010 and 2018. Recommendations are given based on the grouping of villages with the same characteristics using the quantitative zoning method. Results showed the village development index in 2018 as the level of service facilities indicators, has a high or more developed value in the area around the connecting accessibility route between Jabodetabek and Greater Bandung metropolitan area. Changes in built-up and paddy fields LULC also the same trend as the village development index that is characterized by a fairly large increase in the area of built-up LULC in Karawang and Purwakarta Regencies. Recommendations are given to address specific problems that exist in each village group formed based on the spatial clustering method result

Sub-Pixel Classification of MODIS EVI for Annual Mappings of Impervious Surface Areas

Regular monitoring of expanding impervious surfaces areas (ISAs) in urban areas is highly desirable. MODIS data can meet this demand in terms of frequent observations but are lacking in spatial detail, leading to the mixed land cover problem when per-pixel classifications are applied. To overcome this issue, this research develops and applies a spatio-temporal sub-pixel model to estimate ISAs on an annual basis during 2001–2013 in the Jakarta Metropolitan Area, Indonesia. A Random Forest (RF) regression inferred the ISA proportion from annual 23 values of MODIS MOD13Q1 EVI and reference data in which such proportion was visually allocated from very high-resolution images in Google Earth over time at randomly selected locations. Annual maps of ISA proportion were generated and showed an average increase of 30.65 km2/year over 13 years. For comparison, a series of RF per-pixel classifications were also developed from the same reference data using a Boolean class constructed from different thresholds of ISA proportion. Results from per-pixel models varied when such thresholds change, suggesting difficulty of estimation of actual ISAs. This research demonstrated the advantages of spatio-temporal sub-pixel analysis for annual ISAs mapping and addresses the problem associated with definitions of thresholds in per-pixel approaches

Changing Climate and Overgrazing Are Decimating Mongolian Steppes

Satellite observations identify the Mongolian steppes as a hotspot of global biomass reduction, the extent of which is comparable with tropical rainforest deforestation. To conserve or restore these grasslands, the relative contributions of climate and human activities to degradation need to be understood. Here we use a recently developed 21-year (1988-2008) record of satellite based vegetation optical depth (VOD, a proxy for vegetation water content and aboveground biomass), to show that nearly all steppe grasslands in Mongolia experienced significant decreases in VOD. Approximately 60% of the VOD declines can be directly explained by variations in rainfall and surface temperature. After removing these climate induced influences, a significant decreasing trend still persists in the VOD residuals across regions of Mongolia. Correlations in spatial patterns and temporal trends suggest that a marked increase in goat density with associated grazing pressures and wild fires are the most likely non-climatic factors behind grassland degradation.Funding for this research was through a University of New South Wales International Postgraduate Award and CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country Flagship Program scholarship. The data used in Figure 3b were supported through the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (project number D-04). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Development of planning index for evaluating climate change protocols: analysis of Mumbai Metropolitan Region’s Regional Plan 1996–2011

Abstract Conserving resources, harmonizing living standards, and employing energy efficient methods are potential solutions to climate change, which can be positively accomplished through development and planning. However, today, as the first world countries advance towards “positive development”, some third world countries are developing in an “unwanted pattern”. The metropolitan cities of developing countries attract most of the country’s population, consequently becoming the worst sufferers of the situation. They grow faster than their capacity allows, and then due to the lack of strategy, poor governance, and weak policies; face overwhelming pressure on land and natural resources. Documenting this situation using the case of a metropolitan city in India, the present paper aims to identify the problems faced by a metropolitan city in a developing country. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region’s Regional Plan 1996–2011 was analyzed to determine the response to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Furthermore, a new diagnostic tool, namely the “Climate Change Planning Index”, which can deliver valuable information at a glance, was developed. The paper concludes with a summary of the climate change crisis and the necessity of development in a developing metropolitan city

Awareness workshop as an effective tool and approach for education in disaster risk reduction: A case study from Tamil Nadu, India

The core of empowering a community to become more resilient is rooted in disaster risk reduction and its education imparted using various educational tools, mainly through awareness and training programs. Conveying the available knowledge resources to the community by transforming it in a way that matches the local context in order to build a "culture of safety" is the hardest matter to be dealt with. It becomes the responsibility of the disaster management experts, concerned authorities, and researchers to focus more on disaster education by making the resources available to vulnerable communities. Taking this into account, this paper discusses an educational tool prepared for conducting awareness workshops. The paper particularly focuses on the educational tool application in the study area to illustrate its use in "real world" circumstances and to test its efficiency and limitations. It was found that such workshops can bring about a positive change in the level of understanding about disasters and the significance of disaster risk reduction measures. At the same time, it emphasizes that awareness generation is not a short-term affair. The sustainability of educational projects and programs is essential in inculcating disaster risk reduction as a part of people's life and culture

Emissions sharing observations from a diverse range of countries

The Paris Agreement is set to come into effect from the year 2020. With this, the issue of emission sharing responsibility has gained momentum. This paper discusses the future emission allowances of various countries based on different sharing principles. Twelve countries from six continents were chosen for observation based on attributes such as past emissions, extent of development, and population. The aim was to find the implication of different sharing principles in future emission quota of a diverse range of countries. Four different budgeting periods were employed for increased certainty. Future cumulative and per capita emission allowances were estimated. The results prove that longer budgeting periods are more advantageous for developed countries while shorter budgeting periods favor developing countries more. The study brings forth some new developments in emission distribution research, primarily concerned with the low emitting countries. Overall, the study contributes to the field of emission sharing science to meet global climate targets

Addressing urban expansion using feature-oriented spatial data in a peripheral area of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Because of the lack of time-series spatial data on urban components, urban expansion in developing countries has usually been studied using a pixel-based approach, despite the coarse spatial resolution associated with this technique. To understand the residential-scale processes involved in urban expansion, we developed feature-oriented GIS data extracted from very high spatial resolution satellite images (IKONOS for 2000 and Quickbird for 2006 and 2008). We selected a fringe area of Ulaanbaatar, the capital municipality of Mongolia, as a case study. Residential plots in this area have developed in an unplanned manner owing to the poor execution of land reform policy. This study facilitated the residential-scale delineation of the significantly expanding area occupied by private land plots in time series. It also permitted the identification of geographical factors driving the expansion. Using a logistic regression model, we found that such expansion is related to social infrastructure rather than to natural landforms. In particular, new plots of private land tended to be built near pre-existing plots and in proximity to roads and water kiosks (which provide essential drinking water for residents). These findings and the probability map predicted by the model have implications for urban planners and decision makers

Enabling collaborative action between self-help groups and rural local bodies through an exploratory workshop: The case of a peri-urban village in Mumbai Metropolitan Region, India

Peri-urban areas in developing countries pose unique governance challenges because of their rapid development. Villages in these areas are under-served in terms of the provision of waste management services. This research focused on an exploratory workshop conducted in one peri-urban village in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, India, to raise community awareness regarding the importance of contributing towards effective waste management in their village and the means by which they can do so. The findings of the workshop show its effectiveness in raising the awareness levels of self-help group members. In addition to these findings, causal loop diagrams were drawn to construct effective institutional mechanisms from the perspective of the capacities of the participants and the officials. This study examined the policy initiatives necessary for meeting the sanitation and waste management needs of peri-urban villages. Inferences regarding the institutionalization of linkages between self-help groups and local bodies were made based on the principles of sociocracy. Theoretical insight was provided regarding the different factors affecting this system, and how this model is flexible enough to accommodate the contextual needs of peri-urban villages