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Predicting how climate change affects biotic interactions and their evolution poses a challenge. Plant-insect herbivore interactions are particularly sensitive to climate change, as climate-induced changes in plant quality cascade into the performance of insect herbivores. Whereas the immediate survival of herbivore individuals depends on plastic responses to climate change induced nutritional stress, long-term population persistence via evolutionary adaptation requires genetic variation for these responses. In order to assess the prospects for population persistence under climate change, it is therefore crucial to characterise response mechanisms to climate change induced stressors, and quantify their variability in natural populations. Here, we test developmental and transcriptomic responses to water limitation induced host plant quality change in a Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia) metapopulation. We combine nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy on the plant metabolome, larval developmental assays and an RNA seq analysis of the larval transcriptome. We observed that responses to feeding on water limited plants, in which amino acids and aromatic compounds are enriched, showed marked intrapopulation variation, with individuals of some families performing better on control and others on water limited plants. The transcriptomic responses were concordant with the developmental responses: Families exhibiting opposite developmental responses also produced opposite transcriptomic responses, e.g. in growth associated intracellular signalling. The opposite developmental and transcriptomic responses are associated with between families differences in organic compound catabolism and storage protein production. The results reveal heritable intrapopulation variability in plasticity, suggesting potential for evolutionary responses to drought-induced changes in host plant quality in the Finnish M. cinxia metapopulation.

A compact urban form has shown many benefits in efficiency. Yet multiple studies have found that residents of urban, dense, and centrally located areas travel more frequently than those living in suburbs, small towns, or the countryside. As air travel is already causing more emissions than ground transport in many affluent urban locations and is predicted to increase, this pattern could undermine efforts in climate change mitigation. Explanations of these patterns and motivations for long-distance travel connected to the built environment have been examined quantitatively before, but with inconclusive answers. We studied this topic qualitatively in Reykjavik, Iceland, offering an in-depth perspective through semi-structured interviews. Results showed various links between the urban environment and long-distance travel. Some indications of compensatory travel behavior emerged, particularly connected to a lack of quality green areas, hectic urban life, and commuting stress. Compensatory trips were typically domestic. Furthermore, residential preferences seemed connected to leisure travel preferences—living in green neighborhoods was connected to more domestic travel to nature. The results show there are more factors for ‘escape’ trips than urban density and lack of green spaces. Examples of car-free lifestyles hindering domestic leisure travel were also found. Our study shows how a qualitative approach offers nuanced insight into the travel motivations of urbanites. Considering our results and travel motivation literature, the compensation hypothesis appears to be an overly narrow theoretical framing. Our study supports the conclusion that planning policies should aim at reducing car-dependence. Further research is needed for specific policy recommendations.

Every sector needs to minimize GHG emissions to limit climate change. Emissions from transport, however, have remained mostly unchanged over the past thirty years. In particular, air travel for short-haul flights is a significant contributor to transport emissions. This article identifies factors that influence the demand for domestic air travel. An agent-based model was implemented for domestic travel in Germany to test policies that could be implemented to reduce air travel and CO2 emissions. The agent-based long-distance travel demand model is composed of trip generation, destination choice, mode choice and CO2 emission modules. The travel demand model was estimated and calibrated with the German Household Travel Survey, including socio-demographic characteristics and area type. Long-distance trips were differentiated by trip type (daytrip, overnight trip), trip purpose (business, leisure, private) and mode (auto, air, long-distance rail and long-distance bus). Emission factors by mode were used to calculate CO2 emissions. Potential strategies and policies to reduce air travel demand and its CO2 emissions are tested using this model. An increase in airfares reduced the number of air trips and reduced transport emissions. Even stronger effects were found with a policy that restricts air travel to trips that are longer than a certain threshold distance. While such policies might be difficult to implement politically, restricting air travel has the potential to reduce total CO2 emissions from transport by 7.5%.

Das Fortschreiten des Klimawandels und die Schädigung der Ökosysteme machen deutlich, dass die seit Jahrzehnten international geforderte nachhaltige Entwicklung zu den wichtigsten Herausforderungen gehören. Um die von den Vereinten Nationen in der Agenda 2030 festgeschriebenen Nachhaltigkeitsziele, den sogenannten Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), zu erreichen, sind alle relevanten Akteurinnen und Akteure - die Politik, die Wirtschaft sowie jede und jeder Einzelne - gefragt. Eine nachhaltige Entwicklung, die zugleich Umweltschonung, stabile wirtschaftliche und gesellschaftliche Entwicklung sowie soziale Gerechtigkeit berücksichtigt, beruht damit auf der Kompetenz oder auch der "Literacy" der Einzelnen, für sich und im Kollektiv nachhaltiges Handeln auszuüben und im gegenseitigen Miteinander fördern zu können. Doch welche Fähigkeiten sind notwendig, um nachhaltig Handeln zu können? Welche Fähigkeiten brauchen insbesondere Konsumentinnen und Konsumenten, um ihre Produktions- und Konsummuster nachhaltiger (mit-)gestalten zu können? Antworten darauf liefert die "Literacy für nachhaltigen Konsum", die in dem vorliegenden Diskussionspapier entwickelt und vorgestellt wird.

Studie zur Verteilungswirkung des Klimawandels bei Unterlassung weiterer Klimaschutzmaßnahmen. Die derzeitig implementierten Klimaschutzmaßnahmen reichen nicht aus, um das 1,5°C-Ziel zu erreichen. Adaptionsmaßnahmen würden Verteilungswirkungen erzeugen, die gerade vulnerable Gruppen stark belasten. Im Rahmen dieser Studie werden daher die Folgen des Klimawandels in den Bedürfnisfeldern Wohnen, Ernährung und Landwirtschaft, Verkehr und Mobilität sowie Gesundheit untersucht. Study on the distributional effects of climate change if further climate protection measures are not taken. The currently implemented climate protection measures are not sufficient to achieve the 1.5 °C target. Adaptation measures would produce distribution effects that put a heavy burden on vulnerable groups in particular. As part of this study, the consequences of climate change in the areas of need of housing, nutrition and agriculture, transport and mobility, and health are examined.

Mit der Blockchain - und allgemein mit Distributed-Ledger-Technologien (DLT) - werden große Erwartungen verknüpft, die Prozesse der digitalen Welt des 21. Jahrhunderts neu zu organisieren, effizienter zu gestalten und bislang ungekannte Möglichkeiten für Transaktionen zwischen Beteiligten in Wirtschaft, Gesellschaft und Verwaltung zu ermöglichen. Diese Chancen müssen genutzt werden. Gleichzeitig ist mit der Blockchain-Technologie wie mit allen anderen digitalen Lösungen die Herausforderung verbunden, die Technologien, Anwendungen und zugrundeliegenden Infrastrukturen nachhaltig zu gestalten und an Energieeffizienz, Klimaschutz und Ressourcenschonung auszurichten. Handlungsbedarf besteht auch bei Blockchain-Anwendungen. Der Energieverbrauch des derzeit größten Blockchain-Netzwerks Bitcoin wird auf bis über 130 TWh/Jahr abgeschätzt, womit eine Größenordnung in Höhe des gesamten Jahresstrombedarfs von Ländern wie Argentinien erreicht würde. Blockchain-Anwendungen sind somit schon heute umweltpolitisch relevante Einflussgrößen und die zu erwartende Wachstumsdynamik erhöht den Handlungsdruck. Es ist das Ziel dieser Kurzstudie, geeignete Nachhaltigkeitskriterien zur Bewertung der Energieverbräuche und Umweltwirkungen von Blockchain-Anwendungen zu identifizieren sowie ein erstes Konzept für deren Implementierung bei der Umsetzung und Vergabe staatlich geförderter oder initiierter Projekte vorzuschlagen.

Eine erfolgreiche Energiewende setzt nicht nur Innovationen voraus, sondern erfordert auch eine aktive Exnovation der fossilen Energieerzeugung. Die vorliegende Masterarbeit zielt deshalb darauf ab, Herausforderungen und Ansatzpunkte für eine Verständigung zwischen Gewerkschaften und Umweltverbänden zur der Zukunft Kohleenergie zu untersuchen. Leitend sind zwei Fragen: Erstens und empirisch: Welche Argumente vertreten Umweltverbände und Gewerkschaften hinsichtlich eines Kohleausstiegs? Zweitens und verbunden mit der gewählten theoretischen Perspektive der Sozialen Ökologie: Welche Bezogenheiten und Trennungen werden zwischen den jeweiligen Verständnissen von Natur, Gesellschaft und Ökonomie in den Argumenten der Akteure sichtbar? Dafür wurde im theoretischen Teil der Arbeit eine sozial-ökologische Perspektive auf die energetische Kohlenutzung und das sogenannte Jobs versus Environment Dilemma erarbeitet. Im empirischen Teil werden mittels einer qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse über 100 Veröffentlichungen verschiedener Gewerkschaften und Umweltverbände aus dem Zeitraum von Ende 2014 (erster politischer Vorstoß zur Reduzierung der Kohleverstromung) bis Anfang 2019 (Ende der Kommission "Wachstum, Strukturwandel und Beschäftigung") ausgewertet. Als Ergebnis legt die Arbeit die Argumente der Akteure vergleichend dar, zeigt auf, wie sich diese im Verlauf des Untersuchungszeitraums verändern und welche Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede, Annäherungen und Distanzierungen zwischen den einzelnen Akteuren und Akteursgruppen bestehen. Darauf aufbauend wird der Umgang der Akteure mit dem Jobs versus Environment Dilemma aus der Perspektive der Sozialen Ökologie diskutiert und verglichen. Die Erkenntnisse der Forschungsarbeit legen nahe, dass der gewerkschaftliche Ansatz von Just Transition bzw. "gerechtem" Strukturwandel mit Klima- und Umweltgerechtigkeitskonzepten verknüpft werden muss, um einen umfassenden inter- und intragenerationellen Gerechtigkeitsanspruch zu erfüllen. Damit der Kohleausstieg und weitere Exnovationsprozesse als sozial-ökologische Transformation gestaltet werden können, ist es notwendig, sowohl die aktuelle ökonomische Abhängigkeit von Arbeitenden in betroffenen Branchen zu verstehen als auch den Klimawandel nicht nur als ökologische, sondern auch als soziale und ökonomische Frage anzuerkennen. Greenhouse gas emissions from the German energy sector could not be reduced sufficiently during the last decade, despite an increasing share of renewable energies. This clearly showed that a successful energy transition does not only require innovations, but also an active exnovation of fossil fuel energy production. The resulting debate about the future of coal has not yet been resolved, although various stakeholders, including representatives of trade unions and environmental associations, worked out a coal compromise within the "Commission on Growth, Structural Change and Employment" (WSB commission), and the German government legally stipulated a coal phase-out by 2035/38. This master's thesis investigates challenges and starting points for a common understanding between trade unions and environmental associations as central civil society actors in the debate on the future of coal. There are two guiding questions. The first one is empirical: What are the arguments of environmental associations and trade unions regarding a coal phase-out? The second question is linked to the chosen theoretical perspective of social ecology (according to Becker & Jahn, 2006c): What relationships and divisions between the understandings of nature, society and economy become visible in the actors' arguments?

Im Zeitalter der Machine Economy ist der maschinelle Dialog allgegenwärtig - das bietet neue Chancen für Nachhaltigkeit, erhöht gleichzeitig aber durch die zugrundeliegenden Technologien auch den Druck auf unsere Umwelt. Internet of Things (IoT), Künstliche Intelligenz (KI) und Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) sind das technologische Fundament der Machine Economy. Damit verbunden sind Infrastrukturen, Datenströme und Anwendungen, die hohe Energie- sowie Ressourcenaufwände erzeugen. Der derzeitige politische Diskurs sowie die Nachhaltigkeitsforschung fokussieren sich auf Umweltwirkungen durch digitale Infrastrukturen. Daten, Applikationen sowie die Rolle von Akteuren als Treiber der Umweltwirkung werden zu wenig beleuchtet. In diesem Papier sprechen sich die Autorinnen und Autoren für eine "Grüne Governance der Machine Economy" aus. Adressiert werden Annahmen zu systemübergreifenden Treibern von Umweltbelastungen und ihrer Wirkung. Ziel ist es, ein Gesamtsystem nachhaltiger Entscheidungen und ein ökologisches Zusammenspiel aller beteiligten Technologien in der Wertschöpfung zu ermöglichen. Zukünftige Forschung soll die hier vorgestellten Hypothesen weiter ausarbeiten und konkrete Handlungsoptionen für eine Stakeholder übergreifende Roadmap erarbeiten.

Die hohen COVID-19-Inzidenzen unter Beschäftigten in fleischverarbeitenden Betrieben im Süden Brasiliens markieren einen neuen Punkt auf der langen Liste von Problemen der globalen fleischverarbeitenden Industrie. Bereits bekannte Probleme sind Arbeitsunfälle, das Repetitive-Strain-Injury-Syndrom, Arbeit mit kontaminierten Abfällen sowie immunologische und psychiatrische Störungen. Zudem ist die Industrie geprägt von prekärer Arbeit, Rassismus und Speziesismus sowie der Hervorbringung ungesunder Ökologien. Diese nähren entstehende Krankheitserreger und bilden gemeinsam eine Szenerie chronischer Zerstörung, welche Menschen, Tiere und Umwelten ausbeutet und krank macht. In diesem Artikel untersuchen wir, wie in der aktuellen Situation - ausgelöst durch die unheilvolle Aktivität des Agrobusiness - zentrale Themen des Anthropozäns zusammenfallen und sich in neuen Konfigurationen die vernichtenden, historischen, sozialen, gesundheitlichen und ökologischen Bedingungen wiederholen, von denen Brasilien seit der Kolonialzeit betroffen ist. The high incidence of COVID-19 among workers in southern Brazilian slaughterhouses comprises a new facet in the long list of problems facing the global meat processing industry. Known problems include occupational accidents, repetitive strain injury syndrome, working with contaminated waste, and immunological and psychiatric disorders. In addition, the industry is characterised by precarious work, racism, speciesism, and the production of unhealthy ecologies that contribute to emerging pathogens and constitute a scenario of chronic destruction and exploitation that makes people, animals, and environments sick. In this article, we examine how the current situation, caused by the sinister activities of agribusiness, synthesizes central themes in the debate on the Anthropocene and refl ects on new confi gurations in the devastating historical, social, sanitary, and ecological conditions that have aff ected Brazil since colonial times.

Our current economic systems are transgressing planetary boundaries globally and yet societal needs are not sufficiently and equally fulfilled. Fostering the bioeconomy as an economy based on renewable resources can be a transformation towards a sustainable future, to fulfill societal needs within planetary boundaries. However, sustainability is not intrinsic to the bioeconomy and consequently advanced and comprehensive monitoring systems on a national scale are needed. In the systemic modeling and monitoring of the German bioeconomy (SYMOBIO) a comprehensive national monitoring framework in the context of global dynamics was developed, and a first pilot report of monitoring results was published and presented to the public in June 2020. Stakeholder participation plays a role in informing monitoring from the beginning. Consequently, in this study we aim at evaluating the pilot report and monitoring as well as the general perception of the bioeconomy by an open survey. We collected approximately 100 responses, mainly from the stakeholder group "science". Most stakeholders are moderately satisfied with the monitoring and reporting. However, social aspects of the bioeconomy like hunger, poverty and inequalities are considered to be underrepresented, and the socio-economic perspective is viewed as too narrow. Future monitoring efforts should be oriented more on international agreed frameworks like the SDGs and be comparable to other monitoring systems and levels. Regarding general perceptions of the bioeconomy, a majority of stakeholders have a vision of a socio-ecological transformation, in contrast to German and European strategies which are seen as business-as-usual capitalism using additional renewable resources. Even though most stakeholders see the current development of bioeconomy critically, they consider the future development as open and encourage a sustainable bioeconomy that creates sustainable consumption and production patterns, global responsibility and compliance with planetary boundaries, as well as economic and ecological justice and participation shaping the overall economy. Our analysis underpins previous perspectives from stakeholder workshops and is embedded in increasingly polarizing societal mentalities of transformations.

Tema ovog završnog rada je nautički turizam, njegov rast te ekološke posljedice koje nastaju njegovim rastom. Svrha ovog rada je pobliže objasniti nautički turizam te kroz određene statističke podatke prikazati njegov rast. Također, sve ekološke posljedice koje nastaju njegovim rastom, ozbiljnost onečišćavanja mora nastala ljudskim faktorom. U ovoj temi prikazani su oblici nautičkog turizma, njegov rast u Hrvatskoj, svi izvori onečišćenja. Veća pozornost usmjerena je na luke nautičkog turizma kao jednog od najvećih zagađivača pomorskog akvatorija te prikazali određene mejre i međunarodne standarde kojima se zaustavlja daljne onečišćenje mora., The topic of this final paper is nautical tourism, its growth and the ecological consequences that arise from its growth. The purpose of this paper is to explain nautical tourism in more detail and to show its growth through certain statistical data. Also, all the environmental consequences arising from its growth, the severity of marine pollution caused by human factors. This topic presents the forms of nautical tourism, its growth in Croatia, all sources of pollution. More attention is reffered to the ports of nautical tourism as one of the biggest polluters of the maritime waters and presented certain measures and international standards that stop further pollution of the sea.

Land-use transitions can enhance the livelihoods of smallholder farmers but potential economic-ecological trade-offs remain poorly understood. Here, we present an interdisciplinary study of the environmental, social and economic consequences of land-use transitions in a tropical smallholder landscape on Sumatra, Indonesia. We find widespread biodiversity-profit trade-offs resulting from land-use transitions from forest and agroforestry systems to rubber and oil palm monocultures, for 26,894 aboveground and belowground species and whole-ecosystem multidiversity. Despite variation between ecosystem functions, profit gains come at the expense of ecosystem multifunctionality, indicating far-reaching ecosystem deterioration. We identify landscape compositions that can mitigate trade-offs under optimal land-use allocation but also show that intensive monocultures always lead to higher profits. These findings suggest that, to reduce losses in biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, changes in economic incentive structures through well-designed policies are urgently needed., Identifying economic and ecological trade-offs of land-use transitions is important to ensure sustainability. Here, Grass et al. find biodiversity-profit trade-offs in tropical land-use transitions in Sumatra, and show that targeted landscape planning is needed to increase land-use efficiency while ensuring socio-ecological sustainability.

Предложена новая методология оценки сложности структуры рудных месторождений как технических и экологических объектов, дано обоснование методики определения критериев сравнительной оценки влияния факторов на условия и последствия применения геотехнологий при освоении рудных месторождений. Показано, что структура разрабатываемого в процессе освоения недр Земли геологического объекта представляет собой системное единство статической составляющей в виде стабильной геологической структуры, и динамической составляющей в виде характеристик единичных рудных тел, обладающих высокой вариабельностью элементов их внутреннего строения. Установлено, что влияние каждой геологической характеристики месторождения на уровень сложности его структуры как геологического объекта определяется критерием, представляющим собой сумму промежуточных показателей, отражающих значение геофактора и относительный размах вариации этого значения в пределах месторождения, а сумма этих критериев для всех геофакторов дает интегральный критерий оценки сложности структуры месторождения как объекта разработки. Обоснованный новый методологический подход и методики определения частных и общих критериев оценки сложности структуры месторождения открывают перспективы систематизации месторождений не по отдельным геологическим характеристикам (глубине, углу падения, мощности, обводненности и т.д.), а по сумме всех характеристик, интегрированных в показатель сложности структуры месторождения., The proposed new evaluation methodology for structural complexity of ore deposits is technical, and environmental objects, the justification of methodology criteria a comparative evaluation of the influence of factors on the conditions and consequences of the application of Geotechnology in the development of ore deposits. It is shown that the structure of the geological object developed in the process of development of the earths subsoil is a system unity of the static component in the form of a stable geological structure and a dynamic component, in the form of characteristics of single ore bodies with high variability of elements of their internal structure. It is established that the impact of each of the geological characteristics of the Deposit at the level of complexity of its structure as a geological object is defined by the criterion that is the sum of intermediate indicators that reflect the value of geofactors and relative range of variation of this value within the Deposit, and the sum of these criteria for all geofactors gives the integral criterion for assessing the complexity of the structure of the field as object of development. The grounded new methodological approach and methods of definition of private and General criteria of an estimation of complexity of structure of the field opens prospects of systematization of fields not on separate geological characteristics (depth, falling angle, power, water cut, etc.), and on the sum of all characteristics integrated in an indicator of complexity of structure of the field., №1 (2020)

Die Bundesregierung wird im Juli 2020 die Folgen des Klimawandels im Sicherheitsrat der Vereinten Nationen zur Debatte stellen. In den vergangenen Jahren haben die Treibhausgas-Emissionen deutlich zugenommen, und die Umsetzung des Pariser Abkommens stockt - vor allem aufgrund der negativen Strahlkraft des US-Austritts. Die armen Inselstaaten und weitere vom Klimawandel betroffene Entwicklungsländer fordern mehr Beachtung für klimabedingte Verluste und Schäden. Diese sind Gegenstand der VN-Klimaverhandlungen. Die bedrohten Länder nutzen den Sicherheitsrat, um dafür mehr Aufmerksamkeit zu erlangen. Der Sicherheitsrat kann bestimmte Sicherheitsaspekte der Klimarisiken in den Fokus nehmen und wichtige präventive Politikfelder hervorheben. Dazu gehören vor allem die Entwicklungspolitik und die Umsetzung der Nachhaltigkeitsziele der Agenda 2030. Er ist ein zusätzlicher Ort, um klimapolitische Interessen auszuloten. Die Forderungen an den Sicherheitsrat sind stark mit den internationalen Klimaverhandlungen verknüpft. Daher muss das klimapolitische Engage­ment Deutschlands in Zeiten eines schwindenden Multilateralismus breit und längerfristig angelegt werden. Die deutsche EU-Ratspräsidentschaft im zweiten Halbjahr 2020 sollte genutzt werden, um zusammen mit Mitgliedstaaten und EU-Partnern eine umfassende Agenda für den Umgang mit Klimarisiken zu entwickeln. (Autorenreferat)

The Small Island Development States (SIDS) and other developing coun­tries affected by climate change are demanding more attention be given to climate-related losses and damages. The issue of "loss and damage" is being addressed in UNFCCC negotiations; however, the SIDS regard the Security Council as another key place for related debates. The Security Council can sound out climate policy interests to increase knowledge and improve the means of early warning. Moreover, its role can be to focus on the security aspects of climate risks and highlight im­portant preventive approaches. These include, above all, development policy and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (the UN 2030 Agenda). The demands on the Security Council are strongly linked to the inter­national climate negotiations. Thus, Germany’s commitment to climate policy has to be broad and long-term in times of dwindling multilateralism. Due to the Corona pandemic, short-term national and international policy agendas have readjusted to address the crisis situation, which has been detrimental to the climate policy agenda. A debate at the Security Council should nevertheless keep the focus on climate-related risks as such. (author's abstract)

Die Rohstoffausbeutung und das Vordringen des Neo-Extraktivismus in Lateinamerika hat enorme Ausmaße angenommen und tiefgreifende Folgen für Mensch und Natur. Maristella Svampa nimmt sich diesem Prozess an und analysiert ihn umfassend aus sozio-ökologischer und politischer Perspektive. Dazu arbeitet sie die historischen Konjunkturen des Neo-Extraktivismus seit 2003 heraus und schlägt für ein besseres Verständnis der Krise das Konzept des Rohstoffkonsens vor. In Bezug auf den sozio-ökologischen Widerstand führt sie das Konzept der ökoterritorialen Wende ein, das die Vorreiterrolle von indigenen Völkern und Frauen besonders betont - und schließlich wendet sie sich den Grenzen der Rohstoffausbeutung mit Blick auf kriminelle Territorialitäten, patriarchale Gewalt und Rechtsextremismus zu.

Compared to issues related to the economy, politics, social or military concerns, attempts to preserve ecology and the natural environment have a relatively short history. Anthropogenic environmental changes in many cases have a direct impact on one's quality of life and the functioning of urban centers, states and communities. Pressure exerted by human economic activity on the environment is demonstrated, above all, by reductions in air, water, and soil quality, worse acoustic climate, and limited access to green spaces. The most detrimental undertakings have a negative impact on the level of ecological security in cities are transport, domestic heating of buildings, industrial activities, and heating processes. The main goal of this paper is to identify the perception of the ecological security of the residents of the biggest urban centers. Urban environment security is a very broad issue. It covers both natural phenomena, where human impact is minimal, levels of urban sustainable development and attitudes of the city dwellers. Recently, citizen awareness of the importance of environmental challenges in Polish cities’ development has surged, including awareness of the desire to live in a cleaner environment and to breathe clean air. The topic is more and more often discussed in public debate, above all during periods of peak contaminant concentrations. The situation serves as a stimulus for citizens to mobilize, often through various social movements while local governments take actions oriented at changing methods of domestic heating, more eco-friendly mobility and the enhanced environmental education of society.

The worst drought in a century in Southern Africa at the end of last year slowed the iconic Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwean–Zambian border to a rill, fuelling renewed discussion about climate change. It also epitomised the potential repercussions of the phenomenon for livelihoods and security on the African continent. However, current research only sees a weak connection between climate and violent conflict. Sub-Saharan Africa is the world region most affected by climate change. Parts of East Africa, the Sahel, and Southern Africa have been the most severely impacted on. Existing research largely sees climate change as a "threat multiplier," and perceives high poverty and low state capability as more influential drivers of conflict. General assessments of how climate affects conflict mask important differ­ences: In some parts of Africa, extreme weather events (such as droughts) and rising temperatures threaten the most vulnerable already - namely, those that are poor and rely on rain-fed agriculture. Pastoralist agricultural production and pronounced differences between ethnic groups are particularly dangerous risk factors. Yet uncertainty about climate's precise effects is still high. Under certain conditions, climate change can lead to increased conflict but also cooperation in affected communities across Africa. New research needs to investigate more thoroughly the mechanisms underlying how individuals and communities react to weather extremes and long-term climatic changes. It is of particular relevance to understand how increased societal cooperation as well as adequate state policies can help overcome climate change's adverse effects among those most vulnerable people. Following up on its last report from 2014, in 2022 the climate-conflict link will be re-evaluated for the next Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Report. Better understanding the pathways that lead to violent conflict and focusing on the most vulnerable members of society, namely those who directly rely on rain-fed agriculture, is a necessary precondition for devising adequate policies to tame climate change's adverse effects on security. Supporting the mitigation of climate change's detrimental effects for the most vulnerable in Africa should be a key focus for European and German Africa policy.

Developing efficient, reliable, cost-effective ways to identify diet is required to understand trophic ecology in complex ecosystems and improve food web models. A combination of techniques, each varying in their ability to provide robust, spatially and temporally explicit information can be applied to clarify diet data for ecological research. This study applied an integrative analysis of a fishery-targeted species group-Plectropomus spp. in the central Great Barrier Reef, Australia, by comparing three diet-identification approaches. Visual stomach content analysis provided poor identification with ~14% of stomachs sampled resulting in identification to family or lower. A molecular approach was successful with prey from ~80% of stomachs identified to genus or species, often with several unique prey in a stomach. Stable isotope mixing models utilizing experimentally derived assimilation data, identified similar prey as the molecular technique but at broader temporal scales, particularly when prior diet information was incorporated. Overall, Caesionidae and Pomacentridae were the most abundant prey families (>50% prey contribution) for all Plectropomus spp., highlighting the importance of planktivorous prey. Less abundant prey categories differed among species/color phases indicating possible niche segregation. This study is one of the first to demonstrate the extent of taxonomic resolution provided by molecular techniques, and, like other studies, illustrates that temporal investigations of dietary patterns are more accessible in combination with stable isotopes. The consumption of mainly planktivorous prey within this species group has important implications within coral reef food webs and provides cautionary information regarding the effects that changing resources could have in reef ecosystems. ispartof: ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION vol:8 issue:18 pages:9503-9515 ispartof: location:England status: published

Intensive or inadequate management of tourism and related development may affect the nature, integrity and the dominant features of an area. Local communities hosting tourism often are the weaker link which interacts with guests and service providers within the tourism value chain. Therefore, tourism development should embrace the paradigm of sustainability by improving the living conditions of host communities, ensuring efficient use of the resources available, and valorizing and preserving local heritage and traditions from any damages or loss. This paper examines the extent to which tourism development may affect social, economic, and environmental conditions of communities of the Sud Department of Haiti particularly Les Cayes. To meet the objective of this paper, we surveyed of 453 residents and examined their views on the influence of tourism development in the region. By using conducting this survey, we gathered insights on what is considered significant for the respondents, and also an assessed the influence of number of residents, place of residence, and coastal vs. Inland on residents' perceptions., SUBMITTED: OCT 2017; REVISION SUBMITTED: JAN 2018; ACCEPTED: FEB 2018; REFEREED ANONYMOUSLY; PUBLISHED ONLINE: 15 MAY 2018

Der Artikel diskutiert Hindernisse für einen Strukturwandel zu einer ökologisch nachhaltigen Wirtschaftsweise auf der Produktebene. In einem agentenbasierten Modell wird eine Marktsituation mit Lock-in-Effekten simuliert, welche das technologische Paradigma eines verschmutzenden Produktionsprozesses gegenüber einer neu in den Markt eintretenden Öko-Innovation festigen. Konsumenten haben die Möglichkeit, über ihre Konsumwahl Einfluss auf den Strukturwandel zu nehmen. Dazu unterscheiden sie die ihnen angebotenen Produkte aufgrund von räumlichen, sozialen, ökonomischen und ökologischen Kriterien. Simulationen des Modells zeigen den Einfluss heterogener und homogener Konsumpräferenzen auf das Niveau an Umweltverschmutzung und die Adoptionsraten des umweltfreundlichen Produktes auf. The article discusses product market hindrances for structural change towards an ecologically sustainable economic system. An agent-based model is presented which simulates an economy affected by path dependencies and lock-in effects. A new environmentally friendly product enters this market and tries to break the technological paradigm of a pollutive production technology. Consumers can influence this process of structural change via their consumption decision which depends on an assessment of products by means of spatial, social, economic, and ecological criteria. Simulations show how the model results, namely the speed of adoption and the level of pollution over time, are influenced by heterogeneous and homogeneous consumption preferences.

Namibia's Husab uranium mine is the Chinese government's largest investment in Africa to date. This article develops a theoretical framework of hybridity to analyse the (geo)political and ecological implications of China's rising global influence in uranium mining. Drawing on multiple-methods fieldwork, the article explains how Husab has resuscitated Namibia's uranium industry and facilitated the political goals of both Chinese and Namibian leaders. Husab's materialisation of “South–South solidarity,” however, also appears to be deepening the marginalisation of minority communities near uranium mines. Far from paradoxical, this uneven distribution of benefits and costs is as intertwined with nuclear geopolitics as it is with the materiality of uranium mining.