Key Trends in Policy for Low-Energy Built Environments: a 20-year Review

In a review of policy frameworks for low-energy buildings and built environments over 20 years in England, the paper identifies a transition from the early years when the connection between energy and the built environment was only just beginning to be recognised, through to a more coordinated approach to carbon and buildings in the period to 2010. It identifies fives key trends: a greater reliance on regulation; the growing importance of the retrofit agenda; more tightly targeted subsidies; more finely tuned market-based instruments to shape and structures energy efficiency and decentralised renewable energy markets; and a shift from the dominance of market rationality towards a more nuanced understanding of how inter-related change in energy systems and built environments is achieved

Peatlands and the carbon cycle: from local processes to global implications - a synthesis

Peatlands cover only 3% of the Earth's land surface but boreal and subarctic peatlands store about 15-30% of the world's soil carbon ( C) as peat. Despite their potential for large positive feedbacks to the climate system through sequestration and emission of greenhouse gases, peatlands are not explicitly included in global climate models and therefore in predictions of future climate change. In April 2007 a symposium was held in Wageningen, the Netherlands, to advance our understanding of peatland C cycling. This paper synthesizes the main findings of the symposium, focusing on (i) small-scale processes, (ii) C fluxes at the landscape scale, and (iii) peatlands in the context of climate change. The main drivers controlling most are related to some aspects of hydrology. Despite high spatial and annual variability in Net Ecosystem Exchange ( NEE), the differences in cumulative annual NEE are more a function of broad scale geographic location and physical setting than internal factors, suggesting the existence of strong feedbacks. In contrast, trace gas emissions seem mainly controlled by local factors. Key uncertainties remain concerning the existence of perturbation thresholds, the relative strengths of the CO2 and CH4 feedback, the links among peatland surface climate, hydrology, ecosystem structure and function, and trace gas biogeochemistry as well as the similarity of process rates across peatland types and climatic zones. Progress on these research areas can only be realized by stronger co-operation between disciplines that address different spatial and temporal scales

Mapping the coevolution of urban energy systems: pathways of change

Abstract. The interface of a long-standing movement for sustainability at the urban scale and the imperatives of the carbon-reduction agenda are driving change in urban energy systems. This paper seeks to address the nature of that change and, in particular, to consider how different pathways of change are emerging. To do this it draws on the coevolution and pathways literatures to interrogate a database of current urban energy initiatives within the UK. This analysis reveals the multiple pathways of change though which new modes of energy production and consumption are being developed to deliver carbon reductions through the reconfiguring of urban energy systems. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of these changes for urban governance and for carbon reductions

Characteristics of outdoor falls among older people: A qualitative study

Background Falls are a major threat to older people’s health and wellbeing. Approximately half of falls occur in outdoor environments but little is known about the circumstances in which they occur. We conducted a qualitative study to explore older people’s experiences of outdoor falls to develop understanding of how they may be prevented. Methods We conducted nine focus groups across the UK (England, Wales, and Scotland). Our sample was from urban and rural settings and different environmental landscapes. Participants were aged 65+ and had at least one outdoor fall in the past year. We analysed the data using framework and content analyses. Results Forty-four adults aged 65 – 92 took part and reported their experience of 88 outdoor falls. Outdoor falls occurred in a variety of contexts, though reports suggested the following scenarios may have been more frequent: when crossing a road, in a familiar area, when bystanders were around, and with an unreported or unknown attribution. Most frequently, falls resulted in either minor or moderate injury, feeling embarrassed at the time of the fall, and anxiety about falling again. Ten falls resulted in fracture, but no strong pattern emerged in regard to the contexts of these falls. Anxiety about falling again appeared more prevalent among those that fell in urban settings and who made more visits into their neighbourhood in a typical week. Conclusions This exploratory study has highlighted several aspects of the outdoor environment that may represent risk factors for outdoor falls and associated fear of falling. Health professionals are recommended to consider outdoor environments as well as the home setting when working to prevent falls and increase mobility among older people

Patterns of distribution and diversification in the Madagascar-centred tribe Danaideae (Rubiaceae)

The tribe Danaideae is centred in the Western Indian Ocean Región (including Madagascar and the neighbouring Comoras, Mascarenes, and Seychelles archipelagos). This group o f plants encompasses three genera, the Malagasy endemic Payera (with 15 species) and Schismatoclada (with 47 species), and the mostly Western Indian Ocean genus Danais (with 42 species). The members of the tribe are restricted to three bioclimate zones in Madagascar: humid zone harbouring littoral forests and lowland rainforests along the east; subhumid zone covering highland rainforests along the central highlands; and montane zone mostly in the central highlands above the subhumid zone and characterized by ericoid thickets. We reconstructed a robust phylogeny of Danaideae to investígate the geographic and diversification patterns in Payera and Schismatoclada, using the Bayesian method and combined plastid (matK, ndhF, and trnT-F) and nuclear (nrITS) data. We sampled ca 75% o f species richness o f Payera and Schismatoclada, covering the entire geographic ranges o f Danaideae. The results of this study will be presented and discussed.The tribe Danaideae is centred in the Western Indian Ocean Región (including Madagascar and the neighbouring Comoras, Mascarenes, and Seychelles archipelagos). This group o f plants encompasses three genera, the Malagasy endemic Payera (with 15 species) and Schismatoclada (with 47 species), and the mostly Western Indian Ocean genus Danais (with 42 species). The members of the tribe are restricted to three bioclimate zones in Madagascar: humid zone harbouring littoral forests and lowland rainforests along the east; subhumid zone covering highland rainforests along the central highlands; and montane zone mostly in the central highlands above the subhumid zone and characterized by ericoid thickets. We reconstructed a robust phylogeny of Danaideae to investígate the geographic and diversification patterns in Payera and Schismatoclada, using the Bayesian method and combined plastid (matK, ndhF, and trnT-F) and nuclear (nrITS) data. We sampled ca 75% o f species richness o f Payera and Schismatoclada, covering the entire geographic ranges o f Danaideae. The results of this study will be presented and discussed

Insufficient Evidence of Purported Lunar Effect on Pollination in Ephedra

It has been suggested that the timing of pollination in Ephedra foeminea coincides with the full moon in July. The implication is that the plant can detect the full moon through light or gravity and that this trait is an evolutionary adaptation that aids the navigation by pollinating insects. Here we show that there is insufficient data to make such a claim and we predict that pollinations of E. foeminea do not in general coincide with the full moon

Discourses of conflict and collaboration and institutional context in the implementation of forest conservation policies in Soria, Spain

This article examines the emergence of conflict and collaboration in the implementation of forest conservation policies in Soria, Spain. We draw insights from discursive institutionalism and use a comparative case study approach to analyse and compare a situation of social conflict over the Natural Park declaration in the Sierra de Urbión, and a civil society led collaborative process to develop management plans for the “Sierra de Cabrejas” in Soria. The implementation of the EU Habitats Directive generated different outcomes in these two cases, which unfolded in the context of the same nature conservation legislation and national and provincial administrative structures but differed in terms of types of forests involved, property rights arrangements and forest use histories. We critically examine the influence of the institutional context and dominant discourses on the emergence of outcomes: conflict emerged where local institutions and discourses were threatened by the EU directive, while collaboration was possible where local institutions and counter-discourses were weak. We find that the institutional context plays an important part in determining local discourses in the implementation of forest conservation policies. Yet local counter-discourses have limited influence in the implementation and policy processes in the face of contestation by the discourses of regional civil servants conservation activists

Neighbourhood sustainability frameworks - a literature review

Frameworks for assessing the sustainability of the built environment are entering a new phase with the introduction of neighbourhood scale tools. This paper is a review of the current literature on these frameworks, as well as building-scale tools, to provide a milestone for future studies. Notably, the author found few papers focusing on neighbourhood schemes exclusively with large gaps in our knowledge. Some existing research compares and critiques the content of frameworks; other research focuses on the interaction between a framework and the development process, its actors, and institutions; and other work assesses the real-world performance of developments built using frameworks. Neighbourhood frameworks provide a more holistic approach to sustainable development than building frameworks, covering environmental, social, and economic sustainability. However, there is little consensus on what this means (or should mean) in practice with coverage varying with regional context and design principles, as well as accusations of environmental bias. The evidence that frameworks influence the sustainability of individual projects is mixed (with some criteria more affected than others) though it is thought they have pushed up the standards of sustainability generally. Likewise it is uncertain whether they promote sustainability as a value amongst users. However, they are useful for those committed to sustainability to show their credentials and defend their decisions. As the tools are voluntary and market-based, it is important they provide additional value to developments; this has been shown to be the case. This impact is greater for those already interested in sustainability or looking to promote a ‘green’ image. This literature review identifies several gaps in the research of Neighbourhood Sustainability Frameworks, these include: their effect on the development process and planning, barriers to their uptake, and improvements to frameworks and the way they are used