Geo-Geography and Environment最新文献

Around the world, the environmental crisis is deepening. The atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere and terrestrial ecosystems: all are under stress and many living species are being pushed towards extinction. Climate change, a key facet of this crisis, is unfolding rapidly, with glaciers melting in line with worst-case scenarios. Rising global temperatures are fuelling socio-ecological damage with distinctly uneven geographical consequences. We are, for instance, seeing the intensification of heat waves, droughts, floods, storms and fires, which in turn are exacerbating food and water insecurity, economic disruption and armed conflict. The impact of human activities is being written into the geological record at a pace never before seen.

These critical environmental issues, and our individual and collective responses to them, are profoundly reshaping the geographies of our lives and will continue to do so far into the future. As such, they pose some critical challenges for us, as geographers, to consider: how, for example, can we mobilise the capabilities of the discipline to conceptualise and describe these processes of social and environmental change? How, moreover, might we advance, and advocate for, more sustainable, lower carbon and fairer socio-ecological places and futures? As a discipline bridging the social and natural sciences, geographers are uniquely placed to provide answers to these questions and to play a vital role in accelerating solutions that ensure shared prosperity and well-being by advancing novel, collaborative approaches to tackle climate change, secure biodiversity and maintain ecosystems.

It is within this urgent context that Geo now positions itself: as a repository for innovative, experimental and impactful scholarship - addressing some of the biggest environmental challenges facing society today through a distinctly geographical lens. We seek contributions that push the envelope of geographical scholarship: breaking new intellectual ground, developing new formats and approaches, building new collaborations and communities, and working towards new policy.

In framing this agenda for Geo, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to our predecessors who have so carefully nurtured and curated the journal since its inception in 2014, as the first fully open access journal published by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). Gail Davies and Anson Mackay, as inaugural editors, established Geo as a space for exploring collaborative research, pioneering the use of open access to support novel formats and build a diverse Geo community. Under their leadership, the journal rapidly became a place for exciting, interdisciplinary research and dialogue, often speaking across traditional geographical divides. Since 2019, Rosie Cox, Sarah Davies and David Demerit have, against the backdrop of the severe challenges posed by the Covid pandemic, continued to make the case for an open access, interdiscipl

Sustainable urbanisation assumes the maintenance of nearby wetlands and farms from an environmental standpoint. With rare exceptions, Third World cities are systematically urbanising, polluting and destroying their vital environmental support systems. For instance, uncollected trash frequently covers open areas in cities, creating mini-utopias for rodents and mosquito-borne disease carriers. The persistent gaps in the rates of waste production and disposal are frequently startling. Urban migration, unemployment, food prices, and growing rental housing costs have emerged as major urban problems in many Ethiopian cities. The study's primary objective was to analyse the status of food security indicators experienced by urban households and their coping mechanisms for policy implications using empirical data. The study used a mixed method research strategy that combines quantitative and qualitative research methods. Focus groups, key informant interviews, and questionnaire surveys were used to collect the data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to assess the data gathered. In development studies, establishing exact, accurate, trustworthy and meaningful indicators of urban food security continue to be difficult. Despite the developing world's significant incidence of food insecurity being acknowledged, the precise number of people who lack access to food and the extent to which they are impacted remain unknown. Food security measures, such as the dietary energy supply (DES), household dietary diversity score (HDDS), and reduced coping strategy index (rCSI), were used to identify households that were food insecure. The survey found that 54% of households consumed less than 2100 kcal per adult daily and experienced food insecurity. A baseline of 2100 kcal per adult equivalent per day revealed that 56.7% of families in Bahir Dar and 52.7% of households in Gondar experienced food insecurity. Less than four food groups were consumed by 64% of households, which is far below the FAO's recommendation. The findings also showed that eating fewer meals per day, choosing fewer quality foods, and limiting portion sizes at times were the most often used coping mechanisms during food shocks. The overall findings of the study highlight an urgent need for actions that might increase the food security of the urban poor, such as price stability, the building of communal housing, enabling micro-finance and providing starting money.

The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) and blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) are the inhabitants of remote areas at higher altitudes with extreme geographic and climatic conditions. The habitats of these least-studied species are crucial for sustaining the Himalayan ecosystem. We employed the Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) species distribution model to predict the potential habitat suitability of snow leopards and blue sheep and extracted common overlapped niches. For this, we utilised presence location, bio-climatic and environmental variables, and correlation analysis was applied to reduce the negative impact of multicollinearity. A total of 134 presence locations of snow leopards and 64 for blue sheep were selected from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). The annual mean temperature (Bio1) was found to be the most useful and highly influential factor to predict the potential habitat suitability of snow leopards. Annual mean temperature, annual precipitation and isothermality were the major influencing factors for blue sheep habitat suitability. Highly influential bio-climatic, topographic and environmental variables were integrated to construct the model for predicting habitat suitability. The area under the curve (AUC) values for snow leopard (0.87) and blue sheep (0.82) showed that the models are under good representation. Of the total area investigated, 47% was suitable for the blue sheep and 38% for the snow leopards. Spatial habitat assessment revealed that nearly 11% area from the predicted suitable habitat class of both species was spatially matched (overlapped), 48.6% area was unsuitable under niche overlap and 40.5% area was spatially mismatched niche. The presence of snow leopards and blue sheep in some highly suitable areas was not observed, yet such areas have the potential to sustain these elusive species. The other geographical regions interested in exploring habitat suitability may find the methodological framework adopted in this study useful for formulating an effective conservation policy and management strategy.

As one approach to publicising sustainability efforts at the local level for a wider audience, international resource management certification schemes and their eco-label programmes have been widely used as a verification tool. The case of Japanese shark fishery based in Kesennuma, Miyagi shows the full picture of the current global context behind a highly controversial commodity: shark fins. Campaigns against shark finning directed by environmental NGOs have led to shark fin being taken off the menu at some Chinese high-class hotels. The shark fishery in Kesennuma is currently working toward obtaining Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification to prove that their shark products are not the result of finning, with the expectation that the certification will provide a clear distinction between human moral issues and sustainable resource management issues. Drawing on this case, this paper analyses the network of cooperative stakeholders in order to re-configure a global sustainable commodity network for shark fins. It has been almost a quarter century since MSC was officially launched as an independent organisation in 1997. Initially, MSC certification was a major strength of differentiation, allowing producers of certified seafood to sell at a higher price, but the acquisition of certification by multiple fisheries targeting the same or similar species has reduced the economic benefits for individual fisheries. By analysing the shark fishery, which require resource management on the high seas, this paper provides new insights into how MSC certification can be mobilised by producers.

Cities are lived and made and constantly in a state of flux, and the same urban spaces can be used by a variety of people in very different ways. I propose the concept of ‘liquid urbanisms’ to understand these provisional uses of urban space. Liquid urbanisms are provisional places and spaces, connected through the loose and flexible networks of people and projects, that are not immediately obvious but which solidify around a certain project or topic, then become liquid again, until another time in the future. Liquid urbanisms was a helpful concept for me in my research, but also has a wider resonance in how we think about and conceptualise provisional locations in the city. Liquid urbanisms builds on and adds to work in urban studies, focusing attention on the spatial practices of urban actors at the local scale and acknowledging the importance of the temporal in understanding space and place and acknowledging the fluidity of cities. My research conducted in 2013–17 in Dublin initially looked at so-called ‘temporary spaces’ but quickly grew to include parks, squats, art spaces, urban gardens, autonomous social centres, networking groups and direct actions. I created the conceptual framework of liquid urbanisms to be able to discuss these projects together, as empirically from my research I could see that the projects I was researching had two main shared characteristics: a looser understanding of temporality than existed in mainstream urban planning understandings of the city, and a shared network of people, places and resources, but no body of literature encompassed both of these characteristics. The focus of this article is the concept of liquid urbanisms and how the framework of liquid urbanisms can highlight the different temporalities, spatialities and networks that exist in city spaces, reminding scholars to pay attention to the diverse fluidity of cities.

Municipal and regional leaders' achievements for synchronised sustainability transitions are still not enough. Systemic, systematic and strategic cross-sectoral collaboration and co-creation are needed. However, sectors isolated in silos leads to suboptimal measures and strategies, and a reductionist view on what hinders and enables joint action towards full sustainability. Consequently, methodological support for addressing the coordinative challenge is often not asked for. This study investigates the observed reductionist perspective as foundation for developing enhanced methodological support for strategic sustainable development (SSD) and further aimed to gain insight into how leaders can be better supported to understand their current reality of barriers and enablers for cross-sectoral SSD work and to prototype such support. Results from fieldwork with leaders in six municipalities and regions suggest that both frequency and depth of barriers and enablers in relation to elements for SSD are insufficient. Nine categories were identified and combined with SSD core elements into a diagnostic tool.

Although the adoption of cash crops among smallholder farmers is meant to increase the commercialisation and profitability of agriculture, it is still unclear if cashew farmers are better off or worst off from cashew farming in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study investigated the overall effects of cashew production on household livelihoods among smallholder farmers in the Transitional Zone of Ghana. The study employed a mixed research methods design for data collection and analysis. These methods included focus group discussions (FGDs), key informant interviews (KIIs), and a survey of 239 cashew-farming households. The results revealed both positive and negative outcomes for farmers and their households. First, the positive outcomes included increased income, enhanced social status, improved food and nutrition, housing and education. Second, the negative outcomes included increased theft, high cost of goods and services, high cost of living, and a rise in physical health problems among farmers. The study concludes that, overall, cashew farmers and their households experienced improved livelihoods despite the negative effects arising from cashew farming. To maximise the livelihood outcomes of smallholder cashew farmers, we underscore the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach to development planning that promotes innovations in training, extension support, and sound financial and business management.

Green spaces are fast depleting in many urban areas across the world. This contributes to carbon dioxide emissions and affects the local climate and well-being of city residents. Yet, there is limited empirical research on the spatio-temporal patterns of change in urban green spaces and linkages to human well-being, especially in coastal cities where urban green spaces additionally act as critical flood controls. This paper assesses the changing pattern of green space cover in Cape Coast Metropolis and the factors associated with the perceived well-being of residents. Using a mixed-methods design, we obtained open-source geospatial data and gathered primary data through field observations, and in-depth and semi-structured interviews. These data were analysed using geospatial, statistical, and textual techniques. The results show that, from 1991 to 2018, the metropolis lost 26.57 km² (21.66%) of its green space cover. The major land use change observed is the conversion of green spaces and wetlands into built-up areas. The well-being of residents related to green space use in the metropolis is associated with individuals' age and gender; the presence of good quality green space, its accessibility, and perceived importance; frequency of visits; and the time spent in the green space. The findings suggest the need for the integration of nature into urban development planning and policy, and enforcement of development controls to protect green spaces and enhance the well-being of residents.

The study examined the ecological health status of the Muni lagoon amidst increasing development in and around its catchment using a concentration of heavy metals in its water and fish samples as a proxy. Flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer (FAAS) laboratory analysis was employed to determine heavy metals (cadmium [Cd], lead [Pb], iron [Fe], manganese [Mn] and zinc) present in water and fish samples within the Muni Lagoon. The study revealed that the Muni Lagoon and feeder rivers were polluted with heavy metals (Fe = 0.453, Cd = 0.201, Mn = 0.105 and Pb = 0.024) comparing their concentrations with the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and Water Resources Commission (WRC) limit. Fish within the lagoon were found to pose no harm to consumers as traces of heavy metal concentrations were below the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations/World Health Organisation maximum permissible limit. The study further revealed that the application of agricultural inputs such as fertilisers, pesticides and domestic waste as well as unregulated gutter channels were the major source of heavy metals. A paired sample t-test showed a statistically significant difference between the wet and dry season's concentrations of cadmium and lead. For cadmium, the t-test found t(5) = −7.265; p = .001 between the wet season's concentration and the dry season's concentration and for lead, the t-test found t(5) = 5.061, p = .004 between the wet and dry season concentrations in the lagoon. It is therefore recommended that the Forestry Commission, Municipal Assembly and the local leaders should collaborate in regulating activities occurring in and around the catchment of the lagoon.

Geography, like many other disciplines, is reckoning with the carbon intensity of its practices and rethinking how activities such as annual meetings are held. The Climate Action Task Force of the American Association of Geographers (AAG), for example, was set up in 2019 and seeks to transform the annual conference in light of environmental justice concerns. Mirroring shifts in geographic practice across the globe, these efforts point to a need to understand how new opportunities for knowledge production, such as online events, can operate effectively. In this paper, we offer suggestions for best practice in virtual spaces arising from our Material Life of Time conference held in March 2021, a two-day global event that ran synchronously across 15 time zones. Given concerns about lack of opportunities for informal exchanges at virtual conferences, or the ‘coffee break problem’, we designed the event to focus particularly on opportunities for conviviality. This was accomplished through a focus on three key design issues: the spatial, the temporal, and the social. We review previous work on the benefits and drawbacks of synchronous and asynchronous online conference methods and the kinds of geographic communities they might support. We then describe our design approach and reflect on its effectiveness via a variety of feedback materials. We show that our design enabled high delegate satisfaction, a sense of conviviality, and strong connections with new colleagues. However, we also discuss the problems with attendance levels and external commitments that hampered shared time together. We thus call for collective efforts to support the ‘event time’ of online meetings, rather than expectations to fit them around everyday tasks. Even so, our results suggest that synchronous online events need not result in geographical exclusions linked to time-zone differences, and we outline further recommendations for reworking the spacetimes of the conference.