The rate of deforestation and degradation of forests in Malawi has been remarkably high as a result of high dependency on forests for cooking fuel, expansion of agriculture and population growth. Similarly, forests in Malawi are a source of livelihood, as well as safety nets for rural communities in times of unanticipated scarcity of food or as gap fillers during regular seasonal shortfalls of food supply.
Most of the empirical literature assessing the impacts of climate change on agriculture has modeled crop yields as a function of the levels or deviations in the growing-period rainfall. However, an aspect that has received little attention in the empirical literature relates to the relationship between the timing of monsoon rains and crop yields. Using a pan-India district-level panel dataset for 50 years, this article investigates two interrelated issues critical to understanding the impacts of weather-induced agricultural risks and their management.
We evaluate the impact of ozone pollution on wheat yields in India and its economic consequences for producers, consumers, and the government. Using an ozone flux–based risk assessment, we find that ambient ozone levels led to a 14.18% average reduction in wheat yields from 2008 to 2012. Irrigated wheat was particularly susceptible to ozone-induced losses, highlighting a potential threat to climate-change adaptation through irrigation expansion. Employing an economic model, we analyze the effects of a "pollution-free" scenario on various factors.
Despite two decades of advancing the understanding of valuing ecosystem services, the global biodiversity crisis continues to face challenges in integrating nature's diverse values into decision-making. Barriers include powerful interests shaped by existing norms and legal rules, such as property rights.
The Values Assessment (VA) of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services shows that while a wide range of valuation methods exist to include nature's values in diverse decision-making contexts, uptake of these methods remains limited. Building on the VA, this paper reviews five critical steps in the evaluation of project or policy proposals that can improve the inclusion of nature’s values in decisions.
Global plastics production has reached 380 million metric tons in 2015, with around 40% used for packaging. Plastic packaging is diverse and made of multiple polymers and numerous additives, along with other components, such as adhesives or coatings.