Do Climate Change Policies Promote or Conflict with Subjective Wellbeing: A Case Study of Suzhou, China

Comparative analysis of managing plantation forests: The case of keeping plantation forests for carbon credit and industrial profits in Oromia Region, Ethiopia

Community-based organizations (CBOs) and individuals primarily engaged in forest management dedicated to carbon credit run both at national and regional levels. After a span of time elapsed in the same, CBOs and individuals aspired to shift the carbon-dedicated forest either into log or timber production based on an informed decision. However, there is no study done so which of these projects is financially more useful to them to make an informed decision. The objective of the study is, therefore, to make comparative analyses of plantation forests for carbon credit, round log and timber. The result has revealed that plantation forest managed for timber production is most attractive and rewarding in year 10 and year 15 both with and without discounting at 3%. Plantation forest managed for timber production enables the creation of a fixed asset than both carbon credit and log production. Plantation forests managed for the carbon credit, log production and timber production have externalities both positive and negative which must be considered while calculating the costs and benefits accrued thereof. There are existing and emerging risks associated with the carbon credit project which shifts from natural (forest) to technological abatement of climate change. The study is critical to understanding the benefits of future plantation forest investment. We, thus, conclude forest managed for timber production is financially more useful for CBOs and individuals than round log and carbon credit. We recommend CBOs and individuals to have adequate information on benefits and risks associated with plantation forests managed for carbon credit, round log and timber production before engaging in the investment.

Transformative low-carbon urban innovations: Operationalizing transformative capacity for urban planning

Cities can set in motion sustainability transitions through experimentation and innovation. To invest in and mainstream solutions that contribute to urban transformation agendas, urban planners needs to understand which innovations have transformational potential as well as how these innovations can accelerate sustainability transitions. In order to explore this, existing frameworks of transformative capacity provide the guidance, but they are generic, abstract, and challenging to apply for urban planning. As part of our effort to develop a more operational version of the transformative capacity framework by Wolfram (2016), we conducted a systematic scoping review of the academic literature to determine the characteristics of people-based and nature-based low-carbon innovations that constitutes their transformative capacity. After reviewing 65 records, we identified dimensions indicating each of the transformative capacity components through analysis and synthesis. Besides contributing to the science-policy interface through a knowledge synthesis on low-carbon people-based and nature-based innovations, this paper examines bridging frameworks to inform urban planners in developing practical solutions and actionable elements for low-carbon urban futures.

Green Space and Health in Mainland China: A Systematic Review

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have become a major cause of premature mortality and disabilities in China due to factors concomitant with rapid economic growth and urbanisation over three decades. Promoting green space might be a valuable strategy to help improve population health in China, as well as a range of co-benefits (e.g., increasing resilience to climate change). No systematic review has so far determined the degree of association between green space and health outcomes in China. This review was conducted to address this gap. Five electronic databases were searched using search terms on green space, health, and China. The review of 83 publications that met eligibility criteria reports associations indicative of various health benefits from more green space, including mental health, general health, healthier weight status and anthropometry, and more favorable cardiometabolic and cerebrovascular outcomes. There was insufficient evidence to draw firm conclusions on mortality, birth outcomes, and cognitive function, and findings on respiratory and infectious outcomes were inconsistent and limited. Future work needs to examine the health benefits of particular types and qualities of green spaces, as well as to take advantage of (quasi-)experimental designs to test greening interventions within the context of China's rapid urbanization and economic growth.

Co-benefits and synergies between urban climate change mitigation and adaptation measures: A literature review

Accounting for over 70% of global CO2 emissions, cities are major contributors to climate change. Acknowledging this, urban climate change adaptation and mitigation plans are increasingly developed to make progress toward enhancing climate resilience. While there is consensus that focusing on both adaptation and mitigation is necessary for addressing climate change impacts, better understanding of their interactions is needed to efficiently maximize their potentials. This paper, first, provides a bibliographic analysis to map existing knowledge regarding adaptation-mitigation interactions. This is done using methods such as bibliographic coupling, co-citation analysis, and co-occurrence analysis. Then, drawing on the literature, this study explores two types of interactions between adaptation and mitigation measures, namely co-benefits and synergies. These interactions are explored through analyzing evidence reported in the literature on different measures related to sectors such as energy, transportation, waste, water, green infrastructure, urban planning, and governance. Results of the bibliographic analysis show that there is a lack of research in the Global South. Results of the detailed content analysis show that many measures can provide co-benefits and synergies. Measures related to green infrastructure, buildings, energy systems, and, transportation are particularly capable of providing co-benefits. In addition, it was found that appropriate levels of density, promotion of public transportation, and urban greenery are measures that are more likely to provide synergistic benefits if combined with other adaptation and/or mitigation measures. This study highlights the need for more empirical research to better understand the magnitude of synergistic benefits between different measures.

City scale climate change policies: Do they matter for wellbeing?

Climate change mitigation policies aim to reduce climate change through reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions whereas adaption policies seek to enable humans to live in a world with increasingly variable and more extreme climatic conditions. It is increasingly realised that enacting such policies will have unintended implications for public health, but there has been less focus on their implications for wellbeing. Wellbeing can be defined as a positive mental state which is influenced by living conditions. As part of URGENCHE, an EU funded project to identify health and wellbeing outcomes of city greenhouse gas emission reduction policies, a survey designed to measure these living conditions and levels of wellbeing in Kuopio, Finland was collected in December 2013. Kuopio was the northmost among seven cities in Europe and China studied. Generalised estimating equation modelling was used to determine which living conditions were associated with subjective wellbeing (measured through the WHO-5 Scale). Local greenspace and spending time in nature were associated with higher levels of wellbeing whereas cold housing and poor quality indoor air were associated with lower levels of wellbeing. Thus adaption policies to increase greenspace might, in addition to reducing heat island effects, have the co-benefit of increasing wellbeing and improving housing insulation.

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Climate change policies may change wellbeing-associated living conditions in a city.

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Local greenspace and nature immersion associated with higher levels of wellbeing.

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Climate change adaption policy to increase greenspace may increase wellbeing.

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Housing which is cold or has low quality indoor air associated with lower wellbeing.

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A housing insulation policy may increase wellbeing if ventilation is adequate.