Climate change vulnerability and adaptation research focusing on the Inuit subsistence sector in Canada: Directions for future research

The last decade has witnessed a proliferation of research into the human dimensions of climate change in the Arctic. Much of this work has examined impacts on subsistence hunting, fishing, and trapping among Canadian Inuit communities. This scholarship has developed a baseline understanding of vulnerability and adaptation, drawing upon interviews with community members and stakeholders to identify and characterize climatic risks and adaptive strategies. To further advance this baseline understanding, new methodologies are needed to complement existing research if we are to capture the dynamic nature of how climate change is experienced and responded to, and fully engage communities as equal partners. Longitudinal studies, community‐based monitoring, and targeted adaptation research offer significant promise to advance understanding. These methodologies provide a strong basis for developing meaningful partnerships with communities, the co‐production of knowledge, and empowerment for adaptation: essential components of community‐based participatory research.     

Towards a Political Theology of Vulnerability Anthropological and Theological Propositions

Abstract

Recent experiences of terror, violence, and catastrophe, such as the terror attacks in Norway in 2011 or the Peshawar School Massacre leaving 132 children and nine staff dead on December 16, 2014, strengthen the sense of the fundamental vulnerability in human existence. In this article, it is argued that political theology, in responding to such experiences, should aim at perceiving and protecting vulnerability as a value. For this purpose, basic propositions for a theological anthropology of vulnerability are put forward. Likewise, propositions for interpreting God as vulnerable are presented, criticizing the traditional theistic concept of God as immutable and hence unable to suffer. The relevance of these propositions for political theology is finally addressed.     

中国妇女发展脆弱性：测度、时空演化及驱动机制

借鉴人类发展指数（HDI）,从健康、教育及就业三大维度构建中国妇女发展脆弱性评估模型。以妇女发展脆弱性指数为测度指标,运用变异系数、LISA时间路径和时空跃迁等方法,对2006—2016年中国妇女发展状况的区域差异、空间分布和时空交互特征进行分析,并利用计量经济学模型探讨其影响机制。结果表明：①2006—2016年,中国妇女发展脆弱性总体上呈下降趋势,区域差异在波动中逐渐扩大。在区域尺度上,东部地区较低,中部和东北地区次之,西部地区最高。东部地区内部差异显著,呈现两极化;②脆弱性类型以低和较低脆弱类型为主,大致以“胡焕庸线”为界,西北半壁妇女发展脆弱性显著偏高;③中国妇女发展脆弱性空间分布具有较强的稳定性,存在一定的路径依赖和空间锁定特征。相对长度由东部沿海向西北内陆及西南地区递增,弯曲度表现出相似的空间分异特征;④妇女发展脆弱性是多因素交互作用的结果。经济发展水平、城镇化、全球化和教育事业发展对于降低妇女发展脆弱性具有积极作用。政府行为的驱动效应对脆弱性存在抑制作用,但未通过显著性检验。     

Ways In and Out of Vulnerability to Climate Change: Abandoning the Mubarak Project in the Northern Nile Delta,Egypt

Abstract: Climate change is already exerting significant pressure on humanity, but some people have the resources to cope, while others do not. What, then, determines vulnerability to climate change? This article presents a case study of one site of vulnerability in Egypt, known as the Mubarak Project villages on the shores of the Mediterranean. The soil of these villages is now undergoing rapid salinization, forcing farmers to apply sand to “elevate” their fields above the rising salty water table—but not all farmers can afford to buy the requisite sand. Accumulation by dispossession under the Mubarak regime has pushed some people towards the frontline of climate change, while at the same time denying them the resources to stay there. Using our case, we explore the connection between accumulation by dispossession and vulnerability to climate change and ask if an end to the former could reduce the latter in Egypt.     

A DAMAGE MODEL FOR THE ANALYSIS OF THE SEISMIC RESPONSE OF MONUMENTAL BUILDINGS

In this paper the Author proposes a damage model for the analysis of masonry plates and shells, which is based on an improvement of a previous constitutive model. The modifications introduced, connected to the head joint damage, allow us to study the influence of masonry texture on the damage modes once the mechanical characteristics of the elements constituting the masonry and the results of tests on simple assemblages are known. Having a nonlinear constitutive model is certainly one of the basic elements for understanding the damage mechanisms in masonry buildings. If, in fact, an elastic-linear constitutive model may be used under normal loading conditions, in critical situations it is necessary to model the damage and the dissipation mechanisms that occur between the elements, stone (brick) and mortar, in correlation with their characteristics and kind of masonry. To validate the model a comparison is made between the numerical and experimental results, in the case of tests available in the literature in masonry panels subjected to out-of plane loading and in a real structure through the observation of the damage in Umbria (Italy) surveyed after the 1997 earthquake.     

VULNERABILITY OF ELASTOMERIC BEARING ISOLATED BUILDINGS AND THEIR EQUIPMENT

In this paper, we compare the vulnerability of isolated and conventional structures as well as equipment when uncertainty on the excitation and on some of the structural properties is considered. This comparison is performed, mainly, with a series of Monte Carlo simulations. The results clearly show the higher sensitivity of isolated structures and their equipment when submitted to statistically reasonable excitations that are different from those used for their design. This fact is recognised by some, but not all, earthquake regulations, mainly, by considering lower behaviour factors for isolated structures than for conventional ones. Although isolated structures designed according to these recommendations (e.g. FEMA 368) exhibit tow damage less frequently than conventional structures, the probability of failure is similar for both types of structure.     

贫困山区旅游地社会—生态系统脆弱性及影响机理

借助社会—生态系统理论与脆弱性分析框架,以恩施州为例,从敏感性与适应性两方面构建评价指标体系,对旅游地社会—生态系统脆弱性进行定量测度,运用地理探测器方法探测脆弱性分异的风险因子与影响机理.结果表明:①研究区脆弱性水平整体处于中等水平,抵御内外部风险的能力仍显不足;②村域脆弱性主要为中、低等脆弱性,各村敏感性与适应性构...     

Mine blast vibration response spectrum for structural vulnerability assessment: case study of heritage masonry buildings

Ground-borne vibrations induced by mine blasting are typically of low amplitudes, which are not considered a major concern for modern engineered structures. However, historic structures are often considered more vulnerable due to inadequate knowledge regarding the state of construction materials and structural response. Specifically, the construction materials used might be fragile or have deteriorated to a stage that could be vulnerable to such vibrations. Simplistic rule based on peak ground motion parameter has been adopted worldwide for safety assessment, while the frequency characteristics of vibrations are not taken into account. Further, there is very limited study on response of heritage structures to near-field blasting. This article presents a practical structural vulnerability assessment method for mine blast-induced vibrations. In particular, a design response spectrum model is proposed based on close range measurements of nearby mine blasting, which is compared with an existing design spectrum model for far-field mine blasts and a typical design spectrum model for earthquake actions. The method is illustrated through a case study of heritage masonry buildings in Australia. The unique blast data presented and the generalized methodology would be useful to both structural engineers and blast engineers in considering potential effects of blasting on heritage structures.     

Building survey forms for heterogeneous urban areas in seismically hazardous zones. Application to the historical center of Valparaíso,Chile

ABSTRACT

Building survey is an essential data-collection procedure to feed large-scale seismic vulnerability assessment. The available strategies usually consider survey forms to gather information about the urban buildings. The application of the available survey forms poses important challenges for the case of the heterogeneous urban centers including different structural typologies. This work proposes four specific survey forms for traditional structural typologies constructed with masonry, reinforced concrete, mixed steel-reinforced concrete, and timber. The proposed forms request essential information on the parameters necessary for seismic vulnerability assessment, by evaluating the lateral-load resistant system, regularity, condition of conservation, and existing damages. The survey forms were applied to the study of 111 buildings of the historical center of Valparaíso, Chile. The proposed methodology was complemented with the use of Geographic Information Systems to obtain a complete database with the structural characterization of the most representative typologies for future works of large-scale seismic vulnerability assessment.     

Remembering and forgetting 1974: the 2011 Brisbane floods and memories of an earlier disaster

The city of Brisbane, capital of the Australian state of Queensland, sits on a floodplain and has been struck by two devastating flood disasters in the last 50 years. This article contributes to the growing literature on disaster memory by tracing memories of a flood in 1974 as they were constructed and re‐enacted in a more recent disaster in 2011. The article examines how disaster memories shape local identities and considers how such memories influence policy and local knowledge, doing so by reference to an analysis of three forms of memory media—personal narratives, news media reporting, and built memorials. At times, memories of 1974 enabled Brisbane residents to prepare for an oncoming flood and to understand the scope of the 2011 event. Yet other memories produced a form of forgetting by positioning the earlier flood as a successfully navigated event now safely contained in the past. Findings from the analysis thus point to the importance of understanding memories of past disasters as a critical element of disaster planning and management.