Abstract

This paper reviews assessment of climate change impacts on economy, society and ecological environment in the coastal areas of South China based on published literatures, it also proposes suitable adaptation strategies and countermeasures. Review shows that climate change has resulted in sea level rise in the coastal areas of South China, increasing the occurrence and intensity of storm surges, aggravating the influence of saltwater intrusion, coastal erosion, urban drainage and flood control, threatening the coastal facility and infrastructures, inundating lowland areas, offsetting mudflat silting, and degrading mangroves and coral reef ecosystem. Therefore, in order to reduce the adverse effects of climate change and to support the sustainable development in the coastal areas of South China, it is critical to improve the monitoring and early warning system, enhance prevention criteria, fortify coastal protection engineering, strengthen salt tide prevention, and reinforce the ecological restoration and protection. Du, Y.-D., X.-H. Cheng, X.-W. Wang, et al., 2013: A review of assessment and adaptation strategy to climate change impacts on the coastal areas in South China. Adv . Clim . Change Res ., 4 (4), doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1248.2013.201.

Abstract

This study reviews the impacts of climate change on human health and presents corresponding adaptation strategies in South China. The daily mean surface air temperatures above or below 26.4°C increase the death risk for the people in Guangzhou, especially the elderly are vulnerable to variations in temperature. Heat waves can cause insomnia, fatigue, clinical exacerbation, or death from heatstroke etc., while cold spells show increases in patients with fractures. During a cold spell period, the rates of both on-site emergency rescues and non-implementable rescues increase, and the risk of non-accidental deaths and respiratory disease deaths significantly rise as well. Both time series of hazy days and ozone concentrations have significant positive correlations with the number of patients with cardiovascular diseases. Both malaria and dengue fever reach higher altitudes and mountainous areas due to climate warming. Climate change is likely to bring stronger heat waves in the future, thereby increasing heat wave-related illnesses and deaths, particularly in the metropolitan areas of the Pearl River Delta. The projected increase of continuous cold days in Guangdong province and parts of northern Guangxi province will affect residents’ health in the future. The rising temperature exaggerates ozone pollution, but it is not clear whether climate change is aggravating or mitigating haze pollution. The transmission potential of malaria in South China will increase by 39%–140% and the transmission season will extend by 1–2 months with an air temperature increase of 1–2°C. By 2050, most areas in Hainan province are projected to convert from non-endemic dengue into endemic dengue areas. The aging population will cause more vulnerable people. To mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change on human health, sound and scientific adaptation strategies must be adopted in advance, such as strengthening the surveillance of epidemic diseases in potential transmission areas, conducting timely weather forecasting for human health, evaluating health vulnerability to climate change, improving environmental and health education, and strengthening hazard management and the cooperation between meteorological and health departments. Du, Y.-D., X.-W. Wang, X.-F. Yang, et al., 2013: Impacts of climate change on human health and adaptation strategies in South China. Adv . Clim . Change Res ., 4 (4), doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1248.2013.208.

Abstract

In Central China, the obvious climate change has happened along with global warming. Based on the observational analysis, the climate change has significant effects, both positive and negative, in every field within the study area, and with the harmful effects far more prevalent. Under the scenario A1B, it is reported that temperature, precipitation, days of heat waves and extreme precipitation intensity will increase at respective rates of 0.38°C per decade, 12.6 mm per decade, 6.4 d and 47 mm per decade in the 21st century. It is widely believed that these climate changes in the future will result in some apparent impacts on agro-ecosystems, water resources, wetland ecosystem, forest ecosystem, human health, energy sectors and other sensitive fields in Central China. Due to the limited scientific knowledge and researches, there are still some shortages in the climate change assessment methodologies and many uncertainties in the climate prediction results. Therefore, it is urgent and essential to increase the studies of the regional climate change adaptation, extend the research fields, and enhance the studies in the extreme weather and climate events to reduce the uncertainties of the climate change assessments. Ren, Y.-J., J.-X. Cui, S.-Q. Wan, et al., 2013: Climate change impacts on central China and adaptation measures. Adv . Clim . Change Res ., 4 (4), doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1248.2013.215.

Abstract

Due to climate change, the regional agro-climatic conditions in Southwest China have undergone changes. The heat sources for the growth of crops have been improved. The number of days with temperatures steadily above 0°C and 10°C (two criteria) have increased during 1960–2010. The area suitable for multiple cropping has increased, the growth period has shortened, the climatic potential productivity has declined, the pest damage has worsened. During 1961–2010, the desired cooling degree days in Southwest China has increased 38.9°C d per decade. Forest fires and pests have increased. The area of meadow and wetlands has decreased. Heterogeneous invasion has intensified, endangered animal and plant species have increased. The tourism landscape has been damaged. The risk of human health has increased. In the 21st century, with the increase of temperature and precipitation, the number of days with temperature steadily above 10°C and the accumulated temperature will continue to increase, most notably in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The area of intercropping will expand, multiple cropping will move to higher altitudes. The impacts of agrometeorological disasters, pests and diseases will intensify. The summer cooling energy consumption continues to increase, energy supply will show larger variability, the gap between energy supply and demand will be widened. The phenology will keep on changing, and the habitat will be worsening. Biological population will move northward and to higher altitudes. Some species are at risk of extinction. Negative effects on health will increase. Ma, Z.-F., J. Liu, and S.-Q. Yang, 2013: Climate change in Southwest China during 1961–2010: Impacts and adaptation. Adv . Clim . Change Res ., 4(4), doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1248.2013.223.

Abstract

This document illustrates the findings regarding megatrend validation and impacts assessment on the transport concept of the future priorities that have been illustrated in Deliverable D 2.2 and D 3.1 of INTEND project. The validation is carried out through the application of the Analytic network process (ANP). Analytic Network Process method taking into account clusters of megatrend

Abstract

utomated driving is one of the current hype phenomena generating widespread interest. Automated vehicles are a growing topic of discussion in both the academic and gray literature. Although fully automated vehicles are still far in the future, various levels of automation-featured vehicles are gradually gaining ground in road traffic. Impact assessment of automated driving promotes the development of automated systems and support decision-making in the field of transport. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd. has studied the impacts of transport and mobility for decades, and has produced impact analyses with a broad scope in this field. The impact assessment of automated driving has recently seen further developments; this thesis continues the work and expands it to the themes of health and quality of life. "br/""br/"This thesis aimed to explore the impacts of transport and mobility on individuals' health and perceived quality of life and, further, to exploit the findigs under the domain of automated driving. One of the main objectives was to identify potential pathways of action from the introduction of automated driving to its health implications. The study was conducted in three phases: First, a review was done of the extant literature. Second, a conceptual framework for transport and its implications for health and quality of life was constructed with the help of a literature study and insights from specialists in diverse fields of health and transport. Third, the framework and supporting literature were used to formulate the potential pathways of action mentioned above. Finally, the results were discussed in a work group to ensure the validity and reliability of the results. The thesis process was iterative; i.e. the results from the literature and specialist interviews were utilized throughout the work right from the start. "br/""br/"This thesis has three key results. First, it provides a comprehensive and worthwhile overview of the concepts of health and quality of life in the context of transport and mobility, which can be used to support future discussion and research. The second key result is the illustrative conceptual framework, which provides insights into transport and its health implications. Finally, potential pathways from the introduction of automated driving to its impacts on health and quality of life are presented. Understanding these pathways to impact will not only support further development and decision-making; it will also help pinpoint future topics of research. One of these will be assessing the direction and magnitude of the potential impacts of automated driving.

Abstract

NordicWay has implemented a cooperative safety-related traffic information system based on hybrid"br" communication using a mainly cellular network. In this paper, we present NordicWay’s Finnish Coop project"br" evaluation results on driver behaviour impacts and user acceptance of the system. The evaluation was based on a"br" field test involving more than a thousand test users from May 2016 to April 2017. The results showed the high"br" acceptance by the users. The system was the first source of information in many occasions and the implications it"br" had on driver behaviour were positive (increased attention, speed reduction, less overtaking, etc.). As a main"br" conclusion, the results indicate that a cooperative safety-related traffic information system in mobile phones has"br" positive impacts on driver behaviour. The results also show that road users would be willing to use this kind of"br" system. Almost all users who had longer experience with the system would have been willing to continue using"br" the application.

Abstract

Members of the Trilateral Working Group on Automation in Road Transportation (ART WG) have been working"br" to address the complexity of impacts caused by automated driving. They are setting up a high-level impact"br" assessment framework to coordinate the impact assessments performed in the field of automated driving. The"br" paper presents this framework. It gives recommendations for classifying automation implementations and"br" determining impact areas to be assessed. It also presents the impact mechanisms through which automated driving"br" is expected to impact our life, covering both direct and indirect impacts. In addition, recommendations are provided"br" for experimental procedure, simulation approach and data sharing.

Abstract

E-commerce-related last-mile logistics have a great impact on cities. Recent years have seen sustained growth in e-commerce in most developed countries, a trend that has only been reinforced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The perceived impact of this phenomenon varies depending upon the perspective of the players involved: individual members of the public, companies, or the public administrations. Tackling the issue from these perspectives, the goal of this article is to explore the kinds of impact this phenomenon has and will have. We use as the basis for their classification the so-called triple bottom line (TBL) of sustainability, encompassing people, planet, and profit; we complement this with the impact classification used by the European Science Foundation’s impact assessment working group. After performing a systematic review of the literature following PRISMA guidelines, our results show that, albeit to different degrees, the four impact dimensions analyzed (economic, social, environmental, and technological) have only received incipient coverage in the existing literature. Given its ever-growing importance, we believe that greater attention needs to be paid to this phenomenon, especially with regard to those aspects having the greatest impact upon urban systems and the different stakeholders involved. Only in this way can the public policies needed to mitigate these externalities be properly implemented. Document type: Article